I totally meant to update this before the madness of the holidays, but that obviously didn't happen.

Hey, if you've read this story up to this point, thanks so much for keeping up with it! I really appreciate it. Really. :)

12 Years after the Nine Tails Attack, 23 years of age.

Nayamae walked quietly, her small group following behind her, chatting amongst each other as they walked through the woods. They were making good progress to the next village which had recently been overrun by a greedy businessman named Gato and his cronies. Nayamae was sure they would reach the area by sunset, but wasn't quite sure how she and her group were going to be able to help the villagers of the Land of the Waves with Gato in control. She would have to change her usual tactics.

Even two years after Shinjou's death, and Nayamae's subsequent overtaking of her position, the influence of Shinjou's drug trades continued through other people who had worked with her previously. Nayamae hadn't realized how influential her position was. She had made quite the name for herself as she traveled, threatening drug lords to give over their profits and stop their trades. She almost never kept any of the money for herself and her men, unless it was absolutely necessary. Most of the time, the money would go back into helping the community that had been dismantled by the drug trades. On occasion, villagers would recognize her before she even entered their territory, begging for help.

Though her followers looked up to her considerably, Nayamae kept many secrets from them. She never told them she could hardly read, nor did she tell them that she was dying. When she had to fight, she never used her kitsunebi, relying only on her sword. They knew she was a kitsune, but had no idea she was getting weaker every day. They followed her anyway, believing her deeds were worth copying, especially with all the good she caused. As much as she wanted to continue aiding those who needed it, she was tired and looked forward to taking a break in her travels, but wasn't sure when the opportunity would arise.

She heard someone run up beside her. He was much taller than her, with darker skin and unusually light hair. He was the only person in her command that had any idea of her personal struggles. "Boss," Hiro greeted. "Do you have a plan for taking care of Gato?" he asked. "He's not exactly like some of the others we've gotten rid of."

She continued to walk, keeping her gaze ahead. "No, you're right. He's not. I was just thinking on what we could do, but haven't come up with anything solid yet."

Hiro nodded, glancing back at the others behind him. "It's a poor village. Think they'll be able to accommodate all of us?" There was nearly twenty of them.

Nayamae shrugged. "If not, we'll manage." She wasn't up for much conversation, even though she needed to discuss a plan with Hiro and the others. "We'll worry about that when we get to the Land of the Waves." He continued to walk beside her in silence.

Suddenly, Nayamae got a strange feeling. She glanced around, looking for what she may be sensing. Hiro noticed her tense up.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," she replied, narrowing her eyes. "I sense people ahead of us a ways, but I can't tell if they're all friendly." She turned to face the rest of her men. "Hold here for a few minutes. Keep a hand on your swords," she ordered. She turned to Hiro. "Come with me." Together, Nayamae and Hiro ran ahead of the group towards where she sensed people. As they went, a heavy fog began to swirl around them, even though the weather had been perfect all day.

Finally, Nayamae stopped them near the edge of a lake, hiding behind some trees. On the lake she could make out four figures. One was a very tall man, beside him was a ball of water with another man inside. In front of them were two boys, one blond and one with black hair. She sensed behind them on the opposite shore stood an older man and a young girl. It took her a moment, but she finally recognized who was in the ball of water.

Kakashi!

"Should we help them?" Hiro asked.

Nayamae shook her head. "Hang on. Let's see what's going on first." She wasn't about to tell Hiro she knew the man in the ball of water. She hadn't met very many people who were fans of the Leaf Village's Copy ninja, and since Hiro was one of them, she kept her feelings about him to herself. Oddly enough, she also felt like she knew the blond kid too, or at least had seen him somewhere a long time ago.

From their hiding spot, they watched the battle continue. The battle was intense and exciting. The boys were excellent partners, even with their different styles. Nayamae assumed the children were Kakashi's students. She wondered how he had let himself get into a predicament to make his young students save him.

With the help of his students, the tall man was forced to let Kakashi out of the water prison. From then on, it was Kakashi versus the tall man. He copied every single one of his jutsus, flooding the area around them. Nayamae and Hiro had to climb their trees just to keep from drowning. When the water cleared, it was easy to see who had won. The fog disappeared, giving them a better picture of what was happening. The tall man was dead, and another person appeared, collected his body and left with it. The children and the old man gathered together where Kakashi was kneeling on the ground.

Nayamae jumped down from the tree. "Hiro, go back to the group and continue to the village. I will meet with you all there as soon as I can."

Hiro nodded, an obvious question forming in his eyes. "Right." He jumped down and ran the way they had come.

Nayamae ran out into the clearing, coming across to the other side of the lake. She approached the group slowly, unsure of how to introduce herself.

The black haired boy noticed her first, immediately drawing a kunai and going into a fighting stance. "Who are you?" he demanded. The others turned to face where he was looking.

Nayamae put her hands up. "I mean no harm," she said. "I saw the battle just now. Are you all okay?" She looked them all over. The boys seemed fine, and so did the old man. The pink haired girl was kneeling down beside her sensei, looking unsure of her.

"Your sensei," she said, nodding her head towards him, "he alright?"

The blond boy suddenly spoke up. "What do you care about our sensei?! Who are you, lady?!" he shouted. "You don't know him!"

Nayamae laughed. "I know him a little better than you think I do."

"Naruto, calm down. You too, Sasuke," Kakashi's tired voice sounded over them. She felt her heart skip a beat at his voice. "It's alright, Sakura. She's an old friend." The black haired boy, Sasuke, slowly lowered his kunai, but still kept his eyes fixed on her. Naruto didn't seem convinced, and instead continued to scowl at her, but kept quiet. Sakura looked from between Kakashi and the stranger.

The children parted from in front of the old man and their teacher. Nayamae could feel her heart begin to race as they regarded each other. He was obviously tired from using his sharingan and was bleeding from a few cuts. His silver hair was still wet from his battle, but had just started to dry. His shoulders seemed broader than when she had last seen him, but his face and demeanor seemed to be the same.

Kakashi looked Nayamae up and down as well, more than surprised to see her in the middle of their journey. Her raven black hair fell freely past her hips. Ryu's old sword hung around her waist with a thick red ribbon, tying her pants up around her exposed midriff. She had an air of authority around her that hadn't been there two years before. He hadn't heard anything about her since he had last seen her walking away in the mountains.

"What do you want? Did you come to help?" the old man asked, butting in front of them.

Nayamae nodded. "I have medical aid if you need it. It also looks like you may need an extra body to carry him," she said, pointing to Kakashi. "He's used too much of his sharingan."

The children looked at each other, then suspiciously back at her. "Please," Sakura said, "we don't know who you are."

"I'm Nayamae," she said, extending her hand out to the old man. "Do you live near here?"

He took and shook her hand. "Tazuna. I live in the Land of the Waves. It's not much further from here."

"Perfect! I was heading there myself."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes. "What are you doing there?"

"I sent my men ahead of me once I saw your battle. I'm planning on meeting them there," she explained.

Naruto crossed his arms and huffed loudly. "Your men, huh? Didn't think we could have used their help?"

"Naruto-!" Kakashi started, but Nayamae beat him to it.

"Only a few of my men are trained to use the jutsus you shinobi are taught. And even then, they aren't much of a match against the skills you already have. We're wandering samurai, I suppose you could say. Our swords wouldn't have been much help against the kind of enemy you were fighting." She smiled. "Besides, you were handling it pretty well, I think," she added with a wink.

Naruto blushed brightly and turned away from her.

"We should go," Kakashi said finally. "There's no telling if more enemies like Zabuza are going to show up."

Tazuna nodded. "I agree. I'd rather not be out here much longer, being so close to home."

Together, Tazuna and Nayamae managed to help Kakashi up, putting an arm over each shoulder, and they continued on to the Land of the Waves. The three children followed behind them, but not close enough they could be overheard.

"Who is she?" Sasuke whispered. "I've never seen her before." He was confused by her sudden appearance and extreme willingness to help them.

"She makes my stomach feel funny," Naruto said with a grimace.

Sakura gave him a look. "That's weird, Naruto." She gasped suddenly. "You don't suppose she's Kakashi-sensei's ex-girlfriend, do you?" she asked excitedly.

"So what?" Naruto groaned, putting his hands behind his head.

"Well," she huffed, "think about it! She was really concerned for him when she showed up, wasn't she? And didn't she say she said she knew sensei a little better than we think she did?"

"That doesn't necessarily mean that she's an old girlfriend," said Sasuke with a shrug. "She may just be an old friend like sensei said."

She frowned. "You two obviously didn't see how they were looking at each other! Typical boys!"

"Hey, are you kids keeping up?!" Tazuna suddenly yelled at them. "At the rate you're walking, we'll never reach my home!"

The children quieted, walking a little faster, but still kept their distance.

"At any rate," Sakura whispered mostly to herself, "I think she's pretty."

Nayamae helped Tazuna get Kakashi and his students to the village and settled in Tazuna's home. She briefly met his daughter and grandson, Tsunami and Inari, and then quickly left to find where Hiro and the rest of her men were. Eventually, she found them in a run-down inn near the center of town.

Hiro was waiting for her outside the inn. "Boss," he greeted as she approached. "We're set to stay here for as long as we need. The innkeeper was glad to have some business."

"Good," she said. "As long as we keep clean. I don't want a repeat from the Hidden Sand." Nayamae shook her head and breathed a heavy sigh at the memory. "Have you already paid for tonight?"

He nodded. "I assumed we were staying for at least a week, so I paid in advance, plus a little extra."

She nodded in approval. "Excellent. Thank you, Hiro." She followed him into the inn and was met with the loud noise of her men enjoying a meal in a large dining room. A loud bout of laughter erupted across the lively dining hall. They sat down across from each other at the only empty table left.

"Do you have a plan yet?" Hiro asked.

She nodded. "For now just gather intel on Gato and what he's been doing here. We can figure it out from there."

Hiro picked at his fingernails. "What were you up to this afternoon?" he asked curiously. "Did you help those people who were being attacked?"

"Yes, they were Leaf shinobi, protecting a bridge builder on his way home. Their jonin was injured," she replied. "I think that bridge builder has something to do with Gato. I'm planning on going to see them again tomorrow to check in on them. But now," she said standing, "I'm going to bed. Keep these hooligans under control," she ordered with a laugh. "Don't want the innkeeper to kick us out."

The next morning, Nayamae gathered everyone in the dining hall and gave her orders for the day. They would all be making observations and talking with the locals to get a feel about what's been going on. When they finished, they would all come together and share what they had learned. She hoped this gathering of information would be useful.

While her men scattered around the village, Nayamae went straight to Tazuna's house. His daughter answered the door.

"The boys are out training, father and the girl went shopping for dinner, and their sensei is in there resting," Tsunami explained. "Did you want to talk with him? I can see if he's awake?"

"Please." Nayamae watched her open the door to the bedroom and then turned back to her.

"He's awake," she said, moving to let her pass.

Nayamae walked into the room, shutting the door quietly behind her. Kakashi painfully sat up from his mat on the floor. She stayed by the door, not moving any closer, but regarded him softly. He stared back, waiting for her to break the silence.

"It's been a while, Kakashi," she said finally.

"It has," he replied. More silence passed between them. He gestured to a green pillow beside the mat. "Want to sit?"

Hesitantly, she moved from the door and kneeled beside him, carefully laying her sword beside her on the floor. She sat on her knees, her back straight. "How are you feeling?" she asked after a moment. "That battle looked pretty rough yesterday."

Kakashi nodded, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. "He took us by surprise. I'll be better after tomorrow." He looked at her, taking in her appearance. He had been hoping to find her again while on a mission, but he didn't think it would actually happen, especially on one with his students.

The silence between them was unnerving. Nayamae looked down at her lap. "I should let you rest," she said reaching for her sword. "I'll come back when you're feeling better." She went to stand, but Kakashi spoke, stopping her.

"Stay," he requested. "Talk to me." She sat back down. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

She opened her mouth, unsure of where to start. "I'm here to investigate a man named Gato," she said finally. "He has a hold on this village and I plan on making sure he lets go of it. Whether I have to force his hand or not."

"The man you met yesterday, Tazuna, is a bridge builder here. His current project is what's stirring up trouble. If that bridge is built, this village won't have to rely on Gato and he obviously doesn't want that."

"What do you know about him?" she asked.

"About as much as you do. The man we fought yesterday works for him. I hadn't realized how intense the situation here was."

"Well, my men and I are here to help." She explained her plan to him, letting him know they were staying in a nearby hotel.

"Thank you. I'll let you know if we need anything," Kakashi said.

They were both quiet again. Nayamae sensed Tsunami pass by the bedroom door, pausing for a moment to listen.

"Your students," Nayamae started, "they seem capable for their age."

Kakashi chuckled lightly. "They're all a handful in one way or another, but I honestly think they have good potential to be excellent shinobi."

She smiled. "They do seem to admire you."

He chuckled again. "I don't see why they would." He paused, sitting up a little straighter. "How's your kitsunebi?"

She unconsciously put her hand on her chest. "Not good," she admitted quietly. "I haven't used it since we were at Shinjou's compound, but I can tell it's still fading."

He nodded. "You should come back with us," he suggested. "Kyrie would love to see you. She may be able to-"

"I don't doubt she would like to see me, Kakashi, but there's nothing that we can do about my kitsunebi," she said firmly. "Orochimaru has done his damage to me and there's nothing we can do."

Kakashi frowned. "You don't even want to try?"

"There's no point," she replied with a shrug. "After we help this village, I plan on leaving my men to my second in command, Hiro. He's more than capable of taking over for me." She looked down at her hands. "I just want to die in peace."

"No."

She looked up at him. "No? You don't want me to die peacefully?"

He stared at her intensely, the blanket clenched in his fists. "I don't want you to die at all."

She scoffed. "Bold of you to think you have any say in the matter." She grabbed her sword and stood up. "I'll let you get some rest now. Let me know if you and your students need anything." Without another word, she left Tazuna's house, leaving Kakashi behind.

Thanks for reading! Please feel free to leave a review!

Happy New Year!