White Dragon Hidden in The Leaves

Traveling with Jiraiya and Naruto was… well, it wasn't what I expected. I'd barely said three words to either of them since we left the village, too caught up in my own thoughts to make small talk. I'd wanted to get out of the village for some fresh air, some distance, we were on a mission to find Lady Tsunade, the next Hokage. My job was to help convince her to come back. Fantastic.

I found myself trailing a step or two behind Naruto and Jiraiya as they argued about something trivial again. Some nonsense about ramen flavor packets, or maybe the way Naruto slurped his noodles. It was so inane that I tuned it out. Instead, I focused on the crunch of gravel under my sandals, the smell of distant pine and damp earth. The world felt so wide out here, and I was suffocating in my own head.

Eventually, Naruto drifted closer, stuffing his hands behind his head. He looked like he was about to explode from holding his question in for too long. After a few moments of awkward silence, he glanced at me. I pretended not to notice, and he finally blurted it out.

"So, uh, Ayumi." He scratched at his cheek. "How exactly are you related to Lady Tsunade?"

I glanced sideways at him. The afternoon light caught in his bright blue eyes, reflecting more curiosity than I expected. He wasn't good at subtlety; when he wanted to know something, he asked. 

I took a breath. "She was my grandmother's youngest cousin," I said finally, keeping my voice steady. "My grandfather was a Kure. That's my clan. The Kure clan… well, it's gone now, but back then, my grandmother married into it. We were distantly related to the Senju through her line, and the Senju are Tsunade's clan." I paused, feeling the words slip out too easily.

Naruto frowned, thoughtful for once. "So if your grandmother's cousin is Lady Tsunade, that makes her kinda like your great-aunt or something?"

"Yeah, something like that," I said, forcing a small smile. The technicalities of distant relations never mattered much to me, family was family, or so I used to believe. 

Naruto nodded, mulling this over. "So that means your grandma was Senju too?"

I looked ahead at Jiraiya's broad back, wondering if he was listening in. Probably. He was being suspiciously quiet. "My grandmother was the daughter of lord second," I said. "When my grandmother married my grandfather, she brought that Senju connection into the Kure line. That's how I ended up with this mix."

Naruto glanced at me again, and I could almost see the gears turning in his head. "So that's why you have all that strong chakra?" he said, brightening as he pieced things together. "And you have uchiha blood to right? That's why your eyes looked like that during the Chuunin Exams?"

Ah, the eyes. I remember how my Sharingan had flared to life for the first time in public during my fight against Guura. I'd tried to keep the Uchiha bloodline a secret, But that guy was just strong and needed to use everything I had to make sure I didn't die.

"Yeah," I said softly. "My mother ended up having a one-night stand with a uchiha." That was putting it mildly. "So that left me with a messy heritage: Kure, Uchiha, Senju."

Naruto's eyes widened. "Whoa, that's like having three powerhouse bloodlines in one body! That's so cool, Ayumi!" He sounded genuinely impressed, which forced another small, bitter smile from me. Cool, right. 

I sighed, running a hand through my white hair. It'd dried in the afternoon sun but still felt a bit stiff from sweat.

The village was quiet but lively, the streets lined with vendors selling roasted chestnuts, and skewered meat. The familiar hum of people talking, bargaining, and laughing drifted through the air. Even after all this time, I couldn't shake the weight pressing down on me. Memories of the funeral, my grandfather's death, and all the tangled mess of my past followed me.

We'd been traveling a few hours, and I was relieved when we finally reached the small inn at the edge of this town. The scent of hot tea and grilled fish wafted from the open windows.

Naruto stretched his arms above his head, letting out an exaggerated groan. "Man, I'm starving!"

Jiraiya rolled his eyes, muttering something about "bottomless pits" before strolling inside like he owned the place. I followed quietly, trailing behind as usual.

The innkeeper, a kind-faced woman in her forties, greeted us warmly and handed Jiraiya a set of room keys. "One room, second floor," she said. "Meals are served until sundown."

Naruto's stomach growled loudly at the mention of food, earning a chuckle from Jiraiya. Before we could head upstairs, movement caught their attention, a graceful woman with long black hair, wearing a sleek, form-fitting black dress, sauntered past us. Her dark eyes sparkled playfully as she glanced back and winked.

"WHOA!" Naruto and Jiraiya gasped in perfect unison, their heads swiveling toward her like moths to a flame.

I let out a slow, weary exhale, already seeing where this was going. "Seriously?"

"She's beautiful!" Naruto practically had stars in his eyes. "Did you see that? She winked!"

Jiraiya clasped his hands together reverently as if thanking the universe for delivering such a blessing. "Ah, fate is truly kind."

"Don't be gross," I muttered.

The next thing I knew, Jiraiya thrust the room key into my hand without even glancing my way. "You two settle in. I'll be… busy conducting research."

Before either of us could protest, he was gone, already chasing after the mysterious woman with single-minded determination. Naruto blinked, stunned, before huffing, "What's his problem?"

"Research," I deadpanned, slipping the key into my pocket. "Come on, let's go."

Our shared room was small but clean, with tatami mats covering the floor and a low wooden table near the window. A soft breeze drifted through the open shutters, carrying the faint scent of flowers from the courtyard below. It should've felt peaceful.

Naruto flopped onto the floor with a loud thud, sprawling out like a starfish. "Finally!" he groaned, staring up at the ceiling. "Man, I'm beat!"

I sat cross-legged by the window, resting my arms on the windowsill as I watched the villagers bustling below. Families chatted over evening meals, children played with paper balls, and vendors called out last-minute deals before closing shop. Normal life. Simple. Uncomplicated.

"You okay, Ayumi?" Naruto's voice broke through my thoughts. I turned to see him sitting up, watching me with that familiar concerned look. He'd seen me like this enough times to know something was off.

"I'm fine," I lied, offering a faint shrug. "Just… tired."

He frowned but didn't push the issue, thankfully. "You don't have to hide stuff, you know."

I looked away. "I'm fine, Naruto."

Silence settled between us for a moment before he suddenly brightened. "Hey! Want to get something to eat? The innkeeper said they serve food downstairs, and I'm starving!"

Despite myself, I smiled faintly. His energy was relentless, impossible to ignore. "Alright," I said, standing. "Let's go."

 Then before we could reach the door a knock was heard. Me and Naruto looked at each other and then I remembered, motioning to Naruto, I formed a quick sequence of hand seals, summoning a handful of shadow clones that positioned themselves around the room. They gripped kunai tight, eyes narrowed. Naruto shifted behind me, bracing himself. We were already tired, weighed down by the day, but the adrenaline surged just enough to sharpen my senses.

I slid the door open a crack, and there he was, framed by the lamplight spilling out into the hallway: Itachi Uchiha. His eyes were already active, the Sharingan spinning lazily in his gaze, and my stomach dropped. Memories of the past, of what he'd done, of who he was, rushed through me. I gritted my teeth, refusing to flinch. Not here, not now.

"Itachi," I said, barely above a whisper, heart pounding. "What… what do you want?"

He didn't answer, not directly. Before I could blink, my clones moved to attack as something massive cut through my clones like paper dolls. A figure stepped into view, a shark-like man with a massive sword wrapped in bandages. He slung it over his shoulder, chunks of my clones' chakra dissolving into the air. Kisame, I realized. 

"Hard to believe that a child carries the Nine-Tails," Kisame remarked, his voice disturbingly casual, eyes sliding to Naruto. His grin revealed pointed teeth. "This'll be interesting."

Naruto inhaled sharply behind me. Damn it, I needed moonhydra but I still couldn't hear her or feel them.

Itachi's voice was calm, so calm it made my skin crawl. "Why don't you both step out of the room?" he suggested quietly as if offering a polite invitation rather than an ultimatum. His Sharingan focused on me, then Naruto. "Let's talk outside."

 I swallowed, and Naruto's knuckles whitened. "We're not going anywhere with you," he snapped. My heart clenched. 

Before any of us could move, another voice sliced through the tension like a blade of its own.

"Itachi!"

We all turned. Standing at the end of the hallway, chest heaving, Sharingan burning, stood Sasuke. He looked half-mad with fury and determination, eyes fixed entirely on his brother. I felt the sudden shift in the air, the crackle of hatred, regret, and pain. 

"I will kill you," Sasuke snarled, voice low and dangerous. He took a step closer, body tense, one hand crackling faintly with the beginnings of a Chidori. The light from the inn's lanterns caught on his profile, illuminating the twisted anguish on his face.

Itachi barely acknowledged him, just a faint narrowing of the eyes. I saw Kisame's grin widen, interested to see how this played out. "well...Sharingan." The fish man turned to look at Itachi. "and he looks an awful lot like you.. who is that Itachi?"

"He's my brother," Itachi said with his back facing Sasuke.

Sasuke lunged, his Chidori crackling like a living storm in his hand. Lightning sizzled, illuminating the dim hallway in harsh white-blue flashes. His target was clear, Itachi, and he wasn't holding back.

Without thinking, I surged forward, forming hand seals mid-stride. "Wind Style: Gale Palm!" Rushing to attack Itachi.

But the hulking fish-man moved faster than I expected. His monstrous blade Samehada swung with terrifying precision, cleaving through my wind attack. The backlash forced me to leap back, sliding across the wooden floor, heart pounding.

Kisame grinned, teeth gleaming like a shark's in the flickering lamplight. "You've got some bite, huh?" He chuckled, gripping Samehada's hilt with casual ease. "But you're gonna have to try harder than that."

Naruto sprang into action beside me, forming a familiar seal. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Multiple clones popped into existence, filling the narrow hallway.

Itachi remained still, unmoved, his crimson Sharingan tracking every movement. Sasuke was closing in fast, rage propelling him forward, Chidori screaming in his hand.

"Itachi!" Sasuke roared, lunging with everything he had. His blade of lightning aimed straight for his brother's chest.

But Itachi sidestepped at the last second. He caught Sasuke's wrist mid-attack, twisting it just enough to force Sasuke to his knees. Lightning fizzled out with a sharp crack, leaving behind only scorched wood and burned air.

"It's still not enough," Itachi murmured, his voice eerily calm. "You're still too weak."

Sasuke's cry of frustration echoed through the hall as he struggled against Itachi's iron grip. 

Naruto's clones charged toward Kisame. "Get away from them!" he yelled.

Kisame's laughter boomed through the corridor. "Oh, you're a feisty one too!" He swung Samehada in a wide arc, obliterating three clones in one brutal sweep. "This is gonna be fun!"

And then, in a rush of wind and chakra, he arrived.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

The entire floor trembled as a massive toad blocked Kisame's sword. Standing behind Naruto, Jiraiya, his presence larger than life despite his ridiculous pose.

"You don't know me at all. you should have done your homework!" Jiraiya's voice boomed through the shattered corridor. "The toad sage Jiraiya falls victim to no woman charm. beauties drop for me like blossoms in a storm!" he said while carrying the lady from before.

Kisame's eyes narrowed, his grip tightening on Samehada. "Looks like the old man showed up after all…"

I shout to him with an annoyed look. "Yeah right like I'd believe that! you got super excited when she winked at you"