There is a time skip here! We're moving forward to Kiku's fifteenth birthday. There's another letter in this rewrite, but I think it fits in with the story much more than the last attempt at this chapter did. Once I got going, I couldn't stop and here we are at the longest chapter of the Last Princess of Whirlpool! Did I spend almost all day writing this? Yes, yes I did. I hope you like it!

"Only you, Kiku-chan," Ichika shakes her head as I start filling up the bento boxes in front of me. It's just an hour before midnight.

An hour away from my fifteenth birthday.

In one way, it feels like so much has changed over the last couple of years, in another it feels like nothing has changed. I've grown in my kenjutsu skills and my acrobat style with Bee-sensei. I've finally perfected my sealing chains.

I'm still nowhere close to completing Hiraishin.

I've lost count of the Root shinobi I've killed.

I've lost count of the letters I've exchanged with Naruto and Tsunade. The letters picked up considerably after the two had fought Orochimaru just a day after I left the group to return to Uzushiogakure. I didn't see the fight, I didn't hear the fight, but it still haunts me in my dreams.

Despite all of the growth I've had, I still feel like me. I still have nightmares and panic attacks that take me away from training for days. I still bounce in my seat whenever mangú is mentioned. I still push myself too hard sometimes. I definitely still need my summons to set me straight when I lose myself after being alone for so long-

Ichika bumps her nose against my leg.

"What?" I ask as I add my onigiri to the bottom tiers of the lunch boxes.

"You know you can take breaks to come home to eat and sleep."

"You know I won't be able to do that," I turn to look at the mountain lion. She lays on the cool tiled floor in the kitchen beside me. She gives a feline grin up at me that I return. She's just as excited as I am for this.

"You're just as bad as Kahana, working yourself to the bone."

"I only have so much time until I'm called back to Konoha," I say as I turn back to the food. From Tsunade's letters, Root has become more of a problem than we thought it would be. They've infiltrated Anbu to the point that Tsunade has pulled Kakashi back into the organization when he's not training team seven so her regular guards can have some time off.

She needs shinobi she can trust in the village.

"You can always say no, you know?" Ichika asks.

"I know," I say. "But I'd rather not become a missing nin. And I definitely don't want Tsunade to come here and kick my ass and drag me back to Konoha. Because she definitely will." Ichika snorts.

"You could put up a good fight," Ichika says.

"But not good enough to win."

"Not yet, no."

"But after I get to look through the upper level stuff hidden in the Uzukage tower?" I ask as I add my cooked fish to my bento.

"There's a chance," Ichika says. I feel myself start to bounce on my feet as I hurry to finish packing the bento in front of me. According to both the summons on the island and Bee-sensei I'm almost ready for the jonin test. I've got two chakra natures I can use easily, wind and water. I've got my earth seal, too, and I'm adequate at using lightning with my swords from Bee-sensei.

I'm just so bad at genjutsu, it might be the thing to hold me back. I'm hoping that there's at least some genjutsu seals in the Uzukage's office. I haven't been able to find the seal that's used in Kumo, so I think at least that one might be in there. The only genjutsu seal I've been able to do so far is one that is attached to a silencing barrier. It'll make people on the outside think you're having a totally normal and unimportant conversation.

"Kiku-chan!" A voice yells as soon as I finish sealing my bentos into my stasis seal.

"Whatever it is, it's a no!" I say as I hear Haruto fly into the kitchen.

"But it's birthday presents!" He says.

"They can wait," I say as I turn to look at him. But he's not alone. Haruki, Haruto's brother sits beside him on the center island. "Or maybe they can't?"

"Ruki stopped by Suna and then went to Naruto and Jiraiya while I went to Konoha," Haruto says.

"That's a lot of work, thank you both," I say as I start to untie the scrolls from their legs. I take both of the scrolls from Haruki before I start to take the scrolls from Haruto.

"There's one from Tsunade, Kakashi and Tenzo, Shikaku and Yoshino, Reiji and Minoru's families, Oda-sensei, and~" Haruto sings the last word but doesn't continue. I raise an eyebrow as I look at him.

"Who else would send something?"

"Pineapple head!" He squawks.

"What?" I squeak as I pull the last scroll away from Haruto. It's different from the others but similar to the one from Shikaku and Yoshino. It's the same dark green color, but this one has illustrations of different plants.

"Well are you gonna open it or not?" Haruto asks. Haruki shakes his head before he nods at me.

"Thanks, Haruki," I say as he flies out of the kitchen.

"Why would he send something? He hasn't sent me a single letter since I left 'ttbane!"

"Well if you just opened it we would find out," Ichika says. She's moved from her spot on the floor to hover beside me. I roll my eyes at the nosy summons but I open the scroll anyways.

Troublesome Girl,

I feel my cheeks heat up. Stupid Nara and their stupid letters. And their stupid timing. And their stupid phrasing. And their stupid troublesomes!

Do you know how much work it is to be a chunin? It's such a drag. I think I've spent more time outside of the village than I've been inside of it. And I've had to lead team seven on multiple missions.

Multiple, Kikuko.

I let out a quiet giggle. I can practically hear Shikamaru sigh. It must have been horrible if he took the time to rewrite it.

I'm sorry for not writing to you.

My giggles immediately stop.

You've included me in every letter you sent to mom and dad and the least I could do was write a small note.

I was angry at first that you didn't come to say goodbye. Dad, mom, and Ensui were worried sick. Dad threatened to retire so he could go find you himself. I overheard him talking to Inoichi-ojisan and Choza-ojisan about looking for a new Hokage.

And then the shitstorm of the chunin exams happened. I'm glad you weren't here for that. You would have ended up in the clinic. Again.

I flinch at that. I knew Shika would always get worried when I ended up in the clinic. But I didn't know it worried him this much.

I was even angrier when Naruto showed up with two of the Sannin and a story of training with you on the road as you looked for Tsunade. At least you left before they could fight Orochimaru. I don't even want to think about what that fight would have looked like.

But after a few weeks I noticed that the new Hokage completely changed the makeup of her guard and those who staff the missions desk. Not only that, but dad showed up after a private meeting with her looking like a ghost.

He hasn't sent any of the deer out to look for you since the meeting.

For the first time since the third war we have a rotating guard schedule here in the clan compound. We had regular guards at the gate before, but now we have them throughout the compound. I noticed dad carrying more files than normal, too. Uchiha Fugaku has also become a regular visitor at the house. He's never come over before.

Something is going on in the village. Something that the Sandaime didn't handle himself.

Something so bad that he sent you out of the village to protect you from it.

I feel myself stop breathing. It was bad enough that Naruto knew about Root. But now Shika is getting dangerously close to it and I don't want him to get caught up in all of this. From Tsunade's recent letters it seems like Shikamaru is starting to take his training seriously. Is it because of all of this? That he figured this out?

Naruto seems as hyper as he always is on the outside, but he's been more alert since he came back with the Sannin. He hides it well but he's always assessing his surroundings. Especially on missions where we've met him outside of the village with Jiraiya. I told dad all of this in a shogi game last month.

Dad won't let me help him with whatever he's investigating. He told me that you and Naruto wouldn't want me to get involved. That I'm not ready for this fight.

It's a drag, but I started training after that game.

We've been friends since we were kids, and sure you hid things over the years because you didn't want to burden me with it, but you always fessed up when I called you on it. You've never been good at hiding things from me.

But you've been able to hide from me for years now, Kikuko.

My chest aches and tears burn at the back of my eyes. I hold the scroll in my hands tightly as I slide down the cabinet behind me and sit on the floor.

"Kikuko?" Ichika asks. I feel her press against my side as Haruto hops from the center island to the counter above me.

"If I need to go peck pineapple head, let me know Kiku-chan. I can get to Konoha in less than a day!" Haruto rants.

"No," I say quietly. "He's right to be upset with me."

"He's the one who hasn't sent you any letters!" Haruto squawks.

"I'm the one that's been hiding from him," I say as I fiddle with the scroll. "I knew if I sent a letter just to him he'd be able to figure it out. I've never been able to lie to Shika 'ttbane." I run my hand over my face before I look back at the letter.

I've looked for you on every mission I've been on. You're not anywhere in fire country. You're not in Sunagakure, either. I overheard Temari teasing Gaara about how excited he is for your letters.

"Ooh," Ichika says quietly. "Someone's jealous~" she sings.

"It's not like that."

"It's not like that," Haruto and Ichika say at the same time. I ignore them.

I don't think you'd be crazy enough to go to Iwagakure on your own. Your eyes are the same color as your dad's, but when you read or get into a seal your eyes look exactly like my dad's when he's thinking something through. They could take one look at you and know that you're a Nara.

"Well, that looks like a Nara proposal if I've ever seen one," Ichika says.

"No me diga!" I squeak. Ichika and Haruto laugh as I hide my face behind the scroll.

Naruto didn't try running off when we were in Kirigakure. I know he would have if there was even a chance he could have seen you. And you're definitely not in Kumogakure. Naruto managed to become best friends with Killer Bee and has started to train with him every few months. I'm sure Naruto would have convinced Bee to help him run off if you were there. You're safest in a hidden village. Especially with the threat of the Akatsuki.

The only other place you could be is Uzushiogakure.

"Mierda," I say under my breath.

"A quiet Nara is a plotting Nara," Kairi says. I jump and look up to see her sitting beside Haruto. "What, you didn't think I'd come to see what the little Nara finally had to say?"

"Mendokuse," I whine.

"It could be worse, Haruki could have told Ren," Kairi says as she picks at her feathers. For the longest I thought that the beetles were the biggest gossips on the island. I was wrong. It was Ren. He hid behind the lazy exterior. Just like Ensui.

You never talked about the island much, but when you did your love for it was clear in your eyes. You always look towards the ocean when you're not thinking about it. I knew the island was calling you, but I didn't think you would answer it so soon.

"Are you sure this is a fifteen year old boy?" Ichika asks.

"His voice isn't cracking anymore," Haruto says. I shake my head at the summons. Shikamaru has thought like this since we were kids, even if every other word out of his mouth was mendokuse.

Dad's forced me to start doing some clan head duties. I can't believe you sat through those boring meetings as a kid. Although you're a little gossip so it shouldn't surprise me too much.

"Ha! Someone other than me says it!" Ichika cheers as she rests her head on my shoulder.

I found some old scrolls on Uzushio in the clan library. I didn't know that our ancestors were married before. The clan council has hidden it for years. They're ashamed of their elders for what they did to Shinya. He was removed from his clan head position when he expressed interest in the Uzukage.

Uzumaki-Nara Shinya is now recognized as a clan head of the Nara clan once again. It was a drag, but it was worth it to see the looks on the elder's faces. I think I won them over. According to mom, part of being clan head is reminding the council who is in charge. I thought I would test her theory.

"How does that make sense?"

"He showed them that he doesn't give a damn about how people view him or his actions," Kairi says. "And that he's willing to do the right thing even if there's a chance he can get pushback."

"And that he's willing to get off his ass and work," Ichika adds helpfully.

I also read about some of the customs of Uzushiogakure. I don't know if you keep the shrines in Uzushiogakure, but I've been keeping an eye on the Mask Storage Temple when I'm in the village. I clean up around the outside when I can. Ino helps me put out marigolds every couple of weeks, too. Choji has been leaving food offerings.

There's always a presence around it, it's obvious they're watching us when we're there. I assume they're part of whatever you're being protected from at the moment. If you want to send a barrier seal I'll put it up.

I'm not great with sealing, I don't know how you're able to understand all of those symbols, but I've been working on some practice sheets Naruto sends me when he has free time. I know I complained about missions with his team, but it's weird being in the village now that he's left on a training trip with Jiraiya.

I don't know what all you're learning, so I can't plan ahead for whatever is going on in the village. I know the strengths of most of our generation, but you, Naruto, and Sakura are wild cards.

We all thought Sakura would end up in cryptology with her eidetic memory, but she's started training with Lady Tsunade since Naruto left. Naruto still hasn't chosen between becoming a fuinjutsu master or an overall heavy hitter. And I have no clue what you're working on.

If you've focused on Uzumaki kenjutsu then you'd be best paired with Sasuke. If you've focused on taijutsu you'd be best paired with a kid that graduated the year that you did, Rock Lee. With your fuinjutsu you'd be best with team eight, infiltration, tracking, interrogation, and medical assistance would be all in one team.

If you're able to use Adamantine Sealing Chains. you would be best working with me on teams. They'd expect my shadows but not your chains.

"He's really thinking of everything, ne?" Haruto asks. I feel him start to pick at my hair with his beak and try to wave him away. It doesn't work.

"He's always thinking of everything all the time. It's why he's always napping," I say as I turn back to the letter.

This is all such a drag. Even the deer haven't let me nap lately. I signed the summoning contract and my main summons has been kicking my ass in training. He's even worse than Ensui-ojisan when we're training with traps and tracking. But I guess that's a good thing. I'm paying now for not training earlier.

I don't know what's going on in the village, really. Dad admitted that he's working to save the king. I tried asking him and sensei about it, but they both said I need to figure it out on my own.

When you get back, we need to play shogi.

I'm sorry this isn't a nice birthday letter like the one mom and dad are going to send. I planned to have already sent another letter like this before, but I got called out on a last minute mission. I wanted to get something to you by your birthday, and it wouldn't make sense to just send a letter saying "sorry I haven't contacted you in years, I was being a stubborn idiotic ass. Happy birthday!"

It's your fifteenth birthday. I know that it's an important one in Uzu culture. I wish I could be there to celebrate with you in person. But since I can't, I wanted to at least send a small gift. Even though you've been able to cause chaos without being in the village.

Happy birthday, troublesome girl. Come home as soon as you feel safe. We're waiting for you.

Nara Shikamaru

I feel my bottom lip wobble as I try not to cry. I've missed Shika so much. I just want to go back to our cloud watching spot and take a nap with him.

"Well, are you going to get your present?" Haruto asks.

"Quit rushing me 'ttbane!" Ichika snickers beside me as I put my hand over the seal at the bottom of the scroll. The first thing that comes to my hand is a large box. I put it on the ground in front of me and open it. It's a Go set. The board is a dark wood and the stones are deep slate and shell colored. Shikamaru's favorite game will always be shogi. But he'll always make time to play a game of Go with me, too.

I put my hand over the seal again to see if anything else will come out. When I do, a deer skin blanket comes out. My hands shake as I pull the material closer to me. The pattern matches. But he wouldn't give it away. It's his favorite-

He did.

It smells like the forest and Kaba wood. Like when we would play shogi on the edge of the Nara forest. It smells like Shikamaru.

The tears I held back earlier come freely now as I hide my face in the blanket. The Nara's care for the deer includes care for them in both life and death. A deer will find the Nara they want to sit with them in their last moments. It's then that Nara's job to take care of them. Just like it was my job to take care of Hiroto-ojisan.

When she explained it to me, Yoshino told me the first time is always the hardest. I ran to their house after Shikamaru didn't show up at school one day. It took a few hours of helping Yoshino around the house until Shikamaru and Shikaku showed back up. They stood in the doorway from the back engawa. Shikaku had his hand placed firmly on Shikamaru's shoulder. Shikamaru had red tinged eyes as he clutched a deer pelt blanket to his chest.

"There's a note, Kiku-chan," Kairi says gently. I sniffle as I move the blanket away from my face and look for it. It's just a small piece of scratch paper with a few words written on it.

Take care of this for me, hime.

My hands still shake as I lay the note on the scroll and roll it all up together. I leave the scroll on the counter with the rest of the others before I take my new Go board and Shikamaru's blanket up to my room. The Go board sits at the foot of my bed as I wrap the blanket around me and rest it over my shoulders.

I sit at my desk and grab an empty scroll as I dip one of my pens in ink. As soon as I unravel the scroll, I start to write as quickly as I can.

Stupid Genius,

I miss you, too. I'm sorry I can't tell you more. Please don't hurt yourself by thinking about this too much. And don't let it distract you while you're on missions. I have to get going, it's almost time for me to get back to training, but please take care of yourself, Shika.

I don't know what I would do if I lost you, you know?

Thank you for your gifts, and thank you for everything you're doing.

And don't think I forgot about our bet, you owe me barbeque.

Uzumaki Kikuko

"Aha! I made it with a minute to spare 'ttbane!" Ichika snorts as Kairi flies into the office and lands on the back of the Uzukage's chair. I managed to open the rest of my gifts quickly, they all sit on the counter back at home. I tried to pack light, I brought plenty of ink, pens, extra journals, and all of my previous journals filled with fuinjutsu notes. I have my stasis seal with snacks that Tenzo and Kakashi sent me and the bentos I prepared earlier. I've even brought a small cot, a pillow, and Shikamaru's blanket is still wrapped around my shoulders.

I hear the clock in the room tick and look up at it. It's officially my birthday, now. I immediately go to the side of the room where I feel the seal and place my hand over it. The wall shimmers for a second before a new door appears in the room. It's a dark wood with a bright red spiral at the center. I carefully push it open and feel at ease as soon as I enter the room.

It's tiny compared to the hidden room in the library. A simple wooden desk sits in the center of the room. Three walls of the room are lined with shelves from the floor to ceiling. One shelf on the same wall as the door is stocked with blank scrolls. The shelf on the other side of the door is stocked with pens and inks. On the wall to my left as soon as I enter the room are shelves filled with scrolls.

Each section of shelves are labeled with a different ninja art. There's a section for iryō ninjutsu, kenjutsu, bukijutsu, ninjutsu, my eyes linger on the shelf labeled genjutsu, before I get to the final bookshelf. An entire bookshelf is dedicated to scrolls on fuinjutsu.

I turn to look at the wall across from it to see it's filled with scrolls as well. But this side of the room is labeled with different years.

"This is the history of Uzushiogakure," Kairi says as she lands on a wooden perch that sits beside the shelves I'm looking at. "You will read all of this before you move onto the scrolls of shinobi arts."

"Okay," I say as I put my storage scrolls with all of my supplies on the desk at the center of the room. I look up at the wall that's not covered in bookshelves. It's a wall made of charred wood, the dark black contrasts with the deep ocean blue Uzushiogakure symbol in the center of it. Underneath the symbol is a black shelf, the only thing on it is a single scroll. I look at it for a second before I turn back to Kairi.

"Do I just start at the beginning?" I nod towards the top shelf. Kairi tilts her head slightly.

"You're not going to rush into the scrolls on shinobi arts?" She asks. "You're not even going to ask?"

"No," I shake my head. "I want to learn more about Uzu and her people. I feel like I need to know about them before I can learn from them, you know?" Kairi's chakra thrums at my answer. With what exactly, I don't know.

"You will start with the scroll on that shelf," Kairi finally says as she nods towards the shelf under the symbol of the island. I walk over to it and carefully remove the scroll from the shelf. It practically comes alive in my hands. It's a sky blue color and is covered with illustrations of clouds.

I walk back over to the table and place the scroll at the center of it. I move my storage scrolls to sit on one of the chairs tucked under the table. I look to Kairi who moves from her perch to sit on the table beside the scroll. She grabs the azure string with her beak and unravels the scroll.

It spreads across the table with ease. The scroll is filled with more illustrative clouds. It looks more like a piece of art than a typical scroll. The sky on the paper is filled with bright oranges, pinks, purples, and warm yellows. The ocean meets the sky seamlessly at the bottom of the scroll. When I look closer I see that the sky has multiple white clouds.

Red rests within the clouds. Names are signed with red ink or blood.

"Uzushiogakure is a land of immigrants," Kairi says. I have to force myself to turn away from the scroll to look up at her. "A nation of wayfinders, sailors, farmers, artists, and islanders."

"Uzushiogakure is not just the land we stand on, it is the ocean that surrounds us and the islands that are no longer above it. It is the wind that fills our sails and the stars that guide our path." I feel my eyes burn. Flashes of learning how to navigate Uzushiogakure fishing boats both through the wind, seals, and stars obscure my vision of the seagull.

"But most importantly," Kairi finally says. "Uzushiogakure is the love harbored within each of her children. The type of love that is as deep as the sea and as far as the wind can reach."

"The leader of Uzushiogakure is always chosen by her children," Kairi says as she turns her attention from the scroll back to me. "Soma has been working hard to find the descendants of Uzushiogakure."

"Is that why the neighborhood was hidden the last time I went to Kumo?" Kairi nods.

"Not only were the new family members being welcomed home, but they were taking a vote on the Yondaime Uzukage."

"Oh," I say quietly. I thought I was close with the elders and other descendants of the islands that lived in Kumo. Why was I not allowed inside the vote?

"In true Uzushio form," Kairi says. "The next Uzukage is not informed of their nomination." Everything freezes. The only thing I can hear is the pounding of my heart and ringing in my ears.

"You were nominated by a few people including your brother, Uzumaki Naruto and your close friend, Ueda Akihiko." I feel my heart clench. "You were also nominated by the council of elders, including the newest elder, Uzumaki Uta."

"Ojiisan?" My voice cracks. My plan was to immediately start searching for him as soon as Danzo and Root were no longer a threat.

"Soma found him two months ago and brought him to Kumogakure," Kairi says. "He has requested detailed reports from both Soma and myself on your progress. He is proud of you, Kikuko-hime." I feel my shoulders shake as I hold onto the back of the wooden chair in front of me.

"H-how am I supposed to do this, though? I mean, people are happy in Kumo, right? Am I supposed to open up the island once Root is gone? What-"

"Kikuko," Kairi says firmly. "Breathe." I listen to her and take a deep breath. And then another. I repeat the action until I can finally feel myself stop shaking. "You're a smart girl, Kiku-chan. You're an even better wayfinder. You will find your way in this, too." I shakily nod as Kairi motions for the scroll.

"Sign the cloud that calls to you on this scroll, I'll return in a moment." The seagull leaves the room through the door propped open by Ichika. I look back down at the scroll and trace the other names written here. There's more than three clouds signed. I think back to Kairi's earlier lesson and feel the tightness in my chest ease. Of course there were leaders of Uzushiogakure before they became an official village.

I know the family that lives in Kumo will want to stay there. It's their home. But I also know they want to visit, to show their children their homeland. To have a place to grieve. I'll never be a typical Kage. But I will protect my people. I don't know what I'll do once Root and Danzo are gone. But I know I'll still have a family behind me.

I bite my thumb on my left hand and wait until blood pools. I carefully sign my name on a cloud just below the ocean waves. It's close to Kahana's name, but not exactly beside it. I lick my thumb after I sign the scroll and freeze when I feel something on my head. White fabric obscures my peripheral vision and I force myself to take a deep breath. I look up to see Ichika and Kairi. Both look at me with glassy eyes as I start to roll the scroll back up.

I carefully tie the azure string back around the center of the scroll before I turn around and place it on the shelf. I feel something settle in my chest as I turn around to look at my summons. They've been my biggest support and my main source of comfort.

"Alright," I nod at them. I try to ignore how the fabric attached to my hat moves. "I'm ready to get to work."

"Let's go," Kairi says as she flies to the bottom shelf of the history of Uzushiogakure. She grabs the first scroll and brings it to me as Ichika nudges me to sit down at the table. I hear Kairi fly through the room again and this time she places a pen and ink well on the table. I unroll the scroll to see that it's empty. I look up at her and she motions back to the scroll.

"The standard layout is to put the writer's name and titles, then the current date. Leave a space before you write the important event." My hand shakes as I grab the pen that Kairi placed on the table. I dip it in the well of ink before I bring it to the page.

Uzumaki Kikuko, Yondaime Uzukage, Princess of Uzushiogakure. Year 81.

Uzumaki Kikuko is nominated for, and accepts the title of Yondaime Uzukage.