A Sacrifice for Another

Chapter 9

"Mikoto, thanks again! If you ever need any help, don't be afraid to ask me." Naruko said. She had just gotten to the Uchiha house and dropped off Haku. The boy was excited to be staying a week at his friend's house. She was worried though, what mother wouldn't be? She was leaving her son for a week and she was going to miss him terribly.

"Don't worry Naruko. Now go! Don't want to be late, do we?" Mikoto said.

"Thanks! Bye!" Naruko said as she ran off.

Over the past week, Christina was able to beat the habit of being on time into Obito. For this, everyone was grateful. Now they wouldn't have to wait forever anymore!

Naruko was running, although she failed to notice the fact that a young Uchiha boy was in her path. She tripped right over him, sending them both to the ground. The boy looked up at the girl that had just tripped over him.

"Hey, Lady! I know I might be small, but I'm not small enough to not notice in the middle of the road!" He yelled.

"Sorry Kid! I'm really distracted and I have to get to my mission on time." She said as she stood up. She looked at her watch. 2 minutes and the Hokage Building was 5 miles away. Great. "Sorry again, gotta go bye!" She rushed out in an instant. She sped off at full speed towards the Hokage Building. There was no way, she wasn't going to make it unless she did one thing. She didn't want to do it, but she was told that the client was extremely impatient and none of them could be late. At this rate, she would still be 10 minutes late. That was it, she had to do it.

She entered her biju mode and glowed an intense orange-red-yellow color. She looked like it had engulfed her in flames and she had black markings that went up her legs and chest. She shot off at a speed that would rival Christina's or her father's Hirashin.

Christina and Neji were standing at the front gate to the village with the client walking towards them. The rest of the team was standing near her, well, except for Naruko. They felt her use her biju mode. They had been so used to the feeling from the war that they would recognize it anywhere. Their heads snapped up in the direction that it came from.

Christina groaned. "Great. What did she do now?"

"I don't see why she would need to use that. Is she really that paranoid about being late or did she somehow tick off someone that was extremely powerful?" Neji said.

"What? What is that?" Kakashi asked.

That's when Naruko was suddenly in between the team and the client. Well, she was more so right in front of her team. She slid down on her knees and thrust her hands up into the air.

"SAFE!" She called out. Of course, she was still in her biju form, so it sort of freaked out everyone except Christina and Neji.

"What... Why the hell do you look like a bonfire?" Obito asked.

"Huh? Oh this. Well, ya see, it's sort of complicated." Naruko said. "I'll explain later." She then turned off the biju mode and stood up next to her comrades.

The clients walked up.

"Well that was quite a show. How did you do something like that?" The older man asked. He had a young boy about the age of 8 next to him. What was presumed to be his wife stood next to him and his little 4 year-old daughter stood behind the woman's legs.

"It's an S-rank secret, sorry, can't give it out." Naruko said. Technically she wasn't lying, it's just that in the future it happened to leak out.

"Well, let's leave for Suna. Team, I want Kakashi, Rin, Naruko, and Obito to take the first round of carrying the carriage." Minato said. The four nodded and picked up the poles on the ends of the carriage.