A/N: Another chapter of Mother Dearest. You know the drill. Review! Leave lots of reviews! And I apologize for the long absence. Life seems to want to screw me over.

Kurama: Leave some nice reviews and I'll reward you. (Winks) With kisses.

Chapter Four: Circles within Circles.

In the area of Konoha owned by the Yamanaka clan, Inoichi was banging quite loudly against the entrance of the apartment owned by Fu Yamanaka who is now a primary suspect in the murder of Kizashi Haruno. "FU! OPEN UP! THIS IS INOICHI YOUR CLAN HEAD! EITHER YOU ARE COMING OUT OR I AM COMING IN!" the clan head roared furiously.

Behind him were the Eternal Chunin who were there to provide backup. "Maybe he's not home?" Izumo asked while rubbing the back of his head. Inoichi crossed his arms at the possibility, turning his head to the side he noticed that the apartment's mail box was crammed full of several days worth of mail. Seemed like Fu hasn't been home for some time. Did he skip town before Kizashi's murder?

Deciding to investigate further, Inoichi lifted his foot up and kicked the door open, it crunched beneath his heel as it swung open from the force of his kick. Their noses were immediately assaulted by a foul odor making the Eternal Chunin cough and gag as they asked what that stench was.

The Clan Head immediately recognized the stench of… decomposing flesh. He entered the apartment and saw a headless body lying on the floor. Well on its way to becoming rotten. The arm of the corpse was clutching a messily packed suitcase with segments of clothing poking out from the closed lid. In the body's other hand was a passport marked for 'Fu Yamanaka'. Seemed like they had found him.

By the looks of things, Fu was in a hurry to leave Konoha. Then he was murdered and his head was taken. Was it meant to be a trophy or a forensic countermeasure? The Clan head grimaced as he ordered for a forensic team to be brought in immediately. Things have gone from bad, to worse, and now insane.

Konoha Hospital.

"Samui-san? Whatever do you mean… he was just gone?" Spoke Kurama Kitsune with a madly twitching eyebrow, her aura seemingly draining all light from the world as the hospital shook all the way down to its foundations. If she kept up the pressure then the whole building may implode.

"It… it is just as I explained! I swear! I went to send off my letter to my Raikage and when I came back five minutes later he was gone! And this was left in his place…" Samui spoke quickly and offered a slip of paper in order to appease Kurama… and avoid possible spontaneous combustion.

The Kitsune snatched it away and began reading its contents. 'We have your son. He is safe with us. We will return him once the threat is over.' The note said making Kurama narrow her rose pink eyes. It seemed like there was more going on than she knew. These people had taken her child… to protect him? She crumpled the note in her clenched fist. Confusion and fury coursing through her body.

This seemed to be a highly unusual case, but still… she would take every measure possible to see her child returned home unharmed. Now might be a good time to call up some friends and favors to find her child. She pointed at Samui and spoke in a chilly tone of voice "Samui-san… you will help me find my son immediately. And if anything bad has happened to him… I promise to ensure the rest of your natural life will be filled with nothing but pain, suffering, and despair."

The blonde woman could only nod since she was indeed responsible for leaving the boy alone, which led to his own kidnapping. "I understand. I'll go search the outer parts of the village and work my way in till I find him. What will you do?" she asked at the end while performing some stretches to prepare herself for a Village wide search.

"Aside from searching for my child? I have friends that can help." She replied in a blunt manner, the Kitsune was busy using her unique connection to her son to seek out his presence or location… but she was met with nothing but darkness and silence. He must have been unconscious and is being held someplace or has certain seals to disrupt his Chakra. These Kidnappers seemed to know how to cover their tracks since she couldn't smell them or sense any residual Chakra. Nor did they ask for ransom and claimed that they were protecting him. From who? And why?

With a scowl she exited the hospital, her senses on high alert for even the slightest hints of her son's presence. Her first stop would be home to make some calls, most particularly the Ice Queens who so loved Naruto with all their hearts, and they would stop at nothing to see him safe. Naturally, Tsume Inuzuka herself may get involved as well. Kurama thought about bringing this to the Hokage, but then she didn't wish to cause a major incident and bring unwanted attention to herself or, more importantly, her son.

Her musing was broken when she felt something tug on her Kimono. Turning around, she was met with the form of a young girl, a street urchin as evidenced by her ragged clothes and dirty body., she looked up at Kurama with a single bright blue eye that reminded the Kitsune of her own child. The girls freckled cheeks widened as she let a cute smile appear on her face. "Any money to spare ma'am? My friends are really hungry." She asked while holding out her hands.

"Well now, aren't you a cute little thing? What might your name be?" Kurama asked sweetly, from the faint scents on the girl's body, the Hospital must be one of her usual begging spots. If she was observant enough, she might have seen Naruto being taken out by his kidnappers.

"My friends all call me 'Doll'. You seem like a nice person… so… could you please spare just a little?" the girl asked a little more desperately as a deep rumble came from her thin stomach. A sympathetic smile came across the Kitsune's face as she produced a fat wad of cash from the valley of her breasts, the girl's mouth seemingly drooling at the thought of using some of that money to buy food, her stomach roaring in hunger now.

"A quick question if I may… did you see anyone leaving or being taken out of the hospital? This person is very distinctive, bright golden blonde hair, whisker like birthmarks on his face. Cannot possibly be missed." The Kitsune questioned, silently praying that this girl may have seen something.

"Oh! You mean that boy? I saw him! He was being carried away by two girls down the alley. They passed by me but I don't think they really noticed me. It seemed like they were in a rush." Doll replied quickly, if this woman was looking for that kid, then she might reward her for being helpful.

"The girls. Describe them. Did they hurt my child? Where did they take him?" Kurama asked while placing a hand on the girls shoulder, her claw-like nails slightly digging into Doll's soft flesh making her wince.

She took a breath then answered the worried mother "I didn't see where they took him. Aside from some bandages on his head, it didn't look like they hurt him, and they were super careful when they carried him around. One of them was super pale, like she had never seen daylight in her life and she had these creepy snake like yellow eyes. The other girl looked about the boy's age, she seemed pretty ordinary. Pretty thing with black hair and wore glasses but… I thought for a second… that I saw her eyes flash red."

Kurama raised an eyebrow, her own pink eyes flashing red for a brief moment as she placed the wad of cash into the girls hand and spoke in a grateful tone "Thank you Doll-san. Your assistance is greatly appreciated." She rubbed the girls head with a small smile her action brushing aside the girl's bangs… revealing the disfigured part of her face and eye.

Doll immediately slapped Kurama's hand away as she tried to hide the scarring with her bangs again, but the Kitsune stopped her and placed a finger over the girl's mouth to silence her before she could even speak. "Who did this to you?" she asked in a stern tone, moving her finger aside to let the girl answer.

"M-my p-parents." Doll answered, feeling much like an insect placed beneath a microscope. This woman's pink eyes formerly filled with kindness now held a sharp edge to them. She was surprised when the pink colored orbs softened and a single tear fell from the woman's eye. The crimson haired woman surprised her further when she began tenderly stroking the scarred side of her face, showing absolutely no disgust for looking at or touching it.

"Mmm. Poor sweet girl. As a mother… I believe that parents who don't love their children… have no right to exist. Wherever your parents may be… I hope that the world was cruel to them. Now then… here. Magic kisses." The Kitsune spoke as she placed her soft lips on the girls scarring, just above her missing eye.

Doll stiffened up before she slowly started to fall limp, her legs giving out as though her bones had turned into jelly. A sudden warmth came over her face as feelings of euphoria overcame her. Everything felt good to her now. The woman's silky soft lips, the crisp and cool breeze flowing down the street, the sun's warm rays bathing her skin, it all made her body feel like it was melting from the inside out. She slowly sank to her knees since she couldn't support her own weight anymore, but Kurama lifted her up resulting in Doll's legs hanging uselessly from the ground by a few inches.

Doll tried to suck in some air through her nose since she felt a lack of oxygen, but her lungs and windpipe refused to obey her commands to receive life giving oxygen. She heard that suffocation was a terrible way to die, that some people have described it as their lungs feeling like they're going to explode… but this? It felt like… she was drifting to sleep. Peacefully falling asleep and drifting away like a soft and fluffy little cloud being carried away by the wind. Her fingers twitched as even her brain seemed to be malfunctioning, the taste of warm apple pie danced on her tongue as faint echoes of memories swam through her vision, it was like watching the ripples made by a stone being dropped in the water, but in slow motion.

Now every single heartbeat seemed slower than the last. Every time the quieting 'Ba-bump' came, she felt like losing control over her bladder. This was it. She genuinely believed she was going to die in a strange blissful agony of nirvana. Finally… she felt life and function return to her body as Kurama broke off the kiss. A thick coating of sweat covered Doll's skin, soaking her clothes and making them stick to her body.

She gasped for air, thanking Kami that hellish world of pleasure was now over. Kurama chuckled slightly as she spoke while placing a hand on her head "My apologies. I forget that my… unique Chakra can be rather intense for humans, even in tiny amounts. If I kept going… well… lets not worry about that. Here. Have a look at the new you." The crimson haired woman clicked open a compact mirror and revealed that where was once marred and burnt flesh was now smooth and unblemished aside from her freckles. And now she had a second blue eye as well like it had always been there.

"Don't forget this." Spoke the Kitsune as she picked up the money the girl had dropped while she was… indisposed, and placed it back into her hand. With that good deed done, she turned on her heel to resume the search for her son. The girl was definitely good for giving her some information about the Kidnappers, not to mention that while she was healing the girls scarring… she had caught the scents of the Kidnappers and her child which would now show her the way. Good. She could now handle this quietly by herself and prevent the Ice Queens from unnecessarily worrying. No need to cause them unnecessary anguish or fright.

"W-wait! You fixed me! Does that mean you can help my friends too?" Doll asked, her voice taking on a wheezy tone since her body was still recovering from that… pleasantly awful experience.

"My apologies. But I don't have the time. I must find my child. I only healed you because you aided me and I have a weakness for 'broken things'. I hope you use that money wisely." Kurama spoke in a more dismissive manner as she began to walk away, her geta sandals making a 'clack clack' noise with each step. She felt the girl tug on her Kimono again, Kurama was a patient woman… but this girl was seriously testing her patience since she had to find Naruto. And Quickly.

"If… If we help you… will you help us? You are trying to find your kid right? The blonde one that was taken? We can help! We know these streets easily! Please! Some of my friends need to be fixed!" she cried out almost desperately since she had been subjected to what could only be described as a miracle.

Kurama pursed her lips for a moment, humming slightly to herself in thought. She didn't really need any aid right now to find her son. But… there was something else this girl could do for her. While she could do it herself, it would be far more convenient to have someone else do it instead. With a flick of her wrist, she summoned a sheet of paper and a pencil and began scribbling down something.

She handed the paper to Doll who took it and read it over. There was a phone number and address along with a set of instructions which read 'Call this number if you need help or wait for me at my home address. Otherwise, I'll come to find you after I find my child.

As soon as Doll looked up to ask about the curious nature of this woman's kindness but… the red haired woman was gone from sight. Seeing no other options at this time… it would probably be best to simply do as she asks. Nodding to herself, the brown haired girl ran off to find her friends. She had to tell them about everything that happened and she couldn't wait to show off her healed eye.

Meanwhile.

"Owwwwwww. My head." Naruto muttered to himself as he slowly sat up. His nose twitching as he smelled… ramen? He looked about to take in his surroundings, it seemed like he was in a warehouse someplace, his body kept warm with a soft and fuzzy blanket laid over his body, his head rested on a fluffy and comfortable pillow. Sitting a short ways off from him was a young girl, about his age maybe wearing a pair of spectacles as she tended to a pot of boiling ramen over a portable cooking instrument.

She looked in his direction and gave a friendly wave to him and spoke in a very cheery tone of voice "Hello Naruto-sama! I am so glad you're awake! Your meal is almost finished so please be patient!" the blonde was confused… THIS was one of his kidnappers? He wasn't expecting a cute girl… which meant this was either going to be surprisingly pleasant… or very painful if she was one of those Yandere types.

"Who are you?" was the only intelligent question he could find at this time. The girl simply smiled for a brief moment then bit her lip as if she were unsure how to answer him, her eyes then lit up and face began beaming as though she had found a proper response and replied to him "My name is Sarada Uzumaki. And I am your daughter from the future."

The blonde stared at her like she had grown a second head. Was she crazy or what? Sensing his disbelief Sarada smiled wider and spoke "You told me your biggest secret. Your adoptive mother Kurama Kitsune is actually the Kyuubi inside of a Blood Clone you made."

Naruto's jaw fell slack… he hadn't told anyone his secret yet. Not a single soul. Not even his closest friends the Ice Queen's of Konoha knew. "You… but… Time travel is… impossible." He muttered out in shock and denial.

"Naruto-sama, there is Jutsu in the world that can summon the Shinigami, and reanimate the dead. I don't think Time travel is that much of a stretch. We live in a world of impossible after all." She assured him then took the readied ramen and swiftly served him a bowl, placing it in his lap along with a pair of chopsticks.

He paid the ramen no attention, he couldn't believe he had a kid this cute in the future. Who was the mother? This Sarada girl… she seemed sweet enough, a bit tomboyish maybe. If he had to take a guess… the mother must be either Anko or maybe Tenten.

"I guess I should explain things from the beginning. My biological parents are Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno. My… father was always neglectful and traveling around so he might one day defeat you, and when I graduated from the Academy, my mother said I was mature enough to take care of myself and started to follow Sasuke around like a puppy." She explained her origins making Naruto do a double take on what she said. How the hell did an Emo asshole and a hormone driven Fangirl make such a cute kid?

She cleared her throat and continued "After that, you adopted me into your family. You were so kind and caring and made me feel… loved and wanted. Like I actually meant something to you. You were more of a parent to me than my real parents… if they can be called that. Despite being the Hokage, you always made time for your family, no matter what came up or how trivial some may believe it to be.

I was so inspired by you, I trained myself night and day to become one of your elite Anbu guard. However… our family wasn't entirely perfect. Your other daughter Himawari was very shy but warmed up to me and became the best little sister I could have asked for… but your son Boruto… was a brat. He often pulled numerous pranks as a means of getting attention, much like yourself as a boy… but soon he became an ingrate and became distant from his own family… and so he began training under Sasuke Uchiha.

You were concerned about the kind of company that Boruto was keeping and tried to warn him about my father's violent history, but your son didn't heed your warnings and claimed that you were trying to keep him from growing as a Shinobi. That… is when things began to go south. Some years later, during a golden age ushered in by yourself, Sasuke reemerged and tried to pull off a coup on you. It failed since you were too powerful for him.

Knowing his plot was failing, Sasuke used a Sharingan technique called 'Kamui' to create a portal through time and sent several assassin's to kill you in your boyhood. And so I, your personal bodyguard, and your 'attack dog' Kira followed after to protect you from harm. And so here we are. We needed to take you from the hospital because the Assassins were getting too close."

The whiskered teen sat silently for a few moments before speaking in a half serious manner "I feel like this is part of a Sci-fi movie." The black haired girl chuckled lightly at the joke, fully understanding what he meant by that.

"Agreed. I am sorry about kidnapping you, and your mother must be really worried. But please cooperate for right now. I promise to keep you safe and if there's anything you need… just ask me." She spoke as she reached over and placed a hand on her shoulder followed by a short and sweet kiss on his cheek making him blush slightly.

"Umm. Right… where is that Kira girl you mentioned?" he asked to change the subject, a small amount of shyness overcoming him.

"What she does best." Was all Sarada said with a sadistic gleam in her eye, reminding Naruto of his pal Anko. The Uchiha girl then smiled sweetly and poked him slightly in the ribs as she spoke "Come on! Try my ramen! I almost figured out the legendary Ichiraku recipe. Try it! Its good!"

He chuckled slightly now feeling more comfortable in her presence. Sure the whole time travel thing knocked him for a loop, but… it explained some things, not to mention she wasn't wrong. If a Jutsu can summon the Shinigami then time travel was certainly a possibility. He sensed no ill intent from her so… maybe for now he'll just go along with it. But one thing did concern him… what was it that Kira did best?

Meanwhile.

In a local park, Kira sat alone on a small bench, her skin tingling under the warm rays of the sun. Her serpentine eyes staring ahead and occasionally looking about for any signs of the ones seeking to kill her master. While most people only used their eyes and occasionally hearing to navigate… Kira herself was far more evolved. Her bare feet were planted firmly on the ground, detecting the slightest vibrations created in the earth. For the most part she only sensed children running about and playing or Adults walking by, minding their own business.

Her Chakra senses were also on high alert searching for any Signatures she might recognize. And her nose was detecting thousands upon thousands of different scents, none belonging to her prey. The vibrations created from small children's feet approached her, she turned towards the source and saw what seemed to be a cardboard box with some crude drawings to make it look like a very unconvincing rock… with eyeholes in the front.

Her ears twitched as she heard and felt the vibrations made by breathing and the heartbeat of a young boy. "Come out." She spoke in a blank tone of voice, but her request went unheeded since the watcher hadn't dropped the poor camouflage. Sighing Kira took a breath then exhaled a pink colored gas through the boxes eyeholes. The sounds of giggling followed by full blown laughter was heard as the boxes occupant was unable to resist a mild dosage of laughing gas.

The boy underneath threw off the box 'hiding' his presence and pointed at the pale girl "Y-you c-caught me! Nice job pale lady!" he spoke between giggles. After a few moments the effects of the laughing gas wore off, allowing him to catch his breath.

"You must be wondering who I am! I am Konohamaru, grandson of the Sandaime Hokage, and future Hokage of this village!" he loudly declared, fully expecting that this woman would suddenly start bowing and being all respectful. He was surprised by the fact she didn't seem to be paying attention to him since she was staring off into the distance.

"How nice for you." She replied in a dismissive manner while patting his head as if he were a puppy.

"You… don't even care I'm the Hokage's grandson?" he asked since it was the first time someone had actually treated him like an actual person or a normal kid, and not simply as the relative of a Hokage.

"Why should I? You'd still be you." She replied as if it were the most simple thing in the world which made the small boy jaw drop in surprise. For once… maybe he could actually make a real friend who wasn't going to kiss up to him.

"That's cool! So what's your name?" he asked since he wanted to know who this girl was. He had never seen her before… but she looked vaguely familiar. He remembered seeing someone that looked an awful lot like her in his grandfather's pictures. Maybe she was a relative?

"Kira." Was all she said as she expanded her senses further. The ones hunting for her master wouldn't be able to hide themselves for much longer. They would need to surface sooner or later if they were going to harm her Naruto-sama. She tensed up as she felt a very powerful Chakra signature, perhaps one of the few entities that Kira was wary of.

"Go home silly boy. This isn't a safe place anymore." Spoke the pale girl as her serpentine eyes glowed a bright yellow. Konohamaru tilted his head in confusion then felt a hand grip his shoulder making him stiffen up and swallow nervously.

"Sound advice. Run along child." Spoke a second female voice that whispered into his ear. This one sounded like the voice of a mature and dignified woman… but there was a chilling malice to it that made his heart feel like it was exploding in his chest with every beat. Gulping, he meekly nodded and ran off, leaving a dust cloud in his wake.

With that little bystander gone, the second female casually sat down on the park bench and spoke in a voice that sounded sickly sweet "Very nice day. Would be an absolute shame to ruin it, yes?" Kira could only nod in agreement. Her eyes staring ahead at the nearby playground where the little children were playing.

"Yes. Lovely…. Kyuubi-san." Spoke the pale girl, hoping that announcing her knowledge of the Kitsune's true identity might ease some of the tension. It did since the Bijuu raised an eyebrow, her malice now replaced by intrigue.

"Oh? You know who I am eh? That is interesting. Where did you learn that?" Kurama asked while pulling a box of chocolates that she so happened to pick up on the way. Popping one into her mouth to eat it, her pink eyes never leaving the Girl's form.

"From your son. In the future." The yellow eyed girl answered bluntly. The Kitsune regarded her answer for a short while. Time travel was a fickle and extremely unpredictable ability with many damning consequences that not even her 'father' would be foolish enough to dabble in. In a best case, meddling with Time could cause Time Loops to randomly appear, and at the very worst rip apart the universe at the seams until it is torn apart and twisted inside out and then the Universe would become a lifeless void of nothingness.

"Time travel. Not a very reliable technique. To use it means carelessness, stupidity, ignorance, or desperation depending upon the circumstances of said usage." Kurama commented smoothly as she devoured another chocolate. Her ears twitching as she listened to the girls heartbeat which was still beating calmly.

"We didn't use it. It was used by Sasuke Uchiha after he failed to kill Naruto-sama." The pale girl answered briefly to sum it up. Her Chakra senses starting to detect her quarry but she was still unable to pinpoint them. Wherever they were, they were being extra careful.

Kurama frowned as she chewed on another piece of chocolate. Even in the future that Uchiha brat was being a nuisance, it might prove beneficial to the world if she strangled him in his sleep. But for now, she had bigger plans and higher priorities. Killing Kizashi was a spur of the moment move since he threatened her child, but she didn't kill him without a plan. Now the dominoes were falling and she couldn't allow for a distraction to derail her plans.

"Mmm. As you say. I received your note. If you are protecting my child… then there must be something to protect him from yes?" the Kitsune noted with a small scowl, if anything threatened her Kit… then she'd eliminate it.

"Yes. ROOT Anbu. In the future, Sasuke took it over after the Elder Danzo was executed by Naruto-sama. Plus… they are lead by one other whom I will enjoy eating." Kira answered with a hint of anger to her voice. Kurama raised an eyebrow at her statement but then caught the scent of human flesh on this girl's breath. She was a cannibal beyond all doubt, but if her son trusted her in the future, then she must be both loyal and reliable enough to dismiss this simple fact.

"ROOT you say? This… may provide me an opportunity to accelerate my plans a bit. Now then, I wish to see my child. NOW." The Kitsune spoke at the end with intense emphasis, showing she wouldn't be taking 'No' for an answer.

"I refuse." Kira bluntly replied causing Kurama to bristle in anger, her pink eyes turning blood red as she got up with her claws extending out. To any normal person, this would be cause enough to shrink in fear. But Kira did not feel fear as normal humans did, likely because she never understood the concept of it. She felt something pierce her flesh in her abdomen causing the pale cannibal to look down and see she had been pierced by one of Kurama's claws. She felt discomfort but no pain.

"Take me to my son." The Kitsune demanded again, maternal instincts to protect her kit guiding her actions. Her patience having melted away after being refused. A small hissing noise was picked up by her sensitive ears as she looked down, and saw that this girl's blood wasn't red… but a dark purple color that was melting her claw. She immediately retracted it and flung off the acidic blood. This girl… she most definitely wasn't human.

"I refuse. I will not risk exposing Naruto-sama to those who hunt him. Hurt me all you like, I cannot feel pain anyway. No matter what you do… my priority is to keep Naruto-sama safe. Don't you want him to be safe?" Kira asked, her face showing a glimmer of sympathy.

Her question made Kurama's eyes fade back to their usual pink color, her posture relaxing slightly as she answered in a measured tone of voice "You're right. I wasn't thinking clearly because of my connection and feelings toward him. And I must admit… you are in the presence of one of the most powerful beings in the Elemental Nations, and you didn't even blink an eye. Impressive to say the least. If what you say is true… then the best way to ensure my Kit's safety… is to kill those that hunt him."

Kira nodded in agreement, showing no anger for being injured which had already remarkably healed without even a scar. Making Kurama smirk slightly. Venomous and acidic blood, pristine protective instincts and loyalty, and high speed regeneration, this girl was utter fascinating. But she smelled odd. There were scents of venom, snakes, blood and decaying flesh all over her… but there were scents that reminded the Kitsune of Uchihas, Senjus, and Uzumakis. Strange but intriguing to say the least.

"Indeed Kurama-sama. But these people know me too well. They went to many extremes to learn to hide their presence from me. But not from you. Any suggestions?" Kira asked since she felt this problem could be solved more quickly if she and Kurama worked together to handle this.

The Kitsune pursed her lips together in thought as she considered her options. Then an idea struck her mind as a wicked grin crossed her face. "I do have one. Could you assist me in a little head hunting?" the Bijuu asked in an almost jovial voice belying the sinister intentions behind her tone.

"Always. Slaughter, is of course, my specialty." The cannibal answered coldly, her hands twitching as she was quite eager for something to kill right now. And if this plan of Kurama's kept Naruto safe… then all the better.

Meanwhile.

"I don't think cause of death needs to be said." Ibiki Morino commented dryly while looking at the headless half rotten corpse of Fu Yamanaka with one Inoichi nodding in agreement as the medic nin took the body away.

"What do we tell Hokage-sama?" asked the clan head in an unsure tone. This was way bigger than a simple clan affair or an assassination… this was a full blown conspiracy. And such internal problems usually needed to be handled with care. If the wrong people found out… things could get a lot worse.

Ibiki clenched his fists tightly as he thought about it before finally giving his answer "The truth. Kizashi was a possible collaborator involved with Danzo, maybe even ROOT, and Fu Yamanaka was his contact. Both having been silenced for reasons unknown." He spoke bitterly, since he felt this was all too convenient. Ever since that Kurama woman appeared, things just seemed to flow in a way to him that seemed… staged in a very subtle manner.

Her 'surviving' the assassination, remembering Kizashi's dealings involving Fu Yamanaka, and now even Fu was dead. In the background Inoichi was busy taking some notes for later since Fu was still a member of his clan. Ibiki however noticed something off about the bloodstains painting the floor.

Leaning down, he touched at the stains and found they hadn't fully dried out yet. They were still somewhat sticky to the touch! He scratched his chin and wondered how the bloodstains could not have dried… yet the body was already half rotten. Only two explanations came to mind. Either Fu was killed someplace else them put in here, blood splashed about the place to make it look like a murder. Or… he was indeed killed here… and some unknown technique was used to make his body rot faster.

He grit his teeth hard… it would seem he would need to call out Kurama on the spot. He would not allow her to continue this charade for much longer. And by damn, he wasn't going to let her make him out to be a fool.

End chapter four.

Next time: Kurama and Kira team up to track and kill the Assassins! What is Kurama's scheme? And will she ever be able to finish preparing for his birthday? And will she continue dogging Ibiki at every turn? And what of Mebuki, Sei and Samui? Find out next time!

Omake: Jiraiya's misery. (Part one.)

Jiraiya grinned lecherously as he scribbled in his notebook. It was time to prepare for his next book, Icha Icha: Prison Rumble. Now he was sitting in the security office, watching the camera feeds of the female inmates showering or exercising out in the yard. By sheer luck he saw a pair of girls going at in the showers, heavily making out and fingering each other.

He scribbled quite furiously and decided to get some pleasure of hid own, but as soon as he looked down… he already could sense something was wrong. He felt a sudden urge to use the nearby restroom. This had been happening pretty frequently of late. He just couldn't stop going to the restroom for whatever reason. Maaaybe it was time to see a doctor in case he had some type of bladder infection.

Later.

"WHAT? WHAT DO YOU MEAN I HAVE PROSTATE CANCER?" Jiraiya roared in dismay, his eye blazing with anger. He couldn't believe he had cancer… in his damn prostate no less. Why did it have to be there of all places? Now he was in a bind, the doctors said it could be surgically removed, but he knew if that happened then he would be unable to get it up. But if he didn't get it removed, he would slowly rot away.

Today… was a very dark day for him. It would seem his career as a man would be brought to a close… by cancer. Unknown to him, he acquired it from a certain Bijuu who would soon be having a very hearty last laugh.

End Omake.