Fullmoon Chapter 9: Trial of the Tengu, a naruto fanfic

Miss me? (crickets chirp) Thought so. Just to let everyone who cares know, I won't be updating for about three weeks. Exams are coming up, I'm a freshman, and I want to get really good grades. So story 'bye-bye' boring textbooks 'hello.'

Also, I'm going to write a letter to Santa this year! Why? There's a post office in Canada that if you send a letter to Santa to, they'll write you back! (And I think it would be funny to get a letter in the mail with the return address from Santa Claus...)

I've decided to award the title of Master to both Dragon Man 180 and Kitsune Classic for their wonderful guesses and since Mitsuki is sort of in between those two things. (Hugs)

Chapter 8: Trail of the Tengu

"You know," Naruto said staring at the sky. "I never thought it would end this way... Lost in the forest for days... no food... no water... no ramen... Who knew fate could be so cruel?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "It's only going to be one night, Naruto."

"A NIGHT WITHOUT FOOD!" Naruto moaned. He flopped onto his back and stared blankly up. "I don't think I'll even last the until dawn."

Sasuke scoffed, glaring at a random spot on a tree. "Dobe."

"SHUT THE HELL UP SASUK-" he stopped, a tall figure suddenly looming over him, a sword glinting in their hand. "Sakura-chan! Run!"

Yawning, Mitsuki sat up in her sleeping bag and stretched, nearly knocking down the stick shelter she'd been sleeping under. She blinked. This was strange... She hadn't remembered falling asleep. Then again, she'd realized by now that she wasn't able to remember much of anything. Perhaps her memory was just getting worse?

"Morning!" Kakashi's voice said from the other side of the clearing. Mitsuki turned from her sitting position to see the silver haired jounin leaning against a tree, his favorite book in his hand. "Sleep well?"

"Ano... Yes I did, thank you."

"Breakfast will be done in a minute or two," he said turning the page of his book.

"Breakfast?"

Not looking up, Kakashi gestured towards the firepit where a spit had been erected over the flames, two small creatures roasting on it.

Getting out of her sleeping bag, Mituki walked over to the firepit and looked at the two creatures. "Squirrel, gopher, or mouse?" she asked, turning the spit and watching the juice drip from the tiny bodies.

"I'm going to think of it as squirrel," Kakashi said, turning the page.

Rat then, Mitsuki thought to herself. Scrawny rats...

Shutting his book, Kakashi stood and walked over to her, smiling brightly. "Feeling better?" he asked cheerfully, taking the spit off the fire and breaking it in two. Handing her one of the rats, he sat down cross legged and blew on the meat to cool it down.

"Yup," Mitsuki said, following his example. Taking a bite out of meat, she gasped and began fanning her mouth. "Hot," she muttered.

Kakashi handed her a water canteen and tossed the bones of his meal into the bushes. Mitsuki stared at him, how could he eat so fast? "After you're done, we need to go on a short mission."

"Really?" Mitsuki asked, finishing up her rat. It wasn't as good as squirrel, or even mouse, but it had made a good breakfast. "What for?"

"Kajika got my team lost last night and they haven't managed to find their way back yet," Kakashi said packing his backpack full of the emergency stash of food and first aid supplies.

"Who's Kajika?" Mitsuki asked, licking the grease off of her fingers. She couldn't remember hearing that name before.

"The fox."

Mitsuki froze. "Kitsune-dono's true name is Kajika?" she asked, staring at Kakashi with wide eyes.

"Yes." Kakashi glanced over at her. Why was she acting so weird? Had she heard that name before? "What's the matter?"

He blinked in surprise as Mitsuki launched herself at him, hugging him around the chest. "Wai! I'm so proud of you Kakashi-san!" she squealed, excitedly. "You got Kitsune-dono to tell you her true name! You two must have become great friends!" She suddenly stopped, blushing. "Ano... Gomen..."

Kakashi smiled, waving his hand. "No problem," he said still feeling the warmth of Mitsuki's arms. "So the fact that she told me her name is a big deal?"

Mitsuki nodded, energetically. "Hai! True names are important! The fact that she allows you to use her true name means that she trusts you!" She paused for a moment. "You made sure to tell her to call you Kakashi, didn't you?"

Kakashi sweatdropped. "Ano..."

"You didn't!?" Mitsuki shouted, looking horrified. "Well, Kitsune-dono doesn't call you Hatake-san, does she?"

Kakashi managed to keep a straight face as he remembered that morning, the fox waking him up by sprawling across his lap wearing nothing but three leaves and calling him 'Kashi-lover.' "No," he said truthfully. "She doesn't call me Hatake. Is that important?"

Mitsuki nodded again. "Kakashi is your true name while your stranger name is Hatake. If she gave you her true name, then it would be in insult if you had her still call you Hatake-san."

Kakashi nodded and closed his bag. What Mitsuki was explaining sounded quite a bit like what he was used to already. The people he knew well calling him Kakashi, the strangers calling him Hatake. It made perfect sense. "What about you, Mitsuki-chan?" he asked, swinging his backpack onto his back. "What's your true name?"

"Mitsuki," she said answering automatically.

"Then your stranger name is...?"

She frowned looking thoughtful. "I... Ano... Mitsuki?"

Kakashi smiled, patting her on the head. "Ginsei," he said after a moment.

"Silver?"

"Hai. Your last name, until you remember your old one, is Ginsei."1

Mitsuki blinked up at him for a moment before smiling brightly. "Hai!" she finally said, smiling brightly.

Smiling down at her, Kakashi turned and started to head west out of the clearing. "Come on Mitsuki-chan, let's find the team."

"Hai!" Mitsuki called, running up to catch up to him.

Kakashi studied the tracks intently. Apparently the his team had approached this river three times from three different directions. Now which way had been the most recent? Sakura's tracks crossed her own tracks once to the east, but Sasuke's most recent ones seemed to go north while Naruto's was south... Had they split up for whatever reason? Puzzling...

Sitting next to the river, Mitsuki silently watched Kakashi at his work. Tracking seemed to be difficult, based on how intently he was studying the ground . It was nice to know someone who knew such a difficult skill.

"What's he doing?" came a whispered voice from her left.

"I think he's tracking," Mitsuki whispered back smiling at Kajika. The Kitsune had rejoined their party moments before they had arrived at the river. In the guise of a red headed sixteen year old she had been stealing bread from bandits some five miles away.

"Really?" the kitsune asked, popping the last of the bread into her mouth. "Why's he not using his nose?"

"(&$&)) humans can't smell their own )(&$##& stench much less others," the kappa of the river growled, from Mitsuki's right. "Stupid, ugly, (&$&&(, retarded humans..."

"Kappa-dono!" Mitsuki scolded, looking horrified at what the kappa was saying. "That's not very nice! Just because we can't smell very well..."

"Who's he looking for anyway?" Kajika asked, looking bored. The ninja wasn't doing anything fun. In fact he wasn't doing anything except studying the ground.

"He's looking for Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun, and Sakura-chan," Mitsuki said sighing. Watching Kakashi was getting rather boring... "He's tracking them to see which direction they went."

"That way," Kajika and the River Kappa said together, pointing to the south.

Mitsuki blinked. "Are you sure?"

"Can smell them in that direction," Kajika said watching Kakashi kneel down to get a closer look at one set of prints.

"Chased three brats that way last night," the Kappa growled. "Damn )&$#$()(#. Kept (&&$&$ waking me up all last night so I had to (&$& chase them away."

"That wasn't very nice Kappa-dono."

"What? I was only trying to eat the ($&)(&(& brats."

Mitsuki blushed and sighed. "Ano... Ka-"

Kajika clapped her hand over Mitsuki's mouth grinning widely. "Wait! He's bending over!" she hissed grinning evilly. She giggled to herself, ogling openly. "You know, from this angle he doesn't look half bad..."

Kakashi glanced over his shoulder, glaring. "What are you doing?"

She sighed shaking her head. "Nevermind. The face ruined it..."

Kakashi looked at the sighing fox, the blushing girl, and the murder glaring kappa and decided that he really didn't want to know. "They went south," he announced, walking over to help Mitsuki to her feet.

"No #&)$ shit, Sherlock? I ($((& would never have guessed!"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at the Kappa's language. "Ready to go Mitsuki-chan?"

Mitsuki nodded, accepting his help up. "See you later, Kappa-dono," she said politely bowing to the river kappa.

The kappa scoffed glaring as the two people and the kitsune walked into the forest and vanished. Sighing he rested by the edge of his river, preparing to get some much deserved sleep. He had nearly dozed off when a shadow cut across the sunlight he'd been resting in. He opened his eyes, looked the tall figure over and pointed to the south. "They went that way," he said. Closing his eyes once more, the kappa drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

"Cryptomeria trees!"2 Mitsuki squealed, rushing up to smell the pleasant aroma the pines were giving off. "Mmmm... Kakashi-san, come and smell the cryptomeria!"

Kakashi nodded absently, studying the ground intently. This wasn't good. After easily following his student's tracks for an hour and a half, the trail had vanished in this tiny clearing, miles south of where camp was supposed to be. He frowned, kneeling down to get a better look. Sasuke had sat there, at the base of the only non-pine tree in the entire clearing. His legs had been outstretched and he'd probably been leaning against the tree... Sakura had been nearby, sitting traditionally while tending what had once been a fire. He picked up a highly scorched stick. Sasuke had probably started the fire with his jutsu, but the fire hadn't caught very well considering the dampness of the wood. Naruto had been resting near the fire, his face to the heat. A short time later he had flopped onto his back, only to scramble to his feet a moment later... and then nothing. His students' movements were frozen at these spots as if they had suddenly been whisked away at that very moment.

"Nee-chan!" Kajika shouted, a few feet into the forest. "Come look!"

Mitsuki looked over at Kakashi, uncertain over if she should go or not. "Ano... Kakashi-san..."

Kakashi waved his hand at her absently, unconsciously noting which direction she went. Right now he had to concentrate on what had happened to his students.

They don't know how to teleport yet, Kakashi thought to himself, studying the area intently. There are no rocks or logs in their spots so they weren't replaced... The ground is untouched so they weren't swallowed... That leaves... The sky? He looked up, studying the branches of the cryptomeria trees intently. That one shows signs of recent damage, but what sort of jutsu would be able to yank my students off of the ground and into the air?

While thinking over all of the Village of Cloud's known attacks, Kakashi suddenly realized how very quiet it had become. True, the birds were still singing as if it were a normal day, but the sounds of Mitsuki and Kajika running around had completely vanished. He mentally cursed, it would figure that they would wander off. "Mitsuki-chan, could you come here for a moment?" he called, studying Sasuke's prints. It seemed he had tried to get up too, but hadn't managed to move more then an inch.

Kakashi looked up, glancing behind him. Sighing heavily, he entered the woods where Mitsuki had vanished. Whatever Kajika had wanted to show her shouldn't have been that far away and with something mysteriously grabbing his students, he should have Mitsuki close so she too wasn't attacked.

Making sure his kunais were within easy access, the silver haired jounin stepped into a larger clearing to see a white haired, red faced man glance up at his arrival. "Sumimasen," he said politely, studying the old man carefully. He didn't look dangerous, but appearances often were deceiving. Besides, there wasn't any villages for miles. "Have you seen a sixteen year old with red hair and a twenty year old with black hair passing through?"

The old man gazed at Kakashi and gently fanned himself with a large feather fan. Kakashi glared, preparing to enter a battle stance. The old man was obviously weaving some sort of genjutsu, in this light it seemed as if his red nose was growing and wings were sprouting from his back.

Mentally picturing his attack, Kakashi formed the ox hand seal before being pitched forward, his eyes involuntary closing. Damn, he thought to himself as he blacked out. Didn't see that coming...

The white haired man ignored the now unconcious ninja, fanned himself a bit more until he was satisfied that his nose was appropriately long. Standing he nodded to his companions to bring the man and together, the three took to the sky.

Someone is hovering over me! Attack! Kakashi thought to himself, trying to stab whoever it was that had sneaked up on him while he was sleeping. Instead, he found that he couldn't move. His arms seemed to be tightly bound to his torso, something hard and uncomfortable at his back. How had he been caught so off guard?

"Kakashi-san?"

Kakashi's eyes snapped open, a brown and red eyes meeting grey. "Mitsuki-chan?"

Mitsuki smiled at him, holding up an old fashioned drinking canteen. "Thirsty?" she asked, looking apologetic.

"No." Kakashi looked around the small room they were in, noting the only exit immediately. They were in a small, dark shelter with a high roof and carefully constructed walls. There was one doorway directly behind where Mitsuki knelt, a cloth hanging across it, two large shadows on it. Two guards, he thought to himself. Quickly he formulated an escape plan. To break through the walls would make too much noise so he'd simply kill the guards, grab Mitsuki and... Dammit. What about Naruto and the others? "The team?"

Mitsuki glanced up at him and nodded, before quickly adverting her eyes again. "They're here and fine. Sojobo-sama gave me permission to see them before coming here."

"Sojobo-sama?"

"Our host," Mitsuki supplied helpfully. Slowly, she looked up at Kakashi a worried look in her eyes. "Ne, Kakashi-san... You're in a lot of trouble..."

Kakashi looked at her, puzzled. "Why?" he asked preparing for the worst. Had they been captured by the Sound?

Mitsuki frowned and fiddled with the ends of her hair. "Ano... Sojobo-sama considers this forest as part of his clan's land and... ano... he's very upset that you brought everyone here... Especially since you're ninja."

Kakashi nodded slowly, still puzzled. This land had belonged to Konoha ever since the First had founded the village. Who was this Sojobo and why did he think otherwise? "Where's my head protector?" he asked, suddenly realizing that while his mask was still in place, the forehead protector was gone.

Mitsuki immediately looked at the ground, pulling at her hair. "They're using it as evidence in the trial."

"What trial?"

"The trial to decide what to do with everyone..."

Kakashi sighed in frustration. He was getting answers, but not the ones he was looking for. Where exactly was Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto? Why was Mitsuki left untied? Who was Sojobo? What was this about a trial?

"Mitsuki-chan," Kakashi said firmly, trying to catch Mitsuki's eyes.

"H-Hai?"

"You need to tell me about everything that's going on. Now."

"About the trial?"

"About everything. You have five minutes."

Mitsuki sighed, watching the sunlight filter in through a crack in the wall. "Last night, Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun, and Sakura-chan wandered in too close to the nesting site of Sojobo-sama's clan. Everyone was naturally very upset, they thought that Naruto-kun intended to eat their young since he was complaining so loudly that he was hungry."

Kakashi sighed. Great. This sounded as if he was going to be dealing with another supposedly fictional, mythological group of beings that he had never seen hind nor hair of before Mitsuki arrived. "What does Sojobo-sama and his clan happen to be?" he asked dryly. "Kappa? Kitsune? Oni? Yuki-Onna?"

"Oh, Yuki-Onna won't be in this area for another month or two," Mitsuki answered, smiling weakly. "Sojobo-sama and his clan are Tengu."

"Tengu?"

Mitsuki flushed a bit, waving her hands around. "Y-You know. The creators of all forms of martial arts! The heavenly creatures who gracefully migrated here from China and brought with them great wisdom in the arts of fighting and defense!"

"Never heard of them."

"Kakashi-san!" Mitsuki hissed, looking slightly panicked. "Don't say that so loud! You might offend someone!"

"Hai, hai," Kakashi sighed. He shifted in his bonds. As Mitsuki continued with her tale he'd work on getting free. "Continue."

Mitsuki shot a nervous look at the door before continuing on. "Well, the tengu grabbed Naruto and the others and brought them here to stand trial. They were trespassing after all, and Naruto had given the clan a nasty scare so everyone thought that they had to be punished. Only, Naruto-kun let it slip that you and I were still in the forest so Sojobo-sama sent out teams to find and capture us."

Kakashi nodded, the ropes much looser now. "What about this trial?"

"Sojobo-sama is allowing a trial to take place to determine what to do with everyone," Mitsuki said, the ground suddenly looking interesting again. "One of the younger tengu will be trying to convince the elders to execute everyone while Kajika-chan will be arguing that everyone should be set free."

"Kajika-chan?"

Mitsuki nodded, still nervous. "Since Kajika-chan isn't human and she's lived in this forest all her life, she was chosen as the best agent of defense."

Kakashi nodded, the ropes dropping to the ground. Grabbing Mitsuki's hand, he stood, looking to the door. "Stay close," he warned, pulling a kunai out of his pouch. "Which way are Sasuke and the others from here?"

"Kakashi-san!" Mitsuki hissed, looking up at him horrified. "You got out of the ropes!?"

"It's a genin level jutsu," Kakashi said considering which jutsus may be best in this situation. "Are tengu weak against any elements?"

"Sit down!" Mitsuki hissed, pushing Kakashi to the ground and grabbing the ropes. "I can't believe you untied these!" she growled, shoving at him until his back was once again against the post. "Now be still while I tie you back up."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, grabbing her wrist. "No," he said firmly, trying to stand again.

"Kakashi-san!" Mitsuki hissed, managing to sit on his legs in a manner that would stop him from getting up. "Listen! You really have to get tied up again! Sojobo-sama and everyone else will be very upset if they find out you're free."

Kakashi grabbed both of Mitsuki's wrists gazing deeply into her eyes. She looked genuinely worried, but she didn't have to be... "The tengu want to execute us," Kakashi whispered back. "Kajika is defending us. We have to escape while we still can. Now get off, and tell me where my team's being held."

"No!" Mitsuki growled, looking determined and rather angry. Struggling to free her wrists, she tried to grab the rope again. "Damn it Kakashi! If you know what's good for you, you'll let me go and allow me to tie you up!"

Kakashi rolled his eyes at her angry but pathetic efforts. This would be so much easier if he could just knock her out... But he needed to know where his team was to make escaping easier. Sighing, Kakashi knocked Mitsuki off of him and to the ground, straddling her and grabbing both of her wrists in on hand. "Now Mitsuki-chan," he said smiling pleasantly. "Where's my team?"

Mitsuki stared at him, her face slowly becoming more and more red. "Ka- Ka- Kakashi!" she whined, trying to pull her wrists away from his grasp. "G-get off!"

Kakashi ignored her and, grabbing the rope, proceeded to tie her wrists together. It was obvious that she was going to be a problem during their escape and if she was bound a little, it would make it that much easier to just drag her to safety. Her wrists bound, he wrapped the end of the rope once around his own hand and held it tightly. Still smiling, he leaned forward, supporting his weight on his arms so he wouldn't crush her. "Mitsuki..."

She refused to make eye contact, staring at some random place in the wall, her face ruby red. "H-Hai?"

"My team. Where are they?"

"A-Ano...."

Kakashi heard a muted growl of rage come from somewhere before he was violently yanked up, off of Mitsuki and thrown into the wall, the boards groaning in protest. A large hand was wrapped around his throat, it's owner's dark black eyes glaring at him murderously. Kakashi took one look at the bright red face and the six inch long nose thought, Not human, and brought his hands up to attack.

"Kakashi-san, no!" Mitsuki shouted, grabbing one of Kakashi's hands although her wrists were still bound. Frantic she looked at the tall tengu that was pinning him to the wall. "Shino-kun stop it! Let Kakashi-kun go!"

The long nosed tengu turned to look at Mitsuki, his grip not loosening.

Mitsuki blushed, her grip on Kakashi's hand tightening. "I-I know," she said looking nervous. "De-Demo Kakashi-kun wasn't hurting me!"

Shino looked back at Kakashi, his grip tightening. Is air supply nearly cut off, Kakashi prepared to do hand seals with his one free hand. Honestly, Mitsuki couldn't expect him to just hang here being strangled while she had a one sided conversation with a red faced creature!

Mitsuki released Kakashi's hand and instead reached up and grabbed onto Shino's arm. "Shino-kun," she said softly. "Please let Kakashi-kun go. He wasn't attacking me, I'm fine, and you're really starting to hurt him."

The tengu didn't look all that upset when she said that, but he released him, stalking away as Kakashi leaned against the wall rubbing his throat. "That a tengu?" he asked, noting the creature's long nose and black wings.

"Hai," Mitsuki said giving both him and the tengu disapproving looks. Finally she sighed, holding out her wrists for Kakashi to untie. "You must excuse Shino-kun, he's very upset that I don't remember him."

Kakashi worked on the knots, watching the sulking tengu. "You know him?"

Mitsuki nodded, looking thoughtful. "Yes... I mean, I think I should... He remembers me but I can't remember him..."

-Your presence is required.- The annoyed voice rang through Kakashi's head as Shino turned to glare at the slightly shorter man. -You will come with me now for judging.-

Mitsuki smiled politely, her wrists now free, while Kakashi glanced around the room for the source of the voice. The tengu's mouth hadn't moved. "Arigatou Shino-kun. We'll be right behind you." Still smiling, she grabbed onto Kakashi's arm and dragged him forward with her. "Be polite," she hissed in warning. "The Council of Elders is not as forgiving as Shino-kun."

Kakashi thought of Naruto's big mouth and mentally sighed. Not as forgiving? They were doomed.

"...and that," Kajika said loudly as the prisoners approached, "is why you shouldn't kill them!" Bowing elegantly she turned and marched over to the small group, grinning widely. Leaning over, she smiling at Naruto. "Get ready to run for your life," she hissed, the smile not leaving her face. "They're gonna kill ya..."

"Where's Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked looking around. If Kakashi-sensei was here then they would be able to escape, but Sakura wasn't sure that they would be able to escape all of the katana wielding tengu by themselves. "Is he okay?"

Kajika shrudded, studying her nails. "He's probably getting all hot and heavy with Mitsuki," she said, looking board. "You know, doing XXX and OOO to each other... Nothing turns a girl on like impending death."

Even Sasuke blushed at the mental image Kajika was portraying. He glanced behind his shoulder. "They're here."

Kakashi smiled and cheerfully greeted his students pretending to be perfectly at ease. The odds weren't good he recognized, patting Naruto on the head and cracking a joke. If even half of the tengu surrounding them could use the katanas they were wielding then escape could be a problem. However, based on the way they were holding themselves Kakashi guessed that all of the tengu were at least proficient with the weapon.

"Mitsuki-chan!" Kajika squealed, slapping her on the back and grinning widely. "Come to help make funeral preparations?"

"It's that bad?" Mituski asked, nervously watching the quietly conversing council.

"Nah, not really..." Kajika grabbed Sakura and pulled into their little circle. "Okay, this is the plan Sakura-chan... When they order your execution, you and Mitsuki-chan will fall to your knees and beg for the lives of the fathers of your unborn children." She smiled, winking at Sakura. "Sasuke-chan will be yours and Mitsuki-chan... You'll take Kashi I guess..."

Sakura blushed but slowly nodded. "What about Naruto-kun?"

Kajika grinned widely. "Easy! I'll make a fuss, tell everyone that he's the best lover I've ever had, drag him into the bushes, and-"

Mitsuki smacked Kajika in the back of the head, glaring at her. "No."

"What? Did you want Naruto?"

"The council will understand that all of this has just been one big misunderstanding and let us all go," Mitsuki said, sighing. "We'll be fine."

Kajika frowned, biting her nail. "Misunderstanding? Damn... That's the angle I should have used..."

-The council will be voting now,- Shino said, walking up and grabbing hold of Mitsuki's hand. -I hope they all die,- he said pleasantly, smiling brightly.

"Shino-kun!" Mitsuki scolded, pulling her hand away. "If the council kills everyone, I'll die too."

Kajika shook her head. "Nah... They already voted us free," she grinned at the dark haired girl. "Good deal, ne?"

Taking her hand again, Shino gently pulled Mitsuki away from the group. -Come now Mitsuki. You don't want blood all over you, now do you?-

Kakashi suddenly appeared, pulling Mitsuki out of Shino's grasp and wrapping one arm around her. "She's fine here," he calmly said glaring at the red faced creature.

-You miserable excuse for a- -

"Shut up, birdbrain," Kajika snapped, poofing into the form of a red headed, green eyed Kakashi. She grabbed Mitsuki hauling her to the side. "As for you four," she snapped, glaring at the prisoners, "stand straight, smile and look respectable. They're voting!"

The Tengu Council of Elders was made up of ten of the bravest and the best of the Tengu man starting with old Washi the Archer. Washi gazed at the two fans laid before him for a short while before picking up the black one, fanning himself with it serenely.

Next to him Akio the Horseman raised his black fan followed by Hiroshi of the Chained Weapons raising his as well. However, Yukio of the Staff raised the white fan while next to him, his brother Haruko of Close Combat raised his white fan as well. Goro the Swimmer chose the black fan but the next three (Matsu of the Spear, Tamasine of the Tanto (Dagger), and his twin Toshi of the Gunsen (War Fan)) chose the white fans.

Looking thoughtful, the last elder, Sojobo of the Katana raised the black fan. -A tie,- he declared, not looking to confirm if this was true. He nodded to Kajika and Mitsuki. -Rejoin them and start anew.-

"Okay, we survived round one," Kajika said, gathering everyone into a huddle. "Ready to die?"

"Ne, ne, but we only need to change one of their minds!" Naruto said looking excited. "You can do it, Kajika-chan!"

Kajika smiled at him brightly. "Yup! I can do it! Only, I can't go up again! But don't worry, I'll pray at your graves every spring unless I forget."

"What do you mean you can't go up again?" Sakura asked, looking worried.

"I already stated my case, they won't listen to me again," Kajika said. She glanced over her shoulder and watched Shino silently speak to the elders, his hands gesturing wildly. "Damn... That kid's good..."

"Nani? What's he saying?" Naruto whined, turning to look. "I can't hear."

"That's because he's leaving you out of the conversation, Naruto-kun," Mitsuki said softly, patting Naruto gently on the head. "Tengu speak with their minds so it's easy to leave unwanted people out of their conversations."

As they watched, Shino bowed lowly, turned and went back to the far side of the clearing, smiling at Mitsuki. Taking a deep breath, Kakashi stepped forward only to be tackled by Kajika. "Don't you dare!" she growled, motioning Mitsuki to go forward. "Mitsuki's next in defense."

"Why?" Sasuke asked, helping the fox and his teacher to their feet. "Wouldn't Kakashi-sensei be better?"

"Maybe, but Kashi's human," Kajika said watching Mitsuki slowly approach the elders.

"So?"

"Mitsuki-chan's half."

Kakashi looked over at her sharply. "What?"

"Shh... She's starting."

Mitsuki bowed lowly to the elders looking nervous. "I offer no defense," she said quietly, ignoring Naruto and Sakura's sharp intake of breath. "Instead I ask for Torikae."

"DAMMIT MITSUKI!" Kajika shouted. She fell onto her knees and began repeatedly banging her head against the ground. "Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!"

"Replacement?" Sakura asked, watching the conversing council. "What does that mean?"

Kajika sighed, rubbing the bruise that was forming on her forehead. "It means that she's asking the council to judge her as a suitable replacement for all of you."

"Meaning?"

Kajika blinked at the harshness of Kakashi's voice. "If the council accepts they'll vote on whether or not Mitsuki-chan's life is a suitable substitute for all of yours." She sighed, getting to her feet. "I asked earlier and all they did was laugh at me... You're screwed..."

Kakashi leaned towards his team, dropping his voice. "On my signal head towards the east. Take out as many as needed to get away, but keep to the ground and no matter what, stick together and keep moving."

Kajika glanced to the east. True, there were fewer spectator/guards there, but they also were wearing the green arm band of the masters. She sighed. Oh well... They were ninjas after all, they'd probably prefer to go out fighting.

-We will vote now,- Sojobo said softly nodding to the council. Kajika blinked in surprise. They were actually considering it?

The council members, as one, raised their fans, their faces blank. Seven white fans and three black slowly fanned their owners.

"Shit..." Kajika muttered in shock. She rubbed her eyes, she couldn't have been seeing this right.

Sojobo glanced at his companions and slowly nodded, placing his black fan back in front of him. -It is decided. The one known as Tennyo Mitsuki shall be held acceptable to replace the ninjas in the council's eyes.-

"Holy mother fu..." Kajika muttered, trailing off with a blank look on her face.

"Tennyo?" Kakashi muttered, feeling puzzled. He glanced up at Mitsuki who was swaying back and forth on her feet. Was her true last name Tennyo then?

-We will vote now for the fate of Tennyo Mitsuki,- Sojobo said studying the fans before him, a grave look on his face. Each of the tengu looked much more serious now, as if the decision had become that much harder to make. Sighing heavily Washi raised his white fan gazing intently at Mitsuki. Akio followed, raising his white fan with only a moment's hesitation.

One after another, each tengu slowly raised a white fan, refusing to look anywhere but at the ground or Mitsuki's face. Finally, Sojobo raised his own white fan and slowly stood. -Decided,- was all he said, nodding to Mitsuki. The rest of the council also stood, nodding politely before all of leaped into the air on an unspoken signal, their wings carrying them up and away into the bright afternoon sky. A moment later the rest of the tengu took off, carrying with them the entire village, the buildings themselves uprooted and carried between two or more.

"Where are they going?" Naruto asked, watching in amazement as five tengu carried a building larger then a gym off into the air.

Kajika shrugged. "New camp," she said, looking bored.

"Why?"

"You didn't expect them to trust us with the location of their village now did you?"

Kakashi ignored his students as they protested, watching Shino and Mitsuki carefully. The two had been quietly conversing ever since the council had left, Mitsuki looking exceptionally pale. Finally, she smiled at the tengu and after a quick hug, Shino leapt into the air a great bundle of arrows in his arms.

Approaching slowly, Kakashi smiled conversationally at Mitsuki. "What was that all about?"

Mitsuki smiled back, swaying a little in the breeze. "Shino-kun came to give me these," she said holding up four forehead protectors with the symbol of Konoha upon them. "He said these belonged to you."

Kakashi nodded, accepting his forehead protector and tying it back in place. "You look pale."

"I-I'm fine."

Deciding not to push it, Kakashi smiled brightly at her. "Do you remember how the tengu knew you, Tennyo-cha-"

"Don't call me that!" Mituski suddenly shouted, shoving Kakashi away from her as hard as she could. "Don't ever call me by that name ever again!"

Kakashi blinked, startled by her violent reaction. "Mitsuki-chan..."

"I'm Ginsei Mitsuki now, right?" Mitsuki asked, tears springing up in her eyes. "Ginsei, not Tennyo..."

Kakashi frowned down at her, now knowing how the discovery of her true last name could be so upsetting. Perhaps she had remembered something that she hadn't wanted to? It had to be something truely terrible judging by the state of near collapse she was in. Gently putting his arm around his shoulder, he led her back to the group, ignoring her sniffles. "We need to get back to camp before nightfall," he decided firmly, fixing his team with a firm look. "When we get back, Sasuke you start a fire, Sakura, you will get us fresh water, and Naruto, you will fix your shelter so it's usable. After that we'll all go out and I'll teach you how to trap." He looked at them all seriously. "If we don't catch dinner before nightfall we'll be forced to eat... squirrels."

Kajika made a face. "Eww.... You actually ate those rats this morning? That's so... eww..."

Kakashi ignored her, still looking at his team. "We'll go by the treetops. Concentrate on speed."

Sakura raised her hand. "What about Mitsuki-chan?" she asked, watching the teary eyed girl carefully.

"I've got her," Kajika sighed, falling onto all fours. Slowly, she changed shape, her face narrowing while her body got larger and larger, two tails appeared, whipping around her as if overjoyed to be free again. "What?" the two-tailed fox demanded, glaring at them through green eyes. "Never seen a fox before?"

"They've never seen a true Kitsune before," Kakashi said. He hesitated a moment before placing the unresponsive Mitsuki onto the horse sized fox's back. "They were too young to remember the Kyuubi." He glared at her as she wrapped a tail around Mitsuki, holding her tightly. "Watch it, Nibi."3

Kajika stuck her tongue out at the silver haired jounin and flicked Naruto's nose with her free tail. "You just run behind me, darling," she cooed seductively.

Naruto blinked and paled as a deep rumbling 'yes' echoed through him. He gagged. EWW! Kajika was flirting with the Kyuubi!

Kakashi'a glare deeped as Sasuke and Sakura looked at each other, confused. Why was the kitsune flirting with Naruto? Pulling out a kunai, Kakashi held it before Kajika's nose. "Camp," he said firmly.

Glaring, Kajika smacked Kakashi with her tail and dashed into the forest.

A good site for Tengu is Big In Japan. A good anime about Tennyo is Ayashi no Ceres, or at least that's what I've been told. A good story about Tennyo is The Woman Who Came Down From Heaven. A good site for porn should be kept to yourself. Hey, I don't want to know about it and if you're that perverted then good for you.

1: Ginsei Mitsuki roughly translates into Fullmoon made of Silver. What? You didn't know that Mitsuki means Fullmoon? Where'd you think I got the title of this story from then?

2: A Cryptomeria tree is a type of pine tree that only grows in Japan. It's also known as the Japanese Cedar. Besides that I just know that they're supposed to smell really good and Tengu like them.

3: Two-Tails. When you break down Kyuubi it turns into Kyuu (nine) and bi (tail). So in Kajika's case I put the word for two (ni) and tail together and made Nibi. (I'll admit it, it doesn't sound as cool...)

Dragon Man 180: Yeah, Kajika is really annoying... Is she any less in this one? I doubt she'd ever treat Naruto like a lord though, it's not really in her personality.

Lady Light: He's not really OOC if you watch episode 101 at three in the morning on a sugar buzz. Then he seems perfectly normal! But I agree, he is rather OOC, he's just kinda blasted hard...

Inuyasha-gal-97: No, I don't really care. Thank you though. Thank you very much.

Yipster54: I await with baited breath. Be sure to mention it to me when it comes out.

Nikko13: No. But now you know what she is so I can't torture you about it. (Pout)

Monkey Shoes: BRUTAL! Making shoes out of Monkey! EVIIILLLL!!! (Did you know in Japanese your name would be Saru Kutsu or something like that? (Laughs) Saru Kutsu...)

Kitsune Classic: I think you need a cookie just for knowing what a yousei is...