Tazuna stumbled into the mission office. He had been in Konoha for several days now and he had finally been assigned a team. Of course they had to assign him the team after he had spent the day drinking, rather than before he decided to drink away his sorrows. Well it didn't matter, sure he lacked a few motor functions and the world around him was swirling, but he was paying them and it shouldn't matter if he met them while drunk. He'd probably sober up tomorrow, maybe. He looked up and saw the old Hokage looking at him pleasantly. He figured it was a facade, he smelled like booze and looked like shit and he knew it. But he guessed the man was being professional. His eyes slid over to the other people present in the room, he wasn't happy with what he saw. There were a trio of children and a woman.

The woman seemed capable enough, but she looked younger than his daughter. Although she was quite the beauty. He had no doubt that he would love her company. He ignored the look of disgust that flicked across her face, it didn't matter. He turned his attention to the trio of children. One was a frail looking boy who seemed like he would fit better being pampered in a Daimyo's court. The same could be said about the blind girl who had a cold expression that betrayed little emotion. Finally there was a tiny redheaded girl who had a similar cold expression. Although where the blind girls seemed to suppress emotion the redheads simply held none as if she was a blank slate.

Any many ways she reminded him of the facade Inari had been trying to wear. Of course Tazuna knew better, his grandson was constantly hurting but hid it behind a fine layer of apathy. If he had to wager a guess he would bet the girl was the same. That brought the question to mind, what was hurting her? In his time here Konoha had seemed almost like a paradise. Children ran through the streets joyously and people moved around with a lively energy that he used to see in Wave. So why was the girl like his grandson?

He pushed the thought aside, none of that really mattered, these were children and were surely not the ones who would be protecting him, right?

"I'm glad you could make it Tazuna-san. This is the team that will be escorting and protecting you." Of course they were, did Konoha think his protection was a joke? Sure he had lied about the details but that still didn't warrant kids being sent to go get killed by bandits. He decided to throw in his opinion.

"These brats don't look like much. Especially the super tiny redhead over there. Of course the woman looks like she could protect me all night long."

The woman chokes back a gag. He sighed, he would be lying if he said there wasn't some truth to his statement. He may be old but he could still acknowledge that she was stupidly sexy. Disappointing that he's so unappealing, the whole smelling like booze probably doesn't work. Maybe it would have worked if he was just a little younger. He had been quite the ladies man back in his youth. Ah how he longed for those good old days.

The redhead gets a confused expression for a few seconds before she quickly, faster than he can see, places a hand on the blind girl who looks murderous. Well if they're so fast then perhaps they are more skilled than he gave them credit for. Still, he didn't trust kids to protect him.

"I assure you Tazuna-san," The woman's words were a little forced as she addresses the man, "That my team is more than adequate in their ability to protect you." She seemed confidant, well he would find out, like it or not they were his best option.

H grunts and says. "Whatever, I need to leave tomorrow morning. Don't be late. Of course I could always help you be on time, just stay at my place tonight." Might as well give it one last shot, maybe she would change her mind.

"No thank you, My team and I will have to pack for the C-rank anyways. We'll see you tomorrow at 8am." Of course not. He grunts once more and leaves, he wanted to get wasted one last time before he goes back home to that despair.

"Hey Kurenai-sensei do you have to deal with guys like that all the time?" Kurenai-sensei turned to the Hyuuga heiress and nodded in annoyance.

"If our clients are male and civilians, which they are most of the time, then yes." It was one of the worst parts about being a kunoichi. Because they just had to deal with it, Konoha went out of its way to appear nice and a kunoichi threatening her client would be unacceptable. He had become aware of it from their short time doing D-ranks and it was only made more clear here. He felt for the other members of the team, he understood surprisingly well what it was like to be treated like a piece of meat (Fangirls had a wonderful way of making him annoyingly aware of it). "Now then, you three should go pack. I'd pack for two weeks or so." The three nod and as they were about to leave Naruko speaks up.

"Hey Sasuke, take this." She hands him a sealing scroll. The boy recognized it for what it was and gives his thanks. This is so much easier than carrying a backpack. After several long moments of thinking he looks at the two girls who he had spent so much time with over the past month.

"Naruko, Hinata, do you wanna have dinner at my place tonight, to celebrate our first C-rank?" That. . . Was surprisingly hard to ask. He hadn't invited anyone over in years, but these two girls had grown on him. They were sort of . . . Friends. It was strange, he hadn't thought he would ever grow close to anyone again in life, but here he was.

Hinata wraps her arms around Naruko's waist from behind and looks at him with a gleam in her eyes. "Sasuke are you trying to land both of us at once? Or are you secretly after my girlfriend and plan on stealing her from me?" Her tone was teasing and Naruko was squirming to get out of the other girls grip, well it looked fairly halfhearted.

Sasuke deadpans. "Hinata we both know if I was actually hitting on you and especially Naruko, then you'd already have me choking on my eyes. So do you two want to come over or not?" He was getting impatient and was trying to show he actually cares, at least a little. He so did not need to be teased for this.

"Sure, when should we head over?" Naruko chirps still squirming.

"Just come on over at 7." Hinata nods and walks off still carrying her squirming girlfriend. Sasuke truly wasn't sure what to think of those two. They were both incredibly powerful and he could practically feel himself getting stronger every time he faced them. They had also refused to let him brood whenever they were around. It was still refreshing to him a month later. Though he had begun to truly notice something. The villagers hated Naruko. They bore the same kind of hatred for her as he did for Itachi. He couldn't imagine why. Sure the girl was odd and more than a little naive, but she was surprisingly kind, and he's fairly certain that's a trait most people like. His thoughts on the redhead are interrupted by Kurenai-sensei, who was still there with him, speaking up.

"So am I not invited to this team dinner?" He was surprised she seemed interested, but he supposed she had always shown some level of interest in their personal lives. But never enough to spend her own free time with them.

"Do you want to spend your night hanging out with your genin?"

"You have no idea how much better that sounds then how I used to spend my nights." He didn't get it but he wasn't going to question it.

"Then see you tonight Kurenai-sensei." He didn't really mind, the other two probably wouldn't either. She nods and he heads home. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't a little excited.

Three sharp knocks sounded on the door to his office. He calmly called out, "Enter." He already knew it was his eldest, she was very peculiar about knocking the exact same way everytime.

He had to suppress his amusement as she came in carrying a squirming Naruko. Apparently she was in a particularly cuddly mood at the moment. Naruko made eye contact with him in a silent plea for freedom, he just shook his head. She should know by now that it comes with the territory of being Hinata's girlfriend. Hell his eldest had been doing it since they were kids. He suspected the silent plea was part of the game between the two at this point.

"So what brings you here today Hinata?"

"I've come to tell you I'll be out of the village on a C-rank mission for the next few days to weeks." He nods, it was about time for it to happen. "I will also be having dinner at the Uchiha compound tonight with my teammates."

That was a bit of surprise. He knew she got along with Sasuke (Naruko was already a forgone conclusion) but he wasn't expecting her to be having dinner as a team. He had no problem with it, but he hadn't expected for the Uchiha to be the one extending the invitation. Which it had to be him otherwise they would be eating here or at Naruko's apartment.

"I will be sure to let your mother and sister know, although be sure to talk to them before you leave. It would be a shame if your mother misses a chance to gush." He smiled as his daughter nodded. She was an excellent heiress and he couldn't be more proud. She would do great things, of that he had no doubt. He slid his eyes to the redhead in her arms. He supported the relationship fully, but the elders were becoming an increasing pain regarding the situation. He would have to do something about them soon, but if he acted out to much they might just start a rebellion within the clan.

Well, no reason to burden his daughter with such matters yet, she deserved her love and he was not going to be the one to rob her of it. Especially when they were such a cute couple. It took much of his willpower not to dote like his wife.

The three women arrived at the Uchiha estate a few hours later. They hadn't done the usual training thanks to the mission tomorrow. They also weren't dressed up or anything like that. But they were all feeling relaxed. It was going to be a nice dinner as a team. Three sharp knocks from Hinata is enough for Sasuke to come and open the door. Naru-chan and Hinata both blink, surprised to find the boy in casual clothes. He still had the Uchiha clan crest emblazoned on his back but other than that he was just in a regular T-shirt and shorts. The T-shirt was even yellow of all things. He wasn't wearing any shoes or ninja tape of any kind. It's not like they didn't think he owned casual clothes, they had simply never seen him wear them.

"You know if you keep staring I'm going to start thinking you like what you see. And we both know that's not the case." That snaps the two girls out of their train of thought. Hinata laughs and says.

"Become a woman and you might end up my type." Well not really, but she wasn't about to back down from the banter. At the very least she was sure Sasuke would make for an attractive woman, even if he wasn't strictly her type.

"So you mean like Kurenai-sensei?" It was Naru-chan who spoke up. She knew why she had said it, they both had dark black hair, pale skin and, when Sasuke's Sharingan was active, red eyes.

"Yeah, she's got legs for days. It's the only downside to you being so small, your legs don't just go on forever like hers." Naru-chan seemed contemplative for a moment before nodding, it was the truth Kurenai-sensei was gorgeous, but her legs just never stopped.

. "I'm right here you know." Kurenai wasn't sure how to feel about how casually her genin were talking about her being Hinata's type. "And you know I'd have thought you'd prefer girls like Naruko anyways."

"Oh don't get me wrong, I love Naru-chan. And believe me her thighs are amazing. And I don't think I could ever find anyone as attractive as I find her. But that doesn't change the fact I can appreciate a nice pair of legs, which you have in spades." Kurenai looks at Naruko.

"And you're okay with knowing she looks at other women?"

"Yeah, I do it too so I don't really see the problem. It's not like we are hitting on other women. There's no way we'd be able to function if we got mad just about the other acknowledging other women as attractive. I think Hina-chan is perfect in every way, but even I have other women I'm attracted to. By the way in case you're curious I've got a bit of a thing for paler women and apparently Byakugan."

"So Hinata?" It was Sasuke who asked. Kurenai had to agree with him, that was basically just Hinata. Didn't sound much like other women were attractive to her.

"Well she certainly fits that description, but so does Hitomi and Kaguya." Kurenai knew who Hitomi was, Hinata's mother (she had met the woman multiple times in fact), but she had no idea who this Kaguya person is.

"I didn't know you thought Kaguya is attractive." Apparently Hinata knew who this woman was. She also didn't seem to care that her girlfriend basically just called her mom hot. Although given how these two act she wouldn't be surprised if Hinata would be surprised if Hinata was the one who prompted Naruko to consider the matter to begin with.

"That's because you've never seen her Hina-chan. She's got this otherworldly beauty to her. She's also the most intimidating person I've ever met." Just who was this woman?

"I'm not familiar with this Kaguya person, what is she like? Or rather who exactly is she?" She asked.

"Well she told me she's a goddess, her looks could certainly match that, and the mother of chakra among other things. But that seems a little outlandish." That didn't seem to be the whole truth by Naruko's expression, but Kurenai figured she had a reason for hiding some information. "As for what she's like, well. She's really tall, just under 7 feet. And she's got crazy long hair, it goes all the way down past her feet and drags on the floor. Oh and it's white. Then of course she's got a pair of Byakugan eyes. Oh and horns."

"Are you sure you didn't dream this woman up?" Kurenai had to agree with Sasuke, the description sounded outlandish.

"Naw, I met her like a month ago."

Kurenai had a sinking feeling in her gut that this person was real. About a month ago was when Naruko was first trying to use her kekkei genkai. Back then her hair had turned white and her hair had taken on the shape of horns, not to mention that third eye. Maybe she was jumping the gun, and this woman was some secret Hyuuga elder or something (of course that would make Hinata not having met her before more confusing). But her gut told her to be wary for future developments with this woman. "Did the woman talk to you about anything?"

"Well yeah, she said I'm like her granddaughter. Oh she also told me I need to die." Wait, this woman told Naruko she needs to die? And they weren't upset over it? What the hell was going on with this woman?

Hinata speaks up now. "Wait you never told me that she said you're like her granddaughter."

"Oh, I guess I got to distracted by the thing with the lullaby, which by the way Kurenai-sensei you still haven't told me what that's about." Kurenai looked away, she still didn't have the courage to tell Naruko the truth. What if the girl hated her for her failures?

Hinata continues pressing. "Well what exactly did she say about her granddaughter?"

"Well she called me by her name, and then said I was of similar spirit." Well that wasn't too bad. Though Kurenai was worried, if this woman existed inside Naruko how could she have a granddaughter, or really any family? She didn't like the sound of that.

"What was her name?"

"Kagura."

Hinata sucks in a breath. The name was one she never heard before, but simply hearing the name sent tremors through her very being. It was like her chakra itself was reacting to the name alone. She felt herself being overcome by a nostalgic feeling. But more than that was an overwhelming sorrow. She felt her heart thumping in her chest. Why did that name get such a reaction from her? What the hell is going on?

Her head was pounding, it was like she was being assailed by a lifetime of information, but none of it was processing or even being memorized. It was flashing so fast it was as if it wasn't there at all. The only consistent thing was the fact that the name Kagura was ringing through her mind over and over again.

"Kagura"

Sasuke feels his eyes widen. He was vaguely aware that he instinctively activated his Sharingan as the world around him slowed. The name was echoing in his mind, it was almost maddening with how it wouldn't cease. Who was this woman for the mere name to get such a reaction from him? Why did it seem to draw a reaction from Hinata as well? What the hell is going on? Why did it feel like his heart would rend in two just thinking about this Kagura woman?

There was an overwhelming dread coursing through him at the thought of her, like the weight of an immense failure was suddenly dredged up. It was similar to how he felt when he doubted himself, what if he failed to kill Itachi? What if he died and with him his clan? It was a similar feeling to that, but magnified. He felt like he was drowning in it.

Kurenai looked at her genin in concern, they both went quiet and somber all at once. Maybe Kagura was the name of some woman that had caused a feud between the two clans, but surely then that person couldn't be the same Kagura Naruko had met, so perhaps it was a coincidence. "So can we start eating or are we going to keep talking about this?" Naruko's voice cut through the tense atmosphere.

It's enough to snap the other two out of their funk and Sasuke nods, ushering them towards his dining room. "Sure, I'm no master chef but I've at least learned." It was no surprise that the boy knew how to cook, he had been alone for five years, there was no way he hadn't learned at least a little. This was swiftly proven true when she tried the meal. Clearly he was being too modest. She decided to voice her thoughts.

"You know the ladies will be all over you in the future once they find out you can cook."

"Then this will have to stay between the four of us, because I'm already swarmed by fan girls as it is." She knew he was still hounded by those vultures. They didn't need to make it worse for him, so she nodded in agreement and said.

"Fair enough, team I order you to secrecy for the sake of our male teammate."

The two girls chorus, "Yes Kurenai-sensei!" Then break into giggles.

"Hey Naruko."

"Yeah Sasuke?"

"It may be a bit blunt, but why do most people in the village hate you?"

Kurenai and Hinata both tense up at his question, ready to deflect for the redhead. She responds before they can. "I know why, but I can't tell you at the moment. Not because I don't trust you, but we're about to go on a mission, and the knowledge might hamper your ability to perform properly. So when we get back I'll explain. Deal?"

"Deal."

Kurenai and Hinata breathe a sigh of relief. That conversation was a headache waiting to happen.

After that the rest of the night goes by in relative peace as the group relaxes and falls into easy conversation. Kurenai's eye slid over to the crow that sat watching them. She said nothing as the Sharingan spun it's eyes. She had no idea what Itachi was thinking, but clearly he thought he was stealthier than he truly is. Why watch his brother growing up from afar, why kill the clan if he still cares. The man was a mystery. As soon as she made eye contact with the bird it flew away. Clearly he didn't want people knowing he still cares. Or maybe he doesn't, and is merely observing a future enemy, but then why bother observing at all?

The next morning the group of four met at the gate right at the appointed time. Tazuna leveled an annoyed glare at them and said. "I've been waiting super long."

"We arrived right at the appointed time Tazuna-san, it was your choice to be early." Fuck he wasn't drunk enough for this.

"Whatever let's get going, Wave is super far from here." Well it was relatively far, it was several days journey for him, but it was off the coast of Fire Country, so it was far but not that far compared to other places. He still wasn't feeling confident in the ninja he had hired, maybe they would realize they're not capable and give him some real ninja.

"Alright team we'll be moving in a diamond formation, Hinata you will be taking point with the Byakugan. Sasuke and Naruko you're on the sides, I'll take the back."

"I bet you take it from the back too." The comment slipped from his lips naturally.

"Tazuna-san while I cannot force you to stop with the comments, I'd ask you to refrain from being so crude." He rolled his eyes, it was her own fault for dressing so provocatively, she didn't have to wear skin tight bandages of all things. "Now then, let's move out."

With that the group takes off toward Wave. It was a nice day, if a bit hot, and overall made excellent travel weather. It hadn't rained in a few weeks so the ground was dry and easy to travel along. The genin were quietly passing a ball between themselves. None of them were looking at one another or acknowledging the fact that the ball was there. They simply caught it when it came near them and tossed it to one of the others. Tazuna thought it was more than a little weird. The hottie with a body speaks up denying his chance to ask about it.

"Naruko it slipped my mind earlier, but go ahead and deactivate your resistance seals. Every little bit of speed could matter on a mission, so I'd rather you have them off now." The redhead nods and brings a hand up to her hair stick. He didn't really get it but whatever that must be ninja stuff.

Fuck it, he was curious and it's not like asking would hurt. "So what exactly was that supposed to do?"

"I have something called a seal on the charm in my hair senbon." How was it a hair senbon and not just a regular hair stick? "It makes it feel like I'm wading through mud when it's active. So when I turn it off I'm faster. I use chakra to turn it on and off." He didn't truly get it, but he nods anyways. It sounded like magic to him but it was nothing if not interesting.

"So you have super speed now our something?"

"More or less."

Well that's not something you hear everyday. She probably still wouldn't help much, she was much to small. But it was still interesting. So he turns to the boy on the team. "So what's your superpower?"

"I can see things in slow motion and breathe fire." Okay now they were just fuckin' with him. It's one thing to say they can run super fast. He had kinda seen that in action during his stay in the village. But that was straight up magic.

"And I don't suppose the girl up front has X-ray vision or something."

"That's actually more or less correct." Wait what? No they had to be fuckin' with him. Maybe they were still mad about the comment to the woman. Whatever let them be petty.

He didn't notice that the team had stopped throwing the ball as they passed by a puddle. He didn't notice that two figures rose from said puddle and wrapped up the woman. He did however hear the sickening squelch of someone being torn to shreds. He turned on time to see the redhead blink out of his vision and reappear with her foot embedded in the stomach of one of the assassins. Okay maybe that speed was more useful than he gave credit for.

The other one was yanked back as his brother was shot backwards from the force of the kick. He disconnected the chain before he could be pulled back and was met with spinning red eyes. Suddenly he found himself staring down the Mizukage's right hand man. The man was ripping the arms off his oldest brother and beating him to death with them. The man had turned toward his younger brother and started stalking toward him. The assassin watched helpless as the man, no the demon, did so. He was screaming at his body to move but it just wouldn't. Think, why was this happening why couldn't he move! He had to save him! He wouldn't fail again!

The answer revealed itself to him as the Genjutsu broke and he found himself tied up next to his surviving brother. He was being looked down at by the jonin he could have sworn he killed. She spoke. "Would you like me to extract info from you the easy way, the hard way, or the very hard way?"

"Fuck off you dumb bitch."

"The very hard way it is. Do you want to know what will hurt you worse than me cutting off your fingers?" She didn't give him a chance to answer as she continues. "Cutting off your brothers fingers. Isn't that right Meizu, missing nin of Kiri? According to the Bingo book you're a B-rank ninja wanted for trying to assassinate the Mizukage, along with your two brothers, one of whom died in the process, only to be stopped by her Jonin commander, Momochi Zabuza. So you fled for yours and your remaining brothers life. It'd be a shame if he were to be crippled because you refused to talk." The assassin remains silent and she does as promised, cutting off the index finger of his brother. The pain seemed to jolt his younger brother awake as he screams out. "The sooner you talk the sooner your brother stops suffering." He couldn't even respond before the middle finger was cut off and an ear piercing scream ripped through his brothers throat.

The man broke quickly. "Alright! Alright! Dammit I'll talk! Just stop already!" Why did he always get stuck being a lapdog to some bitchy woman? First the Mizukage, then the bitches Gato hired. Now this woman.

"You should have just done so earlier. Now then, who hired you."

"The shipping magnate Gato."

"Why did he hire you?"

"He wanted me to assassinate the bridge builder."

"Why?"

"The man is some kind of threat to his business after Gato took over the country."

"Who else is working with you?"

"Some bitch. I don't know her name." He left out the others, maybe they'd kill each other.

"I see, is there anything else I should know."

"Yeah your lips look like they were made for sucking cock."

"Glad to know you'll be enjoying your time in Konoha's T&I." With that the whore injected him with a some substance and he blacked out. When he woke up next he found himself in grungy cellar, great, just fucking great.

Kurenai eyed her genin, they seemed just a little sickened but more surprised. They hadn't been exposed to her cold professionalism in quite a while. She had grown to be warm with them most the time so she figured the shift must have been jarring. She knew it was for her back when she went on a mission with Kushina-sensei for the first time.

"I'm super sorry! My country could only afford a C-rank it was our only hope. Please you've gotta help us!"

"You know if you wanted to endear yourself to us maybe you shouldn't have insulted my genin and spent your time sexually harassing me." She could leave this fool to rot and no one would blame her.

"I'm sorry, please if you all leave now I'll probably be killed and then my daughter and grandson will cry." Of course the ass had a family waiting for him. They always do.

"Kurenai-sensei if nothing else wouldn't making a country indebted to us be worth more than a C-rank?" Hinata was right, the actually monetary worth that could end up being gained is closer to S-rank. But the level is more than most genin could handle. Though on other hand her genin did just take out two B-rank missing nin with little trouble. She'd hear them out.

"Well what do you three want to do?"

"I think we should help them." Hinata had a calculating look in her eye. Kurenai had no idea what the girl was thinking, but she was plotting for something, the girl always seemed to be thinking up future plans.

"I'm in agreement with Hinata." Sasuke wasn't surprising, he would always seek strong opponents and this would likely be a good test for him (at least as far as he was concerned). She looked towards her redheaded student.

"I don't particularly care, so if the other two are up for it then so am I." Well the votes were in and she can't really say the outcome is anything other than what she expected.

"Alright we'll continue the mission. But Tazuna-san if I hear one thing I don't like from you. Be it insulting my genin or being crude towards me then we will turn around and your people will rot. Not only that but I need to know exactly what's going on." She gives him time to explain while she leaves an encrypted note for the Hokage with the Demon Brothers.

The man nods vigorously and says. "Yes of course! Thank you so much!" Then his expression becomes somber. "Gato arrived in our country two years ago. At first it had seemed like a wealthy business man was simply interested in expanding into the country. The people didn't particularly mind or care. We had all just figured that maybe we'd get some better roads with the taxes the Daimyo could levy off him. That was about it. Then he bought up all the ports. And in case you don't realize. For an island nation like wave, the person who controls the ports controls the country. That's when he started to hire bandits to collect taxes from the people. It only took a little while before the entire country fell under his control. Ever since he's been robbing us blind and using our ports to smuggle opium across the Elemental Nations."

"Where's the Daimyo in all this?" Hinata's tone was one of confusion.

"He went missing not long after Gato showed up, we all assume he was killed by the man." The man continues his previous train of thought. "That's why I'm building my bridge. Once it connects us to the mainland we won't be totally dependent on the ports anymore." That wouldn't work, not on it's own. If the man was so wealthy he could simply station bandits and make it into a toll bridge. Even if the bridge was done it wouldn't necessarily improve things, Gato himself would need to be removed for things to really improve.

Hiruzen had suspicions about Tazuna's trickery. It was confirmed when a patrol of Anbu had picked up the Demon Brothers and an encrypted note from Kurenai. He didn't send a team after them. He had sent that team intentionally. Every Team 7 of the past had always been tempered by the fires of combat and the sorrows of loss, this one would be no different. The team had important village resources on it, but holding back said resources from growing only hurt Konoha.

If the team members struggled then they would succeed. Just as the Uchiha had found talent after his family died and the Uzumaki found drive from wanting to push out abuse. The Hyuuga had found her own drive as a result of her desire to protect. They may hate him for what he's done. But some day they will see that what he does is for both their own good and the good of the village.

Kurenai was a similar case. He had to force her away from the girl. Her talent was going to waste raising the child. She had grown to be certain in those three years but she had grown stronger far faster once the redhead was out of her life. She would have already been S-rank if she didn't waste time raising a child that wasn't even her own. But of course those who he helped never saw it that way. They always saw him as trying to ruin their lives. Can't they tell he loves them as he does his own family. For every leaf on the great tree is connected by the mighty branches that hold them aloft. Just as those branches are supported by the trunk and the roots. Truthfully the only one he truly believed he had failed was his student. He had to sacrifice the man to keep his hands clean, it was necessary but it did condemn him. A shame too, he saw him in many ways as the son he wished his children were like. Well that bridge was burned years ago.

His thoughts turn to his eldest son. The boy had started to focus all his attention on his team. He had nothing left but them. He knew his son would be unable to resist the money Kurenai was sending Naruko. It's why he chose him to deliver it. Everything he did he did for Konoha. He had secured the strength of another team. Even if it meant sacrificing his own son. Yes they might hate him, but he was doing what was right for everybody. All was well in his vision of the leaf. The mighty tree would continue to stand strong.

Hinata had to gape a the sight of the bridge. It towered above them and extended far off into the distance, it was like something ripped straight out of a dream. This was more than something simply connect the two nations, this was a symbol. A symbol that represented prosperity. She was beginning to see why Gato perceived Tazuna as a threat.

"I'm not a master bridge builder for nothing." They nod dumbly. Many cited the Hokage monument as being the most impressive thing in the Elemental Nations, mostly Konoha residents, but this outclassed it by far. This is the type of thing that would go down in history as a feat of human ingenuity. Suffice to say she was impressed. And if Naru-chan's and Sasuke's expression were anything to go by, then so were they.

The rest of the boat ride goes by in silence. Normally the group would make chatter but they are going out of their way to make sure they're as stealthy as possible. Hinata is still observing the surroundings with her Byakugan but so far she can't spot anything, she had been on high alert but there was no sign of danger yet. It doesn't take long for them to arrive on shore.

It was misty on the small island. "Hinata does the mist have chakra?" She knew what Kurenai-sensei was implying, Kiri was infamous for their use of the mist in jutsu, and they had just encountered missing nin from Kiri.

"No Kurenai-sensei, this is normal mist." No matter how hard she looked at it she couldn't find even trace amounts of chakra so it had to be.

"It gets pretty misty in the spring here." Tazuna adds helpfully. Then he goes on to say, "It will probably clear up soon."

"I see." That's annoying, that makes it so much easier for their enemies to hide (for her teammates that is, it didn't effect her). She wasn't sure if there would be multiple enemies or just the woman she was told about.

As they walk Hinata was noticing something increasingly odd. At first she thought it was her imagination, but now she was sure of it. "Kurenai there seems to be random traces of chakra that are increasing in regularity."

"Everyone be on your guard. We don't know what kind of Jutsu this is." She was tempted to check, but decided against it. If it was some kind of trap then getting to close would be a bad idea. She instead opted to guide her team around clusters of the chakra traces, not trusting the thought of getting close.

Naruko was having a weirdly hard time focusing on what's going on. Ever since they had landed on the island nation she had felt a weird pull to the north-east. It was strange she almost couldn't describe the feeling. It felt sort of like. . . Like that feeling she gets when she hasn't seen the Ichiraku family in a while and suddenly she found herself on their street. It felt kind of like. . . Home. But she had never been here in her life. Yet no matter how she tried to reason it out she felt this pull. She wondered if Kurenai-sensei would let her investigate it. She didn't notice how she was starting to drift from the group.

Hinata was getting increasingly worried. She was noticing more and more of these chakra traces. That had her worried but what worried her more was her girlfriend. The girl was getting more spaced out by the second and she was slowly but surely deviating from the group. Hinata checked Naru-chan's chakra system but found no irregularities in it so she's not under the influence of a Genjutsu. She didn't know what was going on and she didn't like it. "Tazuna-san how far are we from your house?"

"About an hour."

"Naruko!" Hinata hisses at the redhead. She had started to actually wander off. It seemed her words were enough to snap her out of her funk for the moment. The older girl looks at her confused and says.

"Yeah, what?"

"What's going on? You were starting to wander off."

Naruko honestly hadn't noticed, she had just found herself moving towards the pull. "I don't know. I just feel this strange pull to the north-east." Kurenai-sensei looked at her with a strange expression. She must know something Naruko didn't. That was always the look Kurenai-sensei adopted when she knew something that she wanted to share but couldn't. What could it possibly be that her Sensei couldn't tell her now? She supposed it could just be the fact that they were more or less in the middle of enemy territory. Finally Kurenai-sensei spoke.

"Do you think you can ignore it for now, I can't have you distracted while we're on a mission." Naruko nodded, being distracted would certainly be bad for all of them.

"I think so, but could we check it out when everything is said and done here?"

"I'll think about it." Naruko looked out the corner of her eye as she saw Hina-chan becoming increasingly alarmed, something must be going on with those chakra traces. Suddenly Hina-chan's face morphs into horror. At the same time Naruko feels a hand get placed on her shoulder.

"I think you should let her go." A woman's voice rang out. It sounded distinctly bored and kind of monotone. Her teammates whirl to look at the woman. Naruko herself looks up at the woman in confusion. She was tall, slightly taller than Kurenai-sensei. She had light blue hair and a piercing through her bottom lip. She could faintly see a flower made with Origami in her hair. She had a pair of striking Orange Eyes that stared back at her with a weird mix of curiosity and warmth. Underneath all that was an undeniable melancholy. The woman wore a black cloak that was emblazoned with red clouds. It hid her form so Naruko had no idea what she looked like underneath.

She should perhaps be more concerned but she felt no hostility from the woman, and that warmth made her feel like she was in no real danger. Her eyes turned towards Kurenai-sensei. She fell into an aggressive stance, clearly ready to strike at any moment. But the red eyed woman was also being cautious. If this woman really was an enemy then she was currently a hostage. Her two teammates quickly followed suit. She doubted the woman actually wanted her dead, if she did then Naruko would likely already be dead. "Who are you?"

"I'm Konan."

That wasn't really helpful. "Yes, but who are you?" She repeats.

"I guess you could call me the leader of Amegakure. Well, one of the leaders."

"Last I heard Hanzo the Salamander was still the leader."

"We got rid of him years ago. And now that we're done rebuilding we're ready to enter back into the ninja world." Kurenai was immediately alarmed. Hanzo was one of the most powerful ninja to ever live. He was strong enough to take on all three Sannin at the height of their power and win. Hell he's the one who gave them their title. He is one of four ninja in the history of the Elemental Nations to achieve the rank of SS. So if this woman had a hand in his downfall then she was at least S-rank. And what's more she's managed to avoid being put in any bingo book. She's dangerous, possibly the most dangerous kunoichi in the world, even more so than Senju Tsunade or the Mizukage. The fact that she has her hands on her student did not bode well for them. Kurenai had to suppress every urge to attack, hasty actions could get Naruko killed.

"So why exactly are you here?"

"I was hired by Gato to kill him." She says pointing at the bridge builder. Naruko looks up at her and bluntly asks.

"Can you not?"

"Sure." The woman paused in thought before she added. "If that is what you want, Naruko." Alarms shot through Kurenai's mind.

This woman was a threat that needed to be dealt with now! It's one thing to simply meet another nin on a mission. That happens all the time. But this woman knew Naruko's name without them having said it. But she needs confirmation. "Hinata did you see this woman when you called Naruko's name."

"No." She saw the recognition cross Hinata's face. The range of her Byakugan far out classed the range someone can hear whispers, not only that but she had only said Naru-chan not Naruko. So if this woman knew who Naruko is before hand that means she had been keeping tabs on her. The white eyed girls eyes hardened. Good at least she understood the gravity of the situation.

"That's what I was afraid of." The woman was watching them curiously. She had no hostility on her face, but a good ninja can hide their hostility easily and this woman seemed like more than just a good ninja. She seemed to pick up on her worries and said.

"There's no reason to be afraid, I'm not going to hurt her." Of course they didn't buy it. It didn't help that she hadn't moved at all and still kept a hand on Naruko's shoulder. Hopefully she was telling the truth, Kurenai doubted she would be fast enough to stop the S-rank Kunoichi from acting before Naruko died. "If I release her are you going to attack me?"

"That depends will you willing come to Konoha's T&I department?" If this woman knew about Ame and knew about Naruko then she needed to be thoroughly interrogated. That was the absolute minimum of what they need.

She watched as Hinata tensed, something was happening with chakra then. Kurenai tensed herself, ready to spring into action. "I see, I guess we're fighting then." Hinata screams out.

"Everyone get down!" The three members of the team hit the deck with Sasuke pulling Tazuna down. Then out of seemingly nowhere thousands of white shuriken rip out of the ground all around them and fly overhead. They instantly disperse all of the mist that had gathered. Of course none of them went anywhere near Konan or Naruko. The redhead had gone completely still. Kurenai knew what she was doing, hopefully Konan's information won't have let her know about Naruko's abilities. Slowly but surely her bangs begin to lift and red appears around her eyes. She drives an elbow backwards into the woman's sternum. The woman leaped away before the hit could connect.

"Sorry Konan-san, I've got nothing against you personally but you attacked my friends and my girlfriend so it looks like we've gotta fight." Konan shrugs. She didn't seem to mind the fact that the redhead attacked her.

"Well, know that after this battle I have no intention of being your enemy. But I suppose this is as good a chance as any to test you."

"Why are you testing me?"

"You'll find out soon enough." Naruko shrugs accepting that answer.

Kurenai-sensei suddenly lunges forward pulling her sword from her scrolls. Konan mirrors her by forging a white sword out of nowhere. The woman seemed to be able to match Kurenai-sensei step for step, swing for swing. Where Kurenai-sensei had the skill the woman seemed to have the raw speed to make up for it. Naruko looks at one of the discarded shuriken and picks it up. It's made of. . . Paper? That's odd. So then is the sword also made of paper? That's an odd jutsu. She doesn't spend much longer pondering the nature of Konan's Jutsu as she begins to cast False Senses: One Hundred Blooming Flowers, she and her teammates are quickly obscured by the flowers.

It takes Konan less than half a second to break the Genjutsu but in that time she found Kurenai-sensei's sword being forced through her gut. Kurenai-sensei looks pleased for a moment before they all realized the woman wasn't actually bleeding. She exploded into a mass of paper, some of which had become active explosive tags and other becoming shuriken. Kurenai-sensei's able to avoid the explosions and most of the shuriken but she does suffer a few shallow cuts and minor burns spread across her arms and legs, which she had used to block. The remaining paper reforms into Konan once more, who looked no worse for wear.

"That was an Excellent Genjutsu, Naruko. I'm sure in time you'll be quite the master." It hadn't really done anything, but if this woman was as powerful as she seems then that was no surprise, it was pretty much the same as trying to trap Kurenai-sensei in a Genjutsu. It can be done, but it's mostly ineffective. But it was enough to pull one over on people similar to the redheads strength. The redhead dashes towards her in a burst of speed. Having trained with Gai a few times Naruko was aware that she was fast for a genin, she was closer to a mid level chunin in terms of speed. Well she's faster when she's using the nature energy, like she currently was. She had no idea what the comparable speed was but she knew it was far faster than normal chunin are capable of. Konan easily blocks the kick that the small girl sends her way. She's forced to deflect a strike from an angry Hyuuga. She may be immune to Kurenai-sensei's sword, but would she be immune to Hina-chan's Jyuken?

The two girls jump back at the same time as a searingly hot fireball comes at her. She raises a single hand and a wall of paper moves to block the fire. She quickly finds her arms and body bound against a tree. Mokuton? No their sensei is known for her mastery of Genjutsu. She is freed from said Genjutsu when a Jyuken strike connects with her arm, disabling it. Those strikes did hurt, even if the white eyed girl is only a genin. She manages to jump back in time to avoid having her shoulder dislocated by a well placed ax kick from her redheaded target.

The girl could certainly be better but she had talent waiting to truly be brought to the surface. The jonin seemed to have picked up on Konan's newfound weak spot and had made a valiant attempt at cutting her arm off before she can use it again. But she was more than capable of of deflecting the other woman's sword strikes with her own. Konan had to dodge again as it seemed the genin weren't going to let the grown ups fight alone. It's unfortunate too as it put her right in the path of the red eyed woman's sword. It went straight through her arm and she bit back a wince.

Luckily it didn't cut off her arm and really it was fairly salvageable. It will just hurt like hell for the next few weeks. She can't stay like this. Once more she creates a storm of shuriken however, seeing as the Jonin would be able to dodge she aims them towards the genin.

"Naru-chan, Sasuke get down!" The two trust the white eyed girl and hit the ground. Hinata jumps above them and performs a now perfected Kaiten, successfully deflecting the entirety of the barrage from hitting her and her teammates. Well Konan certainly hadn't been expecting that. Though Kurenai didn't seem to either as she had started to move to help her two genin. Konan recovers from the surprise slightly faster and her sword goes through the other woman's dominant shoulder.

"It's over you can't fight like this. I have no interest in killing you so I suggest we stop here." Konan leaps away from the woman and disperses her sword. She gestures to the injured woman.

Hina-chan immediately rushes forward and starts to apply some of her healing salves. Once that's done she wraps the shoulder. It's only first aid but it should at least staunch the bleeding. When they make it to Tazuna's house she can do more.

"So did I pass your test?" Naruko was curious, even if she was still a little wary.

"Yes. So now then let me ask you, something in return. Do you truly care about Konoha?"

Naruko shrugs. "Not really." She answered honestly, she wanted to know where the woman was going with this.

"I thought as much, so let me ask you another question. Do you wish to be free of the abuse wrought upon you?"

"I'm already free, I have been since the day I passed my genin exam."

"But are you really? You still serve under a leader who would sacrifice you. And who you can't object to due to his absolute authority. So are you really free?"

"I guess not when you put it like that. Where are you going with this?" Konan smiles and walks right up to Naruko. She extends a hand and says.

"Would you like to come with me to Ame? To a better life, free of pain?" She heard Hina-chan's breath hitch. She was sure her girlfriend was dying to know her answer. Naruko couldn't blame her, this was a topic they had considered a lot, but now an opportunity was actually presenting itself.

Naruko looks at the ground for several moments in thought. It was a tempting offer, almost too good to be true. "How do I know this isn't some trick?"

"You can't. That's the truth of trusting others in the world of ninja. You can never know if you will be betrayed. So all I can give you is my word. I know who you are and what you hold. And I know you are destined for greatness. If you come with me you will never again face scorn for your burden. Never again will you be sacrificed for the sake of another. So, Naruko, won't you come with me?" Konan's voice was full of passion and earnestness. It was actually a little bit jarring compared to her earlier monotone and boredom. But it made for a convincing speech and once more Naruko found herself weighing her options. She looks up at the woman and takes a deep breath.

"I. . ."

"I'm bored."

"Don't be bored then."

"But Konan-sensei went to go test her alone, and she didn't even let us Kill Gato."

"Be patient, I'm sure we'll get our chance."

"You're no fun."

"And you are a child."

"At least I'm not boring."

"You're certainly not boring, you're just annoying as hell."

"You know you love me."

"And you know I hate you." She stuck her tongue out at her teammate, why'd he have to be such a dickhead? Whatever he just didn't understand how amazing she is.

"So what do you think she'll be like?"

"From how I understand it she was abused as a child, so maybe quiet and withdrawn."

"What if she's loud and boisterous?"

"I doubt it, but you never know."

"Hey maybe she'll even be cute."

"That will be for you to figure out."

"Hehe, you're right. I hope she's a cutie. Konan-sensei is the only person worth looking at in Ame."

"There are plenty of beautiful women in Ame."

"Sure, but none like Konan." She saw him nod, he conceded the point and they both knew it.

"Who knows, maybe you'll fall in love at fist sight."

She laughed, "Yeah right, that doesn't happen. In real life, maybe get your head out of the clouds."

"As soon as you get yours out of your pants."

"Hey nothing wrong with appreciating the finer sex."

"When we're not on the job sure, but we're working right now."

"You're boring as hell."

"You've said that multiple times today, saying it again won't make me not right."

"Ugh I hate you."

"You love me and you know it." She sighed as he grinned at her, having thrown her own words back.

"Bastard."

A/N Well Wave has begun, and of course Zabuza is not here, nor is Haku. Shouldn't be a surprise, things are different in this timeline. For those who haven't read the original, any guesses on who the two people in the last scene are? You get nothing if you get it right, except imaginary internet points, and maybe a little pride. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed. It's one of the shorter chapters in the rewrite so far, but it was one of the original chapters I was incredibly satisfied with so I really didn't need to do much to the chapter other than add a few scenes, and keep it consistent with the rest.

Until next time

CM 02/19/2020