AN: Hello, surprise! No, I haven't died J I'm back and I hope I'm back proper. I'll explain a little later, but for now: enjoy!

The first month she spent on Kumogakure's unnamed island was a harrowing one.

The Raikage left soon after making the introductions to her new instructor and teammate, taking a single escort with him, most likely to return to Kumogakure proper as was expected of a Kage. She wasn't too surprised – there was likely to be fallout after the kidnapping and presumed murder of a Jinchūriki host and the Land of Wind needed its military leader. She could only hope things wouldn't escalate too much – Konoha was currently left without a Jinchūriki and would therefore be in no position to start a war.

She hoped so anyway.

Even if things had gone downwind, she had no way of knowing; and if anyone from the platoon stationed there to protect them received information from the mainland – and they surely must – they didn't feel inclined to share it with her one bit, much as she asked.

In the end, she gave up the matter, focusing her energy on the gruelling training that Toroi was determined to put her and Fukai through. And energy she needed – plenty of it. The man was relentless, setting up a killer pace that could only do credit to his vicious reputation.

He got them up before sunrise, starting them on crushing taijutsu work well into noon. It was soon followed by work on ninjutsu and chakra moulding techniques, which was just about the finishing torture of each day if the physical strain hadn't already exhausted them to numbness. Kushina found herself stumbling back into her room every evening, often too beat to even contemplate dinner as she collapsed in her bed.

It was this tiredness that likely made the first days blend together into a general slog. She gritted her teeth, bearing through it with as much grace as she could muster – she was not about to ask Kumogakure's infamous Magnet User of all people for leniency; she'd show him Konoha nin could well endure. He would not break her, damn it.

And if she had the chakra stamina for his cruel training sessions, and the fortitude of one who had lived to adulthood in another timeline, bearing the stress of war, Fukai did not. Surprisingly, however, the kid refrained from protests too. It showed a side to his character that she had already guessed at from his heated outburst of some days ago – he was as proud as he was stubborn. She could see the activities taking a toll on him, could plainly recognise his exhaustion and bubbling annoyance as he saw her clearly excel in pretty much every area Toroi tested them on despite her being a good two years younger.

But Fukai never said a word, trudging forward with fierce determination, that much more aggravated every time he saw her outperform.

By the end of the second week, they had barely spoken to each other and Kushina was somehow absolutely certain the kid disliked her for the simple reason of existing.

She didn't care much either way.

Making friends was not really on the top of her list of things that needed to be done; it was not why she had accepted the Raikage's offer. She had agreed out of a need to protect… and to improve, if she were to find and defeat the masked man. And, merciless as Toroi's tutelage was, she had to grudgingly admit after the first fifteen or so days that she had started to get used to the pace. Her body toughened, muscles welcoming the strain, endurance sharpening each day.

And if the bettered stamina was an expected result from the gruelling sessions, the new insight on taijutsu was not. Kumogakure's common fighting style differed to Konoha's, their standard katas and formations proving a surprising source of tai variety when Toroi pitted her against Fukai. Granted, she could still easily take the match within minutes in most cases – a fact that only served to annoy the boy further most times – but Fukai's moves were interesting.

And her new sensei didn't fall behind. He also employed unusual taijutsu forms, not in the least resembling Fukai's standard Kumo style – while most shinobi relied on lightness and speed, making use of chakra-infused leaps, Toroi kept a solid wide stance firmly planted on the ground. His moves would often flow, keeping his soles in contact with earth at all times, deflecting blows in rolls and flips, turning an opponent's strength against them by using their momentum.

More than once Kushina found herself disarmed in near-bone-breaking holds during their first days; and while she was willing to attribute her initial losses to his height and weight advantage, she had to also admit that there were merits to observing and imitating parts of his style. Before long they were trading blows as she attempted to give as good as she got, tapping into some of the man's own moves.

She'd see the twitch of a smile in the corners of his lips then, but he'd never comment.

When it came to basic ninjutsu, however, she was certain the man was impressed, or, at the very least - surprised. She had had no qualms in demonstrating prowess that she had kept hidden in Konoha, showing good enough mastery of whole three elements – she had been a jōnin after all, in that other time. And even though she hadn't practised proper in the last couple of years since her "return", and her chakra coils and reserves weren't fully developed yet, the knowledge was still ingrained in her, ready to be called upon.

It had proven to be yet another thing to vex Fukai, who had ended up watching her wide-eyed, his jaw clenched, mouth set in a firm line after he had displayed no more than a basic grasp at Lightning Release alone.

It was kenjutsu, though, that Toroi aided her most with. She had started practising the art with Jiraiya, experimenting with different weapons before settling for the versatility and mobility a wakizashi offered. Unsurprisingly, her new instructor proved to be just as proficient, if not more than the Toad Sannin, where cold steel was concerned – it was his element, so to say. She'd noticed the wealth of storage scrolls he possessed, quickly guessing that he stored a variety of weapons to combine with his Magnet Release.

And even though he'd made snide comments about little girls wanting to play with dangerous toys, he'd wasted no time in testing her skills with a blade before allotting time in their morning sessions to train her on its use. He'd pit mundane tasks to Fukai then, ordering him to mould chakra for fine chakra control exercises or to repeat sets of handsigns needed for simple techniques. The "laggard's catch-up sessions" he'd call them and the boy would flush in anger at the term.

Kushina couldn't blame him. By now she had safely concluded that Fukai had a temper, which made for an explosive combination with the snide Magnet User, one of whose favourite activities was to rile the boy up. He'd spare no sarcastic verbal punches when berating him, provoking with glee, his comments infuriating the kid like flint to steel. Fukai would always snap then, going off at the man in a rage, his face darkened, fists shaking at his side.

And all that his ire did was to amuse Toroi more.

But nothing seemed to entertain their sensei more than Saturdays, which he had reserved for free-style spars with his young charges – he'd fight them in earnest then, sometimes one on one, other times two against one, delighting in handing their asses back to them and gloating over it too.

"Seems like Jinchūriki aren't much, ah? Over-glorified if you ask me, judging by you lot." he'd say and Fukai would go off at him blindly.

And perhaps, had she truly been 11, the degrading way in which Toroi served up the term would have enraged her too. Had she been a child, the insult would have stung. But she was an adult, at least mentally, and well familiar with the Magnet User's games – he was purposefully trying to wind them up.

She didn't let it bother her too much. In fact, she was certain that if she went all out on Toroi she would more than likely stand her ground, especially now when she had familiarised herself with his fighting style. But there were things she had withheld from him and Fukai, things she didn't feel inclined to share or demonstrate just yet – her new team they may be, but trust was earned and they hadn't even tried to earn hers.

So she hadn't demonstrated her Adamantine Sealing Chains and, even though she'd said she was good in her clan's sealing art, she hadn't shown just how good she actually was.

In the last few years since she'd been brought back to the past, she had successfully managed to recreate a large part of her original extensive arsenal of various Sealing scrolls that she had once had in a different timeline. Their number probably went well into the hundreds, all of them neatly stored in separate compartments within the multi-layered storage seal she had perma-inked in her own wrist.

They had always been her greatest advantage in a fight, the sheer number and versatility of them lending her much-coveted unpredictability in fights. While Minato had relied on speed, using primarily his own creations as he could apply them at a touch, his arsenal was smaller – hers spanned vaster quantities, ideas borrowed from research, from her parents and from her clan, adapted to fit her needs. And even if she couldn't apply them at a touch, since she didn't quite own them as her own work, the mere vastness of her sealing scroll reserves was a force to be reckoned with.

Armed with that and with barrier-formation sealing chains that could ensnare and block chakra, she was certain to bring Toroi down if she so wished. Sometimes, when she found herself forcefully thrown on her back with his kunai at her throat, it was that thought alone that kept her from spitting at the gloating man.

Those nights, after their Saturday spars, they'd return well-bruised, often sporting cuts and scrapes, muscles aching, ego trampled in the dirt. And even though they'd been given Sundays off, she was quite certain that both Fukai and she spent their free day mostly in their rooms, sleeping through the exhaustion and the pain.

Once or twice Kushina had considered exploring the island, but she had been quickly dissuaded. It had turned out that Fukai hadn't, in fact, lied – the place truly was inhabited by wild beasts that made even the adult jōnin apprehensive. She had yet to see any of the animals, but she sometimes heard their calls at night, raising gooseflesh down her skin.

Alright, so perhaps free roaming of the forests wasn't the best idea.

Instead, she stayed confined to the military compound and the pre-determined training areas, learning them by heart. By the end of the first month Kushina thought she could probably recite with good precision the exact number of cracks the dining area's ceiling held and the number of chipped-corner tiles the corridors sported. She knew which steps on the stairway to leap over because they creaked, and which windows needed an extra shoulder-shove to shut proper after airing a room. She could probably dash around the training halls and open grounds with her eyes closed, easily side-stepping stones and branches that she had memorised the hard way.

But above all, she could unerringly count time.

She hadn't stopped going over the days that had passed since the moment she had been kidnapped, compressing events on a timeline in her mind. Had the news of her supposed-demise reached Konoha yet? Had her parents found out? Had they had a funeral? Had Minato brought flowers to her grave? Had Sandaime started sifting through genin files, looking for her replacement on Jiraiya's team?

Had they, had they, had they.

The questions kept her up at night, which frankly was the better option, because when she slept she dreamt, and in her dreams the nightmares often waited. She'd see them then, her friends' and family's accusatory looks, the raw pain in their faces soon replaced by hatred.

Because she had chosen this. Because she had left them willingly.

On those nights, Toroi's wake-up call for his torturous taijutsu sessions before the crack of dawn were almost a reprieve.

A year or so of this and they'd be brought to Kumogakure. A year or so, and she'd be enlisted in their ranks. She'd be given leave to chase her objective, she'd hold the Raikage to his promise and she'd start actively pursuing the masked man. She'd be able to contact Jinei-san's Black Lotus and relay information to Konoha with anything she learned. She'd return to them… and she would save them all.

Just a year or so more.

Until then, she would endure. After all, how much worse could it get?

Quite a lot worse, as it turned out during their open spar on the fifth Saturday of her stay in the Land of Lightning.

Toroi seemed to be having a particularly entertaining day, flinging provocations at them with every other attack as he made short work of all their advances.

By their fourth match Kushina and Fukai were both exhausted with zero result to show for all their attempts – the flag which they were supposed to snatch from an elevated mound of dirt in the middle of their opening had remained untouched, despite the scores of clones she sent at it and the number of elemental techniques she flung at the man. They hadn't so much as marked a footstep in the flag's vicinity.

To make matters worse, Toroi had managed to separate them, making use of their weariness and Kushina soon found herself pinned against a massive tree trunk – a kunai was imbedded in its bark above her head, magnetising the whole tree it had come in touch with, allowing Fukai to sling a thick metal chain out of a sealing scroll at her form, crushing her against the trunk as it wrapped about her torso, barring her arms at her side.

She thrashed against it, unable to counter the magnetic field holding the chains firmly place, while Toroi advanced on Fukai with something akin to vicious glee in his look.

"Just you and me, short stick. What will it be – cowardice or pain?"

Fukai's face had acquired a purplish tint to match the mark over his right eye, his teeth clenched so hard that Kushina thought she might have heard them grind. His hands had balled in fists, trembling at his sides, the spark of controlled madness igniting in his look.

His rage shattered into motion, the boy springing forward blindly, recklessly, throwing a handful of kunai from in-between a white-knuckled grip. Toroi deflected them all, a lazy nonchalance to every dodge, and Kushina could see it before it even happened – Fukai's careless frontal attack, of the type that Toroi loved to counter without breaking a sweat.

A whirlwind of limbs and dust, a startled pained yelp cut short by a forceful slam in the ground, and the boy was soon thrown face-first in the dirt, Toroi's knee pressing at his neck as the man twisted his arm back in a painful, unnatural angle, wrenching a muffled groan from the kid.

Fukai tried to free himself, in vain, only to have the Magnet User press down harder, slamming the boy's face back in the dirt, colouring his cheek and brow yellow, dust sticking to the spittle at his lips.

"Pain it is then, huh? You lack-wit optimist. You should have run." he sneered, twisting Fukai's hand further back as if to illustrate the words.

A strangled yell tore from the boy's chest and Kushina's eyebrows furrowed in anger.

"Toroi! You're going too far! You've proven your point, let him go, ya know!"

The man smirked.

"Hear that, weakling? Good thing the little girl's here to defend you, else you'd be a lost cause. I could break your arm with a flick of my wrist, not that it would matter much. It don' serve you for shit." he ground out and Fukai thrashed one more time before planting his head back down with a growl, his whole body trembling in rage. "Jinchūriki my ass. You're weak and you'll always be. No wonder your uncle wants you here; he don' even wanna see the failure you're shaping up to be. Pathetic. Useless. Helpless, a burden on everyone you kn-"

The swirl of vicious chakra exploded out of the boy with a snap, throwing Toroi off in a whirlwind of frenzied energy.

Kushina's stomach dropped.

She had felt the corrosive taste of Kyūbi's chakra before, in the rare moments when she too had lost control, but she had never experienced the overwhelming force of a Jinchūriki's energy from the point of view of a by-stander.

Hachibi's chakra lashed out of Fukai like a torrent, whirling haphazardly about him, whipping his hair and clothes around, bringing up a cloud of dust and twigs. The malicious sense of it barrelled into her, pressing iron claws about her lungs, twisting her stomach with a wave of nausea.

The boy groaned as he curled up on himself, bringing two hands up to cover his face.

Toroi had ended up thrown back some feet away, landing roughly down on one knee. He seemed to have taken the brunt of the initial chakra whiplash that burst out of Fukai, a trickle of blood coming down his mouth where his lip had split, and the Magnet User brought a hand up to wipe it away. His eyes were fixed on Fukai, a gleam of something not-quite-right playing in his look, the hint of a smirk pulling at his lips.

Kushina gritted her teeth, swallowing back against the bile threatening to rise up her throat. Sweat had broken out across her forehead, her hands trembling uncontrollably, breath coming shallow and ragged. The Bijū's chakra was thick in her chest, making it hard to draw air, tasting of ash in her throat, like the ash that had settled all over Konoha's rooftops and forests that night-

And for a moment she wasn't there at all; for a moment she was a woman grown, broken before a mass of hatred and malice taken shape, her newborn son screaming in her arms as the man she loved was weaving through the handsigns for the technique that would take his life-

Fukai screamed, the very sound of it resembling an anguished howl, snapping her out of her thoughts as he arched backwards, turning slit pupils at Toroi. His fingers twisted as if in a spasm, curling inwards, forming trembling fists coated in red chakra, and the boy rose up on unsteady feet, terrifying look not leaving the still-kneeling man.

Kushina reacted in instinct, willing upon her vast quantities of chakra, sharpening them forward with a snap. The torrent of energy took shape, pouring out of her shoulders and arms, solidifying in her grasp. A metallic hiss and the Adamantine chains flew forward just as Fukai launched himself at Toroi with blinding speed.

The Magnet User flung himself backward in instinct, flipping back over one arm as his other hand dug in a weapons holster for a blade-

Her chains wrapped around the Jinchūriki's torso and arms, pinning him in place, the metal stretching with a clang as it killed the boy's momentum just before he barrelled into their sensei.

Fukai kept trying blindly, straining against the binds, thrashing in her hold, Bijū chakra rolling out of him in heaps and Kushina hissed, feeling the sudden drop in her stocks with the mere effort of holding him back.

Toroi's eyes snapped to her as the man realised what was happening, his look shifting from incredulity to suspicion as he saw another chain manifest by her side, this one wrapping around his own magnetised manacles, tearing them off the tree with little effort, freeing her from his impromptu "prison" almost as an afterthought.

She took a step forward, planting her feet in the ground resolutely as she clenched her teeth, flinging a hand outward, pulling at her own chains. Powerful as the boy may be in such a state, he was barely at a single tail – he was no fully-formed nine-tailed fox and, this time around, she was far from powerless.

A clang, a furious roar, and Fukai's knees buckled before the Adamantine Chains flung him on his back, pinning him to the ground.

Within a heartbeat Toroi had leapt over him, his hand flashing down towards Fukai's face and Kushina reacted without thinking, a single chain wrapping around the man's wrist at once, stopping his attack before his weapon connected-

She blinked. There was no kunai in his hand, a slip of paper clutched between his fingers instead.

"It's a suppression seal, girl. You can let go now." the Magnet User ground out.

She swallowed. So he hadn't gone for a weapon earlier when he had been rummaging through his kunai holster – he had been looking for a way to restrain the boy.

A quiet hiss and the chain retreated. Toroi nodded before laying the seal over Fukai's forehead, ignoring the boy's wild thrashes.

There was a rush of chakra as he pressed a palm over the parchment, activating it with a zing. The glyphs of it expanded, crawling over the kid's skin, glowing amber before disappearing along with the mad swirl of Bijū chakra around.

A deathly hush fell over the opening, broken only by Toroi's ragged breaths and Fukai's muffled groans.

Upon confirming that the kid was indeed subdued, their sensei slowly pushed away from him, getting up to his feet with practised ease. He dusted the dirt out of his pants with a sharp move before turning to Kushina, alternating pointed looks between her and the Adamantine chains that had gone slack in the dirt.

"We've been keeping secrets, haven't we, Nanashi?"

The way he said her new name was a mockery in and of itself.

Her eyebrows furrowed in defiance as she crossed her arms. A slink and her chains retreated to her side before dissolving in thin air.

She wanted to scream at him, to explain just how very little she trusted him and how he didn't deserve to know any of her secrets at all. Because he was cruel and blood-thirsty and vicious; because he took such joy in hurting others and gloated over it too.

But, a part of her urged, he could have hurt Fukai today and with good reason; no one would have faulted him for lashing out against an out-of-control Jinchūriki to protect his life. But Toroi had never attempted it.

And… she needed his approval if she were to leave this damned island and join Kumo; yelling at her new sensei would do little to make that possible.

"It's clan art." she spat out instead. "Nanashi's not supposed to be part of a clan, remember?"

The man's lips twitched in a smile.

"Clever little aphid. What a nice excuse."

Her mouth twisted, a retort clawing up her throat, but she never got to voice it as Fukai also rose behind the man, pushing himself up on unsteady legs. He swayed in one place, bringing a trembling hand up to press at his forehead as he gritted his teeth with a groan.

"Well, well-" Toroi started, turning around casually, tucking hands in his pockets.

Fukai stepped back at once. The look he threw the older man was full of vitriol, his whole face twisting with the intensity of it.

"Stay away from me." he growled.

And without another word he turned on his heel and dashed into the woods.

"Fukai!" Kushina called after him, taking a step to follow before Toroi extended an arm out to still her in place.

"Let him cool off for a bit."

She whirled on him, eyes spelling murder.

"You monster. You mock us for the beasts locked in us, but you're the one who acts demonic, ya know!"

Toroi whistled a low tune.

"Big words, girl. First time I've heard you say as much in one turn."

Her hands balled in fists, the anger unfurling in her chest like poison ivy, impossible to contain.

"Don't deflect, Toroi of the Magnet Release. Your actions are inexcusable, ya know!"

"That's Toroi-sensei to you. 'S about time you started showing some respect. And as to the inexcusable part, our views differ." he drawled out as he made his way to the tree he had pinned her under, plucking his magnetising kunai out of the bark before bending to retrieve the discarded chain he'd bound her with.

"Differ?! You've been treating him like shit from the start, pushing him until he broke, ya know. Did the Raikage know you detest Jinchūrikis when he put you up to this, huh?"

She could have sworn she glimpsed Toroi roll his eyes as he knelt to the ground, lining up his tools in front of him before rolling out a half-filled sealing scroll on the ground. A few handsigns, a poof, and the chain and kunai disappeared within the storage seal once again.

A sigh rolled out of him as he pushed back up, tucking the scroll back in a pocket of his Kumo uniform.

"Contrary to what you may believe, Nanashi, I have nothing against Jinchūrikis in general. Or against you and the kid, for that matter."

"Bullshit."

"Think, girl, I know you're capable. You're smarter than your average 11-year-old brat. Why do you think I've been pushing you two so hard?"

"Because you're a sadist, ya know." she shot back, folding her arms before her chest defiantly.

Toroi's smirk was sharp as he regarded her.

"Aye, could be." he allowed, "Or perhaps it was a test."

She gawked at him.

A test? For a month? Absurd. Konoha's team tests lasted no more than a day or two, many teachers leaning towards team-work intensive activities like the bell test Minato favoured in line with his sensei. Besides, what would he do if he failed a team test? Bring them back to Kumo's academy? Ridiculous.

"To test what?" she spat out finally.

The smile had wiped off Toroi's face. His eyes had narrowed as he observed her with a tint of unexpected sombreness.

"Your limits, kid. I need to know them if I'm to teach you. And since you two sure as shit don' know them, I had to push. And before you interrupt me, no, I ain't talking about your chakra stocks or physical endurance. I've noticed you're a talented brat, I'm sure you know when to stop before exhaustion kills you."

"Then…?"

"Your limits as a Jinchūriki. If you're to leave this island I need to know that you won't lose it – not when under pressure from missions, not when under physical strain, not when chakra exhausted, not when in pain, not when emotionally compromised, and sure as hell not when angry and taunted. Not ever, unless you will it. Else, people, good people, innocent people will die. Do you understand?"

She swallowed audibly. It felt like the wind had picked up, setting the pines around to rustling.

The past month was fleeting through her mind, the man's actions acquiring a whole new meaning in her head. Could this truly be why he had been pushing them to extremes? It had never occurred to her – Konoha had never employed tactics of the sort. And why would they after all? She had always been stable and in control.

But… Kumogakure had no way of knowing that unless they made sure.

Although, a part of her reminded pointedly, she hadn't truly been always stable. She had lost control before, in that other timeline, when faced with great loss. She had caused death.

Could that have been avoided if Sakumo-sensei had employed Toroi's tactics? Could it have been different, back then?

"So what then, Fukai failed your test?"

Toroi snorted.

"You both did."

"What?! I didn't lose control of-"

"Fuck that. You both have the emotional range of splintered chopsticks. He's a neurotic mess, but at least he expresses his emotions. Losing his shit here was good; he can remember that feeling of lack of control and try 'n avoid it. 'S easy to back away from the edge when you know where the fucking cliff is. You, on the other hand, are a pit of apathy."

"Am not. I'm just fine, ya know!" she snapped out, one hand slashing through the air in her heated denial.

"Bullshit. You're mourning. You're mourning the loss of your home and your family and friends, which is normal, but you're not processing. You're suppressing your loss, and your grief, and your fears, and it's coming up as subconscious anger at me and at the kid. And you're trying to deal with all tha' by switching off. By not caring. Focusing on your training and nothing else. You're driven, I'll give you that much, but it don' mean shit when you're a mess."

The wind was picking up her locks and twirling them behind, branches creaking all around.

Kushina was watching the man through wide eyes, a bead of sweat coming down the side of her temple. Toroi advanced on her in a slow step, unflinching look boring into her.

"You know what a volcano is? How it can be dormant for a thousand years until one day it ain't? Well that's you, brat. You're more in control than him right now, but you're bottling it all down and one day you will lose it. So, until you figure your shit out, you'll keep failing the test."

"So what, you want me to lash out at you like he does, ya know?" she asked, aiming for vexed, but the question had sounded hollow. Her anger had fizzled out.

The truth to his words had hit too close to home.

The man's grin turned sharp.

"What, are you concerned for my well-being now, kid? I can handle you, I can assure you."

Oh you're just asking for it.

She wondered briefly what would happen if she unleashed everything she had on this poor unsuspecting man. She'd likely level the field with him. Although she was certain he hadn't exactly been demonstrating his full potential either.

An interesting conundrum… for another time.

"I can take your anger, I don' give a shit. But that kid? He don' deserve your mess. Did you know he hasn't been around kids his age in years? Doubt he's ever had a friend." the man continued with a casual shrug.

"And how am I supposed to know that? He's not exactly the forthcoming type, ya know."

"That's cuz he don' know how to talk to you. He's terrified of you, and in awe of you, and pro'lly jealous of you, and you're treating him like gum on the bottom of your shoe cuz you've switched it all off. So, instead of lashing out at me, how 'bout you start by talking to your teammate, huh? He should have calmed down by now."

Kushina took in a ragged breath. His words had rattled her more than she cared to admit. For the second time within a month she felt as if someone had forcefully hammered a shift of perspective in her brain and she was stubbornly pushing against it out of habit.

"You enjoyed it though. You liked treating us miserably, ya know." she said, almost through a pout, the petty argument left as her only defence.

The man's grin came back, showing a flash of white teeth.

"Hey now, you gotta leave at least some of my vicious reputation intact." he growled out and she couldn't help rolling her eyes.

It took her the better part of an hour to find the boy and that mostly because he didn't seem to want to be found. She had started with familiar areas with no result, before making her way to the ill-fated waterfall of her first days in Kumo where she had finally spotted his tracks climbing up into the forests, disappearing upstream by the river of the falls.

She followed, calling his name occasionally, all to the same result of resounding silence.

She was just about to reluctantly give up the venture – if the boy didn't want company she couldn't well force him to endure her – when she swung over another branch, her eyes darting to a small opening between the trees on her right. A flash of white caught her attention and she stilled amidst the foliage, craning her neck for a better view.

Sure enough, Fukai was standing near the edge of the clearing, staring up ahead resolutely.

"Fukai?" she called out.

He didn't react one bit.

So this was how he would play it then? Ignore her until she went away? Oh, he had chosen the wrong person to test his stubbornness on.

Her eyebrows furrowed as she pursed her lips and she channelled chakra to her soles. Within a heartbeat she had leapt down from the trees, joining the sullen kid in the clearing.

"Are you deaf? I've been looking for you for near an hour now, ya know! You worried us! Least you can do is-"

"Stop talking." the kid shot out, not even sparing her a glance.

Kushina could only stare. She didn't remember when the last time someone had spoken to her that way was, but she was quite certain she had likely planted a fist in their face, giving them a taste of Konoha's Red-Hot Habanero. Even now, there was still a side of her that bristled at the brash language, a twinge of fury running through her before subsiding with a well-measured deep breath.

Calm down, Kushina, you're a woman grown, you can handle a bratty teen.

"Look, I know we haven't spoken much, but-"

"I'm serious. Stop. Talking. Now."

For the first time since joining him in the clearing, Kushina recognised the note of carefully controlled agitation in his voice. He hadn't looked at her once staring resolutely at the trees ahead instead, and the girl felt compelled to follow his look.

At first she saw nothing of notice, her eyes roaming over the overgrown trees aimlessly. The shock of green hues had darkened with the setting sun, shadows elongating amidst the thick foliage, and it took her sight a second to adjust.

And then she spotted it.

The glint of moss-coloured pupils was unmistakable, well-concealed amidst the rough brown bark of the trees ahead. The last rays of the sun were catching in the over-sized set of narrowed eyes, turning them opaque whenever she tilted her head.

Kushina froze.

Whatever the beast was, it was huge, towering at well over four metres.

Her hand shot out at once, finding Fukai's wrist, wrapping cold fingers about the warmth of his skin. She could feel the boy stiffen in surprise beside her, his eyes widening as he glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes. His cheeks had flushed, but she paid it no heed, fingers rushing through the measured taps of sign-talk against the sensitive inside of his wrist: What is that?

"What are you doing?" he hissed out and she frowned.

"You said not to talk. Don't you know the standard sign-talk?" she whispered back.

"Kumo's. Not Konoha's."

She felt like kicking herself. Of course the signs would be different. And if they had so much as bothered to talk to each other in the past one month and discuss effective team communication in different scenarios, she would have realised this sooner.

"Fine. What is that?" she muttered out of the corner of her mouth, not taking her eyes off the concealed form of the massive creature ahead.

"Kong. Ten minutes ago. No sharp moves. He's territorial."

"We can take him, ya know." she breathed out, wary of the way their whispers seemed to be agitating the beast if the shuffles were anything to go by.

"No. We don't know where the others are. There could be dozens."

"So what? Play statue until the end of time, ya know?"

A muted growl started up ahead, rumbling over the clearing like a hum. Fukai's eyebrows furrowed as he gulped.

"Let me think."

"You've been thinking for ten minutes." she mumbled in annoyance.

"We should wait. They know we're missing. Help will arrive."

The beast ahead shifted, foliage rustling with its movement as it bared human-sized fangs. Kushina could have sworn its muscles tensed, preparing for a spring-

"I'm the help. I've arrived. Now MOVE!" she shouted just as an ear-splitting roar echoed throughout the woods, startling the birds all around into flight.

Her hands had already lifted in a crossed handsign before her chest, gathering her chakra in a rush and dividing it, spreading it into dozens of even parts-

The shadow clones popped into existence, a score of them transforming into Fukai just as the beast lunged into the opening. Her fingers dug into the boy's wrist, pulling him back in a shunshin just before Kong crashed in the spot they had been standing in, ground shaking with a boom, sending a dust cloud into the air around.

Kushina had a second to glimpse the massive brown-furred gorilla, its arms corded thick with muscle, fangs glinting in the setting sun as it roared again-

And then she was off, pulling Fukai back through the forest, branches snagging at their clothes.

"Oy! Over here, you ugly chimp-"

The clone's frantic shout from behind was interrupted almost at once and Kushina had to fight back the phantom pain that erupted down her left side momentarily, the clone's memories of the crushing side-blow transferring back to her as it dispelled.

The sound of snapping branches followed behind them and the redhead felt like cursing, realising that the beast hadn't taken the bait. How could it tell them apart from the clones, just what kind of beasts lived on this godforsaken isla-

"YOU ARE. OUT OF. YOUR-" Fukai shouted from beside her, panic mixing with exasperation as he finally shook off the stupor, snatching his hand from her grip.

They took to the trees, weaving amongst the pines, dodging a falling trunk just in time.

"THIS WAY!"

She hoped he had heard her as she landed in a crouch on a low-hanging thick branch, her hands grazing the rough bark. The touch-seal took her a fraction of a second to set and then she was off, just as Fukai swung by her side, muttering curses-

Kong's roar echoed again, the snap of trees resounding clearly, bare metres behind as the animal charged blindly through the forest, uncaring of the obstacles-

The explosive tag went off in a whoosh without giving them enough time to retreat; the blast wave slammed into them from behind, making them stumble through their jumps and Kushina felt herself thrown against the thick trunk of a nearby pine. Her chakra-coated grip slid roughly down the tree as she fought to keep her purchase.

The beast's furious roars followed, accompanied by the stark stench of burned fur, and she felt a twinge of vicious glee as Fukai landed by her side, pulling on her arm-

"You fool, you've only angered him more and now the rest will follow-" the boy hissed frantically and she felt her triumph die out faster than a flicker in a downpour as the tree tops behind them shook, crashing sideways with a shudder.

"Go. This way, move, ya know!" she shouted, praying to whatever Gods were listening that she had remembered the directions through the woods nearly as good as she thought – if she was right, the trees would end soon, at the edge of the cliffs, plunging down into a cataract-

Her steps never faltered against the tree trunks, used as she was to manoeuvring about plenty of forests around Konoha, not even when she brought her hand up, tapping fingers against the storage seal on her wrist in a measured release. It took her no time at all to find the item she sought and pull it out of nothingness.

She saw Fukai throw a startled look back as she swung around sharply, catching the wire strings in her teeth, pulling them taut with a hand.

"What are you-"

"GO! I'm right behind you!"

The wire made a hissing sound as she snaked it around the nearest tree trunks, crisscrossing it haphazardly in their wake; and then she was off again, weaving through the thin lines silvering ahead just as Kong broke through the trees in a wild run-

She heard the vicious roar, the quiet zing of the wire being stretched and the groan of the trees, bark splintering as the string wires cut into them in the strain to hold back the beast-

And above it all, the boom of the falls, mixing with the hair-rising sound of snapping wires and the crash of Kong's heavy run-

A couple hundred feet more, less, and then then the crimson light of the sunset was filtering through the foliage ahead. The trees ended abruptly, just as she had hoped, and she glimpsed Fukai's white face, turning to her in startled fear.

"JUMP!"

The shout tore out of her just before Kushina barrelled into him, grabbing his arm and dragging him into her wild leap as Kong skidded through the trees, barely stopping his momentum in time, pebbles and rocks raining into the lake below the waterfall next to them.

She felt a massive arm swish above their heads, mere centimetres away as they plummeted down. The last thing she heard before hitting the icy water below was another furious roar.

They hit the lake's surface in disarray, uncoordinated as their dive had been in the jumbled mess of limbs, and the painful slam to her knees cut through her sharply, a muffled hiss of pain squeezing air out of her lips.

The undercurrent slammed into them at once, dragging them along the lake's depth, snatching Fukai's arm out of her grasp. She fumbled blindly for a moment, disoriented, trying to make sense of which way was up and which was down, the world blending in a palette of murky blue, streaked with red, her hair twirling all around her like a cloud of liquid fire.

A hand grabbed at her elbow, giving her a sharp tug, and before she knew it Fukai was dragging her through the depths of the lake in quick, confident strokes. The hiss of the water around intensified, turning to cotton in her ears, setting her chest to vibrating and she realised he was directing her below the cascading waterfall, into the hidden cavern where she had first met Toroi a month ago.

Within a minute they finally resurfaced, spluttering and gulping air.

"He- He won't follow here." Fukai said through huffs, throwing a quick furrowed glance at the wall of cascading water behind them, just in case.

He sighed and made his way to the nearest stone slab in pointed silence, pulling himself out of the lake.

Kushina followed suit, water pooling around her in rivulets. Her pulse was still thumping in her ears, heart trying to find a more reasonable pace.

"'Course he won't. Knew that already, ya know. It was the plan all along."

Fukai rolled his eyes as he pushed up to his feet, his knees still wobbling with the crashing waves of adrenaline.

"As if. You're insane. This was the most ridiculous plan." he said, but the severity in his look was cracking, the corners of his lips twitching despite himself.

"It was brilliant and you know it." she said, unable to help her grin.

And then, as if a bubble had popped somewhere, they were both laughing, their mirth echoing through the empty cavern all around. And she didn't know when she had doubled over, tears stinging the corners of her eyes as she held her stomach through a stitch. Fukai was beside her, leaned against a nearby column, face flushed in merriment as she had never seen him before.

It transformed him, she thought, finally getting a glimpse of the child that he could have been if his life had taken on a different trajectory.

But it wasn't too late, she was certain. She had to believe that he could be this person again. And he would be, she decided, finding herself surprisingly overcome with quiet resolve – he deserved it as much as she had, once, a lifetime ago when faced with the same burden.

He deserved this kindness too.

She didn't remember all the fine details of their headlong rush in the months to come, but she remembered that moment in particular, which proved to be a turning point in her stay on Kumo's miserable island.

After all, there were some events that, when faced together, made for a solid start of a lasting friendship. And, as it turned out, being chased by a massive gorilla through a hostile island was, in fact, just one such.

AN: So here we go, first chapter of my so-called Kumo arc. I hope you guys found it entertaining, despite the lack (for now) of everyone's favourite blonde.

Also yes, Toroi is a bit of a pain in the….neck… but he means well, I promise. Fukai's a neurotic mess, but he's got some growing to do. Kushina thinks she's all fine, but boy, is she a can of worms.

Anyway, that aside... as to my disappearance, as I said, I'll briefly explain. I don't share much of my private life here, but I feel like in this case it might be warranted to briefly elaborate. You've guessed it, I've been going through a bit of a hard time. You see, I was in a committed relationship for some six years and a few months, and everything was going lovely until back in September, when things ended quite abruptly, in the ugliest way possible. We were picking out wallpapers for a baby room and furnishing our new home, when I found out about a months-long affair with a friend. It wasn't pretty, my whole life crumbled, and I was a mess. I tried to write, I honestly did, but I often found myself stuck, staring at a blank page, unable to find the words. Last time when something bad happened in my life, I stepped away from writing for a very long time – I will NOT be doing that now; writing is my solace and my great passion. I'm not putting my "pen" down again. But please understand, I needed some time to heal and to pick the broken pieces back up.

To everyone who wrote to me meanwhile, asking if I'm well and when the story will be up, offering support and encouragement – thank you a million times over. I cannot tell you how much that meant at a time when everything seemed so very bleak and dark.

I'm doing much better now, I'm pushing forward, and, as you can see – I have rekindled my spark. Part of the reason why I didn't want to write earlier had to do with the bitter experience as well – I didn't want any subconscious lingering hurt to find itself in the pages of my stories which are about and are written with so much love. So, please forgive a writer's disappearance – but now I'm back :)

Ja ne~