Author's note - Here we are again, new story and all. I got a little bored at work imagining things and all and this sort of popped up. Not sure where's it going to go but I have a lot planned for it so I hope you like it.

I do NOT own Naruto. I only own Kasai.

Dumbledore references and of course the great wizard himself belongs to J.K. Rowling

Introduction: Uzumaki Kasai

Horrible screams and burning flesh were the only things that I could comprehend while I burnt away. Moments earlier, I had been singing along to the latest Taylor Swift song on the radio, it's catchy so don't judge me, and the next moment I was trapped inside a hunk of burning metal.

I hadn't expected to see a dog walking on the road in the middle of the night or at least I hope that's what it had been. If I died because I flipped my car to avoid a skunk I was going to be royally pissed in the afterlife.

Back to the main thing going on, I was burning alive inside my car because I couldn't get out of my seat belt.

That's how irony works, isn't it?

Seat belts were supposed to save lives yet mine kept me strapped inside so that I could be chargrilled like a whopper from Burger King.

Haha.

Wait, I'm not supposed to laugh at that. Why and how could I make jokes about burning alive? Well, because not too long after I couldn't hear my screams since my ears melted off and I could no longer scream with my flesh burning away I ended up here.

Where was here?

I didn't know exactly but it may have had something to do with the pale robes and sea of white that surrounded me.

Or maybe it was the large white desk that sat in front of me and the rather large and round man with the ridiculously long beard that sat at …

"My beard is not ridiculously long."

Wide eyed and startled from my thoughts, I raised a brow at the older man. "It is pretty long—wait I can talk?" My hands slowly reached up to touch my throat and face, where I was sure there hadn't been flesh moments before. There wasn't a single burn or char mark on my body and even my ears were still at the side of my head where they were supposed to be. "How is this even possible? Is this—is this heaven?"

"Not necessarily," the bearded man walked around the desk until he stood directly in front of me. "We prefer to call it the Galaxy of Purity though many refer to it as Heaven, The Pure Lands and so on."

"Galaxy of purity?" My lips formed a straight line as I shook my head. "What do you mean by Galaxy? Like stars, solar system. The space type galaxy?"

"You didn't think that something that contained over an infinite number of souls would be on such a tiny place like earth?" His chuckle echoed throughout the—well wherever we were—and even sent vibrations through my own body.

"Well, I didn't really believe in a place like Heaven but I was always curious," I shrugged lamely.

"Where we are is what you make of it. What you see is based purely off of your imagination so to you we reside in this great white abyss while to others it could be something different. Every detail or lack of detail has been plucked from your inner thoughts," he smiled widely. "Right down to my appearance."

"So you're saying I imagined your resemblance to a rounder Dumbledore?"

"Correct." He responded with a familiar twinkle in his half moon glasses.

I hummed momentarily before perking a brow. "What if I want you to resemble McGonagall because she was my fav—"

"Certainly not, I have business to attend to so I'll have to tie this up quickly."

"Wait! Can I at least ask a few questions, I promise they'll be quick!"

The man heaved a sigh and waved a hand as a sign to go on.

"By Galaxy of Purity, do you mean like a Galaxy in the universe? Do you always talk to the souls? I mean, that would be a lot of talking if you did and if you don't, why are you speaking to me? Are you like some all powerful being or something?"

Once more, the man waved his hand for two sets of chairs that formed out of the abyss as he gestured for us to have a seat. "It isn't often that I get to explain where we are and what I do so I suppose I may as well enjoy it. I do love telling the story." He cleared his throat with a friendly smile and crossed his arms over his chest.

"The Galaxy of Purity is indeed a galaxy in the great universe. It resides in a part of the universe that has been around since the dawn of time, the oldest part of the universe to be exact. From this galaxy, a powerful being that I work under, created over a hundred billion galaxies including the one where you lived. In these galaxies are solar systems like your own where different forms of life live. Harry Potter, Naruto, Bleach, Transformers," he smiled as he listed off each of my favorite franchises, "All exist in another galaxy."

"You're kidding? I always thought—" I pondered, "I mean, I always assumed they were make believe and the people that wrote them just happened to be extremely creative."

"Creative, yes, but it is far from make believe. These people special and have been gifted with the sight to see into these galaxies. This gift enables them to write storylines, as you call it, before they happen."

"So they're like seers that can see into other galaxies?"

"That's the simple way of putting it but it isn't all set in stone. Certain things can throw these storylines off, like a butterfly effect." He continued to smile, "On to your other questions, no, I do not always talk to the souls. Occasionally I'll engage in conversation but it isn't too often that we speak. Most of the souls are in so much shock about their deaths so I just pass them into the next life and wipe their minds to start over. It makes it easier for them to pass on if they're not worried about their previous lives. They tend to worry about their loved ones and no matter how much I try to assure them, my words are never enough to let them know that their loved ones will be fine."

I nodded solemnly. Things were starting to make a bit of sense but I still had more questions to ask.

"Unfortunately, this is where our time ends, little one."

"One last question, I know I have no right to beg of you but please."

With a nod, the older man's smile never faltered. I knew that he knew what I was going to ask but I figured I would voice it anyway.

"Where will I go? I know it won't matter since you plan to wipe my memory but I'm curious."

"You're a persistent little one," he chuckled. "You're going to a place where you are needed. In the galaxy, each soul has a partner and yours has been born into another world, so to speak." Sensing that I had another question, he continued so that I wouldn't have to ask another question since I said only one more. "When the galaxy was created, each soul was imprinted with another. Majority of the time, the souls are separated and cannot find their match in their lifetime. It's unfortunate but we higher beings are not always perfect when sorting through the souls in the galaxies."

"We strive to make sure you have your match because it pains us to see you go through a lifetime without your better half, as most of your kind put it. On the off chance that we can place the two souls in the same galaxy and on the same track, we jump at the chance, so to speak. You, my dear, are a special case because your half needs you more than you know. He will remain nameless because this a journey that you'll have to take on your own, but I will say that when you see him, you'll feel whole. It may take a while to realize what this feeling is, but I trust your heart and soul to guide you."

His smile only widened as he reached forward and placed a hand on my knee in a comforting manner. "You will go through many obstacles before you find your match. When you do, there will be many more mountains for you to climb but I promise that you two will be together. There is a purpose for you in this life, I promise. Just remember that Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if only one remembers to turn off the light. Now off you go."

I stood from the comfort of the white seat with my hands wringing my robes. This was a lot to take in and what was even more frightening was that I was going to forget all of this by the time I reawakened in my new life.

"It's going to hurt, isn't it?"

"Unfortunately," he hummed placing his hand upon my shoulder. "But consider this a parting gift. I'll be watching over you personally. But the rest you'll have to sort out on your own. Goodbye, little one."

/(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧/

Having my soul sent from the afterlife back into the world of a living could be described by one word: Excruciating. It was like being squeezed through a curly straw when you were the size of an elephant; Not that I knew what that felt like or anything. It just fucking hurt, that was all there was to it and there wasn't anything I could do but scream.

It didn't take me long to realize that one of the gifts that the old man—that I had since dubbed Dumbledore—had left me with was the memories of my past or at least some memories.

He let me remember who I was but I couldn't recall my family. I recalled my personality and favorite shows but I couldn't recall my years at High School. My mind was essentially a puzzle with most of the pieces missing that formed the bigger picture.

I wasn't sure if I was angry or relieved.

The last thing I wanted was to think about things of my past life when there was no way of getting back to that life. I had died and there was nothing to fix back there. Except maybe my car.

When my eyes opened in my new life, all I was able to make out were blurred images of what must have been people. through a red haze I could hear voices male and female. I felt warm and even though I couldn't move my limbs, I knew I was somewhere safe.

"Look at her beautiful eyes, Hideki-san."

San? Well that was certainly familiar. An honorific typically used in japan and Hideki sounded like a japanese name. Maybe I was reborn in Tokyo or Osaka.

Asian guys are pretty cute.

"She's as beautiful as you are, Akane-sama. She'll be a strong Uzumaki like her father, no doubt."

Uzumaki… isn't that…

"Like Nobou-sama, of course," the woman's voice sounded strained as though she were struggling with a secret. "What am I to do, Hideki-san? I have brought life into a world where death runs amuck and into a clan that is marked for dead. We are being hunted—like vermin—and pushed into extinction. I am a cruel mother to subject my only child to such a thing."

"No," the man that I assumed was Hideki sighed as I felt a hand rest atop my head. "She will survive. Your cousin lives in Konohagakure and I have sent word for the retrieval of your child. She will be safe and if you deem it so, she will not have to see the battlefield."

"No." I felt a lone finger stroke my face lovingly. "Let her choose what life she wishes to lead. If she wants to be shinobi, let her. I have no right to infringe upon her choices even if she is my child. I want her to be happy, Hideki, even if I will not be there to see it."

I could hear shuffling and more voices that were too far away for me to hear. They spoke in hushed tones and whispers but the worry was was clear in their voices. Time was the essence and the time I had with my mother had come to an end.

"Akane-sama, they are here. She must go."

"My little fire," the red haired Uzumaki cooed stroking the top of my head lovingly. "I love you more than you'll ever know. You'll be strong and ambitious. You will love and be loved." I felt her kiss the top of my head and let out a struggled sigh. "You'll know pain, hurt and be comforted. You will feel all these emotions and even come to feel unsure of yourself but know that I will always love you, my strong little fire, my Kasai. Tsunade-sama, promise me you'll take care of her."

"You have my word."

I felt the blanket I was wrapped in tighten as Akane handed me over to my protectors sobbing as she did so. The time we spent together was fleeting and something told me I would never see the woman again but that didn't stop my tears. I wailed for the loss of the warmth, the loss of her love, the loss of my mother until my world became black.

/(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧/Konohagakure

"What benefit do we have by harboring a child of a fallen village?"

Hiruzen was an old shinobi and past his prime by the standard age of most who lived the way of the ninja. The average lifespan for those in his line of work was usually twenty—thirty if you were lucky—and he was well over a decade past both of those ages. Because of this, amongst other things, he was considered a god of shinobi but even a title as such didn't keep him from the burdens he faced.

For the last half hour, he listened to the banter of the elder council over something some would find trivial: an Uzumaki child. Uzushiogakure had fallen no less than four years ago and it's inhabitants scattered across the elemental nations; Uzumaki Kushina was fortunate enough to be brought to Konohagakure before their sister village was brought to its demise. If she had not been chosen as the new host for the nine-tails before Mito-sama's passing, she would have suffered the same fate as her clan. Now here he stood letting his former teammates argue over a child being a threat to their hidden village.

Such foolishness.

Giving his pipe one last puff, he turned with a frown his hand cutting through the air swiftly. "Enough."

One by one, his gaze turned to each of his former teammates. Homura. Danzō. Koharu. Each had been chosen for one reason or another but all because of the same quality—he trusted them.

But sometimes it was better to trust one's own gut than trusting others.

"Uzumaki Kasai stays," his voice was stern and unwavering. "Uzushiogakure has been a sister clan of Konohagakure since it's formation. In times of trouble, we answered her calls as she did ours. The last of their village seeked us out in hopes that we would protect the last of the clan of the Uzumaki with Kushina and Kasai; We would be spitting on Hashirama-sama's grave to deny the request."

Hiruzen gazed at the war hawk of Konohagakure challenging him to say something against the proposal though none came.

"She will stay at the orphanage until she is enrolled in the Academy, if she is deemed fit. Upon this time, she will inherit the ryō that her mother left to her and be given an apartment for herself as is standard for the orphans of Konoha."

"Another Uzumaki would be beneficial if we were to come across another bijū," Danzō mused. "I could personally see to it that she is trained to be a weapon fit for Konohagakure should the village need her."

"This child is not a weapon," Tsunade hissed raising her voice as she held the child to closer to her bosom.

Hiruzen perked a dark brow at his student placing his pipe in his mouth as he observed his former team of students. On any other occasion, he would have seen it fit to reprimand the Senju princess for her outburst but he chose to hold back. His gaze darkened as he looked upon her sullen features and trembling body feeling a small tinge of pain for the kunoichi he had raised as if she were his own.

It had only been a few months since she lost her lover, Dan, and was left void of those she held close to her life with her brother's death years prior. He remembered filing the paperwork to pull her from the battlefront momentarily when they were called upon by Akane-sama for a special delivery. The woman before him had molded into a fine warrior for the village but even then, he could see the cracks in her armor as clear as day.

"I will take the child on as my ward," she didn't take her eyes off the sleeping child stroking her hair absentmindedly.

"Lest you forget, Tsunade-hime, she is a ward of the village with no next of kin. It would be in the village's best interest if she were trained to become a suitable kunoichi for battle." Danzō pressed not willing to step down without a fight. "You have already taken on Shizune-chan, the niece of your former lover, who is barely out of the toddler stage. How do you plan to care for her and the Uzumaki child?"

"I—"

"Hokage-sama," Danzō turned to Hiruzen with a dark gaze, "I can personally see to it that child will be fit for battle by the time she hits puberty. Tsunade-hime is stricken with grief and is clearly not thinking things through. Raising a toddler and newborn is no easy feat."

"I am thinking clearly," Tsunade interjected.

"Tsunade-hime," Homura frowned, "The Uzumaki child is not your child. If you truly care for her, you should let her stay within the care of the village."

"As her next of kin, I decide where she goes and I will not relinquish her to become another child warrior." Tsunade barked regaining her fire. "I am of sound mind and I beg of you, Hokage-sama, to let the child stay in the care of the only family she has left."

Once more, Hiruzen felt all the eyes of the room turn to him. Setting his pipe down before him, his eyes fell to the sleeping child held within the arms of Tsunade. He trusted his student would take care of her without a doubt but he knew that she was grieving and wasn't sure that she was thinking clearly. His mind wandered back to Shodai Hokage—Senju Hashirama—and his dream of ending the cycle of child deaths on the battlefield.

Hashirama-sama, Mito-sama, watch over your grandchild. He thought as he heaved a final deep sigh. "Uzumaki Kasai shall be cared for as the ward of Senju Tsunade. Should Tsunade become unfit for the child, she will become a ward of Konohagakure. Tsunade-hime, you are dismissed."

Tsunade let out a sigh of relief as she clutched the tightly and gave a swift bow leaving the Hokage's office before the storm that was certain to erupt after she left the room between the elders. She had won her battle, against Danzō and the lot no less, and she was certain that it was due to the fact that her sensei was the Hokage. It didn't matter that Akane was the grandniece of Mito, if she weren't seen as a fit parent, he could have stripped away her rights.

As she walked away from the Hokage's office, she turned to observe the Hokage mountain and the three figureheads that were carved into the stone. Once upon a time, she had two people that she held near and dear that swore to her that they would be the next figurehead on the stone, that they would be Hokage. It was a fool's dream and she could barely stomach looking at the monument. Turning her back to the mountain, she hurried down the dirt road with only one thing set in her mind.

She had to leave the village.

The longer she stayed—the longer she thought about Dan and Nawaki—the more her heart hurt. She couldn't stomach it anymore. By the time Tsunade reached her own home, she packed up every treasured possession she owned owned along with her two newly adopted treasures and left the village in the middle of the night.

No longer would she have to worry about seeing the Hokage mountain and she could finally leave the past behind her.

Just her, Shizune and Kasai.

Author's final note - I hope you enjoyed this first bit of the story. No, I'm not abandoning my other stories but this one kind of came to mind. This EVENTUALLY leads to a Kakashi/OC story but we'll see how fast that goes along. If there are typos, I'm sorry, it's like 4am and I've written this up in about 2 hours.

I hope you enjoy. Read, review, follow and favorite. All that jazz. (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧