Chapter 12: Something You Need to Know

Despite the late night Usagi woke the next morning feeling awake, alert and full of energy. And more than a little curious. The few hours of sleep she'd salvaged had been filled with the most amazing dreams. She'd dreamed of her father, at twelve years old, facing off against a hundred foot sand monster. She'd envisioned him dodging the lightning shot from the blade of one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. She'd seen him encased in an aura of red chakra, soaring across the Valley of the End towards the great, gray, winged thing that had only moments ago been Sasuke Uchiha, the rasengan swirling furiously in his outstretched hand. She had heard so many great things about her father, had seen them in her dreams. And now she wanted to know more. She wanted to know just how such a great man had died. And she was going to find out.

Unfortunately that was easier said than done, especially without the help of someone who also knew who Naruto's killer was, as she did, and such people were hard to find. Sasuke didn't believe her. Shikamaru didn't believe her. Not even Tenten, Kiba or Shino, who'd all been there to see what he'd done to her, believed that Neji had killed Naruto. The truth was as plain as day to her, the evidence was all right there in front of her, after all, but she seemed to be the only one brave enough to face facts. Still, very few people had believed her father when he'd been right as a child, she told herself as she glided over the rooftops towards her destination. He'd hardly ever been believed, especially when he was right, and so he'd simply had to prove it to people. And that was just what she was going to do.

There was really only one more person she could go to for help. She didn't expect him to actually be a lot of help, but it was really the only starting point she had. There was one person, or rather, two people, who she could always trust to tell her what was really going on. Most of the Aunts and Uncles made it a point not to keep secrets from her, secrecy had breed nothing but trouble in the past. However, on the rare occasion someone decided it was best for her not to know something, she could generally count on Ayura to trust her with the truth. Or rather, to get Kakashi to trust her with the truth.

Usagi angled the glider to take her a bit higher into the air as she soared above the village on the way to its edge, savoring the weightless feeling and the cool rush of wind against her face. Flying was the ultimate freedom, and she savored the experience despite her destination. It wasn't that she didn't like seeing Kakashi and Ayura, they were both always terrifically nice to her, but sometimes when they answered the door she had the strangest feeling she was interrupting something she would really rather not think about.

Today was not one such day. Usagi swooped over the house to find Ayura on the roof, standing straight, barefoot with her toes griping the edge, her head tilted back to look at the sky and one hand shading her eyes. Usagi wasn't surprised. Ayura hardly ever wore shoes, except a heavy pair of boots she reserved for going on long trips outside the village, which she hardly ever did.

"Good morning, Usagi-chan!" she called, leaping lightly down from the roof to land balanced on one toe in the front yard. She stood like that, only the big toe of one foot touching the ground, the sole of her other foot pressed against her ankle, and looked up at the sky for a minute longer. When it became apparent that whatever she was looking for was not there she sighed and relaxed down onto both feet again.

"Good morning Ayura-sensei!" Usagi called as she landed, skidding to a stop a few feet in front of the dark haired woman. Ayura was dressed, as usual, in a tight top and long flowing skirt, covered by an apron. She looked perfectly house-holdy, with the obvious exception of the short, custom blade sheathed at her hip.

Ayura pulled a face. "Don't call me that!" she snapped, "I'm not your teacher! And anyway, it makes me sound old."

"I think it makes you sound wise!" Usagi chirped, tilting her head to the side and smiling brightly.

Ayura ruffled her hair affectionately. "Yeah, old and wise," she grumbled, heading back to the house, "What brings you here, Usagi-chan?"

"What were you looking at?" Usagi asked, glancing up at the sky as though to check for interesting activity.

"Watching for the Signs," Ayura said solemnly as she opened the door and stepped aside as Usagi went in, then stepping daintily into the house after the child and shutting the door behind her. "Kakashi's been acting a bit strange lately. There's something worrying him, but damn him he won't tell me what's wrong! Maybe its got something to do with Naruto . . ."

Ayura continued musing in this way, half to herself, as she put the tea kettle on and shooed Usagi into the living room. A few minutes later she came in herself, carrying two steaming cups of instant ramen and still muttering incoherently about Signs. Ayura was always looking for Signs. Signs, she said, were the universe's way of telling people what it wanted them to do. The more oblivious the person, or the more important the event, the more obvious the Sign would be, and since she was a very observant person she often had to look very closely. And Ayura always followed the Signs.

Usagi, inhaling the piping hot ramen as Ayura continued to mutter idly to herself, blowing on hers absently ever few minutes, let her mind wander back to a story Ayura had told her almost a year ago, in an attempt to explain the Signs. Ayura's parents had met and fallen in love on a very small island popular with vacationers. They had been lying on a beach the night they met and suddenly Ayura's mother had crawled on top of her companion and given him a long and passionate kiss. The moment their lips met, every bell on the island had gone off at once. The two young lovers had been married within the year, and had been together ever since. And so Ayura, knowing she would receive a similar sign when she found her own true love, had hesitated the first time Kakashi had ever asked her out. Then, at that precise moment, someone in every shop on the street exited, all at once, and the tinkling of the shop bells could be heard up and down the street. As several people simply laughed at the pleasant noise, Ayura had answered Kakashi's question by leaning forward and giving him a heated, lingering kiss. They were married within the year and they'd been together ever since.

"What are you girls up to in here?" Kakashi poked his head in from the study, his eyes crinkled in a grin behind his mask. Behind him Usagi could see the desk in the study was laid out with exactly one thing; Jiraiya's latest Icha Icha manuscript. Ever since Kakashi had retired from ninja work he'd taken up the job as Jiraiya's editor, a job he seemed to be thoroughly enjoying.

"Good morning, Kakashi-sensei!" Usagi smiled brightly from where she was perched on the sofa. Ayura had settled herself in the large armchair, but stood up when Kakashi entered, not looking at him but instead beginning to pace.

"Is there something wrong, Ayura-sensei?" Usagi asked as Ayura continued her pacing, still muttering and seeming totally oblivious to the presence of the other two people in the room.

Kakashi hung his head, sighing deeply. "She's been like this all morning," Kakashi told her resignedly, coming to sit beside the little girl as they both watched Ayura continue to pace, "She's waiting for a Sign, and you know how she can get when she thinks an important one's coming. I hope you didn't come here to speak with her, Usagi-chan."

Usagi shook her head. "Actually I came her to talk to you, Kakashi-sensei."

He turned to her. "Oh?"

Usagi had never been one for beating around the bush, still this was a rather important question. She thought for a moment, wondering how best to phrase it, then finally settled on her usual direct approach.

"How did my father die?"

That caused an abrupt halt to all activity in the room. Ayura stopped her pacing and was instantly kneeling beside the couch. Kakashi's head, which had been following Ayura's pacing, snapped around to stare, wide-eyed, at Usagi.

Suddenly Kakashi's eyes crinkled in a smile. "What would bring on a question like that, little one?"

Usagi shrugged. "Well, everything is changing now that he's gone, but no one seems to want to tell me how it happened. I mean, I know, but I just wanted to see what everyone else thought happened."

Ayura reached out and toyed with the ends of her hair. "Does this have something to do with why you attacked Neji, Usagi-chan?"

"Yes." Usagi said firmly, "I know he had something to do with my father's death. No one else will believe me, but I know. If no one thinks it was Neji, then I'd like to know what they think did happen."

Ayura looked up at Kakashi. He didn't seem to notice however, he was staring off into space as though lost in thought. They both knew better than to interrupt him though, he had that same look in his one visible eye that could be seen when he was staring at the names of his former squad.

At last he looked back at the little girl. Staring at her intently, as though trying to read something on her face, he spoke, haltingly as though he were choosing his words carefully.

"Has no one told you . . . anything . . . about Naruto . . . about Naruto's past, Usagi-chan?"

"Of course," Usagi replied, a little confused, "just last night everyone came to the tower and told a whole bunch of stories. Aunt Temari talked about how he beat Uncle Gaara, and . . ."

Kakashi however cut her off, shaking his head, then fixing her with a hard, calculating stare. "No you misunderstand. Has no one ever told you about the Golden Army?"

Now Usagi was really confused. "Of course," she told him a little slower, eying him warily, "My mother used to tell me that story every night."

Kakashi couldn't have made his scrutiny of her any more intense if he'd pulled down his mask and revealed his sharingan. He was leaning forward a little now, and Usagi got the strangest sensation that his one visible eye was literally trying to pry some long forgotten memory from the deep recesses of her brain.

"Yes, Usagi-chan, but do you know who the people in that story are?" he all but demanded, grasping her shoulders lightly.

"No . . ." Usagi answered shakily. She had never thought she would be afraid of Kakashi, but . . .

"Stop it!"Ayura's palm suddenly made sharp contact with the back of Kakashi's head, which snapped back around to look at her. "Can't you see you're scaring her!"

Kakashi looked back at Usagi for a moment, perplexed, then he gave her his crinkly-eyed smile again. "I'm sorry, Usagi-chan," he said, a little more lightly, "but this is very important. There is something you must know, and I'm surprised no one has told you about it yet. Now that your father is dead, certain things are coming to light, and other things are returning from the shadows. You need to be prepared for what's to come."

"What! What exactly is to come! What's going on anyway!" Usagi demanded. Her head was spinning. She couldn't quite grasp what Kakashi was implying, it all seemed too incredibly impossible. Then again, this was her father, Naruto Uzumaki, the First Golden Hokage. Anything was possible.

"What haven't you been saying?" Ayura spoke up quietly, making Kakashi glance at her. Her voice was far softer but no less demanding, and the glare she fixed Kakashi with could have cut. He looked away, back at Usagi.

"Usagi-chan," Kakashi said slowly, "you're father was a great man. You, you have no idea how great a man he was, little one."

"What are you saying?" Usagi wanted to demand it, but it came out as a rather shaky question. Her eyes searched Kakashi's masked face.

"Usagi-chan, Naruto Uzumaki, your father, was the Leader of the Golden Army. Usagi, he was the Golden General."