Captain Blues: Doing a little check, how is everyone feeling about this fic after my return? Good? Bad? Indifferent?

Ansatsuken
Chapter Twenty-Four: Eyes as Blue as the Sky

"Tell me, Hatake-san," Kazumi began. "That boy, the black-haired one….What is his name?"

Kakashi blinked in surprise.

"His name is Rock Lee," Kakashi answered.

"Rock Lee…" Kazumi whispered. "He reminds me of a friend I knew a long time ago. Even down to his haircut."

Friend that looked like Lee?

There was only one person he knew and—Oh Kami…

"Wait, You're not speaking about Maito Gai, are you?" Kakashi asked.

Recognition filled Kazumi's eyes. "Gai…Yes, he is exactly who I am talking about. So you know of him?" Kazumi asked.

"I do. He is a dear friend of mine," Kakashi answered. "How do you know him?"

A faint streak of red formed on Kazumi's face. "He came to this village seventeen years ago. At the time, I was training to be Nayshall's top healer and future leader and he arrived here, injured," Kazumi explained. "He stabbed three times in the stomach. I nursed him back to health. We shared a night of passion…"

Kakashi blinked.

Is this why Gai looked so surprised the night the Hokage gave Kakashi and his team this mission?

Wait…Gai Fu—

"He left, but that night spent in the dark came to light when I became pregnant with a child that I was forced to give away due to the scandal…" Kazumi concluded and then sighed. "I guess, Rock Lee reminded me of him….Are you able to tell me more about him?"

"I…" Kakashi drifted off.

"Forgive me for my questions," Kazumi apologized as Kakashi noticed her ball her kimono dress. "I shouldn't have spoken."

"It's quite alright. Although, I am surprised by your tale," Kakashi admitted. "Gai is my dearest and oldest friend, and he never mentioned this."

"He wouldn't know about the child we sired," Kazumi said. "I would have no way to see him, as I did not know what village he was from…If I had, I would have sent our child to him, instead of giving him to a pair of kind people who were unable to give birth to their own child…"

"I see," Kakashi murmured. He took a deep breath and decided to bite the kunai. "Forgive this question but I think it will do us both well if I ask it. Do you think that this child you and Gai sired is Rock Lee?"

"I don't know," Kazumi truthfully answered. "However…If possible, there is a birthmark that carries in my family line…" Kazumi hesitated for a moment and then pulled down her kimono top to reveal her bare shoulder, where Kakashi could see a black tattoo mark that looked similar to a seal of some sort.

It was hard to describe but to Kakashi, it looked like two jagged "N" layered on top of each other.

"This is the mark of the Hachijō. It came about when my great-grandmother, who was a Kazuma, married my great-grandfather. Since then, this mark has appeared on all of their descendants," Kazumi explained.

"If possible, if Rock Lee has this mark…Please have him meet with me."

Rock Lee rubbed his left shoulder bicep with a grimace as he and his temporary team followed Honoka around the village of eternal fall, Nayshall, or as it was known, Faiāgāden.

Kakashi decided to stay behind to speak to Kazumi while Team X-7 was sent with Honoka to not only get a tour of the village but also to lead them to the nearest hotel.

"Lee, are you alright?" Ino asked. "You've been rubbing at your left bicep since we got here. Everything good?"

Rock Lee turned his head to see Ino's concerned expression and offered a small smile. "I am feeling well, Ino-chan," Rock Lee replied with an earnest tone. "My bicep has been giving me discomfort, but I am well."

Ino looked unsure but she nodded. "If it gets any worse, tell me, alright?" Ino asked.

"I will," Rock Lee replied with a smile.

"Honoka-san, c-can you tell us more about this place?" Hinata kindly asked Honoka as Team X-7 walked beside Honoka through the village.

"I sure can. This village was founded by the Hachijō Ichizoku during the second Shinobi War," Honoka explained. "They were originally trying to make themselves a Hidden Village but then they decided to make the village a safe haven for those displaced by the war…and then eventually the third war…And soon…Anyone that needed it."

"Is that how you came to this village?" Ino asked.

Honoka nodded. "Yes. The Uzumaki Ichizoku was wiped out sometime before the Third Shinobi War. My mother and father managed to survive the purge and went into hiding in a small village. Until Kiri Shinobi found out that there were Uzumaki in that small village. My parents were killed and I was alone," Honoka explained. "I drifted alone until I was recruited to tame the summoning animals, as well as the Kyūkyoku no Kuchiyosejū on Kuchiyose no Shima. It didn't end well. Thankfully, I managed to survive and that was when I washed up on the shores of Nayshall…"

"Sounds like a harrowing experience," Naruto whispered.

"It truly was," Honoka confirmed. "But, I was nursed to health by Kazumi, and in time, I became her second-in-command. All and all, it wasn't too bad."

"I'll say," Ino agreed. "But man, Naruto, this must be great for you. To meet another Uzumaki. I didn't even know you had a clan!"

Honoka paused and then turned to Ino. "What did you say?" Honoka asked.

Ino faltered while Naruto, Hinata, and Rock Lee exchanged looks. "I-I was just telling Naruto how cool it must be to meet another Uzumaki," Ino stammered.

"Another Uzumaki?" Honoka questioned.

"Yes," Naruto answered, taking Honoka's attention off of Ino. "I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Uzumaki Naruto of Konohagakure no Sato."

"You can't be an Uzumaki," Honoka said. "Your hair, it's blond. Not the red it should be."

"I didn't know that was a trait," Naruto admitted. "But, I am an Uzumaki. My mother was Uzumaki Kushina."

"Uzumaki Kushina…" Honoka murmured before her eyes widened. "The daughter of the Sandaime Uzukage and my aunt, is your mother? D-Do you have any proof? Any proof at all?" Honoka then smacked her forehead with her left palm and exclaimed, "Of course, I know we can tell. Follow me!"

"We have two missions?!" Sakura exclaimed, which made Sasuke, Tenten, and Chōji wince at the volume.

Team X-9 had gone to the Hokage's office to get their mission only for Gai to inform them that they now had an additional mission on top of escorting Taki's leader back to his village.

Sasuke was disappointed to be torn away from his mother's journal, even if it was for a short time. But at the same time, he felt relieved by this, considering what he read in her journal so far.

It was…strange to know that his mother was Naruto's godmother and vice versa. It made him annoyed but at the same time, there was some sort of…Happiness to this knowledge.

How strange to feel this feeling again…

"Your youthful shout is mighty powerful, Sakura-san," Gai laughed. "But yes. It seems one of Shibuki's shinobi, Fū, I believe, has run away from the village. According to the scroll he received, she was located within the abandoned village of Sora-Ku."

Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise.

"Gai-sensei, are you certain of this?" Sasuke asked.

Gai nodded and elaborated, "I am certain. The Hokage also explained that along with finding Shibuki's shinobi, The Hokage and our spies had recently discovered that the Uchiha Clan stored munitions there that the Hokage wanted to acquire. He was going to send another team but decided we would be the perfect team since we were going there already. "

"What, you familiar with the place, Sasuke?" Tenten asked. Sakura and Chōji also looked curious.

"I am," Sasuke answered. "Sora-ku, eh? Very well. When do we leave?"

"We start our trek tomorrow!" Gai exclaimed.

Sasuke didn't know why but the minute he said this, he got a very strange feeling in his chest. Like something was going to change once this mission was done.

He shook that feeling off and walked away without another word spared, unaware of Tenten's curious eyes watching him.

"Whoa, this place is fucking nice," Tayuya drawled as she, Kidōmaru, and Kin walked through the gates of Nayshall.

"Wow, it's like fall all of the time," Kin gasped with sparkling eyes.

Kidōmaru snorted and crossed one pair of arms while he placed his other pair of hands on his hips. "It is pretty nice," Kidōmaru admitted. "Pretty soothing too. But, we should hurry up and get inside to disguise ourselves."

Tayuya nodded in agreement and motioned for her two friends to follow her deeper into the village. "So, any idea where we should go?" Tayuya asked.

"Gotta see if there is a hotel around her," Kin voiced as she looked around until she noticed a ramen stand. "Oh! There's a ramen stand over there!"

"Ramen?" Kidōmaru and Tayuya questioned in unison.

"Ramen," Kin confirmed. "We have a good chunk of money on yes. Want to get a bite?"

"Hell yeah!" Tayuya and Kidōmaru immediately answered before the trio walked over to the ramen stand.

As former Oto shinobi trio sat down on the empty stools and quickly gave their orders, unaware of a figure hiding within the fall-colored leaves in a tree behind them, her blank violet eyes watching them.

Slowly, she reached back to her kunai pouch and pulled out a two-pronged kunai, which crackled with maroon flames. She reared her right arm back, only to stop when a group of shinobi walked past the food stand.

But one figure caught her eyes.

A blond-haired boy with whisker marks with blue eyes as bright and clear as the sky. He was talking to the pearl-eyed girl by his side, with a small smile on his face.

The figure shook her head at the memory of a small baby with those same eyes staring up at her with a gummy smile.

For a moment, the woman's blank violet eyes seemed to light up, before a jolt of pain caused her to lean forward. On the woman's back, a glowing tattoo of a winding python appeared beneath her clothes and began to stretch up her back until the head of the python stopped beneath her right shoulder blade.

The woman's violet eyes became lifeless once again as the python tattoo ceased its glowing, and once the group of shinobi walked passed, she launched the kunai.

And with that, the food stand exploded.

Captain Blues: A lot of moving pieces right now. Bear with me while I get it all sorted. The next chapter will have Honoka test Naruto, as well as an update on our Trio of Nuke-Nin. Until then, time to set sail!