Another chapter is here!

Enjoy!

Sarutobi read the scroll that was delivered to him courtesy of a Messenger Toad inside of his own home with a weary frown as it reported on Jiraiya's chase and the conclusion. Orochimaru had eluded them again. Not only that, but Jiraiya theorized he used Anko Mitarashi's body in order to bring himself back and was using it as his current vessel.

They couldn't be completely certain on the method of how the Cursed Seal acted as a means of transferring his soul into a vessel. Whether he booted the soul of the victim out or some other means was alien to them. Their only hope of understanding it would be investigating the Cursed Seal on the captive that Anko had sent to the village.

Inoichi's more invasive method of mind-reading, done with the Hokage's consent given her affiliation, crimes against their village, and the urgency of the situation, had rendered her brain-dead. From there, they could keep her body alive while they poked and prodded her seal until they could understand it well enough to find a way to remove it without the risk of death. To find a way to free Sasuke Uchiha and Karin Uzumaki from sharing the same fate in the future.

But, for all intents and purposes, Anko Mitarashi was among the dead now. She would have to be added to the Memorial Stone. Her charge, Karin, would also need to be informed given the circumstances.

A weary sigh left his mouth at the thought. Anko was a bright child and promising kunoichi. More than anything she regretted her affiliation with Orochimaru and proved her loyalty to their village time and time again. Yet this was how it ended for her—used to return the man she hated the most in the world back to the land of the living.

Back to threaten their village in due time because he didn't kill Orochimaru the first time his treachery came to light. His fingers trembled as they curled into fists. If he had killed him back then, the betrayal of Sand and this would not have happened. His former student wouldn't have mutilated his very soul into something so monstrous, denied their village founders their final rest, and the chains shackling Jiraiya to chase after him would never exist.

Ba-thump.

"Ngh…" His fingers fell over his chest, grasping for his heart. Since that day his age had been catching up to him. Even with Tsunade's help, he would not stave off death forever. The question was: would he die before he corrected this travesty, or leave behind an immortal monster to haunt their village until it was naught but ashes?

For now, he would deal with the coffin containing their village founders. He would have it taken to the Sealed Hall, on the outskirts of the village. There it would be stored away along with other forbidden objects and left until they could find some way to return their souls to where they belonged.

[-oOo-]

Naruto was roused the next morning by his alarm clock, its constant ringing reverberating in his skull. He groaned as he sat up in the bed, the sleeping cap's tail brushing against his cheek as he rubbed his eyes. The fog of slumber clouded his mind and left him wondering why he was getting up so early on a weekend as he yawned.

"Did you sleep well?" a feminine voice asked from next to him.

"I guess—" His eyes snapped open as he registered the voice, driving the lethargy from his mind. "Karin!?"

"Good morning," Karin Uzumaki said from her seat at the foot of the bed. "I didn't startle you, did I?"

"A bit…" Fully awake now, he scratched his cheek as he looked her up and down. Karin was wearing a lavender blouse that covered her arms and fell down to her hips. Her pants fell down to her socks and a pair of open-toed sandals. "How long have you been here?"

"An hour or two ago. I didn't want to wake you up by knocking, so I figured that I would just…" Karin shifted her eyes to the door, looking away from him as she admitted the truth. "I picked the lock since it was part of my training and then… watched you for a bit while you slept."

"…That was risky," Naruto said in warning. And, if he had to admit it, the part about her just watching him sleep for a while was a bit creepy. "If an ANBU patrol caught you doing that it could have caused problems."

"I had my Mind's Eye active," she explained. "That's also how I knew you were asleep."

Naruto shook his head. "That's not the point. You shouldn't risk yourself like that just because you didn't want to wake me. It would have been weird to explain it to the Old Man if you were caught somehow."

She looked down at her hands as her fingers curled around the hem of her blouse. "…Yeah, I kind of figured that much after I was already inside. It just seemed like a good idea at the time. I'm not sure why, though. I've been feeling a little off-balance since the end of the date where I… you know."

Naruto felt a weight drop into the pit of his stomach when she pressed two fingers to her lips to get the point across about their kiss the previous night. "Did I do something wrong?"

Karin shook her head. "Originally, I was just going to give you another kiss on the cheek that time. But then I impulsively kissed you on the lips, despite telling myself during the date I didn't want to scare you off. I played it off well, but after I shut the door my heart was pounding and my thoughts were scrambled. I couldn't tell if you enjoyed it or were as confused as me or if I had left a bad impression—and I'm rambling now."

Naruto realized this was probably the most flustered he'd seen Karin. She always carried herself so well under normal circumstances, so he kind of expected her to be more or less the same after the date. But now it was like a switch had been flipped. "If it's gotten you this bothered, we should talk about it."

She hummed lowly as she considered it. "You're sweet, Naruto. But I'd rather not try to explain what I'm feeling to you out of fear that I'd…spook you."

"Um… okay? Well, what about talking to Ayame-nee then?" he asked, recalling the advice she'd given him. "You know her, she knows about us, and we still have time before we need to get to the Sealing R & D building for the mask thing. If we go now I'm sure she can help you sort things out, and I did promise to tell her how it went."

Karin bit her lower lip in thought for a moment. Then she nodded, her red hair swaying with the motion. "Yes, I think that'd be best. I'll be able to concentrate better once I get it off my chest."

"Alright, I'll make a clone to go with you while I go take a shower and get ready for the day," Naruto said, rising to his feet. "It'll dispel once you get there and you'll be able to talk in private until I'm ready to meet up there. Afterwards, I'll see about getting a copy of my key made for you later today."

[-oOo-]

Ayame did expect to hear from Naruto the next day about how his date went. So, when he came with Karin this morning and told her that it went well, she was glad for him and promised to write down the recipe for his other little friend who helped him. However, she didn't expect that Karin would want to talk to her afterwards and for Naruto to be a clone.

But, she was always willing to lend an ear to a friend of Naruto's. So she took the girl back into the shop while her dad manned the front and heard her out… and it proved to be the smart thing to do, considering what she told her about breaking into his room to watch him sleep.

"You know, I was originally planning on doing the big sisterly thing and warning you against breaking Naruto's heart," Ayame said, after listening to her explain herself. "But now I'm a bit more worried about you moving too fast with him."

"Me too, actually," Karin said, placing her hand over her heart. "Normally, I act a lot more rational and wanted to take things slow with Naruto. But since last night something has changed. I've been feeling like…"

"It's all boiling inside of you?" Ayame guessed, to which Karin nodded. "What you're feeling is pretty natural. Love is a really powerful thing, especially for people who haven't had much experience with it."

"That's why I wanted to take things slow," she said. "But my impulse control slipped twice in less than 12 hours, first with that kiss and then entering into his home like that. They both seemed like a good idea at the time, even though I should have known they weren't and realized that after the fact."

"Well, that's probably because there's no more uncertainty since the date. Think of the situation like…" She looked around for something to explain it better and settled on a pot. "Like a pot of water simmering in a low flame. Before, Naruto hadn't given any sign he was willing to commit, so you kept the flames level. With me so far?"

Karin nodded. "And I'm guessing that date essentially turned up the flames and set the pot to boiling?"

"That's right," Ayame said. "Now imagine a bunch of noodles being thrown into the mix as well. Noodles make a pot of water boil over the edges really easily because there's a lot of things inside of it that come out under the heat. If you relate the pot to your self-control, the water to your emotions, the noodles towards love, and the excess that comes out under the heat being hormones, then when it boils over would be when your impulse control slips because your emotions have gotten too high to control—which explains the kiss on the lips and bedroom invasion."

She frowned a bit as a light blush painted her face. "Do you have to frame that last part that way?"

Ayame shot her a stern glance. "Naruto's becoming more mature, but he's still innocent at heart. He probably didn't consider the implications of you slipping into his home and watching him sleep, but I think we both know that you at least entertained the thought of kissing him again while he wasn't awake, didn't you?"

She didn't deny it outright. "… I didn't go through with it."

"This time," Ayame stressed. "Next time it could be worse, especially once puberty really kicks in. You're mature for your age and can reason out why it's a bad idea, but the raw emotion is still there and it can consume you. Then, once it settles, you'll just have regrets. Trust me when I say a lot of people my age have done things like that because they didn't have someone to explain it to them like I am now."

"Does that include you?" Karin asked.

"Mmm… almost," she admitted. "There was a guy who I found attractive and thought he was pretty cool. Not shinobi-cool, but by civilian standards. Dad didn't like him though, so we kept things a bit of a secret. It added a hint of spice to things that way."

"So what happened then?"

"Naruto came in one day after looking like he had been crying because of something at the Academy back when he was younger," she explained. "Since he's a little brother to me in all but name, he was my priority and I spent the evening lifting his spirits rather than leaving work early to go off with the guy. I could understand him being upset at that because I made a commitment and didn't see it through, but then he called Naruto a brat and that pretty much cut the flames off right then and there."

"Jerk," Karin said to that.

"Yeah, he was." Ayame sighed. "Anyway, back with the analogy of boiling noodles. You stop them from overflowing by adding a little oil to it. That's what you need to do the equivalent of, keeping it boiling without spilling over. I'll give you some advice on that front."

"Thanks," Karin said, before licking her lips nervously and adding, "Can we… not tell Naruto about this?"

"Your secret's safe with me," Ayame assured her. "Now, about that advice…"

[-oOo-]

"It should be done charging in a few seconds!" exclaimed the enthusiastic sealing researcher said from behind the glass.

After her talk with Ayame, Naruto had arrived and went with Karin to the Sealing R&D building. There they found Narue waiting, despite it being relatively early in the morning. Considering the rings under her eyes, Karin found herself wondering if the woman even slept last night or spent the entire time making sure everything was ready for them.

Well, at least Byakko's mask has been remade, Karin thought to herself. They had finished reconstructing it, with Naruto currently testing its capabilities while she would be here to start the interview with the Divine Priestess first. Naruto would be handling the Divine Priests that were considered less of a hazard than the Reaper afterwards—they would save that one for last.

"And we're all set!" Narue said through the speakers. "Go ahead, Karin-chan!"

"Okay." Turning the priestess' mask over, Karin peeled off the chakra-storing slip that contained Naruto's Yang Chakra. Then she used a scalpel they provided to make an incision into her thumb, providing the blood to activate it.

From the mask emerged a feminine figure of flowing, white robes. A translucent ribbon woven from the air itself curved around its arms and back, swaying softly to a non-existent breeze. Landing before her daintily in the second focal circle, the Divine Priestess took form for the first time since the day that they found them.

'You summoned me, child of the eddies?' it spoke in a soft voice that tickled her mind through their spiritual link. 'How may I be of aid to you?'

"It works," Narue said. "We heard that on this side. You can start the discussion."

Taking a deep breath, Karin began. "Tennyo, I've summoned you in the hopes that you could tell me more about yourself and the others—your capabilities, your origins, and the purpose of the Divine Gods. Why can't we summon them like we do you?"

'The Divine Gods cannot be summoned through the means by which I stand before you,' Tennyo stated. 'I and the Divine Priests are messengers who act on their behalf and possess a fragment of their powers to aid those of the clan that dwelled by the eddies. Should one need to call upon the Divine Gods, they must be prepared to sacrifice instead.'

"What do you mean?" Karin asked.

'Those who seek the power of the Divine Gods must offer their body as a vessel and chakra as the means to bridge the gap between Heaven and Earth. The one who bears the mask upon their flesh becomes an avatar for them to descend and inhabit their bodies, allowing them to utilize power beyond their kin. But it is not without consequences, and should you attempt to do so as you are now, you will perish.'

Not eager to test that then, Karin decided before moving on. "You mentioned you and the Divine Priest have a fragment of their powers. What does that mean?"

'I shall show you.' Bowing its head slightly, the Divine Priestess' ribbon seemed to stretch out towards Karin. The moment it touched her forehead, her world melted as a memory that wasn't her own overtook her.

She found herself standing in front of a beautiful red-haired woman who Karin recognized from one of the books she read. The woman dressed regally was standing there, cradling a mask with her hands tenderly as chakra flowed from her into it. Another vision quickly filtered in as that one faded.

Karin found herself in the presence of that same woman decades later. Her red-hair had faded to a grey and wrinkles lined her features, yet there was still an air of grace about her. Just as delicately as before, she cradled a mask in her grasp. Only this time she wasn't alone and handed it to another red-haired girl that Karin also recognized, instructing her to do the same.

"Karin-chan, what's happening?" Narue's voice rang out abruptly. "You've gone silent. Say something if you're okay."

"I… I'm looking at a memory," Karin said, her eyes still those of Tennyo's as the ribbons flowed around her arms like water and touched the two Uzumaki women. "It seems like the priestess can use her ribbons to transfer memories that she observes or between people. Right now, I'm looking at one of Tennyo's memories of the ones responsible for maintaining the shrine and the masks within them before we stumbled across them."

"We're not getting visual here," Narue said. "Can you describe them and we can do research into them later on?"

"I recognize them both," Karin said as the memory came to an end and the ribbons retracted from touching her head. "The first was Mito Uzumaki. She must've been the one who took care of them initially. But as she aged, she needed another person to do so, and she chose another Uzumaki to do so… Kushina Uzumaki."

Naruto's mother would have been the one to take care of them after the passing of Mito. Taking into account they were probably neglected during the various wars since it was established, combined with the near-extinction of their clan at some point during the last one, Naruto's mother probably only visited to charge them while leaving the temple in a state of disarray.

And if she was the host of the Nine-Tailed Fox before Naruto, and it had the same effect on her chakra that it did on his without purifying it, she wouldn't have been able to use them. A Jinchuuriki probably had more worth to the village than the masks at that point since their clan was scattered. So, with her death upon Naruto's birth, it was likely that no one else would have known about it.

Taking a deep breath, Karin addressed the Divine Priestess again. "So, that's your ability then? To share memories or take them while they're bound?"

'To be precise, it is the ability to connect minds,' Tennyo explained as more ribbons came into existence from the air itself. 'Wherever the winds blow, my ribbons can touch and thus all are connected. The Divine God I act on behalf of has the ability to perceive and manipulate the threads of fate upon which all is bound on a conceptual level. Connecting minds between others to allow them to commune with one another. Connecting hearts between others to bind them in love. Should it be needed, even connecting to the forces of the natural world is possible—such as if one connected the sky and the land, the winds would churn into a twister and sweep the land into the sky.'

Bringing about whatever change you desired through manipulating the metaphysical or conceptual bonds. It sounded absurd to Karin on some level. But she supposed that if you were technically calling down a god to inhabit your body then it would possible, theoretically.

More worryingly, if that was what only one was capable of… what were the others capable of?