"Do you truly wish to leave?" A low voice asked her from the shadows.
The blonde girl's bright blue eyes traced back to the shadows. "Yes. I have to go now. The village needs my help."
"With what?"
"The upcoming war, Kabuto. The upcoming war."
~
The rain was pouring extra heavy that day.
The Hokage's funeral.
No one could believe a single thing that had happened.
How could their beloved thrid Hokage have fallen? How?
The last person placed a flower on his coffin--or at least everyone thought it was the last.
Someone stepped up to talk, Naruto wasn't able to pay attention. He was just casting glances at the floor. He couldn't believe this. It was over. The old man was dead.
The person opened their mouth to speak, but there were footsteps. Footsteps in the rain so light, that no one would have picked up on them if Jiraya hadn't said something.
"Lady Koganeiro. It's been years." He said, lowly. All of the children didn't know what was going on, but every adult eye traced back to see a head of long electric blonde hair heading down the aisle created by where the people parted toward the Hokage's coffin. She smiled a cold smile, and was holding a single red rose.
"Jiraya." She aknowledged. "I will talk to you about it later." She looked at the speaker and tilted her head. "Is it alright if I...?" She started.
The speaker nodded. "Y-y-yes, Lady Leaf-Mother, yes m'am." He said, and stepped aside.
The girl smiled and went to the coffin. "I would've brought you white, old man..." she said, softly, "..but Yondaime always told me that red was more your color." She put it down on the coffin with a heavy hearted look and stepped back next to Jiraya.
Jiraya side glanced her. "What are you doing back?"
"Can't a lady pay respects to the leader of her village?"
"Not when she's been living outside of that village for years."
"Look at you, you hypocrite."
He smiled. "Still the same Koganeiro. The Fourth would be proud to see you still holding so strong."
Koganeiro tensed. When the funeral broke apart, Naruto ran to Jiraya. "Who's that lady? The blonde one?"
"What blonde one? There's a ton of blonde women in the Hidden Leaf, please be more descriptive."
"The pretty one that everyone stopped for. You know, she was kinda short, really skinny, and she looked like your perfect model."
Jiraya laughed. "Even I'm afraid of that woman, Naruto." Jiraya said, and was about to say something else when Naruto heard a happy voice.
"Jiraya. You walked away so fast that I couldn't keep up."
It was the blonde haired woman, only out of her funeral attire. She was wearing a knee-length black jacket with purlple flames on the bottom hem and on the bottoms of the flared out long sleeves. She had her hands stuck in the pockets of her jacket. Under that she wore a sleeveless purple shirt that obviously cut a little too low for her liking, because she wore a long sleeved fishnet shirt under it. She wore a very short black skirt that came about two inches above her knee. Naruto could see she had a bright purple kunai pouch around her right leg and a throwing star pouch just below it. She wore fishnetting on her legs and purple ninja shoes. She was absolutly beautiful. Her blonde hair accented her bright blue eyes quite nicly.
"Ah. Lady Koganeiro." Jiraya said, smiling. "This is Naruto Uzumaki, the boy you've waited so long to meet."
Koganeiro smiled and turned to Naruto. "So you're the little squirt, huh? I see the resemblence..." She said, softly, looking up at the Hokage mountian.
Naruto tilted his head. Koganeiro shook herself out of it. "Never mind the mutterings of a crazy old woman, Naruto. My name is Lady Koganeiro." She said smiling warmly.
Naruto laughed. "You ain't old, lady, Jiraya's OLD!"
Jiraya fumed.
Kogneiro laughed.
"Do you have a last name?" Naruto asked. "Or is your last name 'Koganeiro' and your first name 'Lady?'"
Koganeiro giggled. "Just like him." She sighed. "I have a last name, child, everyone has a last name. I just don't like to use mine." She said, sadly.
"So what is it?" He pressed.
Koganeiro turned her eyes to Jiraya.
"Don't press, Naruto, it's not polite." Jiraya warned.
Koganeiro sighed. "No, no, Sensei, the kid deserves to--"
A kunai wizzed in the air and Koganeiro caught it between to fingers with a laugh. "The nerve." She said, and chucked it back at the person. There was the sickening ssshhhiffff of metal peircing fleash and the guy falling out of a tree. Koganeiro turned to Jiraya and Naruto and she smiled. "Give me a moment."
"Do you need some help, Lady?" Naruto asked.
She shook her head no. "No, no, darling, I can handle it."
"Are you sure?" Naruto asked.
Jiraya put a hand out in front of him. "Watch this woman fight, Naruto, maybe you'll learn something. She learned the same tecniques as the Fourth Hokage himself. She's amazing. Her power compares to that of all the legendary Sannin combined, and I don't mean that lightly. She is...better than me. The student surpassing the teacher. And I'd imagine now that she's trained under him she's even stronger. All she lacks is the training of Lady Tsunade, and she dosn't even need it. Watch her. Her moves I assure you will be risky ones."
Koganerio smiled. "Compliments, compliments, old man. I'd not go so far as to say all the legendary Sannin combined."
A man jumped out of the trees and ran at her.
"Too slow!" She said, and knocked him aside with her foot. "That the best your team has? All eight of you? Well, I'd say six, now."
Another ran at her, this time throwing all sorts of kunai and throwing stars. She smiled and laughed. "That's funny." She said, jumping up and landing on his head. She pulled it back and snapped it in such a way as to only knock him out and not kill him.
He fell limp to the ground and poofed, two more exactly like him ran at her with Kunais.
"Shadow clones. You think THAT confuses me?" She asked, jumping up right as they ran at her to make them end up stabbing one another. "I see." She said, and another who looked just like the last three ran at her with a shuriken.
She smiled and let him throw. Naruto was about to run out and help her...why wasn't she moving? She should be running away!
The shuriken came a hair from her face and then she caught it between two fingers and flicked it back at him. It hit him in the chest and he fell to the ground. This was the real guy. Two more real guys came running out at her with Katanas. The first tried to slash her in the front, but she stepped back just in time for the second to try slashing her in the back. She got knicked just enough to cut a tiny hole in her jacket before she jumped up into a tree. She huffed. "My brother gave me this jacket!" She said, holding her hand slightly in front of her. Naruto saw normal blue chakra forming in her hand. And then it swelled to purple. And then to green, purple, and blue. She smiled and jumped down to both of the men.
Page break for giggles!
Koganeiro ran at both of them and as she ran she split the round ball of spinning, multi-colored chakra in half so she was holding one in each hand. She hit the first one in the stomach with it and the second one in the chest. Both of them went spinning backwards into the tree, shaking loose their next compainion, who jumped upon her, catching her in the element of suprise. He stabbed her square in the center of her back, and was about to drag it down when she kicked him off of her. But her pattern of movement was already thrown off. She stumbled backwards into the arms of another of the men. There were two or three left now, Naruto couldn't tell. It all depended on if Lady Koganerio's estamate was correct.
The man she fell into grabbed her arm and started to twist as he brought a kunai up to her neck. She smiled and used his twisting against him, throwing herself around in a circle and kicking him in the head. He stagger backwards, trying to gain his ground. She started a string of handsigns.
"Who are you? Who sent you?" She asked the men.
"Orochimaru sent us." One replied, as if it didn't matter.
Koganeiro smiled. "For what reason?"
"To retrive you." He replied.
She clapped her hands together. "Wrong move!" She told him, and then called out, "Forbidden Technique! Reaper contract jutsu!" As she called this, she pulled out a scroll and pressed her thumb into her bleeding wound and then onto the scroll. There was a small cloud of dust and when it cleared, she was no longer holding the scroll, but a long wrapped knife. "You're dead." She said, and dissapeared.
She reappeared behind the first man and dug it into his back. He let out a scream and fell limp to the floor.
"You show no mercy?" The second asked.
"Not to Sound ninja." She said, her tone dangerous.
"It's best if we get out of the way." Jiraya said, taking Naruto's hand and pulling him farther back.
The second man ran at her. "You die now!" He yelled, pulling out several needles. He threw them at her.
She made what seemed to Naruto to be a million non-existing handsigns in a split second and then she called out, "Hidden Leaf Replication Jutsu! Hyuuga Clan Style!"
Just as the needles were going to hit her, she spun. Naruto recognized this to be the Hyuuga clan's Rotation.
"How'd she do that?!" Naruto exclaimed.
Jiraya smiled. "Maybe she'll teach you one day." He said, smiling. And then he added under his breath, "Maybe she'll teach me one day."
The needles went back at hit the man and he fell to the ground. Now the last man jumped out of the trees at her with a chakra-glowing Katana.
"Katana's again?" She asked, and pulled the long knife from before out of the other man's back. "I can face this." She made the million-non-existing-hansigns again and then called, "Hidden Leaf Replication Jutsu! Hayate style!" The knife let out a small glow. "You're dead." She said, and ran at him.
His katana caught hers, but they began to exchange millions of quick blows until finally she started fighting one handed, which Naruto thought was crazy. With the other hand, she started making half-handsigns. She then called softly, "Reaper contract renewal jutsu. Katana drill." The knife she held spun rapidly as though it was being twirled in her hands by another guiding force and she drove it into the man. He twirled and then was pushed back.
There were no more attacks.
"I'm not some dumb kid you can fool with lame excuses!" -Naruto
"Maybe I'll just see if Sasuke wants to come." -Jiraya
Naruto ran to Koganeiro before Jiraya could hold him back. "Are you alright? That was amazing, believe it!" He said, helping the panting woman stand up more straight.
She smiled. "I'm fine, I'm fine. And thank you, it took years of practice."
Jiraya walked over to her. "Arashi made you promise not to use that Jutsu." He stated, looking at the knife in her hand.
She smiled and there was a small cloud of smoke around the knife, when the smoke cleared she wasn't holding the knife, but she was holding the scroll. "What's two more days off my life and two more minutes of suffering onto my death compared to the thrill of beating up the bad guys?"
Jiraya sighed. "Just be careful. You know what Tsunade would say."
"She would be hypocritical to say anything." Koganeiro said, and smiled.
Jiraya sighed.
Naruto looked between them, lost.
Koganerio laughed. "Look, Jiraya, we're confusing the kid...what would you two say to some Ramen? My treat."
Naruto's eyes lit up. "Yes m'am! PLEASE!"
She smiled and ruffled his hair. "Come on, then."
Jiraya laughed. "I hope you've got a lot of money." He said to Koganeiro.
She smiled. "I'm not an alchoholic, gambler, or big spender, really. And I'm obviously not buying the company of ladies, Master Jiraya. So I do have quite a bit of cash on me."
He smiled and the three of them went to get Ramen.
"Well help me out old man! I don't have time to help you find a girlfriend! I have to work on my training!" -Naruto
Naruto quickly found that the advantage of eating Ramen with them was that they were talking about things he was curious about, and they were talking about it a lot.
"So who takes over as Hokage now that Sarutobi is..." Koganeiro trailed off.
Jiraya sipped some sauke and shrugged. "I'm imagining that they'll leave that to me to find, of course. I've already got someone in mind..."
Koganeiro smiled. "You wish to find her?"
Jiraya smiled. "We'll see, though. I suspect they'll seek my council. If I thought you were up for it, I would recommend you."
Koganeiro smiled. "No thanks, sweetheart-sensei." She said, smiling the cutest smile ever. Naruto wondered if this lady was married, cuz if not he thought that some guys were really crazy. She was real pretty, even Naruto thought so and she was way older than him.
"I thought that's what you would say." Jiraya sighed, "It's a shame, your face would look very pretty up there next to his."
Koganeiro smiled sweetly. "I already ruled the village, pa." She giggled.
Jiraya smiled. "I guess you were as close to being Hokage as you ever want to be. I understand that, leaf-mother." The way he said the last part sounded mocking somehow.
Koganeiro sighed. "Still using that for me? If I am everyone's mother, then everyone's mother kicks some serious ass, do you disagree?"
Jiraya smiled. "I don't challenge that. It would be unwise of me to challenge a girl who's fifteen and could kick my ass."
"Loosing count of my age, Sensei?"
"You're not fifteen?"
"Twenty-five, Jiraya-sensei. At least."
He smiled and laughed. "You still look so young." He said, softly. "And if you were fifteen, that would make me much younger."
She laughed. "You're an old geezer."
"Excuse me, Lady Koganeiro?" The Ramen-counter man asked. She looked up.
"Yes?" She asked, smiling warmly.
"I just wanted to welcome you back." He said, and sat a bowl in front of her. "It's on the house. Your favorite, if I remember right."
She smiled. "Thank you." She said, tears welling in her eyes as he turned away.
"No problem." He assured.
Naruto glanced at the bowl. It had a bag much like a tea bag hanging from the side, and it had peices of something he had never seen before in it. "What is it?" He asked Koganeiro.
Koganeiro smiled. "Something my brother invented."
"Who's your brother? You keep mentioning him but you never explain him or anything, it's weird, believe it!"
Jiraya cringed as Naruto asked this. Koganeiro stopped trying to split the chopsticks she'd been given, freezing in a sort of dream like state. Even the owners of Ichiraku seemed to pause for a moment of silence.
Koganeiro's face darkened.
Jiraya hit Naruto. "Don't ask stupid questions." He commanded.
"I don't think it's a stupid--"
Koganeiro cut him off. "You're right, Naruto. It appears that nothing's ever been properly explained to you." She said, and then broke the chopsticks the rest of the way. She handed them to the blonde child. "Have a bite."
He took the chopsticks lightly and tried some. "It's delicious!" He said, happily.
"As it should be." She looked at the man behind the counter happily. "How 'bout one for the kid? I'll pay."
He smiled. "I'll get the kid a bowl, Lady Koganeiro, but I hate to say that I just can't accept your money. You've done so much for this village, another bowl of Ramen for the kid is nothing."
Koganeiro smiled and turned to Naruto. "My brother's name was Yondaime."
"Isn't that the type of name they assign to the Hokages?"
"Now you're getting somewhere, kid. He was a Hokage. His real name was Arashi. But what does the prefix 'yon' imply, Naruto?"
He held up his fingers. "Ichi..." he counted, bringing another finger up with each new word, "...ni...san...yon..." He looked at his four fingers and pointed to the first one, his pointer. "Ichidonime, the first Hokage, founder of the village. Nidanime, the second Hokage. Sandanime...the old man. Yondonime......"
Koganeiro smiled as realization crossed Naruto's face. "The...The Fourth Hokage? As in...sealed the--"
"Nine Tailed Fox inside your body." Koganeiro and Jiraya finished for him at the same time.
"The great Fourth Hokage, saviour of our village, the bright yellow bouncing idiot of Konoha." Jiraya said, smiling.
"Jiraya's most successful student." Koganeiro surmised, the look on her face pure pride. "My most successful brother and--"
"No wonder you're so amazing." Naruto said, looking at Koganeiro with bright eyes of admiration.
She smiled, but it was a sad smile. "He was a good man." She said, softly.
bage preak!
~~
Koganeiro, Jiraya, and Naruto had eaten enough ramen to last them the rest of their lives. Koganeiro had then walked Naruto home and split away from Jiraya. It was dark out, and she knew exactly where she had to go.
She stepped out onto the crisp grass, where four headstones stood higher and far grander than those around them.
She was carrying four flowers; roses all of them. One was white, one was pink and yellow, one was red, and the final was the brightest yellow she could find.
She went to the first headstone and ran her hand over the name. "Hey there old guy. Too bad I didn't get to meet you for very long." She said, and put the white one down on his grave. "Honestly, since you were the First you set the stupid tradition of white flowers...so I figured you'd enjoy a classic." She smiled and went to the next one. "Second Hokage." She said, bowing her head in respect to the block of stone. "You were probably the man I looked up to the most." She said, smiling warmly. She put the pink and yellow one down on his stone.
The next one she came to was the newest. The ground was still soft, and there were still millions of flowers resting upon it. She set her red one down ontop of all the white ones. "Another red rose for my closest friend." She said, and walked over to the last tombstone. Standing in the green grass, it looked far more glossy through the shows of affection that were leaking down the small woman's face. She knelt and placed the final, yellow rose infront of the monument of her suffering. "Arashi." she said, her voice quivering. "I miss you more than words can say. I don't...I don't know why you had to...you left...you left me." She said, and slunk down so she was laying on the grass. "I...I don't know what to......."
"Koganeiro?" A voice asked from behind.
"Go away, Jiraya." She said, without looking.
The man's voice laughed. "I didn't know I was Jiraya now."
Koganeiro's head popped up. A man in a black cloak with red clouds. She pulled out a kunai and was immediatly behind him holding it to his neck. "You're from Akatsuki. Jiraya's told me plenty about your type!"
"Stop, Koga."
"No one calls me that." she hissed in his ear.
"Someone did."
She pushed the kunai harder onto his skin. "Don't you dare mention him."
"He's dead to you?"
"HE'S DEAD TO EVERYONE!" Koganeiro screamed.
"Not to me." The man said, and tried to turn toward her, but she dropped the kunai and grabbed him by the shoulders so he couldn't move.
"Who are you...you sick twisted bastard?" Koganeiro asked, her voice quivering.
The man put a hand over hers and pushed her hand off. He then undid the buttons and zipped on his cloak and threw it off. Once the rush of cloth was gone, Koganeiro gasped. She recognized that blonde hair. Those blue eyes. That white jacket with the red flames that matched her black one. That everything. She recognized that man.
She ran at him with intent to kill, but just fell limp in his arms. He kept her standing. She brought up her fists, body shaking, chest heaving, sobbing deeply, and started hitting him in the chest.
"I HATE YOU!" She screamed, hitting over and over again. It kept getting weaker with every hit, with every sob. "I HATE YOU SO MUCH! You...you left me! You left me to be by myself! You abandoned this village and everyone who cared about you! And...and why? If you were alive...alive this whole time. Why? How could you do this?!"
The man's face fell dark. "Koganeiro I--"
"NO!" She screamed, and finally fell to her knees.
"Koga...I can't find the words to explain this to you. There's nothing I can say that will make what I did right, because it isn't right and I'm sorry. Koga I..." Arashi looked down at her and then slunk to his knees right next to her. "I'm sorry."
She looked up at him and then wrapped her arms around him. "I hate you so much." she said softly, into his shoulder.
"I know." He said, smiling. "But I love you."
She closed her eyes and took a shaking breath.
"I can't stay long." He said, glancing around nervously. "A lot of people will be coming to pay respects to Sarutobi. Don't believe for a second that we can remain alone...but I'm watching you, Koga, just know that."
"You can't just waltz into my life and then waltz out! It dosn't work that way!"
"I'm sorry, but that's how it's going to have to work." He said, softly. "But you will be seeing me again. I promise." He put a hand under her chin and lifted her face to his own. He gave her a breif kiss and stood back up. "You're the most precious thing in the world to me." He said, softly. "And there's nothing on this earth that could keep me away."
Koganeiro looked down. "Whatever you say." She said, softly. "Yondaime...how are you alive? You made a deal with the--" She looked up. He was gone.
~
Koganeiro didn't know how long she'd been laying there in the grass, just laying there.
"Koga?" A voice asked.
"Yondai--Oh, hello Jiraya." She said, with a sigh.
"You thought I was your brother?"
She smiled and shook her head. "That would be silly." She said, softly.
"What's wrong?" Jiraya asked, slinking down to the ground next to her. "You look like you just saw a ghost."
"I think I did, Jiraya-sensei." She said, smiling. "I think I did."
Hope you liked it! The End!
I hope you liked it. ^-^ If Dawn or D wants to make me a beautiful banner to replace this little picture, that would be great, but I can't make one myself. *lol* So...yeah! Rate and message please, and go read my other series's! ^-^
