Tales Of A Maho Shinobi

by uncutetomboy's bro

Xover. After the events of his 5th year some members of harry's family decide to help him out. To help they send him to the shinobi continent where he meets someone who will be his brother. Harry PotterNaruto Crossover. R&R

92. A Search begins!

Steve: And here we are with the next chapter. And this will be an original arc that will incorporate some of the new information from the new chapters of the manga... well, some of it.

Hinata: Like how Kushina was the Kyuubi's jinchuuriki before Naruto?

Steve: That and Mei Uzumaki being the Kyuubi's before her. Until this point in the series, it was stated that demons can ONLY be sealed into an infant as an adult's body can't take the sheer amount of chakra. And there's also the fact that there has to be a human life that's sacrificed. Yet, Mei was in her late twenties/early thirties when she sealed the Kyuubi and Kushina was about eight or nine when it was sealed in her. So it kind of pissed me off that he retconned the whole thing.

Yui: Yeah, it did seem kind of contrived.

Pen-pen: Warr wa warrk ar. (Tell me about it.)

Steve: Anyways... time for the next chapter and the beginning of an original arc!

Pen-Pen: (Wark Wa WAAK arrk waark)

Hinata: Translation is "The author doesn't own Harry Potter or Naruto". He just owns this story, the plot and his insane plot-bunnies.

Why me?Shinigami/Demon/Inner-Sakura

'Who?' Thoughts

-YO!- Animal speech

'=Hey!=' Sign language

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Walking down a hallway, Harry notices Naruto ahead of him and quickens his pace. "Yo! Nii-san!" Blinking, Naruto turns and gives him a nod of acknowledgement as he catches up. "What's up? I take it that you're here for much the same reason that I am?" Naruto just shrugs.

"If the reason that you're here is because you got a message from either my Kaa-san or yours, then the answer is yes." Harry just rolls his eyes and smacks him in the back of the head causing him to yelp.

"Baka." Harry then reaches the door mentioned in the message and opens it before walking in. Seeing both Lily and Kushina sitting at a table with Hikari leaning against a nearby wall, Harry gives them all a nod. "Mum. Kushina-Oba-Chan, and Hikari-chan. We got your message and here we are. So what's up?" Lily just sighs and motions them over.

"It has to do with one of the other scrolls that you found in Wave, the one that had to do with a map of Whirlpool. Remember?" Harry nods as he continues walking over and looks down at the desk along with Naruto to see the map there. "Well... turns out that it's more than just a map." Both Harry's and Naruto's head snap up at that. She then points at a corner of the map. "Look right here." Both Harry and Naruto lean over to see what looks like a buzz saw style shuriken in the corner of the map with the Uzumaki swirl taking up the center hole. Naruto then looks up with a frown.

"What's so important about it? Sure, it has some symbolism, but..."He trails off as he sees the smirks on the women's faces. He then looks back down and examines the symbol more closely and then his eyes widen as his head snaps up. "What the hell! That's a-" Kushina finishes his sentence while nodding.

"It's a cleverly disguised bloodseal. Most would just assume that it's a part of the border of the map and leave it at that." Kushina then looks back at the map and taps it. "But it's more than that. It has information on the Uzumaki clan's greatest treasure... the clan vaults." Both Harry and Naruto's eyes widen at this. Lily just waves her wand and conjures an arm chair for each of them as well as one for Hikari. The three sit down and watch as Kushina gathers her thoughts until Naruto has enough of the waiting and clears his throat.

"Um... Kaa-san... what's the deal with the vaults? Why were they the clan's greatest treasure and why does it matter? Weren't they destroyed with the rest of the compound?" Kushina just shakes her head.

"I thought that they were lost as well. Seems that I was wrong." She then leans back into her chair. "And as to why they were the clan's greatest treasure? Because they contained that which is the most powerful weapon of all... information." Seeing the confusion, she sighs. "Before I continue, there are a few things you should understand. The Vault itself was divided into three smaller ones. The clan library, the armoury, and the clan treasury. Each was separated from the others and contained various items."And trust me, considering that our clan is one of the oldest there was quite a bit." Harry perks up at this.

"It is? How old is the clan?" Lily just shrugs.

"No one really knows honey. What is known is that it actually predates the age of the Rikudan Sennin (Sage of Six Paths) and was practicing old-style ninja arts even to the modern day, making them unique among the clans. What I can remember from what I learned when I was a child was that the Uzumaki clan was formed from members of two other clans that somehow came to the Elemental Countries, the Iga and the Koga..." Hearing the two gasp, Lily raises an eyebrow. "You know something of them I take it?" Naruto nods.

"Hai Lily-Oba-chan." He then rubs the side of his head. "When me and nii-san were investigating ninja from his world, we came across those two names as being the major and most famous of the ninja clans in Japan during the Warring States era. But that is a discussion of another time." Lily just nods from where she is.

"True." She then takes a moment to sort out what she's going to say in her head before nodding. "Anyways, both groups had their own ways of doing what they did, but in the end combined them. One of the things that the Uzumaki introduced and was soon copied was the rankings of Genin, Chunin, and Jounin." She then shakes her head. "Anyways... back on the subject." She then clears her throat. "Soon after the formation of the Uzumaki clan, they became what are known as pack rats. Especially when it came to information. During the Clan Wars, members of the Uzumaki clan would sneak into the other clan's compounds and copy any documents they could. At the end of the wars, this gave us a massive library of jutsu, both known and thought lost. We also collected any unique weapons we found. In fact... the Uzumaki clan gave the Raijin to the Senju clan a hundred and twenty years ago as a gift. This helped to renew one of our most ancient alliances. And we also gave Kiri what became the swords of the Seven Swordsman soon after its formation as a gesture of goodwill. And these were just a few of the weapons there. And the treasury? Needless to say, we had enough funds to face off against a minor village. We also shared the vault with our close allies, the Genshiken." She then nods at a grinning Hikari before turning back to the two young Chunin. "All of these are some of the reasons, among the ones that you already know, that we were attacked. And to this day, Whirlpool has Kumo-nin, Kiri-nin, and Iwa-nin searching it in an effort to find the Uzumaki-clan vaults." Harry just whistles.

"Damn. Must have some nice goodies in there if they're still looking for them." He then frowns. "But why haven't they found them yet? And what does this have to do with the map?" Kushina smirks at this.

"Because they're looking in the wrong places." She points down at the map. The first place they assume that might hold the vaults is right here, on this island just off the coast from where the compound was." The two kids nod their heads as she then drags her finger across to where the Kanji for Uzumaki is. "And in the ruins of the actual compound. It's in neither spot. Unfortunately... Even I didn't know before I found this map." She then brings up her thumb and bites it before swiping the bleeding digit across the seal, which then glows. A moment later Harry and Naruto look on in shock as the map slowly changes until half is a much more detailed map of the area around the Uzumaki clan compound with a diagram underneath it. Seeing the looks of shock, Kushina takes a moment to enjoy them as she etches them into her mind. She then looks down at the map. "It was some place that not even I thought of..." Lily nods as she taps the area that is the Uzumaki Compound.

"As you can see... The compound is here." She then taps another area showing the vaults about a kilometre away. "And the clan vaults are here with an underground tunnel connecting them." She traces her finger along a broken line connecting the two. "Now, neither me or Kushina knew that they were here since much of the way is sloped downwards in such a way that you'd believe that you were still in the compound. In fact, the vaults are about a thousand feet down and carved into solid granite." She then looks up as her finger then taps the diagram. "However, that way is blocked since the tunnel was designed to collapse if the compound's defences were ever breached." Harry then rubs his chin in thought before looking up.

"So if that way is blocked and was designed that way then... there must be another way in, right?" Lily nods and is about to say something when Naruto smirks as he points at the Uzumaki Clan symbol on a island in the middle of a nearby river.

"That's the place we need right? A back entrance as it were." Kushina just nods her head as her smile widens.

"As a matter of fact... yes." She then looks at the diagram portion. "The only written clue is this: Look for the place where the water swirls and elixir of life shall guide your hand to the hidden chest." Kushina then looks up. "If we also use the diagram, then there should be an entrance to a back staircase heading downwards... There's only one problem." Harry looks up at her with a frown visible on his face.

"A problem? What sort of problem?" Hikari looks at them and shakes her head as a single claw touches the map.

'=The staircase. It's only wide enough for one person to go down at a time. And the presence of enemy ninja just complicates the whole matter. All of that makes going there a fool's errand.=' She then notices the hardened and stubborn looks on Naruto and Harry, which are mirrored on Kushina's and Lily's faces. Hikari then shakes her muzzled head and gives off a barking laugh. "-You two are too much like your Kaa-san's for your own good.-" Her reply is for an annoyed Kushina and Lily to kick her under the table making her yelp as they correctly guessed what she said from their son's expressions. Lily then turns back to the two boys and sighs.

"So there it is. While both me and Kushina would like nothing more than to go and retrieve everything that belonged to our clan, we know that it's going to be dangerous. But we also know that if we didn't let you know and give you a choice then you would be pissed at us. And that is something that we want to avoid if possible. So, the question becomes... Do you want to come with us?" Two smirks are all she gets in reply and she just shakes her head with a small smile tugging at her lips. "I should have known that you would say that." Kushina shakes her own head before leaning onto her hands, her elbows propped up on the table.

"Well then... get going and get ready. We leave tonight since darkness will throw off any pursuers... namely ROOT." She then gets up and is about to leave the room when she looks back at Naruto. "And please let Kyuu-chan know? You haven't really been spending time with her and she wants to discuss some things about the wedding. So she'll be coming with us." Naruto just nods as she walks out, soon followed by the rest of them after Naruto rolls the map up and hides it in a pouch on his hip. He then tracks to where he knows Kyuubi to be and walks into the room to see her doing some kata with the weapons he forged for her as both Tayuya and Kin watch on with astonishment. Tayuya is the first to notice him and Naruto can see a smile cross her face for a moment before vanishing. She then watches as he starts to walk towards them as her mind flashes back to what happened after the Council meeting/Trial.

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Walking out of the Council chambers, Tayuya takes a moment to let out the breath that she was holding as she continues to hear shouting and yelling behind her. And then the door closes, cutting off all the sounds of arguing. She then notices Kin giving her a odd look. "What is it?" Kin just scratches her chin as she looks up at the ceiling.

"Um... Sempai? How are you walking with your legs busted?"Tayuya blinks as she tries to stop, only to find that she can't. She then notices Naruto wheeling beside them with a smirk on his face making her narrow her eyes at him.

"You... You have something to do with this, don't you?"Naruto just chuckles making her grit her teeth. "Well Shithead? Are you going to answer me? Yes, or no?" Naruto just shakes his head before answering.

"I am." His facial expression becomes grave. "I'm sorry that I had to do it without your permission Tayuya, but if I didn't then they might have used such a sign of weakness against you." Tayuya looks at him for a moment before slowly nodding.

"Okay... I'll give you the fucking point Shithead, but that doesn't mean that your off the hook either." Naruto shrugs with a smirk causing Tayuya to snort. She then becomes thoughtful. "So where am I fucking going to go? Back to that shitty fucking hospital?" Naruto just sighs and shakes his head.

"No." He then glares as he looks around. "After what happened there today? I don't trust the security there to keep you safe from harm." Tayuya starts before looking at him in disbelief since she's still can't believe that he's trying to keep her safe. Not knowing this, Naruto slowly nods to himself. "I guess that you'll just have to stay in the compound then. All we have to do is have you pick a room and-" Naruto gets cut off by Kin at this point.

"There's really no need for that Naruto-sama." Naruto turns to her and raises an eyebrow in a silent question to which Kin smiles. "She can stay with me Naruto-sama. After all... It wouldn't be any different then what we did back in Oto." Naruto looks down at this as he thinks over Kin's idea, not seeing Tayuya blush or Kin's leering at her. After a few moments the two stop as Naruto looks up before turning to Tayuya.

"Are you okay with that?" Tayuya just nods as she looks at Kin from the corner of her eye.

"Sure. I don't fucking well see a fucking problem with that." Internally, she shivers. 'As long as Kin doesn't have any restraints hidden in her room...' Shaking her head, she turns and looks at Naruto with a frown. "I am going to need some things though, like fucking clothes... unless you want me to walk around fucking naked Shithead." Kin just smiles as she taps her chin.

"You know... I do have a maid outfit that should fit you..." Everything goes silent for a few moments as both Naruto and Tayuya stare at Kin as if she was some kind of alien before they shake their heads and continue on. Kin just huffs and crosses her arms as she pouts. "I don't see what the problem is..." Eventually reaching the compound, Naruto leads the group to the compound's infirmary. He then gestures with his hands, guiding Tayuya's legs to a nearby bed upon which she sits down and then lays back on. She then looks over at him and nods.

"Thanks... for helping me, you know?" Naruto just nods before his eyes widen and he starts to pat himself down causing the former member of the Sound Four to raise an eyebrow. "And what the fuck are you looking for now Shithead?" Naruto just frowns.

"I'm looking for something that my clones found near where you had your battle..." His face then lights up with a triumphant smile as he pulls out a small black box. "AH HA! I knew that I had it on me somewhere..." He then opens the case revealing Tayuya's shattered flute. He then hands it to a silent Tayuya, who clutches the pieces close to her as she closes her eyes. Naruto frowns at this before his eyes widen in surprise as he notices two small tears falling down her cheeks. He then reaches out and lays his hand gently on her shoulder. "Tayuya...?"She just looks up and sighs.

"Thank you... for retrieving this." She then hangs her head again and shakes it. "It... belonged to my Okaa-san... Like my Doki..." Even though she doesn't realize why she's talking about this, Tayuya does know that it feels like she's getting something off her chest. "When I was a little girl, she taught me everything about using a flute in battle. It was a skill of our family's." She then frowns as she shudders a little, only to jerk upwards in shock as Naruto reaches over and grasps her hand. She then blushes a little as he moves his hand over her's. The remains of her flute between them as he whispers a single word.

"Repario." Feeling something move, she looks down and her jaw drops as she watches the flute repair itself. Once it has, Naruto opens his eyes and smiles at her. "There. All repaired." Still in a state of shock, her shaking hands brings it to her mouth and she closes her eyes as she blows a few notes. Once she's done, she brings the flute down and opens her eyes, revealing how shiny they are. It's then that Naruto says the one thing that allows her floodgates to open. "It's okay you know... It's not a sign of weakness to cry when you're happy." Tayuya just starts to silently let her tears soak into his shoulder as she shudders as her emotions are released for the first time in a while and everything catches up with her. Naruto just sits there slowly stroking her hair as she let's go. Eventually, she slows and stops. And then she looks up and smiles at him.

"Thanks." She then scowls and gives him a blast of KI. "And if you ever fucking say a word then I'll fucking castrate you and shove your fucking limp ass dick up YOUR ASS! GOT IT?" Naruto hurriedly nods as she smiles and pats him on the cheek. "Good boy." She chuckles a little as he scowls before looking down at her flute with a soft look of remembrance on her face. "But, all the same... thank you." She then gains a little wry grin. "I still remember how me and my Okaa-san would sit out on our porch and just practice." Closing her eyes, she sighs, but opens them as she hears Naruto call her name.

"Tayuya?"Seeing how she's paying attention, he sighs. "I just wanted to tell you that while it's fixed... you shouldn't use it in battle anymore." Seeing her about to retort, he holds up a hand. "Let me finish." She just nods at that. "While I fixed it with the spell, it's never going to be as strong as it once was. And if it breaks too often, then not even magic will be able to fix it." Tayuya frowns and looks down at the instrument on her hands.

"Then what am I going to do? All my jutsu focus on my flute..." Naruto nods and then smiles.

"If you'd let me copy it, then I can send the copy to a guy I know and he'll make you a new flute. One that's designed to take punishment." Giving him a look as if she's weighing his soul, Tayuya finally nods and hands him the flute over. Holding it in one hand, Naruto opens his other and closes his eyes as he concentrates while mumbling something. Tayuya's eyes widen as she watches a copy slowly phase into existence. He then pockets the copy and nods. "There. Your replacement should be done in a few days." He then notices Tayuya wince a little causing him to frown. "You okay?"She just scowls as he hands back the flute.

"Kami fucking damn these legs! They're hurting more than a fucking whiny bitch ass fangirl when I get pissed off." She then glares at him. "And this is all your fault Shithead!" Naruto just waves his arms and then leaves to go get Lily. Once he's gone, Tayuya gives Kin a raised eyebrow. "He's... trainable I guess." Kin just starts to laugh and keeps it up until Lily comes to help Tayuya...

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Tayuya internally chuckles as she looks down to look at the flute in her hands. It's almost identical to her original one, expect for some differences. One of the major ones is that it's made from Moonsilver and has runes etched across the surface making it far stronger. It also has a wider range of notes. Needless to say that Tayuya loves it. She then waves at Naruto. "Hey there Shithead. How's it going?" Naruto just shrugs as he makes his way over with a smile.

"Same old, same old." He then looks her over causing her to lightly blush. "So how's the legs doing?" Tayuya shrugs herself this time.

"They're doing better." She then frowns. "Well... better then what they were. And at least I now have bones in my legs." Naruto just winces.

"Yeah... that was a bitch, wasn't it?" A snort gives him enough of an answer. He then turns and looks at Kyuubi. "Hey? Kyuubi-chan?" She just nods as she sheaths her weapons.

"Yeah Naruto-kun? You want something?" Naruto nods and tells her what his and Harry's mothers told them. She becomes thoughtful and then nods. "Sure I'll come with you. I need some fresh air anyways." She then leans down and whispers into his ear. "And to be frank... I need a break from the wedding planning as well as discuss some things with you." Naruto just nods and it doesn't take long for the two to arrive at the entrance for the Compound to find the others already there waiting. They all nod at each other and then take off and start to head south, towards Wave in the slowly increasing darkness. Naruto then looks over at his mother.

"Now?" She looks around and smiles while nodding.

"Now." They all nod as Lily grabs hold of Kushina, Harry grabs Hikari, and Naruto grabs hold of Kyuubi and they all vanish with a small pop. They then reappear on the shores of the Elemental Ocean. Kyuubi just looks around and scratches her head.

"So... Where to now?" Smiling, Kushina points North-west.

"Well... about twenty kilometers out is what remains of Whirlpool and we'll be heading there first light since I don't want to chance the crossing in the dark." She then looks at the waterline and nods. "And right now it's almost high tide. It's best to avoid the area half-way between the tides." She then pulls out a sealing scroll and summons out a couple pieces of wood before lighting them. Soon, all of them are sitting around the campfire to ward off the nightly chill. Stretching out some she frowns. "It's a shame that Natsume-chan and Rose-chan couldn't come with us. They deserve what's waiting for us as much as anyone else." Lily just shakes her head and sighs.

"I wish that they could be here as well Kushi. But you know as well as I do that they haven't recovered enough from their... birth, as it were, to be able to protect themselves." Kushina just scowls and crosses her arms.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever Yuri-chan. Just stop lecturing me like I was still a gaki, okay." She then nods and clinches her fist. "I am a proud Kunoichi of Konoha after all!" Lily just rolls her eyes in response. Mumbling about annoying twins, Kushina turns towards the others. "So? Got any ideas as to what to talk about?" Kyuubi thinks it over before a evil smirk appears on her face.

"As a matter of fact I got a question for you Kushina..." Kushina just nods for her to go on, though the evil look on Kyuubi's face sends a shiver up her spine. "I know that you're called the Red Death in the Bingo Books... but what about your other nickname? The Red Hot-Blooded Habanero?" Kushina just groans at that and blushes. She then looks up and gives the kitsune a disbelieving look.

"You know about that?" Kyuubi simply grins bringing another groan. "I can't believe that you know about that..." Harry blinks before he smirks.

"Well? Aren't you going to tell us about it?" Looking over to her best friend for back-up, Kushina sweatdrops seeing the toothy grin.

"Bitch." Hikari's grin just widens. Sighing, Kushina turns back to Kyuubi. "I got that nickname as a young teen." Her eyes become unfocused as she thinks back. "You see, when I arrived in Konoha, I was placed in an accelerated training program to bring me up to speed so I could fight in the Third Great Ninja War and I wasn't the only one. Minato-kun was also there." She then blushes and looks away. "Back then I was a little bit... well, chubby. And with my red hair I got teased and called a tomato." Still annoyed after all these years, she puffs out her cheeks and goes slightly red. Everyone else doesn't comment that they know where they were coming from. She then chuckles. "Thinking back... I can see things a bit more clearly." She then looks at Naruto. "Me and Minato-kun... and now you, all shared the same dream: To become Hokage." Naruto's jaw drops and the others (expect for Hikari) are shocked by this admission. Kushina then reaches over and taps the tip of Naruto's nose. "You got a lot from me personality wise Naru-chan. Though I wished that you wouldn't have gotten the usage of a catchphrase. Dattebane." She then shrugs as she smiles. "You got a lot from your Otou-san as well. Mainly your looks, amongst others." Naruto sighs and points at her with a thoughtful look on his face.

"I wouldn't have minded having some of your looks though Kaa-san." He then softly smiles. "Mainly your hair and eyes." They all blink before looking up as they imagine Naruto with Kushina's hair and eyes. Cocking her head to the side, Kyuubi nods.

"Actually... I think that you'd actually pull off the look." She then blushes. 'He'd pull it off alright... and very well at that.' Shaking her head, she points at Kushina. "And you never really answered my question about your other nickname." Scowling Kushina looks away.

"Fine." She then glances back at the others. "Anyways... whenever some called me that. I usually beat the crap out of them." A small smile of remembrance appears on her face. "It was such a good stress release." She then blinks as she notices the people around her giving her incredulous looks, to which she shrugs. "Eh. Anyways, this bitch," she jerks her thumb at Hikari. "Said that instead of a tomato, I was more like a hot pepper. And the name stuck." Kushina just pouts. "I like 'Red Death' better. It sounds so much cooler." Kyuubi just raises an eyebrow before snorting. She then turns and gives Naruto a smirk.

"And what do you get when you mix the Red Death and the Yellow Flash?" Her smirk then widens. "Why, the Orange Hokage." Naruto's face lights up at this and gives Kyuubi a kiss on the cheek, making her smile. Hikari then raises a finger and they turn to her and she goes through some ANBU handsigns in order to get her speech across.

'=There's actually a funny story behind how he got that title... Minato that is.=' She then makes a "Whuf" sound as she laughs. Calming down, she continues. '=Once, Minato and Jiraiya were at a hotspring when "training". Minato kept annoying the hell out of that pervert and Jiraiya, having had enough, throws him over the wall. Unfortunately for Minato, his clothing caught on the fence and he landed on the female side naked.=' Hikari then gestures at Kushina. '= Kushina was in there and she started chasing around town calling him a pervert... And while Kushina was in a bathing suit, Minato... had nothing. And that is how he became known as the "Yellow Flash".=' The group collapses into laughter at that. The rest of the night goes by with them talking and telling various stories by the camp fire until it dies as the horizon slowly lightens. Getting up and stretching, Kushina nods to them.

"Well. Now that it's time, we have to hurry." She points at the water which is halfway to low tide. "We have to get there as the tide finishes ebbing. That ebbing is when the tidal currents around the island are at their weakest." Rubbing her face, she yawns before shaking her head. "Anyways... Once we get there, we'll find a cave along the coast and hide out there." She gives them each a small glare. "There's a number of Shinobi from enemy villages wondering our former homeland. And while thanks to Yuri we no longer need to worry about Kiri, that still leaves Iwa and Kumo. Both are NOT to be underestimated." Lily just shakes her head before pulling out a vial filled with several green balls in water. Seeing it, Harry makes a face.

"Why the hell did you pull out Gillyweed for Mum?" Lily just smiles.

"Because we're going to use it to get to Whirlpool without being seen of course." She then raises the vial and looks at it. "We'll swim all the way there under the water with a rest stop halfway so we can each pop a new one." She then becomes thoughtful as she slowly nods her head. "I think that it should take maybe about two hours at top speed to get there. Assuming that we avoid any major currents that is." Kushina gives the vial an interested look before cocking her head to the side.

"Huh! Go figure." She then looks around and spots a nearby rock formation and points at it. "Us girls will get on the other side of that and get changed and you boys do so here. Got it?" The two males look at each other and then shrug. The group soon finds themselves in their swimwear, with just one, minor problem as Harry points out...

"Um... Guys? Shouldn't Hikari-chan be... you know... wearing something?" Kushina looks over at the grinning wolfwoman and gives her nephew a grin of her own.

"Oh, don't mind her. Her whole clan was much the same way. In fact..." She cocks her head top the side as her grin becomes positively playful. "If they had the chance, they likely would have liked wearing next to nothing all the time." Kushina soon blushes as Hikari's grin becomes a leer as she signs.

'-Not that you ever complained about that aspect Kushi...-' Kushina just looks away with a cough and clears her throat.

"Er... yes... well... Anyways, let's get a move on people. Daylight is burning. Once we get there we can hide out in a coastal cave and rest." She then gives the others a commanding glare. "We'll be moving by night every chance we can. No use giving anyone the ability to find us easily after all." After confirming that everyone understands, they swallow the Gillyweed and leap into the water, soon after vanishing under the waves...

000000000000000 Two Hours Later Kumogakure Camp in Whirlpool 00000000000000

Sitting at a desk in the command tent, a Jounin wearing the Kumo Hitai-ate scowls as he looks over the dispatch he's just gotten from the mainland. 'So the bitch has returned... eh? And with her son to boot.' He then reaches down and rubs at his side, his scowl becoming more pronounced. 'Seems like I'm finally going to get the chance for a little payback... but first to weaken her...' He then smirks as he gestures a nearby attendant. "I want you to go and find our little pet and have her come here now." The attendant nods and vanishes. Soon after, the Jounin commander hears the flaps open, but doesn't look up from a map. "We have gotten word that a known enemy of Kumo has appeared heading towards Whirlpool. You are to find her and her... spawn and destroy them. Am I understood?" He hears a grunt and then sneers. "So what are you waiting for? Get a move on." He hears the flaps of the tent open again and allows a small evil smile to form on his face. 'Soon... I will have my revenge and then Kumo will gain access to the vault... the true Kumo as the Sandaime envisioned...'

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Yui: Oooo! Sounds ominous.

Hinata: Um... who was in the tent and what... is he talking about?

Steve: I won't reveal either Hinata. But all you need to know is that all will be revealed soon. Very soon. Well... not too much for this ending author's note. So... see you in the next chapter!

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