DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything from the Naruto universe.

Thinking (+ flashbacks, "Mito speaking to the Kyuubi in her mindscape," etc.)

Emphasis

Bijuu, etc. speaking

Bijuu, etc. thinking

"Know, my ancestors, that the storm is near. Let the waters carry you where the light cannot."

Mito couldn't leave the now unlocked and somewhat open Uzushio right away and, fortunately, the Kyuubi agreed with her in continuing to quickly gather everything that she could from her mother's birthplace.

"To make you stronger. You'll NEED to be stronger to face him!"

Kyuubi-sama had told her that his brother, Isobu, had been in a partnership with Yagura - meaning that he was something Mito had only heard of one person being: Killer Bee of Kumo, a so-called "perfect jinchuuriki." Potentially fighting the Mizukage might be almost impossible without the Kyuubi's strength, and that was aside from Obito who had almost defeated her father.

"We will free Isobu from his prisons: the one the Uchiha has caged him in as well as from the Mizukage. Only then will I aid you!"

In agreement - although refusing to quite sell her soul to the fox: she would, after all, free him before she died - the Kyuubi was gifting her using his natural fire affinity although he refused to fully partner with her.

Ha. She couldn't even count how many times and in how many ways he'd told her he hated her lately, although there wasn't an awful lot of venom in his words. And to think: before all of this, I thought we were getting somewhere.

The fox's power was nearly overwhelming for someone who had water and wind chakra. Training with him daily - although he'd probably never, ever call it that - along with having her clones tattoo more seals on her body so that she could better carry everything, Mito was constantly exhausted. Every night, though, she tried to locate Obito and wondered if she was fooling herself by thinking the chakra signature that was flickering on the edge of her senses was really his.

But it is him. And that was a start. So far, Obito wasn't moving.

She needed to infiltrate Water Country and would need an in. Mito had to assume that her father was okay with the "plan" she'd sent him since she hadn't heard anything back from him.

Her message to him had been short and to the point!

"I've detected Obito in Water Country; probably Kiri. I'm going after him."

S-class Uchiha Obito was a "target" that every Konohan shinobi knew. Mito figured that he'd probably changed his appearance if he was smart, but she'd NEVER forget the chakra signature of the person who'd attacked her family and what was supposed to finally be her home.

The "Obito-kun" she had been teamed with during the Chunin Exams was dead to her. How he'd managed to survive didn't matter; his goals didn't matter: she was determined to send him straight to hell where she knew in her heart he belonged.

Rin-chan and I were so, so wrong about him. Poor Rin.

When she was finally ready to leave, Mito knew that she first had to do something about her hair. It was too recognizable and as the Head of the Uzumaki Clan, she couldn't cut it. The length of her hair was a symbol of her heritage and prowess. Unfortunately, the hood attached to her old fox mask wouldn't cover it all up, even if she tied it. People in Water Country had a wide variety of hair colors and unsurprisingly, she'd been unable to find hair color in Uzushio.

Those from Uzushio - her family that had been the victims of genocide - had been incredibly proud of their red hair.

Plus the hood on my mask had always been so hot.

Concentrating on the closest Hiraishin marker she slumped. There were shinobis there: it seemed her father's guard might be waiting for her, along with a few others, including Asuma.

That just wouldn't do! She would not be potentially tied down in the village while her mother's killer/the shinobi who had attacked Konoha was so close by!

"She's late," Genma said about the young woman who had once unceremoniously kicked and then thrown his ass a second time out of the Hokage's office window as he rolled his senbon in his mouth late one night.

"Think she's gone rogue?" Iwashi asked. He was just as bored with waiting for the Hokage's daughter as anyone but remembered how damn scary and strong she was even after she'd suffered that attack.

Raido scoffed at them. "Don't say that. It would break Hokage-sama's heart!"

"If she's such a good sensor, she probably knows we're here," Genma said worriedly as he looked over the water toward Uzushio. It wasn't that far away but Hokage-sama had warned them not to try to enter or even approach the island.

Asuma ambled up and volunteered to take the first watch. "She's not a rogue. Mito will always be loyal to Konoha." He was worried about her, though. He knew that Mito had sent a message to Hokage-sama because he'd seen her giant-ass tiger scaring the hell out of everyone as it strolled through the village, sampling shocked citizens' foods right out from under them. That tiger was cool and laid back as hell but his size and teeth were terrifying. I wonder if he's really as into dango as they say. Sadly, Mito's summons had dispelled himself before Asuma had a chance to question him about anything.

Yondaime-sama had nearly lost his shit when he realized that Mito wasn't with him when he'd returned to the village with Sora. The Hokage had given his daughter until the first of the month to get back to Konoha as ordered but had sent an arrival party to "subdue" her if she didn't agree to come willingly. And now she was late.

Yeah, right. 'Rotsa ruck' to us if we're forced to try to take her down!

"No offense, but why doesn't Hokage-sama have a marker on her?"

Asuma closed his eyes, remembering exactly why she didn't have that Hiraishin marker on her body anymore. After the earlier one had been "removed," Mito refused to let her father "brand" her again. She'd begged him not to… Kami: that had been a horrible thing to see: both the wound on her back and the begging before he left. —Not to mention that she was willing to literally fight the Yellow Flash over it. "She just doesn't. Get some sleep, guys."

.

Mito winced as the panther she was riding/sitting on appeared, seemingly out-of-nowhere, behind a treeline in the Land of Hot Water. Traveling through the summoning dimension and back thoroughly sucked. It was migraine-inducing!

But it is fast! The panther could definitely get her from Point A to Point B when Point B didn't have a Hiraishin marker nearby.

"Are you going to do something stupid?" the panther had the nerve to ask as she hopped off of him.

"No," Mito drawled out, feeling irritated for a couple of reasons. "I told you what my plan was… Do you want to hide here while I go shopping?"

"Nah. I'm gonna get something to eat."

Mito internally winced but agreed to meet him an hour later or sooner if she signaled him. News of a horse-sized black panther who would no doubt be stealing all of the Cheetos in Yugakure was definitely going to get out, especially since HE was here. Oh well. It wasn't as if she was NECESSARILY hiding from her father! And it was quite surprising that she hadn't received a message back from him that gave her further instructions.

- Not that she had been willing to ask those Konoha shinobis that seemed to be waiting for her about that.

Minato was unable to get a toad into Uzushio and was afraid that having one show up in an unallied country would give his daughter away. He was - at that very moment - (oddly enough) praying for another big cat to come his way, even if it did cause another uproar in Konoha. He had asked the tiger that messaged him to get right back to him, (and to bring his daughter home,) but neither he nor Mito knew just how unmotivated and forgetful that tiger, Tora, could be.

Mito was already henged with her chakra TIGHTLY coiled, the Kyuubi's hidden by an experimental seal, as she walked toward town. She could feel her godfather's chakra in (or near: she didn't want to think about what he might be doing there) one of the country's very famous hot springs. She only needed to pick up some supplies: hair color, especially, and then she would be on her way to Water Country. The cats had agreed to transport her there, excited about what "delicacies" (i.e., junk food) they could feast on in yet another country.

Once inside a general store, Mito shopped for hair products. Sadly, the store didn't have a color that she felt would cover the blood-red of some of her hair other than… purple. As she cashed out, she closed her eyes when he entered the store seemingly drunk but NOT - and moved to make one more purchase.

For a few seconds, Jiraiya observed the pretty young woman with lackluster brown hair and stressed eyes. She was a ninja and had on a henge: that he could tell, but he had one on, too. There was something familiar about her but when she asked the clerk for one of his novels behind the counter he figured that he had met her during a book signing.

It's too bad he was henged! Otherwise, he could've given her the joy and surprise of a lifetime: meeting the world's greatest author, the Gallant Jiraiya-sama!

When he heard screams outside he quickly left the shop and ran down the street to investigate. The commotion was being caused by… one of Mito's summons? A giant fucking panther?! He quickly looked around, paling when he wondered if the girl inside the store was…

NAH! Mito already had all of his books! She was one of his editors - his best (and least-paid) one! There was no reason for her to buy a copy of Icha-Icha Violence unless…

She was trying to trick me!

Jiraiya skidded back into the little shop. "MITO!"

Mito was already gone.

Of course, that was the perfect time for a toad to appear next to Jiraiya, making him wince and bend over to hang on to his knees. "Yeah?" he said in a deep, disgruntled voice.

"Minato-sama wants to see you right away."

"Of course he does," Jiraiya groaned and rubbed his eyes. Mito shouldn't be in Yugakure; she was supposed to be back in Konoha by now. Maybe there was another jungle cat summoner? Was he dumb enough to hope that there was another one?

Yes, he decided that he would be that dumb and hopeful today.

"I need you to find my errant daughter," Minato said as soon as Jiraiya hopped into his office window two days later. The Hokage looked worried. "And what took you so long to get here?"

"I was… doing some investigating."

"Were you now? Did anything come of it?" Jiraiya only shook his head 'no' as he continued averting his gaze, looking more and more guilty, Minato felt.

"Mito was supposed to come back to Konoha with Sarutobi Asuma and Senju Sora but is Out Chasing Obito-kun!" Minato glared at his sensei whose eyes were darting everywhere while he grimaced and began to sweat. Minato rudely pointed his finger at him. "AH-HA! You DID know who your father is – and that you have a grandchild! And what else do you know?!"

"Fucking hell," Jiraiya moaned, collapsing on the couch across from the big desk. "Yes, I knew that Lord Second was my father. Did Tsunade or your brat tell you about the kid? –And what's this about Mito chasing Obito? …Is Obito in Hot Water Country?!"

"What?" Minato rubbed his hands over the stubble on his cheeks, longing for Mito to behave herself - and for a good night's sleep. "No! Mito thinks Obito's in Water Country. Your grandson, Senju Sora-kun, has joined the Academy with Naruto: that was a mess…"

"You're not referring to him as a Senju, are you?!"

"Of course not, but what do you want to do with him, sensei? I need you to decide quickly because I really need to learn what Mito's found and bring her back."

Jiraiya had been thinking about the family thing long and hard since learning he had a son and grandson from Tsunade. Immediately following her reluctant news, he'd found out that Kazuma had turned traitor to the Daimyo, had taken his goddaughter, and –well, he didn't like to think about that. He shook his head bitterly, wishing that he'd either known about Kazuma earlier when he could've made a difference in his life or had never learned about him at all. But there was little Sora to think about… "I think I ran into Mito in Yugakure."

Minato's confusion was written all over his face but it took him several seconds to speak. "You didn't think to bring her back with you?!"

"I didn't know it was her - and she got away spectacularly quickly!"

Minato groaned again as he leaned over his desk, softly pounding his forehead and hitai-ate into it a few times. "She's good at that," he mourned.

"She got away scot-free! The only thing I know is that she bought purple hair dye - and one of my books." He ignored Minato's sissy-boy/horrified-father gasp. "I verified it with the shopkeeper; well, at least the gal I think was Mito bought purple hair-dye. –Their entire stock of it."

"Why do you not know if it was her?"

"She was henged and the Kyuubi's chakra was suppressed: I didn't feel it at all. But there was a giant-ass black panther devouring snacks at a nearby store."

Minato began quickly writing out orders. "Last I heard, she was the only one with that summoning contract." He summoned toads to send messages to a few teams that had been looking or waiting for her. "Mito isn't strong enough to handle Obito on her own."

"Mito's too smart to try if she's not," Jiraiya said, having thought about this for years. He knew how much Mito wanted to go after the man who had taken her mother away from her. "And I think you're underestimating her."

"Her top Hiraishin speed is a Level 2 and moving that fast takes a lot out of her."

Jiraiya wiped his lips as he thought about what to say, knowing that Minato had received reports on Mito's impressive skills. "Level 2's difficult for her because she uses the Hiraishin in conjunction with seals and her chains. Her fuuinjutsu is quite good - the only knowledge she's really missing is juinjutsu."

"Absolutely not: she is not getting into that."

Jiraiya rolled his eyes but decided not to presently argue that. "Her Adamantine chains - I know you haven't seen them in a long time, Minato, but she's woven them into something much larger and has nearly full control of them now. And she is TOUGH. …After what happened at the Capitol years ago? She deserved what was easily an A-ranking back then and has only grown since. She deserves that S-rank Kumo put on her."

Minato frowned, biting his thumbnail in a sign of nerves, as he looked out the window after sending the toads away.

Jiraiya looked at Minato and really felt for him. –And for his goddaughter. "You know that she's afraid of what happened with Sora happening to Naruto."

Minato had guessed that. Sora didn't remember being hit with Mito's chains, he was nearly sure - but it made sense that his daughter would want to avoid anything like that happening again, especially to her little brother. That didn't mean that she could simply avoid them and run after S-ranks, though! "I'm sure Obito has grown, too. … There are not many people who could take him on."

"She'll follow orders," Jiraiya assured him. "Send her a missive: let her gather intel on him. You'll at least find out where she is. Give her a little more time to get the Kyuubi under control."

Minato scoffed.

.

After Hiraishining back to Uzushio and re-summoning her panther partner, Mito dyed her hair and was ready to leave the following day. "Alright, buddy," she said to her summons as she showed him a map. She didn't see the odd look the panther gave her for that nickname and continued, pointing out the nearest island in Water Country, proper, that she could barely sense any life in. "I think this would be a good stop, but I don't know the topography or anything –and need to lay low."

"We'll figure it out," the panther said in a bored voice. "Hop on." As soon as he felt Mito's weight on his back - the human was clutching his neck but not grabbing his fur as she once tried to do - he dimension-hopped to the island that had once been known as "Shi no Bichi:" Death Beach. Once upon a time, it had been a popular spot for pirates. He sent chakra to block his nose but could still taste all of the very recent death around him.

Mito came upon a scene of carnage. "Holy shit," she drawled and looked around in horror. Ships were wrecked out in the harbor and there was hardly any life present. She made a bunch of clones and began digging through bodies and debris, hoping to save anyone she could.

"Isobu has been here."

Mito's fuzzy internal associate hadn't needed to tell her that! Bijuu chakra and death were stinking up the air. She closed her eyes for a second, remembering that her father had designed the Rasengan based on what he called a bijuu bomb. "Did Kaa-chan ever make one? –I'm guessing that's what you mean, right? Can I make a bijuu bomb?" The Kyuubi didn't answer her. She knelt down and began healing a seriously wounded boy while her clones kept searching for survivors.

Later that night…

"Interesting physiology you've got there, kid," Mito said before offering the kid one of her waterskins and carefully helping him drink from it. Today had been a shitshow; she'd been unable to save anyone but him. "You're lucky I'm a quick study."

It took the boy a while to respond. The first thing he checked was to see if his sword had been stolen. He pursed his lips when he realized that he couldn't even FEEL Samehada but the Helmet Splitter was fairly close by. The purple-haired woman with the mask next to him had been stupid enough to leave it unsealed and within reach - well, as long as he turned into his water form. He greedily drank up the water she offered as he studied her appearance.

He was sure that she was a Jonin, or had Jonin-level chakra at least. She had on non-descript dark but close-fitting clothes made of durable material. Combat-style boots that went up over the front of her knees provided extra protection. He watched as she took off the large scroll that was on her back.

He refused to care that underneath her mask, she had absolutely gorgeous eyes with long, long lashes. "Who are you?"

"Who am I? I think the question is 'who are you?' …Although I have some ideas." The boy's eyes gave him away and she grinned at him. He may have glared at her, but there was a split-second of worry beforehand.

"Sweet lady! It seems you have me at a disadvantage." A downed kunoichi next to him groaned and Magnetsu realized that his captor must have healed both of them.

"If you were ten years older I might have found that interesting, Hozuki….. You were about to die when me and my little friend here, happened upon you." Mito smirked when the kid finally noticed the leopard sleeping behind her at the fireside. "You've got a Kekkei-Genkai and that means you're fighting against Yagura." It was best not to add the honorific when dealing with a rebel, she thought.

The purple-eyed kid glared at her. "What do you know?"

"You're a Hozuki: like I said. Your physiology is unique. Plus you've got the teeth…" She tapped her mask where her own teeth were hidden.

"You should've thought more before you healed me, kunoichi!" Mangetsu tried to liquify to grab Jinin's sword but couldn't move. He closed his eyes in frustration.

"Not too bright, are ya? I shoulda known that just from how you filed your teeth. …I don't care if it's a swordsman thing or not," she scolded. "Do you not know that even if it was a medical professional that filed your teeth - say, to fill a cavity? Well, even then there would be a risk of infection and damage and I doubt that a professional did your work. When teeth are filed, bacteria can get in and cause more tooth decay and infection. Yet here you are, having filed your own damn teeth. Did you know…"

Mangetsu was proud but knew when he was at a disadvantage. Still, he wanted this weird woman to stop giving him crap about his sharp teeth. Maybe if I had a little more water I could take her? "Would you please shut up?"

"Oh, sorry," she replied, surprising him as she grabbed a piece of her long hair and looked away.

Realizing that the downed Mist kunoichi next to him was an unknown ally, considering her attire, Mangetsu kept his guard up - not realizing that she was actually one of Mito's disguised clones. "What are you doing here?"

Mito grimaced behind her mask, realizing that she had been close to a full-on tangent about teeth of all things. "That's a long story. How are you feeling?"

"I can't move, but otherwise I feel pretty okay. …Considering that I thought I was dead," he grinned as widely as he could.

"You nearly were! …I want to tell you a story."

"I'm not a kid - and I just woke up! – It's not bedtime!"

Mito almost laughed. One of the seven swordsmen and joking or not, Hozuki WAS a kid and probably somewhere between her and Naruto's age. "I want to join the rebellion as a healer. Temporarily."

"Wh - why?" Mangetsu asked in a long drawl, his upper lip curling and showing off his shark-like teeth again. "Who the hell are you and why would I believe that?" He tried to remember what had gotten him into his currently weakened state. He figured he must have gotten banged on the head at some point.

"I'm after a guy named Uchiha Obito. He's in Kiri, I think. Well, he's DEFINITELY in Water Country but I think he's in Kiri, considering the population there."

"The guy that attacked the Leaf?" Mangetsu knew that the Uchiha had the highest bounty in the Bingo Books, outside of Iwa's constant entry of the Yondaime Hokage in theirs - something old Onoki really needed to give up on.

It was no wonder she was here, then. And she must have a team nearby. "You're a hunter?"

"No, I'm a medic. A frontline medic - well. Aside from the slug-thing." Yeah, she didn't have her Strength of a Hundred Seal anymore, but she'd dare even Tsunade-baa-chan to say she wasn't a front-liner. Maybe.

Okay, so she wouldn't. Sue her! –Her godmother was scary.

Mangetsu gave his captor a long look. Other than the kunoichi beside him, no one… wait. "You haven't even said who you are. And where are my comrades?"

"It would be dangerous for me to tell you who I am," Mito said honestly. "Just call me Fox. And… you're the only survivor. Survivors," she corrected, looking at her henged clone. She hoped that if Hozuki-kun felt protective of his comrades, he might wait to try to jump her or something. "I'm truly sorry. I did all that I could to save the few I found alive but – I was too late and their wounds were too grievous."

Mangetsu grimaced but then tried to play off his questions - although he wouldn't doubt what she'd just said about no one else surviving. Fucking Yagura would always make sure every enemy he faced was dead. His memories of the last battle he'd been in were hazy, although he remembered Fucking Yagura being there and… "Motherfucker! That bastard!"

Kisame had attacked him!

The swordsman watched warily as the supposed healer used a hand seal, finding that it had allowed him to move his arms. Unfortunately, he found that he still couldn't liquify any parts of himself. Feeling his abdomen, he realized that it was extremely tender, which was no wonder considering that Kisame had stabbed/raked him with Samehada when he was about to keel over and die anyway.

"Calling you 'Fox' is dumb," he tried to say easily before wiggling a bit to get more comfortable. "Fox" just huffed at him and jammed a stick into the fire so that wasn't very telling.

Mangetsu figured the best thing to do was to play along until he could reach good ol' Helmet Splitter. "You're using seals?" he asked - to which the kunoichi just nodded. "If you're so good and you're hunting that Uchiha, then why do you want to join the rebellion? How do I know that you're not here to bring down our ranks?"

"If I'd wanted to bring down your ranks, they'd be down another swordsman right now, wouldn't they? And I really don't want to join even temporarily but I don't see a choice," Mito answered with a sigh. "I need a way to get close to that bastard and now that I'm here, I can tell that he's close to your kage."

"Here?"

"The Land of Water."

"What? " Mangetsu asked, giving her another glare and showing off his awesome teeth: thank you very much. "You a sensor?" The chick nodded, which if true would be damn useful. Healing, sealing, and sensor-ing? Yeah: that would be very useful, indeed. "You think Yagura and the Uchiha guy are in cahoots?"

"Hai," Mito said with a growing smirk, thinking that "cahoots" was a cute word. "If you're on the side of that Uchiha? It doesn't matter where you are: you'll find me as your enemy."

Mangetsu hummed. "Sounds personal," he commented, looking back up at the stars.

Uchiha Obito had killed thousands in what everyone in the Elemental Nations called the Kyuubi Attack on Konoha. Most didn't know how it happened, just that he was associated with or complicit in it. Mito figured that it was safe to answer that question with the truth. "He tried to destroy my entire family. …And he killed my mother." The words were barely out of her mouth when a toad appeared beside her. "Shit!" She covered its mouth and ran off with it into the nearby treeline.

Magnetsu's eyes followed her. A frog? –No! A toad summons, huh?! And didn't she say something about slugs? Hunting the Uchiha, she's clearly from Konoha. Maybe he wouldn't use Helmet Splitter on her after all - or at least not right away.

Toads: known to be the summons of the Yondaime Hokage and Jiraiya of the Sannin. Slugs: associated with Senju Tsunade of the Sannin.

"Just who are you, Fox?"

The leopard he'd momentarily forgotten about raised its head and yawned, showing off razor-sharp teeth that absolutely couldn't be normal. "Mind your own business if you want to live, Fish Boy."