Chapter two: The mission

The next day, Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura were training. Naruto was, as usual, trying to compete with Sasuke and Sakura was trying to get Sasuke's attention. Sasuke, focusing on his chakra, ignored the both of them.

"Oi, Sasuke! Fight me!" Naruto yelled, waving his arms around like an idiot.

Sakura glared at Naruto. "Idiot! He's training! Leave him alone!" But then she promptly turned to Sasuke and cooed, "Sasuke-kuuun! Wanna go on a daaate?"

Sasuke gave a small "hmph" and turned away from them. Maybe he could train in the forest to get away from them. But as his eyes directed towards the forest, he started in surprise. He could have sworn that he saw… or was it his eyes playing tricks on him? He could have sworn that he had seen someone standing in front of the forest, but suddenly disappear.

"Out of the way, you!" a voice called from above.

Sasuke promptly jumped to the left, and was clipped by a large wind vortex as the girl landed.

He blinked as she turned and laid her stare upon him. She's beautiful… he thought to himself as he took in her appearance. Black, silken hair sweeping about her shoulders, perfect, tanned skin, porcelain features…

But her eyes… those scarlet eyes made him shudder. There was a darkness to them that he had only ever seen once before… in the eyes of his brother, Itachi.

The girl noticed him staring at her, and she smiled slightly. Then she shifted her gaze to the others, and raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Uncle Kakashi!" she exclaimed.

Kakashi blinked. "Oh, Kayatakarai! What are you doing here?" he asked.

Naruto looked from Kakashi to the girl. "Uncle?! You have a NIECE?!" he cried.

Kayatakarai laughed. "I see you're training your students! It's been three years, hasn't it?"

"Yup, three years since that last meeting." Kakashi smiled. "How is the village? And your parents?"

At this, she twitched slightly, and her eyes suddenly clouded, but she reverted back to her normal self.

"So, you haven't introduced me to your trainees, Uncle!" she said cheerfully, changing the subject

Kakashi noticed the sudden change in her mood, but decided not to press on it. "Oh, how rude of me. This is Naruto," Naruto perked up at the sound of his name and waved, "Sakura," Sakura glared at her, jealous, "And Sasuke," Sasuke was still watching her. "Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, this is Kayatakarai."

At the sound of Naruto's name, Kayatakarai narrowed her eyes slightly. So this is the fox-demon they have spoken of, she thought. Heh, looks like my mission will be easier than I thought.

"Oh, you guys can just call me Kaya," she said with a smile.

Sasuke noticed the hitayate at her waist. "You're a ninja, I see… What village are you from?"

"I'm from the Starlight Village. It's a relatively new village – only about a decade old. But its location is very secret – it's even hidden from other villages." Kaya explained, looking down at her hitayate with pride.

"Starlight Village?" Sasuke said. "That's an odd name. Why is it called that?"

Kaya did not answer the question. Instead, she brushed her hair out of her eyes and looked off into the distance.

"So, why are you here?" Naruto asked.

"Oh…" Kaya fumbled for an answer. "Um… just a mission."

Naruto blinked. "You're a chuunin?"

"Jounin." Kaya corrected him.

"Huuuuuh?!" Naruto's jaw dropped in shock. "You?! A jounin? Already?"

Kakashi chuckled. "Yes. The Starlight Village is home to a small population of very talented ninja. It is said that the world's most powerful jutsu are taught there, but the secrets have never been shared with other villages. They also have a very strict and difficult training system, so becoming a chuunin or jounin there is twice as hard as it is here. Kaya is extremely talented to have graduated to jounin level there – and at such a young age, too."

Naruto grinned. "Well then, I wouldn't mind testing out MY ultimate skills on you. I'll bet I could have become a jounin there, easy!"

"Even though you didn't pass the chuunin exam, blockhead." Sasuke murmured.

Naruto shook his fist at Sasuke. "Shut up, idiot!" he barked, and then stomped over to Kaya. "Let's spar!"

Kaya gave a spiteful laugh, and tossed her hair. "Oh, right. You really think you can defeat me, boy?"

"Heh. We'll see about your attitude after the match," Naruto replied overconfidently, preparing for battle.

Kaya did not move. Instead, she merely glanced at Naruto as though he was a joke. "Very well. Take your move." She yawned.

Naruto, angered that she wasn't taking him seriously, charged at her, balling up his fist. As he leapt into the air and threw a punch, he found that he had plunged his fist through thin air. Kaya had vanished. He looked around, taken by surprise.

"Too slow," Kaya's voice whispered into his ear. "Looks like you need to work on your speed a little more. Or…" and she placed a hand on his navel, "Why don't you get a loan of chakra from the one inside here?"

Naruto gulped. How did she know about the demon?

"Lights out, Naruto," she said, and gave a chop to the back of his neck, knocking him out cold. She smirked. This mission was getting easier and easier. Now she could just carry him back to the Akatsuki without a struggle, no strings attached.

"Ah… well, it was nice meeting you again, Uncle, but I should get going…" Kaya said, picking up Naruto and slinging him over her shoulder. "I should take this guy home. Anyone got his address?"

"Uh… I'll show you the way." Sasuke offered. Sakura looked infuriated.

"I'm coming too!" she pouted, running after Sasuke. Kakashi merely shrugged.

"Okay, I suppose you have all trained enough today. You're all dismissed." And with that, he disappeared in a poof of smoke.

Kaya inwardly groaned. This was all she needed! She had planned to sneak off with Naruto once she was out of their sights. But now they wanted to come along. She looked at Sasuke, who was blushing slightly, and he looked away, embarrassed.

"Well, okay then. You can show me the way. But why is the girl coming?" she asked.

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "So that you won't try anything funny on Sasuke-kun!" she growled.

Kaya raised an eyebrow. "Don't worry, I won't touch a hair on his head. He's only showing me the way."

Sakura still glared at her, however. Sasuke was beginning to get annoyed at Sakura's presence.

"Sakura, go away. For once."

Sakura's eyes widened in shock, and she stared at Sasuke, looking deeply hurt.

"Sasuke-kun, what…?"

A single glare from him silenced her immediately. Tears filled her green eyes, and she ran away, weeping.

"Wasn't that a little harsh?" Kaya inquired, slightly taken aback.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "She's always bothering me with her "Oh Sasuke, Sasuke" nonsense. She's obsessed with me."

Kaya chuckled, nodding in understanding. "I know exactly how you feel. Some guys just won't leave me alone." Sasuke almost smiled – he could understand why.

The two walked on down the streets, talking idly, until they came to a small apartment in the corner of a little street. The door was unlocked, and they let themselves in, finding themselves in a comfortable-looking, although slightly untidy, house. Kaya dropped Naruto onto a couch and looked around the room. "Nice place he has here," she commented. Sasuke merely grunted, trying to hide his face – he was blushing.

Kaya raised an eyebrow again. "What's up with you?" she questioned.

'N-nothing," he replied, staring determinedly out the window. He turned around finally, as she had her back to him while she was examining some shelves, and his brow furrowed when he saw an odd, slender scar trailing down the back of her slim neck.

"What's that?" he asked. "That scar?"

Kaya froze suddenly. "What do you mean?" she asked jerkily, without turning around.

He approached. "That one on the back of your neck."

Kaya gasped, and covered her neck, spinning around. "Th-that scar… it's none of your business!" To Sasuke's immense shock, tears began to rise in the corners of her angry eyes as she stared at him. She turned away.

"It's a memoir… of my past…" she said in a voice barely louder than a whisper.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed slightly. "Your past?"

Kaya looked back at him, tears now flowing unchecked down her cheeks. She tried to wipe them away in vain. "Don't mind me… just a little something in my eye."

Sasuke moved closer to her. "Listen… don't cry…" he put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. She buried her face into his chest.

"It… was so horrible…" she choked. After a moment of silence, she continued. "My true name is not Kaya… it's Crystal… but I needed to conceal it in fear of being discovered. You see, I was born into the Village of Starlight…"

Sasuke's eyes widened. "You mean… you were born into that village? That is considered to be the ultimate village… where the most brilliant ninja are born into…"

Kaya nodded. "It is where the most powerful ninjas are from… and it reigns over all other villages in terms of political power as a result of this. Anyway, when I was born, I had strange powers that nobody could understand, even in Starlight. When I was just a baby I could manipulate elements at my own will, so it was then that my parents discovered that I was the Legacy of The Starlight Crest. But the Akatsuki found out… and they wanted my power. So they came and… and…" She paused. "They slaughtered my entire family and village…"

Sasuke was silent. "The same thing happened to me…" He could never forget that fateful day, when he witnessed the demonic eyes of his brother. "So what are you doing here?"

Kaya pulled away from him. "I cannot say…" And with that she pulled open the door and ran out.