You slept a few more hours while Kakashi was gone. Sharing vivid dreams with your cohort. Ones mostly of your past and your father.

It was his smile that stuck on your mind. He would show it when you did "good things". Like destroying a body effortlessly in his mind control practices. Or giving your clan members concussions during training. Yes, when you were a "good girl" he would show that smile and reward you with something you so desired. And if you were "really good" he would let you and your brother have free reign in the evenings. To which your brother and you took full advantage of, when you returned he would be there waiting for you with contempt, as if he had just won the father of the year award.

You remember it clearly, your father, sitting smugly in his weathered rocking chair on the back porch watching the stars appear over the desert. Writing in his small paperback notebook while smoking his cigars. You still wonder what is in that book and if it is still intact. But there is no way to find out, now that the book is lost. You try hard to remember the times you had gotten close to that book, but your mind seems to have blocked out any text you had seen.

You ponder over the vision as you smother your body in your favorite body wash Kakashi had bought for you to make his home feel like your own.
As you finish up and step out of the shower you are hit with a strange feeling. An energy lingering in the air like the sparks of electricity after a heavy lightning storm. You shake it off as nothing to worry about and carry on getting all over dolled up for Kakashi.

You want that man to stumble over you the next time he sees you. He had just texted you to meet him for ramen at the restaurant close by for an early dinner.

"The earlier we eat, the earlier I get you back home and in my arms again...."

Is what he said and you couldn't agree more. Kakashi was kind enough to have Sakura drop a few bags of clothing off for you while you slept which would mean Kakashi plans to have you stay over for the next few days.

You pull a black pleated skirt, thigh high socks and ankle cut boots for your bottom half and an off the shoulder navy colored shirt for the top. For your hair? You have left it down, letting its natural deep waves spill over your shoulders and down to your mid waist. With a last touch of light makeup you are ready.

It is almost time to leave and you are hit again with that same prickling energy, this time much stronger. But with nothing around to explain it, you carry on, taking note of its strange feeling.

Once out the door you immediately notice the colder drier weather, something you aren't used to as you had just spent a week in the damp heat of the jungles. You shiver at the feeling and rub your arms for friction. Looking around at the scenery was strange as well, it was nostalgic as if you have stepped back into your memories and you basically have. You blow out an anxious breath and hop down the steps onwards to your destination.

It wasn't thirty minutes down the unusually quiet streets that you catch sight of an odd looking shadow leaping across the rooftops. Then that same prickling sensation makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end and your cohort triggers its instincts. Something is wrong here in hidden leaf village, and the more you sense it out using not just your chakra, but your sight, sound and smell, the more you pick up on these alarming sensations.

To your cohort the smell is defined as a male, yet it has an underlying scent of a female. Muffled sounds of a higher pitched voice and low grunting permeate your ears. This doesn't feel right, so you make a quick decision to follow that shadow as discreetly as possible, completely forgetting about Kakashi and dinner. It could be hidden leaf has an assassin in their midst and in broad daylight...

Another half hour goes by as you tail this so-called assassin in the direction of the kage mountain. Following the shadow wasn't easy, and it seemed as if it is struggling to keep hold of something in its grasp the entire way, which you are coming to the conclusion is a hostage. As you leap to the next adjacent building staying out of sight, the "package" the man is carrying suddenly breaks free and shrieks. But is swiftly quieted by a sharp cuff to their head.

Your eyes grow wide and you gasp involuntarily catching the shadows' attention. Quickly you duck behind a large metal vent to avoid blowing your cover. You listen intently for those footsteps to continue, and if not for your cohort's senses you wouldn't be able to hear a thing. Once the first footstep begins you peer around the corner using your cohort's exquisite site, you catch a glimpse of a half masked face with eyes filled in black and tiny irises made of gold. Those eyes...you have seen them before but can't remember where. They are definitely something to take note of. Along with his tall muscular stature and brandless ninja garb. There was something vaguely familiar about this man...

Just as the man leaps to the next building over your phone chimes notifying you of a text message and your heart nearly explodes. It startles you so much you fall straight on your ass cursing the universe. You snatch it out of your pocket as a plethora of obnoxious chimes fill the breezy air.

"Fucking one sentence texters....just write it all in one text and send it you asshole!" You complain and bring the phone to your face to read. It was then you remembered you were supposed to be meeting Kakashi a half hour ago. Concerned texts fill your screen, the last one catching you off guard completely.

Stay home!
Don't go anywhere it is not safe, Himawari is missing!

You put two and two together and realize the little shriek you heard came from Himawari herself. From what you have heard, that little girl is none other than Naruto's daughter and she is a feisty one. It is no wonder this man is struggling to keep her quiet.

With your suspicions confirmed it is time to devise a plan of action. One to intercept this intruder before he gets too far away. You're surprised you haven't come across any other ninja in pursuit. Which was another strange happenstance. Come to think of it...you haven't seen anyone since you left Kakashi's. That on its own is alarming. It could be this intruder was able to divert everyone else's attention away. Which leaves just you and him alone to fight over Himawari.

He is in for one hell of a surprise....

With your strength back and your new found connection between your cohort, you are a whole new kind of animal. It's time to show everyone what you can really do, without all the carnage and destruction.

You quickly tuck your phone into your pocket without responding to KaKashi. If he finds out you're out here on your own he will come find you and to avoid directly lying to him about your whereabouts, you throw your phone on silent and leave it at that. You sight out your target and hone in on its direction. He is definitely heading towards Kage mountain. You scan the rough cliff line using your prestige vision and catch a glimpse of four more ninja nestled into crevices or tucked behind boulders.

Now you are outnumbered.....

But does it matter? You can explode bodies with a simple thought, remember?

You carry on following this shadow devising your plan of action....

—————————————————-

"Damn it..." Kakashi curses out loud as he tucks his phone back into his pocket.

Naruto glances at him but only slightly. He doesn't want to take his eyes off hidden leaf village for a second.
"What now?" He asks.

Kakashi sighs.
"Hana isn't answering me. She read the message but is probably avoiding me. Most likely because she has already left my place and is out there looking for Himawari."

Naruto shakes his head.
"She should at least answer you back."

Kakashi sighs.
"She doesn't want to lie to me. And she doesn't want to go home to wait this out. Better to keep quiet than confess or lie."

Naruto shakes his head.
"Damnit, I hope she doesn't cause a disaster."

"She's not out there to cause trouble. Hey, maybe she will be more help than anything. Hana is a pretty smart girl."

Naruto sighs.
"She is. But, it's her control that's the problem, remember."

He has him at that. If she only had control over that cat, things would be different.
"Yeah..." Kakashi decides to focus back on their task. Finding Himawari instead of worrying about Hana. He knows what she is capable of, and if any intruder were to come across her path they won't survive. He is almost relieved she is out there, although he can't say the same for Naruto. He wonders if Naruto will ever respect her the way he should.

"I think we should head ov...." Naruto is suddenly cut short by Genma leaping up onto the same building.

"We found her! Five nameless ninja on Kage mountain. They are holding her hostage and demanding to speak with you."

Naruto hisses under his breath.
"How in the hell did they get this close!"

"Advanced genjutsu mixed with new technology. There are beacons placed around hidden leaf village. We have taken most of them out. But we weren't quick enough."

Naruto clenches his fists and rises to his feet. At this time every jonin not out on mission joins them on top of the roof. Each watching the mountain with hawk eyes.

"We took out the last beacon. They are in plain sight now." Hinata says, joining her husband by his side.

Naruto nods and scans the mountain. Sure enough, five shinobi stand tall at the edge of his fathers carved stone head with Himawari in hand. Kakashi can see Naruto's chest heaving and his chakra sparking all around him.

"Let's play it cool, Naruto." Kakashi reminds him.

Naruto huffs and sets furious fox eyes on him.
"That's the plan! I wanna know what makes them so bold as to take my daughter from me. After that, I will crush them."

Kakashi returns his attention to the mountain ahead, reflecting on his words. He is glad Naruto is holding it together so well, for if it were him...he isn't sure if he could.

Suddenly a gust of wind picks up the air around them, spiraling towards the mountain. Alongside it, an energy similar to lightning jutsu.

"You feel that?" Shikamaru asks. He had joined them in their search not too long after the first wave of ninja were sent out.

"Yeah." Kakashi replies.

"It's strange, it feels like lightning chakra but has a sting of something else. Something darker..."

"Too bad Sasuke wasn't here. He would know what it is." Hinata says.

It was too bad Sasuke wasn't present for this. He knows this type of jutsu well and anyone else who does is on mission with him. To be honest, as Kakashi thinks about it, this is the perfect time for an abduction and or assassination. Over half the number of ninja have been dispatched to other lands, to deal with the damage caused by Hana, or the Kage plotting against her. Their defense is lower than usual, although not dwindling in strength. But with the hostage situation sitting so casually in front of them, hidden leaf may have their hands tied. All they can do is comply with their demands and hope they release Himawari unharmed.

"They're pooling energy....but to where?" Naruto says more to himself.

"Let's go find out." Kakashi replies. And at that they leap into the sky with Naruto leading the way.

They stop for nothing until they arrive on top of Kage mountain. Everyone stands still watching each other silently. Five shinobi draped in black, circles Himawari, who sits kneeled with her hands bound and a gag in her mouth tied tightly. Blood drips from her forehead where a small gash can be seen. Making Kakashi's stomach turn and his muscles tense in rage.

Naruto steps forward as cool and calm as ever. Although Kakashi is well aware of the chakra burning inside him.
"Beating a child? Is that necessary?" Naruto remarks.

The shinobi standing before her glances at Himawari but shows no tale tell sign of any remorse.
"We do what is necessary."

Naruto grits his teeth.
"You do know who you're up against right?" He waves his hand over the group of leaf ninja ready to turn them into dust.

But neither of their intruders seem to care. They show no signs of fear or regret, only a set expression of determination and purpose.
"We are here to make a trade. If you comply we will release the girl unharmed."

Kakashi snarls.
"Unharmed?"

The ninja glances back at her, his eyes running along the thin lines of blood now dried to her skin.
And he repeats.
"Like I said...we will do what is necessary...." He takes a step forward towards Naruto and begins his negotiations.
"We are here for the two stone vessels. The Sunaneko, and the Mamushi."

Stone vessels?...

Now that is an interesting way of wording it. Not once has kakashi heard anyone call them vessels before, that being said, it is exactly what they are. Vessels for a Gelel Stone...the other names peak his interest as well. Could these intruders be from the land of wind? It is obvious they know their Bloodclaw names and use them before their real names.
And Naruto takes the words right out of his mouth.
"So you're from the land of wind."

The ninja shakes his head.
"We are from no land. We are the nameless, nothing more. Now...release the vessels so we can be on our way and you can get your kin back."

Himawari whimpers behind him, triggering Naruto to snap back at him.
"I need some answers first! What is your intention with the stone users?"

But the ninja say nothing, they stand still silently as Naruto drills them with question after question.

"What do you want with them damnit!?" He pulls a long thin metal tube from his pocket and throws it down at their enemies feet. "And what the hell is this?"

All ninja glance at the metal object.
"Something beyond your mental capacity." He replies then lifts his hand and flicks his wrist revealing a watch. "Time is running out. If you do not bring us the vessels I will be forced to withdrawal. And we will take the girl with us."

Naruto hisses back at him.
"I'd like to see you try! The stone users aren't here. You're wasting your time. Now give me my daughter back and we may let you live!."

The ninja shakes his head.
"I can feel them. They are here. Bring them to me and we will release the girl." He walks back to Himawari and grips the hair on the top of her head then unsheathes a dagger from his sleeve placing it at her throat.

Naruto jumps at the motion immediately surrendering his hands in the air.
"Alright...alright...but it will take time to find them."

Naruto turns to Kakashi, whispering as he asks.
"Where the fuck is Shirou?"

Kakashi curses under his breath. He knows exactly where Shirou is. In bed with two women he had sweet talked into sleeping with him.
"He is uhhh...preoccupied at the moment. I doubt he will even answer his phone right now."

Naruto rolls his eyes.
"Where?"

Kakshi sighs.
"At Hana's, he's staying there for now. But he's not alone..."

"I don't fucking care." Naruto replies and turns to Shikamaru. "He's at Hana's, go get him."

Shikamaru scratches the back of head nervously. "Ahhh, I doubt he will listen to me. He's not a leaf ninja, remember?"

"Tell him Hana is in trouble and he will be at your heels." Naruto replies.

"Alright. I'll do my best." And Shikamaru takes off over the rooftops of hidden leaf village.

The ninja looks at his watch again.
"You don't have much time." He presses a button on his watch activating a light on the beacon before him.

Hinata whispers behind them.
"I thought we destroyed them?"

The ninja looks over to her.
"Some of them, but there are still some with their core intact. All you've done is shorten the time you have to provide us with the vessels."

Kakashi analyzes his words, coming up with the right questions they may be willing to answer.
"How long do we have?"

"Fifteen minutes". He replies.

That's not enough time to find both Hana and Shirou.
"And then what?"

"The portal opens and we leave. We can reopen the portal and make the exchange at a later time. We are willing to wait for you to get your shit together." He replies smugly.

Kakashi can hear his fellow ninja riling up.

"Are they really that valuable?" Kakashi asks knowing full well Hana and Shirou are worth more than anything else in this world right now.

He huffs.
"More than you will ever understand. Time is wasting. You now have ten minutes left, I do hope we get this done in time."

"What makes you think we will let you get through that portal?" Naruto aks.

"This little girl's life depends on it. She is sealed by the vex portal. Just like us." He replies and slowly releases his grip on Himawari's hair. He begins to pat the top of her head drawing tears from her eyes.

It was then Shikamaru returned but with a solemn look on his face. Which means he was not successful with his persuasion.

"He's coming, but he's taking his damn time."

Naruto curses him loudly.
"Doesn't he care about his own sister?"

"His exact words were, Hana can castrate a man with a single thought. I'm sure she's fine." Shikamaru replies.

Kakashi can't help but cringe under his mask at the thought. Yes she can, but that isn't the point Shirou....

"What an idiot...." Hinata whispers.

Genma curses Shirou under his breath.
"Is he coming or not?"

"He's coming, but it might be awhile." Shikamaru replies.

The ninja holding Himawari interrupts.
"It sounds to me like you need more time. I'll call the portal now. We can meet in four hours at this spot. If you do not have both vessels then you will never see this little girl again."

With nothing else he can do, Naruto surrenders.
"Four hours?"

"Yes. That is the required time to reopen a portal." He raises his wrist again and begins to press buttons on its digital panel. It beeps a few times then triggers beacons all around hidden leaf, including the one lying in front of them. Suddenly the air picks up again and energy begins to build behind them. Within seconds a violet rimmed portal opens up revealing a desert wasteland in its center. Confirming Kakashi's suspicions that they are in fact from the land of wind.

"Stop! Please don't take her!" Hinata pleads, stepping forward.

"I wouldn't move any closer, without a seal or gelel stone you will be stripped of your chakra." He says.

Another interesting piece of information for Kakashi. It reminds him of the earth jutsu used in their last mission to drain them of chakra. There could be some sort of link between the two. So he files that away for another time when more information can reveal itself. As for now, he was right again, their hands are tied and there is nothing they can do except present Hana and Shirou to them. But what makes them think those two don't annihilate them once Himawari is released? He just has to ask.

"The Sunaneko and Mamushi are extremely dangerous. What makes you think they won't kill you once the girl is released."

That question sparks something even more sinister in these ninja. They begin to laugh amongst each other sharing sly looks and the lead ninja stares directly at Kakashi with strange darkened eyes. Then he says a word that Kakashi has used many times since Hana had claimed his heart.
"Trust." The ninja says. At that the ninja take their leave, throwing Himawari over one of their shoulders with her muffled screams stinging each of their hearts. Hinata falls to her knees begging them to stop.

Kakashi stares at the portal trying to pick it apart, trying his best to analyze the situation, attempting to unravel their plot and stop this. But with the little time provided all he can do is replay what had just happened. As the portal closes behind them a flash of light brightens the sky behind the portal followed by a deafening explosion. He braces himself along with his fellow ninja for the blasts recoil wondering if it is another attack or some kind of diversion....

———————————————

Minutes prior...

You have placed yourself in a precarious spot in the shrubs behind the intruders to watch the larceny unravel. Thanks to your keen hearing you are able to listen to every conversation and word said between the intruders. Finding out how they had tricked everyone into destroying beacons which were placed as a diversion. You had also picked up on their chakra and a certain vibration of energy. One that you have encountered many times in the land of wind during the last few weeks of your life as Neko.

It is cursed energy, something that a platoon from your Bloodclaw clan had come across while scouring the land of wind's desolate runes. You have never seen it this strong before and never once has it changed someone's appearance so much. This stirs up some disturbing past memories and new questions that must be answered. But first you need to deal with the hostage situation.

As you peer around the shrubbery you notice a flash of silver hair in the distance, joined by Naruto's big pineapple head and the rest of hidden leaf village. Your new clan has arrived and you couldn't be happier, that is until you listen to the conversation between the two groups.

You hear your brother's Bloodclaw name being mentioned alongside yours and realize this hostage problem is all your fault....again....if it weren't for you none of this would be happening right now. Your stomach turns the more you self criticize until you hear the words vex portal. You know exactly what that is and how it works and with their explanation, you know what they plan to do....

A vex portal uses a lower vibration of negative chakra to move through darker astral planes, appearing anywhere in the world the user wishes. At the time you encountered it many years ago, it was only being practiced and not put into use. Not successfully anyway. Lessons were taught from your father directly and notes were written by himself in that little leather book you keep thinking about. If they have continued to practice it they have succeeded in using its power, even modifying your fathers instructions with new technology.

With your Gelel Stone activated you are able to lower your Chakra to mimic the negative energy being produced by the cursed chakra. You can slip in and out of the portal with ease. But how to do that without making your presence known?

As if a light switches on in your head, you get a vision from your cohort regarding your last body flicker.

You cringe at the memory of hitting a tree and taking half the jungle with you to the waterfall. It's risky...but if you work with your cohort this time, you might be able to pull this one off without messing it up too badly.

Watching closely you wait for the opportune time to pull chakra without being noticed. Once the portal is open you should be able to do so and just before it closes you will match the vibration to the world beyond the portal. In theory it should teleport you right to them, after that you'll work with your cohort to take them on, save Himawari and earn the much needed respect from your pineapple head Kage.

You watch them closely, disgusted by the intruders for frightening the little girl so badly. Oh they are going to pay for this, even if they are part of your previous clan. Then you see Shikamaru returning without your brother and are beyond pissed at him too. How dare he ignore everyone, especially when it comes to your faked well being. He is going to get a major mouthful after this.

As the portal opens you see a familiar world in the center, one you have avoided going back to for years. Once the last words are said between the groups and the shinobi enter the portal you quickly draw chakra matching the vibration using your stone and body flicker out of hidden leaf village. However your Kekkei Genkai kicks in at the worst time and creates an explosion of excess chakra in your wake. 

You suddenly appear in the sky again falling towards the earth. Your cohort is sending you visions of how stupid you are in the meantime. With the wind whipping at your hair you look down trying to figure out if you had body flickered to your destination. Sure enough you have, which was relieving, but this fall is really going to hurt. That is until you catch sight of the ninja carrying Himawari directly below you.

"Shit!" You shout, which catches their attention all too late.

With a hard smack you land right on top of the largest shinobi in the group knocking him flat on his back. Both you and the ninja lie there dazed while the others scramble to figure out what just happened.

As you come to your senses so does the body beneath you and you both groan. You rise up stabilizing yourself on a thick puffed up chest. Your legs instinctively curl around his waist straddling his lap and your eyes open to the world around you.

"What the hell?..." He groans underneath you. Once his vision adjusts to your figure sitting atop his lap, sweeping the hair from your face, your skirt hiked up way too far and your off the shoulder shirt pulled down showing far too much cleavage he chokes, freezing in place. Why is it you always end up in positions like this?...

You glare down at him and his wandering eyes.

"Neko?" He asks in disbelief. 

"Not anymore!" You scowl and snatch his half mask, tearing it off his face. Underneath is a man you haven't seen in years. "Jun?" You gasp.

He nods slowly still fixated on your private parts, switching between the two with cheeks turning redder and redder by the minute.

"Having fun?" You ask with tone and flick his forehead, snapping him out of his lewdy thoughts.

And surprisingly enough his hands find their way to your thighs and that shocked expression turns into love at first sight.
"Gods Neko, you got hot over the years...I mean you were always really pretty...I mean I always thought you were, but gods.." He gives you another once over. "...I think I'm in love!" He babbles on as you roll your eyes and peel yourself off of him. Which wasn't easy as he kept his grip on your thighs quite tight. You rise to your feet and adjust your clothes.

"You know she could eat you, right?" Another shinobi says, pulling down his mask, revealing another familiar face. Akashi....

But you ignore them both and set your stern glare on the shinobi holding Himawari. With an authoritative finger you point at him then point down to the ground and make your demands.
"Put that girl down right now! What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Immediately he gasps and places her down onto the dusty ground. She whimpers and falls to her knees.
"You care about this girl?" Taro asks very surprised.

That comment just makes you even more angry.
"Of course I do! She is a child! I care about all children." At that everyone bursts out laughing.

"The Neko I knew only cared about blood and her next cohort meal..." Akashi says.

You set a hard glare on him making him shift uncomfortably, then he too drags his eyes down your body and back up, although not as full of desire as Jun.
"But...it looks like you've changed."

"I could say the same for you assholes! Now hand her over, we're heading back to Hidden Leaf Village!"
You demand and step forward but you are stopped by Akashi who positions himself in front of her.

"We can't let you do that...not yet." He says.

"Oh really? You think it's wise to push a stone user who has bonded with their cohort and has the ability to use jutsu?"

Each ninja grows quiet glancing at each other nervously and you begin to tap your foot impatiently while crossing your arms waiting for him to move.

Akashi clears his throat and walks towards you with determination. Maybe your threats won't work this time. You prepare yourself for a spar, gathering chakra and stone energy, making the ground shake below you and the wind whip your hair. Just when you thought he was going to take a swing at you, he opens his arms and drops to his knees. His hands find the end of your skirt and latch on, then he begins to beg desperately.

"Please Hana! We need your help. The curse is so painful, we need your help to remove it!" He then pulls something from his pocket, a small leather back book, and presents it to you. "Please!....You know this book don't you?"

Your eyes grow wide at the sight of it. For it is the very book you have been fixating on in your dreams. You release your energy calming the air around you and ask in a whisper of disbelief.

"Where did you get that?"

He offers it again to you.
"Take it! It belongs to you and Shirou, we can't read it!."

You snatch it from his hands and run your hands along its soft leather, feeling the memories stored inside.
"Where did you get this?" You ask again.

Akashi stands, brushing off his knees.
"We searched for years to find it. It was buried in the rubble after the battle ...we don't know how to read it..it's not written in any language we've ever seen."

You suck in a breath and open it. Inside the first page it reads in a language only you and Shirou know.

The Kesseki Experiment:

Written by Temujin Kensu.

The stone of Gelel: It was first discovered long ago as a vein of ore by my ancestors. Only the royal blood of my clan could forge stones from the ore, a process performed with flesh and blood of the body. The same forgers are also the only ones capable of implanting the stones into bodies, as well as destroying them.

The entire deposit of Gelel is said to be capable of destroying half a continent. For this reason a long and costly war was fought over it, resulting in the ore being sealed away by my ancestors.

Years after its sealing, Haido found remnants of the stone by destroying my village, he obtained the book of gelel and chaos broke loose. I was forced to destroy the vein by summoning my space time hole. It was said I had saved the world that day and at that time I was a hero to many. But all that changed the day I came across the largest piece of Gelel Stone left in the land of wind.

Here is where I will begin my research. To combine the stone with the human body to create the most powerful shinobi the world had yet to see.....

You pause a moment to let that sink in. A reluctant tear slipping down your cheek, as you realize your father was not the man you thought he was. At least not in the beginning....

Then a small cry interrupts your thoughts drawing your attention to Himawari who sits quietly still bound and bloody. You snap the book shut and tuck it under your arm, this is not the time for a recap. You look down at Akashi.

"I will help you if you let the girl go."

He rises to his feet, looking you over again but differently this time.
"I will release her bonds but not the seal. Not until you have helped us.."

He holds out a hand for you to shake. You glance at it then back up at him and sigh.
"Alright." You shake his hand hard.

"Thank you, Neko."

You rolls your eyes and remind him of who you are now.
"It's Hana...Hana Hoki of Hidden Leaf village." You say and walk over to
Himawari. You flick your hand to Jun to come closer.

"Release her and bring me some water." You demand, and he doesn't hesitate to please you. You're pretty sure this man would do anything for you right now.

Once her gag is released she starts one heavy scolding, reminding you of yourself at her age.

"All of you are dumb! You think you can just walk into Konoha and kidnap someone without paying for it? My dad is going to kick your asses! He is the strongest ninja in the world and once he finds us he will kill you!" She points a tiny finger at each and every ninja in the group including yourself.

You are a bit taken back by that, you just have to ask.
"Me? What did I do?"

She frowns and purses her lips together.
"YOU, tried to eat my dad twice!"

You can feel the blood leaving your face and you sit shocked, because you in fact did try to eat him.
"Ahhh...well...you see Himawari...I wasn't quite myself at the time." You try to explain only to be quieted by her high pitched berating.

"Oh shut up! It's all your fault!"

Shamefully you agree.
"It always is...."

Jun hands you a canteen which is quickly snatched from you by the little girl. You watch her chug back the entire container before throwing it back at the ninja's head...damn she's sassy...

He barely catches it with the astonishing force of speed she used to throw it and she chuckles as he cringes at the pain of it slamming into his hand.

"Now take me back home!" She demands.

But she is in no place to be demanding anything right now. Still sealed by the vex portal, still placed in the middle of nowhere surrounded by ninja who could easily take her out. So you try your best to explain the situation.

You kneel down before her and place a hand on her shoulder, which she shoves away and snarls.

"Calm down Himawari. These men won't let you go just yet, and you aren't exactly in the position to be telling them what to do. Your father may be the strongest ninja alive, but he isn't here right now. It's just me, you, and them. So let's play their game."

She chews her lip exactly the way you do and eyes you up the same way Naruto does. And in her anger she decides to throw more verbal punches at you.
"Dad said you did a lot of bad things. He said you are dangerous and to stay away."

That stabs you right in the heart. Because never once did you mean to do those bad things. But then again...it is the truth. You sigh and try your best to hold back your watering eyes. However Himawari seems to notice as she stares you down. Then surprisingly her eyes soften and that sassy attitude seems to dim a little.

"I mean, dad says a lot of things. Sometimes he says things to keep me safe...so..." she scratches her arm and looks away. "Is it really true you tried to eat him?"

And the rest of your ex clan begin to laugh while you try to explain.
"Your dad is right. Just a week ago I wasn't able to control this stone inside me and I did try to eat him....." You pat the glowing spiral on your chest. "But I have control now. I promise."

She looks up at you skeptically.
"So you don't want to eat my dad?"

"Of course not! He tastes terrible!"

And she can't help but giggle at that.
"It's the ramen...he eats too much of it and it makes him salty."

You share a laugh with her..
"It sure does." You pat her head. "Are we cool now?"

She huffs out a breath.
"Sort of...I guess we're cool, as long as you don't try to eat anyone else and you're the only one who is trying to help me so...."

Suddenly your stomach rumbles and she looks up at you with raised brows. You both burst out laughing.
"I promise not to eat anyone, unless it's these jerks behind us."

Akashi begins to protest.
"Hey now, there's no need for any of that. Once this curse is lifted we will release you and leave Konoha for good."

That brings you to your purpose here and the book sitting snug in under your arm. You stand and turn to your ex clan with determination.

"Alright, let's get this done...." Looking upon all of them, slowly analyzing the changes in their appearances, it brings back memories of the last time you had seen them.

You can't count the years anymore, as that number is lost in the many mistakes you have made since then. However, you remember the explosion and your loss of control, anything after that is dark and hazy.

Then Jun speaks up, taking you back to that day.
"After the explosion at the warehouse....we confirmed the children were gone. We thought you had died with them, but there you were standing in the middle of it all with blood on your hands. You were unrecognizable...your cohort had taken your mind completely. So...to save ourselves..we fled before you realized we had survived the blast too." He lowers his eyes to the ground. "We hid in ruins close by for quite some time after that. Until we couldn't take anymore of the pain from this curse, that is when we went looking for the book. We followed along your path of carnage, hoping you would give us a lead." He pauses for a moment to let that really sink in.

And you begin to feel the weight of it. You don't remember much of the destruction and pain you caused, but you know it was horrible.
"I lost control..." You agree.

"You did...but it wasn't until just recently that we discovered it was all a set up by the other clan members. We found evidence back at the warehouse confirming everything....after Haido fell we found father's book buried underground below the collapsing castle in the rubble. It wasn't an easy find to say the least...anyways...one of the pages mentions the curse, I can't read much else from it but I know it has the cure...it just has to."
Everyone around you seems to hum in agreement.

You hold the book in both hands and flip it open, leafing through a few pages.
"If I do this you'll let her go?"

"Yes, we will let her go. There's a slight problem though..."

Your eyes flick up to Akashi who swallows nervously at your stern glare, like you need anymore problems...
"What is that?" You ask sharply.

"We need Shirou."
Instinctively you roll your eyes.
"Why?"

"He is the only one who can heal others with stone power." Akashi replies.

How is that possible?, you can't heal anyone with your stone power, you can only heal yourself and your cohort. So how is it your brother is able to?

"Stone users can't heal others unless they use jutsu, and jutsu won't lift that curse." You argue.

Jun shakes his head and explains, shocking you even further.
"Why do you think father favored him so much? Shirou is his nephew. He is of the same clan, the royal bloodline! The only one who can manipulate a gelel stone outside of their own body. He favored you for your Kekkei Genkai, and Shirou for his family bloodline and paired you together to create the perfect combination of power and clan superiority."

You nearly drop the book listening to him. This whole time Shirou has been the one who could change everything. Then why is it he couldn't remove his own stone? He would have the ability would he not?

Akashi continues on.
"We need him to heal our bodies and remove the curse. Only a Gelel stone can match the energy and remove it."

"Are you sure of this? How do you know?"

Everyone shares concerned looks with each other.
"We are going based on information we have gathered around the land of wind and we know there is information in that book. A step by step instruction I can only assume Temujin had written."

This was not something you were ready to hear. You wonder if Shirou even knows he is of royal blood and what his abilities are. You must get back to Hidden leaf and figure this out.

You close the book and storm up to Akashi. He backs away slowly raising his hands in surrender.
"Hey, I'm sorry! This is the truth...it's not my fault."

"No, but stealing a child and holding her hostage over us is. Now release her and take us back, I will bring Shirou to you after that."

He backs up another few feet before nervously replying.
"I...I can't do that, Neko. The minute I let her go in Konoha, Naruto and his ninja will kill us all. This has to be done the right way. Here in the desert with no one else around but us. This trade needs to happen."

"Damnit Akashi! Why didn't you just ask us nicely?"

"We thought you were being held hostage. I mean, word on the street is you attacked your Kage, you had fought all Konoha ninja and were called to trial by every other village miles from here. A hostage for a hostage is the only way....and we know Shirou will follow you..."

"So you don't actually need me..." You reply sourly crossing your arms.

"To help decipher the book we do. Shirou can speak the language but I don't think he can read it much..from what I remember." Jun states.

At a loss for solutions you turn your attention back to Himawari.
"Alright sweetheart, we are gonna get you home ok?"

"So you'll make the exchange?" Jun asks.

"Yeah...but what makes you think we won't just kill you once Himawari is safe?" You reply.

"Because you are family." Akashi says so sincerely it punches you right in the gut.

You shake your head. There is no way these men thought of you as family. You were just another adversary to them.
"You have never once thought of me as family. No one did!"

"That's not true! We had your back many times, you just didn't know it. Why do you think the pool father used to punish you with always had a leak?" Jun replies.

"Why was there always a plate of leftovers when he decided you didn't deserve a meal? The rest of us here have helped you out in some way or not. We have always been on your side. Just in secrecy." Akashi confirms.

You remember back to those times where you suffered the most. It was all true and you had always wondered who was taking care of you. You had just assumed it was Shirou.

A silence grows over everyone until you come to the conclusion that you will help them. That they deserve it, for all they had done for you in the past.

In that moment Jun approaches you and wraps his arms around your shoulders, tucking your head into his chest. It was a strange motion for him, as this kind of affection is not his typical behavior.
"What do you say Neko?" He asks quietly into your ear.

You sigh heavily.
"I will make sure that curse is lifted."

He pushes your shoulder back and takes both big hands, placing them on your cheeks aligning your eyes with his darkened ones. A smile grows on him and if not for the curse slowly destroying his body, you might say he is rather handsome right now. Then he does something stupid, albeit typical but stupid, he kisses you...tongue and all. Then walks away leaving you stunned and violated.

"Ew!" Himawari says behind you.

You spit the remnants of his kiss to the ground.
"Jun! You don't just grab someone's face and shove your tongue down their throat! I am a taken woman damnit!"

That seems to come as a surprise to everyone except Akashi.

"I find that hard to believe...no offense, Neko." Jun says.

"Nah, she's telling the truth." Akashi confirms, setting Jun off.

"No way! Wait...did Shirou finally come to his senses?"

You gasp out loud.
"What?! No! He's my brother!"

Jun strokes his chin.
"If that's the case then I guess I just kissed my sister...."

"The copy ninja. Kakashi of the Sharingan. Isn't it?" Akashi asks, ignoring Jun's remark.

Hands on your hips and full of pride you reply.
"That's right!"

"I knew it!" Himawari shouts, while giggling with excitement.

"Isn't he like three times your age?" Jun asks, outraged.

You run your hand through your hair in frustration. This is not a discussion you want to have with these guys.
"Can we get back to the point here? Aren't you guys in pain or something? Shouldn't we be curing a curse?"

Akashi looks at his watch.
"We have another three hours before we can open the portal again. Should be enough time to figure out what exactly is in that book."

Jun slaps his hands together and takes a seat on the dusty ground.
"Story time!"

Everyone else follows, situating themselves in a semi circle around you as if you were ready to teach a class kindergarten class. Even Himawari finds a spot close to you to listen.
"I'll read it out loud, but everyone must be quiet and don't ask any stupid questions!"

Each nod their heads with excitement and you settle your own self down then open the book......