Chapter 17: Samurai Blues (Part I)

11 a.m., Konoha…

It was the morning of the second day. Naruto and Yumi would set sail later on that night and arrive in Sea Country around this time tomorrow. Well actually, Naruto had decided that he and Yumi would leave in the afternoon. He thought it would be great to surprise everyone by arriving earlier than what they expected. Naruto smiled at the thought of seeing his adopted family, but his facial expression turned serious when he thought about what happened yesterday.

Flashback (Konoha, 8 a.m. yesterday…)

Naruto, Yumi, Mai, Jiraiya, and Tsunade were in front of a house that was located behind the Hokage Monument. Tsunade looked at Naruto and handed him the key, "I think you should do the honors."

Naruto took the key and opened the door. When he stepped in the house, it was clear that no one had kept it clean. There was dust everywhere, revealing the eighteen years of desertion. Naruto walked into to the living room, which didn't really reveal much. Everyone followed Naruto as he walked through the house. He continued until he came to the kitchen; nothing fancy, just a simple wooden dining table and everything else that a kitchen would have. The walls were white or at least they used to be. They were now sickly beige. Naruto didn't dare open the refrigerator; what ever was in there was probably alive by now.

Jiraiya spoke, "Naruto, I think we should head to your father's library."

Naruto looked at Jiraiya, "If you guys want to go; then be my guest, I want to look around a bit more."

Jiraiya motioned for Yumi, Tsunade and Mai to follow him. Naruto was left alone to look around at what would have been his home had it not been for the fox. Naruto continued his trek upstairs, where he assumed the bedrooms to be located. Naruto noticed that there were five bedrooms. The room straight ahead was what he assumed to be his parents' room. He entered the room and it was by all accounts nice. But like the room downstairs, dust had collected. Naruto ignored the dust and sat down on the maroon-colored bed. He just studied the room for a moment, until his eyes landed on a mantle with pictures on it. He stood up and walked over to the mantle to see the pictures. He saw his father in a picture with a younger Kakashi, a boy, and a female. "Must be his genin squad" Naruto thought to himself. He continued to look at the other pictures. One had Tsunade and Jiraiya, another had him and the third. Naruto noticed a picture with Yondaime and a woman holding hands. Naruto picked up the picture. For the first time ever, he actually could put a face to his mother.

"I took that picture, you know." Naruto turned around to see Jiraiya.

Naruto just continued to look at the picture. Jiraiya continued, "I saw the two of them walking and holding hands and I thought it would be good. I think you should take it, I mean its just going to collect dust here."

Naruto looked at Jiraiya without saying a word. He turned his gaze back on to the picture "They look so happy here. I wonder how things would have been if they were alive?"

Naruto placed the picture back on the mantle and walked past Jiraiya out of the room. The toad sage looked back at the picture and smiled, thinking of the good ole days. He then proceeded to follow behind Naruto.

Naruto headed to the library; the letter that Kakashi had giving him had told him to head there. When he arrived at the library, he found Mai looking through a book, while Tsunade and Yumi were looking around. Naruto walked up to the group causing everyone to look at him, "I must ask you all to leave. From here on out I have to do this on my own."

Tsunade, Yumi, and Mai nodded, then proceeded to exit the library. Jiraiya, who was waiting by the door, looked at Naruto with a concerned gaze. "Will you be okay Naruto?"

He responded without even turning back to his sensei, "Yes, I will be fine. Give me about twenty minutes or so."

Jiraiya closed the doors as he exited the room, leaving Naruto by himself. Once Jiraiya was gone, Naruto pulled out the note Kakashi gave him. "The letter said to go to the ninjutsu scroll section and in the center of the wall, between the book shelves, I should do the hand signs for Bird, Dog, Pig, Snake, and Monkey." Naruto arrived at the section he was informed to go to. He was now standing in front of a plan white wall. Naruto just shrugged and did the required hand seals. When he finished, he pressed his hands against the wall. When he did this the wall transformed into a door with the shape of a kunai in the center. Recognizing that the kunai Kakashi had given him was some sort of key, Naruto pulled out the kunai and placed it inside of the hollow space. When he did, the seal on the kunai begin to glow a bright red. In a matter of seconds, the door opened.

Naruto stepped inside of the dark corridor. When he took a couple of more steps, the sound of the door behind him closing caused him to turn around. He wasn't worried, so he continued down the dark corridor toward the light-filled room. Naruto noticed that along the walls were lanterns. With a minor katon jutsu, the hall was now lit. He could now see the brown stone walls that appeared black due to the lack of light. The young man continued until he came to a room that reminded him of a trophy room of some sorts. The floor was covered in red carpet and the walls were a pearl white. He noticed that the room had two bookshelves of what he assumed to be scrolls. The thing that caught is attention was the kunai on the wall and the scroll that was under it in a glass case.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the Hiraishin no Jutsu was in that scroll. Naruto walked over to the case. "Okay, now for the hand seals that will unlock the case." Naruto performed the hand seals of the bird, rat, ox, and the tiger. When he finished, he placed his hand on the circular silver crest on the case. He heard a click that he believed to be the case unlocking.

He was right.

He lifted up the case and gently took out the scroll. Naruto opened the scroll to confirm that it was the jutsu. It was the Hiraishin all right. Naruto rolled up the scroll and placed it back in its case. "I will come back for it later. I will try to learn the technique when I get back from seeing Ryuho-sensei. I think its best I look around more to see if I find any other scrolls." Naruto continued walking around in the room. He took scrolls of the shelves and glance through them. So of the techniques were interesting, others were of no interest. However, he came across a scroll that talked about the Rasengan. He read it intently. "So that's why Ero-sennin wanted me to try and combine my element and the Rasengan? I see Yondaime was in the process of trying to do this." Naruto rolled the scroll back up and placed it on the shelf. Naruto was finish looking around. He decided to exit the room and head back to the others.

Yumi and the others were all gathered in the living area when Naruto came back. He looked at everyone, "Let's go, I've seen all I need to see."

Tsunade and Jiraiya looked at each other. The group followed Naruto out of the house. Yumi caught up to Naruto, "So Naruto, where did you go?"

"I went to look at the technique that my father wanted me to learn." Naruto answered.

"So you have seen the Hiraishin scroll? Where is it?" Tsunade asked.

"I can't tell you. The fact is that Yondaime created the technique not only with the intention of it being deadly, but he intended to keep the technique in the family much like the Naras', Akamichis' and the Yamanakas'. The technique is safe. Oh, I almost forgot…" Naruto threw the scroll in the air and burned it with a Goukakyuu no Jutsu.

Tsunade brow elevated in curiosity, "What was the purpose of burning the letter?"

Naruto turned his head to look Tsunade in the eye "I was instructed to do so. That scroll contained the secrets necessary to obtain the Hiraishin. Yondaime didn't want anyone but me to know where the technique was and how to get to it."

"Oh. Well Naruto, you know you have access to that place anytime. Well, I have Hokage business to take care of. Naruto, I expect you to see me before you leave tomorrow. I want to talk to you in private." Tsunade said the blond nin.

End of Flashback

Naruto, who was about to go speak with the Hokage looked at Yumi who was packing their bags, "I'm going to see Obaa-chan. Since you are almost done packing, why don't you come along? We could grab breakfast after the meeting."

Yumi stuffed the last bit of clothes in the suitcase. She then looked up at Naruto, "I would, but I really don't want to wait around outside. Why don't I just meet you at Ichiraiku when you're done."

Naruto just shrugged, "Okay, whatever." He turned to exit the room. He stopped at the door and turned back to Yumi, "Did your mother change her mind or is she still going to stay here?"

"She said she's staying. She said she had to help your perverted sensei out with something." Yumi informed him. They both thought simultaneously "Probably to help with that perverted book of his.

"Well, I will meet you at Ichiraiku." Naruto exited the room and headed to the Hokage Tower.

Hokage Tower, ten minutes later…

Naruto was sitting directly across from Tsunade. She was studying him, which was making him uncomfortable. She finally spoke, "The trials were difficult, I presume?"

"More than you know. Is that the reason you called me here?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, I want to know what happened." Tsunade told the boy.

Naruto let out a sigh. He didn't really want to tell the story, but he decided to tell her. "Look, I will give you the gist of it. First trial I had tested my will to fight. The next trial tested my faith in myself and my abilities. The Kyuubi kept on begging me to use his power, because when I'm in a pinch I usually draw the fox's powers. However, I refused his power. Really, there is nothing wrong with using the Kyuubi's power, it is a part of me, but I learned in that test I should rely and trust in my powers. The last test was hell for me, I basically relived all of the negative events in my life. The test was to test my heart. In a nutshell, the purpose was to see if I would give in to anger and hatred. Obviously, I didn't or else I wouldn't be standing here before you with the blade at my side."

"From what I can gather, the test was hard. Anyway, when you get back I will have a couple of missions lined up for you. Don't worry, it's nothing too hard and you won't be away from Yumi for many days. The council is on my ass about paying you a large sum and you only did two missions so far. I told them that you were training towards aiding us in the war in the coming six months. Well, I really have nothing else to say to you, so you are free to go." Naruto stood up and walked to the door.

"Naruto!" Tsunade yelled slightly causing the man revered in Rain and Rock to turn around. "Have a safe trip, okay."

Naruto was a little surprised by Tsunade statement. He just nodded, "Thanks, hopefully I will. Later Obaa-chan."

Yumi was heading to Ichiraiku when she heard a voice yell out her name. She turned around to see Ino, Chouji, and Shikamaru. Ino and the rest of Team 8 as they caught up to Yumi. "Hey Yumi, where are you heading off to?"

"I was going to meet Naruto at Ichiraiku. Where were you guys heading?" Yumi asked Ino.

"Well, we don't get to see each other much. So once a week, if we are not on a mission away from the village, we meet up and have a team lunch. Do you want to join us? The more the merrier." Ino said to the girl.

"I don't want to impose. Besides, I have to meet Naruto." Yumi stated.

Chouji looked down the road to see Naruto heading towards them, "Hey Naruto, over here!" Chouji bellowed, causing everyone to in Naruto's direction.

Naruto walked up to the group. "Ino, Chouji, Shikamaru. Yumi you ready?"

"You guys are joining us today. I'm treating and I'm not taking no for answer. Besides, you skipped out on me when I was going to make you breakfast a week or so ago. You're not skipping out this time." Ino said in a loud, energetic voice.

Shikamaru just shook his head, "Does she have to always be loud?"

"What did you say Shikamaru?" Ino said venomously. Shikamaru realizing that he spoke out loud, shook his head. "I didn't say anything, really Ino."

"Oh, okay... Well come on, lets go everyone." Ino grabbed Yumi's hand and pulled her along. Naruto looked at Chouji, then at Shikamaru. "I almost feel sorry for you guys."

"Ino can be bitchy at times, but she wouldn't be Ino if she wasn't a loud mouth bitch." Shikamaru stated.

Chouji nodded in agreement. "Yep, that's our Ino. Well, let's join them, I am kind of hungry."

"What else is new" Shikamaru said under his breathe. The three young men followed Yumi and Ino.

Inside the Restaurant…

Naruto and everyone else were sitting at a table eating the barbeque on the grill. Yumi was sitting next to Naruto, while Ino, Chouji, and Shikamaru were sitting across from them. Ino looked at Naruto, "Well Naruto, now that you're back, do you have a mission lined up?"

Naruto shook his head, "No, Yumi and I are heading out at four this afternoon. We're going to be in Sea Country for two weeks. When I get back I will be doing missions and such."

Ino looked away and mumbled, "For someone getting paid 90,000,000 Ryou you sure get a lot a vacation time."

"Did you say something, Ino-san?" Yumi asked.

Ino smiled at the girl, "Oh, it's nothing, just saying how great this food is, that's all."

Chouji stopped stuffing his face and looked at Naruto, "Naruto, a while back you stormed away from Kakashi's house pissed with some weird kunai in your hand. Do you mind telling us why you were so pissed at Kakashi?"

Ino choked on her meat; she didn't expect Chouji to be so forward. Naruto, who was sipping on a glass of water, put it down and looked straight into Chouji eyes "It's personal business that I don't wish to talk about."

Ino, after collecting herself, spoke, "Come on Naruto tell us why?"

Yumi shook her head. Shikamaru placed his hand on Ino's and shook his head as well. Ino knew to leave it alone. Yumi looked at everyone who grew quiet and decided to change the subject, "So Ino-san, how are the plants?"

"They're wonderful. I actually have to work at the shop today." The girls continued their talk.

Shikamaru spoke to Naruto in a low voice, "The technique associated with that kunai…do you know it or will you learn it?"

Naruto shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe."

"You are still an idiot, you do know that Naruto?" Shikamaru said.

"And you are an over-analytical lazy ass. Why are you worried about me learning some jutsu?" Naruto asked.

"I'm not. But, I do believe that it will benefit Konoha if you were to learn it. Anyway, do you know what type of missions Tsunade will stick you with once you return?" Shikamaru questioned.

"No, she didn't say. It doesn't matter, the sooner this war is over the better." Naruto stood up, "Yumi come on I want to make sure that we have everything before we leave."

Yumi stood up, "Well, I think we packed everything, but ok, lets go make sure. Ino-san, I will stop by the flower shop to see you when I get back. Shikamaru-san, Chouji-san, you be safe."

Chouji spoke in between bites "Swee wou wayter Umi-chan" Yumi stifled a giggle, while Shikamaru shook his head in shame. The couple left the group to their devices and headed back to the hotel.

Sea Country, 4 hours later…

It was three in the afternoon and Hayami was bored. She trained with her father this morning and had the rest of the day free. She tried to train with her older cousins, but they didn't want to because they said she would only get in their way. Her friends in the village were all busy doing stuff and didn't have time. Her mother was also busy. The girl, who was lying on her bed looking at her ceiling, was bored. "What can I do? Naruto-nii-chan won't be here until tomorrow, but I want to do something today. There is the circus in town, maybe I can ask Kaa-san or Oto-san to take me." The little girl got off of her bed and headed to her parent's room. When she entered her parent's room her mother and her father were both on their way out, but they stopped short to avoid a collision. Kaori looked at Hayami, "Hey sweetie, do you want something?"

The little girl, looking at her mother spoke, "Kaa-san, there is a circus in town and I would love to go. It is so boring and I have nothing to do, could you take me?"

Kaori shook her head, "Sorry honey, but your father and I have an important meeting to go to. You know how these clan meetings drag out, but how about tomorrow?"

The little girl had her head down; her mother heard her mumble, "Okay."

Ryuho bend down to match his daughter's height, "Don't be sad Yami-chan. We will take you tomorrow, okay? I wish I could take you or if I could get someone…"

Shinji voice made everyone turn around to face him. "Ryuho-sama, you and Kaori-san have to hurry or will be late."

Ryuho gave a smile only Hayami could see, he then spoke so only she could hear, "If you want to go today, I will see to it that you go."

The girl face lit up, "You mean it?"

"Yes, of course." Ryuho stood up and walked to Shinji. "Change of plans. Shinji, you don't have to attend this meeting, I have something better for you to do."

Shinji was ecstatic. Although he didn't show it on the outside, he was happy that he didn't have to sit through another boring clan meeting. Eager to know what he was going to do he asked his uncle, "So what is that you want me to do?"

Ryuho place a hand on his nephew's shoulder, "I want you to take Hayami to the circus today."

Shinji eye started to twitch, "You want me to play baby sitter? I'd rather go to the meeting."

Ryuho put his hands together and started pleading, "Come on Shinji, do this favor for me. I would do it, but you know Kaori and I have to be at the meeting." Shinji shook his head. Ryuho looked down to his left thinking how he could get Shinji to him this favor. An idea came to his head and he looked up at his nephew, "Okay, if you take her I will give you…" Ryuho whipped out Jiraiya's latest book. "The new Icha Icha Paradise."

Kaori eye was now twitching. She slapped him in the back of his head, "You can't give him our…I mean that book. To even think Shinji would be persuaded to do something because you would willingly give him Icha Icha Paradise! You should be ashamed of bribing your nephew with that sort of material!

Shinji thought to himself , "Damn, I was about to accept until Kaori-san opened her mouth. If I would have accepted that, it would have made me look like a pervert. Now I got to wait a week until the store gets the new shipments. Thanks a lot, Kaori-san." The second strongest member of the clan looked at his uncle and coolly responded, "I will not be persuaded by such a book."

Ryuho thought of something else, "Okay, anything you want as long as it's not extreme, I will get it just name it."

Shinji motioned for his uncle to come closer so he could whisper in his ear. While Shinji was whispering in his ear, Ryuho eyes went wide. He backed away from his nephew, "No, anything but that. Come on Shinji have a heart, those are collector's items. Please Shinji."

Shinji spoke while sporting a victory smile, "You love your daughter right? Look at Hayami and tell me can you turn down that face?"

Hayami looked at her father with puppy dog eyes. Ryuho turned away from his daughter and closed his eyes "God damn it, not those damn eyes!" The image of Hayami kept coming up in his head. He decided he wanted his daughter to be happy. He slumped his shoulders in defeat, "Alright Shinji, you win. Come by later on tonight or tomorrow and I will have them all ready."

Shinji looked at Hayami, "Will go into town around seven o'clock tonight and catch the eight o'clock show okay" The girl nodded vigorously with an ear to ear grin. Shinji waved goodbye to everyone as he left. Hayami skipped towards her room, happy that she was going to the circus in town. Kaori looked at her husband, who looked like he lost something special; her curiosity got the best of her, "So, what exactly did he ask for?"

"The first ten author-signed copies of our Icha Icha Paradise series."

Kaori eye was twitching, "You're giving away the first volume of the series? Did you forget how hard it was for us to get that volume and have it signed by Jiraiya?"

"I know, but those damn eyes of hers! I couldn't say no. Don't worry though, I will think of something to get it back from Shinji." He said hoping that would reassure his wife. She just rolled her eyes and left him standing there. She spoke while walking, "You better think of something or you will be resorting to that book to give you pleasure." Kaori knew she was wrong, but she was glad it was him and not her. "Those damn eyes of hers are hard to refuse. I would have done the same thing too."

Ryuho caught up to his wife and the two walked toward the meeting in silent, thinking of their daughter and the first volume, from perhaps the greatest romance novelist on the planet. This just wasn't Ryuho's day, not at all.

Konoha, 3:30 pm…

Naruto and Yumi were all set to leave. With a backpack of clothes on both of their backs, they were ready to go. Standing outside of the hotel, with her mother and Jiraiya, the couple was saying their farewells.

"Mai-san, why won't you come with us?" Naruto asked his mother-in-law.

"I told you already, Naruto. I will wait for you to get back. Besides, the bathhouses here in Konoha are the best. Don't worry about me, Jiraiya will be here." Yumi informed the couple with a smile.

Naruto and Yumi simultaneously thought, "That is what I'm afraid of."

Naruto looked away from Mai and turned his attention towards Jiraiya "Ero-sennin, I shouldn't have to say it, you already know. In any event, we will be back in about two weeks. Try not to get into trouble while I'm gone, okay Ero-sennin?"

Jiraiya smiled at his pupil while scratching the back of his head, "Come on Naruto, did you forget who you're talking too?"

Yumi gave Jiraiya a serious look, "He knows exactly who he's talking to, which is why he said what he said. I would rather you not get my mother mixed up with you and your dealings, Ero-sennin."

"Don't worry Yumi, I can take care of myself; I was doing it before you were born. I will see you guys in two weeks, okay? Enjoy your time away, you guys are young, when you give me grand kids you won't have the time to get away as much." Mai said the last part with a dreamy look in her eyes. Naruto and Yumi became pale at the thought of kids.

Naruto grabbed Yumi's hand, "Well Mai-san, we have to get going. I hope you have a good time, bye!"

Naruto and Yumi both hurried off. Mai looked at Jiraiya and started to laugh; "I knew that would get them off my case. Every time I bring up grandkids those two run for the hills. Well since they are gone I think its time we start on the Icha Icha Paradise Vol. 9. I have so many ideas. Lets go and get a few drinks and discuss them."

"I can't wait to hear your ideas, because I got some great ones too. This volume is going to be awesome." Jiraiya said with excitement. The two headed off to the local bar to discuss ideas about the new book.

Naruto and Yumi were walking through the village heading towards the Southern Gate while talking about various things of little importance. After about ten minutes of walking they reached the gate and walked through. When they were on the opposite side of the gate, Naruto changed the topic, "Hey Yumi, about what your mother said earlier… do you…I mean is that something…"

Yumi smiled at Naruto and decided to fill in the words that he couldn't get out "Do I want kids and is it something that I think about? Yes and yes. But, I know that you and I are not ready to be parents right now."

Naruto let out a sigh of relief, "I'm so glad, because I'm not ready to be a parent yet. Anyway, now that's out of the way" Naruto placed his back pack in front of him; he then motioned for Yumi to get on his back, "Walking will take forever, I want to get to the docks quickly." Yumi climbed up on his back.

"Naurto, try not to go too fast, you know how I get," Naruto took off before she could even finish her sentence.

Moving through the trees at incredible speed, Yumi was literally turning blue as Naruto continued to move through the trees, "I don't even know why I tried." Naruto turned his head slightly, "You okay back there Yumi?"

After regaining her composure, but still feeling a little queasy, "I'll manage."

Naruto continued to move through the trees, with a not so well Yumi, "I can't wait to get to Sea Country. This should be a good two weeks."

Sea Country, 7:30 pm …

Shinji and Hayami were walking in around in the town. They had thirty minutes to kill before the show started. Hayami and Shinji were walking through the street when the girl saw a toy stuffed-fox. She looked at Shinji, "Shinji-nii, can I please have that doll? It's so cute."

"No" he simply said with no emotion.

Hayami pouted, "Why not?"

"Because, taking you was the only part of the bargain. Anything else is extra." Shinji said to his little cousin.

The girl turned her head. Pouting, she mumbled, "Naruto-nii-san would have bought me the stuffed fox. But, I get stuck with mean ole Shinji-nii.

"I heard that. I'm not Naruto and I'm not buying you that stuffed fox. So deal with it." Shinji said to the little girl.

"You're cruel Shinji-nii! So, what are we going to do for the next half an hour?" The girl asked.

"I don't know. Maybe we should go wait in line. We'll be there before the crowd builds up and we will be able to get good seats." Shinji said hoping that the girl would forget about the stuffed animal.

"Okay, but can I get some cotton candy Shinji-nii?" Shinji looked down at the girl at his side. Sure, he didn't want to take her to the circus and the only reason he was doing it was because he was receiving a great reward, however, he didn't want to be mean. He saw how almost all of their other cousins, well the ones close to her age and a little older treated her. "Okay, I will buy you some cotton candy, jeez you eat too many sweets as it is."

The girl didn't hear him; she was too busy jumping up and down, happy that she was going to get some candy. Shinji just shook his head at his cousin's antics, "Hopeless" he looked at the girl, "Hayami!"

Stopping her jumping, she looked at Shinji, "Yes?"

"If you would stop jumping, we could go and get you that candy while getting in line as well. From here the crowd is building." Shinji saw the big tent about two blocks away from the shopping center they were at. He was indeed right the crowd was filing in. Ryuho's nephew turned to his right to see a man walking around with cotton candy on a stick. He walked up to the man, with Hayami tagging along behind him. Going for the wallet inside of his blue gi, Shinji pulled it out and took out a couple ryou and gave it to the man. The man handed the cotton candy to the girl and gave her a friendly smile that the girl returned.

Shinji and Hayami headed towards the larger than normal tent where the line for the circus was forming. The girl was eating her cotton candy oblivious to the world around her while Shinji was taken in the scenery. Shinji looked at the line, he was aggravated that it got as long as it did. "The things I do for family. This show better be worth it." Shinji thought as they headed towards the long line.

Konoha borders…

Kakashi and his squad were sitting around the campfire eating their meals. Shizune and Tenten had just finished up their afternoon patrols. Kakashi and Asuma would run their patrol from around 10 pm to about 5 am that morning. Hanabi looked at Kakashi, "Kakashi-sama, can I ask you a question?"

"Please just call me Kakashi, when you add the honorific it makes me feel old. You can ask me question." Kakashi told the Hyuuga sitting across from him.

"You are one of the top jounins in the village, probably the most widely respected and one of the most feared because of the Sharingan you possess. Father said that you use that eye better than most Uchihas did. I'm curious Kakashi, how did you get the Sharingan and how can you use it? I thought a kekkei genkai could only be used by clan members."

Shizune and Asuma both looked at each other, than at the copy ninja. There were a couple of things that those who know Kakashi knew were off limits to talk about. 1) The Sharingan in his left eye and 2) Rin, Kakashi didn't talk about his teammate, but very few knew why, and last but not least 3) His father. Those who knew the history of the White Fang, probably knew why this would be a sore subject for Kakashi. The silence was maddening. Everyone was waiting for Kakashi to respond.

"Well, you asked three questions. Which one do you want an answer to?" Kakashi said in a nonchalant tone.

"I would like to know how you acquired the Sharingan." Hanabi's demand caused Tenten and Konohamaru to stare at Kakashi intently.

In a somewhat sad tone, "It was a gift. That's all I will say about that."

Hanabi narrowed her eyes a little. She really wanted to know how he got the eye, but she knew that pressing the issue would get her nowhere. "Okay, if you don't want to tell me, fine. I just want to know, is it true what they say about you knowing more than a thousand jutsus?"

"Maybe, I don't get caught in gossip."

Hanabi was getting slightly mad at the fact that he was not answering her questions. He was going around them. She had one more question, "Usually the top ninja's are in Anbu. Were you ever apart of Anbu, Kakashi?"

Kakashi placed a hand to his chin and started to slightly stroke it, he then looked at the girl, "I'm too lazy for Anbu don't you think?"

She laughed slightly at that. He was more than right about that, he was incredibly lazy. Anbu only took the top ninjas and although he was a top ninja, he was probably too lazy to be a member. Asuma and Tenten, who were in Anbu at one time or another just smiled at their fellow comrade. Tenten spoke to Hanabi, "You know how secretive Anbu is Hanabi? Do you think Kakashi-san would tell you if he was in Anbu?"

"Probably not, but I could always find out from Neji." Hanabi stated.

"What do you mean you can find out from Neji?" Konohamaru asked.

"Neji is a captain you dolt. Being the daughter of the head of the Hyuuga clan has its perks. I know everything that goes on in the clan." Hanabi said with a bit of pride.

Shizune spoke, "Well, being the Hokage's assistant and watching her work closely with Anbu, Neji cannot give out such information. Changing the subject, did you guys enjoy the meal that I prepared?" Asuma and Tenten both commented on how delicious the food was. Kakashi joined in the conversation, which left Hanabi and Konohamaru on the outside looking in. Konohamaru leaned over to whisper in her ear, " Hey Hanabi-chan, let's tag along with Kakashi and Asuma."

The girl allowed her annoyance to show on her face, "One, why are you near me, two why would I want to do that?"

"Why do you think they chose to patrol in the night? There has to be a reason, and I think that the reason has to do with there being ninja out there to fight." Konohamaru gave a devious smile when he saw the girls eyes lit up with excitement. He knew he could get her to go if he kept picking away at her. "Fighting an enemy could be exciting. I thought that the Hyuugas were a clan of good fighters. I don't believe it."

She snapped, "We are a clan of great warriors. I will go to show the true power of my clan."

Konohamaru put his arm around Hanabi and pulled her close, "Yes, this is going to be so great nabi-chan."

While her eyes were closed, her eyebrow started to twitch and a vain started to form on her forehead, "Nabi-chan?"

Every turned around when they saw Konohamaru eating dirt. Judging by the bump on his head, it was safe assume that the fuming Hanabi standing over him was the culprit. "I can tolerate Hanabi-chan, but I draw the line with Nabi-chan you got that?"

Kakashi turned to Asuma, "I see your luck with women runs in the family," he said dryly.

"Don't associate me with that." The cigarette-addicted jounin said.

Kakashi stood up, "Well, in either case we have about 2 and a half hours. I'm going to use that time to rest."

Asuma got up as well, "That's a great idea. I could also use the rest as well."

The two jounins headed to separate tents that sat alongside one another. Tenten, who was twirling a kunai in her hand, spoke, "I guess it's my night to watch over the campsite."

"Don't worry Tenten, I will stay up and to keep you company." Shizune said to the girl sitting next to her.

"There is no need for that Shizune-san." Tenten said to her idol's student.

"I insist" Tenten nodded. Although she didn't want Shizune to stay up for her, she was glad that she wouldn't be up alone. Watching the camp area while everyone one was sleep or patrolling the nearby area was about as boring as looking at a rock.

8 pm on a boat somewhere at sea…

Naruto and Yumi were looking off into the vast sea. The mixture of purple and orange in the sky made the sea sparkle as if diamonds were scattered across the water, it was a beautiful site to behold. "Naruto, how long will it take us to get there?"

Naruto, who was standing on the side of Yumi responded, "We will arrive in about three hours or so from now. Everyone will be sleep, well maybe not Shinji and Ryuho-sensei, but I'm pretty sure everyone else will be sleep."

"Is it okay to wake them, I mean, shouldn't we have just waited and came around 8 in the morning tomorrow?" The girl questioned.

"Well, we could have done that, but I wanted to surprise Hayami when she woke up. Also, I want to talk to Ryuho-sensei. The scroll he gave me the night before I left…well I just have a question that only he can answer." Yumi nodded, satisfied with the answer that Naruto had given her.

The girl turned her head from Naruto and back to the sea. Naruto moved his hand to the center of his chest and unbuckled the sword belt, which held the sword in the scabbard diagonally across his back. Naruto held the sword in his hand, inspecting it. Yumi took her eyes off of the sea and turned to see Naruto studying the sword with his eyes. Naruto, oblivious to her gaze, continued to study the sword, "This sword is said to be the strongest sword in existence. I don't know what it's fully capable of and although I went through difficult trials to obtain it, I have doubts about its power. I don't know why I have these doubts, but maybe it's because I have yet to use it in combat to see what it's truly capable of. Ryuho-sensei said when and if the time came, I would find the sword's ultimate technique. He said that when and if the time came, I would bring forth the power of…"

Yumi placed a hand on his shoulder snapping him out of his daze, "Naruto, are you alright."

Naruto looked up from the sword into the worried eyes of the young woman before him, "Yes, I am fine; just thinking about something that's all." He gave her a reassuring smile, which the girl returned, but she was still worried about Naruto. She looked at him then at the sword. Whatever he was thinking about, it definitely had something to do with the sword.

The couple turned back to the look at the sea. Naruto looked up at the sky then back at the sword that he held in his right hand. He didn't know if he would be able to ever use the sword's ultimate technique, but he did know that he would try.

Sea Country 9:30 pm…

Ryuho and Kaori were in their room relaxing in bed. After a long day of clan meetings, they were finally able to rest. Ryuho turned on his side to look at his wife, "Do you know how beautiful you are?"

"Yes." She said in a cocky manner.

Ryuho turned away from her with a pouty face, "You are so cocky, I don't even know what to do with you sometimes."

She placed her hand on his arm and turned him around to face her, "Yes, you do. Look, Hayami will probably be back in another twenty minutes or so. I think you can find something to do with me during that time."

"I'm sure I can" When Ryuho went to kiss Kaori a big explosion that shook the compound caused them to stop. Ryuho turned his head to his door. The door blew open and flurry of shurikencame towards them. Using their instincts, the two jumped out of the way while the shuriken embedded themselves in the headboard. Ryuho grabbed the sword that was always next to his bed. Kaori did the same. Seven people dressed in black stormed into their room.

They were taken down quickly.

Three members from the Minashu clan came to Ryuho's aid. The brown-haired clan member spoke in an alarmed voice, "Ryuho-sama, we are under attack! You need to get out of here and to safety!"

Ryuho who walked over to his closet to retrieve his and Kaori's fighting outfits, he spoke in a calm voice "Cover us while we get dressed."

Kaori spoke with concern in her voice, "How are the children?"

"Some were injured in the explosion in the left wing, while others…" he put his head down causing Ryuho and Kaori to slight widen their eye in disbelief. Kaori spoke again out of concern, "What about your sister Rukowo, is she…"

"She's dead." Rukowo said bluntly. He continued to speak, "I found her with kunai in her chest."

"I'm sorry Rukowo, really I am." Kaori said sympathizing with the boy before her.

"It's okay Kaori-san, I will do my best to protect those that are alive. I will honor Lia's memory by protecting the family that she loved so much."

Ryuho knew how it felt to lose a sibling, but as much as he sympathized with Rukowo he knew he needed the boy to do this task for him " Rukowo, I want you to head into town and tell Shinji not to return here. Tell him to get Hayami to Konoha. She will be safe there. If you can get any of the other children to safety please do so. They are the future of this clan and I don't want to see them or anyone die. Rukowo I want you to go with Shinji as well"

The young man around Naruto's age begin to protest, "Ryuho-sama I can't leave while everyone is fighting. I have to protect…"

"Please Rukowo, just do what your leader asks of you." Ryuho said hoping the boy would just listen.

He bowed, "Yes Ryuho-sama. Come guys, I going to need you to cover me so I can get off of this mountain undetected." Then other two men with him nodded and headed out.

Ryuho and Kaori slipped into their battle-wear in under a minute. Ryuho was now wearing a black Keiko- gi, with a gold shirt under it and white robe over the Keiko-gi. He also had on black Hakama, a gold waste sash, and sandals with black tabi. Kaori's outfit was practically the same, minus the robe and the black tabi. Ryuho walked over to his wife and placed his hand under her chin, saying, "I want you to be careful okay. Don't try to do anything crazy Kaori, I mean it."

Knowing how concerned her husband was, she gave him a passionate kiss. "Don't worry about me. You have a job to do just as I do. Let's protect our family."

Ryuho smiled at his wife. Then, both of them blurred out of the room.

After ten minutes or so of helping members on the inside of the compound, Ryuho was now outside of the compound, which from what he could see was burning on the left wing. As he continued to walk outside he saw a man dressed in black tunic, matching pants and sandals; there were five other people by his side, dressed in the same outfit. He also noticed that the man had a black blade at his side. Ryuho recognized the blade.

"So, you have come for me, eh Raikage-dono?" Ryuho said.

"It is an honor to finally meet you, Ryuho-san. I don't know how you know me; I can only assume that you met Senzairu. But, to answer your question I didn't come for you. I came for something in your possession. If you give it to me, then I will stop this onslaught and be on my way, but if you refuse, well you're a smart man you know what will happen." The Raikage said to the head of the Minashu clan.

Four members from the clan landed next to Ryuho. The taller one spoke, "Ryuho, Rukowo is off of the mountain and should have informed Shinji of what is transpiring about ten minutes ago; Hayami will be taken to safety. We offer our aid to you Ryuho-sama." Each of the men pulled out their swords.

Kumoko heard what the man said. "You mean to tell me that the little bitch isn't here?" Before anyone could react Kumoko vanished.

The taller samurai went after her, "I won't let you." He stopped midway but not of his own accord, it was because Cadaan placed a kunai in his chest. He pulled it out causing the man to fall over dead. The other three who watched their friend die were enraged. The samurai went to attack, then they froze in their tracks when they heard, "Stop! Don't worry about getting to Hayami; she's with Shinji, so she is safe. I want you to protect the kids that are here. Go!"

The men did what Ryuho said and headed back to the compound. Aizu, giving Ryuho an evil smirk spoke up, "Daki, Roba, I want you to follow Kumoko. Make sure that the girl dies and kill this Shinji person as well. Cadaan, kill all of the women and children. I'm sure the others are doing that already, but if you would, please assist them so the process could move along a little faster."

Ryuho laughed causing the Raikage to narrow his eyes. "What's so funny?"

"You sent them to their deaths. The man with my daughter is more than capable of taking them on. Ryuho thoughts however, contradicted what he said. "That might be true; however he has Hayami which is a liability. If Shinji were by himself then I know he would be able to take care of himself. Please Shinji, protect your cousin."

Kouen's ears perked up at hearing that someone that strong would be here. He thought that Ryuho was the only worthwhile opponent here and since Ryuho was reserved for his master, he didn't expect to really do anything here. Kouen turned around and looked into the town. "Forget it. They probably can deal with this guy. He has a kid whose skill level is probably not enough to deal with anyone. She is a liability to him, thus there is no reason to get involved." Kouen sat on a rock that was about ten feet away, observing the two men before him. "This fight should be interesting to say the least."

The moon in the sky was full, the wind was blowing, and the left wing of the compound was burning in the background. The two swordsmen stood in the grass, as the wind caused the grass, and their garments to sway. Ryuho placed his hand on his sword; Aisu did the same. Slipping into a fighting stance the two men just studied the other stance.

"It's been a longtime since I had a good battle, Raikage-dono."

"Like wise, but please call me Aisu. I want you to know the name of your killer." The Raikage gripped his blade even tighter.

"Oh, but how do you know that I will be the one that dies here?" Ryuho asked the man before him while gripping his sword.

"Call it a hunch. Once I kill you, I will take that blade of yours."

"I thought you wanted Heaven's Blade, but if you came for this sword then I would be more than glad to give it to you." Ryuho said in a sarcastic tone.

Aisu eye focused on the sword. His eyes narrowed when he didn't see the blade, "Where is the blade, Ryuho?"

"Just like my daughter, the blade is in capable hands." The smirk Ryuho gave drove the Raikage crazy on the inside. Ryuho continued, "The blade has a new successor. You came to the wrong place looking for the blade, but don't worry, if you survive this you will see it in action soon enough."

"Who has the blade?" Aisu asked

"Why does it matter, I said that it was safe. You shouldn't be worrying about the blade; you should be worrying about me." Ryuho phased out of sight and appeared behind the Raikage. Swinging his sword at the man's neck, Aisu quickly blocked the sword; both men jumped back, sliding into a fighting stance.

Aisu laughed, "You think that I'm some ranked amateur? Either way, I know who has the blade and Uzumaki Naruto doesn't have enough time to master the blade, which is why he will never be able to use it to its full potential, since he has not trained with it for long. He will be dealt with in due time, you on the other hand will be dealt with now."

Both men of immense power charged at each other. When their swords clashed a bright light engulfed the area. After it died down two minutes later, Ryuho and Aisu were standing on opposite sides of each other. Both men were completely unfazed by the power they released. Aisu now had an idea as to why Ryuho was considered the best in the business when it came to handling a sword. "This is going to be more fun than I thought" Slipping into a fighting stance, the two men charged at one another again.

Kouen on the other hand, stood up and looked off of the mountain towards the town below. "Maybe I should follow, just in case." Within a blink of an eye, the blue-haired shinobi from the Cloud was gone.

10 minutes later on a ship heading towards Fire Country…

Shinji was pacing back and forth; he could not believe what was happening. His family was being attacked and he was ordered to run. He knew his uncle didn't think of him as cowardly, he was doing what he thought was best. He thought back to ten minutes ago when he was informed by Rukowo.

Flashback…

Shinji and Hayami had just left the circus. Seeing that she was tired, he offered to carry her on his back. The girl spoke "Shinji-nii, was that not a good show? I think we should go again tomorrow, don't you?"

Shinji mumbled to himself, "Your father doesn't have enough books to get me back here."

"Did you say something Shinji-nii?" the girl asked.

"No." he responded. After walking for about a minute, Shinji could see Rukowo running towards him with various cuts and scrapes on him. Rukowo grabbed Shinji's shirt with both his hands, "Shinji, you have to take her to safety. Our clan is being attacked by some unknown group. I was informed to get the other children away but…but…it just wasn't possible. It took everything just to get me to you."

Shinji put Hayami down, "Our clan is being attacked and you want me to run."

"Yes Shinji. You have to get her away from here. My little sister was murdered and if you go to aid us she will be too. This order came strictly from Ryuho-sama, he wants you to take her to Konoha."

Hayami heard her dad's name "Father."

Rukowo pleaded with Shinji, "Please, I don't want to see someone close to my sister's age suffer the same fate. Protect her."

Shinji didn't want to do it, he thought he would be much more useful here but he decided that it was the right course of action. "Okay. But make sure you get any kids you find alive to a safe location. Honor your sister's memory by protecting them. It pains me to leave, but you know as well as I do that it is a possibility, right?"

Rukowo closed his eyes, "Yes, that's why it would be better if she was to survive. Get her out here Shinji."

Shinji grabbed his shoulder causing the boy to turn around, "You take care of yourself and don't die. Show them the true power of our clan."

He smiled a Shinji, "I will my friend. You take care of yourself and Hayami. Hayami, don't worry you pretty little head, okay?" The girl nodded, but she couldn't help but worry. Rukowo headed back in the direction he came, until he was out of sight. Shinji wasted no time; he scooped her in his arm and headed to where the ships would be.

End of Flashback

He looked over to see his cousin sitting against the wall with her knees in her chest. She looked up at Shinji, "Shinji-nii, is everyone going to be okay? Will mom and dad be okay?"

"I don't know. I wish I could give you an answer, but I just don't know." Shinji answered honestly, but this caused the girl to put her head down more. "I hope everyone will be okay. I don't want anyone to die Shinji-nii, especially mom and dad." Tears started falling from the girl's eyes. Shinji didn't know what to do. The fact is that they were probably the last surviving members of the clan. Shinji didn't want to think like that, but he was a practical person. He walked over and sat next to the girl. She started to sob uncontrollably into his shirt. Looking in the night sky, "Ryuho-oji, you and Kaori-san better not die. Not for my sake, but for hers."

On a ship ten minutes away…

Kumoko was beyond angry. She thought she would kill the girl and send her head to the Leaf and that would be it. She didn't know she was going to have to play cat and mouse. It was so annoying to her. Pacing back and forth to bid the time, she couldn't help but to get even angrier.

Daki, who was sitting watching her pace spoke, "You should calm down Kumoko. We will catch up to them in due time."

She cut her eyes at the man who made that comment, "Calm down? When I have that little bitch's head, then I will calm down. First I'm told to not go after Naruto, then when I go after someone close to him I can't get that person. It's frustrating I tell you. I'm going to kill that little girl and the one she is traveling with. I will not be satisfied until they are dead."

Roba shook his head, "You are so hot-tempered Kumoko-san. It is like Daki said, we will catch up to them."

"I don't want to hear that. If they get within Konoha's borders before we catch them, then we aren't going to kill them. We have to catch them in Tea country. So you assholes better keep up once we get off of this piece of shit boat, because I will not be slowing down for any of you." The two men nodded in understanding. Kumoko turned away from them and looked at the sea with and angry look, "You are going to die tonight little girl, that much is certain."

Minashu compound, one hour later…

Ryuho and Aisu were testing each other. Every attack was to learn something about the other. Ryuho had yet to show off any clan techniques and Aisu had yet to show off any of his wicked wind techniques. Ryuho, in his fighting stance was ready to continue, Aisu was as well. The two men charged at one another again. This time Aisu swung his sword and Ryuho blocked with his sword. Aisu flipped over the head of the Minashu clan and landed behind him. As soon as his foot touched the ground, he propelled himself into the air. Aisu whispered to himself, "Wind Splitter". He then swung the sword in his right hand in a slashing motion starting from his left shoulder to the right side of his body causing a blade of wind to fly at Ryuho.

Seeing that a blade of wind was heading his way, Ryuho hand no choice but to counter with a justu of his own. Ryuho raised the sword slightly above eye level aiming it at the wind blade coming at him and whispered "Sky Slash". The tip of the sword began to glow then in an instant, an energy blast shaped as the triangle tip of the sword shot itself at the wind, cutting through it on impact. With the wind blade split, the split blades made impact on both sides of Ryuho causing the ground on both sides to break up. Aisu, who was still in the air, moved slightly to his left to avoid the incoming blast; he then landed back on the ground a couple of feet away from the man with the midnight colored hair and eyes. The Raikage gave a sickening smile.

Ryuho adjusted his sword to point at Aisu. "That was a nice attack Aisu, but you won't do anything to me using weak attacks such as that. I know the Wicked Wind has more techniques then that."

"Don't worry about me, I'm just seeing how good you really are and I must say that I'm impressed at what I'm seeing thus far." Aisu brought the sword he held at his side in front of him, slipping into a fighting stance. Ryuho slipped into a defensive fighting stance and raised the sword above his head. Moving at blinding speed again, both men found themselves stopping in the middle of the field for the same reason.

They both had the tip of each others blade at their throat. Blood slowly fell down the left side of Ryuho's neck from a slash on that side. Aisu smiled at what he did, but his smile quickly turned to a shocked expression when he realized that blood was coming down the right side of his neck from a slash the Ryuho had caused. Both men just stood there looking into each other eyes showing no fear of the other.

Ryuho broke the silence, "You know I could kill you right now."

Aisu decided to reply, "Yes, but I can kill you as well, ending this battle in a complete draw, which I'm sure that neither of us want. Our warrior pride won't allow it."

"I suppose you are right. It's clear that this is a battle to the death. Plus, I have no intentions on letting you leave here after what you and you group of ninjas have done to my clan members." Ryuho stated the last part with slight anger in his voice.

"I guess not, but I told you before, that there is no way I can die here."

Slowly, very, very slowly, the two men removed their sword from the neck of the other. They jumped back to create space between them. Aisu, slipped into an offensive stance, while Ryuho slipped back into a defensive stance. Ryuho spoke once more, "Always taking an offensive style. The Wicked Wind is nothing more than a style that is used to cause destruction and chaos."

Aisu responded in calm and intellectual tone," It is destruction and chaos that keeps the world interesting, don't you think? Without destruction and chaos, we would know nothing of pain and we would have nothing to fear. It is these things that keep society turning. A person who is so used to peace such as you would never understand a man like me. It's not like I care if you do, we all have our goals; in order for me to achieve my goals I have to go through a wall to get to the other side, that wall just happens to be you."

Ryuho shook his head at the man. He had heard something along these lines before. "You sound just like Kagai Dansei. The speech might be a little different, but the motives are the same."

Aisu smiled and decided to inform Ryuho of the fact that "Dansei-sensei was the man who trained me. Formally known as Minashu Dansei, he defected from the clan because he did not agree with the teachings. When he left the clan after killing, Minashu Shinshiro, who was said to be the strongest and the most gifted Minashu ever to be born, he adopted the alias Kagai. I heard that you killed him about sixteen years ago. I commend you for doing me a favor, had you not done it I would have. But I want to ask you a question. Him killing your brother… the destruction of a loved one… did that not cause you to train towards a goal?"

Ryuho narrowed his eyes and didn't answer the question, causing Aisu smile to grow wider, "As I thought. Can't you see that chaos and destruction keeps the world going? Had Dansei not killed your brother 25 years ago, would you be at the level that you are at now?"

"Yes I would. My brother's death did force me to train towards a goal but it wasn't vengeance. It was to make sure that what happened to him didn't happen to anyone else that I cared about. It is true that my brother was a genius and a great warrior and at one point in my life I did want vengeance for his death. He didn't die a warrior's death: he was killed in his sleep by his best friend, or the person he thought was his best friend. I would tell myself that vengeance was justice, but I knew deep down it wasn't. It wasn't until twenty three years ago that I had to face the fact that vengeance and justice were not the same. Knowing the difference between the two, I found a new goal." Ryuho informed the Raikage of what made him into the person that he saw before him.

Aisu gave him a look of disgust, "You peace loving freaks are pathetic. Always going on how protecting your love ones makes you stronger. Strength comes from the power you have or have obtained, it doesn't come from caring for loved ones. That is a reason that the weak use to propel themselves to new heights. In order to become strong, you must cast aside silly emotions such as love if you wish to truly become strong. That is why the Wicked Wind will always be superior to the pathetic Divine Wrath and the Heavenly Sword styles."

"Say what you will, I will show you first hand the strength that you can gain from protecting those you care about." Ryuho's chakra flared up, covering his whole body.

Aisu saw that Ryuho was finally getting serious, so he followed suit and powered up as well. The two men charged at one another again, this time breaking the ground beneath their feet as they inched closer. When they got within striking distance, they swung their swords causing them to slam into each other with extreme force. An explosion, caused by the strike, blew them back slightly. They landed then jumped back to engage each other. Swing after swing and block after block, neither was gaining ground. Aisu bought his sword over his head and came down with a fierce strike that Ryuho avoided by jumping to his left. The ground that was struck by Dragon's Fang broke into large pieces. When Ryuho landed, he was shocked to find that Aisu had appeared right behind him, "Shit, his speed increased!"

Sensing that he was in danger of being struck by the sword, Ryuho used all of the speed that he could muster up and avoided being cut in half from the waist. When Ryuho moved about ten feet to Aisu's right, he saw that there were three black flaming vapor trails where Aisu had slashed, which looked like a claw had slashed the area. With Dragon's Claw extended to the right, Aisu spoke without even looking at Ryuho, "You are the first person who actually dodged Slashing Dragon's Claw, You should be commended. However…"

Aisu appeared behind Ryuho again. He thrust his sword forward, but Ryuho was ready this time and blocked with his blade. Looking into Aisu eyes he grinned at the man before him, "Just because you are fast, doesn't mean that I can't follow you."

Struggling with his sword against the sword in Ryuho's hand, Aisu responded "You may be able to follow me, but you need to ask yourself two questions: How long will you be able to follow me? And how long will that blade hold up? If you forgot, the blade I hold in my hand is one of the four blades of legend. Only one of those blades can with stand the strikes from this sword. Also, did you forget gifts bestowed on those with the mythical contracts? You don't have Heaven's Blade anymore so I don't see you standing against me too long."

Ryuho blurred out sight and appeared a couple of feet behind Aisu; Aisu turned around slowly to face Ryuho who was thinking about what the wielder of Dragon's Claw said, "Shit, he's right. Although this is a good blade, it won't last long against a sword of that caliber. Plus, the mythical contracts do grant those who have them certain gifts. I have to try and end this quickly, but I don't see that happening. Well isn't this just the perfect situation. Either way I have to stand my ground here and now. It's not over and I have a few tricks up my sleeve." Ryuho looked at the compound and saw that the left side was still burning. "I hope that Kaori and the others are doing the best that they can.

Inside the compound…

Ninjas were everywhere. Clan members didn't have time to react and prepare a proper defense and those who didn't were killed. Kaori was cutting down ninjas with the group she had joined. They were doing all they could to push their attackers back, but it just wasn't make any difference. It seemed like the more the cut down the more that came. Kaori looked at Rukowo, who had just joined up with her group, she looked at the boy after the last ninja in that are was cut down, "Where is she?"

"She's with Shinji and he's taking her to Konoha, but If I may ask Kaori-san… why Konoha?" Rukowo wondered.

"Because, my son is there and he will make sure nothing happen to his sister. I only trust a few people with my daughter's life and he is one of them. Naruto has proved that he will not let harm come her way. That is why my husband sent her to Konoha. Naruto and Shinji will not let any harm come her way, especially Naruto.

"I wish Naruto was here now. I just know he could help us." Rukowo said in a hopeful voice. Everyone that was gathered turned around when the heard an evil laugh, "Here I thought that this was the greatest samurai clan, yet I hear you praying for the help of the 'Golden Fox', how pathetic. The fact of the matter is that these ninja beside me came here because of him. He is the reason that your precious clan is being destroyed. It's because of the sins he has caused that destruction has come your way."

The clan members next to Kaori eyes went wide at the revelation. Kaori snapped and yelled at the man before her, "Don't you dare say that. Naruto has nothing to do with this; you came here on your own accord."

He closed his eyes and smiled at her. "Foolish women, did you really think that what he did in Rain and Earth Country would not come back to haunt him? Every action has a reaction and these men and women are reacting. He took something from them, now they will take something from him."

Rukowo looked at Kaori, "Kaori-san, what is he talking about?"

"He's playing mind games to get us to put our guard down. The fact is Naruto saved Hayami and made sure that this clan wouldn't be bullied into teaching our techniques to those unworthy to learn them. These shinobi and kunochi before us are nothing more than puppets. The real reason they are here is because they came for Heaven's Blade. Judging by their expression you must've forgot to tell them the real reason why they are here."

A kunochi turned to Cadaan, "What is she talking about? I thought we came here to kill those who were precious to Uzumaki?"

"You did. However, my boss has other goals in mind. Consider it a trade off, you get what you want and he gets what he wants." Cadaan explained to the girl. She turned back to Kaori with a smile on her face, "Works for me."

Rukowo spoke again, "So, the whole reason for this attack is because of the blade?"

Kaori didn't respond, she was thinking to herself, "Did Ryuho know this would happen? Now I know why he has been acting strange for weeks and suddenly wanted Naruto to take the trials." She responded to Rukowo's question, "Yes. I don't know who your boss is, but he will not get his hands on the blade."

Cadaan laughed at her again, "You really think we, he can be stopped? The boss always gets what he wants. It doesn't matter, you will die here, oh and don't worry about your daughter and her 'big brother', they will be joining you shortly."

She gripped her sword as tight as she could and spoke as softly as she could, while maintaining a menacing tone "You will not do anything…you will not do anything to my children!" She charged at him and swung at his head, he dodged her sword by jumping up through the hole in the roof. She quickly followed. Both were now on the roof, staring each other down.

Her long lavender hair blew in the wind. With the flames dancing in the background, the full moon and millions of stars decorating the night sky, the stage was set. "You will not hurt my family."

"Foolish women, it is out of your hands. An elite team is following your daughter and they will probably intercept her before she makes it to her 'big brother'. She will die. As for your 'son' as you say, his time will come in six months. Your family will die; there is nothing you can do."

She shook her head, "You are wrong. Your group may have reduced our numbers, and everyone in this house might fall, but as long as there is a breath in Naruto's body, you can believe that at least one Minashu will survive."

"Why do you place so much faith in him? Do you really think that he will miraculously show up and save your daughter? He has no clue to what is transpiring here and by the time he finds out you all will be dead. You have no future, no one associated to this clan does." He calmly stated.

She didn't know how she knew, but she knew that she was out of her league, but she readied herself for battle. She launched herself at the man and let off a flurry of attacks, with these going thoughts, "Naruto, I never told you that I loved you and any mother would be lucky to have you as a son. I know I'm not your real mother, but the way I feel, it doesn't matter, because I feel like I am."

Cadaan was dodging blow after blow with the greatest of ease. As she kept swinging, her thoughts continued, "You showed me the true meaning of strength and that a person who went through hell like you did can still turn out to be beautiful soul."

She made horizontal slash but he dodged it. Before she knew what happened a foot was placed in her face; the kick sent her flying and crashing down onto the roof they were on. She slowly picked herself up and faced the enemy that stood before her "I don't know if I will be able to win here, but I will fight…not for my sake but for yours. Just as you did for my daughter, just as you did for me, just as you did for the clan. I will fight. My dream is for my daughter to grow up and live a long and fruitful life. It has been my dream when I laid eyes on her for the first time. When she was kidnapped, I thought I was robbed of that dream, but you kept that dream alive for me. Your action warranted my daughter calling you brother, because in fact you did what a brother would have done, what a son would have done. Now I'm doing what a mother must do. I know you can protect yourself, but I will not let this man and his group kill my first dream, nor my second. I want my son to be happy, because you have been through so much pain. I hope all of your pain goes away in due time. I apologize for what you might find when you get here in the morning, I never wanted to hurt you. Know that I loved you and I always will. Take care of you sister and make both of my dreams come true."

Kaori eyes went wide as she felt a kunai jam itself into her stomach. She could feel the blood slowly leaking out. When Cadaan ripped the knife from her stomach she fell. Cadaan was joined by the group who was with him inside the compound. The girl looked at Kaori, who was still breathing, "We are done here sir. Do you want me to kill her or what?"

He looked at Kaori, "No, I want her to watch her clan fall from where she is at. Her wound is too deep and she will die anyway. I want you to continue the extermination and finish off any clan members you find."

Cadaan looked at Kaori, "You should consider yourself lucky you are still alive, for how brief it may be." With the rest of the group Cadaan vanished off of the roof leaving Kaori by herself. From her spot she could see Ryuho battling. From what she could see, he wasn't fairing to well either. A tear fell down her eye, "I'm sorry Ryuho; I tried."

10:30 pm on a boat heading to Sea Country…

Naruto and Yumi were on the deck looking at the beautiful night sky. "I can't wait to we arrive. This feels like the longest hour ever." Yumi said.

Naruto spoke, "Don't worry Yumi. I'm sure that if you turn to your right you will see the a big mountain that stands out from the rest."

Yumi did as he said but her eyes expanded at what she saw. "Oh my god, a fire?"

Naruto turned around and looked in the direction she was looking in. Naruto eyes went wide as well. The only thing he could say in his shock state was "Oh no …"

To be concluded...