Operation Kill Everything Redux

by Charlywood

Indefinitely shelved until further notice...

3. A Liar and A Thief

AN: Firstly I want to apologize for the long period between updates. I won't give any reasons or excuses, but I'm sure some of you know how it is. I don't plan for the next update to take so long. To make up for it, you have a near thirty page chapter to enjoy!

I also want to give appreciation for the love this is getting. Not a lot of reviews, but the favorites and follows are definitely pouring in; so I can see this is getting some attention. I'll address a few reviews and then keep it moving to 'chapter three'.

MrNeedsToRemoveAllFavs: I want to thank you first and foremost for correcting me on the use of 'Sochi' as meaning son. I've never thought to look it up because it is a term used so heavily in Naruto Fan-Fiction. That term will no longer be used; I may go with a simple English use of 'Son' or 'Musuko'. I might find need to use 'Yoshi' as well. Thanks once more.

Thor94: Do not worry about such things. Sin Kurokami is not here to be Gary-Stu as people like to call them, but for a Naruto mentor, he will need and have skill. The progression of all characters will be steady and happen through the story. Though Sin is a sensei/master, you will find him bettering himself through Naruto characters that are more skilled than him at times. I haven't gotten to who or how since that is down the line. Just know that Sin is at a firm Jonin rank. I have been tossing ideas for a Naruto Kekkai-Genkai, but haven't decided on it yet. I'm open to suggestions!

GundamWing-00-Seed: Naruto will not be returning to Konoha. If he does, it will not be for the reasons that you fear. He will not be Konoha 12 and any Genin cell (if he's ever a part of a Genin team) he becomes a part of will be anything but the Leaf.

Now, on to the story!

O.K.E
[Operation Kill Everything]

Chapter Three: A Liar and A Thief

. . .

[One night before Sarutobi's Emergency Council Meeting]

It was late night, entering the early A.M in Konohagakure no Sato. Inside a dark, dank habitat that resided in an unknown location underground of the hidden village, Danzo Shimura was setting a plot…or mission, in motion. He justified his underhanded actions, something many would call propaganda, by masking his backhanded actions to be for the good of Konoha. Truthfully, it was to fuel his own selfish ambitions and desires; just like every mission performed by his emotionless drones had been over the years.

He stood in an empty room of the Ne HQ, before three ninja that he'd handpicked for Ne's latest mission assignment. Locate and acquire the jinchuriki, Naruto Uzumaki. What was to happen beyond that, only Danzo truly knew. There was a secondary mission parameter that he planned to set into motion during the attempted acquisition of Naruto Uzumaki.

Danzo had found interest in the mentor, Sin Kurokami. He'd take him, dead or alive, to be used as a test subject for his eyes and any other unique and useful abilities or qualities he may have possessed. After finding out a bit about the man that Naruto was traveling with, he figured that the Kurokami could be useful, and if he decided to be noble, the man's transplantable dojutsu alone would do just fine in the Root's possession. After reading up on the Zenith Eye, he felt it would complement Shisui Uchiha's Sharingan quite nicely.

Danzo raised his chin high, appearing more superior than normal as he looked passed his nose to the three Ne ninja he had hand selected for this mission as they knelt before him with their heads bowed. The damaged man smirked as he cleared his throat and folded his arms behind his back.

"Kinoto, Terai…Hitomi." Danzo trailed as he acknowledged the third of the group. "My sources have sent word that the jinchuriki, Naruto Uzumaki, and the man he now acknowledges as his mentor and master, Sin Kurokami…are still in Fire Country. They're located in the tourist hub of Tanzaku Quarters. They will be leaving Tanzaku and presumably Fire Country outright, tomorrow before noon passes. You three are to beat a quick path there before they leave the town and subsequently, we lose their trail again."

The Ne ninja remained silent and bowed before Danzo's authority in complete supplication as they took in his smug, but indifferent features. He began to pace calmly before them as he continued his pre-mission brief. "Your mission will be as follows. You are to capture the nine-tails jinchuriki and I want him alive. Do what you must to capture him, so long as the demon brat is still breathing."

"Hai, Danzo-sama." The three mechanical shinobi droned.

"Good," he nodded. "There is also a secondary objective to this mission…I would also like Sin Kurokami of the northern continent to be brought in, his body to be used for test studies. It would be nice if he could be brought in alive as well, but if not…kill the man…and bring me his eyes." Danzo grinned with sadistic glee.

"He's in possession of a dojutsu considered ancient from where he hails. It is the Tenchogan, Zenith Eye. It is a kekkai-genkai that could be of great value and use to the village. If you have to kill him, just make sure his eyes are left undamaged. The priority here is the nine-tails, so if you cannot get the man, you will return home with the jinchuriki immediately. The Hokage does not have this information yet, so time is on our side here; he'll likely know by the end of the day, tomorrow. You three will prepare and leave immediately, understood?"

"Hai, Danzo-sama!" All three said at once, their voices dead with emotionless loyalty for their only recognized leader.

The Root organization head focused his attention to one of them in particular. "Good. Since this will be Hitomi's first mission since being brought out of her coma…Terai and Kinoto, I want you to keep a close eye on how she performs. Make sure she has plenty of chance to prove her worth and loyalty as the newest member of our faction…dismissed!" Danzo bellowed and after giving an affirmative response, the three of them departed the underground bunker they were in via leaf Shunshin.

Danzo smirked cruelly to himself through the empty space, feeling as if some of the pieces to the puzzle were beginning to fall in place for him. If this went according to plan, it would be his first success since the series of failures that began in Amegakure, when he'd easily endeared himself to that fool, Hanzo the Salamander. The attempt to wipe out those wretched upstarts had failed and now was a good opportunity to amend the series of misfortune. It's only a matter of time now, he thought to himself as he too left the area.

. . .

The morning after her reunion with Sin and meeting his adorable charge, Naruto; Saeko was performing an inventory check of her martial arts supply shop, 'the Traphouse'. She hummed to herself casually, standing behind the front counter with a clipboard, making notations here and there. When she finished going over the information on the clipboard, she placed it down on the counter top, and sighed in an exasperated manner.

"You're not even trying to hide now…are you?" She said to seemingly no one at all.

It was then that three shadows began to materialize at three different points of her store's showroom. One at the entrance, a second at the farthest left aisle, and a third in an adjacent aisle to the right; effectively cutting off any chance of escape. Something told Saeko that their sudden and strategic appearance had something to do with Sin and Naruto; she figured it was too much of a coincidence otherwise.

The first had black spiky hair from what she could see since a white mask that reminded her of Konoha Anbu with red patterns hid his face. He was also wearing attire that was typical of Anbu dress with a tanto strapped to his shoulder.

The second was wearing a light-colored jacket with a hood on his head. The Anbu mask he wore was much plainer, having only three eyebrow-like markings above the eye holes and a red cat-like nose. He also wore a pair of black gloves.

The third of the group was obviously female. Unlike the other two, she lacked the use of a mask to conceal her face. She wore fine robes of black that loosely fit her body and gently outlined the curves of her form. The robes held a hood that she wore over her head to conceal her face.

With the exception of the female, Saeko was reminded of Konoha Anbu and Kiri Hunter-nin, but she knew better. Although she couldn't be sure about their affiliation, Saeko knew first hand that Sin didn't directly pick fights with the military power of hidden villages. Not if he can help it anyway, she finished thoughtfully.

"I'm sorry," Saeko grinned challengingly, "but if you're looking for money, you're not going to get it from here. I don't deal with bullies, thugs, hoodlums, mercenaries, ninja…pick a synonym." By now, Saeko's grin had become a full blown smile.

The man with red markings over his mask began to converge on her while the other two remained in the aisle behind him. "Tell us where the nine-tails is and we'll make your death quick." Saeko stopped smiling, deciding to tilt her head curiously at the man's statement. She truly did not understand what or who he was talking about.

"The nine-tails, what would that be?" She inquired innocently; something told her it was going to be simple to dig for information since the masked man was already volunteering. As he continued to approach her, Saeko discreetly began to mold her chakra little by little, so that her intent wouldn't become obvious to them.

"Don't play stupid, we tracked him to here. It won't help you to keep the whereabouts of the jinchuriki a secret. He is Konoha's property; you will tell us where he is…" The masked man droned on.

Saeko kept herself from rolling her eyes. That's the problem with delegating…too fucking easy. They just tell you everything without asking.

Now she knew why Sin had refused to tell her anything about Naruto. Recalling what she learned from Sin, being a bijuu container was an incredible burden to carry; one that no one could comprehend unless they were a jinchuriki themselves.

She remembered the previous day and it was beginning to make since, though she didn't know much about jinchuriki, bijuu, or whatever else may have been associated with them. So, the child is a jinchuriki? I can't say I saw that coming…I always thought they were myths. Well, even if he wasn't a sacrifice, I still wouldn't tell them.

"Go to hell," Saeko gave with a bright smile.

There was no more talking from then on and the red masked agent went to make his move, reaching for the tanto strapped behind his shoulder. A moment before his hand could grasp the hilt of the deadly tool; Saeko removed a shuriken from her thigh strap and threw it in one swift motion.

Kinoto proceeded to draw his blade and batted the projectile away without hesitation, sending it flying into the ceiling. Saeko smirked and glanced up. The shuriken hanging from above were now pulling at their wires, angrily aimed directly at Kinoto.

Magnet Release: Magnet Shuriken

A magnetic field had unknowingly formed through Kinoto's body from deflecting the shuriken charged with Saeko's magnetic chakra. It strengthened enough to finally snap the wires holding the shuriken to the ceiling and over a hundred of the throwing weapons rained down on the Root agent. The two accompanying him leapt out of the way, but it didn't matter; the shuriken were only attracted to him.

It was futile, but Kinoto attempted to use his sword to deflect them. However, it was quickly pulled from his hand by an overpowering force, and he had the chance to see his weapon fly into Saeko's hand obediently; just before he was impaled by nearly every shuriken that had been hanging from above.

"Kinoto!" Terai exclaimed after watching the first in command being struck down. He prepared to counter attack, but when he regained focus, Saeko was nowhere to be found. "Damnit! Danzo's not going to like this." Terai scowled beneath his mask.

"Find the bitch!" He commanded the concealed female.

"…"

Terai raised a gloved hand into a familiar hand seal, his intent obvious to the cloaked woman. "I'll give you one more chance," he warned.

She shifted and turned around to go for the exit. "I…have her trail," she said slowly as she began to leave the store. Terai lowered his hand, satisfied, but wary as he followed her out.

. . .

Sin was brought out of his sleep by a rude awakening. There was someone banging repeatedly on the hotel room door and no matter how hard he tried to ignore it; the disruption wouldn't go away. The Elemental Nations foreigner forced himself out of bed and began muttering about how Naruto was sleeping soundly through the early morning noise. Lucky bastard…

The knocking stopped, but the noise didn't, because the person on the other side of the door had decided on kicking it instead. "Alright, got damnit!" Sin barked, going to the door with a sleepy wobble in his stride, shirtless, and only wearing his shinobi pants. He snatched the door open, geared up to cuff the bastard…only to recognize Saeko standing at the threshold.

Glaring, he opened his mouth to curse the woman out, but she didn't give him a chance. She forced her way in and slammed the door closed without explanation. In a word, she looked frantic, but Sin was too angry and baffled to address it.

"I don't have to tell you how early it is, so I say this once…what the hell?" Sin ground out between the clenched enamel of his teeth, displeasure lacing his tone of voice like venom due to the rude awakening.

"There's no time for your smart ass mouth!" Saeko barked with fervor to match his displeasure while looking around the room for something. Finding it, she began going from one end of the room to the other, gathering the lingering supplies, and shoved them into the arms of the half dressed and stunned man.

Sin was temporarily at a loss for words as he looked at Saeko like she was insane. He liked to consider himself down to earth, but Saeko was more stillwater than he was…when she wasn't lusting for blood.

"Saeko, just tell me what's going on?" He asked, highly annoyed. He could tell that something wasn't right. The buildup of noise and consequent bickering drew Naruto from his sleep, but neither of the young adults noticed.

Saeko swallowed and took a breath, but the troubled expression didn't go away. "Konoha knows that you and your jinchuriki apprentice are here. They made a play on my life, but I managed to kill one of them. There were three, but now there's only two."

Sin was stuck for a moment, looking the woman directly in her vibrant eyes before bothering to respond. "The fuck?" He petitioned in obtuse prose, frowning at the particular way he was discovering that she knew about Naruto's status. That was all good and well since he hadn't been responsible for her finding out, but his mind was curious as to how the hell Konoha had found them so soon.

"What-?" Naruto shot up in bed after hearing the familiar title, his eyes widening with alarm.

Saeko flinched; noticing that the adolescent had woke up in time to hear her proclamation. Turning an apologetic glance over Sin's shoulder to Naruto, she made a quick amends. "I apologize, Naruto; I'm very sorry. Don't blame your master, he didn't tell me, and I know your burden, but, I don't care. You can trust me-." She tried soothing the blonde.

"Naruto…" Sin spoke slowly, cutting Saeko off, and beginning to walk around the bed with nonchalant steps as he noticed a very wary light coming into the blonde's majestic blues.

The blonde knew that Saeko was telling the truth and truthfully, he cared little that she knew, but he was just entirely too worried to focus on that thought being a positive one. All he'd heard was Konoha, jinchuriki, and 'knows where you are'. Therefore…

"No! I won't go back!" Naruto yelled irrationally as he jumped out of bed and tried to go for the door out of an instinctual need to survive. He hadn't been with Sin long and had not learned much from the man yet; most of his insecurities had yet to be trained out of his mind.

"Naruto stop!" Sin managed to catch the blonde before he could reach the door and pulled the ten year old into a strong hug. "No one's taking you back to Konoha," he began to reassure him, "I stake my life on it."

Silence reigned within the two bed hotel room for a moment. Saeko wasn't sure what to think, being that she was on the outside looking in. That was when she could hear the muffled sounds of crying filling the room and her eyes widened. Why did the scene seem so familiar?

A small frown then graced the swords-mistress' visage as she continued watching the two males embrace. Sin was quietly trying to sooth Naruto, repeatedly reassuring, and promising the orphan that he wouldn't allow anyone, especially Konoha, to hurt or force him into anything that he didn't want to do. Sin let Naruto know that he had choices now, at least more than he'd ever had in Konoha, and that the road to interfering with the Jinchuriki's new life ran through him.

As Saeko watched Sin and Naruto's interaction, she was momentarily drawn deep into thought. It was a sobering experience, she had almost forgot what living for someone else was like since that odd sickness attacked her school when she were in her adolescent years.

She was forced to kill teachers, students, friends, and enemies. The best part about it was that she got to repeatedly do those things without hesitation; without an opportunity to make those decisions while in a completely rational state of mind…not.

Before and after surviving the infection that animated the bodies of the deceased had been cured, Saeko left her home. Then her life got worse before it got any better. She would come to discover that her ability to take life wasn't because of the affliction, but because of a natural blood lust. She had uncovered an uncontrollable desire to spill and intake the substance.

That blood lust had combined with her desensitized mind from years of killing that began when she was barely of academy graduate age compounded the problem, and turned her into someone she considered ugly. It kept her from loving herself.

She'd hated herself for years because of the overwhelming desire to spill the life source called blood. That red, thick substance was her drug and aphrodisiac; it still managed to rile up those carnal desires within her from time to time. However, at times, she could still see some of the faces of those she had struck down while reveling in their blood as she did so.

Then…chapter two of her life began as she entered womanhood.

I met Sin, she smiled a small, thoughtful smile as she remembered their first meeting.

Saeko recalled that she'd had him dead to rights, ready to spill his precious blood like she had done to so many others, so many times before. Despite the fact he had just helped her fend off immediate threats to her life.

Even now she couldn't figure out what exactly had come to pass. She remembered simply dropping the blade, him embracing her, and her letting him do so. Naruto and Sin were on better terms, but it wasn't unlike what was presently transpiring between them. She had also wept in his encouraging embrace.

She had been reborn on that day. The cocky, but extremely foolish Kurokami helped her learn how to live again. It was unheard of for someone to be considerate of another without asking for, or expecting anything in return, rather than looking out for number one in this world; especially when that someone did work for hire. He was so genuine and it went a long way in helping her recover.

Since he was a bounty hunter, he'd taught her the art of tracking, not being tracked, trapping, counter-attacking, and recognizing an ambush before you were ambushed. It was relatively easy for her since she already had skills in attacking and killing. It also went a long way in helping Sin to help her channel her blood lust; not to mention surviving on her own.

Saeko blinked, breaking out of her reminiscent thoughts; her woman's intuition kicking in. They were burning time that they did not have. "Hey, you two, I hate to break up this moment, but…we don't have the time for this. They're closing in on this location, I can feel it."

Sin and Naruto exchanged a look with one another before the elder looked back to Saeko. "We're good now," he said thoughtfully. "I have a plan." He turned to acknowledge his student once more. "Naruto, get your things and get dressed. You get to see how a spy that's a spy operates, rather than someone who is a ninja first and spy second."

Saeko smirked while slowly licking her lips. "I know that look. So, what's the play?"

"First, we get the hell out of here. This only works if we get outside of the town."

. . .

The Anbu: Root agent, Terai and the cloaked female with him made their way through the civilian foot traffic of Tanzaku Quarters under the sun of the early day with quick, but unhurried steps. Neither of the Konoha operatives paid much attention to the odd looks they were getting from the townies, likely the cause of their appearance, as they walked through.

Although one was as calm as still waters, Terai was becoming impatient with the mission since Kinoto had been killed by Saeko, and not one of their mission parameters had been met yet. "I swear to you, if we lose the jinchuriki because of you...activating your curse seal will be the least of your worries." He threatened in a flat tone of voice.

He droned on, the female likely not listening to him. "Danzo-sama does not take lightly to failure and don't think that I'll be taking responsibility for Kinoto's death." Terai all but threatened, his voice only slightly muffled by the mask he wore.

The hooded woman did not miss a step, forced to continue listening to Terai grating on her mind with his constant complaints. "Mm...you are...second-in-command." She began slowly. "I believe you will be...held responsible. I warned you and Kinoto about...the woman…before we went in. Also, the seal is...only a weak version of the...original. I'll continue to...obey, because I'm...biding my time." Her voice was calm, gentle, and soothing; almost nurturing to anyone who may have cared enough to notice. All in all, she was a far cry from the usual droning of Danzo's ordinary puppets.

Terai's eyebrow twitched behind his Ne mask. "And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Terai inquired, grounding out the words with restraint. "It sounds like you're contemplating treason, wench."

He began raising his right hand to form the correct hand seal to activate the woman's curse seal he'd mentioned, but refrained from activating it since she appeared to still be following orders. Danzo had told them beforehand that there was nothing they could do about her loose tongue, plus she seemed to be his new pet project, and interfering with Danzo's projects usually meant death for the perpetrator.

The female decided to oblige her male counterpart. "It means...that...the death of your...partner, Kinoto...is his own fault. It also means...that you are...a simple, ignorant pawn like him. One who is incapable of thinking and making decisions…when needed. You're…easily discarded...nothing about you...will be missed...should you die." Terai couldn't tell, but he knew the wench was smiling at him beneath the hood of her robes.

More times than not, Anbu: Root agents were stripped bare of all of their emotions, as well as their memories, and anything else that had made them a person to begin with. The exception was usually those that were handpicked by Danzo, or contained strong bloodlines.

The woman in robes met both requirements, but the Root Commander had decided on rebooting her mind anyway. It just didn't take. Danzo had tried, but could not completely rob the woman of her emotions, though the memories were wiped nearly entirely. He'd also chosen to utilize a curse seal to his advantage, just in case.

However, Terai was one of those that had been stripped from having the liberty of free will, and whether he realized it or not; he resented those members of Root. Terai was feeling annoyance from the woman speaking her mind. He was ready to mold chakra and apply the seal that would cause her mind severe pain, but...

"I...found him. He's upon that roof...and he's…waving at us." She raised her concealed arm to point a finger at their target nonchalantly, stopping her stride in the middle of the street. Both of the Ne operatives looked up to see a blonde haired, ten year old boy, with bright blue eyes, and whiskers waving enthusiastically in their direction.

Naruto grinned widely. "Hey, Konoha!" The jinchuriki yelled; his minor voice echoing so that it not only gained the Roots attention, but also the townies in the area. Everyone watched as the youth went on to finish his statement now that he had an audience. "You want me so badly, well here I am." The blonde grinned and turned to take off amongst the roof tops of the town's structures.

"Damn demon." Terai cursed and made a move to follow, but before he could get anywhere, the reach of his associate crossing into his path stopped him in his tracks.

"Stop acting foolishly, or have you forgotten why I'm here?" She alleged, since Terai's mind was clouded and only focused on getting at the Demon brat and fulfilling his master's orders. She may have been the one on watch by her teammates, both current and deceased, but what neither had known, was her second reason for being activated. Blind dedication and loyalty was all good and great, but it could also be a double edged blade; the downside being that Danzo's tools got themselves killed because of that blind devotion.

"How did I do? Was I great or was I great?!" Naruto bragged as he hurriedly met back up with his mentor and Saeko who had been hiding off in the distance amongst the tree line. They were off the terrain of the path that led all trekkers into the town entrance. The group's current location was at the edge of the surrounding forest that resided outside of town.

"He's not just cute, but brave." Saeko impishly smirked, beginning to ruffle the blonde's hair, continuing to do so even as he waved his arms in protest, frowning from the baby treatment he was receiving.

"Good acting, gaki." Sin chuckled and turned to approvingly give a thumb up to append his words with the gesture. "However, now it gets real, so remember what we planned. I can feel them coming, they'll be in our vicinity soon. It's time to set the stage."

The former partner to Sin, the purple haired Saeko, seemed to shiver in excitement; the simple thought of bloodshed beginning to make her blood pump and her muscles hum pleasantly. "Mm, sounds like old times," lust filtering thick through her voice.

Naruto gawked, wondering what was with the sudden change in the older woman while Sin was shaking his head at his friend's risqué mannerisms. He decided he'd better send Naruto on his way, lest his mind become overloaded for reasons he wouldn't understand thanks to Saeko's bloodlust.

"Naruto," the jinchuriki snapped out of his haze at his master's voice. "Your involvement with this plan is over now. I ain't gone risk having you exposed against these people any further and eventually you'll get your chance to shine, but for now…you know what to do." Sin's firm tone brokered no room for argument, so it was with a frown and a reluctant nod that the young blonde ran off into the cover of the foliage to find a good place to hide; just like they had agreed he would do earlier.

Neither Sin nor Saeko noticed the wry grin that graced Naruto features. Shishou didn't say anything about finding a place to watch from while I hide though!

Sin waited until his apprentice was out of sight before turning to acknowledge Saeko. "Your turn..."

The blood lusting woman nodded knowingly at his statement and raised her hands to form the appropriate tiger seal. Kyōka Henge no Jutsu, she muttered and was immediately engulfed by a thin cloud of smoke. As it dissipated, a stray breeze blew the remaining bits of smoke away to reveal that the formerly purple haired swords mistress was now a blonde haired, blue eyed, ten year old boy with whisker marks upon rounded cheeks.

"Well sensei?" Saeko inquired as a direct copy of the jinchuriki with a perfect pitch of the original Jinchuriki's voice.

"Looking good, Naruto," Sin winked approvingly. "They won't expect your Magnet Release appearing like the gaki. The difference between the standard Henge and the Kyōka Henge is that it makes it more difficult for enemies to discover that your true appearance due to the advanced Genjutsu layer that the typical Henge lacks. It'll work long enough for you to utilize your Magnet Release again without being obvious should you have to use it. As long as neither of them possesses a Byakugan or Sharingan, they may never realize it." Sin bragged.

Pseudo-Naruto sighed wistfully, "This really does feel like times memorable."

"Heh, well wait till after we've survived these hunters to wet your panties." Sin chuckled, "I got 'em…they've reached our perimeter. I hope your acting skills are still on point." The Kurokami bantered.

"Well, you're about to find out aren't you?" Pseudo-Naruto's ocean blue eyes glimmered with building excitement in response to his words as the two faced one another. It was time to set the stage.

The two Root operatives hid themselves within some overgrowth of brush, choosing to take a moment to spy on the jinchuriki and his master as they stood in a clearing talking animatedly though inaudibly about something or other.

"So, here they are. I don't see the woman, but it doesn't matter; we'll snatch up the demon, get the Kurokami's eyes, and be gone before the wench can even consider returning to interfere." Terai muttered almost arrogantly as he reached within his zipped-up, tan, trench coat to calmly reveal and begin unfolding a demon windmill shuriken.

However, his silent partner never underestimated her opponents and she wasn't about to start now. Questions such as 'where was the female shop owner from before?' she wanted answers to, before making further moves.

She finally decided to remove the hood of her robe to reveal the mature, gorgeous, and round face of a Hyuga woman with the fairest pale skin, large and expressive pearlescent-lavender eyes, and midnight blue hair that bordered on black lengthening down her back.

Then there was her most interesting feature; that being the imitation Hyuga curse seal stamped into the flawless flesh of her forehead. The only difference being the inverted cross between two fish hooks where there would normally be an 'X'.

"Something's not…right, we should…wait," she began her observation. Byakugan!

Terai didn't bother to listen as he stood up. He began winding the large shuriken in the palm of his gloved hand, motioning his arm in a circular motion to build momentum; his eyes on the prize. "There won't be any more stalling, fight or don't, but stay out of my way." He hissed in forewarning.

The Hyuga's gentle facial features grew angry with Terai's ignorance as the infuriation reached her round, pupil-less eyes. She'd been dealing with this mindless drone for longer than her temper was capable of withstanding. "Fool! That boy isn't-!"

Terai launched the shuriken with a grunt of exertion through the atmosphere. He'd quit wasting his concentration on his Hyuga partner. If not for the mask, Terai's impatient facade would have been readily apparent to the outside world as his eyes focused on his throwing weapon's trajectory. The air caught the blade just right as it made a b-line for the Kurokami, aimed directly for the middle of the '25' designed on the back of his shirt since he had his back wide open to the weapon's flight path.

"Look out, Shishou!" Pseudo-Naruto exclaimed in a convincingly frightened tone of voice that matched the original's completely as he leapt away from the area.

You fucking no-good, Konoha coward. You attack my friend, threaten my apprentice's freedom and well being, and now you attack me on the sneak tip. Fine, I'll show the strength of a Kurokami since you crave it so badly! Sin internally sneered, incensed about the entire situation as he spun on a dime to face the incoming projectile as it whirled soundlessly through the air with perfect momentum.

Terai licked his lips eagerly from behind his mask as it struck true. He would then count himself grateful for the concealment of the item; otherwise his shocked expression would have given away his genuine surprise.

Everyone watched when the Demon Windmill Shuriken made a b-line for Sin. It should have bisected the man clear in half; only it passed clear through him into the tree trunk behind him with a resounding thunk!

I never get tired of seeing that. Saeko thought as she hid off to the side of the improvised battlefield in the midst of the forest clearing

Whoa! That was awesome. He has to teach me that! The young Naruto was flabbergasted to say the least. He'd gotten to see a lot of jutsu that he thought was cool when he spied on training sessions back in Konoha, but he couldn't recall ever seeing anyone do something like that.

Sin Kurokami's file…miniscule though it may be, there's no lie in it. He is highly skilled in Genjutsu to be able to perform that act. The hidden Hyuga woman thought keenly. Maybe he can…

"Are you satisfied, you blew our…advantage!" the beautiful Hyuga woman snapped out of pure frustration. "I was about to tell you...that isn't the jinchu-…" The dark haired woman trailed off midsentence as she watched Terai blindly rush Sin, ignoring her yet again. "…Isn't the Jinchuriki…" She inhaled and let out a slow, easy breath where a smirk slowly began to curve her lips. "Fine then, you go and…get yourself killed."

Sin glanced over his shoulder to the shuriken that was lodged blade deep into the tree just a few yards behind him, before turning to face the assailant coming directly at him with narrowed eyes that foretold pain for the masked ninja. The maze like patterns in his eyes began to shift throughout his sclera as he molded chakra to them to activate his Zenith Eye.

Kakuritsu No Me! (Probability Sight).

Activating the ability of his Zenith Eye, the Probability Sight, Sin's mind was instantly granted with the knowledge of his best opportunity to counter Terai as he approached. It was clear to his eyes that he intended to engage him in Taijutsu.

Sin took an open stance, one that would let his opponent believe he was leaving his body and vital areas susceptible to attack. He remained calm and cool as Terai lashed out with a gloved hand, to which Sin leaned back slightly to avoid as his fist shot out over his head. He followed it up by a similar strike with his other hand and Sin did the same.

"If this is your attempt at sizing me up," he began as he took a step back to avoid a high arching kick, "then you're terrible at it." He grinned, able to hear Terai growling behind his mask. The man picked up the speed and accuracy of his movements and Sin was forced to make an effort.

The Kurokami backpedaled calmly, able to tell that Terai was trying to back him up into the tree that his oversized shuriken was buried in, but he leapt up, turning his shoulders as he did to rotate his body, and lashed out with a jumping back kick as his blindside opened.

The masked-nin blocked the strong kick by raising his arms in an 'x' in front of himself. As Sin's feet met the ground again, his back toward him; he leapt down to the ground bracing his hands against the forest floor as he kicked out behind him with both legs to mule kick Terai in the face. The consequences of this action saw Terai getting thrown back, with his mask cracking from the strength of the kick.

Terai coughed from the strong kick and discarded the half of the mask that was still held to his face, revealing his features. He then spit blood on the ground when he noticed that his lip was busted. Sin had also made the man bite his tongue during the strike, but he would not be deterred.

Let's see how you like this, demon lover! The Ne operative began to perform hand signs, but Sin perked up noticing this, and tried to keep track of his hand signs; the patterns in his eyes shifting slightly more.

Boar, Horse, Tiger. Thanks to the ability of all dojutsu to see chakra's existence in the environment, Sin was able to immediately discern that he was preparing a very strong Katon jutsu.

Terai finished and took in a breath of air, his cheeks puffing out as the jutsu built up from his lungs. Fire Release: Grand Fireball Jutsu! He mentally called the attack as he bellowed out a generous amount of hot flame that took shape of a large sphere that quickly sped towards Sin in all its blazing glory.

Naruto's master was prepared, however, and smirked confidently as he flashed through his own set of hand seals. Yang Release: Correlative Dream!

Saeko had seen this technique before. The Yang Release: Correlative Dream was an A-rank, defensive Ninjutsu that was utilized with Yang chakra, labeling it also as a Genjutsu technique.

He used Yang chakra to create a twin of his opponent that could perform up to five techniques that the caster's opponent attempted upon him. That Yang based doppelganger copied any five jutsu or techniques to near perfection and could reflect the technique back on the enemy, at the same time or either independently of itself on demand.

Sin's intent this time around was clear, using it so early when Terai was using his first jutsu, and Saeko took it as a sign. She'd be ready to strike when the two jutsu combined to make a distraction of hellfire.

The Kurokami's exact projection of Terai shimmered into view and without performing the required hand signs; it blew its own rendition of the Grand Fireball Jutsu toward Terai's own. The fireball's soon met, canceled each other out, and an explosion of each attack's combined flame engulfed much of the battle area.

Both warriors performed a Substitution to evade the consequence of being injured by the violent eruption of the Katon jutsu, only Sin had the advantage since he could still see Terai due to his ability for sighting one's chakra.

The Hyuga woman had been forced to find a different position at the perimeter of the area's fallout, but when she focused her Byakugan activated eyes, she couldn't help but to gasp as the smoke began to clear.

Terai lay dead in the foliage of the forest amongst the burnt flora and bark of trees as debris of flame fell to the earth from above like a drizzle of rain. She knew Terai would get himself killed for having underestimated Sin and the woman; though that wasn't what surprised her. While Terai had performed his Substitution with the usual log, Sin had performed his Substitution with something else, or rather someone else.

Saeko stood over Terai's body as the last bit of life left his body in the form of muscle twitches. The woman had blood spattered on her face, some of her clothing, and part of her exposed thigh from the cut of her long skirt. She'd not only cleaved him in two, but had also removed his head from the body; leaving his remains in three separate pieces.

"Mmm," Saeko moaned as she licked his blood from her lips. Her body shivered with adrenaline and blood lust motivated delight as she swooned. "Not the best I've sampled, but then I've never been a demanding woman…I'll take what I can get." She said over Terai's corpse with sensually narrowed eyes.

The Hyuga frowned as she watched the real Naruto return from his hiding place in awe and unflinchingly glanced over the decapitated and split form of Terai's body. The sight did not seem to bother the kid entirely much. So then…where?

It was then that she felt something wrapping around the entirety of her form, bounding her arms at her sides. "I'm right here," she heard the distinctive voice of Sin Kurokami as she felt her binding's beginning to drain her of her chakra source. She said nothing, realizing that it wasn't ninja wire, but something shiny that looked vulnerable; yet when she tried working to escape, the binding's tightened with little provocation as it threatened to cut into her skin.

What? What…is this?! She thought, suddenly feeling tired. It looked like some sort of chain.

"Not to sound cliché, but I wouldn't do that if I were you. If you so much as think about trying to break free of my choker, it'll eat more of your chakra, and tighten further until it grinds right through you. Others have been stupid enough to try, so I've seen it."

Sin's voice was disembodied until he dropped down from a tree overhead; one that had been relatively unscathed by the blow over of flame. The Hyuga was inclined to buy into his words; she'd survived worse, so she knew she could survive this if she bought her time appropriately.

He whistled when he noticed how lovely the female Hyuga was and slid his hands into his pockets coolly. "Well damn, I ain't expect a Hyuga to be among your group; especially one so…well, you know how you look. Attractiveness aside, you had to have seen through the Kyōka Henge on Saeko, why did you not warn your partner?" He inquired as the two simply held each other's neutral gaze, a quiet exchange of professionalism exchanging between them.

The Hyuga tried to hide her interest as she observed the pattern in Sin's eyes and she figured it had something to do with his dojutsu, especially since Danzo had been taken with him enough to demand they steal his eyes. She also noticed that the chain she'd observed him wearing around his neck was gone; leaving her to deduce that it was more than a simple piece of jewelry as she was quite sure she was bound by it now.

In the meantime, she scoffed sharply at his inquiry; not because he asked, but for the very reason that Terai lacked the answer to that very question. "I noticed your set-up immediately," she said truthfully while maintaining eye contact; she didn't see any point in lying. "I tried to tell the…foolish bastard what the fact…of the matter was, but he chose to ignore me. That was why…I didn't even bother…to help. He deserved to die." She scowled in a way that Sin couldn't help but find was increasingly attractive on her soft features.

Sin whistled again. "Not what I would call great team chemistry." He went silent and knelt to pull the woman up into his arms bridle style, beginning to carry her out into the opening as Saeko made sure that the residual embers of flame had all burned out.

"There you are, Shishou! That was some fight, too bad it was so short." Naruto greeted as Sin placed the Hyuga down against a tree that had been badly burnt, but was still standing.

"You'll soon come to find out that most battles involving the Ninja Arts are short lived, apprentice." Sin sighed as he stood again and wiped a bit of sweat from his brow with the back of his hand.

"I'm guessing she's the last of the hunter team. We know they're from Konoha, but did you figure out who sent them?" Saeko asked with crossed arms below her bosom. She had since used a cloth to remove the excess blood from her face, as well as her blade, which was now sheathed by her hip.

"Well, judging by the mask that the other wore, and this woman being a Hyuga…They're definitely from Konoha, but that isn't the typical mask of an Anbu agent." He turned back to the Hyuga. "You gonna tell me your name, my lady?" Sin asked respectfully since he noticed that this was an adult woman, one older than himself that carried herself like a well respected Hyuga would. Being respectful would get him far, plus, he wanted to get answers so being respectful seemed a good way to go.

"Hitomi…Hitomi Hyuga. You're correct that I'm from Konoha, but as for who sent us and who I work for; I cannot tell you." She said calmly without pause.

"Oh, really? Just why can't you tell us, huh?" Saeko questioned, quite irritated with the woman and her 'associates'; even more so when she simply looked at her blankly. "You and your friends ruined my shop! I have no problem taking your head as well." She began to unsheathe her sword from its black scabbard, but Sin gave her a look from over his shoulder; one that she recognized the meaning of. Not now, if you threaten her, she'll shut down. She's answering most of my questions…let's just take it slow for now.

"I cannot tell you, because of the seal on my forehead." The woman shifted her sight upwards to indicate said curse seal.

Naruto was enthralled, so he was being relatively silent as he observed Saeko and his sensei speaking to this woman. He was also more than just a little scared of being forced back to Konoha, something that this still breathing woman represented the threat of. Since that was his perspective, he was choosing to keep a safe distance from her whether she was bound or not.

"That's most definitely some sort of curse seal there, right?" As the Hyuga woman nodded solemnly to Sin's words, appearing even more subdued than before by the mention of it; Sin went into a moment of thought as he got a closer look at it.

"What are you thinking?" Saeko asked quietly from his side, peering around his shoulder.

"I'm not sure yet. I need a moment." Sin responded quietly.

I've heard about the Hyuga's practices. Their Main Branch and Minor Branch traditions; I might have something in my research notes about it. While everyone else was still silently on edge, Sin reached for one of the pockets on the side of his pants beneath his scroll holsters to retrieve a small red notebook marked 'Elemental Nations', and began flipping through pages.

Hitomi, Naruto, and Saeko watched as Sin looked from the notebook to Hitomi, and then paused. He stared at its pages a moment and once more looked from the notebook to Hitomi again, before closing it, and placing it away with a sigh. "Your seal is all wrong." He said obviously.

Hitomi nodded. "I won't be able to acknowledge much more than that with this inappropriate thing marring my flesh. I can tell you that I am, or was, a Hyuga of the Main Branch during the better part of my life, but I cannot tell you how I was expelled from the clan. There are also many things I can't remember from my time with the clan." She acknowledged.

"You're being controlled by someone…" Sin squinted his eyes. "…I'm guessing that they aren't affiliated with your clan?" Hitomi nodded to his words. "It's weak, like a cheap knock-off…this may be your lucky day; it might be weak enough that I could try removing it with minimal risk."

Hitomi was shocked, and Naruto could be heard in the background questioning the decision as well, but as Saeko took a step back and drew Naruto back with her by his shoulder to give Sin some space; she liked to think she could understand why. "Just, watch and learn, Naruto. Enemies can become allies on the turn of a dime…it's not always just about killing."

"Why…would you do that?" Hitomi Hyuga inquired, unable to keep her surprise from honestly showing in her eyes. She'd been waiting for the moment to be put down ever since… "Ow!" She suddenly winced as a sharp pain shot through her head and a headache threatened to ensue.

Sin began to step forward to help, but stopped. He hadn't decided on killing her yet and he was confident he could remove the curse seal, but. He took a breath to calm himself, wanting to clear his mind, and be sure about his actions as he rolled the sleeves of his shirt back to his forearms.

"I like to think I…see things in people." He said vaguely in rejoinder to her doubt.

That didn't seem to give Hitomi much clarity, especially with the ensuing headache. "But-."

Sin graced the Hyuga with heavily lidded eyes as he set his face in a manner as to make him appear disturbed. "I was under the impression that you wanted out from the thumb of these people. I could always just burn your mind for my answers and kill you…if you prefer?" He offered up as an unseen killing intent changed the aura around Hitomi and himself.

This action made Hitomi sit up a little straighter, alarm temporarily present in those Hyuga eyes. "You…can't, I still have to...Ow!" She winced again, a vague memory of her former life trying to push through, but she kept getting severely punished for attempting to retrieve it.

Sin frowned, becoming serious again as he watched the seal on her head beginning to emanate, pulsating a malevolent dark green hue. "Alright, here's what I'm thinking. I make my best attempt at breaking that seal without destroying your mind. At the same time, I get my answers, and after that you can go your own way. The second option is you refuse and I rape your mind, after which I use the chain to kill you. "

Hitomi frowned at the crass terminology he used to portray what he'd do to her mind, but she had been considering this possibility since she realized his level of skill with Genjutsu and Yang chakra. She figured he would be a good bet for removing the half-assed seal on her forehead without requiring an extensive knowledge of Fuinjutsu. The problem was, she was still a Hyuga at the end of the day, and was not accustomed to 'begging' for help.

Sin folded his arms over his chest as he held his lidded eye contact with her. When she remained silent, he cleared his throat. "Try yes, please, and thank you." He suggested seriously.

Hitomi broke eye contact with him to look down at the ground. She did want the help, she needed to get out from beneath Danzo, recover who she truly was, and resume her life as it had been before whatever misfortune saw her forced into slavery via curse seal.

"Hai…please, remove this accursed seal," she looked back up at him with determination. "I would be very thankful." She said softly.

Naruto's eyebrows shot up into his hairline when he heard Hitomi. Everything he knew and had experienced with the noble Hyuga Clan of Konoha suggested that they saw anyone who was not Hyuga as below them. He'd never heard one speak in such a way to anyone that wasn't of their clan, except for the Hokage, but even then it seemed condescending. I'll do whatever this man says, I don't care. I wonder if he knows what he just accomplished.

Sin smiled genuinely and knelt down. "It'd be my honor. This will work best if you're comfortable, so I'm going to release you." Hitomi nodded and Saeko wanted to protest, but she trusted Sin's decision making. He must not have sensed any deceit in her.

The chain restraining Hitomi began to unravel from around her lithe frame, releasing her until it fell to the ground, and became the size of a normal mid-length chain that Sin picked up, and clasped around his neck with a smirk. "Not many people expect a chain like this to be a weapon."

"A man with…many talents, I'm sure." Hitomi muttered with a heavy dose of sarcasm.

Sin chuckled. "Careful. If you hurt my feelings, I may not be able to help you." He bantered back as he crouched down, looking closely at the cursed seal once more. "Just try to relax and keep your mind clear."

"Hai," Hitomi spoke demurely as she shut her eyes, Byakugan now deactivated.

"You two might want to go get right, this may take awhile, and I know Naruto's got to be hungry because I know I am since we didn't get breakfast."

"I got it covered," Saeko volunteered and smiled down to Naruto as she placed a hand to the top of his sunny blonde hair to gain his attention. "How about we go get some take-out?"

Naruto frowned slightly. "I want ramen." He answered simply, causing Saeko to giggle at the young boy.

"Well, let's see what we can do." Saeko retorted and the two began making their way through the forest, back to Tanzaku. "Be back soon."

Sin smiled lightly before turning back to Hitomi who was breathing calmly and still had her eyes closed. "Hitomi, I'm going to use a variant of the Evil Releasing Method to remove this curse seal. This wouldn't work on a true Caged Bird Seal, but what's on you is definitely amateur hour; it seems…almost rushed." The Kurokami informed as the seal told a story to his ornate eyes.

Hitomi's brows furrowed slightly. "The Evil Releasing Method?" She questioned.

"Hai, it's the opposite of the 'Evil Sealing Method'. The best way I can describe the E.R.M is that it forces the curse seal into a false activation, tricking the mind into activating the function. The curse seal's function will also be suppressed at the same time. This causes the curse seal to overload and weakens it so that I can expel it from your psyche. However, since your curse seal is directly tied to your brain, I have to perform the E.R.M from within your mind."

Hitomi didn't completely understand how this would all work out, but the layman explanation he provided gave her an image of how he hoped to achieve the results he spoke about. There was just one doubt. "Are you…skilled with Fuinjutsu, Kurokami-san?" Hitomi couldn't help to ask since his file stated nothing about a talent with the particular art.

"You can call me Sin and not particularly, though I've been learning for the longest. I haven't been able to find many books and scrolls on it, plus it helps to have a knowledgeable teacher to guide you. I had a sensei back where I came from, but he's with Kami now, and he's the one that taught me what Fuinjutsu I do know. The hard part is accessing your mind, but my skill with Yang chakra is substantial, so I can make up for it. It's surfing the mind that's risky. Even the Yamanaka can make mistakes in mind meddling and I hear they're some of the best." Sin's visage turned partially nostalgic, not that Hitomi could see since her eyes remained closed. "The mind is beautiful and fascinating, but it's a complicated existence."

Hitomi drew in a breath and breathed out to deter her growing headache. "Your honesty and acknowledgement of risk… is appreciated."

Sin grinned in a wily manner. "Be appreciative after I've finished, Hitomi-san. Now, I'm going to place a small sheet of chakra paper over your forehead. I'm doing this because I need a medium to force the curse seal out of you. I don't have a 'Blade of Totsuka', or flesh from a Main House Hyuga, so I have to use this. The chakra paper will act as a current for your chakra when I begin to use the Evil Releasing Method."

Sin took a deep breath and reached his right arm out to place his hand on her forehead, over the position of the chakra transference paper, and closed his eyes. "Let's get it." Molding chakra began to join their perceptions; feeling a tug on his consciousness, he accepted it, and everything went silent.

Sin opened his eyes to find himself in a temple which was dark and unkempt. He looked down at his feet and caught sight of a glorious engraving of the Hyuga clan symbol in the flooring of the temple. He sighed however, noticing that the engraving was marred by the image of the same curse seal that was on Hitomi's forehead. It appeared as if it had been crudely spray painted over.

"What a mess," he muttered as he looked up to see twin banners of the Hyuga clan also marred in the very same manner with the inverted cross. Everywhere he looked there were scrolls unraveled and strewn about; on the floor, dangling carelessly from the walls, and hanging precariously from the ceiling. As he made his way through the expansive temple, he was careful not to step on the scrolls; convinced that they represented Hitomi's memory and person.

After making careful steps around and over the scrolls, Sin came to a large pedestal where he came upon Hitomi. The woman was lying on her back on a stone slab, eyes closed as if sleeping. She was dressed in robes similar to what he had met her in, only the material was richer and more expensive with the Hyuga Clan yin-yang over the right breast. He could also see that she lacked the presence of a curse seal on her forehead, Caged Bird Seal or otherwise; putting two and two together, he guessed this to be Hitomi's representation of her true self.

He was grateful that her mind was in the form of this temple and scroll presentation. A physical representation of the subconscious was rare; most exclusively seen in people of higher learning, strong minds, etc. The condition of the place suggested that she had fought the application of not only the curse seal, but outright mind control. Whoever was responsible had been satisfied with neutralizing her true self with the Caged Bird Seal knock-off. The physical form sleeping on the marble stone slab proved this theory.

Sin turned and looked around. "…Such a strong mind; to think that this seal threw it into such disarray. The sleeping, mental Hitomi must have battled with the Hitomi I met. The inner Hitomi, though compromised, maintained some influence on the outer Hitomi; otherwise she would have never allowed me to do this."

"You're a strong woman, Hitomi. If your mind had been completely compromised, I'm not sure I would be able to do this. I don't know how long you've been shouldering this, but you fought every step; the least I can do is help you reward that effort for never giving up. Clean up and then I'll run through the memories that'll help me."

He threw his hands together into the dragon hand seal and closed his eyes in concentration. The scrolls began to glow and began to lift from the ground before coming together and swirling around Sin due to an unseen current.

. . .

Meanwhile, Saeko and Naruto had returned from their food hunt. While Naruto was most happily slurping on a large cup of take-out ramen, Saeko was carrying a few bags of ingredients; the motivation being to make something. She hadn't decided what she would do after this, but her location in Tanzaku had been compromised.

"What is Sin-shishou doing?" Naruto asked after slurping down a particular mouth full of noodles when he saw Sin standing over Hitomi with his hand firmly over the woman's lulled back head. Though they were physically present, both seemed to be somewhere else.

"He's entered the Hyuga's mind to try finding the source of the curse seal. Don't worry, they're both fine, but they might be like that for awhile." Saeko said as she set the food stuff down, looking for sticks to make a small fire. Meanwhile, Naruto was still observing the scene.

"How did he learn to do something like that?" Naruto inquired, more to himself than to Saeko, but she answered nonetheless.

"Naruto, I've spent years on the road with Sin, and the source of a lot of his knowledge; he's never truly told me. It's funny how someone that relies heavily on using knowledge as his strength can share so little. He had a really smart sensei before he came to the Elemental Nations; that leads me to think he learned all he could there, before coming here." Saeko provided.

"What?" Naruto turned in question.

Saeko blinked as she glanced up at Naruto from picking up sticks for a fire. "He hasn't told you? You two really haven't been together long. You probably don't know this, but there is another continent besides the Elemental Nations simply referred to as the Northern Lands. There are clans and ninja there, just like here, only the way of life is supposed to be different." Saeko let out a small sigh at Naruto. "I can't say much more than that, but you're his apprentice now, so maybe you'll get more access to that knowledge." She went back to preparing the sight with Naruto looking at her oddly.

. . .

Sin had reordered Hitomi Hyuga's mind and had delved into her memories. However, he had come to find out more about her and Konoha than he felt comfortable learning, but there had been a great deal of compensation in doing so. The last scroll rolled up, but not before Sin Kurokami leapt out from within the scripture written on it; finding himself back in the now tidy temple.

He looked around and smirked at himself. "I can't say I ever liked playing housekeeper, but you can't deny the feeling of a job well done." All the scrolls were rolled up, tied off, and ordered. He had carved out glass cabinets using Yang chakra to place the scrolls in, and over each of the many container doors were protective seals in the form of talismans. They were for reinforced mental protection.

He knew Hitomi was strong, capable, and mindful; definitively more so than himself, but extra protection never hurt. The talismans, added with her mental strength would make it harder, if not neigh impossible for her mind to be tampered with again. In doing so, the curse seal marring the Hyuga clan banners over the pedestal had disappeared. However, the Hitomi Hyuga lying on the slab remained in her coma.

"We're almost there Hitomi." He said to her. He turned and began walking down from the pedestal through the temple, and knelt down over the curse seal marring the Hyuga engraving at the temple's center. He concluded that the ruination of the banners was simply an overkill to express dominance over her mind, but the one on the floor was the true source.

I'm sure that it's…Tiger, Snake, Horse, Ram, Tiger, Hare, and Rat! Evil Release Method! After running through the hand seals within Hitomi's mind, he placed his hands to the floor, and began to force his chakra into the curse seal on the floor.

. . .

Ever since Naruto and Saeko had arrived back to the sight of confrontation, the jinchuriki had not taken his eyes off of his mentor and master. Although he was worried, he was also enthralled and interested. He wanted the answers as to why they were like that, why was physical contact needed, what was going on inside their minds, was it anything like his own, etc. He found himself simply wanting to know, whether he realized it or not.

Saeko had started the fire and cut some logs down to fashion makeshift seating for them once it was over. So as she sat down, she found her attention being drawn away from the fire, and back to the young boy with a faint smile. Oh, I know that look; it's just like Sin when he's studying, thinking, or trying to solve some problem. He's starting to crave knowledge; I think I'm realizing why Sin chose to take on Naruto. He just used the excuse of wanting to protect the boy as the face reason, but he must see some of himself in the kid.

It was a moment later that Sin and Hitomi broke contact with one another and both gasped loudly as a flash of blinding light temporarily fell over them. Sin's legs fell out from under him, bringing him down to his knees. He remained on all fours from the chakra drain.

"Sin!"

"Sin-shishou!"

Saeko and Naruto perked up and quickly made their way over to the kneeling man. "Yeah, yeah…I'm fine. I've never been in someone's mind that long before and…it was a huge damn mess!" He huffed as he began to stand again with Saeko's assistance as Naruto remained silent despite his anxiousness.

"Come on, you should sit down." Saeko suggested, but Sin resisted.

"Yeah, just wait a second." He muttered tiredly and reached for the chakra paper still attached to Hitomi Hyuga's forehead. "Moment of truth…" He slowly began to peel it off and Naruto gasped when he saw that the curse seal was burned into the Chakra Transfer Paper. "Whoop, there it is." He chuckled.

Saeko sighed in mock exasperation. "You're so damn lame." She muttered with a smirk.

"Hey, respect the technique." He responded, looking over Hitomi. "I think she'll be out of it for a little bit."

"Fine, for now, you rest." Saeko began to drag Sin over to the campfire she put together and made him sit on the ground with his back against the log she cut out.

Naruto was silently looking at Hitomi in thought before he went back to join the group. "That was incredible, sensei! I don't think I'd believe it if I hadn't seen it."

Sin gave a tired thumb up to Naruto. "All in a day's work, gaki." He smirked when Naruto frowned at the term, though he said it with some affection. "You watched the whole time?" He couldn't help inquiring as Naruto came to sit beside him.

The spiky haired blonde just nodded.

"Even though there was nothing to watch?" Sin raised an eyebrow.

"I was…observing?" He said in slight question, but nodded when he was convinced that was the right word.

Saeko watched the two with glancing peeks as Sin nodded, seemingly impressed. "Good, always keep your eyes open, always ask questions. Stick with me, gaki…" Sin yawned a little. "I'll help you find the answers." He finished his sentence, unable to keep from dozing off from the expenditure of chakra in freeing Hitomi Hyuga's mind.

"Hai sensei," Naruto responded, though he couldn't hear. He had a lot of questions that he wanted to ask, but he could hear the Kyubi in the back of his mind; telling him to be patient. He was understandably excited since unforeseen forces continued stalling his first lessons.

. . .

Sin opened his eyes. He saw that both Saeko and Naruto had fallen asleep, the fire was dying down, and it was early in the evening, but the sun was down. He sighed and pushed himself up to stand as he stretched. He groaned as he felt a few bones pop, then grabbed one of the bowls and filled it with some of the stew that Saeko had made. He snatched up one of the bottles of water and walked over to where Hitomi's prone form was slumped against the tree across from them.

"Haaa…you can get up now, I know you're awake." He said as he crouched down before her.

Hitomi opened her eyes slowly, looking directly at him as she did so. He could see the difference in her gaze, slight though it may be, but there was an unmistakable clarity in her pupil-less eyes that hadn't been there before. "How are you feeling, Hitomi-san?"

"I am who I'm supposed to be, thank you…for ridding my…mind of that seal. I have to ask, Sin-san…what did you see?"

Sin chuckled and held the bowl of cooling stew out to her, as well as the water. "It's cooling so you might want to eat it before it gets completely cold; know what I'm saying?"

"I'm not…" The woman's stomach growled just as she was about to protest, causing Sin to grin in amusement. "Fine, thank you." She changed her mind and took the container from him with a delicate hand.

"You're probably not used to disposable utensils, being that you're Hyuga royalty and all." Sin said seriously as he moved to sit beside her against the tree. "I can't believe I'm talking to the Queen of the Hyuga clan."

"Former," Hitomi supplied before going back to her stew. "Plus, it isn't like I've never been in the field before."

Sin nodded. "True and please don't give me any of that former bullshit. The way you had your title taken from you was far from…politically correct. What kind of person separates a woman and mother from her family, children, and clan to overthrow her; then willingly hands her over to someone like…Danzo?" Sin sneered as he recalled the memories that he'd seen.

"Hm. My…husband…apparently." She said lowly as she sat the half eaten bowl of stew aside and began to partake of the bottle of water, which she quickly gulped down due to a bout of dehydration.

"I don't understand why, from your memories it seemed like Hiashi Hyuga truly loved you. Why take you from the clan…your daughters, Hanabi and Hinata?" Sin muttered in question to himself, more so than to the Hyuga Queen.

Hitomi smiled, almost fondly, wanting to remember how Hiashi had been before; rather than how he'd ended up. The short times she'd gotten to be with Hinata to reinforce her self-esteem, only getting to see Hanabi one time; she would have to rectify that. "He did…love me, Sin-san…he just loved…power more." The woman's voice was layered with betrayal, sadness, disappointment, but most of all…a broken heart.

"Hitomi-san…" Sin tried.

"So…Naruto Uzumaki. He's certainly grown since my last memory of him." The Hyuga royal decided on changing the subject.

"Heh, yeah. You were kind to him a few times when he was younger, I'm not sure he remembers. I only got a peek, but I saw that…you knew his mother? You had a good relationship?" Sin couldn't help prying. Kushina Uzumaki was a severe topic of interest in his mind as of late and anyone who could tell him about the woman was either dead or searching to take his life.

Hitomi's smile returned, but the heart break was obvious, and Kushina Uzumaki was not only a sore topic, but a well kept one as well. In the end, she decided to dodge the question about Kushina Uzumaki as well. There was something that she wanted Sin to know. "How…did you come upon…young Naruto?"

Sin sighed. "He ran away from his village not too long ago and I found him in a different area of Fire Country. I learned of his burden, how he'd been treated, and who his parents had been. I wanted to take him back to Konoha, because one can't run away from their problems." The Kurokami lowered his eyes to his lap, remembering the pain he could see behind those brilliant blues, and it stuck with him because Naruto hid it so well. There was no reason for it.

"When I saw the complete tragedy in his eyes…I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I'll teach him everything I can…the boy gives me some sort of reassurance for the future." Sin confided in Hitomi.

"He's a…bright child, just needs the chance." Hitomi smiled as she looked at Sin and he hesitantly returned the gesture. "I'm glad you…found him. You'll…learn a lot from his kind and trusting nature, Sin." She turned her head to look ahead again.

He opened his mouth to speak, but paused. She saw right through me in this short time, she knows I like play it close to the vest. Those eyes…they really do see everything, even things that shouldn't be seen.

"And what of you, Hitomi-san? I know you want to see your daughters, maybe even return home. I can help you get back." Sin offered.

Hitomi didn't immediately respond. "I'm…not sure if going back is…an option. Konoha has certainly fallen from greatness. I'd be up against Hiashi and…Danzo. Yes, I could tell the Hokage, but…there are consequences to…consider as well. Even before I left, the Secondary Branch of the clan had been in turmoil…should they find out about this…I fear there could be an uprising because of the fallout. They would see…all the scheming and cover-ups as an opportunity…to overthrow the Main Branch; despite the Caged Bird Seal. The dissent would be…unending. The well being of Konoha…would certainly follow, then…who knows."

"Also, I could not…in good conscious go back and take up sharing a bed…a life, with my husband. What would my…children think? Other Hyuga members could be compromised due to…Hiashi. There's also…no physical evidence…not enough to have…people as important and influential as…Danzo and Hiashi properly punished. A life in…Konoha, is no longer…an option for me." Hitomi concluded sadly.

Sin frowned. "Are you certain? I mean, absolutely without a doubt?" He found it hard to believe that there would be no way to connect these two men to Hitomi's circumstances.

As answer, Hitomi decided to tell a tale. "There was an attempt…on the Sandaime Hokage's life. Danzo Shimura orchestrated the…operation. He had a young and skilled…Root recruit…named, Kakashi Hatake to…carry out the kill. A long story…short, Kakashi-san changed…his mind and told the Hokage…about it."

"He…had proof that…the Ne was still active, but…somehow…Danzo twisted his way out of that. The Sandaime…was not able to…punish the man, because…it was Kakashi's word against a war hero's in…Danzo Shimura. It didn't help…that Kakashi was privy to…some shady dealings. Once more…the Root was ordered to disband…this has gone on…for years."

"Kakashi Hatake, he's the one with the Sharingan in his right eye socket." Hitomi nodded solemnly.

*"So, you see…there's nothing that can be…done. There is… one wish that I…have on my list. It is a lot to ask…however." Hitomi began. Sin started to inquisition her, but Hitomi cut him short. "I…will announce it…when everyone is…awake. It's not…a decision to be made…lightly, but an opportunity should…present itself after tonight."

Sin looked at Hitomi oddly, but said nothing as he watched her quietly rise to her feet and joined the camp as the flame continued to die down. She seemed comfortable enough to sleep around them and so Sin didn't give it much thought; Saeko could become alert at the drop of a leaf.

The words she left him to contemplate was a completely different matter all together.

Tonight? Well, if it has anything to do with Konoha…wait. Then, her knowing must have something to do with her association with Danzo Shimura. Sin closed his eyes to think back; of course he hadn't gotten to go through the entirety of her memories, yet he'd seen a good deal of her memories and knowledge.

He immediately focused on the most recent of memories he had gotten to see and it hit him, eyes widening open when it hit him. Another sigh and he maintained his casual expression once more. Well, nothing I can do about it…not even if I cared enough to try. Tonight would be generations in the making. He shrugged and went for the stew that Hitomi hadn't finished, thoughtlessly eating after Hitomi as he peered up through the opening in the canopy of trees to look at the stars.

Sayonara, I guess…Lady Karma has pulled your card.

+ Meanwhile – Konohagakure No Sato +

Itachi Uchiha, true genius shinobi of his generation without argument; not only among his clan and peers, but of all Konoha, found himself stooped atop the power lines high above his familial clan grounds. The Uchiha Clan District. He set his disconnected gaze down on the people that existed as his blood relation, his intentions tonight filtering through his mind. Civilian and military associated members alike were in the middle of bringing another day in Konoha to a close; the sun having fallen from their part of the skies hours ago.

Today would mark a great change and tragedy for the Uchiha clan and Konohagakure, and tonight he would also raise the bar once again, intending to set another important moment of record for himself and his beloved village of the Leaf.

This night he would become the village's greatest homegrown traitor of his generation for reasons none save for him and a scant few could ever hope to comprehend. This night his cynical outlook on the world became complete and his name would forever be spoken with fear. It wouldn't be much different afterwards than previously, except now disgust, hate, sorrow, and tragedy would accompany the fear associated with his person.

He realized that it would be for naught, as his clan had overstepped the position they played, forgotten their place due to ego, pride, and gluttonous self-indulgence of power. The Sharingan was not benevolent, nor was it all powerful; only he seemed to acknowledge that it was as flawed as the humanity of the blood associated with it. The 'Warring States Era' was a complete record of this fact.

The Uchiha Clan died tonight and with it, the stain they had placed on the world. Therefore, he patiently watched…poised to make his move like a honey badger with severe and unrelenting intention and grace to ensure the survival of those who needed to survive. He was sure that he was alone in this sentiment.

From his perch, dressed in the dark fabric of a phantom murderer, he realized how insignificant they were; easily disposed of their lives like a great giants passing step on an ant hill. He would show no mercy except for the covenant he'd made ahead of time.

After the death of his best friend, Shisui Uchiha, by his own hands, he knew what needed to be done, and knew that he had to be the one to do it. He'd of liked to have included Danzo's body for the tribute for his sin of possessing what he did not deserve to possess, but his time would come.

Tonight, the death toll rang for the Uchiha this night. He saw loyalty as the ultimate trait of any person or ninja, and betrayal as the ultimate sin. The Uchiha had only interest in the former to make their beds and now he would make them lie in it for eternity.

Itachi suddenly looked up from the ant colony that was the Uchiha Clan District, turning red eyes of the stage three Sharingan to the starry night sky that lay witness to the world's sins, triumphs, and tragedies without fail.

"Is it that time already?" He inquired to seemingly no one.

A shadow shifted among the bark of the wooden pole built to hold up the power lines as an odd creature to behold, showed itself beneath the Uchiha's feet. He was half white and half black like the yin-yang with piss yellow eyes, and dark green hair. As he showed himself, sprouting from around his upper body was what appeared to be the essence of a Venus Flytrap protecting his upper body.

"Madara-sama has held up his end of the deal, the stage is set." The odd creature spoke metaphorically.

Itachi gave a solitary nod and prepared to descend before he was interrupted briefly. "…A message from Leader-sama." The plant-man added and Itachi cast his deadened gaze on the creature.

"Do not fail." It was then that the creature took his leave in the same manner which he had appeared.

A grin that was slight and mostly sadistic turned Itachi's lips. "Hai."

The Uchiha Massacre would enter the history books of Konoha after the night.

. . .

"Haa…it's done." Sin said to himself after performing his morning warm-up. He had decided to take watch for the night to ensure the camp, but there was a second, more selfish reason that he had stayed up straight through the night as he stood off in another small clearing a little ways away from where Naruto, Hitomi, and Saeko rested.

"Now that I got an apprentice with unlimited potential and upside to teach, I have to do what I have to for him…especially since he is a Jinchuriki. She would likely call me a thief and a liar, two qualities that I can't stand in people, but…I suppose this is my evolution. Naruto has too much to live up to and he'll look to me to help him reach his goals through increasing responsibilities." He grinned as he pulled Hitomi's memories to his mind's forefront and stepped into a posture that she would have immediately recognized as a Gentle Fist starter's stance. "Then a bastard thief I'll be!"

He began into a random combination, one of the more simpler one's, but so long as he had a few minutes alone each day to devote to making his muscles memorize the Gentle Fist; he could get it down within a few months time. He had retained knowledge of all Gentle Fist styles, but a good portion of it required the Byakugan to focus on tenketsu points, and to be that accurate without it was neigh impossible.

Though his Tenchogan allowed him to see chakra like the Byakugan, the unique trait of seeing tenketsu was exclusive to the Hyuga. Maybe I could reformat it for pressure point strikes. Those are fewer and larger than tenketsu; a good knowledge of anatomy would be all Naruto would need.

He spun his body, his feet not leaving the ground as he turned a three-sixty through the dirt, and forced both his hands out to strike with flat palms facing his imagined opponent. A lot of palm strikes, always been keener to fists and feet. He breathed out slowly and continued before he lost his momentum. He threw his left palm outward while he rotated his right arm up and over head before bringing it around again to strike out with two-fingers while adjusting his stance.

He continued, doing the same with his left hand, and steadily alternating. He took another firmly placed stance, with his left foot forward and his right foot behind him. He held his left arm outstretched, but at a downwards angle with his right arm straight out and up behind him. He forced himself to spin. Kaiten!

He spun as fast as he could make his tall, athletic form turn without reinforcing the movement with chakra. There was no impressive expulsion of chakra that formed a dramatic dome of chakra around him. Sin did not even want to try forcing chakra out through his tenketsu, no matter how great he thought his chakra control was; Hyuga level chakra control was on an entirely different level. Plus, he didn't want to risk waking the others, or hurting himself; he would have had to explain what he was doing in that case.

He stopped and looked at the sky as the sun continued its ascension into the sky through the morning while he worked to catch his breath; panting slightly. Naruto, I hope you come to appreciate the lengths for which I will go for you as your master…the sins I will commit, and the sacrifices I will make. I hope that when you realize these things…you won't think differently of me for being a liar and a thief.

Sin had lied to Hitomi Hyuga when he proclaimed that he needed to perform the Evil Releasing Method from within her mind. If he had done so from reality, everything would have been reordered on its own once the jutsu was performed. He could have always just picked Hitomi's mind for the information he sought about Konoha's chasing Naruto afterwards. He just hadn't been able to bring himself to pass up on the false opportunity to learn from a mind as immensely skilled as Hitomi Hyuga.

He did fear that if she found out, she would kill him, and he wouldn't blame her; he had purged her mind of clan secrets after all.

Naruto...for you, I will be whatever I need to be to see your success. It was without a second thought and without guilt, that he continued practicing the Gentle Fist.

. . .

AN: I understand there might be some questions and quite possibly some anger from Sin stealing the knowledge of the Gentle Fist from Hitomi Hyuga. Let's get this straight, do not expect to see Sin outright using the Gentle Fist anytime soon or maybe even at all. I wanted to use the final scene and his actions to prove a point of how far Sin will go for Naruto in the future of this story. You'll come to find that he's Orochimaru-like in his hunger for knowledge, but typically he is not a jutsu thief; thus his silent lamenting about his 'change of character/sacrifice of beliefs' from his actions. I want my readers to understand that simply his retaining great knowledge does not equate to being overly powerful. If one cannot apply what he knows, then the knowledge is useless, and Sin knows this. It is also how I will set this alternate Naruto-verse as I write my story. I hope you all understand.

Don't forget to R+R. See you next time!

And as we continue on… ~Black Naruto