The Fire (Part 2)

"Mom stop it! I will not whiten my face, I acknowledged that I need a new outfit and hairdo. This is where I am putting a stop!" Kaname shouted at her mother.

"You need to look like a high-class lady at the royal court!"

"Maybe, but I'm not a woman yet… and I don't care. Whatsmore I need to get to the Fire City, how do you think I should get there wearing a tight kimono and a heavy makeup?"

"*Growl* I will prepare a carriage, now let me pretty you up!" Sachi shouted at her daughter.

"Nope, help me with my hair, I will seal the kimono for transportation"

"Shouldn't you lead a team to protect daimyo's son? It shouldn't be a solo mission"

"Yeah, but Daimyo in his infinite knowledge forgot about that part and asked me to come alone" Kaname sarcastically replied.

(AN: Daimyo being me :-P but we will work something out :-))

"Hmm, I smell foul play here, be careful out there my Little Butterfly."

"I'm always careful, but sometimes just shit happens"

"Yeah I know, you will be back in 2 days right?" Sachi hugged Kaname.

"Take care of Naru-chan" Kaname glued off the crying baby from her tight.

"SASA, no go!" cried out blonde baby.

"I will be back in two days, don't cry or I will not get you a present" Kaname patted his head giving the boy to her mother.

"Okay, Little Butterfly, good luck and bye" Sachi kissed her daughter's forehead and said her goodbyes.

"See you!" Kaname in full ninja outfit left her home going into the night.

Journey south to the capital of Fire Country took Kaname ten hours, with the sun high above the horizon she saw a majestic city build on a slope of a volcano. At the highest point in the city, Kaname noticed a palace with "Fire" banners and symbols.

'Living on a slope of a volcano? Probably the city name was taken from its history. Maybe they get fertile grounds, but what will they do when someday it will all go sideways with a lot of flames and screaming involved?' Kaname thought out.

(AN: Yeah, there are some major cities on Earth near active volcanoes, is it really a good idea to live there? :-))

"Hello, I'm here on a mission constituted by Daimyo-sama" Kaname bowed her head in greeting to the armored ninja standing near the city gates.

"Hello, have you got your permission on paper?" one of the guards asked.

"Sure"

"Thanks, wait here for a moment, I will get you a means of transport to the palace. Ninjas running around the rooftops are severely punished in Fire City" he said after reading the letter.

'Hmm ninjas trained in this city doesn't seem like much, maybe their equipment is bulkier, but their chakra is barely on the genin level' Kaname nodded her head to the guard.

Thirty minutes later Kaname was before the opened doors of the palace, from them a man came out. He was at least twice Kaname's age, he had a lanky build, an elongated face with dark eyes. His short-hair was brushed to the back of his head, half of his face was hidden behind a light green paper fan.

Kaname bowed to the man in Fire Country's royal garb and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Kaname Uchiha, I'm here as a temporary guard for his highness Daimyo's first son"

"Good, you are already here, We were waiting for you. Come with me" the man replied.

"Yes!" Kaname walked three steps behind him.

"I'm Daimyo's third son, I was asked to bring you to him, are you ready kunoichi-dono? He is right behind these gates. Do you remember how you should act before my father?" they stopped in front of big red doors.

"Yes," Kaname affirmed leaving her sword with the guard near the doors.

"Good, let's enter. Guards open the doors please."

In the chamber full of red and gold statues Kaname felt twelve powerful but hidden chakra signatures surrounding the pedestal. On it, she saw a silhouette of a man hidden behind the paper screen. She entered the chamber stopping when she was third of the way from the Daimyo and bowed ninety degrees waiting for him to speak.

"Welcome, Kaname-san, in the royal court." Kaname heard an old and tired but still powerful voice of the Daimyo, "I asked you to come to protect my son from would-be assassins during tomorrow's party, I will announce him as my successor, can you do that for me?"

"I will make sure he is safe Daimyo-sama" Kaname replied in monotonic voice.

"Hmm, can I ask you one thing Kaname-san?"

"Yes," she replied.

"Do you think I made some mistakes in the last couple of years, that I'm unworthy of the title?" the Daimyo asked.

"No. With all due respect can I say the entire truth?"

"*Cough* Hehe, yes I always wanted to hear viewpoint from one of my ninjas in the field"

"I believe Daimyo-sama is always doing what's the best for Fire Country and all of its citizens. I also believe you can't be everywhere and know everything, as a ruler of our nation you must listen to the dozens of reports, which some of them I'm pretty sure are excluding each other. Some of your decisions indeed took the lives of my friends, I hope you will sometimes listen to your heart instead of the sycophants like my village's elder council"

*Pft*

A woman laugh came from Kaname's left.

"BUHAHA! Thank you, Kaname-san. You know what? Talking with you are bringing back my debates with Mito-san and her step-daughter Kushina when they were here for a couple of days, I see that the Will of Fire burns very strong in your heart. It was nice to meet you, my second son will show you your room. We will meet tomorrow."

"Thank you Daimyo-sama, your words mean much to me" Kaname replied with a smile on her face.

Kaname was met with a man with a fox-like face. He was in his thirties, he had shoulder-length, greasy black hair which framed his face in curtains. Kaname didn't see his eyes, he had them almost closed resembling the small smiling slits.

(AN: Think of a baby of Snape (HP) x Gin (Bleach) :-) )

"Follow me little ninja-chan," he said with a fake smile.

"Thank you, can you show me the way to your venerable older brother? I need to talk with him" Kaname asked when they left the Daimyo's chamber.

"Fufufu" he laughed while Kaname felt some goosebumps going through her spine, she didn't like this laugh. "For now you should prepare for tomorrow's party, my brother with his wife and daughter is safe for now in a neighboring palace"

"Thank you, I will do what you require of me" Kaname bowed and entered her room, closing the doors behind her.

'So it's south of the main complex' Kaname remembered the layout of the palace and its smaller neighbor when she was looking at the vista of the Fire City.

'<Kage Bunshin no Jutsu>' She created a single clone.

"You know what to do Kana-2…"

"Yes, Boss!" the clone started unpacking her equipment from the seals, while Kaname silently left her room through her window.

Five minutes later she was looking at the lightly guarded small palace that was situated high above the ground, activating her Sharingan she noticed a family of three happily laughing and playing on the open terrace, above them someone was hiding on the roof with a blade in hand.

"*It's almost too easy..." Kaname used <Shunshin no Jutsu> to reappear on the rooftop.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" she shouted at the would-be assassin, primarily she thought of quickly finishing the job, but she felt below genin levels of chakra from the intruder.

"*EEK* You will not stop me! The reward will be mine!" the intruder jumped at the Daimyo's son.

"*Sigh*" Kaname moved way faster than the assailant, blocked the sword before it killed the man protecting his family with his burly body.

"Hello, my name is Kaname Uchiha, I was tasked with your protection, it's nice to meet you" Kaname caught the intruder by his throat, powering her hands with tons of chakra she thrown him over the railings out of the palace.

"AAAAAAhhhhh!" All four of them heard the scream that was getting further and further away, soon a *Thump* stopped it.

"You… you killed him!" screamed the woman.

"No, he died of natural causes," Kaname said.

"But it's tenth floors above the ground level!"

"Gravity is natural" Kaname replied with a smirk on her face.

"Hahaha, it's nice to meet you. Thank you for saving me and my family's life. I owe you one!" Daimyo's first son loudly laughed. Just then Kaname seen how would her soon to be Daimyo would look like. He was close to thirty-five years of age, he had a burly body with scars on his hands, his face with big blue eyes was smiling at her. His shoulder-length hair looked like a mane of a black lion, he felt like a person that follows his instincts.

"Thank you. Venerable son-"

"Please call me Raion," he said.

"As you wish Raion-sama, let's hope it was the last incident. If you would let me I would prepare some seals that would protect you and your family" Kaname bowed her head.

"Do whatever you think is necessary, if someone has anything against you send them to me! Thank you once again, see you tomorrow Kaname-san"

Kaname jumped over the railings falling the same way her recent victim did.

"Cool…" the young eight-year girl silently said while she was hiding behind her mother.

"Hah, that's the way those elite ninjas are Mito-chan" her father patted her head, "now that we're safe, let's continue the tag, who was It?"