Hinata sensei

5 years ago

Hinata was on a mission with her team in the land of spring; their mission was to escort a princess. It wasn't anything exciting, especially for a Chunin, but Konoha was short on men at the time. They were in the forest taking a break after being on the move for almost 2 days straight with little rest. They were on the countryside near a forest on the border of the land of grass.

"Man, that princess was difficult to deal with," said one of her peers, a boy around the age of 15, who had short brown hair. He was short for his age, and his appearance made it difficult to tell that he was the age he was; he looked younger. He had gray eyes and wore his headband on his right shoulder.

"Quit your complaining; it wasn't that difficult," said a man around the age of 20, who had blonde hair, his hair tied back, and a mustache. He looked like a man 12 years older than he was.

"This is bullshit; this is something that Genin could do, not something a team of Chunin. This is way above us," the younger man said arrogantly.

"Toki, that is the reason why you will never get promoted. Having contempt for doing what you consider to be a meaningless task is what's holding you back. I'm surprised you're even a Chunin at all," said the older man, who was named Saito.

"Kind of quiet, aren't you, Hinata?" asked Toki. She barely spoke on the entire trip. She doesn't speak much these days. It has been three months since the massacre. Three months have passed since then, and she doesn't want to think about it. She also was thinking about her promise that she hasn't been able to keep. Her promise to Kushina was to take care of her son.

"I don't speak more than necessary," Hinata said coldly. She had a reputation for being cold ever since the Uchiha clan massacre. She closed herself off, and her ability to trust in people was gone.

How can she trust anyone after what Itachi did? He killed one of her best friends and betrayed her in every way. What mattered was the mission, nothing else.

"Do you hear that?" asked Toki. "Hinata looked wondering what was the sound that she had heard," her teammate was not imagining things; she heard it too. Saito got up and got into a defensive position. Her teammates put their backs to each other to ensure no blind spots, just like they were trained to do. Hinata took out a kanai from her pouch and got into a defensive stance.

She heard another sound. It was moving again. She looked to her left, then she looked to her right, but no matter what she couldn't track the person who was watching. She heard laughing. It was a sinister laugh, something that sounded like something from a nightmare.

"Such easy prey," she wondered, "are you willing to entertain me?" She knew that voice; she remembered hearing it once when she was a child. There was no mistake about it.

Orochimaru appeared before them. He was exactly how she remembered him; it was hard to believe he was even human. Orochimaru terrified her, even at the age of 14, she was still frightened by the stories she had been told about Orochimaru and his cruelty. They felt like something straight out of a horror story, and some of the things she heard from survivors were exaggerated. It didn't matter to her at that moment; she was so scared that it took everything she had to not completely shut down.

"Interesting, the Byakugan princess. This should be an interesting experiment," Hinata had no idea what he was talking about. There were many ways this could end; she didn't believe for a second she could get out of it alive unless she was really lucky. Orochimaru is one of the Sannin. Orochimaru looked at her with amusement.

"You won't get out of this alive unless I deem you worthy, so let's play a game for my amusement. If you pass, I'll let you live," Hinata didn't believe anything he said. She had no intention of letting him live or her team; they looked terrified.

Orochimaru put his right hand in his mouth and pushed it deep into his throat. Not believing what she was seeing, she watched him pull out a blade that looked like no other: the Kusanagi Blade, a sword that looked straight out of the war states era. She didn't know how he acquired it. He was toying around with the blade, swinging it at her teammates. They did everything they could to move out of the way of the blade. He was messing with them; he could kill them all without even trying.

He charged right at her team. He was about to decapitate her teammates. She pushed them out of the way and blocked what would have been a deadly blow to Hinata with her Kanai. It was a very close call; it was inches from cutting her neck. He tried to knock her off balance with his right foot, but she managed to move out of the way just in time. She didn't have much time to recover when he quickly appeared behind her, ready to deliver another blow that could have killed her had she not been as well trained as she was by Itachi.

It was difficult to fight someone of this level; he wasn't even trying. He was treating her as a plaything, not someone he took seriously. He could have killed her at any point. Despite her revulsion of using the cruel fist, she didn't care in this situation; this was life or death. She got into a claw-like stance, attacked Orochimaru left and right, clawing at him using her nails like blades. She cut one side of his abdomen, along with his back, along with the back of his right and left arms. She was trying to do as many blows as possible, small cuts that, despite not being much at first, could be deadly over time. She was trying to kill Orochimaru by getting as many small wounds as possible. When she was about to end her assault with the one eight trigrams 64 palms with the cruel fist, she was so fast—faster than light—a bolt of lightning formed from her palm, and she aimed straight towards his heart. It pierced through his chest, but he didn't look fazed by her technique.

He disappeared, and she was looking everywhere for him. She wasn't vain, but it was useless. She couldn't find him anywhere, and she was getting more and more terrified. As time passed, her hands were shaking, and she was barely able to keep herself together. She had never felt such fear in her life. She activated her Byakugan, looking everywhere for him. There was no way he could have disappeared. She heard a sinister laugh behind her.

"What a waste of talent," Orochimaru whispered in her ear. She turned around, looking for him. With her Byakugan, she searched in any direction, but he was nowhere to be found.

Her teammates were terrified, though they were not as good at hiding it.

"We got to get the hell out of here; it's Orochimaru; we're going to die," Toki broke rank running.

"Damn it, Toki," said Saito. Hinata was about to go to her teammates, but it was useless; Orochimaru appeared in front of them.

"Where do you think you're going? The fun has just started," Orochimaru said gleefully. Her teammates froze, the fear evident. Hinata couldn't move.

"Pathetic weaklings like you shouldn't be Hokage," she remembered Itachi saying to her at the night of the massacre.

She couldn't just stand there as her teammates were killed. Two lion fists formed on her palms, and she attacked. Orochimaru blocked her blows, she threw everything she had at him. She was determined to protect her comrades; she was not going to fail like she failed to protect Shisui from Itachi. She cannot fail her comrades; she had to protect them.

"1.8 trigram 64 palms" Every single hit touched him. She knocked him back. He smiled at her as if he knew something she didn't, then she looked at Toki—he was dead. She looked at her hands—they were completely covered in his blood. Then she looked at Saito; they both looked at her, their final expressions as they left the world in disbelief at their own comrade killing them. She screamed.

"A fellow ninja from Konoha killing another—I wonder what the people would think if they found out you murdered them in cold blood?" She looked at her hands, completely covered in blood. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?" she demanded. It was a jitsu, but it wasn't the kind she could have known about. It would be a less developed version of what would be used against her five years later on the Sapphire village mission.

"It seems this jitsu has a lot of bugs that need to be ironed out. You are a great specimen, those Shinobi that you killed are hardly worth anything." His callousness towards the lives he had a hand in ending made her feel rage she never felt before for anyone other than Itachi.

"You bastard," Hinata tried to get up to attack him, but he held her down. He was on top of her, and he could do anything he wanted to her. She tried to fight back, not wanting to be a victim of rape. She kicked and kicked, but it was no use; he was so much stronger than she was. He looked like a predator.

"That's more like it that look in your eyes my prey, I can do anything I want to you Hinata"he licked her chin. She was doing everything she could to fight back; she couldn't let him Force himself on her; she would rather die.

" I'm going to do a little experiment. I wonder how the Byakugan princess will handle my gift I'm about to give her."His mouth was closer to her neck. Time stood still if only for a second before she felt fangs bite deep into her neck she screamed in pain no pain was as excruciatingas she was feeling.

She had never felt such pain in her life; she wanted to die. She threw up blood, coughed, and had a difficult time breathing. Everything went black.

Hinata woke up. She didn't know how many hours had passed. If it was a day or more, she was in a dark room. She looked above the ceiling. Her arms were chained together. Her legs were bound. She was dangling in the air. She was a mess. Her hair, usually tied back in a ponytail, was messy. Her hair got in her face. She was unable to do anything. She wanted to scream, feeling the pain from the bite she had received. She had failed to save her teammates. Their bodies were rotting. She had no idea where they were. She wanted to scream, to move, but she couldn't. The pain was too much; it was like her entire body was burning.

She couldn't tell whether it was hours or days. She heard footsteps and then she heard a door open. A man walked in and looked at her with a sinister smile.

"Oh my dear Hinata, you survived!" Orochimaru laughed, his sinister smile reveling in her suffering. She wanted to snap his neck, to do anything to get him to stop smiling. She hated him and everything he stood for.

"Child murdering scum," Hinata spat.

"I do everything for science, my dear Hinata. Do you not see how much stronger you have become since I gave you the curse mark?" She didn't want to admit it, but he was right. She felt stronger than she had ever been, but this wasn't her power; it was someone else's.

"I must say, my curse mark is very compatible with your bloodline. Sure, you had a violent reaction at first, but I've seen the results myself. In your sleep, I had to put you in this room; you tore through even some of the toughest metals on the planet. The only reason you can't tear through those chains is because what you have wrapped around your feet and your hands is material that cuts people's chakra off. You see, my dear Hinata, you are the most successful of my experiments. Such a waste, using your talents for the village; you could become something much more. What do you have to gain? The clan looks at you with contempt, despite you being far stronger than your sister. They treat her as if she is the true heir when it should be you by right. Your father disregarded like garbage you; owe them nothing, my dear." It was so intoxicating. She couldn't refute anything he said.

But there was one thing she couldn't do: betray her village. She would destroy the memory of the people she admires, Naruto. He needs her; she can't break a promise she had made to his mother. She hadn't been able to help him at this point. The village council made sure to keep her away from him. Who will look after him when he eventually becomes part of a three-man cell? It had to be her; she couldn't die here, nor could she betray the village.

"You are lying, everything that you offer me is built on lies. What's your agenda Orochimaru? We both know you don't offer anything for free, that's not who you are." Orochimaru looked guarded, he looked like he wanted to choose his words carefully, not wanting to expose his true goal.

"I have no intention of telling you anything unless I know that you will join me, Hinata. I'll tell you this though: that curse mark is not something that you can resist easily. You will constantly have to be on guard when it comes to negative emotions, especially in battle. Your hatred for your clan is not something born of the curse mark; it's always been there. It's interesting how much like Itachi you are. He was like this before." Hinata didn't want to hear his name.

"I AM NOTHING LIKE HIM," she said, enraged at the idea of being like Itachi. Markings covered her right side, and a purple aura engulfed her.

The chains couldn't hold her; they were breaking. She felt herself transform; her hair went from blue to black, and her skin turned brown. Her eyes changed from lavender to yellow. She looked at her hands; they resembled lion paws. She screamed.

The pain was worse than anything she could imagine. She had never felt such a huge surge of power it was intoxicating. It was difficult for her not to give in to the impulse of embracing the power that was given to her.

"Amazing," he said, fascinated by Hinata's reaction to the curse mark.

"The second seal would have killed anyone else, but you. You never cease to amaze me, Hinata." What was his point? She wanted to lash out, to kill him. She charged at him with her newfound power; her lion fist engulfed her, turning from Blue to Black. She slammed him hard against the wall, destroying most of the room.

He was smiling. She punched him again and again and again, and he continued to laugh like a madman. The roof of the lab collapsed on her, and she wasn't in the curse mark state. It could have severely injured her, but she didn't break a sweat. She pushed the debris like it was nothing. Orochimaru looked at her and had a look of disappointment.

"Such a waste that soft heart of yours. You can unleash the full potential of the curse mark. You could be so much more, Hinata. Why cling to the values of the village?" She didn't want to answer him; she didn't owe him anything.

"The village doesn't value anything about you. You are more talented than your male counterparts, yet what do they have you do? Escort duty. I can offer you more. I can have your talents utilized how they were supposed to join me, Hinata. I can make it worth your time." The idea was a sick joke. Did he honestly think she would join him?

"No, I would rather die." Before she could do anything, she felt a sharp pain on her neck. The transformation that she went through before was undone. She looked at her skin. It was back to what it was before, though it was paler.

"I have a word of advice: if you use this power too much, it will drive you mad. After all, all power has a cost to it, and if you don't know how to control that power, it will control you. What I have given you is only a taste. One day you'll be put in a situation where the curse mark will be your only option. Because you will have someone important to protect, I will leave you here, but remember these words." He left her there.

What happened on the mission was classified. The only people who know about it are Kakashi and the Hokage. They had forbidden her to go on missions for almost a year until she had mastered control of her emotions. She would find out that there were other victims who survived, including her friend Anko. She had blamed herself for what had happened to her team and the curse mark that she had wanted and tried to get rid of for years, but to no avail, it was a permanent part of her and a permanent struggle for control of her emotions she had to constantly be on guard otherwise she would be driven mad by the curse mark's power.

This was a secret she would keep from everyone; barely anyone would know about it, not even her team of seven that she would teach in the future.

The Forest of death the present

Orochimaru stood over her once more, just as he had five years ago. She was wheezing, barely able to breathe; the curse mark had taken its toll. She was lucky she hadn't used the second state.

"Your curse mark is the reason you weren't killed; you should be grateful to me, Hinata. My curse mark has made you stronger," he said. She looked at him with pure hatred.

"I never wanted this," she said as Hinata was coughing up blood. It was worse than any other time she had used it; she was injured during her fight. She was at Orochimaru's mercy; he could do anything he wanted to her, and she would be powerless to stop him.

"Sasuke has the curse mark. I wonder if he will be as strong as you were, I believe because he's an Uchiha, they're very resilient, he'll survive and he'll be stronger." The predatory look on his face was the same as he gave her five years before. Last time I checked, Naruto is alive; I wouldn't be worried too much about Naruto. The mention of Naruto's name forced her to get up. She was about to get back into a fighting stance; she didn't care how futile it seemed; he looked amused.

"You can barely stand, and you think you can stop me?" he asked her, not caring about the pain she was in.

"I won't let you lay a hand on him," she coughed blood, unable to stay in her stance. "You took quite a beating from that woman; you're not going to be able to protect your precious Naruto if you're this weak." Orochimaru said.

She was helpless; she was never like this, not even when she used the curse mark for the first time five years ago.

"You're probably wondering why you can barely move? It's simple: I have a contingency for anyone who uses my power and isn't on my side. When I'm close by, it makes you completely helpless. You see, Hinata, I made sure to take every precaution possible. I can't have my power used against me, can I?" Orochimaru asked rhetorically.

"Such a waste of talent; you could be so much more."

He knelt and lifted her chin to make her face him.

"If you had a choice between Naruto and Sasuke, who would you choose?" she remembered the vision. "This couldn't be," she thought. "This was what she saw when she visited the seer. One of the potential futures she was experiencing was this right now."

"I will say one thing before I leave you: try to get this exam canceled. I will burn this village to the ground and make you watch as I kill Naruto right in front of you." She was completely helpless.

"I'm looking forward to seeing how your students progress in the exams. I hope for their sake Sasuke survives the gift I gave him." Orochimaru disappeared.

Hinata forced herself to get up, despite the pain she had to endure to see the Hokage. She tried to stand but couldn't. She leaned on a tree, looking up. If only she had been strong enough that day, she wouldn't be in this situation. She wouldn't have the curse mark, which was a curse. Whatever power it gave her was only temporary. She hopes her team will be all right and pull through it.

"Please be safe, Naruto Kun," Hinata said softly. She faded from consciousness due to the toll the curse mark placed on her.

Red's mask was completely off after her battle with Hinata. No matter how much she tried to bury the memories, they just wouldn't go away.

"Wouldn't it be something if we became in-laws 20 years from now?" asked a blue-haired woman.

"Your little princess marrying my son? I don't know, that would happen, isn't that premature?" she asked the blue-haired woman.

"I don't object to the idea, though. Let's take it one day at a time," she said to the blue-haired woman as they saw a six-year-old girl playing with Minato.

The memories, when they stopped, were brief, but those memories were real. What were they? No, she couldn't have had a life like that?

She heard a sinister voice behind her. She got into her stance. It was Orochimaru.

"So you did as I suggested? Oh, and to think that you are the redhead Shinobi who once terrorized an entire division in the land of lightning and you have no recollection of who you are. That's interesting." Orochimaru said.

"None of the memories are real," Red said, denying what she saw.

"So you're going to deny even what's in your own memories? I can verify if they're real; I'll prove it to you right now." Orochimaru placed his right palm on her forehead, and another memory appeared.

"I have multiple names for our child; if it's a girl, Naruko; and if it's a boy, Naruto." Red said as she rubbed her heavily pregnant belly.

"Yeah, like the main character of Jiraiya's novel; I would love that; such a great name for our son." The blonde-haired man said, smiling warmly at her.

"Our son, I can't believe I'm going to be" the man cried in happiness.

"You deserve all the happiness in the world, Minato," Red said to him.

"You were the first woman to truly capture my heart, and the only one. You were my sensei, a family tradition that has been going for generations. I wonder if our son will follow in my footsteps." He said with a joking smile.

"If it's Hitomi-chan's daughter, I wouldn't mind. She would be perfect for our son." Red said, smiling at the idea.

She was hoping to see more memories, but they stopped as abruptly as they appeared. She looked at the man, Orochimaru, with anger. How dare he invade her mind?

"Those are real memories, surely the emotions you felt in them were real?" Orochimaru asked him.

"She would never lie, no, those aren't real," Red said, denying it and not wanting to believe that Donzo would lie to her.

"Danzo would never lie?" such a naive belief the man is not above lying he orchestrated the downfall of the Uchiha he almost succeeded in getting Hinata Hyuga to join the Root he's a very persuasive man and very resourceful as well do you honestly think he would not lie to you and use his vast resources to manipulate you? You are not who you think you are, Red." Orochimaru said, ripping apart her doubts and her loyalty. No, she couldn't betray Danzo.

"Did you know you almost caused the death of your own son?" Orochimaru said, causing her to collapse on her knees. No, it couldn't be.

"Yes, you have come to the realization that he has lied to you. He's manipulated your memories with the usage of jitsu's that could suppress memories or manipulate them. What you have seen were the real memories; memories that have been suppressed. Your identity, you're very being, everything was stolen from you," Orochimaru said, smiling at her ignorance of her name.

"I don't have a son," she said futilely, trying to deny the truth.

"If that's the case, then why do you remember his name? Do you know his name?" Orochimaru asked in amusement.

"There's other knowledge that I have, so much more, after all, knowledge is what I specialize in," Orochimaru said. The woman's resolve was weakening; her walls, that she had built years ago, were crumbling. She had collapsed, the horrible realization, the reality.

"Yes, the Root has indeed done what you believe they did, admit it out loud. Red that it's true, they did bring you back from the brink of death. They've used you and your abilities to go on missions to destroy Konoha's enemies. The amount of people you have killed, all in the name of the will of Fire." Fragments of memories coming to the surface: her childhood, the death of her parents, the disappearance of her sister, the birth of her son, and the death of her husband. She felt her hand trembling, and she covered her face.

She screamed like an animal for the past 13 years she had lived a lie.

"Finally, you have accepted the truth, Red. What will you do now? Go back to your master, knowing what you know?" asked Orochimaru. He knew what her answer would be. She got up, moved the hair out of her face, took a deep breath, and looked at her reflection.

"If I join you, will I get the rest of my memories back, not just jumbled fragments, but all of it?" Red asked, fully accepting what she had been told.

"For now, my task for you is to be my eyes and ears. Everything that Danzo tells you, I want you to tell me directly. You work for me now, Red. I hold the key to giving your memories back to you. You're shattered, and mine can only be restored by my genius." Orochimaru said, knowing that she would agree, even if she wanted to, she couldn't refuse. Who else was going to restore her memories? That had the ability to? She wasn't even sure if he was telling the truth, but the man she had been serving for the past 13 years had stolen everything from her. What other lies had he been telling her?

"Report back to Donzo as if nothing had changed, can't we have them be suspicious of us?" asked Orochimaru.

"No, Orochimaru-sama," Red said, bowing before him. She went on her knees; this was a betrayal of the Root Abu, but it didn't matter. That part of her life was a lie, Orochimaru wasn't any better, but what choice did she have? After all, who could restore her memories other than him?

Hinata woke up a few hours later. She looked around; she was in the tower where the primary rounds will be held. She was lying on a bed. There were no windows; she saw Kakashi and Anko. They had a look of concern on their faces.

"What happened?" Anko asked her. concerned.

"I was attacked," Hinata explained everything that had transpired. They both looked horrified. She screamed in pain. It was nothing like the previous times the curse mark was used; this time it was almost unbearable, like she was being split in half.

"We must cancel the exams immediately," Kakashi said.

"NO!" Hinata yelled. This surprised both of them; the usually soft-spoken woman shouting was something they rarely saw.

"I told you we can't do it," she cried in pain, tears streaming down her face. Why did she have to go through this now?

"So we just allow him to do what he wishes?" asked Kakashi.

"There's more that we don't know. If we act prematurely, we play into our enemy's hands." She couldn't turn around, but she recognized that voice.

"Hokage-sama," she said, raspy. The Hokage put his hand on Hinata's forehead.

"This is bad. She never had this violent reaction to the curse mark before." She screamed; the pain was so much that she was held down by Kakashi and Anko. Hiruzen did hand signs for the sealing technique that would greatly suppress the curse mark; it was not as effective or as powerful as the Uzumaki seal, but it was sufficient.

Hinata breathed easier. She was becoming drowsy. She tried to keep her eyes open, but it was no use. Her body gave out and everything went black.

Hiruzen looked at Hinata's sleeping form. The curse mark was getting worse. He took a look at her neck; it was a secret he never told anyone, only Kakashi and him knew about it, along with Anko. She had a curse mark too, but it was nowhere near as bad as when it was used, nor was it this bad with Orochimaru near. It looked like the birdcage seal from the Hyuga clan. Was it a coincidence? Hiruzen didn't think so; it had two purposes; it seemed like Orochimaru made a version of the seal that functioned similarly to the Hyuga clan; he had no information; he had no idea how it worked.

"Orochimaru is a bastard to think that he would make something similar to the barbaric practice of the Hyuga clan. You should have killed him when you had the chance, Hokage Sama," Anko said, one of his biggest regrets being his sentimental attachment to Orochimaru, which had haunted him to this day. How many lives could have been saved had he ended his life when he had the chance? It's a question he often thinks about. Hinata's breathing was easier because of the seal he used, but it was only temporary. Unless there was a way to remove the curse mark, she would constantly go through these cycles.

Her training, which she first received, was used to control her emotions so she wouldn't use the curse mark when she ever got extremely emotionally distressed. It was a miracle he thought that she didn't use it during the Land of Waves mission or the Sapphire village mission when she was under the influence of the genjutsu. The seal barely held; he had to reseal it every time she came back, but due to Orochimaru being near, the seal was weaker. He had heard about the mask woman with the fox mask and her long red hair, and he didn't know why he had a bad feeling, an omen.

"Are we really not going to cancel the exams?"Asked Kakashi, concerned about the safety of the candidates.

"We have no choice; our enemies are watching everything we do. If we hastily cancel the exams, we play into their hands. We have to act as if we are ignorant," he replied.

"Well, I don't like this one bit. Our own Shinobi are in danger. We have a psychopath who was once one of your students, and some mysterious redhead woman whose identity we have no idea about. Then we have Hinata, whose curse mark is so deadly to her that it can potentially kill her or drive her to insanity. I don't like this. If only Minato didn't die, if only he was here," Anko said with fear in her voice.

"We have to make do with what we have. Minato's no longer with us. I may not be as strong as he was, but we have to make do with what we have. He would not want us to give in to despair." She replied apologetically.

"I'm sorry, Hokage-sama, it just feels so hopeless. He's one of the most powerful shinobi alive today, and very few people could fight him; you and Jiraiya-sama are one of the few exceptions."

He understood her point and she wasn't wrong. But he had to appear to be strong because he was the leader of Konoha; he was the leader for most of his life, too long for his taste, it was his responsibility to appear strong so morale doesn't drop to an all-time low.

"As long as the will of Fire burns in our veins, there isn't a single enemy we cannot defeat. Giving in to despair will do our enemies' work for them. Orochimaru is one person among many; he isn't invincible. Those who came before me and those who will come after me will have to deal with their own crises. This is the crisis of your time, and this will be the final crisis I will be dealing with as the Hokage." When he was done with his speech, he looked at the faces of Kakashi and Anko. His words; he wasn't sure how much comfort they gave her, if any, but it was the best he could do.

"We will continue the exams as planned, but I still have my concerns." Anko finished saying her piece and left along with Kakashi. He was alone in the room looking at the sleeping Hinata. This woman has been through a lot. He could see her being a great Hokage someday, better than he was; she had a vision of the future that could shape the future of the village. But she still had a lot of darkness inside of her heart, her hatred for her clan could devour her, and she could end up like Itachi, and that is what he was afraid of.

The secret of the Uchiha clan massacre was something he would take to his grave, his failure to stop it being the future that Itachi and Hinata could have had together, which he felt responsible for. "Do not tell her it's better that she believes I'm a monster; I want her to forget about me completely and find someone who could make her happy and feel loved." He never forgot Itachi's words: "A boy that was willing to give up everything for those he loved; Hinata can never know."

He thinks about the inevitable future ahead of him, the confrontation he had avoided with Orochimaru 15 years ago. He understands Anko's feelings only too well; he's not sure if he could defeat Orochimaru, due to being past his prime. Either way, he figures this will be his final duty as Hokage, whether he succeeds or fails, he has to put a stop to Orochimaru's ambitions; Orochimaru is too dangerous, and then he has Danzo to worry about. The more he thinks about it, the more he comes to the conclusion that his time as Hokage is nearing its end. One way or another, a successor will come. He hopes, for the sake of the village, that it isn't someone as ambitious or as warmongering as Danzo.

With Rock Lee

Lee and his team agreed to meet at their spot in a few hours. He was patrolling his assigned area. They are ready to have the second scroll, though his team was trying to reduce the amount of competition as little as possible. He knew it was tactically sound. To pass the time before he headed back, he decided to do a quick training exercise by making sure not to let one leaf hit the ground. His teammates would lambast him for this, but it was a great way to keep up his skills while on patrol.

He caught every leaf as if it were nothing. He was about to catch the last of the leaves when he noticed a squirrel. He was trying to get an explosive tag off of it. It was about to be set off until Lee gently picked up the creature and ripped the tag off and threw it in the air. It exploded. The creature looked at him with gratitude.

"Who tried to do this to you?" he asked the squirrel. The creature pointed him in the direction where he first encountered the tag. He put his hand on the ground and recognized these footprints.

Kagome was in danger, as were her teammates, even though he had no obligation to save them. It would be against everything he stood for as a man if he didn't use his training to help those in need, especially those from his village. He went as fast as his body would take him, ensuring he would reach his rivals in time and not allow anything to happen to them without the opportunity to fight them first.

Kagome and Karin both agreed to take turns, though they were more reluctant to trust each other. Because of the circumstances, they were all they had. She looked at Naruto and Sasuke; Naruto was knocked out cold, and Sasuke was burning up. Whatever Orochimaru did to him caused a violent reaction. They couldn't move, even though they had both scrolls, unless all three of them were able to travel, it would do them no good. It was useless; she felt ashamed that she could have helped her teammates if she hadn't frozen, but what the hell was she supposed to do against someone like Orochimaru?

She could have done more. She felt like a disgrace would Sakura have done better if she were in her position? The more she thinks about it the more she realizes maybe Sakura should be here instead of her. She was out of place on team 7 before she came along. They were a functional team; Sakura was becoming a contributing member. She was just a replacement—nothing more, nothing less. That's what she feels like she had felt this way since the Sapphire mission.

"I'm a coward," she said out loud. She cried, "If it weren't for Karin, I would have to stay up all night. I'm a disgrace." Karin was more useful than she was; her sensory ability allowed her to detect enemies nearby. She couldn't help but think that she would be a good fit for their team. She had trained relentlessly her entire life; she never wanted to be a Shinobi; she wanted just to provide for her mother so she can live a more comfortable life.

There was nothing glorious about this lifestyle; there's nothing honorable about it. Shinobi are killers; that's what they are, that's what they always be. She has accepted that, but the reality didn't set in until the forest of death. This is the kind of thing she thought would not happen, but it did. Everything about the Shinobi system was a lie. There's nothing glorious about this way of life; they're all kids, for crying out loud, yet they're killing each other. Why? There was no point in this; there has to be another way to test everyone's skills. Everything goes psychopaths who revel in killing can do whatever they want without repercussions in this kind of environment.

She looked at her father's sword. What would he say if he knew she froze? She made a vow she would never freeze again. She would rather die if she is going to die at all, she would rather die standing tall than die a coward.

"His one's breathing is labored." Karin put her back of her Palm on his forehead."he's burning up I don't know what kind of curse mark he has on his neck but he's having a violent reaction if we move him it could."She did not need to hear more she knew that it was dangerous to move Sasuke.

"What about Naruto?" Kagome asked.

"He's fine; he isn't injured as badly as Sasuke. As long as we're alone, we are in danger." She wanted to ask her why she wasn't with her team.

"Why are you alone? Where are your teammates?" Kagome asked the redhead girl.

"They're dead, killed by sound Ninja." the girl replied, trying to suppress the traumatic memory.

"What was that?" Kagome asked, grabbing tightly to her sword. "Enemies nearby already?" she got up, not going to run or cower in fear.

"I will stand my ground," she walked away from where the others were and saw the three sound ninja who looked at her gleefully.

"So you have come out to play, Kagome Takahashi?" Kin smiled evilly, and then they noticed the girl behind them. "Karin," she was scared when she saw them; these were the people who killed her team.

"To think that someone like you managed to survive against Orochimaru Sama." Zaku laughed, their leader didn't particularly have any interest in her.

"If you let us have Sasuke, we may let you live." Dosu offered her to sell out her friends.

"Go to hell! I will not sell out my friends to the likes of you. You'll have to kill me first to get to Sasuke and Naruto!" she heard the sound of the trio laughing as if what they heard was amusing.

"She's talking as if she has a chance against us, three against one," Kin walked in front of her teammates, staring down at her opponent.

"Do you actually think you're going to be able to beat us? You're one girl, and the one behind you won't do any good. Just hand over Sasuke and save yourself the trouble." She did not respond. She quickly did her hand signs and jabbed her sword into the ground, yelling, "Water style: Water wave!" They were caught off guard as she here's the water in the nearby river, which knocked the girl hard against the tree. She couldn't move. She did not allow her to do anything more. She went straight to her, about to put her blade to her throat, but was hit by a sound jitsu by her companion. She dropped her sword to the ground, screaming in pain.

Her senses were screwed up; she couldn't hear or sense anything.

"Big mistake, girl; did you know over 50% of the human body is made of water? Imagine a vibration with that 50% disorientation, your inability to hear on your left side, or your difficulty being able to see. This jitsu is not something you are ready to deal with; your first mistake was underestimating us." Dosu kicked her in the jaw; she tried to get up using her elbows for support, but it was no use.

The loss of balance in her body was this really the limit of her abilities? No matter how much she thinks about it, she can't help but think if Sakura, the person she replaced, would have fared better in this position. Even in death, she can't escape her shadow; Sakura was always better than her in almost everything.

"Is this really the best you can do? Pathetic," said the girl as she lifted her up by her hair.

"What a joke! This is what I can expect from a kunoichi from Konoha. You should have stayed in that academy, girl. You are not ready for this," she punched Kagome in the stomach.

She spat out blood in the Sapphire village. She was lucky it wasn't for Ino, she would have been dead, just like Sakura. She couldn't help but think that there was a time when she, Sakura, and Ino, were friends, felt like a lifetime ago.

Earlier with Team 10

Ino was not having a good time; her team had been trying to avoid enemies, and they were lucky not to have their scroll taken from them.

"This is such a drag," Shikamaru said boredly.

"We should steal a scroll from one of the weaker teams instead of sitting on our ass doing nothing," she said with annoyance.

"I'm hungry," Choji replied as he took out a bag of chips.

"Are you kidding me? You just ate a few hours ago," Shikamaru replied dryly.

They heard a loud noise and voices, even though she knows it goes against her best interests, she looks at her team and instructs them to follow her as stealthily as they possibly could. They get close, they saw Kagome fighting three people; she was getting beaten up badly. "What a joke! This is what I can expect from a Konichi from Konoha. You should have stayed in that academy, girl. You are not ready for this." the black-haired girl said as she continued to pummel her to a bloody pulp.

The girl continued to punch her and kick her. Her face was bloodied. She was held by her hair.

"Such beautiful hair, such a waste; you should have focused more on training." She continued to punch her, why wasn't she fighting back? She wanted to scream, "This is not the Kagome I remember!" She always fought back, no matter what the odds were, not giving in to despair or giving up.

4 years ago

Ino watched as the girls at the academy ganged up on Kagome, the 9-year-old who wouldn't fight back.

"Not so brave, are you?" said a purple-haired girl. "Is that all?" Kagome said to them.

"Pathetic, really; that barely tickles," Kagome said mockingly. Ino didn't understand why she wasn't fighting back. Sakura was by her side, admiring her. She then looked at them, causing them both to recoil.

"Are you this girl's friend?" the short-haired brown girl asked.

"So what if we are? What are we going to do about it?" Sakura said, cracking her knuckles. The girls were not confident about dealing with both of them; Kagome, from what Ino knew of her reputation, was far more capable than the bullies. The main problem was that She was outnumbered.

"Come on Emi, what's always our time with these losers?" the blonde-haired girl said contemptuously, and they left. When it was safe, Ino went to Kagome's side. Sakura checked her injuries.

"You could have beaten those girls up. Why did you let them push you around?" Sakura asked angrily.

"Because they're small fry, they're not worth my time. When they are assigned to a three-man cell, they'll be one of the first to be dropped," Kagome said with a confidence she couldn't believe she held.

Then she noticed there was a girl who looked at her in gratitude.

"You didn't have to do that, Kagome San," said a 7-year-old student who had short light blue hair. "Mako Chan, they were picking on you. I couldn't let them do that, plus all the trouble you went through.

" She saw her give the girl back her teddy bear. "Thank you," the little girl said with a smile and left. Despite the girl being bruised on her right side of her face, she smiled.

"You went through all this trouble to help a girl get her teddy bear back? I don't understand why you had to do that," Ino asked her.

"I hate bullies, it's simple as that," she answered, as if it was already settled.

"You don't have any friends, do you?" Sakura asked her.

"No, my goal is to be a strong Shinobi. I think making friends can only get in the way," Ino replied, not believing that one bit. She believes the girl is hiding something.

"I don't believe that, and I don't think you do either," Ino said to her. The girl was shocked.

"I know what happened to your father. I'm sorry," Ino gave her condolences.

"Death is part of what it is to be a Shinobi, isn't it?" Kagome asked her.

"Well, it's not my Shinobi way, I can tell you that much. I have no intention of dying," said Sakura. "Neither do I," said Kagome.

"You know, if you stick with us, nobody will mess with you," Ino suggested.

"You mean be part of your friend group? I'm not interested in boys or any of that nonsense. I have my own reasons for wanting to be a Shinobi," Ino wondered. Why did she take her training as seriously as Sasuke? Unlike the other girls, she had no interest in him and showed no intention of doing anything but fighting him. She never won any of their bouts.

On that day, the trio became friends who would remain inseparable for years.

3 months earlier

Their teams were chosen. She wasn't too bothered by the outcome; she was disappointed she wasn't with Sasuke, not because Kagome had an interest in him, but because he was a competent shinobi in his own right, unlike the people she was stuck with.

"Sasuke's on my team, I guess I win," Sakura said with a smile to Kagome and Ino.

"This changes nothing; I'm going to defeat you someday, Ino," Sakura declared.

"I will definitely look forward to seeing that day," Kagome smiled at her friends

"No matter what happens, let's all be friends, no matter what," said Ino, Sakura, and Kagome. She knew what she was suggesting: a friendship pact in the tradition of Konoha. Kagome placed her right hand on the bottom, Ino in the middle, and Sakura on top.

"No matter what, we'll be friends to the end," said Sakura. "Friends to the end," Ino added. "Friends to the end," Kagome said. They stood there in silence, the girls smiling, little did they know this would be the last time they would all be together.

One month ago

Kagome was done with her training by Kakashi. They were looking for another team to put her on; her other teammates were dropped from the program, but her talents were too much to waste, according to what her mentor had told the Hokage.

She was looking forward to seeing her friend again. She looked at the necklace she made for her. it was in the shape of a cherry blossom it was Pink just like Sakura's hair. Sakura gave it to her on her 10th birthday. It was not anything special, but it was special to her. Sakura made it herself; it was her most precious possession. She would love to give Sakura something worthy one day. She saw Kakashi; he had a grave look on his face. The news was bad. She didn't have to ask him to know something horrible had happened. He had left a few days ago to go to the Land of Waves.

"Kakashi Sensei, what's wrong, something happened?"She asked him.

"Sakura Haruno was killed in action."she heard the words over and over again Sakura was gone.

"This isn't funny Kakashi sensei, stop joking with me." she was on the verge of breaking down it couldn't be.

" HOW COULD THIS HAVE HAPPENED?"she screamed in anguish. Kakashi looked at her sympathetically.

"I'm afraid I can't say anymore. It's classified; it's on a need-to-know basis." She was trembling. She was gone. Sakura was gone. "It's the way of the Shinobi," she said emotionlessly. She didn't know how to cope. One thing she didn't know was who to blame. Hinata Hyuga made the wrong call, and that's why she's dead.

"You will be assigned to her team when she recovers," Kakashi informed her. She felt empty, there was so much left unsay, she wept. Cursing everything, the Shinobi system, the person responsible for everything, the only thing she had left to remind her that Sakura lived at all was the necklace she made for her.

The present

She was continuing to be beaten, her face completely covered in blood.

"Oh, what is this?" said Zaku with a sinister smile. He ripped the necklace from her neck. The girl and he were laughing.

"Give it back," Kagome whispered.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite hear that," Kin said mockingly. "Give it back or I'll kill you," she said with clenched teeth.

"Kill us; you're at our mercy," she looked at her pouch, reached for it, and got the Kanai from it. She held it with both of her hands. The girl looked at her in amusement, as if what she was doing was funny.

"What are you going to do with that?" Kin asked her foolishly.

"Didn't your master ever tell you to disarm your enemy before doing anything else, including gloating?" She cut her hair. The girl was caught off guard, then she jabbed her Kanai in the girl's abdomen. She kicked her and then went straight to Zaku. He tried to use his techniques, but she wouldn't allow him to; she used her hand signs and created two shadow clones; she threw a smoke bomb and created more to confuse her enemies.

Then, when she got close enough, she bit down hard on his hand. He dropped the necklace, which she held in her right hand like a precious heirloom. The shadow clones were quickly defeated when she was about to get up. He pinned her down.

"All of this just for a necklace? You stupid bitch, you should have killed me when you had the chance," he punched her, reveling in her suffering; he didn't even bother using his specialized jitsu. It didn't matter as long as the necklace was not in their hands.

She could barely see anything was this how she was going to die?

"Ino, are we going to sit there as they kill her? What would Sakura say?" asked Shikamaru, concerned about Kagome. She remembered the friendship pact. Zaku was continuously beating her; she was going to die if they didn't do anything. Why would she go so far for a necklace? She got up; she couldn't stand. What would Sakura think if she just stood there as their friend was being killed and did nothing when she could have? Without hesitation, team 10 came to team 7's aid.

Shikamaru used his shadow possession jitsu to hold Zaku in his place. Ino used her mind possession jitsu on Kin.

"What the fuck are you doing? Why are you in my mind?" the girl asked demandingly. Ino put her own Kanai towards her throat. "I mean it. I'll kill this girl if you don't walk away."

Her companions looked at her in amusement.

"Empty threats mean nothing, girl, unless you're able to back them up, you wouldn't be making such an obvious bluff."

Dosu went straight for her and knocked Ino's body back against the nearby tree. Her companions noticed immediately the injury to her body caused an injury to her own body. This was bad, really bad.

"Just as we thought, you should have stayed out of this. Now you all die, especially you, fatty." said Zaku

"I'm not fat; I'm big-boned," Choji did the human boulder and formed himself into a ball, trying to run over Dosu. He hit him with his jitsu, which pushed him back. Shakimaru's time limit for his shut-up possession was up; there was no way anyone could save them now.

She saw a boy in green spandex. She recognized him from earlier; he kicked Zaku to the side, knocking him over. He looked at everyone, turned around, and saw Kagome with her bloodied face.

She was never happier than at this moment when Rock Lee was here. "Are you all right?" he asked her. "I feel better now. How did you know we were here?" she asked him. She had a squirrel climb on her shoulder. He went on his knee and let the squirrel go, and it went to her.

"The red-haired girl behind you can heal you, right?" he asked, referring to Karin.

She felt completely powerless; she felt useless if only Karin was able to properly defend herself. She wouldn't have to constantly depend on others.

"I'll do it, but I'm not as good as an actual medical ninja," she replied. Kagome went to her, and Karin started using the abilities her mother taught her in order to heal.

"Stay back, I will protect both of you," Rock Lee said to them with confidence.

Lee undid his wrappings he had to go all out for in order to end this fight quickly."more freaks"said Zaku.

"You are not equipped to fight him. I'll take him." Dosu was about to land a blow on him. Lee knew his sound-based abilities would be a problem.

"Sorry, sensei, but I have to use this." He kicked Dosu in the air, wrapped his bandage around his opponent's body. This would do a lot of damage to him, but it was necessary to end the fight quickly.

He was speeding straight down, potentially killing his opponent. He doesn't normally use this technique, but he had no choice due to his desire to protect the girls in front of him. He succeeded in hitting the ground.

His companion Zaku used a jitsu to break his fall, lessening the damage. His opponent got up and looked at Lee. From what he could tell, his mummified face was relieved and angry.

"Unfortunately for you, my teammate saved me from what would have been a fatal blow. I can tell that jutsu did a lot of damage to you." He wasn't wrong; he tried to move but realized he felt disoriented.

"Didn't pay attention, did you? Sound travels everywhere, in every part of your body. Did you know the most sensitive part of your body when it comes to sound is your ears? It should be obvious. The blows we did to you were subtle on the surface; you didn't notice it until it was too late. You can't beat us; it was foolish of you to go at us alone. You should have walked away; you will pay for your foolishness." He felt completely helpless.

"I'm sorry, Neji and Tenten, for disgracing our team." He knew it was futile, but he got into his stance. If he was going to die, he was going to die standing tall, like Guy taught him.

At the same time in Sasuke's mind

Sasuke felt like he was falling deeply into the abyss. He kept falling and falling. As far as the eye could see, there was a trail of blood. Blood of his mother, his father, and neighbors he had once seen every day. He heard them all cursing his name.

"You weak boy, if you weren't so useless, we would still be alive," said an older woman.

"It's because of your brother we're all dead, and because of your weakness," said an older man whose name he could no longer remember.

"If you were a better son, we wouldn't be dead; it's your fault, Sasuke," his father said. His body was twisted, decomposed, and his face looked like something straight out of nightmares. His mother looked at him with the same hatred as his father had.

"You pathetic wretch, you don't deserve to live," she said, her voice cutting something deep, more than any flesh wound. He couldn't get the voices to quiet down; instead, they got louder and angrier.

"AVENGE US YOU WRETCH!" More voices than he could count, he tried to get them out of his head. No matter how much he tried, it wouldn't stop. The voices would only get louder when he tried to shut them out. "Foolish little brother!" Sasuke looked at his brother, the person he used to adore, the person he looked up to, the person he thought couldn't do no wrong.

"You bastard!" Sasuke tried to charge at him, but he couldn't move. He was swimming on a current of blood. Itachi slowly walked towards him, like some monster from a horror story, continuing to walk and walk

He put his fingers on his eyelids and ripped out his eye sockets. Sasuke screamed in pain unlike anything he had ever imagined.

"What would you do for power, Sasuke? What would you do to avenge us? Is any price too much?" asked his mother kindly, though twisted. He thought about his friends. If he can't protect them, he'll lose them, just like he lost his family and clan. He felt his body being engulfed in a purple aura.

This was bad, Karin thought, with Lee defeated and Kagome's friends from Team 10 also defeated, it was helpless. Then she felt something behind her; she looked, and a dark chakra was engulfing Sasuke. He got up and walked towards the sound ninja who killed her team. The amount of darkness in his chakra made her want to vomit. It was so sinister, so evil; this was not the chakra she felt from the boy who saved her; it was different.

He looked at his hands, he had a smile, it was unhinged, and it did not look like anything any sane person would have. It terrified her.

"Kagome, did they do this to you?" Sasuke asked her with barely controlled rage. He was like an animal waiting to let loose. Kagome said nothing.

"So you finally woke up," said Zaku, unaware of the kind of person he was about to go against. Karin looked at his companion, his leader, who had a look of horror on his face.

"Run away, you fool," he said. She did not listen. Sasuke was faster than her eyes could see. He was right behind her and backhanded her, knocking her down. She looked at him, enraged.

"You got lucky on that one. I'll kill you," he said. He was about to unleash his technique that killed her friends. Sasuke was right behind him and pinned him to the ground. He stomped on his back, and he screamed in pain.

"You must be really proud of these arms, aren't you?" Sasuke asked. He pulled and screamed in agony. The pain was greater than anything he could ever imagine. What she saw scared her.

In Naruto's mind space

Naruto opened his eyes. He looked around, wondering where he was.

"What happened with that strange woman I fought? How long have I been out?" Naruto asked Kyubi.

"For about a day, give or take," he answered.

"I can't waste my time here. I've got to help my friends," before Naruto could do anything, he was stopped.

"Don't know what that strange person has done, but there is a curse mark on your friend's neck; it is dangerous. I know these things; if left unchecked, it could potentially drive the user mad or kill them."Naruto looked at his friend, wondering what he was getting at.

"Wait, do you mean Sasuke has a curse mark? What are you talking about?"Naruto asked his friend.

"There is no time to explain; it's better that you go and see for yourself." Kyubi cut his contact. Made Naruto return to the material world.

Naruto opened his eyes and saw Sasuke beating his opponent senseless. He was pulling in his arms and screaming in pain. Naruto noticed other people were watching, but he didn't want to stand there as Sasuke killed the boy.

"He's beaten, stop," Naruto said to him. Sasuke laughed as he pulled even harder. Zaku screamed; the more he screamed, the harder Sasuke would pull. He would pull his arms off at the rate Naruto put his hand on Sasuke's shoulder and spoke firmly.

"Sasuke, he's beaten stop." He wasn't sure if Sasuke listened, then he noticed Sasuke was looking at him, and the curse mark's hold on him started to reside. He let go of Zaku, who backed away from him slowly. Dosu picked up his companion, who didn't have the strength to move, and then looked at Naruto and his group.

"This isn't an over we will resolve this at a different time." He turned his back on Naruto's group, but Naruto had to know what their objective was.

"What was your reason for being here and why did you target Sasuke?" asked Kagome, whose face was badly bruised and bloodied, and whose hair was cut. "I don't know, but I will find out." He turned his back on them and left.

"Well that's a relief."said Shikamaru who was happy the ordeal was over."thank you for helping us"Naruto said thankfully to team 10. Then he looked at Lee.

"You as well, I hope we get to fight sometime under different circumstances, of course." Despite how injured and tired he was, he couldn't resist a smile.

"So that's where you've been the whole time," said Neji. Naruto looked at the boy he knew only by his description, which was given to him by Hanabi and Hinata. He looked at Naruto briefly before glancing at Sasuke.

"Considering the circumstances, consider yourself lucky. I hope for your sake we get to face each other in the exams, especially you, Sasuke. I've been looking forward to facing you for a very long time. I want to show the village the superiority of the Hyuga clan." He said arrogantly, something about him rubbed Naruto the wrong way. Lee and his companions left.

He saw the curse mark on Sasuke's neck; he was clenching it. Naruto didn't know why, but the feeling he had looking at that thing was bad news. He would have to ask Kyubi later if there was any way to remove it.

"You look like shit," Ino said to Kagome.

"I know it matches how I see myself inside." Ino could see it in her eyes: the deep sadness and grief that was from Sakura's death. It hit her hard, harder than anyone.

"You loved her, didn't you?" Ino asked her, as she cut her hair to make it look better. She saw her clench her necklace.

"What difference does it make if I did? She's gone, and if she wasn't, it was impossible." The pain in her voice whenever Sakura was discussed, she understood now how she acted when they first spoke after it happened during the sapphire village mission.

"I'm sorry for what I said," Ino said to her. It took some time before Kagome responded.

"I am too." There weren't many words between them; they didn't need to be. They both dealt with their grief in a different way. She was done cutting her hair. She went to her team, but not before saying one last thing to her.

"When the exam is over, we should visit her grave together." She was about to leave the area until she heard Kagome respond.

"I would like that." No more words were needed between them. She turned her back on her and headed out with her team.

"So what now?" Naruto asked. He didn't know who this girl was. They weren't formally introduced.

"You can complete the exams now; you have both scrolls, there's no reason for us to linger here," Karin said to the group.

"That's nice and all, but what happened to your team?" Naruto asked her.

"I would rather not talk about it," Karin almost shouted.

"I'm sorry; I just find it too convenient that we have both scrolls and essentially can complete the exam by the end of the day if we wanted to," he thought it was way too convenient.

"The simple fact of the matter is I'm safer with a group than I am alone. It's to both of our benefits that we get the hell out of here."

Naruto couldn't help but agree with that.

"First order of business, what's your name?" Naruto asked her.

"Karin Uzumaki," the girl answered.

"Wait, Uzumaki?" Naruto asked in disbelief.

"You have the same last name I do?" Naruto couldn't believe it.

"Wait, what's your name?" The girl asked him. "Naruto Uzumaki," Naruto answered. This shocked everyone in the group.

"I can't believe it; we have the same last name. You wouldn't be the son of Kushina by any chance, would you?" Naruto couldn't believe the girl knew his mother's name.

"Yes," the girl looked like she was in deep thought. "Kushina was my aunt." Naruto froze; his world changed at that instant. This girl—she was his cousin, not just any cousin—his first cousin. The fact that he had met this member of his family but never knew she existed until now felt almost too convenient.

"Can we have this conversation somewhere else? This isn't the time for a family reunion or whatever the hell this is," Sasuke said with annoyance.

"I agree; this isn't the time or place," Karin agreed with Sasuke. One by one, the traveling companions got up. Kagome put both scrolls in her backpack. Whatever questions he has about Karin, he would find out after they're at a safer location.

"So he has the curse mark. This is unfortunate but not unexpected," said Kanna, sitting in her throne room listening to Momo's report about the battle.

"What should I do, mother? Sasuke, under the influence of Orochimaru, is dangerous. He's the last of the Uchihas, and we cannot let their line get corrupted." She understood what Momo meant.

"I have a new assignment for you. Since I know Konoha will keep an eye on Sasuke, they'll be useful with that instance for the time being. I want you to keep an eye on Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuga." This caused Momo confusion.

"Mother, shouldn't Sasuke be a bigger priority?" Momo asked, confused, considering Sasuke was the priority earlier.

"I want you to observe Naruto I need you to be my eyes and ears I need you to observe and find out everything you know about Naruto Uzumaki and his Sensei Hinata Hyuga." The girl said nothing.

"But why is Naruto so important?" Mamo wanted to know.

"That's what I want you to find out, you are my eyes and my ears, Momo. I entrust you with this task; it is important that you do not fail me."she said to her follower then She noticed Momo wanted to tell her more that there was something else.

"Mother, there's something else you need to know. I meant a woman from your former clan who has the famous red hair of the Uzumaki clan. She's able to do what you and Hinata are able to do; she's another princess." Mama said this, surprising Kanna. It was rare for there to be more than one Byakugan princess at one time; it had happened, but not often. It only happened a few times in the clan's history.

"so a half blood is a princess how old is she?" Kanna asked, wanting to know.

"She's at least one year older than Hinata," Momo answered.

"She's a lost one, a child that has been abandoned. She belongs to neither the Hyuga nor the Uzumaki clans. Momo, stick to your mission. I will tend to this matter personally," Kanna said, shocking the girl, who did not expect her to physically leave her throne to go to Konoha itself to meet the abandoned woman who has the features of an Uzumaki and a Hyuga."

"before you go what is her name?" she asked Momo.

"Yui" Momo answered.

"That will be all," she said, cutting communication with her followers. She got up from her throne and walked outside, looking at the landscape around her. The abandoned fortress was surrounded by a forest. Her followers didn't know where she was, due to her not wanting only her most trusted followers to know her location.

She would pay a visit to the Lost One, Yui, and see for herself if the woman would be a worthy successor as the next Queen of the Hyuga.

Despite not having access to her eyes she can see far and Akatsuki will strike soon Naruto must be protected. Naruto,Sasuke and Hinata she would ensure their protection at any cost whenever it took the fate of the entire world could depend on it. She had been the guardian for humanity for centuries and would not allow anything getting her way of protecting her children from themselves.