A Sacrifice for Another

Chapter 26

Neji, Naruko, and Christina flew through the trees westward from the Leaf village. Neji and Naruko, having never seen where Christina was originally from, were a bit excited. After all, what ninja wouldn't be? It was a foreign land, filled with all new people and places. And no one in the other nations had ever known about it! But Christina had said her village had always kept tabs on the other villages, not spies to find out secrets, but people to be civilians that just talked about what was happening, festivals, new appointments as kages, attacks on villages. Nothing that all the other nations wouldn't be informed of.

Naruko was fretting though, what if they weren't back in time for one of the most important days of the year for her small family? Haku's birthday was in 5 days! And she still needed to get the decorations, and the cake, and make sure that all of his friends were coming. Well, and all of his aunts and uncles, as well as his grandparents, and Kakashi.

She blushed as she thought of Kakashi, one night earlier that week, when she was tucking Haku in, he had asked her a question about Kakashi that had been a bit embarrassing.

Flashback

"Alright Haku-kun, here is your water, if anything happens, you know to just walk across the hall." Naruko said.

"Kaa-san, can I ask you a question?" Haku asked.

"Well you just did!" Naruko said, grinning.

"Kaa-san." Haku complained.

"Alright, alright. Go ahead." Naruko said.

"Umm... what should I call uncle Kakashi now?" He asked.

"What do you mean?" Naruko asked.

"Well, I mean, do I call him tou-chan now?" Haku asked, cocking his head to one side.

Naruko blushed beet red. "Umm... well... gosh, uh...not yet at least, I mean, me and him aren't... married... we're only dating." She said.

"But, are you gonna get married?" He asked.

"Uhhh... maybe... we'll have to see. That's why people date, to see if they are right for each other and that they should get married and have kids." Naruko said.

"Okay, I'll keep calling him Uncle Kakashi for now, and if you get married I'll call him tou-chan! Oh! That reminds me, where do kids come from?" Haku asked.

"You'll find out when you're older! 'Night!" Naruko rushed out, kissing him on the head and speeding out of his room.

"Why does she always say that?" Haku said to himself, gaining a pout as he turned over in his bed.

Flashback End

Naruko was taken out of her thoughts when Christina spoke as the sun was showing it was about 3 o'clock.

"Alright, we're almost there. It's going to be a bit overwhelming, since we will pass through an invisible genjutsu shield. You won't need to release it, but when you go through it, you will see the village is a lot closer than you think." She said.

Naruko was excited, but when she looked back at Christina , she noticed the girl was shaking slightly, then, she felt something wet hit her face. She reached up and touched it, it was a tear.

She saw that Neji jumped forward quickly and stopped Christina and himself. Naruko landed on the branch next to them.

Neji took Christina's hand in his and kissed it while he caressed her face.

"Hime, what's wrong?" He asked.

Tears streamed down Christina's face. "I-I... I just can't believe I get to see it again... I spent the first eight years of my life here... my family and friends... died here... but now, there's a chance to save them. My family, and my old friends who will be born I want them to live, to have a second chance." She said.