"Wakey, wakey." Kiri prodded Natsumi's cheek until her eyes opened slowly. She grinned. "Ah, there you are."

Natsumi's eyes fluttered open and light blinded her briefly until her eyes adjusted and she recognized her surroundings.

I'm in the hospital again... She slowly moved her hands and feet and exhaled slowly. No pain, either. Just soreness...

Her eyes fell on Kiri, who crossed her arms and looked down at the girl.

"Hey." Natsumi murmured.

"Hey,' she says." Kiri shook her head slightly. "You just love scaring all of us, don't you?"

Natsumi's mouth twitched slightly in a smile. "Sorry."

"Sorry." Kiri scoffed. "You don't even know how dangerous that was! Transferring Chakra like that without training in Medical Ninjutsu... you could have killed yourself! What were you thinking?"

Natsumi grunted and forced herself to sit up, rubbing her eyes as she did. Then, she looked at Kiri.

"Did it work?"

Kiri stopped, her mouth open as she went to reply, then shut it again with a sigh. "Natsumi—"

She narrowed her eyes. "Did it work?"

Kiri let out a breath. "...it seems... the wound has recovered and the damage that the poison did was gone."

Natsumi's eyes widened and Kiri held up her hands, shaking her head slowly.

"But... Sena hasn't regained consciousness. They don't know why. They also don't know how you did it, but they're conducting blood tests as we speak to make sure that all traces of the poison are gone."

Natsumi's body relaxed and she stared down at her lap.

So... it still didn't work.

"You've bought her more time, at least." Kiri smiled softly and ruffled Natsumi's head. "She'd be proud of you... right after scolding you for being so reckless."

At least I did something... Natsumi sighed and she smiled faintly to herself.

"Oh, and... you have visitors."

Natsumi looked up at her. "Huh? Visitors?"

"Yeah, and they've been surprisingly quiet." Kiri nodded and motioned to the back wall, where several chairs were occupied.

Natsumi's eyes widened again as she looked and discovered Team Seven there— Naruto sitting in quiet, pre-explosive anticipation; Sakura, sitting in the center, with her hands resting neatly on her knees as she watched Natsumi; Sasuke, who sat with his face turned away and his arms crossed, with his standard faint scowl on his face. Beside them, standing with his back against the wall as he read a book, was Kakashi. He lowered the book and smiled, crinkling his eyes as he held up a hand in a wave.

"Hey."

Naruto's body trembled as the pressure built up, and then he suddenly jumped to his feet and ran to his sister's side, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her.

"I get back and the first thing you do is try to get yourself killed!"

Natsumi opened her mouth, then closed it again as she met his eyes, which watered slightly as he stared at her. Natsumi's eyes watered and she threw her arms around him tightly, giving him a squeeze.

"You're back!"

Naruto hugged her back, and she pulled away with a smile, then looked behind him at the rest of his team.

"But... what are you all doing here?"

"After you collapsed, we all went out looking for Naruto." Kiri rested her elbow on Natsumi's head for a moment. "Of course, he came here right away. You're lucky you didn't have as bad of Chakra exhaustion as before, but that was still a dangerous thing to do."

"Today we were supposed to begin training again since our mission, but Naruto refused to cooperate until you woke up." Kakashi responded, closing his book to hold it down at his side.

Natsumi's cheeks warmed slightly and she looked away. "So... you guys have been sitting there waiting a long time?"

"Only for about an hour." Kiri chuckled and stuck her hands into her pockets. "Blondie's been surprisingly patient, too."

Naruto made a face at the nickname, but his expression shifted when Natsumi hugged him again.

"I missed you." Natsumi released her brother and frowned slightly. "You've been gone so long... I was so worried." Her eyes fell slightly and his expression softened. "I saw you hurt... he said... that you were dying... I was so worried..."

"H-Huh?" Naruto blinked. "You saw me?"

"He?" Kakashi asked under his breath, and Kiri met his eyes briefly.

"Who said what?" Kiri asked, looking down at Natsumi.

Natsumi blinked and rubbed the back of her head suddenly, laughing quietly.

Crap! I can't tell them I saw the Nine-Tailed Fox! They'll think I'm crazy!

"D-Did I say that?" She laughed and lowered her arm to rest on her lap again. "Sorry, I'm kind of just babbling." She turned back to her brother. "I've just been so worried, ya know... and you were gone longer than I expected."

Naruto chuckled and scratched his head. "Our mission was pretty exciting. At first, I thought it'd be so boring, but Old Man Tazuna turned out to be a good guy, and we met a lot of great people." He grinned, then thumbed at himself. "And! And! You should have seen me! I came up with an awesome plan to rescue Kakashi-sensei, and I was the hero of the day beating up a bunch of thugs! And... well, I did a lot of other cool, heroic stuff, too."

Natsumi smiled as she listened, then crossed her arms loosely. "I wish I could have seen it. I'm sure you were awesome."

"I was." He beamed as he scratched his head again, then looked back at her and his expression softened slightly. "What about your mission?"

Natsumi's breath caught in her throat and she swallowed slightly. After a moment, she spoke slowly.

"Naruto." Natsumi whispered and her eyes rose to meet his. "Please don't take this the wrong way... but I'd really like to talk to Kiri for a moment alone, please."

"H-Huh?" He scratched his head as he looked at her. "What for?"

Natsumi looked to Kiri, who nodded slightly and patted the blond's head.

"Just for a few minutes, okay?" Kiri flashed a smile at him. "And then you can talk your sister's ear off as much as you'd like." Kiri glanced at Kakashi, who looked briefly at Natsumi before smiling and waving his hand and addressing his students.

"Let's give them a bit of privacy." The Jonin looked at Sakura, who nodded obediently, and Sasuke, who only shifted his weight to move from the wall.

"But..." Naruto blinked again.

"Come on, Naruto." Kakashi motioned for him to follow as Sasuke and Sakura stepped outside and Kakashi stood beside the door.

"We'll be quick." Kiri winked and nudged him toward the door. "I swear."

"O-Okay..." Naruto tried to meet his sister's eyes, but Natsumi was staring at the hands in her lap.

Once the door clinked closed, Kiri's smiled faded and she turned to the girl with her voice soft.

"Yeah?"

Natsumi sighed and bit her lip, lacing her fingers together. "About our mission... You haven't told me much about it, other than it was a failure."

Kiri let out a breath and leaned back in her chair, running her fingers through her hair before answering.

"...Yeah. We failed."

"You said before that a second team went out and got the information successfully..." She paused. "But, what about the other part of the mission? What about the prince?"

Kiri opened her mouth, then shut it, and then sighed as she rested her hands on her lap and leaned forward.

"Natsumi, I didn't bring it up before because I knew you were already having a hard time dealing with everything."

"I have to know." Natsumi clutched the hospital blanket. "Please, tell me."

Kiri sighed again, thinking for a long time before she answered. "Once we got back to the village, and you and Sena were being treated, I reported to the Hokage immediately. He dispatched two three-man squads; one to gather intel from the Araki's base and do clean-up, and another to meet with the informant and try to make up for lost time."

"And...?" Natsumi leaned forward and Kiri looked away.

"Well, Aito's group got a ton of great information from the cabin." Kiri clasped her hands together as her expression darkened. "As well as finding his sister's gear and mask they'd kept as a trophy. He's been handling it well outwardly, but I can tell that he's barely holding it together."

Natsumi bit her lip. "And the Prince...?"

"Yuuri led that group." Kiri sighed. "They got to the meeting spot, a day late. What they found was evidence of a major struggle."

Natsumi's eyes widened. "Someone captured our informant?"

Kiri looked up at her. "Not just someone. Yuuri traced it back to the Abe estate. It seems that the Prince's absence was definitely noticed, and they discovered his deception." Kiri crossed her arms. "Best as we can tell at the moment, he's likely being held captive or tortured for information. There haven't been any signs of disposing of a body, so we feel that he's probably still alive."

Natsumi's eyes fell back down to her eyes. "And the information?"

"The kid pulled through." Kiri said after a pause, nodding slightly. "He was smart enough to hide the evidence once he figured out he was being tailed. Did a great job of it, too. Hid it well enough that an average person wouldn't find it, but made it obvious for our people to see it."

Natsumi let out a short sigh. "Well, at least it wasn't a complete disaster..."

Kiri leaned back. "Of course, Yuuri is still pissed about the mission failing, so I've had to enduring hearing her bitch nonstop at home about it, but we've got the information at least."

"What did it say?"

Kiri shrugged. "Some of it was heavily encoded, so our best people are still working on translating it. But, from what we can tell so far, it confirms all of the intel so far and that Lord Abe was definitely working with an enemy for some kind of scheme."

"What about the boy?" Natsumi looked up again. "If they haven't killed him, what are we going to do?"

"What are we going to do?" Kiri repeated and combed her fingers through her hair. "There's really nothing we can do for him, at the present."

Natsumi blinked slowly and then shook her head quickly. "I can't accept that! It was our job to bring him back to the Leaf so he could be under our protection! That means that he became the Leaf's responsibility the moment he made that deal with us! We can't just leave him there! If he's still alive, we've got to rescue him!"

Kiri's eyes widened slightly, and then she sighed deeply and shook her head.

"Natsumi... I know you only just started recently, but I've been ANBU since I was younger than you are. There are times when you just have to accept the orders... accept how things are..." She paused and met her eyes. "What we really needed was just the intel. Putting the boy under our protection was just what had to be said in order for him to agree to give us the information. We got what we needed... what the village needed. The boy... he's not a primary concern."

Natsumi's mouth opened and she froze. "So... that's it?! We've got some papers and we're just going to leave the boy we promised to protect to be tortured and killed?! How is any of that right?!"

"Woah... woah..." Kiri shook her head and held up her hands. "I understand, Natsumi, I really do. But, being ANBU means working behind-the-scenes... it means making hard choices and tough sacrifices for the good of the village, and for the country. I understand what you're saying, and how you feel, but empathizing for his situation is not necessarily the most important issue we're facing. There could be war if we can't decipher the ledgers and put a stop to it. Imagine just how many people would die and suffer then."

Natsumi bit her lip hard and shook her head. "I understand that! But the mission was to get the boy and the intel! They're a package deal! We promised to keep him safe! How could you defend just abandoning him?!"

Kiri opened her mouth, and then closed it once more. "Natsumi..."

"I won't accept it! I have to do something!"

"Natsumi..." Kiri crossed her arms and let out a breath. "I really do understand. It doesn't feel right at all to have to leave him like that... but, looking at it logically, the life of one boy doesn't matter in terms of averting war." Her brows furrowed and her mouth turned downward in a frown. "But there's not a damn thing we can do about it. We swore an oath to obey all orders. We can't do shit for him unless it's handed to us as a mission. We're just expected to sit back and bury our empathy and morals in order to be efficient Shinobi."

Natsumi softened and her shoulders sagged. "I just..." She bit her lip. "This feels..."

"It's wrong." Kiri muttered hotly. "It's absolutely wrong. On one hand, I understand that the information was more important strategically than the boy. But to turn your back on someone you vowed to protect..." Kiri's eyes flashed with anger. "That kind of betrayal is unacceptable."

"We have to do something." Natsumi muttered softly.

"We can't!" Kiri slammed her palms down on her lap in frustration. "It's just like I said... we have to sit around and follow orders. If we were to defy orders or go off on a rescue mission without being told to, we'd be labeled rogue ninja and hunted down like criminals. Do you understand?"

Natsumi pursed her lips, only nodding slightly.

Kiri let out a slow breath. "In order to be a good ANBU agent, you have to learn to shut off your emotions and personal convictions... failing to do so always gets you killed... or it makes you into a traitor. It's damn hard to not lose yourself with this work. It's a real fine line..."

Silence settled between them and Natsumi clutched the hem of the blanket, then rolled it beneath her fingers in thought.

"...Does the Hokage have any intention of rescuing him?"

Kiri sighed. "I don't know. Knowing Hiruzen, he wants to save him, but he's got bigger fish to worry about. Right now, our forces are spread a little thin, so we can't really spare anyone to do recon and an extraction for the prince— not when we're on standby for other missions. I know he's also waiting for the intel to be decoded, so we can't do anything rash at the moment."

Kiri exhaled slowly and crossed her arms. "Currently, we have a team of two ANBU monitoring the estate, but that's all we can do for now. We just have to wait for an opening."

Natsumi pressed her lips together and sighed softly. "I wish we could just go there now..."

Kiri nodded. "So do I, but they're going to be prepared for if... for whenever we can do a rescue. They already know he was betraying them... they're not stupid. They'll expect us to come for him eventually, so we can't rush in blindly."

Kiri smiled faintly and then leaned back in the chair. "Don't worry, Natsumi. Hiruzen might seem callous sometimes, but he's a good Hokage and a good man. I'm sure he's already contemplating how to help the prince."

Natsumi looked up at her and titled her head slightly. "You keep referring to Lord Third by his name... you must know him really well."

Kiri shrugged and crossed one leg over the other. "My parents were Senior ANBU agents, and Hiruzen used them as his confidants and sometimes as advisors." She paused. "Then, when the village was attacked twelve years ago by the..." She went quiet again, then continued. "... I defied orders to stay with the younger Shinobi like Kakashi, and I went looking for the Hokage. I fought alongside Hiruzen then, despite him being mad at me for defying orders."

Kiri shrugged and uncrossed her legs, then recrossed them with the other on top. "And then, after my brother died... and then my parents... I guess he was just kind of like family by then. Like the grandpa I never had."

Kiri laughed quietly to herself and ran her fingers through her hair. "I give him a lot of shit, but it's funny to say that out loud. The Old Man really is closer to being family than what family I have left."

"As always, you're ungrateful."

They turned as Yuuri stepped into the room, letting the door close loudly behind her. Kiri scowled slightly, crossing her arms.

"And what do you want?"

Yuuri ignored her question and stepped closer to the bed, with her icy gaze on Natsumi.

"I just finished speaking to Lord Third. I requested you be removed from the ANBU immediately."

Natsumi's eyes widened and Kiri stood suddenly, knocking her chair back.

"What?!" Kiri clenched her fists. "Why?!"

"The ANBU is no place for children." Yuuri sneered and kept her gaze on Natsumi. "Especially not ones who are weak and jeopardize missions."

Natsumi swallowed.

What? She... she's kicking me out?! After all that I've been through already?! All that extra training and studying...?!

"You can't do that!" Kiri gritted her teeth. "You can't pin the blame on her! There were three of us on that mission. We all failed it— don't you dare single her out!"

"I can, and I will." Yuuri put a hand on her hip and shifted her attention to her adopted sister. "Believe me, I have plenty to say to you about it, too. But this is about the girl for now."

"She has a name." Kiri glowered and moved to step between Yuuri and Natsumi. "And, there's nothing you need to say to her."

"I thought we got the information we needed?" Natsumi curled her hands into tight balls as she looked at her senior. "Isn't that what was important?"

Yuuri turned her glare to Natsumi. "It doesn't matter if the intel was what was most important. The mission was to retrieve the boy with it. Completely only one part does not count as a success."

"Yuuri, that's enough." Kiri crossed her arms and lowered her voice. "You should leave. Now."

"I'm not finished yet." Yuuri crossed her own arms and stood straighter, scowling more deeply as she had to look up at Kiri. "That girl is responsible for the loss of a potentially valuable witness, as well as derailing what could be one of the most significant missions at present, and leading to the death of one of our best Medical Ninja. She has no place whatsoever on Team Yoru, or anywhere in the ANBU! She and that Demon Fox boy should have beenleft in the woods as babies to save us all the trouble!"

Natsumi's face paled and her hands trembled.

I... I did everything I could to help Sena... to make it right... it's... not my fault.

"That does it!" Kiri gripped Yuuri's arm tightly, dragging her hard out of the room, the door slamming behind them.

Natsumi swallowed at the lump in her throat and a cold numbness took over her body, causing her to shudder.

Even though I've tried to make it right... to help her... what if... Sena still dies? It won't matter then what I tried to do... it's still my fault... in the end.

Natsumi bit her lip and drew her legs in close.

Everything she said was right... all these years of training, and I'm still weak. I haven't built up enough Chakra yet... I don't know many Jutsu... I'm sloppy, and I don't think things through.

Natsumi hung her head as she wrapped her arms around her legs.

I shouldn't have tried to change the plan... the mission was clear. It was easy. I ruined it, and it was supposed to be easy. The Hokage was counting on us... that boy was counting on us... and I made a mess of everything.

She bit her lip hard and her eyes watered.

Reckless.

Emotional.

Useless.

Failure.

Liability.

Weak.

Pathetic.

Natsumi gripped her hair tightly in her fists as she cried harder in silence.

Did I really think that I could make it better? Did I really believe that I could undo it? When it was my fault anyway?

There's no way she could ever forgive me for this... There's no way that everyone doesn't hate me...

Sena's going to die because of me... I killed her...

Rocking back and forth slowly, she closed her eyes tightly.

I killed her.

That boy is probably dead, too.

I killed them both.

It's my fault. My fault. My fault.

She forced herself out of the bed and stumbled slowly over to where her things were.

I don't belong in the ANBU... I don't deserve Team Yoru... I don't deserve to be their friend...

Natsumi choked on a sob.

I don't even deserve to be Naruto's sister.

He would hate me, too, if he knew... if he knew...

Natsumi shook her head and changed quickly into her clothes, then reached into the bag for her Ninja Tool Pouches.

It would be best for everyone... if I just disappeared.

The pouch slipped from her shaking hand and Kunai and Shuriken clattered onto the floor. As they fell, one Kunai grazed her forearm. Natsumi's eyes widened and she clamped her hand over the cut as blood oozed out.

Crap!

Red spilled from between Natsumi's fingers and her eyes watered.

It's worse than I thought!

Moving quickly to her bed, she grabbed at the sheet and wrapped it around her arm, pressing it to the cut tightly. After a moment, she stopped and stared as the red showed in small spots through the fabric and she began to tremble.

It... It doesn't...

She loosened her hand and the cloth fell slightly to reveal the red line.

It doesn't hurt.

Her face paled at the realization.

I can't feel it at all!

"What do you think you're doing?" Yuuri glared and pulled out of Kiri's grasp once they were in an empty room. "I am your superior—"

"And you're also my sister." Kiri returned her glare, spitting venom in her words. "So, I think that allows me to be able to tell you to shut and listen for a change!"

"Listen?!" Yuuri shoved her backward. "You expect me to listen to you?! You failed your mission! A simple mission, and you couldn't even do that right!"

"Shut up, will you?!" Kiri snarled and straightened, using her height to intimidate her senior. "We were ambushed by the Araki brothers! What did you expect to happen?!"

Yuuri froze and her eyes widened slightly. "The... Araki brothers? All seven of them?"

Kiri nodded. "All seven of them."

"Why didn't you say anything before?" Yuuri yelled.

"I put everything into the report! But you only cared about the Pass/Fail status, as usual! You didn't bother to actually read the details!"

Yuuri clenched her fists and let out a hot breath. "That doesn't matter now! Tell me what happened!"

Kiri scowled and pointed to the wall, indicating the room Natsumi was in. "That girl you called weak and useless... she killed four of them! By herself!"

Yuuri's eyes widened further and she froze in place. "What?! How?! We've been trying to kill them for years now without any success! And that one girl killed four at one time?"

"You are an idiot for underestimating her! I warned you before about that. I told you that she was skilled!"

"How?!" Yuuri put her hands on her hips. "How did she do it?"

"It was... incredible." Kiri closed her eyes and sighed quietly. "And also, terrifying. After Sena was wounded, Natsumi simply... snapped. I've never seen anyone snap quite like it before. She killed them all so quickly that it was hard to keep up with her movements."

"How is that possible? She isn't faster than either of us."

"Her instincts." Kiri opened her eyes. "Obviously, it must be a skilled passed through her genetics. It's the only explanation as to why she was able to have such inhuman speed."

"But..." Yuuri pressed her lips together with her expression hard. "There's no way an orphan could be that natural gifted."

Kiri crossed her arms and drummed her fingers on her biceps. "You have no clue..."

Yuuri glared. "Regardless of what she did... you still failed your mission. Our witness is gone— untouchable now, if he's even alive. And there's still the matter of us losing one of the Leaf's best medical Ninja."

"As if you even care about Sena." Kiri scowled. "You've hated her from day one, so don't even pretend that you're concerned about her at all."

"I don't have to approve of her to recognize her skill." Yuuri gritted her teeth. "Besides, that child is still a problem. She and her brother both. They're a threat to the village, and the Hokage should have never put her in the ANBU. This is proof."

"Maybe there are people in the village who agree with you about them." Kiri exhaled slowly, her face growing hotter in anger. "While you all are sitting back, wishing they hadn't been born, they're great kids despite that. Better than most anyone."

"Coming from you, that's no compliment." Yuuri snapped. "You, my adoptive sister, the whore. The one who is more naturally gifted than my own son, all without sharing a drop of our blood. Yet you waste your talents with drinking games and throwing yourself at any man with a pulse that walks by."

Kiri clenched her fists, fuming quietly. "Why do you hate me so much, Yuuri?"

"If it weren't for you, he would still be alive." Fire burned in her eyes and she responded after a moment. "It's your fault that he's dead."

Kiri let out a low growl and glared. "He was killed by Danzo's assassins! There was nothing I could do!"

"That's a stupid excuse!" Yuuri shouted. "It's your fault! You were there, and you did nothing!"

"There wasn't anything I could do! Stop blaming me for his death! Maybe if you hadn't been so cold and distant from your own brother, he would have chosen to confide in you the secret, instead of me!"

Yuuri slapped her quickly and stood, trembling. "I will never forgive you for his death. No matter what you say... you played a role in taking my brother away from me."

"He was my brother, too!" Kiri stood still, clenching her fists as her cheek stung. "You know that there was nothing I could have done to stop it. You know that damn well."

"You—!"

"You know what?!" Kiri leaned closer, lowering her voice to a whisper as her face nearly touched her sister's. "You call me a whore, but we both know the real reason why you weren't home that night, whore. Cheating on your husband while he was working... with your own uncle... Disgusting."

Kiri's lips twitched in a smirk as she pulled away and Yuuri blinked furiously, her face a deep red.

"Oh, you didn't think that anyone knew?" Kiri narrowed her eyes. "Maybe mom and dad never figured it out, but I did." She spat at the ground in front of Yuuri's feet. "You disgust me."

Yuuri remained still in a silent rage.

"I wonder if Yuuta is even Fumio's son?" Kiri murmured under her breath. "I've always thought he looked more like our uncle, ever since he was born."

Kiri distanced herself from Yuuri with a dark expression.

"If you even dare to single out, target, or harass Natsumi again, I swear that the entire village will know your little secret before the day is up."

Kiri turned quickly and waved as she stepped out of the room to return to Natsumi.

"Buh-bye, now."

Kiri opened the door and peered inside, letting out a breath.

"Hey, Natsumi, ignore Yuuri. I handled it, so—" She stopped and stared at the empty room, her eyes immediately drawn to the bloodied sheet, the weapons on the floor, and the open window.

Her heart skipped a beat and her eyes widened. "Natsumi..."

Stepping back, she ran out of the room once again until she found Team Seven, waiting patiently in the waiting room. They turned to look at her, and she dropped to her knee in front of Naruto and shook his shoulders quickly.

"H-Hey! What're you doing?!"

"Naruto! Quick! Where does Natsumi go when she's upset?!"

He blinked and went still. "W-What...?"

"Tell me now!" Kiri shook him again. "When she's upset, where does she go?! She's in danger!"

The team's eyes widened and Naruto clenched his fist.

"Danger?! What kind of danger?"

"If we don't find your sister right now, you'll never see her again!"

Kakashi's expression shifted and he met her eyes. "You mean...?"

Kiri stood and averted her eyes. "No talking. We need to find her."

Kiri flickered away and leapt from rooftop-to-rooftop, looking down at the village below.

"Natsumi, where are you?!"