Natsumi yawned and stretched as she walked out onto the veranda, then looked into the dewy grass where Hasu was doing morning stretching and running through basic Taijutsu forms, with Kanna copying his movements. Natsumi put her hands on her hips as she watched Kanna struggling, her face reddening as she huffed and tried to keep up.

Hasu looked at the young girl from the corner of his eye, stopping and wiping the sweat accumulated on his brow with the hem of his shirt that clung to him, sticky with sweat. Kanna stopped as well, panting as she caught her breath, her own clothes damp.

"Kanna, you do not have to do this training with me. You're still quite young, so you should allow yourself to rest when you need to."

"I won't!" Kanna shook her head quickly and balled her fists as she looked up at him. "The sooner I learn these basic things, the sooner I can learn to control my mark, and then I won't have to be separated from Koji as long."

Hasu smiled and patted her head, nodding slightly. "Your determination is admirable, though you still need to allow your body to rest. This training regimen was created for me, so you should be following the regimen that Natsumi recommended for you instead."

"I can... keep up." Kanna drew in a breath, holding it in for a moment to calm herself. "If you can do this without any training before, then so can I."

What a stubborn girl. The corners of Natsumi's mouth twitched slightly, and she crossed her arms. She'll manage just fine with that Anko woman as her mentor.

"Natsumi, please advise Kanna that resting is important for a Shinobi." Hasu turned to her, and then motioned to the girl beside him. "This is the third day in a row that she has attempted to keep up with my regimen, and she is quite sore and fatigued."

"I'm not..." Kanna's cheeks were flushed, half from her stubborn embarrassment, and the other half from exertion.

"Hasu, she's your Kouhai." Natsumi laughed quietly, then shook her head. "One of the skills of a Shinobi is being able to guide your juniors." She turned to Kanna. "But also, it's important for a Ninja to heed the teachings of their Senpai or Sensei. Hasu's right; your body needs rest."

"But—"

Hasu put his hand on her shoulder. "Rest for now, please. If you push yourself too much, particularly at such a young age, you might do damage to your body."

Kanna bit her lower lip gently and then sighed. "Oh, alright. I'll take a break."

"Good." Natsumi nodded and stepped forward. "Kanna, I want you to take the rest of the day off from strenuous activity." When the girl opened her mouth to protest, she held up a hand to interrupt. "You may do some stretching before bed, but only stretching."

Kanna sighed again and then nodded. "Okay."

Natsumi smiled and thumbed toward the door behind her. "Go take a quick bath before breakfast. A nice soak will help your aching muscles."

Kanna bowed slightly to Hasu, then to Natsumi before she quickly ran into the house. Hasu wiped his sweat again and then rubbed his head.

"A hot bath sounds quite nice."

"You stay right there." Natsumi pointed at him and furrowed her brows. "You've only done half of your forms so far. Do the rest, and you can have a bath, too."

"Ah, Natsumi, you are quite the strict teacher." Hasu chuckled. "Very well, then."

You're the one who insisted on learning how to defend yourself. I can't just let you slack off when there are so many threats around. I won't always be there to protect you.

Natsumi sighed softly and watched as he returned to the basic form, and she ran her fingers through her hair.

Still, he's made good progress learning these forms in such a short amount of time. I wish I had picked up new things that quickly when I was younger.

"NEESAN!"

Konohamaru ran over and knocked her down with a grin and a surprise hug, and she laughed as she looked at him.

"Good morning to you, too, Konohamaru." Natsumi got up and dusted herself off, then patted his head, bending to meet his eyes. "Did you sleep well? You're sure energetic this morning."

"I'm not sure." Konohamaru paused for a moment, scrunching his face and crossing his arms before eventually shrugging and grinning once again. "I just feel like today will be really exciting!"

"Oh really?" She grinned back at him, then turned him around and nudged him toward the grass. "You know, they say that the best way to start a good day is to train."

"Who says that?" Konohamaru looked at her and she crossed her arms.

"I do." Natsumi smiled faintly and nudged him again. "Go help Hasu with his forms. You already know them, right?"

"Heh." He rubbed his nose and puffed out his chest. "Of course I do! I'm going to be the Hokage someday, so of course I know that basic stuff." He turned to jump down from the veranda to walk over to Hasu and immediately correct his posture.

Natsumi smiled to herself as she watched them train for a moment, then a figure softly bumped into her.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Miss Uzumaki. I didn't see you there."

Natsumi stepped aside and watched as the woman smiled sheepishly. "Oh, Ena. Good morning. What are you doing?"

"Koji made a mess of himself while eating, so I was going to fetch a towel for his bath." Ena paused, blinking for a moment as she frowned faintly. "It seems I can't quite remember where I had put them, though."

She can't remember where things are in her own home?

Natsumi turned slightly to point toward a door near the far end of the veranda. "Aren't the linens in the room to the right of the bath?"

"Oh!" Ena's eyes widened slightly and she tapped the side of her head with her fist softly. "Thank you." She smiled and then smoothed her hair. "How silly I must seem to you, forgetting something like that."

"Are you alright?" Natsumi tilted her head slightly and Ena waved her hand, laughing as she shook her head.

"I'm fine, of course. I've just been having a difficult time sleeping deeply. It must be why I was getting a bit turned around." She turned and waved and she walked toward the door. "Thank you again for your help."

"Um... you're welcome?" Natsumi waved back, then crossed her arms and frowned once Ena had disappeared.

Well, that was strange. She's been the one to tell me where everything is while I've been here.

She sighed and turned back toward the boys as they trained, then she puffed her cheeks and walked toward them. "Hey! Fix your stances!"

"Sorry!" Hasu and Konohamaru jumped slightly and rubbed their heads as they glanced back at the other.

"Also, I don't know what you're talking about, but you can make jokes after you're done training."

"But it's too early to be training so seriously, Neesan." Konohamaru pouted slightly.

Natsumi raised her brow and he blinked and held a smile until she relented with a smile, taking a stance. "Okay, then, if that's how you feel... both of you spar with me. If you win, then we can be done."

"All right!" Konohamaru laughed and flexed his small, skinny arms and looked up at Hasu. "We can take her, right?"

"Well, we can try, at the very least."

"I can't believe you believed that you could beat Natsumi in a match." Kanna combed her hair into two sections with her fingers, then quickly braided each half, flipping the short braids over her shoulders once she was finished. Then, she took a sip of her tea and looked between Konohamaru and Hasu, who sat beside each other on the opposite side of the table.

"We may have lost; however, we had a good time." Hasu smiled at Konohamaru, who shoveled a bite of breakfast into his mouth and gave him a thumbs-up. "The bath felt rather relaxing after training so earnestly." He cracked a half-smile, glancing at the younger boy- who wore his damp towel on his head- after a pause. "Well, it was rather relaxing until someone began to splash around."

"You started it!" Konohamaru swallowed his bite and pointed at him.

"Did I?" Hasu sipped his tea and laughed. "I noticed a few soap bubbles still lingering on your hair, and I tried to help you rinse them away."

"He splashed me." Konohamaru held a hand up to his mouth as he whispered to Natsumi, who laughed.

"It was only a bit of fun." Hasu rubbed the towel on his head, mussing Konohamaru's hair. "I used to splash my brothers in the bath when I was your age. Our mother became so frustrated each time, because we would soak the bathroom after a splashing fight."

"Having brothers sounds like a lot of fun." Konohamaru fixed his hair and looked up at him, then looked down. "I wish I had a brother, too."

"Hey, Naruto and I are kind of like your brother and sister, right?" Natsumi smiled at him, and he nodded and grinned.

"Yeah, that's right." Konohamaru nodded and continued to eat, and Natsumi sat back and shifted her gaze at Ena.

Ena sat quietly and looked down at Koji as he drank from a bottle in her arms, and Natsumi watched her from the corner of her eye. After a few minutes, Kanna finished looked up from her meal to look at Ena with curiosity in her eyes.

"Ena, how was your book club yesterday?"

"Book club?" Natsumi repeated and looked at the girl, who nodded.

"Ena is part of a book club called 'Literature in the Moonlight' that meets twice a week to read together." Kanna beamed and closed her eyes for a moment. "It sounds so fun!"

"I wouldn't call it a formal book club." Ena shook her head with a smile, sitting Koji up to pat his back as he finished the bottle. "You see, all of us members were good friends when we were younger, but we don't get to see each other much as adults. We use the book club as an excuse to get together." She laughed quietly. "Though, we do enjoy reading together."

"I didn't know you were in a club." Natsumi paused and studied the woman as she blinked, almost frozen in place.

"Ena is actually very social." Kanna nodded, looking at Natsumi as she spoke. "She has a very interesting routine and always does something with her free time." She leaned forward and smiled as she looked at Ena, tapping her fingers on her lap. "You were supposed to get a new book last night, right? What is it this time? Another fantasy? Or, maybe a romance this time?"

They turned to look at Ena, who blinked and sat still, as if frozen, as Koji wriggled on her lap. She blinked after a moment, then frowned and forced a small smile.

"I'm sorry, but I don't remember. I don't think I went to the book club last night."

"You don't think you did?" Natsumi asked, and Ena smiled sheepishly and tapped her head again.

"I must have gone to bed early because of how poorly I've been sleeping, that must be why I didn't go."

"Oh." Kanna's smile faded briefly before spreading again. "That's alright; I'm sure they'll catch you up on what happened."

"Of course." Ena smiled back at her, though uncertainty flashed in her eyes.

I'm not imagining it; something is definitely wrong with her. First, she gets lost in her own home, and, not only did she break her routine, but she can't even remember what she was doing last night.

Natsumi bit her lip.

Maybe the stress of taking care of a baby, and the current situation with Kanna and Hasu is just getting to her, but something doesn't feel right about this.

Konohamaru looked at the woman after gulping down his glass of milk and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Ena, where is Gramps anyway? He normally eats with us."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Ena smiled sweetly and moved her hair behind her ear. "He said that he had an early meeting this morning that he had to attend to. It must be very important."

Konohamaru sighed and crossed his arms, grumbling. "That old man is always too busy..."

"Well, with an event such as the Chunin Exams currently taking place, I am sure there is quite a bit that he has to manage for it." Hasu reassured him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Otherwise, I am certain that your grandfather would be happy to spend time with you."

"Yeah." Konohamaru made a face and Hasu smiled.

"I must go now, but would you like to visit me at the music shop after your classes are through? We can walk back here together afterward if you'd like."

"Really?" Konohamaru's eyes widened slightly. "Can I? That'd be cool! Will you play an instrument for me?"

"Perhaps. If you study diligently during your classes, that is."

"Deal." Konohamaru shook his hand and they nodded to each other.

"Oh dear." Ena glanced at the clock at stood, holding Koji on her hip as she looked at Konohamaru. "You had better finish getting ready and hurry off to the Academy. You don't want to be late."

"Alright." Konohamaru grumbled and Hasu helped him to his feet.

"Would you like me to walk with you?"

"I'm not a little kid." Konohamaru put his hands on his hips. "I can get there by myself." He turned and left the room, and Hasu smiled at Natsumi.

"I should prepare myself as well to leave, but thank you for the training this morning. I appreciate you taking this time to help me."

"No problem." Natsumi smiled and watched as he left, then looked back at Ena after he had left.

"I think little Koji wants to play again, so I'll leave you girls for now." Ena started to leave with the baby in her arms, but Natsumi quickly followed her out into the hall.

"Ena, wait a moment."

"What is it?" She turned and looked down at Natsumi. "Is something wrong?"

"Ah... no." Natsumi lied, rubbing her head with a smile. "Actually, I was curious about your book club. Where do you guys usually meet?"

"Oh." Ena laughed. "One of my friends owns that café next to the Yamanaka flower shop. We sit out on the patio and read together." She paused and smiled at her. "Although, if you're interested in joining, I'm afraid that it's an exclusive group only for us old friends."

"That's okay." Natsumi shook her head slightly. "Do you always follow your routine like Kanna said?"

"Oh yes." Ena nodded. "I lost my mother when I was your age, and establishing a routine was something that helped me to manage the grief of it. I find my routine to be perfectly soothing." She paused, a thought reflected in her eyes, and her smile faded slightly. "Though, I'm not sure why I missed my book club. I've been having such trouble sleeping, even with my nightly routine. I'm sure it's only temporary." She smiled again. "Was there anything else that you needed?"

"No, thank you." Natsumi turned to go back into the room, and Ena met her eyes.

"If I may say so..." Ena lowered her voice to a whisper. "Ever since you and that boy have started to stay here, Kanna has improved so much. She is able to socialize as a normal girl, and having friends has really helped her to cope with her situation. She may not say so, but she is very grateful for the company."

"I'm glad that she's doing better. I didn't do much, but I'm happy that I was able to help her a little. I was really worried about her."

Ena walked off with the babbling baby to play in the courtyard and Natsumi turned to look behind her, where Kanna had finished her meal and had begun to clean up the table. She turned to look at Natsumi with a slight smile, and Natsumi bit her lip and rubbed her head.

"...You heard us, didn't you?"

Kanna nodded and gripped the bottom of her shirt and smiled. "Ena is right. Thank you for helping me so much. I don't feel as lonely." She looked away for a moment, then back at Natsumi. "When he said that I was going to be away from Koji, and that I would be a Ninja, I was scared. But you started helping me train, and I don't feel as scared anymore. I still don't want to be away from Koji, but I feel a little braver now."

"That's great." Natsumi paused, then bit her lip again. "Have you noticed anything off about Ena lately?"

"It is strange that she missed her book club, but..." Kanna pursed her lips as she thought and furrowed her brow. "She has been having trouble sleeping. If she went to sleep early, that would help her, I think."

Considering how much time Kanna spends around Ena, I thought for sure she'd notice something.

Natsumi crossed her arms. "When did she start having trouble sleeping?"

"Um..." Kanna screwed her face as she paused to think again. "Maybe the same night you first stayed here? Koji woke up before sunrise, so Ena took him outside for a little walk to see if that would get him back to sleep."

"Did it work?"

Kanna nodded. "When they came back, he was fast asleep. Ena tried to go back to bed, too, but she said that she had a headache."

"What happened after that?"

"She used a Willow tincture and drank a Feverfew tea, then went to sleep." Kanna paused, her face relaxing as she met the older girl's eyes. "Why? Is something wrong with Ena?"

I guess she's been spending so much time with Hasu and me the past few days that she really hasn't noticed.

"I think Ena is okay." Natsumi smiled faintly and patted her head. "Don't worry about her. I'm sure she'll be back to normal soon."

Kanna nodded and smiled. "I'm sure!" She turned back to clean again, and Natsumi took a step forward.

"Do you want me to help?"

"I've got it." Kanna shook her head. "If I am going to be a Ninja, then I want to start doing more things on my own."

"Okay." Natsumi stretched and turned to leave. "In that case, I've got something I need to take care of." She turned and left the room, walking down the hall as she frowned to herself.

That wasn't as helpful as I was hoping for. Went for a walk, developed a headache, and now is having trouble with her memory. Maybe it really is nothing to worry about, but I have a bad feeling.

A pair of hands grabbed her and pulled her around the corner, and she reached for a Kunai as Hasu's eyes widened.

"It's just me!"

"Hasu..." Natsumi gasped, then sighed. "Don't scare me like that."

"My apologies." Hasu looked around and crossed his arms. "There was something that I wanted to tell you, but I did not want to worry Kanna by speaking of it around her."

"Is it about Ena?"

He nodded. "She said that she did not remember what she did last night, and that she believes that she went to bed early, though I know for a fact that she did not."

Natsumi furrowed her brows. "What do you mean?"

"I was awake late yesterday evening, reading, and I saw Ena leave the estate."

Natsumi's eyes widened slightly. "She left the estate? But she doesn't remember it?"

Hasu nodded. "I wouldn't have thought it strange, except for the fact that she was wearing her nightclothes." He paused. "She also seemed as if she was sleepwalking."

"That's definitely not normal." Natsumi frowned. "Do you know where she went?"

He shook his head. "I did not follow her, though I now wish that I had."

"She went somewhere but doesn't remember it... and in her pajamas, no less. The first sign was having a headache after a walk at night..." Natsumi tapped her chin as she slowly paced and muttered to herself. "She even got lost in her own home..."

"That is serious." Hasu frowned. "Though, I haven't the faintest idea of what could cause it."

"Neither do I." Natsumi crossed her arms. "But I have a bad feeling about it. If she's having this much trouble after only a few days from the first symptom, who knows how bad it will be in another few days."

"With her responsibility of caring for a baby, this is very worrisome." Hasu combed his fingers through the ends of his hair. "Perhaps we should have her examined by a doctor or Medical Ninja?"

Natsumi shook her head. "No; not yet, at least. I don't want to raise the alarm or worry Kanna too much. For now, I think I'll just keep an eye on her. If anything strange happens, I might be able to figure out what is wrong."

"And, if you are unable to determine the cause?"

"Then I'll have Ahmya or Sena examine her. I just don't want to jump to any conclusions." She bit her lip, then nodded slightly to herself. "Still, finding out where she went, and why she doesn't remember it, is important."

"I know that you are a capable Kunoichi, however, please proceed with caution." Hasu smiled faintly and touched her shoulder. "Do not attempt to do something alone if it is too great for you to handle on your own."

"I'll be careful."

Natsumi sighed from her hiding place from behind a pillar in the garden, watching a window as the light turned off and the figure inside could no longer be seen moving around.

I've been following Ena all day and she didn't do a single thing or go anywhere that seemed suspicious at all. Aside from getting turned around once and forgetting someone's name, nothing was wrong.

She puffed her cheek and furrowed her brow, then touched her stomach as it growled.

I'm so hungry, too. Having a clone eat in my place didn't help much, either. It was also really unsatisfying to not even be able to taste the food myself.

She closed her eyes and prodded her stomach as it growled again, and she opened her eyes again to turn her attention back to the window. She sat there diligently for some time, tapping her fingers on her knees as the crickets chirped loudly in the night. A large centipede slowly crawled over her stationary foot, its feelers wiggling and touching her as its numerous legs prickled over her skin.

Natsumi bit her lip to keep herself from screaming, digging her nails into her palms as she forced herself to remain still, and gulped as the creature seemed to meet her eyes before it crawled off into the grass. She shuddered violently and rubbed her arms, making a face and sticking out her tongue.

Ew. Ew. Ew. Those things are the grossest. She shuddered again and bit her lip. That one was a venomous one, too. And all those legs...

"Yuck." Natsumi muttered and shifted her position to focus her attention back on the window for another moment before sighing heavily.

Why am I even still bothering to watch her? Nothing happened today, and nothing is happening right now.

She scratched her head and glanced away from the darkened window. As she stood to leave, the quiet creak of the sliding door made her freeze in place, and she held her breath to listen.

It can't be...

She slowly turned her head, looking from the corner of her eye at the figure that stepped outside, and her eyes widened slightly.

It's Ena!

Dressed in only a nightgown, Ena moved slowly, her feet shuffling quietly as she went. She walked barefoot down the stone path in the moonlight with a blank expression and half-closed, glassy eyes.

It's just like Hasu said! She looks like she's sleep-walking, but... She narrowed her eyes, hiding herself carefully in the shadow of the wall as Ena passed her and walked through the gate of the estate. Sleep-walkers usually do things that they do routinely. This isn't routine of her, sneaking out through the back gate like this.

She followed Ena from a distance with quiet steps, reaching out for a moment, then drawing her hand back.

Even if it might be dangerous for her to sleepwalk like this, I am curious to see where she's going.

Ena continued in her trance; moving through the moonlit streets, cutting through yards, and sneaking by sleeping guard dogs who cracked their eyes at her as she passed. She continued to shuffle forward in a daze until she reached a small playground at the end of a secluded cul-de-sac. Natsumi kept careful watch from a distance, hidden amongst the branches of a tree.

A playground? She plays on a playground while she sleepwalks? Natsumi bit her lip. She passed several parks on the way here, though. Why does she come to think one when it's so out of the way?

Ena approached an empty bench and stood there, maintaining her blank expression as she stared into the empty space. Natsumi frowned and narrowed her eyes slightly as she watched.

She's just standing there? I don't understand.

The air above the bench rippled and a figure shifted his transparency, becoming visible. Natsumi's eyes widened and she quickly looked him over as he balanced in a squat on the back of the bench. His skin was dark and he wore black clothes— simple black pants, a black crop-top, and a black half-jacket with a short right-sleeve and a long left-sleeve. A pair of swords were strapped on his back, and he wore three utility pouches on his back waistband. His face was covered with a white mask, though his bright fuchsia eyes were obvious from a distance.

Who is that?! Is he ANBU? I've never seen him before!

The boy reached his hand out, placing his palm on Ena's forehead. His eyes flickered with glowing light, and his hand was cloaked in chakra of the same hue. Ena's eyes widened and her body stiffened and then trembled, and she whimpered in pain. Tears streamed slowly from her eyes and Natsumi clenched her jaw.

I don't know what he's doing to her, but it's hurting her!

She summoned her Ninjato to her hand and flickered down from the tree to reappear at the edge of the mulched playground, pointing the tip of her sword at him.

"Step away from Ena."

The boy kept his hand in place and turned his head slightly to see her as he narrowed his eyes, though he remained silent.

"Who are you?" Natsumi took a step forward and glared. "What are you doing to her?"

As she stepped forward, he threw a Shuriken into the ground only millimeters from her feet. She met his eyes and tightened her grip on her sword.

"I was giving you a chance to explain yourself for luring a member of the Hokage's own family and then hurting her, but it looks like you'd rather I capture you and get the answers the hard way."

His eyes flickered again and the chakra dissipated from around his hand. Ena groaned in pain and her eyes fluttered shut before she collapsed to the ground in a heap.

"Ena!"

Before Natsumi could react, the boy appeared in front of her and brought his swords down at her simultaneously. She gritted her teeth and blocked the strike with the back of her blade, glaring as their eyes met.

"Who are you?!"

He pushed her down under the strength of his blades and her knees bent as she was forced downward.

He's really strong!

She struggled against the force, and as the edges of his blades drew closer to her, she let out a soft hiss and relaxed. His eyes widened slightly as his swords passed through her and she twisted her body to maneuver away from him. She held up her sword and solidified as she swung at him. He dodged her attack and retaliated, locking swords once again.

"What did you do to Ena?!" Natsumi dodged his second sword, and they continued to strike, dodge, parry, and counter each other's attacks. He stayed silent as she questioned him and she glared at him. "Who do you work for?!"

"Impertinent girl." He parried her strike and raised his foot to kick her hard in the chest, knocking her back. She growled low and gripped her Ninjato tighter.

"So, you can talk." Natsumi ran at him again, feinting a strike and summoning her Ninjato to her opposite hand to slice his exposed side. He turned his body to avoid her blade, avoiding a deeper strike, but a line of crimson appeared on his skin and he glanced down at his wound briefly. "I thought you were mute."

"You must be the one who uses Lord Fourth's Jutsu." He aimed a strike at her again, and she shifted form to allow it to pass through her before she countered with her eyes widening.

"How do you know about me?"

He paused momentarily, tilting his head slightly as if studying her for a moment. She adjusted her stance to watch him carefully.

"You're weaker than I expected." The masked boy spun the swords in his hands, gripping the hilt backward to prepare a strike. "However, you interrupted and now you must be silenced."

Who is this guy?! And what did he want with Ena?

She bit her lip, then furrowed her brows.

Unless... he's interested in someone else. Someone close to Ena.

Her eyes widened and she glared at him. "You work for Danzo, don't you?"