Prologue

The woman nips at her thumb, causing it to bleed, before she slams her hand down to the ground, yelling in an authoritative tone."Summoning Jutsu!"

A large puff of smoke signals her jutsu is complete. As the smoke dissipates it leaves in its place a large black horse, one that exceeds the average size standard for the species.

" Dākuhōsu, you're looking as stunning as ever. Your coat is looking especially shiny today." She says with a smirk. She knew he wouldn't be happy about her summoning him so she felt the need to butter him up.

" Yeah, yeah whatever. What do you want." The horse known as Dākuhōsu says in an annoyed tone, already knowing what she wants.

"Gasp! I'm hurt Daku!" She dramatically clutches her heart, "Can't I just summon my friend, without there being ulterior motives?" She smiles sweetly looking at him and he deadpans at her as if to say 'Really?'

"Ok ok, it's the usual, I would just like some help carrying my friend here to the collection office...pretty please?" She does her best to give him puppy-dog eyes, failing in the eyes of the dark horse.

"Whatever," is all he says before he lays down to make getting on him easier. She claps her hands while giving out a cheerful squeal. " You know you love our friendship Daku, no need to hide it." The horse just grunts in annoyance.

Katsume's attention reverts to the unconscious man she had just incapacitated, resting against a tree. She grabs his wrists, placing them in front of him on his lap. She performs hand signs and then places her hands hovering over his wrists. "Crystallization Jutsu; Crystal Cuffs." Immediately, light-green crystals begin to grow around his wrists, shaping into makeshift handcuffs. She was sure that the wanted man would stay asleep until she reached the collection office but it was better to be safe than sorry.

She drags the man along the ground by his arms over to the lying horse.

"Upsidaisies big fella." She grunts flopping the man over the horse's back, lying face down on his stomach. She then climbs on as well, settling herself behind the unconscious body. "Alrighty Dākuhōsu, ready to get this show on the road?" She smiles sweetly. Ever since she signed the contract between them two thirteen years ago, they have grown into their relationship as friends rather than just 'summoner' and 'summonee'. She knew their trust was unbreakable now, but it hadn't come easy. Even though to anyone else, it seems Dākuhōsu dislikes Katsume, he's just a lazy grump, he truly trusts her, and although he'll complain he would still do anything for her. Even if it means carrying a thousand wanted bounties.

"Buckle up buttercup, I'm feeling energetic today." He says devilishly, knowing there was absolutely no way for the woman to 'buckle up'.

"Really? That's surpriSING!" The dark horse wasted no time getting his revenge by taking off at imaginable speed in an instant, causing Katsume to nearly fly off the back of him along with her bounty. She quickly gets her bearings while gripping his luxurious mane tightly. "Ha. Ha. You're very very funny Daku. Now, will you slow down?! At this rate, we'll be there in a few minutes, and it's a day's ride!"

The horse only snorts, stifling his laugh as he slows down to a walk. "I can't believe you're complaining, Katsume, the faster we get there, the faster you get this grubby man off of me, and stop wasting my time." Katsume lets out a hearty laugh while giving Dākuhōsu too harsh a pat on the neck. "Do not lie Daku, you enjoy the times we spend together, admit it! You like helping me!" Dākuhōsu blows air through his lips dismissively. "Keep telling yourself that." Katsume rolls her eyes at his stubbornness, "Are you sure you're a horse, you act more like an ass."

"Tough talk for someone I can throw off right now..." he turns his neck to look at her, seriousness prominent in his eyes. After testing eye contact Katsume was quick to shut her mouth with a huff.

"That's what I thought."

Daku- 4,738; Katsume-…like 1 maybe.

After a long boring ride full of playful banter, and a quick karate-chop to the back of the neck for the slowly awakening wanted fugitive, the three finally arrive at the collection office. Katsume dismounts along with the man she is holding captive, begrudgingly throwing him over her shoulder as she walks in. " I'll be right out, don't go anywhere." She winks knowing he couldn't even if he wanted to. He scoffs, "Ha. You're hilarious." He retorts in a bored tone.

She approaches the front desk where a man in a dark blue kimono greets her.

"Hey, Katsume! How's my favorite bounty hunter?" He asks with a bright smile, waving for her to sit and take a load off. "You know, same old. Got a fresh one for you today." She points to the fugitive she flopped on the ground before she took her seat.

"Wow...I'm surprised at you! He didn't put up much of a fight I take it?"

"Nah, not really. He started with hand-to-hand combat, so you know how that went." He chuckles at the poor captives' stupidity.

"Sheesh, poor guy. I pray for all the poor souls that have you as their bounty hunter. Can't blame 'em for trying!" He laughs heartily.

"Yeah well, all in a day's work. I gotta get going though, Daku's waiting, and you know how he gets." She rolls her eyes at the thought of him complaining again.

"Right! I'll get your reward right away." He walks away to get her pay. As he comes back into sight he has a quizzical expression. "Say Katsume, why don't you become a shinobi? You got the skills for it...better than most I've seen." He scratches his head in thought.

"Ha! Well, I'm much too old to go to an academy. Plus they take on so much responsibility, and I don't think they even get paid quite as much as I do. Sounds like a drag if I'm being honest." She fiddles with her nails in thought. The old bat was a shinobi and a great one at that. She always went on and on about the pride of fighting to protect one's land, but it seemed like a dark job with little compensation. Not that being a bounty hunter is exactly a job for the faint of heart. She'd thought about it before, but Granny had always been the one to teach her the ways of jutsu. After she passed she was left to fend for herself, no parents or guardian to rely on. One thing led to another and she started using the lessons the old bat taught her to make some money by hunting down and bringing in criminals big and small. It's been that way for eight years now. Even if she wanted to be a shinobi, she would have no clue where to start.

The man hands her the briefcase with her reward tucked away safely inside. "Here you go! Don't pay me any mind, just do what makes you happy." He smiles brightly and walks to the peaceful sleeping man on the floor. He picks him up and takes him to the back to put him in a jail cell. Katsume didn't even notice his actions, she was deep in thought, replaying his words on a loop.

"Just do what makes you happy."

"Am I happy?" Without breaking from her thoughts, her body moves on its own and when she comes back to reality she finds herself back outside standing before Dākuhōsu, who is wearing a very confused look. Without even realizing it, she had been petting his neck for the past few minutes in a daze.

"Jeez, are you okay? You look like someone just asked you the meaning of life." He was slightly worried, serious behaviors were very unlike Katsume, at least when it came to him.

"Oh! I'm sorry I didn't even realize. I was just lost in thought." She shakes her head as if trying to clear her head. " You can go Daku, I'm going to walk home from here."

"Right..." Still suspicious of her unusual behavior since exiting the office, he does as he's told, vanishing with a puff of smoke, he leaves her to her thoughts.

The white-haired woman, with the briefcase in hand, makes her two-day journey to her home in the Land of Rice Paddies.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Walking through the small village she spent her entire life in, she's greeted by the townspeople one after another.

"Good Afternoon Katsume! Catch ya' self a big one did ya?" The town baker was a gentle fellow, after granny passed away, leaving Katsume to fend for herself at the age of twelve, he would routinely bring baked goods in case she hadn't eaten. All the townspeople did their fair share of looking after Katsume whether it was bringing her bread or giving her some odd jobs so she could make her own money.

"You know it! How is Mrs. Tanaka?" She smiles brightly at the man, who's finishing wrapping up an order.

"Oh she's good, been busy with the grandchildren, the twins are five now if you can believe it!"

Katsume knew she had been away to track this bounty for a while but hadn't realized just how much time had passed. When she left the twins were barely four years old. She couldn't believe it had already been a year.

"Wow, time flies! I didn't realize I was gone for so long!" She does her best to hide her sadness, but anyone could hear the little tinge of it seeping through. Noticing this Mr.Tanaka gives her a reassuring smile and hands her a loaf of potato bread, just as he's done for the past thirteen years.

"We're glad to have you back. Come over for dinner sometime soon! We'll have some Nikujaga waiting for you!" he smiles sweetly, remembering how excited she would get at the simple home-style dish. Upon hearing this, Katsume's maple-colored eyes light up at the thought of her favorite dish being made while in good company. Mr.Tanaka chuckles, briefly seeing the young woman as she was at twelve years old: Always finding joy in the little things. It warmed his heart seeing that her life as a bounty hunter hadn't tarnished the little girl within her too badly.

"I promise to come over tomorrow! It's been forever since I've had Mrs.Tanaka's home cooking! Have a nice evening Mr.Tanaka." Katsume then waves farewell and heads down the primitive road to her home.

After about a fifteen-minute walk she arrives at the front steps of her old countryside home. The set of stairs up to the front door gives a familiar creak as they bear weight again after so much time unutilized. She's never bothered to lock the door. Nothing bad ever happens in this small town where everyone knows one another, but that doesn't matter since no one would dare disrupt the town overseen by one of the most diligent and feared bounty hunters in history.

As she walks through her quaint home, she swipes her finger along the side table collecting the dust that's accumulated over the year she's been away. She rubs it between her thumb and index finger, feeling a bit guilty she didn't have one of her distant neighbors look after it. She's sure they wouldn't have minded, but she hated asking for favors and she didn't think tracking that bounty would take so goddamn long. She'll have to clean tomorrow, too exhausted to attend to it tonight.

As she rounds the corner to put the potato bread from Mr.Tanaka in the kitchen, she accidentally shoulder-checks the bookcase, the same way she's done so many times in the past. The pain brings with it a sense of nostalgia, but what caught her attention was the thud on the floor behind her. A dirty leather scroll case rolls slightly in the walkway. Katsume bends down and picks up the scroll case, curious about its contents.

She's never placed anything atop the bookcase, so it's likely to be the old bats. Unsure of how old it may be, she unclips the latch of the case and gently pulls off the top. Carefully, she slides out the delicate scroll. She analyzes the faded writing. It was shaky, written by someone who had little strength, someone frail, someone like the old bat. The writing was so shaky it was hard to distinguish the unique handwriting, but it must be hers. She hesitates, mentally preparing, before deciding to read the scroll's contents.

'Katsume, if you've found this scroll, it means you ran into the bookcase again. Good to know you haven't changed. One would think to make sure to widen your turn after running into it so many times. I'd scold you for being so stubborn but it's pretty convenient in this case.

I hope you're doing well and not getting yourself into too much trouble. Although knowing you, you're probably raising hell. I want you to know that I'm always watching over you…so you better not give me a reason to come and haunt you into acting right.

On to the important matter. I think you're old enough to know about your mother. She'd kill me for telling you but unfortunately, I'm already dead so she'll just have to get over it. Her name is Tsunade. She's one part of the Three Legendary Sanin. Sorry to say she never told me about your father. I figured if you wanted answers, you'll find a way to get them straight from the source.

I wish you the best my dear, thank you for being the daughter I never got the chance to have. I love you more than the sun shines on a clear summer day.'

-'The Old Bat'

"I love you more than the full moon shines in the midnight sky." Katsume completes their endearment ritual, her voice echoing in the empty house, reminding her of her heartache. She hoped that if the old bat was indeed watching, she'd be proud of the woman she raised.

She felt overcome with emotion, hearing the words of the only family she ever knew clearly in her head. Her mother is out there. She's not dead. Why did she abandon her all those years ago? Is her father alive? Did he not want her either? She needed answers, and although she wanted them now, she was content, making her hesitant to turn her life upside down just to satiate her curiosity. She has a career she enjoys, built a name for herself, a roof over her head, friends…well Dakuhosu, and she considers the townspeople her family, so does she truly need more? The words of the collection office worker cross her mind once again.

'Just do what makes you happy.'

I don't think I can ever genuinely be happy knowing I have a family out there somewhere. I have to know.

Her decision was an obvious one. However, she promised the Tanakas she'd come to dinner tomorrow evening, so she'll at least postpone her travels until the day after then. As much as she wanted to stay in the village, the thought of meeting her biological parents overran her mind. Taking up every nook and crevice

of her brain. She had to do it, for answers, yes. But also to give them the piece of her mind that they've unwelcomely invaded for twenty-five years. The thought of them living content with their lives, knowing they threw away their child, made her writhe in contempt.

She'll find them.

They don't call her 'The Huntress' for nothing.