Once Again (A Naruto Fanfiction) (Sequel to Another Take) (Complete)

Ch. 12: All Signs Point To Lauderdale

~Don't believe a word they're telling to you, they let me down. When will I find where I fit in?~

Kiyomi's POV

'Kiya, think before you do anything rash,' Fenrir cautioned when my words sunk in. 'That's a big and dramatic step. It will change your entire future, and probably not for the better. If you become a rogue shinobi, you'll be hunted down mercilessly. As it is, Konoha is one of the only things protecting you from people who want me.'

I frowned, hating that Fenrir's words made sense. 'Weren't you the one who just said we can't change the world from Konoha?' I complained bitterly.

The wolf sighed and inclined his head. 'I did. But you need to think this through. You can't just go and become a rogue nin. Be discrete in your intentions. Don't make it obvious, but make it so that people won't want to chase after you if you leave.' The wolf obviously meant Naruto there, as no matter our arguments the blond ninja's pride wouldn't let him lose another teammate.

I took a deep breath, then stood up from the ground, shaking bits of tree bark from my back. Fen's right. I need to plan. And I also needed to visit Kakashi-sensei, as I hadn't done that yet. Maybe talking with him will change something.

After I got the last bit of dirt and bark off me, I turned and slowly started heading back towards Konoha. I'd heard that Kakashi was in the hospital, so that was my destination.

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Third POV

"As it is, Kiyomi Himura is at risk of becoming a rogue shinobi of the Hidden Leaf," Tsunade announced to the council, having called an emergency meeting as soon as the rest of Team Seven left her office to prepare for their mission.

"Why do you say that?" Homura, the male elder of the council asked curiously. As far as he knew, the Himura girl was simply another shinobi, and not one whose deflection from the Leaf should cause such a stir.

Tsunade sighed. She'd wanted to keep the knowledge of Fenrir away from the elders, and specifically Danzo, but there was no choice. Kiyomi could not be allowed to leave the village, and the elders needed to know why. Such a weapon could not be destroyed, or worse, allowed to fall into enemy hands. Tsunade was sure that the Akatsuki would be more than happy to take the beast housed inside Kiyomi for their plans.

So Tsunade explained the situation, leaving out as much as she possibly could. They didn't need to know everything. But they still had to know about Fenrir.

"If the girl has such a creature sealed inside her, then why was she ever allowed to leave the village in the first place?!" Koharu, the female elder thundered. "Such a weapon cannot be allowed anywhere near our enemies!"

Tsunade sighed. "Kiyomi would never accept that. But moving on, there is a reason I called this meeting besides informing you of this situation. We need to find a way to keep her here, beyond an order from the Hokage."

"Promote her to ANBU, and I'll take her under my wing," Danzo interjected smoothly. "If she indeed does have such a chakra beast, it should be no problem for her to be put into ANBU. She's what, a chunin? Not such a large leap. And I'm perfectly capable of watching over her."

"No," Tsunade rejected the idea immediately. She knew that officially, Root had been disbanded. But she wasn't completely ignorant of Danzo's activities beneath her nose. Kiyomi would never go anywhere near the elder, not if Tsunade had anything to say about it.

"You have a better idea?" Danzo shot back, smirking a little. He seemed certain he could get the elders to agree with his idea.

Homura stepped in, causing the bickering to cease. "I'm not opposed to Danzo's idea," he admitted, causing the bandaged man to smirk some more. "But there are other ways. As an ANBU she would still have high-ranking missions." The smirk fell from Danzo's face as Homura's words sunk in.