"What the hell are you doing here?" Ruriko demanded angrily, putting her hand on her hip as she held the glowing orb in the other. Hajin smirked, folding his arms over his chest.

"I came for a visit is all," He replied, giving his head a little tilt before letting his eyes drift over Ruriko from head to toe, "Huh, you're pretty short." Ruriko twitched, a vein pounding in her forehead.

"You little shrimp! How tall are you? What the fuck did you take to make yourself that damn tall?"

"Sssh, calm down. I'm six foot now and I just drank my calcium." Hajin replied with a grin. Ruriko sweat dropped.

"Hmph… Whatever. What the hell are you doing here, shrimp?" She demanded. Hajin sighed, glancing around the darkness of the hallway.

"Let's sit down first. I've been running around all night." He replied. Ruriko rolled her eyes and gestured to the kitchen. They sat at the table, Hajin sighing in relaxation.

"Ahh, this is a nice house. Who's is it?"

"Not mine, shrimp, now shut up and tell me what you're doing back in Konohagakure. I hope you know you're listed as a missing-nin."

"Oh, yea, I know. Did you see my picture in the criminal files, doll face? It was one of the best pics yet."

"Hajin, you were chopping someone's head off."

"Exactly! Wow, you know, I think the only things that grew on you were your mouth and your boobs."

"Shut up, dumbass!" Ruriko snapped angrily, folding her arms tightly over her chest, glaring. Hajin smirked, then sighed, leaning his head onto his hands, his elbows on the table.

"I'm in Konoha doing a bit of digging around for my employer. He wanted information on the war between Konohagakure and Kotaro's army. From the looks of it, you guys beat him." He mused, drumming his fingers on the table now. Ruriko frowned.

"Damn straight… Hajin, were you the one making all that swishing noise?" She asked, leaning back in her chair. Hajin blinked, then grinned, pointing behind her.

"No, he was." He said. Ruriko blinked and whipped around to see a neon green spider with black markings stuck to the counter top. Ruriko stared, then screamed.

"OH MY GODS! YOU JERK! GET RID OF IT! OUT!"

"Hahahaha, you're still scared of spiders." Hajin snickered, snapping his fingers so the spider vanished. Ruriko had already jumped out of her seat, smacking him in the arm.

"Asshole! Jerk! You knew I was terrified of spiders! I'll rip your head off for this!" She snarled angrily. Hajin smirked up at her.

"You're cute when you're mad."

"DIE!"

"What's going on, Ruriko?" Ruriko jumped, jerking her head up to see Itachi standing in the doorway, raising an eyebrow. Hajin frowned, folding his arms on the table. Ruriko sighed.

"I'm sorry, Itachi. I don't know where he came from. He scared the shit outta me, popping up out of nowhere…" She mumbled, averting her eyes.

"And who is he?" Itachi asked.

"His name-"

"Hajin," The spider boy greeted, smirking, "My name is Hajin. You must be Uchiha Itachi. Well, that's one thing you Uchiha have in common. You all look so serious and almost the same." Itachi's eyes flickered.

"Hajin… I remember. Madara mentioned you." He stated. Hajin grinned.

"Excellent. Then there's no need to explain who I am or why I'm here." He replied.

"Ugh, again," Ruriko said, looking at Itachi, "I'm so sorry he showed up like this. I'll make him leave."

"Will you?" Hajin challenged, but Ruriko grabbed him by the arm, jerking him from his seat, glaring angrily. Hajin just smirked, but let Ruriko drag him to the front door. Itachi just watched silently, leaning on the doorframe. Ruriko opened the front door and stepped out after shoving Hajin out, shutting the door.

"You jerk," She snapped, "This is Itachi's home and you don't go barging in like that or making me wake him up at almost three in the morning." Hajin frowned, leaning on the wall outside near the garden.

"Yea, whatever. Is he your boyfriend or something?" He demanded. Ruriko went pink, clenching her fists.

"Why does everyone say that? We're just friends. Even if I did like Itachi, he obviously doesn't like me like that. He's treating more like an obnoxious little sister. Look, Hajin, I wouldn't mind catching up with you sometime, but now's just not the time. I'm stressed and-"

"Because you don't like being Madara's pawn, because someone's reeking havoc in this so-called peaceful and loyal village, because Itachi doesn't love you back, because you still don't know what to do about Hioshi having worked with Kotaro, because you think Kage is following your every…" Hajin drawled, dropping his arms to his sides and pushing off the side of the wall. Ruriko's eyes glowed as she frowned, watching him with her guard up.

"How do you know all that?" She demanded. Hajin smiled, tilting his head.

"My pets. I have them everywhere. Haven't you noticed them as a reoccurring theme throughout your entire adventure? Like the ones in the cave with you and Sasuke… When you were spying on Kotaro. I had sent them there to watch Kotaro, but you and Sasuke showed up and killed most of my special summonings… Not to mention, many of the spiders were following you around in the first place, clinging to the back of your boots or floating through the air nearby on threads. I even let a few of them hook onto Kotaro… Of course, no one paid any mind to them. They're just spiders, right?" He asked, smirking. Ruriko shuddered and batted her arms thoughtlessly.

"UGH, that's gross! Don't do that!"

"That's the best part about being friends with spiders," Hajin continued, holding out a finger and letting a small black arachnid crawl on his finger, "They're about as loyal as dogs, but small. Even so, they'll do anything to please their masters." Ruriko gritted her teeth, then blinked.

"Loyal… Hajin, what do you know about the attacks in Konoha? The ones supposedly caused by a black mass of clouds?" She demanded. Hajin grinned.

"Why should I tell you? You're living with another guy and you're acting pretty uninviting after such a long time." He mused. Ruriko glared.

"I told you before, Itachi and I are just friends. I'm sorry, but you scared me, all right? It's like you said, I'm stressed and nervous about a lot of things right now. It's got me tense. Hajin, I need to know who's doing all this. If I don't, I can't clear Sasuke and Itachi's names as well as clear their records." She stated. Hajin sighed.

"You're pretty desperate to keep them here… Such a prison warden," He smirked, then backed up into the street further more, glancing up and down before looking at her, "You already know who it is, but you're too in denial to admit it."

"What? Hajin-"

"My time's up. I just needed to get some information."

"Hajin!"

"See ya later, doll face." Hajin said with a smile, tilting his head before he shot up off the ground and vanished into the darkness. Ruriko glared after him, then whipped around, going back into the house to find Itachi standing in the same spot he was. She frowned.

"Sorry."

"So you said… Go to sleep now. We'll do more of this research tomorrow." Itachi advised. Ruriko sighed and nodded, going upstairs. As soon as her head touched the pillow in the guest room, she was fast asleep, trying hard to think about the case in her sleep.

Next Day

"What?" Ruriko demanded angrily, clenching her fists as Daisuke sighed, shaking his head.

"It's unbelievable. The same attack happened on the hospital last night. It happened around 3:30 a.m." He informed, scanning over a report from an Anbu that had been present at the hospital that night.

"It says here that it was the same black mass," Daisuke explained as they walked down the hallway through the shambles, "The mass was bigger this time they say and it caused my destruction. It went straight to the medical file room, taking files on several citizens as well as the autopsy report for Kotaro's body."

"The autopsy report?" Ruriko asked with a frown. Daisuke nodded, flipping to the next page.

"The report had the date and time of his birth and date, pictures of his corpse and the wounds as well as a before picture. There's a few pictures in there of him when he was younger and a few old x-rays. There was even a blood sample stolen."

"That's so creepy…" Ruriko muttered, shuddering. Daisuke nodded and glanced up as they approached the three Anbu from the incident at Tsunade's office.

"Inuke, Niku. Who was the one present with the report?" Ruriko asked. Niku gestured a thumb to the clown-masked Anbu.

"Shinwa here was the one who reported, but he's mute, so he can't really relay any information verbally." He explained. Ruriko frowned.

"Well, that's just great. All we have is the short report he wrote us." She sighed. Daisuke skimmed the pages again.

"This is still suspicious. The attacks are the same. It's always a dark form."

"I know who it is," Ruriko muttered, "But at the same time, there's just not enough proof."

"A dead guy can't steal information like this," Daisuke disagreed, "Kage is off the suspect list."

"Exactly why I didn't say it." Ruriko huffed, then frowned toward the silent Anbu, who had tilted his head upwards. She frowned and looked up, following his gaze to see him staring at the busted lights overhead. Ruriko frowned and narrowed her eyes.

"There's something on the light bulb up there." She stated, pointing up. Daisuke looked up, squinting a bit, then handed Ruriko the clipboard, jumping up and snatching the evidence off the broken glass. They all leaned in to see it.

"Fluff?" Inuke asked, confused. It was a small piece of dark grayish fluff, feathery and soft. Ruriko took the small bit and rubbed it between her fingers, her eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

"This has to be enough proof."

"Of?" Daisuke asked. Ruriko rolled her eyes, handing the bit back to him.

"That's part of Kage's cloak. He wore a black heavy cloak with a hood that was trimmed with dark gray fluff, just like that." She insisted.

"Hmm… We'll have to talk to Osamu. Well, I will anyway. You said you had business at the prison?" Daisuke asked. Ruriko nodded, then sighed.

"I was supposed to go with Itachi, but Tsunade pulled him away and sent him on a mission. Looks like I'll have go alone." She muttered. Daisuke and the Anbu stared at her, making her frown.

"What?" She demanded.

"Ruriko, it's not safe to go to the prison alone, particularly a girl. Take Niku and Inuke with you. Shinwa and I will keep investigating here."

"What? But I'm fine!"

"Ruriko."

"Oh, fine. Sure, whatever… Come on, guys. Let's go." Ruriko sighed, rolling her eyes as she headed for the exit. Niku and Inuke shared looks, then ran after Ruriko. They walked down the path in silence as they approached the newly built prison. The prison's front was made of thick stone built against the side of a cliff, the front doors heavy wood and guarded by six Anbu Black Ops members. They easily got inside, walking down a long corridor, being led by an Anbu named Yugao.

"Be careful," She warned as they walked down a spiral staircase to the underground portion, "The prisoners have big mouths and will taunt you or try and trick you. Don't listen to them and focus on your job. Your time limit is under an hour, so do what you can in that little time before leaving. Make sure to keep at least a foot away from the bars."

They came down to a dark hallway with lanterns hanging from the ceiling, casting an eerie glow across the barred cells, which were protected by a sealing tag on the ceiling just above the bars and out of reach of the inmates, who wore sealing tags on the backs of their gray t-shirts.

They were led near the end of the hall, where another door was locked. The last two cells contained Gatsuki and Kaede. Gatsuki was lying on his back on the mattress, staring up at the ceiling, one arm over his forehead and the other hanging off the bed. It was clear that that had given him prosthetic hands and feet to enable his walking and eating. Kaede was sitting against her bed, her neon hair loose and hanging over her shoulders as she glared at the bars before looking up, laughing out loud and shocking most of the inmates awake.

"Kyaaaa! Look who came to visit, Gatsuki!" She giggled. Gatsuki tilted his head to the side, narrowing his eyes in distaste at the Anbu and Ruriko.

"Kuh, just what I need. More brats." He muttered and looked back up at the ceiling, his fists clenching and making a creaking sound. Yugao nodded to them and departed.

"All right," Ruriko snapped at them, "Listen up because I don't want to repeat myself… Kage's still alive." Gatsuki huffed.

"Of course he is. He's not human." He retorted. Kaede snickered, hopping to her feet and dancing up to the bars, leaning on them.

"Gatsuki's right, kya. That was why Kage was the best of us. He couldn't die and he was practically joined to Kotaro-sama by the hip, kya. Kage would do anything for Kotaro-sama. He's probably still running around helplessly, trying to find something to do, kya." She cooed. Gatsuki scowled, sitting up.

"Shut up, Kaede. You keep opening that big mouth of yours and you'll spill more than you already have. No wonder Kotaro didn't trust you." He muttered. Kaede blinked, then glared at him.

"Che, as if you're one to talk, kya! You said it yourself that you disagreed with him almost all the time, kyaaa."

"So what? At least I was honest about it."

"Shut up, kya!"

"Both of you shut up," Ruriko snapped in annoyance, folding her arms over her chest, "This isn't what I wanted to talk about. I came to ask you for information, anything you know about Kage."

"As if we'd tell you, kya," Kaede huffed negatively, scowling at her, "You're the one who got us all here in the first place, kya." Gatsuki said nothing, averting his eyes and leaning on his hand on his elbow, which rested on his knee. Ruriko glared.

"Trust me, you don't want me to make you tell me anything. So do it or else." She threatened.

"Ruriko," Niku cut in, "As much as I'd like to see you kill them, it's against the rules. If they don't talk-"

"No way," Inuke protested, "I say let her kick their asses! They're cruel bastards that attacked Konohagakure!"

"Shut up, kya!" Kaede spat at him, glaring sharply at him. Inuke clenched his fists and went to smack her, but Niku jerked him back. Ruriko dared to take a step closer to the bars.

"I've only got an hour, so speak." She ordered. Kaede smirked and opened her mouth to taunt, but Gatsuki cut her off.

"Kage's a living shadow," He interrupted calmly, getting to his feet and walking up to the bars, leaning on them, "He was created from jutsu, shadows, and souls by Orochimaru a while back. Kage was created as a teenager and that's how he's gonna stay for the rest of his life, physically at least. He grows up mentally like the average person."

"Gatsuki, what the hell are you doing, kya?" Kaede demanded angrily. Gatsuki huffed, waving his puppet-like hand at her.

"Shut up, kid. Let the adults talk." He ordered. Ruriko stared at him, waiting for him to continue. Gatsuki looked back at her, his pale teal eyes glowing.

"Kage served Orochimaru for only a short time until he realized that he was worthless. Kage used his powers to escape Orochimaru's lair and he wandered around aimlessly afterwards. He was technically a newborn experiment, having never left the safety of the lair, so when he first saw a human, he attacked them and killed them. He accidentally became an S-ranked criminal."

"How do you accidentally become a criminal?" Inuke asked, rolling his eyes and getting smacked upside the head by Niku. Gatsuki smirked.

"Fear. Kage didn't know what humans were. They saw him and immediately responded negatively as he was like an animal. He fed off small creatures and didn't wear anything, nor knew how to speak. They tried to hurt him and he lashed out, killing them. He's a fast learner and began to understand the way of the shinobi world. He started killing anyone he came in contact, hiding with his element of shadow." He explained.

"How do you know this?" Niku interrupted with a frown. Gatsuki cocked a brow, pursing his lips.

"Kage was pretty infamous once upon a time. Considered an old myth, actually. See, Kage apparently had clung to Kotaro's shadow after seeing him demonstrate his powers. Kotaro was the first person to ever detect Kage's presence, which impressed Kage greatly so he ended up joining as Kotaro's subordinate. Kage stuck by him all this time and always has, even until his death he was hiding beside Kotaro." He informed.

"What? But… That can't be right. Kage attacked me in the library and Osamu when we were just on the edge of the village…" Ruriko murmured. Gatsuki laughed, leaning away from the bars.

"He probably made a clone of himself. I've personally heard Kage say that he'd be in Kotaro's shadow until his death." He replied. Kaede huffed, looking away angrily at Gatsuki's betrayal. Ruriko frowned.

"You're obviously not very loyal to Kotaro." She muttered. Gatsuki smiled, tilting his head.

"Oh, no, trust me. I admired Kotaro greatly. He was powerful, mature, strong. You'd be nuts not to admire how great he was… However, Kotaro is dead. It doesn't matter anymore. Not even the little ones stand in the way. Besides, history isn't any fun if you don't know what really happened." He replied.

"Little ones?" Niku demanded. Gatsuki stuck his tongue out immaturely at him, then smirked at Ruriko.

"Kage's a loyal dog. If Kotaro said fetch, Kage would run to the ends of the earth for him. If Kotaro said sit, Kage would sit. Roll over, Kage was on it… Play dead? Kage would have no trouble complying immediately." He said.

"If you think about it," Inuke mumbled, shifting uncomfortably, "It's kind of sad that Kotaro died…"

"What're you saying?" Niku demanded angrily. Inuke flinched, waving his hands as if to surrender.

"No, no. I mean, it's a good thing, but at the same time, it's kind of sad when the dog loses its master, ya see what I mean? It's like losing your reason for living." He protested.

"You're gonna make me cry, kya!" Kaede wailed, covering her eyes. Ruriko rolled her eyes, then frowned at Gatsuki.

"What would Kage gain from tearing about the Hokage's office, the hospital, and the information library?" She asked. Gatsuki paused, rolling his eyes up, then shrugging.

"Depends. Either Kage has found a new master or he's furious that you killed his master and he's getting revenge by taking every little thing about Kotaro to comfort himself. Quite frankly, you guys are pretty stupid if you haven't noticed that both of those together can be pretty bad. Where else do you have information on Kotaro?" He asked curiously, tilting his head. Ruriko frowned, then her eyes widened.

"No way…" She murmured. Niku flinched.

"He wouldn't." He stated. Inuke and Kaede shared confused looks and looked at them all.

"What're you guys talking about?" Inuke asked, totally lost as he scratched the side of his head.

"Yea, I'm pretty lost too, kya." Kaede agreed. Gatsuki grinned, showing off his chipped and messed up teeth.

"What better place to get more info on Kotaro than the cemetery?" He asked.

"Go to the cemetery," Ruriko ordered Niku and Inuke, who jumped at the tone of her voice, "Get there as fast as you can and make sure no one enters the grounds. Turn on as many lights as you can."

"Heh," Gatsuki smirked, "Lights won't scare Kage away. If there's a shadow cast on the ground, underneath you, elongated from you, he'll attach himself to it and gladly follow you to the ends of the earth to get rid of you. Particularly you, little girl. Kage's got a bone to pick with anyone who shames him in front of his master." Ruriko glared at him, then bolted down the hallway.

"Good luck! And bring a game board next time you visit!" Gatsuki called after her and the Anbu. Ruriko gritted her teeth and rounded the corner, bolting up the staircase.

"Ruriko, slow down! What sort of information can Kage find at the cemetery anyway?" Inuke whined, trying to keep up.

"Idiot," Niku spat, "What better place than the source? He's planning on digging up Kotaro's body."

"What? Ew! Why would he do that?"

"Because he's psycho. Now hurry up!" Niku commanded. Inuke sighed, frowning before he caught up. Their shoes echoed on the stairs as they ran toward the exit, ignoring the calls from the other Anbu in the facility. Ruriko led the way to the cemetery, which was nestled near the edge of a forest. The opening archway wasn't a pleasant greeting as they ran through it and onto a stone path that led through the main portion of the cemetery, headstones peering over each other and the grass.

"This is so creepy." Inuke whined quietly, his eyes flickering across the graves. Niku frowned and held a finger to his lips before they took off running again. Ruriko was careful to keep her steps lighter and quieter as she approached another section of the cemetery. Sure enough, a foggy black mass was hovering over one of the graves.

"Ikiteiru Kage!" Ruriko announced. The black mass shifted and did a bit of a swirl before Kage was revealed, his expression tired.

"You again… Don't approach me." He added when Ruriko took a step forward. Ruriko frowned, clenching her fists.

"Kage, whatever you're doing, stop. You've ruined several important buildings and digging up Kotaro isn't going to make you feel better." She explained. Kage's eyes glowed.

"First off, those attacks weren't my fault… Second, it's obvious I can't touch anything solid… If I could, I would dig him up… And find one of Orochimaru's files on resurrection." He added under his breath. Ruriko blinked.

"Wait, you can't touch anything solid?" She asked. Kage rolled his eyes, but nodded and thrust his hand toward the gravestone. It burst into smoke on impact before coming back together as he pulled away. Niku frowned.

"If you can't touch anything solid… Then who's been stealing the information from the places you attacked?" He asked, confused. For once, Inuke stayed silent, staring at Kage, who shifted back.

"The person who's been catching me and releasing me each time. If I had a choice, I wouldn't be making these attacks."

"So who's doing it?" Ruriko demanded. Kage frowned and opened his mouth to reply, but he suddenly burst into black dust, the mass returning and shifting before the whistling of wind followed. Kage's form was sucked back into the trees and the sound of a cap touching a jar followed before a quiet laugh.

"Sorry about him… He's disobedient when it comes to people he refuses to serve…" Ruriko's eyes flashed.

"You." She muttered. Stepping from the trees in a heavy gray cloak with the hood up, Yakushi Kabuto revealed himself from the shadows. Niku blinked.

"Kabuto? You have some nerve showing back up in this village." He muttered. Kabuto smiled, cocking his head.

"Don't greet me like that."

"What the hell do you want? Are you the one stealing the information?" Ruriko demanded angrily, clenching her fists as she took a step toward him. Kabuto took a step to the side, leaning on a headstone as he held he jar of black in his hands.

"Yes. I've been stealing most of it for my own plans. As Orochimaru is dead, well… Somewhat. I've had nothing else to do, so I made it my duty to come and investigate the effects of Kotaro's war on Konohagakure. He must have not been as powerful as everyone assumed if he was defeated so easily by his own sister." He snickered.

"It's bad luck to mock the dead, Kabuto." Niku muttered. Ruriko frowned.

"Niku's right. Just shut up and tell us what you're planning and we might not kill you." She threatened. Kabuto sighed.

"And that's why I can't make any deals with you. You're so quick… But it doesn't matter. I'm just collecting information first before I start causing trouble. And Kage here was one of the first pawns to join," He tapped the glass, making the black mass tumble around, "Kage was created to be loyal to his most powerful master, which was originally Orochimaru until Kage realized that he wasn't so powerful, especially after the battle with the Third Hokage. He ran away, much to everyone's dismay and found a new master. The only reason Kage is really mourning is because he now has no purpose to live on. He was created solely for the purpose of pleasing his master and that's it."

"That's cruel," Ruriko muttered, "Let Kage go. Even though he's part of Kotaro's army and also a jerk for trying to kill me, it's just not right for you to keep him like a lightening bug in a jar like that. Nor use him to make a distraction so you could jump in and grab the files, wearing gloves." She pointed to Kabuto's hands, leather gloves adorning them. Kabuto laughed.

"About time you guessed. However, I'm not letting Kage go just yet. I still need him for a few things as well as unearthing Kotaro's body. If I can get a hold of it, I can play with it, learn more than any files could ever offer. I might even be able to use his corpse for other things. For now, I think you should just back down so I can get to work. It takes a while to dig up a body without harming it." He explained.

"That's sick," Niku spat, "Get away from the grave, Kabuto, or we'll be forced to attack." Kabuto frowned, then smirked and reached up to adjust his glasses before he held the jar up, tapping his finger on it.

"If I let him go on you, the power released is like a bullet and will completely shred you apart. I think you should stay where you are if you value your lives." He replied calmly, setting the jar on the headstone. Ruriko immediately bolted forward. Kabuto's eyes flashed and he swung a series of senbon out. Ruriko winced, jerking back, but knocking the jar off the headstone. Inuke darted in, falling to the ground and catching the jar just in time.

Kabuto glared and made a few hand signs, going to attack, but Niku made hand signs quickly, vines shooting up from the ground and catching Kabuto with them wrapping around his body.

"You're all pretty dumb yourself," Kabuto sighed at last after struggling, "Attacking the real thing might have been more effective." His body began to melt like mud, slipping through the vines and vanishing. Niku cursed.

"Damn it."

"Oh well," Ruriko sighed, putting a hand on her hip, "So long as we got Kage." She glanced up, frowning as Inuke stood up with the jar, across the stone path. Niku blinked, eyeing Inuke.

"Where do you think you're going with that?" He demanded. Inuke twitched, then sighed and turned to face them, holding the jar close to his chest.

"See, I thought hiding out and getting closer to the insides of this village might help me get revenge, killing Kotaro-sama like that, but obviously I can't do this myself… I'm taking Kage with me back to the Land of Rivers." He replied calmly. Ruriko glared.

"You sniveling little cockroach! I should've known there was something weird about you." She muttered bitterly. Inuke smiled, cocking his head to the side.

"It would've been nice to stay in this village. It's not so bad… But of course, a shinobi from Kotaro's army can't flee after he's left alive. I'm sorry about betraying you and everything. Really, but I was brought up pretty much in the same manner Kage was created. Anyway, it was nice meeting you guys. Tell Kotori-sama I said hi and I think she's really cute." He added with a wink and held a hand sign in front of his lips, vanishing in a puff of smoke, taking the jar with him.

"Damn! He got away. This was a pointless trek." Niku cursed. Ruriko didn't make a move to run anywhere, frowning at where Inuke had vanished.

"That's so weird…"

"What is?" Niku asked, turning to her. Ruriko shrugged.

"Everyone's so loyal, it's scary. I mean, Kage, Inuke… And then this village to their Hokage. I dunno… I'm just thinking aloud. Come on, let's go report this to the Hokage and go to bed. It's getting late."

"Right…" Niku murmured, then looked at Kotaro's headstone. Ruriko followed his stare, then smiled a little.

"You're not one of them too, are you?" She asked. Niku blinked and looked up, then smiled lightly.

"Once upon a time. It's always the start of a really long story and we don't have time for it." He replied. Ruriko blinked and looked up at him before he nodded.

"A very long story indeed. I'm sure you carry a long story as well, Tsukuyomi."

"Oh yea. It'd be like a bazillion chapters long."

"Maybe you should start writing."

"… Maybe I should…"

Next Day…

"So, the case is solved?" Itachi asked as they sat at a small rounded table just outside a café. Ruriko nodded, leaning back in her chair, sighing as she held her cup of warm tea.

"Yup… Unfortunately, both culprits got away, though… It's a pain in the ass and I felt pretty bad for Kage. He really doesn't have a choice in the matter." She murmured, watching her reflection ripple in the cup. Itachi shrugged lightly, taking a sip of his tea, relaxing.

"Yea… Well, I guess this means you can relax then."

"Definitely. It's gonna be weird since I'm so used to tension in the air… Oh, by the way, I've read all your books, so I'll bring 'em to your room tonight around ten."

"All right… Is your friend still around?"

"Hm? Oh, you mean Hajin? Oh, hell if I know. That disgusting little shrimp should get himself a girlfriend away from Konoha and away from me." Ruriko stated with a confident nod. Itachi smiled lightly.

"You don't have anything in your schedule then?"

"Nope. Probably juts another café visit with you. Why?"

"No reason… I was wondering if you wanted to go to the hot springs. There's nothing else to do as Tsunade doesn't have any missions scheduled for me." Itachi explained, looking down at his tea. Ruriko blinked and leaned forward a bit, blushing lightly.

"Hot springs?"

"Yea. They're just outside the village limits."

"All right… That sounds cool." Ruriko smiled. Itachi nodded. They were quiet for a while before they got up to head to the hot springs.

"Ruriko."

"Hm?"

"You can stop telling people we're just friends." Itachi said. Ruriko blinked and looked at him, confused for a second before she blushed.

"Wh-What…?" Her voice trailed. Itachi smiled, tilting his head a little.

"You've stayed at my house, we've had dates every day since after the war, and we're going into a hot spring together. It's pretty evident."

"Er, oh… Then…?" Ruriko didn't know quite know how to finish her sentence, so she risked reaching her hand out to take Itachi's, leaning on him. He didn't protest, smiling to himself as they walked. Ruriko beamed.

This is gonna be great~

FIN

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A/N: I'm sure this explains itself. :) Shadows of Heroes is now over and Part III will be starting ASAP! Hopefully you all have the bios in. If not, you still have time as the first chapter is always just a babble. lol. The next series (uncreative-like) is called Shadows of the Next Generation. Keep an eye out for it and the credits right after this final chapter! Well, thanks you so very much for reading, hope the characters are in character, and your reviews are loved very much!