Chapter 30: Confrontations

Karin hummed an old lullaby she still remembered from her days in Kusagakure as she fed Mikoto. The thought of another infant in the household in a few months was daunting, but also exciting. Karin loved all of her children, but she really wished Sasuke's super sperm would take a break already. Her poor body!

"Mommy, mommy!" Itachi screamed at the top of his lungs as he came running into the main bedroom. He had a scroll in hand and one of his socks was missing. Karin rolled her eyes. Typical. Itachi always seemed to lose things.

"Yes?" Karin asked as she watched her youngest son jump up and down excitedly. Itachi was very energetic when they were alone, but he always turned into a very quiet, withdrawn and shy boy around others. It worried her from time to time, what if he never fit in? What if he struggled to make friends at The Academy one day? What worried her the most, though, was if his name would become a reason for bullying.

"One of uncle Naruto's weird masked guys delivered this," Itachi announced as he shoved the scroll under Karin's nose.

"Oh," Karin exhaled, her eyes narrowing. Masked guys...that meant ANBU. Karin had already been placed on maternity leave since it was dangerous for a pregnant woman to be out in the field and in line of danger, so a scroll delivered by the ANBU was not expected. Because that scroll could only contain one thing – a top secret mission. Secret enough that Naruto wouldn't even dare to speak to her himself about it, because people could overhear.

"Is it for daddy?" Karin asked. It was a logical question, since she was on leave and all.

"No," Itachi replied, "your name's on it."

Karin frowned. Naruto wouldn't have given her a mission unless she really was the only one who could do it. So it was big and very very secret. And the ANBU was stupid enough to give the scroll to a child. Which probably meant the scroll was sealed very well or written in code.

"Okay," Karin sighed, "hold onto it for a second. I need to finish feeding your sister."

Once Karin finished feeding and burping Mikoto, she put the baby in her crib and took the scroll from Itachi. Itachi knew that scrolls from the ANBU was secret, since Sasuke had been part of the ANBU for several years, so he left the room to go play outside.

Karin released the seal on the scroll and opened it. She scanned over the writing and sighed in frustration. It was written in code. She re-read the strange combination of numbers and letters, trying to find a clue to how she should approach decoding the message. Naruto would have left the clue for her, because this was not something she could take to the Konoha Cryptanalysis Team.

After re-reading it twice more, Karin's eyes halted at a combination of letters that formed a word. Mind. Karin frowned, trying to figure out how that would help her solve the code. Something with mind...and then it hit her. Karin smirked as she headed to the study. Naruto had used the classic, page number and line reference code and the book he had chosen was Mind Matters. Funny, since the book was written by his wife. But as Karin pulled the book off the bookshelf, she couldn't help but feel that Naruto had chosen this book for a reason. Not because it was written by Ino, but because this mission involved her. Did Naruto know something about the transfer she did not? Determined, Karin sat down at the desk, the scroll and book open and ready. She had to quickly decipher the message to get on with the mission and possibly finding out how Ino came into the picture.

Sarutobi Konohamaru stood quietly under the gates of Konoha, his arms crossed and eyes closed. It was early morning and his team had been assigned a mission. They had agreed to meet at the gates, but he was the first to arrive and none of the others had turned up yet.

"Good morning, Konohamaru," a voice interrupted the silence. Konohamaru opened his eyes, surprised to see that Uzumaki Kaguya was the first of the students to arrive. She had been assigned to the mission the last minute upon Konohamaru's request – he felt a three-man team would not be able to pull the mission off.

"Hey kid," Konohamaru greeted with a grin. Kaguya returned the grin. As her godfather, Kaguya had always been close to Konohamaru and it had been a long time since she saw him last.

"Eh, what's the Hokage's kid doing here?" another voice interrupted. Konohamaru and Kaguya turned to face the newcomer.

"My name is not 'Hokage's kid', Nara Ryuuji!" Kaguya huffed, annoyed. Ryuuji laughed and poked her forehead. At sixteen, Ryuuji was just newly promoted to Chuunin and was a distant cousin of Shikamaru. Like other Nara men, Ryuuji wore his hair in a high ponytail and had a goatee on his chin. The only distinctive difference he had from his Nara relatives was his hair, which was blonde like his mother's.

"Kaguya will be joining us on our mission," Konohamaru stated, watching bemused as Ryuuji continued to poke Kaguya, much to her annoyance.

"Really?" Ryuuji's eyes lit up. "So we can do the Ino-Shika-Cho formation? That would be so cool!"

Konohamaru rolled his eyes, while Kaguya just smiled. She had worked with Team Konohamaru before, since she had inherited the Yamanaka clan's abilities and Ryuuji and his team mate, Cheza were from the Nara and Akimichi clans respectively, it was logical that they work together. However, she had not been assigned to their team when she graduated because of their age difference – Ryuuji and Cheza were three years older than her and therefore they had already been assigned a team. And there were no members of their clans her age – older and younger, yes, but unfortunately none born the same year she was. She often joked that it was a 'bad year' for the Nara and Akimichi clans.

Sometimes she wished she could swap teams. She loved Sasuke and her team mates (okay, maybe Maito Wataru was a bit annoying), but Kaguya sometimes looked at her mother and Shikamaru, as well as other members of the three clans and felt jealous. She wanted those bonds too.

Kaguya was snapped out of her deep thoughts when Cheza arrived. Cheza was short and plump with lilac coloured hair cut into a bob and dark eyes. She did not have facial markings on her cheeks like others in her clan, rather she had red markings accenting her eyes. She smiled when she spotted Kaguya.

"Thank goodness you're here," Cheza said, "these boys drive me insane."

"What's that supposed to mean Cheza?" Ryuuji grunted.

"It means you're a royal pain in the ass," Cheza retorted, her hands on her hips. "You're incredibly lazy and bore the hell out of me. At least with Kaguya here I'll have something to talk about."

"Like what? Fatty foods?" Ryuuji asked with a snort. Cheza narrowed her eyes dangerously and clobbered him over the head.

"Now you two," Konohamaru scolded, although his eyes were sparkling with humour, "stop it. We have a mission and teamwork is important."

"Now you sound like Kana!" Ryuuji moaned. "She's always muttering about team work!"

"Of course she is," Cheza snorted. "She's Hatake Kakashi's daughter, you blithering idiot."

Konohamaru sighed. These two were never going to change. Kaguya just laughed at the scene before her. She had witnessed it countless times before, but their bickering never got old.

Noticing that time was getting ahead of them, Konohamaru cleared his throat, immediately causing the bickering to cease. Cheza and Ryuuji turned to face him, both red in the face.

"Good, glad that still gets your attention," Konohamaru said. "I will now explain the details of our mission as well as our battle strategy if we are attacked. Yes, Ryuuji, the Ino-Shika-Cho formation is part of the strategy, so stop hopping so excitedly."

Cheza chuckled under her breath as Ryuuji stopped hopping and blushed. She never quite understood how such a lazy idiot could have so much energy at the same time. When he was overly excited, it reminded her of their former team mate...Cheza sighed and shook her head. No, she was not going to think about that right now.

Once Konohamaru explained the mission, the team was ready to depart. While Cheza and Kaguya exchanged pleasantries while travelling, Konohamaru and Ryuuji agreed on a sparring challenge once the mission was over (although Ryuuji tried to worm his way out of it at first).

As Konoha faded behind them, Kaguya could not help but get the feeling that the mission was going to be fantastic.

Naruto did not trust his own office. It was very possible that it was wired and that The High Council was listening in or watching him. He had to be very careful with what he did and what he shared, because they could not know that he was on to them.

So when he decided to talk to the messenger who had revealed the truth to him, he told him to meet him at the Nara Estate instead. It was not a place likely to be tapped and Shikamaru had offered the place to Naruto to use to his liking.

"What will happen to me, sir?" the messenger asked nervously after Naruto told him to sit down. They were in the basement, a secret room that only the Naras and now he knew about.

"Well, you will have to be tried for treason," Naruto stated, noticing the poor man stiffening in response. Naruto sighed. "However, since you decided to turn yourself in and tell the truth, you will be shown some leniency. But you still have to be tried...and you might still be sent to prison. But your sentence might be lowered."

"I see," the messenger mumbled. "I suppose I can live with that. What do you need from me today?"

"Information," Naruto replied. "Tell me as much as you can. Are they threatening you?"

The messenger nodded. Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"What exactly did they threaten you with?" Naruto asked.

"My wife's safety, sir. And my children's future as ninja."

"That is not their decision, nor part of their power, do you understand?"

"Of course, sir. I know that you always have the final say when it comes to retiring ninja, but they made a convincing argument. And they could easily kill my wife – they are all ninja themselves."

"Not for much longer," Naruto grumbled bitterly. His fists tightened. The more he learned about his supposedly 'loyal' High Council, the more disgusted he became. He was certain that one or two on the council were running the whole operation and they would suffer the most severe punishment. Maybe even execution, if the situation calls for it. Because from what the messenger said, these people have killed. And murderers were not given any leniency.

"What letters did they intercept?" Naruto changed the subject.

"Quite a variety, sir," the messenger responded. "Mostly those regarding alliances and the safety of our village. Like the ones you sent to Lady Shizuka in Nadeshiko Village. They were discussing the future of the prisoner Juugo. The council deems him unstable and a danger to the village."

"You can just say they think he is a monster," Naruto muttered. The messenger looked down, ashamed. "What else? Have they intercepted any that go to Suna?"

"Yes, sir."

"Bloody bastards. Is the Hyuuga elders aware of the council's corruption?"

"I-I do not know, sir. Should they?"

Naruto's eyes narrowed again. "I do not know. The Hyuuga elders and I have never seen eye-to-eye, so it is possible they are in on it too. You know nothing about the Hyuuga clan?"

The messenger shook his head. Naruto made a mental note to arrange a meeting with the Hyuuga elders as well. He didn't trust them, he never had. They refused to abolish the cursed seal – Hinata had made it possible to be used less than in the past, but it had not been eradicated from tradition completely. The Hyuuga elders refused to let Hinata move to Suna as well. It was starting to grate on his nerves and as Shikamaru constantly warned him, it could lead to a war between Konoha and Suna.

"What about to the other nations?" Naruto asked.

"The council are wary of the other nations," the messenger admitted, "and because of that they made sure all letters were delivered. They did not want them to become suspicious of their movements. It could ignite a war."

"All of this can start a war," Naruto barked. "This has to stop and before it reaches the ears of the other nations. We may be at peace and have an alliance, but conflict is still there."

"I-I know, sir."

Naruto sighed and rubbed his temple. All his life he had dreamed of becoming Hokage. He had wished to be acknowledged, to be treasured and accepted by the village. He had all of that, he had the power, the respect and the love. But with this job came great responsibility and sometimes he felt like he couldn't handle it. How on earth did his father do it...or the third before him?

Heck, how on earth did Senju Hashirama pull it off right at the beginning, where it was all bad blood and animosity?

And just as it felt like he had lost all hope, an idea suddenly hit him. The High Council were, in essence, a bunch of cowards. There was one thing they always openly opposed about him because they feared it. They feared it more than they feared him.

Naruto grinned. It was time to find Kurama.

It was not her first time visiting this particular part of the shopping district. Karin stood arms crossed in front of the small house that served as a store as well as a home. It was eerily quiet, which she had not expected. The owner of the house barely left, at least according to Naruto's report on the mission scroll.

With a sigh, Karin pressed her ear against the door, listening intently while also trying to pick up any hints of chakra. Nothing. The house was empty. Frowning, thinking this was far too easy, Karin jumped up onto the roof and moved to the back. Behind the house, tucked between the other buildings was a small garden. It was tiny, barely big enough to allow the growth of a tree, but it was big enough to grow some small plants. Karin checked for any threats or curious eyes, then jumped down into the garden.

The smell of rosemary infiltrated her senses. Karin's eyes landed on the plant. It was the only plant she recognised in the whole garden. The rest all looked like exotic shrubs that should belong in a tropical forest. Karin leaned closer to a plant bearing dark purple and green leaves and gently touched it. How on earth did someone ever manage to grow these strange plants in such a small space? Karin made a mental note to mention this in her report to Naruto. Karin plucked a leaf from the plant and tucked it into her weapon's pouch. A botanist might be able to tell her the plant's name and origin.

Karin moved to the glass door that led into the house. She peered inside, once again checking for any signs of life. None. This was way too easy and it was making her nervous. Still, Karin swallowed the unease and checked if the door was unlocked. It was.

She stepped inside and the smell of lavender bombarded her. First the rosemary, now lavender. Karin scanned her surroundings. She was in the bedroom, the only one judging by the size of the house. And it was filthy. The bed was unmade, clothes were strewn all of the floor and the walls were covered in marking, scratches and writing. Karin frowned and stepped closer to the wall on her right. She lifted her arm and traced her fingers over some writing, trying to make sense of it.

The mind. Infiltrate. Kazekage. Beasts.

Karin's fingers froze over the word Kazekage. What did Gaara have to do with this? No, wait. It might not refer to him, but one of the previous Kazekage. Karin moved along the wall, reading more of the strange disjointed words and sentences, hoping to be able to find a link.

Karin moved around the room. There were so many strange things carved into the walls. And not just words, pictures as well. Mostly diagrams which she could not understand because almost none of them had a key or any labels. These diagrams were clearly drawn to only make sense to the person who drew them.

Karin was now on the other side of the room and the wall before her was empty. No scribbles, words or diagrams were present. The wall was bare, except for one painting. She lifted her gaze to see what the portrait featured and gasped. Karin closed her eyes and opened them again, as if trying to discern if it was a trick, but the portrait remained the same.

"I see you found my most treasured possession," a voice hissed. Karin spun around and came face-to-face with the blank white eyes characteristic to a member of the Hyuuga clan. Karin frowned. How on earth did Astra come in without her noticing?

"How is this possible?" Karin asked, her hand slowly creeping to her weapon's pouch in case she had to defend herself.

Astra smiled wickedly. "What exactly are you referring to? The fact that I can evade your unmatched sensory skills, or the fact that I have a portrait of the Hokage hanging in my room?"

"Both."

"You know," Astra began as she slipped inside the room and closed the door behind her. "I liked you back where I come from. You were known as Uzumaki Karin, cousin of the Hokage. And you were worshipped."

Karin narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean, 'where I come from'?"

"I thought that was obvious by now," Astra pointed out.

"A different dimension?" Karin attempted to guess. Astra's smile widened as she moved around the room, Karin also moving to keep her in sight. Astra stood by the door leading to the garden now, her gaze focused on Karin and her feral smile still in place.

"Very good," Astra hummed, "you learned something from that blonde bitch. Or should I say bitches, since there's two of them now."

Karin's eyes flickered to the painting again. "That's...that's Hinata with Naruto, isn't it?"

"Yes," Astra replied as she locked the glass door. Karin pulled out a kunai, knowing that things might get ugly now. "Uzumaki Hinata, the bravest woman that ever lived. She gave her life you know, to save Konoha."

"Where you come from?" Karin asked. Astra nodded her head and sat down in an old and withered arm chair that sat in front of the window. Karin narrowed her eyes, kunai still in hand. "What are you doing here? And who is that child with them in the portrait?"

Astra smirked as she checked her nails, it almost seemed that the conversation was boring her. "Isn't it obvious?"

Karin stepped forward and lifted her kunai. "Answer me."

"You know the answer," Astra whispered. "You just don't want to face the truth."

"Fine," Karin hissed, "it's you. You're the child with them. But that still doesn't answer my first question."

Astra sighed, but did not say anything.

"I'll force the answer out if I have to," Karin warned. Astra threw her head back in laughter, but her laugh was cold and bitter.

"Are you going to capture me Karin? Hand me over to Baki so that he can torture me? Are you going to have that blonde bimbo look into my mind?" Astra asked.

"If you insult Ino one more time," Karin began to warn.

"What?" Astra sneered. "What will you do Karin?"

Karin hesitated. She wanted to grab the woman before her and knock her unconscious, take her to Naruto, but something wasn't right. Astra had made it very easy for Karin to infiltrate her house. And how on earth did Astra manage to hide her chakra that Karin could not sense her at all? Because Astra was right, Karin's sensory skills were unmatched – not even Beniko had the same level of 'sight' as she did. And Astra was very calm for someone who has found a kunoichi sniffing around in her house. No, something was very wrong.

And then it hit her. Karin blinked, her vision suddenly going blurry. She stumbled forward, grabbing onto the bed's post for support. The kunai slipped from her grasp and clattered loudly on the wooden floor. Karin tried to regain her balance, but the world was spinning wildly around her.

"W-what have you done to me?" Karin demanded angrily.

"Oh, just a little concoction of mine," Astra hummed. "It's a herbal mixture straight from my garden. It won't kill you, just put you to sleep."

Karin frowned. But that's impossible...how on earth did Astra get it into her system? They had not stepped near each other, not crossed blades.

"I burn it," Astra stated, as if she knew what Karin was thinking. "Every night I burn it in my room, just in case someone wants to come snooping."

Karin snorted. "Then will it not effect you too?"

"Ah," Astra laughed as she stood up and approached Karin. "That's the beauty of it. I'm immune."

Karin collapsed on her knees, fighting the urge to fall asleep. No, she had to stay awake! She had to capture this woman now! Karin looked up into Astra's eyes. "Who are you?"

"I thought you've figured that out by now," Astra laughed. "Aunt Karin."

And with that, everything went black.

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A/N: I don't have much to say other than I really look forward to writing Sasuke's rampage when he realises his wife has been taken.