Natsumi walked slowly through the streets with the soft light of dawn painted over the village as it warmed her skin. She bit her lips as she carried the unconscious Ena on her back. She released a slow breath as she continued forward and rounded a corner that brought them closer to the Sarutobi estate.

I'm not even really sure what happened. We were fighting, and he caught me with his ability somehow, but the rest feels like a strange dream.

She frowned slightly and shook her head.

My whole body hurts like I was skinned and rolled in lemon juice, and my head feels like my brain was violently scooped out with a spoon. I saw all those memories, but was that what he was after? What was the point of even digging in my head if he didn't even look for anything related to Kanna?

She glanced over her shoulder at Ena's peaceful expression and sighed.

Well, at least Ena's nightmare might be over now and she will be able to go back to normal. He didn't kill either of us, so maybe he already got what he needed. I'm so tired though that I don't really care what he's gotten as long as I never see him again.

She turned again and the gates of the Sarutobi estate came into view.

"What do I do? Normally, I wouldn't hesitate to just tell Lord Third what happened, but Oto's seal probably won't even let me. That park was completely destroyed, though, so it's not as if no one will ask any questions." She bit her lip, nibbling on it slightly. "What can I do? I feel useless right now."

Natsumi pushed open the gate to slip inside with a yawn and Kiri's eyes widened as she stopped pacing in the courtyard to rush over.

"Natsumi, there you are!"

So much for no one noticing my absence and having to answer questions.

Kiri's brows furrowed as she eyed both Ena and Natsumi, and then crossed her arms. "Explain. Now. Why were both of you out before dawn? Why is she unconscious? And what the hell happened to you?"

"Kiri..." Natsumi shuffled forward and looked down. Where do I start?

"Oh, Natsumi; always managing to get yourself into trouble." Kiri sighed softly and smiled, then gently poked the girl's cheek. "You've been through a lot. Why don't you go inside and rest for a while? I'll take Ena." Kiri carefully lifted the woman from Natsumi's back and held her in her own arms, then nodded her head toward the house. "Go on. There will be time later to catch me up."

"Kiri, you're the best." Natsumi muttered softly with a half-smile, and Kiri grinned.

"Damn right I am. Go nap now."

Natsumi shuffled inside and slid the door shut behind her. She started down the halls to the guest room with her lids heavy and drooping, and her feet growing heavier with each step. She bumped into a figure, mumbling an apology as he lifted her into his arms.

"Hasu? What're you up so early for?" Her eyes cracked open and he smiled at her.

"Kiri woke not long ago and discovered that you were missing, so she woke me to inquire if I knew your whereabouts. I was confident that you would return soon, though your current condition is concerning." He frowned slightly. "What happened?"

Natsumi mumbled a short reply, too muffled for him to understand, and he adjusted her in his arms to rest her head on his shoulder.

"Let's lay you down for now. You'll be more coherent after you rest."

"Thanks." She mumbled again, closing her eyes briefly, and then finding herself on the futon when she opened them again.

I'm here already? She looked around to confirm that she was alone, and then she let out a breath and shut her eyes. Maybe everything will just sort itself out while I sleep.

The boy stumbled into the compound and dropped to his knees behind the man, kneeling in silence with his eyes trained on the cool stone floor as he applied pressure to one of his wounds. The man kept his hands clasped behind his back and frowned slightly.

"You are late."

"I can explain, Lord Danzo." His breathing shuddered and he winced as blood slowly oozed from his injuries. "There was a... slight complication."

"Complication?" Danzo furrowed his brows and turned to look down at the boy, who did not meet his eye. "You mean that you were discovered and attacked. Explain yourself."

The boy cleared his throat quietly and paused. "The woman was followed and I was seen in the middle of the extraction process."

"Tsk." The creases in the man's face deepened as he scowled. "Did I not emphasize the importance of this mission of yours?"

"Lord Danzo—"

"Silence." He took a step toward the boy and stared down at him. "I chose you specifically for this task because of your talent for stealth and that Kekkei Genkai of yours. Perhaps I believed too highly in your skill. I assure you; I will not make that same mistake again."

The boy remained quiet as the old man paused, and he swallowed slightly, glancing upward briefly before turning his face down to the floor once again from Danzo's stern disappointment.

"You said that the woman was followed." His frown deepened. "Who was it that you fought so fiercely?"

"A girl in the Hokage's ANBU, Lord Danzo." The boy answered quickly, and the icy glare in the man's eyes grew colder.

"I assume that you dispatched her in the midst of battle to cover yourself?"

The boy remained silent and Danzo hit his cane against the floor loudly.

"You failed to kill her?" His tone caused the boy to flinch slightly. "Do you understand clearly the severity of your error?"

"She possessed abilities I did not recognize or was aware of, which made her a difficult opponent. As I was gaining the upper hand, our fight caused enough of a commotion that led to civilians nearly seeing me. I was forced to retreat."

"Tsk." Danzo exhaled slowly from his nose as he thought. "I see. However, the fact remains that you failed to kill her. What happens if she goes to that fool Hiruzen?"

The boy shook his head. "I don't believe that she will. Or, rather, she can't."

Danzo raised his brow. "Why do you say that?"

"When we were fighting, I saw a Seal on her tongue."

"Hm."Danzo paused again. "Who was this agent? Did you recognize her?"

"The one that the ANBU are calling 'the Red Flash,' Lord Danzo." He glanced up at the man. "The Uzumaki girl."

"Oto's protégé?" Danzo muttered to himself, and then let out a short breath. "I see. In that case, it seems your error has not completely damned this mission."

"What should be done about the girl?"

Danzo took a few steps away, pausing for several moments before he answered. "You did manage to gathered all the necessary information, correct? Or did you fail that as well."

"I've got it all, my Lord." The boy nodded, his stomach twisting as a bitter taste burned in his mouth. "All of the information that you requested."

"Then we shall do nothing. If Oto has muzzled her, then she is most likely unable to report any of this to Hiruzen, at least in detail." He stood in front of the boy again. "For now, we will simply review the information and prepare for our next move."

"I understand, Lord Danzo."

"Understand this, as well." Danzo straightened and glared down at the boy, his words icy daggers once more. "Failing a second time will not be tolerated. There is no room for weakness in the Foundation, and I shall not show leniency simply because of your ability."

The boy turned his face down and pressed his lips together. "I understand."

"Fuu." Danzo turned slightly and a figure flickered and knelt before him.

"Yes, Lord Danzo?"

"Take this incompetent boy to be treated." Danzo scowled over his shoulder at the boy, and then eyed the blood around him on the ground. "Retrieve the information from his mind, and then have someone clean that mess."

"Yes, Lord Danzo." Fuu nodded and stood to approach the boy, then supported his weight and lifted him to his feet. "It will be done."

"That will be all for now. Thank you." Hiruzen nodded to Kin, who bowed her head slightly and left the room. He looked over the new stack of folders on his desk and lifted the top one to examine the seal. With a breath, he formed a sign and tapped it on the seal, illuminating the symbols briefly before he opened the file and gazed upon the photos at the top of the first page— the expressionless face of a teen, and then the same teen with the face hidden beneath a wolf-faced mask with red paint like blood dripping from the eye openings.

"Now, doesn't this bring me back?" A silky voice came from the ceiling, accompanied by a low chuckle. "I had almost forgotten what I looked like. I was quite attractive, wasn't I?"

Hiruzen frowned and glanced upward as the masked figure became visible from where he sat in a squat on the office's ceiling.

"How long have you been there for?"

"Only the past hour." He chuckled again and hopped down on the floor behind the old man, smirking behind his mask at the sealed envelope in the file before the old man shut it quickly. "Your senses have dulled, Hiruzen."

"Why are you here, Jiro?" Hiruzen turned to look over at him, though he was gone and now standing in front of the death.

"Why, can't an agent simply come to visit and pay respects to the great leader of his Village?" Jiro swept his arms in a grand gesture and bent low at the waist in a bow.

"Save that silver tongue of yours for someone else." The Hokage puffed on his pipe and sat back in his chair. "Get right to the point."

"Very well, then." Jiro straightened, and his eyes narrowed and darkened. "I had to subdue that girl last night."

Hiruzen averted his eyes slightly and inhaled deeply, then slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke. "...I'm aware. Kiri has already reported that Natsumi is resting now and that she investigated the scene."

"Then why do you hesitate?" He took a step forward and placed his palms on the desk, leaning in. "I very clearly remember your orders when you first assigned me to carefully monitor those two. I've done as you asked, biding my time and remaining patient. But now, when it's clear that the girl is feral and cannot contain it, and the boy's seal has weakened... you don't follow through with your own plans? Why is that, old man? Don't tell me that you no longer believe that your own idea is not what is best for the village."

Hiruzen's jaw clenched and he furrowed his brows deeply. "I also ordered you to never speak of that out loud, or have you forgotten?"

"You've gotten cold feet now, haven't you?" Jiro met his glare and his smirk widened. "How much longer do you intend to wait? At least with the boy, his seal still remains intact. But for how much longer? And then you have that girl, whose outbursts are as mysterious as they are dangerous."

"Silence!" Hiruzen quietly interrupted and he tapped his finger against the pipe in his hand. "You have always been far too impatient for your own good. It has not come to such drastic measures."

"Oh?"Jiro clicked his tongue. "I suppose you're waiting for the whole of the Village to quake in fear in the middle of a rampage before you act."

"Mind yourself, boy." Hiruzen exhaled and tendrils of smoke rose from his nostrils. "With your knowledge of Seals, why not simply strengthen the boy's and evaluate the girl?"

"Well, that would be going back on your original plan."

"You are well aware that that course of action is only reserved if all else fails, as a last resort. It has not come to that."

Jiro chuckled and clasped his hands behind his back. "Very well. Seeing as you're not convinced... I can evaluate the girl for the time being, if those are your orders."

Hiruzen let out a short breath. "I will arrange for it to happen. Wait for me to call on you."

"What shall I do in the meantime?"

"What you have been until this point. Return to the shadows."

"As you wish." Jiro chuckled and bowed deeply again, and then disappeared.

Fuu watched as the Medical-nin finished treatment and left the room, and the boy sat upright on the cot to flex his fingers, nearly covered head-to-toe with fresh bandages. He remained where he stood with his back pressed to the wall and his arms crossed, then sighed and stepped closer to the teen.

"You made some serious errors today."

The dark-skinned boy furrowed his brows, staying silent as he examined his bandages. Fuu frowned and stepped forward until he stood in front of the cot.

"What happened in that fight? As skilled as you are, it's surprising to see you so severely beaten."

"It was that 'Red Flash' girl." He clenched his hands into loose fists and grunted. "I anticipated her to be more skilled with that designation, though she exhausted far too quickly. It seemed unnatural; all things considered."

"The Uzumaki girl?" Fuu paused and his lips formed a hard line, and the teen drummed his fingers on his arm. "From the intel Lord Danzo has given us, members of her clan should all possess abnormally large reserves of Chakra. Why would hers exhaust so quickly?"

The boy looked downward and rested his forearms on his knees as he slouched forward. "In many ways, she was rather underwhelming, but, even so..." He furrowed his brows. "Though that last memory... it's produced far more questions than it has answered."

"You looked into her mind, didn't you?" Fuu sat on the cot across from him, his arms still crossed. "I assume you found something of interest?"

"...No." He closed his fists. "There isn't a point of discussing it until I have figured out what was taking place."

Fuu leaned forward slightly to meet his eyes with a hard stare. "Ishiki."

The boy shot a glare at him as he sat up straighter. "What?"

"There is no use in hiding things from me." Fuu's tone darkened. "Lord Danzo wants me to peer into your mind to retrieve the data you collected in the first place. If you are hiding anything, then it will be easy for me to simply go deeper into your mind and expose your secrets."

Ishiki maintained his glare and they stared at each other for several moments before his eyes flickered with a soft glow. "You could try."

The tension mounted in the air and a third teen cleared his throat in the doorway.

"Fuu, Ishiki. Stop that."

They turned to the boy and Fuu exhaled sharply. "It's only you, Torune."

Ishiki rolled his eyes and clutched at his stomach, twitching at the lingering wounds. "You should mind your own business."

"Discord among fellow agents causes destabilization in the Foundation. Therefore, your feud is also my business." Torune walked inside the room and looked between them. "Ishiki, I heard that you allowed yourself to lose to a young girl."

"Tch." Ishiki narrowed his eyes at him. "That was no ordinary girl."

"So you are hiding information." Fuu crossed his legs as well and watched him.

"Hiding information?" Torune rested a hand on his hip. "That's unlike you, Ishiki."

"There isn't anything to hide." He gritted his teeth. "The extraction was interrupted when I was nearly seen by villagers. Our fight had caused a commotion, exactly as I reported to Lord Danzo."

"And yet you have not elaborated on what you did find in her mind." Torune commented.

Ishiki tightened his fists until his knuckles lightened. "There was not much to see that would prove useful. Her head was filled with little more than the fancies of a stupid girl."

"And yet she's made a name for herself already among the ANBU." Fuu stood and stepped forward.

"Why are you so hesitant?" Torune asked.

"The only reason that it seems I am withholding information is due to the fact that one of her memories was... indecipherable." Ishiki averted his eyes. "However, it isn't related to our target in any way, and so it is of no importance to discuss."

"Perhaps I should bring this to Lord Danzo's attention and allow him to decide what is and is not of importance."

"Fuu, stop provoking him." Torune chided. "And you, Ishiki. If that memory is really as indecipherable as you say, simply showing it to Fuu will end his suspicion and allow for someone else to solve it."

The two teens remained quiet, and Torune spoke again. "Ishiki, there is already some commotion about this. The location where you fought has been investigated already by the Hokage's ANBU."

Ishiki's eyes widened and he sat straighter, then winced and touched the bandages on his stomach again. "Already? What moves has the Hokage made?"

"Relax." Torune held up a hand. "There is no suspicion that the Foundation was involved at this point. Even though you allowed that girl to live, it seems we've gotten lucky."

"She had a seal on her tongue from that snake woman." Fuu nodded slightly. "His mistakes are lessened by that."

"Even so," Torune added. "Her involvement is always meddlesome. She's interfered with the Foundation before, and she isn't bound to obeying the Hokage, either, so she poses a threat."

"I agree, though I'm sure Lord Danzo has already taken that into consideration." Fuu nodded. "If he doesn't believe that she is a concern right now, then her goals must also align with ours for the time being."

"It's a shame that we can't be rid of her and be done with it." Torune paused and furrowed his brows. "Though with her power, not even Lord Danzo knows the extent of her abilities. It's best to keep a watchful eye on her."

"That girl he fought is her protégé." Fuu drummed his fingers against his arm. "For now, she may be weak, but who's to say she won't also attain the strength of that woman? If that happens, then it could cause more inconveniences for Lord Danzo."

"I'm sure that he will have us eliminate her before that time comes." Torune stood beside him and lowered his voice slightly.

"She's already too great of a threat." Ishiki stood slowly, grunting as he straightened and their eyes fell on him. "We've been operating under the impression that she is ordinary, giving most of the credit to that brother of hers, though I believe we have had our eyes on the wrong twin."

Fuu's eyes widened slightly and he turned to him. "That boy is the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tailed Demon— a valuable asset to the Leaf and to Lord Danzo. Lord Danzo was informed of this by the Third Hokage himself, just after that incident. Are you suggesting that the Hokage lied to us?"

"The Hokage is an old fool." Ishiki's eyes narrowed. "If anything, perhaps he was mistaken himself."

"How can you be so sure? Our spies have found documentation in the Hokage's reports of the Zabuza incident that the Uzumaki boy utilized the Demon's power and the seal weakened."

"I was the one who battled that girl." Ishiki glared at them. "She wasn't fully human." -

"Explain." Torune stepped forward, and Ishiki shook his head slightly and turned to Fuu.

"I saw her base memory. You'll understand if you see it as well."

"Very well, then." Fuu stood in front of him, then brought his hands together in a sign and furrowed his brows. "Show me."