DISCLAIMER & a/n: I don't own anything from the Naruto universe. Mito's got some Uzumaki attention issues and fast-thinking crazy going on here...

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

Emphasis

Bijuu, etc. speaking

Bijuu, etc. thinking

"What have you learned?" Minato asked. He was in a meeting with Inoichi and Ibiki. The Intelligence Division was up to their ears in possibly-treasonous Uchihas. Most of the Uchiha survivors were at T&I.

"Uchiha Shisui was telling the truth," Inoichi began. "'The Masked Man,' whom we're assuming is Uchiha Obito, claimed to be Madara as he did on the night that he released the Kyuubi. He previously found Uchiha Itachi in a training ground near the Naka River and threatened to kill his family if the heir wouldn't leave with him and massacre the clan. The rogue gave him 24 hours to consider it. Because some in the clan were preparing to overthrow you…"

"Madness," Minato exclaimed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. The Uchihas might have had a chance against him: who knows? But a civil war in Konoha would only lead to another country attacking them while Konoha was weak and thus, potentially, another war. –Thus even more Uchiha (and Konohan) lives would be lost!

WHAT could they have been thinking?! Jiraiya-sensei's words about the curse of the shinobi world - and the almost impossible balance between power and peace - played through Minato's mind again.

"They were going to make Fugaku Hokage?" he asked. "And these are Shisui's recollections of what Itachi told him, am I correct? Shisui wasn't there when Obito came back to threaten Itachi. –Supposedly threaten him." I can't believe Obito got back in without anyone else noticing!

I can't believe Kushina's godson would do something like this!

Minato planned to storm the Barrier Division and kick everyone's ass there if it really had been Obito again. He was not going to allow a rogue shinobi to pop in and out of Konoha at will!

Inoichi nodded. When the Hokage was particularly stressed, he allowed his mouth (perhaps somewhat impolitely) to keep up with his extremely quick mind, so Inoichi wasn't surprised Minato was ahead of him. "Yes, these are Shisui's reports on what Itachi said although his story has been confirmed through a MindWalk. Since Itachi is GONE…"

Minato bit his thumbnail, still in slight disbelief that all of this had even happened.

"Fugaku didn't want to become Hokage – according to Shisui and Mikoto," Inoichi continued. "And the head family never wanted to involve Naruto."

Minato's icy blue eyes narrowed dangerously. "If they are as loyal as they say they are, perhaps they should have trusted their Kage with this information earlier on."

Inoichi blew out a hot breath, having to agree with that. "The Clan Elders pushed it. Mikoto thought she and Fugaku had more time before they went through with the coup - but she wasn't at all of the strategy sessions."

"Shisui was in them?" Inoichi nodded and Minato slapped his hand down on the conference table. To think, he'd planned on making Shisui a Jonin-sensei. He cleared his throat. Normally he didn't have outbursts like that. "Excuse me."

"It's understandable, Hokage-sama," Ibiki said with respect. What the Uchihas had attempted was so divergent to Konoha ideals but this had to be particularly difficult for the Hokage, whom they'd entirely disrespected. And Hokage-sama had considered the deceased Uchiha Head and his wife to be his close friends! "Shisui was required to attend clan meetings - coup-planning sessions - whenever he wasn't on missions."

After a beat, Minato continued. "And if Itachi is 'only being taken advantage of,'" (something Mikoto claimed,) "how does Shisui OR Mikoto explain what he did to Sasuke-kun?"

"Neither of them understands what he did at all," Inoichi said, exasperation and fatigue evident in his tone. "They were both horrified. ...We believe interrupted things when you appeared next to Mikoto during their fight."

"Interesting," Minato almost chuckled. "Itachi, a shinobi many have considered a genius, put his much-loved younger brother in a genjutsu so vile that it's possibly left him disturbed." He looked up meaningfully at one of his subordinates and then the other. "If Tsunade-hime wasn't here when this happened, Sasuke might still be locked inside of that genjutsu. –It may have killed him." Momentarily, he wondered if Mito would've been successful in waking Sasuke since Shizune, the first medic on the scene, was unsuccessful in reaching the boy.

That random thought led to Minato's realization that in all likelihood, had Mito been in Konoha when the Uchihas were fighting, his daughter would've run into the Uchiha Compound, jutsus and fists blazing, and potentially had the Kyuubi taken from her. And/or had the fox used against them all.

"Itachi also put Mikoto in a genjutsu," Ibiki added. "We'll need more time to determine what exact type of genjutsu it was and if he'd done this before."

"Will the boy recover?" Inoichi asked his leader. He knew that ANBU was guarding the Academy student his Ino-chan was (too) fond of but hadn't learned of Sasuke's prognosis.

"That's hard to say. –Sasuke-kun did finally speak: asked for his mother but has been refusing to eat; dry-heaving - that sort of thing. And, understandably, he can't sleep despite the exhaustion this 'Tsukiyomi' wrought." Minato shook his head, feeling terrible for the boy that was his son's classmate and primary rival. "He's obviously strong but needs sleep, food, and the love of a good parent more than anything." Sadly, Minato wasn't sure if Sasuke would get Mikoto back at this point.

"...What else can you confirm?"

Their briefing lasted another half-hour. It was the first of MANY between the three shinobis.

.

Things were happening fast and getting really eerie - and dreadful in the Mist Rebellion's main camp.

The Rebellion had recruited some real whack-jobs in the last few days. And then more had just shown up! Dear Gods: did Mito ever feel like bugging out of here. But she couldn't; the orders to move on Yagura could come at any moment.

Mito would gather with the main medical unit, such as it was, when the forces met in or near Kiri. Med units were always in the back of formations and for now, that served Mito well enough. –Unless Obito showed up or she found herself in a favorable position to possibly do something about Yagura.

Just today the last Kaguya had died despite her work to save him, and honestly? Mito was glad the man and maybe his clan were gone. Full of little but bloodlust, and, in his last moments, telling Mei-sama that she should honor him for locking up and leaving his SON to die years before because the boy unlocked his bone-wielding Kekkei-Genkai, Mito felt the world was better off without the Kaguya clan. Except for maybe that poor boy, if he managed to escape.

Mei said the clan had attacked Kiri early on in the war - and she had believed them all to have been killed in what she called "a farce of a battle." Then that guy showed up wielding an ax this morning and yelling at everyone to submit to him. He was lucky he wasn't immediately turned into shark food or something.

Actually, Mito was pretty sure that Kaguya guy really was fish food now. –But at least that happened after his demise and wasn't the result of it.

"So how old are you?" Zabuza asked as he sauntered toward her. The guy wasn't being subtle at all!

"75," Mito responded. She was keeping her eyes on the nurses who were doling out soldier pills, med packs, and other various rations.

"Aw," Zabuza pouted under his mask, "just play the damn game with us!"

"Why would I play 'a game' that's all about revealing my identity?"

"You can win some cash," Zabuza asked as much as said.

So far the odds were leaning in favor of Fox actually being Senju Tsunade, but the Red-Hot Habanero, a B-ranked kunoichi named Fuka, as well as a few notable Konoha (male) shinobis had actually been bet to be henged as the masked-kunoichi. I can't believe they're serious. Even The Reaper was a vote-getter.

Zabuza thought the idea of Namikaze Mito - in whatever way she was related to the Yellow Flash - being Fox was the most batshit of all of the ideas ONLY because he couldn't imagine the Yondaime Hokage sending his kin to Kiri, however. …Although there is the hair thing. I shouldn't have opened my mouth about it, though: it totally screwed up the betting pool.

"Everyone here is broke!" Mito reminded him, unaware of his what he was thinking.

"True that," he grumbled, running his hand through his hair. In an even lower voice, he thanked her for fixing his sword.

Mito chuckled. "It wasn't my blood that did it." Yeah: she didn't want anyone she didn't fully trust getting his or her hands on her blood.

Far away in Kusa, Orochimaru sneezed.

"I'm just sayin'."

"Right," Mito said and grinned up at him tightly. She was in a shitty mood - but normally so was he! Earlier today, (wanting to shut him up about his broken sword and needing to clean up from that insane Kaguya person,) she flicked blood on his sword before resting her used and very bloody gloves on it moments later when the reaction proved to be so interesting. The damn sword seemed to grow and wound up mending itself!

Seals were sooo amazing. Mito was beginning to see how handy a great big sword could be, too.

Zabuza crossed his arms over his chest and leaned in to speak with her more quietly. "What are you gonna do if your target shows up while you're in surgery or something?"

Mito scoffed then smirked up at him. He was so freaking tall. "Worried about me?" she teased.

"Hell no," Zabuza scoffed right back. "I'm worried about me! And Haku! And my comrades!"

Mito wouldn't lie. "Look, I've told Mei and everyone else that I'm after that guy: that's why I'm here. I'll heal everyone I can in the meantime, Zabuza, and if, I - say - was in surgery and he popped up out of nowhere like the lying, traitorous scumbag he is, I'll have to make a clone or something to finish up what I'm doing. –Or grab another medic to take over for me. But I'm gonna GET that guy. That's my job."

"Whatever you say," Zabuza said with a heavy sigh before walking away.

Mito sighed, too, and went back to the beach, once again avoiding that too-friendly Ami-girl and having a seat on the sand. She probably could spare a single clone to stay with the medical unit but Obito was supposedly so strong… He had to be. Mito would need all of her strength (and some serious diversions) to take him down! She closed her eyes and reached out her senses but Obito still wasn't within her range. BUT… She sat up straight, wondering what the hell was going on.

Chakra signatures - a few that Mito was somewhat familiar with - were on the water, running from Wave toward Water Country. It didn't make sense, though. Is Konan-san alive?! And she's with Itachi-chan?!

No! That makes no sense!

…Although that guy sure felt like an "enlarged" Itachi-chan to her. He's probably... 17 now, Mito: he's not a small child anymore! When he was a little boy, Itachi had the nicest chakra Mito had ever encountered: soft, smooth, and super warm.

She snuck a shadow clone out and away to investigate, telling the clone not to reveal herself. "Make sure you take a wide berth and FULLY disguise yourself! Stay low!"

Mito had once briefly met Jiraiya's Ame students and was later so saddened that they were all killed by Hanzo. I guess it's possible that one survived and Jiraiya didn't know about it… She also sort of felt Nagato's chakra but also NOT. Nagato had a really large chakra signature and Mito had thought he was an Uzumaki - especially when his red hair was added to the equation - but Nagato had claimed that he didn't have a clan or even a last name. He'd been stubborn about it, too.

No: whatever she felt right now just couldn't be Nagato. But Itachi? What the heck would they er, what would Konan from AME be doing with Itachi-chan?!

"Of all the times for my sensing abilities to go haywire." Mito looked at the fox in her Mind Palace which now looked more like a beach house with a windowed basement. "Is something wrong with me?"

"You are human. So yes."

"That's true," Mito said, rubbing her chin. She should've guessed that he'd say something like that. "I could've sworn I felt… Ah, never mind. Hey, Kurama-sama…"

"What have I told you about using that name?"

"I'm hoping that you'll get comfortable with my using it. Please?! I already know it thanks to Saiken and certainly won't use your name disrespectfully. And I've already promised I won't tell anyone, either!"

"Whatever: just don't. What else do you want?"

Mito groaned. Ever since she'd learned his name, Kurama had been especially surly again. To think! Months back, he'd been talking up a storm.

"I've been thinking about Yagura and Rin-chan," she finally admitted, grimacing as she mentioned Rin's name. "Yagura's been a jinchuuriki for a long while now so how did Rin have Isobu's chakra?"

"How would I know the answer to that?! I've been locked up in you Uzumaki idiots for nearly a century!"

"I guess that's true," Mito agreed as she leaned against his cage. "And as always, I'm sorry about that." She turned and grinned - eventually obnoxiously winking - at the fox whom she figured was considering thrashing her through the shitty cage bars with his big long nails. (She was ready to flash away, just in case.)

Kurama's reaction to her cheek: the way his chops pulled up and he looked like he'd puke before closing his eyes again was hilarious.

As Mito thought about everything more, she realized that Rin-chan may not have had ALL of Isobu's chakra. –Maybe she had ended up like Naruto-chan or Sora-kun: either as a faux/part-jinchuuriki, or perhaps Isobu had even had half of his chakra torn away from him at some point: a yin and yang separation. Maybe Yagura only had half of Isobu's original chakra right now…

"I wouldn't count on that," Kurama said, surprising her again. "If Minato's kunoichi brat died before I was shoved and lasso-ed into you, Isobu's had plenty of time to regain any chakra he may have lost - depending on his seal. Although my hunch is that Isobu was sealed into Yagura immediately after he was sealed into your comrade."

There was no way Kurama would go into the intricacies of seals with a human. Mito was quite decent with fuuinjutsu anyway (not that he'd ever say that) but he'd heard that some of his siblings' chakras had been, at one time or another, sealed into even static containers like jars at times. He didn't need to give her or THEM any ideas.

"I don't know why it always surprises me when you've read my thoughts. …Ya know: I admit it. I'm a little afraid, Kura- Kyuubi-sama! I really don't want to fight and die in Kiri's civil war." The fox was just looking at her with one eyebrow slightly raised so Mito continued. "I'll fulfill our agreement to the best of my abilities; I just wish Obito would show up and we can get this over with. –Some of the ninjas that have shown up to the rebellion's 'cause' lately are really creeping me out."

Kurama smirked. "The latest arrivals here have reminded you of why I hate humanity."

Mito shrugged. "Yagura's worse, I think. He's the one that's caused all this fighting. –Or Obito did."

"You know as well as I do that several factions here want nothing more than to spill blood!"

Mito nodded and really concentrated on sensing everything going on around her again, having been reminded to never let those new weirdos at camp get the jump on her. "I swear, I feel –now, don't freak out: I feel Uchiha Itachi getting closer and closer to Kiri! What the heck would he be doing there?" She would guess that he was on a mission although the company he was keeping seemed extremely unlikely. Could he be on a joint, intervillage mission, perhaps?

"Don't mention that wretched clan!"

"Oh, man." Kurama was such a bummer when it came to the Uchihas. Why couldn't he only hate Obito (and Madara: she'd give him that guy) as she did?

"Oi!" Mangetsu drawled from a distance. Mito noticed that his little brother and Haku-kun were following him and excitedly chatting with each other. That was nice, although she hoped they were taking the battle to come seriously. Haku looked so much better: he'd been taking his medicine and had upped his fluid intake just the way she'd asked him to. "Better get ready."

"Oh boy," Mito grinned despite her nerves. Ask for action and you shall receive it, huh? –Getting this thing over with is just what she and Kurama had been talking about. Now. Where are you, Obito: you fucking douchebag? "It's time?"

"Almost." The Hozuki glanced around to see who was near them and lowered his voice. "Suigetsu and Haku are going to be guarding you medics. Watch out for them, will ya?"

Mito slowly grasped her hands in front of her heart and bit her bottom lip, faltering for several seconds. "Mangey-kun," she began softly, ignoring the way he grimaced although it looked more like a fanged half-grin now, "I'll do what I can but if the time comes for me to fight, I WILL have to leave to do that."

"I know," he admitted uncomfortably. "...You're alright, though." Mangetsu wanted to say "thanks for saving my life" but couldn't get the words out.

Mito smiled at him warmly from under her mask. "So are you. Stay alive, okay?" He began to walk away but she splashed him with a water sunshin though she only moved a couple of meters toward the ocean's frothy foam. Mito couldn't leave the teenager to go off fighting on such a serious, sour note although she meant what she'd said. "Tell ya what, Mangey: if I get my hands on that Samehada, I'll send it your way!" She knew he loved that damn sword more than any of the other ones.

Mangetsu grinned, showing his sharp pointy teeth off, from ear to ear as he swung Helmet splitter back and forth. "Yeah! I'll hold you to that, but you better watch out for that sword and Kisame, Fox!"

"Will do!" Mito felt a buzz of electricity - lightning chakra - go through her index finger and took off running, Haku and Suigetsu following behind her.

"IT EATS CHAKRA," she heard Magnetsu yell as he ran off toward his assigned position.

…

Much later, Mito was trying to save her first patient - a CHILD - when she felt Obito's chakra again. All of the medics were busy and just as she'd made a clone to take over for her, the rogue Uchiha was gone again. "THAT SON OF A BITCH!"

.

A dolphin that was not a dolphin raised its head from the water it had earlier been running across for what felt like ages, in disbelief that not only was Konan-chan alive, but it looked like so was perhaps a gangster twin of Yahiko AND they were with Uchiha Itachi: her original's formerly-little godbrother. The henged clone closed her eyes and shook her head, deciding that she needed to get a closer look since right now she could only make out their heads and that they were wearing black.

She could only properly identify two of them, and that was only through their chakra.

Getting a LITTLE closer, Mito noticed that the three of them looked like they had chosen matching cloaks or curtains-turned-into-cloaks from the bargain basement of the "Ugly" raincoat bin.

Mito's dolphin-henged clone "swam/bobbed" back and forth until she was somewhat closer to the shore again, keeping in mind that real dolphins wouldn't get too close. Long, wide black cloaks with either flowers or…

NoNoNoNoNo! OhmyGodOhmyGod: Obito was wearing a cloak like that - one that had RED CLOUDS just like that when he killed Mom!

Why were they wearing something like that?
Why were the three of THEM wearing look-a-like cloaks like that at all?
Are they uniforms?! And they're all wearing white tights with them?!
What the hell is this all about?
Have they sided with Obito?

No. It COULD simply be a coincidence that they're wearing the same thing.

"There are no coincidences, Mito-chan," Jiraiya's deep gravelly voice whispered in the back of her mind.

Mito-Dolphin ducked under the water and began speeding around in what she hoped seemed like a dolphin-like manner, not using more additional chakra to do so in case one of them was a sensor. When the Mizukage: Yagura, himself, showed up, immediately spilling demonic chakra everywhere as he turned into something absolutely (half-three-tails and half-himself:) red, burning, and MONSTROUS, she panicked - nearly coming up out of the water to try to help save them.

His transformation was SO much worse than the one she'd seen Sora-kun go through!

The monster that is/was Yagura had his club out and sure enough, a "mirror" of water appeared from it.

Using his jutsu proves that even in the form he is now, Yagura is in control of himself. –It was hard to imagine not losing one's mind to all that blazing, demonic chakra.

And wasn't that an awful realization: that Kurama's chakra could conceivably totally overwhelm her and lead her to lose herself?

Worse than what happened with Sora…

Konan and Gangster Yahiko (Mito's clone had doubts that could really be him: he didn't feel like Yahiko at all) only stood back and watched the Mizukage and Itachi-chan fight! Her original's now tall and long-haired godbrother sent black fire at the Mizukage and stopped him dead in his tracks. The black fire ate right through Yagura's mirror.

The fire isn't going out!
They're all just STANDING THERE letting him burn!

The clone's heart was racing - and she wasn't sure what happened next. She felt a raw surge of POWER coming toward her and raced underwater to get away from it. The clone dispelled before she could be hit by the projectile one of the ninjas sent flying toward her.

Mito broke out in a cold sweat, bending over at the waist as her mind raced through what her clone had witnessed.

"That transformation is what's commonly called 'Jinchuuriki Version 2,'" Kurama tried to sneer at Mito from her mindscape. He hoped that his expression covered the anxiety and pain he felt at what his sibling may have just gone through. "Looking forward to it?"

"Fuck, no!"

"Fox? I don't understand," one of the better Kiri med-nins asked in concern, pulling Mito's attention back to the MASC unit that was being taken down again. Her full division was ready to follow the front and meet in nearby Kiri - the most dangerous part of the final operation that should determine the outcome of the Civil War. Fortunately for the rebellion, losses had been far from what had been anticipated and they had been moving quickly.

"Sorry. I was talking to myself," Mito mumbled before unsealing a bottle of water and taking a deep drink. Some of it dribbled down her chin as those horrendous images of the jinchuuriki burning replayed in her mind. For the first time in her life, Mito wished her water was sake or something stronger. What was that black rod? The last thing her clone saw was a black rod appear from either the redhead or Konan - and Mito guessed that wind chakra sent it flying toward her. She was fairly sure its speed would've dramatically dissipated when it hit the water but…

What an asshole: trying to strike down a dolphin! …I don't think he sensed me before I sped underwater. Maybe my clone's behavior as a dolphin before wasn't normal? –Mito had watched dolphins often enough and… My hands are shaking. Thank God she wasn't in surgery.

Shit! I'm shaking all over!

What did Itachi DO?!

Why was he here, fighting Yagura?!

Why was he - Mito swallowed down the bile that had come up in her throat - here and in Obito's UNIFORM?!

Should I tell Mei that Yagura's hurt?

Yes. Without a doubt.

"I have to find Mei."

The medic drew back in surprise and "Ami," the Konoha spy shadowing the Hokage's daughter grimaced at the fierce, wild look in the princess' heterochromatic eyes. "That's not the plan," Ami reminded her.

Had anyone but this Ami person said that, Mito knew that she would've simply told them that she'd earlier sensed her target OR that she had an urgent message for their leader. But Mito was VERY suspicious of Ami and considering how much adrenaline and norepinephrine were surging through her body and brain, Mito said nothing.

"Ami" wasn't the only one to gasp when the currently purple-haired kunoichi activated a seal on her vest and modified, light blue armor pieced itself around Mito-hime's suddenly thick black bodysuit as if it were alive. Like she's a robot!
- Maybe movies had inspired the undercover Konoha kunoichi's crazy conceptions of what she was seeing…
- Get your head in the game, Yugao!

Fully equipped and armor-clad, Mito rushed toward the front.

"Shit," Yugao, aka Ami, whispered, running after her target and falling farther and farther behind.