Naruto: A Red Eye Hidden by Shadow

by Tatanka4Life

On the fateful night of the Uchiha Massacre, a girl of Uchiha and Nara blood is spared and left with no memories of her past. Now she must walk on the path left by her family to help her build a new future for herself. Her path will be hard, full of struggles and pain, but as long as she has her friends and family at her side she will keep forging ahead, even if it was a drag.

180. Chapter 179: Curse of the Kurama Clan!

Chapter 179

Demons within even the Purest Hearts: The Curse of the Kurama Clan!

For the second time in his life Hikaru found himself at the Moon's harbor saying goodbye to someone he cared about. For the second time he had no way to stop them from leaving. No pleas would ever alter their decision. No tears could bring them to stay.

Attired in ceremonial robes, Hikaru shifted from foot to foot in the shadow of the moored passenger ship. His eyes drifted along the length of the vessel, to the calm sea it floated upon, and he frowned. Almost ready to hate the inanimate metal shell.

I wish they didn't have to leave.

I wish they could stay…

The vessel didn't deserve any hatred. It only represented the departure of the Leaf and Mist shinobi—his first real friends. It would whisk them away across the sea, back to the mainland. Back to their homes. And although he wished they could stay, he knew such a wish was too selfish to ask.

Frowning at the vessel, he recalled the last time he'd stood upon the harbor docks, watching helplessly, powerlessly as his mother left. He would never forget her tears when she hugged him, nor would he forget her heartbroken apology. An apology he never understood. He'd never understood why she left. If she was crying, if she was sorry, why did she have to leave?

As she walked away he wondered if he could change anything. If he begged a little more, promised the impossible, offered anything and everything she could ever dream, just like his father had begged, pleaded, and promised all manner of riches, if his voice would've been enough to get her to stay.

He never found any words that day. His heart hurt too much. He would later wonder if he wasn't worth staying for. If he'd done something wrong. If he just wasn't…enough.

Unlike that day, here and now, in the shadow of the passenger ship, the mood wasn't nearly as somber. It was calm. There weren't any tears or pleading. Instead, there was gratitude. The young Prince personally felt longing for them to stay, but this farewell was far from that grim, sunny day, where numbness and indifference became his only escape from the pain.

Hikaru's eyes drifted away from the vessel and all it represented to his father, who stood beside him, dressed in similar ceremonial robes. He was speaking to Kakashi, shaking his hand as he expressed his gratitude for all they had done.

In the days since the incident, Michiru's dedication to changing his diet and exercising had produced early, tangible results; his belly was not protruding nearly as far, his face was a tad slimmer, he seemed happier and more focused than ever before. He did mention being sore now and then. Tired, too. But although the road ahead was a long one, it was worth it. Or at least that's what his father said.

His eyes drifted to his friends. Hinata, Amaririsu Haku, and Natsumi all stood alongside Kakashi, calm and relaxed, dressed as they were in the desert; a plum t-shirt over mesh armor, a purple tank top and mesh armor with a single long sleeve, a green haori and short-sleeved mesh armor, and a wine red crop top tank top worn over a leotard of mesh armor, matched with a short skirt and black spandex shorts.

The sea breeze was cool. The afternoon sun and tropical climate warmed the whole island, turning what would have been a cold winter day elsewhere on the continent into something closer to spring, even beneath the looming shadow of the passenger ship.

Captain Hoshino, assigned as their personal guard, hovered a few strides behind the King and Prince, relaxed but alert. Presently Commander Korega was overseeing the intense, disciplinary training of the remaining guards at the palace. Hikaru didn't envy them, from what little he'd seen.

The coronation of the new King and the ceremony to mourn those who had perished, including his grandfather, had only ended an hour or so ago. The whole island had attended, and together they grieved for family members and friends lost. Together they cried, wept, and sobbed. Hikaru was no exception.

No one had escaped the short reign of Shabadaba without losing someone they knew or loved. If not a friend, then a co-worker, a sibling, a parent, a grandparent, a spouse, or a child. In such a short time he'd stolen the lives of so many.

Hikaru hoped they could someday stop such pointless violence and cruelty from ever happening again. If not in his lifetime, then at least for those who came after them.

For now, stability and security had returned to the Land of the Moon. The Kingdom was secured, its new King already taking the steps to build a brighter future for everyone who called it home.

The shinobis job was complete. It was time for them to return home.

Hikaru shifted his weight from his left foot to his right. Then back again. Discomfort tied his belly in knots.

He didn't want them to leave. Not at all. He wanted them to stay here, where they could create more good memories together. Like their day at the beach. He knew it was selfish, he knew they had to go. Like his father, they had duties to fulfill, responsibilities they couldn't ask others to take for them. They all had dreams and goals of their own to follow…and a war to fight.

They'll have to fight in that war…

They'll have to fight all over again. More than once. Until they win or…

Hikaru's heart grew tight. He brought his hands together, wringing them. He flattened his lips, fidgeting without control, breathing a bit quicker. Like the air had lost its oxygen again.

His friends were going to war. And there was nothing he could do or say to stop them. They were going to face danger and death worse than what he'd seen. It'd be bigger in scale. More violent and cruel. And they could…

Hikaru squeezed his eyes shut, trying to forget the memories of all the dead bodies he'd seen. Trying not to imagine his friends in their place.

He didn't want them to go. He didn't want them to die…

Two fingers jabbed his forehead, startling the young boy. He stumbled back a step, brought his hands to his forehead and looked at the culprit, though he hadn't needed to. The gesture was familiar. As was the teasing smile on Amaririsu's lips.

"Keep making sad expressions like that and your face will get stuck that way."

"Amaririsu…"

"It'll be all right, Hikaru." The kunoichi crouched to his level. "Do you remember what I said about bonds transcending distance?"

He nodded. "Of course."

"No matter how far apart we are," she poked his chest over his heart, "we'll be here. Never forget that. Someday our paths will cross again. So keep moving forward, all right? We'll be moving right beside you until we meet again."

Hikaru nodded but felt his lip quiver.

Without thought of decorum or embarrassment, the young Prince rushed into Amaririsu and wrapped his arms around her.

"I won't forget any of you," he promised in a weak and creaky voice. "I'll always remember…everything you guys taught me."

One of Amaririsu's arms wrapped around him, her free hand rested behind his head, rubbing it gently.

"We won't forget you, either," she said gently. "Remember, we'll be with you whenever you need us. In spirit and just a thought away."

He nodded into her but said nothing. It was too difficult to speak. His vocal cords trembled and tightened, making it difficult to swallow.

Hikaru held onto her a moment longer. Then, once he freed her from his embrace, he hurried around her, abandoning his embarrassment, which left his cheeks flushed, as he hugged Natsumi next.

The Mist kunoichi stiffened, initially. Surprised by the sudden embrace around her mid-section. She then relaxed, exhaling a soft sigh. Her hand rested on the top of his head, ruffling his hair gently.

"Try not to do anything too reckless, you little dope," she said.

"I'll do my best."

Haku was already kneeling when he approached. He hugged the shinobi tightly and was embraced warmly in return.

"Should you ever need aid, all you must do is send for us and we will come," Haku promised.

Finally he hugged Hinata.

"Take care, Hikaru," she said, holding him warmly. "We'll meet again someday."

He hoped so.

To Kakashi he bowed his head and said, "Thank you all for everything."

"Yes, thank you again for all that you've done," his father said. "I wouldn't be here were it not for all of your efforts. Please, extend my gratitude to the Fifth Hokage and Fifth Mizukage, and please tell them I will reach out to them soon. I'm not certain yet how I can help your Nations in this war, but I will find a way to raise my voice with all of yours. Just like Queen Koyuki."

"We'll let them know," Kakashi nodded.

"Oh, I also sent our finest chocolates to your cabin. And feel free to visit anytime you please," his father said, smiling as he placed his hands on his hips. "The Land of the Moon will always welcome you. And the palace doors are always open to friends."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

After bidding their farewells the shinobi boarded the passenger ship. Hikaru waved from the dock until the vessel was too far away to see his friends.

Hand lowering and smile falling, he felt their sudden absence vividly, like his glasses had fallen off and the world at a distance had become blurry. He couldn't let it stay that way, though. He had to keep seeing the world with clear eyes, its beauty and its cruelty.

He had to be strong, that way he could keep his promise and help them change the world someday.

Everyone… Please, be careful.

"You know," his father spoke up suddenly, "as soon as everything settles here, I think we'll visit your mother again."

Heart jumping, Hikaru looked up at his father, who stood with a warm smile on his lips, his hands on his hips, and his eyes gazing out at the vessel departing on the horizon. He exuded confidence Hikaru had never seen before recent events, and with that confidence was an inner peace which gleamed in his eyes like a radiant full moon.

"I owe her an apology for how foolish I was, and we both owe you an apology for how our behavior hurt you, Hikaru."

"Father…"

"I know an apology will not fix everything immediately. I imagine it will take a great deal of time and effort from us both to truly mend all the hurts we caused you and each other. But this is something I must do. I must try, at least. After all, isn't that the lesson we both learned, Hikaru? Fighting for what truly matters, and never giving up."

Hikaru beamed and nodded. "Right!"

No matter what the future held, he'd always remember what truly mattered.

He'd always remember his friends.

---

The Crescent Moon Kingdom was secured. King Michiru had ascended to the throne, and with him there the Hidden Leaf and Hidden Mist now possessed a powerful and wealthy new ally in the royal family.

All things considered, they'd done good work.

Meandering down the vessels hallways towards their cabin, where the young shinobi in his unit had retreated to, Kakashi considered the events of their mission and its eventual success.

Not everything went perfectly, of course. The loss of the wise and patient King Kakeru was a blow. In losing him they'd lost his considerable experience and his political wisdom—experience and wisdom he had acquired over a lifetime and could have passed on to his son and grandson. He may have been able to prepare them for their ambitious goals.

Unfortunately, they would never have that opportunity now.

Much like that knowledge, the loss of life was irreversible and wholly tragic. So many innocent lives lost, so many loyal guardsmen felled by Shabadaba's shinobi. Pointless death was always one of the toughest pills to swallow. He'd seen his fair share. He had his fill and wished the world would stop serving it up, yet it was always on the menu in the shinobi world. One way or another.

Kakashi turned at a junction, hands slipping into his pockets.

The tragic losses sustained in the Land of the Moon, including the death of the King, weren't within their power to stop. They arrived too late.

On one hand, the efforts of King Kakeru to shelter his son and grandson from the political turmoil deprived them of Intel—Intel which they could've used to hurry the caravan along and arrive in time to save a few more lives. Perhaps even the King's.

On the other, his actions saved the lives of Michiru and Hikaru. It gave them the opportunity to hire their unit, for Hikaru to build real bonds and open Michiru's eyes to the wider world he knew little of before. And now the Kingdom was secured once more.

In the end, they'd achieved the best conclusion possible, given all the variables at play. It wasn't perfect, but nothing ever truly was.

Hopefully King Kakeru can rest easily now, he thought as he approached their cabin.

Thud!

Kakashi perked up slightly. The dull crash within the cabin reached his ears first.

"A- Amari!" Hinata's worried cry was second.

As he stopped in the doorway, Kakashi rested a hand against the metal frame and took in the scene.

Natsumi was seated on the edge of her bunk, grinning in what appeared to be amusement and confusion. Haku was standing, head tilted but a small smile on his lips. Hinata was kneeling on the floor beside the body of his student, who was lying flat on her back, appearing to have fainted. A box of chocolates lay beside her.

"Did I miss something?" Kakashi asked.

"It was…so sweet," Amari murmured in a trance. "I think I've ascended to heaven again."

"Might be on your way," Natsumi said, grinning. "If you hit your head hard enough."

"I think I'm ready now. Take me away, Gods of Sweets. Take me past The Beyond to the mountaintops of tasty treats."

"Amari!" Hinata scolded, unable to hold back a giggle.

"It appears the rumors Lady Mei mentioned were true," Haku said, smiling. "Their chocolates really are to die for."

Kakashi exhaled a chuckle and smiled beneath his mask.

I should've known.

There was no doubt their mission was a success. They'd secured an ally in the new King and strengthened this growing bond between Leaf and Mist shinobi, and in the process the landscape of the shinobi world he'd known for so long changed just a little bit. Hopefully for the better this time.

Still, although the landscape of the world was shifting, Kakashi was grateful some things, like Amari's sweet tooth, never seemed to change.

I wonder how things are back home…

---

The Leaf Village lay in ruins. Ribbons of smoke climbed into the atmosphere from the devastated buildings. Homes and businesses, even Hokage Tower, were broken. Collapsed in on themselves. From a bird's eye view the Leaf appeared to be a mass of disassembled cairns.

Smoke choked the atmosphere in thick grey curtains. The steadfast mountain faces of Hokage Mountain, once watching over the Village, were unrecognizable. Indistinguishable from the rest of the ruptured and cracked mountainside, which a demolition team seemed to have destroyed in an effort to devastate morale.

Floating above the ruins on rapidly buzzing insect wings, attired in a peach long-sleeve crop top, mesh long-sleeve undershirt, and a short black skirt and thermal leggings, Fū scanned the wasteland before her, eyes narrowed.

This was impossible. She was only gone for a half hour at most. Mimi and Kiba Inuzuka, Aoko and Akamaru, and Shino, together they had traveled on an urgent mission to a medical facility in the hills not even a fifteen minute jog from the walls. The facility was within the Leaf's barrier.

Someone should've raised an alarm. They would've heard it. They weren't gone for more than a half hour. Yet this wasteland…

Fū hummed lowly. She flitted through the sky, searching within the debris for movement, and beyond the walls for any sight of whoever could be responsible for this insurmountable devastation. Wind whistled by her ears, eyes darting about, as she fought back a nauseous feeling.

Karin…

She'd promised to be right back. That everything would be a-okay. There was nothing to worry about.

At least there shouldn't have been.

Fū stopped over the ruins of Kurenai's home. She hovered there, scanning the area for movement. For bodies. For anything besides stone debris. Her stomach was tying itself into a ball of knots.

There was nothing. Nothing inside the Leaf, nothing outside of it. It appeared someone had waltzed in, abducted everyone without a fuss on the promise of a lifetime supply of Miss Kurenai's delicious waffles, and then razed the Leaf in a matter of a half hour.

Sure, there were abilities capable of this devastation, like Amari's special Sharingan power, the one that was super hard to say without her tongue tying itself in knots. Sure, a Village could fall at the hands of an army. But to do it without leaving a single casualty? Without leaving a single sign they had come? For the Fifth Hokage or Master Jiraiya, among so many other powerful shinobi, to not put up even the slightest fight?

There aren't any Crows here, either, she noted, lips pursed. There are, like, way too many of them for there to be no one here. Amari says they have agents all across the Land of Fire, so where are they?

Fū descended into the ruins of Kurenai's home, landing soundlessly in the living room.

Immediately she was struck by how…foreign the space felt. Nothing about it bore any resemblance to what she knew.

No furniture, no appliances, no pictures. It smelled wrong, too. Totally unpleasant with its smokey scent; the walls and floor were blackened by clear signs of a fire. No Amari and certainly no Karin. Kurenai was with the others now, they'd turned the hospital into their base camp.

The Yūhi household, however, was an empty shell, a home absent of all the pieces that made it home.

Maneuvering carefully through the debris, Fū ascended the stairs with a strange feeling in her gut and a tickle at the base of her neck.

They were being watched.

Chōmei, what do you think is happening? None of this adds up if you ask me.

"Agreed," rumbled the Seven-Tails within her mind. "I believe we've been trapped in a complex genjutsu."

Fū furrowed her brow. But we've both tried to dispel one already. Multiple times!

"Consider the nature of our mission. A Leaf Village Clan, the Kurama Clan, attacked the medical facility where the young girl we found, Yakumo Kurama, was being held. Kurenai Yūhi claimed some time before Amaririsu returned to the Leaf she taught this child in genjutsu, she sought to help Yakumo control the kekkei genkai she wielded. When she failed, she was forced to Seal this child's abilities away—an action she clearly regrets. Correct?"

Right, Fū nodded to herself as she reached the top of the stairs.

Kurenai's hand, the kunoichi recalled, had trembled as she recounted the whole story. She tried to hide it. Tried to clench a fist and keep the emotions at bay, but Fū had seen it. She was sure the others had, too.

The hurt within Kurenai was immense. Tangible in her otherwise calm voice, visible in her somber eyes. She had failed, in her own words. Now her hands were stained with destroying an entire Clan's future. It was her hands, her weakness, which had destroyed Yakumo's dreams—the dreams of her precious student. The dreams of someone she sincerely cared for.

There was no denying Kurenai treasured her student. No matter what Yakumo believed.

Fū crouched. There wasn't enough space to move through without crawling through like a worm. So she did. She lay on her belly and carefully crawled beneath the collapsed roof debris.

She had to check the bedroom, just in case this wasn't all a genjutsu. She had to confirm without a doubt that Karin wasn't here.

Yakumo claimed her parents were slain—assassinated—on the order of the Third Hokage, she thought. Mimi said it may be true. She said he wasn't a saint, but it was more likely to be ordered by that Foundation leader guy. The one who sent those goons to try to take Karin and us away when we first made it to the Leaf.

"Yakumo appears to believe it was by Kurenai's hand."

No way, Fū shook her head. I don't believe that for a second. Miss Kurenai cares way too much about Yakumo to kill her parents. And for what? To keep their Clan from returning to prominence or something? It doesn't add up. Kiba, Shino, and Mimi don't believe she'd be capable of it, either.

Which means… She rose into a crouch when the space opened up, then shimmed between two beams. Yakumo was eavesdropping and obviously missed out on serious information. She's filled in the blanks with her own conclusions. I mean, I get it. Kind of. Her whole Clan's future depended on her and then, without telling her why, and without really telling us why either, Miss Kurenai Sealed her power away. Apparently because her kekkei genkai was too dangerous or something like that.

"Hmm. Then that leaves only one conclusion, wouldn't you say?"

Yeah.

Finally at the bedroom door, Fū opened it slowly. Cautiously. There was no need. The room was wholly intact, strangely. It defied logic. Yet, unlike the other rooms, it wasn't empty. No, an easel with a beautiful color painting on it occupied the center of the room. Rather, it was beautiful, until her eyes processed the imagery. Then it became horrifying.

Her heart suddenly leapt into her throat. Hesitantly, she approached the painting, sweat building on her brow and hands tightening into fists.

Chōmei, is that…

"Hmm," he rumbled in discontent. "We're lucky Amaririsu is on another mission."

Fū swallowed roughly and stopped three strides from the painting.

Depicted on it, a terrible dark figure constructed of shadows, a shark-toothed demon baring its malevolent and horrifying grin to all onlookers. It buried a whitish-silver jagged blade resembling a lightning bolt all the way to the hilt into another person's chest.

It was Amari. Younger. Skinnier. Shorter, too, but that may have been because the demon was so large. So magnificent in its all-encompassing awfulness. Amari's hands were gripped around the hilt, too. She was covered from head to toe in profusely bleeding lacerations—clawed, mauled, and eviscerated by the monster.

Viscous crimson gushed from her mouth, her wide eyes were terrified, tears were streaming down her cheeks. She was silently crying for help, for someone to save her, Fū felt, and it made her stomach churn. Her chest and shirt were soaked in blood, turning the purple tank top a deep fuchsia. Almost black.

Yakumo painted portraits like this, Fū thought, heart slamming against her chest. That lightning bolt that hit Hokage Tower and set it on fire, she painted that right before it happened.

"The members of the Kurama Clan we fought were proficient in genjutsu."

Yeah, but we could break out of those no problem.

"Yakumo's power had to be Sealed away, according to Kurenai, and yet Yakumo turned her painting into reality."

Fū's eyes went wide. Which must mean the Seal was broken!

"Seems we've cracked this case," Chōmei rumbled from within her mind. "This portrait leaves little doubt of who has bound us in a genjutsu. Who else would hold such animosity for Amaririsu? There were also those paintings of Kurenai and the Kurama Clan members we saw that were similar in content."

Yakumo must think Kurenai replaced her. Or worse! She may think Kurenai abandoned training her because she saw more talent or something in Amari!

"That would certainly explain this portrait."

But how did we get placed under a genjutsu? When? We were with Yakumo the whole time. She never painted anything; she fell asleep and everything!

"Did she? Or was that, too, apart of the illusion she cast on us. Come to think of it, was it her suggestion that led all of us to leave her and Kurenai alone together?"

"Ahh! You're totally right!" Fū slapped her hands to her cheeks. "We left Miss Kurenai alone with Yakumo without even thinking about it. She's been controlling our every move from the beginning, hasn't she? And Yakumo totally thinks Miss Kurenai killed her parents! This is bad! Really, really bad! We've got to go back right away!"

Spinning around to leave, Fū recoiled slightly. The door she entered was now made of metal, sealed shut tightly by a door locking wheel, and Amari's bedroom door totally didn't look like that a moment ago. Or ever. And she was certain she'd left it wide open.

"Yakumo clearly doesn't want us to leave."

"I forgot this was all a genjutsu for a moment." Fū pursed her lips. Then, without hesitation, bit down on her bottom lip until blood was drawn. Nothing changed. "Okay, so if a little bit of pain doesn't work, maybe if I cut my hand?"

Glass shattered behind the kunoichi. Something heavy tumbled onto the floor. At the same time, out of instinct, she hopped towards the door and spun around to face the intruder. The familiar weathered face and brown hair caused the kunoichi to jab her finger at the man, who maintained a defensive crouch.

"Hey, I know you! You're that Kurama Clan weirdo who attacked Miss Kurenai and Yakumo! So that means you got caught in this crazy genjutsu, too!"

"You've figured it out, then. Good," the man nodded as he rose. "We haven't the time for fighting. If we do not escape my niece's genjutsu, everyone within it will die."

"Di- die?! No way!" Fū shook her head. "That's crazy talk! Everyone knows genjutsu can't kill. And—hold on," she blinked, struck by a sudden realization, "Yakumo is your niece?! Then why the heck are you trying to kill her!"

"My name is Unkai Kurama—

"Wait a minute, are you the one who killed her parents?"

"I did nothing of the sort!" he denied passionately. "Please, you must listen to me. As you have realized, we are currently trapped in one of Yakumo's genjutsus. Although it appears the Leaf has been ravaged by war, none of this is real. The room we stand in, that portrait there of Amaririsu Yūhi, this is all an illusion."

"I get that much. It didn't really add up when I thought about it. Something like all of this couldn't have happened without someone leaving behind a trace." She tilted her head. "But how do you know Amari? She's never mentioned you before, and she's introduced me to all of her friends. So what does that make you?"

"In truth, I have never met Amaririsu. However, I learned Kurenai began training a young orphan, who she later adopted."

He glanced to the portrait. "This is also not the first portrait of its kind that I have seen. There have been many others, each depicting one of two subjects: Kurenai and Amaririsu. Over the course of this year, as Amaririsu's name and reputation has spread throughout the Village, portraits like these have become more and more frequent. They are like an obsession. And were Amaririsu to lay eyes on a single one, she would die."

Fū felt her stomach drop. "You're not kidding, are you mister?"

"I'm afraid not."

"How is that even possible, though? Illusions can't kill."

"That is a common misconception. It's true ordinary genjutsu cannot kill, although the damage it can inflict on the psyche of an individual is another discussion. However, true masters of the art, such as the Uchiha and their Sharingan, or a shinobi like Kurenai Yūhi, can trick the mind and body into believing the damage it receives is real. And should that damage be fatal, the body will perceive it as such. And die."

"Holy cow. I had no idea Miss Kurenai was that strong."

"Indeed. Kurenai's genjutsu prowess has flourished since our last meeting, I suspect as a result of training a wielder of the Sharingan. Furthermore, if Yakumo has awakened her latent ability, and if the true nature of her kekkei genkai has escaped its binds, then the act of killing would be child's play for her.

"Within the confines of Yakumo's genjutsu she will often call down lightning or start fires, and our human mind's perceive those phenomenons as real. Our brains are turned against us, turning any wounds we sustain into actual damage."

"So the lightning bolt that set fire to Lady Fifth's tower, that really was Yakumo's power!"

"Indeed. Were she so inclined, she could kill anyone she chose to with a stroke of her paintbrush."

"But…" Fū trailed off, recounting what little time she'd spent with Yakumo.

Sure, Yakumo was dead-set on believing the Third Hokage and Miss Kurenai were responsible for her parent's death, but she didn't seem like the kind of person who'd kill just to kill. If she'd wanted to kill anyone, why stop at setting the roof of Lady Fifth's tower on fire?

From what Unkai was saying, she could've struck the Yūhi household if she wanted, laid waste to it just like she had in this genjutsu while Kurenai and Amari were inside. She could've set the whole entire Village on fire!

Instead she struck a single target. And, honestly, she didn't really do any damage with it. It was like she just wanted to get someone's attention.

Or maybe a cry for help? Yakumo sure seemed lonely. And who could blame her for feeling that way? She was all but locked away outside of the Leaf. They restricted her inside a medical facility, like a crazy person in a mattress covered room, far away from everyone who could be a friend.

For all intents and purposes, Yakumo didn't exist. Not really.

Fū wiped her brow. Strangely, the room was getting warmer. She could feel perspiration building on her skin, Unkai's wrinkled forehead was glistening, too. She glanced to the haunting portrait, warily eyeing the depiction of Amari's death at the hands of a dark monster.

Could Yakumo really want to do that?

The kunoichi shook her head and clenched her fists.

"It doesn't make sense," she said. "The Yakumo I met wouldn't just kill someone like that. Especially not Miss Kurenai or Amaririsu; Miss Kurenai cares so much about Yakumo, there's no way she can't see that, and if she actually met Amari she'd never want to hurt her. They'd be friends for sure."

"In a manner of speaking, you are correct. Yakumo herself isn't so cold-blooded to kill without feeling. However, every few generations or so, within the Kurama Clan, children of a special nature are born to us. Children such as Yakumo."

"She inherited your Clan's kekkei genkai, right?"

"Correct. Yet unlike the kekkei genkais of the Hyūga Clan or Uchiha Clan, these special children do not control this terrifying power. It is ruled entirely by the girl's unconscious mind."

"If Yakumo's portraits are any insight into her unconscious mind's desires, then we need to get back to Miss Kurenai right away. By the way," she wiped her brow again and her sleeve came back soaked, "am I the only one that's noticing how super hot it is in here now? It feels like a sauna."

"It's apart of Yakumo's genjutsu. The heat is coming from that door."

The door, Fū learned, was incandescent. Ribbons of red heat, or what she assumed was Yakumo's manifestation of heat, drifted in between the door and its frame like smoke.

"What's on the other side? A volcano?" Fū wondered. "Sheesh its hot. Don't know about you, Mister Unkai, but I don't want to go anywhere near that door. Nothing good is waiting beyond it. Maybe we should try the window…"

She glanced back to the window, her eyes went wide and her voice raised an octave.

"Its definitely a volcano she sank us in!"

Lava was slowly gurgling through the window. Unkai quickly moved closer to her. It was no use—lava was beginning to seep in through the door, too.

"This is bad! This is bad! We've got to get out of this room. Wait, I'll blast a hole through the ceiling and fly us out! Yeah, that'll work!"

"It's useless to escape this room; we'll still be stuck inside of Yakumo's genjutsu no matter where we flee to. We must escape the genjutsu itself or we will all die here."

"That is so unfair! This should all be an illusion."

"Illusion or no, if any of us are to die within this genjutsu, our minds will determine it to be real, and we would then die. That is the power Yakumo wields."

Fū pressed her lips together. "Her power, huh? Is that what this is all about? Is that why the Third Hokage wanted her gone?"

"Nothing of the sort," Unkai refuted. She believed him. "The Third Hokage and Kurenai never meant to kill the girl—that's not what they were after. What they wanted was to kill the monster inside of her!"

"A- a monster? What sort of monster? It, uh, it doesn't look like that dark creepy thing in the portrait, right?"

Unkai glanced to the portrait. It was melting like candle wax.

"There is some resemblance there, truth be told. You see, under Kurenai's supervision, Yakumo began to grow stronger with each passing day. Lurking within that ocean of power, however, was a creature most terrible. If left unchecked, it will eventually take control of Yakumo, absorbing her consciousness into its own.

"The Hokage and Kurenai came to a decision, they believed the only way to keep Yakumo safe was to Seal away the girl's power."

"Oh man," she gasped. "So that's why Miss Kurenai Sealed away her power. She was trying to protect Yakumo the only way she could at that point from this monster thing your Clan's kekkei genkai causes."

Fū wiped her brow and her cheeks off on her sleeves. The lava was getting way too close. At this rate they'd end up melting like the portrait.

"I need to know more, but we've really got to get out of here. I've tried breaking free a whole bunch. Nothing is working. Maybe I just need to inflict more pain by cutting my hand? Or maybe I could punch you and break you out instead! I can punch pretty hard, you know, hehe!"

"Normal methods of breaking genjutsu won't work," Unkai shook his head, appearing paler and paler. The heat was suffocating them. She was breathing just as heavily as he was.

"So, what? Is there no way out of here, then?"

"No, there is one way."

"What is it?" Fū turned her back to the man, checking the bubbling lava steadily drifting closer. "We don't have a lot of time."

Unkai's arms suddenly clutched around her throat in a chokehold. Fū gasped and began to wriggle.

"Please, don't struggle! By sealing off all five of your senses, you will be free of this genjutsu! You must wake the others and attack Yakumo!"

Attack Yakumo?

She couldn't get the words out. Through blurry eyes she watched the lava crawl closer.

And then the world went black.

---

Fū snapped upright with a desperate gasp, body soaked in sweat. Her eyes flitted about, switching between blurriness and clear vision with every blink.

Where the heck was she? Cool air stung her burning skin with icy needles. She shivered and trembled but kept scanning the area. Amari's room was gone. Still trees and swaying grass replaced the crawling lava.

Turning her head right, she saw Yakumo's lodgings—her prison—sitting peacefully in the distance.

This is…Satomi Hill.

Curious, she pressed her teeth gently into her lip. And winced beneath a sudden shooting pain.

My lip… Mister Unkai was right, it really stings where I bit it before.

Chōmei, did you make it out of the genjutsu with me?

"I'm here, Fū."

Phew, she sighed. That's a relief.

"Looks like luck's on our side again, huh?"

Sure does. But, wait, what about Mister Unkai? And Mimi, Kiba, Shino, Aoko and Akamaru and Miss Kurenai! And… She sniffed the air, then scrunched her nose. Why does it smell like burnt clothes and skin?

Turning her head left, she gasped and scrambled to her feet.

"Mister Unkai!"

Lying several meters from her, with ribbons of smoke rising off his scorched body, was none other than Unkai Kurama.

Fū slid on her knees to his side. The older man's head trembled as he tried to force himself off his chest. How he wasn't already screaming in agony, Fū didn't know. She'd never seen burns so bad before.

"Good," he rasped. "You made it out of her illusion safely. As you can see, the moment you exited the villa, you were all caught within her genjutsu."

"Try not to talk. And lie still! Just, uh, just hang on. I'll get you help!"

Fū scrambled to her feet again, checked her surroundings. Lying face down in the grass all around them were a small flock of Crows and her friends, still caught within Yakumo's illusion. Lucky for Unkai one of those friends was a super awesome medic-nin.

The Waterfall kunoichi rushed to Mimi's side first to release the genjutsu.

"Mimi, Mimi, Mimi! You have to wake up right now! Mister Unkai needs help!"

Mimi snapped upright with a sharp breath just like she had moments ago. She drew her fingers gently along her left cheek, now sporting a thin cut, and cursed.

"How the hell…"

Fū had already released Aoko from the genjutsu and was flitting to Kiba's and Akamaru's side on insect wings to release them, undoing genjutsu on the Crows along the way; Aoko rolled onto all-fours, growling, scanning the area for an enemy; Kiba sprang up with a cry, as though waking from a nightmare, Akamaru let out a howl, then growled viciously at an invisible enemy; the Crows beat their wings and fluttered into the air, heads turning sharply to take in the environment, before diving to their still sleeping comrades to release them.

Shino was the only one to wake calmly despite bleeding from his left hand. Sitting up, he looked at the offending wound with an expression Fū couldn't read behind his dark glasses and collar.

"It's unthinkable," he muttered.

Unthinkable was right. Yakumo's genjutsus were totally out of this world.

Amid fluttering wings and startled cawing, Fū returned to Mimi's side, who was still processing the unthinkable. She took the medic-nin's hands into her own and began to tug like a child trying to get their parent's attention.

"Up and at 'em, Mimi. Rise and shine. C'mon, c'mon! Mister Unkai really needs your awesome healing abilities."

"Hey, stop tugging. Who the hell is Unkai anyway? And…" She sniffed the air, then scrunched her nose. "Someone smells like they've gone toe to toe with Hikari and ended up toast."

"It's Mister Unkai. He's right over there. So, please get up. Wait, can you walk? I'll carry you if you can't!"

"Calm down, Pixie. And stop tugging. I can walk." She turned her head, then narrowed her sapphire gaze on the smoldering body of Unkai. "Fū, did you hit your head and forget he was the one leading this little assassination plot?"

"No, I remember."

"Give me one good reason to heal him."

"Oh, uh, let me think," Fū panicked, brain frazzled by the sudden question. "It'll be a good reason, I promise. Just, uh…"

"He saved our lives," Chōmei reminded.

"Yeah, that's right! Way to go, Chōmei! He totally broke me out of Yakumo's genjutsu. The whole room was flooding with lava, and if he hadn't sacrificed himself to break me free first then we would've both been burnt like that!

"Oh, oh, and by releasing me I was able to save all of you, too! And it looks like you guys were in trouble, so I bet he saved all of our lives, because there was no way we would've broken free without his knowledge of the Kurama Clan's kekkei genkai. He's apart of their Clan, by the way. He's Yakumo's uncle and there's still a whole lot he can tell us so we can stop Yakumo before she…"

Fū inhaled a panicked gasp. "She's going to hurt Miss Kurenai!" she remembered. "All because of that monster thing her kekkei genkai creates! She doesn't understand that it wasn't the Third Hokage or Miss Kurenai who killed her parents; they were trying to protect her when they Sealed her power away.

"We can't let her hurt or kill Miss Kurenai, no way!" She shook her head. "She'll regret it forever and Amari and Karin will hate me if I didn't do anything to help. And I need Mister Unkai to tell me everything he can about that monster so I can kick its butt and save Yakumo! So," Fū grunted, digging her heels in and trying to tug Mimi off the grass, "up and at 'em. Please! You're the only one who can save his life."

Suddenly all the resistance behind Mimi's arm faded. Fū sputtered as she landed on her buttocks, hands held by the Inuzuka kunoichi as she now stood above her, a cheeky smirk on her face.

"All right, all right, you've made your point. C'mon, up and at 'em," she pulled the Waterfall kunoichi onto her feet. "I'll need an extra pair of hands to bandage his wounds."

"Uh, right! I can do that, I think."

Unkai grunted and groaned as Mimi applied Medical Ninjutsu to his burnt body. Fū kneeled beside him, waiting as patiently as she could manage to ask more questions and begin bandaging his wounds. Luckily she had a distraction—everyone, including the Crow now perched on her shoulder, needed to be brought up to speed on what she'd already learned about Yakumo.

"So," Shino eventually began while she bandaged Unkai's scorched right arm, "Yakumo's genjutsu ability turns our minds against us, going so far as to cause those caught within physical harm. Or even death. We're all very fortunate to be here, then."

"Yeah, you said it," Kiba agreed. Akamaru barked. "You're right, Akamaru. We can't waste anymore time. We've got to go after Kurenai-sensei now."

"Working as fast as I can," Mimi said. "Besides, right now we're of no use to Kurenai-sensei. If we go charging in without more information, we'll just end up in Yakumo's genjutsu all over again."

"I know that. I just can't stand the thought of doing nothing while Kurenai-sensei is in danger."

"Neither can I," Shino agreed. "However, Mimi is right. Why? Because: She couldn't use her Medical Ninjutsu or her Water Style ninjutsu while we were caught within Yakumo's genjutsu. The only ones not entirely effected by the genjutsu were my insects and Fū."

"Huh? Me?" Fū tried not to tear her focus away from working. "But I was totally trapped with you guys."

"True. However, you could still access your wings, correct?"

Fū blinked. Her hands paused.

Wait, I see what he's saying, she thought. Mimi couldn't access her ninjutsu at all, but I still had access to you, Chōmei. We were still connected, and you and I sort of had a feeling we were under genjutsu from the start.

"It may be that you and I must face Yakumo alone in order to rescue Kurenai. She may be able to trap us both within a genjutsu, but unlike a Sharingan wielder, she cannot restrain my power. Pretty lucky for us, huh?"

"Keep bandaging him, Fū," Mimi reminded.

"Uh, right! Sorry about that."

"Feeling strong enough to talk, Unkai?"

"It is not a matter of if I can. I must tell you everything," he said hoarsely. "The Leaf, the Kurama Clan, Kurenai, and Amaririsu will all perish if I do not prepare you to face Yakumo."

"So, that monster I saw killing Amari, that's sort of what's inside of Yakumo, right? And because it was going to take over her consciousness, Miss Kurenai had no choice but to Seal away Yakumo's power to keep her safe from it?"

"Yes. You see, no one has worried about Yakumo's well-being more than Kurenai has. Many of us placed the hopes and dreams of our entire Clan's future upon Yakumo. However, she was a sickly child. She couldn't keep up with children her age, physically speaking. So…"

"So your Clan turned on her," Shino stated instead of asked. His voice was calm and emotionless, and yet Fū sensed a cold disapproval within it. "You came to believe she would fail to bear the heavy burden you all placed upon her shoulders and shunned her as a result. Correct?"

"Yes," he admitted.

"Sounds to me like you idiots jumped the gun again," Kiba said, frowning in disapproval. "You decided to pull this assassination plot because you still think she's hopeless, didn't you? When you could've tried communicating with Kurenai-sensei or Lady Hokage about ways to help Yakumo."

"Erase the problem before it damages the Clan's reputation. Clan politics at its finest," Mimi scorned.

"You're observations aren't inaccurate. But you don't understand the terrible monster she carries within her now. A monster we did not know had manifested at the time. So yes, we did shun her. Yakumo was completely dispirited. Obviously Lord Murakumo was concerned about his daughter. Then, one day, the unexpected happened.

"Their family residence burned to the ground, while Yakumo stood dazed watching the whole thing happened. That's when I first saw it; a strange figure appeared in the flames, a horrible monstrous demon smiling back at us. My brother and sister-in-law died in that fire. I couldn't do anything to save them. And when I eventually learned what the beast was I became frozen with terror.

"We wanted to find out what caused the tragedy, so we ordered a complete medical examination of Yakumo. They arrived at the conclusion that the creature which appeared within the fire came from Yakumo's deep subconscious. When I learned this I immediately went to the Third Hokage to ask for guidance."

"So the one who killed her parents…was actually Yakumo?" Kiba questioned.

"No, it was the monster within her which unleashed its fury upon her parents," Unkai said. "The great expectations placed upon her, the shunning, the hurt and anger, the doubt and fear, it shattered her psyche. At that critical moment the specter manifested and killed her parents."

"In a way," Mimi began, "you could say this monster is darkness we each harbor inside of ourselves given physical form. Darkness your Clan's actions incidentally helped cultivate into the monster which killed Yakumo's parents. Sound about right, Unkai?"

"Yes. I knew if we didn't act immediately it's fury would first destroy the Kurama Clan, then it would destroy the entire Leaf, using Yakumo's body as a conduit of its bloodlust. However, the Third Hokage forbade any harm from coming to her; she was an innocent child, unaware of the monster within her.

"Thus he chose Kurenai to help Yakumo learn to control the power she wielded. If that wasn't possible, then it would be Kurenai who would be tasked with the mission of Sealing away Yakumo's power; she would be forced to bear all of Yakumo's anger and hatred and with the burden of ending the lineage of the Kurama Clan. It was then the Third Hokage lowered his head and wept."

"Kurenai-sensei…" Kiba clenched a fist and grit his teeth. "Darn it. I had no idea she was bearing all of that."

"Likely by design," Shino said calmly. No one could see his hands clenched inside his jacket. "This is a secret no one outside of the Third Hokage, Kurenai-sensei, and those of the Kurama Clan, like Unkai, know. I doubt Amari even knows Yakumo exists. Why? Because: Kurenai-sensei must have been informed that Yakumo had begun to paint portraits of Amari and herself, making it too dangerous for them to ever meet. All of this together has doubtlessly caused Kurenai-sensei immense pain. She has hidden it well."

Miss Kurenai…

Fū struggled not to drop the bandages and fly off to the villa, where she knew Yakumo would be keeping the Genjutsu Master. There was only one final piece of the puzzle she needed—how to defeat the monster. Once she had that she'd fly right over. Promise.

Hang on, Miss Kurenai. And don't do anything rash, Yakumo. Me and Chōmei will be there in no time and then everything will be a-okay.

---

"What do you think of my work, Sensei? Amazing, isn't it?"

Kurenai glanced at their surroundings. Shades of blues, indigos, and violets painted the intangible dimension they occupied, actively melding into one another, ebbing and flowing around dots of orange resembling blazing stars. The array of colors decorated the space as though spread across a canvas by a palette knife, which it had.

Now, with the same palette knife, her pupil was creating a new portrait.

Throughout the dimension a random assortment of books, tea pots, paints, and finished portraits floated, revolving around them slowly like planets orbiting a massive star.

The Genjutsu Master grimaced. They were more detailed than she'd been told. The gruesome deaths Yakumo had painted of her and Amari were vivid in their violence, graphic with gore.

In one, a silver spear of light pierced Kurenai's heart, splashing blood through the air, soaking the white dress she wore in crimson. Another had her body contorted, her upper half and lower half facing opposing directions, bisected by a darkness that seemed to have detonated from within her abdomen. Another depicted a foul specter of darkness carrying Amari's head by its hair, her face frozen in a terrified scream as the specter grinned.

There were other portraits as well. Portraits of Shino, Kiba, Akamaru, Mimi, and Aoko gazing at the destruction of the Hokage Tower as a massive serpent rose from its smoldering ruins. Fū and Unkai trapped in a room overflowing with lava.

Kurenai drew her gaze to her pupil. It'd been far too long since she'd seen her. She was forbidden from visiting ever since these gruesome portraits began.

Now the young girl was taller, though it was difficult to say how tall she'd grown while seated. She attired herself in a pink kimono tied shut by a pink sash, violet baggy pants, and wore long sleeve red mesh armor beneath and similar mesh over the length of her legs.

Her brown hair stretched to her waist, decorated by two pins above a long braid drawn over her left shoulder. She sat before an easel, calmly spreading paint upon it with a palette knife. A crate of unused paints sat on her right, a small end table with an empty tea tray were on her left.

She's painting another portrait of me. This doesn't bode well, the kunoichi thought. It depicted her suspended helplessly, as she now was, within this pocket dimension of genjutsu. She's even stronger than she was before. I can't access my chakra, I can't move anything except my head.

"Yakumo," the kunoichi maintained a calm voice, glancing again to the floating portraits, "what have you done to the others?"

"You needn't worry, Sensei. They've all escaped, doubtlessly thanks to Unkai. But that's okay. I'm in no hurry, I'll have my revenge on the Leaf in due time. But first I have some business to settle with you, Sensei."

She gathered as much. Yakumo clearly wanted her alone, and had she wanted to deliver a quick death any one of the portraits orbiting them would've sufficed. Instead her pupil separated them, suspended her here in what was doubtlessly her strongest genjutsu.

Unkai, I wish you hadn't been so rash today, she thought. I may have been able to prepare to face the specter within Yakumo had you not forced me to divert my attention to protecting her from the Kurama Clan's assassination attempt. You've always been this way. After that foul specter killed Yakumo's parents, you demanded the Third Hokage to eliminate her before it became too powerful.

You—your whole Clan—placed all of their faith and hope for renewal on her frail shoulders. She was a sickly child, but she was born with your Clan's kekkei genkai, which meant she may be the key to regaining the power and prestige the Kurama Clan once wielded within the Leaf.

Yakumo wanted nothing more than to live up to those expectations. She gave it her all. But she didn't meet those expectations as quickly as you all wanted. Members of her own Clan, including you, began to tell her to give up. Or she overheard her Clansmen whispering among themselves of her failure.

It's true the weight of those expectations had begun to buckle her knees, but feeling as if she was letting everyone down was what fed the specter. Until, eventually, it managed to manifest and take control.

The resemblance to the history of jinchūriki wasn't lost on the Genjutsu Master. If only she could go back to that time with the knowledge and experience she now possessed, perhaps they wouldn't be here today.

Even before I began to train her, before I had to Seal her power away, Yakumo was filled with doubt and fear. Just like Hinata. Just like Amari. But I…

Had it been in her power, Kurenai would've clenched her hands into fists. But it wasn't, so she couldn't.

I wasn't able to help you, Yakumo. So I cannot blame Unkai entirely for these events. No matter how rash he is. No matter how foolish he is for deciding you must die to protect his Clan and the Leaf, I was the one tasked with training you. Lord Third placed his faith in me to help you conquer this power, and then to kill the specter if I could not. And I failed both of those missions. I failed you, Yakumo.

At least my students, Fū, and Mimi and Aoko were able to escape this genjutsu. That's something to be grateful for. Now its between me, Yakumo, and this specter, as it always should've been.

She'd do whatever was necessary to free her pupil of her anger and hatred and protect Amari and the Leaf, for they would be the next Yakumo targeted if she failed again.

It would be difficult. The chasm of misunderstandings and pain which separated them as teacher and student was perilous, but for Yakumo she would climb a hill covered in caltrops and beset by fire without hesitation. Anything to save her pupil from the dark path the specter sought to drive her down.

"Yakumo," she began calmly, "the Leaf isn't responsible for your parents deaths. I know you're angry—I can sense your fury at me for what I did."

It was an event which scarred her consciousness. Thinking of that candlelit ritual hall she'd been ordered to take Yakumo to, she could still see her student bound in chains by members of the Anbu Black Ops, stripped of her shirt and covered in Sealing scripture painted onto her pale skin in fresh blood. She could see her terrified face as she begged and writhed against the chains—it still made her hands tremble to this day.

Had she only not failed to defeat the specter, she never would've been forced to Seal Yakumo's power away. She never would've had to commit such an irredeemable deed to her own precious student.

"This is between you and me," Kurenai said. "Leave the Leaf out of this."

"You're not fooling anyone." Her pupil's voice was cold and unwavering.

Yakumo dipped her palette knife into a dark colored paint, then spread it over her portrait counterparts feet, in effect erasing them from the image.

Kurenai blinked, struck by a strange sensation. Or, rather, the absence of one. Her breath caught in her throat when she glanced down. Everything from her toes to just above her ankles had vanished, erased in an instant. Without pain. It was as though she'd never had feet to begin with.

"So, impressive, huh?" her pupil asked rhetorically. "I could let you live or kill you in a heartbeat. Your fate rests entirely with me. So you're going to tell me the truth, you're going to admit to Lord Third's and your crimes instead of hiding from them like a coward."

Yakumo half turned in her wooden chair, the long braid drawn over her left shoulder nearly climbed over to fall in line with the straight waterfall stretching down her back.

Her brown eyes glared at Kurenai with all of her resentment.

"My father and mother were both eliminated, my whole Clan were removed from power, and then I was to be removed. All on the order of the Third Hokage."

"No," Kurenai refuted sternly.

She felt a terrible and familiar chill swarm her body. Then hot, shredding agony. Shutting her eyes, grimacing, she was overwhelmed by the sensation of a beast's curved talons tearing her skin apart, digging, digging, digging to tear her insides out of her.

When she opened her eyes, the visage of a grinning demon replaced her precious student's face. Although the grinning demon's lips didn't move Kurenai heard a childish giggling, malicious in nature.

Looks like we meet again, you damned specter, she cursed, gritting her teeth. You won't stop me. I'll die before I let you take over Yakumo or harm Amari and the Leaf.

She blinked and the specter vanished. Yet the giggles were replaced by a noise that wasn't quite a growl, but a harsh gurgling. It vibrated in her ears. Yakumo was unaware of it entirely.

"None of that is true, Yakumo," she declared as firmly as she could as the invisible talons clawed at her skin. "The Third Hokage had nothing to do with the death of your parents."

"Why are you lying to me?!"

"Yakumo, listen to me—"

Yakumo turned around in her chair, dipped her palette knife in the paint, then spread it over the portrait again. Kurenai felt the absence of sensation spread all the way to her mid-thighs; she didn't need to look to see they'd been erased, too.

The Genjutsu Master inhaled a long, calm breath.

"Tell me the truth. Now. If you don't, Kurenai-sensei," Yakumo glared at her from over her shoulder, "I'll send you into oblivion."

"I've already told you the truth," Kurenai replied calmly, surprising even herself.

"Do you want to die?" Yakumo grit her teeth. "Stop protecting them, Sensei, and tell me the truth. Just admit it. I already know the Third Hokage's done this before. That's what happened to the Uchiha Clan, right? Everyone thinks it was just some freak incident, but it was orchestrated by the Third Hokage."

Kurenai's eyes widened. "Who told you that, Yakumo?"

"I knew it. So it is true."

"No," she shook her head. "The Third Hokage didn't orchestrate the Uchiha Massacre."

But how could you even suspect something like that? Are you grasping at straws? We all believed Itachi was responsible until Shisui warned us of the Foundation. Unless…

Kurenai looked to the portraits of her daughter. Dread clutched her heart, a terrible realization washing over her.

"Who told you about Amari, Yakumo?" Kurenai demanded.

"Tch, it wasn't you, that's for sure. Once you Sealed my powers away, you tossed me aside and replaced me with her without batting an eyelash."

The accusation stung despite its falseness. She didn't let it distract her.

"That isn't what happened," she stated firmly. "You depict her so keenly from when she first arrived in the Leaf, I thought you may have seen her in person. Yet that doesn't add up. Your guards would've caught you before you entered the Leaf, that's why you struck Hokage Tower from a distance, which means someone must have given you a photo." Her eyes fell onto her student again. "Isn't that right, Yakumo?"

"What was so special about her, Kurenai-sensei?" Yakumo didn't answer her question directly, but she knew her student and her chakra well. She was dead-on with her assessment.

"You brought her into your home. You adopted her. You even trained her to become a shinobi despite how weak and frail she is."

"How weak and frail she is, huh?" Kurenai dissected. "You haven't seen any new photos of her, have you? They haven't shown you anything new for some time."

Yakumo's lip curled. "She was an orphan. She had no training. So what made her special?"

"Nothing at all. She was totally unremarkable when we first met, just as you imply," explained the Genjutsu Master. "She was weak. She caved at the slightest failure. She needed constant motivation, constant support to combat the doubts she harbored. She struggled to apply herself.

"It took great effort to build a foundation for her to stand on. And, unlike you, she showed no real inclination for genjutsu prowess—my mastery. Your strength flourished while we trained, you applied yourself at everything and were never discouraged. Children like Rock Lee inspired you to become a shinobi, even if you could only use genjutsu. You never failed me, it was my inexperience and my weakness that failed you. Without my failure, you would be a shinobi right now."

"Then why!" Yakumo yelled. "Why did you abandon me for her? If I was so remarkable and she was so weak, why did you Seal my powers away and take her on as your pupil—as your daughter!"

"You're tying together events that aren't related, Yakumo," Kurenai reprimanded sternly. "It wasn't as though I Sealed your power and then picked Amari up that afternoon to become my newest pupil. I didn't abandon you for Amari. I wasn't looking for a new student after I Sealed your power; I wasn't even certain I should be anyone's Sensei after what I did to you."

"Spare me your feigned self-pity. You didn't hesitate to Seal my power away."

"You're wrong. I hesitated up to the final moment."

"How many more lies are you going to spin, Sensei?"

"In all our time together, I've only ever withheld the truth on one matter from you. Seeing you here now, I see the mistake Lord Third and I made. Had I only been honest with you from the start—"

The Genjutsu Master gasped as an invisible taloned hand plunged through her midsection. Her instinct was to bend forward at the waist, but her body refused to budge. Her features contorted in a grimace, her eyebrows twitching in agony.

It was because of you, she cursed, that I had to hide the truth from Yakumo, you damned specter. Just like the truth was hidden from Naruto, we pretended it would somehow protect her if she knew nothing about you. We thought we could teach her to seize this power without facing the demon resting within her, as we all must face the demons that rest within us.

What fools we were.

Now this pustule that's been left to fester is ready to pop. On one side there is me, hoping to reach my student the way Amari reached Naruto. On the other, there are two specters—you and the one who purposefully and willfully supplied Yakumo with misinformation. Just as Mizuki tried to twist Naruto, they're flagrantly twisting the truth to cause the greatest harm to Yakumo and the Leaf.

Even now you try to withhold the truth. But I won't let you.

"Yakumo…" she grunted, trying to force the words out as her insides churned and burned.

"Was it because Amaririsu is an Uchiha? Is that why you replaced me with her?" Yakumo accused.

Kurenai couldn't gasp; the air was already taken from her. She shouldn't have known that. She shouldn't have had any idea Amari was of Uchiha blood.

"That's what it was, wasn't it? Everyone—even you by the end—always tried to discourage me from becoming a shinobi. You were all afraid of my power, weren't you?"

Among the floating portraits, one slowly floated horizontally above and behind the easel. It was an artistic depiction of a single Sharingan eye, with a few blue tresses of hair to signify who it belonged to. The eye was wide and dark tendrils were plucking it from her eye socket.

"Lord Third learned Amaririsu, a surviving Uchiha already possessing the Sharingan, was somewhere outside of the Leaf, didn't he?" Yakumo judged. "That meant my struggling Clan was no longer necessary. We were just in the way of the rebirth of the Uchiha Clan, weren't we?"

"That isn't…true. Ggh!" Kurenai winced as the talons clawed her insides more intensely. "Amari's survival, the Uchiha Clan…none of that…"

"And you, Sensei, you saw an opportunity to gain all the glory. You would train the new heiress of a founding Clan of the Leaf, instead of some small, lesser Clan like the Kurama. But you couldn't let someone so weak and unremarkable be overshadowed by the depths of my power!"

Kurenai clenched her jaw, furious with herself, and heartbroken by her student's dark ravings.

"There's no doubt about it: I've failed you, Yakumo," she said. "I should've done more to protect you. I should've been stronger. Instead I've let a specter and a snake twist and poison your mind."

Danzō Shimura, she snarled, it was you, wasn't it? You're the snake that whispered in her ear. You suspected Amari's identity from the very beginning, you laid your trap right beneath my nose—using my student as your weapon. I'd bet your agents were the ones who helped her slip past her guards to attack the Leaf.

A dangerous and wild smile crossed Kurenai's lips. "It seems I, like Amari's parents, have become an obstacle in his path. It's quite the plan. Using my own student against me, knowing I'd die before harming you or allowing that specter to run free. Heh. So, this is how it feels to be a pawn in his game. He's betting my death will lead Amari to darkness, becoming the enemy he needs her to be."

Yakumo scowled. "Even when I'm right in front of you, you make this all about her."

"You poor, sad child," Kurenai said without malice. "I must seem so pathetic to you to believe I'd abandon you for fame or glory. What Clan you, Hinata, or Amari come from has never mattered to me. I never trained any of you in hopes I'd gain renown for it."

"Liar. You wanted to be known for training the next heiress of the Uchiha Clan."

"It never even occurred to me," she said sincerely. "The reason I stopped coming to see you after I Sealed away your power is far simpler than these convoluted plots. I was too weak to face you after what I had done. That's it. Later I was told you'd begun to paint these portraits and my access to you was restricted entirely."

"Too weak to face me?" Yakumo growled. "That's the lie you've picked? That's why you left me in the dust to train Amaririsu?"

"Yakumo, Amari and the Uchiha Clan never played a role in anything between us."

Until now. Now they were pawns in the ancient quarrel between Senju and Uchiha, and if she couldn't break through the manipulations and cure her student of the poison, they would both be removed by the same hand.

"Why do you—" Yakumo narrowed her eyes and hissed out a breath. "Them again, those jerks…"

Spinning around in her chair, she put the portrait on the easel on the ground beside her and replaced it with a blank canvas. Upon it she began to paint a lifelike image of the entryway to the villa, and flying through the doorway, trailed by Shino, Kiba, Mimi, the latter pair carrying Akamaru and Aoko in their sweaters or on their heads, was none other than Fū with a determined expression.

The instinct to move, to stop her student from painting, was intense. Yet her body refused to budge.

"Yakumo, stop this!" Kurenai commanded.

"Let's see how they like this," she said, smearing a mixture of reds and oranges over the painting of the team.

---

Fū burst through the double-doors of the villa, insect wings vibrating as she flew ahead, straight for the double-doors halfway down the hall. That's where Yakumo would have Kurenai, locked and sealed inside an immensely powerful genjutsu. Trapped with a monster, a monster Yakumo didn't even know was inside of her.

Miss Kurenai, Yakumo…

She was halfway to the door when a wall of fire rose in front of the doors. Then, without warning, an explosion of fire barreled towards them, consuming every conceivable space from floor to ceiling, wall to wall.

Gasping, Fū halted in air, preparing to retreat. A stream of water shot past her, struck the ground, and rose into a wall of water. Steam hissed on the other side. After another moment the wall fell, the fire on the other side flickered across the length of the double-doors.

"Whoa, that was close," Fū said, hovering in place. "Way to go, Mimi."

"Careful. It may have looked like Water and Fire, but it was all genjutsu."

"Oh yeah, that's right," Fū blinked. "I thought for sure it was your Water Style, but you used a genjutsu to counter Yakumo's genjutsu, didn't you?"

Mimi smirked at her as she marched past. "Almost ended up toast, Pixie. Guess you're all lucky the all-mighty, awesome Mimi Inuzuka was here to save the day."

"Hehehe," Fu giggled bashfully. "Thanks a ton, Mimi. You and Aoko really are awesome."

"Don't have to tell us that. We already know. Right, Aoko?"

Aoko barked in agreement.

"When did you pick up genjutsu anyway, Mimi?" Kiba asked, following after his cousin with Shino and Fū following close behind.

"Besides Guy-sensei drilling me to fight against Sharingan wielders? Kurenai-sensei taught me a thing or two on the chance I end up against the Masked Man or another genjutsu user. But, seriously, be careful. We got lucky my genjutsu counter worked there; I'm no master or expert of the art. Yakumo must've rushed that attack."

"Or restraining Kurenai-sensei is requiring all of her power," Shino considered. "Kurenai-sensei is a Genjutsu Master and her teacher, after all. If anyone could counter the seemingly limitless power Yakumo possesses, it would be her. Yakumo likely only seeks to delay us until she finishes her quarrel with Kurenai-sensei."

"Then we'll just have to show her we mean business," Kiba said. "No way we're letting her take out Kurenai-sensei."

"Damn right," Mimi echoed his sentiment.

"While I share your motivation wholeheartedly, it's best we stick to our plan," Shino reminded calmly as they stopped before the flaming door. "None of us—not even Akamaru and Aoko—are able to resist Yakumo's genjutsu. Her power attacks complex nervous systems—anything with a cerebrum. My insects can provide support, but fighting the monster, only Fū and Chōmei will be able to do that. The rest of us will be too vulnerable.

"So," he turned his head and looked at Fū, "we're placing our faith in you two."

The kunoichi nodded. "We won't let you down."

"Of course not." He looked to the door and raised his hands out, from which streams of insects began to flow in dark, buzzing clouds. "Why? Because: You're our comrade."

---

"Please, Sensei, just tell me the truth."

She was trying. Dammit, she was. Yet…

Kurenai convulsed, gagging. On the verge of vomiting. The intangible talons were scraping and clawing over every inch of her body. Cold sweat poured from her pores. She could scarcely concentrate or breathe; the specter was doing everything it could to prevent her from providing the truth.

Yet, although the pain left her nauseous, although a scream was trying to break free of her throat and tears glistened in her eyes, she was grateful this agony wasn't given life by her pupil. It meant the specter still needed Yakumo as a conduit to inflict physical harm onto others. At least while it hid itself.

For now it seemed content to keep to the shadows. It wasn't yet keen for Yakumo to recall its existence, likely waiting until the truth would devastate and shatter her student for the most effect. And then it would take over her body.

Until then, Kurenai believed, it would stay as the quiet voice in the back of her mind, twisting her to become the perfect host, disguising a parasitic symbiosis as mutual symbiotic relationship.

They'd made a terrible mistake hiding the truth from her. An act of protection meant to be a kindness had ultimately become a terrible, life-threatening cruelty Yakumo would suffer the consequences of. As would she, if she couldn't reach her student.

"If you don't tell me the truth…" Yakumo raised her palette scraper, preparing to erase more of her body with dark paint; her student's hand was shaking. "I'll send you into oblivion."

She didn't want this, Kurenai knew. Deep in her heart of hearts, where the true, uncorrupted Yakumo lay, she didn't want any of this.

"The Third Hokage didn't order the elimination of your parents."

Forming the words was like trying to vomit up poison—an ill-advised idea, but it was the only option at her disposal presently.

Beads of sweat slithered down her neck, a waterfall of perspiration soaked her trunk. Kurenai grit her teeth as the talons gripped and tore along her skull.

"I know your memory of that day is hazy." Kurenai inhaled and exhaled two quick breaths. "But you have to remember, Yakumo. You know it wasn't the Third Hokage."

Yakumo grunted, then wiped the paint over the portrait of the Genjutsu Master's suspended body. In an instant Kurenai lost all sensation from beneath her ribs to her thighs; her arms from mid-forearm to her hands also vanished.

"I overheard you and the Third talking about eliminating my family."

"That isn't true."

"You're just trying to trick me," her student replied coldly. "Even when I have your life in the palm of my hand you refuse to admit the truth. I can't believe you'd be willing to die to protect his secrets."

"Yakumo, that isn't what happened. Your parents—"

"Don't lie!" Yakumo yelled, lurching forward in her seat as her voice cracked. "My parents were too strong to let themselves die in some house fire! No. No, someone murdered them," she said, drawing her palette knife over her paint palette.

At the sound of hundreds of buzzing insects suddenly filtering into the pocket dimension, Yakumo spun in her chair to look back at Kurenai, and then beyond to other side of the dimension.

"What's that?"

An undulating cloud of insects emerged from thin air, streaming first around Kurenai, and then flying for her student.

"Shino," Kurenai gasped.

The insects swirled around Yakumo, who shut her eyes and swiped her palette knife at them.

"No! Get away! Shoo!"

The insects, drawn to the paint and the chakra infused into it, swarmed the palette knife.

Doors suddenly slammed open, then shut, drawing Kurenai's attention. She spotted the intruder as they let out a soft groan. They pressed a hand against their forehead as they floated amid the churning dimension of blues, indigos and violets dotted by blazing orange stars.

"Ugh," Fū moaned. "What happened? Why does my head hurt? One moment I was asking Mimi to knock me out, now I'm…"

Orange eyes fell on her half-erased body, and widened. Wings extended from the young girl's lower back, helping her spring up amid the absence of solid floor.

"Miss Kurenai, you're fading away! Yakumo!" Fū jabbed her finger at the girl. "You're going to fix Miss Kurenai right now! I mean it!"

The insects swirled up and away, the palette knife picked clean of paint. Growling, Yakumo turned on the Waterfall kunoichi with all of her frustration. All of her anger and hatred and hurt.

"Stay out of this, Fū. She plotted to eliminate my family. This is just punishment."

"Miss Kurenai didn't have anything to do with your parents dying. Listen, I know you're mad at her for Sealing away your powers. You're both suffering because of it, but Miss Kurenai didn't have any other options left. She was trying her very best to protect you!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Miss Kurenai was forbidden from telling you the truth, so was Mister Unkai; he told me everything about what happened, why the Third Hokage forbade you from knowing, and I get it. He was trying to protect you, too. In a stupid way. But still. They were all sworn to secrecy, but I'm not bound by any promises like that.

"The fire that killed your parents wasn't caused by Miss Kurenai or Lord Third or anyone else. It's because of that thing!"

Fū pointed at one of the floating portraits depicting a dark, shadowy figure stabbing a white blade of light through Amari's chest.

"That really creepy monster is the one who started the fire. It's inside you right now but we're gonna exercise it or something. Or was it exorcise? Uh, anyway, I'm here to kick it's butt, so c'mon out you creepy monster!" she commanded, raising her fists as she hovered on fluttering insect wings. "I'll show you why you shouldn't mess with my friends!"

Blunt as always, Kurenai mused.

The palette knife fell from Yakumo's hand, crashing dully on the wooden floor she operated on. She pressed her hands against her temples, breaths becoming quick and sharp. Kurenai felt a terrible unease churn in her heart, she felt something akin to insects crawling beneath her skin.

The talons were gone, the lock containing Yakumo's memories broken. Now they had no choice but to face the specter head-on.

From the many floating portraits, one painted entirely black suddenly fell and crashed upon the floor beside Yakumo. Her student gasped.

"There's…something. I'm remembering something. It's deep in the back of my mind. What is it?" she asked, voice trembling. "I can't…remember."

Kurenai narrowed her eyes. The black paint was slowly melting off the canvas in thick globs resembling mud or slow moving, cooled lava.

Is that where it's been hiding itself?

She tried to move what little of herself remained. It was to no avail. Gritting her teeth, she turned her head and said, "Fū, destroy that portrait before it's too late."

"Oh, uh, right!"

Thick mud-like arms, colored blue, suddenly emerged behind Fū from the infinite and intangible dimension they occupied. In an instant they secured the kunoichi in a nelson hold, fusing its hands behind her neck, restraining her.

"Hey! Let go! Let go!" she shouted, thrashing against the hold. "That's totally not fair! Mister Unkai didn't mention anything about this!"

"Fū!" Kurenai cried out.

"Darn it! If you think this is gonna be enough to stop me and Chōmei, you've got another thing coming, you creepy monster!"

Beneath the black paint a portrait of Yakumo's family home was revealed. It was burning, the inferno pouring out of windows, covering the walls and roof and towering into the sky with dreadful magnificence. Just as it had that day. Outside of the blazing structure, back facing the viewer, appearing so small and insignificant to the enormity of dreadfulness before her, was Yakumo.

The terrible unease in her heart intensified. She was sweating, and it was cold. Chilling her to the bone.

"I…I remember now," Yakumo gasped. "I- it was me! The thing inside of me destroyed my mother and father that day. My own genjutsu killed my parents!"

"You're wrong, Yakumo!" Kurenai declared desperately, sensing the immeasurable guilt and anguish blossom within her student. They'd left the wound to fester on its own for too long. Now the truth, once a medicine, was killing her student as it killed the infection.

She couldn't let that happen. She couldn't let their ignorant mistake destroy her student.

"That thing isn't you," she tried to assure. "You and that monster are two different beings!"

"I… I wish that were true." Yakumo picked her palette knife off the floor. "But that thing lives inside my heart. It's apart of me. And if I don't stop it now…"

"Hey, wait a minute, Yakumo!" Fū panicked. "Don't do something crazy! Listen to Miss Kurenai!"

Kurenai was fighting to break free of suspension, trying to thrash with limbs and a body she no longer possessed.

It was to no avail.

"Thank you, Sensei, for everything you tried."

Tears dripped off Yakumo's chin. She placed the palette knife over her heart.

"No, stop!" Kurenai cried out.

"Rrrrgghhhh!"

Fū's furious roar was followed by a clamor of destruction, then a surge of power that didn't sting her senses, but stabbed them with incandescent blades. Finally a shockwave whipped past the Genjutsu Master in a razor sharp gale.

Craning her neck around, her bewildered eyes fell upon a bubbling red cloak of dense chakra, matched with two tails; a small horn of chakra, mirroring a rhinoceros beetle, formed from the cloak behind the back of Fū's head; two extra horns emerged over her shoulders.

At the same time, a self-portrait of Yakumo fell from the orbiting portraits, hovering in front of the girl. The arm of the portrait suddenly stretched out of the two-dimensional canvas, becoming a three-dimensional limb, snatching Yakumo by the wrist and forcing her to drop the palette knife.

"Why?" the portrait, lips moving, asked in a guttural voice that was almost inhuman and unintelligible. "Why do you do this to yourself when you are not to blame? The one's who must be crushed are those who imposed such a heavy burden on your psyche. Those who tried to get rid of me just as you are reaching your full potent—"

Kurenai blinked. She felt a sudden surge of power rush past, whipping her wild hair about.

When her eyes opened again Fū was already at the portrait, hand snatching the extended arm of the specter, orange eyes and chakra blazing hotter than a thousand suns. Blazing with savage rage she had never sensed within the child before.

"Yakumo, you idiot," she snarled. "Trying to kill yourself like that, right in front of Miss Kurenai when she's helpless to stop you…"

Then, with seemingly no effort at all, she yanked a creature straight out of the portrait and slammed it onto the wooden floor. It cratered beneath the creature's body. Splinters flew through the air, but it did not obscure the bared teeth and harsh expression on the Waterfall kunoichi's face.

"And it's your fault, you stupid monster!"

The bipedal creature she pulled free resembled a human of slate complexion at a glance. Upon closer inspection the hideous nature of the monster couldn't be ignored.

Two matching horns protruded from its temples, its brown eyes were settled on a grey sclera. It's mouth, home to sharp fangs, was longer than natural, reminiscent of a perpetually snarling wolf; it's canine teeth in particular were exceptional in length, extending past her chin. The talons that had been clawing at Kurenai were on full display, attached to hands and feet which were closer to bear paws. It's hair and attire matched Yakumo's.

Crack!

The creature's head twisted one hundred and eighty degrees. It stared at the kunoichi, malevolence in its eyes.

Crack-crack-crack-crack!

Shoulders, elbows, hands, torso, pelvis, knees, and feet bent, twisted, cracking unnaturally. Within a breath the creature was settled on three limbs, paw-like hand gripped around Fū's wrist. The kunoichi recoiled slightly, expression twisted by disgust.

An inhuman, guttural gurgle crawled out of the creature's throat. It pounced at Fū, swiping its other paw for the young girl's jugular.

Fū released its wrist. On insect wings she flitted out of range of the swiping paw, then dashed in as it landed, spinning a full three hundred and sixty degrees. Two chakra tails crashed into the specter's physical body, flattening the creature against the floor. A cascading shockwave ripped through the pocket dimension, stinging the skin and senses of all those present.

The tails appeared to smash the specter's head through the wood. It was only an illusion, however. The specter's head emerged from thin air above Fū's neck, as though peering through a window.

"Fū, behind you!" Kurenai warned.

The kunoichi flitted away, but it was too late. Sharp fangs pierced through the boiling chakra cloak and extracted a chunk of flesh and fabric from Fū's left shoulder.

Hissing, the Waterfall kunoichi spun around, darted in, and smashed her foot into the demonic face hovering in space. It groaned as its head was absorbed into the dimension, vanishing.

Suddenly the specter's body ejected off the floor, thrown vertical through the dimension by Fū's powerful kick. It whipped end over end with its head attached once more. Then, just as suddenly, it halted and righted itself, hovering over them.

"How do you have any power in this dimension?" it wheezed in a voice that made nails on a chalkboard appealing.

"Because I have the ultimate tag team partner. And we're gonna punch you, and kick you, and crush you into little itty bitty pieces so Yakumo never has to be afraid of you again!"

The specter narrowed its eyes. "You're in my way."

"You're the one that's in the way!" she snarled. Then threw her arm out. "So get lost already!"

A cloud of black insects swirled around the specter, landing upon its robe and skin. It eyed the insects with disinterest, then dematerialized.

It reemerged from the floor, right in front of Fū, taloned paw swiping at her abdomen; it wanted to spill her guts over the floor, it wanted—needed—her dead to completely take over Yakumo.

Fū evaded. She caught it by the arm and spun through the air, growling as she yanked it out of the floor and tried to slam it into the ground all over again.

The creature sank through and emerged behind her, leaping out of nothingness and smashing its taloned paws into the kunoichi's back. She whistled into the void, crashing and bouncing off an invisible wall.

The cloud of insects retreated to the door, likely to inform Shino of the specter's abilities.

Recovering quickly, the chakra tails elongated, spearing through the air for the specter. Whether at Fū's command or Chōmei's, Kurenai couldn't say.

"Sen- Sensei, what is this thing?" Yakumo asked, voice and body trembling.

"This ghastly specter," Kurenai began, feeling a bead of sweat glide down her cheek, "crept into a fracture within a corner of your mind, and there it nourished itself off of your doubts, your fears, your anger, and your envy. It has absorbed all of your emotional pain into its body for years now until, finally, it has gained enough strength to break free of the Curse Sealing. It's even stronger now than it was in our last encounter."

Far stronger. And it was still gaining strength, still nourishing itself and expanding into a beast of unimaginable power. One capable of fulfilling the grim destruction of the Leaf they had all witnessed within the genjutsu.

The specter evaded the first tail, but was struck by the second, speared into the ground with enough force to shatter human bones. For this monstrosity it was a trifle to weather. They were trapped in its domain here, it controlled everything as it reaped the nutrients of Yakumo's continued suffering.

Although Fū and Chōmei are powerful, capable of physically striking the monster even here in its domain, they are just as powerless as I was last time.

They couldn't defeat it. Not in a physical battle.

"Your…last encounter?" Yakumo questioned.

"Yes. Do you remember those instances when I explored your psyche?"

"Ye- yes. You never really explained why. Wa- wait, you were…"

"The Third Hokage never ordered me to eliminate you, Yakumo," Kurenai said, finally able to speak freely. "He ordered me to kill this specter. Yet despite my best efforts, I was unable to do so. Because of my failure it was decided that our best chance to keep you safe and the specter locked away was to use the Curse Sealing technique to Seal it and all of your power away."

Seeing the specter now… It was a bad joke. Claiming they'd acted for Yakumo's safety by leaving this monster inside her, by lying to her instead of aiding her in confronting it—they were ignorant buffoons. Unmitigated idiots of the highest degree.

The higher-ups in the Leaf and the Kurama Clan, they had hoped to bury the specter and its threat in an unmarked grave, hoping no one would ever excavate the area. They hoped they could bury it out of sight and out of mind, then they could go on with their lives peacefully, whistling a tune as they isolated a child, locked her away and tossed the key.

What fools they all were. And she was among them. She was just as foolish, just as pathetic, just as weak as the others for hiding the truth from Yakumo. To go against her better instincts like a good soldier and banish the child's powers, as ordered, rather than help her confront the monster that lay within her.

Her weakness led to this. It was because of her that Fū was now fighting against a specter capable of weathering even the power of a two-tailed Tailed-Beast Chakra Cloak.

It was her failure that caused Yakumo to suffer so much, feeding the monster, nourishing it with her pain and resentment.

Now she was here, half erased, suspended in space and unable to utilize any techniques to combat the specter. Unable to do anything except watch her student tremble in fear and Fū fight for her life.

This is like the Akatsuki Incident all over again, she thought, gritting her teeth. Once again I'm forced to stand back and watch as someone I care about needs me.

She was utterly pathetic.

Fū, flitting about like a hummingbird, struck the specter with a heavy fist to the abdomen, knocking it into the air at a diagonal, then raced around it and kicked it in the spine, juggling it higher. And higher. Kicking, punching, kicking, ascending in the infinite space of the dimension.

Growling, she whipped around and struck with both tails, then flitted swiftly after the creature whistling through the air, dashing rising above it, spinning a somersault and slamming her heel and tails into its abdomen.

The specter plummeted like a falling stone. Then it fell through the void, vanishing from sight.

Fū hovered in place, spinning around slowly. Her narrowed eyes flicked side to side, chakra tails swishing. The specter appeared behind her as though hanging halfway out of a door. It opened its fanged mouth and expelled a vast swath of blue fire.

In an instant Fū was diving for the floor at a sharp diagonal, but a pawed fist suddenly emerged out of the dimension beside her. It caught her in the cheek. She spun through the air sideways, where the specter appeared again to drive a knee into her abdomen and shoot her towards the stream of blue fire.

Gasping with wide eyes, spittle flying from her lips, the Waterfall kunoichi whistled backwards through the inferno. The specter appeared behind her again, kicking the kunoichi face first through the fire and crashing into the floor. She bounced on the floor, rolled to the side, and sprang up to fly away; small blue tongues flickered on her chakra cloak and skin.

This isn't a battle she or I can win, Kurenai thought. It was foolish of all of us involved with Yakumo to believe we could defeat this specter alone. This battle wasn't meant for us to win. We were meant to play support roles for the one who must fight this battle.

"Yakumo, Fū and I cannot defeat this specter," she began, trying to reach through to her trembling student. "You're the only one here with the power to destroy it."

Yakumo, hunched forward, clutching her head with her hands, inhaled a sharp breath.

"Please, listen to me," Kurenai pleaded. "Every single one of us has a fanged beast hidden in the depths of our mind. It lies there, waiting in the dark reaches of a person's soul, and it appears at our lowest moment. It doesn't matter how strong you think you are, when the beast comes, it is impossible to control. You could even end up hurting those closest to you."

Black, demonic chakra flashed through her mind, shrouding and lashing around the hatred filled form of her daughter. She wasn't able to save Amari then, she couldn't stop her from becoming that person without light. Without love. Someone consumed by the deepest and darkest of hatreds, anguish, and suffering. Even if only briefly.

This time, she swore, would be different.

"These demons lie even within the purest of hearts," she said. Her eyes flicked to Fū, who was dodging her head around the fast strikes of the specter. "However, if they can be tamed, reined in with the strength of your Will, it can become a magnificent power. It can even make your dreams reality!"

Gasping, Yakumo turned around in her chair to look at Kurenai. She was wide-eyed and afraid, her chakra, like her body, was trembling with uncertainty and fear. For the first time since Sealing her power away, Yakumo was looking to her without bitter hate and coldness. She was looking for guidance. For the support she desperately needed.

"Now, you must fight it," Kurenai said firmly. "Obliterate the darkness that your own mind created!"

"But I- I don't know how!" Yakumo panicked, turning back to look at her portrait and tools, trying to find something to help. A weapon. A tool. Anything she could wield against such a powerful monstrosity. She spotted her palette knife lying on the floor.

"Yakumo, you already have the power to defeat it. I know you can do this. Now, put this fanged beast to rest, once and for all!"

"Ri- right!"

Snatching her palette knife off the ground, Yakumo rose out of her chair and dashed the specter.

At the same time, Fū was springing off her two-tails of chakra like a kangaroo to kick the specter with both feet. It shot away, skidding on its taloned paws to a halt, with its back to her student.

"Puny insect of mortal flesh and blood," it wheezed. "Soon I will be free. You cannot hope to stop—"

Yakumo's hand pressed against its shoulder, drawing a startled gasp from beast. It stilled. Yakumo vaulted over the specter. As she came down on the other side, looking eye to eye with the darkness her mind created, she stabbed her palette knife right in the center of its forehead.

The specter wheezed horribly, then gurgled inhumanly. It stumbled awkwardly backwards. Yakumo was panting heavily.

"Bu- but why? I did my best to serve you," it's strange, inhuman voice wheezed, it almost sounded like it was crying. It collapsed to its knees, bracing itself on its paw-like hands. "I only wanted what was best for you."

"Liar," Fū snarled, glaring at the monster. "Friends don't try to manipulate and use their friends, they don't drag them into the darkness and make them want to die! No way, you're not a friend, you're not even a partner. Yakumo doesn't need someone like you. She has Miss Kurenai and me, and I'm going to introduce her to other friends she can count on. So get lost already."

White light split the specters face down the center, cracking the hard shell open to reveal a featureless dark purple miasma with glowing red eyes. It howled and screeched as the miasmic head expanded into the space of the dimension until, like a balloon with too much air, it popped into purple and black ink.

Panting, Yakumo weaved several handseals and a ribbon of whitish-blue light surrounded Kurenai's body. The parts of her that were erased returned, and with them the sensations she had lost in their absence; she landed on the wooden floor, released from suspension, and grateful for it.

Kurenai exhaled a short, relieved sigh. To borrow Amari's favorite phrase, dying like that would've been troublesome. To put it mildly.

Fū's chakra cloak vanished and the happy-go-lucky girl rose out of a defensive stance, beaming despite the burns on her skin.

"Phew! That was a close one! It sure is awesome to see you whole again, Miss Kurenai."

"I owe it to both of you— Yakumo!"

Yakumo stumbled a step, then collapsed. The Genjutsu Master caught her student before she struck the ground, kneeling down and cradling the young girl in her lap. She was pale and sweaty, visibly drained and breathing heavily; without training of any kind, what progress they made in strengthening her once frail body had completely reverted.

"Kurenai…Sensei…" Yakumo murmured.

"You were incredible, Yakumo. You managed to defeat the darkness within your soul."

"Oh, Sensei…"

Her student's eyes fell shut.

Don't worry, Yakumo, I'll protect you now. Like I was meant to.

---

Although her burned skin stung a whole bunch and her shoulder throbbed, Fū couldn't help but smile at the happy reunion.

Looks like we pulled it off, Chōmei. Thanks a ton. Your power really saved my skin back ther—

Melting paint snapped the kunoichi's eyes to the floating portraits orbiting them in the pocket dimension.

Did that creepy monster want another round? If so, she'd kick its butt all over again!

Fū prepared to spring at the portrait. Then paused as her eyes fell upon the painting of Kurenai being pierced by a white light straight through her heart—it was the fastest melting. The black ink splattered onto the wooden floor they stood and kneeled upon.

No demon or monster appeared. The gruesome image was stripped away, revealing a angelic portrait of Kurenai. The woman, whose silhouette shimmered with an ethereal golden light, as though truly a being from the heavens, was smiling while dressed in a dove white billowing cloak. She cradled a sleeping Yakumo in her arms.

Similar angelic and beautiful portraits of Kurenai emerged from beneath the dark depictions of death.

Fū's eyes flitted to the other portraits. She spotted the melting image of Amari being pierced by the jagged blade of light by the grinning dark figure, and the kunoichi smiled warmly at what was revealed.

Yakumo and Amari nearly resting their foreheads together as they giggled and held hands. A small title in the corner of the portrait read:

Our First Meeting

(I hope)

As the other portraits melted they revealed other hopeful depictions of their friendship, of the pair training together, of Yakumo acting like an older sibling in familial depictions of Amari, Kurenai, and herself.

There was one of Amari, Hinata, and Yakumo sitting together for a picnic as Kurenai appeared to be joining them titled:

Sensei and My Sister Students

As the pocket dimension of genjutsu faded for an empty room inside the villa, the portraits clattered to the floor around them. Golden rays of sunlight burst through the open shades.

"I believe, deep down, Yakumo knew all along who was trying to save her," Chōmei said.

Yeah, Fū agreed. And she totally wanted to be Amari's friend.

"Guess that falls to us to introduce them, huh?"

Hehe, yep! And we have to introduce her to Karin, too. We'll do what Amari did for us, we'll reach out to Yakumo and totally become best friends. We'll be people she can rely on.

Chōmei chuckled a deep and warm chuckle. "Shibuki would be proud of you."

Fū paused. Her lips trembled for a moment, but then twisted into a smile.

Thanks, Chōmei, she thought warmly.

"Anytime. We're the ultimate tag team, right?"

Hehe. Yeah!

"Sensei!" Kiba's shout was almost drowned out by the double-doors bursting open.

Shino and Mimi were right behind him. The Inuzuka kunoichi paused halfway, redirecting to Fū, but she quickly assured Mimi she would be okay and asked for Yakumo to be taken care of first.

"I heal super fast, so don't worry about me," she said.

"I'll take a look at Yakumo, then we'll handle your wounds," Mimi decided.

Kiba and Shino sat or stood beside their Sensei, checking on her and Yakumo as Mimi kneeled to examine their sibling student. Fū placed her hands on her hips and smiled.

You'll be all right, Yakumo, don't worry. You have friends and sibling students to count on now. We'll be there for you, no matter what.

Fū looked off to the window and the sun shining beyond.

I mean, that's what friends are for, right, Shibuki?