Naruto: A Red Eye Hidden by Shadow

by Tatanka4Life

On the fateful night of the Uchiha Massacre, a girl of Uchiha and Nara blood is spared and left with no memories of her past. Now she must walk on the path left by her family to help her build a new future for herself. Her path will be hard, full of struggles and pain, but as long as she has her friends and family at her side she will keep forging ahead, even if it was a drag.

126. Chapter 125: The Fūma Clan's Folly!

Chapter 125

Preparing for Battle: The Fūma Clan's Folly!

"What the hell is going on? What's gotten into you?"

Shrouded in flickering crimson chakra, Mimi's Shadow Clone ignored her bewildered questions. She didn't even bother to glance their way. Her undivided and furious attention was devoted to their enemy, the man with the thick eyebrows and pincer blade weapon attached to his right arm presently struggling to rise to his feet, body quaking from the powerful blow that drilled him into the street a moment before.

In contrast, her Shadow Clone was breathing heavily, not from exhaustion but the feral rage causing her muscles to tremble. Her hands were clenched in fists, her teeth ground together audibly, and her expression was darkened and strained by wrath.

This was bad. Real bad.

Mimi was acutely aware of her volatile temper. She had attained greater control over it when compared to the immediate days, months and years following her parents dying in the line of duty. But there were some acts which caused the tranquil waters to churn, acts that could cause waves to swell and go rogue on a singleminded path of devastation.

Her Shadow Clone and every molecule of her volatile temper was unhinged. If she listened closely, Mim could almost hear the roar of the tidal wave barreling towards them.

Worst of all, when she dispelled her Shadow Clone, the memories which catalyzed this reaction would become hers.

All of this violent rage would be hers.

"Grab that one and go," the Shadow Clone said abruptly, pointing to the balaclava wearing shinobi, voice an abnormal growl. "Also, take this. Don't lose it."

Her Shadow Clone reached into her pocket, then threw whatever she procured straight at Mimi. She barely caught the small object.

"Mimi… I can feel the power and killing intent pouring off of your Shadow Clone," Aoko analyzed, troubled. "It's so intense. There are only a handful of experiences I can think of that would infuriate you so much. What did she throw you?"

"A bracelet," she murmured. Stained by blood, bearing amber gems. It was small, far too small for her own wrist. "Where did you—"

"Stop standing there and go!" the Shadow Clone yelled.

Mimi recoiled at the command. In the slightest cracking of her Shadow Clone's voice she heard all she needed to. The rage was there, of course. But worse was the tangible grief, capable of transferring over all of the heartache without her Shadow Clone dispelling.

I…I have to leave before I dispel her, the Inuzuka realized, distressed. I think…I think I can guess what she's witnessed. Or rather, I can guess who once owned this bracelet. If I don't leave right now…I will endanger the mission and the civilians with a battle. But…

But she wanted to know the truth. Needed to know. Even though she could feel the answer in her heart, even though it risked compromising the mission, she needed the truth here and now.

"You worthless sack of flesh," the Shadow Clone growled at their enemy, no longer interested in her original, the team or the mission. "What excuse did you have to take those lives, huh?!"

"I don't know what you're talking about or who you are," Kamikiri replied, sounding annoyed and a little bored.

He rose to a kneeling position. His pincer weapon was still intact.

Kamikiri glared at her Shadow Clone. "But everything I've done is to rebuild our Clan. That's all that matters. Restoring the Fūma Clan to its original glory. If that costs a few lives, so be it. That's the price I'm willing to pay to restore what I hold most dear!"

"Price? What price have you paid?! No," she shook her head, "you haven't paid anything. Not yet!"

The Shadow Clone lowered herself onto all-fours, breathing becoming more erratic.

"I…am going to tear apart…everything you've built! Starting with you, you child murdering bastard!"

"Child murdering?" Sakura repeated, recoiling in horror.

"No way," gasped Naruto. "They killed children?"

At the accusation, the balaclava and wounded assailant from before seemingly had the air knocked out of their lungs, eyes widening.

The words struck Mimi at her core with the power of a bolt of lightning. This was worse than she imagined. And yet, it was the truth she sought, the truth she had felt in her heart upon looking at the small bracelet.

A child. This man killed a child.

"Mimi, we have to go. Now," Aoko tried to coax.

The crimson cloaked Inuzuka surged forward, dashing across the street on all-fours like a feral and starving wolf let loose amid a human population. Before Kamikiri could stand up she was already leaping into the air, body whirling into a crimson drill set on shredding flesh from bone.

Their enemy threw himself out of the way, rolling roughly over the ground and onto his feet. Dirt and dust was unearthed, the crash of her failed attack sent vibrations rattling over the nearby windows.

The rage-induced Inuzuka flew out of the tan cloud suddenly, wild eyes full of wrath. Kamikiri gasped, wholly unprepared.

"Rrraggghhhhhh!"

She was too quick for Kamikiri. The opening blow started with her long nails tearing through the flesh of his face, down at a diagonal from his temple to his lips. Flecks of blood rained over the street, burying beneath her nails and splattering their clothing.

As he cried out in agony, it was broken off for a pain consumed gasp when she slammed a powerful kick into his abdomen. His bored eyes appeared to bulge out of his skull before he was sent torpedoing into an abandoned building across the street, through a boarded up window and into the barren room inside. The Inuzuka chased him.

"Mimi, above!" Aoko warned.

She'd caught the scent, too. On the rooftop was a bald man crouched down on all-fours with long, almost spider-like limbs and a scar on his right eye. He pulled his head back and spat, the act of which created a mass of webbing to fly towards the group.

"Scatter!" Mimi ordered.

Sakura and Mimi evaded, leaping back. Naruto rushed forward, tackling their previous assailant into a somersault that he carried through to land on his feet; he narrowly escaped the range of the webbing.

"Mimi, we have to go! Now!" Aoko barked.

The Inuzuka cursed. She wanted to destroy them. But she couldn't. Not yet.

"Naruto, Sakura, retreat!" Mimi ordered. "The longer my Shadow Clone rampages, the higher the risk there is for her damaging property that hasn't been abandoned! She's endangering civilians, and if I dispel her now when these guys are in sight I'm liable to do the same thing. Let's go!"

It pissed her off to retreat. But for the sake of the mission…

Mimi reached into her pouch, clutched a smoke bomb in her hand and, when Naruto and Sakura were close enough, threw it onto the ground, deploying a massive cloud of smoke that stretched across the streets and to the rooftops.

Concealed, they retreated for the mountain temple, ninja jumping over the rooftops as quickly as possible.

"Dammit," Naruto cursed, slinging the unconscious assailant over his shoulder. "I get why we have to retreat, but… We shouldn't be running away if those guys really did what your Shadow Clone said!"

"They'll get what's coming to them," Mimi responded coldly. "Don't think for a moment I'll let them escape unscathed. We'll handle them later. Right now, we need to do what's best for the mission and the town. Now hurry up!"

At the border of the town the Inuzuka prepared to dispel her Shadow Clone.

Block out the memories, she thought pensively. Just like in the Invasion. Deal with your emotions later. Deal with the memories later. Right now, focus on what's best for the mission. You're a squad leader now. You can't go ballistic on an irresponsible rampage, no matter how righteous it would be.

Centered, in control of her mind, she dispelled the Shadow Clone and buried the experiences and memories as quickly as she could.

Flashes broke through. A tree of death, a putrid stench, a small arm reaching through a door, the horrified and bloodied face of Kamikiri; she could feel his throat in her vice grip, feel her intent to inflict suffering before death, feel the intense muscle trembling rage and grief wracking her body, demanding hollow vengeance.

Because that's all she could do now. It was too late to save the lives lost.

It was too late to save Amber.

The Inuzuka shut her eyes, grit her teeth and buried it all. She clutched onto the bracelet.

"Mimi, are you all right?"

"Ask me later. I might be honest."

---

When the battle had begun, Daisuke retreated into the bar to hide the children and stand guard over them. However, despite his best efforts to shelter them from the battle, the furious and anguished wordless screams of Mimi's Shadow Clone could be heard from the street even with the windows closed.

Each time he heard one, Daisuke felt his stomach clench. He watched the battle from the bedroom, peeking from the window at the shinobi below. His former Clan members weren't winning.

In truth, there was a part of him that wanted to stop the fight for the sake of his old Clan members, Kamikiri and Jigumo, who he presumed were joined by Kagerō; the trio had always been close and left to join Orochimaru together. He wanted to calm both parties down and find a peaceful conclusion.

But if what he heard was true… If they had taken part in the murdering of children, all in the name of restoring their Clan, then they were neither old Clan members or friends to Daisuke.

They were monsters. Monsters who had forfeited their souls to darkness incarnate. All in the name of the Fūma Clan.

Kamikiri, Jigumo, Kagerō, could you have actually killed children? Do you really believe that by killing for Orochimaru you can restore our Clan? He curled his hands into tight fists. A Fūma Clan built of killing innocent people, killing children, isn't worth building!

The quiet coughs of Emi distracted him from the battle.

Glancing away, he observed the sick child alone in this room with him, fast asleep despite her coughs; he and Manzo had ushered all the children into the second floors living space where there were no windows. Daisuke took his post here, guarding over Emi, who he didn't want to move if he could help it.

Another gut-wrenching scream tore his gaze back to the street. He turned around just quick enough to witness Mimi propel off of Jigumo's soaked back, who she had moments ago blasted with a powerful jet of water, knocking him from the rooftops before pouncing him like a leopard pouncing its next meal from a tree.

She flew off his body, beneath Kamikiri's pincer blades to tackle him, and as his former Clansmen's back scraped across the street, her hand and sharpened fingernails wrapped around his throat. Screaming again, red chakra lashing off her body, the girl who had shown gentleness and compassion to the children, began to batter and claw Kamikiri's face.

His former Clansmen struggled. He wailed. But her animalistic growls and furious screams seemed to grow in volume and in intensity the louder Kamikiri became.

Strangely, the scene filled Daisuke with sorrow rather than fear. He could tell she was in pain and didn't know how to fix it, for it was a pain beyond the realm of Medical Ninjutsu.

This brutal violence was all she had. Retribution was all she could achieve for the child she could no longer save.

Mimi's hand reached for her ninja tool box. The flash of a kunai blade stopped Daisuke's heart, briefly. Then in horrified anticipation he watched her plunge the blade straight for Kamikiri's head.

Then she was gone. A small cloud of smoke hung in the air where the Inuzuka used to be, the street falling ominously silent; it reminded him of battlefields from the war. The eerie stillness that fell when all the violence reached one conclusion or another, whether momentary victory, stalemate or crushing defeat.

Kamikiri lay beneath the cloud. Bloody, but still breathing. Still alive and in visible agony. He grabbed at his face, streaked by blood, dripping with the crimson mask Mimi's Shadow Clone left behind. He was groaning, wailing, cursing and growling.

I…haven't seen such violence and brutality since our last battle. Daisuke swallowed, hand unconsciously gripping at his poncho, over his rapidly beating heart. To think someone so young overpowered Kamikiri and Jigumo. That wasn't even a fight. It would've been a massacre.

This was the difference between shinobi trained within a real Village and their so-called glorious Clan. Compared to just one young Chūnin, one kunoichi fueled by vindicated rage, two of the brightest prospects of the Fūma Clan appeared like untrained bandits.

Is this all Orochimaru offered you? Daisuke wondered. Is this the power and strength you believed could rebuild our Clan? Or has he given you nothing at all, as the rest of us expected, and stolen our techniques instead? All the while you hang onto a false hope that all you've sacrificed, all the crimes you've committed, will pay off one day.

What a shame. Kamikiri and Jigumo had been good people once. Talented. Loyal. Perhaps arrogant, but kind, too. It was a shame they'd become this. Pawns of a monster. What a damn shame.

He was surprised to feel so disappointed.

Jigumo was first to rise from the dirt. He plodded over on all-fours to Kamikiri, who had begun to sit up in spite of the pain, teeth grinding together as he rested his bleeding face into his left hand.

Perhaps it was because he began to lean away from the window that his former Clansman's eyes snapped up to the window. Perhaps the slightest hint of movement captured his attention. Or, perhaps, it was just the misfortunate circumstance of their ambush occurring when the Leaf shinobi were departing the bar.

Regardless, Daisuke stiffened beneath the bloody and wrathful grimace of Kamikiri. Despite leaving behind shinobi life and his Clan, the training never truly left the young man, nor did the ability to sense aggression and imminent danger.

Back in the street with Biscuit he hadn't known what to do. Four against one, Biscuit's life in danger and no weapons to defend him, the medical supplies they desperately needed scattered all around them… He couldn't leave Biscuit, he couldn't leave the medicine, but he couldn't very well defeat the four thugs. He was outnumbered, weaponless, and his skills were rusty.

Unlike the Leaf shinobi, he didn't wield superior strength, grit or skills; he was an average guy and an average shinobi. Truthfully, he was just capable and lucky enough to survive the hopeless battles.

The scars beneath his clothes proved how close he'd come to death. The nightmares of the war reminded him of the loved ones he lost, of the hell he survived.

This circumstance was no different. His shinobi instincts forced his body to move before he even realized it, throwing himself away from the window, across the floor to crash on top of the sleeping bags. The head of a stuffed bear buried itself in his stomach unpleasantly.

Glass shattered behind him. He rolled onto his back, eyes wide, then swiftly rolled himself backwards onto his feet.

Frustratingly, the sleeping bags slipped out beneath him. He cursed as he flopped chest first on the floor like a fish floundering on the shore. In that small instant on the floor he saw his reflection in the pincer blades piercing the teddy bears body. It was Hydra's, he recalled in the heat of the moment. He would need to buy her a new one later.

If he survived. If he could stop Kamikiri.

The young man had enough sense to scramble up onto his feet, again evading back deeper into the room, closer to Emi, to evade the second attempt to lop his head off.

"Kamikiri! Stop this," he pleaded.

His former comrade hesitated for a moment. Through the crimson mask and beginnings of swelling Daisuke took in the deep gouges torn through his flesh, over his forehead, across both cheeks, over his nose and through his lips; one such scratch tore from the corner of his lips upwards to his ear, creating a sort of artificial smirk.

"Daisuke?"

Kamikiri's eyes then flashed with fire. He lunged forward with a growl and his pincer blades snapping open again.

Stumbling back on the sleeping bags, which continued to slide beneath his feet, his back crashed against the wall, trapping him. Daisuke's eyes widened.

The walls vibrated, a dull thud reverberated in his ears as the pincer blades pierced into the wall he was pressed flat against; his head was settled between the blades with just enough space not to open up his flesh, but that wasn't an accident.

He'd been spared.

"Been a long time, Daisuke," Kamikiri said after a moment in a low voice. "Care to tell me why you were conspiring with those Leaf shinobi?"

"Conspiring?" Daisuke repeated, bewildered by the accusation. "I wasn't conspiring with anyone."

"Don't play dumb!" Kamikiri growled. "We saw them enter this bar. They were in here for quite some time, so don't act like it was just some coincidence."

But it was, thought Daisuke, perspiration on his forehead and back beginning to flow. It was all just a coincidence we encountered each other. Good fortune. But you won't listen to any of that, will you? And were I to tell you I'm no longer a member of the Clan, what then would keep you from lopping my head off here and now.

"They were taking care of the children here," he explained frantically. "The one you fought is a medic and she offered her talents for free. I couldn't pass on the opportunity when children's lives were at stake; that's why they were here."

He swallowed roughly, trying not to move his head or neck when the blades were so close.

"Whatever your quarrel with them is isn't my business. I just wanted to help the children."

"Children, huh?" Kamikiri glanced down at Emi, who had awoken and was trembling inside her sleeping bag. Her eyes were wide with terror. "Tch. You haven't changed one bit. Still helping people outside of the Clan."

Daisuke said nothing. The words on his tongue were fatal.

The door to the room creaked open. Inside the doorway stood Manzo, and behind him were Biscuit and Scotch.

"Daisuke!" Biscuit cried out.

"Leave him alone, you big thug!" Scotch followed.

Kamikiri narrowed his eyes, blinking several times as blood ended up in his right eye.

"Biscuit, Scotch, it's fine!" Daisuke tried to reassure, throwing his hand out to keep them from running in. Manzo stepped in front of them, ushering them back. "We're just having a conversation, right, Kamikiri?"

"Oh, yeah. Just a talk," Kamikiri sneered. "And since it's just a talk, how about you tell me what you know of the Leaf shinobi? Did they tell you anything important?"

"No," Manzo spoke before Daisuke could. "They didn't. When they finished tending to the children I shoved them out the door. I want no trouble. Still don't. And Leaf shinobi in this Land are bound to stir it."

Manzo's voice was absent of emotion. But his eyes squinted in disgust at Kamikiri, a fact that the shinobi noticed and took exception to.

"Got a problem with me?" Kamikiri asked, ripping his pincer blades from the wall.

Daisuke shuddered and felt at his neck; a small cut had opened, leaking warm blood. It wasn't serious, though.

"Careful, old man. You don't want trouble, right?"

"I suggest you leave, immediately," Manzo replied calmly. "There is nothing for you here. We have no money for you to rob. Nothing of value. Nor will I shelter a guest who has damaged my property and threatened the life of another. So I say again, leave. Immediately."

"I don't think I will," said Kamikiri. "In fact, I don't think you're telling the truth at all. I think you're conspiring with those Leaf shinobi. Protecting them."

Manzo sniffed. "Those children do not need the protection of a simple bartender. If you believe otherwise, allow me to show you a mirror."

"What'd you say?" growled his former Clansman, stalking closer to the bartender. "Is my face funny to you?"

"No." Manzo gestured the children silently to move away without taking his eyes off of Kamikiri. "It's grotesque. In that way, it reflects your black soul, child killer."

What are you doing, Manzo? His eyes widened. Wait. Don't tell me you were trying to draw his attention away from me.

Daisuke opened his mouth to speak, hopeful he could deescalate the situation before it worsened.

He was too late.

"I'm getting tired of that accusation."

Kamikiri lunged forward, kicking the bartender. Manzo hit the opposite wall with a sickening crack, before letting out a cry of pain as the tips of the pincer blade pierced into his chest.

"And I'm past tired of you!"

"Manzo!" Daisuke yelled, dashing for the doorway.

Kamikiri whirled on Daisuke, ripping his pincer blades out of Manzo's chest and slamming the side of the weapon into the former shinobi. The heavy weapon crashed harshly into his body, knocking him off his feet to slide across the hallway floor.

When Daisuke rose again, the sounds of Scotch screaming at Kamikiri alerted him to the scene he witnessed. His former Clansman had struck Biscuit, too. The poor boy lay on the floor, clutching his stomach where he'd been kicked while down. Conversely, Scotch was on her feet—not by choice. Kamikiri had snatched the girl by her plait, twisting the long ponytail around his hand to force her to stand, pulling it roughly to cause her pain.

Manzo was lying on the floor, bleeding from the chest. Breathing like a dying animal.

"Where did they go?" Kamikiri demanded.

"Let her go, Kamikiri. They don't have any part in this!"

"They do now. Where, Daisuke?"

"Just let her go. We can talk."

Kamikiri wrenched Scotch by her plait. The girl cried out, but kept clawing at his hand and shaking her head.

"Don't tell him! Don't tell him! Don't tell him!" she cried.

"Shut up!"

The sight of his former Clansman smacking Scotch awoke a shinobi sense Daisuke had thought he'd relinquished.

His killer instinct. It burned white-hot, roaring through his body like a wildfire.

But unlike a wildfire it was swiftly doused by the sight of Scotch's tears and her wails of agony.

"They're at the abandoned mountain temple! Now let her go!"

A malicious smile, accented by blood and artificially extended by the clawing he received sent chills through Daisuke.

"The abandoned mountain temple, huh? I guess that's where we'll go to meet them, then." He struck Scotch again, knocking her unconscious before tucking her small body under his arm. "But I think I'll take a little insurance with us this time. Let's see if those Leaf shinobi are willing to sacrifice their lives for these precious children you're so fond of."

As he entered the bedroom again, Daisuke lunged to his feet and raced after him, finding him lifting up Emi, too.

"Kamikiri!" he roared.

He never saw Jigumo. But the strike he felt, for a moment, like a bear at full sprint charging straight through him.

And then nothing.

---

When Daisuke regained consciousness, he was immediately aware of the throbbing headache assaulting his skull. He sat up with a groan, hand brushing over bandages wrapped around his forehead, and took in his surroundings.

The second floor living area was where he'd been brought by the children, settled on top of a sleeping bag far too small for his adult body. His head and neck were already tended to.

The children themselves were gathered in the room around another body, who they were bandaging as they fretted over the situation. It took him an extra moment to realize it was Manzo they were tending to. Then, as if awoken from a slumber, the horrifying scenes of his former Clansman harming the bartender and kidnapping Scotch and Emi flashed through his mind.

Biscuit tried to coax him to stay down. He reasoned that the heavy blow he sustained, which cracked the wall inside the bedroom, probably hurt him more than the small gash it opened over the back of his skull. He was probably right.

Truthfully, Daisuke could feel the contusions and aches over his body. He hadn't felt this kind of pain in a long time. But he ignored it. Though slouching slightly because of his injuries, he stumbled over to Manzo's side.

The bartender was still alive, he learned. However, his injury was far more severe than Daisuke's. The tips of the pincer blades had ripped across the width of his chest when Kamikiri yanked them free and spun around simultaneously. Also, the force of the initial blow had cracked his ribs.

Manzo needed help. Help only a trained doctor could provide. Or…

"They're at the abandoned mountain temple!"

Daisuke grimaced. He rested his forehead against his hand as he lowered himself to the floor, all but collapsing back to the rough greeting of the wood floor against his bottom.

Or the medic-nin he'd squealed the location of despite Scotch's pleas, despite all Mimi, Sakura and Naruto had done for them, all because he was too weak to stand up to his former Clansman. He was too naïve, allowing himself to believe because they once shared a bond as Fūma Clan members he could talk sense into Kamikiri.

He led himself to believe a fantasy despite knowing in his heart his former Clansman wouldn't simply leave the children alone regardless of how much he begged and pleaded. And now…

Biscuit and the other children seemed to sense his inner turmoil. They wrapped a blanket around his shoulders and left him there, continuing to work on bandaging their caretaker.

The empathy and maturity these children possessed always fascinated Daisuke. In some ways they were more grown up than some of the adults he used to know. More organized. Kinder, even.

Ever since Biscuit approached him one day with a loaf of bread and a smile when his stomach was tearing itself apart with hunger pains, ever since the children and Manzo brought him into their little circle in their effort to help the town's least fortunate, all he wanted to do was protect them. To dedicate himself to helping these children and their efforts.

All he ever wanted was to be helpful. In the war, he hadn't been able to protect his loved ones. When these children found him, he thought that, maybe, he could do something good this time. He could embody the ideals he once believed his Clan represented; he could protect these children and Manzo, not with violence, but a devotion to kindness and generosity.

"What's…that lousy look for, Daisuke?"

Manzo's weak voice broke Daisuke from his brooding. The young man clenched his teeth, frustrated almost to the point of tears.

"I'm a fool."

"I suppose…that's why we work so well together. We're both fools."

"Manzo, I…"

"Save your apologies. I did this to myself. And I'm not dead. Not yet. We must…" Manzo winced. "No… I won't be going anywhere. You must find Scotch and Emi. Bring them home. You're the only one here who can."

"What about you? I can't just leave you like this."

"Don't concern yourself with me," he dismissed weakly. "The children take priority. We know what fate will befall them if they are taken to the Sound Village. Moreover, we know those thugs intend to use them as leverage against the Leaf shinobi." Manzo stared directly at him. "Only you can stop them, Daisuke."

He glanced away. "I…I don't know if I can."

"Of course you can. A man with something precious to protect will endure any hardship, any pain and overcome all obstacles to safeguard what they hold most dear.

"So tell me, Daisuke. Will you sit here and wallow in failure while Scotch and Emi need your aid? Will you abandon them to their fate? Or will you endure this pain and protect what you hold dear?"

Daisuke said nothing. He stared at the floor, Manzo's questions reverberating through his mind. He thought of how brave Scotch was and how utterly frightened Emi had been. He thought of the three Leaf shinobi and everything they had done to help.

In his rumination he thought of the war, of the hopeless battles he'd fought in, the fear and pain and all the death he witnessed, and it filled him with a chill no winter storm could hope to match.

However, when he thought of the life after, the life of helping and protecting these kids and the happiness he found, he remembered Kamikiri striking Scotch.

And the killer instinct he abandoned.

An average man and shinobi, Daisuke did not hang his head in resignation or bury himself in the cold memories or the insecurities which plagued him; none of that mattered when compared to the lives of the children he'd sworn to protect.

Although he did not wield skill, strength or talent on the same level as the Leaf shinobi, he resolved himself to rescue Scotch and Emi all the same.

For he was a man with something left to protect. And such a man was capable of defying those odds for what he held precious.

"I…lost the people I loved most in those final battles my Clan partook in," he began in a soft voice. "My brother, my mother. Heh," he laughed bitterly, "even the girl of my dreams fell in combat. I survived, somehow. My body did, anyways. Somedays it felt like I had died, too. Somedays I wished I had died instead. I thought…I had nothing left.

"But then I met Biscuit. I met Scotch and the rest of you. All of you gave me something to live for, and I swore the life of a shinobi was behind me. I set out to carve a new life. One that I could be proud of. And I did. You all became precious to me. Even through the tough times I've been happy," he admitted, smiling. "Real happy. Through sickness, through thin purses, through the nightmares I suffer, just knowing this place existed, that I had all these precious bonds, always kept me happy.

"One morning I realized how happy I was to be alive. How I couldn't wait to see all of you kids grow up."

Daisuke picked himself off the floor, stumbled slightly from a bout of lightheadedness. In an instant Biscuit was at his side, keeping him from toppling over. Manzo watched him through keen eyes.

"We're all happy to know you, Daisuke," Biscuit emphasized. "Scotch and Emi, too. Even though Emi is new, I know she'll feel the same way. You may not feel strong, but you always do your best for us. For everyone. That's who you are."

"Thank you," Daisuke said, smiling. He patted the boy on the head. "I swore to protect all of you. I may not be the strongest or the most skilled, but…"

He looked directly at Manzo. After a moment he moved closer and placed his hand out.

"A man with something precious to protect possesses the power to overcome anything, right?"

Manzo smiled and clasped his hand. "Bring them home, Daisuke."

"I will. You stay alive until then."

Inside the second floors living space was a trunk, stored with blankets, spare clothes and ponchos belonging to Daisuke. However, hidden beneath was a prized possession the former shinobi hadn't been able to relinquish. His specialized weapon from his days fighting in hopeless battles.

Unlatching the trunk and setting aside the folded clothes and blankets, Daisuke retrieved the gauntlet and blade he'd hidden away, holding it up with reverence and hesitation. It was a relic of the past. A weapon which had only taken life, and failed to save it.

As he clasped the gauntlet on his left arm he swore this time would be different. This time it would be a blade that saved the people he held precious, a blade capable of slaying monsters willing to kidnap and kill children.

The gauntlet itself was heavy, heavier than he remembered it.

It was wrapped from top to bottom with a slim but considerably long chain, the end of which rested on the underside of his wrist.

At the wrist cuff were three little but sturdy ropes with rings at their ends, and he wore them on his pointer, middle and ring finger; they controlled the chain, unlocking, locking and retracting it when gestured properly, an act that required no small amount of finger dexterity.

He connected the end of the chain to the kunai before checking to see if the gears still operated correctly. He unlocked the chain, allowing the hilt to slip into his hand, and then lowering it gently by the chain closer to the floor. He locked it in place. Retracted it.

In essence it was an advanced rope dart, though bearing more similarity to the weight and chain of a Kusarigama.

Satisfied, Daisuke put away his clothes and the blankets, said one final farewell and departed for a new battle.

He made only the slightest of detours on the way.

---

Seated in a secluded booth located at the back of a tavern once filled with people amusing themselves with alcohol, fine food and, of course, the pleasant and delicate company of ladies, now starkly abandoned after its owner demanded a temporary eviction of all parties, was Jiraiya.

It'd taken time, but he finally found a lead.

He bridged his fingers together, bracing his elbows on the table covered by a draping white cloth. His serious countenance was partially illuminated by the flickering blue flame of a lavender colored and scented candle settled at the center of the table.

Opposite of the Toad Sage, kneeling in fealty on the floor, was the owner of the tavern, the man who, several minutes ago, attempted to rob and attack Jiraiya with the rest of his Clan of shinobi.

They used the oldest trick in the book. A gorgeous woman in a revealing dress making promises, in this circumstance knowing the location of the Sound Village. Then, with the tantalizing tip and a seductive smile, she refused to answer the questions on the spot, for there were too many ears who might hear them, and not all of them friendly.

Instead she led him to the back alley, home to nothing except walls, garbage and one big dead end.

He stepped in. They blockaded the only exit and surrounded him from the rooftops with bows and arrows, giant axes, a pole-arm and massive two-handed great-swords, bearing menace and sneers towards the "buffoon" who allowed a woman lead him by the nose straight into their trap.

Jiraiya had seen through it from the start, naturally. As a shinobi who had gathered information in such dens which would corrupt the eyes and minds of the innocent, he had seen far dirtier, far more elaborate plans.

As a man, he was not so foolish to fall for a pretty face and a smile. No lady could lead him by the nose. Women fell for him, not the other way around.

Furthermore, he was a shinobi who had lived and fought through the Second Great Shinobi War, who had trained and sharpened his skills on Mount Myōboku, and through his trials he battled against shinobi the likes of which a Clan from a small Nation could scarcely imagine.

It would take more than numbers and weapons to kill him. Today was not the day he was destined to die, nor was it his fate to fall at the hands of shinobi who had stooped to petty thievery.

Once he tamed their arrogant spirits by defeating their leader—Hanzaki—with a single blow, he revealed his glorious identity to the young chiclets who hadn't seen enough winters to recognize him by appearance or name.

After learning his reputation preceded him wherever he went when the entire Clan bowed and begged him for mercy, they returned to the tavern on amiable terms. Practically friends.

Sharing a common enemy unites all manner of folk, Jiraiya thought, listening intently to Hanzaki's deep-voiced whisper, as if the man expected Orochimaru would appear at the mere mention of his name. Although their decision to use their jutsus for thievery is a disgrace to the title of shinobi, I now understand why it has come to that. What an unfortunate circumstance the Feudal Lord, and then Orochimaru, forced them into.

It started with the hopeless wars of a greedy fool set on expanding his territory, sending the several small Clans living in harmony with each other inside his Nation into hellish battlefields, towards ruin and death until their small numbers dwindled beyond recognition.

In the aftermath of the wars, Hanzaki explained, the remnants of the other Clans either left the Land of Rice Paddies and their ancestral homes, or became common thieves, thugs and rogues. Then, when they were at their weakest, the snake himself slithered up to the final remnants and hissed pleasant promises of rebuilding their strength.

"Many among my people wanted to use his power to revive our Clan," Hanzaki recalled. "Others saw through his evil intentions. We implored the rest not to join forces with Orochimaru."

"Hm. And that's why you were chased out of your own village, huh?"

"Yes," Hanzaki confirmed, resting his hands on his thighs. "It was probably an order from Orochimaru. They said we were endangering our Clan and chased us away. They called us traitors."

Jiraiya hummed thoughtfully, pressing his lips together. The Clans of the Land of Rice Paddies had one bad break after another, starting at the Feudal Lord and ending with Orochimaru. The former left them no choice; as Lord of the Land, the Feudal Lord possessed the power to call upon the shinobi living on his lands to fulfill his orders, and those who disobeyed would quickly find themselves no longer welcome.

The same was true of even a Great Shinobi Nation. The Sand Village's whole reason for joining Orochimaru, besides his manipulation and assassination of the Fourth Kazekage, was due to their Feudal Lord outsourcing their missions—the primary source of income—to Konoha.

Maintaining their favor was a delicate balance, a necessary tightrope to walk to avoid being dismantled financially.

It was another reason Jiraiya was pleased to play his comfortable role in the shadows while Tsunade stood as the figurehead. He was more useful out here. He could protect her and Konoha better without politics interfering.

As for the Fūma Clan's encounters with Orochimaru…

"It's unfortunate that there were members too blinded by their desperate yearning to revive the Fūma Clan to listen to good sense," he said after a moment. "Orochimaru has no interest in helping others. I'm sorry he has turned your former comrades against you. However, at this point, those who remain aligned with him have had adequate time to see his evil, and therefore are either willing accomplices or falsely convincing themselves that the price will all be worth it in the end. They have strayed far from the path of righteousness."

"I suspect you are right, Master Jiraiya. And I understand what you are implying. But, although it may be impertinent of me to ask for any sort of favor after attacking you, I would ask if you could show mercy and forgiveness and compassion to those who aren't beyond reason."

Hanzaki stared at him earnestly. "Please. There is a young girl—little more than a child—by the name of Sasame who has been swept up in all of this. She abandoned us to hunt for Orochimaru's lair, hoping to find her beloved cousin and bring him home. It is all she thinks of. All that drives her. There isn't a cruel bone in her body, but she is also naïve. I'm afraid she will be caught up in this web. I'm afraid she will be manipulated by that man or former Clansmen and roped into some manner of scheme she cannot turn back from. Or worse…"

"I understand. I'll send her straight here if I happen to find her."

"Thank you, Master Jiraiya!" Hanzaki bowed his head further.

Jiraiya opened his mouth to casually brush aside his gratitude in favor of a more lively and friendly celebration, to call for the return of alcohol and young ladies so they could drink and be merry in pleasant company.

Unfortunately, the sounds of a scuffle just outside interrupted his train of thought.

Before he could jest about the other form of entertainment this town seemed to satisfy themselves on with the same passion they showed the ladies, a head of fluffy hair poked through the door, features strained as several men fought to drag him away.

"Hanzaki!" the young man shouted.

"Daisuke?" Hanzaki's expression shifted from one of surprise to a flat frown.

"Would you— Arghhh! I have a— I have to…" The young man pushed non-violently against the group restraining him. "Listen to me! I know I'm no longer welcome; we both said everything we needed to. I'm not…here to change that or to fight any of you. I know I have…no right to ask for any favors. But this is just as much as my duty as it is yours! Gah! Get off my toe!"

Undeterred by the struggle and empowered by his duty, Daisuke grasped onto the doorframe to prevent himself from being tugged away.

"Children have been kidnapped! Innocent orphans who only want to live happy lives! They've never had to fight in wars like us! They've finally built themselves a home, a family! But… Rrrghhh!"

One of his captors grabbed at his face, fingers sticking up his nose and in his mouth for points of leverage. Annoyed by the pain, Daisuke elbowed the individual in the nose before they could tear his fingers off the doorframe, freeing his face from their grip.

"Sorry, but you aren't giving me much choice here," he apologized.

More members of the Fūma Clan seemed to grab hold of him.

"Kamikiri, Jigumo and Kagerō kidnapped them! They're working for Orochimaru. They still believe he will revive our—your Clan! And they aren't afraid to kill to achieve their goal! Even children are expendable!"

Hanzaki lowered his eyes, ashamed of what his own Clansmen had become. Jiraiya's eyes narrowed.

He promised to look for this Sasame girl, but those three? Anyone willing to slay an innocent child would be given no quarter from him.

"They're using the kids as bait. They're planning to use them as hostages against three Leaf shinobi! And if they don't surrender they'll kill the children! I know they will! It was in Kamikiri's eyes; he doesn't care what he has to do as long as the Fūma Clan is revived."

"What?!" Jiraiya gasped, startled by the mention of his subordinates. "Where is this going on! Speak, boy!"

What on earth have those kids gotten themselves caught up in?

"They're going to the abandoned mountain temple outside of town, at the base of the mountains!" Daisuke's righteous strength began to fail. His fingers were being peeled away one at a time. "If you want to revive the Fūma Clan, if you want to reclaim the honor we've lost, join me in rescuing the children and stopping our fallen comrades! Prove that we aren't just petty thieves and thugs and take a stand! Hanzaki!"

His final finger failed. Then he was gone, taken by the crowd.

"Thank you for the information, Hanzaki. But I must go now," Jiraiya dismissed himself, shimmying out from behind the table.

When he made it out of the tavern, Daisuke was nowhere to be seen.

Naruto, Sakura, Mimi and Aoko, just hang on, he thought, turning off towards the mountain temple. I'm on my way!

---

Although it appeared Mimi's Shadow Clone prevented the enemy shinobi from pursuing them, the Leaf shinobi did not sigh in relief or lower their guards upon returning to the mountain temple. Instead Mimi ordered Naruto to create two Shadow Clone's to watch the perimeter while they planned their next move. Starting with the unconscious shinobi they'd…rescued?

Captured?

What did they call it?

Sakura wasn't sure. Their identity and their allegiances were an unknown, at least to her and Naruto, but something smelled real fishy about the situation, and it wasn't the lingering stench of the sketchy outpost.

Their sudden reappearance at Manzo's bar of all places, and the tone Mimi's Shadow Clone used when she ordered them to "Grab that one" didn't paint an innocent portrait for the masked shinobi.

Mimi knelt beside the unconscious shinobi's body, hand resting on her forehead. Sakura sat opposite of the medic-nin to observe her work. Naruto stood beside his teammate, arms crossed and a thoughtful frown creasing his lips. Aoko watched on from her companion's head.

After a brief moment, Mimi removed her hand.

"Hit her head pretty hard when Naruto grabbed her, but she'll come around."

"Sorry about that," Naruto apologized sincerely, rubbing the back of his head.

"Don't worry about it. Accidents happen. As for the wound on her shoulder—"

"Wai- wait a minute!" Naruto interrupted, drawing back in horror. "Did you say they- they- they're a girl!"

"She sure as hell isn't smuggling rice balls beneath her vest."

The teasing intonation didn't match the emotionless expression she wore. Sakura felt a knot of concern like a clenched fist bundling up in her gut.

She'd seen this before during the Invasion when Naruto was fighting on his giant toad against the Shukaku, when Amari and Mimi's Shadow Clone's dispelled and they both collapsed in exhaustion. She saw how the memories of their Shadow Clone's caused them to shell up, to put up walls and wear masks of strength for the rest of them.

She's seen something. Did she see those three murder a…a child? Or does she know something about this girl we don't yet?

Naruto's face flushed. "O- oh. Right."

"What's up with you?" Sakura asked, confused by his flustered state. "Does it really make a difference if she's a girl or not?"

"No- not in the way you're saying, no. But…"

Naruto turned his hand over so the palm faced the ceiling, his fingers curled slightly as if he was holding a ball. Or a…

"It's just… I knew I felt something, uh, well…"

Realizing what he'd done, Sakura's eyes went wide. She raised her eyebrows and felt her mouth fall open.

"Naruto!"

"I didn't meant to, I swear! I thought I'd just bunched up their jacket or something!"

"Should I keep calling you Goofball, or start calling you Groper?" Mimi asked, a faint grin forming.

"Please don't," he pleaded desperately. "If Amari heard you call me that…"

Naruto shuddered violently.

"Just screwing with you, Goofball." Mimi rose from the floor. "Accidents happen. You may be the pupil of Master Pervert himself, and you may use pervy ninjutsu, but I know you didn't mean to grope her. You aren't that stupid or reprehensible. Make a habit of it, though, and Amari won't be the one you fear. Not on this mission, anyway."

Again the boy shuddered.

"Back on point, the wound on her shoulder isn't serious. An infection is the worst that could happen if it isn't treated properly." The Inuzuka looked at Naruto. "Goofball, you, Aoko and I are going to set up traps around the perimeter. My Shadow Clone didn't finish those bastards off, which means we'll be seeing them again.

"They know this Land and it's terrain better than us. It won't take them long to figure out potential locations we could bunker down in, and I don't fancy being ambushed twice in one day. Additionally, they may go grab reinforcements before attacking us, so we'll need to come up with an escape strategy, too. No sense fighting to hold this point if we're outnumbered and overwhelmed."

"Right," the two Team Seven members agreed.

"Frankly, we've probably kicked a hornets nest with that last incident. Assuming Master Jiraiya will be occupied for a while longer, we'll be on our own against whatever force the Sound shinobi muster up."

She looked to the door, through the slats to glimpse at the world beyond the abandoned and empty temple.

"Daylight hours are almost all burned up. We'll need to work fast."

"What do you need me to do?" Sakura asked.

"For now, tend to the girl's injury. Here." Mimi retrieved antibiotic ointment and a bandage from her pouch and handed it to the kunoichi. "This is really all you'll need. Consider it practice for tending to an unresponsive patient. Not all wounds you heal will be somewhere convenient or somewhere modesty will be permitted, especially on a battlefield.

"You can't wait for the patient to be responsive enough to ask them to remove armor or ask for permission to cut open clothes. Other times they might not have the physical ability to help you remove their layers or the strength to speak.

"In those situations you have to act, no matter how much blood there is or how heavy their dead weight is. Every second counts, and our allies will be depending on us medic-nin to make split-second decisions in the heat of the moment to save their lives."

Mim placed a hand on her hip. "Going in you already know it won't be serious this time. Regardless, I want you to examine the injury for yourself and diagnose its severity. Treat her like you would an allied shinobi who's injury you don't know the origin or severity of, all right? Afterwards, I already have something in mind that I'll need your help with to prepare for our next fight."

"Okay," the pink-haired kunoichi nodded.

She could do that. She was grateful for even a little bit of practice acting as a medic-nin, even if the situation was already under control. But she sensed something off about Mimi. Something she might not have noticed without knowing her since the Forest of Death.

Mimi nodded once and started towards the door.

"Goofball, you're with me and Aoko. Can't have you ogling the patient, ready to grope her all over again."

"Hey! That's not what happened!"

"Less whining, more working."

When the door shut behind them and privacy was attained, Sakura set the antibiotic ointment to the side and searched for the zipper on her patient's flak jacket. She located it at the front, just beneath her neck, and proceeded to unzip it, all the while her mind diverted to thoughts of her squad leader.

Mimi isn't someone who hesitates to heal anyone, she thought. Even the smallest of injuries or bruises. Like when Master Jiraiya moved out of the way and Naruto slammed straight into the wall, hurting his nose. Or all those kids at Manzo's. If what she is saying is true, then she could've healed this girl's injury without any effort. She wouldn't have needed the antibiotic ointment.

No. Mimi doesn't hesitate. Normally her natural instinct would've been to heal this girl. Normally.

This situation wasn't normal. Not one bit. She could see a pattern of abnormal behavior from her squad leader, a pattern directing her towards a conclusion about this stranger she didn't like.

I bet, Sakura thought, peeling the jacket off the girl's shoulders, when Mimi returns and asks me to help with preparations, she'll ask Naruto to stay and watch over this girl. She's asking me to do this as both an impromptu training lesson and to monitor this girl. She may not be our prisoner, but I am standing guard over her. I need to stay alert and, if she wakes up, withhold my trust until we learn what's really going on.

In that effort, Sakura removed the stranger's shinobi pouch and her ninja tool box before proceeding further. She was confident they were around the same age, and from their one encounter she was doubly confident she wielded greater physical strength and better training if it came to a brawl. Weapons and playing possum could change that, thus it was good sense to remove them from a person she didn't and couldn't trust outright.

Examining the wound through narrowed eyes, Sakura concluded what Mimi had already diagnosed: The injury was nothing. In truth, the contusions the girl acquired from crashing onto the ground outside of Manzo's bar were more damaging overall.

The cut wasn't deep or long. The length was only a little longer than her pinky, and the wound only split open at the surface level, staining her jacket and skin with a surprising amount of blood for something so thin. A wound meant for show, perhaps?

Thinking back, the aspiring medic-nin recalled how the girl acted at the bar after rising from the dirt. You would've thought Aoi used the Blade of Thunder Spirit to severed her flesh.

Perhaps it was an unfair comparison; Amari's Will and pain tolerance were amazing. Otherworldly, sometimes. Still, Sakura couldn't help but compare them, having tended to that same wound on Amari in the Land of Tea and witnessing her push through it. As always.

I don't want to think the worse. But…

Sakura procured a water canteen and a small towel from her pack, wetting a small portion of one end to clean off the wound and the surrounding area before using the opposite side to dry it off.

Afterwards she applied the antibiotic ointment to the wound, covering it with the bandage. Any remaining pain—if there was any—would be numbed in a few minutes.

She redressed the girl, finishing by zipping up her flak jacket.

Eventually Naruto returned to relieve her of guard duty; the girl hadn't stirred awake yet. Sakura exited the temple, curious what exactly Mimi needed her aid with to prepare for the coming battle, also bearing questions for her squad leader concerning her behavior and what information she learned from the Shadow Clone.

Descending the wooden stairs, past the stone landing and to the bottom of the stone steps, she found Mimi sitting on the second to last step, fiddling with the amber gems on the bracelet her Shadow Clone had thrown to her. Aoko still rested on her head.

Before she could say or ask anything, the Inuzuka asked about what she'd observed on the masked kunoichi and the treatment of the wound. She explained it in detail, what little there was. Mimi merely nodded knowingly and thanked her for tending to the injury, eyes drawn to the bracelet and fingers brushing lightly over the dangling amber gems.

"Did you see it happen?" Sakura asked softly after a small pause of silence.

"No." Mimi shook her head. "I only saw what was left. Their last attempt to reach out to anything or anyone who could save them from the carnage Kasai unleashed."

"Kasai?" gasped Sakura.

"He destroyed some facility or prison of Orochimaru's with a massive Wood Style jutsu. Killed dozens of people. Maybe he just had a temper tantrum. Maybe he had to prove his worth. Maybe Orochimaru just wanted some entertainment. The reason doesn't really matter. Not to me," she said in a low voice. "He killed all of them. Prisoners stuck inside of cells were impaled by his jutsu, crushed by it or the debris of the collapsing facility.

"That's how Amber died," Mimi said, gesturing slightly with the bracelet. "Crushed to death by stone while locked away. Alone. All that I could see of her was her little arm reaching out of the slats in the cell door."

"I…see. I'm sorry, Mimi."

"Don't be. This is Orochimaru's and Kasai's fault. And we're here to kill them. This is just one more thing to make them pay for." She closed her hand over the bracelet. "We'll collect that debt of blood to the last drop," she promised.

"Right," Sakura nodded. "But if Kasai is the one who killed all those people, why did your Shadow Clone call the other Sound shinobi child murderers?"

"I'm holding them all responsible for it," answered the Inuzuka, stuffing the bracelet into her pocket. "They've aided Orochimaru's interests since the Fūma Clan split apart. They're old enough to know better, too. But they don't care. You heard that Kamikiri guy—if a few lives are lost a long the way, that's fine by him as long as it means his Clan is rebuilt. And after what we learned from Daisuke about kids going missing, I can't help but wonder how many they kidnapped to facilitate Orochimaru's experiments.

"Far as I'm concerned, they're guilty of Amber's death and all the other children he's killed along the way just by associating with Orochimaru." Mimi narrowed her eyes at the ground, nose scrunching in disgust. "No different than the Sound shinobi who attacked the Leaf. The innocent lives they took… They're all gonna pay, I can promise that. They all owe a debt of blood, and I'll collect every last drop. With interest."

"What about that girl? Is she one of them?"

"It's a little more nuanced than that," she admitted, reluctantly. "She's a member of the Fūma Clan like them. From what my Shadow Clone overheard, they hadn't seen one another since the Clan split apart; they weren't apart of the same factions. But…"

Mimi frowned. "That girl, Sasame is her name, she's a naïve and desperate idiot. In the same way those bastards will do anything to rebuild their Clan, she's so desperate to see some guy named Arashi again that she agreed to help them ambush us. On the condition that they didn't mean to hurt us.

"They, of course, told her Orochimaru merely wanted to examine us. Nothing serious. I'm sure we would just talk over tea and dango, too. That's the way they sold it to her. We wouldn't be hurt or killed, just captured to be examined by that freak of nature. And for her role in it they'd let her see whoever Arashi is."

"She doesn't know who Orochimaru is or what his goals are," Sakura realized.

"Doesn't seem that way, no." The Inuzuka looked up at the sky, the frown on her lips refusing to budge. "At her current age, the split of her Clan must've gone down a few years ago; she would've just been an Academy student by our standards at that time. And, honestly, unlike you and your class of rookies, Sasame hasn't undergone the same training or the same experiences as us. You guys haven't even finished your first year as shinobi. She can't have, either.

"But she didn't fight in those hopeless wars Daisuke told us about. She hasn't seen destruction and evil the way we have. Her inexperience shows. Her ignorance does, too. Think about it, didn't recognize our headbands or my flak jacket, which are standard for the Leaf. Didn't recognize my Clan markings. If she had, she wouldn't have believed I couldn't follow her, or that Aoko or I couldn't hear or smell her sneaking up."

A gentle breeze blew over them. Despite her leg and arm warmers, Sakura fought off a shiver from the chill in the air. Daylight hours were fading. The temperature was dropping with them.

"Still, how much do I excuse for ignorance?" Mimi pondered. "Naïveté and desperation only go so far. Obviously this Arashi guy is important to her. But is she really naïve enough to believe her former Clansmen don't mean to harm or kill us? Or is it something she's convincing herself of the same way they're convincing themselves all this death will be worth it in the end?

"And all I can think about is that tree of death. All I see is a trail of corpses behind these people, and I can't help but feel disgust and contempt for all of them.

"Their Clan was destroyed. So what? So was the Uchiha Clan. Their slaughtered was ordered by us, their own people," Mimi emphasized, anger and passion slipping into her voice. "But do Amari and Sasuke go around claiming righteous vengeance? Do they rob, kill or manipulate people in order to rebuild their Clan? Do they kidnap and kill kids?

"No. They haven't, and they never would. So how is it that two kids, kids, are more mature than all these so-called adults? Tch!" the Inuzuka hissed out a breath. "Whole thing just pisses me off."

Humming, Sakura considered all Mimi had told her. Although it wasn't a one to one comparison, she was reminded of the additional shades of grey Tayuya revealed to her situation. Sasame hadn't committed the same sins, but she hadn't been imprisoned and tortured either.

She was a desperate fool, just like Mimi said. Desperate to see a precious person who was captured by or working alongside Orochimaru.

If Amari and Sasuke had been captured that day, she ruminated, wouldn't we be barreling headlong into his den like desperate fools to rescue them?

Absolutely. She didn't need to spare a second of thought to know that answer. However, desperate though they would've been, they wouldn't sacrifice or trade strangers to save their lives; they would fight through anyone he set in their path, dragging themselves through whatever hell they had to so they could bring their comrades home.

We know there is no striking deals with Orochimaru. The Sand Village learned that lesson the hard way. And we know how he treated his own subordinates. Locking them in cages, starving them, forcing them to fight for survival, they're all just disposable tools to a monster like him. We know that. But Sasame doesn't.

How much could be excused for desperation and naiveté? How much did they ignore because of her inexperience?

What would Amari do?

"We'll just have to stop her from making another bad decision, then," Sakura said after some consideration. "Unlike those Sound shinobi, she hasn't hurt anyone yet. We won't let her trick us, either. Sasame doesn't have to fall into a path of darkness. We can stop her." She glanced at Mimi. "Right?"

"Maybe," she shrugged. "Worth a shot. I suppose if she tries anyway I'll just have to beat some sense into her. It seems to have worked on Konohamaru."

Mimi rose from the stairs and turned around, reaching her hand out to Sakura.

"Anyway, enough of me venting. Let's get back to work before the enemy shows up."

Sakura took her hand and rose as well.

"Okay. What do you need me to do?"

---

With all of their battle preparations completed, Sakura, Mimi and Aoko ascended the two sets of stairs and reentered the temple base camp. Inside they found Naruto speaking to a recently awoken Sasame, the former sitting crossed-legged adjacent to the girl while the latter rested on her knees.

The Fūma kunoichi's face was no longer concealed behind her blue balaclava; an end of it hung out of her flak jacket's pocket.

The mask had hidden how long her orange hair was. In the back it draped all the way to her waist, while two sets of long strands reaching her chest framed her face; short bangs covered the center of her forehead, settled between her eyebrows. The hair at her temples was pulled back in the small ponytail they'd seen.

As expected, Sasame was their age. Small, too. Shorter than Naruto by a few inches if her estimations were right, which made her vertical deficit stark when compared to Mimi—the tallest of their present team. She was cute, in an innocent baby kitten kind of way.

Sakura sat down beside Naruto. Mimi remained standing, leaning her back against the wall beside the door and its open slat window, through which the final hours of sunlight cast long golden rectangular shapes and longer shadows onto the temple floor. The slats granted accessibility to the outside world, it allowed Aoko and the Inuzuka to listen for movement and catch the scents of potential enemies.

She crossed her arms, eyes on Sasame. Aoko watched from atop her head, black fur almost melding into the shadows cast over the wall.

Naruto caught them up on the topic of conversation—their guest and her overall goals.

Certain details, like her name and the history of the Fūma Clan and Land of Rice Paddies, were already known to the team of Leaf shinobi; they'd gleaned good Intel between Mimi's Shadow Clone and Daisuke. But they didn't reveal their knowledge. They maintained collective silence, allowing Sasame to tell her story without interruption. All the while they listened for any potential deviations from Daisuke's version of his Clan's split.

Ibiki, Sakura felt, would've approved of their tactic.

Their decision to listen led to new Intel, specifically Arashi's relation to Sasame. He was a precious cousin who had always looked out for her. A precious cousin who helped her train, who never treated her poorly because she wasn't inherently talented.

He was always there for her. Always. Even when other members of their own Clan wanted him to stop dedicating time to her, for he couldn't risk wasting his talents and time on her when the Fūma Clan needed him—among others—to rise and bring glory back to their Clan, Arashi never stopped spending time with her. He never stopped training her, or treating her like family.

When an emissary matching the description of Kimimaro approached the Fūma Clan to bring in their talented shinobi into the Sound Village, promising to rebuild the Fūma to its original splendor, Arashi was among those who was chosen to go. He accepted the decision.

However, there hadn't been a word from him since. Not a letter, not a meeting, not even a single sight of him since that day. He seemed to have vanished entirely from existence.

The divide between the Fūma Clan exacerbated the issue. There was no longer contact between the separate factions; they weren't on amiable terms any longer. According to Sasame, those who had chosen the path of banditry had abandoned Arashi and all the others who joined the Sound Village entirely.

So she set out on her own to find her cousin, refusing to give up on bringing him home.

"I'm going to save Arashi, no matter what!" Sasame declared, on the verge of tears. Her hands, pressing into her thighs, tightened in emotion. "I…don't have any real strength. And I'm small and weak. No matter how hard I tried I was nothing but a burden during training. But no matter how many times I faltered, Arashi was there to save me!"

Tears streamed from her eyes, down her cheeks and dripped off her chin, plopping lightly on the wooden floor. Sakura watched the young girl's tears, an expression of empathy on her face. Naruto shifted in place in discomfort. Mimi didn't move or reveal her emotions.

"The rest of my Clan has given up," Sasame continued in a cracking voice. "So I'm going to find the Sound Village on my own. Now it's my turn to save Arashi just as he would do for me!"

The Fūma kunoichi slouched forward, hugging her arms around her abdomen as her body was wracked by sobs.

"I want- I want to be there for Arashi now. I want to save him."

Unable to stop herself, Sakura moved to her side, placing gentle hands on her shoulders to offer support. Whether she sought to trap them or not, the display of emotion was genuine, as was Sasame's desire to save Arashi.

We don't know if Arashi was one of those prisoners Kasai killed, or if he's an accomplice to Orochimaru's crimes. Still… Sakura rubbed circles over Sasame's back. I understand how she feels. Before Amari started pushing me, I wasn't any help at all to my team. They were the ones always protecting me. I didn't have real strength.

And though I've grown, this pain she's feeling is similar to how I felt when I saw Amari's beaten body after her fight with Kasai. For all I had grown, I hadn't been there for her. I wasn't able to fight by her side. I wasn't able to heal her wounds. All I could do was watch and cry.

Sakura remembered when Hikari, Mimi and Aoko returned with Kakashi and, Kurenai. She remembered seeing Amari's bloody, burned, lacerated and water soaked form lying limply on Hikari's floating rock, arms hugged around Atsuko's unconscious feathered body. She remembered Mimi in a visibly sweaty, jittery and deteriorating state applying Medical Ninjutsu to her wounds.

The group of young shinobi were joined suddenly by the returning Jōnin first. Hikari's floating rock glided gently into view, lowering closer to the earth.

Sakura felt her emotions swell at the sight of Amari's body. Her hand snapped over her mouth as a gasp and sob broke from her lips, tears streaming down her face.

Was it horror at her terrible condition?

Joy to see her alive despite all of the visible pain inflicted on her body?

Both, perhaps?

Despite their states of exhaustion and injury, or perhaps because of it, Naruto and Hinata both openly wept in similar emotions. At that moment, all of the fear and anxiety from the last several hours, the intensity of their battles and brushes with death, and now the immense heartache and joy at seeing their friend and comrade beaten, bloody, unresponsive, but also alive, brought them to their emotional breaking point.

And though they did not yet know how close the Masked Man came to kidnapping her, just by seeing her injuries, by witnessing the stain of bloody tears, they knew they had nearly lost her.

They knew that while they were all separated on different battlefields fighting alongside their comrades in life or death battles, risking life and limb to protect each other, Amari and Atsuko were doing the same against the boy who had shattered her world no more than three years ago.

Yet they weren't there.

Sakura felt her knees weakening, trembling. She could feel her legs on the verge caving. She tried to muffle her sobs, tried to rein in these emotions which shinobi weren't meant to ever show. Crying wasn't acceptable for a shinobi, after all. Especially when Temari and Kankurō were watching them.

She cursed herself and her weakness, shame adding onto her tumultuous wave of emotions. Cursed Kasai for hurting Amari. Then herself again for failing to be there despite all Amari had done for her.

With her eyes shut through her tears Sakura didn't see Kakashi approach Naruto to check on him and reassure his student.

She didn't see Kurenai do the same with Hinata and Shikamaru, despite the latter concealing his emotions behind a thin veneer of exhaustion. The guilt and heartache were tangible to the Genjutsu Master, who could sense it in his chakra and see through his thin walls.

Kakashi's hand patting her on the head made her eyes snap open. Through warm tears blurring her vision, she saw her Sensei leaning down in front of her. He eye smiled.

"I'm glad you're okay, Sakura. Don't worry. Amari and Sasuke—everyone—will be fine. Stubbornness is a quality of being a shinobi. And you kids have it in spades."

The light joke turned a sob into a broken giggle.

"Than- thank you, Kakashi-sensei."

But sometimes that was enough.

He patted her head again. "Come on. Let's go home. All of us."

Kakashi's words at that time had rallied her heart for the final stretch home. But the feelings lingered as they were barred from seeing Amari and Sasuke. Those same feelings were shared between her, Naruto, Shikamaru and Hinata. Mimi, too, when she finally awoke.

When they were finally able to see them again, she hadn't been able to restrain her emotions at seeing both of her friends alive and awake. She hugged them both, much to Sasuke's awkwardness. He still offered her a one-armed embrace, and Amari… She held her close, comforted her and reassured her of one thing.

"I'm here, Sakura. I'm here."

Sasame was overcome by sobbing. Sakura reacted without thinking, pulling the smaller girl closer into an embrace.

"I'll be there next time," I promised Amari. "Next time I'll be strong enough to help you. To heal and support you, like you always support us."

When I learned Ino and I would be training directly with Lady Tsunade, I knew that it was the opportunity I needed to fulfill that promise. Not only to Amari, but for all my comrades; Naruto, Sasuke, Team Eight, Team Ten and Team Guy, and all the others my skills will be able to help.

I was weak and helpless on our first real mission. I had to be protected. And Amari, Naruto and even Sasuke in his own way always leapt in to cover me. To keep me safe.

That's why I can understand how Sasame feels. Why she's so desperate to save her cousin. To Sasame, this is her chance to repay him for everything. To save him the way he always saved her.

Because she believed he was being held prisoner. Why wouldn't she? Her precious cousin hadn't spoken or written to her. He wouldn't ignore her, he wouldn't leave her. Not unless he was held against his will.

There's a chance she's right. However…

Sakura glanced to the floor with a pensive and conflicted expression.

"I hate him. More than you can ever know. You don't know what it's like to live in one of his cells. Starving. Experimented on by that puppet Kabuto. Being forced to fight and kill other prisoners for his entertainment and the right to survive. I survived. And with every day I lived, my hatred for him grew more and more. But his Curse Mark binds me to his Will. Which is fine. You're free. And you're his objective. You can kill him, and then his Will would demand I submit myself to you. That's as close to freedom as I can get."

A frown creased her lips.

She doesn't know what Orochimaru is capable of. She doesn't realize that he can force even a person who hates his guts to be bound to him and his Will.

"No matter what, huh?" Mimi mused.

"Huh?" Sasame lifted her head to look at the Inuzuka, cheeks flushed by the streams of tears.

"I was thinking about what you said," she said, features passive. "You said you'd save your cousin no matter what despite your weakness. I can respect that. If it were one of my cousins swept up in one of Orochimaru's schemes, or my teammates, friends or comrades I'd probably say the same thing. I'd tear a path straight through whoever stood between me and them. Bringing them home would be all that mattered to me.

"You're willing to risk your life for your cousin. What else would you do, I wonder, to save your cousin? That guy back at the outpost—Kamikiri of the Fūma Clan, right? His whole goal is to restore your Clan. He's killed for it. He admitted that all that mattered to him was that specific goal, and if lives were lost along the way to accomplish it, so be it. Even if it meant the death of kids."

"I- I don't understand what you're saying," Sasame sniffled, wiping away her tears.

"Would you condemn others to death to save Arashi?" Mimi asked, staring directly at the Fūma kunoichi. "I don't mean enemies threatening your lives, either. I mean innocent people. Strangers."

"I wouldn't kill innocent people. I've never even…"

"I figured as much. But that wasn't what I asked," she said with a light shake of her head. "I didn't ask if you would kill someone. I asked if you would condemn them to death."

"Isn't that the same thing?"

"No," Mimi shook her head again. "Not even close. To kill someone means you're engaged in battle or engaging in an assassination. It means seeing their faces, smelling sweat and blood, feeling adrenaline pumping through your body and heightening your senses. It's an adrenaline rush unlike any other. And the aftermath is nasty. You'll see their dead faces. Smell death. Gore. Bodily fluids. That's what you face when you kill.

"Condemning someone to death is easy. It's what the Feudal Lord did to your Clan and all those other ones. He sat at home, safe and sound, far away from the death and gore his ridiculous order caused. It's impersonal. He isn't there to see those people die. They're all faceless and nameless victims. A statistic.

"While they all soak their hands in the blood of his enemies, or have their hands stained by the blood of comrades they can't save, he gets to live like his hands are clean. He gets up every morning out of his warm bed, bathes in warm water, eats fresh food and decides where to play war next. They wake up on the cold and hard ground, stinking of sweat and gore, eating rations and preparing themselves mentally for the next battle. The next kill. The next hell."

Mimi let the thought settle for a moment. Sasame shifted uncomfortably beneath her gaze, eyes flicking away while wringing her hands.

"Now that you understand the difference, would you condemn others to death to save Arashi? Because that's the environment and actions Kamikiri and his comrades have facilitated. They've condemned people to torment and death. Children. All in the name of restoring your Clan. They can pretend their hands are clean, but just like your Feudal Lord's hands they are stained by innocent blood.

"No," the Inuzuka shook her head, "not just stained. They're dripping with it. The blood isn't even dry yet, and its soaking through their clothes and dripping all over the place like they've showered in it."

"I— They wouldn't do that," Sasame tried to argue. Plea, really. "They wouldn't kill children. That's not the kind of people they were."

"Didn't say they killed children. I said they condemned them to death. That is an indisputable fact."

"But—"

"I've seen their work with my own eyes," she cut her off in a vicious growl. "I have the bracelet of a child who was younger than you in my pocket, I have the image of her little arm reaching out of her prison cell while the rest of her body is crushed by stone burned into my retinas!"

Sasame flinched.

"They didn't kill her, no. They didn't deal the death blow. But we know they're working for Orochimaru. I've seen—we've seen," the Inuzuka gestured with her hand to Sakura and Naruto, "what he and his shinobi are willing to do.

"When Orochimaru assaulted our Village, I saw and heard his Sound shinobi destroying my home, taking the lives of innocent men, women and children alike. People who didn't possess a violent bone in their bodies. Children who had never even held a blade in their hands!"

Mimi paused. She shut her eyes, inhaled a deep breath, then opened her eyes again as she exhaled.

"You need to open your eyes, Sasame," said the Inuzuka. "Kamikiri is no different from the Sound shinobi I fought in the Invasion. I can see it in his eyes. The same coldness, the same malicious and callous heart that doesn't care who he hurts as long as he achieves his goal.

"He's not the Clansmen you once knew," she said with finality. "He's been twisted by Orochimaru. He has soaked himself in innocent blood because he believed Orochimaru would revive your Clan. He believed a lie, he still believes it."

"Orochimaru will never fulfill that promise," Naruto jumped in calmly. "Before the Invasion he killed the Kazekage and posed as him, using the Sand Village's vulnerable situation to convince them that crushing us would fix all of their problems.

"A lot of people died in the Invasion because of him. And when Lord Third sent him running, he just left everyone to keep fighting until we pushed them out of the Leaf. He didn't care about his own people or the Sand Village. He didn't care that people were still fighting and dying because of his lies. He only cares about himself."

"You said you wanted to save Arashi," Mimi spoke up again. "You want to save him? Then be someone who he can be proud of. Be someone who can look him in the eyes at the end of all this with clean hands. Be someone you can be proud of in your final moments. If you follow Kamikiri or those like him, you'll only end up with regret. One day you'll wake up and all you'll have is the blood on your hands that you can never wash away."

Sasame lowered her head in thought, a sad expression on her face.

"You gotta stay true to yourself, Sasame," Naruto said. "To be honest, I don't know a whole lot about what it's like to be a part of a Clan or anything. I was alone most my life. But then I met this really shy girl who was smaller than you at the time, believe it or not," he added with a laugh. "Just don't tell her I said that. She's kind of sensitive about her height."

Sakura giggled. Aoko barked. Mimi grinned.

"Uh, anyway, despite how weak and small she felt, Amari was super dedicated. She trained and studied her butt off to become one of the strongest people I know. And she's suffered a whole lot, too. Her family and Clan were slain in a massacre. There are only four of them left now, but she's taken on the role as Clan Head to rebuild it all."

He looked up at the ceiling.

"Amari wants it to be a place where people can belong. A home and family that reflects the family she lost and the one she found. I don't really know a lot about living in a Clan; I didn't even know what it was like to have a family until recently. But when I heard her say that…"

Slowly, his expression transformed into a grin. The sight of it brought a smile to Sakura's lips. I can see why Amari really gravitated towards him in the Academy. This is the Naruto she saw, the one we all failed to see back then.

"Well, it's hard for me to put in words what I felt, actually. I've never been good at it. But hearing her say that, it just made sense, you know? Like that's what being a part of a Clan always meant. It was something I would want to be a part of."

His face became serious, grim even. "I think that's why what Kamikiri said back there bugs me so much. He's trying to rebuild his Clan. Your Clan. But killing people and condemning them to death for a snake like Orochimaru isn't going to bring it back. It won't be a Clan or a family. You won't be honorable or prestigious or powerful. It won't be a home where people can belong."

"That's right," Sakura agreed. She looked at the Fūma kunoichi with an earnest expression. "Listen, Sasame, it's true you may be small, and maybe you don't possess real strength yet. But that just means you have plenty of room to grow still. Real strength doesn't start with a strong body or powerful ninjutsu." She placed a hand over her own heart. "It starts here. It comes from your heart."

"My…heart?"

"Yep. That's what Amari taught me. By strengthening your heart, your Will, the body will naturally follow." She smiled softly. "Not long ago I was really weak. I relied on my teammates to do the heavy lifting. While they rushed into battle getting hurt, I went unscathed in the background. When I needed help, they covered for me. Amari was the one who lifted me up, who showed me I could be just as strong as them if I worked for it.

"Without her, I wouldn't be where I am now." She giggled. "You can't tell her that, either. She'll lecture us all on how it was my hard work that resulted in the change and all she did was point me in the right direction."

"Why…why are you all telling me this?"

Sasame was confused. Nervous. Vulnerable.

"We want to help you, of course," Naruto grinned.

"Yeah," Sakura nodded.

"You can blame Amari for all of this," Mimi replied, grinning fondly at the thought of her sister. "She wants to reach out to anyone she can. Guess you could say her attitude has rubbed off on all of us in some way. Honestly, it's an extension to the whole reason I became a medic-nin—helping people. Saving them. Preventing more kids from losing their loved ones like me and so many others have. I don't want other kids like you to suffer the way I did."

Sasame's lips began to quiver. She sniffled.

"You may not have asked for our help, but your eyes are asking us to save you," Mimi added. "Like I said, we've all seen the kind of pain Orochimaru can cause others. We don't want you to get swept up in his twisted schemes. We're here to stop him from hurting people. And since we're going there to kill him anyway, I don't see why we can't search for your cousin while we're inside the Sound Village."

The brief silence that followed was broken by another sob from Sasame. She collapsed into Sakura and covered and rubbed at her eyes, flowing with tears.

After a while she thanked them.

Then apologized as she spilled the details of what Kamikiri and his partners wanted her to do to them. What she had planned to do, but couldn't bring herself to after speaking to them.

Sakura and Naruto reassured her it was okay. Mimi shrugged it off and considered it one less problem to deal with. With Sasame handled, all that remained was the coming battle.

An explosion at the foot of the temple stairs signaled its beginning.

---

Review Response to NarutoFan: Thank you! I think it depends on the situation whether Jiraiya is actually gathering information, as he was in this case, or if he's going off to have a good time. Sometimes he likes to go off and have a drink, other times he's going out for information where he knows it travels. But I also believe that the buffoon act is simply that—an act; it's his way of getting people to lower their guards, to perceive him as just an idiot or a reveler, that way they may be more inclined to let good information slip from their lips. That's not to say he isn't a pervert. He is. A big one by his own admission. But I think he knows how to use his own vices, with drinking and women, to his advantage. I also think that when he's gathering information he doesn't mind having a good time while doing it. I just doubt he ever gets drunk enough or lowers his guard enough for someone to get a one-up on him.

I like showing his more serious side now and then throughout this story. He's such a powerful and intelligent shinobi that when he finally gets serious you know something big is going to happen.

True. They haven't often fought against bandits who don't really stand a chance against them. For Sakura, the fight was over and it didn't seem right to keep inflicting pain on Eyepatch despite his evil deeds. But, at the same time, there was that part of her that understood why Mimi was reacting that way and why Naruto distracted her from it. She has a pure heart.

I can't imagine, honestly, how it would feel to be a doctor or nurse, or in this story a medic-nin, to have the ability to diagnose a sickness or injury and lack the power to help or heal it. That kind of powerlessness has to be terrible. Luckily, though, Mimi was there to help.

Sakura and Mimi are already training with Tsunade and Shizune, respectively. Ino is also training with Sakura under Tsunade and Hinata with Mimi and Shizune. That started a little after Amari and Sasuke woke up in the hospital after the Sound Four arc. But this mission will definitely drive them forward on their paths to not only ask them for further training, but to hopefully one day surpass their teachers. I hope to show a little more of combat uses for Medical Ninjutsu in the future.

Thank you for the review!