AN: Sorry this one took a little longer to come out. Internet was being kind of a dick for the past few days. There also have been some...personal family issues with my younger brother's disappearing issues that have delaying my updates as well as their length. Hopefully this attempt will get out to you guys. Thanks for being so patient with me.

Travelling together side by side, the boy and Mirai were nearly reaching their target after 1 week of travel. The boy often complained that he could've arrived here on his own, but his travelling companion mentioned that the reason they were travelling alone in the first place or at all was because she accepted this job. This often shut the boy up, and sometimes he would apologize explaining he's just on edge. Mirai often asked what or who is this mission for, but she either got no response or a simple grunt of annoyance indicating he didn't want to talk.

They were about to reach The Stone Republic formally known as Iwagakure when Mirai decided she had enough. She jumped ahead of the boy blocking his path to the next tree branch forcing him to stop.

"What is it now? We're almost where we need to be." the boy asked angrily

"That is it! Either you tell me why we're here or I'm heading back." Mirai threatened as the boy merely snorted in response

"I told you before. It's a search and rescue mission, and that should-"

"Well, it isn't. And before you say it's none of my business I am risking my life for this mission of yours. At least tell me who were rescuing or why we're rescuing them in the first place." Mirai said putting her foot down

"I told you before it's personal." the boy said agitated

"Then why invite me in the first place? Why does this matter to you so much? Who are we rescuing that would compel you to travel across the country?" Mirai asked crossing her arms

"Why should I...fine. You've come this far, it only makes sense for you to know the target." the boy said sighing in defeated frustration

"Ok then, who is it?" Mirai asked easing her tone

"It's...she's a survivor from the Village Hidden in the Light...my village." the boy said bitterly as Mirai's eyes widen

"W-What? You mean..." Mirai said in shock as the boy merely shook his head in correspondence to what she was thinking

"Yes, the village my father founded with my mother. The village to first unite both those of great and small hidden villages together. The village that managed to hide from the 5 Great Nations for 10 years. The village that stood on its own against all 5 Great Nations for two years...and lost." the boy said sourly

"But I thought you were the only survivor." Mirai said confused given what she knows

"Disappointed?" the boy chuckled bitterly

"N-NO. I just thought that when the Hokage announced...err." Mirai said stopping herself from talking

"That I was the only survivor of my village? Displaying my broken body as a trophy for the rest of Konoha to see? Yeah, that's what he said, but he and I both know the truth. The only thing is that I thought I knew all of the survivors." the boy said sitting down cupping his hands against his face rubbing it to keep the tears from showing

"There are more than those 3?" Mirai said in surprise

"Few, very few, but there are some left. In fact, including me there are 3 survivors left in your village alone, and those were the only ones I was aware of. At least in that village, and I'm sure of those that I saved personally, but everyone else...I just assumed they were dead. This survivor...was a dear friend to my mother, and her daughter a close friend to me. I know that this mission may not seem much to you, but to me it's a chance to save another life. There, I told you about the target. Can we leave now?" The boy said impatiently as he jumped past Mirai's tree branch

"Yeah...sorry if it brought up bad memories." Mirai said as she followed the boy

"All I have is bad memories, and all of the good one's were either all lies or were taken from me in an instant. Doesn't matter, we're almost there, and I rather prefer we don't waste anymore time here. Let's go." the boy said as he picked up his pace

"Right." Mirai said doing the same.

"So, a survivor from the Village hidden among villages. Dad told mom said that this village was full of people just fighting to just live out their lives, but each of their villages hunted them like dogs...including ours. This kid was-no is a survivor, and probably had to be the majority of his life. I never thought I could be so disgusted with my own home. Maybe, maybe there's a way to fix this, once this is all done." Mirai thought to herself as she continued her journey with the boy, both unaware of an unwanted tag along closing in on them.

Konoha, present day

It was cold, dark, and she felt numb as she floated. Whether remembered or not, she had been here before, and felt these feelings in her heart. She couldn't see anything, only the darkness that had a frightening nostalgic feeling to her. She had no mindset, no consciousnesses, no thoughts, just emptiness. That is until she heard a faint voice among the darkness calling out what she could be her name, or at least she thought it was her name.

However, she just laid there, motionless, unaware of her surroundings, unsure of what to do. The voice called out to her again, being muffled, loud enough to be heard, but not clear enough to understand.

The voice called out again, this time louder, and she was able understand a small part of what is was trying to say.

"Hi..."

She was confused, what was the voice trying to call out? Who was it trying to call out? Why was it crying out?

It called out to her again, this time louder, and more clearer than before.

"Hiro..."

Who was it the voice was calling out to?

Was it her?

Was Hiro her name?

No, somehow she knew that it wasn't her name, but what was it?

She felt so alone for what seemed like an eternity, and now this voice was calling out to her.

Why didn't she move towards the voice?

Once again, the voice called out to her. This time it was even louder, and she was able to clearly understand it his time.

"Hiromi!"

Hiromi...was that her name? It felt so...familiar. And the voice calling out to her was familiar as well, it wasn't hostile in any way. The voice felt warm, gentle, and comforting to her to the point where she started to move her body if ever so slightly.

Slowly, but surely she began to gain more and more feeling in her body. Her eyes were struggling to open, creaking slowly like a old wooden door that's been shut for ages. She only saw a sliver of light The voice began calling her more frequently, getting louder by the second.

"Hiromi! Hiromi wake up!"

Wake up?

Wake up to what?

Was she asleep?

Is that what this is, a dream? If so, she didn't want to wake up, but could not explain why.

She was afraid to wake up yet could not find the reason nor the source of her fear.

All she knew was that she didn't want to wake up, and stay where she was because she felt safe.

She didn't want to leave, but the voice kept pressing on insisting she wake up.

"Hiromi! Hiromi you have to wake up! Please, if not for me then for your brother!"

Brother? Yes...she remembered having a brother. A brother she loves, and a brother who loves her.

What was his name?

How could she not remember her brother's name?

This should be obvious to her, but for some reason she couldn't remember why.

She struggled to remember, but no matter how hard she tried the name of her brother escaped her chain of thought.

The voice called out to her again this time it was the clearest it ever was.

"Hiromi wake up! Please, remember who you are! Remember your brother Shintaro!"

That very second that name was spoken images were flashing through her mind, memories were flooding back into her head to the point where she recognized the voice, and began to speak on her own.

"Onee-chan?"

The voice responded back, obviously happy for a response.

"Yes! Yes, it's me your Onee-chan! Hiromi-chan please, you need wake up!"

"Wake...up? B-But I'm scared, I-I'm...alone."

"Oh, Hiromi-chan, you're not alone. I'm here, I'm right here with you. It's ok, when wake you up you'll be surrounded by people who care about you. You aren't alone Hiromi-chan, so please...wake up!"

She felt something that time, something that compelled her to move her body, to finally...wake...up.

Light. That was all she could see...just...light. Then, all at once she felt heavy from an unknown source, and began to hear a multitude of voices pound at her eardrums. Her eyes began to clear, the light fading away as her surroundings became visible to her. She turned her head slightly, and she saw the color red. A beautiful red that was warm, and comforting to her for some reason. She then turned her eyes to the left so see the color yellow, a bright and just as warm color swaying in front of her in thin strands. She then turned her eyes to the middle so that she looked up at the ceiling only to be bombarded by a bright light that burned both of her eyes separately as if they were being examined.

The voices kept coming at her, becoming distorted, and unclear. That is until a loud voice among them all broke through until...silence. The loud voice began speaking more softly to her asking about her well being while she was only able to nod in reply. Her voice was failing her, but eventually it began coming back as her consciousness did as well. After a few minutes of silence she spoke her first word as her memories were finally taking effect.

"Nii...chan."

Her first word, and though some relief was spread amongst the voices, it was sadness that was most present feeling in the room and she remembered why. Her eyes widened as she tried to get up in a panic to find him once more, but was stopped gently by a hand that belonged the color of yellow.

"Easy there, no need to get in a rush."

The voice was gentle, warm, and was in a non hostile tone almost...motherly. She took a second to look at the source of the voice. The face of the voice was obscured by the light slowly fading into clarity, but looking at the source of the voice something stirred in her heart. A feeling she had felt before, but never in this way. The feeling of love, a familial love, the love that she always imagined would come from something she had always wanted, the love of a...

"Mother..."

That was the second word she uttered from her mouth, and this time shock was the emotion that was flowing through the room. Tears were flowing from her eyes, and she thrust herself into the soft chest of the woman to whom she gave the label of mother. Somewhere deep in her head she knew that this wasn't her mother, but her heart wouldn't allow that thought to creep anywhere near her right now. All she wanted right now was to embrace her newly self declared mother, and never let go. She just continued to cry and cry keeping her grip on whoever she was holding onto burying her face into the warm, soft, comfort of the bosom she had claimed for her own.

She felt happy, genuinely happy like she does with her brother, but this is the second person to ever make her feel this much happiness. That is until a sudden realization dawned on her. Rather, the memories of what transpired before she ended up here, causing her to retract herself from the comforting chest she was resting her head upon. Turning her head violently in hopes of finding her beloved brother again.

"N-N-Niichan! N-Niichan where are you?! P-Please, don't leave-"

Before she could finish that thought she was bonked on the head, consequently knocked out, by someone who then yelled at her.

"Tsunade!"

"Enough will you? There's no need to scream your head off anymore. Jeez, you're such a handful. Shizune, get her a wet towel will you? And make sure Ayano is fine, damn girl used too much chakra, and is paying the price for it." Tsunade grunted as she pulled an unconscious Hiromi closer to her chest while looking to a sleeping Ayano lying on a couch

"Lady Tsunade, don't you think that was a bit too harsh?" Shizune said as she prepared a wet towel

"She needs to learn not to cling to that boy, and besides, I'm not hearing her complain about this." Tsunade said

"That's because you knocked her out Tsunade, and just after we tried to wake her up." Kushina deadpanned

"Oh shut it, what was I supposed to do? You've seen how strong she is, and what up with her calling me mother? Honestly, if she's going to be this emotional as this when I train her...it's going to be a mess." Tsunade sighed as she rubbed her forehead

"Tsunade be nice, the poor girl hasn't even seen her father or mother at all. She thinks she was just abandoned at birth, and Shintaro was the only one there for her. It only makes sense that she acts the way she does." Kushina defended

"But calling me her mother? I gave up on the idea on having kids ever since...since Don died." Tsunade said sadly

"Tsunade, come on. You don't have to adopt her, but at the very least you can console her." Kushina pressed

"I'm not one for consoling Kushina, and besides I'm not the motherly type." Tsunade retorted

"Oh? Then what was that look you had on your face when she called you mother?" Kushina teased as Tsunade mildly blushed

"S-She just caught me by surprise is all." Tsunade said looking away from Kushina

"Uh huh, in any case do you think she's capable of going to school now?" Kushina asked getting a bit more serious

"Too late since it already started, and no I don't even think she's ready to go to school tomorrow much less the rest of the week. Normally, I'd go for the tough love approach, and toss her into the fray. However, after seeing her personally this girl I'd say that public schooling in general is out of the question." Tsunade said firmly not changing her mind

"Tsunade! Don't you think that's going too far?" Kushina said in shock

"Kushina, from what you told me this girl had to leave yesterday from school early because of some prodding. A little prodding, and she ends up having a panic attack to the point of throwing up."

"Well, yes, but that was from prodding from some children."

"Even more so of a reason she shouldn't go now. The very next day she ends up waking up from a nightmare, nearly kills herself trying to get breakfast, goes into a deep depression, then proceeds to hunt down a ghost of his brother nearly killing herself again by running off the roof screaming at nothing. Kushina, that's not a tiny problem, it's a serious medical/psychological condition. One that needs immediate attention." Tsunade said not backing down

"As of now, due to medical reasoning I hereby declare this girl, Hiromi Senpu, unable to attend the academy. Until she is able to do so she will be need to be personally tutored while under supervision of a therapist."

"Tsunade, be reasonable. She only acted this way because of Shintaro's absence. I'm sure she'll be better once he gets back." Kushina said

"And that's the point Kushina. The way she's acting is just like someone on drugs going through withdrawal. I have no doubt that when that brother of hers comes back she'll start to recover, and eventually go back to how she was. But what about when he leaves again? Or when both Ayano, and Shintaro have to leave? Kushina, I get what you're saying I do, but the fact is, is that she needs help. And the sooner she gets it, the better it'll turn out for her in the future." Tsunade explained

"Well, if she's going to be tutored personally who's going to do it?" Kushina said accepting Hiromi's fate

"That's easy. Shizune, as of now you are to be this girl's personal tutor in academic studies as well as assist in her medical ninjutsu training." Tsunade said with an evil smile

"EH?" Shinzue said taken back at what Tsunade proposed

"Shizune?" Kushina said confused

"Yup, since I'm going to be her teacher in medical ninjutsu, and since Shizune is the nurturing type, as well as more than capable medical nin it only makes sense. " Tsunade said with a smug grin

"And gives me more time to drink without her hassling me." Tsunade thought to herself

"L-Lady Tsunade, I thank you for your praise in my abilities, but do you think this is the wisest course of action?" Shizune said unsure of this choice

"Who else would you pick for the job? It's not like this is a permanent solution to the problem, it's only temporary until she is rid of her condition. What you don't think you can handle a 5 year old?" Tsunade asked

"Well..." Shizune said remembering what that 5 year old could do

"That was a rhetorical question Shizune of course you can. I'll send word to the old man about the situation, and see if he can send the curriculum personally to you. In the meantime I think it would be a good idea if you looked after her until that brother of hers returns." Tsunade said looking at Kushina

"Oh no, if anyone is taking care of her it is you Tsunade." Kushina protested pointing at Tsunade

"Oh? And what pray tell led you to that conclusion?" Tsunade said annoyed

"For one, she called you mother." Kushina retorted with a sly smile

"And that should convince me why?" Tsunade said with a flat face

"Just in the past 5 minutes you've cared for her by consoling her even if you did knock her out it was for her own good, you thought about her future, as well as her personal life, and you even took into account of her training as well." Kushina said listing the reasons

"That was only me acting in the best concern of her health as a medical nin, not as a mother." Tsunade debated

"Face it, whether you like it or not you took a liking to this girl as you did Ayano." Kushina said

"You must be mistaking doctorly advice with motherly concern." Tsunade grumbled

"I may have only a few days experience of being an actual active mother, but even I can see that you care for this child. Even more so than Ayano, that girl you may see more of a student, and I can see that. But this girl, this tiny, fragile, 5 year old girl who was deprived of love from birth, being raised without parents by someone else who has to leave in order to protect her. She's a prodigy in medical ninjutsu, and seeks to better herself so that she can impress people she loves as well as help people. Now, does that sound familiar to you Tsunade?" Kushina said in a knowing tone to Tsunade as she looked at Hiromi

"Lady Kushina don't you think you're..." Shizune said in concern before being interrupted

"Enough Shizune. Kushina...I really don't like you right now." Tsunade sighed in a deep breath

"Does that mean you're going to take care of Hiromi until Shintaro comes back?" Kushina asked

"Sigh...It does." Tsunade said defeated as Kushina smiled brightly

"Then I'll live with that. Now, normally I would insist on taking her in even though I already have 3 kids to look after, but I wouldn't even think of it as a big deal. However, she saw you Tsunade, and instantly thought of you as her mother." Kushina said in a pleasant tone

"My, what an honor this is." Tsunade grumbled

"Tsunade." Kushina said menacingly as her hair rose

"Alright, Alright. Jeez, you're so pushy." Tsunade

"I have to be, otherwise I'd never have won every argument with Minato. Well, all but one..." Kushina said sadly

"Kushina." Tsunade said now the one concerned for her friend

"Don't worry I'm fine, I did all my crying for both him, and I. I may miss him, a lot, but I have a duty to carry out. The duty of raising my son into a fine man just like his father, and kickass ninja just like his mother." Kushina said giving Tsunade a thumbs up and cocky smile

"You never change do you Kushina?" Tsunade said with a tired smile

"Nope! You can never wear down the spirit of the Red Hot-Blooded Habenero!" Kushina said standing up raising her fist in the air

"I can see that. Well, since I'm going to watch over this brat might as well stay here." Tsunade said lying back into her chair

"Lady Tsunade?" Shizune said confused

"Shizune, I want you to find a room here specifically for us. I have a feeling we'll be here a lot, might as well have our own room here. I suggest you do the same Kushina, even if you have a fancy mansion you're bound to spend the night here once or twice in the future." Tsunade advised

"I suppose so, this is a hotel after all. It would be kind of cool to have a personal room here just for Naruto, and I. But I'll just stay here with Hiromi, and Ayano. The last thing we need is another breakdown from her not having anyone to comfort her." Kushina said sympathetically looking at Hiromi

"You sure you don't want to leave? You can still catch up to Naruto if you leave now. I'll stay here until you come back." Tsunade offered as Kushina smiled evilly away from Tsunade

"Gotchya!" Kushina said internally pumping her fist

"Why does she have that look on her face?" Tsunade thought to herself

"Why thank you Tsunade, I'll be sure to take you up on that offer." Kushina said with a small smile

"Just don't take too long ok?" Tsunade said quickly as Kushina stood up from her chair

"Ok." Kushina said pleasantly as she left the room

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Tsunade said as she face palmed herself

"Lady Tsunade?" Shizune said concerned for her master

"Yes?" Tsunade replied

"Is there a preferred type of room you want? Such as one with a view, closest to the facilities, etc..." Shizune explained

"The largest one you can find, one close to the middle viewpoint, specifically close to her room. Might as well keep the trend of her caretaker, but I do want some privacy from these kids." Tsunade said looking at Hiromi

"As you wish Lady Tsunade. Oh, and before I forget you genuinely look like a concerned mother watching over her child." Shizune teased

"Shizune." Tsunade said glaring at her student which promptly broke her students playful tone

"Leaving!" Shizune cried as she shut the door leaving an unconscious Hiromi and Ayano as her only company

"Sigh...a concerned mother watching over her child huh? Yeah right, as if." Tsunade snorted

"Mmmhh..." Hiromi moaned as her body moved left and right

"Easy there missy, just take it easy." Tsunade said as she removed the wet towel from her forehead as she started to replace it

12 Hours later

Elsewhere in an unknown location

Dark, cramp, muggy, silent, and completely alone. That was the setting for a certain dark pink-haired girl awaiting what kind of person her soon to be master would be.

It all happened so fast, one day she was practicing her mother's flute to her pleasure at the orphanage, the only thing that kept her sane at that hellish place in a hellish town. Then, out of nowhere she was ambushed by a crazed man holding a knife in his hands. Out of instinct she put the flute to her mouth playing it out of habit. Then for some reason or another the man just fell dead, bleeding all over from various cuts on his body.

She backed away swiftly gripping her mother's flute as if it were her life itself, covering her eyes with her father's cap. Feeling a sigh of relief coming she then tried to breathe easy, only to be then violently pressed to the ground as a bag surrounded her. She tried to struggle, but to no avail she lacked the strength to do so. She was struck on the head to silence her struggles, which it did leading her to be tossed into a wagon. Before she passed out though, she managed to catch out the key reason for what just happened to her.

"Thank you for your contribution. I'm sure my...employer will be most satisfied with these results. Here is the pay as agreed upon. 500 ryo as promised." the first man said smugly

"T-Thank you, this will help pay for the next meal." a second weasel like voice said in a cowardly tone

500 ryo. 500...that was all she was worth. That was all it took to convince them to sell her off like a piece of bread. She knew that no one liked her, she knew that she had no one had any reason to keep her, she knew that she was just another orphan...but she was the only one who was sold away. Just because she was different, just because her father was an war veteran alcoholic, her mother working 2 jobs to make ends meet, and both were former ninja traitor to their village. One from Iwa, the other from Kumo, and both left the Third Ninja War to care for a coming child they never planned.

She knew none of this of course, for they died too soon to tell her, and she ended up in a rundown orphanage with too many kids to house. And now, she was in a crate barely bigger than her, but enough for her to breathe with room from the three holes they gave her to breathe. She hated this, hated the kids, hated the owners of that damn orphanage, hated the people who did this to her, she hated whoever was going to own her, she hated being shoved in this box, but most of all...she hated herself.

But that was irrelevant now, all she could do is wait, and pray that maybe her owner wouldn't be the worst human being possible. She wasn't smart enough to figure a way out of this, but she wasn't stupid to the point of fantasizing either. Waiting for what seemed like an eternity she then heard the sounds of crashing, yelling from men, and the sounds of combat. She thought nothing of it, it wasn't uncommon for her to hear the sounds of fighting between those, those monsters.

It wasn't long until the fighting stopped, and once again she didn't care about it. What she did care about though, was the sound of footsteps coming her way. Footsteps either meant two things. One, her next meal was coming, and/or two she was getting moved into another, hopefully bigger crate. The last time she was moved she made a most advantageous discovery from her mother's flute. A hidden switch that when pushed revealed three small senbon needles at the base of the knife. It was then that she decided to hide it until the next opportunity came for her escape.

"Who the hell is it now? Doesn't matter, I'll fucking kill them if they fucking touch me again. God damn it why am I shaking? I just have to stab the next fucker that comes to feed me. Then I run as fast as I can, and just keep running until I'm far from this hellish nightmare." the girl thought to herself as she grabbed her mother's flute twisting the bottom of it slowly

The footsteps came closer, and closer until they came to a stop right before her crate.

"This is it, this is my chance. The second he opens the lid I'll slice the fucker open. Just a little closer, and I'll be free." the girl thought to herself as she slid one of the senbon needles into her hand putting back the other two into her back pockets

She heard someone talking outside her crate, but she wasn't paying attention to it. It didn't matter who was talking, she was going to stab whoever it was regardless. The first latch was opened, and she readied her hand for a swift strike. The second latch opened, and she was more focused than ever.

"Ok, it's now or never. I only have one shot at this, one chance, and then I can be free. Come on..come on!" the girl thought to herself as the lid began to slide off the top

As the crate's lid kept sliding off the top of the crate, the girl continued to wait for the right moment to strike. Light began to slowly creep into her vision temporarily blinding her.

"Shit! The damn light is in my eyes!" the girl said cursing herself

As her eyes adjusted to the light quickly she noticed a hand underneath the lid pulling it off.

"This is it!" the girl thought to herself as she made her move

The lid was halfway open, but just enough for her to see the hand resting for a moment on the edge. That was the moment she was looking for, and she immediately took advantage of it.

"Now!" the girl thought as she moved her hand to stab the hand as quick as she could

It made contact, the senbon needle went right through the hand, and into the wooden edge of the crate she took residence in. She heard a scream, and that was all she needed to confirm whether it she did it or not. She pushed off the lid with all her might, and jumped out taking her possessions with her. The light blinded her again, but she didn't care. She didn't waste time looking around, she just took of running, and didn't stop for anything. Not for her fatigue, not for her hunger, not for the tiredness in her legs, and certainly not for the voice calling out to her to stop.

She just ran, and ran not paying attention to her surroundings. If she did she would have noticed the pools of blood she was running over, the corpses she kept tripping over, and she also would have noticed the broken crates filled with dead children. She just kept running until she saw a light, and just continued to ran towards it.

As she ran outside the smell of blood had finally hit her causing her to gag nearly throwing up right there. She shook her head to clear her thoughts of that, but was shaken from a loud explosion off in the distance.

Looking towards the source she thought the hunger was getting to her, because it looked like a giant frog with a pipe in his mouth and sword in his hand, and a giant purple snake lunging at the frog. She was dumbfounded, but her legs were on autopilot for they took off without her knowing. Ignoring the battle she heard the sounds of metal clashing against each other, almost like fighting of sorts.

Looking around she could see huge craters some filled with burning fire, some looking like mini lakes filled with water, trees fallen from the ground, uprooted, burning, or shredded into pieces. She kept turning around looking for a way out of this madness, that is until a giant fireball came her way crashing into the ground near her causing a explosion blasting her away 10 ft. away from her original standing spot.

Ears ringing, legs shaking, head banging She struggled to get up, it hurt, there was so much pain, but something in her made her legs stand up to run once again. Pain, so much pain to the point where she couldn't feel anything anymore, but she didn't care. She was free, finally free from that place, and now she was going to run till her legs turned into mush. She almost felt relief, that is until she heard the sound of barking dogs coming from behind her.

"Damn it! Why won't they just leave me alone?" the girl thought to herself as she ran into the forest in hopes of escaping

Feeling the frustration building up inside her from everything that's happened, had finally caused the girl to shout out her thoughts.

"JUST WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?" the girl shouted at the top of her lungs

Land of Rice Paddies

1 Hour Earlier

It was around 6:30 p.m, and everyone was currently in a room cramped together despite how pressed for time they were. After another day of scouting the land, a lead was found on the location of Orochimaru. Questioning everyone he passed by Shintaro managed to talk to someone who spotted someone who looked like Kabuto head out into the western forest. The second he heard that information he returned to Jiraiya with the news, and ordered everyone to return to figure out a plan of attack.

Just to make sure the information was valid Jiraiya sent out Itachi, Akihiko and Kakashi to scope out the area. Itachi had decided he would stay while Akihiko, and Kakashi would report back confirming that there were indeed signs of living humans as well as a strong scent of snake in a cave confirmed by Akihiko. There was also an abandoned warehouse some miles west of the cave, but held signs of recent movement as well as the scent of young children. Unfortunately for them all that talk about Orochimaru woke up a certain snake mistress in a very cranky way.

Right now, everyone was talking about the plan of how it was going to go down...and it wasn't going very well as Kakashi was trying to convince a fatigued yet pissed off Anko.

"Listen Anko, you're not fully recovered yet. Maybe you should sit-"

"Like hell I'm sitting this out you damn Cyclops! This is my biggest chance to repay that bastard for what he did to me, and I am not letting him slip by me when he's so damn close." Anko said sitting up from her bed as she took a kunai out threatening Kakashi

"Easy there young lady, you just woke up 10 minutes ago. It's a miracle you woke up at all from the removal of Orochimaru's seal. By the way, how are you feeling anyways? Which, if I may add, how in the hell did you manage to do that?" Jiraiya asked Shintaro who was going over Anko's condition

"Ugh, I really hate explaining every single little thing I do. Can't you just accept I'm awesome sealing master, and be done with it? Besides, I already explained it to you with the old man back at Konoha." Shintaro groaned in annoyance

"It's just that I'm wondering if it has other usages-" Jiraiya said before being interrupted

"And here comes the part where you subtlety, or not so subtlety, prod me for information on whether you can find a use for it yourself. I'll save you the trouble, the seal I used can be used to weaken all seals to the point of eventually destroying anything it touches. Including seals used to contain tailed beast, which in consequence would let the caged beast free." Shintaro said nonchalantly in a suggestive tone looking at Jiraiya

"That so huh?" Jiraiya said as his eyes narrowed

"Yup, but I wouldn't need to use it for such a purpose. Now, stay still Anko I'm going to apply another seal on you." Shintaro said patting Anko's shoulder causing her to blush a bit

"Another one? You better not be trying to sneak another-"

"If I did, I'd do it back home, and would have a death wish, which I don't just so you know, just to see you in that position again. I was planning on giving you a boost of energy, but if you insist on toughing it out be my guest." Shintaro said backing away

"Boost of energy?" Anko said confused

"It's what I promise, and I always keep my promises. Especially to provocative revenge crazed snake mistress's who've been wronged." Shintaro said with an eye smile

"My, how specific of you." Anko droned as she rolled her eyes

"That's me, do gooder of specifications. Now, do you want the seal or not?" Shintaro asked again

"Will it let me fight the bastard?" Anko asked

"That, and more. Think of it as an energy booster...to the Nth degree." Shintaro said with pride

"Really?" Anko said getting interested smiling with what she was hearing

"Yup, but there's a trade-off." Shintaro warned as Anko's smile wore off

"Figures." Anko snorted

"Once I write down the specific sealing formula it won't activate until I say so. The second I do you're going to feel a rush of energy unlike anything you've ever seen. In fact, you're stamina, physical abilities, as well as your ninjutsu will also gain a temporary boost. However, the trade off is once this seal wears of you are going to crash, and you're going to crash hard." Shintaro warned seriously as explained himself

"A wave of fatigue will hit you all at once, and every ounce of energy in your body will be sucked out of you in an instant as the seal itself will dissipate on it's own like a burnt match. The time limit for the seal I had in mind for you was 5 hours." Shintaro said with some thought as Anko's smile returned

"5 hours? That's plently of-"

"However, the more chakra you use during this boosting period will gradually wear it down little by little. Depending on how you use your chakra, how much you pour into your jutsu, physical abilities, etc..." Shintaro explained

"I see, damn that's a lot to think about. Is that sealing formula of yours that complicated?" Anko said thinking of how she was going to fight her former sensei

"Not really, and I don't mean in the genius "Oh it's so easy I didn't have to try" easy. I mean even a novice can accomplish if they write it down enough times to the point where it becomes instinct, and the base formula is similar to that of a storage seal." Shintaro said plainly as if it wasn't a big deal as Jiraiya didn't have the same thought process

"What an amazing sealing formula. Shintaro, that could be an amazing alternative to food pills. Granted there will be a need for more sealing experts but-"

"No. The last thing I need is a bunch of crazed idiots misusing my seal for their own purposes. It's my seal, I decide who gets it, who I decide to train to use it, and when it dies off as a mystery. I'm not concerned with letting what I create die out in the shadows as most shinobi are."

"Keep that in mind with whatever I create, and whatever I find will be distributed as I see fit. Or you can try to steal my secrets, that's something you ninja are good at. Or you can promise me something then hold back on your word because of your mission, that's another thing shinobi are good at." Shintaro said boringly with a lazy glare at Jiraiya

"Shintaro I...sigh, I understand." Jiraiya said seeing this go nowhere

"Jiraiya-sama, if I may. Truth be told I get where he's coming from." Anko said pointing to Shintaro who raised an eyebrow

"You do?" Jiraiya and Shintaro said at the same time

"I mean if I'm being honest the only reason I stayed being a shinobi at Konoha, and dealing with all the bullshit everyone gave me was at the chance of killing my former sensei. Believe me, there have been times I've wanted to flat out leave just to find him on my own, but that old man kept insisting the time will come when I'm ready or he had the gall telling me to forget about it. But the moment I find out where he is I immediately get stopped by some redhead telling me "It's our problem" like I wasn't even an option." Anko hissed bitterly

"That is, until he promised me a chance of not only getting a chance to kill that snake bastard, but also to be rid of this accursed seal. Both of which old man Hokage told me he would fix which he didn't over the course of 6 years he failed, but this kid managed to do in two days." Anko said expressing her losing faith in Konoha

"Technically it's about a day and a half by this point, but yeah just about two days. But you got to cut them some slack, they didn't have the source of the curse mark, nor the means or willingness of risk to take it off in the first place." Shintaro said in slight defense

"Look, what I'm getting at is that Shintaro thinks he's being used just as I did, hell still do at this point. All you're doing is adding fuel to his fire of distrust of Konoha, and shinobi in general."

"I get what you're saying Anko but that's not-wait a minute, you have the source of Orochimaru's curse mark?" Jiraiya said immediately interested/wary of Shintaro once again

"I do, and you're not going anywhere near him if you're thinking of making a counter seal of your own." Shintaro said firmly

"Why do you assume I'm going to try anything when I try to talk to you?" Jiraiya said defensively

"You're a spymaster, that reason enough for me to be suspicious?" Shintaro said sarcastically

"I'll give you that, but I'm not after all of your secrets." Jiraiya said trying to win Shintaro over

"Uh huh, then why bother asking me about my dad? Or how I just had to tell you that my seal is my property, and I how I won't share it with your village. What about those?" Shintaro asked

"Legitimate concern, and merely a suggestion of what it could be." Jiraiya said calmly

"Uh huh, look if there's one thing I or Anko just now haven't made clear enough it's this. I don't trust any of the 5 Great Nations or their hidden villages. If I have to I will pull my friends out of Konoha if you prove to be a danger to them, and keep in I said friends not escorts. The one's that said they wanted to stay with their clans will do just that, stay with their clans."

"The other's I will take, and find a new place of residence for them. I'd rather not separate them if given the choice, but I will if necessary. So make sure you keep that war dog of yours on a leash, and don't act like you don't know who I'm talking about." Shintaro said getting hostile

"You know about Danzo?" Jiraiya said with skepticism

"I know everything about Danzo, and what he's done. He's a man who prefers war, and getting his hands dirty to get what he wants. Your Hokage knows this, but chooses to do nothing about it just so that someone else can get their hands dirty. And I'm sure that a man like him would say that "Every Light needs a Shadow." or something like that. When he's just lacking the will to be done with his problems like your former teammate we're going to kill."

"And before you ask how I know this, the 5 Great Nations aren't that great at guarding their information as much as they think they are. Here's a heads up, if there's something I want to know about, I will find out one way or another." Shintaro threatened as both Jiraiya and Shintaro bore into each other's eyes

"Look guys this conversation is pointless." Kakashi said trying to play the peace keeper as Akno decided to play along

"Forgive me Jiraiya-sama, but you're not going to convince him that Konoha or a shinobi village in general is a place that he wants to live in. Shintaro, I get what you're saying, but can you guys please talk about this another time? Like perhaps, when we're not a few hours away from killing my former bastard of a sensei? Oh, and I want that seal, put it on my chest if you have to I don't care." Anko said breaking up the conversation

"Got it Anko, and I'll ask you about that in private later. Are you content to let this be Jiraiya-sensei?" Shintaro said calmly who sighed in agreement

"For the mission, yes, I can. So, setting all that aside I think it's best that a distraction is what we need or perhaps a quick guerrilla assault to draw them out, but that probably won't work just giving them a heads up we're coming." Jiraiya said giving a few plans of attack

"Not if they can't escape." Shintaro said as he snapped his fingers pulling out a scroll.

"What are you getting at, and what's in that scroll?" Jiraiya said wondering where this was going

"In short, it's a list of all the seals that I'm capable or will be capable of doing on my own with their abilities listed. Besides, apart from storage seals, healing seals, and teleporting seals there is another area of sealing I know a thing or two in...barrier seals. I have a barrier seal that can disable any teleporting ninjutsu, and the surrounding area is a dome. Giving no escape from either the sky nor the ground, and no sneaky tricks that they can use to leave." Shintaro said as he read through the scroll

"As a bonus whenever they reached the edge they'll be met with a kinetic force that'll knock them off their ass knocking the wind out of them. However, it takes a while to set the seal, and once I activate it a small surge of chakra will overlap the area to reinforce the barrier to make it really stick. That short time period is needed so that the barrier can 'lock the door' so to speak." Shintaro explained

"Meaning, once you activate the barrier they're going to obviously notice the trap we lay out for them as it closes itself, and possibly escape before the seal has a chance to properly seal itself. Like slipping through a door before it closes itself shut." Jiraiya clarified

"True, unless they don't notice it." Shintaro said as he came up with an idea

"Come again?" Jiraiya said

"The surge of chakra is obvious, but it is also brief, less than a few seconds in fact. Almost like a light breeze passing by. The actual sealing will take about a few minutes, but if they had something or someone to distract them." Shintaro said in a suggestive tone letting Jiraiya catch on

"Someone, who can do a lot of damage and do it quick, getting their attention so they can't escape. But which among us would be willing to do basically a suicide run into enemy territory? It can't be me he'd be suspicious right off the bat, and try to run off slithering into whatever crevice he can. Itachi, and Kakashi might be able to do it, but if either of them go alone or worse together Orochimaru is bound to put two and two together." Jiraiya said shaking his head

"Then I'll go. I'm sure he'll play his mind games with me, but I'll keep him distracted long enough for the seal to completely take effect." Anko offered

"No Anko, he knows all of your moves. Hell, he taught you your moves, and everything else you know. There's also the fact that there may be that Kabuto kid there to protect him." Jiraiya countered

"Then I'll act as if I've gone traitor, and come to serve him." Anko pressed

"He's got a point Anko. Do you really think he's going to believe that you've come all this way just to serve him? Since you were his student he can read you like an open book, and will most likely tell if you're lying or not." Shintaro said in agreement

"Then what do you suggest?" Anko said annoyed

"I''ll go, and I'll take Rei and Aki with me while Jiraiya-sensei hangs back in the rear as back up." Shintaro said seriously

"No, out of the question." Jiraiya said shooting down his idea

"He doesn't know any of our abilities let alone who we are, and if I'm there's anything I'm good at it's survival. I can talk him to death while you set up the barrier seal, and keep him occupied if he notices." Shintaro said listing his reasons

"Shintaro, I may not know a lot about your abilities, and while going through the Forest of Death like it's nothing is impressive this is a completely different ball game. Orochimaru was the genius of us Sannin, and while I am also a Saninn I'm not even 100% sure I could win in a one on one fight with him, at least not without losing my own life in the process. Which if it's necessary I don't have a problem with if it means taking him down." Jiraiya countered

"If things play out the way it did you're going to die regardless. Sad as it is, it's probably inevitable that you'll go out in a blaze of glory no matter whose hands end your life, and you won't be the last Jiraiya." Shintaro thought solemnly to himself

"You forget, I won't be going in alone. I'll be going in with the daughter of Joobachi, who has all her battle experience embedded into her brain, and I have the heir of Batorubare who can turn into a giant tiger at will if he pleases. It may be not enough to win a fight against him, but it is enough to hold his attention until the seal finishes itself." Shintaro said confidently

"Like I said from the very beginning, I'm not here to kill Orochimaru, and I could care less at the moment if he lives or not. I'm here for the kids he plans to brainwash into serving him, and that's it. Whether he lives or dies is based on you Konoha ninja ability to do so." Shintaro said with hims arms crossed

"I still think there has to be another way to do this. If Kushina finds out I let you go head to head with Orochimaru...it ain't gonna be pretty." Jiraiya said as a cold shiver went up his spine just thinking of what Kushina would do to him

"Then I'll say I ran off in the heat of the moment to find the kids I was looking for, and you can keep from being injured or maimed I should say from ." Shintaro joked

"I just wish Tsunade was here. You may have gotten her out of a coma, but she was nowhere near ready for battle much less against the strongest of us. Although, I'm sure it was also to help keep an eye on Naruto as well as the other kids like your sister." Jiraiya said as Shintaro's eyes became sullen

"Hiromi..." Shintaro said softly to himself as his eyes drifted off

"Crap." Jiraiya thought to himself

"You uh, missing her?" Jiraiya asked politely

"Yes, and no. I do miss her it's just that I'm more worried about her...fits that happen when I'm gone for about two days. Or hell, I hope she didn't get prodded about it, that's usually ends up with her...I don't want to think about it. I just want to get this mission done, and over with, the sooner the better is what's best for all of us. I think we can agree on that." Shintaro said getting worried

"Fits?" Anko said confused as Shintaro was reluctant to answer but chose to explain himself

"Let's just say there's a reason my worries are justified. She get's like...how do I say it? Sigh...despite her age she's like a newborn baby. Small, fragile, totally helpless without me or someone else to comfort her, but what scares her the most is me leaving her for a large amount of time like now. I just hope Ms. Uzumaki isn't having a hard time with her." Shintaro said concerned for his sister

"I'm sure she's fine. Either way, we should focus on the mission at hand, and what we're going to do about Orochimaru." Jiraiya said trying to shift to the conversation

"Agreed, and I still say that I'm the best option for a guerrilla strike." Shintaro said shaking his head clear of any thoughts of Hiromi

"And I still say it's a bad idea." Jiraiya contested

"You got any better ones? We're kind of pressed for time here, we have an hour at most before Itachi is discovered." Shintaro said urgently

"I know. Prodigy or not Orochimaru is going to notice him soon if he hasn't already." Jiraiya said getting on edge

"So?" Shintaro groaned

"Do you really think you can occupy him long enough for your seal to finish?"

"Are your books work of literature?" Shintaro replied plainly

"That's not fair." Jiraiya said as he pouted

"Uh huh, now please leave so I can apply Anko's seal, that means you too Kakashi." Shintaro said as he pointed to the two shinobi

"Why do we have to leave for you to apply the seal? It shouldn't be that big a deal unless..." Jiraiya said as both Shintaro and Anko blushed

"Yes yes, now get your minds out of the gutter, and your butts out of here. It shouldn't take more than a few minutes so please inform everyone of the plan." Shintaro said as he shooed Jiraiya and Kakashi out of the room

"Oh come on, that's no fair! I'm a sealing master too you know." Jiraiya said wanting to stay

"Yes, but he isn't a pervert like you Jiraiya-sama. Even you can't hide that fact as much as you want to." Anko groaned

"Still isn't fair." Jiraiya said as he wept anime tears

"Yes, now will you please give us some privacy?" Shintaro said as he gave one final push to both Jiraiya and Kakashi

"Yes, yes. Come on Jiraiya-sama, let's go debrief the others about the plan." Kakashi pleaded

"Fine." Jiraiya said with his head down

"Kit." Uncle Ku said in a parenting tone

"Yes, Uncle?" Shintaro groaned in response

"You're being too harsh on him. Perverted as he is Jiraiya is a trustworthy man, his students speak for themselves." Uncle Ku said in a humble tone

"Yes, but each of their lives were manipulated one way or another. The third one in particular." Shintaro grumbled in response

"Kit. Just give him a chance to prove himself." Uncle Ku said sighing to him

"Do I have to?" Shintaro whined

"If you want your life in that hellhole easier than yes, you do. Having a Sannin's trust can do a lot for you, and besides, if your father could trust him, then you can too." Uncle Ku lectured

"He, trusted a lot of people, and look where that got him." Shintaro responded bitterly

"Kit." Uncle Ku said raising his tone

"Alright, Alright." Shintaro said sighing in defeat as he reached for a blank scroll writing something on it

"Oh, and take this." Shintaro said begrudgingly tossing Jiraiya the scroll

"What's this?" Jiraiya said catching the scroll

"The sealing formula that we're going to use to trap Orochimaru, and I'm sure you'll want to do some studying on it. I was originally going to just to use my shadow clones only to write all of the seals in specific areas, and also apply them to keep it a secret."

"However, instead I'll have my shadow clones place it around a 5 mile radius dome formation, and you'll be at the epicenter to finish it off. A live human has more chakra, and can do a lot more in case something goes wrong than a clone that goes poof in an instant. I think 5 miles should be more than enough for you to do battle with Orochimaru, unless you think we need a bigger radius." Shintaro said plainly

"You're trusting me with this?" Jiraiya asked skeptical of Shintaro's unusual shift of generosity

"Think of it as a leap of faith. If you're really honest about not being obsessed with finding every little detail with me then study that seal, and keep it to yourself. You're free to use it on whoever you wish even me if you want, but forbidden to teach it to someone else including any future students you take on. It's my seal, and therefore my property I'm trusting you Jiraiya. You want a chance to earn my trust, here it is." Shintaro said annoyingly walking to Anko

"I see, thank you for this opportunity. I won't squander it, you have my word." Jiraiya said seriously as he put the scroll into his vest

"And you have my word, as a Senpu, and as Jiyu's son for whatever it's worth to you that I will at least give Konoha a shot. Is that enough for you?"

"Coming from a Senpu, it's a lot, and I'll assure you we won't displace your trust Shintaro. We'll leave in 10 minutes, will you be done with your energy boost seal for Anko?" Jiraiya asked

"Yes, it's rushing it a bit, but it'll be enough time for me to complete the seal. You ready Anko?" Shintaro said patting Anko's shoulder

"I am, soon as Jiraiya-sama leaves anyways." Anko said leering at Jiraiya

"You sure you wouldn't prefer a veteran seal master over him? Last offer." Jiraiya teased as Anko rolled her eyes

"No offense Jiraiya-sama, but I'd rather have the immature 10 year old than you." Anko said pointing her thumb to Shintaro

"That hurts you know?" Jiraiya said pouting

"Come on Jiraiya-sama, let's give them some privacy. Oh, and Anko, please don't do anything to the poor boy. There's only so much exposure he can handle." Kakashi joked

"Oh shut it you perverted cyclops. Besides, unlike you he's good with his hands, and how to treat a lady." Anko said suggestively as Shintaro blushed heavily

"Standing right here you know." Shintaro grumbled looking away from Anko

"Oh, what is it? You getting all flustered on me now? What, was I too much for you?" Anko said rubbing her shoulders against Shintaro's side

"You're not the first woman I've seen naked you know." Shintaro said annoyingly

"What?" Anko, Kakashi, and Jiraiya said altogether

"I'm not ignorant in the ways of how you women work or how you look. Infiltrating a brothel to retrieve a client will give you more than enough exposure of women. Though, I'll have to admit, you seem more purer for lack of a better term than those that I've already seen." Shintaro joked

"W-What the hell are you talking about?" Anko said flustered and annoyed

"You know what I mean, hell I can smell still it, you're innocence I mean." Shintaro teased as Kakashi decided to misuse his mouth

"You mean she's a-"

"Say one more word, and I'm taking your other eye out." Anko said raising her killer intent to a new degree

"Leaving. Have fun you two, but not too much ok-YIKES!" Kakashi said as he jumped back to avoid Anko as she lept toward Kakashi kunai in hand

"Damn it, come back here you perverted one-eyed freak!" Anko said as she chased Kakashi out of the room

"I-It was a joke calm down!" Kakasshi

"I'll have a joke for ya. What happened to the idiot who pissed off the snake? I'll tell ya, the snake fucking bit the idiot's head off! Now come back here!"

"Are you sure you didn't her that energy boost seal? Or even needs it?" Jiraiya said as he watched Anko chase Kakashi holding the kunai like some deranged psychopath murderer

"3...2...1." Shintaro said as he snapped his fingers followed by a thud

"Goddammit! Why can't I move?" Anko shouted from the hall as Shintaro sighed

"Because you're body is tired Anko, and because I hit some pressure points before you left to hunt your prey. looks like I'll have to. Now come on, you can decapitate the cyclops after the mission." Shintaro said as he walked up to Anko picking her up merely grunting in response

As Shintaro closed the door behind him Anko decided to say one last thing thinking her revenge on Kakashi.

"Oh, I'll decapitate him alright." Anko said deviously smiling like a madman

"She'll never change, and that's what I love most about you. And if there is one thing I'm going to do in Konoha, it's to ensure your survival above all things."

"I'm sure you will Anko, I'm sure you will. Now, shirt off, and let's get this over with." Shintaro said as he released Anko's pressure points giving her movement

"Aren't you forceful?" Anko chuckled as she laid on the bed on her back

"Oh, you haven't seen forceful yet, but I can be." Shintaro said leaning against the bed

"Uh huh, let me see how ballsy you can be kid. You're all talk when it comes to this stuff." Anko said with a smirk

"That so eh?" Shintaro said with a mischievous smirk

"Yeah, yeah. Keep talking kid, and just get this seal over with." Anko said as she lifted her shirt off

"If that's what the lady wants, I shall heed her wish." Shintaro said as he clapped his hands turning around with sealing ink in one hand, brush in the other

"Now, stay still, this may tickle a bit." Shintaro said as he dipped the brush in ink starting to write the seal on Anko's torso.

"Just imagine it's Misaka-chan, and this won't be weird." Shintaro thought to himself as he focused on Anko's body

Just as he was fantasizing about his crush a certain voice in his head ruined the moment.

"Or you can imagine it's that Ayano girl." Uncle Ku said ruining Shintaro's fantasy

"Uncle!" Shintaro shouted in his head

"You know you want to." Uncle Ku teased as Shintaro began to see his blonde friend in this situation nearly causing blood to leak out of his nose

"Great, now I can't get her out of my head. Thanks a lot Uncle." Shintaro grumbled as his Uncle decided to take it further

"That's what I'm here for. Besides, you can't ignore your primal instincts forever Kit. When you see that blonde vixen in the next 5 years it'll take all your might not to just grab her, and ravage her just like your father did with your mo-"

"Uncle! Too much information!" Shintaro interrupted embarrassed beyond belief

"Hehehehe, have fun Kit. Love you." Uncle Ku said as his voice faded away

"Oh, haha very funny. Goodbye Uncle." Shintaro grumbled shaking his head of all fantasies focusing on the task at hand with a smile on his face

Little did Shintaro know that this was going to be the last time he was going to smile today, and the beginning of a new line of nightmares on the approach.