Hiruzen leaned back in his chair and took a long drag from his pipe with his brows furrowed. After a moment, he glanced up and looked at the woman across from him.

"If what you say is true... then this is a deadly serious situation." He paused. "And since Naruto is only the third Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tailed Fox, there is very little information to go off for his condition, and absolutely no information on the instance of twins..." He let out a long, slow tendril of smoke. "I never anticipated that twins could have such a powerful connection before..."

Kiri crossed her arms, drumming her fingers on her arms. "And then, their gestation on top of that..."

Hiruzen nodded. "Yes... There is much we don't know about this... and what she had told you about Naruto..." He pressed his lips together in though. "If their connection works as I suspect it might... then it means that the seal has weakened..."

Kiri cleared her throat and he looked up at her.

"Yes?"

"What about Natsumi?" Kiri uncrossed her arms and rested a hand on her hips, then glanced down at her forearms briefly. "How do we explain this to her?"

Hiruzen returned the pipe to his lips and he paused. "To put it simply... we tell her nothing."

Kiri's eyes widened. "What?! How can that be your answer? If our suspicions are true, she has every right to know what is happening, for her own protection!"

"If our suspicions are correct, then keeping the truth buried is the best way to ensure her safety."

Kiri scowled. "I should have expected you to say that. That's what you do, isn't it, Hiruzen? You make everything a secret and keep it out of sight as your way of dealing with things."

"Kiri." Hiruzen's eyes narrowed slightly.

"If you hadn't realized yet, Hiruzen," Kiri continued and placed her palms on his desk. "All of those secrets you buried long ago are slipping out. The villagers all know Naruto is the host to the Nine-Tails. And Naruto himself now knows it, too. How many more of your secrets are going to come out? How many more people will get hurt from the web of lies and deception you've spun?"

"That is enough!" The old man's mouth formed a hard line and he slammed his fist against the table, silencing her. "As Hokage, it is my duty to look after the Village's best interest as a whole, which also means that some things must remain a secret if there is to be security and peace. My word on this matter is final."

"My brother died for this village! My brother died because of a damn secret!" Kiri leaned closer. "None of your secrets are doing anything but causing pain for other people! Those twins deserve to know everything!"

"Your brother's sacrifice was a choice he made himself— the same choice that all Shinobi must face."

Kiri scoffed. "Is that it, then?! Are we just pawns to you? Our lives are meaningless beyond our Shinobi duties?"

"This is about the security of the Village." Hiruzen met her gaze and held it. "And I am Hokage. My orders are to be followed precisely."

"No, this is about the life of a little girl who is scared, confused, and paranoid right now!" Kiri pointed, as if Natsumi were in the room with them. "She already knows that something is very wrong, and she is worried about the only family she has! You owe it to her to give a proper explanation!"

"In time, all will be explained. To involve a child her age in such matters is—"

"That's bullshit!" Kiri interrupted. "You didn't find it inappropriate to bring her into the ANBU at her age! Or any of us, for that matter!" Kiri tightened her hands into fist until her knuckles turned white. "And, she's already involved! Her twin brother is the damn Jinchuriki, and she just became feral for a few minutes! She needs to know!"

"Silence!" Hiruzen snapped and sucked on his pipe for a long time. "I understand your position, however, for the safety of the Village and for her own protection, you will obey my command and not tell her any part of this discussion."

"And what if this happens again?" Kiri crossed her arms. "It's like you said before, their connection is strong and unprecedented. What happens if this happens again? You can't just pretend as if the problem doesn't exist."

"I've already considered that possibility." The old man rested his elbows on the desk. "And I've decided it will be best to have her monitored for the time being as we gather more information."

Kiri snorted. "You're kidding me." After a moment, she shook her head and let out a heavy sigh. "Of course you're not. At least let me be the one to do it, instead of some stranger. She trusts me, even though she has no reason to."

"This is too personal a matter for you." He laced his hands together and held them in front of his face. "And you lack the ability to properly contain her in the event of a reoccurrence. I know just the man for the job."

Kiri's mouth gaped slightly. "You can't mean... him?!" She shook her head. "No! Anyone but him. You don't need to traumatize to her."

"She will not be aware of his presence. He's also the one best suited for this."

Kiri made a face. "Maybe so, but he creeps me out."

"It's settled then." He sat up straighter. "Natsumi will be placed under temporary observation." He narrowed his eyes slightly. "And she will not be told about anything we have discussed."

Kiri narrowed her eyes as well and met his gaze. "And, just how 'temporary' is this going to be? You can't keep her a prisoner in the hospital forever."

"Until it's determined that she is not a danger to herself or the village."

Kiri scoffed and shook her head slowly. "Of course..." She shook her head again. "Fine. But this is the last secret of yours I'm going to keep. We both know that it's not right."

He let out a long, slow breath and smoke swirled around him. "I never realized you hated me so..."

"I don't hate you." Kiri put a hand on her hip. "You'd be surprised to know that I actually highly respect you as a Shinobi and as an individual. You just also have a knack of pissing me off and making decisions that I think are stupid or cowardly."

"Hmph." He took a drag of his pipe again. "Even as a child, she was never one to mince words..."

Kiri turned to leave, then stopped and looked over her shoulder.

"Hiruzen, I do understand where you're coming from. And I respect your motives. But, mark my words, you sheltering those two and keeping these secrets... they're going to be completely unprepared for what the world has in store for them." She paused and met his eyes. "They're going to have a rude awakening when they realize just what they should have been preparing for, and I don't think they'll be happy about it."

Kiri bit her lower lip and walked back through the halls of the hospital, scrunching her nose at the pungent odor of cleaners and rubbed the scratches on her forearms now covered by bandages and a fresh long-sleeved shirt.

"Damn that old man... why is he always like this about everything?" She rounded the corner and went up the next flight of stairs. "Lord Fourth wouldn't have done shit like this... he always knew the right thing to do or say..."

She sighed and continued down the hall. "I've got to tell Natsumi something..."

She stopped in front of the door, taking in a deep breath, and then opened it again slowly.

Natsumi lay in the bed and turned to face her friend as she opened her eyes.

"Sorry." Kiri smiled faintly and scratched her head. "I didn't mean to wake you up. I can come back later."

Natsumi shook her head. "No, it's okay. I wasn't really sleeping anyway. My brain won't shut off."

Kiri sighed quietly and shut the door behind her and sat beside the bed. "How do you feel?"

Natsumi sat up and glanced down at her hands. "Alright, I guess. I just feel... tired. Not actually sleepy, but just... bored, I guess. Tired of having nothing to do than sit here and think."

She looks about the same, too. Natsumi watched Kiri nod and smile faintly. The same mental exhaustion while also thinking of a million different things at one.

"I hate hospitals." Kiri crossed a leg over the other and rested her hands on her lap. "Always have. They're cold, boring, and just... depressing." She shrugged. "But, they are necessary sometimes, I guess."

She looked at Natsumi and her smile grew as she began to relax. "You're looking a lot better than when you first woke up. Your color, for one, is better."

Natsumi faintly smiled.

She still looks like she's holding back, though. It's the same as before.

"Any chance I could get this off?" Natsumi held up her arm and gestured to the IV there. "The medical tape holding it in place is starting to give me an itchy rash, and it hurts. I can eat just fine, so I don't need it anymore."

"I'll see what I can do." Kiri eyed the bag of fluids and the monitors around the bed. "Hopefully they'll ditch those, too. I hate the constant beeping."

The corners of Natsumi's mouth twitched upward. "You think they'd be mad if I just... turned them off?"

Kiri laughed. "Oh yeah, definitely." She winked. "Although, if it were me, I'd totally do it anyway."

Natsumi looked down at her arm and then sighed. "I probably should just leave it in a little longer. I wouldn't want them to make me keep it in longer as punishment."

"Do you want me to get you anything?" Kiri looked around the room. "There's still plenty of pizza, but do you want anything else? Something to drink, maybe?"

Natsumi shook her head and held up a bottle of water. "All I want is to just get out of here before I lose my mind. I want to get back to training as soon as possible."

And also do some digging and see what's really going on.

"I know." Kiri crossed her arms. "Believe me, I'm trying to pull what strings I can. They just want to make sure you're recovering well, but I'll see if I can't bust you out of here by tomorrow."

She tapped her fingers against her bicep. "I know the Old Man wants her observed in the hospital, but he doesn't know Natsumi well if he thinks she'll just sit in here quietly for much longer. If that guy is so good, then it shouldn't be a problem for her to leave and be monitored on the outside."

"Kiri, about earlier..." Natsumi looked up at her. "I'm sorry if it sounded like I don't trust you. I do trust you, it's just..." She bit her lip. "So much has happened in such a short amount of time and I feel... overwhelmed and helpless."

Kiri shook her head. "Don't. I understand, you know." She smiled and reached out to ruffle the girl's hair. "That feeling when things are happening out of your control... it's uncomfortable to not be able to do anything for the ones you care about... to only be able to sit back and wait to see what happens." She rested her hand on her knee again and looked down. "For people like us, it eats and eats at us and makes us withdrawn and paranoid. It's normal."

Natsumi's eyes widened slightly.

That's exactly how I feel...

Kiri laughed under her breath and ran her fingers through her hair. "After my brother..." She paused, continuing in a soft voice. "You should have seen what a wreck I was. I kept going through it in my head, blaming myself and hating myself the more time went on. Even after all this time, my mind wanders and I can't help but think that I could have done something to change it, but..." She shrugged slightly. "Ultimately, it all boils down to the fact that I haven't really accepted that it wasn't my fault."

Natsumi stared down and pressed her lips together.

I don't know what happened to her brother, but everything really is my fault in this situation. No matter how I look at it, everything would have been fine if it weren't for me.

"Hey, as my brother used to say, 'if you're too busy staring down at the mud, you'll never see the rainbow'." Kiri nudged Natsumi. "So, don't look so down, alright?"

Natsumi let out a sigh and nodded slowly. "Okay."

"Look what I brought for you." Kiri reached into her pocket and held up a deck of cards with a grin. "I was thinking of teaching you Blackjack first, and then we can move on to teaching something more complicated."

She opened the pack of cards and slid them out into her hands as she began to shuffle.

"Where did you learn that? That's definitely not something the ANBU teaches."

Kiri shrugged and smiled faintly. "Aito and I taught this stuff to ourselves as a means to pass the time."

"You two have known each other a long time."

Kiri nodded with a short laugh. "Since we were innocent, pre-pubescent kids. We were both assigned to team Yoru, and we just naturally clicked, you know?" She shrugged again. "We had a ton in common, and our personalities are similar. We became the closest after..." She stopped shuffling and trailed off for a moment before starting again. "Let's just say, we had a rough series of missions. It was... hard for us to handle emotionally." Her voice lowered and she held the deck still in her hands, staring down at them and beyond them. "We all have our own methods of coping, though. That's what led us to creating drinking games, while still very underage."

Natsumi pressed her lips together softly. "Kiri... what happened on those missions?"

Kiri's eyes widened slightly and her hand trembled slightly before she tightened it into a ball and smiled. "It... doesn't matter anymore. It's in the past." She crossed her legs and held up the cards again. "Alright, pay attention to the rules, because I'll only explain it once."

"Ack!" Kiri threw down her card and crossed her arms. "How are you doing that? I thought you said you didn't know how to play?"

Natsumi laughed and held up the Ace and the King between her fingers. "Actually, I never said I didn't know how to play."

Kiri made a face. "When I said before that I would teach you, you never said that you already knew."

Natsumi set her hand down in front of her, neatly placing the cards side-by-side. "Naruto and I got bored a lot, so we played a lot of card games before we started doing real Ninja missions. And, when he was busy playing pranks or something, I would practice making Shadow Clones and playing cards with myself. We did Blackjack, Spoons, Poker, Crazy Eights, War, Kemps... you name it."

"Hmph." Kiri let out a sigh. "And here I thought I'd be the fun one who introduced you to these kinds of games."

"Card games are fun." Natsumi began to restack the desk and she smiled. "Especially when I win. Naruto used to get so worked up once I completely figured out Blackjack and learned how to beat the system. It was kind of funny, seeing him so frustrated that you could almost see the steam coming out of his ears."

"Beat by a kid..." Kiri shook her head with a smile, then shrugged. "Oh, well. I'll think of some other game we can play to pass the time."

After a moment, she started to quietly stack the cards with steady hands.

"House of cards?" Natsumi leaned closer to watch, careful to direct her breaths away.

Kiri nodded. "It's actually something I used to do to handle stress. My childhood therapist recommended it, originally."

"Does it work?"

Kiri gently set a card on top of the tallest point of the structure and it collapsed. She growled and crossed her arms, making a face.

"Not for me, no."

If it takes my mind off of this ominous feeling I have, I'll try it.

Natsumi reached out and took the cards, beginning to rebuild the fallen structure. Kiri leaned back in the chair as she watched, keeping her legs crossed and her arm draped over the back of the chair.

"Natsumi?"

She looked up at Kiri as she set down a card carefully. "Yeah?"

Kiri swallowed and let out a short breath. "I... I'm sorry."

Natsumi blinked. "For what?"

Kiri shrugged. "Just... this whole mess. Being stuck in the hospital, for one."

"Oh." Natsumi's eyes fell on the short house of cards in front of her. "That's not your fault."

It's mine, actually.

"Well, that's debatable." Kiri laughed softly under her breath and then let out another quiet sigh. "Just promise me that if there's anything you need, you'll let me know, okay? Even if it's just to talk, and you're afraid I'll think it's silly or if you think I won't believe you. You don't have to isolate yourself or hold in how you're feeling."

Natsumi looked away for a moment, then smiled and tilted her head slightly. "Kiri, really, I'm okay. I swear."

"Well, if you're sure." Kiri crossed her arms and then yawned. "You should try to get some sleep in a little bit. I know I'm ready for a nap."

She moved to sit in the armchair in the corner, and Natsumi shook her head.

"Kiri, just go home and sleep. I'm really fine, and you'll sleep better in your own bed."

Kiri frowned. "Are you sure? You don't want me to stay with you?"

"I'll be fine." Natsumi nodded and pointed at the cards. "I can occupy myself for a while until I get tired."

"Hmm... Okay." Kiri mussed her hair and smiled. "Just make sure you don't push yourself too much. You're still recovering from one of the worst known cases of Chakra Exhaustion. You need to get plenty of sleep so that you can leave here faster."

"Trust me, I don't want to be in here much longer." Natsumi smoothed her hair down. "I'll see you later."

"Alright." Kiri stepped toward the door with her mouth pressed into a line, then glanced over her shoulder briefly. "Damn kid, lying through her teeth like I used to."

Aito let out a short breath and reached into the cooler to retrieve a soda, opened it, and took a sip. A heavy silence hung over the group, with Hana and Ahmya sharing a look before Hana uncrossed her arms and rested against a tree.

"So... are we going to talk about it?" She looked at AIto, who kept his eyes averted as he drank slowly.

"Talk about what?" He muttered under his breath, his lips brushing against the can.

Ahmya coughed politely and took a step forward. "About... Natsumi? What just happened?"

"What about it?" Aito put a hand in his pocket and rested against another tree as he looked up.

Hana rolled her eyes. "Maybe you weren't there to see it, but she just went crazy and started acting like an animal!" She put her hands on her hips. "You saw her eyes! There was nothing human left there... only the eyes of a monster."

"So?" Aito shrugged, keeping his voice low. "It's over now. She's fine."

"Fine?" Hana huffed. "I saw your face back there... I know what it reminded you of. What it reminded us all of."

When he didn't answer, she crossed her arms and clutched her forearms tightly with her trembling hands.

"Have you forgotten the people we lost to that monster?" She bit her lip to pause. "Aito, your parents—"

"What do you want me to say?" Aito turned to meet her eyes and lowered the can from his lips. "Do you think that I didn't feel like I was reliving that day when I saw those eyes? That I didn't think of the day Asahi and I buried our parents?" He clenched his hand into a fist. "Or how I had to stand in for our father at her wedding, because our parents never got to see it for themselves? Or," he looked away and lowered his voice. "how I cried when I held my baby nephew just after he was born, because my parents were never going to get to meet their own grandson or see him grow up?"

Hana pressed her lips tightly together and looked downward as Aito met her eyes again.

"Is that what you wanted me to say?" He took a step toward her. "That I hate the Nine-Tailed Fox? That I still have nightmares where I see my parents die, one by one as its claws ripped through them?"

Aito finished the rest of his drink with a single gulp and crushed the can in his hand, staring down at it. "You're not the only one here who lost people that day, Hana." He glanced toward Ahmya, who held her arms close and remained silent.

"It... it was awful." Ahmya spoke up as her eyes watered. "Mom told me to get to the evacuation shelter, but I was stubborn and I thought that I could help... I rushed out of hiding to help, and only got in the way. My mom pushed me out of the way just in time... and I saw her crushed easily under its foot, as if she were no different than a bug." Her lip quivered and a childlike innocence flashed in her eyes. "There... wasn't even enough of her to bury."

Hana clutched her arms tighter, her eyes shut for a long time before they opened again and she glared at Aito.

"I know all of that, dammit!" Her bit her lower lip hard and her knuckles whitened. "Which is why I don't understand how you can defend that thing—!"

"I'm not defending anything." Aito shot a look back. "Except for Natsumi. None of us even know what just happened, and here you are quickly condemning her as if she's some kind of monster."

"What else could it be?" Hana muttered through gritted teeth. "We were told that it had been sealed into the boy instead... but what if they were wrong? What if it's been her the whole time?"

"And if that's the case, so what?" Aito tossed the can into the bucket and crossed his arms.

"W-What?" Hana blinked and took a step back. "What do you mean, 'so what?'"

"Exactly that." He kept his eyes on her.

"Whichever one is it, it's not as if they had any choice, right?" Ahmya spoke up and looked between them, nodding slowly. "They were just born that day... not only a few hours old. Whichever one is its vessel; they didn't get a choice."

Hana uncrossed her arms and balled her hands into fists. "Maybe, but that demon inside them—"

"They're not responsible for what that monster did." Aito shook his head. "How could they be? Naruto or Natsumi... neither were its host when it attacked the village. It's not as if they let it rampage at will... they were just the container for it in order to save the village. Therefore, you can't blame them for what happened up to that point."

Hana opened her mouth, then shut it quickly again and turned her head away. Ahmya stepped closer to her and place a hand on her shoulder.

"Hana, I know exactly how you feel... but, even if your idea is right, you can't just put all of the blame and your hatred and pain on Natsumi. She's like family now, and it's not as if she really is any different now than she was before. You don't even know for sure what happened to Natsumi."

"Then explain what just happened." Hana furrowed her brows and rounded on her cousin, then looked at Aito. "Please, I'd love to hear your other theories or explanations as to why she acted like that out of nowhere."

Aito let out a sigh and he ran his fingers through his hair, and Ahmya sighed and clasped her hands together.

"See? You can't." Hana shook her head.

"Natsumi isn't a threat." Aito put a hand on his hip. "You can't try to say that she is."

"Oh yes, because a girl who grows fangs and claws and starts attacking people at random, without remembering it after the fact, is completely safe and doesn't pose any danger at all." Hana rolled her eyes. "I can't listen to this right now." She turned and narrowed her eyes at Ahmya. "And I can't believe that you're agreeing with him about this."

Before they could respond, Hana flickered away and Ahyma let out a deep sigh.

"She just needs time to cool off." She pressed her lips together and looked away, her voice barely above a whisper. "She never really healed after it... I'm not even sure she tried."

Aito nodded and peered inside the cooler, frowning slightly before he straightened and picked it up.

"It's a good thing that our drinking spot is so secluded." He glanced around the wooded area and sighed again. "Hana's got a big mouth, talking about this so loudly when it's a taboo topic."

"I'll try to talk to her when I get home." Ahmya ran her fingers through her hair. "She's easier to reason with after she's had a few hours to calm down."

"Ahmya." Aito touched her shoulder as she moved to walk away and met her eyes. "What we saw... we can't let anyone else know about it, okay? No matter what happened to Natsumi, if it means what we think it does... that's dangerous information. It'd paint a big target on her back, and I for one don't want to be responsible if people start going after her thinking she's the Fox's host."

"I know." She nodded and looked down. "I might feel the same way as Hana about the monster, but what I said before, about Natsumi being family... I meant it. I don't plan on treating her differently after this or exposing her. I don't want things to become more dangerous for her than they already are."

Aito smiled and ruffled her hair. "Thanks. I knew I could count on you."

"And, I can count on you on restocking our supply." Ahmya smiled and pointed to the cooler. "Remember, Hana only drinks imports, and I prefer the bubbly juices. Grape is my favorite."

"Yeah, yeah." Aito chuckled and waved. "I won't forget."

They went their separate ways, and an eerie stillness settle over the area. A shape emerged from below ground and the giant plant cracked open to reveal the man's monochromatic features. He chuckled deeply.

"Yes... what dangerous information indeed." The black half of his face spoke independently of the other.

"How careless of them..." The white half smirked slightly and spoke in a lilted tone. "I'd hate for something to happen to this precious 'Natsumi' of theirs."