Hey guys. I'm sorry for the wait. Life has been getting in the way. I pretty much finished this two minutes ago and didn't have time to thoroughly correct it so I'm sorry for any mistakes. Aso tell me if Kushina seems OOC in this. Spoliers...kinda(If you read the recent Naruto chapters I think the quick switched between depression and happiness is possible since Naruto and Kushina are supposedly very similar in character.)

People have been asking me about couples and such. All I can say is that there will be couples, but it won't overly romantic. I'm not very good at writing romance. I had originally planned this to be a trilogy with more action in this and romance in the others and I'm still debating if I want to keep it that way. It will mean however that most of the romance will be in the other fics. Tell me what you want me to do so I can rearrange things to fit.

Naruto doesn't belong to me. Enjoy!

Chapter 6: Borderline

The fire crackled merrily as it slowly ate at the dry pieces of wood. Kushina sat next to it, slowly stoking the fire with gnarled twig that hadn't made the cut for the fire. Bugs came to dance around the light, biting her exposed skin. A log popped and caved in, sending a cloud of ash into the air. Fighting back the cough, she turned to the woods. No movement. Good. She didn't need any nervous, over helpful boys trying to cheer her up.

Shortly after arriving in Konoha, Minato and Ryou had made it clear that she wasn't allowed to brood about what happened to her village. They had spent as much time as they could with her, in order to make sure she didn't make sure she didn't fall into depression, something she was grateful for. She had never been one to brood, but she had never lost her entire village in a day before either. If she had been left to her own devices, she probably would be as dark and depressing as some of the other refuges were. She shivered. That definitely had to be avoided at all costs. After all, a suicidal shinobi was no use in war.

But, despite her better judgment, on nights like these, she couldn't help but think about that day. It was still so fresh in her mind. The smell of the smoke, burning wood, and burning flesh seemed to hover around her like a cloud. She could still hear the cries of pain as kunai ripped through skin ringing in her ears. She could still taste the blood and sweat in her mouth, feel the stinging wounds and heat from the fires. Something rustled next to her and she turned, kunai ready to kill.

Unable to see the danger he was in, Councilman Debiru sat calmly next to her, hands held out to the warm fire. "I'm sorry I frightened you. You seemed lost in thought and I didn't want to disturb you." The fire accented all the sags and nicks in his face. His colorless eyes reflected the light so well it looked like his eyes were made of fire. He sighed as the warmth seeped into his old body. "I hope you don't mind sharing the fire with an old man. I've never done well in the cold. Makes my joints stiff." He chuckled. "If you have the choice, stay young for ever. Growing old isn't fun."

She watched him suspiciously, still not relaxed around the man. His people had attacked her village and killed her people. It had taken all her self control to not go on a rampage when she learned he was in Konoha. He was a councilman. For all she knew, he had issued the order to destroy Whirlpool. She had a feeling Hideki felt the same. Whenever possible, the black-haired man kept his space from the councilman.

"There's enough room." She absentmindedly poked at the fire again. "You should really get some sleep though. We have a long journey ahead of us tomorrow. We'll be passing into the Stone Country's borders tomorrow night." Her voice sounded mechanic even to her ears. The old man frowned and turned his head in her approximate direction.

"I should say the same for you. The others are on patrol. I don't believe there is anything to worry about. They both seem like capable men. The rumors I've heard about Namikaze definitely attest to his capabilities. There is no reason for you to be awake too." He smiled kindly at her and she was eerily reminded of some of the grandfathers she had seen in her village and suddenly had trouble associating the man with the death and destruction she had seen. "I know this sounds a bit impertinent, but can you please tell me what happen on that day of the attack."

She froze, gapping at the elderly man beside her. He couldn't be serious. She grit her teeth and felt the twig in her hands begin to snap under the pressure. "What?" The man blinked and frowned, tilting his head to the side.

"I have upset you?" It was more of statement than an question. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I merely wish to know what happened. We had just heard rumors abo..."

"What do you mean you 'just heard rumors'? It was your shinobi that attacked! It was your council that gave the order to destroy my village! It was your order that sent hundreds of my people to their deaths! Upset? Of course I'm upset! I'm damn furious! That attack killed everyone dear to me! I watched my friends and family die, my whole life go up in flames! How can you just sit there and ask about it so calmly?" Her hand found the material of his shirt and pulled the man roughly to her feet. "Why? Why my village? Why my people? Why me? Was it for your own sick enjoyment?" The councilman's expression didn't change as she shook him. Her voice had risen from a whisper to a scream. "ANSWER ME YOU BASTARD!"

Strong arms latched onto to her, and tore her grip from Debiru's shirt. Another pair of arms steadied the elderly councilman. "What is going on?" Hideki walked over from the group of sleeping bags, obviously not happy about being woken up. Kushina mentally cursed her carelessness. She hadn't meant for it to get out of hand like this. Her anger had made her loud enough to wake up Hideki, warn Minato and Ryou, and probably broadcast their position to everyone nearby.

"Kushina, what happened? Is everything alright?" Minato's warm breath played with the short hair near her ear and sent a shiver down her spine. She hated when he did that. Ryou was watching her with concerned eyes. Glaring at the medic and his current hostage, she struggled against Minato's death grip.

"No its not! We should be killing him or holding him for ransom or... something! We shouldn't be helping the enemy. Have you forgotten what we've gone through because of this stupid war? Have you forgotten who started this? It's him! Him and his damned people!" Minato and Ryou shared a look and the redhead felt her ire rise. They were questioning her sanity. She just knew it.

"What happened?" Minato's soft, authoritive voice asked again, this time his question directed at their charge. The man shuffled cautiously in Ryou's grasp before sighing.

"I'm sorry. This little episode is my fault." Ryou quirked an eyebrow unbelievingly which earned him a glare from the girl. "I was curious and asked something I shouldn't have of the girl. I never intended to cause trouble. I should have taken her emotions into consideration. I am sorry. I meant no offense." His blank eyes gleamed in the firelight as he looked at Kushina. "I will answer your questions." Hideki signaled to Ryou who immediately released the man. Minato loosen his grip but still held her to him in case she decided to attack the councilman again.

"Uzumaki." The redhead glared at Hideki and bared her teeth, cursing Minato for being so strong. "I need to speak with you for a minute. Alone." The last word was directed at Minato who hesitated for a second before releasing her. The leader of the group motioned for her to follow him into the woods. "Stay here until we return. After that, you can continue your patrol." Minato nodded but watched with hooded eyes as Hideki lead her out of the clearing. Ryou made a rude gesture toward the older shinobi and scowled.

They walked until out of earshot, pushing past thick brush. When they found a spot the man deemed fit for the discussion , he turned to face her, arms crossed and familiar frown in place. "What do you think you're doing Uzumaki?"

"That bastard asked me about that night!" Her arms flung around in outrage. "What kind of dickhead does that? Especially when it was his forces that did it! I don't know how you can sit through this and let him live. Don't you want to revenge the village? Here's our chance! He's one of the ones responsible." The emotionless expression on the man's face only fed her anger. "I don't know what you're all thinking! Why are we making sure he gets back safely? So he can order the destruction of more lives? What's the point?"

"The point is because we can end this war." The hard voice was barely above a whisper, but it silenced her more than any shout could have. "Would you rather we kill him and incite another bloodbath or help him bring peace to the nations? Do not ruin this whole mission because you cannot control yourself! Revenge is for the people who are to weak and stupid to try to let go of the past and work for a better future." He brushed past her and began the trip back to camp. Turning to face her, he scowled. "We all thought Ryoichi's student would be better than those weaklings. I guess we were wrong." He disappeared into the forest without another word or sound.

Biting her lip, she furiously wiped at her eyes. Stop it! She wasn't one those useless crybabies. She was stronger than that.

Then why did her eyes burn so much?

Stop it! It was just a stupid comment by a stupid jerk! It meant nothing! Nothing at all!

Except it did. Hideki had been one of her sensei's closest friends. If anyone had known him, Hideki had. Was she really just a sniveling little brat? Was she tainting her sensei's memory with her weakness? Hugging herself, Kushina leaned against one of the trees and felt a tear slide down her cheek. She could take anything, from name calling to attacks, but she could live with the idea that she was ruining her sensei's legacy. That man had given her the strength and courage she had today. She owed her life to that man.

"Kushina?" She swallowed back the tears at the sound of the voice. Damn! She was too busy with her wallowing to notice anyone had been coming. Cursing her stupidity, she wiped away the remnants of the tears, hoping the darkness would hide her red eyes. The person stooped in front of her and uncomfortably hopped form foot to foot. "Hey Red. It'll be alright. Promise." The brunette struggled with what to say in a way that would usually make her laugh. "Hey. Look at me. It'll be alright." Warm arms enfolded her and pulled her to his chest. His hands softly patted her should in an attempt to comfort her. Her breathing evened out and the flow of tears ceased as Ryou whispered useless words to her.

Pulling away from him, Kushina met his amber eyes and frowned. "You won't tell anyone about this. Ever! Unless you want me to castrate you, you won't tell a soul." The brunette smiled but nodded all the same.

"Not even Minato?"

"Definitely not Minato. I don't need that mother hen, hovering over me again." Ryou chuckled gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze.

"That certainly won't do. Fine. Noone knows, but we better get back to camp before Minato beat Hideki to an pulp." Kushina laughed and grinned at the idea of Minato beating up someone outside of the battlefield. That actually might be something worth taking their time for. The redhead slowed her pace and Ryou quirked an eyebrow at her, grinning with her.

Kushina smirked as Hideki held a hand to his black eye. The man noticed the look and sent a glare back at her. It only made her smirk grow.

When Ryou and Kushina had come back to the camp, Minato was whispering to Hideki in angry tones. It didn't take long for the two to realize that the blond wasn't going to be throwing any punches anytime soon however. So Kushina had taken matters into her own hands.

"I expect you to hold to your promise Uzumaki. Show me you were worth the time Ryoichi put into your training and that you are fit to call yourself a Whirlpool shinobi." The man met her gaze and moved to the front of the group, scouting ahead. As he left, the redhead stuck her tongue out at him, crossing her arms over her chest childishly.

"We'll be making camp soon." Minato matched his pace with hers and smiled. "It's better if we don't go to far into enemy territory this late at night. Even if we are just an escort, we're from Konoha. All it takes is one mistake to totally mess up this mission." He looked sideways at her.

"And you're worried I might ruin it right?" She quirked an eyebrow at the blond. He grinned sheepishly and rubbed his neck.

"No. I'm just warning you. It's Ryou I'm more worried about. He has a tendency to say the wrong thing at the wrong time during these kind of things." He winced and Kushina grinned. "I'm just want to make sure you're alright with this. After what happened lat night..."

"I'll be fine Minato. This mission just has me antsy is all." She made sure Debiru was out of hearing range before leaning closer to him. "We don't know if this is a trap or not. I don't entirely trust that guy. When he was talking to me last night, my nerves were already frayed. I lost control of myself. It won't happen again."

"Hey Kushina! It's time to rotate." Kushina nodded toward the brunette before smiling at Minato.

"See ya later!" She ran up to met Ryou and Debiru and watched as her friend went to accompany the blond. Uncomfortable silence fell over her as she walked with the old man who had caused her so much trouble last night. She focused her energy on watching for attackers, going through hand signs, anything to keep her mind off the man next to her.

"I'm sorry." She blinked and looked at the old man next to her. "I didn't mean to offend you or anything." Pursing her lips, she held her hands behind her head and looked at the ground, kicking at a rock in the road.

"Then why did you ask?" The councilman didn't answer for a minute, his blind eyes gazing off into oblivion.

"We aren't entirely sure what happened that day. We had ordered an attack on some of the smaller villages outside of Whirlpool. However, our men abandoned their mission however, and rampaged throughout the area. They severed all contract with us and refused to obey orders from superior officers." The councilman sighed wearily.

"Why haven't we heard about this then."

"The military decided to try and cover it up. 'It wouldn't do well for the enemy to think we can't control our own men' they said. Their ineffectiveness has cost several people their lives. But they don't care. All Jun wants is to win this war. We heard the rumor of Whirlpool's destruction a month ago." The redhead gnashed her teeth at the name. Jun was in charge of the Stone's military and had won several battles during his reign. He was famous however, for his cruel tactics and use of his own men as bait.

"Why choose me for this mission though if you had heard about the destruction."

"You're fight was magnificent." He must have sensed he confusion because he smiled. "I had someone dictate the fights for me you see. I asked for more from the Whirlpool to see if they are all like you. However, most refused to help someone from the Stones, as you can understand." Yes she understood perfectly. "Also, if I can show the others the potential that was destroyed at Whirlpool, I might be able to convince them to get rid of Jun and that rogue group." So it was all a political scheme. It made sense. Debiru was supposedly fighting for peace among the nations while Jun was just enjoying the fighting. One of them had to be killed before the other could push their views on the people.

"You also have a great strength and will to live. You have so much potential. You're future will be a great one if you make the right choices." The elder smiled and tilted his head up to the darkening sky. "The world needs more people like you. Its refreshing to find someone like you in all this destruction and death. I must admit, you've made me intrigued. I'd like to find out 'what makes you tick' if you will." He chuckled and hobbled along the road. "I thought a week on the road would be enough to figure it out, but you remain a mystery."

"Are you sure she's not just messed up?" Kushina aimed a backhand at the brunette as he came up behind her. Minato smiled wryly at his two friends as he shook his head.

"Hideki found a clearing up ahead that we can camp in fro tonight." The blond put a hand on the elderly man's shoulder and smiled. "Welcome home. We past into Stone Country not long ago." The councilman smiled and closed his eyes, looking so peaceful.

"Yes. Welcome home Debiru." The man gasped and blood stained his clothing as a kunai protruded from his chest.