Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, its characters, or its OSTs in any way. Those rights belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I do own the techniques I add and any OC I may choose to create for the betterment of the story.

A/N: And here is another chapter from your favourite writer! Kidding, kidding, I know I'm no one's favourite, but I would like to be. Yes, yes, I would like to ve someone's favourite, but in due time, I'm patient. Yes, my readers, welcome to another instalment of The Deserters! We are just one chapter away from the beginning of the end (cries tears of joy) where Reiko will meet... her timely demise! Now onto the chapter!!!

Chapter 09: The Day It Rained

(OST Plays - Spiralling Hot Wind)

They were nothing but blurs as they ran across the terra firma. Under the morning sun, all that could be seen were navy and green streaks colliding.

They appeared, sending punches at each other. The fists collided into an intense battle of dominance which changed the air around the canyon. Once a gentle breeze, now a gust that made debris fly.

Reiko portrayed a feral grin on her face. "I hope this is not the best you can do, Guy!"

Her opponent spotted a youthful grin on his face. His eyes were narrowed at Reiko, his skin a dark brown color as veins pulsated at the side of his temples.

"Of course not!" Exclaimed Guy.

They pulled back, then punched again, meeting each other punch-for-punch before they unleashed a flurry of punches at each other.

"Taaaaaa!/Haaaaa!" Reiko and Guy screamed as their fists collided, hit after hit.

Their fists met one last time. The recoil pushed them back as they skidded on the ground before coming to an abrupt stop.

Reiko frowned. "If this is your best, then I'm disappointed!"

"Sixth Gate: Gate of Wonder, open!" Guy's skin became darker as more veins appeared over his forehead.

"That's more like it." A smirk bloomed on Reiko's face.

They eyed each other for a brief moment before Guy charged, faster than he was a moment ago, but Reiko was equal to the sudden burst of speed.

They seemed to be in a stalemate. Every attack Guy made, Reiko was able to either dodge or parry, before she retaliated with her own attacks that Guy was able to either evade or block.

Guy went for a jab but Reiko was able to block the attack with her forearm and push him back before she kicked at the side of his abdomen. Guy barely blocked the attack, only able to absorb the worst of it with his left hand before he skidded to the side. Though he was quick to recover and charge at Reiko.

Guy swiped diagonally at Reiko's chest, an attack Reiko was able to sidestep before she retaliated with a punch to Guy's face. Guy ducked below the punch, and using his right leg as a pivot, he was able to bring his body to a torque, just enough for him to trip Reiko with a sweep kick. Reiko smirked as she was uprooted from the ground.

Guy finished he torque with a smile on his face. Seeing as Reiko was off balance, he punched at her exposed stomach. The punch landed, and Reiko was hurtled through the air until a boulder cut off her flight with a painful embrace that sent debris flying as she was engulfed in a cloud of dust.

'The preparations have been laid! I can do this!' Guy thought.

He blitzed, appearing in front of the shadow he presumed belonged to Reiko, aiming a kick to her chin.

"Tch." Reiko stopped the foot with her open palm. "Did you really think it would be that easy?"

The dust cloud dissipated, revealing Reiko in her blaze aura form.

Guy, with wide eyes, retracted his foot and jumped back, creating distance.

"Too slow." Reiko was in front of him the moment he landed, her fist cocked back. "Block your face, clench your teeth, and squeeze your butt."

Guy did as instructed, barely able to bring his arms up as he clenched his teeth and butt, bracing himself. When the punch landed on his forearms, the snaps of his bones were barely heard as a loud boom blasted him into the sky, breaking the sound barrier.

"Okay I may have gone a bit too far but..." Reiko disappeared from the ground and appeared behind Guy, catching him, "... That's what you get for holding back against a stronger opponent." They landed on the ground, skidding to a stop at the edge of one of the canyon planes.

(OST Ends)

Reiko placed Guy on the ground. Her skin colour mellowed out to it's tan, the yellow lines dissipating along with the red in her eyes. She started healing his wounds. His forearms were fractured but that was something she could fix easily, but the real problem were the lacerations on his muscles that she had to heal while the muscles were still warm from exertion, or else it would mean a painful recovery for the teen.

"F-Forgive me." Guy hissed out as the healing chakra poured into him.

"Still, you did well to land a punch against me while holding back. I'd say you are now close to jonin, by my standards."

"I-I'm glad to h-hear that." Guy said, barely above a whisper as sleep claimed him.

It took Reiko a few minutes, and she was done healing him.

"Now then..." Reiko picked the sleeping Guy up, "... It's time to be a mother."

They stood in a hidden clearing outside the village walls as instructed. They were to wait there until a contact came to escort them inside the village as agreed.

"What has you in such a bad mood, Kakuzu?" Asked the woman, noticing the scowl on the man's face. It had been there ever since they got their mission. She had been keeping quiet hoping Kakuzu would tell her eventually, but it seemed she had to ask.

The woman had shaggy blue hair with blue eyes, which was a classic phenotype for her clan. She was shorter than her male counter part, only reaching up to his shoulder as they both donned black cloaks with red clouds on them. She was giving him a playful look as she waited for her reply.

"First my village sends me to assassinate Senju Hashirama, now I'm sent to assassinate Reiko. It's too soon Akatsuki. Too soon!" Kakuzu was close to blowing a gasket.

"Hashirama's mission was 60 years ago."

"It's too soon!" Kakuzu punched the girl, "One lifetime was enough!"

There was a loud splash as Sally's head split apart upon impact. It quickly reformed only a second later.

"Feeling better?" She asked.

"Yeah." Kakuzu nodded, " Thanks."

"Good, can't have you killing our contact now, can we?"

Kakuzu folded his arms, looking away. "Yeah yeah."

(OST Plays - Konoha Peace)

"Alright maggots, come get your food!" Reiko placed the eggs on a plate.

Reiko had cleaned up. Gone was the shinobi attire, replaced by an apron over a black dress shirt, with an open collar, that matched her black pants and black shoes. Her black blazer was hung on her chair.

Naruto came in first, scratching his neck. "I don't like this outfit, it itches." He complained. His hair was combed, so his spikes were tamer than they usually were. He wore a black blazer over a white dress shirt with black pants and shoes.

"I have to agree with Naruto." Tenten came behind Naruto, spotting a similar suit. Gone were her twin buns, replaced by a braid that ran at her back as her hair was centre-parted, like Reiko.

"Maa, you two have to bear with it until we take the family picture." Kakashi came in behind Tenten, with a suit that matched Reiko. His hair was as gravity defying as ever, but he was without his mask. With a white eye patch covering his left eye.

"I'm surprised you are the one saying that, senpai." Tenzo came behind Kakashi, also wearing a suit that matched Reko. He was without his face plate. His hair was also combed to tame his spikes, then braided with a tail that ran behind him.

"Maa, there's a first time for everything." Kakashi smiled.

They all sat down around the table. Hands were clasped, eye closed, and with a chorus of, "Itadakimasu." Breakfast started when all of their eyes opened.

It was a free for all as they scuffed down their food like it was going to run away if they didn't eat it fast enough. It was a battle of survival of the fittest that even Naruto had grown accustomed to.

"I call dibs on the last bacon strip!" Tenzo was going for the strip of bacon when there were two poofs of smoke.

Tenzo's folk hit the table. "Eh?" His eyes widened as he found himself in Naruto's seat.

Naruto nabbed the bacon. "So goooood!"

After Naruto and Tenten got the tree climbing exercise in two days, Reiko taught them the substitution jutsu as a reward. And with their chakra control above average Genin, the jutsu was quite easy for the children.

"Pft! HAHAHAHAHA!" Reiko, Kakashi and Tenten laughed at the same time.

Tenzo blushed as they laughed at his expense.

"Sorry." Naruto smiled sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck.

(OST ends)

After everyone had their fill of laughter, much to Tenzo's displeasure, the table was cleaned up. Cleaning up was the job Tenzo handled while Kakashi made sure that Naruto and Tenten were ready. Reiko took off the apeon and slipped on her blazer.

"Neh, Kakashi-nii, what's behind the eye patch?" Naruto asked, his curiosity finally getting the best of him. From the day they met, Naruto always wondered why Kakashi covered up so much. The face part was sorted out, now the eye part was left.

The sound of porcelain breaking echoed in the kitchen. You see, Kakashi and Tenzo made a bet about who Naruto would ask about Kakashi covering up. Tenzo bet on Tenten, while Kakashi bet on himself.

"It's the Sharigan." Kakashi did not hide his smirk. 'Money, money, money!' Chibi Kakashi cackled like a madman.

"Woah! I thought only the Uchiha had it."

"Aw come on!" More porcelain broke. Tenzo wanted to pull his hair off at this point.

Kakashi and Tenzo went on to bet whether Naruto would know where the sharingan come from or not. Tenzo bet that Naruto wouldn't know, and Kakashi, who stumbled upon Reiko teaching the children about the bloodlines of the hidden leaf somewhere in the week, bet that Naruto would know.

"That's right Naruto, but I got mine from a friend." There was a pile of cash in Kakashi's mind that chibi Kakashi dove into with potent glee.

"Oh, I see..." Naruto bit into his bottom lip as he understood the hidden meaning.

"Okay enough of that, let's go already!" Reiko pushed them out the door.

"But the glass." Tenzo tried.

"We'll clean it up later!" Reiko shut him down.

(OST Plays - Konoha Peace 2)

Walking in the streets, all eyes were on them. Girls blushed when they saw Kakashi, but none dared approach him in the presence of Reiko. The woman may have been carefree most of the time, but she could be scary when she wanted to be. And Naruto had grown accustomed to the smiles and greetings to the point where he even returned them.

It was a short walk from the Hatake manor to the studio, where they would take their picture.

Being someone who always planned ahead, when she remembered to, Reiko already knew how they should stand. Naruto and Tenten were in front of her, obviously, with Kakashi and Tenzo at her flanks.

"Everyone ready?" The cameraman asked.

"Yes." Replied Reiko.

Click, the moment was captured.

"I wanna see!" Naruto ran for the photo. "Aww maaaan!" He pouted when he saw it.

Kakashi's fingers were sticking from the back of his head while Tenzo's fingers were stick from the back of Tenten's head.

"What is it Naruto?" Asked Kakashi, playing innocent.

"You know what you did!" Naruto was outraged.

Tenten came next to Naruto. She chuckled when she saw the photo.

"Look." She pointed at the top of Kakashi's and Tenzo's heads, where Reiko's fingers could be seen.

"Serves them right!" Said Naruto between laughs, "Mom got them back for us!"

(OST comes to a screeching halt)

Silence.

Even Naruto stopped laughing the moment he heard it. Reiko walked towards Naruto. Her steps were light as her body shook.

(OST Play - Family: Boruto OST)

"N-Naruto..." Reiko's eyes sparkled. "... w-what did you j-just c-call m-me?"

Naruto turned red at the attention. "I-I s-said m-mom." He mumbled.

Reiko was in front of the blonde in an instant, hoisting him up.

"He called me mom!" She exclaimed, then turned towards the rest of the occupants of the studio. "Did you hear that?! He called me mom!"

Though Reiko was out the door before anyone could say anything. She took in a deep breath.

"He called me mooooooom!" And shouted for all of the hidden leaf to hear.

Bystanders were surprised by the outburst, then they smiled when they saw it was Reiko.

"Come on, say it again!"

Naruto brought his hands over his face, "M-mom."

"Awwww!" Reiko squealed, hugging Naruto to herself.

Kakashi, Tenten and Tenzo came out of the studio to find Reiko telling everyone she came across that Naruto called her mom, while she was manhandling the blonde like a ragdoll and made him call her mom over and over again.

Naruto had invented twenty new shades of red out of embarrassment. He never thought his face could ever get so hot. But somewhere during the incident, he managed to slip out of Reiko's vice grip, and he ran for the hills, embarrassed.

"Naruto, come back!" Reiko chased after him.

"No!" Naruto did not stop running, "Stay away from me!"

"But I'm your mom!"

"We should probably stop them." Said Tenten.

"Agreed." Kakashi and Tenzo said.

The trio took off running. The outskirts of the hidden leaf were filled with laughter as the family turned the chase into a game of hiding Naruto from Reiko. They were all smiling despite the doom that would come the following day.

"They are out cold. Kakashi said, standing by the doorway.

"I bet they are." Reiko smirked. "I chased all of you around the outskirts for hours. We didn't stop until the sun went down."

Kakashi chuckled at the memory of their day. It really was a good day. Great even.

"Tenzo's already gone ahead, so I'll also take my leave." Kakashi yawned. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." The smile never left her face.

Kakashi walked into the corridor, heading for his room.

(OST ends)

Tenzo plopped his back on the bed and sighed. It had been a long. A great long day and he deserved rest. He lay there in silence, unmoving. That is, until he felt something trickle at the sides of his face. He brought his hand up and felt it.

(OST Plays - Despair)

Wetness, there was no doubt about it.

Trickle.

The substance was tears.

Trickle, trickle.

He was crying. Crying because no matter how great the day was, Reiko was soon going to die.

Ever since he escaped from the clutches of Orochimaru, Reiko's face was what he saw when he thought of what happiness would look like if it was given form. Now... that happiness would soon leave him.

He brought his hand over his face as his teeth clenched over the scream that wanted to leave his mouth. He did not want Reiko to go.

'It's just a dream.' He tried to convince himself, 'A bad dream.'

When Kakashi closed the door, his back collided with the door with a soft thud, then he slid down to the floor as his knees finally gave out. He did not know how, but he managed to stand the entire week. But now, his mysterious power was gone. He sniffed lowly and clenched his teeth to stop himself from screaming. It hurt.

The thought of Reiko being gone was wrong to Kakashi, like burnt stew that somehow managed to stay raw. It was a cacophony of bitter taste that he was forced to swallow. But even if it was forced down his throat, would he be able to handle it? After losing Minato, Kushina, Rin, and Obito, would he be able to handle one more loss? The question brought a fresh stream of tears out of his eyes.

His left hand snaked its way over his chest, just over his heart, where he scrunched his shirt up.

'Dammit Kakashi, stop crying!'

He tried to stop the dams that broke from his tears ducts, to no avail.

Reiko's smile died once Kakashi was out of sight, her bottom lip quivering. She felt something warm start to bubble from her chest. It was tight and uncomfortable. Her heart, it hurt.

Her right hand made its way over her chest, just over her heart, where she scrunched her shirt up.

'Come on Reiko, you are stronger than this.' She scolded herself, 'If you fall, they will lose their way. Steel yourself, for you are the mother who swore to always protect them.'

She may have acted nonchalant about it, but it hurt. It hurt that she was going to leave her family behind. The tears formed, and as much as she tried, she couldn't stop herself from crying.

The children lay asleep with the bliss of their ignorance, while the adults lay awake with the guilt of the reality of what will soon be.

(OST ends)

A/N: So what did you guys think? Yes, Reiko can go head to head with Five Gates Guy in her base form, and her blaze aura toppled Six Gates Guy quite easily. Though it's more a matter of Guy still being inexperienced. So the following chapter comes the Uchiha massacre, as well as the assassination of Reiko by Kakuzu and Sally (Who is from the Hozuki clan if you haven't noticed). Kakuzu is scared of Reiko, so we'll get to see why he's so scared of her. It's not a spoiler since it keeps being said so yes, Reiko will die, and I have no intention of changing that decision. Thanks for reading and I look forward to your reviews.