All right… I am going to try and make a chapter and probably end up making a huge mess but here goes...
"Please restore the honor to our clan. It is up to you, my child. Avenge our clan."
My eyes slowly opened. Sighing, I remember my mother's voice as it rings in my head.
"Avenge the clan… avenge the clan… it's up to you…"
I needed to. It was only up to me. No matter what anyone else thinks. I need to rescue the only other sane member of my clan from darkness. But I can't go alone. I need help from another.
"Come here, Kohana!" I was taking the day off from training. I've been training hard for a couple of days. I needed a vacation. "Naruto, are you coming?" I shouted at him.
"Yeah! Hold on!" He shouted back. I smiled. My little brother was just so funny. Kohana purred.
"You like him too, don't you?"
"Meow!" At first she'd been really scared of him, but she's warmed up to him a lot. Just then Naruto jumped out of the window of his room and landed next to me.
"All right!" he smiled his goofy smile. "Let's go!" We walked to the edge of town where Kohana loved to sit and relax. She seemed to be pretty lazy at first glance, but if anyone dared touch me, she would rip their head off in a second.
"I love this spot!" Naruto shouted as we both sat down. "It's so nice and warm…"
Suddenly, I stopped cold and put my hand over Naruto's mouth so I could listen.
"Shh!" I commanded.
There it was. A soft rustle of leaves. Coming from right behind us.
In an instant I was on my feet, Kunai in hand.
"It's all right. It's only me." Recognizing the voice, I dropped my Kunai.
"What are you doing here?!" I shouted as Kasumi emerged from the bushes.
"I need your help. I have to find Sasuke. You know about Orochimaru, right? I need you to help me get to them."
"Why do you need to find Sasuke?" Naruto asked.
"I need to avenge my clan, and I need to rescue him to do it."
"That's what Sasuke says. He always said that he was an avenger…" Kasumi laughed.
"Then he's an idiot. He won't avenge our clan by being just as bad as our brother."
"Wait a second, OUR!?" Naruto and I shouted together. Kasumi sighed, and nodded.
"My parents told me when I arrived back in the village. Apparently, my mother gave me away to save me, knowing something was wrong with Itachi. She and my adopted parents were friends, and so that was that."
"Wow. So, you have the Sharingan then?" I asked.
"Yes, I suppose so. I'm not sure exactly how to use it, though. Another reason I need to get to Sasuke."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go to Tsunade!! We have to ask her if we can go on a mission!" Naruto exclaimed.
"No." Kasumi replied. "I can't. I ran away from my village. Technically, I'm a missing-nin now. I can't be seen by your Hokage or by anyone but you two. You will have to find some other way."
"Well, without Sasuke here, we aren't a complete team. I don't think we can ask for a mission, especially such a dangerous mission, without having an adult Jounin coming with us."
"Like me?" Suddenly, I whipped around to see someone with long, white hair.
"Pervy sage? What are you doing here!?" Naruto yelled.
"Kasumi, you need to find Sasuke you say? That's none of my business, nor is it any business of the village, but I can arrange for a mission to be sent out. It would consist of me, Aria, and Naruto, and you could join us if you wish." I turned to Kasumi and then back to man and back and forth until my head spun.
"Of course, we won't be responsible for what happens to you and you must understand that you are in no way connected to our village."
Kasumi nodded. "I understand. I will gratefully accept if you allow me to accompany you."
"Very well. I will talk to Tsunade. For now, wait here. All of you."
I waited at the designated spot for them to arrive. Waiting wasn't easy. Constantly I wondered how this would work. I went over my plan again and again, but I just couldn't be certain about anything. They arrived, sure enough, ready for a mission.
They approached slowly. I nodded to them as they came closer, and simply walked alongside them for much of the journey. Naruto continually argued with the "Pervy Sage." I eventually found out that this was actually Jiraiya, the toad sage, and one of the three Sannin of the leaf village. That information wasn't secret, so it was all right that I knew.
"All right. Aria and I know the most about Orochimaru, so we'll lead the way." Jiraiya announced.
"I'm not sure I remember correctly, but I believe I know which hideout he'll be in." Aria stated.
"He has more than one hideout?" Naruto asked. Aria nodded.
"Yes. And there is a pattern to it that I used to know pretty well, but it has been a long time and I'm not sure how accurate I am."
"Do you know the location of all of his hideouts?" I asked, curious.
"Yes... roughly, at least. I can point you in the right direction." You smiled. You knew that Aria would be a big help.
"Then lead away."
We traveled through the woods for a while until we came across a small town.
"I'll do some research in this town, I think. Why don't you three hang out at the other end of town?" Jiraiya suggested.
"Pervy sage!! We have to look for Sasuke! We shouldn't be fooling around!"
"It's not fooling around! It's research for my new book. Plus, I'm in charge of this mission, so I say where we're going." I sighed. Great. I didn't have time to be waiting for Jiraiya. I needed to find Sasuke.
My brother.
That still felt weird to think or say. Sasuke, my brother. It was odd.
"Well, at least we can take a break from walking. Maybe find something to eat." I suggested.
"Yeah, see? Kasumi knows what's important!" Jiraiya smiled. "Now, I'll be busy, so you three find some lunch and meet me at the edge of town!" And with that, we wouldn't see him again until he was done with his "research."
"I think we should get lunch!" Naruto's stomach growled loudly. "Hehe… I'm kind of hungry…"
After we found a place to eat we headed for the edge of the town. We waited.
For hours.
"When will that slow Pervy Sage get his butt back here?" Naruto complained. I ignored him. I had been practicing activating my Sharingan. I needed to learn how to use it.
When I activated it, everything seemed clearer.
Then I noticed it.
At a speed I couldn't imagine possible, I jumped and caught a sharp knife in my hands, by the handle.
"What was that?"
"Kasumi, we have come to kill you."
ANBU. From my village. Not good.
"I am no longer a part of your village, and I never was. You have no reason to attack or kill me. I know none of your village's secrets and I don't intend on coming back, so leave!" I shouted furiously.
Unfortunately, they weren't convinced. We were surrounded by ANBU.
I suppose now would be a good time to test out my Sharingan. I activated it again and everything slowed down. I saw every movement. I jumped and kicked away a knife that one of them had aimed at me. I punched him in the face and quickly did a few hand signs before turning and attacking another ANBU.
Katon, Housenka no Jutsu! Phoenix Flower Jutsu!
There were about three ANBU here. Not many, which is good. They probably didn't think they would need that many to deal with me.
They were wrong.
I twirled on my hands, gracefully and painfully kicking one ANBU in the face. I jumped back onto my feet, jumped over one ninja, and punched another into the ground. I turned and saw that Naruto and Aria had already knocked out the others. I realized something.
"That was too easy. Something's wrong here." Just as I said that, something grabbed me from the ground below.
"You're very right, Kasumi." Whoever it was released me. They came out of the ground and I was amazed to see who it was.
"I always knew that you were strong. Possibly stronger than Sasuke."
"How do you know about me?" I demanded.
"Your mother thought that she had kept you a secret. When I was in the Akatsuki, I learned everything about your clan. Itachi knew that you existed, and it just so happened I found out." Orochimaru hissed cruelly. "I want you to join me."
Sorry I haven't updated in months! TT I've been busy, plus I'm kind of lazy… and I couldn't figure out what I wanted to do! But I did and that's all that matters…
-At long last!