Mata Aimashou

Kakashi had called for a time out after the revelations of the last several hours and Fū almost audibly sighed in relief.

Unfortunately, Akuma wasn't quite done talking to her.

After a brief back and forth between the immortal and her two over protective big brothers, it was decided that Akuma could walk behind the rest of them with Fū back to the gatehouse so long as Obito could be there as well. This was decided between the two sixteen year olds, after a brief staredown, before Obito slipped his mask back on and crossed his arms with that declaration.

Kakashi had grumbled, but with no real arguments to contradict him that was that.

"I find it hilarious that those teenagers are basically sandwiching you between them right now," Akuma said in English as they stepped outside the shelter building. It wasn't a spoken agreement, but they weren't going to be speaking in Japanese around everyone.

This conversation was between them.

It was late, or early depending on how you looked at it. Fū was sure the light of dawn would soon break up the dark sky.

He eyed her when she didn't respond. "You're taking all of this a lot better than I expected you to."

"I'm sure I'll have a melt down later," she said and he snickered. "In all sincerity, today has been a lot."

"I know," Akuma nodded, she could see it from her peripheral vision. He was rather subdued, in comparison to how he'd been the rest of the night. "It had to happen early on or I foresaw things getting out of hand the older you got. This isn't usually how I handle new reincarnations, you know. For hundreds of years they were born on the island and I raised them, training them from birth. I never sent them out into the world until they were prepared for that."

"I wasn't ideal but because of the Fall I was the only Uzumaki baby you could dump the soul into?"

"Not exactly, I could've waited and put Nori's soul in Karin. She's only a few years younger than you are."

Fū looked up at him sharply, confused as to why he didn't. He glanced at her and sighed.

"You were supposed to die in utero, that was why Naruto didn't have a sibling in the version you knew." Akuma admitted, his face blank. "I appealed to Yama to leave you alive and placed Nori's soul in you. Did you notice, earlier, how the room became cold when you got angry?"

She had noticed, but she hadn't thought much of it. Still wrapping her head around the fact that she was supposed to have been a miscarriage, Akuma continued.

"That's because you've been touched by Death; given his blessing so to speak."

"What does that mean?" Fū asked, frowning. It sounded ominous and she didn't trust it. "And why did you do that? Sounds like you went out of your way for me… Karin would've been easier."

"Because of your suicide after living the life you did in the other world." Akuma stated bluntly and Fū tried not to recoil at having that brought up without warning again. "I knew the Punishment of Remembrance would make you formidable and cunning in ways the people here couldn't predict. Having you as a sibling to Asura's reincarnation would be a boon to my cause. I did not anticipate how early you'd be introduced to Junpei's reincarnation, but that has worked out well in my favor."

"It's pissing me off that you're so nonchalant about manipulating my life and using my suicide to your advantage–" Fū told him, an angry frown in place.

"It's my prerogative," Akuma laughed and shrugged, then he sobered and eyed her softly. "But I am sorry about your children."

"Don't talk about my children." Fū barely managed to speak above a whisper as a familiar pain exploded in her chest. She rubbed at it, gritting her teeth against the onslaught of horrific memories. Memories worse than war torn Yemen. At least to her.

Two officers, apprehensive, visiting her cell to tell her the words that no mother ever wanted to hear.

Both of her babies, only eight and four, died from carbon monoxide poisoning in their foster home, just two days before a jury declared her act of killing her husband was proven to have been in 'self-defense' and therefore she was free again.

There was nothing worth going back into the world for, anymore.

Tylin Roberts ensured her children's funerals were beautiful. A crowd of colleagues, friends, and the children's teachers and peers behind her as she stood apart from them all, at the foot of two pinewood coffins that shouldn't have been so small. She watched them sink into the earth, threw a handful of dirt on each coffin in the tradition of her forebears. A symbol of the deceased's return to nature.

She went through the motions of the reception. The congratulations upon her release from being held in the local jail after her innocent verdict fell flat when spoken and she didn't want to hear it anyway.

Not swallowed in the grief of the losses she suffered in the meantime.

Everyone left, and the house was still. The bloodstain from the gunshot wound she'd shot into her husband's chest was long cleaned, and the floor showed no signs of staining. A good advertisement for luxury vinyl plank flooring, she'd thought idly as she stood on the spot.

Then she lifted her hand which held the same gun she killed her husband with, shoved it in her mouth and pulled the trigger.

Tylin Roberts had an objectively good reason to want to die.

Fū didn't think she deserved further punishment for that.

"Understood," Akuma nodded once and she got the impression that he really did, at least in some capacity, understand as he moved the conversation along. "On the subject of the Touch of Death; you're going to need to retrieve the Shinigami masks from Konoha at some point.."

"Please elaborate." Fū managed to ask as the tightness in her chest slowly eased with something else to focus on.

"It's not that special, considering who you hang around with, and maybe more will manifest later who's to say," Akuma warned as the Torii gate came into view, "but it basically ensures that you're going to live until you die of old age."

"What?!" Fū's brows snapped together and looked up at him, incredulously as they passed under the gate. Obito stepped away to scoop up the prone Sasori and heave him over his shoulder. "That's—"

"As immortal as a mortal can be, really," Akuma looked down at her sardonically, "lucky you. That's not permission to throw yourself into danger. You should still be cautious."

'Yeah, no shit.' Fū thought.

If word spread about a girl that just couldn't manage to die it would be grounds for capture, torture, and experimentation. Especially if Orochimaru was the one who found out. She shuddered to think what he would do. Maybe she couldn't die until her natural time, but she sure as hell could feel pain. "What do the masks have to do with it?"

"Oh. Nothing. Those are mine and I want them back." Akuma stated bluntly and laughed at Fū's immediate put out expression. "I let Akari take them with her when she went to Konoha. Then I told her she could keep them since she decided to stay. Tobirama should've returned them to Uzushio after she died but then a war started and… well, he got distracted."

"That reminds me," Fū began as the gatehouse came into view, "what was Kuragari's problem with Akari?"

"Ah," Akuma grunted, his arms coming up to cross over his chest and he sucked his teeth, "that little bastard held a grudge against her because she stayed in Konoha instead of coming back to the Uzu when her work was done. That's literally it, they were close up until she left for Konoha. Then he grew bitter, jealous that he'd lost his sister when she fell in love and didn't come home. They never worked it out, then she died and he missed his chance."

"That's–"

"Idiotic, yeah. Trust me, I know."

Fū paused as Itachi and Shisui stepped into the gatehouse, both glancing back at her before they disappeared inside. Kakashi and Obito stood on either side of the stairs to the engawa, patiently waiting on her. Kyo continued walking down to the beach without looking back at them.

"So Kyo is…?" Fū prompted, watching the angry boy's back.

"Yes, he is their great grandchild. Because of this, his parents have raised him to believe he is special and he struggles with the weight of expectations that should have never been placed on him. You handled his attitude as I expected you to. Firm, but calm. You didn't allow your own emotions to erode your judgment. Your grip never tightened." Akuma's red eyes shone with approval and Fū felt a small bit of the knot of anxiety that she'd had over the way she'd dealt with Kyo unfurl.

She knew a 'but' was coming in the brief pause, and wasn't disappointed.

"However, in the morning after you've rested you should think about how his life has played out in the shadowy ruin of what was once a great clan, bearing the burden of the Uzumoto's expectations as the last known male Uzumaki with fūinjutsu prowess. Consider his side of things. Then go speak to him alone when emotions aren't so high and you've both had a chance to calm down."

Fū frowned and looked at her feet.

Emotions had been high in the bunker, and she had been suffering through an acute PTSD episode remembering Yemen (and fighting the flashes of seeing her own children's bodies in a morgue, besides) while seeing the corpses of those poor children.

That episode was made worse by the revelation of what Danzō had done, and then Kyo stormed up to her in a rage, demanding that something be done about it. She'd reacted, apparently she'd done well in Akuma's eyes. But right now, thinking about it, she wasn't so sure…

"I can see the internal conflict you're having," Akuma gestured to her face, "it's written all over. Trust me, he's not the last Uzumaki who's going to challenge you. What's important is to be an unyielding force when they begin to frenzy like that. A firm Head who has the ability to reign them in without losing themselves to their own frenzy is imperative to keep them balanced. That's why Kuragari failed them; he couldn't reign himself in. He shouldn't have been Head, nor should he have become the Kage."

"Frenzy?" Fū questioned, cocking her head to the side. That sounded like a word that would be used to describe the Kaguya clan.

"Frenzy," Akuma nodded once, his face uncharacteristically severe. "There's a reason your mother described the clan as 'savage' you know. Though not as senseless in their brutality as the Kaguya, the Uzumaki have a tendency to lose their minds to anger. Some more than others. It's… something I was not proud of in my youth. With Asura's help I trained to harness it. Unfortunately those descended from me do still have my temper. As you can see from the ruined city. All that could've been avoided if there was a better Kage in the chair. So keep that in mind as you set forth to revive the clan."

"Revive the clan?" Fū asked with a wry smile, scratching the back of her head, resolving to seek out Kyo in the morning. She dropped her hand when she felt how greasy it was. Today had not been kind to her and suddenly all she wanted was a nice long soak and a good sleep. "Yeah, that's on my to-do list."

"I know," Akuma grinned down at her, the muscles in his face relaxing. "You should wait until after you recover from restoring Nagato and rope him into helping you. He, too, is one of the rare level headed Uzumaki and you will need him. So rest easy through recovery. Everyone will be fine in the couple years that will take. Karin and her mother are in Kuso. Honoka is on an island not too far from here. Kyo and Risa will be well protected with me. You and Naruto are safe with Nagato."

"The one in Danzō's service?" Fū prompted, she'd had a lot on her mind but the one child who survived Uzushio was a major concern of hers. Depending on their age when taken, they would be somewhere between their mid-twenties and early thirties. Older than Nagato, who was only about twenty right now.

"Menma."

Fū's brows rose and she took a step back in shock. "Like… that Menma?"

From the movie?!

"No," Akuma shrugged, shaking his head. "He's… well, he's not another Naruto in this universe. He is, however, Kushina's younger brother. A major part of the reason she came back looking for survivors. That mission was bullshit, though, because Konoha already knew there weren't any. It was commissioned by the Third at the behest of Danzō to cover their tracks and keep their Jinchuuriki placated."

"I see. How close is Menma to being like the movie version? Abilities, personality, and so on?" Fū asked, apprehensive. She'd like to try and help him, but if he was anything like Uzumaki Menma from the movie then she wanted nothing to do with him and she definitely didn't want him around Naruto.

"He's been trained in Root since he was six and he's not a jinchuriki. He's more like Sai or Tenzo then he is like the Menma you're thinking of."

"So I can probably bring him back into the fold." Fū asked, still skeptical. "With a lot of work?"

If Kushina had a living brother, then he was the rightful Clan Head. If he was of sound mind and stable… she may be able to step back and allow him the reigns.

She berated herself for the thought almost immediately.

Having been in Danzō's service for about two decades, following the loss of his clan and watching all of his friends die in a slow, horrible way. The trauma, she could only imagine, would've only been worsened in Danzō's employ. Worsened, repressed, whatever the case may be.

And that was if she could find him in the first place. Just because he was Root didn't mean he was stationed in the village.

Menma becoming Head in her stead would likely be impossible. There was no way he was mentally stable.

While being the Uzumaki Clan Head wasn't a responsibility she would've chosen for herself, she was going to do the best she could while it was her responsibility.

"Perhaps." Akuma stated cryptically and looked up at the sky. His next words were spoken in Japanese, ending their conversation to address Kakashi. "I will retrieve Genma and leave him here so you can make him comfortable. I'll release his seal at noon. That should give you time to rest and discuss what you're going to tell him when he wakes. Obito, I'll release Sasori's seal at the same time."

Both teenagers nodded at Akuma as he dropped his hand atop her head and ruffled Fū's hair, despite her indignant shriek.

"Call me if you need me," he said gently as he released her. She patted her hair down and glared up at him. "First one was free, next one won't be."

Ten minutes later, thoroughly exhausted, Fū dropped herself right down onto Kakashi's bedroll and snuggled up against his back, ignoring his half assed grumble of protests, feeling safe between them as Obito dropped down right next to her.

The last thing she heard, before sleep claimed her, was two soft voices in her mind telling her good night.

#

"I hate that you're leaving today, but I wish you a safe journey home." Tai said, smiling at Itachi from where they both sat with their feet dangling over the edge of the dock on Uzushio. "I will miss you. It's been good to see you again."

Kakashi had released them all for a little free time following the events of the night before. After a few hours' rest, they'd woken and formed a plan between the three of them, Kakashi having kicked Uchiha Obito and Tai out stating 'Leaf Business.'

It was surprising to Itachi how much trust Tai was giving them. Communications seal notwithstanding, trust was a heady thing in their world. Itachi would not break that faith, and he knew Shisui wouldn't either. Kakashi, it seemed, was in agreement. Because he'd flatly told them he expected them to exercise discretion and good judgment going forward.

Danzō was a problem.

Kakashi had explained that he'd already infiltrated the Foundation, and had support from Jiraiya to do so. He was already working on compiling evidence, so Itachi and Shisui didn't have to worry over that.

Itachi was going to worry regardless, because Tai had told him all about what Danzō was capable of. He was targeting clans in the story that Tai knew, and it was clear that he'd targeted the Uzumaki two decades ago if Akuma was to be believed that there was an Uzumaki within Root.

How much of the Uchiha's treatment in the last decade had been due to Danzō's interference, and was he gearing up to have them all slaughtered for the sake of collecting their sharingan?

What other clans had members that had been abducted or manipulated into that evil man's clutches? Itachi couldn't say, but he wanted to know.

So it was for that reason that he'd spoken up and told Kakashi that he, too, would like to help infiltrate Root.

Shisui had been flabbergasted, using the seal to try to talk him out of it.

Itachi had interrupted him when he offered, via the seal, to infiltrate as well.

'No, Shisui, there's something else I think you'd be more suited for instead – we'll talk about it later.'

He'd sensed Shisui's hesitation, but his friend said nothing and backed down.

"Tachi, you okay?" Tai waved a hand over his eyes and he jolted out of his thoughts, head whipping around to blink at her.

"Yes, sorry." He felt his face heat and he looked away again, studying the horizon. "There is much on my mind, but it's been good to see you as well. It has set some of my concerns at ease."

"Only some?" Tai asked, gently kicking her bare feet in the water. He couldn't believe she was comfortable enough to go barefoot at the moment. Anything could happen and not having her shoes would not be ideal.

He shot her a disapproving look. "It is clear you haven't taken training as seriously as you should."

"Whaa?" Tai blinked at him, mouth agape. She snapped it shut a second later, eyes narrowed and irritation twisting her face. She folded her arms over her chest. "I do take it seriously!"

"Not as seriously as you should," he admonished gently, intent on making her hear him. "What you're doing, it's imperative that you're strong enough to carry it out and bear the burden of your decisions or you will fail. That cost of failure, in this case, is too great Tai."

The way her shoulders slumped and her jaw clenched, he knew that he'd gotten through to her.

"You're right."

He knew he was, but it didn't feel good to hear her admit it in such a dejected tone.

"I'll do better."

Itachi softened, releasing some of the tension in his own shoulders. He activated the seal so he could say privately; 'Train hard, but don't overdo it while you're in recovery when you return to Amegakure. Perhaps Akuma has some instruction for you to enhance your seal work while you're unable to do much physically?' And there's always books, too.'

'I'll ask,' she responded, looking out at the sea. Verbally, she said; "I'm not a good fighter, I've been told I don't have the instinct."

Itachi pondered this and huffed, a little amused. "Do you believe instinct is all it takes? If that were true half of Konoha's shinobi force wouldn't exist."

"Oh my god!" She exclaimed, and he knew he'd struck a chord when her eyes widened considerably and her head swiveled to stare at him, bright smile in place. "Itachi, you genius!"

She surged forward, arms wide to scoop him into a hug.

Instead of allowing it this time, he pressed two fingers to her forehead and halted her advance.

He would hug those he cared about, true. But sometimes the full body squeeze was a little overwhelming for him. After everything that had happened yesterday and how much was on his mind because of it he didn't really want to endure that. This was his affectionate compromise for days like that. He often poked Sasuke like this, too.

"That's what everyone keeps telling me," Itachi smiled at the little red spot he left on her face while she pulled back and rubbed at the spot, still grinning at him unoffended. For once, he wasn't annoyed with being called a genius. "What was your epiphany just now?"

"I've been too busy telling myself I'm not good, and I can't be good, when the truth was staring me in the face. That's all. You just reminded me of some pretty amazing shinobi who didn't have any natural talents, but they worked hard and surpassed many naturally gifted shinobi."

Well, leave it to Tai to ignore the obvious until someone else reminded her of it. He smiled at his friend, amused.

"Ganbatte. Do your best," he said to her, watching the determination spark in her blue eyes. "I believe in you."

#

They'd kept the description brief and the details to a minimum whilst informing Genma of what had happened. The basic gist, and what they were going to tell the Hokage, was that they'd had a confrontation with this being 'Akuma' and had managed to retrieve the Uzumaki heiress, and the Uchiha heir, by teaming up with the Akatsuki member named 'Tobi' before banishing Akuma back into the seal he came from.

When asked why Akuma had taken the children, they were going to say that it was because he wanted to sell their souls to a Shinigami so he could have a body again.

They would not be informing the Hokage that Uchiha Obito was alive. Nor would they be saying anything about the dead Uzumaki children or the evidence of Danzō's involvement/treason. Instead, Kakashi and Itachi had come to an agreement that Root was going to be their problem.

Kakashi still was unsure about Itachi's abilities, so he resolved to work with him more when they returned to Konoha before actually taking steps to involve him in the Foundation business. He had a viable excuse to get involved in Itachi's training, having been on a mission with him now. The only one who might have a problem with him hanging around the young Uchiha heir would be Fugaku, but Mikoto would be a good buffer should it come to that.

"So your team is heading out this afternoon, then?" Obito's voice interrupted his thoughts as he approached.

Kakashi had known he was there the moment he'd swirled into existence right behind him. He was on guard, but after everything he'd seen… he didn't expect that Obito would try to kill him right now.

Not with the way he'd settled himself on the other side of Fū in Kakashi's bedroll for several hours. Kakashi had remained alert, and he knew Obito wasn't sleeping either, but Fū was out cold with her head pressed between his shoulder blades so Kakashi didn't move or say a word for two hours until Shisui had come to tell him it was his turn to take watch.

He'd half expected Obito to confront him while he sat atop the roof of the gatehouse, but it wasn't a surprise that he remained with Fū instead.

Obito was taking his role as 'protector' even more seriously than Kakashi had thought.

"We came for information, we got it in spades." Kakashi responded, watching Obito as he stepped up beside him at the edge of the island's northern cliff, peering down at the way the waves crashed against the sharp rocks below. He wore his Akatsuki cloak, and his mask was in place. "Some of us go home after a mission is complete."

He couldn't help the bite in his words. He was still upset that Obito hadn't returned, even if his reason for not doing so was sound.

Obito hummed, shrugging noncommittally and he sat down with his feet over the edge of the cliff. "I wouldn't say your mission is complete. You just picked up more burden while you were here. Perhaps, next time, you'll think twice before digging your nose into business it doesn't belong in."

Kakashi ground his teeth together and his eye narrowed.

Nobody could manage to irritate him half as much as Obito – it seemed his old rival hadn't lost the talent over the years of separation.

"I have just as much right to be involved in the kids' lives as you do. Try to remember that neither of us are actually related to them."

"So you say," Obito sighed, crossing his arms and turning to him, sharingan blazing behind the mask. He ignored Kakashi's statement about not being related. "Your level of commitment remains to be seen."

"Excuse me?" Kakashi growled, deeply offended.

He'd dedicated most of the last two years of his life to finding those kids!

Obito switched tactics. "What is your plan involving Danzō? The Sandaime? Surely you won't expose your knowledge prematurely because that paints a target on your back. So you're going to infiltrate Root and find out what you can bring to the Hokage. But what happens when the Hokage doesn't care about your evidence? Danzō uses Sharingan genjutsu, and the Hokage sees him as his eldest and most dependable friend. How do you plan to convince the Hokage that he's a threat to the village? Furthermore, what about the Uzumaki and all others affected by Shimura's machinations?"

"What about them?"

"Sarutobi, if he believes you, will bury Danzō's treachery and keep the information in house to preserve Konoha's reputation, lest they also be held accountable, and you know it. There will be no justice for everyone else affected."

These were things that Kakashi needed to ponder on, not something that he could just respond to without thinking…

So Kakashi decided that it was better to redirect than it was to respond.

"Mah, if you want to talk about buried involvement that affected a lot of people, Obito, why don't you tell me the extent of your involvement on October 10th, two years ago?"

He could tell by the way Obito's shoulder's went rigid that he'd struck a nerve.

Obito was definitely involved in Minato-sensei and Kushina-san's deaths.

"Does Taifū know what you've done?" Kakashi's voice was dark and angry. He tensed for a fight, in case Obito would lash out at him.

Part of Kakashi wanted that fight. Wanted to avenge his sensei's death, his Kage's sacrifice.

The other part, the rational side of him, knew he had to avoid it.

"You think I lied to Fū?" Obito's laugh was sardonic and callous. "Yes, she knows. But make no mistake, I did not kill them, Kakashi. I extracted the nine-tails. Sensei called the Reaper and sacrificed himself – because she was Uzumaki, Kushina survived the extraction. I did not predict that the Kyuubi would try to kill the infant Naruto, nor did I expect that Mintao and Kushina would both impale themselves on a descending claw to save him."

That hadn't been what Kakashi had expected to hear, but while Obito was sharing information he pressed the issue.

"Why did you want the nine-tails?"

"Needed it for a personal goal," Obito admitted, more subdued this time. "A personal goal that has since been discarded. Fū has changed everything."

"By redirecting the Akatsuki's goals to obtain peace in a different way," Kakashi filled in what Obito wasn't saying, remembering what Taifū had told him the day before. "You had wanted to acquire peace through force – Fū changed that."

"Astute observation," Obito scoffed, Kakashi didn't remember him being this much of an asshole before, but knowing what he now knew it didn't surprise him at all. Especially after his whole 'I'm not Obito–I'm nobody, forget about me' blah blah, self-loathing theatrics from the night before. "Truly unsurprising you've been hailed as a genius."

"Would you shut up," Kakashi opted to roll his eyes, instead of getting angry. "This is getting ridiculous. We're on the same side."

"Are we?"

"If you're on Taifu's side then yes," Kakashi responded firmly, "we are."

"I'm not so sure," Obito told him, the air around him beginning to spin, "but only time will tell."

"Obito–" Kakashi called out, hoping to stop him from leaving but it was too late and Obito was gone just as quickly as he'd come.

"Mah," Kakashi sighed to himself, still staring at the spot where Obito had vanished. "Guess now's as good a time as any to go say bye to Fū."

#

Kyo had eyed her suspiciously when she asked if he had time to talk, but he nodded and led her out of town to the south and into the farmland surrounding the village.

It was late afternoon and the Konoha team had left a couple of hours ago. She was sad to see them go, but she had assurances that they would see each other again and she had to believe that.

It had been good to see them, and already she missed them dearly.

"What is it?" Kyo asked, spinning on his heel once they were far enough in the field that no one would see them, and a quick sweep with her chakra revealed that they were the only ones around until the village's edge.

He'd really gone for privacy.

"I just wanted to apologize." Fū told him, sinking to the ground and sitting cross-legged at his feet, looking up at him.

He sighed dramatically and followed suit, plopping into the dirt between two tall rows of corn. They looked ready to harvest soon, taking on a golden hew.

"For?" He asked, leaning back and dropping his elbows into the dirt behind him, crossed his ankles, and glared over at her.

"Showing up, for starters," she laughed, but it was a hollow sound. "Also for being a major irritant to you, and not thinking about how you and the rest of your family felt living in the shadow of the island and experiencing the struggle of everything that happened once that shinobi village was destroyed. Economic downturn, being open to Invaders of all kinds.. All the while the Uzumoto lost family, friends, and their protectors in one swoop. It must've been hell, and I didn't even think of any of that before last night. In fairness, I hadn't known your family was still here when I came. I didn't know anything at all about what was here, and I should apologize for that, too."

"I don't think it's fair to have to apologize for things you didn't know," Kyo said after a long pause, looking away towards the village. The rooftops could barely be seen from where they sat. "Things you couldn't have known, since you were born in Konoha. And we didn't lose everything in one swoop," he told her, looking back at her face now. "Most of our losses were gradual because of the civil war."

"Still," Fū shook her head, refusing to let him let her off the hook. "I didn't consider anything below the surface of what I saw when I got here. Especially when I heard about the pirates. All I wanted to do was help, I didn't stop to think about anything beyond that."

Kyo stared at her for a long moment, an unreadable expression on his face. Then he turned his eyes skyward to watch a formation of birds fly overhead with a heavy sigh.

"Until last week, the Uzumoto expected me to figure out how to save them from the Pirates, obtain 'Mastery' in fūinjtusu despite the state Akuma-sama was in, clean up Uzushio on my own, and then rebuild the Uzumaki clan." Kyo told her, eyes still on the sky, but there was tension pooling in his body. She saw him grit his teeth. "I struggled enough with that. Then you showed up out of the blue and it was all 'look - a female Uzumaki. 'They can work together to restore the clan. Kyo, you're going to have to marry Taifū and make strong children. Together you can save us!' It pissed me off." Kyo kicked the heels of his feet into the dirt to accent his point.

"So they started making all kinds of plans for how your life was going to go without your consent, nevermind your opinion, from a young age." Fū filled in the blanks, ignoring the whole 'marriage' comment in favor of watching how upset Kyo was getting.

It didn't matter what plans the Uzumoto had, what obligations were supposed to be foisted upon her as a Clan Head. She had no wish to marry.

It hadn't worked out so well last time.

Returning her attention to Kyo after the brief flash of a life she no longer lived (a dark haired man spread prone and bleeding to death on the floor of their home - herself sporting fresh brusines and a cut on her collar from the kitchen knife she'd picked up to try and save herself) the anger was clear on his face and in his body language. Though he was more controlled than it had been the night before.

If she was hearing him right, he wasn't actually all that angry with her. He was angry that his entire life had been decided for him, and he'd tried to bear the burden of those expectations but found himself struggling to do so. Then more expectations came when she showed up and it set him off.

Fū understood that.

"Yeah," Kyo nodded, that angry frown still in place, then he took a deep breath and released some of the tension in his body, turning his head to look over at her. "I'm glad you had a way to protect our people from the Pirates, even if I was sealed to the island while you did it. I know my attitude has been kind of out of line, especially now that Akuma-sama has confirmed who you are. I've just been so angry at everything lately…"

Fū shook her head, feeling comfortable enough to reach out and pat his bicep.

"From what you've said you're entitled to your anger, I think. And who am I, really? A foreign interloper that showed up and started ingratiating myself amongst your people right away. I could've been a threat, here to take everything you had and kill everyone here. You were right to be cautious."

"You're not foreign," Kyo said, watching her hand fall away from his arm before his eyes cut to hers, "you're Uzumaki. That makes you family. Akuma-sama told me you plan to restore the clan?"

"To the best of my ability, yes." Fū confirmed, watching some of his tension ease away. "There are three of us living in Amegakure, one of which is an incredibly strong shinobi. The other is my little brother, who will one day become one of the strongest in the world."

"You know this because of the 'other world' you lived in?" Kyo asked, watching her curiously.

Ah, right, she'd forgotten that she'd lost her cool a little bit and blurted out some of her history the night before.

"Yes," she confirmed, hoping he'd understand that she didn't want to elaborate.

Kyo seemed to pick up on it, because the next thing he said was; "Take me with you when you leave."

Fū blanched. "What?!"

Kyo was not deterred by her incredulous tone. "Now that the threat to Uzuchiisai is neutralized and Akuma-sama is back to full power I… I need some time away from home, I think," he looked off towards the village as he continued, "and I'd like to meet the other clansmen. And maybe…" one of his hands lifted to scratch the back of his head, face going almost as pink as his hair, "maybe you and I can work on our fūinjutsu together, like you suggested."

She didn't want to tell him, out loud, that she'd be out of commission for a while once she returned to Amegakure. That was too much information to risk speaking out in the open.

"If you can convince your parents, then I don't see a reason you can't come with us… Naruto, at least, would love to meet you. He's such a happy, bright little boy. And I don't see Nagato turning you away once I explain everything. He sent me here for a reason, he must've known what I'd find."

"Nagato is the powerful one?" Kyo asked, drawing one of his knees up and raising so he could wrap his arms around it. He was looking at her with keen interest now.

"Nagato is the Kage of Amegakure, and yes, he's powerful. At the moment, I would feel confident saying he's one of the most, if not the most, powerful shinobi in the world."

That seemed to appeal to Kyo's pride and his eyes lit up, chest puffed out, and there was a wicked glint in his eye as he smirked at her.

"Of course he is, he's an Uzumaki!"

'I like Kyo, he's a good kid.' Fū decided, watching the way his face lit up. Out loud, she said; "But there are some dangerous members of the organization he runs. It's not the safest place in the world to be…"

"Organization?" Kyo asked, some of that bravado easing out of him. His head cocked sideways in interest.

"I am interested in this as well–" A new voice interrupted and Fū jumped up immediately, standing in front of Kyo with her kunai out as a bubble floated down and trapped them both inside.

Damn, and she'd just got done promising Itachi she'd be more careful and work harder on her training, too.

It wasn't a stretch to assume who'd walked up on this conversation. It was odd, seeing Utakata so young, though, when she laid eyes on him as he stepped into their view.

She'd totally had a crush on him in the show and was genuinely upset that he'd been caught and killed by the Akatsuki. She was caught up in this thought and didn't notice the rustling of the flora until, to Fū's genuine shock, Yugito stepped out behind him looking concerned and apprehensive.

"Hey, who do you think you are? Let us GO!" Kyo beat against the edge of the bubble like it would do something to puncture it. He turned to her and held his hand out, "give me that knife, I'm gonna stab this stupid–"

"Kyo, relax," Fū told him, resting a hand against the middle of his back, "please."

When she was sure that he had heard what she said, and wasn't going to keep yelling and expelling unnecessary energy, she turned back to the two unexpected Jinchuuriki.

"Hello, Yugito-san and Matatabe-sama, it's good to see you again." To the brunet boy, she smiled and bowed with her free hand on her chest. "Utakata-san and Saiken-sama, I presume?"

The boy's honey eyes widened marginally, but he said nothing and Fū continued on.

"Sorry about this, Fū-san, he insisted you and your friend could be dangerous and wanted to ensure we were safe while we talked to you," Yugito apologized, glaring over at Utakata who remained unperturbed.

"That's fine," Fū waved off her apology. Jinchuuriki had to be cautious. She looked at Utakata and nodded at him. "I understand, but it's not safe for you in Uzuchiisai right now, Utakata-san. Kiri shinobi are on the way to retrieve some fugitives I've caught. If you wish to avoid them, you'll need to come with me to Uzushio and step under the island's protections until they leave."

"Fū-sama, who are these people?" Kyo inquired under his breath. She supposed he wanted to glean some information without alerting the two ninja in front of them. Fū thought it was unnecessary. "You can't let just anyone onto the island…"

"It's probably a tall order, but just trust me, okay?" She told him, then spoke louder so that the two in front could hear her. "Do you mind releasing your jutsu?"

Utakata hesitated.

Yugito huffed, lightly punching the former Kiri shinobi in the arm. "Let them go, you jerk, she's not going to do anything and keeping her locked up inside a bubble isn't going to endear her to us!"

"On the contrary, you'll find I'm a pretty understanding person," Fū contradicted with a low laugh and a smile. "But I would like to be released, if you don't mind. There is someone in this village who would definitely lose his temper if he saw this. Let's not upset him."

Yeah, Obito wouldn't be amused by Utakata keeping her trapped in a bubble. That was certain.

Kyo's laugh interrupted Fū's thoughts and the boy folded his arms over his chest. "She's got that right, that guy's only the second most overprotective person I've ever met."

"Who's the first?" Fū asked, a little amused that Kyo thought there was someone more overprotective than Obito.

"Your friend Itachi," Kyo said, the 'duh' implied in the way he looked at her, "-he's intense for a kid."

"That intensity is gonna get way worse as he gets older, believe it!" Fū laughed, quietly agreeing with him as the bubble burst and they dropped down, she grinned good naturedly at Kyo, then turned it back to Utakata and Yugito. "So what brings you two here, together?"

"I–" Yugito began, hesitantly. "I defected from Kumo."

Fū's eyes widened in shock.

That didn't happen in the version she knew.

"The bijuu are curious about you," Utakata told her, maintaining his distance. His bubble tool, thing… whatever he called it, was clutched in his hand. "As are we."

"B-bijuu?" Kyo asked, face paling.

'Ah, hell,' Fū thought. She'd gained the attention of the tailed-beasts. They must've gone into their little pocket realm to talk about what she'd done in Otogakure…

"I see," Fū said, feeling just as cautious now as Utakata was behaving. Who knew that saving Yugito and speaking with Matatabe would draw Yugito into defecting and bring her together with Utakata? "Well, if you're amicable, we should go to the island. It's safe to speak freely there and if Kiri comes sooner than expected they won't know you're here. Kyo, are you coming with us?"

Kyo's brow lifted and he scoffed over at her. "What makes you think for a second I wouldn't be coming with you?"

#

"At least they came after the Leaf team left," Obito grumbled to himself where he stood in the kitchen of the gatehouse, once again. This time the people inside were different. They were lucky that Sasori didn't seem to care what was going on on Uzushio, far more interested in returning to his puppetry and scaring the captured pirates after the brief explanation of what had happened on the island. "I don't think Kakashi would've kept this from the Hokage."

To have Utakata, the six tails Jinchuuriki, show up out of the blue towing a recently defected two tails Jinchuuriki… It was unprecedented. If this were two years ago, he would be rejoicing in such good fortune.

Now, though, things were different.

"We waited for the Leaf team to leave," the passive looking brunet boy explained, accepting a mug of tea from Fū. They were seated at the bar style counter in the kitchen. An oddly modern update in a traditional style home. "There is no need to involve anyone unnecessary. I'm already in the Bingo book as a rogue from Kiri, it won't take long before Yugito is as well. I'd rather we remain under the radar as best as we can."

"Understandable," Fū said to him as she filled another mug of tea for Yugito, "it's dangerous enough in this world for Jinchuuriki without adding hunter nin and additional suspicious villages to the mix. Kyo, come get yours. I'm not walking it all the way over there."

Kyo had settled himself on the couch in the living room, instead of joining them in the kitchen. Obito didn't know the boy's reasoning, but he must've had one because he glared over at Fū before reluctantly wrenching himself up from the couch and sauntering over for his steaming mug.

"Tobi-nii, do you want some?"

"No, thank you."

He didn't feel like fiddling with his mask right now. He was still in somewhat of a bad mood after his conversation with Kakashi before he left.

"So you said that you and the bijuu are curious about me, do they have questions?" Fū jumped right into the reason for this meeting while she organized the tea set to the side of the kitchen island and picked up her own over-sugared tea. She leaned back against the counters opposite them, eying the Jinchuuriki intently. "Do you have questions?"

To Obito's surprise, Kyo stepped up right beside Fū and adopted the same stance.

He wondered what the two had discussed in the field, because of course he'd noticed her chakra signature heading out of the village with him, and why it seemed as if the air around them had been cleared?

"I wanted to thank you again, for saving mine and Matatabe's lives, and also to warn you that the Raikage has ninja after you, now." Yugito said, looking at Fū and cupping her mug between her hands. "Their orders are to abduct you and bring you to Kumo. To what end, I am unsure."

Resolving to get the story about how Fū had saved the Jinchuuriki and her bijuu's lives later, because that was a detail that neither Fū or Sasori had mentioned to him, Obito felt his rage ignite deep in his belly and he fought to keep the visceral response his chakra had under control.

"Like hell," Kyo scoffed out loud, echoing Obito's own sentiments.

"For now, Utakata says they've turned around and headed back to Kumo to inform the Raikage of my defection. It's possible they'll dedicate efforts into hunting me instead of you for a time. Since without me Kumo is left with only one bijuu – it opens them for invasion if Iwa considers them to be in a weakened state."

"Is conflict with Iwa on the horizon?" Fū asked, a slight frown on her face.

They weren't prepared to stop a war right now. He wasn't sure if the Akatsuki had made any deals with the nations that stood in between Lightning and Earth yet. This was an inopportune time.

"Not yet, there's still hope of averting it. As far as I know, with my limited security clearance as a chunin, the Raikage was set on avoiding it for now. He's sent the Iwa ninja that your puppet master friend captured home as a peace offering. But if Iwa doesn't back down…" Yugito trailed off.

If Iwa took that generosity and threw it back in Kumo's face then it would be a declaration of war.

Fū glanced at him and Obito began pondering what needed to be done, and soon, in order to shore up the border countries' defenses so that Iwa and Kumo would have a difficult time getting through them to fight each other.

Fū frowned deeply and looked between the two at the bar, but seemed to be talking to herself.

"Given that there are five nations between the two, Iwa might decide to use a naval fleet… I have to speak with Nagato about this right away. The port cities of each nation would be easy targets, which would severely impact trade in the region and upend the lives of everyone who lives inside of those countries. A conflict like that would have disastrous consequences on the world as a whole, especially just a few years past the Third Shinobi War. We're not stable enough for it…" she glanced up at Obito, concerned. "The Akatsuki is not prepared for this yet."

Was this how Fū's mind worked through things all the time? He hadn't even considered the possibility of a naval fleet.

Obito had the idle thought that had she remained in Konoha she would've been a perfect candidate for the intelligence division.

"I would like to hear more about this organization and its aims," Utakata interrupted before Obito could speak. Heads swiveled to the brunet boy and he elaborated. "This is not the first I've heard of the Akatsuki."

"The Akatsuki's goal is to create stability and usher in an era of peace," Obito told him, hefting himself up to sit on the countertop.

"How do you intend to do this?" Utakata was unconvinced and suspicious, as any good ninja should be. Obito was not offended.

"It's complicated," Fū interjected and Utakata turned his attention to her after another moment of staring at Obito, "the basic gist is that in order to establish peace… we must negotiate it. Thus, our current mission is to establish and maintain good relations between the smaller nations through things like trade, helping with missions when it's requested, looking out for small villages that are being terrorized by local brigands. Things of that nature. Our members have incredible skill sets and can be called upon to aid allies with things that they perhaps don't have the ability to manage on their own."

Since bringing her into that first Akatsuki meeting, Obito had been endlessly amused that Fū had woken up one day and simply decided that she was Akatsuki too. Then she'd made Nagato believe it without ever having invited her to join.

She was doing it again, now.

He wondered if she realized that the speech she was giving was akin to a recruitment speech.

'Kushina, typhoon was a perfect name for your daughter,' Obito thought, watching the way the eyes of everyone in the kitchen widened.

"In short, you're undermining the control the five great nations have on the world by attempting to strengthen the smaller ones." Yugito bluntly stated, a little breathlessly. She seemed impressed, if apprehensive. "What happens when they figure this out?"

"We're counting on subtlety and discretion to buy us time before that happens," Obito interjected. "The great nations will soon know that there's an organization out there doing something but they won't know what we're doing until we're ready for them to know."

"By then, it'll be too late for them to try and take us out easily."

"That indicates a future war to seize power, Fū-san." Utakata accused, eyes narrowed.

Fū just smiled at him and shook her head. "War is the opposite of what we want. The great nations may wish to spark one, but as I just said, by the time they realize what's happening it will be too late to strike."

"How?" Utakata insisted, leaning back in his seat. He hadn't taken a single drink of his tea. But that was expected. The tea was a formality, anyway. No self-respecting shinobi would drink something that was prepared by a potential enemy.

"Fūinjutsu."

That caught Kyo's attention and his pink brows shot into his hairline.

"That is all I will give you on the matter," Fū did look apologetic, but Obito knew her well enough to know from the glint in her eyes that she'd given them just enough information to leave them guessing on purpose. "For shinobi who are not members of the Akatsuki, I can only give so much information. I hope you understand."

"I'm in, let me join," was Kyo's immediate response. The boy turned and put his mug down behind Fū and pressed his hands together beseechingly. "Please? If you're going to be using fūinjutsu you're gonna need me, anyway."

"I'd be happy to introduce you to our leader, Nagato-sama." Fū told the boy, looking more than a little concerned by Kyo's insistence, then she looked over to him. "I do not have the ability to approve membership."

Neither did he, anymore. Not that he would have so easily exposed himself by doing so before.

"I would like to meet this Nagato as well, if I may." Utakata said, drawing their attention back to him. "To hear his words on the matter for myself."

Yugito nodded along with her fellow Jinchuuriki. "I would like to come as well."

"I don't foresee an issue with that, do you Tobi?" Fū asked him, and Obito was smiling behind his mask.

Leave it to Taifū to recruit two Jinchuuriki into an organization that's previous objective had been to hunt them down, extract their bijuu, and use them to forcefully dominate the world.

"No, I don't foresee an issue with that either."

#

It was three more days before the Kiri ship arrived with several severe looking shinobi on it. One of them was Hoshigaki Kisame, and Fū was delighted to see him. Utakata, less so. As soon as Obito had sensed the approaching chakra signatures, Utakata had promptly vanished inside Uzushio's Torii gate, Kyo having given him permission to hide inside the city until the Kiri nin were gone.

Fū wanted to get closer to see Kisame. Maybe even talk to him. Sadly, Obito made her promise to remain unassuming and stay in Uzuchiisai, away from the ninja. The Uzumoto had been instructed to keep a tight lip about who'd taken the pirates on, and who had been able to force them to remain on their ship awaiting collection.

Obito said that he'd ensured only the ones who wouldn't ask too many questions were sent on this mission as a precaution.

So, she'd watched from afar, and then wandered down to the beach to contemplate all the myriad ways life had turned upside down in the last couple of weeks. They would be leaving in the morning, with assurances from Obito that he could transport them all via Kamui. So long as nobody squirmed too much.

Sasori, she could tell, was grateful he'd be rid of her for a while. He hadn't even talked to her since the day she'd taken down the pirates. Fū assumed he was angry with her for something, once again. But he'd avoided her every time she sought him out to reconcile.

"Excuse me, I'm sorry to interrupt your walk. My shishou sent me away while he works. I saw you up the beach and…" a young male voice interrupted her thoughts. Once again, she hadn't heard or felt anyone approach and she spun around, wide eyed, taking in the boy who'd snuck up on her from behind. He gave her a sheepish, sharp toothed smile and rubbed the back of his head, tussling his white hair. His eyes were pupiless and lilac in color, like the byakugan. But this was no Hyuuga. The Mist hitai-ate made that clear. "I just… I like bright things. Your hair is pretty. That's all I wanted to say."

'This boy… he's too old to be Suigetsu,' Fū told herself, but the resemblance was uncanny.

"It's alright," she smiled at him to set him at ease but couldn't resist the temptation of seeing if she could rattle him or not. "Your eyes are pretty, too."

The flush that adorned his face after that compliment made him look like a ripe tomato and she tried not to laugh at his embarrassment. He'd done it to her first, she just wasn't so easily embarrassed.

"I'm Fū," she said, sticking her hand out in greeting.

She'd seen it done a few times in this world, but it was more often a formal bow for introductions than a firm handshake. She'd always prefer the handshake method. Maybe because of her memories of her western upbringing, but bowing always seemed like she was implying she was a servant of some sort, even though she knew that wasn't what that represented in this culture.

"I'm Mangetsu," he introduced himself, accepting her hand with a smile of his own that showed off his sharp teeth. Mangetsu! That's why the resemblance was so clear. She wondered if those teeth were natural or if he'd had to file them that way. "Nice to meet you, Fū-san."

So this was Suiegetsu's older brother.

"Your master sent you away?" Fū cocked her head to the side, beckoning him to walk with her. He did, surprise on his face for a second before he covered it. "Seems a funny thing to do, if you're a ninja. Shouldn't you be learning how to deal with prisoners?"

"Kiri doesn't usually take prisoners, Fū-san." His smile was sharp as he said this, and Fū felt her stomach drop.

'Oh shit,' Fū thought, a little bit frazzled by that blatant admission, 'that's pretty dark–'

She might've forgotten what era this was for Kiri, actually. In fact, Mangetsu himself was, if she remembered correctly, a Kage-level badass before his premature death.

Which means even as a child he was probably incredibly skilled.

Best make herself appear as unassuming as possible.

"I see," Fū said aloud, bending over to pick up a flat rock, deciding she best change the subject. "You're from Mist. I bet you can skip rocks better than me."

Mangetsu's lip twitched up into a small smile and he took the rock from her hand. "I bet you're right."

And just as she'd suspected, Mangetsu proceeded to absolutely dominate her in skipping rocks for almost an hour, laughing at her every feeble attempt for a good twenty minutes before deciding he should teach her how to do it right.

They spent a good couple of hours down on the beach before Kyo came to find her. Mangetsu was in the middle of telling her a story about his 'cute little brother' when the pink haired boy walked up, eying Mangetsu with just as much contempt as he'd eyed her and Sasori with when they first came to the village.

"My kaasan was asking if you were going to come for dinner, it's almost ready," he addressed her, then turned to Mangetsu, "your group said they were staying to eat before they leave."

"Oh, good!" Fū clapped happily, smiling at Mangetsu, whose face went red again. Already having his forehead protector meant he was at least a genin right now. It was weird that he was so easily embarrassed for a ninja. "You can eat with us and tell me more about Suigetsu."

She actually did like the boy, he was well mannered despite how easily he teased.

Mangetsu laughed at her exuberance and scratched the back of his head. "Sure, and you can tell me more stories about your 'insane little sunshine.'"

"He really is like a bright little ball of insanity," Fū sighed, happy, at least, knowing that his birthday was tomorrow and she'd be returning just in time to see him. She started to walk forward and grabbed both of them by the arm with a megawatt grin, "come on, boys, I'm starving!"

Surprisingly, Mangetsu went along with them, laughing despite being dragged by a girl that may as well have been a civilian as far as he knew. Once they'd each gotten a plate of food, Mangetsu had avoided his compatriots and chose to sit by the fire with herself and Kyo instead, ignoring the side eye he was getting from the other Kiri nin.

Which could've been one of two things, Fū thought as she pretended she was no more than a happy little civilian girl who'd made a new friend.

Either Mangetsu had been tasked with getting to know the red-haired girl by one of his superiors that may or may not recall some things about the Uzumaki clan. Or Mangetsu simply did not give a damn what his superiors thought.

She couldn't decide which one it was. But he hadn't asked her any personal questions that had set off alarm bells, and remembering his little brother's attitude and personality she thought that it might be the latter option.

Still, she couldn't know for sure.

"This has been a good night, it's been fun meeting you Mangetsu-san," Fū told him as the Kiri ninja all started to heave themselves up, muttering thanks to Risa-san and the other Uzumoto for feeding them. Mangetsu stood as well, so Fū had stood with him.

"You as well, Fū-san," he smiled at her, extending his hand, "now I can tell Suigetsu I made a couple of friends in Whirlpool."

"Friends, huh?" She grinned at him as she slid her hand into his. Internally, she was still cautious, but for the sake of appearances, she'd agree. "Yes, I'd like that. We're friends now."

#

It was early morning when Obito dropped her off in her room inside the Uzumaki suite back in Amegakure, stating that he'd arrange a meeting with Nagato in a few hours and get our guests situated. For now, she was to focus on reuniting with her brother and not worry about anything else.

Apparently, Naruto had been an absolute menace while she was gone.

She had to reign in the joy that brought her, just because it meant that he'd missed her a lot. But with that came the guilt, because she really shouldn't have left him in the first place.

Fū carefully pried open the door that led from her room to the living room, where Naruto had been staying while she was gone. The first thing she noticed was that his crib was gone, replaced by a low toddler bed and she teared up a little, seeing that little bundle of joy sleeping away there.

But… he wasn't sleeping, actually.

She heard a little sniffle from the mound and her heart sunk as she quietly edged up to the little bed and knelt down. There were tears slipping down his cheeks from underneath closed eyelids and Fū felt her heart break.

"Good morning, honey~" Fū said gently, and Naruto's eyes popped wide open, sniffling a little as he blinked up at her.

She reached down and brushed her fingers over his whiskered cheek. "What's the matter, Naru-chan? Tell Ane all about it."

"Ane?" His voice was small, and now his lower lip quivered as recognition and realization lit his eyes.

"Tadaima." Fū told him, still rubbing the wetness off his face with her hands. "Happy Birthday."

Suddenly, as if it finally registered that she was actually there, Naruto was on his feet on the bed with his arms wrapped around her neck in a death grip, jumping up and down uncontrollably.

"ANE! ANE! OKAERI! WELCOME HOME!"

'Welcome home, indeed,' she thought, standing up with the little wild thing attached to her. His feet were still kicking like he was jumping, even though she'd taken the ground away.

"Are you hungry?" Because she certainly was.

"RAMEN!"

Fū paused, looking down at Naruto's spiky head in horror.

'What idiot introduced Naruto to ramen already?! He's never going to eat his vegetables, now. I'm gonna fucking kill them!'

Deep in the bowels of the Akatsuki tower, Nagato felt a sudden wave of foreboding… like his life was danger.