Sasuke stood in the small town. His team had no idea as to why they were there. He had simply told them there was a change of plans. Karin noted that the town was a nice size and the way everyone acted it seemed they all knew each other which meant they'd be spotted as outsiders quickly. She got the sense that they were being followed but since Sasuke hadn't said anything about it she didn't want to bring it up yet. They had stopped in front of a house. After walking through the village for an hour he finally allowed them to rest in a grassy area where kids were running around
"It doesn't seem like there are any shinobi here" Suigetsu stated, removing his sword then stretching his arms.
"I like it, its so peaceful and quiet" Karin said dreamily
"Girls" He mumbled.
"Am I the only one who sensed we were followed?" Jugo asked. The other two looked at each other
"No" They said at the same time
"You sensed it too?" She asked Suigetsu
"Yeah but I didn't want to say anything if you guys hadn't. I didn't wanna seem like I was crazy" They nodded in agreement
"What about you Sasuke?" Jugo asked
"We were" He was still scanning the area. Two young women were sitting not too far from them. From lack of nothing to do Karin decided to eavesdrop.
"I know but I'm sure they'll find her" A woman wearing lots of jewelry was saying "She always was a free spirit Ami"
"But Kana, she ran away so she wouldn't have to get married" Her friend answered while munching on some candy
"I doubt it, have you seen how protective her father, brother and even her older sister are of her? There's no way she's going through with that marriage. They wont allow it" She snorted "I wonder of all people why a Leaf shinobi was picked? My five year old daughter is stronger than five of their best" They both laughed.
"Well why do you think she left then?"
"Honestly Ami, I think there's a bit more going on with her than everyone suspects"
"Really?"
"Yep, enjoy our conversation?" Kana turned to Karin who immediately blushed in embarrassment "Its obvious you're outsiders so I'll give you to the count of three to get away from me, preferably out of the village" She rose, glaring at them. Her friend got up too. Neither had weapons at, least that were noticeable.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to" She said
"Yeah ya did" Ami rolled her eyes
"Alright fine but I'm not backing down from you two"
"Karin" Jugo warned
"Lets dance" Kana prepared to strike when a voice said
"Ladies, ladies whats going on?" A young man walked casually over to the group. He looked half sleep. His dark eyes going from one group to the other.
"They started it!" Kana shouted then crossed her arms
"I highly doubt it since you love to cause fights" He yawned "Anyway why don't you ladies go find something/someone else to harass"
"Fine, by the way how's your mother?". He put on a fake smile
"Great, she'll be better in no time" Reassured by his smile they said bye then walked away "My advice to you is to not piss off any of the locals especially since many don't like visitors" He put his hands in his pockets and started to leave. Karin thought he reminded her of a person she knew then glancing back to Sasuke, who was watching the young man, she made the connection.
"Hiro" Sasuke said
"Yeah?" He turned around "Who called me?". Karin motioned to Sasuke "How do you know my name?" He ran a hand through his already ruffled hair then yawned again.
"I…you're …" Sasuke frowned. He usually wasn't tongue tied but this was different. His teammates noticed it too
"What?" Hiro asked. Since her leader couldn't get the words out, Karin decided to help him along
"You ok Sasuke?" Sensing that the two knew each other she thought it'd be a good idea to say his name
"Sasuke?" Hiro asked "Uchiha?" He raised an eyebrow. Sasuke nodded. "Stop fuckin with me" Hiro's eyes began to change to a gray color "The Sasuke Uchiha I knew was killed several years ago by my cousin so you couldn't be him" He was becoming visibly angry.
"I wasn't killed, he thought I wasn't worth it" He took a step forward.
"Prove it" His voice had lowered
"Your favorite color is blue though it used to change because Hikari would always copy you, making your favorite hers" He took another step
"Move again and I'll kill you" By now a large group had silently gathered to watch, surprised that anyone could make their usually hard to anger Hiro upset.
"You used to call me 'little cousin'" He moved again "You…almost died from a kind of virus when we were younger" The crowd gasped. Not many people knew that about him since then entire time he was sick he had spent it at the Uchiha house. He had been sick for almost a month. During his time there Sasuke would sleep on the floor of his room each night though there was a chance he could get sick too. As the memories came back Hiro relaxed. His eyes were watery
"It IS you Sasuke!" He grinned then threw his arms around his cousin. For the first time Karin could remember she saw her team leader give a slight smile.
Hikari woke up with a headache. She rolled over and looked at her clock. It read 10:00am. She groaned then got out of bed. She had things to do. After getting dressed she peaked into Naruto's room, he was still sleep. She crept back to her room, grabbing a large bag from her closet then walked down the hall and out the door. As she walked, Akane came up beside her. She wore another short yukata.
"Like to show off your legs much?" Hikari asked
"I cant help it if I was born with these. You were born with that but you don't use it" she pointed to Hikari's chest then started laughing. The other rolled her eyes then walked faster.
"Miya leave?"
"Last night" Hikari's roommate had said she had things to take care of so she had packed her bags and headed out. Naruto had been a little sad since he had started getting used to her. "What were you doing in the forest?"
"My tigers. One had run off. You know you're wolves have been acting funny lately too"
"So I've heard"
"I think they sense something. Shouldn't you be at the Hyuga place?"
"They'll live"
"I'd love to marry someone like Neji. You're not in the least bit excited?" She stopped walking then faced Akane
"I honestly could care less if I marry him or not. Some things are more important" For the first time Akane noticed what part of town they were in. It wasn't as nice looking as the rest of the village. She saw the people who lived in the old houses. Their clothes were dirty. Many had no shoes. It was a part of town that was avoided. A little girl carrying a stuffed bear with one eye ran up to them
"Lady Hikari! You're finally here!" Hikari smiled, dropped her bag then picked the girl up. Akane sighed
"You know that's your problem, you care too much."
"If I don't then who else will?".
"Fine Okami, do what you want. By the way that blonde guy's been following you" With a wave to the little girl, Akane Tora left.
Naruto sat cross legged on the ground watching the kids chase each other. The parents and other adults talked. Hikari had brought a bag full of toys for them. Since Naruto had been living with her he'd notice how she would disappear for hours then come back but wouldn't say where she had gone. He had asked Miya about it but she hadnt seem to notice or care. Hikari came out of a house and sat next to him.
"We're invited for lunch"
"That's great because I'm starving!" At that moment his stomach decided to growl. He grinned "So when can we eat?"
"Another hour"
"But I'm hungry" He felt a drop of water hit his head "Cut it out Hikari"
"I didn't do anything" Both looked up to see the sky had darkened and fat raindrops were starting to come down. Naruto jumped up, holding a hand out to Hikari. They were on their way inside when he heard
"ARGH!" He turned to see her face covered in mud. Three kids were laughing not too far from her. "You little brats!" She grabbed a handful of mud and threw it back except it didn't hit the boy who got her. Instead he dodged it and it hit his friend who grabbed more mud and aimed it at Hikari who ducked causing Naruto to get hit. That was all it took for an all out mud war. All the kids who'd gone inside came back out. All of them chasing Naruto, who dodged most of their attacks laughing the whole time. Hikari had wiped the mud off her and was now watching from inside the house of the little girl, Miyuki Nousagi, from earlier. Miyuki had her face to the window. Her light blonde hair in two ponytails that she'd tug from time to time. Her mother's humming could be heard from the kitchen where she was preparing lunch.
"How long have you known him Hikari? You've never talked about him before when you were over"
"Around a month or so"
"He's funny, I like him" Her pet rabbit hopped around the room. "Where's Icee?"
"No idea, he does whatever he feels like"
"Shadow misses him" She said referring to her black rabbit.
"He'll probably be here later to scare me as usual". Miyuki sat down to play with Shadow. Though she was only ten she could be unusually mature for her age.
"Lunch is ready" Mrs. Nousagi said entering the room. Her hair was in a messy bun and an apron covered her kimono. Her cheeks were flushed from cooking. Though she had lost her husband a few months before, she always smiled. Naruto burst into the room covered in mud and with a big grin on his face
"Can we eat?". Hikari frowned.
Ten minutes later Naruto was wearing an old yukata that Mrs. Nousagi had found, Hikari was sure it had been her husband's, and was stuffing his face with rice and fish.
"This is really good!" He said. Mrs. N poured everyone a cup of tea then sat across from Naruto.
"Thank you Mrs. Nousagi." Hikari sipped hers
"Your welcome"
"How long will you stay?" Miyuki asked as she slyly tried to give Shadow some of her carrots.
"Please don't leave until the rain stops. I don't want you two to get soaked" Her mother added "And I'm washing Naruto's clothes"
"That's' fine" Miyuki watched fascinated as Naruto ate. Whenever he caught her watching him, he'd smile then she'd blush and look away. She obviously has a crush on him but I don't see how. He eats like a pig She thought as she gave him another disgusted glance. Suddenly Icee appeared next to her, begging. She sighed , giving him some fish.
"How do you get used to that wolf appearing like that?" Mrs. N asked
"I don't" Icee finished his fish then started to play with Shadow. Ordinary people would have found this strange, Naruto would've if he had been paying attention but as the three ladies knew, their 'pets' weren't exactly normal. After everyone finished Naruto went into the next room, sitting against the wall. He was almost asleep when Hikari knelt next to him
"You know Mrs. N has an extra bedroom"
"I'm ok" He mumbled. She shrugged her shoulders and was getting ready to rise when he grabbed her elbow "Why do you come down here?" His blue eyes searched her dark brown ones
"Because they need someone. Down here they're forgotten, outcasts of Konoha. No one else cares. Many of them lost everything during that war or whatever it was called. They haven't bounced back yet" She knelt on both knees " I try to bring some kind of happiness, if only for a few hours"
"Everyday this is where you were?" She nodded "Hikari…" His eyes close before he could finish. Miyuki walked up and put a blanket over him. Hikari put his hand next to him.
"How will you do it Hikari?" Mrs. Nousagi walked up and put an arm around her daughters shoulder. "The fox grows more powerful each day while Naruto grows weak" Hikari stood. Sealing him wont have the same affect as it did before". Hikari had never talked of Naruto to Miyuki but she had many times to her mother.
"Separating them is the only thing I can think of but that could kill him considering the frail state that he's in" Hikari knew that Naruto was weaker though he never said anything about it. She'd grown too attached to him.
"Well whatever you decide, I have faith that it'll work"
"Why did the other clans put so much of that in me?" She mumbled.
A couple hours later found it still raining. Miyuki was sleep in her room, Mrs. Nousagi was cleaning and Hikari had sat next to Naruto. She pulled the blanket over herself then rested her head against the wall
"Still raining?" He asked
"Yep"
"Good, I didn't feel like leaving yet" A bit of silence fell between them
"He used to watch out for me, always making sure I was ok" Naruto didn't have to ask to know who she was talking about "When people saw us together they swore we were siblings"
"Your personalities are completely different though. He was cold and never smiled when I met him, yours seems a bit more complicated than I first thought"
"Complicated? How?"
"Honestly I thought you were Sasuke in the girl version but I was sorta wrong. There's different sides to you"
"You have no idea" She muttered "How close were you guys?" Hikari had heard how Naruto and Sasuke had been best friends, she'd heard how Sasuke had left, she'd heard many things but it was different to hear it from the actual source.
"Thought we were best friends, it had been me, him and Sakura" He kept his eyes closed, as if remembering "We got into some horrible fights"
"I heard he joined some guy named Orochimaru"
"Yeah, that freak gave him a curse seal. We could've helped him if he'd stayed"
"Some people don't want to be helped" She said
"Actually for a while they were my only friends. Things change I guess"
"Why do you think he left?"
"The seal"
"Come on Naruto, I've heard different things but it seems to boil down to one"
"I was becoming stronger" He whispered
"So basically he ruined his friendships and all that because of jealousy"
"I'm sure it wasn't just that"
"Well it probably was a big part of it. You were some crazy kid with a demon fox inside of you and he was the hotshot heir to a great clan. It was expected that he'd be the better shinobi, not you"
"Hikari you're not being fair, besides he's YOUR cousin"
"Right now I feel like I know you much better than him" She whispered "He isn't the same Sasuke I grew up with" She leaned her head on his shoulder "Hinata said he almost killed you and Sakura"
"Hinata?"
"She always manages to find me when I'm hiding out from her mom at their house. You'd be surprised at how much she hates him. You know Blu if it ever comes down to it I could separate you from the fox"
"Completely?"
"Completely but there's a chance you might not survive the process"
"What would you do with it?" He didn't want the monster roaming free, he'd rather it be contained in his body if it meant lives could be saved.
"Don't worry about that, he wouldn't cause problems anymore"
"That might be the only solution…" He opened his eyes and sat up a little.
"What's wrong?". He didn't answer. Instead he jumped up, stopping at the door to say "I'll be right back" Then was gone. It was still raining. He hated it but he kept walking until he finally saw him. Sasuke stood down the street. He had been talking to three people but they left. Sasuke noticed his presence. He smirked.
This wasn't how he'd wanted things to go. Hiro had told him that Hikari was in Konoha, he even gave him the part of town she was most likely to be in. He wanted to see his cousin not Naruto who stood a few feet away with a wave of emotions showing on his face. The only sound that could be heard was that of the rain hitting the ground. Finally Sasuke said
"Are you gonna move or not?"
"What are you doing here?" Naruto growled. Another pause.
"None of your business. Don't worry, I haven't come to kill you"
"Get out" How'd he get in here anyway? There's no shortage of guards on the wall. But this is the 'genius' Uchiha. I wish I could wipe that smirk off his face. Sasuke took one step.
"Naruto" It was a warning. His eyes had become red with the Sharigan. Naruto stayed where he was though he knew he wasn't in the condition to fight. "Fine, this is your choice" He pulled out his sword and ran towards Naruto who was bracing himself but the attack never came. Through the rain he could see Hikari standing between them. She had stopped the blade with one hand. He couldn't see her face but the way Sasuke was looking told him everything. She pushed him back.
"Hikari…" Sasuke put his sword away
"You're a great friend Sasuke, I wish I knew more people like you" Naruto could tell she was pissed.
"You know him" It was more a statement than a question. Hiro had told him that Hikari had befriended some crazy looking blonde guy.
"So do you, you wanna try that move again on me?" She placed a hand on her hip.
"I don't want to fight you"
"Actually I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be much of one" She smiled "But then you already know that". Sasuke's eyes narrowed. He answered back but Naruto wasn't paying attention anymore. A horrible pain was coursing through him
"I need to be free!" The fox growled
"This is your fault!"
"No it's the woman's! She will kill me, I wont allow that to happen!" The fox let loose a deafening roar.
"AHHHHHH!" Naruto screamed then collapsed in the mud.
"Shit!" Hikari turned him on his back "Naruto stay with me"
"It hurts so bad" He screamed again
"I know but hang on!" Icee appeared next to her "Get Tsunade" He was gone again "Sasuke, despite what everyone thinks I don't fully believe that you want the guy who was your best friend dead other wise he wouldn't be here now" He hesitated for only a second but then walked over
"What do you want me to do?" He knelt next to her.
Sasuke watched Naruto sleep. He was hooked up to a breathing machine. He'd never imagined he'd see him like that.
"Carry him to the hospital!" Hikari had shouted
"They'll probably try to kill me"
"Less worry, more movin!" She jumped up "I have to go get Tsunade"
"Right here" The Hokage appeared in front of them. She looked at Sasuke then Naruto then Sasuke again "What did you do?" Anger flashed in her eyes
"It's the fox, he needs to be at the hospital. Sasuke why are you still here?". He rolled his eyes then picked up his former teammate who was mumbling incoherently and raced off. After Naruto had been placed in a room Hikari had ordered him to stay with him
"That lunatic of yours is on the prowl and I can imagine him and his team taking advantage of the situation" They stood in the hall outside the room
"Do I have a choice?"
"Hell no, you asked what you could do. Here's your answer. Don't let anything happen to him" She poked him in the chest "By the way I still love you Sasuke, even if you are a almost murdering traitor to your village and friends" With that she walked away. He allowed a smile.
"Has he awakened at all?" A quiet, cold voice asked
"No". Hinata walked to Naruto's bedside, putting her hand on his forehead. She along with many of the people Sasuke had known, were giving him the cold shoulder. Kiba hadn't said anything to him when he and Shino had come earlier. Usually energetic Lee had tried being polite but Sasuke had been able to tell it was forced. Neji had given him a cold glare, TenTen had avoided the room completely. Ino had brought flowers but didn't speak a single word to him, like Kiba. Even Sakura hadn't much to say and had seemed a little upset when Tsunade had told her that Sasuke would be watching over Naruto. He hadn't expected a warm reception. Yelling could be heard from the hallway.
"Hikari…" Naruto's eyes started to open
"Naruto!" . He realized he was wearing a breathing mask and pulled it from his mouth. He sat up a little
"Hinata whats going on?"
"We were so worried! How do you feel?"
"Hungry"
"I'll get you some ramen" She turned to Sasuke "Is there anything you'd like Uchiha-san?" She was faking politeness
"No thanks". When she had gone Naruto asked
"Who's that yelling?"
"Hikari and Tsunade"
"About what?"
"Hikari wants to remove the fox but Tsunade doesn't"
"LOOK YOU OLD BAT HE"LL BE FINE!"
"WHAT?! WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?!"
"YOU HEARD ME THE FIRST TIME!". Naruto groaned. Their yelling was what had woken him up in the first place
"Why are you here?"
"Hikari asked me to stay"
"You're not gonna try and kill me?"
"Funny, but don't worry I'll be gone as soon as she says I can"
"That wont be anytime soon" Hikari burst into the room "I'll need your help to protect Naruto"
"Him protect me?! Is this a joke?" Naruto's eyes got big
"Nope, Akatsuki is around here. I know it. Sasuke will be with you when I'm not"
"Couldn't someone else do this?!"
"No one else is as good as he is besides I haven't seen him in years. You guys went through some shit, you can work it out later. You don't have to like each other but please at least be civil. Now I have to go find the old coot and talk to her" She was gone as fast as she had come.
"I'd rather be dealing with the Kyubbi" Naruto fell back on his bed. Sasuke didn't reply, this was the chance he'd get to kill Itachi once and for all.
It was getting late. The next morning Naruto would be allowed to leave. Hikari paced up and down the lobby thinking everything over. She could remove the fox or seal it in again. She and Tsunade hadn't reached an agreement yet. She rubbed the bridge of her nose thinking she was too young to be stressed out like she was.
"You should get some sleep" She looked up to see Neji in front of her. She thought she was imagining things but his eyes seemed filled with concern, she brushed it off thinking it was for Naruto.
"I'm ok, I'm worried about Naruto. That's all" She went to sit down. He followed
"Sasuke"
"Yeah, I finally met the guy that everyone hates" She gave a nervous laugh
"Why is he still here? Uzumaki wont say why"
"That's a good question, I could find out for you". Before he could answer TenTen, Hinata, Lee, Sakura and Sai emerged from the hall.
"Can you believe it Neji?" TenTen immediately asked "That Traitor is here and the Hokage hasn't done anything yet!" Apparently that was what they all had been discussing judging from their faces.
"All I know is that he better not try anything to Naruto" Hinata said then sat next to Hikari.
"Sakura what did Lady Hokage say when you asked why he was here?" She asked
"She shrugged. Said she wasn't worried about him"
"Not worried?! Not worried!" TenTen's voice rose "She realizes that this is the same guy who put you in the hospital for a couple of months right?"
"Maybe there is a good reason for her allowing him to stay" Lee stated
"There's no reason in the world good enough to allow him back here or even to be in the same room as Naruto. Did you know she's wants him to help protect him from Akatsuki? Uchiha Sauke protect the guy he almost murdered!"
"Who told you that?" Hikari asked
"She did herself. I asked why he was here and she told me"
"I wish he'd leave" Hinata whispered
"Why doesn't everyone relax since there's nothing we can do about it" Sai stretched
"I cant relax as long as he's here."
"We used to be friends but when I saw him I started shaking" Sakura rubbed her arm
"I wont let him hurt you again" Sai said
"Neither will I" Lee added "We will protect you Sakura"
"Thanks". Hikari wanted to defend her cousin but she couldn't. She didn't like what she was hearing about him. She couldn't believe that the same guy who used to defend her when they were little had turned into this.
"Whats wrong?" Neji whispered. The others were still talking
"Nothing, I'm gonna go home"
"I'll walk you"
"You don't have to"
"I want to". He got up and held a hand out for her. Before they could leave a silence fell over the group, she turned to see Sasuke leaning against the wall. His gaze fell on Neji and Hikari. She got ready to walk over to him but Neji grabbed her arm
"Uchiha what do you want?"
"Let go of her" Sasuke locked eyes with him. Hikari started to panic. She knew that look
"Why?" Neji raised an eyebrow. Hikari couldn't be mad at him, he was only trying to watch out for her. Sasuke's eyes turned red. He stood up straight.
"Last chance Hyuga". Neji pulled her behind him. TenTen and Lee stood on either side of their teammate.
"Calm down" Tsunade walked into the lobby
"Hokage why is he here really?" Sai asked
"That's my business, not yours. All of you need to go home" She put her hands on her hips. No one moved "Did you guys hear what I said? Neji I know you're trying to protect your future wife and all but…."
"Wife?!" Sasuke said
"Oops" She gave a sheepish grin
"What the hell? When did this happen?"
"Its none of your concern" Neji answered
"Yes it is" They were getting ready to come to blows when Hikari said
"Ok that's enough! Sasuke go back to Naruto's room" His Sharigan disappeared
"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked
"I would've eventually"
"Whats going on?" Sakura squeaked "How do you two know each other?". Neither said anything for a minute
"Well…he's…sorta my cousin" She sighed. A collective gasp came from them. Hikari gave Tsunade a look that said 'you shouldve kept your mouth shut.'. Tsunade grinned then said
"Well, now that that's outta the way, who's hungry?"
Sakura sat in Hikari's apartment fiddling with her fingers, trying not to be nervous. It had been a week since Sasuke had come back. He was staying in Hikari's roommate's old room. Everyone was still trying to get used to he and Hikari as cousin's. Though they showed some resemblance to each other their personalities were entirely different. Sakura and Naruto sat at a small table, he staring off into space and she watching him. He seemed so down, at least when Hikari wasn't around much more so. She had her suspicions but she wasn't going to bring it up yet, Hinata had been having the same feeling but had advised her to wait.
"How's things with Sasuke?" She asked instead already knowing the answer. She knew they had been on thin ice ever since he came back. Neither spoke more than they had to to the other. Hikari didn't care if they got along or not, she only wanted them to put up with each other.
"Just perfect" He said in a flat tone. She also knew the whole situation was bothering him, hell it was bothering her. She couldn't be in the same room as her former friend and not shake. Unfortunately Naruto had seen her do it which made him all the angrier.
"Well Ino and me were going out for lunch, wanna come?"
"Sure, I need some air" At that moment Sasuke decided to return from wherever he had been. Sakura could sense the tension that filled the room. Naruto simply stood watching him. Sasuke glared back then started to walk away when Naruto said
"Why?". She had been dreading this. She knew eventually that there'd be confrontation.
"Why what?" He tilted his head.
"You know what I'm talking about but since you wanna play stupid, why did you leave?"
"Got bored I guess" He smirked. Naruto was becoming angrier.
"You bastard! I asked a simple question and you cant even give me an answer to it!"
"I don't have time for this Naruto" He narrowed his eyes
"Of course you don't but I'll leave you alone if you answer the question"
"You know why"
"Do I really? What could make someone turn on their friends, their village like you did? It couldn't have just been Itachi, we could've helped you. It couldn't have been Orochimaru, from what our spies told us you never really got along with him, so what was it then?". Sasuke didn't reply "Doesn't matter anyway does it? Because as soon as Hikari says yes, you're leaving again. After all you didn't come back here for us"
"Naruto you have no idea of what I've been through" He growled
"You, you, you! It always comes back to you" He rolled his eyes "Come on Sasuke, what about what we've been through. Everybody has problems; you're not the only one. The point is you didn't have to go through it by yourself"
"Why cant you just leave this alone?!"
"Because of all the time I wasted going after you! Because of all the shit you put us through, look at Sakura! She cant even be in the same room as you anymore without shaking like a leaf!" Sasuke glanced at her. Her eyes were to the floor, though she was trying to hide it, he could tell she was trembling. His eyes softened. He looked back to Naruto
"I'm sorry, I never meant for all of this. If you had just let me go"
"How could I you were my best friend, 'were' being the key word right there"
"What do you want me to do Naruto?!"
"Disappear forever" He growled. Sakura gasped. She'd never heard him talk like that before. He helped her up then walked out. She gave one last look to Sasuke who was staring out the window.
A note from me- this is my first note for this story. Before I didn't really have anything to say but I do now. I hope you guys are enjoying it so far. I don't plan to resolve the Sasuke/Naruto thing extra fast. Could you forgive someone like that who almost killed you and was supposed to be your best friend? I couldn't so I didn't want to fix their issues that quick. I've dropped hints at who the masked chick could be, so maybe you can figure it out. In case you missed it Hiro is Hikari's brother, the village Sasuke visited was her hometown. That's all for now. Thanks for the reviews and what not so far, especially uzukun7. see ya