Naruto stared at Sakura in disbelief.

"Are you sure?" He asked, hoping that his ears had tricked him.

Sakura gave him a concerned frown.

"Yea, I heard it from Kakashi-sensei yesterday. Are you ok? You look a little pale." She said.

"No I'm fine." He quickly shook his head. "I was just thinking of something. Anyways, I gotta go. See you later Sakura!" He called back as he hastily headed in the opposite direction.

Naruto shook his head. That couldn't be right. She must've gotten something wrong, maybe she got mixed up? Yea, that's it...

It was the third day after the attack and repair was still underway. Naruto was again helping his friends clean up the rubble left by the bombings. Nina had cancelled training again today, it was a little odd as this was now the third day in a row but he figured that maybe she was helping clean up somewhere in the village too. After all, there was still plenty to do and most businesses were still closed.

Twelve people sat around a large oval table. Papers that showed graphs and statistics were spread out in front of them.

"The Investigations Branch has not found anything on the Akatsuki's movements or activities. They seem to be laying low until this all blows over." A man in his forties started, staring at a file that held information gathered from around the Land of Fire. "How are we to track them down if we don't know where they are?"

"That's what we've been asking for years." An elderly woman commented bluntly.

"Yes, but now we have something new that could lead us straight to them." Danzo, one of the men seated next to the Hokage, stated.

"You're talking about the woman who fought them off." Tsunade mused.

"Whoever she was, she had a reason to engage with the Akatsuki. It's clear that she was not one of us, meaning she had some other connection to either the village or the Akatsuki. If we're lucky and it turns out to be the latter, investigating her identity could give us valuable information on the organization." He explained. It didn't take long for everyone to nod in agreement. Everyone, that is, except a young man with bright green hair.

"But we then have the same problem. Where do we start in finding her? She could be anywhere by now, not to mention we still don't know what she really looks like." The man said, furrowing his brow in frustration.

"Chances are she's probably very close. Maybe even in Konoha." The head of the interrogation squad thought aloud.

Everyone turned to look at her.

"And why would she stay when she knows we're looking for her?" The young man challenged.

"Well, my theory is that she has some connection to both the village and the Akatsuki. If she didn't have a history with both, she probably wouldn't have interfered in the way she did. If that's true, she would probably want to stick around until she's sure the village is back to normal and running smoothly. If I'm wrong, then there's no doubt that she's already long." She concluded bluntly.

There was a moment of silence.

"What does that mean for us?" Tsunade questioned with a frown.

The woman leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs, shrugging.

"It means that we'll either find her in the village or we won't find her at all. Simple as that."

Everyone's expressions deepened.

"We must organize a search." One man said.

"And tell all leaf shinobi to report anyone who seems out of place."

"Notify the border guards to stop anyone they don't recognize from leaving the village."

"If she's here, we'll find her."

"We cannot let this opportunity escape us!"

Naruto was walking through the market that night when he spotted a familiar head of blue hair.

"Hey Hinata! Wait up!" He waved as he quickly ran to catch up to her.

"H-Hi Naruto." Hinata greeted, a little nervous as always.

"Hey! What's up?" He smiled brightly as they began walking. It was the first time he's seen her since the night of the attack.

"N-Nothing." She said quietly, eyes fixed on the ground in front of her.

"Nothing happened with your dad right? Because of the, uh, you know..." He trailed off, shuddering as he thought back to the murderous aura surrounding Nina and Hinata's father on that night of the attack.

"No, nothing. A-Actually I think Otou-sama was so angry at that lady that he forgot I was there." She cracked a small smile as Naruto laughed loudly.

"Ha! Really? I guess it was good that sensei came along with us then!" His hands locked behind his head and a wide grin rested on his face. Hinata gave a small nod and smiled as well. "So where ya going?" He turned to her curiously.

"Oh, I was at the weapons store. Otou-sama told me to get some kunai." She lifted the small bag in her hands. "He asked for blank scrolls too." She added softly.

"You got new kunai? Cool! I should check out that place too." He made a mental note to visit the store once he figured out where it was.

Hinata glanced at him briefly.

"Um, Naruto-kun, I thought you weren't a ninja..." Hinata said quietly, almost afraid that she would offend him.

"Hm? Oh I didn't tell you yet? I am a ninja! I didn't go to the academy but I have a sensei who teaches me." He smiled proudly.

"Oh, was that the lady you were talking about?" She asked, now very curious.

"Yup! She's the one that came with us after the Akatsuki members ran off."

Hinata nodded, intrigued.

The two came to a stop a few minutes later.

"My house is over here." Hinata said.

"Hm?" Naruto turned to look where she was gesturing at. "Wow! You live here?" It was a complex chain of buildings that covered a huge area of land. The buildings had smooth stone steps that led up to traditional wooden structures with paper windows. The light from the setting sun bounced off each tiled roof, giving them a shiny, gleaming appearance. This was probably the largest clan compound he'd ever seen. "Cool!" He smiled in amazement.

"I have to go now, bye Naruto-kun." Hinata nodded before disappearing into one of the large houses.

Naruto waved and turned to continue walking back to his apartment. Suddenly, he realized something, stopping him dead in his tracks.

'...how do I get home from here?'

Another two days passed quickly. Although it was almost unnoticeable, the village reconstruction seemed to be slowing down for some reason. It seems that more teams were being assigned other missions and that the number of shinobi helping the recovery effort was dropping. This posed little interference to the overall situation, however. Things were well on their way to being back to normal.

Tap tap

Naruto was awakened by a quiet noise.

Tap tap tap

He rubbed his eyes and glanced over to where the sound was coming from.

Tap tap

A bid pecked at his window.

Odd.

He rolled out of bed and sleepily approached the window, pushing it open, the bird ducked under the glass and hopped onto the windowsill. Something shiny caught his eye. He bent down to see what looked like a small metal tube clipped to the bird's leg. He carefully detached it and examined it closely. The bronze colored tube had tiny, faded designs etches onto its sides, there was a latch near the top too. He turned the tube upside-down and the latch shifted, letting the lid fall open.

A piece of paper fell onto the floor. He carefully picked it up and unfolded it.

It was a letter.

Naruto,

I'm afraid I will be preoccupied for a while. For the time being, please continue to improve your genjutsu control. I suggest expanding your chakra reserve as well, it will certainly be helpful for these techniques.

The following is a list of new genjutsus I would like you to learn.

I hope you will excuse my absence,

-Nina

Naruto read the note over once more just to make sure his eyes weren't messing with him.

Once he was sure that he knew what the letter said, he began wondering what she could be doing. Elusive as always. Naruto looked at the bird that still stood in front of him, occasionally pecking at the windowsill. He figured that he should let it go back to wherever it came from so he picked it up stuck his arms out the window. It unfolded its wings and flew out of his hands, soon disappearing behind a building.

He turned his attention back to the letter, there was a short list of jutsus at the bottom of the paper along with the matching hand seals.

"Hmm... I guess I should get started. I'll show sensei how great I am!" He nodded and quickly got ready to head out.

The sun was barely above the horizon when Naruto stepped out the door. Practicing genjutsu means he needs someone to practice with and he had a few people in mind who might agree to help.

After two hours and a lot of running around the village, Naruto stopped and sat down on the swing near the academy. Sasuke, who was the first person he'd asked for help, had a mission today, which meant Sakura wouldn't be available either. He asked Hinata and Takeo but they were busy too. After asking a few more friends, he had exhausted his list of potential training partners.

"Who else can I ask...?" He wondered aloud.

"Ask about what?" A voice broke his train of thought. He looked up to see none other than the Hokage herself.

"Granny Tsunade! What're you doing here?" Naruto asked, surprised at her sudden appearance.

"Just checking up on the recovery progress. What're you doing out do early? Shouldn't you be sleeping in?" Tsunade inquired, crossing her arms.

Naruto scratched the back of his head.

"I was actually looking for someone to train with..." He admitted. "I asked my friends but they all have missions and stuff." He grinned sheepishly.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow.

"Train with? You're not a ninja, Naruto." She reminded.

"Well I didn't go to the academy but I have a sensei!" He stated defensively.

Tsunade hummed at this.

"Really? I'm surprised. Leaf jonin aren't allowed to train civilian kids, your sensei must not be from the village." She reasoned.

"Yea! She's a traveler, she's told me about all the cool places she's been!" He grinned brightly.

Tsunade nodded thoughtfully.

"Well, if you need a training partner, I could help you for a while." She offered.

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise and excitement.

"Really?!" He asked, jumping up from his seat.

"Sure. I always like to see what techniques foreign shinobi have. Plus, going back to my office just means more paperwork." She said simply.

"Awesome! We can use that training field over there!" He pointed to the said field that lay behind the academy building.

"So what're you planning to practice today?" Tsunade inquired as they stepped into the field.

"Some genjutsu. Sensei assigned some new ones I need to learn." From his pocket, he pulled out the paper that he'd gotten from the bird that morning. He stared at the first jutsu on the list. He followed the hand seals written below it and concentrated, sending a steady flow of chakra to his hands and aiming it at Tsunade.

In the blink of an eye, spring had changed to winter. The vivid green grass was now dead, the blue sky turned cloudy. The nearby trees were withered and gray. Tsunade glanced around this new field carefully. She was impressed that he could manage to make it seem so real, especially since it was his first time trying it.

"Not bad kid, you did well."

He released the genjutsu and smiled brightly, now even more determined to get the rest right.

"Thanks! I'll try the next one." He followed the second set of hand seals from the paper.

Another success and approval from Tsunade. This one seems to be able to change what the target hears.

He tried the next one. And the one after that. All successes.

Soon he was on the last jutsu. He concentrated on the chain of seals at the very bottom of the page and directed chakra to them.

The instant Naruto finished the last hand sign, Tsunade saw him change into an old man with thin gray hair and heavily wrinkled face.

Her eyes widened as realization dawned on her.

"Granny Tsunade! How was that one?" Naruto, still looking like an old man, asked eagerly. The woman didn't respond. "Um, hello?" He stepped in front of her and waved a hand in front of her face.

"Hm? Oh right. That was fine, you did well. I should probably get back to the office though, there's a lot of work to do. See you later, kid!" She waved and disappeared instantly.

Naruto blinked, surprised that she left so quickly. That feeling soon subsided as he celebrated his own little victory of getting all of the jutsus right on the first try.

"I can't wait to tell sensei! I'll have to keep practicing and I'll be able to do all of them perfectly!" He nodded with a new resolve.

The leaves waved gently in the wind, shining their bright faces at the people who passed below. It was seven days after the recent attack and things were back to normal, as predicted. Buildings were fully repaired and everyone was going about their day as they usually would; people strolling the marketplaces, children playing outside, elderly couples taking a morning walk.

Naruto was excited, he had received another message via bird that morning, the letter was from Nina and had told him to come to the training field. Today was the first time in almost a week that he would be able to train with her and he was ready to show her everything he's been practicing.

"I will not be able to keep training you."

His smile immediately faded as he heard her words.

"What?" He asked, not understanding what she was saying. "What do you mean?"

"I will be continuing my travels. It has been quite a long time since I've settled in Konoha and I believe it would be best for me to start exploring once again."

Naruto was quiet.

"...you're leaving?" He asked, his voice barely a mumble.

"I'm afraid so." She nodded solemnly. "However, I do not intend to leave you as you are. I've decided to give you this." She stretched out a hand, there was a strange swirl above it before something suddenly appeared.

She handed it to him and he examined it closely.

"A book?" He asked, receiving a nod.

"It has been in my possession for far too long. It belonged to one of my old friends. It explains thousands of jutsus and techniques along with their accompanying seals." She lifted the cover and it opened to a random page; there was tiny writing etched into the worn paper. Gakunru Karum, Enroth-ill, Relayl, and dozens of other names could be seen on the page. A thought briefly crossed his mind about how strange the names were.

"Why are you giving me this?" He questioned, "You said it was from your friend right? It must be pretty valuable to you."

Nina let out a shallow breath and patted him on the head.

"When I first left my clan, this book, along with its brother, gave me comfort and safety. Over the years, I have grown very attached to them. However, a few years ago, I was pulled out of my life of solitude and into a place where I was, at first, very uncomfortable. As time passed, I realized that the place where I had been pushed into was a beautiful life, one that was part of an effort for a better future, wonderful by all means. But it wasn't for me. I understand that now. I hope this book will help you find your own future, not one that someone else made for you." Nina smiled gently. "This book is a wealth of knowledge and it wouldn't sit well with me to leave you without any guidance. Besides, knowledge is something to be shared, is it not?"

Naruto wasn't sure what to say, his eyes glued to the ground.

A long silence hung in the air.

"...a-are you sure?" He managed to find his voice, eyes beginning to water despite his best efforts.

"Quite." She stated. "I won't be gone forever, perhaps I'll come visit in a year or so." She tried to reassure him as best as she could.

Naruto nodded, still staring at the ground.

"When are you leaving?" He asked quietly.

"Right now, actually. I'm only here to give you the book. And bid you goodbye, of course." She added.

Naruto nodded again, he wiped his eyes with his sleeve and sniffled. He stepped forward and latched his arms around her, hugging her tightly.

Nina was surprised, staying still for a second before patting him on the back.

"You'll be fine, Naruto. I know you're a tough kid." She smiled gently. "I should be on my way now." She stated softly before he reluctantly let his arms fall to his side. She gave him one more pat on the head before turning and walking away towards the line of trees.

"BE BACK SOON, OK?!"

A loud shout made her turn her head. Naruto was staring straight at her, face determined and eyes shining with tears.

"I'LL TRAIN EXTRA HARD AND SHOW YOU HOW STRONG I AM! BELIEVE IT!" He yelled.

Nina stared at him for a moment. A small smile spread on her lips and she gave him a small nod. She turned and stepped behind a row of trees, disappearing from sight.