I do not own Naruto as a game, Manga, Anime series or a character. All original characters are mine though :P

Hi no Ishi (The will of Fire) - Usagi Gaiden (Rabbit Tales)

Everything is falling apart! Tatsuko isn't even sure she can repair it any longer. How will our hero come to her rescue? Will there be a happy ending?

All underlined terms are explained at the end of the chapter.

~Konoha, Night of the Kyuubi Attack~
~Tatsuhi's POV~

"Minato, you've lost it!" I shouted, refusing to go along with this bullshit plan he has going though his mind. I think his losing Kushina in childbirth – or whatever happened – is wearing him thinner than anyone could have predicted.
"Tsuhi, cut the shit. Kyuubi is sporting a Sharingan with three tomoe right now, and a man with a Sharingan killed Sandaime's wife and four ANBU guarding us. Including your brother." He intoned. His eyes are haunted. This is more than the half baked plan, this is war to him. "We don't have time to figure out what the fuck is going on here, we just have to seal the Yonbi and Kyuubi and we have to do it now!" Yonbi too! That fucking thing is sealed in an urn! But then, Kyuubi was sealed in a Kage level kunoichi, so you aren't taking any chances... are you...?
"Fine, then use me! Leave the kids out of this!" I offered. So long as Emi is around she can guard the kids for us. Kushina's obviously gone since the Kyuubi's rampaging, and Minato's planning on sacrificing himself to seal that fox. At least this way the kids will have a mother to raise them, especially Tatsuko... She starts to cry if her mother is away for more than a second.
"I can't and you know it. I need two jinchuuriki to seal the two bijuu, and you are too used to your own chakra to be able to cope. If we want this to work, the jinchuuriki has to be younger than ten, and my babies are already used to the Kyuubi's chakra. They are the best candidates to not only hold them, but to survive with them." His tone and the look in his eyes... he's broken.
"There is still another way. There has to be!" Emi announced. Even with the world going crazy around us, she still sounds like she's singing as she speaks. I've long given up on figuring out why, besides I love that about her. "One that doesn't involve-"
"The Uchiha are controlling the Kyuubi, Emi." You already said that, Aneki. "We don't have time, or elbowroom to 'figure things out'. They are not taking prisoners and we have a village worth of options for them. Including both your clans. You know how much they would love to be rid of them both." Another explosion rocked the building we were in. Even with us being five stories underground.
Emi's eyes went wide. "Then-"
"Yes." Minato said solemnly. Emi was about to ask if her clan was at risk, or even being slaughtered as we speak... I can tell by her eyes. Those beautiful pink eyes of hers are so lost. "Neither of you are going to like what I'm about to say, but it will save countless lives. And unfortunately I am ordering you to do this as a long term S-class mission that you cannot refuse."
The tone he used already told me that he was right, I'm not going to like this. Not one bit. "What is it?" I asked cautiously.
"Emi, you are to mark Tatsuko as the next librarian, should anything happen to you." The killing intent that was rolling off me was making the Kyuubi's look like a spring picnic. And that was the intention. "There's more, 'Tsuhi. Emi needs to accompany me on the battlefield to make this work."
"WHAT!" I am starting to like this less and less.
"There's more. She's going to have to... die... to pull this plan off." He closed his eyes, knowing that I was going to punch this shit out of him.
He eventually cracked an eye open to see what the hell was going on and he saw the one thing he didn't count on. "I think I preferred the punch." He said, almost apologetically. What he didn't count on... was a tear cascading down my cheek instead.

Emi and Minato just left. My heart couldn't take hearing this grand plan of his, so I just hugged Emi as tightly as I could and kissed her one last time. What's worse, is the Emi left her Nohkan, telling me to give it to her little girl... our little girl... soon to be only my little princess.
I looked at Tatsuko, sleeping uneasily in her crib alongside Yuuna, who had cried herself to sleep from the pain of the sealing. I think I'm broken now. Because tears never affected me before. Sad, isn't it? Konoha's Ice Dragon has been fractured, and is defrosting...
But hearing Yuuna was one thing... watching Tatsuko writhe in pain... she hasn't opened her eyes since Emi used the Living Library Fuuin on her, and the whimpering isn't helping any. She's making sounds like she wants to cry, like she wants to say something.
Her wanting to say something is biologically impossible, of course. And yet her lips are moving and an almost puppy like whining and whimpering is constantly permeating the air.
Emi had complained that nothing will ever be the same, and the sad nod from Minato didn't help... but I assumed she meant because Tatsuko would never get to know her mother...
So much I don't understand, so much no one is saying. Not that I really have the mental capacity for understanding it anyway – not after tonight.

Naruto isn't even here for me to guard. Minato took him to the battlefield to seal the Kyuubi within him. What must that feel like? Sealing a bijuu into your day old child – not once, but twice on the same day.
What does it matter? That is his problem. My problem is my little girl. We'll never see her mother again. The love of my life, my soul mate.
Left with only a parting kiss, sweet and soft. And the look in her eyes. I'd trade places with her in a second. Now all I have left is little Tatsuko... and the fatality rate of that damn jutsu isn't really leaving a lot of hope for even-

Yeah... I most definitely am broken.

~Route to Nami no Kuni, Present day.~
~Narrator's POV~

"I – Inu – Tori – Saru – Hitsuji... Kuchiyose no-jutsu!" Tatsuko slammed her left hand on the ground before her, waiting patiently for the ones she called upon. The second the smoke was cleared away for her to see five silhouettes she explained why she chose that moment to summon them. "An old friend has shown his ugly face again. I have a debt that must be paid in full. Will you help me?" Five pairs of blue eyes simply stared at her.
Well, nine technically. Aoba, Kiba, Akamaru and Hinata were also wondering why a summoning was taking place – to put it mildly.
Especially Kiba and Hinata. The only people they had ever heard of with summoning contracts were the Sannin and the Hokage! "A...a.. ano-" Hinata was trying to say something intelligent. Hell, she would settle for not stuttering right now. But she was finding it hard to work her jaw for some reason – given that she was mimicking a fish out of water.
The smoke eventually cleared enough to see... "S-s-s... Samurai?" Well, to be fair all that could really be seen was the armor and some patches of white fur here and there. Still, the sloping helmets, demon depicting face masks, puffy armor that would hide any hint regarding to the gender, the shoulder armor with what looked like a stylized ninja rabbit striking with a sword, armored sleeves, a daishou combo tied at their left side with the curve of the blade pointing up, the pants and weirdly formed shoes – they were larger than normal samurai shoes, in that they had bent to accommodate the clearly not human wearers (the foot looked to be three times larger than a human foot, and the legs were much more muscled).

"Tsu." The one that stood in the center nodded – though it appeared more like a bow of sorts.
"Yukie." Tatsuko nodded in much the same way. "Yukimaru, Koritetsu, Touketsu, Yukima. It is good to see you all." No one other than Tatsuko seemed capable of telling the difference between the five individuals – they looked like bunshin, exact copies of each other.
The one marked as Yukie made to remove its (her?) mask. "Tsu." With the mask now held at its side, Team 9 was now face to face with Usagi Yukie, Tatsuko's summons... an arctic rabbit. "Help?"
Tatsuko nodded gravely. "Momochi Zabuza is targetting Hikaru's team. I'll need you four to take those nuke-nin to Anko and Ibiki." The four still masked rabbits were already moving to untie and subdue the two ex-Kiri ninjas, clearly having no qualms with taking orders from their summoner. "And you, Yukie. I need you to warn Hikaru's team. As well, gather my... things. We are going to war."
Yukie walked up to the Tatsuko, placing a four-fingered, armored glove on her shoulder. "Glad. See. Tsu." Yukie ground out. She seemed to be having trouble speaking, though whether that was the rule or the exception wasn't clear.
A tear stole onto the blonde's cheek before she could help it. "I'm glad to see you too... Yukie." In stead of placing her hand on the rabbits shoulder to return the sentiment – whatever it meant – Tatsuko wrapped her arms around her long lost friend. The top of the blonde's head was right under the rabbit's chin, with one's forehead resting against the other's throat.
"Tsu..." The rabbits eyes seemed suspiciously shiny – what that meant, the others weren't sure.

'The seals are coming loose again.' Tatsuko thought as she lay there. Aoba had called for a break so everyone could eat. The lone blonde of Team 9 decided to take a quick nap, telling Kiba to wake her when it was time to go. 'After all the effort and planning that went into those mental blocks to not have to see my parents and clansmen die over and over again... Do you know what that's like? Actually feeling the Kyuubi's teeth ripping through your mother's liver, stomach and heart in one chomp. Then the follow up bite that severed her legs, and a good portion of her bowels and spine.'
'Then feeling her nearly lifeless body being swallowed and bathed in gastric juices. Feeling her skin dissolve, literally melting off of her. Seeing it through her eyes, feeling every nerve in her body through her memories.'
'Would anyone like to walk a mile in my shoes? No. Don't even act like you would, even if it was to save me from it. No one wants my life, no one wants me.'
'That's why I'm alone. Because everyone is going to die sooner or later and leave me.'

"Tsu, sensei wants to start heading out. Let's go." Kiba nudged his sleeping beauty, trying to wake her as as they'd agreed. Little did he know that she wasn't asleep. At least, not in the sense that he would be able to sleep.
With the seals once again loosening, her dreams were coming back. And with the dreams coming back, the memories were coming back with them. Memories of the two people she had blocked out to save her sanity... 'yeah, i remember the exact day i sealed those memories. the exact moment even.'
She was standing on the hill just outside of Konoha, looking out over the Uchiha district as it was bathed in darkness. With Yuuna and Hikaru passed out behind her, and Mikoto bleeding beside her. The Uchiha matriarch had gotten off easy, with Yukie - Tatsuko's personal summon – biting Tatsuko's right hand to keep the Eiyuu from severing the bitch's lung.
"Tsu!" Kiba rocked the lithe form before him from side to side, trying harder to get her to wake her up.
"Kiba, look at her." Aoba-sensei warned. "She's comatose. The first of the seals is wearing off." Comatose she might have been, but she was able to clearly hear everything around her. And right now she's cursing her Saru-ji-chan's big mouth.
"Wha'z zat mean?" Kiba asked, clearly worried. Tatsuko's cheeks turned a bright pink/soft red from the blush raising more than a few eyebrows of her team mates wondering what was going through her mind.
"Nothing good for whoever she fights. But I'll explain that later, you're going to need to carry her until she wakes up." Aoba said it mostly to test Tatsuko's reaction. Not being disappointed with brightening blush. 'She might be in coma, but she can sense everything around her. That Seikatsu Toshokan Fuuin no-jutsu really is dangerous!'

Without hesitation, Kiba lifted Tatsuko halfway so that he could hoist her onto his back – after adjusting his Fang so that he knew it would trouble her during the run. "Alright, sensei, let's go." Was all the Inuzuka said, nodding to Hinata to tell her not to worry.

Team 9 continued on, making sure to keep well out of sight. Tatsuko had already revealed the identities of those involved in this mission. Leaving out the details of how she knew Momochi Zabuza, though Aoba knew about that too. The Hokage had actually been pretty forthcoming when Aoba approached him on the matter just after Team 9 had passed the genin exam – the second one, at least.

~Flashback, Hokage's office, one hour after Team 9's exam ended.~

Sarutobi Hiruzen was once again doing paperwork. Oh how he hated paperwork. He knew that the new genin teams were being tested, so he tried to get this out of the way so that he could offer the jounin reports the attention they deserved.
It wasn't even ten o'clock yet, but the Hokage could feel a chakra signature making its way towards him. Something was off with the chakra source though, he could feel worry and agitation lining it. While wondering what that meant, the door to his office opened without a knock. Yamashiro Aoba entered, closed the door and slammed his hands on the desk in an attempt to ease his anxiety through his fists into an inanimate object instead of into his voice to upset his superior – who could still kill him if the man felt threatened enough. An odd idea, really, but Hiruzen understood it.
"Hokage-sama, care to explain why a genin uses more B and A-class jutsu that I do? Hijutsu, might I add." Aoba wasn't messing around, he meant business and he wouldn't take any half-assed explanations.
"Ah, Aoba-kun, I was wondering when you would come to me about that. I honestly didn't think she'd reveal this much this soon." Hiruzen smiled warmly, clearly approving of something.
"Huh?" So much for the cool, composed persona that Aoba had cultivated over the years.
"Have a seat, there is much to say and you aren't going to like any of it." The Hokage was already flashing through handseals to cast a privacy jutsu.

~End flashback~

'Hokage-sama was right, I didn't like a word of it.' Aoba thought bitterly. He kicked another branch to keep his momentum up. Sure, you can consider it landing and jumping again, but you have to stop for that to be accurate.
A lengthy, and more than a little disturbing, description of the kinjutsu followed, along with Tatsuko's medical history. It turns out that Fuuin damn near crippled the eight month old Tatsuko, leaving her in a coma for just under three years. Which was actually pretty damn good, considering that it pretty much ripped her braincells apart and put it back together.
The human brain is designed to work well enough with only five percent being used at any given time, and actually even less in babies and young children. Simply put, the seal changes that, hijacking seventy percent of the brain and 'stocking the shelves' with scrolls, videos and the like. The fact that Tatsuko survived at all is a miracle, and as a coping mechanism her psyche created a form of Multiple Personality Disorder to make the whole process seem more natural. 'Seem' being the keyword here, there is nothing natural or normal about that kinjutsu. It was forbidden for a reason after all.
Add the trauma inflicted by Uchiha Fugaku, and constantly being bombarded by memories of death and destruction... well, it really wasn't that shocking that she was a little unstable.

~Flashback, Hokage's office, later during the explanation.~

Aoba was breathing as best he could, but it was still ragged as he seethed at what Yukikami Tsu has suffered through all her life. "Lucky for the Yondaime that he's dead, 'cause I'd be the one to kill him if he wasn't." Aoba said flatly. Hiruzen could only nod at the statement. It was theoretically treason, but he understood the sentiment.
"There's more, I'm afraid." The words hit Aoba like a kunai through the heart. She suffered more than just that? "When she was eight-"

~End flashback.~

Aoba understood his student better than most now. He could see the canvas of her mind, and the paints used to create the picture she showed the world. But more than that, he understood her residual anger at the world – and the Uchiha clan specifically.
That was why he had been watching her so fanatically since he became her sensei: he felt responsible for her. And from the looks Hinata and Kiba were wearing, he wasn't alone in that.

~Back in Konoha, Uchiha District~

Uchiha Sasuke just got out of the bath, still dripping wet – having not toweled off properly for some reason. He walked through the hallway, up a flight of stairs and through what seemed like a random door. Thinking the whole way about how cursed his existence had been up until that point.
Upon entering the master bedroom, he looked and saw four bodies strewn about his king sized bed. Each of those bodies began writhing in ecstasy upon seeing him. A pinkette, a carrot top, and two brunettes.

Mikado Himura had really come through with that list. It turns out that other than the first few encounters with the dobe and his brigade, he had nothing but success. Including the redhead, Karin – a gift from Kusa. True, she was just a genin like Sakura and himself, but she would do. Then there were Akame Yurika age twenty-four, from the Code team and Shiranui Kaori, age twenty-eight, a nurse from the hospital.
Now he had the four wombs he needed, he just needed to knock them up. Which he can honestly say that the four of them were more than willing to help him with. Surprisingly all four were virgins when he got there – he had them inspected by a doctor before he did anything. So there would be no doubt as to the parentage of the offspring.
Still, they were a temporary fix. They just had to give him what he needed to shut the council up so he can make the necessary maneuvers to ensnare Yuuna, Hinata, Tatsuko, Tenten, Natsumi and Hana. Oh no, he hadn't given up on them, they were just playing hard to get to make the chase more thrilling.
Though the Kohaku brat was giving him the least trouble lately. He could probably start making arrangements with her father within the coming weeks to claim her as his own.

"Sas... ke... sa... ma..." The whimpers were enticing if nothing else. He dropped the towel, which was the only item he wore.
"You know what to do." Was all he said, turning around and laying down on the bed to be pleased by his harem. "Get started."

~Elsewhere in Konoha~

"Yuuna, you want some?" Chouji offered some of his chips. Something that Yuuna would normally be grateful for, but something had been bugging her all day.
"Thanks, Chouji-kun, but I'm not very hungry..." Was all the redhead would say. She seemed out of it, after seeing Team 7 off yesterday, and Team 9 a few hours later. She had never felt this alone in her life – even with Kou hanging around her as a safety net, at Hinata's request.
"They'll be back soon, don't worry." The big boned wonder soothed. Being the only one on the team with a younger sister, he was actually the only equipped to sniff out her moods. "In the mean time, they'd want you to keep practicing so that you can show off what all you've learned while they were away." That seemed to strike a chord within the girl.
"Yeah, they would, wouldn't they..." A smile peaked out like the sun from behind a cloud. Slowly, that smile morphed into a more determined and steadfast sign that she was going to do just that.

Asuma just sat there, smiling at his students. It was weird how quickly the three of them seemed to grow on each other, and on him. Shikamaru was the mellow one – much like Asuma himself. Chouji was the gentle one, but he packed a punch like you wouldn't believe. He could break you in half if you weren't paying attention. And Yuuna... she was something of the soul of the team. Her mood dictated how well the team did at any given time.
If she felt lazy, Shikmaru would use that as an extra excuse to cloud gaze, if she was hungry Chouji and her would drag them to the nearest restaurant for a 'quick bite'. If she felt restless, she would help Asuma whip the boys into shape – never taking 'no' for an answer from any of them.
Oddly enough, she never made fun of either boy for their eccentricities. Ever. She took them as they were, and just used it to motivate them when needed.

"You know we can actually hear you. Mendokusei..." Shikame – who preferred to be called Ame for short – was really just a shorter version of Shimamaru. Well, other than the red bandana he always wore.
"Ame-kun, b-be nice..." Futaba said. She was probably then only shy Yamanaka in the village, but no one seemed to mind that in the least. How the picnic turned into a sort of family reunion of the Yamanaka, Nara and Akimichi was still a mystery for the sole jounin, but he didn't mind too much.
Choumi was only a year younger than her brother Chouji, and brought Inomaru (Ino's second cousin) who happened to be her best friend – or so she claimed. Ame was coming already, so Inomaru brought his little sister Futaba, who happened to be Ame's classmate.
Yuuna was having the time of her life though – aside from missing her family. Everyone was trying to make conversation to drag her thoughts away from that so that she didn't start fretting again.
It didn't take a genius to figure out that the girls were fast becoming good friends, despite the age difference. 'It's good to know that Imouto-chan is making such good friends.' Chouji thought, smiling as the three girls started talking about how Yuuna made the bentos. Little did he know that said little sister was thinking the same thing about him.

As for Kou... well let's just say that he was in complete and utter shock over the whole thing. He had spent his whole life hearing about how unstable jinchuuriki were, and how dangerous they were... then he was instructed to guard Yuuna.
Yuuna was nothing like he had expected. She was a bit shy at times, like Hinata-sama. She was a bit rash at times, like Naruto. She was a bit bossy when no one else would push to get something done, like Tatsuko – and even Kou's own mother to be honest. And yet, she was gentle-spirited, like Kou himself.
Kou just didn't understand it at all. She was nothing like what people portrayed jinchuuriki to be. Why? What made her so different? Was it that she had always had someone there to guide her, to love her.

In his own experience, Kou knew that most people around him were more demonic than this amiable little girl. And to add insult to injury, Naruto and Tatsuko – who were proclaimed to be the very definition of a demon – were fiercely protective of her. A trait that was not really ever used to describe demons at all. Demons are know to be destructive, mindless killing machines that did nothing but hunt down the innocent and rape, kill and/or eat them. Or at least, that is what Kou had been made to believe.
So why are these so called demons so... different?

~Flashback, Kikyo Castle, Hinata's first night as a Senju~

Kou had just finished washing up, having completed his self appointed duties of cleaning Hinata-sama's sleeping quarters for the night. In the morning there would be a lot more work – of that he had no doubt, but he didn't mind. He was used to being busy, so sitting on his hands while everyone else was busy would be sanding against the grain of his soul.
After entering the hallway on the fourth floor, which he basically had to himself, Kou was a bit taken back to see Tatsuko-samastanding in front of the door to the room he intended to claim as his own. He wasn't even sure how she could have known that.

"How does it feel to live in a house full of demons?" She had asked as soon as he was close enough. Her face was emotionless, and he eyes showed an active doujutsu Kou was not familiar with.
"I'm not sure what-"
"You know of Naruto's status of jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi... and I am almost certain you know of mine with the Sanbi..." That last part was barely a whisper, but Kou could hear the pent up frustration behind her words. "But did you know about Yuuna being the Yonbi's jinchuuriki?" Kou's eyes went wide, almost refusing to believe it.
Yes he had heard about two bijuu being kept in Konoha – all the clan heads were privy to that otherwise classified information, and Hiashi-sama had made sure to educate him in many different clan related facets. Forbidden knowledge – or otherwise secretive clan jutsu and history – was something that you needed to trust someone with and telling them of a secret that was no longer technically applicable (the Yonbijuu had disappeared with the Kyuubi attack) was an easy way to test that trust.
Still, it was never explained how the Sanbi made its way back to Konoha. As far as Kou could remember it was a gift to Kiri to end the war nearly fifty years ago. "You are well informed." Kou said, though the glazed over look in his eyes betrayed his lack of knowledge.
"So how does it feel like live in the same house as us demons?" She asked him again.
He didn't answer immediately, actually thinking about it before saying something stupid or overly polite – he was sure they would both seal his fate in her eyes. "Surprisingly peaceful." He decided. "I will admit that I had wrongly expected many things to happen, but none of those fear have come to pass."
They were both silent for a long moment. Although Kou felt a faint buzzing in his ear for some strange reason. "In fact," He continued, feeling something had to be said. "I am beginning to believe that the villagers and even some of the Hyuuga elders, have the wrong impression of you."
"That is a lot to gather in three hours." She stated coldly. He was under the impression she didn't believe he was being sincere.
"Perhaps, but I can see the respect you have in this house. A respect that is free from fear and oppression. Unlike the respect the Hyuuga Main Branch has within its own clan." He held firm on his opinion, not flinching under her unblinking gaze. Frankly he was used to that kind of thing from Hiashi-sama.

"Very well, Senju Kou. Though I would advise you to remember those words. I may not be a demon like most believe, but I'm both as strong and vengeful as any demon you've never seen."
The backhanded compliment made Kou wonder. She accepted him in her clan, but not so much as to not warn him to tread lightly. "Perhaps in time I will earn that respect from you as well?" He asked carefully. Something was bothering the young woman, and badly. He just wished he knew what it was.
"Few ever earn that level of respect from me. Do not fault yourself if you never do." Now Kou was officially confused. She wasn't threatening him, she wasn't warning him. She was, in fact, protecting his sense of pride from her lack of trust in people.

That shouldn't make sense – and it certainly made none to him.

~End flashback.~

Jinchuuriki. Living breathing contradictions to what people believe them to be. Kou just smiled as Yuuna giggled with her peers. Something one of the boys had said, he guessed.
Perhaps he would come to understand them better in time? He certainly hoped so.

~Bordering sea between Hi no Kuni and Nami no Kuni, with Team 9~

Tasuko had 'woken up' not more than an hour ago, complaining that she had a killer headache. Aoba didn't seem surprised, but he was very worried. Team 7 had just left on a boat, and the mist seemed more than thick enough to hide in so if they were going to leave, now was the best time.
"You sure you're okay?" Kiba and Aoba asked at the same time. The only reply they got was a swat at Kiba's shoulder.
"Imouto-chan, we're talking about an hour, or more, running across open waters." Aoba said cautiously. Truthfully he wasn't sure Kiba or Hinata could handle this at all, but he would be there to catch them if they fell – literally.
"This isn't the first time I've come here, or the first time I've had this kind of headache." Was all she said, omitting whether she had a headache while running across these waters.
"Tsu-chan, you want me to carry you again?" Kiba asked, smiling at her. He seemed to enjoy getting her flustered, and he wasn't disappointed with her blush.
"Ecchi." She swatted him again.
"That almost sounded like a complaint." Kiba smirked, then had a thought. "You know they say that doing 'it' is really good for headaches. Got a minute?"
"If a minute is all you need, then no." Tatsuko shot back, blushing deeper than ever. She hadn't said 'no' outright. A fact wasn't lost on the chuckling jounin – though Kiba was too embarrassed at his choice of words – the time frame specifically – to even notice.
"Ha, ha, ha. Can we go now?" Kiba announced. Trying to bolster his wounded pride.

They all dashed across the sea, running up the waves and skidding down the other side. Sure, it wasn't that bad close to shore, or in shallow water, but once they got to the channel that truly separated the mainland from the island nation of Nami it was like a freestyle roller coaster. There wasn't much to see, other than water and mist, so they all paid attention for any signs of enemy shinobi.
They made sure to keep Team seven well within Aoba and Hinata's range – Tatsuko's headache notwithstanding, she had the shortest range with her doujutsu – the entire way.

There was a bridge of sorts, but it was halfway done. Still, it was easier to scale the bridge and follow from up there than it was to keep on the waves. So Aoba led the way, rotating scouting duties with Hinata every fifteen minutes or so to not overwhelm either – for the girl's sake mostly. It was doing wonders for Hinata's chakra reserves though, so she didn't complain. The responsibility, that is.
Once on the bridge, Hinata took out a soldier pill and immediately gulped it down. She might be stronger than she was a month ago, but constant use of her Byakugan and running on water for an hour wore her down more than she was letting on. Or more than she was trying to let on. Aoba and Tatsuko didn't miss the signs of acute chakra deprivation on her. Kiba noticed too, but that was because he sniffed in air every time he breathed. Inuzukas were trained to monitor their surrounding like that, and he could smell chakra reserves in a sense – don't mind the pun.
"Two shinobi lying in wait. One tall shirtless, with his face covered in bandages, the other short with a Kiri ANBU mask. Might be an Oinin, but they don't work alone." Aoba analyzed quietly. Everyone sat down, obviously enjoying the ability to stop moving for a few moments.
"That would be Haku, the demon brothers don't know anything about that one other than that he's dangerous." Tasuko explained. The jounin didn't once complain about the skill set of his team, and he wasn't going to start now. They could literally never be caught by surprise if they worked together, but that was a dangerous ideal to believe in. Arrogance is easy to succumb to, and it's even easier to die from it.
"They only have their eyes on the group with Kakashi-san. They don't know we're here, so we keep our heads low and wait for the opportune moment to strike." Aoba instructed. He got a round of nods, and Kiba was seen taking a soldier pill as well, just in case.

At that point it became much more apparent that Tatsuko was the most dangerous 'genin' on the team, because she – like Aoba – didn't take a soldier pill, just some rations to let their bodies recover the lost chakra naturally.
'This could be interesting.' Aoba thought, leading the way towards Team 7. 'Tatsuko hasn't truly gone all out yet, and she seems to have some kind of vendetta against Zabuza. But then, he's the guy that...' It made sense, to Aoba – but he had studied Tatsuko's files in much the same way that Kakashi studied that little orange book of his.
Still, even with her official records memorized, he knew nothing of he actual skill. None of her jutsu were registered, her speed didn't match her records either – which was normal since you tend to get faster with proper training.
And the collection of seals on both her arms weren't described either – not what they looked like, their purpose or what they were called. All that was said is that they were there.

'Interesting indeed.'

Naruto had just thrown a kunai at a shrub where the tall one was hiding, who immediately kawarimied with a rabbit. 'Bad choice, that's an arctic rabbit with it's winter fur. Kakashi-san would never be fooled by that.'
Once the oversized sword was frizbeed at Team 7, Aoba instructed his team to start moving in on the one hiding in the trees. 'It's kinda pathetic that someone as notorious as Zabuza would only have three underlings. Oh well, easier for us.'

~Nami no Kuni, near the lake, with team 7~

"Get down!" Kakashi warned his students, though only Ino seemed to listen. Hikaru and Naruto decided to play deaf, until the butcher's knife was less than a meter away from them. Two smaller blades were unsheathed, then reinforced with wind chakra and cut the larger blade in three pieces.
The true danger of that throw would have been the weight of the blade. But once cut in three, it was much easier to simply knock the pieces out of the air.
"Ne, Kaka-sensei, if you train as a weapons user isn't the first thing you learn to not lose your weapon?" Naruto asked, a big smile on his face. He then whipped out a scroll and sealed the pieces of the sword into separate seals on it. The scroll was then itself sealed with a complex fuuin.
'Naruto knows fuuinjutsu?' Kakashi's jaw dropped, almost far enough for the mask to fall off his face.

"Uhh..." Both Kakashi and their assailant were shocked. Suddenly the sound of laughing could be heard.
"I gotta hand it to you kid, you've got balls the size of boulders." A tall man with no shirt, gray arm warmers that also doubled as gloves – though Naruto would later describe them as lady gloves – black and white camo pants and gray shinguards that were connected to his shinobi sandals was standing on a branch, more of less where his sword was meant to hit. The thing that stood out with him though was that he had no eyebrows and the lower portion of his face was covered in bandages. Well, that and the hitai ate that covered his left temple with a slash through it.
"And I gotta hand it to you, you're smart – hiding your ugliness behind bandages like that. It takes a real man to admit he's sacred of his own reflection." As much as Hikaru tried to fight it, he still had to laugh at the look on Zabuza's face. The giant tick mark and the otherwise completely blank face was just too good to not commit to memory in his opinion.
"Wait a minute, I know you." Zabuza eventually announce. "But from where...?"
"Momochi Zabuza, AKA the demon of the hidden mist. Registered in the Bingo Book as an A-class nuke-nin. Known weapon, the Kubikiribouchou or the dantou for short. A Suiton user, most notibly the Kirigakure no-jutsu, simply because it enables him to take out his opponent before they even know he's there. A master in the art of the silent kill." Kakashi recited from memory.
"I feel honored, Copy Ninja, but I was talking about the slightly less shrimpy one over there."
"Hey fuckface, it's been a while, ne?" Hikaru waved with a very unhappy glare. "You know Usagi's going to want your head on a stick, right?"
"Fuck. HAKU!"

It was already too late. Haku was already knocked out, and tied to a log in plain view. "You know, Zabuza-chan, next time you shouldn't tell your underlings anything about the mission if you are going to send them after Konoha ninjas. It really isn't smart." Tatsuko announced not even bothering to hide where she was. "I could tell you more about your plans than even you would know."
"How did you even survive, Usagi?" Zabuza asked, already plotting a way to get the hell outta there. Kakashi was one thing, but Kakashi, Usagi and Shirokuma... and being disarmed. That was something else entirely. 'If they're here that must mean that Tatsu is here too. If he's here, I have no chance other than to use Haku's heritage as bait. That is, if she didn't use that jutsu of her's yet...'
"By dying slowly, one day at a time. Like you were meant to." Suddenly a green limb ripped out of Tatsuko's back with a kind of crab's claw at the end of it. Then another ripped out... and another.
All three limbs were snapping at Zabuza like little turtles."You mean-"
"Yes, Zabuza. The Mizukage you were so fixated on killing is already dead. Has been for years." Tatsuko intoned. "And thanks to you and your little buddies, I am the one that took your place as jinchuuriki."
"Then again, that was probably the fucking point to begin with. Why else would they send for back up from Konoha? You assholes were baiting us to fuck it up in the first place. You wanted us to attack your Mizukage to start a fucking war so that your coup d'état would be easier." Hikaru added. Doing his damnedest to glare a hole through the former Seven Swordsman of the Mist.
"So in fact your mission for Gato serves no purpose. Not that it matters, since we're just going to kill you anyway." Tatsuko finished, her three extra limbs shaking from excitement of tasting blood once more.

"No, we're not, Tsu." Aoba appeared behind his student, putting a hand on her shoulder. He did make sure to apply just enough chakra so that he would stick to her if she tried to move away though. "Momochi Zabuza, give yourself up and we'll just take you in for questioning before turning you over to Kiri. However, you can fight us too, I'm sure Tsu would just love to show you how smart that is."

Tatsuko was pissed. No, not pissed – pissed off is much nicer a feeling than this. She wasn't even seeing red, she was seeing green! She wanted nothing more than tear tear something, rip something, break something – especially if that something was vital to Zabuza.
'Talk about fucking anti-climactic! I came all this way, got myself all fucking worked up so that I could finally shove something sharp where the sun don't shine and this is what I fucking get!' The blonde was pacing. Circles, squares, triangles, she even tried making up shapes and forms just to figure out the best way to pace it into the living room floor of the bridge-builder's house.
She didn't pay attention to the introductions, so she only guessed that this was the bridge-builder's house because of the big ass unfinished bridge that Gato wanted to never reach completion.
"Sensei! Fuck this, I can't stay here. Either we leave or I meet you all back in Konoha." Announced the irate blonde. Everyone was just staring at her. Naruto and Hikaru understood though – the others knew, other than Ino since her memories were already folded away, but Hikaru and Naruto actually understood.
"Great! We'll leave these two here then, and make our way back." Aoba motioned towards the two nuke-nin that were tied up and partly frozen in place – courtesy of Hikaru's jutsu. He loved freezing the nerves that gave the signals to muscles to move, it was just so much fun.

"WHAT? The two that were hired to kill me are staying in my house?" The bridge-builder cried out.
"They're safer here than anywhere near her right now. Trust me, Kakashi-san can handle him and his associate." Aoba explained calmly, though the old man didn't seem to comforted by it. "Kakashi, is that acceptable to you?"
"So nice to know that you are thinking about their safety right now." The woman with long black hair announced.

"Yare, yare. This was my mission to begin with. You're backing us up is done, so get outta here. Make sure to keep that little blonde busy though. She might end up ripping a few heads off in Konoha like this."
"Well, it was fun kiddos. Ciao." With that, Team 9 shunshinned out of the house, already making their way towards the coast. Though Tatsuko made sure to give the unconscious form of Zabuza a wilting glare. Clearly already plotting ways to kill him the second he got back to Konoha.
"Well that was interesting..." Kakashi observed, wondering when the two genin brunettes learned to shunshin. "So Naruto-kun... what's with the fuuinjutsu?"
"Kaka-sensei, I spent the last year with 'Karu and Nee-san. What did you expect I was doing with my spare time?" Kakashi wouldn't admit it, but Naruto made a damn good point – he couldn't imagine those two twiddling their thumbs for more than five minutes if there was training to be done.

~Flashback, Hokage Tower, four years ago~

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the four standing before him. Three males – two tall, one short – and a short female. These were his most prized ANBU, his most deadly team. Still, he felt uneasy with sending them to fulfill the request he'd been given. He understood the willingness of his shinobi to complete the mission, seeing that they would also want to end the Bloodline Purge in Kiri and the outlying villages and towns.

But This was his granddaughter he was sending, and that made him nervous.

"Tatsu, Neko, Shirokuma... Usagi. This mission is not one I feel comfortable with, but I trust in your skills to complete it without fail. The information is in the scroll and I'm afraid we can afford to aid you in any way during the mission." Hiruzen explained, his voice low.
"Understood. We leave immediately." The one with the Dragon's mask intoned. Hiruzen tossed him the scroll and let his eyes linger on the little girl with the Rabbit mask before wishing them all luck and a safe return.
Still, the four of them shunshinned out of the office quicker than the old man would have liked. Kunoichi or no, he loved his granddaughter and didn't want to lose her. Still, she would never tolerate his protecting her – she never did.
The Sandaime Hokage rubbed his eyes, hoping to prevent the headache he knew was coming, and just decided to go to lunch earlier than planned. He needed a drink – there was simply no way he would get through the coming days sober.

Four ANBU were dashing through the trees, both faster and quieter than you would expect. They had been traveling for just over three hours and were already nearing the coast of Hi no Kuni. Tatsu was certain that any other team would have needed a day to cover the same ground, but this was his team. He had trained his three subordinates since they could walk, so he knew how hard he could push them. Though pushing them to cross the sea right now was not something he would risk, so he signaled for a break.
"Taichou, what's the mission?" Usagi asked, eyes aglow with curiosity. Tatsu could see her doujutsu active, so he didn't mind indulging her right now – she'd warn them if anyone was close enough to overhear anything vital.
"The Mizukage has been slaughtering his own people, specifically people with kekkei genkai. So a rebel group within Kiri wants help in taking him out. We are to meet our contact on one of the islands where we will discuss an ambush for Yagura." Simple enough right? Sure it was, seeing that there were only four Konoha ANBU dispatched...
"Hokage-sama wouldn't order a suicide mission like this, so who is our contact?" Neko asked.
"Momochi Zabuza. He and two other Swordsmen are leading the rebellion." Tatsu explained. "Anyway, we're far enough away from everything. So we take off any identifying mark on us. If you can't take it off, cover it up." To accentuate his point, Tatsuhi took off his mask and hitai-ate, hiding them both within the cloak he wore. "From here on we work only with our ANBU code names, and suiton and ototon jutsu only." Ototon was better known from Ta no Kuni shinobi than a Senju and Suiton could just as easily be Kiri, or Ame, or Taki... or any other major village. It seemed tactically sound to the other three so no one made a fuss.

Tatsuko put away her Rabbit mask and the hitai-ate she had masking the lower portion of her face. Her Hyouhiryugan was still blazing, studying everything that moved around her.
Hikaru put away his Polar Bear mask and hitai-ate. His forehead kept a slight pigmentation difference, showing that he hadn't taken that thing off in recent memory.
Tenzou also took of his Cat mask and the old fashioned forehead protector. Tatsuko always teased him about that thing, saying that he could passed for one of her cousins with it on – other than the German Sheppard eyes and hair he sported.

The four sat down together, consuming their rations and washing it down with water. Saying that one could 'eat' rations bars was a bit of a stretch. Either one chokes on it, or swallows it whole to avoid the melodrama. Still, everyone understood what malnutrition can do before facing a kage...
Not a whole lot of talking was going on, just planning. Even then it was either signed, or simply done in one's own mind. Tatsu was proud of his team, damned proud. Nary a complaint ever passed their lips – not something you'd expect from two eight year old ANBU operatives. Still, Tatsu worried about the mission. Too much was dependent on their contact for his liking. Imagine four shinobi against as much or more bodyguards AND the kage they're defending – who just so happens to be the jinchuuriki of the Sanbijuu.

'This plot better be perfect, or I'm pulling my team out. No point in wasting lives needlessly – especially my daughter's and son's lives. Tenzou too...'

~Rendezvous point on unnamed island in Mizu no Kuni, fourteen hours later~

Tatsu's team had arrived three hours before the appointed meeting time, choosing to rest a bit and set up some traps – just in case. Tatsu handed everyone a cloth to cover their hair and face as best they could and made sure that everyone knew their role.
Usagi was support, Neko frontline, Shirokuma the shadow and Tatsu the point man. Neko would make contact with their target, Tatsu acting as his second in command while Shiokuma and Usagi hid within range of their respective jutsus.
Although Tatsu and Neko were getting some seriously twisted pleasure from the bugged out eyes of their previous contacts when they notice half the team should be wearing diapers. They loved it more than they should.

#Six bogeys approaching from South-East. Less than fifty meters. Strong.# Usagi signed to her teammates. Tatsu tensed visibly, with Neko motioning for him to calm down – as per the script.
Three shadows dashed into the clearing, meeting up with the two visibly present. "Keh, this is what Konoha sent us?" The tallest of the bunch complained. His beady eyes were already grating on Shirokuma's nerves – he usually doesn't like people, but he can't stand this one.
"I dunno, Taichou, the shrimpy one under that shrub could make for some good bait." The second tallest announced, firmly earning him his slot on Usagi's list of people she wouldn't mind killing. A short list, with most already crossed out.
"I say we bury 'em, then we starting digging Yagura's grave." The final one announced. "Funerals're always good for a laugh."

How do you best confuse three elite killing machines that are looking down on you and threatening you? "Good evening gentlemen. Nice weather we're having, ne?" Neko welcomed them warmly.
"Well, their polite if nothing else. How long do you think it'd take to skin em alive?" The tallest one asked. He took a few steps forward, letting the moonlight hit his pale blue skin and showing off the shark's gills tattoos he had just under his eyes. The hilt of his blade – with a mini-skull decorating the tip – visible over his left shoulder.
"Depends on who you send, Taichou. Seeing that only the runt's blades can skin at all." The second one stepped up, pale white skin, no eyebrows and the bottom half of his face covered in bandages. Usagi was already memorizing his chakra signature in case she chose to... help... him during the mission.
"The runt? I'll enjoy your funeral more than most." The last one stepped forward, his eyes wide with what could only be described as raw, unbridled insanity. He's the type of guy you cross the street just to not be near him. Well, one thing was for sure, the hump on his back wasn't helping him at all.

"Kisame... Zabuza... Raiga... Interesting that two of you would revolt." Tatsu intoned, glaring at the insane one just to rub him the wrong way.
"Wow, you know our names. You might just think we were famous, ne Samehada?"
"I'd quicker say crazy." Neko replied, his voice completely monotone. Tatsu and Usagi both instantly knew that it was Shirokuma talking through a jutsu though.
"Well, as much fun as shredding you to pieces would be, we're not here for idle chitchat. Tell the guppies to heel and let's get to it." Kisame instructed. Which caused Tatsu to pause.
'He spotted both Usagi and Shirokuma? That's actually impressive.' Tatsu signaled for his team to fall in behind him.

"I'm Tatsu, these are Neko, Shirokuma and Usagi." The leader of the Konoha's team announced. Earning a frown from their Kiri counterparts.
"No names, huh?"
"We recognized you, or you'd have treated us the same. Now call the chuunin you have with you, and tell us the plan." That wasn't a request.
"Are all tree huggers this uptight?"

~Mizu no Kuni, Lakeshore, Three days later.~

Four shinobi were walking down the path to their destination – wherever that was.
One had blue hair and glasses that he kept having to nudge back into place with his finger. He wore a blue long-sleeve shirt that sported black pinstripes and a... vest(?)... with Kiri's hitai-ate sown in. Possibly a Kiri Swordsman, seeing that there were two swords hilts sticking up over his shoulder, but still he looked no more than fourteen.
The second one had green cape that covered most of him and a staff that looked like a big dentist's toothpick – and let's not forget the flower attached near the end. He had a tattoo/scar that started just under his left eye and trailed off into the neck of his cape. His gray hair and purple eyes clearly showed that he was either the Mizukage, or high off more drugs than a small country could produce. That aside, his gait had an undertone of elegance, and an air of grace and nobility hung around him.
The last two were ANBU wearing matching gauntlets/gloves. One with a Seagull mask, the other with a puffer fish mask.
Oddly no words were being spoken among the traveling shinobi. Something that would usually indicate either they were on a mission, or just didn't like each other. Or a combination of both.

One foot in front the other seemed to be the mindset of this foursome of shinobi; they were obviously in no rush to get anywhere. To make matters worse, the bespectacled, blue haired boy with the sword... well he was spending much of his time enjoying the scenery. A bit too much time, from a professional point of view.
So much time in fact that he saw nothing wrong with two eight year olds playing in the lake with no parents – or anyone responsible-looking – anywhere nearby. Or the slight buzz of a genjutsu that some elites can sense as they are placed under it. He honestly thought it was a sign of calm euphoria washing over him at the innocent sight.
So imagine his shock when he finds that he cannot move... or breathe. The last thing he honestly can say he remembers is the sound of the lullaby his mother used to sing to him when he was young.

The genjutsu faded, showing two short shinobi wearing what looks like navy blue hoodies standing on the water's surface. The girl was playing her flute while the boy held two fingers in his mouth like he was whistling. "Phase one, complete. Commence phase two." The boy turned to the girl just as his words wafted to the group behind him.
Five pillars of water raised out of the lake, slowly taking form and revealing a group of shinobi. "How long do we have?" Kisame asked, wondering why this was going so well.
"Less than five minutes. This is the dummy group, the actual Mizukage is keeping to the shadows less than a mile that way." Tatsu answered, pointing due South.
"Fine, let's just get this over with. Zabuza, you and Raiga are the first contact. Once the guards are dealt with, I'll sweep in and wipe the floor with the bonehead." Kisame instructed.
"Roger." With that two swordsmen were off, heading in the exact direction Tatsu had just pointed.
"You four already know your job. Do it well." Kisame said, obviously feeling that something was off. It's not uncommon for a shinobi – even the elite – to feel nervous about a mission like this. Especially since they were technically there to kill their own leader.

#Trouble on horizon. Taichou is nervous. Watch closely.# Tatsu signed to his team, receiving only nods in response. They immediately set about tying up the shinobi whilst they dreamed. #Good work.# Four shinobi down – luckily without a fight – only six to go.
Still, their job was to subdue the Sanbi if – well, when really – it escaped its host, capturing it in the heavy jar the Kiri-nin provided. The fighting would be Kiri's problem – since the last thing Konoha wanted was to have fingers pointed at them if this went South. Er... nevermind...

It wasn't even ten minutes later that the world went to hell. Raiga and Zabuza killed the Mizukage's entourage with relative ease – as easy as beheading training dummies since there was no warning at all. The only problem was...
"So, you've turned your backs on our village?" Yagura Ichiro was the Mizukage for a reason. He had his two Ulnas in his hands, wielding them like blades and holding off the two flanked attacks with ease.
"No, we've turned our backs on you." Zabuza intoned.
Yagura, who had both his elbows above his head and his hands resting against the back of his shoulders, simply turned around. A normal enough action in and of itself... had it not been for the fact that he was twisting the bones in his arms and partially in his ribcage beyond breaking point and still holding off Zabuza's dantou and Raiga's twin Kibas at the same time. "Have you now?"
The Konoha nin and Kisame watched as Yagura closed his eyes, reopening them to reveal... the Sharingan!

#Uchiha used Mizukage. Control fuuin on left shoulder blade.# Tatsu signed, thinking back on the horror the Uchiha unleashed on Konoha before.
#Mission endangered. Help?# Neko asked, though the look on his face clearly showed he wasn't interested in lifting a finger.
#Negative. Watch. After Taichou engages, we reevaluate.# Came the expected response.

Zabuza and Raiga weren't holding up very well. Each time they slashed at the Mizukage, he answered by blocking their attack and firing a few Phalanges at them. It was clear that not only way Yagura toying with them, he was conserving his energy. He'd been tipped off.
"i'm going in. stick to the plan." Kisame said before dashing into the fray. The Konoha nin eyed the situation, judging this to be a lost battle as it was, but saw no harm in watching the Kiri-nin get knocked about a bit before stepping in. At the very least, they could wear the jinchuuriki down to either going into Bijuu mode, or actually killing him and releasing the bijuu that way.

Either way suited Tatsu just fine.

~End flashback~

~Coast of Nami no Kuni, with Team 9.~

Tatsuko awoke to the sound of waves hitting the shore, and seagulls shrieking about fish... or catching up on the local gossip. She didn't really understand the squawking so she didn't try to figure it out.
"Welcome back to the land of the living." Aoba teased the blonde – something she didn't seem to like very much, given that she was growling at him.
The irate blonde looked around, rubbing her left eye with the back of her hand. "how long was i out?"
"Depends on what you last remember." Aoba soothed, keeping an eye on Kiba – who was fishing – and Hinata – who was gathering herbs in the nearby woods.
"honestly... delivering the demon brothers to ibiki and anko..." She got up, trying to stretch her sore muscles. She felt like she had been hit by a runaway boulder. Repeatedly.
"Oh. How'd you get here then?" He looked out at the sea, with no land in plain sight ahead.
"kiba must have carried me." Tatsuko answered. There was no deception in her voice, no sign of hiding anything at all. Hell, if she wasn't wiping away the tear from her cheek and playing it off as rubbing the sleep from her eye, Aoba wouldn't believe she knew anything at all.
"Then why aren't we heading towards Kakashi-san's team?" Something is blocking her memories, and Aoba suspected that something was Tatsuko herself. She was consciously folding her own memories away for some reason...
"We aren't?" She looked confused.
"Kiba! Come over here a second will you?" Aoba called out, getting no response from the boy. "KIBA!" Still nothing. That was when Aoba chose to notice the light green chakra that was making up a barrier or sorts around them.
"sensei..." The blonde's voice was cracking, and the tears seemed to be flowing more readily.
"What's wrong Imouto-chan?" Aoba asked, rushing to her side. He placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to smile bright enough to make her troubles go away.
"it's getting... harder... to fight it..." She struggled with her words. Her breathing was becoming steadily more ragged, her voice more hoarse.
"Fight what?" He asked. She wasn't making any sense to him, at all.

"i... so... bu..."

~Location unknown.~

Tatsuko found herself on a rock. She just sat there for a moment, collecting herself... and trying to figure out how she managed to get there – again.
Around her she could only see mist. Mist so thick you could beat it with a whisk and turn it into whipped cream. She eventually tired of just sitting there, so she decided to see what the almighty turtle steak wanted from her this time. He'd gotten more and more itchy lately for some reason.
Step by step, she made her way deeper into the mist, eventually making her way to a frozen lake. "Isonade-sama, what do you need with me?" She tried to be polite, but there was just something bugging her enough to set her on edge. Unfortunately that something was a vacuum sucking up the mist, which meant that nothing was hiding the mountain sized turtle from her vision – even if there was a thick layer of ice separating them... and only one eye was visible.
"Isobu is tired of waiting. Isobu wants peace. Nee-san promised Isobu that no more people would get closed to Isobu." The imagine of a single eye wide with anger burned into Tatsuko's retina, refusing to leave her be.
"I want that peace more than you, Isonade-sama. However, I have much to do. And your little tantrum is not helping me in the least." She retorted, her tone as cold as the lake's surface.
"Isobu knows what Nee-san is doing. Nee-san is releasing the seals. Is Nee-san going to release Isobu too?" The eye was smiling now, clearly happy with that plan.
"For you to trample over those precious to me?" That was obviously not the best observation to make.
"Isobu cares nothing for those people! Isobu wants to be alone and Isobu can't be alone with all those things walking around Isobu's shell!" The angry voice boomed in Tatsuko's ears, nearly shattering her eardrums. "Tell that thing to stop touching Isobu's shell!"

~Back on the shore of Nami~

Aoba, Kiba and Hinata were staring at Tatsuko. She'd been shaking for the last fifteen minutes, clearly writhing in pain and emitting a constant, mute scream that never seemed to want to end. The other times she passed out had all been peaceful, she was simply sleeping for prolonged periods of time. This time... this time she looked like she was being torn apart!
It was heartbreaking. Seeing their comrade in agony and not knowing what to do... Hinata was to first to break down, weeping into her own hands. Aoba was wracking his brains for something – anything – that might help. Kiba on the other hand...

The Inuzuka gathered the lithe girl in his arms, holding her close. He was constantly whispering things into her ear, hoping that she could hear him. Things like, "Tsu, come back to me... don't you know... I-"

~Back with Tatsuko.~

"Tsu, come back to me... don't you know... I love you..." Kiba's voice, his breath, was kissing Tatsuko's skin. She could almost swear she felt his hand caressing her cheek – a feeling she simply couldn't get enough of.
"GET YOUR HANDS OFF ISOBU'S SHELL!" The ground started shacking. A loud thumping sound like something was trying to break free. Something big, that is. "NO ONE TOUCHES ISOBU AND LIVES!" The ice cracked – just a hairline, no harm done... right?
Without a word, Tatsuko whipped out her Nohkan and began playing a lullaby. With each note, a prayer was said – she prayed that she could hold the bijuu back so that her team wouldn't die at her own hands... she wasn't foolish enough to believe it would never happen again.

And the growing crack in the ice wasn't helping in the least.

~End Chapter 27~

A/N: And that marks the latest chapter of Hi no Ishi, and the first chapter of the Usagi Gaiden. A lot of the earlier alluded plot bunnies are going to be coming back in full force within the coming chapters, so please be prepared for some cliffhangers, and two more major climaxes coming up. This climax was a bit of a dud, no argument there, but there are more than enough versions of the Wave Arc out there. I see no point in rehashing an Arc that has been told more times over than there are verses to 'the song that never ends'.

I trust that this will set the needed pace for the action coming up sooner than you might think.

Eiyuu – Literally means 'hero'. It was Tatsuhi's wakizashi before his death, now falling into Tatsuko's hands. She uses it as an executioners sword, much like he did.
Seikatsu Toshokan Fuuin no-jutsu – Living Library Seal jutsu. The kinjutsu that turned Tatsuko in a living library, with the entire history of the Senju and Uzumaki clans, their jutsus and all their skills locked away in her memory.
Hijustu - Hidden jutsu, not a bloodline limit, more a family secret. Like the Nara's justsu, or the Akimichi's, or the Yamanaka's.
Oinin or Oinin butai – Hunter ninja. A special branch of ANBU in Kiri (though I suspect they wouldn't be the only ones to have ANBU specialize in this) that hunt down Nuke-nin (Rogue ninja)
Kubikiribouchou – Decapetator's blade (literally the Decapetating Carving Knife). Zabuza's big ass blade.
Dantou – Seversword. A nickname given to Zabuza's blade.
Ta no Kuni – Land of Rice (patties), which later becomes known as Oto no Kuni (The Land of Sound) thanks to Orochi-teme.
Ame – Rain (refers to Amegakure no Sato, a minor village)
Taki – Waterfall (refers to Takigakure no Sato, a minor village)
Hyouhiryugan – Ice Dragon Eyes, Tatsuko's doujutsu.
Ulna – The long bone in the forearm. If the arm is in a resting state – not pivoted – it is the bone to the pinky finger's side.
Phalanges – The bones that make up our fingers. One phalange makes up the base, middle and tip of each finger though they vary in size and thickness.

~Omake: A walk to remember.~

Team 9 had just completed yet another D-Rank mission: babysitting. That little brat was getting worse each time they saw him, and they were actually glad that Tora was their next probable mission! Still, that wasn't anyone's problem until after lunch, their afternoon training and the long ass walk from the Senju District to the Hokage Tower afterward.
"I say we tie the brat up next time." Kiba grumbled, rubbing the still forming bruise on his cheek. He wasn't sure how a three year old managed to head butt him, let alone doing it twice, but he was positive he wanted to kill that good for nothing little-
"Is our fearless leader getting chills from a toddler?" Tatsuko teased, her eyebrow raised in curiosity.
"That ain't no toddler! That's the devil's child! Shinigami-sama must've sent him back because he wanted some peace in hell!" Kiba griped, getting a giggle out of the blonde. Neither of them were sure where Aoba-sensei or Hinata-chan were, but they weren't complaining just yet - it was nice to be together.

They continued on for a while, just talking. Something that she couldn't seem to get enough of when it came to him. He kept telling her bold or weird things that no one else would have the balls to say around her, she kept blushing or giggling or swatting his shoulder when she thought it was appropriate.
It's funny, if you didn't know any better you would think they were arguing about something - the two neglected members of Team 9 certainly thought so. And worse yet, even with Aoba and Hinata being right next to the pair, they got the distinct impression neither Kiba nor Tatsuko knew they were there.
A fact that was compounded repeatedly, when Aoba would ask them something and would get completely ignored.

Even when the four of them made it to the cafe where they always had lunch together, Kiba and Tatsuko were in their own little world. "Just give us the regular, and don't bother asking those two anything." Aoba told the waitress.
"Sensei, th-they l-l-look so h-happy." Hinata blushed, daydreaming about her and Naruto acting the same way.
"Yeah... they do." Aoba agreed, thinking about giving his childhood crush a call, maybe just to catch up for old time's sake. There was just something both innocent and contagious about his two students that made you think...
'Yeah... maybe I should just drop in by Hana. I'm sure she won't mind having an extra hand in the clinic...'