Chapter 1- Decision

His lips touched mine in a loving kiss, but I didn't have the energy to stay conscious. My eyes dropped and I could hear the distant sound of him apologising, over and over again. He kissed my lips again, then my forehead. He held me in his arms, even while my wound was bleeding all over him. I attempted to lift my dominant hand to touch him but I couldn't move it.

So I switched. I lifted my right arm and touched his cheek.

"Why?" I whispered. He pulled me close and sobbed into my neck. He started to stutter before I could piece together what he was attempting to say.

"For power… to see how powerful I really am…" he started. I knew my last moments were then and smiled bravely. My fingers tweaked his nose.

"I know you by now," I winced. "don't lie to me." He bit his lip and blood poured down his chin.

"Why did you have to come!" he whispered. I heard footsteps running towards us. "you weren't supposed to be here!"

"Because I love you," my fingers wiped away his tears. His normal black eyes shaped into the red of his Sharingan.

"Itachi."

Then I was gone.

-.-

My eyes opened later, to the sound of frantic running and chakra flow.

A faint green glow surrounded my left shoulder and I tried to move the arm. Unfortunately nothing moved. I attempted to sit up but straps had bound me to the table.

"Kaida! Stop moving!" I froze and turned to face the Hokage who was sitting on a bench in the surgery room. "They are still trying to close the wound." He said.

I felt tears run down my face as I watched my cells try to mend itself and flesh attempting to cover the stump that was now my shoulder. I had lost my arm.

"Itachi?" I asked quietly. He was silent and I lifted my right hand to cover my eyes.

"Kaida, please be silent and rest, you have to heal." He told me, in a caring voice.

"What's the point?!" I cried out. "He's gone and I'll never be able to form another jutsu in my life."

The Hokage was silent once again. But came forward, he placed a hand on my only arm.

"I know, Child." He tapped my arm and walked towards the door. The medical ninja changed so that the other can continue healing me. As the Hokage opened the door I felt my eyes starting to close.

"We'll find a way, Kaida." He said before walking through.

"KAIDA!" I could hear my brother yelling my name from outside.

"Calm down Kakashi." The Hokage told him as Might Guy, the one who claimed to be my brother's rival, held him back.

"Itachi," I whispered before letting myself drift into darkness.

-.-

I woke to the scratching of someone taking notes. My eyes opened and I saw a nurse on my left side with a pad and pencil in hand.

"Kaida?" my eyes drifted to my right, where my brother was holding my hand. He was careful not to touch my Ivy.

"Kakashi?" I asked. A tear rolled down his cheek.

"I was worried." He told me. I gave a small smile before trying to sit up.

"No Way Missy!" the nurse said. She pushed me back down and gave me a lecture. "You are not to sit up for at least two days! And you will be hospitalized for the next month!"

I was silent before refusing to look at Kakashi.

"Itachi?" I asked. My brother was silent, I finally looked over at him to see a saddened look on his face. A look I hadn't seen since he told me that the fourth Hokage was dead.

"I see." I said. I watched the nurse leave and just as she closed the door, I attempted to get up again.

"Kaida!" my brother tried to get me to lay back down but my glare stopped him.

"I have to find him. There is no way he would do that without a good reason!" I growled.

The door slammed open and the Hokage entered with three ANBU Black Ops flanking him.

"Lie down Kaida!" he told me. I glared and attempted to get to my feet. "Kaida! That is an order!"

I stopped and sighed. My shoulder was throbbing and I could feel the new skin stretching.

The new comers came towards my bed and I swallowed the lump that threatened to rise. The Hokage nodded to my older brother and smiled.

"Hello Kakashi," he said. My brother greeted him back.

"Hello, Lord Hokage." He responded. His eyes followed the ANBU that surrounded my bed and narrowed.

"Why are the ANBU here?" he asked.

"Don't you worry Kakashi, we just need to question Kaida, here." The Third said. My heart felt like lead and I could taste the acid of my own vomit.

"It's okay, Kashi," I said, using my old nickname for him. He looked over at me in worry before getting up. He helped me back into a sitting position. He fixed my pillows and kissed my forehead.

"I'll be outside." He told me. I smiled and nodded to him. As he neared the door, he took one last look before leaving the room and closing the door.

Immediately after, one of the ANBU placed a jutsu on the room to stop people from eavesdropping.

"Kaida," The Hokage started. "we need to hear everything from you." I swallowed a lump in my throat and looked over to the side. I knew that I had to tell them. As much as I hated it, I knew it happened, hence my arm.

I took a deep breath.

"Where do you want me to start?" I asked him. I knew that at this time I had to be cold, not let my heart get involved, to be blank, as I was taught to be.

"I was told you and your team headed back early from the mission I assigned you." He said. I nodded.

"The assassination was a success, we were able to completely annihilate the enemy forces and erase the existence of the rogue-nin that you assigned to me." I started. I inspected my shoulder and was satisfied that my previous movements had not broke the new skin. "Afterwards, I ordered us home. Everything went ahead of schedule, and so my team was excited to get back. When we got back I disbanded them and was on my way to go report back." I took a deep breath.

"You were stopped?" the Hokage asked. I shook my head.

"You know of my… Unique abilities, Lord Hokage. I heard the screams of the Ravens and felt a chill of a massacre. So I immediately was drawn to it." I folded my legs under me, in cross fashion, and laid my only arm on them. "That's where I found the Uchiha clan massacred. I couldn't see who the attacker was at first but I noticed they had little Sasuke in front of them."

I looked at the closed curtains then back to my lost arm.

"I didn't think, I just plowed into Sasuke and rolled with him to get him out of view of the killer. He was under a genjutsu of some kind. In the process the killer didn't recognize me, he just swung." I became silent and nodded to my stump. "He got my left arm. Sasuke was unconscious, and I was bleeding out, fast. That's when I saw the face of the killer."

I looked over at the Hokage for a few seconds before looking down to his feet.

"As much as I want to defend him, I can only say facts." I told him attempting to keep my composure. "I saw Itachi Uchiha." My hand gripped the sheets and my knuckles were white. I had to tell facts. I can't speculate with this. No matter how much I want to. No matter how much I think that he would never do this. I know what I saw.

"It was no genjutsu, no transformation jutsu or any other jutsu. It was him." I told the Hokage. I gritted my teeth and stopped myself from trying to defend him. I fell silent.

"What did he say?"

I had bit my lip, facts. I had to say facts. He deserted us. He attempted to kill me. But he loved me. He apologised, from the look of it, he was not after me, just the Uchiha clan.

"He said he wanted to find out how powerful of an Uchiha he is by to kill everyone." I closed my eyes and attempted to push my emotions down once again. "Sasuke is alive because he is not strong enough to challenge him yet." I whispered. "And he figured I wouldn't be there."

"What!?" an ANBU bit out. "That bastard! To kill his own family! With that type of reasoning?" my head snapped to the side as if I got a blow.

"Silence!" the Hokage ordered. The ANBU became silent. "That is enough, you may leave."

"Yes Lord Hokage." the ANBU left soon after.

The Hokage sat beside me and took my hand. He patted it before I broke the silence that had fallen between us.

"It wasn't like him my Lord, it was like he was acting the whole time. I know him better than anyone else." I whispered. "The only other person that knew him better was Shisui." The Hokage pulled me into a hug but I refrained from letting my emotions cloud my vision.

A Raven's caw sounded and I froze. It wasn't the caw of a death, but of a murderer, someone who had taken countless lives. I looked passed my bed to the other wall and saw a man leaning against the wall. He had black shaggy hair, brown-red eyes and a permanent sadistic smirk. He wore black pants with a black turtle neck. He had his headband around his bicep and the sign designated him to be from a different great nation. Just one look at him had me sure of who he was.

"Tatsuya…" I growled. He smirked before coming up on the side of my bed where I was injured and sat on the bed. The Hokage looked up at him and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Aren't you supposed to add a –sensei in there kid?" Tatsuya said. Yeah, same as always. "I heard what happened to my precious student, so I came over to check it out."

I looked over at the Hokage and saw dedication in his eyes. Like he had made his decision.

"No, Lord Hokage! I'm not leaving! I can't. You expect me to train with him and I can't even form a hand sign!" I cried. Tatsuya's eyes moved over to my non-existent arm.

"We can fix that." My teacher told me. He taught me a lot of want I know. Sorry, I mean he taught me almost everything. Like Itachi and my brother, I had graduated from the Academy at a young age, I had a talent for stealth, so I was assigned to a team that would be assigned to Tatsuya, the world's best Assassin and the Kazekage's brother. Despite being a shinobi from another village, he took us on as students pretty much when he met us. I had been back in the village for 3 years now, and I personally did not want to back to training with him. It was hard, and he tried to kill me on more than one occasion. Sometime I would have honestly preferred to work under Danzo, the asshole that he was, then train with Tatsuya any longer.

"And how can you do that? I can't grow a limb here!" I snapped. I know I have a nasty temper, I get that from my mother's side. Tatsuya lifted his hand and started to toy with his fingers. There were a few leaves that looked as if they had been placed on the table next to me. All of a sudden they started to move, and dance.

"Chalkra strings…" I said with narrowed eye. All of a sudden I froze and looked up at my teacher. "You want to make my arm a puppet!" I cried out. The Hokage's eyes widened.

"Something that relies on chalkra like Puppetry." He said. He watched the leaves dance before letting them fall into my lap. "Your choice, anyway."

He stood up and narrowed his eyes. I glared back, not wanting to give into him.

"This process is your choice, Kaida." I looked back over at the Hokage before looking down at my hand. "If you don't, you will not be a loud to aid in any S-class, or even a-class missions anymore. If you decide to aid the village, I can only give you D, C or B rank if in need. I can't risk you, or your team like that Kaida."

I gripped at the sheets once more.

"Decide Kaida, I won't wait forever." Tatsuya said, his voice was firm.

"Please, Tatsuya, let her have time to decide. By the looks of it this procedure will take a lot out of her." my teacher snorted.

"Of course it will. We will be reconnecting every cell in her shoulder to the arm using chalkra, and she has to be conscious throughout the whole thing. She has about a 75% chance of dying." He said. I sighed as the Hokage gasped.

"You have until the end of the week, Give me your decision by then." Then he was gone.

"Maybe, my decision wasn't the wisest?" the Hokage asked himself. I rolled my eyes and looked down.

"Tatsuya of Suna is a stubborn man, Lord Hokage." I told him. He patted my arm before getting up.

"Tell me when you've come to a decision." He told me. I bit my lip, but I knew what my decision would have to be. "I'll convince him to wait an extra two weeks, take your time."

"I can tell you know, but it depends on your answer on something." I told him. He froze and looked back at me. His eyes narrowed as he saw the saddened look on my face.

"What is it?" he asked. "None of my teammates are coming with me are they? The reason you want me to go with him is to stop me from going after Itachi. You're thinking that I'll forget him." I told him. The Hokage was silent.

"That means that I don't have a choice, if I don't go along with it, you will have me guarded by ANBU and other high level shinobi. Better yet, if I do try and leave, you'll lock me up." I told him.

It took him a while to answer.

"I understand that you're hurt by his actions and want answers, but you have a village to protect. You can't leave on a selfish journey and leave us all to cope with your loss. By chance you die and even if you can't use any jutsu, the enemy gets a hold of your body. What happens when its secrets are spread? I can't take that chance, Kaida." He turned back around. "Forgive me?" He opened the door and left the room.

Tears fell down my cheeks and brought up my knees to hide myself. My hand gripped in my long black hair.

"Kaida..." my brother whispered. He sat on the bed next to me and pulled me into his arms. I attempted to control myself but his warmth broke my will.

"I hate this." I whispered. He kissed the top of my head.

"I know Kaida, I know."

-.-

I sat cross-legged, despite my nurse's objections, and closed my eyes. I controlled my breathing and entered a state of meditation. I felt my own chalkra curling into my center and spreading all over my body. I extended my senses and felt for other people, all of a sudden the whole hospital was in my range and I could feel each of their chalkras and could identify most, if not all, of them. I breathed out before extending my reach further. I could feel three chalkras on the roof of the hospital even if they wanted to hide. They seemed to be high level Jonin, probably ANBU. They were possibly there to keep an eye on me.

I felt a familiar chalkra walk through into my range with a spark. If I hadn't been focusing on that specific spot I would have not felt the other that came in right beside the spark. They were both attempting to hide their chalkras from me. You'd think they knew better.

I swallowed my smirk before extending my reach to the other side of the street. There, I felt my teacher's chalkra. He seems to be still as if watching something, or someone. Like the ANBU, it was probably me.

I sighed before bringing my consciousness back to my body.

"Do they really think I'm going to run?" I whispered, I snorted in laughter. "Damn."

I got up off the bed and made my way to the open window. I had been in the hospital for nearly four days and was able to move around fine, but the nurses kept thinking that I was straining myself.

"Obviously they never trained with Tatsuya." I thought out loud. I closed the window, before I pulled the curtains closed. I then moved around the room and looked around. The door opened soon after I found the thread that lead to one of the ANBU who was surveying what was said in my room.

"Asshole." I muttered as I disconnected the chalkra thread.

"Lock the door." I told my teammates.

"How'd you know we were coming!" the shorter of the two asked with a pout. I got up off the floor and made my way back to the bed.

"Miku?" I asked.

"Right" she performed the jutsu the ANBU had done three days ago, which blocked eavesdroppers.

I sat down and studied my team mates. We were the only team which were only girls. Good kunoichis were rare in the shinobi world. A team of them were even rarer.

Starting with Miku, she was a short brown-haired brown eyed kunoichi. Today she wore her standard black leggings with a forest green skirt. She had a grey tank top with the standard green Chunin vest with the Uzumaki crest on the back. On her hip was various packages where I knew she kept not only her medical storage scrolls, but various poison, paralysation and other harmful scrolls. Of course she had her kunai and Shuriken holders on her thigh. As a person she was an optimistic person, who always talking and overall someone people underestimated. She hates studying, and couldn't come up with a plan if it dropped on her head. That was quite surprising to most as she was from the famous Nara clan. They were a clan known not only for their intellect but also for their jutsus based on shadows. Miku got neither of those talents. But what she did have was their above average knowledge on medical ninjutsu and had amazing chalkra control. Hence the reason I could barely detect her when she walked into my zone. After Tsunade, one of the legendary Sanin, Miku ranks a close second as the best in the village. Offensively, she uses chalkra to mess with her opponent a long with her poisons and senbon, which she carries instead of Kunai. She also has precise aim. Her element association is earth and water, and she wields it with force. Only a few people know that she has two element masteries, mainly us and our teacher. Unfortunately, despite the Kekai Genkai she, was dead last in our year, but even so, she still graduated at 7 the same age that I did.

Miku graduated at the same time as Kaname, Itachi and I. Our Academy days were full of fun. I blocked out all thoughts of Itachi and moved on to the taller of the two, and my best friend.

"Miku, please, I don't think Kaida is even listening anymore." Kaname told her.

Kaname Haruno was a red headed, green eyed Kunoichi. She had black capris with a navy blue qipao dress. The outside trim was white and she had cut off the sleeves, leaving it jagged. She tended to be picky with her clothes, only wearing the clothes that she liked the most. Due to that, she openly refused to wear the green Chunin vest, instead she took the Uzumaki symbol from the back and placed it on her back, but in a lighter blue rather than red. On her thighs, she held the standard blue pouch for her throwing weapons. What made her different was series of scrolls that she had on her waist. I knew from experience that those scrolls housed a variety of weapons, from long swords, to axes, to fans, to nunchuks. Kaname was a master of weapons. There wasn't a weapon that she didn't know how to use, or rather, there wasn't a weapon she hasn't mastered. She had the same ability with a kunai, then she did with her staff. She did not come from a famous clan but of a humble civilian family. The only shinobi in her family had been her aunt and uncle, other than her little cousin who had started that year, and even there, they weren't a significant part of the Leaf's shinobi forces.

Kaname was a gem hidden in the rough, and I was glad that she was part of my team. As a close combat type, I needed someone at my back who I knew could protect themselves. As if the lightning shaped scar that ran down her right forearm wasn't enough of a hint. Her chalkra control was lightning. They say that your element is your strongest weapon, but for Kaname, it was her. I tend to tease her about being an electric eel, but sometimes, she has me thinking she is one. She is immune to all lightning attacks, or rather, she absorbs it all and converts it into chalkra. Very handy in a storm. She graduated at the same time as us, despite being a year younger.

"Is it true?" Kaname broke my train of thought and I looked up at her. It took a total of ten seconds for me to look away.

"Fuck!" she cursed. Her hand flew to her hair and she sat on the chair.

"Why the fuck would he do it!" Miku asked, serious for once. She never swore.

"He said it was to test himself." I muttered.

"You don't actually believe that bullshit!" I looked over at my best friend and raised an eyebrow.

"That's what the facts say," I said. She tried to speak again but I cut her off. "but I can't say I totally believe them. If that was his motive, he wouldn't have cried. And he wouldn't have stopped attacking me. If he wanted to test his strength, he would have wanted to fight me fair and square." I told them.

"So you're going after him?" Miku asked. I looked up to meet her eyes.

"I can't," I said. "Not right now."

"An why not! He couldn't have got too…" Kaname trailed off as she saw me looking at my arm. Or the lack of.

"Can I take a look?" Miku asked. I nodded, and she rounded the bed. She delicately touched my shoulder and a green light emerged from her hands. She breathed in, then out, and I could see her analyzing my shoulder.

"The Hokage asked Tatsuya to train me again." Both of my partners froze and looked over at me. Miku was the first to speak.

"It was a clean cut, and the medical ninjas did a good job patching it up." she told me. I nodded and she sat next to me.

"Why?" Kaname whispered. I knew what she was thinking about. We three are the only one who were known to have survived his training. "We passed the Chunin exams and are our own team. He doesn't control us anymore."

"Danzo's got nothing on that guy." I whispered nodding my head to myself in thought. Miku suddenly started to snicker.

"What's up with you?" Kaname snapped at her. Miku calmed down slightly before grinning evilly.

"Kaname-chan~ I'm trying to picture Danzo, trying to deal with us…" She giggled. I stiffened and I couldn't help but imagine it.

"MIKU GET YOUR FINGER OUT OF YOUR RICE!" Danzo would yell. His eyes would be cold but with a hint of suspicion in them.

"KANAME STOP LEANING BACK IN YOUR CHAIR!"

"KARI…" I would look at him then at Kaname's chair, which was still on two legs.

"I dare you…" Kaname then would say sticking out her tongue. With a smirk I would accept her taunt and kick out one of the legs but she would balance onto the last one.

"Hahaha! Sucker." She then would stuck her tongue out at me.

"DANZO-SENSEI, MY RICE IS COLD!" Miku would complain before pushing back her chair… right into Kaname's. Kaname would fall to the floor but would have hook the front of my chair with her foot and grab Miku's arm. Both of us would fall and hit the ground.

Everything was quiet before we would burst out laughing. Danzo would sit there feeling hopeless. "This will be your last warning, I want absolute obedience." He would say.

I then would snort in laughter.

"Never going to happen."

All three of us started to laugh before we quieted.

"Are you going to be okay?" Kaname asked. I nodded before looking over at my non-existent arm again.

"What is he planning on doing to your arm?" Miku asked.

"He wants to put a puppet like arm that reacts to my chalkra." I replied.

"AND YOU'RE ALLOWING IT!" Kaname bursted out. I looked at her with a blank stare.

"I don't have a choice, Kaname." I told her. "If I don't, I can't go on anymore high level missions anymore." She froze.

"Our team would split up."

"What! Why! We are the best team!" Miku said.

"Think about it, Miku, I can't do any hand signs." I said. "I will be useless for the missions we would usually go on."

She gritted her teeth.

"I don't like the idea." Kanme said.

"Neither do I, but if I don't do this, it's what will happen." I said.

"And Itachi? Will you be attempting to find him and get the answers from him?" I watched my best friend stare right back at me.

"Most definitely." I told her. She nodded before I stood up.

"Now, I need your help."

-.-

I let changed my clothes fast. Wrapping my chest in bandages was hard with only one arm, but I managed it I then slipped on a small pair of cotton shorts that ended mid-way up my tights.

I stood and walked towards Miku who held open a plain black kimono. I slipped it on before letting her tie the obi. Once it was done, I borrowed Kaname's left hand and we made the signs for a transformation jutsu. I transformed into Miku as Miku transformed into me.

"I will put on the act of the century!" Miku said flopping onto the hospital bed. She snuggled under the covers. She looked happy, probably because she got to sleep.

I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat when I saw the grand smile that was on my/Miku's face.

'I don't know if I'll be able to ever smile like that again.' I banished the thought as Kaname bumped her hip with mine.

"let's go!" she said. I gave a small smile before putting on and act.

"Kaida-chan! Why is the curtains closed?" I sprouted. A large smile sprayed across my lips. I ran to the curtains and shoved my head between them. I then opened the window and stuck my head out.

"Miku! Get out from there! You're going to fall!" Kaname scolded after opening she curtains and pulling me back in. I tried to move my, or rather Miku's, left arm and nothing happened.

'I'm going to have to be careful on how I do this.' I thought.

"Thanks for coming guys, but I'm getting tired." Miku said in my voice.

"YOU MUST SLEEP!" I scolded. "Lots of rest, and good food, and medicine to heal!"

"Yes, Yes! She knows that." Kaname said rolling her eyes. "Now let's get out of here."

I rushed over to Miku and gave her bear hug.

Miku groaned and attempted to half-heartily push me away.

"Miku!" Kaname grabbed the back of my Chunin vest and pulled me out of the room and down the hall.

"But I wanted to give her kiss to make her feel better!" I pouted. Kaname finally let go but pushed me along.

"And that is exactly why I'm making you leave!" she growled. I sensed various ANBU studying us, as if they suspected us of something, but I know they would never be able to tell the difference. All three of us are very good actresses, and since we work so well together and know each so much, this move is a piece of cake.

We walked and talked for a good hour, fully aware that the AMBU have decided to pursue us just in case. We kept in character as we made our way to Kaname's parents' house. There, the ANBU finally left us. We got into the house and greeted Kaname's father. Her mother was in bed.

"How's Misaki-san doing?" I asked him.

"Not good." Kaname's father said, his eyes looked down at the floor. It looked like he just finished crying.

"Can I take a look at her?" I asked, just as how Miku would. Kaname stilled for a second. She knows my medical ninjutsu was not as good as Miku's. Her look seems to have told me that she doubts that I could pull it off. But I knew I had to at least try something. It was my best friend's mother.

"It's okay, Miku." Tora said. "I know she's dying." I let tears sill over, just as Miku would have. Kaname patted my shoulder, her own eyes glossy.

"Now you girls go get some sleep." He told us with a sigh. "I'll see you in the morning."

Without another word, I let myself be guided by Kaname down the hall and into her room.

As soon as she closed the curtains and I closed the door, I let the transformation drop and sat down on Kaname's bed.

Kaname then put a listening seal on the wall, so that people couldn't hear what we said.

"Are you sure, you want to do this?" she asked me. I smiled before slowly unwrapping the bandages around my stump. Despite, it happening only week ago, it was healing nicely.

"I have to Kaname." I told her. "If I ever want to face Itachi again, I have to be able to count his blows. And to be able to counter his blow, I have to be able to make signs."

She pursed her lips in thought before sighing.

"Yeah, I understand."

"Thanks Kaname, tell Miku thanks as well." I told her as I peeked past the curtains.

"You realise he's going to end up killing you with his training one day, right?" she said. "I mean, Miku and I only survived because you were our example. And you protected us."

"He's a sadist alright." I snorted.

"Kaida." Kaname trailed off as I stretched and opened the window a fraction. I let my mind focus on trying to find all the chalkra signatures nearby. My eyes flickered to both sides trying to catch any type of movement outside.

If Miku was considered our medical-nin, and Kaname was our powerhouse, I was our sensory-type. After one particular conversation with both Tatsuya and the Hokage, they agreed to compare my sensory abilities like that of the Byakugan. I could make a circle around me and I could tell you anything about that passed into my range, or anything in my range. The only difference was that I was not able to see chalkra. When asked how it worked, I honestly have no clue. All I know is that I relied more on my other sense then on sight, and even there, and Tatsuya has most definitely tried it, when all my senses are gone, my range shrinks by half but I rely on instincts. Thus becoming twice as accurate.

After sensing no one, I opened the window completely, seeing if that would change anything. Nothing changed and so I turned back to Kaname.

"I'll be going then." I whispered. She smiled and held out a fist. I let my right hand bump hers before disappearing from the room.

Disclaimer- I do not own Naruto in any shape or form. I can only lay claim on my own Oc characters.

Sorry for the length. Do you guys prefer long chapters or shorter? I felt as if this was the perfect place to stop.
Anyway, feel free to comment, I always appreciate feedback and love hearing from you, no matter what kind of comment it is.
But most of all, Enjoy the read.