A week after the funeral, Michiko started coming back to normal, and was helping rebuild the wall. When Naruto tried to glomp her, she dodged, and his face smashed into the floor. "What is it, Naru-kun?" "Ero-sennin heard you were an ANBU captain, and that you trained with an old friend of his, so he was wondering if you wanted to come look for her?" "You mean look for Tsunade-sama, right?" he nodded, and she smiled, saying, "Of course! Just let me pack and tell my dad!" Naruto nodded, running off, and she ran to her own house, packing her stuff before changing into a black tank top and dark jean shorts with a white belt. She put on black and white lined shin and forearm guards before putting on her weapons pouch and shuriken holster. She pulled on her Jounin vest, making sure she had everything she'd need, and ran to the living room, where Kakashi was reading his porn book, saying, "I'm leaving with Naru-kun and Jiraiya-sama to find Tsunade-sama!! I'll see you in a few weeks!!" he nodded, and she smiled before running out.
She was abnormally happy today for one reason…it was her thirteenth birthday. She met up with the two idiots at the gate, and bowed politely to Jiraiya, saying, "Ohayo, Jiraiya-sama." "You're an ANBU captain?" she nodded, asking, "Is that hard to believe?" before Jiraiya could endanger his life, Naruto whispered something to him, and he nodded. "Anyway, let's head out!" As they walked, Jiraiya noticed the similarities she had with her father. The bright silver hair, the dark eyes, the lazy, composed posture, and the wide smile. She ignored stupidity, but never spoke coldly to anyone. On the contrary, she usually had a warm tone to her voice. Once they reached a hotel and he got a room, she just took the keys, when both boys saw a beautiful young woman. He thought he saw jealousy in her eyes when Naruto started drooling, so he ran off with the woman, and Michiko dragged Naruto to the room. "Naru-kun, I'm going to check something downstairs, so don't leave the room." He nodded, and she left.
She went to the front desk, asking for something she'd left with them, but found that the bowl of Ramen she'd been saving was eaten…by Naruto… "NARUTO!!!!!!" She stomped upstairs, and felt Naruto's chakra out in the hall. "NARUTO!!! HOW DARE YOU EAT MY RAMEN!?! AND ON MY BIRTHDAY, NO LESS!!!!" She heard the terror in Naruto's voice as he hesitantly replied. "Oh…I didn't know…" he chuckled slightly, and she could almost see the sheepish grin on his face. "WELL I'LL TEACH YOU NOT TO FORGET MY BIRTHDAY!!!" when she finally turned the corner, anger evident in her dark eyes, she stopped dead in her tracks, eyes wide with surprise. She quickly composed herself, saying, "It's been a while…Itachi-sensei…" he nodded slightly, face emotionless. "It has been a while…you've grown…" Michiko gave Naruto a stern glance, saying, "Get over here, Naruto…" 'I don't want you to get hurt…' She had her ANBU mask on her belt, and it hit the side of her hip with a silent 'clink' as she moved into a fighting position once Naruto was beside her. She hadn't noticed Itachi's partner, but when she did, she recognized him in an instant, and her rage and vengeance filled her blood. 'It's HIM…the asshole that killed her!!' 'Let me kill him for you…' 'No…I'll do it myself…' she breathed deeply, trying to calm herself.
'It would be stupid to give in to revenge…I have to protect Naruto…even though he DID eat my Ramen…my BIRTHDAY Ramen…' Chiaki sighed in her head, saying, 'Did he even know?' 'I'm not sure…but some birthday, huh? Now I have to fight two S-ranked criminals all by myself! Oh JOY!' She pulled out two kunai, watching both Akatsuki members with wary eyes, careful to see every move they made. "Do you really think you can beat us, little girl?" "LITTLE?!" Naruto backed away from her as her eye twitched dangerously and a vein pulsed in her forehead. Her deadly glare landed on Kisame, and she flexed her fingers slowly. "Michi-chan…calm down…" Naruto's futile attempts at calming her were failing miserably. She stomped the ground, making a large crater, which seemed to surprise all three men, and said, a dangerous tone in her voice, "Take that back…or else…" "And if I don't?"
In a moment, she punched him in the face, and he flew down the hall. "If you don't, you'll get worse than that!!" she snarled, anger evident in her tone and eyes. Naruto was a poor, scared little chibi, trying not to do anything that might set his friend off. But he seemed to notice something about her that he hadn't noticed before. Maybe it was how her silky silver hair seemed to shine in the light, or how gracefully she seemed to dodge Kisame's blade, or maybe it was how her eyes seemed serious, but had an undertone of playful childishness. He blushed at the thought, trying not to think about it, when Kisame moved to attack him.
Suddenly, he was pushed to the floor, and looked up to see Michiko with a completely bloody left arm, glaring up at a smirking Kisame. "You think I'm beat, don't you? Well, I'll prove you wrong." Her right hand started glowing green, and she healed her arm, vengeance evident in her eyes. Naruto found himself comparing them to dark sapphires as she punched Kisame in the stomach, making him fly back. She turned to Naruto, worry evident in her voice as she asked, "You okay?" he nodded, still mesmerized by what most guys that WEREN'T her best friend would call her beauty. But it had an animalistic, dangerous undertone that kept people she didn't like at bay. She gave him an unsure glance before she turned to Kisame, who was standing up…again…"Why don't you just stay down? Or do I have to break your legs?" Naruto heard the seriousness in her tone, and was confused. She'd never been this cold to anyone, unless, of course, they gave her a REALLY good reason…
"Michi-chan…what did he do?" she sighed, saying, "He's Kisame Hoshigake…Missing Nin from the Mist village…and the one who murdered my mother…" Naruto's eyes widened in surprise as he thought, 'He killed her mother…when she was only four years old…and right in front of her eyes, too…' "So YOU'RE the little crybaby that was saved by her father…" "I WAS FOUR YEARS OLD!!! DID YOU EXPECT ME TO DO A HAPPY DANCE, ASSHOLE!?!" The malice in her voice scared Naruto, even though it wasn't directed at him. Green chakra began to swirl around her like a silent tornado, and her eyes flashed light green in her rage. "That's a lot of chakra for someone so small…" her eyes swirled from dark, night-sky blue to light emerald green, and the lightning-blue markings appeared on her skin as her fangs and claws grew in. "I'M GONNA KILL YOU!!!" Naruto could hear the utter rage and vengeance in her voice, and the animalistic hiss underneath the words.
In a flash of silver, she stabbed her claws into Kisame's stomach, smashing him against a wall so hard that a crater formed. She flexed the claws on her other hand, ready to slash his throat open, like he'd done to her mother, but she caught a kunai aimed at her own neck instead. "This has nothing to do with you…" she hissed, her eyes glowing with vengeance. "Unfortunately, I can't let you kill my partner…" her rage-filled glare turned to the Uchiha, her glare never wavering.
Naruto couldn't help but tremble slightly at the murderous intent filling the air like smoke, trying to choke him. "M-Michi-chan…" she froze. Hearing the terror in Naruto's voice tore at her heart, somehow…calming her… The lightning-blue markings faded from her skin as her eyes swirled back to dark blue, and she pulled her claws out of Kisame's stomach, allowing them to fade as well. 'Now I have blood on my hands again…' she moved away from both of them, shame hidden under the emotionless expression she tried to wear. 'Naru-kun…I didn't mean to…Gomen…' when Kisame stood up, she summoned her chakra into her hands, making small electric kunai, and held them defensively, the blood on her hand mixing with the pure white chakra.
"I may not like killing…but I won't let you take Naruto…" "If you don't like killing, you're in the wrong profession…and you're in ANBU, no less…" She glared, and threw her chakra kunai at the elder Uchiha, who dodged. "Why not turn off your Sharingan and fight fair?!" she said, pouting childishly. "Still as childish as ever…" "Why does everyone say that?" she asked, the pout never leaving her lips as she crossed her arms over her chest. "My dad says that all the time…" "Really? I never would've though…" she could hear the slight sarcasm in his voice, and her childishness seemed to melt away as anger reared it's head again. "My father's a great shinobi! If he was here right now, you wouldn't be so cocky!" "I'd beg to differ…" she glared at Kisame. "What do you mean by that?" "We had a run in with the Copy Cat Ninja…and let's just say he won't be waking up for quite a while…"
Her eyes widened, and she held back the tears. 'Dad…no…' "What did you do to him?!" she demanded, her glare intensifying. "I didn't do anything…Itachi used the Mangekyou Sharingan on him…" her heart seemed to stop, and a layer of tears went over her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. 'Is he okay? Dad…please…PLEASE be alright…' she forced her sadness down to the pit of her stomach, taking a moment of deep breathing before she glared at the two Akatsuki members, saying, "I'll never forgive you."