We do not own Naruto (we wish, owning a manga would be so cool). But we don't. So please don't sue us ^_^

Thanks to all the wonderful reviewers who reviewed. You're the reason us authors keep writing.

Drownin' In My Tears: Thanks to reviewing. We updated. Yup, we took your review to heart. Here yeah go!

Crystalinelf: Thanks for your review. Well, you'll find out a bit of how Hatsue deals in this chapter, as well about the Blood Ninjas. However this info of the Blood Ninja is the teaser to the movie. . . jeez, that was so damned corny. (dragonsprincess: Yes, it was. Baka).

Silver Moon Megami: Thanks for your review. (dragonsprincess: you know I always do ^_^). Yes, the prophesy was hard to write (Insaneiac: 19 bloody re-writes!!!! dragonsprincess: *roles eyes* yes, we know. I like fluff too^_^). Well, dirty girl, here's the next chapter for yeah. Hey, you are psycho, how's that! HUH! BTW, 19 TIMES IS NOT EASY!!!!

Infernale: Thanks for your review. We updated.

Well guys, that's all for now. Enjoy…

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The Blood Ninja

By: dragonsprincess and Insaneiac

Chapter Two: Friends

Hatsue walked aimlessly down the halls of the Kage's home. Even though she could understand the fact that Enrai had more important duties right now, then the ones to a woman he had yet to acknowledge he was dating. This was something that Hatsue just couldn't understand, why hadn't he ever wanted to tell anyone about her? It wasn't like they'd just started dating either; Hatsue'd been seeing Enrai now for five months.

Hatsue was always forced to bite her tongue and nod along when the other young women in Kumo would start their ramble of: 'Why isn't the Raikage dating anyone?' And this was a common topic of discussion among Kumo's female ninjas. Enrai was in his mid-twenties, powerful, and with his long black hair and dark blue eyes, rather good looking.

What Hatsue hated even more was when she had to play her dumb, innocent role when, occasionally these talks wound up in the gutter. Hatsue hated hearing what some of these other women wanted to do to her boyfriend.

Hatsue sighed, this just wasn't her day. She'd woken up this morning, and had headed straight to her bathroom to be thoroughly ill. Hatsue'd had some foreign food for dinner last night, it obviously hadn't agreed with her stomach. Then she'd wandered around Kumo all day, bored out of her mind.

Hatsue had ended up sitting under a large cedar tree, where, eventually she'd fallen asleep. It had been then that she'd had her vision.

What exactly was a Blood Ninja anyway? Hatsue'd heard of the clan, but found that she couldn't remember what they were. She'd be sure to ask Enrai about it tomorrow.

Hatsue looked around, and realized that her feet had taken her to the Entrance Hall of the home. Along the walls were portraits of all the previous Raikage (coincidentally, Enrai's Great-great-uncle had been the second Raikage). Hatsue looked up at the familiar dark hair and eyes of the Nidaime, wondering if he held the answers to her questions.

"Hatsue!" a feminine voice yelled. Hatsue looked up to see a head-full of vibrant red hair running towards her.

"Hey Chinna," Hatsue responded, greeting the girl who'd been her best friend since they'd met at Kumo Ninja Academy when they were kids.

"Hatsue," Chinna said in surprise. "What are you doing here? You weren't scheduled to be a sentinel today. I just got off myself…" here Chinna smirked. "Ohhh, I get it. Here for a personal meeting with Yondaime I take it?"

"No," Hatsue said, her cheeks turning cherry. Chinna was the only other person who knew about Enrai and Hatsue's relationship. After having dated Enrai secretly for about three weeks, being a woman, she'd needed someone to talk about her boyfriend too. So, she'd told Chinna, and her friend had gone ballistic.

~*~*~*~ Flashback ~*~*~*~

"You're shitting me," Chinna yelled. "You are so shitting me!"

The two women were bedged out on Hatsue's couch, eating chocolate. Hatsue grinned at her friend's astounded face. "No, Chinna. I'm not "shitting you"; I'm going out with Enrai."

Chinna leaned forward and observed her friend. Hatsue was a master of practical jokes, and could keep a straight face, even once she'd been caught. However, once you knew Hatsue as well as Chinna did, you'd learn to pick-up on her subtleties. . .

"Oh. My. Gods!" Chinna squealed upon realizing that her friend wasn't kidding. She grabbed the bottle of Champagne off of the coffee table, and took a few long swigs of the liquor.

"Damn," Chinna said, whipping her mouth with the back of her hand. "You do realize that you're dating the most eligible man in Kumo?"

Hatsue smirked. "Yep," she said. Hatsue leaned forward, and grabbed the bottle from her friend, taking a sip, she said: "Though, I guess he's not so eligible anymore."

Chinna laughed, and tossed a few chocolates into her mouth.

"So," Chinna said, her bright blue eyes twinkling mischievously. "Tell me everything."

And so, Hatsue and Chinna talked and giggled like school girls, only breaking to grab another bottle from the liquor cabinet.

"And then," Chinna said. Swinging her arms around dramatically, causing the Champagne bottle to lose some of its contents. "I told that bastard, Kenji, to go fuck himself."

"Damn straight," Hatsue said, her cheeks flushed. "I told you to dump that jackass last month."

Chinna rolled her eyes. "Yes," she said. "I know you did. But he was pretty good in the, you know, behind the scenes department."

Hatsue snorted. "So what you're telling me is that you've been using him for sex for the past month."

"Basically," Chinna said with a grin on her face. "So, speaking of the naughty. Is Enrai as good as most women in the village think he must be?"

Hatsue's mouth dropped. "I've only been dating him for three weeks; I'm not that kind of girl."

Chinna raised an eyebrow. "Freeze," she said.

"Excuse me," Hatsue said. "Maybe some of us give it up after the third date…"

Chinna's eyes widened in shock. Then she grinned, grabbed her pillow out from behind her, and swiftly knocked Hatsue upside the head with it.

"Hey," Hatsue screeched, snatching up her own pillow and smacking Chinna with it.

Soon the bottle and chocolates lay strewn across the floor - forgotten - as Hatsue and Chinna engaged in a violent pillow fight.

~*~*~*~ End Flashback ~*~*~*~

Chinna eyed her friend suspiciously. "If you're not here to see Enrai, what are you doing here?"

Hatsue wasn't sure how to answer that question. She was pretty sure that Enrai didn't want her talking about her vision to anyone. But then again, she needed to talk to somebody about it. And Hatsue knew that talking about it with Enrai tomorrow was going to be business, not how she felt about it. And that's what she needed right now, to vent. Perhaps the gods had had her run into her best friend for a reason. After all, even though she didn't always seem it, Chinna wasn't dumb.

Chinna eyed her friend. Hatsue was shifting her weight, foot to foot. She'd obviously been there to see Enrai, but not for the reason Chinna had first thought. "You had a vision, didn't you?"

Hatsue looked up at Chinna in surprise, and then nodded slowly. "Yes," she said in a tiny voice, "And it wasn't a pleasant one."

Chinna stiffened. Hatsue'd had many visions before, but none of them had ever scared her. Inwardly Chinna cursed. What was Enrai thinking sending Hatsue away when she was in such a state? Chinna had half a mind to go and give Enrai a piece of it. However, Chinna knew that what Hatsue need right now was somebody to talk to, not somebody to tear a strip out of her boyfriend.

Chinna smiled. "Common you," She said, grabbing Hatsue's arm. "Tell Chinna-ane everything."

The two women walked out of the Raikage's home.

~*~*~*~ Later ~*~*~*~

Chinna had brought Hatsue to a hot spring the two of them had found when they'd been kids. It was a fair distance from Kumo, but that wasn't a big deal for two Jounins. Besides, there wasn't much chance of them being overheard here. And Chinna was pretty sure that this was meant to be a very private discussion. She also knew this would be a good place to relax.

The two women stripped off their clothing and lowered themselves into the hot water.

A few minutes passed before Chinna asked Hatsue what the vision had been about.

Hatsue looked at Chinna. "You swear you won't tell anyone?" She asked

"Won't tell a soul," Chinna replied. Hatsue now had her complete attention; she'd never asked her that before. Well, at least not when it had been about one of her visions.

Hatsue sighed. She then told Chinna about all the blood, all the corpses. All the Death. She told Chinna about the large house, about the garden and its stone slab. Then she told her about the voice and it's prophesy. And then about the council members reaction to the fact that the prophesy had been about a "Blood Ninja". Hatsue turned to Chinna. "Do you know what a Blood Ninja is?" She asked.

Chinna thought about it. She knew enough about that particular clan of ninjas to understand Enrai's actions towards Hatsue, didn't mean that she forgave him for it though. Even if he was the Raikage, Hatsue was still his girlfriend, and right now she needed him. Chinna definitely intended to give him a rather large tongue lashing, and perhaps, if she was so inclined, a swift kick to his backside.

"Well," Chinna finally answered. "If I remember correctly, the Makura, or Blood clan, were a group of powerful ninjas that, in a war about sixty years ago, were defeated by a coalition of the Five Great Shinobi Countries."

Hatsue's eyes widened. "You mean that all the Shinobis from all the hidden villages actually united against this one clan?"

Chinna nodded. "The charge was led by Konoha's Hokage. But all the other countries followed. And it took the combined strength of all the Shinobi, Genins through Kages to defeat this clan.

"This could be bad. If one of them actually survived, they'll see themselves as an avenger and will be seeking revenge for the Makuras destruction."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

dragonsprincess: Well, what did you guys think? This chapter is my baby. Insaneiac was a little busy…so I wrote it. *grins* he was even more surprised than you guys were to see Chinna *wink* lol. My little creation, every girl needs a best friend.

Insaneiac: *Drops a safe on dragonsprincess* PAYBACK FOR LAST TIME!!!!! LET'S SEE HOW YOU LIKE IT! Anyways, that is the big truth. Chinna surprised me. In more ways than one *cough cough DIRTY DRUNK cough!* Review, and nothing bad will happen to you. Don't, and you may need to spend your life looking out of safes. Like dragonsprincess will. Well, this is you localized Insaneiac signing off.

dragonsprincess: The Underworld calls, Ja ne.