Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.

Chapter 9

Minoko slumped down in her seat with a sigh, her head gently banging onto the table. Thank kami for air conditioning! She could hear the person across from her try to cover a snicker, so she raised her head slightly to stick out her tongue. Gaara merely shook his head at her antics. Minoko grudgingly pushed herself upright when a nervous looking waiter started fidgeting in front of her table.

Looking up at him, she noticed that the guy was trying to focus on her while sneaking anxious glances at her companion, "W-what can I get f-for you today?"

Minoko looked to Gaara. He was the one that dragged her here, he could order for her. She initially wanted to go to the udon stand. The red-head rolled his eyes and looked to the jumpy mess of a man before them and calmly said, "I'll have the salted gizzard. She'll take the gyoza set with miso soup. Iced oolong tea as well for the both of us."

The waiter nodded rapidly and scurried away. Minoko just shook her head. Even after several months, she still found it somewhat amusing that grown men were terrified of a four year old. She would laugh if she wasn't also really mad at how they treated her friend.

"Minoko, are sure you're ok with this? It's only been a day. Maybe you can talk to the Kazekage to become a civilian again."

Minoko's eyes snapped to his face, but her initial retort died on her lips when she saw the worried tension in his body. She grabbed the glass of oolong that seemed to magically appear on the table and twirled the straw before taking a sip.

"I'm not quitting," she said simply, "I know what I signed up for, I know that mommy might never forgive me, but I want to do this."

Gaara hesitated for a moment before nodding his head and taking a drink from his own glass, "You need to be careful around him though."

Minoko tilted her head a bit, "Who? Yashamaru-sensei?"

Gaara shook his head a bit, "The Kazekage. He's…he's not a good man."

"You said that yesterday, too. Is he really that bad?"

"He sealed a demon in me before I was even born," Gaara stated in a deadpan tone.

A squeak of terror was heard from the waiter that quickly sat down their food and disappeared into the back kitchen.

Minoko shook her head again at the jittery waiter when something about the day before popped into her head, "You stopped me from telling him about my dream bubbles. If he's my boss, shouldn't he know about that? I thought that the Kazekage was supposed to know everything about his shinobi."

Gaara chewed a bite of gizzard for longer than necessary and swallowed before answering, "I just had a really bad feeling when you started to tell him," he whispered, looking away from her, "Please, Minoko, please don't ever tell him about that. I…I don't want to lose you," his voice barely audible.

Minoko sighed and knelt on the chair a bit to reach across the table and take his hand, giving it a small squeeze, "Ok, I won't tell. I'll never leave you."

Gaara smiled shyly as she sat back down in her chair. They finished the rest of their meal in silence and paid before getting up to walk around the village until their break finished. As they walked around a corner, one of the few temples in Suna came into view, causing both kids to stop dead in their tracks. Sweeping the entryway was a woman in her mid-twenties with bright orange hair that was tied into a neat braid going down her back. Her green eyes were bright and kind as she nodded to passersby while doing her daily task efficiently. What really caught the two children's eyes, however, was the fact that she was very obviously pregnant; her stomach stretching the confines of her miko uniform.

Gaara looked at Minoko with wide eyes and whispered in wonder, "You were right."

A moment later, the two children busted out laughing, causing several villagers to give them a wide berth. Neither child really cared at that point and just enjoyed the release of tension, the pleasant way that their stomachs ached from the laughter, and the companionship that they would always treasure.

...

Minoko flopped down on the couch face first the moment she came home that evening. She was worn-out! Yashamaru-sensei wasn't kidding when he said that his was going to up their training.

While the chakra control exercise took up a majority of their time, that didn't mean that sensei didn't have them do physical exercises, too. When she started to get low on chakra, sensei would have her do sit-ups, push-ups, and laps around the training field until she thought her arms and legs would fall off! When she got to that point, her chakra was usually replenished enough for her to start the chakra exercises again.

The good thing that came out of it was that she was able to finish the exercise by the end of the day. She beat Gaara by a landslide! She thought that Yashamaru-sensei would have been more proud of her, but he looked like he expected that and just told her that she would have to practice enough so that she could turn the rock to sand and back within seconds. Minoko banged her head into the pillows of the couch lightly at the thought.

"Hey sweetheart, everything ok?"

Minoko raised her head less than an inch off of the couch, grunted, and let her head fall back down with a plop.

Kai Taru chuckled at his daughter's plight and sat at the end of the worn, brown couch near her head. He ran his hand through her hair which she had undone from its tight braid as soon as she had come in the door. He brushed out the tangles with his fingers and smiled gently when she sighed in contentment. No matter what happened, he would always cherish small moments like this.

"I found something today," Taru said softly. A small sound of curiosity came from the half-asleep lump.

"When I went through my closet, I found an old family scroll. It had some information about your dream bubbles."

Minoko was instantly sitting up and staring at him intently, all signs of exhaustion absent from the young girl.

"Can I see it?" she asked eagerly.

Taru laughed lightly, "I wouldn't have brought it up if I wasn't going to let you read it." He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a thin scroll, handing it over to the slightly bouncing girl.

Minoko took it with care and gently unrolled the yellowing paper, reading over every word written by her ancestors.

The Kami no Me, or Eyes of God, is a kekkei genkai that has been passed down in the Kai family for generations. This source of insight has been granted to a precious few; a single individual at most for each generation. When one bearing this power is found, he or she gains a vast amount of power within the clan. Their word or opinion is given greater weight and they are usually placed in a position of authority.

Those that have this power are able to have waking dreams, or visions, that tell of the future. Some visions are mundane, while others could turn the tide of history itself if used correctly. All that have been reported to have this kekkei genkai have never been able to control what they see or when they see it. But they have all agreed that trying to control the visions would be like trying to become a god. It is too much power for one individual to have.

While the powers themselves are extraordinary, the risks that come with it are equally devastating. It is said that those that were born with this insight to the future had a tendency to go mad with grief the older they became. While rare, there would be times when a prophecy was ignored or misinterpreted, resulting in casualties or other misfortunes. Other times when tragedy struck, those with the Kami no Me would be blamed for not foreseeing the disaster and preventing heartbreak. The guilt, at times, came to weigh so heavily on the conscience of the gifted that they would lose their will to live. It is strongly recommended that those bearing the kekkei genkai receive a strong emotional support in the form of family and friends in order to curb this despair.

There is one other warning to future generations that I would like to give. When word of the Kami no Me reached the ears of those in power of the country and shinobi villages, our people were targeted for their powers. Many tried to kidnap Kai family members in the hopes to use their powers to further wars and gain political influence. The Kai clan has never indulged in fighting. We seek a peaceful existence and attempt to stay hidden. However, when shinobi came and raided our homes for those that possess the Kami no Me, we knew that we couldn't let those with selfish desires gain this advantage. We killed all who possessed the gift of foresight.

As tragic as this sounds, we did it for the betterment of our family, and more importantly, for the world. If this power falls into the hands of the corrupt, no man, woman, or child will be safe. It is recommended that none outside the Kai family learn this secret. Although, it is believed that the kekkei genkai is now lost with those that perished, as there have been no new visions in almost three generations. If there is ever a chance that our family produces another Seer, I have to say one last thing to say to the Kai family legacy. Protect those that are dear to you and beware the corrupt in this world.

Minoko reread the scroll twice, hands shaking slightly, before rolling it back up and silently thanked Gaara for not letting her tell the Kazekage yesterday. She handed the scroll back to her father. He took it and waited for her to speak.

"Daddy," she said after taking a moment to gather her thoughts, "thank you."

Taru's brow furrowed a bit in confusion, "For what sweetie?"

Minoko looked up and Taru's heart melted at the tears glittering in her crimson eyes, "Thank you for letting me read the scroll, for being there for me. You're the best daddy that I could have asked for."

Taru smiled and reached over to pull his daughter into his lap, giving her a big hug. Her small arms wrapped around his neck in quiet contentment, "Always, Minoko. I will always be here for you. Even after my last breath."

They held each other for a few minutes until Minoko pulled back and looked at her dad with slight scrutiny, "Daddy, why were you going through your closet? Were you just looking for the scroll?"

Taru stilled and Minoko knew that she shouldn't have asked, "Minoko…your mother…she's not coming back," Taru said in a troubled tone. He knew that he couldn't- shouldn't- keep this hidden from her, "She wanted me to pack her things and deliver them to her new residence."

Minoko's eyes widened in disbelief. She had known that mommy was angry. She knew that mommy didn't want her to be a shinobi. But to leave…forever?

Tears started to leak from Minoko's eyes without her noticing, her gaze staying straight ahead, "It's my fault," she whispered. Taru scooped her up into an embrace again, shushing her softly as she cried.

She noticed, however, that he didn't try to deny her claim this time.

A/N: Hey all! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a review!