Broken Angel Redux

by Ilikefear1_2

Summary:

This is a rewrite of Broken Angel, taking nine years of content and reimagining it in the hopes of creating a better more fleshed out story that ultimately is easier to read and follow.

She was born a god. She was born to be amazing. And yet, events transpired that pushed her into the shadows. All of her life, she's lived in the Shadow of her younger sister. All her life she's lived with being hated by the village and unloved by her parents. Ever since she could remember, she's had a voice in her head, teaching her, and making her stronger. This is the story of her life. The story of a young goddess who will shatter the foundation of the entire magical world. She was born with the eyes of God, now... it is time for her to begin her journey to greatness.

Chapter 1: And so it Begins

Broken Angel

Chapter 1: And so it Begins

Ruins, that's all he could see around him as he glided elegantly through what was once the greatest hidden village in the world.

'It's a pity so much magical blood had to be wasted.' the man thought as he sidestepped another dead body.

Most people ignored the man, or simply didn't notice him as he made his way towards his destination.

The man couldn't help but admire the scale of destruction around him, the power of the Nine-Tails was truly astounding. It bothered him that so much magical blood was spilled but he knew that if this village wasn't taken down, all of his plans for the future would be destroyed. Ever since that blasted Minato Namikaze entered into his war, he and his Death Eaters hadn't won a single major battle. Minato didn't need to send his armies, as he could just go to the battlefield in an instant, no matter where he was previously. After he gave his special kunai knives to those damnable Order of the Phoenix members, his Death Eaters began being captured, it was so simple for Minato to appear and overpower his enemies, and then hand them over to the Order of the Pheonix of which his wife was a member.

Lord Voldemort was a smart man. He knew he couldn't take Minato in a one-on-one fight, that man was just too powerful and much too fast for the dark lord to contend with. So, he had to go with his 'partner's' plan. A tenuous partnership at best, but still, the masked man did deliver, and the devastation around him was a testament to how well the plan had worked. The only rub being that the Fourth Hokage was still alive. The two had prepared just in case the fox had been sealed and the village survived, to infiltrate and kill the new host, while the Fourth was weakened, thus ending the village for sure. Sadly, it seems his partner was not in decent health after the first attack, so Lord Voldemort was left to finish plan B on his own.

Voldemort strode purposefully into the busy hospital, he had placed a powerful notice-me-not charm on himself, which let him easily outmaneuver, and pass by the many shinobi and civilians present in the building. Eventually, he made it to the room where he knew the Jinchuriki were.

He opened the door and stepped in. Two Anbu black ops members fell from the ceiling in front of him swords drawn, their eyes were on the door, but with the Notice-me-not charm still active, he appeared invisible to them.

The Dark Lord let out only the lightest of chuckles before he wordlessly sent two curses right at the Anbu, and given how close he was, they were unable to dodge. Both curses struck true, right in the Anbu's chests. Both men wailed in agony, as they began to dissolve. Their armor and skin melted off, and soon their organs began to fall out of their bodies. With all the cries of pain echoing out all throughout the busy hospital, no one could hear the two warriors die in agonizing pain.

The Dark Lord moved past the pools of flesh that used to be the two ninja and made his way over to a nursery on the far side of the room. Two children awaited there. One was crying loudly, obviously startled from the deaths of the Anbu, while the other just stared at him.

Voldemort looked between the two children, it saddened him that innocent magical blood such as this had to die, just to kill one man. If that nuisance Lily hadn't managed to convince her husband to get involved in the war in Britain, he would have no reason to be here, and these two innocent children wouldn't have had to die. Sadly, however, he was here, and now he had to kill them. He gave both children a once over.

The crying child was blonde of hair and had deep blue eyes just like Minato, she wailed loudly and if it wasn't for the sizable power she was giving off, coupled with the slight trembling of the room from all the magic flowing off of her, he would have killed her immediately just to put an end to this. Yes, Lord Voldemort was a man of charisma and elegance, and he didn't enjoy hurting children, especially magical ones, but this was Minato's child, for her, he would have to make the exception, even if he wouldn't enjoy it.

He glanced over at the other child and was surprised to see her staring up at him. Only a day old and yet the look in the infant's eyes was intense. Voldemort sensed power in her eyes, they were a very dark blue, almost black if the light wasn't good. Her hair was a deep red nearly black as well. If it wasn't for her facial features, he would think that this child wasn't really Minato's. Obviously, she took more after Lily but still.

Voldemort stared into the child's eyes and was surprised to see understanding in them. She looked like she knew why he was there. This caught Voldemort off guard, but he quickly recovered, dismissing the thought as absurd. Still, he knew this would be something that would bother him for quite some time, this infant had an unnatural awareness to her, she seemed so understanding, and yet remained content. It was surreal. Voldemort raised his wand and aimed it at her.

There was a moment, a single quiet moment where he almost felt like he was upon a stage, performing an act. As if the strings of fate itself were being plucked, guiding his actions in this moment. He silently cursed whatever malevolent entity had guided him to this moment of cruelty. He stared at the child for a moment more, feeling a pang of sadness echo through him, he could only sigh, and return his focus to his purpose. Summoning his hatred, he uttered the words, "Avada Kadavra."

He watched as the eerie green light shot from the end of his wand at the child, he saw the light impact her stomach, and he watched her flinch. But instead of going still, her eyes shot wide and in his last moment, Voldemort saw something that no one had seen in thousands of years. He watched in slow motion, the green light of his spell, still hovering in the air, as the child's eyes changed. Her pupils became tiny, and her iris turned white, and then to his awe, her whole eyes turned a lavender color, and black rings appeared.

In the half second that it took for this to happen, Voldemort became the first person in generations to lay eyes on the legendary Rinnegan.

Suddenly, he saw the green killing curse begin to contort, the energy coalescing against what looked like some kind of shield or barrier, that had appeared around her body. He watched her crib warp and shatter, and he watched as the barrier expanded and the energy of his killing curse came hurtling back at him.

And as the Shinra Tensei, infused killing curse slammed into him, the Dark Lord had but one thought, as his whole body was vaporized, as his mind and soul became a wraith, that though, was that this child, this infant, was a power unlike any he'd ever seen before, and would one day change everything.

As Voldemort's wraith hovered in the air for a second, it glanced around the now ruined room. It spotted the blonde child lying on the floor covered in blood red chakra that seemed to shield her from death. She had some splinters embedded in her skin, but they were quickly pushed out by the demonic energy and healed almost perfectly. For some reason, the demonic energy caused a mutation to occur, along her cheeks, three whisker-like marks appeared.

The other child, the one who had just killed him was lying on the floor directly before him, her eyes returned to their normal state, and she began pawing at the air, a gentle cry escaping her newborn lips.

Voldemort knew that to stay was to risk death, so with a swift motion, his wraith flew out one of the now open walls, leaving the hospital room behind, just as a doctor came rushing in to investigate, slipping on the dissolved bodies of the dead as he did.

-A few minutes later-

"What the hell happened here?!" Minato shouted as he walked into the room on crutches. He was exhausted from sealing the Nine Tails, and he was still suffering from the injuries he incurred from fighting the Masked Man.

"I'm not sure my lord. The room just exploded. We rushed in here and found the two children unharmed, but their Anbu guards have been turned into slag." One of the Anbu informed him.

"Where are my babies?" Lily Namikaze's voice could be heard as she entered the room.

"Here, my lady." a dog masked Anbu replied, he was carrying both children in his arms.

"Oh, thank god." Lily sighed as she stepped up and took both her children.

"What caused this?" Minato asked himself aloud.

"Hm... perhaps an investigation is in order so that we may garner some information." A voice spoke from the doorway.

Minato glanced over and spotted an old friend.

"Headmaster." Lily greeted with a smile, getting one in return from Dumbledore.

"Dumbledore sensei," Minato said with a little happiness crawling into his voice.

"Minato my boy, it's been too long. I heard of the Nine-Tails' rampage, I and the other members of the order came as quickly as we could. Though it seems the danger has passed already." Dumbledore replied as he stepped into the room.

"Yes, the Fox has been sealed. But it seems something is still going on." Minato replied as he glanced around again.

"I wonder if this has anything to do with Severus's mark fading." Dumbledore remarked aloud.

"Snape's mark faded?" Minato asked curiously.

"Yes, not more than a few minutes ago, his mark began to burn and then faded, he sent me a Patronus with the news." Dumbledore replied as he pulled out his wand and made a few motions in the room.

To his amazement when his wand passed over the ashes that sat in the center of the room, the dark mark appeared over them.

"My goodness..." Dumbledore's eyes widened in awe, as he looked at the mark.

"That's Voldemort?" Lily asked, recognizing the mark, and the spell Dumbledore used to identify who used magic in the room.

"How is this possible?" Minato asked as he too realized what was going on.

"Somehow one of the children must have done it." Dumbledore stated.

"That's impossible, these children are a day old, there's no way they killed a wizard as strong as Voldemort." Lily replied as she glanced at the two bundles in her arms.

"Allow me to check." Dumbledore stated as he stepped over to Lily, she allowed him to wave his wand over the two children, and to his surprise, the youngest, Naruko, began to glow red. They also took notice of how she now sported whisker marks on her cheeks. It only took them a moment to make the connection between the marks and what had happened.

"The Fox." Minato stated as he looked at his youngest. "Its power must have somehow deflected Voldemort's attack."

"I think you are right." Dumbledore said as he eyed the child with shock.

"She killed Voldemort." One of the Anbu stated in shock.

"She's a hero." Another said as the news of the Dark Lord's death began to spread through the ranks.

"Not only is she a hero for the village, but now all of wizarding Britain as well." Lily said with a gentle smile.

"Killed the strongest Dark wizard alive at the age of one day old, that's my girl." Minato said with a proud smile.

If any of them had bothered checking the sleeping older child, they would have seen her eyes glow with the Rinnegan when Dumbledore used the spell. It lasted for only a moment before the visage of those legendary eyes faded away once more, taking the truth with them.

-Seven Years Later-

'Run!' A voice situated with her own mind shouted at her, it was a familiar thing and so she complied.

Narumi ran through the streets and back alleys at a quick pace, she was more than fast enough to avoid the crowd of drunken fools behind her, but she didn't want to go too fast lest one of the ninjas notice and question her about her speed.

She passed through the streets of the village that she'd called home her whole life. Though in truth the place was more like a prison.

Over the last seven years Konoha had been rebuilt and repopulated, though the echoes of that faithful night still lingered strongly in the minds of the people. For most, the village was a serene and gentle place, filled with laughter, and smiles, and neighborly friendship. For Narumi Namikaze, this village was hell.

It wasn't long before she lost her pursuers and arrived at her favorite place in the village, Ichiraku's ramen shop. The food there was tasty, but the thing she loved about this place was the genuine friendly nature of the owner and his daughter. The two were kind with everyone they met, but their willingness to extend that kindness even to the village pariah elevated them in her eyes. It was the one place that she actually felt content within the confines of the village. The one place she felt a semblance of safety, if only for a brief moment.

She sat down and the friendly chef Ichiraku smiled brightly at her and asked if she wanted her usual. She nodded, and the man got to work making her food.

Narumi had grown a lot in the last seven years, she was tall for seven, though was slightly underweight. Her hair was now down to her mid back and was still the same color as the day she was born, whenever it was dark out, her hair and eyes looked to be black. Her skin was pale like her mother's, and she was quiet and reserved most of the time, unlike her sister, who was loud and boisterous.

Her Sister, Naruko Namikaze, the Girl-Who-Lived. Hero of Britain, Slayer of the Dark Lord Voldemort. What a bunch of nonsense. It was annoying to Narumi, so what if her sister was the Girl-who-Lived? It's not like she actually did anything. The Nine-tails did most of the work.

'True.' The Voice remarked as Narumi thought about her sister.

The Voice had been with her since she was born, it was always there, offering her advice, training her into a better fighter, teaching her how to use her immense power. It was deep and gravely, definitely belonging to a man. And at times it could be harsh, and even antagonistic, but it was always there for her, and it often referred to her as it's grandchild. At certain moments it may even speak with a gentle, almost fatherly affection towards her, which Narumi yearned for, and desired. She tried to hide how much those moments meant, though deep down, she knew the voice was little more than a figment of her imagination, and as part of her imagination it would know all of her thoughts and feelings. She often lamented that the voice wasn't real. It hurt her to know that the one constant in her life, the one thing that held so much meaning to her, wasn't real, so she chose not to think about it. Chose to ignore it, and treat it as if it was real.

After a moment more, Narumi received her first bowl of Ramen and quickly began munching. As she ate, her thoughts turned towards her ramen obsessed father and sister, the two loved the stuff, even more than Narumi did. Her thoughts darkened at that. Her appetite beginning to fade.

At first, it saddened Narumi when she thought about how little her parents cared for her, they never really talked to her or listened when she talked, no it was always about Naruko. Naruko this, Naruko that. 'Daddy, can you train me? No, I need to teach your sister.' 'Mommy, can you show me magic? No, I need to teach your sister, maybe later.'

That's how it always was. She would ask and get shot down. Her relationship with them was quickly becoming antagonistic. Her parents hardly ever noticed her, and when they did, it was only when she really proved herself. Yet in those moments, she couldn't help but notice the disappointment in Minato's eyes, and in Lily, she saw what could only be described as resentment.

She never understood why this was in either of their cases. What father wouldn't be proud of their daughter's accomplishments? What mother would resent her daughter's growth? The conclusion she was beginning to reach with them, was that they were simply terrible people. It was the only thing that made sense. After years of trying to figure out what about her was so wrong that it would earn their ire, and finding nothing that made sense, she was left with only that conclusion.

At this point though, Narumi was just beginning to move past it, she had stopped asking her parents for help, and just stuck with the voice, it never lied to her, and though it wasn't always kind, it did help her, and support her, and when she accomplished her task, she was complimented. These simple things meant the world to her. Just a simple, 'good job' was all she needed to be happy, but her parents wouldn't even give her that.

She had reached her breaking point with her family after a recent event. That event effectively cut her off from ever going to them for help or for praise ever again. When she first saw her father perform tree walking, in a demonstration to Naruko and her pals, Narumi immediately decided that it was a good way to impress him without showing off just how far ahead she really was, and when she went to show her parents and godmother, what she had accomplished they were less than pleased.

When they found her hanging from the ceiling a proud grin stretched across her face, they didn't praise her, they didn't acknowledge her. When Naruko saw her, and began to pout angrily at her accomplishment, Narumi should have known she'd stepped in a mess. It was when one of her friends asked who Narumi was, causing Naruko to storm away in a fit of jealousy, that really set off her parents and Godmother. Lily had called her down from the ceiling and held her by the arm as she admonished her. She had yelled at her, for trying something like that without their permission. She called her rude, and cruel for trying to outshine her sister in front of her friends. Tsunade's words mirrored Lily's, finding fault in the small child. Minato's cold stare was the worst. The disapproving look on her father's face, shattered something in her. In that moment, through her heartbreak, she could remember feeling a rage that was not her own. It was so intense, and terrifying, yet it didn't touch at her, but rather wrapped around her like a protective veil. She didn't know it's source, nor could she rationalize the feeling in the moment. Poor Narumi was stuck under their hateful gazes for what felt like an eternity, if it wasn't for Uncle Remus and Kakashi being in the room at the time, Narumi was sure the slap her mother had prepared for her as retribution for this perceived act of defiance would have landed. She was glad they were there. Kakashi was her father's student and like an older brother to her, she really liked him, while Remus was one of her mother's friends from her school days, he was always kind and treated the twins equally.

Through out of all the bad that occurred that day, they were the one good thing that came from it, she knew that if push came to shove, she could rely on those two to help her out. As when they saw Lily's hand raise, Remus let out an angry growl and was at her side in a flash, and Kakashi was immediately between Lily and Narumi, separating the girl from her mother. It was only as Narumi backed away that she finally noticed just how tight her mother's grip had been on her forearm.

"That's enough I think." Kakashi had stated, his look heavy and warning.

"Kakashi what are you doing?' Lily asked, blinking in surprise, her eyes quickly flickering to Remus and seeing the glare on her old friend's face.

"Stopping you from hurting your child. And you." Kakashi stated pointing at Minato who looked taken aback by Kakashi's intervention. "You saw what she was about to do, you were really going to let your wife hit one of your children, your heir to be exact?" Kakashi asked with a dangerous look in his eyes.

"This is none of your concern Kakashi, she needs to learn to be patient, and not act out like this." Minato replied.

"Act out? She did no such thing. All I saw today was a child showing off what she had learned. Obviously, something she learned from watching others since I doubt anyone has taught her that. You should be proud of her. What reason could there possibly be for such hostility?" Remus asked with another growl as he eyed the two darkly.

"She could have hurt herself for one, and spying on people is another issue we need to address. She needs to learn that not everything happens when she wants it to happen. Gods, it seems all she wants to do is keep pushing and pushing, always trying to one up everyone around her, especially her sister. One of these days she's going to get hurt. She needs to learn patience; she needs to learn to accept 'no' as an answer. She just does whatever she wants, all the time, and damn the consequences. Hurting others. Getting into fights. Pulling cruel pranks. You think for a second, she didn't do this just to show off in front of Naruko's friends? Don't be a fool. If she ever wants to become leader of this family, she needs to stop acting like a bully. If she doesn't shape up, then the role is going to Naruko. The only reason it hasn't already is because poor Naruko already has enough on her plate." Minato replied coldly.

Remus and Kakashi both stared at Minato with wide eyes, unable to believe the garbage the Fourth Hokage was spewing right now. Narumi for her part, felt her blood run cold. Her father actually thought that about her. He actually thought she was a bully. All of those things he mentioned, all of it, it was true, she got in trouble a lot, she pulled pranks, she got into fights, but all of it was either to defend herself, or retaliate against someone who'd wronged her. Narumi had never in her life hurt someone who was innocent. Hell, she could clearly remember helping innocent people when in danger. She beat up some bullies for bullying other kids on a few occasions. It's just who she was. How could they not see that? Were they blind, or did they just hate her?

The idea had soured her spirit, and before she even knew what she was saying, words spilled out of her mouth.

"I hate you." Everyone heard someone say. They all glanced around until their eyes fell upon Narumi, who had her head bowed.

"What did you say?" Lily asked, unsure whether she heard her right or not.

"I said that I hate you." Narumi growled as she looked up at them her eyes had taken on a crushing blue appearance, they almost looked like bottomless pits the kind that if you looked into them for too long, you would fall in and keep falling forever.

"You little brat! Don't you talk about your mother and father like that! Apologize now!" Tsunade barked out angrily. As she saw the look of shock and anger on Minato and Lily's faces.

Narumi glared at them for a moment, staring at each one of their faces and the angry looks they held. She didn't see any love in their eyes, any regret for the things they said. The lack of compassion and remorse was what put the nail in the coffin for her. Finally, she let out an angry huff, as tears spilled out of her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. At the sight of her tears, she saw pain flicker onto the faces of Remus and Kakashi.

"You know what? I'm done." Narumi muttered, feeling the need to just be done with all of this.

"What?" Remus asked.

"I'm done with those three. I couldn't care less about leading this stupid family. And I don't care about being your daughter anymore either. I'm leaving." Narumi stated as she turned and started walking out.

"Get back here young lady. You are not leaving." Lily shouted at her, as she broke out of her stupor.

Lily pulled out her wand but before she even had it raised Narumi vanished in a Body Flicker.

"She can perform the Body flicker at seven. That is astounding." Remus stated, to which Kakashi nodded.

"Truly. She's truly remarkable. It pains me to see her treated so poorly for her gifts. You'd think given how gifted these three are, they'd know how to appreciate such talent." Kakashi offered in agreement, casting a rueful glare towards his former teacher.

"Well, what are the two of you waiting for? Let's go and find her." Minato sighed as he walked past them, his tone made it seem like he found the task to be annoying, rather than out of any sort of desire to make amends or fix this situation.

"Why?" Remus asked with a defiant look in his eyes.

"Remus..." Minato replied angrily, sensing his old friend's reluctance.

"You've never shown any interest in her emotional state before, no point in pretending to anymore. When she's ready, she'll come home, but for now, I'd say the three of you need to take a big step back and really examine what happened here today, because this, this was not how good parents react. This is not how family treats each other." Remus admonished them before sighing and turning to leave, deciding that he'd spent enough time in this village for now, and with the full moon approaching in a few days he had the perfect excuse to take his leave of it.

"Ya know, if Obito and Rin were here, there'd likely be no shortage of words to rebuke you. Unfortunately, it's just me, so you'll have to deal with my candid silence." Kakashi stated ruefully as he too vanished in a Shunshin, leaving a disgruntled looking Minato behind. The Fourth Hokage stared at where his student had been for several long moments before feeling a tug at his heartstrings. The image of Narumi's crying face flashed into his mind, and for a moment, Minato was reminded of a ghost, which caused his blood to run cold. He shook the phantoms free, and chose to heed Remus' advice, Narumi would return when she grew tired of this tantrum. For now, it was best to wait. He and Lily needed to have a long talk. Their feelings towards their eldest had really shined through today, and the influence they had on Tsunade was not helping matters either. They needed to get a handle on this before Narumi returned, lest matters become worse.

It had been about two weeks since that terrible day and she hadn't been home since. Sometimes a few shinobi would corner her, and try to force her to return home, but it was never really her, she had a few shadow clones wandering the village, a technique the voice had taught to her, so they never were able to corner her. She was a master of pranking, and because of the viscous pranks she had already pulled on a few of the shinobi, they had since become wary of approaching her and had just decided to follow at a distance. It seems her father had adopted the approach that she'd see how hard it was to live alone and come crawling home sooner or later, as long as she didn't leave the village and his Anbu kept an eye on her, she could do whatever for all he cared.

Narumi actually found it easier to live on the streets, because she didn't have to deal with heartbreak every time she went home. There were times when she would be locked out of the house, they would forget to include her at dinner, or even forget to take her on their trips. Now though, she didn't have to deal with any of that. At times, she did miss her twin sister. She and Naruko didn't have the best relationship, at times she downright hated her twin, but they were still sisters, and the voice often spoke of the importance of bonds between siblings, even if it would occasionally offer humorous criticism in regard to Naruko being an airhead, or a rambunctious brat.

People in the village were fast learning just what kind of terror Narumi Namikaze could be.

People learned fast that, she was not to be trifled with, as she'd turn her full focus onto them, and make their lives a living comical hell until they came begging her to stop. Now only the drunk or socially suicidal would dare mess with her.

Narumi allowed herself to finish her meal in quiet contemplation. Once done she placed the money on the table, said goodbye and left for her next adventure. Whatever it was, she was sure it would be fun.

-To be Continued-

Chapter 2: Brother

Broken Angel

Chapter 2: Brother

Narumi wandered around the village bored out of her skull, and more than a little depressed.

It sucked having no friends, or people to talk to. The only four people she had to talk to were Kakashi, who was always on missions, Remus, whenever he showed up, and the Ichiraku's but they were always working. She didn't have any friends her own age, or pretty much any age. It led to things being unbearably lonely, and the glares and whispers from the people around just made things worse.

Her reputation as a troublemaker kept parents from wanting their children to associate with her. People called her a bully, and that really angered her. To be lumped in with the same people who tormented her night and day, it stung at her soul, and made her hate this place, and all its inhabitants.

She was only a couple of weeks away from turning eight and that meant the Kyuubi festival was going to occur. Which meant she would spend the day dodging drunks and hiding from dingbats who thought hitting a child made them heroes. At around this time every year is when people really got sensitive in regard to her status as a Jinchuriki. It wasn't much of a secret to her. She carried the soul of the Demon Fox within her, forced into that role on the day she was born by her own damn father. The people of Konoha hated the Fox with a blind passion, and in many ways that hatred transferred over to Narumi. They saw her as the only means of striking out at the demon that had taken so much from them.

It never made much sense to her, why the villagers chose to target her, and not Naruko. She only contained the soul and body of the Kyuubi, not any of its power. If the Fourth Hokage was as good at sealing jutsu as everyone claimed he was, then they should have no worries for Narumi, as the demon had no power to fight back with. It's not like it could undermine the seal in any way, so they shouldn't be concerned about her being corrupted or influenced by it. No, instead it seemed more likely that the people were simply looking for a way to hurt the demon and hurting her was the only way they could do that.

It was the Voice that helped her reach that understanding. He was sure most people simply saw her as an avenue to pursue their desires for revenge and justice. They had all lost so much, and had no means of coping or moving on, so they sought whatever answer they could find. So what if it was irrational, so long as it made them feel better, that was all that mattered. When they looked at Naruko, they saw a hero, and that kept them from seeing her as a means to exact revenge on the Fox. She also only held its power, so hurting her, wouldn't hurt the Fox at all. In Narumi they saw a powerless soul and that empowered them to act.

This led Narumi to conclude that she would never have safety here in the village. People would never see her, they'd only see the Fox, and a means of hurting it. It was these thoughts that led Narumi to begin pondering her future, and what path she would take. The idea of becoming a ninja had always been on her mind, yet with these conversations, she became more convinced that becoming a Leaf ninja was a path to nothing but further pain, and more heartbreak.

What else could she do, if she didn't become a Leaf Ninja? Only one answer presented itself, and it twisted at her heart to think of it. She hated the idea, and she was afraid of it, but the truth of the matter was that it was likely her only means of escape from this hell, and that was to quite literally escape. To abandon the village and leave it behind. The idea scared her. The idea of leaving behind everything she'd ever known, it always made her pause, and it filled her with unease.

Why couldn't her family just love her? If they loved her, then all the rest of it, she could manage. Hell, even if it was only Naruko, she'd be happy. Having the love of her twin sister would have made it all worth it, because not so deep down, Narumi adored her twin. It wasn't all that long ago that the two were inseparable, and Narumi could remember how Naruko would look up to her, despite there only being a few minutes age difference between them. It felt so near that time, and yet Narumi couldn't remember when the last time Naruko wasn't a brat around her.

She wished it was possible to go back to that. All she needed was someone to love her. Someone who cared enough to be there for her when she needed them. She didn't have that though. The closest she had was the Voice, nothing more than a figment of her own imagination. Pathetic.

She turned her thoughts away from her darkened musing. She needed to find something to do, something to occupy her mind. If she was left alone with her thoughts for much longer, she might start travelling down to a darker place, and she really didn't wanna go there again. She never wanted to feel that level of desperation and helplessness again.

She needed to do something. She could always keep training, but that was boring. The voice in her head called her a prodigy unlike any it'd seen before, but she didn't really have a basis to compare, and the Voice wasn't real so that kind of compliment didn't really matter. She also wasn't sure if he was just trying to encourage her or if he was just exaggerating. Sure in a fight she could easily take any chuunin in the damn village, and if they weren't expecting it, she could probably do some damage to a Jonin as well, but that spoke more about the skill of the village's ninja as a whole, rather than her abilities. She was good, but she hadn't had much of an opportunity to truly compare herself to another fighter.

Her strength was her weakest point easy since she was still little, she couldn't work on increasing her muscle mass until later, otherwise she may damage her body. Speed wise she was faster than any Chuunin in the village, and thanks to her Godmother's drunken meandering Narumi was able to get her hands on some of her techniques, including info on her superstrength. She still hadn't perfected it and could only triple her strength while her Godmother could multiply her strength one hundred times.

Narumi had begun learning a bit about medical ninjutsu from stolen scrolls and the like, but these required an in-depth knowledge of anatomy and biology which she currently lacked, so she had to study up on those first before learning any sort of healing skills. Her genjutsu was alright, she only knew a handful of techniques, but they were decent, better than most Genin, and even a few Chuunin. Taijutsu, was one of her major skills, as the voice in her head, often claimed how it loved to bash people's faces in with a kick or a punch, and Narumi couldn't disagree, she'd broken a few noses, and wrists in her day, and it was fun to hear the crack or popping sound as bone broke, at least in her humble opinion.

Her skill in Shurikennojutsu was great, she was fully capable of curving Shuriken around multiple objects to hit a target thirty yards away, and she could take the wings off a fly with a senbon at ten yards, so her accuracy was awesome.

She was still too little to try to learn how to use a sword, but she liked the idea and was definitely into learning how when she was bigger. She was just now learning seal characters and found that she actually really enjoyed it, it calmed her when drawing out the Kanji for seals. She still hadn't made many, about the best she could do was make a simple storage scroll but still.

Where Narumi really shined was in skills that required less finesse. Like Ninjutsu and spellcasting. She didn't have a wand but found she didn't need one, she could cast a few spells with a wave of her hand though they were much more draining than she assumed they would be if she had a wand. Sadly, there weren't any wandcrafters in the Elemental Nations, and the only other wand around was her mother's, but she didn't want anything to do with that woman. Right now, she only knew two offensive spells, two defensive spells and three utility spells like Lumos, which she had taken from some of her mother's old books one time, before being caught and having them taken away and hidden.

Ninjutsu on the other hand was a much less trying endeavor. She quickly figured out that she had a unique chakra system and magical core. She learned from Uncle Remus that Wizards and ninja use two different parts of their magical pathways to draw energy from. Wizards draw from their core itself, while Ninja draw from their Chakra coils, or tenketsu points. Because of this a wizard bypasses the eight inner gates and draws directly from where their magic is made, this means that when they start, they have much more energy at their disposal then ninja, but not full access to their magic, as most magic is pumped out of their core, as it's made. This led to Wizards recovering magic quickly and suffering from less physical exhaustion but at the detriment of their magic being less dense. Ninja on the other hand gain a benefit later in life, since they draw energy from the coils, which are after the eight gates, meaning they have less magic to use, the benefit comes after a few years of using chakra, because the active use of chakra causes one's coils to expand thus causing their core to speed up production of magic. So, it has been found that the few people who practice both methods, were exceedingly more powerful, Minato, Voldemort and Dumbledore were a few noteworthy individuals who practice both forms of magic.

So anyway, Narumi possessed a unique magical system, if a Hyuuga were to look at her with their Byakugan, they would see a slightly larger than average core, and chakra coils. What they wouldn't see is how tightly packed all of the magic in her body was. According to the voice in her head, her natural chakra control was so high, and her body so unique, that chakra and magic did not escape her pathways or core, thus giving the illusion that she only had an above-average amount of magic, when in reality she had an incredible amount of chakra, more then Jiraiya even, and he had the second largest reserves in Konoha after her twin Naruko.

The Voice didn't quite know what to make of her incredible amount of Chakra. At such a young age, and without the actual power of the Nine Tails within her, she should have just had above average Chakra amounts. Having more than one of the Sannin, that was something that shouldn't have been possible without being a full Jinchuriki.

It had no explanation, and Narumi certainly didn't know what to make of it. All that she knew was that having that much chakra made performing magic much easier.

Thus, she was a savant when it came to ninjutsu. She hadn't yet figured out her base element, but if she had to guess it was likely fire and lightning, but she'd have to buy chakra testing paper, and she already had to deal with outlandish prices when buying food and clothes, no way was she spending money on a piece of paper when she didn't have any problems with learning any of the five elements. In all actuality, Fire and Lightning weren't even the easiest, they were just her favorites. According to the voice in her head, fire and wind were his favorite, because independently they caused immense damage, but when combined they were unstoppable. He didn't blame her for liking lightning over wind, it fit her personality better. All in all, she had eighteen jutsu of varying elements under her belt.

So, when it came down to it, Narumi was good to great in all areas, but because she didn't have a teacher, she couldn't really pull ahead in any area, so she just jumped between them. One skill that she possessed that no one, not even her famous sister could boast of having was being one incredibly tough little girl. Narumi could take one hell of a beating, as she would often have taijutsu matches with her Shadow clones and handicap herself in some manner or another. So, she toughened up quickly, the beatings from the villagers didn't hurt in that department either.

She thrived on the adrenaline of combat, she never felt more alive than when she was fighting, actually fighting. Sadly, the number of people that could actually fight her was getting smaller by the day. However, the number of people who could dance with her was still high.

That's what the Voice called it, he had once described the nature of battle to her. The threat of it, the intensity, how at any moment, your life could end. Unless your life is on the line, it's not a fight. When there is no chance for your opponent or it's so astronomically small, that it's not worth mentioning, it's not a fight. He called any other bout between two warriors a dance. This truth helped to shape her own ideology. She came to view it the same way, unless threatened by death, it wasn't a true battle. At most, it was a playful dance, a word used to emphasize the nature of battle as a form of expression.

Her natural abilities were simply incredible, there was no other way around it. Why was she so skilled, why did things come so naturally to her, she didn't know. The Voice in her head, simply said that she was special. What it meant by that; Narumi had no idea.

So, if not training, what else could she do? After a few moments of not being able to think of anything she just decided to train anyway. At least it would give her something to occupy her time.

Narumi made her way to one of the rarely used training grounds and just started her normal exercises, she started running around a nearby lake, and after that was finished she worked more on her control, so she went to the tree to practice her bounding skill.

Bounding was the term used to describe the act of jumping onto a surface and using chakra to stick. Naturally, it was harder than tree walking or water walking, as you only had a fraction of a second before gravity grabbed you and pulled you down. The hardest form of this training was going from water to a solid surface that hung above the water, forcing the person to keep flipping upside down to get their feet beneath them. It was very tiring, most chuunin weren't able to do it for more the a couple of minutes before either tiring or barfing.

It had probably been thirty minutes when Narumi landed upside down on a tree limb with a sigh, she moved atop it and sat there. She let out a few tired breaths when suddenly she felt something cold and sharp press against her neck.

"You've got some stamina there girl, but you should know never to let your guard down." A voice mockingly stated from behind her.

"You've got one second to get that blade away from me before I explode." Narumi stated in a cold tone.

"Brave words little girl, but I'm the one holding the blade." The voice replied, in a condescending tone.

"One." Narumi spoke with a snarl.

"... What?" The figure asked, but he didn't get time to contemplate her statement as the Narumi he held captive suddenly and violently exploded, sending the would-be assassin flying into a tree. He slammed violently into it and fell to the ground the wind knocked out of him.

"Holy shit... how does a seven-year-old know the Shadow Explosion jutsu?" The man asked while trying to regain his footing.

"That, like living, is no longer your concern." Narumi stated coldly. She wasn't sure she could go through with her statement and actually kill the man; she'd never killed anyone before, but for some reason his attempt on her life, made her feel as if his life had just been made forfeit and now it was her right to take it.

In her head the Voice spoke, identifying weak points to target to take down the bigger foe quickly before they could recover. She took the moment to note that this man... boy... couldn't be more than twice her age. He was taller than her, but not tall enough to be an adult.

Killing him, it was a vicious thought, but with the week she'd been having, she was slowly starting to lose her grasp on civility. Such anger, it was uncharacteristic of a child.

"Wait!" Another voice shouted as a Weasel masked Anbu landed next to the downed boy, who turned out to be a Crow masked Anbu.

Narumi stepped out of the shadows and stood before the two men as the Crow masked one finally made it to his feet, he was holding his ribs, obviously, they were broken from the force of the explosion.

"Why should I? He attacked me. Tried to kill me. That makes his life forfeit." Narumi replied darkly.

"Please lady Narumi, my idiot friend did not mean anything by his attempt, he was just trying to scare you." Weasel tried to explain.

"And why pray tell, did this moron think that placing a blade to the throat of someone with my reputation was a good idea?" Narumi asked, her eyes alight with fury.

"That's just why." Crow stated. "I heard everything about you from the others. Our Captain, Dog, he speaks highly of you, and he never speaks highly of anyone. I just wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I saw you training, and it truly looked like your guard was down, so I decided to see what he was talking about. I was only intending to scare you, I swear. Had I known those stories were true, I would have never tried something like this." Crow explained in pained breaths. The two men knew that Crow was in no condition to fight. That technique had been at full power, and it damn near killed the fool for his prank. Both men knew that in his condition, Crow couldn't fight a kitten, let alone a seven-year-old with a reputation of screwing the Anbu side-ways every chance she got.

"Well, Crow... you should have studied your target more. If you had, you would have known that I never drop my guard around the fools of this village." Narumi stated with the glare in her eyes never leaving the two men.

"Please my lady. He is very sorry and meant no harm, allow him to get medical attention, and we will find some way to repay you." Weasel offered.

"Yeah, I'm truly sorry, there was no other motive besides spooking you. It was a stupid idea, and I regret it. If there's anything I can say or do to apologize, please let me know." Crow informed her as he tried to straighten up and look professional.

Narumi looked like she was thinking their offer over when the voice suddenly whispered a suggestion. After a moment Narumi replied.

"Go get your ribs checked out. The two of you will be back tomorrow and every day that you are free from your Anbu duties afterwards for a full thirty days. During which you two will teach me. Once your thirty days are up, you'll have repaid your debt, is that fair?" Narumi asked, with a menacing grin.

The two men shared a look where Crow simply shrugged, and Weasel let out an audible sigh.

"Very well. If this will forgive this trouble he is in, then we'll do it." Weasel replied, receiving a nod from Crow.

"Good. See you tomorrow boys. And try not to sneak up on anyone for a while, Crow. You might get bitten again." Narumi said with a girlish chuckle as she turned and skipped merrily away, uttering a vocal thanks to the voice for its wonderful suggestion. Both of them heard her, but didn't know who she was talking too, it left them more than a little creeped out.

"Next time Shisui, when I tell you it's a bad idea to do something. Listen." Weasel stated with a sigh.

"Yeah yeah, don't get your panties in a bunch Itachi, it could be worse. Besides, a month learning what she can really do? I'd gladly get blown up again, for a chance to see that." Crow replied.

Weasel simply shook his head and let out another sigh before stepping up to help support Crow, "Let's get you to the hospital, we'll discuss your antics later." Weasel stated as the two started walking.

"Yeah yeah. I'll be sure to pay attention mother." Crow replied dismissively.

"You'd best. Otherwise, I'll have to tell the rest of the team how you were just defeated, with one jutsu, that was used by a seven-year-old girl who isn't even a ninja yet." Weasel said with a bit of mischief evident in his voice.

"You wouldn't dare." Crow muttered.

"Would I? That is the question. But it's for later. For now, let's get you to the hospital and figure out the damage." Weasel replied.

The next day, the two Uchiha arrived on the field to find Narumi meditating peacefully. After a couple moments of silence, the older of the two cleared his throat loudly enough for her to hear.

"Welcome back Weasel, Crow." Narumi stated as she opened her eyes and stared at the two Uchiha.

"Hey girlie, we're out of uniform right now, don't call us that, just stick with our names." The older of the two said, as the younger just adopted a disgruntled look.

"Very well. What are your names?" Narumi asked.

"Shisui and this is Itachi." Shisui replied.

"Ha! I blew up Shisui the Teleporter! That's awesome!" Narumi suddenly cheered with glee, as she recognized the famous boy, while also taking note of Itachi as the Uchiha clan heir.

"Ah... hey you caught me off guard... and..." Shisui tried to defend himself.

"You had to have your friend here stop me from maiming you. I'd constitute that as a win in my book." Narumi told him with a smirk.

"She's got you there Shisui." Itachi replied with a smirk of his own.

"Shut up both of you. Let's just get this started." Shisui replied, obviously embarrassed.

"Alright then. Let's begin. What would you like to learn first?" Itachi asked.

"Well I know a bit of pretty much everything, shinobi wise, so I can learn and grow in any area." Narumi replied with a thoughtful look.

"Well, what are your strengths and weaknesses?" Shisui asked. He was very interested to hear her reply, since being injured, he'd started to believe the things his captain had said about her and was immensely curious to hear from her own lips just how strong she was.

"Hm... my strengths are probably Ninjutsu and Taijutsu. My weaknesses are probably genjutsu and medical ninjutsu." Narumi replied after a moment of thought.

"Well cool. I can help you improve your strengths and Itachi here can work on your weaknesses. I'm great at Ninjutsu and Taijutsu. Itachi's great at everything, but where he really shines is Genjutsu." Shisui stated, earning a nod from Itachi.

"Alright let's just switch off, Weaknesses today, strengths tomorrow." Narumi suggested with a happy grin.

"Hey whatever you want. You're the one holding us hostage here." Shisui replied with a chuckle.

"Yeah, and I'm gonna milk this for all it's worth... Sensei." Narumi responded with a wicked grin.

The two Uchiha shared a look before chuckling at the little girl's antics.

"Alright, let's begin then." Itachi stated.

And for the next thirty or so days that's how it went. The two boys would show up early, and train Narumi for a couple hours. It shocked the two at how good she was. Both were considered prodigies, and she wasn't nearly up to their level yet, but damn if she didn't give both men a run for their money. Where she couldn't match them in skill or strength, she could beat them in stamina, and chakra. Plus, the two men didn't expect her use of spells, Itachi spent a good portion of their fourth day together dodging stunners.

Narumi had fun with the two guys. They were both kind, and while Shisui would often tease her, and get into competitions with her, he was always respectful. Itachi was the same way, he may tease her every so often, but he treated her with respect. Another good thing about them was that neither man pried into her reasoning for never going home. They learned the truth when Dog asked them where they had been spending all their free time. When they told him, he in turn told them the things that had happened at the Namikaze estate a couple of months back and asked the two to keep an eye on her. The two men were shocked and angered that their own Hokage would treat his child like that, both men lost a lot of respect for the Fourth after hearing that.

Neither ever let on that they knew the truth. They quickly realized that Narumi was a prideful girl, and that to pity her, was tantamount to insulting her, and she didn't take insults kindly.

Narumi learned quickly and it often left the two men flabbergasted at how she could learn a B-rank Ninjutsu in one day and have it mastered within a week. Her massive chakra stores allowed her to spam incredibly high-level techniques while her incredible control allowed for her to use delicate techniques and abilities. Learning from the two, helped her to really hone her skills and finally gain some battlefield experience. Fighting against actual skilled shinobi did wonders for her, and with tips and observations from the Voice, she quickly began to overcome the challenges both young men put before her.

On October tenth, Narumi's birthday, she spent most of the day alone, but shortly before sunset, Shisui and Itachi found her and gave her birthday presents. Narumi was ecstatic, she was so happy that she was bouncing around the whole time thanking the two profusely. Aside from Remus, and Kakashi, the only other person who really got Narumi gifts for her birthday was Naruko, though seeing as how she didn't have money of her own, they were mostly simply trinkets or things she'd made or found, yet those presents carried a deep meaning to Narumi. One she still carried with her, as a token of remembrance of the time when the twins were close, was a hair clip, meant to keep Narumi's wild bangs from falling into her eyes. She'd given it to her last year, and Narumi still wore it, often times lamenting on it, and remembering how the two used to be friends. Even a year ago, the two had been growing further apart, Naruko was began treating her with more and more resentment, and began bullying her and making fun of her, it only got worse as time went on.

This year was probably the best birthday she could remember.

She had received a Tanto and Wakizashi from Shisui. Both were plain blades obviously just meant to be cast away when they broke, but he figured she could use the tanto now and learn with the Wakizashi before moving up to a larger sword when she got older. Narumi had always been fascinated by the sword, and having been gifted ones by Shisui with his assurances that he believed she could be great at Kenjutsu really inspired her to begin learning the art. His opinion of her was beginning to mean a great deal to her. Itachi got her some blank scrolls, along with new ink and brushes, for her sealing practice, plus he got her a book on human anatomy, since he knew she had an interest in learning medical ninjutsu, and he knew that was one of the required fundamentals if you ever wanted to get good at it.

She was so happy with her gifts; she didn't have to wait long to get her gifts from Kakakshi. Kakashi had stopped by a little bit later, and gave her his gift, a fresh pack of Shuriken, Kunai, and senbon, since hers were all getting dull, or broken. He also dropped off Remus's gift, since it was that time of the month again, and he was off dealing with his furry little problem. Remus's gift was a book on basic transfiguration spells. Remus knew of her ability to use spells without a wand, so he knew she would make good use of this gift.

All in all, a great birthday. Narumi ended the day with a smile on her face, which had become a rarity these last few months

Her training continued, and she received further praise from her two teachers, who found her rapidly growing skills to be almost unnatural.

Eventually though, her time with Itachi and Shisui, came to a close. The thirty days were up, and she didn't expect to see them as often anymore. They both promised to keep showing up and helping her whenever they could, but still, she had held them for long enough, and though it saddened her immensely that she wouldn't have them as a constant in her life any longer, she had come to care about the two enough to let them leave, if that's what they wanted.

To her surprise not two days later, Shisui showed up again and offered her more training. It seemed the man had come to view her as a little sister and had enjoyed the time they spent together.

Narumi was so happy to have a true friend like Shisui, sure he was like twice her age, but still, he was so nice to her. And treated her how she wanted to be treated. He became her first true friend, and that idea alone, was enough to restore Narumi's hope in a brighter future. It motivated her and filled her with purpose in the morning. Having a friend was all she ever really needed, and now she had one. It was a life-changing experience, and she was eternally grateful to Shisui for giving her this chance, and for being her friend.

Things continued with them training for several more weeks, Shisui, showed up as often as he could to train her. Sometimes Itachi would come with, but with his recent promotion to Anbu captain, his free time got slashed immensely. Still, Narumi wasn't bothered by it, she came to view Itachi as her second friend, and the two men collectively became her older brothers. She was always so excited to meet with them, it filled her days with joy and made her forget about her family.

One day about a month after her birthday she and Shisui sat atop the Hokage mountain, watching the sun set.

They had just finished another rigorous day of training and honestly, in Shisui's opinion, the girl was going to soon pass him up, she just learned everything so fast, and her skills grew at such an astounding rate, that she was often measurably stronger after each passing day. Today had been the closest she'd come to beating him in a straight-up fight, the fresh cut on his cheek, was a testament to how close her blade had gotten.

Shisui, couldn't help but smile as he thought on her progress, it really made him proud as a sensei, that his student had come so far in such a short time, he glanced over at her, and saw her staring into the sunset, with a content smile on her face.

All he could do was smile as well and wonder what tomorrow would bring.

-Six days later-

Some time had passed and the two continued their training, currently, they were both in the training yard, going all out against each other, Shisui had his Shunshin technique at full power and was flying across the field to avoid Narumi's jutsu and a barrage of shuriken.

The girl moved with incredible speed for one so young. She undoubtedly surpassed where both he and Itachi were at that age; hell give her a year and she'd probably be on par with where they were now. He was amazed by her growth in power, and he worked diligently to challenge her and encourage her to keep growing. Potential like hers comes around once in a lifetime and it had to be nurtured.

He came to a halt and began to speed through hand signs, preparing to launch a fireball at her, when he spotted something odd.

Narumi was watching Shisui intently as he came to a sudden halt, he had been moving with frightening speed, not holding back this time around. Many of the man's movements were little more than a blur to her, yet with each passing moment, with every blinding movement she found herself getting a clearer and clearer view of his actions. It was almost like she was adjusting to his speed, her eyes adapting to perceive his movements. As the fight persisted without her landing a hit, she felt her frustration growing. She watched him come to a halt and begin to speed through hand signs, and for a moment his hands moved too fast to follow but then, time seemed to slow down, she saw his hands move clearly, she could understand the hand signs and recognized the jutsu. His body began to glow, an airy blue light beginning to manifest around him. She'd never seen a jutsu like this before, so she immediately tensed up in preparation for the unknown.

A chuckle filled her mind, the source coming from the Voice.

Before she could question what that was about, she saw Shisui pause for a second, as he stared at her, almost like something had startled him. He fell out of a fighting stance, yet the blue glow remained around him.

"What?" Narumi called out as he stopped his hand signs and started to walk towards her.

"Your eyes... they're glowing red." Shisui stated, more than a little worried, since he knew what she held within her.

"Huh? Red?" Narumi replied with confusion. She fished out her tanto and looked at her reflection in the shining metal. She saw that her eyes were indeed red, and there, next to each pupil was a single tomoe.

"Is that..." Narumi began.

"The Sharingan." Shisui replied once he was close enough to confirm it.

'A gift, one your father never managed to gain.' The voice in her head stated.

'A gift... from who?' Narumi thought back in reply.

'Me. You thought I was nothing more than a figment of your imagination. Ha! I told you, silly girl. You're my grandchild.' The Voice replied to her, amusement coloring its gravely tone.

'My Grandfather? So... that means you're an Uchiha? Or were.' Narumi thought as she admired her reflection. She'd always wanted eyes like the Uchiha, she just felt a connection to those powerful red eyes, when she saw them in Shisui or Itachi, she couldn't help but admire them. It was such a powerful Dojutsu and she had always been fascinated with it.

'I was once a member of the Uchiha clan, in a time so very long ago. Now I am nothing more than an echo of the past. A reflection of our former greatness. I am the Ghost of the Uchiha Clan.' The Voice replied anger, disappointment and a tinge of regret could all be felt in its words.

'So that means, Naruko and I...' Narumi began to think but was cut off by the voice.

'No! Don't even think to lump your loser sister in with you. She's proven herself to be little more than an extension of her parents. Even if she somehow managed to awaken these eyes of ours, it wouldn't do her much good. A strong pedigree never truly compares to a natural born prodigy.' The Voice cut off any line of thought in that regard. Narumi was taken aback for a moment, taking in its anger towards her sister, an anger that she sometimes felt as she wondered what had happened between them. She couldn't disagree with the Voice's assessment about her twin. Just an extension of her parents. Yeah, that seemed to sum up Naruko lately.

Narumi took a moment to rationalize this, to situated everything clearly in her mind. She possessed the Sharingan, and the Voice in her head, that had been with her all her life, wasn't actually a manifestation of her mind, but the voice of her grandfather. That was incredible. For a moment she felt herself recalling all of the times the Voice had helped her, or guided her, or encouraged her, it all made sense now, and it made her feel warm inside. To have something like that, to have the guidance of a family member. She had no idea why it had taken her this long to actually believe the Voice, as it had always made the claim that it was her grandparent. Perhaps the manifestation of the Sharingan a thing she'd have no explanation for, finally gave her the evidence she needed to believe it.

"This is amazing. You're an Uchiha... wow. I guess that explains the nearly black hair and eyes. You must have gotten our genes, still I wonder which side of the family it comes from. Neither of your parents have it." Said Shisui with a look of amazement plastered on his face.

"Yeah... my uh... grandfather was an Uchiha." Narumi said as she continued to look into her eyes.

"Wow... since your mother isn't from this land, that means it's most likely your paternal grandfather. Huh, the Fourth Hokage is an Uchiha... wow... That's... that changes things..." Shisui thought aloud, something touching at his voice as a realization struck him. Whatever had caught his attention went unnoticed by Narumi.

"I wonder where the blonde hair and blue eyes comes from?" Narumi mused.

'No clue where that blonde hair came from. He had black hair and eyes when he was little.' The Voice stated.

'Hm... so you really are my grandfather? How is it you are talking to me? Are you like an actual ghost, does that mean you're dead?' Narumi asked.

'It's complicated. The short of it is that I placed a piece of my chakra into your father when he was a small child, but it got locked away. When he sealed the Fox's soul into you, a connection formed that allowed me to transfer over to you. That same seal that kept me from speaking with him is not present with you, that coupled with the fact that you have a mindscape that I can inhabit thanks to the Fox's seal, allows me to talk to you.' The voice explained.

'Oh... okay. Well... I've always just called you Voice, but now that I know you aren't just a figment of my imagination... do you have a name?' Narumi asked.

'Yes... yes, I do. My name is Madara, Madara Uchiha.' His answer, smashed into Narumi like a truck. Madara Uchiha, her grandfather was Madara Uchiha!

One of the two founders of the Hidden Leaf village, the only one who could stand against Hashirama Senju, the strongest shinobi to have ever lived. He was her grandfather? Narumi was left in a dumbfounded stupor for much of the rest of the day, only breaking out of it to learn from Shisui how to activate and control her newly awakened eyes. With this newfound revelation, a great deal would soon change for her.

-To Be Continued-

Chapter 3: The Incident

Broken Angel

Chapter 3: The Incident

It had been a week since Narumi had activated her Sharingan. She and Shisui had been training with it nonstop, and like everything else, she took to it, like a fish to water. She already had two tomoe in both eyes, and she felt her power soar with each passing day. With the power of the Sharingan, Narumi was now able to learn techniques even faster, she would just copy them, and then master them. Most Uchiha made that mistake, they would just copy a technique, never work on it, or master it in any way.

Shisui hadn't told anyone about her Sharingan, not even Itachi, he wanted it to be a surprise for when he showed up for training again. Shisui was sure that by the time her Sharingan fully matured, she would finally surpass him. She'd already won a few of their fights, by using her Sharingan to avoid his attacks, and then just outlast him. It would be a while before she was more skilled than he was, but skill wasn't the only thing that mattered in battle. In a fight, every variable could ultimately be the deciding factor.

"You're doing amazing Narumi. If you keep this up, you'll have the Sharingan mastered faster than anyone ever has. Your progress really is impressive." Shisui told her as the two stopped to rest for a few moments.

"Thanks... I've been working really hard. I can't wait to get the third tomoe so my eyes will be like yours." Narumi replied happily.

"Soon. At the rate you're going it won't be that long." Shisui stated honestly.

"Thanks." Narumi replied as she smiled.

Shisui couldn't help but smile at his surrogate sister. She was progressing so quickly, and she wasn't nearly as violent as she had been when they first met. It seemed that by associating with people, she was finally starting to trust others and come out of her shell.

When she wasn't so reserved and shy, Narumi had a bright and bubbly personality. She was fun and playful, a mirror image of her twin sister. He knew her well enough to know that despite her ever-growing displeasure for her family, she still had a soft spot for her sister. Of all the pain she felt in regard to her parents, it was her collapsing relationship with Naruko that seemed to bother her the most. He understood why that was, strip away the doom and gloom and Narumi could be the mirror image of her sister. They seemed to be a lot alike, from what little he'd seen of Naruko Namikaze, and that's probably why their strained relationship bother Narumi so much.

He wished there was something he could do to fix it. Maybe there was. He didn't know the full extent of the problems that she had going on at home, but he suspected a part of the reason for the Fourth Hokage being so moody and angry around had to do with a certain something going on between the Leaf and the Uchiha. Shisui had a plan though. He needed to speak with Itachi first, get his opinion on it. Perhaps by revealing that the Fourth Hokage himself was an Uchiha that might shock both sides long enough to bring them back to the negotiating table so they could work through this issue. If that helped relieve the Hokage, then perhaps things at home would improve for Narumi. He hoped for it. It may have been a fool's hope, but he cared for her. Loved her like a sister, and he wanted the best for her.

"Hey, brat... I've got a mission tomorrow, but once it's finished how would you like it if I took you to the Uchiha compound to meet the rest of the clan? Itachi's got a little brother your age, I'm sure you two would like each other." Shisui offered.

"What? Really?" Narumi asked, her eyes lighting up at the prospect of having yet another friend.

"Really. I'll take you there as soon as I get back." Shisui said as the little girl cheered with excitement.

"Thanks so much Shisui. You're the best!" She cheered as she ran up and hugged him. After a moment she pulled away and blushed, obviously embarrassed by her sudden outburst. It had been the first time she'd done something like that, the first person she'd hugged who wasn't Naruko, and she couldn't remember the last time she'd shared a hug with her twin sister. Probably two or three years. Stretching to the furthest reaches of her memory.

"Ha... you just wait until I get back, I'm sure the rest of the clan will be happy to meet an awesome girl like you." Shisui stated with a warm smile as he patted her on the head, causing her to blush again at the compliment.

"You know if I ever had a sister, I'd want her to be just like you. You're a good girl Narumi. Don't let anyone tell you differently." Shisui told her as he gave her a hug of his own.

"Shisui... You're my best friend. I want you to know that." Narumi said to him as she hugged him tighter.

"I do... it makes me really happy to have a friend like you Narumi. You keep up the hard work, I'll see you when I get back." Shisui replied trying his absolute damnedest to remain manly and cool, and not break into tears. After another moment the two parted and offered each other bright smiles. He had to go now and see this problem between the Leaf and the Uchiha dealt with. Through her, he may have unearthed a third option for them to try. He'd talk with Itachi about it later when they met. Regardless of which direction they chose, he'd do what needed to be done to stop this growing threat. He had more reasons than ever to keep the village safe and stable. He had a little sister to look after now, and he'd be damned if he let anything happen to her.

With a final smile, Shisui said his goodbyes and headed off. Narumi watched him leave with a happy smile. She would be counting the days until he returned, she couldn't be more excited.

-Five days later-

Narumi sat in a tree at her usual training ground, it had been more than a few days since Shisui had left and naturally the girl was getting impatient. She couldn't wait until he returned. She hadn't gone this long without seeing him since they first met, and the loneliness was beginning to creep back in. Thankfully she had Madara to keep her company, as she asked him for stories about his own childhood, his family, his brothers, the fighting, the conflicts, meeting Hashirama Senju when they were still both kids.

It filled her time and made the loneliness bearable as she waited for her friend to return.

"Narumi!" A voice called out to her. Narumi immediately shot up and jumped out into the field, expecting Shisui to be there. Instead, she found Kakashi waiting for her.

"Narumi... there you are, I've been looking for you." Kakashi stated.

"Kakashi? What are you doing here?" Narumi asked, not at all unhappy to see him. Since she hadn't gone home in months, she hadn't seen Kakashi as often as she used to, so she was happy to get whatever chance she could to see him.

"I was looking for you. I wanted to see how you were doing." Kakashi replied, he obviously wasn't in a good mood, if the inflection of his voice was any determining factor.

"I'm fine. Just waiting for Shisui to come home from his mission." Narumi replied.

"Waiting for Shisui...? Wait, has no one told you what happened?" Kakashi questioned as his eye suddenly fell to the ground.

"What do you mean?" Narumi asked curiously not liking the way Kakashi was acting.

'Don't tell me!' Madara swore in her mind, reading the situation through her eyes.

"I'm so sorry Narumi... Shisui was found dead a few days ago." Kakashi told her as he finally locked eyes with her.

"... What...?" Narumi asked as her whole world suddenly came crashing down.

"I'm sorry Narumi. His body was found in the lake. It looks like suicide." Kakashi informed her, sorrow was evident in his voice.

"He's dead? No! No! How can he be dead? I just saw him a few days ago... how?" Narumi felt tears begin to roll down her cheeks and her eyes suddenly began to burn.

"I don't know what to say. It surprised us all. I've known Shisui for years. Suicide... it just never seemed like his style. I'm so sorry Narumi I know how much he meant to you. I thought you'd been told. Had I known I would have come by sooner." Kakashi stated, as he took a step towards her, and placed his hands on her shoulders.

Narumi let out a growl as she shook his hands off and stormed away, stopping several feet from Kakashi.

"No. Shisui... Why? Suicide? Why would you do this? WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO ME, SHISUI?! DAMMIT! DAMN YOU!" Narumi screamed as she dropped to her knees, tears fell freely from her eyes, and her chest started to hurt. She kept replaying the last thing he said to her.

'I'll see you when I get back.'

Those words. Why? Why would he lie like that? That's all she could think about. Why would he say that, and then kill himself?

"Damn it! Damn it all! Shisui... YOU GODDAMN FUCKING LIAR!" Narumi shouted, rage and sorrow evident in her voice.

Narumi shot to her feet, her hands flying to her head, as her eyes once again throbbed in pain.

"Narum..." Kakashi tried to say but was cut off when Narumi let out an ear shattering scream. Kakashi had to cover his ears, her scream of sorrow and rage was so loud, it was unlike anything he'd felt before. This scream was filled with magic. Raw, undiluted magic.

He felt the ground rumble a bit, saw small pebbles lift into the air. He saw the air around her distort and shift, almost as if the space around her was bending and twisting in accordance with her pain.

Narumi's hands were now both clutching her face, covering her eyes. She was still screaming, at the top of her lungs, the sorrow in that scream, the sadness, and rage, it tore into Kakashi's soul, it was a sound he would gladly kill himself to never hear again.

From within her, Madara observed the event, not quite sure what to make of it. For a moment, he expected her to reawaken her Rinnegan, the power that tore out from around her was enough to make him think it so.

Flashes of her time with Shisui shot through Narumi's mind, as she felt her heart break more and more, every time she remembered him smiling at her, or complimenting her. "Shisui... why would you do this to me? I thought... If it hurt so much... if you were hurting, why didn't you come to me? Why did you have to kill yourself? Why? How could I let this happen?!" Narumi shouted; her eyes felt like they were on fire.

"'It makes me really happy to have a friend like you.'" She remembered him say.

"Why Shisui? Why would you say that if you were in so much pain? How could you do this to me! Why would you leave me?" Narumi cried.

Kakashi wanted so badly to wrap his arms around her. To hold her tight and try to alleviate some of her pain. This girl was like a sister to him, he'd known her since the day he was born, and now he couldn't even get close enough to console her, all he could do was stare at the immense power she was letting off, with amazement and fear.

'Narumi... I know it hurts... but before you do anything rash, save your friend first." Madara ordered. His words broke through to her, allowing her focus to return.

Narumi glanced over her shoulder at Kakashi, she found him still standing there, watching her with concern, and worry.

Kakashi watched as everything settled down. He watched as the air returned to normal, and the floating pebbles fell back to the ground. Narumi's screaming had stopped, and he could see her looking at him.

"Narumi?" Kakashi asked taking a careful step towards her.

"Kakashi... Just go... I need to be alone. I need to vent. I don't want you to get hurt. Please." Narumi said, her eyes slightly obscured by her hair.

"Narumi, I don't think..." He began to reply but froze when he caught sight of her eyes. While he couldn't see her eyes completely, he could see a bright red glow coming from behind her hair, and knowing what she was, he knew what that glow meant.

"Could that be...? That's impossible! She only has its soul. It can't be the cause of this." Kakashi thought to himself in a moment of panic.

"Be sure to tell the Hokage not to send anyone here for a little while. If one of his lackies shows up to try and boss me around, I'll kill them." Narumi told him as he backed away, the menace in her voice was unlike anything he'd ever heard from her before. He felt his stomach sink, recognizing in that moment that something irreparable had been broken in her.

"Please don't hurt yourself." Kakashi thought as he finally Shunshined away. He needed to go and report what he'd seen to the Hokage, as much as he loathed the idea of involving his former sensei at the moment, the idea that the seal had been disrupted enough to allow some of the Fox's power to manifest was something he just had to bring to his attention.

"Grandfather... give me something to help me sleep. I just wanna pass out from exhaustion. I can't... I don't wanna deal with this anymore." Narumi begged of her grandparent.

'Okay, copy this.' Madara ordered, and suddenly Narumi saw hand signs flash through her mind, her Sharingan easily copied the technique, and she quickly spun away from the direction Kakashi had left in and sped through about forty hand signs.

"Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!"

Kakashi was about two hundred yards off when suddenly a wall of fire one hundred feet high shot into the air. It raced across the whole field and turned the place into scorched glass.

He stopped his retreat and turned his gaze back towards the event, watching in astonished disbelief.

Shinobi all over the Leaf felt or saw the wall of fire at one of the training fields. Whatever that technique was, it was definitely of much higher rank than what was usually practiced in the village.

Minato spun around in his chair and looked out the window of his office. He could see clear as day, a wall of fire that stood tall above the tree line at one of the training grounds. For some reason seeing that jutsu gave Minato the strangest feeling of deja vu.

Anbu arrived at the field a few minutes later to find it deserted. There was no one around that could be seen or felt. The Anbu, quickly set to work putting the fire out, it was a daunting task, but they had to get the fire under control before it spread.

Elsewhere Narumi pulled herself away from the field, intent on finding her way to the place she'd called home so she could collapse into bed and fall into a hopefully dreamless sleep.

-Later-

Narumi had started living in an old warn out apartment building that was pretty much vacant a couple of weeks back, and aside from the roaches and occasional leaking it wasn't that bad, though it was dark, and dank, and it made her loneliness worse, she didn't like spending time there. She made in there with just enough energy left to take off her shoes before collapsing into the bed and falling asleep. Unfortunately, her dreams were filled with nightmares, and she awoke with fresh tears spilling down her cheeks. Much to her dismay, this particular nightmare was actually reality, and it was now missing the one person she had come to love most.

"What is wrong with my eyes?" Narumi tiredly asked as she stared at her reflection in a mirror.

'I'm sorry child... you have awakened our cursed eyes second state... the Mangekyou.' Madara replied.

"Ah... I see." Narumi stated as she glanced at her new eye design, normally she would be excited to learn about her new eyes but right now she could only feel anger, sadness, and apathy.

Narumi did take note of her Mangekyou's design, it was a black three-sided star. One was right-side up, the other upside down.

'Narumi... I need you to do something for me.' Madara said to her.

"I'm not in the mood grandfather." Narumi replied as she wandered over to her bed and sat down.

'I know, just please do this for me. I will not allow you to go blind from using those eyes. Follow my instructions, please.' Madara asked of her.

"Fine. What?" Narumi responded, after letting out a tired sigh.

'Use the summoning jutsu, but when you use it, think the name Zetsu.' Madara told her, feeding an image of a strange half black, half white, green haired man into her mind.

"Whatever." Narumi said as she did as she was told.

Narumi bit her thumb and flashed through the necessary handsigns and slammed her palm into the ground. A moment passed as the seal characters appeared, when suddenly a poof of smoke occurred, and when it cleared, that same strange looking man/plant/creature was there.

"What, what are you?" Narumi gasped in surprise as she finally rationalized the strange creature.

"Me? You're the one who summoned me! Who are you, and how do you know us?" Zetsu asked as he shot forward and grabbed the girl intent on squeezing the information out of her. He stopped however when his chakra made contact with hers and a very familiar voice shouted for him to stop.

"Master Madara... is that you?" Zetsu asked aloud, shock present on his face.

'Yes Zetsu... I need to explain a few things, and then I need you to do some things for me.' Madara replied.

"Anything master." Zetsu replied as he released Narumi from his clutches.

From there, Madara spent the next hour explaining who Narumi was, and what had happened in the years since her birth. Zetsu listened intently, and in turn told Madara what Obito was up too. Madara had very little clue about the Moon Eye plan, as the piece of himself that he put in Minato, had been placed there years before Madara had met Obito. Memories from after that moment were fuzzy and disjointed. Madara guessed his older self-had slipped into the Curse of Hatred after his son went missing. It was only because he was in Narumi, did this Madara even know that Minato was his long-lost son, considering the man looked nothing like him anymore.

Narumi sat quietly as she listened to this all. Learning about her grandfather's apprentice and his role in the Nine Tails attack which was the cause of much of her misery, was a souring revelation. She didn't blame her grandfather for it, at least, not the disembodied voice within her. Most of the blame she placed upon this Obito Uchiha who had carried out the attack and was the reason a demon was now sealed within her.

Eventually Madara explained what had happened recently.

"That is sad, young mistress. I am sorry about your friend." Zetsu offered his sympathy.

"Thanks." Narumi replied bitterly, though her mind was currently plotting Obito's death for loosing the fox upon the village. She held no great love for the Hidden Leaf, but it didn't escape her notice that much of the hate directed towards her, came because of what she held within her.

One thing did throw her for a loop, when Madara explained what really happened when Voldemort came to kill her and her sister.

"So, I'm the real Girl-Who-Lived?" Narumi asked.

'Yes. Wielding the powers of the mighty Rinnegan you were able to deflect his Killing Curse back at him. An accident I'm sure yet the results cannot be denied.' Madara responded proudly.

"What's the Rinnegan?" She asked, while at the same time a voice from the darkened half of Zetsu spoke up for the first time.

"This girl has the Rinnegan?" It questioned in disbelief.

"Yes, she does. As for what it is Narumi, the Rinnegan is a Dojutsu out of legend. Said to be the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths. Those eyes possess colossal power, far outweighing the abilities of the Sharingan. You were able to activate in order to save your life, though it has remained dormant ever since. One day, when you're older, we'll work to awaken those eyes for good, but until such a time, I'd focus more on your newly awakened Mangekyou Sharingan." Madara explained to her. Narumi gave a nod of acceptance, though she was curious to hear more when time permitted.

"So, what do you need me to do now master?" Zetsu asked.

'I want you to get me my old eyes and bring them here. I want you to transplant them into her. We're directly related so she'll be compatible. And then I want you to return to Obito, you'll tell him nothing that happened here, and you will report on his movements. He has to come for the fox spirit, and when he does, she is going to kill him.' Madara ordered him.

"You're giving up on the Moon eye plan?" Zetsu asked, with a bit of shock.

'Yes... I lay all of my hope for the future in this child... I've seen what she is capable of achieving. I know that she'll build a better world. Besides, she has me to help her.' Madara replied, and even though he didn't have a body, Narumi could tell he was smirking.

"Very well master, if that is your desire than I think you should know that Obito is planning something here in the village." Zetsu said to him.

"Oh? And what might that be?" Madara questioned.

"He intends to aid Itachi Uchiha in some sort of plot. I'm not sure what it is, but something is going to happen here soon. Itachi approached him the other day, and he agreed to help him. I'm not sure what the two are planning but I thought you'd want to know." Zetsu explained to him.

"I see. That's odd. I wonder what those boys could be up too." Madara hummed in thought.

"Itachi is working alongside that bastard? Why the hell would he do that? Does he know who that man really is, what he's done? What are they planning on doing in the village?" Narumi questioned mentally. She had to take a moment and wonder how Itachi was faring after the death of Shisui. It was something the both of them had in common, they both loved Shisui and cared for him like a brother. Now he was getting mixed up with Obito? She had to speak with Itachi when she got the chance, she couldn't lose two of her closest friends.

"I will return once I have what I need for the transplant. Please wait for me here, I will return soon." Zetsu said to her as he began sinking into the ground.

'Why does he need to transplant my eyes with yours, grandfather?' Narumi asked.

Madara began explaining to her how the Mangekyou worked, about how each eye carried a unique power and if she mastered both powers, she would awaken a third even greater power, but with each use of the powers in either eye, the eye itself would begin to lose its sight, meaning by the time you mastered both powers and awakened the third, you'd be nearly blind and only get a handful of uses out of the third power before losing your sight completely. By transferring the eyes of another compatible Mangekyou Sharingan you could gain everlasting light, meaning you could use the powers without losing your sight. It also lowered the chakra requirement for those powers by around twenty-five percent, meaning you could use them more often.

About three hours later Zetsu returned with two boxes, one small and one large. The large one held medical supplies, while the other held a jar that had two floating Sharingan eyes in it. These were the eyes that Madara had transferred from his own brother before his death. Technically speaking they were Izuna Uchiha's eyes, but they'd been with Madara far longer than they'd been with Izuna.

'Are you ready?' Madara asked.

"Sure. I'll need this power in order to deal with your wayward apprentice if he comes calling." Narumi replied.

"I'll also need this power to sever the ties I have to this damn village. I don't know what it was that led to Shisui's suicide, but having felt that terrible call of the void, I can guess that it's this godawful place." Narumi thought to herself, though she did hear a hum of agreement and approval from Madara.

"I can only imagine what Shisui was going through. Being an ANBU, it must have drained his psyche until there was nothing left. This place has that effect on people. Everything has to be for the village, there's no hope for individuals to thrive. He was a renowned shinobi, he'd even earned his own moniker, and yet this place took everything out of him until there was nothing left. The Hokage, the Council, the Elders, they take, and they take, and it must have driven him over the edge." Narumi continued on, her thoughts turning dark as she imagined just what could have led to her friend's suicide.

"There is truth to your words. I cannot say for certain, but I do agree that he had a promising future. To willingly throw it away, he must have been driven to the extreme." Madara offered up.

Before they could continue their conversation, Zetsu spoke. "Alright let's begin. You'll need to keep your eyes covered for a few days when I'm done. I won't be here when you wake up, young mistress." Zetsu told her as he flashed through some handsigns, and suddenly Narumi fell asleep.

A couple of hours later Zetsu finished wrapping up Narumi's head.

He then placed a hand on her head and channeled his chakra into her.

'Master. I'm finished. What would you have me do with her eyes?' Zetsu asked.

'Put them into a storage scroll, and seal them into her body, in case we need them.' Madara replied.

Zetsu nodded and did just that. When finished, he cleaned up and promptly left, leaving no trace of himself behind.

-A few days later-

Narumi wandered through the village. She could only just barely see through the cloth around her eyes. People took notice and whispered of her condition. Some were happy to see her in such a state, some were curious, while others were worried. An ominous air hung over her, and beneath the cloth a dim red glow could sometimes be seen. She was quick to retaliate when anyone tried anything. A few kids, eager to get back at her for beating them senseless for an earlier transgression tried to jump her, she left those three boys a beaten heap on the floor. A passing Chuunin came to investigate their cries of pain and confronted her. When he grabbed her, she quickly grappled with him and drove a fist into his throat which sent him to his knees gasping. She then kicked him in the side of the head, knocking him unconscious before he could recover. He'd later wake up, dazed and with an extremely sore neck.

Narumi hadn't spoken to anyone in the past few days. She hadn't seen Kakashi, or Remus, though she knew both of them were looking for her. She hadn't gone to Ichiraku's either. All she wanted to do was wallow in her sadness. Madara didn't comment on it. In his opinion, her reaction, sadness, depression and apathy, were better than his own, when in a similar situation years ago.

"...Just you wait. We'll find proof and when we do. That bastard is dead." Narumi heard an angry voice from just around the corner of where she was.

"I still can't believe Itachi would do that. I mean they were best friends." Another voice stated, drawing Narumi's attention.

"Well believe it. You should have seen the look on his face when we confronted him, he's obviously guilty. We'll get proof, and then that boy is going down." Yet another voice added in.

"Shisui will be avenged. That bastard Itachi wont escape justice for long." The first man spoke again. The three men's voices were fading as they moved away. If they had stayed, they may have heard the light growling of their eavesdropper.

"Itachi... you killed Shisui? Why?" Narumi growled, clenching her fists so hard it hurt.

'Sadly, the boy may have fallen to the curse of the Uchiha and killed Shisui to obtain the Mangekyou. If he's working with Obito than he probably learned how from him.' Madara offered his thoughts.

"That son of a bitch!" Narumi said aloud. "Itachi! Itachi gods damn you!" The people around the area who noticed her outburst, felt their stomachs drop at the sight of her boiling with rage. Her face was twisted with fury as she digested this awful revelation.

-Two days later-

Narumi sat up in bed, today was the day to remove the cloth and begin training her eyes. She quickly went to the nearest mirror and prepared to remove the cloth.

'Now... my eyes were already at the stage of the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan, plus I had Senju DNA in my body, so I have no clue what your Eternal Mangekyou will be like.' Madara informed the girl as she removed the cloth.

She slowly opened her eyes, letting them adjust to the light of the room. After a couple moments of squinting, her vision finally came into focus. She looked into her red eyes, and immediately noticed the new pattern, the three-sided star was still present but now there was a new pattern around the star. Madara told her that the new pattern was the same as his old EMS.

It was essentially a three sides star, the ends of which connected to circles with tails trailing off of them connected each circle to the next. At the halfway point of the tail, a black bark connected it to the edge of the iris.

"Hm... I like them... please grandfather, teach me how to control the power of these eyes." Narumi asked with a wild look in her eyes, as her new Sharingan glowed ominously.

'Of course, my girl. With this power, your dear cousin Itachi will fall before you.' Madara replied with a vicious snarl, at the name of the man who had caused his grandchild so much pain.

-Three days later-

"I'm sorry Sasuke." Itachi stated sadly as he looked down at his little brother's unconscious form.

'Time to go.' Itachi decided as he turned to leave, when suddenly he caught a glint heading right for him. Itachi barely dodged as two kunai went flying by.

'What?' Itachi thought as his eyes darted towards where the kunai had come from. His eyes widened in shock as they spotted his attacker. There, no more than twenty yards away, was Narumi Namikaze and from the twisted look of fury on her face, he could tell she meant business.

"Itachi Uchiha! I came here intending to beat some fucking answers out of you, but guess what I find when I get here? That's right, men, women, fucking children, all dead! A small part of me thought there might be a reason for you to do it... but this... fuck! You son of a bitch! I'll kill you where you stand!" Narumi growled at him with so much hatred, it actually made Itachi sweat.

It took a moment, but Itachi was able to regain his composure. Afterwards, he adopted a neutral expression as he focused all of his attention on her.

"It was foolish of you to come here. The Uchiha were my only targets. Had you stayed out of this, I would have let you live." Itachi stated coolly. He didn't like threatening her, it was too much like threatening his brother, it just made him feel wrong, but he knew he had to.

"No, Itachi... it was foolish of you to remain in the village. Did you think I wouldn't figure it out? Well, I did. I know you're the one who killed him! And now... I'm gonna kill you!" Narumi bit out through gritted teeth.

"So, you figured that out. I'm impressed. Not that it will do you any good now though." Itachi stated as he drew his sword. His Sharingan spun to life, and as it did it came upon a shocking sight. The three tomoe'd Sharingan was present in Narumi's eyes as well, at his surprised expression she let a devilish grin cross her face.

"Surprised? I'm guessing Shisui never got around to telling you about my Sharingan? I guess it doesn't really matter. It's not like it would have done you any good." Narumi through his words back at him.

'How is this possible? No! I can't worry about that now. I need to worry about getting out of here. I have no idea what Shisui taught her in the last couple of weeks, and with a fully mature Sharingan, plus her massive stamina and reserves, she'll stall me long enough to ruin my plans. I'm gonna have to use it, I only have one chance though, so I need to time it perfectly.' Itachi thought as he launched his attack.

Itachi raced at her at top speed, he brought his blade down to slice her chest, but Narumi deflected the blow with her Tanto, guiding it to her side, she then kicked out at him, forcing him backwards in order to avoid the attack. The two traded blade strikes for a moment, their eyes analyzing each other's attacks, blocking every incoming blow.

With a powerful slash, Itachi cracked her tanto, breaking the blade. She dodged the follow-up slash, dropping the broken blade to the ground. He charged her, and in a poof of smoke, she summoned her wakizashi, a lightning-fast strike from that blade, dislodged Itachi's sword, sending in flying away. Now he was on the backpedal as she chased after him, slashing out at him, aiming for vital points like his thighs and neck.

Itachi cursed as he avoided her flurry and jumped away from Narumi putting some distance between them. Her skills had grown a great deal these last few weeks. Thanks to his and Shisui's tutelage she truly was turning into a splendid fighter.

Thinking quickly, he hurled several shuriken at her, they hit her, but her body simply popped, due to a substitution.

Itachi jumped away just as two balls of water slammed into his previous position. He spotted Narumi standing just down the street, so he quickly sped through some handsigns, it unnerved him to see Narumi copy his movements perfectly.

They both shouted, "Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

Both exhaled and suddenly two enormous Fireballs appeared and slammed into each other, the two were equal in strength, and therefore the two giant fireballs held in place.

The twin jutsu remained deadlocked for several long moments, the blistering heat igniting the wooden buildings on either side of the street.

Knowing that it was foolish to try and beat her in a duel of raw chakra, Itachi was the first to break off the attack, he retreated, jumping to a roof to avoid as her fireball went sailing past his previous position to slam violently into a shop at the end of the street exploding and igniting the structure.

He noticed on the ground that the attack had just barely missed Sasuke's unconscious form. He could see the light blistering of red beginning to spread along one of his exposed legs that had been closest to the fireball.

Cursing, he moved quickly, dropping down to the street to grab Sasuke and move him to cover as Narumi advanced through the dust kicked up by their jutsu.

He dropped Sasuke in a back alley and moved to confront Narumi again.

She was quickly on him, she dove at him with her wakizashi, he swiftly drew a kunai, deflecting her incoming attacks, keeping at bay for just long enough to launch his plan into action.

"You've grown... but you still don't possess the power to beat me." Itachi said with a smile as his Mangekyou spun to life in his eyes. He instantly locked eyes with Narumi "Tsukuyomi."

"You've lost Narumi. This is the world of Tsukuyomi, here I am god." Itachi boasted as he prepared for her torture.

"He was right. So, you killed Shisui to get these eyes, ay Itachi? They won't help you, you bastard!" Narumi replied as her Eternal Mangekyou spun to life in her eyes.

"Damn!" Itachi muttered as pain shot through his eyes, he quickly realized the pain had come from Narumi's superior eyes, shattering his genjutsu.

"Shisui... his death meant that much to you, Narumi?" Itachi thought, as he quickly realized just where she had gained such eyes. "I'm so sorry..."

Itachi didn't have much time to contemplate how she had the Mangekyou because he was suddenly and violently punched by a skeletal fist that was bigger than him. This fist was a deep blue in color with specks of dark red floating in places.

Itachi knew immediately what this hand was. Narumi not only had the Mangekyou, but she could also use Susanoo, meaning she had already learned and mastered the powers contained within both of her eyes. Her ability to break the Tsukuyomi meant that she had at least as much, if not more experience in using these eyes, then he did. If she truly had awakened her eyes due to Shisui's death than they'd gained them around the same time, though unlike him who had to hide it, she no doubt spent every moment since then, training. It made sense. To awaken the Susanoo, she had to have mastered the powers in her eyes, unfortunately with the use of Tsukuyomi she now knew one of the powers he possessed. Without knowing what powers her Sharingan possessed, and without the desire to truly kill her, there was no point in attempting to use the other power of his Mangekyou.

"Damn..." Itachi muttered again as he began coughing up blood. He had been knocked back about fifty feet, and he had slammed into a light post. He was now in a similar situation as Shisui had been a few months back.

He internally berated himself for falling for the same blunder that Shisui had. He had underestimated her. A mistake that he hadn't thought possible considering, unlike others, he actually knew she was far stronger than she appeared. Still, he had allowed himself to doubt her skill, and it had potentially cost him dearly. The moment he saw her Sharingan, he should have anticipated the appearance of the Mangekyou due to her affection for Shisui, and how his loss had no doubt affected her.

It was a mistake on his part, one he could not repeat, if he wished to survive. He hadn't been anywhere near full strength when this fight began, and she had come prepared to face him. He had spent a long night slaughtering his clansmen, a half-dozen battles had left him weary and exhausted. Using Tsukuyomi three times this night, had also greatly diminished his chakra supply. He was most certainly in a bad position.

Itachi took a moment to collect his breath before glancing up. His eyes widened with unease, as he saw Narumi walking towards him, Mangekyou alight in her eyes, her body encased in Susanoo. The unholy skeletal monster, with its glowing yellow eyes, the sight of it, made Itachi suddenly fearful for his life.

All he could do was watch as she got closer, once she was close enough one of Susanoo's Arms raised into the air, and a long blue blade materialized in it. Itachi knew that when she swung it, he would meet his end.

As that thought went through his head, he suddenly remembered his little brother, he spun around and realized that he was sitting right in front of the alley he had left Sasuke in.

"Shit!" Itachi thought as he dove back and grabbed Sasuke, he only had enough time to pick him up before the blade fell on the two of them. An explosion raced out from the impact of the sword and everything in front of Narumi for at least thirty yards was blown away.

"Finally. You've been avenged, Shisui." Narumi muttered coldly, her eyes beginning to bleed from her use of the Susanoo. It would be some time before she was proficient with such powers, even with Madara's aid. Still though, these eyes had given her the edge she needed to take on Itachi.

"That wasn't very nice." A voice that sounded exactly like her grandfather spoke from the cloud of dust.

A moment passed and she quickly spotted two figures. She noticed a tall man wearing an orange mask with a flame design on it. He had only one eye hole, and she could see the Sharingan staring at her menacingly.

The masked man had his hand on the shoulder of one very alive Itachi Uchiha, in his arms was a likewise unhurt Sasuke.

"I was wondering what had taken you so long. I see you were caught up playing with Minato's spawn." The masked man stated, sounding amused.

"You really pushed that rescue Madara. A moment later and our partnership would be over." Itachi stated, just loud enough for Narumi to hear him.

"Sorry. I have a thing for the dramatic." 'Madara' replied, with a dry chuckle.

"So, it's you." Narumi stated her teeth clenching in further anger, as muscle began to grow and encase the Susanoo.

"Oh? Do you know me?" The Masked Man inquired.

"I know you. You're the one who unleashed the Nine Tails on the village all those years ago." Narumi snarled at him.

"Ah, you know about that? Interesting, I didn't think the Fourth Hokage would be so vocal about what happened that night, least of all around his wayward daughter." The man said, his own Sharingan visible in the darkness of his mask's eye hole.

"I know what you plan to do! I will stop you!" She snarled at him with hellish malice.

"You do, do you? We'll just see about that." He spoke before rushing at her. Itachi's eyes widened in surprise, but before he could react, the Masked Man had crossed the distance and was rushing into her Susanoo. Much to Itachi's surprise, he passed through the outer layer of the ethereal chakra construct like it wasn't even there. His hand reached out, intent on grabbing Narumi.

Her eyes widened and she moved backwards, but the Masked Man was too quick. His hand closed in on her, aiming to seize her by the neck, she stabbed forward with her blade, intent on spearing him through the stomach. Her attack phased through him without injury, but much to his sudden disbelief, his hand did much the same.

His arm, which was visibly passing through her neck, seemed to react as if she wasn't actually there.

"No that's! She has the same power! Shit!" Obito Uchiha realized as he swung a kick at her, watching helplessly as it passed clean through her body.

Jumping back and out of her Sunanoo, he landed beside Itachi.

Itachi stared in disbelief, not quite sure what he was seeing. Somehow both of their attacks had passed through one another without injury.

He could see blood visibly pouring from her right eye, her face remaining twisted with anger, though a cruel smile did begin to touch at her lips.

"That's right... I have it too." She growled boastfully at them. Itachi was sure the Masked Man knew exactly what she meant.

"Well, aren't you special." Obito growled at her.

"Madara... go, I'll deal with her. The ANBU Black Ops will be here soon, so you best make your escape." Itachi told the man as he placed Sasuke on the ground and began to advance towards Narumi.

"If you think you're up to the task so, be it. You know where to find me when it's all over. Later." Obito spoke before vanishing in a poof of smoke.

Narumi let out a growl but focused her attention back onto Itachi.

"You've grown so much Narumi. I could never have imagined you'd be this strong so quickly." Itachi said to her, dropping the facade of anger and cruelty, speaking to her with fondness.

"You say that like it's something to be proud of. I'm going to kill you for what you did to Shisui!" She snapped at him.

"You loved him, just as I did. It breaks my heart to see those same eyes reflected in you, though it does warm my heart a bit to know that someone else held him to equal regard as I did." Itachi spoke, causing Narumi to blink in confusion, not quite sure what he was playing at with this nice guy routine.

"Shisui was attacked Narumi, by an unknown enemy force. I believe they were Leaf ANBU Black Ops, under the control of a man named Danzo Shimura, one of the Leaf Elders. He was fatally poisoned. He made his way to me and gifted me something before throwing himself from the cliff and into the lake. He did so, so that I might awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan and use its powers to complete our mission.

Narumi's eyes widened at that; she blinked several times as she registered his words.

"You, you didn't kill him? He was poisoned. Poisoned by Leaf ANBU? Why?!" She demanded.

"It was either to stop his plan from succeeding, or an attempt to seize his own Mangekyou which was imbued with an incredible power. Shisui possessed the power to control the perceptions of others with his Sharingan, he could implant ideas into their minds, make them think what he wanted them to think, and never allow them to recognize that the ideas were not their own. It could be one, or both possibilities. Either way, it was enough to try and ambush him." Itachi explained to her.

"What was he planning, what did this Danzo guy want to stop?" She asked him.

"It's a long story. The short version is that for a while now hostilities have been growing between the Uchiha and the Hidden Leaf Government. The Uchiha have been mistreated for a long time due to their perceived role in the Nine Tails attack, of which you just confirmed that an Uchiha was involved, just not a member of the clan. The Clan grew fed up with the treatment and began planning a coup. Shisui intended to use his powers to manipulate the clan leaders into ending their plots without violence, but he was attacked before he could do it. Without Shisui the only option left was to stop the Uchiha before they could carry out their plan." Itachi explained to her, causing her eyes to widen in disbelief.

"So, they sent you? To murder your own family?! Your parents, your cousins, men women and children!" Narumi uttered in angered disbelief.

"I tried to spare the children. I knew they had no involvement in the plot, but the Masked Man had other ideas. I needed his help to pull this off. I lacked the power to defeat all of the Uchiha in battle, and I seriously doubted my abilities to defeat my own father. Some say he was as strong and as dangerous as the Fourth Hokage. Thankfully it didn't come to that. Still, what happened here was a tragedy, a curse that I will bear myself. I must leave this place now, Narumi. My path takes me from this place. I needed you to know, before I left. Needed you to know the truth and accept something." He said to her as he drew a scroll, from it, a crow emerged which flew through the air before heading over to Narumi to land on her shoulder.

"A crow?" She questioned before spotting the Mangekyou Sharingan in one of its eyes. It didn't look like Itachi's though, and she felt her stomach sink as she realized just who the eye belonged too.

"I think he intended for you to have it. He said I'd know who it was for. His use of who rather than what, told me that I was meant to be its courier. I know you'll treat it with respect and honor his memory with it. Despite that, that eye is the last living piece of our beloved friend in this world. Please take good care of it." Itachi said to her. She felt tears build in her eyes as she met the gaze of the crow. Despite having never seen Shisui's Mangekyou she did not doubt for a second that this was his eye. In it, she saw him, she saw him so clearly, that for a moment, it felt like he was with her again.

More tears fell from her eyes, as she turned her attention back to Itachi.

"Where will you go?" She asked him.

"Madara has offered me a place in an organization he's building. I intend to go there. Despite my grievances, there are still things in this village that I need to protect." Itachi spoke, his eyes flickering to Sasuke's unconscious form.

"I see... Itachi... be careful. That man... he's not Madara Uchiha. He's Madara's apprentice. A man named Obito, the Fourth Hokage's former student, Kakashi's old squadmate." Narumi said to him.

"Is he? How do you know that?" He questioned her.

"It's too much to explain right now. Just trust me. Be careful around him. He plans on destroying the world." She said to him. Itachi met her gaze for a long moment before nodding.

"Thank you, take care of yourself Narumi. I'm certain we'll meet again one day." Itachi offered to her with a warm smile.

"I hope so. Take care." Narumi said to him.

Itachi nodded and with a swift movement, leaped into the air. She felt her vision blur as she watched him go.

"We should retreat for now. If this was all planned than the ANBU will give Itachi time to flee, so we should use that time to slip away before they notice us." Madara suggested to her.

"Right." She nodded and turned to leave, her Susanoo having long dissipated.

She stopped for a moment and turned her eyes back towards Sasuke.

"Over eighty people in this clan, and yet you were the one he couldn't bear to lose. A brother around my age... You're the one that Shisui meant. Damn... it would have been nice to get to know you. This fucking village... I hate it so much. Shisui... why did you have to die for it? Danzo Shimura... One day... one day we'll meet, and I'll get my revenge. I can't stay here though. This village will only hold me back. It's time I left." With her finally thought she vanished into the night, leaving the Uchiha compound behind.

Armed with a new understanding of the situation surrounding Shisui's death, she gained a newfound hatred for the village and for Obito. One day, she'd get her revenge on everyone who had a hand in his death. For now, she needed to plan her escape.

-Elsewhere in the Forest-

Obito Uchiha sat in silence as he pondered this recent development.

Minato's oldest child had proven to be something far more dangerous than he could have ever imagined. He knew now, without a doubt that he'd been right. That girl, she was definitely 'her' daughter. He'd always suspected his former teacher of something nefarious, when he chose those two girls to become the Jinchuriki to the Nine Tails, and now he knew without a doubt that he'd been right. For behind the blazing intensity of her Sharingan he saw the same cruel hyper-focused look of her father.

"My, Minato, how scandalous. I wonder... does she know that too? No... No you'd never let that dirty little secret out. Perhaps there's a way to salvage this. She does possess Kamui after all. That alone means that one day she'll be as deadly as I am. I must proceed with caution." He thought before letting out a dark chuckle and rising to his feet.

With a hum of consideration, he turned and departed deeper into the darkness of the forest, his time here in the Hidden Leaf, having come to an end for now.

-To Be Continued-

d for now. -To Be Continued-

Chapter 4: I am no Longer Yours!

Notes:

Time for the next chapter, hope you all enjoy! For those trying to use the image link in the last chapter, sorry it was old and I guess it doesn't work anymore. I kept it in as someone actually went through the art of finding it or making it, but if it doesn't work you'll just have to use your imagination, or just look up combos of Sasuke's and Madara's ems, Narumi's is just like that, just without Sasuke's specific additions. Anyway, new chapter here, lots of changes carrying off the last one. Hope you all enjoy.

Broken Angel

Chapter 4: I Am No Longer Yours

"How's she doing?" Remus asked as he strode up to Kakashi.

Kakashi stood at the edge of a tree line, watching Narumi in the field about fifty yards away.

"She angry. I've never seen her like this before" was Kakashi's reply.

Remus only scowled in response, as he laid eyes on his niece in all but blood.

She sat meditating in the center of a training field, the wind was blowing quite rapidly around her, and just looking at the scene made the wolf within him growl with agitation.

"I assume you aren't alone here?" Remus asked.

"No. A squad of ANBU is keeping an eye on her. Traces of her chakra were found at the Uchiha Compound following the massacre, the Hokage wanted to know what she was doing there, the response he got was... not expected." Kakashi responded, recalling the growls of the investigators as they tried to question her. They spat their questions at her, demanding to know what she'd been doing there and when, and if she had any knowledge of Itachi's actions surrounding the murder of nearly the whole Uchiha clan.

Her response was visceral, when they pressed her buttons, she pressed right back. In a blitz of movement, she shot forward and rammed her whole body into the gut of the lead investigator, knocking the wind out of him and sending him tumbling backwards gasping for air. The other two shouted in surprise, one even drawing a kunai knife to defend himself. According to the man, the last thing he saw before everything went black was blazing red eyes. The last man, panicked and turned to run when he saw his companion collapse like a puppet with the strings cut. He made it only a few feet before a shuriken impaled itself into his lower leg, dropping him to a knee with a gasp and a curse.

Narumi was on him in a moment, her little body pouncing on him, driving her fists into his face and a flurry of surprisingly violent and powerful blows. The man tried to defend himself, but her hammering blows eventually broke through his guard and hammered at his face. She didn't relent until his face was a bloody mess.

Her fury didn't abate however, and in the next moment she rushed over to the lead investigator who was still gasping for air and pounced on him. She rained blows down on his face too until her hands were bloody.

Kakashi had been watching from a distance, hardly believing his eyes as the eight-year-old dropped three seasoned Chuunin. She growled like an animal as she continued to hammer the man's face, only stopping once Kakashi regained his senses and crossed the field to pull her off the man.

She snarled and cursed at him, as he hauled her aside and then went to check on his fallen comrades. One was completely unharmed just knocked unconscious with genjutsu, though the other two were seriously injured. Cracked skulls and missing teeth, a testament to the violence of her angered flurry.

Kakashi was deeply disturbed by this, and he tried to speak with her, but by the time he'd finished checking their injuries, she was gone, having run off somewhere.

Afterwards, she was hauled into the Hokage's office. After hearing the report about what had happened including the recounting from her victims, the Hokage was forced to put this long game of theirs to an end.

The first thing he did was check the seal that contained the Nine Tails' spirit. The idea of her having blood red eyes could mean only one thing, and after much cursing and resistance from Narumi she finally allowed him to check it, he found that it was reasonably damaged, much to his surprise, though upon investigation found the damage was older, not something recent. Little did he know that Narumi suspected the answer lay in the truth of what happened that fateful night all those years ago. Voldemort's Killing Curse was likely what had damaged the seal, though it surprised her that this was the first time that Minato had noticed. Had he really never checked to make sure the seal was still intact all these years? Was he just that confidant of his work or was it simply that he didn't care enough to do so. Either way, it both surprised and annoyed her to no end.

After his examination, she had to sit there and listen to him berate her for her assault on his shinobi.

Kakashi had been there, watching it all

-Flashback-

"Why did you react so aggressively to their questions Narumi?" Minato questioned her.

"I didn't like their tone, Hokage." She snapped back at him, not even pretending like she didn't hate his guts.

"What were you doing at the Uchiha compound?" He spoke, leaving no room for avoiding the question.

"I heard a rumor that a certain somebody had killed my best friend, so I went to pay him a visit." She responded, an angry smirk spreading across her face.

Minato blinked at that, as did Kakashi, and the other shinobi present who'd hauled her here.

"Who are you talking about?" Minato asked.

"Shisui. Shisui Uchiha. He was my friend. A little birdy told me that Itachi might have killed him, so I went there to confront him. All I found was dead bodies, so I left." Narumi growled back at him.

"That was dangerous Narumi. What do you think Itachi would have done to you have you ran into him? He was a member of the ANBU Black Ops, confronting him would have only gotten you killed. This is your problem, always acting without thinking. Even disregarding the massacre, what do you think Itachi would have done to you if you'd confronted him with these accusations? Also, there's something you're not telling me. More than just a passing trace of your chakra was found there. You either spent a lot of time in the compound, or you were actively performing Ninjutsu there." Minato said to her, not buying her lie for a moment.

Narumi's smirk grew more irritated, and real anger danced in her eyes.

"So maybe I did run into Itachi. We fought for a bit, and then he ran off." She offered with a rueful shrug. Her suggestion earned disbelief from the surrounding Shinobi, even Kakashi would have been hard pressed to believe she'd ran into Itachi during the massacre and fought him, and managed to not only survive but force his retreat, he would have been, had he not seen her effortlessly take down three Chuunin in only a handful of moments.

"That's impossible. He wiped out the entire Uchiha clan, and you're saying you fought him to the point of him retreating?" One of the shinobi barked, finding the idea ridiculous.

"Hey, I didn't ask you to believe me. Call me a liar if you want. It doesn't change the truth, and I couldn't give less of a shit about any of your approval." Narumi threw a glare at the man in question, before returning her eyes to Minato.

"Why didn't you come and speak with me after confronting Itachi?" Minato demanded.

"Fuck you." Narumi responded, earning genuine surprise from all present. Narumi was known for having a bit of a potty mouth but to openly curse at her father, the Hokage of all people, even Kakashi was taken aback by how forceful her rebuttal had been.

Minato blinked at that, having rarely faced such disrespect during his time in office, he was momentarily left unable to find the right words to respond.

"I went there to fight Itachi, and I did. Seeing as how the fight took place after he'd finished butchering his whole family, I'd argue he was a traitor to the village, and thus, not one of your shinobi, and seeing as how I'm not one of your shinobi either, I'd say it was none of your goddamn business." She said, again, not hiding her obvious disdain for her father.

"You're still my daughter, Narumi, and you're a citizen of the Hidden Leaf. You should have come to me with your suspicions, you should have told me if you confronted Itachi." Sighing in that typical disappointed way of his, that always served to sadden his eldest daughter, though in this case, all it did was piss her off. "What happened? You confronted him and fought."

"And that's it. I confronted him, he confirmed it, we fought, he left. Anything else, or can I go?" She growled at him. Again, he let out a sigh of frustration, gathering that she intended to be obstinate.

"Sensei, perhaps we should give her some time to unwind. A lot has happened recently, what with the death of her friend." Kakashi spoke up.

For a moment, it looked like Minato was going to dismiss his concerns, but finally he waved his hand, signaling for her to leave as he turned away.

She hopped to her feet and made her way for the door, Kakashi following close behind.

"This tantrum is over Narumi. I expect you to be home tonight." Minato spoke up, staring out the window as he did. Narumi froze at the door, her hand outstretched for the handle. Kakashi placed a hand on her shoulder, urging her to just go, but she wasn't going to let that bastard get the last word.

"Come and try." She threw over her shoulder challengingly before throwing the door open and storming out, missing Minato's third and final sigh of annoyance.

-Flashback ends-

Following that confrontation, Kakashi took her to get some food, and had an actual chat with her, inquiring as to her wellbeing and about what really happened when she confronted Itachi. She appreciated that Kakashi first line of questioning was in regard to her health, both physical and mental, only after confirming that she was alright, did he ask about what had happened. Because of that, she was willing to give him some information.

She told Kakashi about how Itachi and Shisui had trained her for a month, and then Shisui kept on training her all the way up to his death. She'd actually gained a lot of experience fighting against the Sharingan and because Itachi was exhausted from his numerous fights against the Uchiha Clan she was actually able to stand up to him.

That was a story that Kakashi was able to believe. He did sense there was something more, something she wasn't saying, but he chose not to pry. She may not have been a shinobi, but she had the mindset of one and knew not to relinquish valuable information without good reason.

He shared all of this with Remus, catching him up on recent events.

"I see. That's troublesome." Remus responded wearily, recognizing that the rift between his old friends and their eldest daughter was growing larger.

"Has Minato tried anything?" Remus asked.

"Not the first night, no. A few days went by before the Third Hokage and Lady Tsunade came to see her." Kakashi replied.

"Oh? How did that turn out?" Remus asked, knowing it probably wasn't good.

"Well..." Kakashi began as he remembered back.

(FLASHBACK)

"Hello Narumi. It's good to see you again." Hiruzen Sarutobi stated, as he and his student approached the young girl, whose name was on everyone's lips.

"Lord Third." Narumi replied without opening her eyes or moving from her meditative position. She'd spent all of her time recently trying to calm herself and allow her anger to fade away. All she wanted was some peace and quiet so she could focus on her plan.

"Tsunade and I would like to talk to you." Hiruzen began after a moment of silence.

"Talk? What about?" Narumi told the two, her voice devoid of emotion.

"Your father wants you to come home brat. It's time to put an end to these childish tantrums and return home to your family." Tsunade said to her. Narumi opened one eye and glanced at her. She made a showing of taking in a quick sniff before crinkling her nose.

"It's not even noon and you reek of booze." Narumi spoke with disgust.

"What did you..." Tsunade began as she took a menacing step forward, but her threat died in her throat as Narumi's eyes snapped open and she released all of her Killing Intent at the legendary Sanin.

"Tsunade calm down!" Hiruzen snapped at his student sensing the aggression in Narumi's reaction and having heard of her violence towards Shinobi of the Hidden Leaf.

Tsunade stared at her goddaughter trembling slightly at the killing intent that was rolling off of her. This wasn't the largest amount of KI she had ever dealt with not by far, but considering it was coming from an eight-year-old girl, it was so much more stunning then normal.

"Tsunade!" Hiruzen snapped again. This time her gaze shot to him, and she saw the warning in his eyes. She managed a slight nod, before taking a step back from the small girl.

"Pathetic." Narumi growled darkly, though the word came from her lips, it was more Madara's observation of Hashirama's Granddaughter than anything else. Still, it had the effect of causing Tsunade to glare at her with growing anger.

"Please Narumi, we're just here to talk." Hiruzen stated, trying to diffuse the situation.

"Then talk, but make sure she keeps her mouth under control. I'm sick and tired of her acting as a mouthpiece for my bastard parents. Gods, greatest doctor alive, you'd think she'd be smart enough to have an original thought in her head." Narumi muttered.

Tsunade balked at that, but another swift look from her former teacher kept her from speaking out.

"Your father..." Hiruzen began after he composed himself but was cut off by a sudden scoff that escaped from Narumi's lips.

"That man is no father to me. He's never been a father to me. Fuck him!" Narumi spat back, the venom in her tone, caused Hiruzen to flinch and Tsunade to glare.

"Narumi, your parents love you. They want you to come home." Hiruzen told her.

"Ha! Bull! According to the Fourth Hokage, I'm just some spoiled brat who's unworthy to lead his precious clan. I don't know why he hates me so much, I have no clue why my mother does either, but I'm done pretending like I don't see it, like it's not written across their faces every time they see me." Narumi replied angrily, casting a glare at Tsunade daring her to try and challenge her assessment of her parents' feelings.

"Please Narumi... none of that is true. Minato is sorry for those things he said. And Lily has missed you greatly. She regrets having not taken the time to express her true feelings. Even Naruko misses you." Hiruzen told her in a kind and gentle tone, hoping to assuage some of her concerns and observations.

"Don't assume that because I'm a kid that I'm also an idiot. The Fourth Hokage has never liked me, he's never cared for me or my accomplishments, and he's always treated me with displeasure. My mother actually hates me for outshining her precious Naruko. She was going to slap me for just showing them I could wall walk. Naruko pouts that I can do something she can't, and Lily's reaction is to try and hit me for it, fuck her! As far as I'm concerned, they can both go pound sand. And on that note, Naruko probably hasn't been happier since I left. She's always hated when I outshine her. She's never been happy for my accomplishments. Honestly, she's becoming a twisted combination of our parents and it's honestly disgusting. I wish what you were saying was true, but I know my sister better than you do old man. She doesn't miss me. Not anymore." Narumi sneered in reply, though her final words in regard to her twin sister, were colored by obvious sadness, and pain.

The Third Hokage could see the pain reflected in her eyes. Unfortunately, this poor child believed everything that she said, and much to his displeasure, he'd seen enough to suspect her beliefs weren't without merit.

"Narumi..."

"Don't try it old man. My parents don't anything from me. They owe me for a lifetime of neglect and abuse." Narumi cut him off.

"Narumi." Hiruzen whispered with a look of sadness, while Tsunade was sending Narumi a death glare.

In her mind, she couldn't comprehend how someone who had a family would turn on them like this. Tsunade had lost most of her family when she was young, and yet here Narumi was spitting on them like they were roaches. The sheer audacity enraged the Senju princess. Couldn't this child see that was exactly what was being offered? Her parents were willing to take her back in, to make up for what happened between them. Tsunade for her part didn't think they had to go that far since it was Narumi who'd chosen to leave, it's not like she'd been kicked out of her home or anything. She abandoned them, she walked away, and they wanted her to come back, wanted to be a family again, and she was spitting all over it. The list of things that Tsunade would give to have her own family back could stretch from one end of Konoha to the other.

"My parents are nothing to me anymore. It's like Kakashi always says. 'Those who break the rules are trash, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash.' They abandoned me, and I'm family to them... I wonder what that makes them. What's lower than trash? And then what's lower than that? I hate them both. They can go die for all I care; I don't need them." Narumi stated coldly her feelings manifesting through her words.

"Do not speak of your parents like that you little shit!" Tsunade finally exploded in rage; she shot forward to grab the little brat and teach her a lesson.

"Tsunade!" Hiruzen cried out as his student lifted the girl into the air, holding her threateningly.

Tsunade was about to hit her, when a glint of metal flickered in her eyes. Faster than she would have ever expected from such a young child, Narumi drew a kunai and slashed it across Tsunade's wrist, slicing through tendons and muscle.

Narumi dropped to the ground, released as Tsunade lost motor function in her hand.

The child moved back, ready for a fight, but Tsunade didn't pursue, instead her eyes were locked onto her own wrist. For the briefest of moments, she could hardly believe that her goddaughter had managed that. That disbelief lasted for only a moment as her mind registered the stream of red pouring down her arm.

Tsunade froze, every muscle in her body tightening as she dropped to her knees.

"Tsunade!" Hiruzen called out, racing to her side. He could see her beginning to tremble, as fear took over. Quickly he knelt, and grabbed hold of her wrist, stemming the flow of blood. She needed to get to a healer.

Narumi stared as this happened confusion and uncertainly dancing onto her face. After several long moments, she chose to retreat, leaving the Third Hokage to tend to his student. When he finally looked to her, he found the girl to be missing, having fled the field.

Like so many others, Tsunade had fallen for a near fatal blunder. Narumi was no mere child.

(End flashback)

"Wow." Remus stated.

"Yeah. I got the whole story from Lord Third. The council wasn't happy when they heard." Kakashi informed his friend with a chuckle.

"So? What did they do?" Remus inquired.

"They sent a team of shinobi to bring her to the council chambers." Kakashi replied.

"What happened?" Remus asked.

"She left two in comas, one lost his hand, one will never have children, and another is going to require thirty surgeries to get his face looking even remotely close to human again." Kakashi replied with a grimace, causing Remus to grimace as well.

"She took down a five-man squad all on her own. How?" Remus uttered in disbelief.

"No idea. From what I heard, they said something about glowing red eyes, and the fact that they couldn't seem to land a hit on her. It sounds like they actually fought her, but they couldn't manage to land a single blow. Some of them swore up and down that they were certain they'd landed a strike, but then it missed somehow. They couldn't make heads or tails of it. I think she brought one down with genjutsu, though each and every one of them was beaten and cut. She's become quite frightening with the use of the sword of her." Kakashi explained to him.

"How did that all sit with Minato?" Remus asked after a moment.

"He's not happy. I... I think he's getting close to arresting her. The only reason he hasn't yet it it'll make him look weak being unable to control his own daughter to the point of throwing her in a cell. And of course, if any of our enemies hear about this, what will they think. Still, he's at his wits end." Kakashi explained with a sigh.

"I see." Remus stated as he went back to looking at Narumi. He couldn't get over the feeling within him. The wolf was howling at him to flee or submit, there was obviously an Alpha predator nearby, and Remus suspected it was Narumi.

"Gentlemen." Both men turned to see an Anbu standing behind them.

"Yes?" Kakashi inquired.

"If you wouldn't mind. Could you offer your assistance? The council and Hokage has asked for lady Narumi's presence, and I don't wish for a confrontation." The Anbu inquired, both men could tell he was uneasy with the prospect of approaching Narumi.

"Okay. Just follow my lead, and if she gets violent back down immediately." Kakashi ordered, as he let out a sigh.

"Care to join us?" He asked Remus.

"Sure." Remus accepted as the three walked out into the windy field to speak to Narumi.

"Narumi?" Kakashi stated as they approached.

"Yes?" Narumi asked in a calm voice.

"The council wishes to speak with you. Could you come with us, please?" Kakashi asked kindly. Remus and the Anbu both watched, waiting to see her reaction.

"Why?" She asked, opening her eyes and letting out a tired sigh.

"If I had to guess, it's probably in regard to the recent fights." Kakashi surmised.

"Oh, then fuck no." Narumi responded.

Kakashi let out a sigh and turned to the ANBU offering a shrug. He nodded and quickly departed to let the council know Narumi's answer.

"Hey there Narumi." Remus greeted her, causing a small smile to form on her face.

"Hi uncle Remus." Narumi greeted him with a tired look.

"How're you doing?" Remus asked as she walked up to him. He offered her a hug, which she gladly accepted.

"I'm tired. This place has been a major drain on me lately." Narumi replied.

"Take it one day at a time. It gets easier. Grieving is never a simple thing." Kakashi offered to her.

"Yeah. Thanks, Kakashi. I keep waking up thinking I'm gonna see him again, that Shisui will come back from his mission today and we'll get to spend time together. It's happened three times already, and each time I feel awful. It sucks so much. And I don't think I can take it much longer." Narumi stated with a shake of her head, her words earning a nod of understanding from Kakashi. He could tell she was still struggling with Shisui's death.

"I'm so sorry Narumi. I wish there was something that could be done, some way of easing that pain. Unfortunately, it's like Kakashi said, you can only take it one day at a time." Remus said to her.

"Hey Remus... how old are kids when they start going to magical school?" Narumi asked him.

"Eleven, why? Interested in going to one?" Remus inquired.

"Maybe. I think it might be interesting. Still a few years off though. Guess I'm just trying to get my mind on something else. You went to Hogwarts right, run by Albus Dumbledore?" She answered back.

"Yes, and yes. I think you'd do well at Hogwarts, but it's a long way from home." Remus noted, sharing a glance with Kakashi.

"Maybe that's what I need right now." Narumi spoke, causing another, more concerned glance to be shared by the two adults.

"Well if you ever do end up there, I'm certain you'll like Dumbledore, He's a very kind man. Some call him the leader of the Light. He led the fight against Voldemort in the last war. I'm sure he'd be happy to have you at Hogwarts." Remus told her with a smile.

"Yeah, I think I recall meeting him briefly a year or two ago. Old guy, pointy hat, colorful robes. He seemed nice." Narumi replied.

"That would be him." Remus noted with a warm smile.

Narumi offered him a smile which she held for a few moments before sighing.

"Thanks for the pep talk guys, but I'm gonna get out of here. Those guys are probably gonna come back and I'd rather not be here to hear them pestering me more about the council." Narumi said to them.

"Alright, be safe." Remus said to her.

She smiled again and offered a wave before vanishing from sight.

-Later-

Narumi was walking through the village with a bored look on her face. She didn't really have a destination; she was just going wherever her feet took her, avoiding shinobi who could be looking for her.

"There you are!" She heard someone say. Narumi turned and saw her one and only sister standing to the side, with two girls on either side of her, one was a Yamanaka, and the other had bright pink hair.

"Naruko..." Narumi noted with sadness. As always, she felt the pain of their lost relationship echo throughout her mind. She wanted so badly for them to be friends again, to be sisters, but she knew that was unlikely to happen, especially with her plans to leave this village behind, she likely wouldn't see her sister again for a long time, maybe not ever, and that was a thought that hadn't yet stopped stinging.

"I'm sorry did you say something?" Narumi muttered mimicking Kakashi as she picked at her ear, trying to remain aloof so as to hide her real feelings at the moment.

"I've been looking for you." Naruko growled as she took a threatening step forward. At eight Naruko was a spitting image of Minato. Besides the three whisker marks on either side of her face, she could pass for a younger female version of him. She was Narumi's exact opposite. Loud, Brash, brightly colored, above average intellect, a genius when it came to magic and ninjutsu, but nowhere near Narumi's level. Her bright blonde hair was tied into two ponytails, like Tsunade's that hung down to her lower back.

"Why are you looking for me?" Narumi questioned.

"Why else, you ran away you moron! How dare you up and just abandon us. You just up and leave and no one will tell me where you are." Naruko snapped at her.

Narumi felt her heart melt a bit, but she had to strengthen her resolve. She knew this was just a momentary kindness. The second she went home it'd be back to hot and cold with Naruko, and unfortunately it was always the extremes of both. They might have a good day here and there but for the most part, she knew her sister well enough to know that they'd just end up fighting again, and with their parents always taking Naruko's side, Narumi knew it would just lead to more heartbreak. She had no intention of watching Naruko evolve into a mini-Minato.

"I left because I was sick of the way I was treated; I was sick of being bullied by my own parents!" Narumi spat at her.

"Oh, come off it Narumi, stop being such a drama queen. Mom and Dad were just worried about you, they didn't want you hurting yourself, and they said so, you just weren't listening, like usual." Naruko stated dismissively, as oblivious as she'd always been.

Narumi struggled for the words for several long moments, but finally decided she wasn't going to be the bigger person this time. Having her sister just so casually dismiss her pain and suffering was like a punch to the gut.

With a snarl she stormed towards her sister, surprise the girl and roughly shoved her to the ground.

Her two friends cried out in protest, but Narumi paid them little mind.

She mounted her sister, and grabbed hold of her jacket, pulling her up to face her.

"You think I wanted to leave! You think I'm just acting out! You are so blind it's ridiculous! I will never forgive those bastards for the lifetime of hating me! Why the hell did it have to be you? What makes you so goddamn special! Why the hell do they love you and not me!?" She shrieked at her sister, Naruko stared up at her, terrified and shaking.

"Why don't you love me." Narumi asked quietly as her head dropped and tears began to roll down her cheeks.

"N-Narumi...?" Naruko uttered.

Narumi gritted her teeth as she tried to fight off the tears, but more of them came. She hated herself for crying right now, and in front of Naruko too.

"Hey, get off of her!" Came a shout from the side as Narumi felt herself roughly shoved off of Naruko.

She looked up to see a few younger boys had shown up and chosen to intervene. One of the boys, the one who shoved her, was an Inuzuka. She spotted the Nara heir with him, and the Akimichi heir who was helping Naruko to her feet.

"What do you think you're doing weirdo, bullying your sister like that?" The Inuzuka boy snapped at her, folding his arms over his chest.

"Uh, hey Kiba, leave her alone." Naruko called out, when she noticed him standing over her sister.

"Got nothing to say?" Kiba growled at her.

Narumi stared up at him before gritting her teeth. She found no way of expressing her feelings other than to use her fists. In a blindingly fast move she shot up and punched the boy square in the stomach, he folded over, gasping for air, earning surprise from the rest of the group.

"Narumi." Naruko tried to get her attention but, she wasn't hearing it. Narumi spat on the ground and vanished in a Shunshine.

Naruko blinked, staring at where her sister had been, the image of her crying face, and those words burning into her mind.

She didn't know, didn't understand, but Narumi was obviously in pain, and right now, that was all that mattered to Naruko, so she began to move, intent on trying to find her sister and bring her home.

Hours later, Narumi sat curled in a tree, fresh tears stung at her face. She hated how hurt she was, hated the fact that she cared. A silence fell over the forest, and she let out a noise, her senses going on alert.

"Narumi Namikaze... our boss would like a word with you?" Came the voice of a masked figure who appeared in the trees to her right.

"Not interested." Narumi growled.

"This isn't a request." The Masked figure spoke, drawing a blade in threat towards her.

The last thing he saw, was her eyes turn red.

Several moments passed as Danzo Shimura strolled through the forest, he came to a halt in a clearing, the scent of blood tinging his nose. He lifted his gaze, spotting a thin trickle of blood reflecting in the daylight running down the bark of a tree. He lifted his eyes further and spotted his agent, slumped against the tree, a kunai knife in his heart.

"My Lord, she's still here." Came the word of one of his guards who dropped down beside him.

"Why don't you come out and speak to me." Danzo spoke up.

"Who are you?" He heard the girl's voice. He turned in his place and found her standing several feet behind him, fresh blood staining her face and clothes.

"Is that the first man you've killed?" He asked her.

"Yes... But it won't be the last..." Narumi answered, her knuckles white with rage, she was ready for a fight.

"I see. You are handling your first kill remarkably well. You grasp on your emotions goes well beyond your age. I must say, I am impressed." Danzo said to her.

"You didn't answer my question. Who are you?" She repeated, taking note of a second guard, who also wore a mask, jumping down several meters behind her.

"My name is Danzo Shimura. I was interested in having a conversation with you." Danzo told her. He saw her face visibly twist in rage at hearing his name. Obviously, she knew of him.

"You, you are Danzo Shimura?" She questioned.

"Yes, I am." Danzo confirmed.

"You're the man who killed Shisui?" She growled, hatred boiling up inside of her.

Danzo stared at her for a long moment, observing her curiously. "Did Itachi tell you that during your fight? Leave it to him to attempt to sow further discord within our ranks. I admire his cleverness." Danzo said to her

"What do you want with me?" She demanded of him, all the while plotting how she would take him down and avenge her beloved friend.

"You are uniquely gifted, Narumi Namikaze. Your abilities far surpass what one should possess at your age. I've come to offer you the means of honing those gifts, to aid in unlocking your true potential." Danzo explained to her.

"And if I say no?" She inquired.

"The blood of a Leaf village ninja is on your hands. After your recent temper tantrums, who could possibly question that you would have finally snapped. Do you honestly believe your father won't imprison you for this?" Danzo questioned, causing her face to darken.

"Shisui was my brother... I loved him. If you think for one damn second that you can blackmail me into being your lackey, you've got another thing coming to you." She snarled.

"Best not make this too difficult. We did manage to defeat your precious Shisui." Came the threat from the masked guard behind her.

Narumi grit her teeth as her rage built further, finally she let out a growl, and let loose. She launched three shuriken at Danzo and his guard in front of her, before turning to rush the man behind her, summoning her wakizashi as she did.

She crossed the distance, coming right at him. She saw insects begin to fill the air, signifying this man was an Aburame.

She wasted no time in dealing with him, knowing full well that if she let those critter bite her, she was likely dead.

He braced himself to deflect her strike but was unprepared when she phased right through him and his swarm of insects. He could hardly comprehend what had happened when a sharp pain lanced through his back, causing him to lose all feeling in his legs. He was unable to hear the hiss over the sound of his insects swarming out of him as the bomb tag attached to the kunai lodged in his back, exploded, blasting him apart, and taking his bugs with him.

"What in the hell?!" Danzo's other guard gasped in disbelief. He moved to go after her, but Danzo halted him.

"No. The ANBU are coming. They'll have heard the explosion. She somehow managed to pass right through him. How is such a thing possible?" Danzo was left to wonder as he and his guard retreated.

Meanwhile Narumi raced into the forest. It seemed that her time here had come to an end far faster than she'd anticipated. She knew that Danzo was likely to fulfill his threat and use the deaths of his two men to get the village to fully turn against her. She couldn't stay here anymore. She had to leave. Thankfully she was ready and had been preparing for this moment.

One of the powers she had gained from her Mangekyou Sharingan was the power known as Kamui. It was essentially a pocket dimension that she could enter and exit at will. She could also send parts of her body into the Kamui dimension which allowed her the power of Intangibility, or the ability to phase through solid matter. Within the Kamui dimension she was God. She could alter its shape, its form, it's composition. She could alter the flow of time, adjust gravity, she had full control over it. The only rule was that the more she changed things from what were consider earth norm, the more Chakra it took to keep it that way while she was within the dimension. So, she could come and go with only the initial chakra cost if the Kamui dimension had all of the same aspect of reality that earth did, same gravity, same passage of time, but if she altered them in any way, then it took a constant stream of chakra to remain there.

Kamui was a miraculously useful technique, as it not only provided her a base to hide in, but when she entered Kamui she could exit it to anywhere in the world she'd been before, meaning it essentially allowed her to teleport. She could also use it for storage, which she'd been doing to hoard supplies and stolen goods for her planned escape from the village.

Armed with new resolve, she created three Shadow Clones and sent them off running into three different directions so that pursuers would have trails to follow, she then activated the technique vanishing into Kamui. She'd use the power to teleport outside of the village and then wait. If she wanted to truly be free, she'd have to put as much distance between herself and this village as humanly possible.

-To be Continued-

Notes:

Alright and there you guys go. As you can tell a lot of early changes, so we'll get to see how the story unfolds with a newer base, look forward to the next.

Chapter 5: Departure From These Lands

Notes:

Kso here's the next chapter, Alot of changes in this one, setting the stage for swaths of future content. I know it may seem like it, but i don't intend to gut everything, yes alot is being redone here at the beginning but it'll settle into something a bit more familiar later on.

Broken Angel

Chapter 5: Departure

Minato had his head in his hands as he considered the situation he was in. Narumi had disappeared. Two men, one a member of the Aburame clan were now dead. The Council was furious. They wanted her found, immediately. She wasn't a shinobi so they couldn't label her a missing ninja, but she was still a citizen of Konoha, and with her involvement surrounding these deaths, she was now a criminal.

Any hope he'd had about avoiding looking foolish or weak, went up like a poof of smoke. He regretted now not placing the Hiraishin seal on her. With it, he could have just teleported to her location and forced her back to the village. Unfortunately, he didn't know how that seal would interact with the Nine Tails Seal. The more seals placed on the body, the more unstable they became, so he hadn't thought to risk it, and of course, she was just a child.

The truth, that simple reality it seems, had been everyone's folly.

"So, she's gone." Came the voice of a woman. He lifted his gaze to find a hooded figure standing before him. How she'd snuck into his office without him noticing, he didn't know, but now wasn't the time to worry about it.

"Yes. Her scent follows the trail of several Shadow Clones but then it ends. There's no sign of her at the end of any of those trails." Minato answered the mysterious woman.

"Hm... so what do you suspect?" She inquired.

"The only answer I have for such a vanishing act, the only way to disappear without leaving a scent behind, without leaving a single track, is to teleport. I wouldn't think a child capable of such high level jutsu, but I see that underestimating her is what got us into this problem." Minato responded, sighing in frustration.

"You knew the risks. The Toads Prophecy is coming true." The woman hummed, causing Minato's visage to darken.

"It's not something I want to believe, and yet it seems to be the case, the more time goes on." Minato spoke.

"A daughter of the blood of the Fire's Shadow will burn the Leaf to ashes, and a daughter of the blood of the Fire's Shadow will rekindle the embers, and the Leaf will bloom anew." Two daughters of the Fire Shadow, namely the Hokage. One to destroy it, one to save it. The working alongside another prophecy that claimed that a student of Master Jiraiya would become the prophesized hero and would bring peace to the world. One day, he would train Naruko, he would teach her, and she would be fully included in that prophecy, just as she was the second one. Minato had long known which of his children were meant for which role. The obviously darker, more violent twin was the destroyed, and the kind and loving one, the savior.

It had long been the truth, and even now, he regretted his role in having made her. Narumi had been a mistake. From the very beginning she'd been a mistake. For a moment he thought of her, that woman from so long ago, and he couldn't help but growl in frustration. He should have never agreed to her conditions. The amount of misery that had been caused because he allowed a moment of weakness to lead to all of this. The gift that kept on giving. The Nine Tails attack, the violence perpetrated on the citizenry, and now the deaths of two more loyal ninja, all a result of that damned decision so many years ago.

He wondered, if for a moment, fixing the seal would have done anything. The damage done to the Seal seemed old, worn in a way, like it had happened a long time ago. In the end, because of the prophecy, and because of what he knew, he felt it didn't matter. If Narumi was destined to become an enemy, why put in the effort?

At the thought, an image of a smiling face flashed in his mind. An old friend, a woman. He gritted his teeth as he felt his heart lurch. He cursed himself for being so weak. He hated how he had let this all come to pass because of his mistake. If he'd just been stronger, more resilient, if he'd thought with his head, he could have avoided all of this trouble, all of these lost lives, all of this pain and suffering, even this prophecy would have never come to be had he made the right choice back then.

It all stemmed from that, and he hated himself for it, and he knew that he had long taken that hatred out on Narumi. In her, he saw the same impulsiveness that had got him into this whole mess, and it pissed him off to no end. He hated it in himself, and he hated her for having it.

"What will you do now, Fourth Hokage?" The mystery woman spoke.

"She needs to be found. I'll decide then." He answered, lifting his gaze to the woman.

"And if the answer is death? Do you have it in you to destroy her? It should have happened years ago. I told you what we stood to gain, how splitting the Fox's power from its soul could benefit us, but you did not listen. To trapped by nostalgia and love. You owe her nothing. You are the Hokage. You do what is best for the village. What happened then cannot be undone, and it had the chance to provide us an incredible boon, one never seen before in the history of the Elemental Nations. You could have answered for your screwup with this gift, instead, you let her live, and now the child has become a problem." The woman spoke harshly, her tone causing Minato to flinch.

He said nothing as she glowered at him, her eyes elegant amethysts

"First she must be found." He said darkly.

"Yes, first she must be found." The woman agreed, her gaze as piercing as it had ever been.

-Two Weeks Later-

He landed atop a tree branch high and hidden amongst the foliage. The Hyuuga clan member had barely survived the murder of his teammates.

The group had been tracking leads on the missing Clan Heir Narumi Namikaze when they'd found her. One went to report back on what they'd found, the other three moved to confront her.

They were both dead now, and he was the last man standing.

Despite being little more than a child, the girl possessed remarkable combat abilities.

She was nearly impossible to hit, their attacks seeming to pass right through her. He was sure of it, he could see it with his Byakugan their attacks were actually landing, they just passed through her without harm. His two comrades fell quickly. She keenly capitalized on their moments of shock or confusion when their attacks missed. She struck out at them with strange weapons as well. Seemingly from nowhere she would call upon these weapons that were made from red or green energy.

It was impossible to describe or to understand really. These weapons appeared almost like glass or crystalline versions of basic shinobi weapons like shuriken or kunai. They appeared either green or red, solid in color, and after a few moments they faded out of existence. They were real tools though. He'd seen several of the green colored shuriken embed into the body of his comrade before she cut his throat with a green tanto. His other comrade, he had to put down himself as he was struck by a red kunai knife in the arm, and after several long moments the veins in the arm began to bulge and he started screaming and began clawing and thrashing at his own face. When he tried to call out to his comrade, he turned to him, his eyes bloodshot and manic, and charged at him, intent on tearing his throat out. He had to put him down, otherwise he'd have been torn to pieces.

He had no idea how it had happened, but now he needed to get away from her and await reinforcements.

Activating his Byakugan he scanned the surrounding area. He saw her coming, she was above him, already her strange weapons were appearing in her hand, she tossed three green and three red shuriken down towards him. He rose and using his gentle fist taijutsu, knocked the incoming weapons out of the air, he then fell into a fighting stance as she landed on the end of the branch and rushed at him.

He readied to jump, knowing that his attacks would likely pass through her. He struck and she jumped over him, he spun to deliver another strike, as she landed, she dropped to a squat, his hand launched forward, aimed at her shoulder, trying to disable the tenketsu in her shoulder. His hand passed through her. She shifted, gliding out from his attack, her eyes blazed with a strange red pattern. It almost looked like the Sharingan but he'd never seen it look like that before.

The moment she was no longer in contact with him, he felt a sharp pain lance across his extended arm, he saw it coming but couldn't pull back in time. In her hand, a sword made of red energy shaped, the blade forming rapidly, rushing up to slice at his arm in its formation. He pulled back and dropped from the branch, landing on the ground his eyes shot to the cut on his arm. The cut itself was little more than an annoyance, and yet a burning pain was beginning to spread through his forearm to his fingers and up towards his shoulder.

"Oh no." He remembered the reaction of his squad mate. The veins around the wound slowly began to darken and to his horror, he felt his anger beginning to grow out of control.

He suddenly found himself screaming. He tried in vain with the last of his willpower to regain control and undo whatever she'd done to him, but it wouldn't work. His screams turned feral and soon he found himself racing towards a tree where he began to mercilessly claw and tear at the bark.

He kept screaming and cursing in blind rage, even as he felt his legs give out beneath him. He barely felt the pain as Narumi appeared at his back, slashing across the nape of his neck.

He fell to the ground and continued howling. He saw her, as she rolled him onto his back. He wanted to kill her, wanted to claw her eyes out, wanted to tear the skin from her tiny body and bury his manhood in every hole she had. He just needed to reach her, to get his hands on her, so close, she was so close.

He didn't stop screaming, even as his veins burned red, and a fiery energy began to melt at his flesh. She knelt down and drew a knife, bringing it down to his eyes. He was still alive, so the seal that was placed on all Hyuuga branch family member to destroy their eyes if they're killed, hadn't yet activated. She did remove his headband, observing the seal as it was overtaken by the red glow of his veins. She watched the seal glow and begin to distort, breaking apart even as she carved out his eyes, and placed them in a jar of fluid to preserve them. She managed to get one eye before the red coloring got to it, but the other had begun filling with blood, even as she removed it. She stored it away, regardless, but in a separate container.

"Horrifying. All he feels is rage. Not even pain can breach his senses now." Madara spoke, observing through her eyes as she rose back to her feet.

"Yeah... It's so weird. The green weapons don't have this affect, and yet, I feel more confident when wielding them, surer of myself. The red ones though, they infect people with rage, and I feel my own anger building the long I hold such tools in my hand." Narumi noted, turning away from the screaming and dying man, leaving him to bleed out from the cut on his neck.

Amatsumara the power stored within her left eye. It granted her the power to create objects out of some kind of glowing energy, the energy though, was colored by her emotions. The red objects were born out of her anger, when she wanted to create them, she just needed to focus on anger, and these objects carried a devastating effect on her victims, as she was so deliberately reminded today. The Green ones she hadn't quite figured out yet. They seemed to come from her determination, and were the easiest to make, as the simple desire to create something using the power could allow for a green object to form. The only other color she knew could form was Violet colored objects which formed when she thought of her grandfather, or Shisui, they were made from love, though she hadn't yet known of any special effects for the violet objects but they were also currently the hardest to manifest. She could make any object she desired, causing it to appear in her hands. The object was forged from her imagination, the more accurate her understanding of a thing, the closer she could get the projection to it. This allowed her to make kunai and shuriken that were as strong as their normal counterpart, but ones that could be used against her as all of the constructs could be destroyed with a thought from her, or after a few moments. Each object she made, took a small portion of Chakra to create, or more accurately, to shape, and then a steady stream of chakra was needed to keep the object present so she couldn't create a great number of objects, and couldn't keep them around for very long.

As noted, the chakra required to create the object was used to shape the colored energy that made up the object. She had no idea what this energy was, her Sharingan couldn't determine anything from it, as it wasn't chakra, or any kind of raw magic. The only magic the constructs gave off were her own.

She wasn't limited to just manifesting the items in hand. She could actually create them anywhere within her field of view, and she could actually manipulate them to, without having to touch them, able to move them with her mind, but both of those tasks took a ridiculous amount of focus, and her young mind was unable to grasp that level of control as of yet.

Amatsumara was an incredible technique that served as a valuable means of offense and defense, she just needed to work on her control, her understanding of the things she wanted to make, and her chakra levels so she could use the technique with greater efficiency.

Leaving the fallen shinobi behind, she quickly vanished into Kamui ensuring that when Leaf Shinobi came here to investigate, they wouldn't be able to track her to a new location.

These last few weeks Narumi had been on the run. She had a plan, and knew where she needed to go, but much to her displeasure found that she couldn't reach her destination.

She knew the only way she would be safe from those hunting her, was to exit the Elemental Nations entirely. The Elemental Nations themselves were on a continent that was hidden on the world. It was like an entirely different world, located alongside the main one. A single access point had been discovered a few centuries ago, allowing for travel between the Elemental Nations and the outside world. It was heavily guarded on both sides by Shinobi and Samurai. It was one of the few places where Shinobi from different lands worked together to guard it and keep trespassers out. Only those authorized by one of the Daimyo could come and go, and with Narumi now on the run, she wasn't going to be able to get a permit.

That left the only other means of exiting the Elemental Nations, and that was teleportation. She couldn't use Kamui to get out, as she could only exit to places, she'd been before, but there was still a way. She just needed a portkey.

Portkeys were magical teleportation devices that could be used to transport someone to a specific location. In many cases they were one time use, to get from point A to point B. Some could be made to take people back and forth, it just depended on the person making it.

Here in the Elemental Nations only one group of people made and dealt in portkeys, and that was the Goblins of Gringotts. The top bankers of the magical world. They could make a portkey for you, but it would cost an arm and a leg to get one, and Narumi was as broke as could be. She needed money, so she'd been working to steal a bit for herself these last few weeks, all the while avoiding the shinobi hunting her.

She'd normally have just run away from this team of ninja chasing her, but the moment she saw a Hyuuga amongst them, Madara came up with a plan to take them down. Acquiring the Byakugan was an incredibly valuable boon, and she had the right kind of tool to incapacitate him for long enough to steal his eyes.

As Madara explained to her, the nature of the Caged Bird Seal prevented it from activating unless the victim was dead. You couldn't time the seal to activate if the eyes were tampered with since if the Hyuuga in question rubbed at their eyes too hard, or maybe even tried to clean them out, the seal might interpret that as tampering and activate, blinding the Hyuuga. So, it was just understood that the Hyuuga would fight to the death, and the seal would activate the moment they died, sealing away the eyes.

The Hyuuga had long liked to think their seal was fool proof, but it was old, and lacked developmental progress, much like the Hyuuga themselves.

Today proved that he'd been right, as she'd secured both eyes from the dying man before he succumbed, and the seal activated. The Hyuuga, it seems were just as prideful and overconfident as most people these days, thinking they had everything secured and under control. Without experimentation though, without testing the limits of a thing, how were you to ever know it's weaknesses? The world was always changing, and shinobi were devising new and exciting tactics each and every day. The Caged Bird Seal was centuries old. Something that old had no doubt, outlived its peak performance, especially if it wasn't being adapted for the times.

Now she had two Byakugan eyes, and not a single clue with what to do with them. Thankfully they were safe in a storage scroll now and would remain in perfect condition until she removed them. Maybe she could sell them, or perhaps just one of them, to a foreign nation. That could provide her all the money she could ever need and allow her to escape this place.

She mused on that idea for a long moment before a smile colored her lips. She had two eyes, so she could sell one, and keep the other.

"Wasn't there that incident a few years back regarding an attack on the Hyuuga clan by Kumo ninja? I think that would be an excellent place to start." Madara noted.

Narumi grinned to herself, a plan quickly forming.

-A few weeks later-

A troop of Kumo shinobi were racing through the rocky, mountainous terrain of the Land of Lightning, headed back towards Kumogakure when a strange figure appeared in the path before them.

"Who are you?" Came the question from the lead shinobi. The figure before him was short, looking to be only a child. They wore a long dark cloak draped down to the ankles, and a crimson red mask with black flames burning inward from the cheeks and forehead, two dark eyeholes stared back at him from beyond the mask.

"I've come to trade something with you Kumo ninja." A young girlish voice spoke from beneath the mask.

"Trade with us? What are you talking about? Go home girl!" The lead shinobi snapped at her, while sharing a glance with one of his comrades.

"I have the Byakugan in my possession. I'm willing to trade it to Kumo for a fair price." Narumi called out to them, just as two members of the squad appeared at her flanks standing several meters away, eying her with suspicion. At hearing her declaration, surprise was the immediate response.

"What did you say?" The lead shinobi questioned.

"You heard me. I have the Byakugan the Kekkei Genkai of the Hyuuga clan of the Hidden Leaf. I took it from a member of the clan while he was still alive. I'm willing to trade it to Kumogakure in exchange for payment." Narumi elaborated.

The group stood in silence as they contemplated her words. The group's leader than glanced over his shoulder at their charge, the person they'd been escorting back to Kumo for a meeting with the Raikage.

A young woman stepped forward, probably in her late teens or early twenties. Olive Blonde hair, and dark eyes. Her forehead protector marked her as a Kumo ninja, and from beneath Narumi's mask her Sharingan could see the torrents of chakra burning within this woman.

"What is that, Grandfather?" Narumi questioned.

"That, my dear, is the Two-Tailed Hellcat. This must be one of Kumo's Jinchuriki. My goodness, don't you have all the luck." Madara answered with a hum.

"You claim to have the Byakugan prove it." The woman spoke.

"I'm just a Shadow Clone. I wouldn't risk intercepting a troop of Kumo ninja to make this deal without taking some precautions. Still, you have what I need, and I have something your village wants." Narumi replied.

A small smile touched at the woman's lips.

"Smart girl. And skilled too, creating a Shadow Clone at your age. Ya know, I heard a rumor recently that Shinobi from the Hidden Leaf had been searching for a young girl. And here stands a young girl with the stolen eyes of a Leaf Shinobi." The woman mused, voicing her suspicion to her companions who seemed to quickly come to the same conclusion as she had.

Narumi noticed that some of the Shinobi began to subtly shift into battle stances, readying themselves for a fight.

"I wouldn't advise that. I might be just a clone, but I take attacks against my person very seriously." Narumi warned them.

"Oh, do you think I don't know where you are right now? The real you?" The woman questioned before turning her head across a gorge. There on the far side of it, her eyes settled onto a bush, which she knew contained the real child.

"So, you're a sensor? That's fine, so am I. Don't think I'm afraid of some oversized cat." Narumi spat back ruefully, causing the smile on the woman's face to fall.

"You have very strange chakra. I'm never seen anything like it before. And there's something ominous about you. Something dark, and indescribably malevolent." The woman noted, eying her intently.

"Last chance. Take the offer. All I want is money. Pay me a fair sum and I'll give you the eye." Narumi decided to stop with the posturing and get back on point. She wasn't confident of her abilities to take on a Jinchuriki of all things. That was way outside of the scope of her powers at the moment.

"Fine, we'll take your offer to the Raikage. Wait here, someone will be back with a response." The lead ninja spoke after sharing a quick conversation with the Jinchuriki. The troop quickly departed, heading on their way, leaving Narumi behind. She felt some of the tension leave her body, but she knew it was likely they'd try to set a trap. Shinobi were nefarious by their very nature, and she knew not to trust them at their word.

The real Narumi chose to hide, leaving her Shadow Clone with the scroll containing the eye. If they tried to attack her, the clone could just seal it back into Kamui, and keep it from them, while also keeping her safe from any underhanded tactics.

It was nearly twelve hours before a troop of Shinobi returned, the Jinchuriki amongst them, though leading the pack was a massive man, built like a tank. He had dark skin with light blonde hair. He towered over her, rippling muscles adorning his body. A small mustache and beard wore upon his face, and his eyes held an intensity to them that she was often reminded of when she met her father's gaze.

"You must be the Raikage." Narumi guessed.

"And You're the Fourth Hokage's daughter." A noted, causing Narumi's muscles to tense.

"I can sense the power of the Nine Tails. It's weak, but it is there." The woman from before confirmed.

"So, you're the missing child the Leaf is pursuing with such tenacity. I can understand why, now." A spoke.

"Have you come to accept my offer?" Narumi questioned him.

"Hmm... perhaps, but first I'd like to know something, why is it that you turned your back on your village and your own family? You've even attacked your own countrymen." A questioned her.

"My so-called countrymen attacked me first, and I didn't attack them, I killed them. Five Leaf ninja, three Chuunin and Two ANBU Black Ops are now dead because they tried me. I know I stand no chance against you, but do you really wanna risk learning the reason I was able to kill those men? I mean... I'm just a clone, but who's to say I couldn't kill one of your own guys before you destroyed me. I don't wanna fight, I came here to make a deal, but if you're unwilling or you intend to try and capture me, then so be it. I'll do what I have to in order to survive." Narumi responded to him, ready to use Amatsumara to summon a red kunai behind the Jinchuriki and launch it at her. She had no idea how it would affect her, but if its effect were the same, then the Raikage would be forced to deal with this problem, instead of looking for Narumi, she'd also have deprived him on a Jinchuriki for a little while, and possibly other shinobi if others fell during the Cat's rampage. Yeah, she'd end up being hunted by Kumo as well, but her intention was to leave the entire continent, they'd never find her out in the rest of the world.

A spent several long moments staring down at the child.

"You understand that dealing with a rogue element from a foreign nation is dangerous business. The Leaf wants you, if they track you here, that could implicate my village in whatever problems you're dealing with. This isn't as simple as you make it out to be." A stated to her.

"They won't track me here. I've got trails leading in every direction imaginable. They're just as likely to believe I came here, as they are to believe I went to any of the other villages." Narumi assured him.

"You were caught once." A pointed out.

"I could have fled. It would have been easy for me to get away from them, but when I saw they had a Hyuuga amongst them I saw an opportunity to get what I needed." Narumi countered.

"And what is it you want? Money? What for?" A questioned.

"So that I can escape the Hidden Leaf. The how behind it is my own business. So, I'll ask one last time Lord Raikage, are you interested?" Narumi questioned him.

A was silent for a moment before taking a step forward.

"I've never met a child like you before. There's something remarkably unsettling about you girl. I don't how you plan to do it, but I doubt you'll last long. The Shinobi of the Hidden Leaf are tenacious, and they won't forgive the deaths of so many of their own. Run all you like, eventually they'll find you." A stated to her.

"I know, but when they do, I'll be ready." Narumi responded with confidence.

"I see. Very well, show me the eye." A instructed. Narumi nodded, and removed a scroll from beneath her cloak, she opened it, and removed one of the two jars from the storage seal, the one containing the pristine eye. She held up the vial, which caused A to turn and glance at one of his subordinates, a blond haired man, who stared intently at it.

"I sense Chakra within that eye, it's the Byakugan." The man confirmed.

"Good. Then I see no reason to refuse to make a deal. You wish for money, considering the scope of what you're offering, I'm willing to offer the price for a S-Ranked mission. One million Ryo." A offered to her.

"What do you think Grandfather?" Narumi asked him.

"You could definitely get more for it, but that would require bartering for a higher price, and it would mean staying here longer. There's still no guarantee this wont end in a fight. It's not over until you're home free. In your position I would demand more, but that would be my pride talking, considering I know that it is valuable to them. Still, since it is you, instead of I, I'd go with accepting it. Best to take the offer. A portkey made by the goblins cost eighty-five thousand Ryo, so It's more than enough to by one and use it to get out of here." Madara responded to her.

"Fine, that's more than I need." Narumi replied to the Raikage.

A nodded and turned to one of his subordinates. He gave the man a nod, who then approached Narumi, carrying a briefcase. He opened it, showing the stacks of money inside, as well as the absence of any traps or seals within the briefcase. After a moment, he sealed the case and offered it to her in exchange for the vial.

She handed the vial to him, taking the briefcase as she did. The carried the vial over to the Raikage offering it to him with a bow.

He examined it for a brief moment before turning his gaze back to her.

"A piece of advice kid, I'd make extra certain you spend that well. You're being hunted by a shinobi village. There aren't many places you can hide from such a force, and I know the Fourth Hokage, he won't let you go without a fight. I'd find a nice deep hole to bury yourself in and disappear for good." A said to her before signaling his men to begin heading out.

"Thanks for the advice, farewell." She said to him before turning and racing towards the edge of the gorge to jump in, A watched her disappear over the edge, only for his sensor subordinates to suddenly react and race over to the edge in surprise.

"She's gone." The Jinchuriki stated, unable to spot any signs of the girl.

"I felt the clone's chakra just disappear. That was so strange." The other sensor noted.

"She's the Fourth Hokage's daughter. Teleportation runs in that family. If she used what I think she used, they really will never stop hunting for her." A spoke, drawing their attention back to him. He once more gave the eye a careful look before smirking to himself.

"I don't know what kind of madhouse you're running in your village Fourth Hokage, but your loss appears to be my gain." A thought to himself before turning to head back towards Kumogakure, his subordinates quickly joining to follow behind him.

"Do you believe her my lord, that she killed five Leaf Shinobi?" The Jinchuriki asked.

"If you'd asked me a year ago, I'd have doubted it. That girl, she couldn't be more than ten, given her height. But then the Uchiha were wiped out by a thirteen-year-old boy. The only thing I know for certain Yugito was that they wouldn't be so openly looking for her, if lives hadn't been lost. If it was just the Hokage's missing daughter, or the Leaf's missing Jinchuriki, they'd be far more discreet. No... someone has died, that I know for certain. That child, she's dangerous. We'd best not underestimate her when next we run into her." A stated.

"You think we will?" His other subordinate asked.

"I'm sure of it. Something in my bones tells me we'll have another run-in with her. So, let's not make the same mistake those idiots in the Leaf obviously have, and mistake her for just a little girl. She's a killer and should be acknowledged and treated as such." A said to them, making sure that they were on the same page as him. That girl was no mere child. She may not have been an official shinobi, but she had the mind of one. That girl was a ninja in all but the paperwork, and honestly, such a thing hardly mattered in their world.

Still, as offput as he was from this interaction it had netted Kumo an enormous bounty and for that, he was pleased.

-Several days later-

Narumi sat by the edge of the river that fed through the capital city of the Land of Fire. In spite of the dangers of being in this country she needed to come here to meet with the Gringotts goblins. She knew for a fact that the ones here could make the portkey that she needed. While they most likely could at the banks at the other capitols, Narumi was unwilling to risk spending any more time in this land than she had too.

She'd already snuck into the city and placed the order for a portkey to be made, she also opened herself an account under a new name. All things being equal, and with her intention to head to Europe she chose a European name. Riley had been the name she'd settled on, Riley, it was a name that meant 'courageous' or 'valiant' in Irish which Riley was one-eighth of on her mother's side. Her great grandfather was full blooded Irish, at least according to her mother. She'd chosen the name because she believed these were attributes and qualities that those hunting her would never attribute to her, and so they'd never consider the name or it's like as an alias of hers, she also stuck close to home as most would assume she'd never choose to relate to something that came from her mother.

As for a last name, it was Madara who instructed her to take on the name Uzumaki-Uchiha. The Uchiha part came from him, the Uzumaki from his wife, who had been the ruler of the Uzumaki clan, which made her the second heir to that unofficial bloodline. Minato was first in line, but he didn't know about it, meaning it was a possibility that she could claim the title of Ruley of the Uzumaki. That didn't mean overly much, but it was still a name, and both of them belonged to her.

She considered it, and while acknowledging that it was dangerous, she knew they'd be on the opposite side of the planet, it was unlikely anyone would ever recognize either name, and by the time someone did, and reported it back to the Leaf, she'd be ready for them.

So, with that in mind, she rechristened herself Riley Uzumaki Uchiha, her new name, her new identity, and the person she would be in the coming years. As far as anyone was concerned, Narumi Namikaze was gone, disappeared like a poof of smoke. Hopefully, never to be seen again. Riley Uzumaki Uchiha was what remained, and it was who she was now. That person was whoever she chose to be.

Panting breath caught her ears, and she immediately stood up. There, standing in the shadows behind her was an oversized bulldog. She recognized the lumbering beast, her eyes widening beneath her mask.

"I know you're here." She spoke up. A moment after the final word left her mouth a figure hopped down from the trees.

"Narumi..." A masked figure greeted her. An ANBU of the Hidden Leaf, wearing a dog mask. Someone she knew very well and cared for a lot.

"Kakashi. How'd you find me?" She asked him, ready to fight, if need be, an idea that tore at her heart, as her eyes flickered about, searching for the rest of his squad.

"You've lived in a city your whole life, and they're easy places to get lost in. Plus, my hounds know your scent by heart." Kakashi said to her.

"I hope you haven't come to try and bring me back." She said to him.

"Why did you leave?" He asked in response.

"You know why." She responded darkly.

"Because you killed those men?" He questioned her.

"They killed themselves when they attacked me. They all did. I've only defended myself against the people coming after me." Narumi responded, anger touching at her voice.

"They attacked you?" He questioned, still remaining rooted where he had landed.

"The first two, those ANBU. They came after me, under orders from a guy named Danzo." She said to him, causing him to physically react, like a tensing of the muscles.

"Danzo? You're saying Danzo targeted you? I see..." Kakashi spoke, his surprise fading after a moment as he contemplated that information.

"He tried to capture me, so I killed his men and fled. I knew he'd pin their deaths on me and make me out to be a criminal. It's why I had to leave at that exact moment, not that I wasn't planning on leaving anyway. After everything that happened there, after my treatment and that crap with the Uchiha clan that got Shisui killed. Danzo did that too, ya know! He murdered my best friend, and then tried to capture me for some reason." She explained to him.

"Did Itachi tell you this? About Shisui I mean? That night when you went to the clan household, did he tell you this then?" Kakashi asked her.

"Yeah. He also told me the truth about why he did it." She responded darkly.

"What? What do you mean by that?" Kakashi questioned.

"You know about the Masked Man right? The Fourth told you about him?" She asked him, gaining a nod of affirmation she continued, "Well I'm guessing he either hid this information from the elders and the council or he just didn't grasp that the man was working alone. Regardless the council blamed the Uchiha for the Nine Tails attack all those years ago. They treated them terribly due to their suspicion and the Hokage either let it happen or encouraged it. Either way, the Uchiha began planning a coup to retaliate for the years of mistreatment. Shisui was sent to end the conflict peacefully but was killed by Danzo to prevent that from happening, so they went with option B. Itachi was ordered to kill them all, and he did, to stop the coup from happening and spare the village from war. Though honestly, I think he did it for his brother. He knew if it turned into a war the Uchiha would likely lose, so he wanted to save his brother from that conflict. The Masked Man was there that night, he helped Itachi wipe out the clan. Itachi went with him after it was all over. I think he intends to spy on the man, and eventually kill him if he gets the chance. Itachi saved the village, all because the Council let things get so bad. My best friend died because of that, because of them. The Masked Man, the Council, the Hokage, they're all responsible as far as I'm concerned. If Danzo hadn't come after me, I still would have left. I couldn't stay there anymore. I'm sorry Kakashi. I really am. I wish I'd had the chance to say goodbye to you, and Remus, and the Ichirakus, but I couldn't. You guys, you were the only people who cared about me. The only ones who gave a damn. I don't think I've ever thanked you for that. So... thank you. Whatever happens going forward, for good or for ill, thank you for being my friend, Kakashi." Riley explained the situation to him, finishing it with something she'd always wanted to say to him, but never got the chance to. She had enough regrets surrounding Shisui's sudden death, she didn't need anymore.

Kakashi was silent for several long moments as he digested everything that she'd said. While his heart was warmed by her appreciation, his mind was far more focused on this titanic piece of his village's dirty laundry. He didn't doubt her words for a second. Suicide was never Shisui's style. Cold blooded, ruthless murderer wasn't the kind of person Itachi was. He'd known both of them for years, hell he'd led Itachi as a member of his squad when he'd first joined ANBU, he knew him well. He didn't doubt her at all. Everything made sense to him, much to his displeasure. His long years in service as an ANBU Black Ops meant that he was intimately familiar with the laundry list of crimes and horrors the Leaf had hidden behind closed doors. He knew it wasn't the kind and caring place the youngsters thought it was. It pained him to learn this truth, but he believed it.

"I- I... see... I believe you, Narumi. I know the kind of man Danzo is, he's tried to get his hands on me too. I'm sorry this has happened to you." He said to her.

"I appreciate it, you believing me. So... what happens now?" She asked him.

"You should leave this place. No one knows that I left the capitol, but if you hang around too long, some of the others might find you. I know you're fighting to stay alive, and I know what that requires. I won't hold it against you, the deaths of my comrades. I wish I could do something to help you, but I can't. We both know that even if he knew the truth, the Fourth Hokage likely wouldn't call off his ninja. He can't afford to be seen as lenient in the face of this, and Five Leaf shinobi are dead now. I don't know what'll happen if he gets his hands on you. At best you'll end up in a cell for several years until they can 'rehabilitate' you. I don't want that for you, I don't want to see you get hurt anymore." Kakashi said to her, almost imploring her to get away from this all.

"Thanks, Kakashi, you don't have to worry. I'm planning on leaving this land behind. No one is gonna find me where I'm going." She assured him. Kakashi blinked but then let out a sigh of relief.

"You're going to use the same method Remus does to come and go? Good. Leave this place Narumi, find peace, make a life for yourself. Find happiness, you deserve it, more than anyone I know, you deserve to be happy." Kakashi said to her.

"Thanks, Kakashi. I will... for Shisui... I've gotta live for the both of us." She replied.

"He'd be proud of you, Narumi. I know he would. Wherever you find yourself, be safe." Kakashi offered to her.

"You too." She responded.

"Goodbye." He said to her, hopeful that when next they met, it would still be as friends.

"Goodbye, Kakashi." She returned as she watched him leave.

She knew she was unlikely to see him ever again, but she was happy for the chance to see him one more time and say goodbye.

She turned and headed off in the opposite direction. She still had some time left until Gringotts would be done with her portkey, and it was best not to stay here.

She made it about half a mile, when someone appeared in her path.

Another masked figure, this one she was also familiar with.

"Narumi Namikaze. Nice mask." Obito Uchiha spoke, still with the voice of her grandfather.

"What the hell do you want. You know with my powers, I can escape you, and there's nothing you can do to stop me." She said to him.

"Oh I know. Kamui is undoubtedly one of the strongest powers the Mangekyou can bestow upon us. You were lucky to obtain it. Still, I didn't come here to fight. I've been looking for you." Obito said to her.

"I'm sure." She growled at him.

"There's something I wished to speak to you about. I overheard your conversation with Hatake. You told him the truth about what happened that night, commendable. I thought it was about time someone shared that same level of honesty with you." Obito stated, she could see his Sharingan staring at her intently from beneath the shadow of his mask, her own matched it.

"Sharing truth? Alright bastard, I'll bite. What truth?" Riley threw back at him, knowing she wasn't anywhere close to ready to face this man.

"The truth about you, that is. About your mother." Obito answered.

"My... mother? What about her?" Riley blinked in confusion.

"I had my suspicions, but after facing you, I knew it was true. You were 'her' child." Obito began, earning confusion from Riley.

"What are you talking about?" She asked him.

"My attack on the Leaf village over eight years ago. The Nine Tailed Fox. I was able to control the Fox with the power of my Sharingan. Though that still leaves the question, where did I acquire the Fox?" Obito continued.

She eyed him with uncertainty as she waited for him to continue, Madara as well, was listening along.

"You aren't the first Jinchuriki of the Nine Tails. It had two others before you. The first was Mito Uzumaki, the wife of the First Hokage." Obito explained.

"She is also your great aunt. She was my wife's younger sister." Madara added in.

"She held it only briefly until Hashirama finished constructing a temple to house the Great Beast and keep it pacified. It remained there until after his death. Eventually it would be removed at the orders of the Third Hokage and the advice of Lady Mito. The Leaf needed a weapon after all, so a Jinchuriki was chosen. Lady Mito's own great-granddaughter, Kushina Uzumaki. The grandchild of the youngest of their three children. She was nearly a full blooded Uzumaki, even had their signature red hair and violet eyes. She was the one who secretly carried the Nine Tailed Fox all of these years. The Hidden Leaf Village's secret weapon." Obito laid it out for her.

"What does she have to do with my mother?" Riley asked him.

"She is your mother." Obito answered directly.

"What?" Riley blinked at that.

"You heard me. Kushina Uzumaki is, or sadly, was your real mother. She had a very close personal relationship with you father, helped to teach him in sealing, and he became her protector on many of their missions. They grew close, though he chose Lily Evans in the end, it was always up in the air about how close the two had gotten with one another. You see... I know the truth. Though he did not choose Kushina as his wife, that did not mean he didn't choose her. Lily Evans you see, is sick. She has an illness, a magical one that prevents her from having children. Causes her magic to attack the embryo resulting in a miscarriage. Horrific to go through from what I've heard. With help from Tsunade they learned that there was a strong chance that Lily could still mother a child, just so long as it didn't have Lily's magic. Desperate to prevent her husband from leaving her and knowing of his close bond and affection for Kushina, it was Lily who suggested that they approach her with an offer. Lily knew how close the two were and had always suspected something deeper was shared between them, perhaps in the past, perhaps even now. Minato may have chosen her, but that love was not unconditional. He needed children, he wanted them, and Lily had to provide, or she risked losing him. So, she convinced him to approach Kushina, and allow her to be the doner. You see... a ritual exists in magic, one that Lily knew about and later learned alongside Tsunade, that allows for the safe transfer, along with magical and blood adoption of a fetus from one person to another. They intended to perform this ritual on Kushina. The idea was, that by using a bit of sex magic, parts of Lily's DNA could be mirrored onto the child, replacing some of Kushina's. In essence, the resulting child would have three genetic donors. They could then transfer the baby which would only have Lily's DNA and not her magic, to her womb so she could carry it to term, and birth it. Kushina agreed to their proposal on the condition that they performed all of the needed elements the 'old fashioned way'. As it were. She'd get the chance to actually be with the man she no doubt loved, and they'd get the child they wanted." Obito explained it all for her. Riley felt her mouth fall open and go dry as he began explaining. The more he spoke and the more complex this became, the more she started to believe him.

"It was a half-step for Kushina, but she was likely desperate. Minato was 'reluctant' to agree, at least in front of his wife, but Lily had resigned herself to it, despite her jealousy. So, they did the deed, as many times as it took for Kushina to become pregnant, and upon the appointed day, she fulfilled her obligation and passed over the child to Lily. All went swimmingly. A job well done. That is, until Kushina continued to show signs of developing pregnancy. Her doctor revealed that she was still pregnant, and overjoyed as she was, she wanted to keep this one. She figured there wouldn't be any issue, she was more than happy to pretend the child belonged to someone else, and all of this talk of children reminded her of the family she no longer had. She wished for a family of her own, and now she had it. So she hid the truth from Minato and Lily for as long as she could. Once she started showing signs though, they had no choice but to question her on it, and she revealed the truth. It came to be learned that Kushina had conceived twins, and the ritual had only taken one of the two children, not both. A storm of emotions was shared between them. Lily was furious at the whole situation, her jealousy swiftly returning. Minato was angry, confused and disappointed with Kushina's dishonesty, and Kushina herself was desperate to hold onto this child, hoping beyond hope that she could keep it, that they wouldn't demand she hand it over to Lily. It was Lady Mito's intervention though, that led to things turning out how they did. She revealed something to them at that moment. A truth that none of them knew. You see, there is a certain danger for female Jinchuriki when they are pregnant. Chakra that is meant to power the seal containing their respective Tailed Beast gets siphoned off to the baby. As a result, the Seal weakens bit by bit, the longer the pregnancy occurs, all the way up to the moment of birth. At that moment, the seal is at its weakest, and the mother is consumed by pain, and stress, and emotion. The Tailed Beast within has its best chance of escaping at that moment." Obito continued with his narrative, all the while Narumi hung on his every word.

"What was left to do? They couldn't transfer Kushina's baby to Lily, she was already too far along, and the shock of placing a child already so far along inside of her would likely cause great harm to Lily and kill both children in the process. So, what remained? Kill the child, or let her have it, and risk the village. Kushina naturally wanted to keep the baby, again promising to raise it herself and keep to herself, she'd never tell anyone who the child's father was, or infringe on the Hokage's life, it could just be their secret. The problem was, Kushina was no ordinary shinobi. She was the Leaf's Jinchuriki. She needed to remain in tip-top condition and be ready for deployment at a moment's notice. This pregnancy was already showing its detriments as it stole more and more time from her training and allowed her skills to dull. It would already be a few weeks after the pregnancy to recover and begin training again, but to raise the child? That would be a full-time job. No... if the baby lived, then someone else had to raise it. Kushina simply couldn't be the one to do it. She raged against that idea, but Mito rightly pointed out that it was the truth. She was the village's weapon, she needed to be in the best possible condition in the event that she needed to be used. Playing mother would ultimately weaken the village's ability to defend itself, so it couldn't be done. Kushina fought tooth and nail, but ultimately the Hokage, the Elders, Lady Mito and Lily, none of them would listen. So desperate in fact was she to have a family again, to have this child, that her rage began sparking a reaction. Even now the seal had weakened significantly, and Kushina was a woman known for her temper. Before she even realized what was happening, she was surrounded by blood red chakra and beginning to run amok. Thankfully Minato was able to teleport her beyond the borders of the village to stop anyone from seeing the outburst, but it took a great deal of effort to restrain the enraged Jinchuriki and at its end Kushina was left unconscious. After seeing her reaction and knowing that the village would be placed in great peril if Kushina was left to her own devices, it was decided to place her in a medically induced Coma for the remainder of the pregnancy. After it had ended, and she'd given birth, the Yamanaka Clan would be brought in, to rewrite Kushina's memories of the whole affair, erasing all evidence of the pregnancy itself. She'd never know that it happened." Obito carried on, watching her closely as he explained everything, analyzing her reaction.

"What happened to her?" Riley asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I held no ill will against Kushina Uzumaki, but she had something I needed. She awoke from her coma for only a few moments to give birth to you. Dazed and confused, she was unable to resist when I came for her and stole her away from the prepared birthing chamber. I released the Fox from within her, inflicting a mortal would by removing that dense collection of Chakra. I intended to have the Nine Tails finish her off, but Minato arrived just in time to save her. A part of me suspected it was so that he could seal the Fox back inside of her, which, theoretically could have saved her life, especially if they had Lady Tsunade around. Considering you no Carry part of the Fox and your sister the other part, that tells me that he made a different decision. Without sealing the Fox back into her, there was no hope for Kushina's survival. She died that night, all those years ago, you likely being the last thing she saw. Minato no doubt granting her that final kindness, before the end." Obito finished explained what had happened, tears of pain streamed from Riley's eyes, as she took what he said and used it to answer all of the questions of her life.

Why did her parents hate her? She was the child they didn't want. They were just stuck with her. For Minato, she was a reminder of an old flame that he'd likely loved and lost, and for Lily, she was a reminder of the woman her husband loved so very dearly, and to whom she owed the very life of her own precious daughter. Lily had been jealous of Kushina, and despite the twins being full twins as they carried all three of the same genetic donors from the same conception, she saw one as her daughter, and one as Kushina's. She hated Kushina, and so she hated Riley.

"So that's it? That's why they hate me? Some stupid drama from the past? A mother who can't let go of her jealousy towards a dead woman, and a father who... I don't even know what his problem is. Why did you tell me this?" She questioned him, glaring hatefully at the man.

"You deserved to know. All your life you've wondered, haven't you? And now you know the truth. I don't expect it'll change things between us. As one of the Jinchuriki of the Nine Tails we are destined to come into conflict with each other, and yet still, knowing the truth was important. It was important that you knew what they tried to keep hidden, and why you were destined to walk alone in this world." Obito said to her.

She was quiet for several long moments, caught on the verge of heartbreak. Finally, tears spilled from her eyes as she toppled over it, a realization settling in her mind. "Even if everything you said had come to pass. Even if they stole her memories, and I was raised like I was, she'd still be alive. She'd be out there, and I could go and find her. Because of you though... because of you, my mother is dead. Because of you, this truth leaves me with nothing, but this burning hollow feeling in my chest. The only catharsis I get from any of this, is that one day, I'll avenge my mother for all the wrongs brought upon her. Minato, Lily, Mito Uzumaki, the elders, The Third Hokage, the Council, the Village. She suffered for and because of them! I will never forgive any of them for that! But you, Obito Uchiha... you killed her! YOU! KILLED! HER!" Riley roared with inhuman, hellish malice.

Hearing his name spoken, Obito was momentarily stunned. How did she know that? How did she know who he was?

-Inside of Riley's Mindscape-

Deep within Riley's body, her rage boiled, igniting the magic in her veins like hellfire.

Within a metaphysical cage, a great demon slumbered. Her rage hammered against the cage, lashing it like an unbridled storm. Slowly, the Fox opened its eyes.

In a moment, it rationalized its position, and where it was. A moment later recalling the events that led it to this point. A second more, and it viewed the life of its newest host, watching through the short life of Narumi Namikaze, up to this moment.

"Madara... you...!" It began.

"Not now Fox! Your awakening has little bearing on what is about to happen. Save your snarls for later." Madara threw back at the great beast, his disembodied voice coming from beyond the boundaries of the cage.

"Impudent bastard! Damn you! What I wouldn't give to rip you limb from limb! You're right though, this fight may just prove interesting. If only I had my power, I could lend her some so she could tear that wretched copycat apart!" The Fox snarled in rage.

"Oh, poor little foxxxx..." Came another voice. Though he had no body, and existed only as a voice, the Fox could detect Madara reacting to the sound of the voice as well.

"What is that?" Madara questioned.

The Fox was silent for a moment as it tried to reach out with its senses. In an instant the Fox felt his whole body tense as fear lanced through him.

"Wh-What are you?" The Fox questioned. The Nine Tailed Fox was a gifted sensor, arguably the best of the Tailed Beasts. His senses were specifically tuned and yet had a near limitless range. This power was called Negative Emotion Sensing, and it allowed the Fox to sense negative emotions, familiarize them to a specific magic, and then track and recall that specific combo anywhere in the world. If the Fox had met you once, it would always be able to find you again, because of this power. When he tried to reach out to this unknown voice, he was struck by the darkest, and most vile emotions it had ever felt. Pure evil were the only words to describe this unknown entity.

"No time for that nowww... This one, he speaks the truth to force her to commit, to keep her from running. He intends to capture her. Mustn't allow it. Allow meee... Foxxxx..." The twisted and hellish voice spoke.

"What?!" The Fox began, only to feel this unseen voice reach out to it. Like tendrils of ice rapping around its soul, it felt the intrusion of this unknown thing. It was a violating, penetrative act, that felt all kinds of wrong to the ancient beast, and yet.

The Fox's eyes snapped open, it felt power coursing into it. Torrents of raw power. Not what it what had, nowhere close, and yet...

"Do what needs to be done! Do as you said! Let this weak little boy finally joy his beloved in the pits of hellll!"The twisted voice spoke.

Madara watched on, unable to do anything to halt or impede this. All he could do was watch. What was this thing? What was this alien, demonic, nightmare that had manifested itself in his granddaughter seemingly out of nowhere?

"This thing... its powers are vast. I've never felt such evil before." The Fox spoke.

"What is it?" Madara asked.

"I do not know, something ancient, something... powerful. The answer will come in time, for now though... I shall not waste this opportunity!" The Fox spoke, finishing with a mighty roar, that unleashed a blast of demonic chakra, flooding Riley's veins with it.

-Outside-

Obito watched her rage consume her. He knew now that she wouldn't try and run off. All he had to do now was outlast her. He knew the limits of Kamui far better than she did, and he had a plan to overwhelm her usage of it.

He stopped when he spotted something odd. His Sharingan, able to perceive chakra, spotted a red flame ignite in her belly, at the origin point of the seal. It then began to spread, flooding throughout her chakra network.

"Impossible! She shouldn't have any of it's chakra!" Obito thought in disbelief as Riley unleashed a scream of rage, that caused demonic chakra to explode out of her. Wind raced by him, flooding the forest with a gale-like winds.

In an instant, she began her attack.

The ground exploded beneath her feet as she rocketed towards him. She aimed a flying kick at his chest which missed completely as she passed right through him.

She landed on all fours, her movements becoming erratic, more bestial as a red aura of chakra burned around.

She turned and launched at him again, clawing and kicking at her, trying to tear him to pieces.

"You know such attacks have no effect on me. This may have been a surprise, but it changes nothing." Obito spoke, allowing her attacks to casually pass through him.

"The light... call upon the light! Use yoouur eye. The light connects to all reality. The light wiiilll be his undo-ing." A dark and hellish voice growled into her ears. At any other moment she would have been scared out of her mind, hearing something like that, but in her current state, consumed by rage, her only response was to try it's suggestion.

In her hand, a blade of yellow light appeared, she cut at him, a strike he lazily side stepped, barely attempting a dodge as he allowed it to pass through him, and pass through him it did, just not in the way he expected.

A sharp pain shot up his arm, and he quickly hopped away. He landed several meters back and glanced at his arm. A cut was there, a cut through his robes, and down to the flesh. A thin trickle of blood drained out of the wound which began to heal. Normally such a small cut would have healed in mere moments, but in this case, it was much slower, still visible to the naked eye, but a think occurring over minutes instead of seconds.

"What? Did I mistime that dodge? There's no way..." Obito thought to himself, turning his gaze back to her, only to see the yellow blade spiraling through the air at him as she threw it.

He turned sideways and dodged it, allowing the blade to slowly pass by him. He raised his arm, just enough to allow the spinning blade to catch the cloth of his robes, which should be safely in Kamui, he watched in slow motion as the blade cut through the cloth as it sailed by.

"Impossible! That attack was able to strike me inside of Kamui." Obito realized, as a cold tinge of fear shot up his spine.

He turned to her once more. He couldn't see her face behind her red and black mask, but he could tell she'd been watching him and had observed the same thing he had. He didn't need to see her face to know that a hellish grin now stretched across it.

Instantly, a dozen red shuriken appeared between her fingers which she sent sailing at him.

Obito began dodging as she created another set to send after him, and then another, and another. She found it so easy, the strain wasn't there. There was so much power coursing through her.

Inside of her mind, Madara continued to observe, surprised that the weapons created by Amatsumara could actually strike Obito even in Kamui.

"How is this possible?" He questioned aloud.

"The Pocket World of his eyes seeks to hold true to reality. That adherence makes it vulnerable to the manipulation of universal forces. The Light exists here, and it exists there. Whether he is here or there, the Light too exists. She recognizes his power. That understanding, joined with the Light's reality, means that it will strike him, if he allows it to hit." The dark and twisted voice spoke in answer.

"A universal force. Light? The constructs of Amatsumara are made of light? Kamui is a dimension that always attempts to adhere to the reality surrounding the user. It tries to obey the concepts surrounding it. Light exists here, and so it exists there. It also is tied to her awareness. She knows what Kamui is, she knows how he's going to try and avoid her attacks. Because of that awareness of the Kamui dimension, the light can strike him if it passes through him, even if he's partially in the other dimension. Meaning if she lacked that awareness or encountered another form of intangibility that she didn't understand, then her constructs couldn't then strike it. I see. Already this power was one of the most versatile abilities I'd ever encountered, but knowing this, it's approaching the likes of Izanagi in regard to its usefulness." Madara rationalized the entity's explanation.

"Iiiit is a power limited only by imagination... One day she will shape reality itself with it." The unknown voice spoke.

"The power to shape reality, just like the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Huh... I guess I was right... she will be the one to reshape this world of ours. But the world she builds... it will be real." Madara realized, as his focus returned to the fight.

Obito continued to dodge the onslaught of red shuriken, intermingled with a few yellow ones as well.

He dodged them all, avoiding any further damage. He was retreating from her, racing away as she chased him. He kept his eyes on her, avoiding the incoming attacks thanks to his speed and his Sharingan.

His focus was one her, and so he did not see when a wall of red energy appeared behind him and he ran right into it.

He let out a growl of annoyance as he took note of the wall.

"Not just limited to weapons, eh?" He earmarked for later. "Wait, how did this get in front of me?"

His answer came when two swords, one of red energy and one of yellow appeared above him on either side, angled down towards him. In an instant they were accelerated at him by an unseen force. He dove forward into a roll to avoid the two blades as Riley came to a halt a dozen meters away.

He caught sight of them, forming around him, blades of red, and yellow energy in all shapes of forms. They appeared and launched at him, one by one. He dodged, dancing about as the blades appeared faster and faster and faster.

"So much power, so easy!" Riley realized. She felt indestructible, her stores of energy near limitless. She had no idea where she was getting this strength from and at the moment she didn't care. She'd never even come close to this level of control over Amatsumara though calling in control was a falsehood. This had nothing to do with control, it was all power. She was simply pumping out so much power that the control no longer mattered. It also didn't really matter how fine-tuned or precise her creations were, they just needed to exist to perform their task.

Obito move as fast as he could, dodged and dancing around the blades, trying to avoid being struck. His robes were cut, and he felt the energy weapons cut and nick his flesh. He was growing more and more worried and angry. How was she doing this? Why was it having so much of an effect on him? Where was she getting this power from? He'd come here with a perfectly laid plan to ensure she didn't run away, and here he was on the defensive, fighting to stay alive, desperately trying to escape this storm so that he could run away and escape fully into Kamui.

"I'm sweating. This child! Minato's wretched spawn, is actually making me sweat!" Obito realized as he felt his worry and anger continue to grow. It was like every tiny bolt of pain that he felt, furthered these emotions. None were more than nuisances and yet each one seemed to have a visceral reaction to him. Was it pride? Was he simply so used to being untouchable that he was reacting this way now? His nerves were becoming more frayed, as he envisioned her face beneath the mask. He could almost see it, a wide grin splitting her face in two, filled with far too many teeth. He felt his heart beginning to pound in his ears, a reality that stung at him more and more as it grew louder and louder.

His rage was growing as well, the idea of capturing her falling to wayside. If he got through this, he'd kill her, tear her limb from limb. He'd break every bone in her tiny little body and force her to crawl for his amusement.

So many weapons and tools flooded the air, were he any other shinobi, were he without the Sharingan, this onslaught would have killed him.

Every time he saw an opening to advance through the storm, he found himself taking it, despite his desire to retreat. Every time he saw an avenue of retreat, he took it, despite his desire to murder her. His mind was fracturing, splitting in two, fear and rage. Both were building within him when suddenly, a realization struck him.

"I'm being poisoned! These weapons, some kind of chakra poison perhaps. The rage, the fear, the anxiety, every cut, every scratch she's infecting me with these toxins." Obito realized.

Focusing his Sharingan he watched as a red axe went sailing by him, he stared into it as it sailed by. Within the crimson red of its structure, he could almost make out images of himself. The slaughter of every person he hated, reflected like fractal images within the structure of the axe. He could see himself killing Minato, and Kakashi, and this bastard girl, he could see them all dying at his hands. His eyes flickered to a yellow sword that lanced by him. In it, he saw Riley's grinning face. That hellish, inhuman face. That grin with too many teeth.

He felt a very real chill wash over him.

He dropped low to the ground, speeding through hand signs as he did. "Wood Style: Great Tree Spear!"

He slammed his palms into the ground, just as a yellow knife sailed a quarter inch past his left ear. From all around him, tree branches erupted, causing Riley to cease her assault in surprise and back away as the branches grew thick and upwards, twisting and forming a wall around Obito separating him from her view.

Within the cover he'd made, Obito took the opportunity and activated Kamui retreating from the battlefield before he absorbed more the poison. He needed to rethink things. He needed to get his head back on straight. He far outclassed her, but if she managed to turn him into a raving lunatic torn between all-consuming rage, and crippling fear, then he'd be easy pickings. She had caught him by surprise with all of this, and now he had to rethink everything. Escaping with his life was a victory in and of itself. She couldn't surprise him with these things again.

Riley spent the better part of two full minutes pounding her fists into the bark of the wooden walls, angrily growling at Obito's escape. The power that had once flourished inside of her body, began to fade and drain out of her, and she was starting to feel more tired than she ever had in her life.

"Hey, before you pass out, you should probably go into Kamui Leaf shinobi and people from the capital might have sensed the fight, and they could be here any moment. You don't want to lose consciousness here." Madara warned her.

Riley let out a growl, and gave the wooden wall one final punch, bloodying her knuckles a bit more before doing as instructed.

She didn't truly grasp how tired she was until she appeared in her Kamui dimension and instantly passed out, the left side of her face stained red with blood from her abundant use of Amatsumara. She fell into a dreamless sleep, and wouldn't awaken for almost twelve hours.

When she did, she found her body heavily fatigued and she felt more or less like crap.

"Using the power of a Tailed Beast for the first time is an incredibly taxing endeavor. It'll take some getting used too." Madara expressed to her upon awakening.

"Is that what happened? I don't even know. I just felt this unspeakable power rush into me. I felt like I could do anything." Riley said in response, sitting alone in the darkness of her pocket dimension.

"That power may have come from me, but it wasn't my power. It was shaped into my power, but it came from somewhere else." Came another voice, startling Riley.

"Who's that?" She questioned.

"The Fox is awake; your outburst seems to have finally jarred him from his slumber. Him and something else..." Madara answered.

"What does that mean?" Riley asked.

"It means you have more than one demon living inside of you, brat." The Fox answered.

"I do? How did that happen?" She questioned.

"No idea, and your asshole grandfather isn't much help in that department either. Nothing in your memories indicates when you picked this thing up, but it had to be a long time ago. Whatever it is, it's like it's contained within an egg. It's not awake yet, or at least not fully awake, but it is conscious. It seems to be sleeping right now. If I had to guess, the death of your friend Shisui woke this thing up, but it can only manifest at times when your anger reaches its peak." The Fox said to her.

"When my anger reaches its peak... yeah..." Riley hummed thoughtfully as she remembered what all Obito had said to her.

"In case you were wondering, he was telling the truth. I lived inside of Kushina for most of her life. Though it loathes me to involve myself in lowly human affairs, I can confirm that he was accurate in his retelling of events. He was also accurate in that Kushina yearned for a baby of her own. A child to raise. She wanted a family, more than anything else. Those things were very much true." The Fox offered to her, causing fresh tears to spill from Riley's eyes as she cursed the world for cheating her out of having a loving mother.

"Damn them all, damn that Obito, damn why can't I stop crying!" Riley snapped in frustration.

"Because you're in pain, my dear. It happens, even to the best of us. Let it out. Allow yourself to feel that pain. Take it and grow stronger from it. Let these fresh wounds to your heart, heal over and make you stronger." Madara said to her. A bitter pill to swallow, but she knew he was right.

So, as much as she hated herself for it, she cried. She sat there, alone in the void, and cried her eyes out.

An hour passed before she was ready to talk more, to try and take her mind off of wondering about every possible scenario for her life had her mother lived.

"Hey Fox, uh thanks for telling me that. Confirming it I mean. If you don't mind, maybe sometime, can I ask about her?" Riley inquired.

"You're asking me?" The Fox queried.

"Well yeah, it's only polite to ask people for things, or to make sure they're alright with helping. Just assuming is what gets you in trouble." She responded.

"Hmm... your remarkably more polite that I would have thought you'd be having this prick living in your head." The Fox noted, causing Riley to choke on her next words as she stifled a snort of amusement.

"Ah, your opinion of me means the world Fox." Madara hummed.

"So, you two know each other?" Riley guessed.

"We have a history." Madara answered back with a metaphorical shrug.

"History. This impudent little whelp used those accursed eyes to control me and had me fight the First Hokage for him. By my reckoning he's the reason I've been locked inside of Jinchuriki for thirty plus years." The Fox snapped back.

"Oh, that makes sense then. I'd say I'm sorry for that, but I get the feeling that would just be patronizing." Riley surmised. Obito had managed to control the fox with his Sharingan so it didn't surprise her to learn that her grandfather had too.

"Hmm... well you're certainly more insightful than your mother ever was." The Fox hummed, causing Riley to blanch.

"Um..."

"Yes, she was an airhead. A lot like Naruko actually. It's weird, she gave birth to you but you're more like your father, meanwhile Lily gave birth to Naruko and yet she's almost a carbon copy of Kushina." The Fox stated, causing Riley to let out a grunt of annoyance.

"Well... That's something, I guess. Still, you didn't answer my question from before. Is it alright if I ask about my mother?" Riley steered the conversation back towards the original topic.

"You'll have to earn it. If you wanna know about her, you'll need to earn it." The Fox said to her.

"Earn it, how?" She wondered.

"You possess the Rinnegan. I've seen it in your memories. You have the ability to awaken those eyes. If there's one thing in this world, I will not allow it is for those eyes to fall into the hands of a weak-minded, weak-willed, runt, to be used and abused without a care in the world. Those eyes mean something, and those blessed to carry them should carry that legacy with far more dignity than even the greatest amongst you wretched kind." The Fox said to her, its tone leaving no room for doubt that it held those eyes in high regard.

"These eyes mean a lot to you Fox..." Riley noted.

"They were the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths, my father. I will not tolerate disrespect to them, nor to the legacy carried within. Those are the eyes of God, and nothing short of a god should wield them. If you want me to tell you about your mother, then you'll be worthy of those eyes. You'll wield them with a level of fortitude and commitment your kind is rarely capable of. I care not what you do with them, good or ill, but you will be worthy of them. When people speak of you, and those eyes, and they place you in the category of the Sage himself, you better damn well be worthy of it. The Sage was the best of you, and though humans have long spat on his memory and forsaken his gifts, I will at the very least guarantee that when people see those eyes and see a reflection of that great man, they remember that they were nothing compared to him. That they are insects by comparison, and nothing more. I don't ask you to live up to his legacy, I demand that you rise out of his shadow and prove that their stories come nowhere close to the truth. That is my price, child. Remind the world what true power is, that all that they are now was born of the foundations that he set, and that even after all this time, all of their so-called progress, with terrifying ease, it can all be stripped away. That is what it will cost you. To surpass them all and show the world the true power of magic." The Fox commanded her, setting forth its offer for her.

"Alright then. That's what I intended to do anyway, to be the best I can be. I guess I'll just have to aim for better than even that." She responded, more than happy to accept its deal in order to get what she wanted.

"Not so concerned with making deals with demons. Unwise, but in this case, better for me. Alright then child, we have a deal." The Fox offered to her.

"So, now we discuss what happened before." Madara stated.

"Yeah, what was that? Where did all that power come from? You said another presence was inside of me?" Riley inquired, "And how was Amatsumara able to strike Obito even with Kamui?"

"Well first we'll talk about the latter. I now understand a bit more about Amatsumara, the technique is using light, that's what makes up the constructs you create, they're objects made from light itself. As for the reason why, it was able to strike at Obito in Kamui, the answer is that the light created is using a higher form of magic, and controlling a universal force, one that also exists within Kamui. That, tied to your understanding of the technique and how it works, means that you can strike him, even when he's using Kamui. It's your awareness, coupled with the fact that you're using a type of power that goes beyond chakra, or ordinary magic. If you were lacking one or the other, it would have never worked, but because the specifics, it did." Madara explained to her.

"Wow... light huh? Using light itself as a weapon, that's pretty incredible. I managed to create a new color too, yellow. I wonder what that's about?" She hummed thoughtfully.

"It's fear." The Fox spoke.

"Fear?" Riley repeated.

"Yeah. The color of the light, it corresponds with emotion. I can sense emotions, the red constructs emanated rage, and anger, and hatred. Dark and vile it reminds me of demonic chakra. The yellow constructs were filled with fear, unease, trauma, and nightmares. It's why he began reacting erratically, moving in opposition to himself. Just like how the red constructs can infect victims with rage, the yellow ones can infect them with fear." The Fox explained to them.

"Yeah... that makes sense. But he wasn't nearly as affected as other people were." She noted.

"Remember that half of his body is comprised of Hashirama's cells. He has accelerated healing. It means that the infections brought on by these weapons can be blunted, and possibly even healed. We shall see if Obito recovers or not to know the truth." Madara reminded her.

"Huh... Okay. And that power, that came from the other entity, that it gave to you." Riley questioned the fox.

"Yeah. It's a demon I think, like me, but far more natural. I am an artificial creation, made by the Sage, this Demon is a natural existence, its powers are vast. Less concentrated than my own, but arguably greater. It linked the two of us together and channeled its powers into me, and I passed those powers into you in order to help you kill that rotten Obito. Though it has returned to slumber, it's powers have begun rebuilding my demonic core, my magical network. Given enough time I'll be back to my old self." The Fox laid it out for them.

"Why is it doing that? No offense but aren't demons evil?" Riley asked him.

"They are, from most people's point of view. Demons are more instinctual creatures than anything else. So, this being might be a fiend or a devil, and before you ask the differences are simple, demons are like animals, and the stronger ones, like me, are more like natural disasters. Were it not for the way I was made by the sage, I wouldn't be as intelligent and articulate as I am. Demons with my level of intelligence are very rare. Fiends are the middle ground, think barbarians or tribals. Half-way to savage but the ability to grasp the full breath human intellect. And devils are the smart ones, geniuses, master strategists. They're the guys who are always five moves ahead. All of them can collectively fall under the umbrella of just being demons, but there is a distinction, and it matters in knowing what you're dealing with. This thing may very well be a fiend or a devil, it's level of control in repairing the damage done to me, even while it sleeps signifies a heightened level of control, so I'm leaning more towards devil. As for the why, I think it wants me to help protect you." The Fox answered her.

"Protect me, why would it want to do that?" Riley wondered.

"I do not know, as I don't know it's nature or even what it really is. Its emotions are some of the blackest I've ever seen, yet there is some manner of light there. It has a great fondness, affection, perhaps even love, for you child, and I don't know why. Regardless of the answer, I believe that is why it's trying to fix me, so that I can help protect you." Came the response from the Nine Tails.

Riley had no response to that, as it was clear her companions had no idea what it was either. It was a mystery, and one she hoped to solve one day, for now though, she was left only to speculate.

"Okay... well I guess we'll just have to wait for this thing to wake up again to learn more." Riley thought.

"An astute observation child." The Fox agreed.

"Yeah... alright, well then, I'm sure my portkey is ready. Time to leave this land behind. Once I find a new place to call home, we can start our training Fox." Riley said to him.

"Training? What makes you think I intend to train you?" The Fox responded with a huff.

"Well you want me to be stronger and learn to master the powers of the Rinnegan. I can learn things from Grandfather Madara, but I figured you'd also want to train me and make sure I'm on the right path." Riley replied to him.

"What makes you think I know anything about your human magics to teach you anything." The Fox countered.

"You may not know anything, but you lived inside of Kushina for most of her life. I'm sure she was an exceptional shinobi, being one of Hashirama's grandchildren." Madara countered.

"Alright, fair enough. I'll teach you the things that Kushina knew, and if I regain my powers you'll have to learn how to fight as a Jinchuriki, so I guess there are things for me to show you. Fine, but don't expect me to be a kind teacher. I expect all of your effort in learning what I have to teach, I won't waste my time if you're just going to slack off." The Fox finally consented.

"Yes sir! I'd never slack off when it comes to training. I won't disappoint you." Riley offered with enthusiasm.

"Well, you're certainly a spunky little twerp I'll give you that. Still, if I'm going to teach you anything then I have a few rules you need to follow. Firstly, I'm not your pet, or your servant, I'm stuck inside your body, against my will, and if you screw around and disrespect me than the time comes, I get my power back, I won't hesitate to tear my way out of you. Secondly, I never lie, and I don't expect it from you either. You want to lie to others go ahead, but you don't lie to me. And finally, I expect you to appreciate me taking the time to do this. You humans are less than worthless to me by and large, so helping you out is going beyond the measure for me. Follow my rules, and treat me with respect, and in turn I'll show you the same." The Fox instructed her.

"Yes sir. One question though?" Riley inquired.

"What is it?" The Fox responded.

"Well, do you have a name?" Riley asked him.

"A name?" The Fox replied with surprise.

"Yeah, Nine-Tailed Fox isn't a name, it's a tittle. It's what you are, not who you are. If we're gonna show each other equal respect, then it's only right that I ask for your name." Riley clarified.

The Fox was silent for several long moments as he considered that. Only one human had ever asked him for his name. Only one had ever considered that the Fox could even have a name or cared enough to ask, and that had been the First Hokage. Hearing his newest host ask for his name, it left him feeling a bit off.

Several more moments passed by before her answered. "Kurama. My name is Kurama."

"Kurama. Okay. Thanks Kurama, for your help against Obito. I'm not sure what would have happened without it." she said to him, again causing him to blink in surprise.

"This girl... I would have thought, given her life that she'd be more like Madara, but she has a lot of Hashirama in her too. Maybe this won't be so bad. If nothing else, she'll keep things interesting for a while." Kurama thought to himself.

"Yeah yeah, don't get all sappy on me. Let's just get this show on the road." The Fox hummed dismissively, earning a snort of amusement from Madara which served only to irk the ancient beast.

Riley agreed and used Kamui to exit near to the entrance of the bank. It was near to closing time so she quickly snuck inside and acquired her portkey, which would be taking her to Germany, which was the furthest place in Europe it could reach.

She wasted no time and quickly departed, using the Portkey travel to the foreign land, finally escaping the confines of the Elemental Nations and beginning her new life. She had a new companion in Kurama, and a new mystery to explore in this unknown demon living inside of her. All things to explore, for now, she needed to find a place to live, so with that, she set to work finding her bearings and exploring her new home.

-To be Continued-

Notes:

Alright guys next chapter, we are off to Europe. A number of changes here, including changing her Mangekyou power. Considering the role the color spectrum played far later in the story, and her role as mother to the Color Entities, that she'd be able to use the spectrum without the need for a ring. So I tied it to her eye, making it a power a lot like Gilgamesh's Gate of Babylon, or Shirou's Trace and projection magic. Also had Kurama awaken here as it made more sense. And Obito telling her about Kushina in order to force her into a fight so he could capture her, well i figure making him a prominent villian would make the confrontation(s) with him later more meaningful especially because now Riley believes that he killed her mother.

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Chapter 6: Friendships born

Notes:

Here's the next chapter for you guys, hope you're all as excited as I am, this one has so many changes and evolutions to it. So much setup and established, and I hope you like the work put into it.

Riley stared out over the skyline of Paris; she'd found herself an apartment to rent, and had settled into her new home. It was easy pull off, a simple Transformation Jutsu was all that was needed to fool the muggles.

It had been nearly a full month since she arrived in Europe, and she'd been busy learning local languages and finding a place to live. She eventually chose Paris, as she fell for its beauty and art. It was a lovely place and had a thriving magical populace, so it wasn't hard to walk between both worlds and experience them both. After arriving she had all of her money converted to the local currency, and once she had her apartment, she turned her focus to training.

Each day from dusk to dawn she went into Kamui and trained there. Either Madara or Kurama would drill her on new items of interest. With both of their ability to project images into her mind, showing her their memories, or in Kurama's case, Kushina's memories, allowed for Riley to learn of their various abilities and powers.

Living up to her promise to Kurama she trained herself into the ground, learning everything there was to learn. She practiced her taijutsu endlessly, moving through katas, fighting against clones, watching and rewatching the memories Madara shared with her from his countless battles. The few days she took off from training, she spent learning English, and French. She was left with little choice but to develop a proficiency in them if she wanted to interact with the people who lived around her.

Days turned to weeks, weeks into months. Her ninth birthday came and went, with the only people acknowledging it being Madara and Kurama. She grew to adore them, in Madara's case more than she already had.

As time wore on and her finances started to drain, she needed to take on a job to begin gathering more money, so she took up the job of a bounty hunter. Dawning her black cloak and red and black mask, she would stalk and kill dark witches and wizards, often bringing their heads to the bounty offices as proof of her kill. The first time she arrived, drew natural disbelief from the clerk, only for her to produce the head and demand payment. She quickly earned herself a reputation. She could have avoided the added attention by just transforming into an adult, but she chose to appear as a child. Her logic was simple, too few people feared what they perceived as innocent. A man, or a woman, those could be dangerous, but a kid who would ever suspect a child of being a threat? The sickest and most twisted preyed upon children, and so she thought it would send a message if she taught them to fear what they perceived as innocent. As word of her reputation spread, criminals who targeted kids might just ask themselves in that moment, what if this kid is her? And if they chose to walk away, then that saved that child's life.

It most certainly worked, at least the reputation part. All over Europe those who hunted magical criminals began hearing about the child-sized masked killer who left her targets in pieces and returned with their severed heads to claim the bounty on them. She operated under an alias, using the name 'Null'. It was a word that represented her so well, both as a person, and what she represented as a bounty hunter. Null meant having no legal or binding force, which spoke of how she was as a killer, but it also represented something absent of value, which is how she believed her family and the people of the Leaf viewed her.

In her first six months she claimed thirteen bounties. She actually began considering this as a profession, something that she could do to pay her way through life. She still had the idea of going to magical school, and for some reason, Hogwarts still spoke to her. Beauxbatons was closer, and near to where she currently lived, but it was much younger, newer, didn't have the same history. Hogwarts was ancient, there was old power there, and it was overseen by arguably the greatest wizard born in the last century.

She'd definitely have to hide the Uzumaki-Uchiha name to avoid Dumbledore finding out who she really was, but that would be easy, and who'd think to look for her at Hogwarts of all places?

That was still a way off, and though Madara warned her of the risks, the rewards were just as great, and of course, she'd have far greater power by then, especially if she could keep hidden for several more years under Dumbledore's nose.

In that time, she also learned a number of lessons about survival. Magicals like witches and wizards were nowhere close to Shinobi in terms of their physical abilities, and much of their magic was more utilitarian and precise in nature than ninjutsu, so while Witches and Wizards could accomplish more with their magic, in just the area of combat and warfare, shinobi far outclassed them. This made them easy pickings. What trumped her up, was the presences of mages.

In the world there stood many different types of magicals. Witches and Wizards were lumped together, as they drew magic from a magical core, utilized a focus, called upon words of power, and acquired their magic through study. Shinobi drew magic from their coils, the place where magic was stored after it passed through the Eight Gates. They learned their magic through study but deployed it through the use of hand signs, coupled again, with words of power. Mages drew magic from the magical pathways that connected their cores to their coils, they drew upon magic in motion which granted it different properties. Mages shared many similarities to both groups, but they belonged to some of the most secret of societies. Mages hid themselves amongst the population of magicals, often pretending to be them to avoid suspicion and hide from both muggles and other magicals. Since it was easy to mistake them, that meant that on occasions a mage may be targeted as a witch or wizard, or some other form of spellcaster without anyone realizing it. Twice on her hunts, she'd had the misfortune of targeting mages, who's magic and abilities were often greater than that of witches or wizards.

Fighting them required her to think outside of the box and capitalize on her own abilities. In both encounters she had suffered injury. In the first, she ran into a mage that had the ability to alter his movements, this made him near impossible to read with her Sharingan because he could alter his movements while making them, throwing off her predictions. She walked away from that fight with a broken arm, which took a bone-healing potion to fix. In the second encounter she fought a mage who specialized in creating highly flammable substances that were difficult to detect. She received a nasty burn on her arm that would leave behind a noticeable scar, even with potions to heal it.

She learned lessons from these battles, each injury, a reminder of her own mortality, that even with Kamui she wasn't invincible. It taught her greater caution, greater care, and to not get complacent. She had to treat each battle like her life could be on the line, because she never knew what her enemy had in story for her. The mindset of battle versus dance, was meant to be reflected upon after a battle, not before. So, she developed a greater degree of care towards the preservation of her own life and carried the scars as a testament to those lessons learned.

So she devoted her time and energy to bounty hunting and training. It was Madara who suggested that at some point she goes to Gringotts and takes on the Uzumaki Lordship. Minato was the heir, but he had no clue as to his heritage and after so much time had passed, it was likely she could claim it instead, as age wasn't a requirement. That would emancipate her in the eyes of magic and the law, which would allow for other benefits in the future.

She agreed and shortly after her ninth birthday she went to Gringotts and spoke with a teller in regard to accepting a lordship. He took a blood test from her to determine if there were any lordships available for her to claim before they discussed things any further, and the look he gave her before waddling off to find a manager was quite concerning.

"What do you suppose that was about?" Kurama inquired.

"I think we're about to find out." Riley noted as the teller returned, alongside one of the bank managers.

"Greetings, I'm the manager of this establishment, you can call me Wrask. I understand you're here to claim a lordship?" Wrask inquired, the squat little creature standing shorter than even Riley.

"Yeah. That's what I'm here for sir." She responded.

"I see, please, come with me." Wrask told her, guiding her into the back of the bank and into his office. "Please have a seat."

"Is there a problem?" She inquired as she sat opposite of him.

"Not a problem, though there are things we would like to address. First and foremost, you've come to claim the Uzumaki Lordship, is that correct?" He asked her.

"Yes, that is correct sir." She responded.

"You understand what that would entail? You would not only be taking ownership of the Clan title, and become the lord of the Uzumaki clan, but you would also receive the title of Daimyo of the Land of Whirlpools. This a title held by the Uzumaki clan leader, and upon taking the title, you would also inherit that land, though it is currently a ruin. The island, and all of its holdings would, by law, fall under your control, magically speaking of course. Who actually controls the land would be determined by who's there." Wrask informed her, earning surprise from Riley.

"You said your wife was the leader of the Uzumaki clan, you didn't tell me that she was a Daimyo." Riley questioned her grandfather.

"Did I forget to mention that?" Madara hummed, causing Riley to blanch.

"So... What would that mean for me?" Riley inquired while recovering from her grandfather's response.

"Again, most of it is now a ruin, but the island of the Land of Whirlpools would now become your property. Any residents living upon that land would have to pay taxes to you. All assets listed to the Land of Whirlpools, the Uzumaki Clan, or the Hidden Village of Uzushiogakure would be yours. It isn't much, as I said it was all destroyed, but it would now be yours." Wrask informed her.

"Why hasn't anyone tried to claim it? The land I mean. I understand the hidden village was destroyed, but why not conquer the land as well?" Riley inquired.

"They couldn't. The village was destroyed by a joint force of four of the Hidden Villages of the Great Nations. Sand, Mist, Cloud, and Stone. It was a joint attack that triggered the Third Great Ninja War. Had it not been for the damage suffered during that attack, and the deaths of so many leaders from those four villages, their alliance would have held strong and allowed them to then turn their attention onto the Hidden Leaf. Unfortunately for them, the Uzumaki were incredible warriors, and I was amongst them. At battles end, the land lay in ruins, and ancient seals activated that locked off the Hidden Village from outside interference. No one could gain entrance, and with the breakout of the Third Great Ninja War, the other villages didn't have the time or manpower to try and pilfer that dead land for valuables. So, it remains untouched, an island of ghosts, locked off from outside interference. People don't go there anymore." Madara explained to her, wrath touching at his voice as he remembered the conflict that had ultimately cost him his wife and son.

"I couldn't say. For whatever reason, it still remains untouched. The land may be in ruin and practically deserted, but it would still be yours." Wrask also responded.

"Okay. Thank you for explaining. I still intend to claim that title, but if we could avoid a lot of the fanfare, I would appreciate it." She said to the goblin.

"We're not required to inform anyone or make any sort of proclamations. In fact, you needn't even be here to claim the Lordship. The leadership of these lands and all accompanied titles were established long before the Uzumaki began using the goblin banks. Old magic is tied into it. You are the heir and fit all required prerequisites, so you are free to claim it, with little more than a proclamation of intent." Wrask informed her.

"Grandfather, what was grandmother's name?" Riley inquired.

"Kaguya." He answered her.

"Alright. I, Riley Uzumaki-Uchiha, granddaughter of Kaguya Uzumaki, hereby claim the title of head of the Uzumaki Clan, and Lord of the Land of Whirlpools." Riley stated aloud. A few seconds passed as nothing seemed to happen, but Wrask glanced down at a piece of parchment on his desk, and a toothy grin spread across his face.

"Your Ladyship." He said to her, confirming her change in status. "Now... there is some other issues I wished to address with you. Firstly, while nothing can be done with the land itself or the handful of inhabitants and that taxes they owe, Gringotts can send out letters ordering payment, it can also grant you access to the Uzumaki clan vaults as well as the vaults of the Land of Whirlpools. Both vaults are basically empty, but by my understanding the Uzumaki kept their own personal vaults that they linked to their bank vaults. It seems they made sure that their own vaults couldn't be reached by anyone save through the bank vaults themselves. Meaning while you do have access to both of the sets of vaults, I couldn't tell you what was in them. They likely remain untouched, lest someone found a way to breach the physical vault themselves."

"That's awesome. So can I have access to those vaults moved here?" She asked him.

"You may. We can transfer over access to both sets of vaults so they may be reached from this establishment. Would you like me to assign you your own personal vault manager? This is normally an automatic process but seeing as how both vaults are empty of any actual wealth and are simply a means of reaching the true vaults, we have no idea what is within them. If you choose to do so, any funds removed from the actual vaults and placed within the bank vaults may then be managed by the bank itself in whatever way you deep fit." Wrask answered her.

"It might not be a bad idea to transfer any wealth contained within the vaults into the bank vaults regardless. If they have remained untouched, then it's only by a stroke of luck and clever genius on the Uzumaki's part, but better to have that wealth and any items contained in those vaults, placed safely under the watch of the goblins. If they've remained untouched, you'll have access to the wealth of a small nation, and the wealth of the richest and most powerful clan in that nation. That's not even counting any other items kept within those vaults. That much wealth and you can guarantee the goblins will place an entire army around it, to keep it safe." Madara suggested to her.

"There's also the Goblin's skill in investing. If I recall correctly, I remember Minato explaining that to Kushina. The Goblins are good at that. Using money to make more money." Kurama chimed in.

"I'll certainly consider it, manager. First, I need to see if there's anything even in those vaults worth managing. If there is, then I think I'll take you up on the offer." She said to him, causing the goblin chief to nod in acceptance.

"Very well then your ladyship. The process should take only two weeks. We'll owl you once it is concluded and you'll have access to your vaults then. Instructions will be sent on how to obtain the keys to either vault. Unless you have any more questions, or are in need of anything else, then I believe our business is concluded for the day." Wrask laid it out for her.

"Thank you. I look forward to hearing from you. Until next time." She accepted the end of their meeting and exited the office. She had to temper the excitement she felt at getting to explore the Uzumaki vaults. There was no telling if there'd be anything in them, so for now, best to keep from getting too excited.

-One week Later-

She continued her hunts, tracking down those whose lives had been rendered forfeit due to their crimes, her reputation was growing, slowly but surely.

She was in Paris, outside of her disguise, simply traveling about when a cry caught her ears. It was there one moment and gone the next, almost being lost on the wind. Moving swiftly in the direction she believed it to be, she heard the sounds of a scuffle and drew closer. She arrived on scene to find several men attacking a family in an alley. Two girls and a man were being assaulted. A large man was pinned against the wall, held there by two equally large men while a third held him at wand point, casting some sickly spell that caused the man to yell and howl in pained agony. One of the girls was young, no more than four or five, pinned to the ground by another man, the other girl looked to be a few years older than Riley, had three more men on her, her shirt had been torn off, one of the men held her down while another was working to pull off her pants. Over them the third stood with a cruel grin, his fly already undone as he prepared to rape her.

Disgust erupted through Riley, rage immediately following it as her Sharingan exploded to life.

In a burst of speed, she shot forward, her mask and cloak appearing around her as she did. Her first target, the spellcaster attacking the man. She leaped into the air, delivering a flying kick that landed straight in the side of his head, snapping his head sideways, his neck breaking, his body sailing off down the alley. She then turned, drawing two kunai she launched forward, stabbing into the lower backs of the two men pinning their victim to the wall. Her blades dug deep, punching almost all the way through them from the force of her strike. She tore the blades free as both men screamed out in pain, releasing their victim and falling to the ground. She continued her assault, moving swifty, she raced along the wall, to drop down on the back of the man, pinning the smallest girl to the ground. viciously she rained stabs down into his neck and shoulders, tearing open his flesh and veins, blood spraying out of his arteries, splattering her in red as he collapsed onto the child, which she swiftly kicked off of her. She then turned to the remaining three men who'd now seen her. All three were backing away from her, one having pulled the older girl up to use as a human shield, all had their wands drawn on her, and from the looks on their faces, they seemed to recognize her.

She locked eyes with the man holding the older girl, his body freezing as she caught him in a genjutsu. She then shot forward, moving as fast as she ever had to clear the distance between them. The older girl felt herself be released, as her savior barreled into her attackers, she stumbled forward, collapsing to the ground, unable to run as her pants were around her knees. She rolled over, and watched in terrified amazement as the masked person brutally dispatched the three men, she bounced between them, stabbing and cutting at them, throwing her knives at them, blood rained through the air, as they were carved open. She took the legs out from under one of them and proceeded to stab him in the belly so many times, the girl could see his intestines start to spill out.

One started to run, while another staggered about, a knife sticking out of his chest. Riley quickly leaped onto him, ripping the knife out and stabbing in repeatedly in the face with it, only stopping when the blade pierced his eye and into his brain, silencing his screams. She fell with him, but rolled off of his body, her attention turning immediately towards the final man who had almost reached the end of the darkened alley. Drawing several shuriken, she sent them flying at leg level, watching as they sliced across his calves, knees and ankles. He collapsed with a scream and tried crawling away. Riley stalked the alley, making it to him and rolling him onto his back. She dropped down on top of him, sitting on his chest while she proceeded to hammer his face with her fists. Blow after blow she rained down until his skull cracked apart and all of his teeth were ejected.

She was panting now, not from exhaustion but from rage. Anger coursed through her, and she wished more than anything to kill these sick fucks again. Slowly, she rose to her feet, turning around to scan the alley. Her eyes were met by the older girl, who stared back at her unflinchingly.

Seeing the fear dancing in the girl's eyes, Riley felt the anger start to leave her. Crying caught her ears, the smaller girl sat further down the alley, bawling her eyes out. Riley began advancing, stopping for a moment to pick up the older girl's shirt which had been tossed aside in the attack, she stood over her, dropped it back in her lap, covering up at least part of her modesty.

"Are you alright?" Riley asked from beneath her mask.

She received silence from the older girl, only the welling of tears in her eyes. Riley dropped to a knee, "Hey! Are you alright?"

Again, the girl blinked at her, but finally seemed to register her question. She nodded shakily. Riley held her gaze for a long moment before glancing over to the older man, presumedly the father of both of these girls. He was dazed, breathing heavily, his eyes unfocused. The spell that was used on him looked like the Torture Curse, Riley herself had never felt it's effects, but she could guess as to how painful it must have been.

Riley let out a sigh, and rose to her feet, she crossed the alley and picked up the smaller girl who yelped and pushed away from her in fear. Riley paid her little mind as she carried the child over to the older girl who'd finished pulling her clothes back on. Upon spotting her, the smaller child leaped into her arms, crying out her name as she did.

"Fleur!" She cried, burying her head into her sister's chest.

Riley moved to check on the father, helping the man to his feet as his focus returned. She guided him over to his daughters, and helped him sit beside them, the two girls quickly moved to him, wrapping him in tearful hugs. Riley stared down at the trio for a long moment, taking in their bond, and the love they shared.

Slowly, the father managed to regain his bearings. He quickly sought to check on his daughters.

"Fleur, Gabrielle are you alright?" He questioned them, giving the two a quick once over.

"We are fine papa. Thanks to them." The older girl, Fleur responded, turning her blue eyes towards where Riley now stood over them

The man followed her gaze and laid eyes upon their savior.

"You... You're Null..." The man spoke.

"You look familiar to me. Jean Delacour, right? Chief Auror. I'm assuming these men weren't here by accident." Riley responded from beneath her mask.

Jean Delacour glanced around at all of the corpses, seven in total. He had been following the work of the mysterious Null for a several weeks now. A child-sized bounty hunter who'd collected quite the number of bounties so far. He hadn't known what to make of those stories until now. Here and now, he saw it with his own two eyes, those stories were true. This person, who had to be a child, given their size, had just killed seven men, full grown wizards. They were nearly soaked, head to toe in blood.

"You saved us..." Fleur spoke.

"Of course I did. I wasn't about to let this happen. Who are these guys?" Riley responded, meeting her gaze. She felt her heart lurch at the sight of the girl. She felt for her, only imagining what it could feel like to be in such a situation. There was something about the girl, something in her eyes that made Riley feel like a connection was there. For some reason, she felt her anger blaze. She felt a vengeful side of herself begin to creep up. Something deep within her was stirring and while it didn't feel good, it felt right.

"I think they are members of Frenado Consortium. That's who they said they were. They've been expanding their criminal activities into Paris these last few years, I guess they wished to send a message to my department." Jean responded, still shaken from the attack and his exposure to the Torture Curse.

"The Frenado Consortium, eh? Alright. You three stay safe alright. Get your daughters somewhere away from all this." She told the man, before turning to head off, a name for those responsible for this attack. She felt that dark stirring in her belly grow even more intense. She needed to act, to satiate this hatred and rage growing within her.

Before the man could question her further, she vanished in a burst of speed.

The three Delacour's were left to stare at the empty space where their savior had been, trying to get a grasp of everything that had happened to them.

For several days afterwards, Riley stalked and murdered members of the Frenado Consortium, hunting and killing members of the gang, and leaving their severed heads as warnings for others. Her body county quickly stacked up as she mercilessly murdered members of this magical crime syndicate. She made sure that a lesson was learned about running afoul of her. Getting her attention was not a good idea. By the end of her days long killing streak, her number of confirmed kills had risen into the high forties.

Needless to say, the name Null began to resonate with even greater fear amongst criminals. The only thing that put a halt to her attack on the criminal group was when word reached her that Gringotts had finished transferring her vaults here to France.

She arrived and was met by the bank manager Wrask, who presented her with the keys to her new vaults and led her down to their location. Both vaults, merely due to their ages were considered high priority to the bank and thus kept deep below, guarded by their army, as well as beasts and curses to keep away intruders. The first vault she ventured into was the vault for the Land of Whirlpools, inside it was completely empty, save for a summoning circle that sat in the center of it.

Riley knelt in the center of the circle, and following Madara's instructions, activated it, which teleported her into the actual vault itself.

What she found left her absolutely gob smacked. Cash lined the walls, and mountains of coins littered the vault itself. The money was naturally in Ryo save for the gold, and silver ingots also present. She couldn't even fathom how much money there was. When she returned, Wrask took one look at her face, and grinned toothily, asking her if she'd require an account manager to help her manage the funds. She offered a numb nod and inquired as to the cost of transferring the money into the local currency and moving into her Gringotts vault. He answered that they'd be able to easily handle the currency transfer, but in order to know how much it would cost to move it all over, he'd have to know how much it was. Her response was that it was a lot.

After recovering, she went to investigate the Uzumaki vault. Again, it was an empty vault with a summoning circle in it, to reverse summon her to the actual vault. She used it and was brought to the Uzumaki clan vault. Inside she found money, jewels, gold and silver, but beyond that she found what she was really hoping to see. Scrolls, dozens of them. Antique artworks, paintings, statues, masks, ancient weapons, ornate swords, and spears, and intricately carved bow, it was a lot.

"We'll need to begin investigating what's contained in these scrolls and see what they can teach you." Madara hummed with an unseen smile.

Riley could only grin in excitement. She returned to Wrask and again let him know that she'd need an account manager for both vaults as there was a lot kept within. They worked out having the money transferred and converted to the Bezant which was the coinage used in magical France. She also had some changed to the Euro as well so she could purchase things from muggles as well.

It would take a bit, but they'd have an accurate counting of her wealth sooner, rather than later.

Riley left the bank very pleased, now knowing that she no longer had money concerns. It would later be found that she had access to a combined total of close to two point two billion ryo, which was almost thirty million bezants. In the blink of an eye, she was a millionaire. The sum total of a country's wealth, all in the hands of a nine-year-old. The losses the Hidden Villages suffered in taking down the Uzumaki Clan and their hidden village must have been something spectacular if that amount of wealth was allowed to just remain buried in a vault somewhere. Despite being a small nation, the Uzumaki were very wealthy.

Riley was more than happy with it, and the goblins were happy to get the chance to invest that money and use it to make even more money. With accounts and vaults that big, she wasn't just given an account manager, but an entire team of goblins worked on investing a small portion of that money in order to maximize returns. Riley paid them handsomely for this, and they also received a percentage of what was earned on the profits of investments, so they were encouraged to make the best investments they could. It would quickly become a sought-after position within the bank that many goblins vied for.

After getting her accounts and money situation in order, Riley began devoting her time to studying the scrolls found within the Uzumaki vault. She was eager to learn what they had to offer. Many of the scrolls contained knowledge about the clan's secret sealing jutsus, though there were some scrolls that also had ninjutsu techniques as well. Riley was happy to dive into it all.

A treasure trove of information, and with the knowledge of both Madara and Kurama to aid her in her studies, Riley was able to quickly dive into it.

-Six Months Later-

Time began to blur together as Riley spent day-in and day-out learning and growing her skills. There were so many scrolls within the Uzumaki vault and no sense of categorization that she could follow, Madara explained to her that the nature of the Clan's organizing came from the mind of the Clan leader. It was meant as added security so that the true treasures were hidden somewhere in the mass. What went where, and what meant what, was all kept in the mind of the Clan Leader, anyone else would just be lost. Madara was able to help her find a few gems here and there, because he knew his wife so well, but for the most part, Riley was left with checking every scroll to see what it contained. Eventually she developed a system. She would take five scrolls and read what was one of them. She'd then determine if she currently had the ability to begin learning what was held in them. If not, she would set them aside for later, but if so, then she would add them to small pile. Once she had five scrolls in total, she'd organize them into what seemed more important to learn first. She'd learn all of it before moving on, but she'd start with what she felt was more important.

Firstly, came Ninjutsu. The Uzumaki were highly proficient in Water and Lightning Style Jutsu, so that was what a majority of the Ninjutsu based scrolls contained. She found and learned a number of Water and Lightning style techniques. These came to her easily, and she had Madara to help her understand the techniques and learn them quickly. The Sealing Jutsu, these were hit or miss. Some of them were techniques that Kushina knew, in which case Kurama could help explain them to her, to give her a better grasp of them. Those that Kushina didn't know, Riley had to more or less learn on her own. Still, sealing was in her blood, and she quickly found she had a knack for it. Practicing drawing seal characters became a regular exercise for Riley so she could hone her craft and draw out seals with greater speed and precision.

She grew proficient in it, developing greater and greater skill until she felt the brush settling more and more comfortably in her hand.

While exploring the Uzumaki vault she came upon two artifacts of interest, one was Madara's old armor from the founding of Konoha, it was robust and sturdy, and with a sizing charm added to it, she could easily use it to help her avoid injury. It was also useful in helping her to build muscle mass since it was reasonably heavy. So, she took it to get a sizing charm placed on it, and then began practicing while wearing the armor. The second object she found of interest, was her grandmother's old headband. A crimson red cloth, with the standard steel, the Uzumaki spiral crest, the symbol of both the clan and Uzushio inscribed upon the headband. Madara explained to her that Kaguya had placed the headband in the vault after she retired from active Shinobi life. At one point Kaguya had been the leader of the Uzumaki clan, the Kage of Uzushio, and the Daimyo of the Land of Whirlpools, and she held down all three jobs simultaneously for decades. She set aside the role of Kage after her son was born and passed it on to another, while maintaining her role as Daimyo and head of the Uzumaki Clan. It was a similar situation for Madara with his armor, after becoming a father, he set aside the armor and tried to live a more peaceful life. That ultimately didn't pan out.

As the Leader of the Uzumaki Clan now, as well as the heir to the Uchiha Clan, it was her right to wear both. When she asked him about being the heir to the Uchiha he explained that the leadership of the clan passed to Izuna's children after Madara left the village. Madara may have walked away, but he never cast aside the name Uchiha. By all rights, the clan had broken in two, creating two branches. The main line still continued through Minato, Riley, and Naruko. Itachi and Sasuke were all that remained of the Branch Family. Were he still alive, he'd actively declare her his heir, though he suspected since Minato didn't know of their relation and thus couldn't claim the title, that Riley, being his eldest child, could declare herself the head of the Main Branch of the Uchiha, and magic would accept her claim. She wouldn't gain any real assets, properties, or wealth, as most of what the Uchiha had was claimed by the branch family, but she'd still be recognized as the official head of Madara's line of the Uchiha clan.

Riley was silent for several long moments as she thought on that. Finally, she simply shrugged and spoke the words.

"I Riley Uzumaki Uchiha, claim lordship over the Uchiha clan." Much like before, nothing obvious happened, but several hours later she received an owl from Gringotts informing her that her status had just been updated and she technically held a new lordship. So, she returned to the bank and discussed things with her account manager who informed her that she'd become the recognized Lord of the Uchiha clan. He explained to her what she already knew but put it into the proper terms from the banks point of view. There were technically two Uchiha clans. There was the Uchiha Clan, which she was now the head of, and there was the Uchiha Clan of Konohagakure, which Itachi was the head of. Due to the nature of their separation, they were recognized as sibling clans, or as Madara had described it, a main branch that still followed the unbroken line, and the side branch which remained behind after Madara walked away from them.

After confirming what she already knew, they worked out what she wanted to do. She had a new vault established, one for the Uchiha clan of her lineage, she then had some money transferred from the Uzumaki vault, with directions placed with the new account manager to begin working on growing that money through investments.

By taking on the title of head of the Uzumaki and Uchiha clans, Riley began to form her life's mission. It was rough, a real open-ended goal, but her desire began to reshape itself, specifically surrounding the Uzumaki clan, as the salvation of the Uchiha clan she mostly conceded to Itachi and Sasuke, her desire surrounding the Uchiha was to honor her grandfather and Shisui. To carry the name Uchiha and make sure that when people heard it, they understood the greatness attached to it. For the Uzumaki she sought a return to their former greatness. A clan that was once so powerful that four of the five hidden villages united to take it down. She wished for the name Uzumaki to once more be feared and respected across the world. She also felt a desire to repay those four hidden villages for what they'd done to her grandmother, and for being ultimately responsible for her own father growing up in Konoha, rather than with his parents, which likely resulted in him being the monumental scumbag that he was today.

Carrying this realization she somewhat rued her decision to give the Byakugan to Kumo. Had she known all of this ahead of time, and been in this state of mind, she wouldn't have aided what she was starting to consider her enemy.

Ultimately, in her heart of hearts, she started to dream of the lost village restored. The more Madara told her about its greatness and beauty, the more she wanted to remake it. Uzushio was the oldest Hidden Village in the world. It was a hidden village long before Hashirama and Madara designed the concept and built Konoha. It may not have recognized itself as such, but the village of the Uzumaki had always been what it was, stretching back for centuries. More of a city, than a village, it's high walls, and white marble buildings made it look like a city out of time. Something majestic and grand. Were it not for the Uzumaki's desire to focus on themselves and stay out of worldly politics, Madara had no doubt that they could have easily become a superpower amongst the Great Nations.

Riley admired his stories, and began to dream of it, to one day see that village restored, and the name of the Uzumaki carved into the hearts of every magical being on the planet.

It was Kurama who pointed out that if she sought to achieve that goal in her lifetime, she'd need to find other Uzumaki survivors, and probably find a way to reproduce with women. He knew it was possible due to the supposed 'sex magic' that Lily was aware of, he was sure someone out there had figured out same sex reproduction using magic, and she'd need it in order to achieve that greatness, as the clan would need numbers, and Riley couldn't spend most of her life pregnant if she sought to make all of her dreams come true.

The idea was an embarrassing one, but she didn't shy away from it. She knew he was right, and though a part of her did wonder what being a mother would be like, carrying her own child, in her own womb, she recognized that in order for her dreams to be realized in her lifetime she'd need a wife, probably more than one wife. If she sought to restore the clan, she'd either need to find some magic that involved same-sex reproduction, or used some kind of magic that would transform her sex into that of a male. Either way, she knew the answer was out there.

With a growing ambition she threw herself back into her training, set on becoming the greatest she could be, no the greatest there ever was.

After spending nearly, a month training herself into the ground she returned to her hunts, once more targeting the Consortium. She tracked its operation across the planet, using her skills as a Kunoichi to gather intel and locate prime targets. Across Europe and into Asia, she hunted them doing everything in her power to make the group's existence a living hell. Why? Because in her heart of hearts she felt they deserved it. All the pain and suffering she brought onto them, she felt they deserved every ounce of it, and whenever she tried to rationalize the 'why?' behind it, the answer came in those shimmering blue eyes staring up at her. A face she thought on often. That girl, the hope and pain mixed in her eyes as she stared up at her masked savior. It stuck with Riley, an image plastered into her mind that fueled this mission.

Her travels took her far, even all the way out to Japan, where another branch of the Consortium had established itself. She began stalking its members, developing a kill list as she prepared for the night of blood. Japan was the location for the entryway back into the Elemental Nations, so she was hesitant to be here. Still, she was dedicated to killing off as many members of the Consortium as possible, so she planned on simply being discreet. So, she'd track them all first and wipe them all out in a single night before retreating from the country.

The first night, after she'd finished her initial stakeout, she retreated to a nearby forest. The sun was just starting to set, and she gotten some food to eat before she found a nice tree to sleep in. Japan reminded her a lot of the Elemental Nations; they spoke the same language and much of the architecture was of a similar style. That wasn't really a comforting thought though, as the idea of Shinobi appearing out of nowhere to attack her, kept her on edge. She picked at her food for a bit while sitting up in a tree, over an old shrine, the sky began to darken and fill with clouds and it soon began raining, so she took her food and moved inside of the small shrine. She intended to hide up in the rafters out of sight of anyone who could wander by but inside she found someone already there.

Tucked into a corner, knees pulled to her chest, half-asleep was a girl around her age. This girl had bright, pinkish-red hair, though her head was covered by a beanie. She was dressed in an oversized sweatshirt, and a long pair of pants that were a size or two too large for her, tied off by a belt. When their eyes met, Riley could see that they were a deep crimson red.

She sensed malice from the girl, though that quickly bled away to uncertainty and fear. Riley still wore her mask and robes, and no doubt appeared concerning to the young girl.

"Riley, be careful with that girl. She's a half-demon." Kurama spoke up.

"A half-demon? How can you tell?" Riley replied.

"I sense her demonic energy, activate you Sharingan and you'll be able to see it. She had demonic magic flowing within her." Kurama replied. Riley did as suggested and activated her Sharingan. Not only did she see blood red magic eking off of the girl but surrounding her and slowly reaching out towards Riley was nearly a dozen invisible arms.

"What are those?" Riley wondered, taking a step back. The girl seemed to react as she noticed Riley staring out into the open air, and actively retreating from her invisible arms.

"You can see them?" The girl spoke up, in a soft, low voice.

"Yeah. I'm not here to hurt you. I was just seeking shelter from the rain." Riley responded turning her gaze back to the girl, once more allowing her eyes to meet. This time the girl was able to see the Sharingan now present in Riley's eyes causing her to take in a breath and begin to pull herself up.

The girl was around Riley's height and just from her appearance, Riley could tell she was likely homeless. This outfit seemed roughly thrown together. Something to keep her warm, but these obviously weren't clothes someone had intentionally bought her.

The girl stared Riley down, her eyes surprisingly intense for a girl her age, though they briefly flickered to the food Riley carried in her hand. The second time this happened, Riley glanced down at it, and then held it up.

"You want this? Here, you can have it." She offered the food to her.

The girl blinked at her and was about to respond when her stomach growled loudly. The noise was loud enough for Riley to hear over the rain outside, which caused her to let out a light chuckle. The girl blushed at that, embarrassed by her body's reaction.

Riley set the food down and took several steps back. The girl watched her the whole way, only advancing when Riley stopped moving. She took a few steps forward and one of the invisible arms grabbed hold of the food and lifted it to the girl's hands.

"So, they can only stretch so far." Riley recognized. Despite how many arms there was floating around this girl, all seemingly emerging from her back, they had a range of about two meters. They seemed to be able to stretch and elongate within that range but couldn't extend past it.

The girl continued to watch her as she retreated back to the corner she'd been tucked into. She slumped back to the ground and after a final cautious glance she dug into the food. She wasn't able to help herself and scarfed down the half-eaten meal with a fervor that Riley recognized all too well. She knew what it was like to be hungry.

It was here again, that stirring in her gut. It was stronger though, that face, seeing this girl in pain, and alone, Riley felt it resonate within her, all the way down to her core. Despite Kurama's warning to be cautious, there was something so distinctly human about this girl, and Riley wanted to help her.

"Did you get stuck out here? Are you all by yourself?" Riley asked her.

"What does it matter to you?" The girl asked.

"I just want to know if I leave if you'll be alright." Riley responded, causing the girl to lift her gaze to her.

"Why do you care?" The girl asked with suspicion.

"I know what it's like to be alone. To be forgotten and abandoned." Riley replied, staring back at her.

The girl looked like wanted to snap a response but stopped herself when she again met Riley's gaze and saw the Sharingan therein.

"Don't concern yourself with me, I'll be fine. Once this storm has passed, I'll be on my way." The girl replied, setting the empty food carton aside.

"Okay." Riley nodded. She sat across from the girl on the opposite side of the shrine. The two sat in silence for several long moments before the girl spoke again.

"Why are you dressed like that?" She inquired.

"To hide my face. Same reason you wear a hat." Riley replied causing the girl to blink in surprise, her hands shooting up to her cap to the sides of her head.

"How...?" The girl began.

"My eyes can see those invisible arms of yours and the energy that makes them up. I can see the energy of your body too. A lot of energy is passed into the sides of your head, someplace outside of your skull. So I'm guessing you wear that hat to hide whatever that is." Riley explained to her. The girl blinked several more times, before letting out a noise, almost like a grunt. After several long moments she pulled the cap from her head, revealing two bone-like protrusions coming from the sides of her head, pointed at an upward angle. They almost looked like cat-ears, just made of bone instead.

"Nothing to say?" The girl questioned after Riley took a moment to examine her.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to stare. They're cool though." Riley offered in response.

"They're not cool. They mean I'm a freak." The girl responded darkly.

"No, they mean you're not normal, but who wants to be normal. Normal people are overrated." Riley countered.

"You're just saying that. You don't actually believe it." The girl threw back at her, ruefully.

"My uncle in all but blood is a werewolf, and I think he's awesome." Riley again countered, causing the girl to blink in surprise.

"We-werewolf?" She stuttered in response.

"Yeah, ya know, turns into a wolf-man on the full moon, that sort of deal. I've seen plenty of people who aren't normal, but it's never bothered me. Normal is overrated." Riley shrugged. "Heck the two people I'm closed to are the disembodied voice of my grandfather and the actual Nine-Tailed Demon Fox." She added in thought, a cheeky grin under her mask.

"You... seem to know a lot about this stuff." The girl noted.

"It's magic. I was raised by people with magic, that's how I know. Your power is some kind of magic too. Not any I'm familiar with, but still magic." Riley explained to her.

"Magic? This is magic?" The girl blinked, her eyes focused on several of the invisible arms, revealing her own ability to see them.

"My name is Riley, what's yours?" Riley inquired.

The girl focused her gaze onto Riley and stared at her for several long moments, it looked like she was struggling with herself, fighting off the urge to resist. Finally, she uttered a word. "Kaede."

"Kaede. Nice to meet you, Kaede." Riley greeted her, reaching up to remove her mask as a sign of respect.

The girl blinked once more at the sight of her, taking in Riley's appearance.

"So Kaede, do you mind if I stick around for a bit, at least until the storm has passed?" Riley asked her.

"You're asking me?" Kaede responded.

"You were here first." Riley shrugged.

"You can stay." Kaede conceded after a moment of thought.

Silence held between them for several long moments, as Kaede kept her eyes on Riley, but they slowly started to droop. She tried to stay awake but eventually the girl fell asleep. Once she was out, Riley rose to her feet and crossed the distance between them. She removed her cloak and draped it over the sleeping girl so she could stay warm. She then created a Shadow Clone to watch over her and make sure no one else stumbled across this shrine, once done, she left the shrine and headed down towards the nearby town.

It took her a bit to track down all the things she needed, but she eventually got everything. A backpack, some clothes, some toiletries, and a bunch of nutritious food, all that she could stuff into the backpack. She then headed back to the shrine and left the backpack next to the sleeping girl. She then returned to her spot on the opposite side of the shrine and allowed herself to fall into the land of dreams.

She awoke at daybreak; around the same time, she heard Kaede began to stir. The girl opened her eyes and blinked several times. Riley was already up and standing at the entrance to the shrine, watching the sun rise.

Kaede took a moment as she felt an unfamiliar warmth. She took notice of the cloak draped around her and realized that it was Riley's. She went to move but her leg accidently brushed the backpack sitting next to her, drawing her attention to it.

"That's for you. I went out and got you some things while you were asleep." Riley said to her.

Kaede stared up at her for a long moment before pulling over the backpack and opening it. When she saw what was inside, she felt all of the breath leave her. Tears started to fill her eyes, but she quickly looked away to hide them and wipe them away.

"Why?" She questioned pushing the backpack aside and rising to her feet.

Riley turned to face her, sensing that the girl was unused to any sort of genuine kindness.

"WHY ARE YOU BEING SO NICE TO ME! YOU DON'T KNOW ME! I'VE HURT PEOPLE FOR PRETENDING TO CARE! WHAT DO YOU WANT?" Kaede roared at her, tossing Riley's cloak at her feet.

"I told you last night. I get it. I wish more than anything that I had someone who cared enough to do something. Those instances were few and far between, but they meant the world to me. I know this won't fix your problems, but maybe it can make your life a little better, at least for a bit. Maybe it helps you make it, and get to a better place, and that would be worth it for me. I know what it's like to think something is wrong with you, to be hated for something outside of your control. I get it. People hated me all my life. They wanted to kill me for something I had nothing to do with. I hurt them for trying to hurt me. Believe me Kaede, I get it. You're not a monster. You're just a person." Riley said to her, meeting her gaze for several long moments. Kaede turned her head away, her body shaking as she took in Riley's words.

"I hurt the last person who was kind to me. What I did was unforgiveable. I don't deserve your kindness. Or anyone's. I am a monster, Riley. I am." Kaede responded, bitter pain in her voice. Tears spilled out of her eyes, and she grit her teeth in anger.

A warmth enveloped her, as he felt Riley wrap her in a hug.

"You're not a monster Kaede. You feel guilt, don't you. You regret what you did. You hate yourself for it. Monsters don't feel guilty. They don't feel bad for the things they've done. You hurt someone who was nice to you, and you feel terrible for it, that doesn't make you a monster." Riley reassured her, doing what she felt she'd have wanted someone to do or say to her when she felt alone, and at rock bottom.

Kaede was silent. She shook as she fought to stop the tears from fall from her eyes.

"Hey... don't worry so much. I'll be your friend. Look, I'm only staying here for a week or two, but when I leave to go back to Europe, why don't you come with me?" Riley asked her, pulling back to allow Kaede to meet her gaze. She stared at her for many long moments, as a smile slowly spread across her face.

"I-I'd like that. I'm not sure if I can go, but I'll think about it." Kaede whispered in response. Riley smiled and pulled her back into a hug, happy to have a new friend.

It was her first since Shisui and Itachi, and she intended to hold this one close and make sure it lasted.

For the rest of the day, Riley hung around Kaede. She used her money to rent them a hotel room to stay at for a few days. They talked about a lot of things, but mostly they just spent time with one another. Riley got to explain magic to Kaede and even showed her a bit of it. She didn't reveal everything about herself, but then again, neither did Kaede. The two were still getting to know one another, but it felt good to have a friend.

While Riley spent most of her time with Kaede, she did send Clones to continued gathering intel on her targets.

Kaede really seemed to come out of her shell as the two spent time together. She even requested they go to the zoo. It was an ask, made so hesitantly, though Riley didn't know why. Still, Riley took her. Riley brought up if Kaede would come with her when she left, and though it seemed that she wanted too, something seemed to be keeping Kaede here, so she was hesitant to accept, though it was obvious she appreciated Riley's continued offers.

Eventually Riley was curious enough to ask why Kaede wanted to stay in this place and admitted that she didn't want to stay here, but she felt she had to. The person that she had hurt, they met near this place. She stayed around hoping to see him again so she could one day atone. She knew it was stupid, a fool's hope, but it was why she wanted to stay.

Riley accepted that answer. Kaede already knew it was foolish, but it's what drove her on, kept her going. It was just one more thing that assured her that Kaede was a good person deep down. Troubled as she was, she was a good person.

Days bled together, and on the last night, Riley sat with Kaede before bedtime.

"Tomorrow is my last day here. You still haven't given me your answer, and I won't make you. I've paid for this Hotel Room for three more days, and I put some money in the backpack for you to use. If you decide to come with me, meet me at the place where we first met. If not, then I'll come back and see you when I can. This isn't goodbye. Okay. I won't be mad if you decide to stay, we'll still be friends, okay." Riley explained to her.

Kaede was quiet as she listened. She offered a small nod and gave Riley a small smile. She deeply appreciated Riley's offer and had already decided to join her. She just couldn't find the words right now. Still, actions were louder than words, so she'd go to that place, and she'd leave with her new friend. There was still so much mystery between them, but Kaede had come to care for her new friend. She loved her and wanted to stay with her.

"Riley... this has been the best week of my life." Kaede managed to get out, blushing as she did.

Riley gifted her a big smile in response, happy that she was happy, and hoping that meant that Kaede would join her when she left so the two could continue growing their friendship.

They shared a hug, and once Kaede had fallen asleep, Riley left the hotel and carried out her attack on the Consortium. All throughout the night, she slaughtered the members of this branch, stalking them each to meeting places or their homes.

It was late into the morning, when she cut the throat of the final man, discarding his body without care. Her job here was done, and she could finally leave this place behind. She didn't like being this close to where Shinobi operated. This side of the entranceway into the Elemental Nations was also guarded by ninja, and she didn't know how often they ventured away from it, so she wanted to get clear of them as soon as possible.

She went to the hotel room to check if Kaede was still there but found it empty. Kaede was gone, but so was the backpack. So, Riley headed out of town up to the Shrine to wait and see if her friend came to join her.

Hours passed. The more time passed, the more Riley warred with herself. She started to conclude that Kaede had decided to stay, but she didn't want to leave, just in case.

So, she left a clone at the Shrine and went back to town to check on the hotel to see if Kaede was there or not. She wasn't. There was no sign of her.

"Seems she's made her choice, my dear." Madara hummed.

"Yeah. I shouldn't make this harder on myself." Riley admitted, feeling down, but doing her best to accept it. She went back to the shrine and waited for the remainder of the day for any sign of Kaede. Past midnight she finally allowed herself to concede that her friend had chosen to stay. Taking in a breath and allowed herself to accept it, she promised herself she'd come back to Japan once she no longer worried about the Shinobi presence, and she'd reunite with her friend.

As one final act, she left a note behind, tucked into the corner where Kaede had been sleeping that first night, it was a letter thanking Kaede for her friendship and if she ever changed her mind to send her a letter directed to the Head of the Uzumaki family, and to address the letter to Gringotts and they'd make sure it got to her. Riley knew enough to know that most magical communities had ways of intercepting mail like that, even ones served through muggle means, so the bank would get it, and it would work it's way to Riley's account manager.

And if she still wanted to stay, she could still send letters to Riley, just to stay in touch.

Riley passed through the town one final time, hoping to at least catch a glance of her friend, but quickly decided to leave when she took notice of all the cops around. They'd no doubt discovered the bodies of her kills the previous night and were out in force. That of course meant that magical law enforcement would also be out in force to clean up the mess and work to preserve the Statute of Secrecy.

So, with a heavy sigh, Riley departed, heading to India to begin her attack. She hoped that someday soon, she'd be strong enough to return to these lands without fear of the consequences, and maybe by then, Kaede will have found her atonement. She wished her friend the best of luck in that regards, hoping beyond hope that she'd get it. In the pit of her stomach, she felt an unsettling movement. She knew she wanted to stay and find Kaede and stick with her. She knew that's what she wanted, and she knew in order to become stronger and achieve her goals for the future, she had to be far away from the dangers of the Elemental Nations, so despite the feeling in her gut, she knew she had to leave.

So, she left with a final prayer for her friend's safety and salvation, and a promise to return one day. She looked forward to it, and to seeing that incredible smile once more.

Far from the city, moving away from it, Kaede sat alone in a train car. A heavy and yet resolved depression hung over her. She had been leaving the hotel when they showed up. Police who'd come looking for her. She knew why they were here. It was something she kept hidden from Riley. She'd told her friend that she'd hurt people, but that was far from the truth. No, she'd killed them. She'd killed a lot of people. The only reason she'd been sleeping in that shrine was because the police had found the bodies of her latest victims in their home where she'd been living. She was a killer.

Seeing those police officers, she was reminded of all the terrible things she'd done and how she didn't deserve kindness because of it. Riley was the first person that the little voice inside her head actually encouraged her to be with. A voice that hated humans and encouraged her to distrust and hate them. With Riley it spoke differently, said things that made her blush, made her see Riley in a different way, a way that made her heart flutter and her body tingle in foreign ways. She liked those feelings, she liked being around Riley, but she couldn't stay with her. She was being hunted.

A small smile touched at her lips. There wasn't likely any atonement to be found for a monster like her, but she could protect her friend. The best way to protect Riley was to stay away from her. She hoped to see her again one day, but for now she needed to keep her distance. Riley had said that she was living in France... half-way around the world. One day, Kaede would go to her. She'd find her friend and be with her, and all those things the voice whispered about, she and Riley could do them, and be happy. For now, though, she needed to leave.

So, with a final sigh, she rested her head against the window of the train, watching the countryside roll by. In her mind's eye, she saw that smile and felt her heart flutter. She closed her eyes and basked in the warmth of that smile, ready for the day she saw it again.

-Several Months Later-

Riley was approaching her tenth birthday. Over the last few months, she concluded her assault on the Consortium having devastated their operations across the world, continued her training, continued her work as a bounty hunter, and as a side hustle she turned her attention to hunting down gangs of criminals in the magical underworld. The name Null became synonymous with dread. You could always tell who had a criminal background because of how unnerved they became around kids they didn't know. Kids, little people, gnomes, goblins, all were considered as a possibility for the figure behind the mask, but no one knew for certain. Riley found it humorous.

Her powers continued to grow, as she learned more and more from the Uzumaki vaults, as well as from Madara and Kurama. Madara began teaching her his own jutsu, and Kurama even used Kushina's memories to help her begin learning the Rasengan. Kushina had helped Minato develop the technique based off of an ability of Kurama's, so she was integral to its creation. She couldn't perform it, but she knew how it was made, knew the steps that Minato had taken to develop it, so Riley followed after them. It took her three months before she finally managed to create her first stable Rasengan but when she did, she felt an overwhelming sense of pride.

Her ocular powers continued to grow, giving her a greater ease at performing the abilities that lay within her eyes. It was getting easier to replicate the feats that she'd performed against Obito without the need for Kurama's help. On that note, Kurama was progressing well in his recovery. The unknown demonic entity within her that was healing him, continued to perform the act, rebuilding Kurama's magical network. It would still be a long time before he was back to full power, but there was noteworthy progress, and that's all Kurama cared about.

The more she grew, the more she styled herself after her grandfather. Riley had hair that reached down to the middle of her back, and when not wearing her mask, she let it hang down. Her bangs also grew longer, falling over one of her eyes on many an occasion. A little mini-Madara Kurama liked to tease.

Her skills as a warrior were remarkable with Kurama noting that she was a better fighter now than any Chuunin, and could probably easily best all but the most elite Jonin. At almost ten years old, that was a testament to her incredible abilities and ever-growing skill. She got plenty of practice in using her skills against those criminals she targeted. Her kill count was now closer to one-hundred-and-fifty, a body count that surpassed what Madara held at that age by a long shot.

Every battle, every injury, it made Riley stronger. It taught her more, it helped her understand herself, and her enemies. She began to raid the homes of her targets, stealing items of value, things she could use, or sell for a profit. If she was targeting criminals, she'd hunt for information so that she could use it in further attacks. There were acts of retaliation. Ambushes here and there. That was where powers like Kamui were lifesaving. It taught Riley caution, and patience. It taught her deception and trickery. She was always on guard, always acting under the guise of her alter-ego of Null. Null was absent affiliation. A black cloak with red armor underneath, her grandmother's headband she wore beneath her red mask with black flames on it. No distinguishing symbols that could be spotted on her disguise to give a clue as to who she was. The only two clues as to what she was, was the mask, and the red Shinobi-Battle Armor. This led some, a few individuals who were the more worldly sort to begin to understand what they were dealing with. A Shinobi.

The idea would be considered ludicrous by some, most people didn't even know what a Shinobi was, of those that did, most considered them a myth. Only a few knew the truth, knew that they were real, yet even these found the idea of Null being a shinobi to be impossible. First off, Shinobi never left their lands. They didn't come out into the magical or mundane world, they simply didn't and even if they did, Null would still be a child, how could a child, Shinobi or not, be able to do all of this.

One man though, knew quite a bit about Shinobi, and when he heard about Null an idea began forming in his mind. It took months to track down the bounty offices this unknown hunter usually went to, but once he did, he began to stake them out until one day, he spotted the hooded figure entering into the office.

He waited outside, watching patiently. Having seen her size, he felt his heart race. As she left, he followed after from a distance, knowing how dangerous this move was, but he had to take the risk, he had to know if it was her.

He followed her a bit down the street, and into a dark alley, when he turned the corner to follow her into it, he found the alley empty, and the pressure of a blade pressed against his spine.

"Who are you? Why are you following me?" Came a muffled voice from beneath the mask.

A small smile touched at his lips as he became more certain than ever.

"I'm just looking for someone. My niece has been missing for some time, and I think... I've finally found her." Remus Lupin spoke as he slowly turned to face the small, hooded figure. He saw her take a step back as her eyes fell upon him.

"Remus?" Came his name from her lips.

His smile grew, and in an instant, she flew into him, engulfing him a tight hug.

"When I'd heard of the possibility of a shinobi running around over here in Europe, I had a hunch on who it might be. I had to come and see for myself. I'm glad to finally find you." Remus said to her, returning the hug as he did.

"Remus... does anyone know you're here? What you're looking for?" Riley asked him as she slowly separated from him, lifting her gaze to meet with his.

"No. They're all still chasing leads in the Elemental Nations. As far as anyone knows I simply chose to return home." Remus responded, causing Riley to let out a sigh of relief.

"I see. That's good." Riley stated.

"Kakashi told me about what happened, about why you left. How are you? How have you been?" Remus asked her, kneeling down so that he was eye level with her.

"Surviving. I'm actually doing quite well for myself." Riley responded with a shrug.

"So I've heard. Made quite the name for yourself." He hummed, and then let out a chuckle.

"Come on, let's get off the street and go talk. It's not safe for me to be out and about looking like this. Criminals like to track my movements and keep an eye on me." Riley said to him. Remus nodded in understanding and followed after her. She led him to a quiet place just outside of the town they were in, so they could talk.

Once they reached a place, Riley took a seat and removed her mask, lowering her hood as she did.

Remus let out a chuckle upon seeing her.

"You've grown." He noted.

"And you're still raggedy looking Remus." She threw back at him as a good-natured jibe.

He smirked at that, his hands falling into his pockets. He stared at her for a good long while before finally speaking. "How are you, really?"

Riley stared back for several seconds before she responded. "I'm alright. It's a bit lonely, but I'm free. I'm free to live how I want too. No one around to tell me how to live or what to do. No one to forget me or ignore me when they're supposed to care. It's pleasant. As pleasant as it can be for someone like me." Riley answered him honestly.

"Narumi... I can't imagine how you must feel. I'm just happy you're doing alright." Remus offered to her.

"Not Narumi. I gave up that name. My name is Riley now. Riley Uzumaki-Uchiha." Riley informed him, causing him to blink curiously and digest that information.

"Well, I suppose I don't need to wonder why you changed your name, but why Uzumaki-Uchiha?" Remus asked her.

"After my grandparents. The Fourth's parents. I know who they are. One is an Uzumaki, the other an Uchiha." Riley answered him, again causing him to blink in surprise as he took that in.

"I'm sure there's a story there." Remus mused as he approached her and sat beside her.

"There is, a bit of a long story I'm afraid." She spoke.

"Well, I'd love to hear it, and though I know you don't need it, I plan on sticking around if you'll have me. I know you can take care of yourself, but it wouldn't be right to leave you alone. So, I'll be around, if you want to talk, or just want someone to spend time with." Remus offered to her, causing a smile to form and spread across her face.

"Thanks Remus, I really appreciate that. I'd love to have you around." She replied.

The next few weeks were a bit strange as she invited Remus to come and stay with her at her apartment in Paris. She had two rooms, so there was plenty of space for him. She was overjoyed to have him back, but there was a certain degree of caution from her. As happy as she was to have her uncle in all but blood around, she kept quiet about a lot of things, and Remus could tell she was being careful with what she said.

This wasn't necessarily born of a distrust for him, but rather a general need for secrecy. She kept things to herself and wasn't overly talkative about personal issues.

From Remus she learned a lot about what had happened after she left.

When the bodies were discovered and the blame placed on her, everyone and their mother came out of the woodwork to proclaim how they'd always knew she was trouble, and not a single person spoke out against the accusation. Those with doubts, like himself, like Kakashi, like the Ichirakus were drown out by the roar of condemnation and demands for retribution for the murders of good loyal members of the Hidden Leaf. Then more bodies began to stack up, and the calls grew louder. Minato and Lily seemed resigned to hunting her down. Lily openly spoke of her regret surrounding Riley, and how she always knew she'd end up being trouble. The only person who was distinctly quiet about the situation was Naruko. On the outside she remained her boisterous colorful self, in private she was becoming more like Riley. Quiet, and thoughtful. Remus had seen it a few times, though he noted how Naruko grew angry whenever Riley was brought up, and she openly declared her intention to bring her sister back to the village one day. It became her driving force in the academy which as far as Remus knew she was getting top marks in.

Riley wasn't overly thrilled hearing all of this, but she could do nothing to change it. Remus noted the distinct lack of sadness and pain in Riley's eyes, instead he saw only anger. She'd grown a lot since departing from the village, and it showed in her heightened maturity. Despite not belonging to any village or association, she had certainly become a shinobi in her own right.

Despite the growing pains, the two were happy to be together again.

Eventually the time would come when Remus had to deal with his furry little problem. The man was a werewolf, so on the night of the full moon he had to go away from the city and find a place to keep himself contained. Riley went with him and offered to stand guard to make sure nothing happened which Remus tentatively accepted.

-Four hours later-

Riley could hear the hellish growling and snarling coming from within the shack. She heard the rattling of chains and violent movement from the wolf trapped inside.

"Gods if this keeps up, he's gonna really hurt himself." Riley groaned to herself.

"Got a plan to make it stop? A cure for lycanthropy perhaps?" Madara mused.

Riley sat for a moment, before an idea came to her, she hopped down from the tree she was in and threw open the barred door to find the towering wolf-like creature chained inside. Upon seeing her, the wolf lunged at her, barely making it halfway across the cabin before its chains pulled taught. With the wolf's attention, Riley's Sharingan blazed to life, and she locked eyes with it.

"Sleep." Riley commanded, putting the wolf under an illusion and placing it into a dream filled sleep. She made sure he dreamed of deer and elk, all the tasty food he could want.

The wolf remained restless as it slept but ultimately didn't awaken. Come morning, Remus transformed back into himself, and a few hours later, began to stir.

Remus awoke on hard floor of the cabin, still chained up as he had been.

"Feeling alright there Remus?" He heard a familiar voice say from nearby.

Remus looked up to see Riley sitting on the old dusty couch on the far side of the room.

"Riley... how?" Remus managed to say as he winced at the sunlight peeking in through the cabin blinds.

"Used an illusion to knock you unconscious. Seemed to work at keeping the wolf asleep, how do you feel?" Riley replied as she tossed his wand and a wool cloak to him. Remus used his wand to undo the chains and transfigured the cloak into his normal outfit.

"I actually feel far better than I normally do. Not nearly as exhausted." Remus said to her, earning a nod from Riley.

"Good. Well since that worked than I can knock you out every time you transform so you don't have to worry about any accidents." She offered to him.

"I-I appreciate that, Riley. I know that stunning spells don't work on werewolves, but I've never thought to try Genjutsu." Remus said.

"Whelp, like I said, it worked, and if you feel better than normal, I say we stick with it. Now come on, I'm sure you're hungry. I certainly am." She offered to him, he offered a hum of agreement and joined after her.

It wasn't long after this that Remus began teaching Riley more about performing magic. She had taken to using wands she stole off of the witches and wizards she'd killed, looking for one that worked best for her. Having Remus to actually teach her meant that she was actually able to begin learning some of the finer points of magic, like wand movement. After learning of her intention to go to Hogwarts when she turned Eleven, Remus suggested they visit Ollivanders to find a wand suited to her. So that was added to the list of things to do down the line, but for now they stuck to learning with stolen wands.

Another interesting thing that occurred was that she stumbled upon her ability to use Wood Style. She had been practicing a water and earth combination technique, when she botched it, and it accidentally came out as Wood Style.

The act had surprised the hell out of her, and Remus when he'd seen her do it.

After overcoming his own surprise Madara applauded her at awakening the power. Being a direct descendant of Hashirama, she was the only one of his line known to possess the legendary Wood Style.

Madara began teaching her how to use Wood Style based off of the techniques and abilities he'd copied from Hashirama during their time fighting one another all those years ago.

Eventually Madara would even get around to clearing up the nature of his relationship with Hashirama, and how he'd survived his supposed death at the Final Valley. Madara explained that Hashirama had given him some of his cells, when he was dying in the Valley of the End, in order to heal him. According to him, the story of his death at the Valley, was actually a lie told by Hashirama so that Madara could leave and live in peace. Yes, the two did have a legendary battle that created the valley itself, but it was not a battle to settle old grudges the two just wanted to fight again, test themselves at their best, without an audience or spectators to judge the end result. They both fought at their best, and in the end Hashirama won.

Apparently Madara had received the ability to use Wood style after Hashirama's transfusion. So not only could she learn about techniques from the original practitioner but from some abilities that Madara had created as well.

Learning to use Wood Style became a passion for Riley as she dreamed of one day surpassing her grandparents. Madara, Kaguya, Mito, and even Hashirama himself.

Madara and Kurama both encouraged her in this pursuit, her passion for learning and overcoming her limits driving her onwards.

Aside from magic, and Wood Style her other primary area of study was learning more about biology and the human body from Madara. That included the healing jutsu that he knew, allowing her to learn how to heal injuries through the use of the Mystical Palm Technique.

It was several months after meeting with Remus again when Riley arrived to drop off a bounty at the offices. The man at the desk, who'd worked there for years and knew her, told her that someone had left a letter for her.

She took the letter with her and after having a Clone check it for any hidden dangers or charms, she read it.

'Null, I am sending this letter to thank you for what you've done for my family. You are responsible for saving the lives of myself and my daughters. Your actions that day kept us from meeting a far grislier fate. Thanks to you, I yet live, and hold onto my sanity. Thanks to you my daughters have recovered well. We think about you often and wish more than anything to express our gratitude for saving our lives. So thank you. Thank you for being there that day. Thank you for saving our lives. Words cannot express how grateful we are for your heroic actions. Though unlikely, I wish to extend this offer to you so that we may meet and thank you in person. I do not know how long it will take this letter to reach you, as I've sent it to one of the bounty offices you are known to utilize. If you would accept our offer, please feel free to contact me at my office and we can work out the details, otherwise, accept our most sincere gratitude and stay safe. Well wishes from house Delacour and with endearing respect and admiration. -Jean Delacour.'

Riley sat stared off for several long moments before rereading the letter. She felt a smile touch at her lips, a sense of accomplishment, as well as humility washing over her. Rescuing those people wasn't something she sought gratitude for, or even recognition, and yet receiving it, was a new feeling. She certainly wasn't familiar with receiving praise for her actions outside of the two voices in her head.

Still, it felt good, so after sharing the news with Remus and telling him about what had happened that lead to the letter being sent, he encouraged her to respond. It didn't matter whether or not she chose to meet with Jean Delacour, but at the least she could write a letter in reply.

So that's exactly what Riley did. She wrote a letter to him, thanking him for reaching out to her and after giving it some thought she'd be alright with a meeting. She also left instructions for how to respond to her, sending the letter to be held by the goblins, just have it addressed to Null, and the goblins would hold it for her.

A week went by before the letter arrived. It was a simple letter, asking to meet with her at a rented conference room at Gringotts in a few days' time. If she was fine with that, she could send her acknowledgement to his office, and they'd meet then.

So she sent her response and a few days later, she sat in the conference room, hidden beneath her cloak and mask, waiting for Jean to arrive.

He was escorted in at the appointed time, his eyes immediately falling on her.

She rose to her feet and crossed the room to stand before the man. He seemed much taller than she remembered him being. Tall and broad. Muscular with dark features. Free from the effects of the Torture Curse he looked far more like you'd expect the Chief of magical law enforcement to look. His deep blue eyes, matching Riley's own.

"Chief Delacour. Pleased to see you again." Riley greeted him.

"Null... You seem well." He responded, eying her intently.

"As well as can be expected." She responded with a shrug.

"So... I'd like to start out by offering my sincerest of thanks for saving my life, and the lives of my children. It was a noble and selfless act, and I cannot thank you enough for it. My children are alive today because of you, and you have my eternal gratitude for it." Jean offered to her, gaining a nod of acceptance from Riley.

"I appreciate it, but it's not needed. I would have helped anyone in similar circumstances, I hate bullies, and people who prey on innocent lives just because they can." Riley responded to him.

"Your modesty is commendable, yet my gratitude still stands. My wife and my daughters are here, they wished to offer their thanks as well, I wanted to speak to you first though, to get a measure of you. I've followed your work for a while now. You are a shinobi, aren't you?" Jean told her.

"Yeah, I am." Riley responded.

"What are you doing here? Not that I am ungrateful, but what is a shinobi, let alone one so young, doing so far from your homeland?" Jean asked her.

"I was run out of my homeland. A man sent his servants to capture me. He wanted me for reasons unknown to me. I killed the men he sent, so he framed me as a murderer. More shinobis were sent after me as well, so I killed them too. I wasn't going to let myself be dragged back to that village and prosecuted for defending myself. They chased after me. I didn't go after them. If they'd just left me alone, none of this would have happened. Now five of them are dead, and here I am. As far from those lands as I could think to get." Riley answered honestly, causing the man to blink in surprise, his gaze then turned hard.

"Is that the reason for the mask?" He asked her.

"Partly, yeah." She responded with another shrug.

"I see. This man who attacked you, you have no idea what he wanted from you?" Jean inquired curiously.

"I got mixed up in some nasty business surrounding one of the village's dirty secrets. Maybe he wanted to figure out what I knew. Maybe he'd heard of my growing skills and wanted me to join him. Maybe he's just a bastard. Sadly, I don't know. He murdered my best friend though. Maybe he was worried I knew that. Like I said, I don't know for certain. Didn't ask. When his men tried to take me, I killed them." She answered him.

"I'm sorry to hear that. You have my condolences, for your friend." Jean offered to her.

"Thanks. Don't worry though about your family. If you're concerned about me, then we can part ways right now, no hard feelings. I wouldn't want anyone to get wrapped up in me without knowing that there are dangers." Riley said.

"I can assure you; we are no strangers to danger. As you no doubt remember. Less so now, thanks to you. Your attacks against the Consortium have largely driven them out of France. The low-level guys are too afraid to work anywhere around these parts for fear of Null and meeting their end. Though rumors I hear is that the Consortium is cannibalizing itself because that it true everywhere. They fear to go outside, and their competitors are tearing them apart because of it." Jean spoke in response, earning a soft smile from Riley beneath her mask.

"Really? Well like I said, I don't like people like that, so I figured I'd make them my personal training dummies and do the world a favor while I was at it." Riley noted.

"As an officer of the law I cannot condone vigilante justice. As a man with a family, you won't find me shedding a tear for them." Jean agreed with the sentiment of removing them.

A moment of silence passed before a knock came at the door. Jean turned to it and gave it a thoughtful look before heading over to open it and allow his family access. Riley watched as three blonde haired women entered all at once. They looked like mirrored images of each other. Pretty, lovely, blonde hair, bright blue eyes, sharp features and each of them had a radiance to them, something unnatural and magical that seemed to draw attention to their looks.

Their attention collectively landed on Riley, the youngest girl, moved a bit behind her mother, smiling shyly at her, while the eldest daughter, seemed to take in a breath at the sight of her.

"Ladies, this is Null. Null, my wife Appoline, my daughters, Fleur, and Gabrielle." Jean introduced them.

"This is Null? When you mentioned they were a child, I didn't know what to think." Appoline spoke.

"Mrs. Delacour. A pleasure to make your acquaintance." Riley said to her, her eyes briefly flickering to the oldest daughter, the sight of her, her face specifically, no longer stained by tears, brought back that strong feeling. She was happy to see her, wanted to talk to her even. It was just like the feeling with Kaede.

"Oh, the pleasure is mine. You saved my husband and children from those vile criminals. I owe you my whole world." Appoline returned with gratefulness.

"I appreciate the thanks, but it's not necessary." Riley shook her head.

"Ah but it is. You saved my entire family from certain death. A debt is owed there. Even if I felt otherwise, we are Veela, there is powerful magic that surrounds us. Your act, as selfless as it was, demands repayment." Appoline responded, causing Riley to blink in surprise.

"You're Veela? I see. This debt you're referring to, it's not a magical one, is it?" Riley asked, having heard of such things in the past and how magic could force repayment between parties for acts such as saving a life, while at risk of losing your own.

"It is not a full-blown life debt, as from my understanding of the events, only my husband was immediately in danger of dying, but we all know where it would have ended. They would not have spared any of them. Once they were finished, my husband and children would have been dead. No, this is a debt owed by our Veela magic, and by house Delacour. My husband is the patriarch of our house, and Fleur is the heiress, saving them as selflessly as you did, imbibes a debt." Apolline explained to her.

"I see. Then all I ask for in repayment of that debt is your friendship. Extend that to me and all debts owed between my clan and your house are settled." Riley responded, her words causing Apolline and Jean to blink in surprise.

Seeing their surprise, Riley took in a breath and removed her mask, lowering her hood as she did.

"I would also ask for your secrecy in regard to my true identity. I am the Lord of the Uzumaki Clan, and Head of the main line of the Uchiha clan, and Daimyo to the broken country of Uzu no Kuni." Her words drew astonishment from the two adults, though the younger girls didn't fully grasp what her words meant, they were more interested in her appearance.

"You're a lord?" Fleur questioned.

"But you look like a girl." Gabrielle followed up.

"I am a girl. In some cultures, the title of lord is used interchangeably between sexes. In the Uzumaki clan, all power rests with the lord, aside from the heir or heiress, there are no other titles like lady for example. I would be considered Lady Uchiha though, as the Uchiha do recognize feminine other titles besides that of lord, as well as Lady Daimyo." Riley responded to the two girls.

"Wow..." Gabrielle uttered.

"You ask for House Delacour's friendship in repayment for the debt owed to you, and you shall have it. You came to our help in a time of need, with no thoughts to your own self-interest. That is truly commendable, and we thank you for it." Jean said to her, gaining a smile from Riley.

"Thanks." Riley said, sensing that this was the start of hopefully another friendship, her eyes settled onto Fleur, who had this curious look in her eyes, as if sizing Riley up. She didn't know why, but Riley felt something there, something that reminded her of how she felt around Kaede. Her curiosity piqued Riley decided to explore if maybe she could form another friendship with the eldest daughter of House Delacour. If nothing else, it'd be nice to have another friend.

Regardless of what the future held, today had been a very productive and eventful day.

-To Be Continued-

Notes:

Alright, here's the next chapter for you guys. A lot happened here. So many changes and updates, you guys can see so much being set up for the future, and so much evolving here. I hope you enjoy and can't wait to get to the next one.

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Chapter 7: Destined Path

Notes:

Here we go, hope you all are ready for this one.

For the first time in her life, Riley felt genuinely happy.

The trauma of her past that had long haunted her steps had finally begun to slip away into an afterthought. Her newly made friendship with the Delacour family, as well as having Remus back in her life, set her up to really begin blossoming.

Firstly, with the Delacours, she became a common fixture around their house, spending time there to hang out with Fleur and Gabrielle. Fleur was a bit older than her at twelve and currently went to Beauxbatons academy, while Gabrielle was only six. Gabrielle idolized Riley, like a knight in shining armor, she was always eager to hear stories of Riley's adventures and her heroics, and was excited whenever she was around to visit. Fleur was far more composed but Riley could hear the excitement in her steps whenever she came by and she could hear Fleur race through her house, only to slow down before entering to pretend at some measure of composure.

Though her friendship with Gabrielle was far more sisterly, her friendship with Fleur was a bit more intricate, and somewhat confusing for Riley. Fleur was always eager to be around Riley but shied away from Riley's touch. A tap on the shoulder, a hug, brushing hands while walking, Fleur weirdly became nervous whenever the two happened to make contact but Riley didn't quite understand why. She liked being close to Fleur, loved to hear her laugh or see her smile. Hell she'd even started dreaming of that wonderful, almost radiant smile that the young Veela would sometimes give her. She didn't really get it, but she knew she enjoyed it, so she was always trying to get a smile from Fleur.

Her aversion to contact was never remotely negative, instead it simply made Fleur appear to be nervous. She would blush, or shy away from her if they made contact, and Riley simply didn't get it. She tried asking Madara about it, and Kurama, but both of them gave her a metaphorical shrug before chuckling to themselves, which Riley found suspicious. Despite their obvious distaste for one another, or more so Kurama's distaste for Madara, the two acted a lot like one another whenever they were teasing her about something.

Still, without concrete answers she was left to only guess, and she had no answer.

Time would pass, during the week, Fleur went to school at the academy, on the weekends she came home. She was bummed when she learned of Riley's intention to go across the channel and join Hogwarts, and she tried to convince her to come to Beauxbatons but Riley was adamant about going to Hogwarts, she wanted to go to the oldest magical school and have access to those magical secrets. The place also had a history for her. She grew up hearing about Hogwarts from Remus, and occasionally Lily, and she now wanted to go there and surpass the woman who'd played almost no part in raising her. Lily had always been well regarded for her genius and skills in magic, so Riley hoped to surpass her.

This second reason she left unsaid, but she did share the first with Fleur who was bummed at not having Riley as a schoolmate but eventually conceded that it was probably better this way. The girls at Beauxbatons were uptight and a bunch of bullies, they would probably spend all of their time harassing Riley anyways and make studying impossible. This had been said with a bit of bitterness that Riley sensed had deeper connotations.

As an added reason, while studying up on the country she'd eventually live in, Riley learned that it would actually be much easier for her to enter into multiple marriages and take on multiple partners in order to restore the Uzumaki. Britain had certain laws that were more open to allowing such things than France did, which Riley also counted as a boon. When she told Fleur this, the Veela reacted with surprise, this being the first she'd heard of Riley's intention of eventually taking on more than one partner, when she inquired about it, Riley expressed that she was one of the last of a powerful bloodline and sought to rebuild it. In order to do so, she'd have to take on multiple female partners if she wanted that goal to be achieved in her lifetime.

With a bit of hesitance, Fleur inquired if that meant that Riley preferred girls over boys. Riley had to think on that for a bit. She'd never really thought of a boy as a romantic partner. The only boy she could imagine herself falling in love with one day, and trying to build a family with was Shisui, and that realization made her sad. It filled her with regret and sorrow, as she realized that her old friend fit the criteria for what kind of man she'd have wanted to be with, sans her ambitions. She couldn't have Shisui though, he was dead and gone. Without him, she couldn't picture being with a man. Girls though, her mind turned towards Fleur and she found herself blushing. She gave Fleur an affirmation that she did like girls, which sent the Veela blushing up a storm.

Fleur couldn't hide her elation at hearing that, and she was in a great mood for the rest of the day.

While her friendship with the sisters grew, her relationship with Fleur continued to deepen.

With Remus, Riley's trust in him also began to grow and she shared a bit more with him as time went on. Bit by bit, truth by truth she shared things with him until one day she finally asked him about Kushina Uzumaki.

He seemed surprised by her question, wondering how she knew of her, but Riley kept his focus on the question, asking him if he knew her.

He responded that he'd only ever seen her in person once, but knew of her through his friendship with Minato. He did make mention of her being a romantic rival to Lily, and how she was probably the only person in the world, Lily actually despised.

He noted that with a chuckle but when he saw the seriousness on Riley's face he once more questioned her about Kushina and her knowledge of her.

Riley eventually revealed the truth to him. She told him what she knew regarding the situation surrounding her birth. He sat quietly and listened as she told him about how Lily was unable to have children due to an illness so a workaround was found and Kushina was chosen to play a part in it, and how it ended up with two children carrying all three of their parents DNA. She told him about how she'd been born to Kushina, but when her mother died, Minato and Lily raised her. She told him how she knew that there intention had always been to take her from her mother so that she wouldn't be an issue, and erase Kushina's memories so she wouldn't cause a fuss. Luckily for them, Kushina had died during the Nine Tails Attack.

She made sure Remus understood that it was for this reason she absolutely hated Minato and Lily and wished a cold and violent death upon them.

Remus struggled to believe it, though he couldn't dismiss it as it made sense as to the reason for the distinct separation in their treatment of their twin daughters. He also distinctly remembered Lily's complaints about getting pregnant and about the trouble they were having, and again he knew of her hatred for Kushina so if there was one person who his old friend despised enough to want to hurt like that, it would have been Kushina Uzumaki.

For Riley, it felt good to finally get that off her chest, to tell someone the truth that she'd been carrying all this time. Though he struggled to believe these things, he didn't deny them either. That was enough for Riley, a willingness to believe her was all she really wanted from him. He'd come to his own conclusions in time, for now she just needed him to be willing to hear the truth.

This allowed their relationship to grow and for Riley to begin opening up more to him about her problems, which included things like growing up. She'd changed a lot since leaving Konoha and her body was constantly growing and changing, having someone other than her grandfather and Kurama to ask about these things was welcoming.

Time progressed, and Riley felt her friendship with both Remus and the Delacours grow and the more it grew, the more she came out of her shell acting more like a child her own age. It was a side of her that Remus had never seen before, but watching her be so bubbly and playful around Fleur and Gabrielle brought him joy. It actually reminded him a lot of Naruko. The two were very much alike in their personalities, it was just their circumstances that affected how they displayed those traits.

Several months before she turned eleven Riley began applying for citizenship in Britain, so she could attend Hogwarts. The process would take a bit, thankfully because of how Hogwarts worked she wouldn't get her letter to attend until after her eleventh birthday and by that point in time the school year would have started so she had a little over a year until she could join, she'd actually be nearly twelve before she started.

It was something she enjoyed, it made her hopeful for the future.

Several more months passed, Riley had turned eleven and was out hunting down a high ranking magical criminal out in eastern Europe.

She tailed her target for days and one night moved to engage him and his two body guards. She killed one easily, dropping down onto his back, she drove a knife into his neck. She swiftly tossed a kunai at the head of the other guard, expecting him to go down just as easily, but he did not. With unnatural speed he leaned backwards and away from the strike.

With another movement he raised his arm and a red bolt of magic launched at her, causing her to leap away from her current target, and land several meters back.

"Seems I made the right choice." Her target spoke, turning to face her and back behind his guard, a person she now recognized wasn't a wizard, but in fact was a mage.

"So this is Null… I'd heard you were a child, but I didn't quite believe it." The unknown mage spoke. He had short blonde hair and a tattoo running down the side of his face, almost like black lightning. He had pale skin, and cool green eyes. He took a fighting posture as he stared her down.

A cool smirk spread across his face, and he made a show of snapping his fingers before staring her down. The instant he snapped, the world seemed to ripple around them, the surrounding buildings seemed to slant and elongate in on themselves, like some sort of warped painting.

She stared back, mentally cursing. Her eyes went wide as she saw magic begin to fill the air around her.

"Is this an illusion?" Riley wondered.

"No. A barrier of some sort." Madara noted, having seen such effects through the eyes of his own Sharingan in the past.

"A sensor-type shinobi. That would explain how you've managed to pull off such an impressive kill-streak." The mage spoke, taking note of the way she was glancing around, reading her reaction.

"He threw up a barrier? How did he do that so fast? No… someone else is here. Someone else is helping him. They knew I was coming, and he's heard about Shinobi. This isn't good." Riley realized, as she took on a defensive stance, and activated Kamui, her intention being to avoid any surprise attacks.

She felt a strain against her eyes, and took note that she couldn't feel the typical stillness of her Kamui dimension.

"What is happening?!" She felt worry begin to touch at her senses, when the attack came. The mage charged at her, magic lighting up his body as he rocketed forward in a blitz of incredible speed.

She was barely able to curse as he laid into her with martial arts. The two traded blows, Riley blocked and dodged, mentally cursing as pain racked through her from the force of his blows. Whoever this man was, he knew how to use magic to empower his body to superhuman levels, and he was a skilled combatant.

She was forced to block strikes that she normally could have allowed to pass through her, for some reason her Kamui wasn't working. Whatever was happening, it didn't seemed to affect her Sharingan but the ability of Kamui didn't seem to be functioning at all.

"I know what you're thinking Null, and you'd be wise to try it. Fleeing this place, escaping my trap, that would be the smart thing to do. Thing is, you aren't going anywhere." The mage spoke to her.

"Your barrier?" She recognized what he was referring to when he said that.

"An ancient craft born from years of study. I know you can teleport, the question is how. So many methods, and with you being a Shinobi, that means there's also space-time manipulation to consider. Even in one so young, with a body-count as high as yours I'd be a fool not to take every possibility into account. This new reality around us stops all passage through it. Nothing comes in, nothing goes out. You are trapped in here with me." The Mage said to her as the two traded blows.

"Who the hell are you?" Riley questioned as she started fighting more defensively, realizing that she couldn't use Kamui to escape, if this barrier or whatever he'd done was blocking space-time techniques.

"Friedrich, Friedrich Yurik. A pleasure to meet you Null. I've been admiring your work for some time." Friedrich said to her, kicking her hard in the chest and sending her flying back. She landed and took a moment to catch her breath, the man was an immensely skilled fighter, she was quickly learning.

From the twisted corridors around them, figures began to emerge, almost two dozen men, wizards by the looks of them, given most were carrying wands, though a few weren't, appearing to be vampires or perhaps werewolves.

"Seems you're not alone." Riley noted, cursing internally at how vastly outnumbered she was. Her eyes briefly flickered to the man she'd been targeting a criminal wizard with powerful connections to a major organization that operated in and around this country. He was watching this all go down with a prideful smirk.

"No friends of mine, I assure you. Just hired muscle, and here to make sure you don't run away." Friedrich responded with a shake of the head.

"Yurik, quick talking and finish her! This little bitch has caused enough problems for us, I paid you good money to take her down so do it!" Her mark called out, an irritated smirk spreading across Friedrich's face.

"Keep your dogs on a leash Marko, if any of them interfere I have no issue burying them today as well. This is my fight." Friedrich warned.

"So this is personal?" Riley recognized.

"A necessity born of familial pride. My family is incredibly old, and have a vibrant history stretching back for centuries. You killed one of mine. No one I knew personally, but we can't have such an attack go unanswered. Honestly you did the world a favor, too many of my blood enjoy dabbling in the foulest or blackest of magics and deserve what they have coming to them, but I am not the one to decide such things. My purpose, my role is to defend my family line. You've attacked us, and earned my attention. Pride demands that I bring you down." Friedrich told her.

"I see. So be it then." Riley threw back at him, her hands coming together to rapidly before forming handsigns. "Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bomb!"

Friedrich dodged as a wall of earthen bullets came racing towards him. He rushed towards Riley, launching a red bolt of magic from his hand with a spoken word.

She dodged in turn, drawing a blade as she did, she rushed towards him, meeting him in a flurry of strikes.

She managed to draw first blood, slicing his arm with the blade, but he reacted without showing an ounce of pain. His skills as a martial artist were incredible. Were it not for her Sharingan he'd easily best her in a close range battle.

She was waiting for the opportunity to utilize Amatsumara to pepper him with weapons and end this fight. Despite still learning the full extent of this mage's abilities, she knew without a doubt she had him beat in terms of magic. She had more than he did, and she didn't question that for even a moment, she could outlast him. The power he was displaying it allowed him incredible abilities, but that meant a heavy drain on his own magic. He wasn't going to last as long as she would, she just had to be smart.

Many minutes passed as the two traded blows and magical attacks. The red bolts of magic he fired from his palms were fast and deadly. Almost like piercing spells, designed to punch clean through their target. This seemed to be his preferred method of ranged combat, while martial arts was his greatest strength.

She kept her focus, in the back of her mind, reminding herself that she still had to deal with the small army of wizards gathered around her and escape this barrier or whatever it was after taking down this powerful mage, so she had to be careful, and had to keep on her toes.

The two kept fighting, Riley receiving several powerful blows that would certainly leave behind cruel purple welts in the near future.

This had almost instantly elevated itself to the hardest fight of her life.

She was waiting for the opening, waiting for the moment while Kurama and Madara watched from behind her eyes, leaving the air silent to allow her complete focus to be on the battle.

Riley dodged under a punch from the mage, finally seeing her opening, she drove her blade upward into his chest, her eyes glancing over his shoulder to summon a blade behind him, aimed right at his neck.

She saw the blade form, and for a moment felt victory, but before she could jump back and mentally send the blade into the back of the mage's head, he grabbed her sword arm, holding it in place, he slammed his free palm into her chest with bone cracking force.

"!"

She heard the word. His spell. The piercing spell, jumped from his palm straight through her chest.

Her eyes went wide, as she realized in an instant that he had purposely baited her attack in order to hold her in place.

"Riley!/Riley!" Came the cries of Kurama and Madara as both witnessed and felt through her what happened.

Riley was sent sailing back, a fist sized hole located where her heart should be.

She landed in a heap, rolling to a stop near to some of the surrounding wizards who eyed her with triumph and cruelty, their wands drawn and aimed at her, ready to finish the job if it hadn't been done already.

"Fuck! It… hurts!" Riley felt a coldness wash through her, as blood poured out of her chest. Her limbs instantly began to grow cold as a dark realization began to wash over her.

"Riley, no! No! Goddamn it!" She heard her grandfather cry out in panic, cementing her understanding that it had happened, she'd blundered, and she was dying.

No… That was wrong. He'd hit her heart. Worse, he'd destroyed her heart with that spell. She was dead. She was gone. She felt herself sucking in a breath as that realization flooded her mind.

"I don't wanna die…" Riley gasped as everything began to darken, her vision fading into black as her life began to fade.

"No! This can't be happening! God's be damned! Not again! Not again!" Madara roared in rage, as he watched powerless to save his granddaughter's life.

Kurama hissed out in similar anger. He'd grown to enjoy Riley these past few years. He'd had hope for her. Hope that she'd do great things and honor the memory of his father through her possession of the Rinnegan. All of that hope began to fade and he was left to curse the frailty of mortals.

Darkness dimmed around him, as Riley's life faded. As the darkness closed in, and he listened into Madara's anguished cries, he couldn't help but pity the man that he had once despised so much.

"Aw… Now what do we have here. Now is not the tiiime." Kurama heard the voice of the other demon speak as it stirred awake.

"You're too late! It's over!" Kurama snarled at it's presence. No matter what mystery surrounded it's presence, it didn't matter anymore. Riley was dead, and it had done nothing to help save her.

"Ahhh, Kurama… Do yooouuu want to save heerr?" The unknown demon questioned.

"There's nothing I can do. Her heart was destroyed. A few more moments and she'll begin suffering from brain death. My chakra isn't enough to heal her, not fast enough to make a difference." Kurama growled.

"But there is a way. Will you do it? Will you give for her? Will you sacrifice for her, to restore your hope? You must choose quickly, the moment is fast approaching." The demon spoke.

From beyond the cage, Kurama saw the shadows begin to move. Writhing tentacles of utter blackness began to writhe and undulate out from the darkness, and a sea of eerie glowing eyes began to stare back at him from the darkness, each set of eyes, belonging to an eel-like tar-black serpent, each with a mouth of teeth, ranging from twisted blades as long as a grown man's fingers, to block-like crushing slabs designed for smashing bone.

The serpents all stared in at him, awaiting his response.

Kurama stared back for a moment, unsure of what the demon meant. He sensed it had a solution, a means of saving Riley's life, of fixing her, and reviving his hope for the future. If that wasn't reason enough to try, than maybe, just maybe the fact that he was starting to like her, was.

"What must I do?" Kurama questioned.

"You muuust give part of yourself. In doing so, this union will be forever. Can you stand that? To be bonded to her forever more?" The demon questioned as a blackened serpent emerged out of the darkness slithering up and through the boundaries of the cage, revealing it's ability to pass through the seal without issue, much to Kurama's surprise.

The Fox took a moment to recover and once he did, he thought on the Demon's question.

For a moment he started to wonder before suddenly a chuckle escaped from him and he shook his head.

"I've never been one to overly concern myself with the woes of tomorrow. Maybe it will be forever, or maybe not. My answer remains the same. What must I do?" The Fox decided.

"Your heart. Give me part of your heart to give to her, then bond your chakra to hers." The demon spoke.

"But that… if I do that, her core… She wont be human anymore." Kurama realized.

"She was never human, Fox." The Demon returned, before Kurama's eyes, the flash of a memory took place. That moment, on the day she was born, when she was struck with the killing curse.

"She died in that moment, yet such magic cannot slay a god." The image of the Rinnegan appeared before the Fox, reminding him of just how far from ordinary, Riley actually was.

"Since that moment she has straddled the line between living and dead. Her want for human connection, to fill the hole in her heart has ever grown with each passing year. The filling of it, has abated the change, but this death has undone all of that work. She will become a demon, become Hollow unless we act. I can save her, but she will break. You can save her, and in doing so, save her humanity. Will you do it, Kurama? Three paths are set before us. She will live no matter what we do, but what shall arise from this death will determine the fate of the world." The demon said to Kurama, explaining to him the dangers now set before them.

Kurama was silent for a moment, recognizing the gravity of this decision. Riley had died when she was struck by the Killing Curse on the day she was born. That death, didn't stick, due to the Rinnegan and her nature as a godlike being because of said eyes. The Killing Curse did something to her, but what that something was, Kurama didn't fully know. She straddled the line between life and death, as the demon had said. If it meant that in the way that Kurama understood it, and it's reference to her going Hollow meant that things truly were as dire as he imagined them to be.

Hollows were demons, specifically an impure subset of demons born from living souls that have died, but have not moved on to the afterlife. If a soul is left in this state for too long, and begins to become resentful, it might turn Hollow, developing a hunger for the life-energies of living beings. Once a soul turned Hollow it transformed into a demon that would actively hunt and kill living things to feed on their souls. Hollows were some of the most prevalent demons in existence, due to their ability to spawn into reality. Unlike pure demons which came from another reality known as the Dark Realms, or hell, or Makai, it had many names, but in the end, it was the home of demons. Hollows were demon adjacent, or demon-like, a corruption of the living soul, which pure demons lacked. The soul as they understood it, was not something that a pure demon possessed, in many ways, pure demons were basically corrupted, sentient magic. It was far more complicated than that, and largely mysterious to the living, but it was a basic way of understanding it.

He, as a Tailed Beast was unique to demonkind, as he possessed a soul, much like a Hollow did, but unlike a Hollow, Tailed Beasts didn't hunger for souls. If he left Riley to die, she'd likely turn into a Hollow, especially if she'd been walking that line since she was born, the process would come quickly, but unlike other Hollows, she had the Rinnegan, that power would make her into something never seen before. A Hollow of god-like power that would likely be the doom of the world. The other demon claimed it could heal her, but in doing so, it would break her, likely ruining her mind and spirit. She'd still be human, or at least she'd be what she was now, but her mind would be broken, she'd no longer be Riley. If the Fox saved her, she'd become a Tailed Beast, like him. She'd lose her humanity in it's current form, but she'd likely still remember it, and she'd have a soul. There was a chance she could overcome the negative aspects of a demon, and remain who she was. No matter which decision he made, Riley would suffer for it. So if suffering was inevitable regardless, than what criteria remained to define the choice? The answer was simple, which choice offered her the best chance of being who she wanted to be.

He closed his eyes, allowing Riley's final words to echo in his mind. 'I don't wanna die.'

He let out a sigh, accepting that plead as her consent to make the choice in order to save her.

"Do it!" Kurama commanded, and in a blinding movement the serpent in the cage launched forward, burying itself into the Fox's chest, biting a chunk out of his heart and tearing it free.

It pulled back as Kurama let out an angry hiss of pain, the serpent and the shadow fleeing into darkness.

A moment passed when he suddenly felt it, like a surge of sensation, his connection to Riley rapidly began to swell.

He felt her pain, and he knew what came next would hurt her even more, but it would save her life.

With a roar of defiance, he surged as much of his recently reacquired energy through the newfound bond and into the piece of his heart which was rapidly reshaped into Riley's new one. He was joined in this task by the unknown Demon, which obviously held a deep investment in her survival.

On the outside, Marko knelt over her, along with many other onlookers, Friedrich stood to the side, watching with distaste as Marko removed her mask, revealing the face of an eleven year old child.

"Wow… all of that hell from some stupid brat." Marko hummed with a dark chuckle.

He glanced down at the mask she wore rising to his feet as he did and glancing towards his hired mage, who was removing the sword still impaled through his torso.

"Looks like you were worth every penny." Marko said to him with a smile.

"You can keep your money if you'll allow me to bury her." Friedrich responded.

"Bury her! Why do you care what happens to this little bitch?" Marko questioned with annoyance.

"She fought well. Better than most I've faced. For a child who's likely not even a teenager, she showed greater resolve and bravery than most adults I've met. She deserves it." Friedrich responded.

"No, what this bitch deserves is to be fed to one of these degenerate wolves for all the trouble she's caused me and mine. You can forget honor, or nobility, she's far beyond any of that crap!" Marko spat in response, earning a dark glare from Friedrich.

Before either of them could speak again, an explosion erupted from Riley's body.

Red energy flooded the air as blood red chakra began to bubble out of the hole in her chest. Her facial features began to shift, her eyes became blood red, and slitted, and her canines grew elongated, along either of her cheeks, three blackened whisker like marks appeared.

The group of wizards and werewolves gathered around her staggered back and away from the rush of energy which whipped through the air, shattering the alternate reality that Friedrich had imposed upon the area.

He watched with disbelief and amazement as Riley began to rise off the ground, almost as if she was lifted by an unseen force.

He could see the churning blood red energy wash across her body, it's source seemingly being the hole in her chest which he could clearly see closing as bone, muscle and flesh regrew over it.

She reached her feet, when suddenly a blackened aura began to erupt out of her chest where the wound had once been. Her hands shot to this point, as a feral scream of rage and pain exploded out of her mouth. Her hands circled something, and the troop watched as she began pulling the hilt of a sword from the shadow upon her chest.

The process appeared painful, agonizingly slow as she pulled and tugged against the hilt. Her screams unleashed torrents of magic that threw the wind about, shattering glass in the surrounding buildings, and nearby cars.

Suddenly, and with great force, Riley finally ripped the hilt free, a long curved blade coming along with it.

In her hand she had what appeared to a be simple katana. It was large for the blade-type, and appeared overly so in Riley's hand. The hilt was wrapped in red cloth, the cross-guard was round, and appeared to be made of silver. On both sides it reflected an image, the sun and the moon on either side of the blade, surrounded by a ring of tomoe that ran along the perimeter of the cross-guard. The blade itself was a glimmering white steel, radiant and beautiful, a stark contrast to the monster now wielding it.

With the blade ripped free, the mass of shadow upon her chest, bubbled out of existence.

The moment the blackness faded, the red rushed outward. Red energy coated her entire body, shaping and forming around her like a living thing.

Riley continued to hiss and growl in pain and rage, holding the sword in one hand, her knuckles white from the force of the grip.

The troop of onlookers had a hard time seeing her through the force of the unnatural wind that seemed to pour off of her body.

From around the back of her head, blood-red chunks of flesh seemed to crawl over her, bits of flesh that darkened and hardened as they rose to the sides of her head.

On both sides, this splattering of flesh, the apparent remnants of her heart, coalesced and hardened into what appeared to be two halves of a mask.

These halves solidified and then began to slide forward, coming together over her face forming a complete mask.

This mask was bone-white, and shaped in the visage of a grinning demon. The face was split in a hellish grin. On the left half black wisps of energy emerged out of the eye-hole and flowed backwards across the left side of the face and forehead. Upon the right half of the mask were seven kanji writings, spaced evenly apart from brow to chin, each symbol was a different color. Starting at the top, in green the word willpower, in yellow the word Fear, in Red the word anger, in blue the word hope, in orange the word greed, in indigo the word compassion, and finally in violet the word love.

All seven of these markings blazed with their respective color, radiating magic like a visible flame coming from them.

"What are you?" Friedrich questioned as she lifted her gaze to them.

In her eyes he saw something that made his blood run cold. Her eyes glowed blood red, and within them, a black ripple pattern stretched across them.

"Those eyes! Could it be…" He suddenly recognized, only for Riley to throw her head back and let out a scream of monstrous rage. The wind whipping at them, now slammed against the crowd of wizards with brutal force, knocking some of them to the ground. Windows across the town burst, and cars began whining as their alarms went off.

"Avada Kadavra!" The scream of the killing curse came from somewhere in the crowd, a lance of green light cut through the air, striking Riley in the head, a patch of her hair bleaching white from the dark magic. She twisted with the strike, the air filling with a deathly silence as the wind suddenly stopped, and her scream died in her throat.

Stillness held as they waited for her to collapse, only for her to turn her head towards the crowd, the blazing red in her eyes shining with inhuman malevolence.

Screams of panic went up as she burst forward with impossible speed.

Friedrich watched as she carved through the crowd, slicing them to pieces like some sort of twisted blender. Two werewolves and a vampire were part of the collection and yet the sword she carried killed them just as easily as it did the humans.

Blood sprayed through the air as limbs sailed about. Bodies burst and tore apart as the red energy coating her body flayed apart flesh even before she made contact.

The blood that drenched her body, instantly began to boil off of her as she carved through the crowd.

"DO SOMETHING!" Marko screamed at him. Friedrich blinked, recognizing that he'd been frozen in place.

In a burst of speed he leaped onto the roof of a nearby building, leaving Marko and the rest to their fate on the street below.

Marko cursed, and began to apparate only for Riley to explode out of the crowd and reach him. He hardly let out a shout as she tore him limb from limb, screaming like some sort of possessed animal the entire time.

Friedrich watched this happen, amazement and disbelief shining in his eyes.

"It can't be! They were just stories! But those eyes… Those eyes!" He couldn't escape the deathly glare of those ripple-patterned eyes staring back at him from beneath that bone-like mask.

With as much strength as he could muster, he tore his gaze away from the slaughter, and began to run. He needed to escape, he needed to get away from this before he met the same fate as his employer.

Riley continued to rage, hammering the ground and screaming, even as people began to arrive, citizens from the town, police. They began to appear.

The police tried to confront her, but couldn't quite comprehend what they were seeing. Riley charged them, cutting them apart too. Like a beast possessed she killed every living thing she encountered.

Minutes passed, minutes of nothing but red, when finally she came to a halt, and with a final scream, unleashed her colossal power in one final attack.

Friedrich had just made it to the edge of town when the air stilled. He turned around, half expecting Riley to be in pursuit of him, but he saw nothing, only hearing the occasional sound of gunfire as the muggles tried desperately to stop the rampaging monster. An ominous aura filled the air, covering the entire town in it's terror. The streets were beginning to line with people as they heard the gunshots or had their windows blown out from the rampant magic.

"Such power…" Friedrich recognized.

It came suddenly, and without warning. He saw in the distance, buildings began to fall. It was so fast, just an expanding dome of collapsing buildings that came rushing outward from a central point.

Panic filled him as he turned and focused all of his magic into his legs. In a burst of speed he launched himself away from the oncoming blast, escaping out into the forest, even as he heard the screams of the people as they were consumed by the incoming attack.

The crushing sound was unlike anything he'd heard before. Despite his fear, he couldn't help but turn back, and what he saw, stole his breath away.

The town was gone.

A town of nearly twenty thousand people, gone in a moment.

A massive crater stretched out before him, like a perfect half-dome in the ground. Floating in the air, about where the ground would have been, he could see Riley. The red glow of the magic surrounding her body was unmistakable.

"Goddess… such power…" Friedrich gasped, before turning to continue running. He didn't want to risk still being here any longer.

He had seen something today, something born of stories he'd heard all his life. He'd never been much of a believer, but today, he'd seen it with his own eyes. All those stories, every tale he'd heard from across his life. Could they all be true? He needed to go. He needed to do something he never thought he would. The idea alone made his skin crawl, but he needed to reach out to his older brother. He needed to speak to Sebastian.

So with that decision hammered into his mind, he continued to flee, leaving Riley alone with the devastation of what she'd done.

The enraged Jinchuriki held in the air for several more moments before she descended to the ground. Her gaze passed out over the surrounding crater, taking in the devastation and destruction.

After several long moments her body began moving again, racing out of the crater and away from all of this, taking her to a safe place.

For Riley, she still felt herself in the moment of her death. The fear, the panic, the hopelessness and anguish. It all stayed with her, like some kind of waking nightmare. For Riley, the experience was both the longest thing she'd ever felt, and yet it was also over in an instant. The wash of dreadful emotions, the feeling of hopelessness and despair, it felt like she was in hell.

Her return to consciousness came suddenly. She felt tapping on her cheek, the sound of crying caught her ears.

Her eyes opened, and she instantly felt awful. A phantom pain lingered in her chest, and she let out a groan.

"Riley!" "You're awake." She heard two familiar voices say. She blinked, her vision focusing. She caught the sight of Fleur hovering over her, tears streaming down her face. A look of worry, fear, and panic quickly melting away into relief as their eyes met. Beside her was her father, who was waving his wand over her, running a diagnostic spell.

"Fleur? Why are you crying?" Riley asked her, reaching up to touch at a fresh tear that streaked down the Veela's cheek.

"You scared me half to death! You were soaked in blood! I thought something had happened to you! You wouldn't wake up!" Fleur responded harshly, anger coloring her voice.

"Where am I?" Riley asked, her throat felt bone dry, and she all around felt awful.

"My room." Fleur said to her, calming down as she did..

"Your room?" Riley repeated, shaking her head and sitting up. She felt a head rush, and her vision blurred. Fleur called out for her, as she started to list, and quickly caught her.

"I feel awful…" Riley groaned, resting her head against Fleur's chest. Fleur held her there, gently petting her head to try and comfort her.

"It appears whatever injuries you suffered, they have healed already." Jean said to her.

"Healed, she was soaked in blood. Her shirt is torn through, front and back." Fleur spoke up.

Riley reached up again, rubbing at the scarred flesh in the center of her chest, she felt Fleur touch at the scarred flesh on her back as well, gently tracing it, the skin was tender, feeling raw and overly sensitive.

"I'm alive… how." Riley hummed.

It took her a few long moments to pull away from Fleur, when she did, she offered her friend a grateful smile, which caused Fleur to blush, and avert her gaze.

"What happened to you?" Jean asked her.

"Got into a fight, turned out bad, not sure how I ended up here." Riley replied, summarizing the incident.

"I woke up and found you curled up at the end of my bed. You would not wake up and you were covered in dirt and blood, you were clutching to your sword like it was some kind of lifeline, you wouldn't let it go. I was so worried. I called for papa and mama to come and check on you." Fleur said to her.

Riley blinked when as she listened but became momentarily confused when she heard the word sword. Her eyes drifted down to her other arm where she saw it. A katana, gripped in her hand. She groaned as she tried releasing the blade. Her hand felt like a vice. Opening her fingers was painful, the iron grip she had on the blade for who knows how long had caused her hand to feel like it had locked up.

Moving it hurt, and made Riley wince and grumble as she shifted the blade to the side, taking note that it was unfamiliar to her, and yet felt remarkably familiar at the same time, much to her growing confusion.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to worry you. I'm not even sure how I got here." Riley responded to Fleur, filling the growing silence with her curiosity, her eyes still on the strangely familiar blade the had with her.

"Made your way here on your own you troublesome little twerp." She heard Kurama speak up from within her.

"Kurama?" Riley blinked.

"Yeah, it's me." The Fox responded. "You don't remember anything that happened after your heart was destroyed?"

"No, not really. I… well… I feel like something happened… I just… I don't know what it is… I feels like something important happened while I was asleep, but I can't remember what it was. So what did happen?" Riley inquired in response, as she rubbed at her temple, feeling frustrated at the mental block, whatever she was missing felt like it was on the edge of recollection but simply wouldn't come.

"You lost consciousness. I thought you were a goner, but it seems your additional passenger had other ideas. We were able to heal you, and you woke back up. My power flowed into you, fueling a sort of blind rage. You pulled that sword out of your chest, reawakened your Rinnegan and killed most of those goons that were there. You ran amok for a bit before your rage faded. Then you ran all the way back here, climbed in through Fleur's window, ogled her for about a half hour and then passed out on her bed." Kurama said to her.

"I… wait what?" Riley blinked at that, her cheeks tinging red.

"You stood over her just staring at her for a bit, I couldn't quite get a read on what you were feeling you then curled up on the end of the bed and passed out."

Riley sat in silence for several long moments as she digested that.

"How am I alive Kurama? You said you healed me?" Riley asked him.

"I played a part. The other demon did most of the work. Look, finish with your friends, and then go somewhere where we can talk because this is gonna take a moment. Also, best apologize to your granddad for scaring the crap out of him. Best he hears all of this too, and I don't need him pouting." Kurama said to her, causing her to wince.

Grandfather?" She inquired softly, but got no response, causing her to wince again.

"I'm sorry for scaring you. I'll be more careful in the future, I promise." She offered, hoping he'd say something to her. She couldn't imagine how much he'd been worrying about her, she just hoped he'd forgive her.

"Riley, never do something like that again." She heard him finally say, knowing that he was referring to her almost dying, not that she could really control that. Still, she understood him well enough to know what he meant. She felt awful at having made him worry.

"Okay." She offered, almost able to physically see the frown that would have likely resided on his face, despite the fact that she didn't actually know what he looked like.

"Riley?" Fleur inquired, Riley having been overly quiet for the last few moments.

"Sorry, I was just trying to remember what happened, but it's all coming up blank." Riley said to her, turning her gaze to Fleur. She offered the girl a smile, which again caused Fleur to blush and avert her gaze before returning it.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Fleur asked her.

"I feel fine. If Mr Delacour's diagnostic spell didn't turn up anything, then I'd say I'm good. I'll take it easy the next couple of days though, just to be safe." Riley responded. "I'd also like to help cleaning this all up. I certainly left a mess in here."

Though they remained worried about her, the Delacours had no reason to keep her from leaving. They accepted her help in cleaning up, if only to have her around a bit longer to keep an eye on her and make sure she was alright.

Riley helped them clean Fleur's room from the mud and dried blood she'd dragged in when she showed up. Once everything was clean she bid them farewell, intent on returning home, since she was sure Remus was starting to worry. Before she left, Fleur gave her a particularly long hug, which Riley enjoyed. It was rare for her to initiate such long bouts of contact between them, but those moments were starting to send Riley's heart aflutter.

She'd always felt a pull towards the Veela, the same kind of pull she felt towards Kaede. She liked them, and a part of her was perhaps starting to wonder if that like might go deeper than she understood.

Seeing how concerned and worried the Delacours were for her, was incredibly touching. Riley had never really felt the kind of care. Having it, made her feel good, though she did regret causing them to worry.

Once she had finished helping them clean she bid her farewells and returned to Paris. She met up with Remus who was starting to wonder when she would return. She hid what had happened from him, knowing that it would only make him more worried if he knew what had kept her away all night. Once she was alone in her room, laying on her own bed, she turned her focus towards Kurama, eager to finally learn what had really gone on.

"So you ready to fill me in?" Riley inquired to the demon fox.

"Well first and foremost, you were a heartbeat away from dying, no pun intended. Your other demonic passenger awoke, offering a means of saving you. It said we had one of three paths to take, and he left the decision in my hands. Either I helped to heal you, it would heal you, or we let you die and see what happens." Kurama began.

"Ummm…. Okay I'm guessing I need more context." Riley noted, confused.

"It claimed it could heal you, but in doing so, you'd be mentally broken. I don't know how or why, but it was quite certain that if it was allowed to heal you, you'd suffer major mental trauma and end up completely shattered. What happened then is anyone's guess." Kurama explained to her.

"Right… and leaving me to die was an option?" Riley noted.

"It was. According to it, when you were struck with the killing curse as a child, you died then, but due to the Rinnegan and being a higher being because of it, you didn't actually die. This caused you to straddle the line between life and death all these years. Because of the state you were in, the process of Hollowification was allowed to occur but never reach it's conclusion, and before you ask, a Hollow is a type of demon or corrupted spirit that feeds on living souls. They are the most common type of demon that living people have the opportunity or misfortune to ecounter, and you were well on your way to becoming one, due to the neglect and suffering you experienced all your life. Had we let you die, the process probably would have completed very quickly, causing you to turn into a Hollow immediately. Most of the time this process can take months or even years before a dead soul becomes corrupt enough to transform into a Hollow, but in your case, it would have occurred quickly. A Hollow with the power of the Rinnegan, that would be a terrifying thing to imagine, especially because I would likely remain sealed within you, and you'd begin feeding on my soul through my chakra that seeps out of this cage, and I'd be powerless to stop you from doing it. All my suspicion, I have no clue if I'm right or not, but needless to say, it wasn't a choice that involved losing you. None of these choices were to let you truly die, but rather what state you would survive in. If the other demon healed you, it would break you mentally. If we let you die, you'd become a Hollow, so that left only one option." Kurama continued to explain, Madara listening alongside Riley as everything was laid out.

"So you were the one to heal her, Fox." Madara spoke.

"I played a part." Kurama offered in agreement.

"How so?" Riley inquired, as she contemplated the information she'd just learned.

"I gave you a piece of my heart." Kurama said to her, causing her to blink in surprise in the real world.

"You gave me a piece of your heart?" Riley asked him, touching at the scarred flesh in the center of her chest, remembering vividly the pain she'd felt as her heart was blown out of her body.

"Yeah. The other demon took a piece of my heart, and molded it into a new human heart for you. This was both a physical and spiritual process as it required melding your own magical pathways to integrate with this demonic organ." Kurama carried on explaining.

"Wow… I don't know what to say. Thank you Kurama." She expressed in gratitude.

"Don't go thanking me just yet. You still need to understand the cost. Doing this did save your life, but things are different now. You are different. You have a demonic heart, the heart is where the soul is housed, and where the magical core resides. By replacing your heart with a demonic one, it will begin to corrupt you. Specifically you'll begin to transform into a Tailed Beast like myself. Because of the way we were made, each of the Tailed Beasts is highly specific. That means that you'll become another Nine Tails, like me." Kurama expressed.

"I'll turn into a Tailed Beast? So one day I'll just transform into a giant fox demon?" Riley questioned.

"Well yes, but not in the way you imagine it. Firstly, the process will be much slower. Due to the Rinnegan your spirit is highly resilient to corruption so it'll take a bit to fully transform. Probably five to ten years at least. Once that happens, yes you'll turn into a fox, or at least try to. I can teach you how to control demonic energy so you can control your own transformation. We Tailed Beasts can change our shape if we wish, we could even assume human form if we so desired, but given how little we think of humans and how much pride we take in the form the Sage gave us, we rarely do it. So you wont have to live as a giant fox. The only limit on our transformations is that we have to have our tails. So you'll have nine tails no matter what form you're in. Secondly, I have no idea how you'll compare to me in terms of power. This has never been done with Tailed Beasts before. Demons don't typically have real organs and if they do, they don't generally share them with humans or other living beings. I know enough that there's a strong likelihood that you'll begin rapidly growing in strength as you become a near mirror image of me. Meaning you'll likely end up as strong as I am, or at least with as much chakra as I have. This is merely my speculation though, as I said, I don't actually know for certain, given that I'm not an ordinary demon. I'd give it between five and ten years before the transformation completes itself. When it does, not only will you be immortal, but you'll also be nearly unbeatable. As a Tailed Beast, even if you are killed, you'll eventually revive. You'll have access to the full breath of demonic powers that all Tailed Beasts have, and you'll likely also have access to my specific powers as well. We'll have a lot of work until the day comes to make sure you're ready. It wont be easy, but this was the only path where you had a chance to remain who you are, while still surviving." Kurama laid everything out for her, making sure she understood that things certainly were different now.

"Remain who I am?" She repeated thoughtfully.

"It's why I chose this path. If left to become a Hollow you'd be consumed by your own desire for souls, becoming a ruthless killing machine. If the unknown demon healed you, your mind would break, meaning you'd lose who you are now. This way, if nothing else, there's a chance you might remain who you are. You'll likely be able to retain your personality, your wants, and desires. Demons in general are largely linked to negative emotions but that's usually because they only have negative emotions. We Tailed Beasts were gifted the full breath of emotions by the Sage, and you'll have them too, meaning all of your emotions will be empowered, but you'll ultimately still be able to remain who you are. It was the only path available that left you a chance of still being Riley, of being able to pursue your goals and dreams. Kaede is proof enough for you that half-demons exist and can be more or less human, so you can still restore the Uzumaki clan and make a name for yourself, all of that is still within your power to accomplish. This is a gift as much as a curse, so it'll be how you use it, and live with it, that determines the ultimate outcome." Kurama explained to her.

Riley was silent for many long moments as she took that in, digesting what had been done to ultimately save her life. Kurama had made the best choice he could to try and save who she was as a person. He even gave a piece of himself to allow it to happen. She found herself deeply moved as she realized this and even more so recognized what he'd sacrificed to save her life.

"Thank you Kurama. For saving me, and giving me a second chance. I'm really grateful." Riley offered to him, her gratitude surprising the ancient demon.

"Eh, don't worry about it. I just made the most logical choice." Kurama attempted to dismiss her.

"But if I'd died, you could have escaped. Whether you died with me, or not, you still would have been free from this seal." Riley countered.

"Maybe, then again I've barely begun healing thanks to that other demon and I doubt it would have continued repairing my magical core if I weren't with you anymore, so it really was in my best interest to keep you alive." Kurama noted, though in truth, he hadn't actually considered his own escape in the moment. In hindsight he probably wouldn't have been able to escape, or if he did he'd be practically powerless, but again, it wasn't something he considered.

"Still, I'm really grateful. I promise, I'll find a way to repay you. I owe you one Kurama." Riley promised to him. Kurama took a moment to digest her gratitude, finding himself feeling a bit off in regards to receiving such gratitude from a mortal. He wasn't used to it, so again, he was driven to dismiss it.

"Well just keep that in mind the next time you wanna take on such a powerful foe. I don't give out freebies so be mindful, you don't wanna end up in debt to a demon." Kurama warned her.

"Yes sir. Speaking of which, what was with that guys strange barrier?" Riley inquired to them, remembering how she was unable to access Kamui while within it's confines.

"I'm not quite sure it was a barrier if I'm being honest. It didn't function much like a barrier and his deployment of it was unlike any barrier I've ever seen. It was likely something else, some new form of magic that we haven't encountered before." Madara suggested, having had plenty of time to go over everything she'd seen in the fight.

"Madara is likely correct. It wasn't something I'm familiar with either. Likely some kind of magecraft." Kurama agreed with Madara, much to his chagrin.

"Magecraft huh? I'm gonna need to prepare myself for that kind of power if I run into that guy again." Riley spoke aloud, her eyes glued onto the ceiling. She subconsciously rubbed at her chest, taking stock of her new demonic heart and how it hammered in her chest.

"The cost for failure. Well at least I'm not dead. Maybe this wont be so bad, hell maybe it was meant to be. Kurama says that those with the Rinnegan are meant for greatness. One day I'll be a demon, a Tailed Beast like Kurama. Maybe it what I was meant to be. A Tailed Beast with the power of the Rinnegan, I don't think that's ever been a thing before." Riley thought to herself.

"It's certainly a volatile concoction, we'll have to be careful. You'll find a way to overcome this, I have no doubt in my mind." Madara stated.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence Grandfather." Riley offered to him.

"Not really meant as praise. You simply have no other option but to succeed. If you fail then you'll be reduced to a living natural disaster, who spends most of it's time sleeping like the Fox. Not really the lifestyle of the ambitious." Madara noted, recalling how she had wiped out that entire town with the powers of the Rinnegan. He wondered for a brief moment is now would be a good time to mention it. After a moment he decided against it. They'd tell her eventually. She needed to know what she'd done, but for now she had enough on her mind.

"I heard that, jackass." Kurama growled, responding to Madara's statement, drawing the old man's attention to the Fox, the two beginning to trade jabs.

As the two began arguing Riley let out a sigh, just happy to be alive. She closed her eyes, and in her mind's eye she could see the face of the man who'd killed her. She felt her muscles tighten, a snarl spreading across her face, without realizing it, she felt her fingers curl around something, only recognizing that she was grasping something when she went to move her arm. Her eyes snapped open and she spotted her hand wrapped around the sword that she now held attached to her belt.

Her hand had almost been instinctively drawn to it as a sort of defense response.

She pulled the blade free and examined it, taking in it's appearance, the weight of it, it's familiarity to her. She'd pulled this blade out of her own chest. Why that was, or what it could possibly mean, she had no clue. A sigh escaped her lips, as she lowered the blade to her side and stared at the ceiling.

Her life had changed irreparably, and she was now forced to find a way to deal with it. And so she would. She had no choice other than to keep pushing forward. Starting tomorrow, she'd need to up her training and begin preparing for the day she met that man again. Friedrich Yurik, the best she'd fought so far. One day she'd run into him again, and she'd need to be prepared to counter his magecraft, and stronger than him would one day appear before her. She'd need to become much stronger, and less reliant of Kamui if she wanted to defeat them. Kamui was powerful, but this battle made it perfectly clear to her that relying on it could be detrimental to her, so she'd need to work on that. Work on her skills and prepare for the changes that were coming.

Demonhood awaited her, the birth of a new Nine Tails. Yeah, there was a lot of work to do.

-To Be Continued-

Notes:

Alright so there's the next chapter for you. Lots of changes in this one, and adding in a deeper more profound reasoning for Riley's ascension to Demonhood. In the original it was just something that was happening to her, so she embraced it. In this, it still was, but the path she was on was altered by Kurama, an act that bound the two of them together, and set her on the path to become a Tailed Beast. In this chapter we got to see a bit of her bonding more with Fleur and Remus, as she grows closer to them, and we also got to see her come face to face with her own mortality. How will she react when she learned that she destroyed an entire town and killed tens of thousands? The unique nature of her newly acquired sword, what is it? I'm sure you all can guess, but why did it appear now, are greater forces at play far earlier in the story this time around? And Friedrich Yurik, and new character and younger brother to Sebastion Yurik, the creepy demon summoner from the Triwizard Tournament, I found this to be an interesting avenue into expanding upon that character while also introducing slightly more mage heavy content, rather than them basically being non existent the entire story.

Lots happened here, and I hope you all enjoyed it. There will be some familiar parts in later chapters, not everything needs to be rewritten completely but parts like this, I hope to use to enhance those later parts of the story, and make it flow. And for those who recognize the presence of her sword, I believe it's better for Riley as a character if the lessons the sword tries to teach her, are learned earlier in the story, rather than so far into the future. Those lessons were important for her growth but they happen so late in the story that it seems limiting to what I can really use them for since she's much more rounded later on, whereas having them occur earlier means that I can expand upon them and use them as another vehicle to help shape Riley going forward.

That also means the 'lessons' of the sword will change, and be more unique. We'll have to see how that changes going forward. Anyway, hope you enjoy.

Chapter 8: Hogwarts

Notes:

Alright, time for chapter 8, let's get going to Hogwarts!

Riley and Remus both stopped to look around as they arrived at their destination. They had portkeyed to Britain, and Remus had Riley side Apparate with him, to the Leaky Cauldron.

"Remus... it's been forever." The man behind the bar stated as the two entered.

"It's good to see you again Tom. Riley this is Tom, he owns the Leaky Cauldron here." Remus introduced the two.

"Nice to meet ya lass. Is there anything I can get you Remus?" Tom asked.

"A room. If you've got one. We've got business at Gringotts and this one has to get her supplies for Hogwarts." Remus replied.

"Ah... off to Hogwarts are ya? I wish you the best of luck." Tom stated as he fished out a key and handed it to Remus.

"Thank you." Riley replied with a smile.

"Alright. Let's go deal with the goblins first, then we'll go shopping." Remus told her as they headed out to Diagon Alley.

Riley was so excited. She took in the Alley and all its splendor. It was jam packed with people, and activity. Riley wasn't a stranger to crowded cities but she enjoyed the hustle and bustle of people, and the wondrous magical world around her, never failed to mystify and enthrall her with it's wonder.

They made their way to Gringotts. Upon entering Riley immediately took notice of the fact that out of all the Gringotts she'd ever been in, the goblins in this one looked the snottiest. Each one wore an unpleasant look on their face, and most stared at her with complete disinterest. Riley has seen such looks before and was smart enough to know what they meant. 'These goblins deal with shit on a daily basis'.

"Hello." Remus greeted one of the tellers.

"What can I help you with?" The goblin asked in a bored tone.

"We're here to open access to this one's accounts. She has holdings in France, but she'll be starting up her schooling at Hogwarts for the coming year." Remus explained.

"I see, and who might you be miss?" The Goblin turned his attention to Riley.

"My name is Riley. Riley Uzumaki-Uchiha. My account manager is Wrask, I've already informed him of my intentions to open access here in England, he should have sent over paperwork already." Riley told the goblin.

"Yes, I do recall hearing something about that. One moment." Goblin spoke, turning to hop from his desk to go and search through some stacks of paper nearby. He returned a few moments later. "Yes, alright. We've received instruction from your account manager, and have already begun setting up access to your vaults here at our establishment. We just need your final authorization, and to provide you with your key. Each key will only access your vault from the specific Gringotts that it is tied to, so don't get them mixed up, or lose them." The bank teller informed her.

"Understood." Riley nodded.

"For accounts as large as yours, you'll be assigned an account manager to oversee any business regarding your funds here in Britain. Here is you key, was there anything else we can help you with today?" The teller inquired.

"Yes, I'd like to make a withdrawal. I need some money to buy my school supplies." Riley asked, earning a nod from the goblin she was able to withdraw her funds. With money in hand the two headed out to buy her supplies.

Throughout the morning the two made their way through Diagon Alley, travelling from store to store, buying the things Riley would need for her first year at Hogwarts. Robes, and books, a trunk, potions supplies, on and on they went Riley barely containing her excitement to finally be going to Hogwarts. The chance to learn magic at one of the oldest magical institutes in the world, to finally have a chance to be normal for a bit, and make more friends her own age. Her adored Fleur and Gabrielle, and was eager to make more friends.

Eventually the two arrived at Ollivander's store so Riley could get her wand. Remus chose to remain outside, unwilling to face the old wand-maker who never failed to give him the creeps.

The old man was hidden behind the door and greeted her upon entry.

"Greetings child, come for a wand, have you?" Ollivander asked as he swooped by her.

"Yes sir I have." Riley offered with a nod.

Ollivander smiled, and began measuring her up, determining the best kind of wand for her. Once done, he began passing wands for her to try. One by one, she tried out these wands. Her control with magic allowed her a certain degree of attunement to each, but it ran the gambit. Some she could use easily others were incredibly finicky, one even burst into flames when she tried to use it.

"Ah, tricky customer ay?" Ollivander hummed with an amused glint in his eyes.

"Would it be easier if I just got one custom made?" Riley asked, as the wand she held flew out of her hand, vanishing from sight, disappearing into the ether.

"Hmm… I think I understand, yes… rare, but it makes sense. Someone with your level of power almost never finds themselves in shops like this. A simple wand would only ever constrain someone like you, no you need something more powerful, a staff would suit you far better." Ollivander spoke, a joyful grin spreading across his face as he lit up with excitement.

"A staff?" Riley inquired, blinking with curiosity.

"Magical staffs are rare and powerful tools of magic. Only about one in every ten thousand ever reach the raw power needed to use one. Most of the time, by the time you reach that level of power, you have more than enough control over your power to keep using a wand. That's why they are so rare. It seems I'll have to make you a staff. Oh how wonderful!" Ollivander clapped his hands with excitement.

"Wow, that's pretty cool. How long will that take to make?" Riley asked him.

"A day to create it, another to enchant it. As long as I have the right items for it. You'll need a staff core, so that it can channel your full power, and we'll place special enchantments on it, so that you can shrink it down and use it like a wand. This will limit it's power output in this form, but make it simpler to use. With a bit of practice you'll be able to use it both ways. It will be a bit more expensive though, but well worth it, I assure you." Ollivander explained to her.

"Awesome!" Riley replied cheerfully.

"Alright, we will need a proper wood, as well as a suitable core. Please follow me, we will see which you are most attuned with." Ollivander instructed her.

Riley did as instructed, being led in back to a workshop where dozens of different samples of wood were kept. She was instructed to close her eyes and stretch out her hand and pass it over these sample, and pick the one that seemed 'right'.

She did as instructed, ending up with a darker block of wood. She was then led over to the cores, and instructed to do the same, finding another that seemed to call out to her.

"Ah… Blackthorn and Dragon Heartstring. Yes, a mighty combination. Blackthorn wood tends to lend itself to warriors, and is strongest in the heat of battle, though it's loyalty must be won through hardship and conflict. Dragon Heartstring is best for channeling power, it handles raw magic better than most cores. A staff formed of this combination will be more of a weapon than a tool, I sense that it will suit you well, miss." Ollivander explained to her, causing Riley to give a small nod of acceptance to his assessment.

"Now… there is one more thing that is needed for your staff. A focus." Ollivander said to her.

"A focus? What does that do?" Riley asked him.

"A focus is needed as a focal point within the staff that magic channels through. It needs to be something magically powerful, though also something you have a strong connection to. A ritual will fuse it to the staff, rendering the two objects, one." Ollivander explained.

"Hmm… you know, I think I know something that might do the trick." Madara spoke up. Riley offered a small nod as his suggestion, her own mind briefly turning to the very same object, but was she willing to do that? To use Shisui's eye as the focus to her staff?

"Once it's bonded to the staff, can a focus ever be removed?" Riley inquired.

"No. The object can never be returned to it's original state. Breaking it from the staff, would be the same as breaking off any other part of the staff itself. The power rests in the whole, not in a piece of it." Ollivander explained to her.

"Would an eye suffice?" She asked him.

"It would have to be a powerful magical eye, but yes, eyes have been used in the past." Ollivander answered with a gleam in his eye.

"If I do this, at least no one will ever be able to use Shisui's eye for their own gains. And at least this way, we can go on adventures together, I think he'd like that." Riley thought to herself, a sad smile crossing her face. After a few long moments, she made her decision, and summoned the crow from it's scroll. The bird circled the store and landed on a nearby table.

"Would that work?" She asked.

Ollivander approached the crow and met it's gaze, his eyes falling onto the Sharingan as it stared back at him. He didn't know what it truly was, but he could tell powerful magics lay within.

"Yes, this eye will certainly be powerful enough for your staff." Ollivander nodded, drawing his wand, he stunned the crow, and then turned to her with a smile. "I will have your staff made for you in two days time. That'll be three hundred galleons."

"Okay. You take good care of that eye old man, if anything should happen to it, you're the first one I'm coming after." She warned protectively as she provided him with his money.

"Don't worry, I'll treat it with great care. Only the best, at Ollivanders!" The old man replied with a grin.

Riley headed out, meeting up with Remus and discreetly leaving a Shadow Clone to keep an eye on the store and make sure Ollivander didn't try anything nefarious with Shisui's eye.

She told Remus about the staff, which earned a lighthearted chuckle from the man, as he expected nothing less from her.

They returned to their rooms at the Leaky Cauldron finding a letter having already arrived there from Fleur.

Riley found herself grinning as she read the letter from her her friend, a gentle blush tinging at her cheeks as she recalled their farewell.

After gaining her citizenship in Britain, Riley spent the months leading up to the start of her schooling in growing anticipation. She spent a lot of time talking with Remus about his years at Hogwarts and what she should expect, while also talking with Fleur and even Mr. and Mrs. Delacour about their years of schooling. Fleur was bummed at seeing her go, as was Gabrielle, but they promised to write one another.

Before departing for England, Riley could distinctly remember sharing hugs with them, and receiving an especially long one from Fleur, who reminded her to write. The two separated from their embrace, Riley offering her a beaming smile.

It was in that moment that Fleur chose to kiss her. It was a light quick peck on the lips, that sent both girls blushing up a storm, but Riley hadn't been able to keep it off her mind, when she wasn't thinking about school. Every free moment she had, she remembered that kiss, and it brought a smile to her face.

Even now, a few days later, she couldn't help but smile and feel butterflies in her stomach at the thought of that kiss. She began to understand, no she knew, that she liked Fleur. Liked her as more than a friend, and it was obvious that Fleur liked her back. Reading the first letter she'd sent since that day, it was clear that Fleur wanted to start something.

'Dear Riley. I want to apologize. For all the time we have known each other, I have been keeping something from you. Since that day, when you saved my life, and the lives of my family, I have looked at you and seen everything I have ever wanted. I have adored you from the moment we first met. I have come to love you, I cannot help but think of you in quiet moments. I wish so much that I could have told you these things, but I was afraid. Scared of what you might think, that my hopes and dreams would lead nowhere and I would lose this special friendship that we share that I hold so dear. I am sorry for keeping this from you, for hiding how I really felt. Every time you smile, I cannot help but feel joy. Every time we touch, my heart starts to pound in my chest, and I get so nervous. The sorrow I felt at your every departure and the joy of your every return, I know what these feelings mean, though I dare not express them in any way other than to you, when next we meet. I wish you all the best when you arrive at Hogwarts, and I await the day I see you again. I eagerly anticipate your letters, with all love and affection, Fleur.'

Riley read the letter half a dozen times, grinning to herself. It was after the final read through when she noticed Remus staring at her with a knowing smirk.

"What?" She questioned, sensing that she already knew the answer.

"Nothing." He replied with a light chuckle, causing Riley to blush.

That day, was the happiest Riley had been in months. She remained positively beaming, all the way up until she went to sleep that night. Unfortunately, that's when the nightmares came.

Pain wracked her body, blood flowing around her. Animalistic shrieking and screams deafened her ears as flesh was torn around her. The nightmare closed, as it always did, with the image of an empty crater, where once and innocent little town once stood. Riley awoke in a cold sweat, as she often did. Angry tears stung her face, and she smacked the side of her head a few times to try and dislodge the nightmare, and the anger she felt.

It had been months since that day, but eventually she would hear about the entire town that had been destroyed in eastern Europe. Everyone talked about it. No explanation could be given. A meteor impact, a nuclear bomb, no one could explain where the crater had come from, or why the town had been attacked. Those within the magical community quickly began to suspect that magic had been involved and that stirred up some major animosity in magical communities out in eastern Europe, with their muggle governments beginning to question and blame them, as science couldn't explain what had happened.

Riley recognized the town, the moment she heard it's name, and Madara and Kurama were forced to reveal exactly what she had done.

Riley had been devastated to hear the truth. To learn that she had killed tens of thousands of innocent people. All because she lost control, all because she picked a fight she wasn't ready for, and was forced to call upon powers she wasn't ready for. Thousands were dead because of her. Men, women, children. Innocent or guilty, good or bad, healthy or sick, it didn't matter. All of them died when she called upon the might of the Rinnegan to wash away all around her.

She felt sickened, despondent, angry at herself.

It left her in a dark depression for several days as she cursed herself for hurting that many people. Madara was eventually able to pull her out of it, telling her of the times he'd made mistakes, killed innocent people, or people who'd done nothing to deserve their fates. It was the way of things, of the life they lived. Innocent people were going to get hurt. Beating herself up over it, or throwing herself onto her sword, wasn't going to restore them to life, or avenge those that had died.

Riley asked him if it was possible to atone, to make up for her crimes, for the bad she'd caused. He told her it wasn't something she could do. Whether she forgave herself or not, whether she worked towards absolution and redemption, it ultimately didn't matter. Those people, bonded to those who had died, would all carry their own judgment. Some may forgive her, others would hate her, no matter what she did. She had a choice to make. To either move on, and never let this happen again. To recognize what had happen as a consequence of her failure, and strive to prevent it. Or she could drown herself in it, and forget everything she dreamed of, everything she hoped for. In this world, there was no such thing as redemption. Everything was simply a point of view. Cause and effect, ruled the nature of the world. She could learn from this, be a better person, and strive to build something better, improve the lives of others by her actions, and find forgiveness in herself, or she could not. She could throw herself at the mercy of the victims, of the survivors, and suffer for it.

He told her that no matter what she did, people would still hate her, so all it boiled down to was what she could live with.

She asked him about justice, and he told her that the judgment against her would be fierce and unyielding. As damning as it would be for any Jinchuriki. She had no control over her actions, she didn't choose to attack those people. The best thing she could do, the best act of justice she could give to those who'd died, is to tame that darkness, and control it, never allowing it out of her control again. If she owed those people anything, it was that. She didn't ask for these powers, to be in this position. She didn't ask for any of it.

His pep talk didn't make her feel better, but it did give her more perspective, and helped her carry on. Since that day, she hadn't gone on any more hunts. Instead every day was devoted to training. Her need to be better, became solidified in her mind. She would never allow herself to fall into that darkness again. She couldn't.

It was Kurama who pointed out that her future lay in darkness, she would become a demon one day. A Tailed Beast, practically destruction incarnate. What that meant to her, was entirely hers to decide, but he stressed to her that this wouldn't be the last time innocent people lost their lives due to her. No matter how good her control became, humans were fragile creatures, and people would die. She had to learn to live with it. She didn't need to be a monster, but she had to learn to accept the fragility of life, until the day came she mastered the powers of the Rinnegan and gained the power over life and death. Until such a time came and passed, she would have to face the consequences of the limits of a human life and what it could withstand.

Kurama's points resonated with her, at least a bit, and she accepted his wisdom as well, and took to focusing on her control. Until the day came when she had mastered the powers of the Rinnegan, she would have to be careful with what she did. Only with such power could she truly reverse death, until she had it, their was a price to be paid, each time she went to far.

Mastery of her powers. It became part of the reason for her desires to begin Hogwarts. To gain access to the ancient castle and begin learning from various masters better and better ways to control magic. She would never allow herself to fall into that abyss again. To let that darkness take hold and run amok. She simply refused to allow it. She couldn't live with herself if she let herself lose control again.

And so, since then, she drilled herself into the ground, learning all she could to try and hone her control. For a long time, good to great was a happy place to be for Riley when it came to her control over her magic, but now, she strove for perfection, taking whatever lessons she could learn from Madara and pouring over old Uzumaki scrolls for information on control exercises, setting aside learning new abilities in favor of honing her focus.

The only other thing she worked on, besides her control exercises was practicing with her new sword.

The blade was the biggest mystery to her. Kurama and Madara had no idea where it had come from or how she had removed it from her body. The blade was powerful. Just looking at it with her Sharingan revealed torrents of raw magic locked within the blade itself. She felt a connection to the sword, almost like it was a part of herself, which made sense considering how she'd gotten it. Still though… she was starting to become convinced that it was her other passenger that had summoned the sword to her, that other demon. It was the only thing that clicked. If it wasn't responsible than she was literally left with nothing.

Pulling swords out of your chest, was not a power or ability known to either of her family lines. The blade felt good in her hands, despite being a bit too long for her at her current size. It was long, for a katana, though it still felt good to wield. She trained with the blade often, working through movements, practicing with it, whenever she could. It was odd, the nature of her connection to the sword. She felt naked when she wasn't carrying it. Like she'd set aside a part of herself. It got to the point where when she wasn't wearing it on her belt, she had it sealed into a storage seal on the inside of her wrist.

Months would pass until the arrival of her Hogwarts letter, which broke her out of the laser-guided focus and filled her with excitement for something new.

Now she was set to add a new weapon to her arsenal, a tool she would likely carry for the rest of her life.

After the two days had passed, she and Remus made their way to Ollivander's, arriving to find the old man waiting expectantly for them.

"Ah... young Riley, I see you have returned. Your Staff is finished." Ollivander told her, the man had a look of absolute pride on his face as he lifted a staff up from behind the counter.

The staff measured five feet in length, fitting her height perfectly. It was dark in color. Starting from the bottom, the staff had a pointed and thinned-out end, resembling a large wand. It was straight until just over a third of the way up, where the wood began to twist, appearing as if two pieces of wood were intertwined. This twisting was slight and subtle at first but became more pronounced halfway up. Here, a rounded section resembling a grip could be seen, after which the twist continued until about a fourth of the way to the top, where it split into two pieces of wood with a small gap between them. These pieces continued upward until they met the body of a crow, smaller than the one she had left him The bird had its wings outsretched beside itself and its head pointed upwards as if cawing at the sky. In beak, set like a gem, was Shisui's Sharingan.

The eye moved, spinning about as if scanning the room, stopping for moments to lock onto objects of interest before resuming it's scan.

"Wow… that is quite the sight." Remus commented.

"Indeed. This staff holds much power. I placed a sizing charm on it, so it will grow as you do." Ollivander stated as Riley approached. He handed her the staff, which she took will a long look. The second she touched it, the eye whirled to meet with hers. She could tell that something had been done to the eye, it looked almost like it was made of glass now. She could see recognition reflected in it's gaze as it stared at her, and she almost felt herself smile.

Much like with her sword, she felt a connection to the staff, though it was far more resilient. As Ollivander had said, due to the nature of the wood used, this staff would grow more loyal and connected to her, the more she used it to overcome trials and tasks. Their bond would grow through conflict, which Riley knew she'd face often in the years to come. She was more than happy to have the challenge, and accepted it with determination.

"You'll need to inform your teachers when you arrive of your need for special instructions, as staff movements for spell activation can vary greatly to wand movements. Due to it's nature, just know you can use a shrinking charm and hold it in reverse fashion to act just like a wand, but using it like that will remove the focus from the magical circuit, reducing it's overall power. I wouldn't recommend attempting to use it in a shrunken form the right-way round, as the charm may conflict with the power of the focus, disrupting the spell or causing it to back-fire." Ollivander informed her.

"I love it! Thanks Mr. Ollivander." Riley replied with a grin.

"You are most welcome. Take good care of it, and it will take good care of you. We expect great things from you miss Uzumaki-Uchiha. Many great things. Do enjoy your time at Hogwarts wont you, to few chances in life to truly be young, best to enjoy it while you can." Ollivander said to her, earning a nod from Riley.

After departing, the two tracked down some books about staff use, and then got something to eat, once done they returned home, where Riley quickly dove into her books.

Remus showed her a thing or two specifically the shrinking charm, so she could actually begin using the staff in wand form.

A few days passed, and it was finally time for her to travel to Hogwarts. Aside from practicing with her staff, Madara had her take time to learn some things about the politics of Britain as well as the influential families therein. Some of them might have children her age, and befriending them, or at least forming alliances with them would open doorways for her in the future. If she wished to restore the Uzumaki clan to it's former greatness, than she'd need allies.

Riley intended to do so, but she was also adamant about keeping her true nature a secret for as long as she could. She wasn't ignorant of the fact that going to school in Hogwarts, also meant there was a line leading back to Konoha. Dumbledore was friends with Minato, and had been to the Hidden Leaf on a few occasions, hell it was because of Dumbledore's friendship with the Leaf, that Britain had an alliance with the Land of Fire. Riley didn't know how often they communicated, but she was cautious about revealing her skills as a shinobi. As far as anyone needed to know, she was a foreigner, of Asian and European descent. She spoke English fluently, as she had learned from Lily when she was younger, though it had been more colored by a French accent in recent years. Most would assume she was from France, given the subtlety of it's influence on her English, though honestly it was a mishmash, due to spending most of her early life speaking Japanese.

Her appearance had matured greatly as well but made it difficult to pin down where she was from off of appearances alone. Her dark red hair had grown darker over the years, and now stretched all the down to the middle of her back. She kept her bangs similarly long, framing her face and somewhat covering one eye. A patch of ghostly white colored the front right of her hair where some curse had struck her during her rampage. She didn't know what it was, Kurama assumed it was the Killing Curse, but he wasn't entirely sure either. It had struck her there and permanently bleached the hair and scalp white. It gave her a distinction that stood out for anyone to notice, especially due to how dark the rest of her hair was, the stark white, stood out. It almost looked as if she'd been stricken by vitiligo due to the curse.

Beyond that, she was a bit tall for her age, a developing well. Her build was athletic with noticeable muscles, but those were easily hidden with long sleeves and robes.

It would require a bit of work, but she intended to keep it a secret for as long as possible. The longer it took for people to know what she was, the longer it would take Dumbledore to piece together who she was. To make doubly sure, she had taken to wearing glasses as part of her disguise, namely they were charmed glasses that changed her eye color, making her eyes appear brown, instead of their typical black. Just enough of a difference here and there to be similar, but not exact, nothing so startling as to be noticeable. Brown eyes instead of black was an easy sell even if someone caught her without her glasses, she just had to squint a bit, and no one would really notice the difference.

She knew she'd be caught eventually, she just hoped she could keep her true nature a secret for at least a few years so she could build up a power base here in Britain, and earn some good will from these people, so they wouldn't be so quick to sell her out to Konoha. Earning enough accolades for her clan to be welcomed into the ruling class of magical Britain was the first major step that she had to work towards, and that meant she had to wow her fellows.

The two arrived at the train station with Remus ready to see Riley off.

"Looks like this is where we part ways. Try your best, and try to have fun. You deserve the chance to actually be a kid for a while." Remus said to her.

"I will. How do I look?" Riley asked him.

"Sophisticated." Remus responded with a smile, earning one from Riley in return.

"Thanks Remus." She offered him a hug which he returned warmly.

"I'll see you for the holidays. Be sure to write, I expect to hear good things with your grades as well." Remus said to her.

"You will. Top of my class, that's where I'll be." Riley promised him as the two separated.

"Have fun." He gave as a final farewell as she turned and headed into the train.

She found an empty compartment and settled in, taking out a book to begin reading ahead in some of her school books. Her education in magic was a bit scattershot. She had copied dozens and dozens of different spells with her Sharingan from the magicals she'd hunted over the years, and now that she had her staff, she could actually use them. There was also the things that Remus had showed her, or taught to her, so she was actually much further ahead in her repertoire of abilities than pretty much any other student, but she lacked a lot of the finer details, and hadn't yet learned to perform a lot of these abilities on her own.

She was reading for several long minutes when the door opened and a blonde-haired boy stepped in.

"Oh, I didn't think anyone was in here." The boy stated. Riley barely glanced up from her book to acknowledge him.

"Greetings." She muttered, still engrossed in a part of her book.

The boy gave her a curious look, taking note of her accent, and of her appearance. She didn't look like she was a local.

"Hello. My name's Draco Malfoy." The boy stated proudly as he stuck his hand out. Riley closed her book and glanced up at him. He had bright blonde hair and a refined air about him. She could tell immediately that he was high born, and that name 'Malfoy', it was the name of one of the old families that held standing in Britain.

Smiling, she stood and shook his hand.

"Riley, Riley Uzumaki. Nice to meet you." Riley greeted, the boy giving her a curious look.

"Uzumaki, I must say I'm not familiar with that name. Do you come from a magical line?" The boy inquired as they finished shaking hands.

"Yeah. Both sides of my parentage are ancient magical families. We originally came from Asia." Riley said to him as she took her seat once again.

"Asia? Wow. What brings you to Hogwarts?" He asked, curiously. Sitting across from her.

"I heard it was one of the oldest magical institutes in the world, as well as one of the best. I only moved here recently, lived in France for a few years before coming here." Riley said to him.

"Really, my family is originally from France. The Malfoy's came here a long time ago." Draco noted.

"Hmm… Normandy right, around a thousand years ago, if I'm not mistaken." Riley recalled, causing Draco's mouth to drop open in surprise but he quickly nodded in confirmation.

"Yeah, that's right. How did you know that?" He asked, curiously.

"I did my research. If I'm going to be living here, and settling in Britain, it's best to know who runs the show. The Malfoy's hold a seat on the Wizengamot, they're an Ancient and Noble House." Riley explained, again earning a nod from Draco.

"Well I'm impressed." Draco hummed.

The two sat in conversation for a bit, getting to know one another when the door to their cabin opened.

"Excuse me?" A female voice said. Riley and Draco glanced over to see a bushy haired girl standing at the door with a pudgy boy.

"This is Neville Longbottom, he's lost his toad, have you seen it?" The girl asked.

"No, I haven't." Draco replied, eyeing the two curiously.

"Hm... maybe I can help." Riley stated as she pulled out her shrunken staff, and gave it a swoosh,

"Accio Neville Longbottom's toad." Riley stated, after a moment a toad floated in from the hallway and landed in Riley's open hand. She grinned at her success the summoning charm being one of the first she'd actually learned to use with her staff, since the summoning charm has so many benefits and uses, especially to a shinobi.

"Trevor!" Neville stated happily as he scooped the toad off of her hand.

"Wow! That was amazing." The girl stated with a look of awe on her face.

"Huh, it was just the summoning charm. I know it's a bit advanced, but it's nothing overly special." Riley shrugged.

"Still, I doubt you'll find many first years who know it. That's a fourth-year spell." Draco commented.

"Huh… I think I remember Remus saying something about that." She recalled, and again offered a shrug.

"Which book is that? I've already read all of the schoolbooks for first year. I can't wait to practice magic. I'm sorry, I didn't get your names." The girl spoke quickly, taking note of the book sat beside Riley. It was obvious she was getting excited to finally be going to Hogwarts.

"Eh, just our first year charms book. My names Riley, Riley Uzumaki." Riley responded politely.

"Draco Malfoy." Draco responded.

"What's your name, miss?" Riley asked the girl.

"Oh, I'm Hermione, Hermione Granger." Hermione responded with a proud smile.

"Granger? Haven't heard that name before. Do you come from a magical line?" Draco inquired.

"Actually I'm the first which in my family, my parents are very proud of me." She replied with a smile.

A look spread across Draco's face, Riley sensed he was about to say something, so she quickly cut him off by asking, "What house do you hope to be sorted into?"

"Hmm, I'm not sure. I've read about all of them, of course, I think either Slytherin, or Ravenclaw would be my best bet, though Gryffindor would also be alright, I hear that our headmaster, Dumbledore came from there." Hermione replied.

"I-I think I'd like to end up in Hufflepuff, or Gryffindor… I don't have the smarts for Ravenclaw, or the cunning of the Slytherins." Neville offered quietly.

"Don't doubt yourself Neville. You never know who you'll grow into. Even the mightiest of trees once began as a small seed." Riley gave in encouragement, getting a small smile from the boy.

She sensed Madara's internal smile, recognizing that bit of logic as something that would have been said by Hashirama once upon a time. There were occasions when Riley reminded him a lot of his old friend, and he couldn't hide his approval of it, such was his admiration for the First Hokage.

"I'm going to end up in Slytherin house, all of my family has been there. It's tradition." Draco stated proudly.

"Yeah, that's probably where I'm going too." Riley agreed.

"Huh, well I hope we end up in the same house. Come on Neville, let's get back to the others. See you all at the castle." Hermione offered, Neville giving them a quiet farewell as the two departed.

"That girl is a mudblood, I hope you know, and the Longbottoms aren't exactly the picture of a proper wizarding family anymore, I'd be careful associating with them." Draco warned her, earning a look from Riley.

"Careful Draco. Judging a book by it's cover is a good way to shut doors forever. I wouldn't recommend burning bridges based off of prejudice. Hermione may not come from a magical family, but she obviously has a lot of book smarts. Having intelligent allies is how great men and women succeed in life. She may not have the name to open doors for you, but if she's smart, who's to say she can't use that to help you get to places. We know nothing about her. Don't judge until you know, why risk burning that bridge to a potential ally. She may just end up being a nobody, or she might end up the Minister of Magic one day. We don't know. Judge her on who she is, not what she is. If she ends up as a brat, or an annoyance, then feel free to cut her off, but if not, who knows." Riley cautioned him.

He blinked at her, taking in her words as if that was the first time he'd ever considered such a thing.

"And as for Longbottom. Fallen his family might be, but mighty it once was. The Longbottoms are not gone. Who knows that they might become one day. Who knows, if you make friends with Neville, you could end up with a powerful ally on the other side of the aisle. I know the Malfoy's belong to the 'dark' faction, and the Longbottoms are on the 'light' side. Nothing says that either of your families belongs in those groups, or that making alliances outside of those factions couldn't help you in the future. Again, don't judge based off of preconceptions. Figure out who people are as people. Judge them based off that. If he's a jerk, or an annoyance, then forget about it, but if not, maybe he could be one of your closest allies and friends. Again, you never know, so what shut that door when there's no reason not to see what lays on the other side." Riley carried on.

"So... what should I do? My father hasn't always spoken very highly of muggles, and mud... I mean muggleborns?" Draco asked after a moment.

"Well between you and me, I don't have the highest opinion of muggles either. Where I come from, they were just called civilians but they knew about magic, and they always tried to get more power over us. Did everything they could to try and control us, it's one of the reasons I left my birthplace to come out here to Europe. I don't like people like that, but not all of them are like that. I don't hate all muggles because of that, I'm more cautious around them because of it, but I don't hate them. Muggleborns though, I have people in my life, important people, who's connection to magic may not be as long and storied as ours is, and yet I still hold them in high regard. You don't need to come from a magical line to be a good person. Tell me, why do you hate muggles and muggleborn Draco?" Riley inquired to him.

"My father says that they are destroying our world. He says that they just barge in and think they know everything, they try to change things without learning even an ounce of our history." Draco answered.

"That is a valid reason to despise them. However, if all you do hate them, how will they ever learn? It is acceptable to dislike those who actively attack your culture, but most of the muggleborns are unaware of how things work here. If they were educated about wizarding culture before being brought here, they might adapt better to our way of living than trying to force us to adapt to theirs," Riley stated, contemplating this topic for several moments.

"So you think I should take a chance on the Granger girl, and Longbottom?" Draco asked her.

"I say give them a chance. I intend to. Maybe they'll be friends and strong allies in the future, or maybe not. Like I said, we can never guess until we know." Riley shrugged in a friendly manner.

"Hmm…" She heard Madara hum.

"What?" Riley asked.

"Nothing, just reminded me of an old friend for a moment there." Madara responded warmly.

Riley blinked a few times but returned her attention to Draco.

"It's weird… never thought I'd be talking about something like this my first day at Hogwarts. Where you'd get so wise?" Draco asked her.

"I had good teachers. They taught me to question things, encouraged me to look underneath the underneath. To see beyond things as they are." Riley replied.

"Huh... you've given me a lot to think about. I'm gonna go for a walk for a bit." Draco said to her, earning a nod of acceptance from Riley as she returned to her book, the train sounded like it was close to being loaded, and ready to depart.

Draco returned a bit later after the train had departed, and the two resumed their friendly conversation. A bit of time passed when the door to their cabin opened and a small troop of kids squeezed in, three boys, and three girls.

"Hey Draco, we've been looking for you, where have you been." A girl with short dark hair asked him as she sat beside him.

"Sorry, I got sidetracked talking to my new friend here." Draco commented, gesturing to Riley.

All six of the children took the moment to give Riley a once over, sizing her up. She set her book aside and returned the favor, glancing around at the group.

"Riley, this is Pansy Parkinson, Theodore Nott, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, Tracey Davis, and Daphne Greengrass. Guys, this is Riley, Riley Uzumaki." Draco took the moment to introduce everyone.

Riley scanned the group. Pansy was a short, dark-haired girl with small eyes. Theodore appeared to be a handsome boy, though he was also quite scrawny. He had dark hair and eyes. Crabbe was a pudgy boy with dark hair who looked quite brutish. Goyle was the tallest of the group; he had long legs and arms, tiny little eyes, and short hair. Tracy was a dark-haired girl with large greenish eyes; she was very good-looking for her age. Daphne had blonde hair and eyes as cold as ice. She was on the taller side and thin, her face a well-schooled mask of indifference, but Riley could see the curiosity in her eyes.

"Nice to meet all of you." Riley said with a smile, and from there the barrage of questions began, from Draco's friends. Riley took the time to explain a bit about herself, shaping the lie, about her being from Asia, then having moved to France for a time, then coming here to go to Hogwarts. She kept relatively vague, offering them just enough to be interesting, while encouraging them to respond in kind, so she could learn more about them.

Their chat drifted on for hours as Riley made new friends with her schoolmates, most of them had known each other for years, their families having been friends since before they were born in many cases. Eventually though, they arrived at Hogwarts, and it was time depart from the train and make their way to the castle.

As they departed, she took a moment to scan the area she could see that they were in a wooded area and standing nearby were a bunch of carriages ready to pick up the older students. These carriages were hooked up to these dark boney, winged horses at the front. Riley recognized them as Thestrals, a kind of magical creature that could only be seen by those who'd witnessed death. She took notice of how none of her new friends could see them, save for one. Daphne seemed to take notice of them, and after a few moments she pulled her eyes away, only for her gaze to meet with Riley's. Riley nodded at the Thestrals, showing that she could see them too. Daphne seemed curious at that, but said nothing, the two joining the rest of the group as they made their way over to a very tall, burly looking man who was gathering all of the First Years.

"First years, over 'ere. Alright, four to a boat, come on ye youngsters." The Large man stated as he ushered them all into row boats. Riley sat with Draco, Daphne and Tracey, the quartet finding wonderment when the boats began to move on their own, drifting elegantly across the waters, towards the towering castle in the distance.

Riley could hear the gasps of awe, as she gained her first true glimpse of Hogwarts, and she had to admit, it didn't disappoint. The castle was beautiful, Riley loved the look of it. She was sure that exploring the great castle would prove to be an interesting adventure.

'Quite the view, isn't it?' Madara commented.

'Yeah' Riley replied with wonderment.

A couple more moments passed as they arrived at the docks beneath the castle.

"Alright you firs' years can leave yer trunks 'ere, they'll be brought to yer rooms after the sortin'." The large man told them all as they disembarked.

Riley and the others were led into a side room, just off what Riley assumed was the great hall, the large man told them to wait there and then promptly left.

Some chatter occurred between the students about what the sorting would be like, it was Daphne who spoke to her friends, cutting off the rumor mill and telling them that it would just be a choosing hat, that would tell them which house was best and sort them into it. No test, or surprise exam or anything.

They remained in the side room for a few more minutes, and got to enjoy the sight of a few ghosts who playfully taunted them in anticipation for the sorting before drifting off through one of the walls.

"Children." A female voice addressed them.

Riley glanced over and spotted a taller, older looking woman wearing long black robes, and a tall pointy hat. She had a stern look about her, and very sharp eyes. She got them into alphabetical order and then beckoned them all to follow her and led them into the main hall.

Riley couldn't help but smile at the sight, the room was beautiful, and full of life. Four flags hung over four tables where all the older students watched them enter.

The older woman then sat out a stool and a pointy hat. A moment of silence passed before the hat began to sing. Riley and the others took a few moments to enjoy the tune, and offered a polite clap at it's conclusion before they were called up one by one to sit on the stool and be sorted.

Riley spaced out most of the kids as they were sorted though tuned back in when it was people she recognized. Hermione got placed in Ravenclaw. Neville into Hufflepuff. Draco and all of his friends were placed into Slytherin, most of the rest of the children were split amongst the houses.

Finally, McGonagall called her name.

"Riley Uzumaki-Uchiha." McGonagall called out her name.

Riley took a moment to note that it didn't seem that the Headmaster Dumbledore recognized her. He sat up at the high table, and observed with the same curiosity he displayed as with the rest of the students. She wondered if he would recognize the names Uzumaki or Uchiha, so far it appeared like he hadn't, but she'd have to wait and see.

Riley sat down and the hat was placed on her head.

'Hm... well this is interesting. Do you know that there is a man and a giant fox living in here?' Riley heard a voice in her head.

'Yep.' Riley replied with a smile.

'Who might you be good sir?' She heard the hat ask.

'You may call me Madara, hat. Please get this done with, it's annoying enough dealing with the snoring fox every day, I don't need to deal with a talking hat on top of that.' Madara replied sounding annoyed.

'Yes yes... well, let's get this done, shall we? Now where to put you Lady Uzumaki-Uchiha?' The hat mused.

"If I could, I'd like to go to Slytherin house. That's where most of my new friends are going, and I think It would fit me well." Riley spoke to the hat.

"Slytherin aye? Well you are right on that one. You certainly have the qualities to make a good Slytherin. Alright then, it's gonna have to be…" "Slytherin!" The Hat called out, earning claps from her fellow students. The hat was removed from her head and Riley quickly bounced over to where Draco and the others were sitting, taking a seat beside them as the sorting continued.

After a few moments they finished sorting the rest of the kids, afterwards Dumbledore stood, said something nonsensical, and suddenly there was food in front of them.

Riley was more than happy to partake in the feast, rarely getting the opportunity to eat like this. She fought to control herself and keep from pigging out.

"Hey! Do yourself a favor and don't look at the Gryffindor table." She heard a student mutter. Curiosity getting the better of her, Riley glanced up to see a carrot topped boy, shoveling food into his mouth like this was the first time he had ever tasted food. It took a moment of watching the boy miss his face about three times before Riley lost her appetite and pushed her plate away.

"Who is that kid over there that's eating like he's trying to win a contest?" Riley asked Draco.

"That's a Weasely. They were once a family of highborn purebloods, but they bankrupted themselves, and ended up earning the title of blood traitors. They are nobodies." Draco told her, matter of factually before adding, "You're not going to try and befriend them too, are you?"

"Well... not him at least. He managed to kill my appetite. I didn't think that was possible cuz I'll eat anything." Riley replied with some annoyance.

Draco glanced over at the Weasely boy and adopted a look of disgust before nodding in agreement with her.

A few more minutes went by before dinner finished, all of the plates quickly vanished, and Dumbledore stood for another announcement.

"Now that we are all fed and watered, I have a few state of the term announcements. First, for the first years, as well as everyone, the Forbidden Forest remains forbidden. Also, our caretaker mister Filch would like to remind all of you that the third-floor corridor is off limits to any and all whom do not wish to die a most painful death. With all that said, I hope you all have a wonderful year. Prefects, please lead your houses to where they will be staying." Dumbledore finished with a smile.

The Slytherin house prefects quickly led the students to the dungeons. They showed them how to enter their common room and showed them where they would be staying. When they were finished, their head of house stopped by for an announcement.

"My name is Professor Severus Snape. I am the potions professor here at Hogwarts as well as your Head of house. If you have any issues bring them to me. Now to all those who are new here, know this. No matter what problems you may have with your fellow Slytherin, you are to keep them in the common room. Out there the other students see you as dark, and evil. They will use that fear against you, and you will be forced to endure. As house Slytherin we stand as one, we are united. We have won the house cup the last three years and I expect another victory this year. With that said... my door is always open. Now, time for lights out." Snape finished. He had given each one of the first years a pointed look before leaving, cloak billowing behind him dramatically.

A moment of silence passed after Snape left. Before one of the seventh year Slytherin stepped forward and addressed the first years.

"Alright first years listen up. There are some rules you need to learn before settling in here. First and foremost, out there we are a united front. In here however... we're in charge." The boy stated as he gestured to his fellow seventh years.

"If we tell you to do something... then you do it. You don't ask why; you just do it. If you don't? Well... it's tough in Slytherin house. Boys and girls need to learn just what needs doing in order to make it here. As Professor Snape said, the rest of the school will treat you with ire because you're Slytherins. We know what it takes to survive and to thrive, so do what we say, and there wont be any problems." The boy continued adding giving each of the first years a hard look, trying to intimidate them.

"Anyone have a problem with that?" He questioned earning a number of heads shaking in the negative causing the boy to grin.

"Excuse me." Riley spoke up, putting her plan into action.

"What is it?" The boy questioned, drawing all focus onto her.

"You just said the whole school will treat us terribly because we're Slytherins. They'll think we're dark and evil. If I had to make a guess, certain members of this house have given them a reason to believe that." Riley noted, the boy and many of the other seventh years sharing looks, their faces twisting in confusion.

"What are you saying kid?" The lead boy asked.

"What I'm saying is… people don't generally believe things without a reason. My guess is that reason is you nitwits. So why should I, or anyone else for that matter, do what you say, when all you've done for this house is earn it the reputation of being dark and evil. If you've got a negative reputation you either live with it, work to fix it, or embrace it. Why should any of us listen to you guys, if you're just tugging the line and living with that stink? Why should we follow you if you are in fact evil and twisted? It doesn't seem like you're interested in fixing that reputation." Riley noted.

"This is a great house. Slytherins always earn top marks, what should we care what the rest of these mouth-breathers thinks of us." The boy replied with a growl.

"Well… most people don't wanna associate with people who are evil. So carrying that reputation cuts us off from three-fourths of the school. And considering most highborns go to school here, and run our society, being seen as evil by three-fourths of the country seems like a pretty crap deal. So I ask again, why should we follow you lot, if you're not working to improve the situation, or to make things better?" Riley demanded, earning several dark glares from the older kids, even as her words made sense to many of the others.

"You don't know a damn thing you're talking about. You're just some foreign brat, who got lucky enough to even come here. Step back in line, and shut up. You've already made enough of a scene." The boy snarled at her.

"Make me." Riley countered, causing several gasps to come up from the first years, even her newly made friends were staring at her with disbelief.

"She's either brazenly stupid, or unbelievably arrogant." A seventh year girl snorted.

"No… I'm just right." Riley replied, shaking her head and stepping forward. She drew her staff, still in it's shrunken state, so no one could tell it was anything other than a wand.

"Put that away before you get hurt, brat." One of the seventh years snapped at her.

"If this house is ever going to rise beyond the muck that idiots like you've let it fall into, than I can't do that. Best start course correcting this broken ship now." Riley replied.

"Are you looking to get hurt?" The lead boy questioned, as he drew his own wand.

"A duel. If I win you shut up and do what I say. If you win, I'll tow the line." Riley offered.

"Fine, if it'll shut you up." The boy responded.

The tension didn't even have a moment to mount, when the boy was struck by a silent spell. It came at him fast, banishing him hard across the room. He sailed over the other students behind him, slamming hard into the wall. He collapsed to the ground, gasping for air, as blood began to fill his mouth.

Shock was the immediate response.

"Round two?" Riley questioned, as her eyes passed over the older students.

She corrected her glasses, the brown orbs behind them, conveying an intensity the students had rarely been exposed to over the years.

Another boy drew his wand, Riley saw him moved, and cast a shield around herself. His spell splashed against it, much to his surprise.

She responded, sending a few spells back at him, purposefully avoiding any of the darker more damaging spells she'd copied over the years, sticking to things that would only hurt, not maim or kill.

The gathered students backed away, giving the two room to duel as they traded spells for a few moments.

Riley moved without elegance. Her stance was very rigid, forceful even. She held her ground with a keen focus, driving the boy back, until she eventually landed a blow. A spell slicing across his arm, causing him to drop his wand and yell out in pain as blood flowed freely.

"Number three?" Riley questioned, watching to see if anyone else would try and fight her. She may not have ever been in a magical duel before, but she had fought against many magicals over the years, and seen them fight. She'd learned to copy their movements, she knew how this dance was done. These kids may have been her seniors but they were no warriors.

None of them had the combat experience she did, nor the reserves of power that she did.

Seeing how none of them had yet to recover from their shock, Riley chose to wow them one final time.

She twirled her staff in her hand for a moment before enlarging to it's normal size. Students throughout the room gasped as they recognized it. Though some, knew of it's deeper meaning. Only someone with a truly incredibly amount of magic, carried a staff, and here she was, a first year, carrying one of her own.

"There will be no more fighting in this house. You wanna fight someone, you come fight me. I'm more than happy to oblige. I don't intend to follow the status quo. We are the future of this house, and it will be changed for the better. That process starts now. You either help us, or get out of our way. Anyone who has a problem with that, feel free to challenge me." Riley spoke, her gaze lingering on her staff for a moment as she waited to see if anyone else would do anything.

None of the older students spoke, in fact no one did. A chilling realization was washing through the room, this girl, this foreigner had just taken down two seventh years without much difficulty. Change was coming to Slytherin House, and that change, now had a name. The old way of doing things was dead, here before them stood the new Queen of Slytherin House.

-To Be Continued-

Notes:

Alrighty, there we go. As we can see, many a changes here and there. Got rid of the six cores idea for her staff, since I never went anywhere with it, and the original tie, being to her mates, stopped having meaning when I bumped her up to 8 mates. I changed her ascension in Slytherin House, instead of it being Riley just being a little rebel and taking on some bullies, she's got an actual goal. Her ultimate desire is the ascension of the Uzumaki clan, so she's using the restoration of Slytherin House as a vehicle to help with that. By hiding herself as a powerful Witch, she hopes to get some sort of education out of Hogwarts, while also rebuilding her clan in a place where she can legally use the laws to help in it's restoration.

Some people have asked me if I intend to change who her mates are, and I can answer that one now, that answer is yes. I didn't like some of the stories I had for them, or I didn't like their characters, I found they didn't really have enough to do, or didn't stand out enough, or I just didn't like where their characters were going, so I will be changing some of her mates in this story, I'll keep it mums as to who for now, Fleur is still definitely in, as is Kaede, as she's one I'm choosing to revamp, as for the others, we'll just have to wait and see. I already know who I'm definitely dropping but there are others that I'm still on the fence about, so again, we'll see.

Hope you all enjoyed, and I'll see you in the next one!

Chapter 9: First Year

Notes:

Alright, time for the next chapter, hope you’re all enjoying yourselves, and hope you’re excited for this one. Gonna be a lot of changes in this chapter that’ll really shake up the future. I hope you like my decluttering attempt and how much I was able to remove while adding in so much more. I hope you like the direction this is building towards. I have had some people question my intentions towards the pairings, and if I plan to drop some or add some, and I will admit that I do intend to drop two of them, and I’m leaving the door open to either adding two new partners, or going forward with just six. You’ll see when I get to them, but my decision to drop these two came from two different places. I’ll explain more when they come up, but needless to say, instead of changing their journeys to try and make them fit the remake, I’ve decided to drop them from the pairings, to again, either simplify the harem, or open the doorway for two new partners. I’m still leaning open to as many as eight but I think that’s a soft limit right now. The remaining six aren’t all set in stone. As of right now, the only ones that I’ve written to be set in stone are Fleur and Kaede. I’m pretty confident about the others, but we’ll just have to see as I get to that point in the writing. It’s not 100% until it’s written down, but I’m pretty confident on at least five of the original eight. We’ll see what happens, I’m curious to hear your thoughts on that. Anyway, onto First Year.

"So... how was everyone's first night?" Dumbledore asked the gathered heads of house. It was early in the morning, shortly before breakfast, as Dumbledore was doing his usual first day meeting to see how the students were adjusting and whether or not there were any problems that had arisen already.

 

"The Weasley twins introduced the first years to their particular brand of comedy, I do believe they enjoyed the show, though I wouldn't be surprised if some of them are tired today." McGonagall replied, causing Dumbledore to chuckle at bit at the Weasley twin's antics.

 

"My puffs seem to be settling in nicely. A few first years had to be calmed down, as they were found crying in their beds, though it's to be expected, as there is generally a high number of children that miss their homes." Professor Sprout answered, causing Dumbledore and the other teachers to nod in agreement.

 

"My Claws are settling in nicely. I didn't have any issues; it seems most of the first years are just eager to start learning and performing magic." Professor Flitwick replied with a smile, he generally had few problems with Ravenclaw house as most of them were quiet individuals who rarely got into scuffles with each other, or if they did then they made sure to handle it without him knowing.

 

“There was a bit of a power struggle within Slytherin House. Two Seventh years had to be escorted to see Poppy, due to the injuries they sustained. The prefects informed me that a duel had occurred, between the two older boys, and a first year. Young miss Uzumaki. She defeated the two of them, each individually.” Snape informed them, earning surprise and disbelief from his fellow professors.

 

“A first year you say. She bested two Seventh years? How is that possible?” Flitwick inquired.

 

“The first boy she banished into a wall, the second she dueled ever so briefly showing remarkable skill for one so young. He suffered a laceration on his arm. The two boys will be fine, nothing more long lasting than the wounds to their prides. These fights were handled properly as duels, though I will be having a word with them about unregulated duels on the grounds.” Snape explained to them.

 

“Still, a child with such skill, that’s hard to believe.” Sprout uttered.

 

“She carries a staff.” Snape added.

 

“A staff?” McGonagall returned, blinking in surprise and sharing a look with Dumbledore.

 

“So she is the one. I had heard from Ollivander that one of our students this year would be arriving with a staff. He hoped to give me time to make sure our texts of staff movements were still available. It seems miss Uzumaki would be the one he was talking about.” Dumbledore hummed.

 

“The only person I can think of who has the kind of magical power to use a staff would be you, headmaster. To think, a child of all things, a first year, would already have one…” Flitwick spoke.

 

“She comes from the Elemental Nations. Likely of Shinobi descent.” Dumbledore spoke, drawing surprise from his fellows.

 

“A shinobi? Here?” McGonagall responded.

 

“Are you sure, headmaster?” Snape inquired.

 

“The Uzumaki and the Uchiha, two famous clans from the Elemental Nations. The Uchiha were from Konoha, but were wiped out a few years ago by the boy Itachi Uchiha. A terrible massacre from what I hear. Some say he went insane. The only survivor of that brutal attack was his younger brother, according to the stories I’ve heard. The Uzumaki though, they hail from their own nation. They were an ally of Konoha. The two groups sharing a strong relationship. The Uzumaki were wiped out some years ago, by the other hidden villages. If this girl truly is of Uzumaki and Uchiha descent, than she is one of the last of two very powerful and ancient bloodlines.” Dumbledore explained to them. The old man had held close ties to the Hidden Leaf village for many years. Befriending the Third Hokage, and learning much in regards to the history of that ancient magical peoples during his correspondence with the previous leader of the Hidden Leaf. He maintained a good relationship with the current Hokage, someone he considered a friend, so he knew of certain problems and issues that had plagued the village in recent years, and in the past.

 

“If that’s true, she is certainly far from home.” Flitwick noted with a careful hum.

 

“She has indeed come a long way. This is probably one of the few places in the world she could feel safe to use those names. We are almost literally on the opposite side of the world from the Elemental Nations. At least separated by two whole continents.” Dumbledore agreed.

 

“What will you do, headmaster? Will you reach out to the Hidden Leaf and inform them of this development?” Snape inquired.

 

“No, Severus, I don’t believe I will. As far as we know, she has no connection to the Hidden Leaf outside of her lineage, and I would hate to endanger the girl or any of the other children here by revealing her presence. A psychopath who is still very much at large, wiped out all of the Uchiha, save for his younger brother, who he’s said to have violently tortured before fleeing the Hidden Leaf. Without knowing Itachi Uchiha’s reasons for wiping out his own family, I do believe it’s in the best interests of young Riley, to keep her presence here a secret. That goes even more so, for her connection to the Uzumaki. The stories are varied and prone to being misremembered, but the one I’ve heard repeatedly was that the Uzumaki were a clan to be feared. One that was so much so, that it took an alliance between four of the five great Hidden Villages, to wipe them out. No Severus, I will not be reaching out to them, or revealing her to them. She is under our care, and I shan't endanger the lives of any of my students in such a manner. Our world already has enough peril, to add to it by involving ninja… well let’s just say I’ve never approved of their use of children as soldiers, and even the best of them, in the Leaf, are still prone to committing that atrocious act.” Dumbledore explained to them all, earning several nods of agreement and acceptance from his faculty, especially Snape.

 

It was something he had taken from his time in service to the Dark Lord. While the dark Lord wouldn't hesitate to torture a man in the most violent of ways, he would never harm an innocent child unless it was absolutely necessary, and he would never stand for hurting children needlessly.

 

People could say whatever they wanted to about the Dark Lord, but one thing the Dark Lord never did, was torture a child. Nor would he ever allow his Death Eaters to do it. In Lord Voldemort's eyes, all magical blood was precious, and the magical blood of innocents like children was to never be harmed. If a child had to be killed, then it was to be done without pain, if any Death Eater was learned to have been torturing children, the Dark Lord would turn that pain on the perpetrator of such violence, a thousand-fold.

 

There were only a few who would try to temp the dark lord, and their ends were not dignified or painless. Children were only to be killed if they were suffering from grievous injury and were going to die anyway, or only in extreme circumstances.

 

The Shinobi’s use of children as soldiers was a gut-churning reality of their world, one made even worse off by the realization that the Shinobi allowed for, and even encouraged more than that. Young boys and girls, burdened with charm or good looks would often be trained in the art of seduction for the purpose of information gathering or blackmail. Certain groups of shinobi were more than happy to pimp out children, their own children as a matter of fact, in order to further the goals of the organization.

 

It was enough to make one scoff when muggleborns would complain about fifteen or sixteen being too young to be considered an adult in the magical world. In Britain at least, once you completed your OWLs you were technically able to become an adult and could become emancipated or claim a lordship. Some thought that was way too young, almost barbaric some would say. They really didn’t know anything. They had no clue just how bad this world could get, and Shinobi, for their part, played a big role in the worst of it.

 

And for that reason, among many others, people gave the Shinobi an enormously wide birth.

 

“Severus, if you would please, go and fetch young miss Uzumaki, so that we may address this situation. Thought they did capitulate, and the duel did take place at the observation of the Head Girl, thus satisfying our standards for inter-school duels, we should still express interest in keeping such situations to a minimum, and avoiding any long term harm to our students. Miss Uzumaki will only grow stronger, and more talented as the years go on, it’s best to discourage such things on school grounds before someone is permanently maimed.” Dumbledore instructed, earning a nod from the Potions Master who swiftly departed to go and retrieve her.

 

Snape entered into his common room finding a handful of students already getting ready. Thankfully the mess had been cleared from the previous night, though it was still on the students minds, as many stood in quiet discussions over this recent change in the power dynamic of the house.

 

"Is Miss Uzumaki still in her room?" Snape inquired to one of the prefects as they passed him. The girl nodded, and pointed towards the girls dorm.

 

After locating her room, he knocked.

 

“Come in.” He heard from the other side.

 

He entered, and came upon an interesting sight. Riley sat at the desk in her room, her gaze focused on a paper set out before her, gently, purposefully she held a brush and drew upon it. Markings in Japanese, that Snape couldn’t decipher. Her movements though were deliberate, and extremely elegant, as if she had done such exercises hundreds of times.

 

He could admire her patience and precision. Though a much different art, potion’s making, required such focus and patience, a skill often found lacking in most children.

 

“Have you come to punish me for last night?” Riley inquired, without looking up from her work.

 

“No. Your duel was conducted in the presence of the Head Girl, one of only two others outside of the staff, who may officiate duels on school grounds. With that in mind, Hogwarts discourages the act of dueling to the point of causing harm. The headmaster wishes to address this situation and discourage further acts of violence, accepted or not.” Snape responded to her.

 

“As is his job. A dressing down then. Fair enough.” Riley stated thoughtfully, as she finished the final brush stroke and set the tool aside. She rose to her feet, correcting her glasses as she did. “Lead the way, professor.”

 

Snape nodded, and gestured for her to follow. As they made their way through the castle towards the Headmaster’s office, Snape couldn’t help but wonder as to the situation he’d found himself in. Never would he have imagined a shinobi, or at least one of shinobi heritage attending Hogwarts. Snape himself had a bad history with shinobi. during his time in school his best friend Lily Evans, a girl he cared very deeply about, had befriended and started writing to a blonde-haired shinobi whom she had met while he had been visiting Dumbledore alongside one of his village leaders. He and Lily started to hang out and when he left, she wrote to him. Snape got jealous and a little later he and Lily got into a fight, and he called her a name he shouldn't have. She was so angry that it looked like their fight might become physical, but then suddenly a bright yellow flash of light appeared, and that blonde haired ninja materialized next to her. He asked if she was alright, and what had happened to cause her to feel so much anger. She told him what Snape had said, and that caused him to shoot a glare at Snape that could have peeled flesh from bone. The blonde ninja then told her that Snape was just a pathetic nobody, whom wasn't worth her time. Lily agreed and he and her never spoke again.

 

Ever since then, Snape had hated that blonde ninja, who later became world famous and killed so many of his friends in the last war. During the previous wizarding war, in it’s final months, allies from the Hidden Leaf village had come to Britain to hunt and kill the Death Eaters. These shinobi had been hired by Barty Crouch Sr. and at the behest of the Wizengamot hunted for Lord Voldemort. Had it not been for the fact that Lily Evans had married Minato Namikaze, they never would have gotten a deal good enough to hire those shinobi, nor would Minato himself have come to Britain to thin out the numbers of Voldemort’s followers.

 

Snape had always hated that man, and he always would. This girl though, wasn’t him. He wasn’t even sure if she came from the Elemental Nations or not. She was descended from Shinobi, but how much she knew of them, of their ways, he didn’t know.

 

Eventually the two made it to the Headmaster’s office and Snape led Riley inside.

 

McGonagall still remained though the other two heads of house had departed as breakfast was beginning.

 

“Miss Uzumaki, I understand there was a spot of trouble last night.” Dumbledore spoke as they entered.

 

“A disagreement headmaster, nothing more.” Riley responded as she stood before the old man’s desk.

 

“May I ask what about?” Dumbledore inquired, curiously.

 

“The older students thought it best we do as they do. I disagreed. Shenanigans ensued.” Riley responded, letting out a light chuckle at her own wit. She could feel both Madara and Kurama roll their eyes at her response which only served to further her amusement.

 

“Why was it that you disagreed with following the lead of the older students? As your seniors surely they know a bit about navigating this new experience. Not to say one should completely adhere to the direction of their elders, eventually we must all break free and find our own path, but still.” Dumbledore hummed.

 

“House Slytherin is viewed as corrupt, and evil by the other houses. They see us as dark. I assume such assumptions are not entirely baseless, and have likely been encouraged to some degree by those that came before me. I simply disagree that one’s house should determine what kind of person they are, through and through. The Founders were considered some of the greatest magicals to have ever lived, and that certainly included Salazar Slytherin. All four of them founded this school, not three of them. I can only assume it was his desire as well to teach and share knowledge with the next generation, and to encourage cooperation between witches and wizards of all walks of life, just as he had cooperated with Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff. At some point peoples views of House Slytherin took on this negativity, and I hold no desire to adhere to it. The older students have accepted it. Following them, would have led us to accepting it as well. If you accept your circumstances, nothing ever changes. If House Slytherin wishes to be seen as different, it must first be different.” Riley explained her logic, earning surprise and wonderment from the two professors as they pondered her logic.

 

“Well that is certainly true. We cannot help how others view us, only to work towards changing. How they view us, will always be theirs to decide, but if we wish for them to see us as something different, as you said, we must first be different. I can understand your desire to break free from such labels. It is a shame that so many have been labeled in such a way, many through no fault of their own. I fear such negative labels have spread beyond the confines of Slytherin house. It is a problem that plagues our school, I will admit.” Dumbledore admitted, approving of her desires, and admiring her wisdom in this regard.

 

“I cannot help the other houses, but I can help my own. It will be mine, for the next seven years, and I will carry this connection to it, for the rest of my days. I wish to make the best of it, and to be the best that I can be.” Riley stated.

 

“I am curious, why you care. You are not from these lands. Is it simply a matter of pride then, to escape these labels.” Snape inquired.

 

“This land has become my home. Britain is where I’ve chosen to settle, Professor. I may have only just arrived, but this is my home now. Though you are right in that it is a matter of pride. I am the last of my clan. The last Uzumaki. I am emancipated, the lord of the clan. I am it’s leader, and it falls on me to restore it.” She admitted, earning further surprise from the two men at hearing that. Not only was she descended from this ancient and powerful clan, but she was it’s leader, and emancipated? Neither had expected that.

 

Hearing that, both now understood, this wasn’t just personal, it was political. If her goal was to restore her clan here in Britain, then first she had to earn the gravitas and political power needed to do so. Seizing power in Slytherin house, and working to change it’s reputation would go a long way in ensuring her classmates, present and future would know of her, and remember her name.

 

If she was talented enough to take down two seventh year boys in battle already, than Dumbledore had little doubt in his mind that he was standing before an eventual prefect, and likely the future Head Girl.

 

He sat back in his chair, a clever smile playing on his face.

 

“Were you born in the Elemental Nations?” Dumbledore asked.

 

“No. I was born in Japan. Just outside of Osaka. I was raised by my uncle. He told me a lot about the Elemental Nations, about my clan. We moved to France a couple years ago, and then recently I came here. He helped me claim the Uzumaki clan lordship.” Riley answered, offering a lie as to where she was born.

 

“I see. I was simply curious. I myself have been to the Elemental Nations on a few occasions.” Dumbledore expressed, Riley feigned interest, reacting with curiosity despite the fact that she already knew that.

 

“Oh? I’d like to ask you about that sometime. I’ve always liked hearing about it. The land… not so much the people.” Riley responded, giving a bit of a sour note at the end, for the two men to read into. They no doubt already held negative views on the nature of Shinobi, so she felt it best to reflect that belief as well.

 

“Ah, when we have time, I’m sure you’d find some of it quite interesting. Back to the point of the matter though. I do not disagree with your reasoning, in fact, I encourage your goal. I would hope that one day, we all can look past such things as House loyalty, see one another for who we are, rather than where we come from. With that being said, I must ask that we keep such acts of aggression to a minimum. Duels here at Hogwarts are highly discouraged, and may only be conducted under the observation of the faculty, or the Head Boy or Girl. All other acts are considered an infraction and you will be punished for breaking the rules.” Dumbledore explained to her, repeating some of what Snape had told her. Riley nodded in acceptance.

 

“The Head Girl, miss McCormitt, informed me that both parties agreed to fight, before the fighting commenced, that falls into the category of an official duel, though she did stress that neither of you cleared it with her, but she was there to witness it.” Snape stated.

 

“For now, we will lay the matter to rest, but as I said, please keep the acts of violence to a minimum. Outside of this school duels are a fair and acceptable means of settling problems, but here at Hogwarts, we prefer to use our words, and to avoid any needless harm befalling any of our students. Pursue your goal to the fullest but do so within the confines of the rules we have established here. Do so, and you’ll have no fear of a repeat of these discussions.” Dumbledore said to her, earning a nod of acceptance from Riley, once more.

 

“I will endeavor to do my best, Headmaster. I cannot promise I wont come to blows with someone else, as I’m sure you know, change comes with growing pains, and I’m sure tensions will rise because of it, but I will do what I can to avoid an altercation, or bringing my fellow student to harm. I certainly don’t want to risk permanently hurting anyone.” Riley responded diplomatically.

 

“That is acceptable. We cannot know the future, only to endeavor to do what we can.” Dumbledore hummed in agreement.

 

“True. Was there anything else, Headmaster?” Riley asked him.

 

“Yes, I understand that you carry a staff.” Dumbledore inquired.

 

Riley nodded and removed her staff. It was small, appearing like a wand to both men, but she gave it a swirl and it returned to it’s normal size.

 

“Ah, impressive. We will need to ensure you have access to the proper materials to learn how to use it.” Dumbledore said.

 

“I would appreciate that, headmaster.” Riley replied to him.

 

“Good. Now, I believe we are finished here. Breakfast has already begun, so you’ll want to hurry, and get your fill. Good luck on your first day.” Dumbeldore expressed.

 

“Sir.” Riley nodded, offering the same to her head of house before standing to leave. She made her way down to the great hall and found her way over to her new friends. The older kids eyed her with unease, while the younger ones seemed to marvel at her. She sat between Draco and Pansy and set about gathering her breakfast.

 

"So how are you guys this wonderful morning?" Riley asked cheerfully.

 

"How can you act like that?" Pansy asked after a moment.

 

"Act like what?" Riley asked innocently.

 

"Like nothing has happened. I mean... you beat up two seventh years. The whole house is talking about it. I'm sure the other houses will know about what you did soon enough." Pansy explained.

 

"Let them talk. It's not like I'm ashamed of what I did or anything." Riley replied with a shrug.

 

“How did you even do that?” Pansy questioned her.

 

“I learned how to fight when I was younger. That’s really all there is to it. The difference between knowing and not knowing. It doesn’t matter if they’re bigger, or older, if you don’t know how to fight, you’re probably gonna lose to someone who does.” Riley answered.

 

"You really showed them who's boss. All of the upper years are scared of you now." Draco whispered to her.

 

“Hmm… can’t say I blame them. Not everyday you get schooled by a first year.” Riley chuckled to herself.

 

A few moments passed before Snape came by with everyone's schedules. The next few minutes were full of discussions of what classes they’d be going to and who they were sharing those classes with.

 

Eventually they were all ushered out of the Great Hall, the time had come for Riley’s first class at Hogwarts. Transfiguration, with the Gryffindors.

 

She entered and sat next to Draco, who seemed to be wondering where the teacher was. Riley saw a cat sitting at the front desk and noticed how it was observing the students as they entered. It eventually noticed her gaze and returned her stare. A smile crept across Riley’s face as she finally looked away. She had heard of this ability, shape-shifters. Animagus, they were called. People who learned the ability to transform into animals.

 

Finally, the moment for the official time for class to start, passed. A few moments after it did, two Gryffindors came running into the room. One was a dark-skinned boy, and the other was the redhead, who made Riley lose her appetite the night prior.

 

"See, I told you she wouldn't find out." The red head stated, while trying to regain his breath.

 

The cat on the table meowed and then transformed into Professor McGonagall. "It seems you two are late."

 

"Um... sorry. We got lost." the Dark-skinned boy stated.

 

"Yeah, this bloody castle is huge." The red head agreed.

 

"Then perhaps you should have found a map." McGonagall stated impatiently as she ushered the two boys to sit down.

 

The Slytherin students giggled as both boys grumbled and took their seats. With that, McGonagall began the lesson for the day. Riley listened diligently as McGonagall began giving her lesson. She started with explaining what Transfiguration was, and the fundamentals to it. Eventually it came time for their first practical lesson.

 

McGonagall handed out a bunch of matches and instructed them to transform them into needles.

 

Riley followed the instructions, and succeeded in her first attempt, smiling proudly, as she pulled it off with her staff in wand form. She repeated the process a few times, practicing turning it back and forth.

 

Eventually McGonagall passed her and took notice of her repeated successes.

 

“Miss Uzumaki, that is quite impressive, getting it down so quickly. Five points to Slytherin.” McGonagall said to her.

 

“Thanks professor.” Riley replied, as she repeated the effort one more time.

 

“If you would like, you may move to the side and begin practicing this exercise with your staff.” McGonagall offered, earning a nod from Riley. She quickly rose and moved to the side of the class room. The sight of her staff earning some curiosity from the Gryffindors. McGonagall took the moment to inform the class that a staff was indicative of one’s magical powers. Usually they were only seen in older witches and wizards, though most who could use them, chose not too as they were already skilled in the use of a wand, relearning magic through the use of a staff was a level of difficulty, most weren’t willing to undergo later on in life.

 

The students found this of interest, and a few of them kept glancing at Riley for the rest of the glass.

 

Their next class went basically the same, with Riley first learning her lessons with her wand, and then learning to use her staff.

 

Her DADA class with professor Quirrel was an interesting one. Riley took notice of how nervous the man seemed to be. Rumor had it that a vampire attack in Romania had left him rather spooked, but for some reason, Riley didn’t quite buy it. There was something about his nervous stutter that seemed more like an act to her. The question though, was why? Why bother trying to fool people? She didn’t know, and frankly didn’t care. Her interest remained on learning.

 

She enjoyed her classes, especially potions. The very nature of potions walked hand in hand with fuinjutsu and the applications for it, for a shinobi, were limitless. She took to it with gusto, absorbing everything Snape had to teach them. She also learned that Snape was Draco’s Godfather, and friend of his family, which she found interesting.

 

The only downside with potions was she shared it with the Gryffindors, who liked to fool around or stop listening to Snape’s instructions which led to all sorts of shenanigans. More than once over the coming days she would notice someone make a mistake that led to their potion coming out wrong, or even worse, exploding in the cauldron, sending burning hot liquid all over the room. Snape was fast enough on most occasions to shield the students from the worst of it, and skilled enough at healing, both in magic and with potions to immediately treat minor burns or injuries.

 

Noticing this, Riley took to making sure her own friends weren’t messing around, and would speak up if she noticed them making mistakes that could lead to them getting hurt. She didn’t protect them from failure, but the last thing she wanted was for any of them to have burning liquid explode into their face, potentially blinding them. Even if it would only be for a few hours, no one deserved that kind of pain for a simple mistake.

 

Snape took to rewarding her with points whenever she would would speak up, and in the case of the Gryffindors, she would often speak with Snape when she noticed dangerous mistakes. Again he rewarded her for her diligence, being one of the first of the teachers to really take notice of just how keen her observational skills were.

 

Aside from Potions and Transfiguration with the Gryffindors, she had charms with the Ravenclaws, where she got to see Hermione, whom she formed a rivalry with, the two of them being the most studious from their respective year, though Daphne was also close competition for Riley. Meanwhile she had Herbology with the Hufflepuffs, so she saw Neville there. He was great at Herbology and really took to it, so Riley took the time to ask questions from him if she didn’t understand something, and she encouraged her friends to as well, if they needed help.

 

A couple of weeks went by, and Riley was enjoying herself. Learning and growing, and forming deeper friendships. Already she found herself always hanging out with Draco. The two just clicked together, always bouncing off each other, when it came to their wit.

 

It was Halloween night and they were all in the Great Hall when the doors burst open, and Quirrel came running in.

 

“Tr-Troll in the Dungeons! Th-thought you sh-should know!” He shouted before feinting.

 

Panic quickly spread through the room.

 

“Alright Prefects, please guide your houses to their common rooms. Slytherins please report to the library.” Dumbledore stated to calm the masses.

 

The groups began to move, organizing and preparing to head out. Riley kept with her friends, intent on protecting them. She also began scanning the other houses, making sure Hermione and Neville were also present. She spotted Neville but not Hermione.

 

“Hey, where’s Hermione?” She asked a few Ravenclaws as they passed by her.

 

“Last I heard she was in the girl’s bathroom. Someone said they heard her crying in there.” They responded.

 

A moment later and she was gone, Draco was the first to notice her sudden disappearance, calling out to her, drawing further attention to her absence.

 

Riley discreetly made several Shadow Clones and sent them out to each of the girl’s bathrooms, since she didn’t know which one Hermione had last been seen in.

 

A few moments passed when one of her clones popped, and she received the information on it’s location, having spotted the troll heading into one of the bathrooms. Riley quickly made her way there, hearing a scream, right as she made it to the hallway containing the bathroom.

 

“Hermione!” Riley worried in panic as she rushed to the doorway.

 

She found the troll advancing on the cowering girl, a massive club in hand, ready to squish her.

 

“HEY!” Riley shouted, drawing her staff, and launching a Reducto at the creature’s enormous back.

 

A small chunk of flesh erupted from it’s lower back and it let out a grunt of pain as it turned to face her.

 

This would be the second Troll she’d faced in her lifetime. These creatures had magically resilient flesh that weakened the effects of any spell that struck them. They were rather simple creatures, lacking much in the way of higher intelligence. They were strong though, easily able to rip a human being to pieces or crush them if they got close enough.

 

Riley backed away from the troll, leading it out into the hall as it stalked towards her.

 

Once out into the hall, it raised it’s club over it’s head.

 

Riley knew she could bring it down with her shinobi skills, or even place it under an illusion with her Sharingan, but such methods might reveal her true nature, and she was enjoying having that kept a secret, so she was confined to using just her magical talent. With that in mind, a plan formed.

 

She stabbed her staff forward, releasing a powerful Reducto, that struck the troll’s overhead arm in the wrist.

 

Blood and flesh erupted, as it’s flesh, muscles and tendons were torn open by the curse. The Troll roared in pain, it’s hand coming open, releasing it’s massive club, which fell onto it’s head with a loud thud, momentarily discombobulating the giant creature.

 

It stumbled backwards, clutching at both it’s wrist and head, as it tried to shake off the pain. Seeing it’s club on the ground, the next part of her plan formed. She shot forward and drove her foot hard into the club, splintering part of the end of it, breaking a large piece off of the handle. She kicked away the broken piece and levitated the club into the air, the handle to the club, now made just a bit thinner, aimed directly at the creatures chest. Summoning forth a great deal of strength, she banished the levitated club, straight at the creature.

 

It shot forward with an ear splitting crack, punching deep into the troll’s chest.

 

The creature stumbled back, now impaled center-right of it’s chest, and slumped against the wall. Blood erupted from it’s mouth, and it convulsed a few times.

 

Riley watched it intently as it died, waiting for it’s life to end before she took her eyes off of it.

 

For a long while she watched as it died, a realization touching at her mind that this had been her first kill in months. Her time here at school had felt so very different from the life she was used to living. No killing, no real fighting for her life. Just living and growing, acting like the child that she was. Yet in an instant, the killer reemerged. Even contained in the false visage of the schoolgirl she pretended to be, her lethality yet remained.

 

Several long moments passed as it drowned in it’s own blood. It took time for the creature to die, and a small part of Riley actually felt sorry for it. In it’s final moments, she took pity on it and activated her Sharingan. Lowering her glasses to reveal her blood-red eyes, she caught it’s gaze, and put it to sleep. Allowing the creature to die peacefully, without having to suffer further.

 

Trolls may have been stupid, and man-eaters, but that didn’t mean the creature deserved to suffer. A part of her wondered if perhaps she shouldn’t have tried that to begin with. Put the creature to sleep with an illusion. Even if it did spark questions, she could have come up with a lie. Though perhaps it wasn’t a good idea to keep adding more lies to her story. Lies had a bad way of coming to light eventually, and the more complex she made this house of cards of hers, the easier it would be for it to come toppling down. No, it was better this way. Better that they believed her to just be of Shinobi descent rather than her actually being a Shinobi.

 

She heard the troll stop breathing, and a few moments later, it’s heart stopped beating as well, as it finished bleeding out. Moving past it, she entered into the girl’s bathroom. Hermione was curled up under a sink, cowering in fear, half-frozen in shock.

 

Riley knelt over her, and tried to get her back, help her out of this stupor.

 

“Hermione, it’s okay, it’s over.” Riley whispered to her, setting her staff to the side, she tried to get Hermione to look at her, all the while checking to see if she was injured.

 

It took a few moments before their eyes met, Riley’s gaze having returned to normal, hidden behind her round spectacles.

 

“Hey there, are you okay, are you hurt?” Riley asked her.

 

“Riley?” Hermione whispered, blinking several times as she recognized her.

 

“Hey… yeah it’s me. Are you okay?” Riley asked again.

 

She was suddenly engulfed by a tearful hug as Hermione through her arms around her.

 

For a moment, Riley froze. She had grown use to physical contact around the Delacours, and with Remus, but with others, she hadn’t yet experienced it. She still wasn’t the best at it, but she couldn’t deny that she enjoyed a good hug, and she knew that Hermione must feel relieved at having survived, so she allowed it, and even returned the hug for a moment, before carefully separating her from her friend.

 

“I thought… I…” Hermione began, but Riley offered her a smile and shook her head.

 

“Don’t think about it. It’s over. You’re alright, you’re alive. The troll can’t hurt you anymore.” Riley reassured her.

 

“What happened to it?” Hermione asked, glancing towards the doorway where part of it’s arm could be seen filling some of the open space.

 

“It’s dead. I killed it.” Riley replied.

 

“It’s dead…” Hermione repeated, almost as if the notion of that monstrous creature being dead was an entirely foreign concept, like something that big and strong being dead, wasn’t possible.

 

The two heard words coming from the hallway, and soon spotted several of the teachers stepping around the body of the troll to examine it.

 

“In here!” Riley called out to them, drawing McGonagall, Flitwick, and Snape into the bathroom.

 

“Miss Uzumaki, Miss Granger, what are you two doing here?” McGonagall questioned as she approached.

 

“Hermione wasn’t in the Great Hall to hear the warning about the troll so I went looking for her. Found it here trying to hurt her so I lured it out there and dealt with it.” Riley responded, picking up her staff and helping Hermione to her feet as she did.

 

“You did this?” Flitwick questioned with disbelief and amazement.

 

“It was gonna squish Hermione, I did what I had to.” Riley responded. The teachers stared at her for several long moments, as if seeing her for the first time.

 

After a couple of seconds, McGonagall was able to regain her bearings and turn her attention to Hermione. “Miss Granger, are you alright, are you hurt?”

 

“I’m fine, professor. It think I might have a bruise or two, but otherwise, I’m not hurt.” Hermione replied as she glanced over her body, checking to see if she had any injuries.

 

“It would seem that Gryffindor House may have lost out by losing you to Slytherin. Rushing headlong into danger to rescue your fellow student, I cannot help but admire your courage.” Came the voice of Dumbledore, as he appeared in the doorway, behind him was Quirrel who was eyeing the body of the troll with unease and disbelief.

 

“Headmaster.” Riley greeted the old man with a nod as he approached.

 

“Though I wish death had not been needed this night, I am happy to see that you both are alright.” Dumbledore expressed.

 

“A part of me wonders if perhaps I could have come up with something else, but ultimately, I can’t change what happened. I killed it, and I have to live with that. What I wanna know is how it got in here. Are trolls native to this area?” Riley expressed, but turned her question to the adults.

 

“Some can be found in the Forbidden Forest, though they rarely venture so close to the grounds.” McGonagall expressed.

 

“Yes… this is indeed strange. We will have to search the castle and find whatever breech allowed it inside. For now, I think it best the two of you return to your dorm rooms. You’ve had enough excitement for tonight I’m sure. And miss Uzumaki, should the need arise, and you wish to talk about what happened here to tonight, please know that my door is open. Death is not an easy thing to deal with, as justifiable as we may be able to convince ourselves it can be, there will always be a part of us that wonders, what if, and if another way could have been found. Do not let it burden you, but if you feel such things creeping up, do not hesitate to come speak with me, or any of the professors for that matter. We all have dealt with tragedy, and the harshness that life sometimes forces upon us. Do not let it fester.” Dumbledore offered to her, earning a soft smile from Riley.

 

“If it comes to that, than you’ll be the first to know professor. Thank you.” Riley offered kindly in return.

 

“Come, children. I will escort you back to your dorms. We will see miss Granger to her fellows and then gather the rest of the Slytherins to return them to the dungeons.” McGonagall informed the two girls.

 

“Before you depart miss Granger, I am curious, what led you to being here away from the other students?” Dumbledore inquired.

 

“Uh… it’s nothing…” Hermione blinked, and looked away, embarrassed.

 

“Hermione, what happened?” Riley asked, pinning her with a serious look.

 

“It’s- it’s stupid.” Hermione uttered, blushing a bit, not liking all of their attention being on her.

 

“I’ll decide that. What happened?” Riley questioned again, her tone firm.

 

“One of the Gryffindor first years called me a name, and said I had no friends. It brought up bad memories of being back in my old school, so I came here to... be alone." Hermione replied sounding embarrassed by the cause of her predicament.

 

"Which student was it?" McGonagall asked, looking furious that one of her lions had caused a fellow student so much pain and put her in this situation.

 

"Some red haired boy. His face got really red when I answered a question that he couldn't." Hermione replied.

 

"That Weasley brat? The newest addition." Snape commented off to the side.

 

"Yes indeed... well I'm sure that had he known what tonight would have brought, he would have never said the things that he did. With that being said," Dumbledore began before turning to McGonagall, "I expect the boy to receive a stern talking to, along with having him apologize and a deduction of points from Gryffindor. I will leave the number up to you Minerva, when you finish reprimanding the boy."

 

"Of course, Headmaster. I will see to it in the morning. Now... come along children." McGonagall replied before addressing the children.

 

Both nodded and followed after her. They headed to the Ravenclaw common room first to drop off Hermione.

 

"I want to thank you for rescuing me. It was the bravest thing anyone has ever done for me." Hermione told Riley, before giving her a hug which Riley once more accepted.

 

"What are friends for Hermione? Now go get some sleep, I'll see you tomorrow at breakfast. Oh, and don’t listen to that dummy Weasley. You have friends Hermione. I'm sure Draco and the others will be happy to see that you’re alright." Riley commented with a smile.

 

Hermione was quiet for a moment, a soft smile playing at her lips. After a few moments she nodded in acceptance of her friend’s words. She was let into the common room where she was immediately assailed with questions from the other Claws. Meanwhile Riley followed after McGonagall as they traveled to the library.

 

The two arrived at the entrance to the library where McGonagall turned to face her.

 

"I have only three things to say before you join with your classmates. That was very foolish what you did, it was incredibly brave, and I am very proud of you." McGonagall told her which caused Riley to smile and blush a little. She was still getting use to receiving praise for her actions, it was something she’d gone her whole life without, so getting it now was a foreign thing, and yet it felt good.

 

"Thanks. I'll see you in class tomorrow professor." Riley replied, getting a nod of agreement from McGonagall, Riley turned and entered into the library to rejoin her housemates, McGonagall following behind her.

 

Much like Hermione, Riley was questioned by them, but she kept quiet while McGonagall informed them the threat had been dealt with and that they were safe to return to their rooms.

 

The troop returned to the Slytherin dorms where Riley was once more questioned about where she went, and what had happened.

 

Riley explained to her friends that she went looking for Hermione, found the troll attempting to attack her in the girl’s bathroom, so she lured it away and killed it.

 

Her friends were largely in disbelief because well, trolls were huge, and powerful. Dumb as hell, but that was besides the point.

 

“Is Hermione okay?” Was the first question Draco asked after hearing what happened. Riley was happy to hear him ask.

 

“Yeah… she’s fine. A little spooked, but otherwise, she’s alright.” Riley responded. Her friends were happy to hear that, but then began the questioning of how she could of killed that troll. She answered honestly. Simply telling them how she did it. The older students listened in, and were mesmerized by the tale which would later be confirmed by the prefects, and the head girl.

 

The next day the school was abuzz with news of Riley's adventure. Most of the older Slytherin were now assured of their official stance of not messing with Riley, and a bunch of the younger kids were now calling her a hero for saving Hermione’s life. Dumbledore addressed the matter, and awarded Slytherin house fifty points for Riley’s act of heroism which gave them a huge lead and all but guaranteed they were likely to win the House cup at the end of the year. This earned her quite the positive adoration from her housemates.

 

The Gryffindors weren't especially happy as they had lost twenty points for the actions of one of their own. While one particular Gryffindor wasn't having a very good time of it. Ron Weasley had approached Hermione and grumbled out an apology, which she then made him repeat louder, causing his face to redden, as he angrily repeated his apology before storming off. He also received a week of detention with Filch.

 

Riley remained the talk of the school for many weeks, and during that time she continued with her lessons. Every few days she would receive a letter from Fleur, Riley was quickly developing an excitement for when she would receive these letters. The flirtatious element that grew in their correspondence didn’t go unnoticed by Riley, and she grew ever more excited for the day they saw each other again.

 

Though the flirting was noticeable, the two discussed a great many things, including how their schooling was going, and Riley’s current adventures at Hogwarts. Fleur was one of her only friends that knew of her secret identity as Null though even she didn’t know the whole truth about Riley. Who she really was. She knew about her being a shinobi, and the leader of the Uzumaki clan, but who she had been before all of that, still remained a mystery even from the person she was arguably closest with, that didn’t live inside her body.

 

Fleur did express that her allure was growing more powerful, and would probably be much more noticeable when they met again, and she was a bit worried about how it would affect Riley. Normally a Veela’s allure was more targeted towards men, but it all had to do with the Veela’s own desires, as well as the sexuality of the person viewing it. If Fleur preferred girls, and the girl she was after, also preferred girls, than there was a real chance that they could be affected by it.

 

Riley wasn’t worried. If anything, she took it as a challenge, to overcome it, and keep treating Fleur like the person she was, which she knew her friend would appreciate.

 

Time passed and eventually the Yule holidays rolled around. Riley had been busy over the weeks, continuing to learn in magic, slowly but surely pulling away from the other first years as she gobbled up every drop of knowledge her teachers could provide. She rose to the top of her class in almost every subject, only being the definitive second in Herbology after Neville, and tied for first with Daphne in Potions. She was also second in History of Magic, after Hermione. She was top of her class in the practical sides of magic, Charms, Transfiguration, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. She was also first in Astrology class.

 

In her free time she was often with her friends, hanging out, or while they were busy with homework, Riley would sneak off to quiet parts of the castle, or even out in the Forbidden Forest, to practice her skills as a shinobi, keeping her skills sharp, and slowly returning her focus to learning new techniques and abilities.

 

With the Yule Holidays, came the Yule break, which would see the students sent home for a few days. Riley intended to make the most of her trip home for the holidays by returning to France to see Fleur and the Delacours with Remus.

 

"So, what are you doing for the break?" Draco asked as he, and Riley were hanging out in the main hall waiting to be dismissed to leave for break.

 

"I'm actually off to France to meet with some friends and spend some time with them." Riley replied with a thoughtful smile.

 

"Oh? Who're you going to meet?" Draco asked.

 

“My friends Fleur and Gabrielle Delacour. I spent some time with them before coming to Hogwarts. We’re pretty close.” Riley answered.

 

“Delacour, where have I heard that name before?” Draco hummed thoughtfully.

 

“Probably their father, Jean Delacour, he’s the head of the DMLE in France, the Chief Auror.” Riley offered.

 

“Oh! That’s right. Huh… well, my family will be holding our annual ball at our estate, if you find yourself back in country, you’re more than welcome to attend.” Draco provided.

 

“I’ll keep that in mind, thanks! Let’s get going, it looks like they’re ready to release us.” Riley noted as she saw McGonagall enter the hall and draw everyone’s attention telling them that the train had arrived.

 

During the train ride home, Riley felt her excitement begin to build as she imagined seeing Fleur again. She knew she had feelings for her, and that Fleur liked her in return. She just hoped things weren’t awkward when they met, despite clearing the air with their letters, things were left a bit weird at their last meeting due to Fleur’s sudden kiss.

 

Riley just hoped she could muster the courage to return that affection when she saw her again.

 

Her friends took note of her excitement, as she did theirs. After arriving at the station they said their goodbyes and she met up with Remus.

 

They stayed the night in London, and in the morning portkeyed to France and made their way to Chateau Delacour where they were welcomed warmly by the Delacours.

 

Gabrielle made it to Riley first, flying into her arms with a warm hug.

 

“Riley! It’s so good to see you again! How was Hogwarts? How are you classes? What are people saying about the troll?” On and on the little Veela rattled off questions, which only served to make Riley smile.

 

While she was answering, Fleur arrived, the beaming smile she wore which quickly turned shy when their eyes met, melted Riley’s heart. Once she was able to pull herself from Gabrielle, she shared a warm hug with Fleur.

 

“Hello Riley. It is good to see you again.” Fleur whispered in her ear.

 

“It’s good to see you too, Fleur. I’ve missed you. Missed all of you, really.” Riley said as she pulled back.

 

“Come, lunch is almost ready.” Apolline welcomed the two.

 

Riley spent the day with the Delacours talking about her time in Hogwarts and hearing how Fleur’s school year was going, which reasonably had less excitement than Riley’s.

 

That night, Riley found herself sitting on Fleur’s bed, watching the snow fall outside of her bedroom window.

 

She could feel her heart pounding as she waited on Fleur. A few minutes passed when Fleur entered the room. She nervously crossed it and sat beside Riley, the two finally have some time alone.

 

Riley felt her anticipation grow as she struggled to speak, Fleur was right next to her, close enough to feel the warmth from her body. It took every ounce of her courage to turn and face her and when she did, Fleur met her gaze, staring back with a bashful smile.

 

Finally, it came, Fleur started to say something, and as she did, Riley couldn’t help but react.

 

In a quick movement she brought her lips to Fleur’s. Just a quick peck on the lips, but it certainly got the message across.

 

Fleur blinked, her smile growing.

 

“Will you be my girlfriend?” Riley asked.

 

Fleur stared back at her for moment, inflating as she filled with joy.

 

“Of course I will!” She replied, pulling Riley into a hug, which she returned.

 

The two held one another for a bit before separating though they remained in each other’s arms.

 

“I’ve been waiting to ask that for months.” Riley admitted.

 

“So have I.” Fleur also admitted.

 

“Sorry I didn’t say anything before, I couldn’t find the words.” Riley offered.

 

“It is alright. I could not either. That’s why I kissed you. No words could sum up what I was feeling.” Fleur responded blushing lightly as she did.

 

Riley smiled back, and the two laid back on the bed, both feeling a weight lift off of them, as they were finally able to acknowledge their feelings towards one another and address it.

 

“I have liked you for a long time Riley. Since we first met, in truth. You saved my life, and since that moment, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you. My knight in shining armor!” Fleur admitted, turning her head to face Riley, who did the same.

 

“I can’t really say when it happened. I just knew when I thought about it, that I really liked you. Stuff like love… I’ve never really dealt with it before. This is all new to me.” Riley offered in response.

 

“Me too. I have never had a girlfriend before. I hope I will not disappoint.” Fleur said to her, her tone playful and inviting.

 

Riley giggled, and smiled at her. “I hope I don’t either. I’ve never really had feelings like this for someone else. It’s all so new and mysterious.”

 

“Well then, we will have to work together to navigate it.” Fleur offered, giving Riley her hand, which Riley gladly took, offering her new girlfriend a nod of affirmation.

 

With that, Fleur leaned in, and the two shared another kiss, allowing their bond to continue to grow.

 

For the next few days, Riley and Remus remained at the Delacour household, enjoying Christmas. It was quickly picked up on by the rest of the family that Riley and Fleur were spending a lot more time with one another.

 

Eventually Fleur was pulled aside by her mother who questioned her on it, and she revealed the truth. Apolline was overjoyed to hear it, having suspected her daughter’s attraction towards Riley for a long time. She didn’t hesitate to share the truth with the other adults when it came up again. They were happy for them. Remus knew how much Riley cared for Fleur and was happy that she’d found a partner, someone she wanted to be with. The Delacours had known Riley for a while now, and knew she was a good person, and someone who’d protect their daughter through thick and thin. They knew the two would look out for each other.

 

It was their last day before Riley had to return to England that Fleur chose to address a topic she knew they needed to discuss.

 

Riley sat beside her, the two alone in Fleur’s room, she could sense that there was something Fleur wanted to talk about.

 

“What’s wrong?” Riley asked.

 

“Nozing. Nozing is wrong. It is just, somezing zat we need to talk about. I remember you telling me how you wanted to rebuild your clan, and that one of the reasons you chose to settle in Britain was because it would be easier to take multiple partners to speed up zat process. I wanted to talk about zat.” Fleur explained.

 

Riley took in a long breath and nodded. She took a moment to think on what she should say. Finally, words started taking form.

 

“Fleur… I know what I said… but these last few days, they’ve been great. I want to restore my clan, and numbers are needed to do that, but I’m willing to focus on other means. I like you. I really do. If you want it to just be you and I, then I think I can make that work.” Riley expressed, honestly willing to forgo the idea of polygamy in order to keep her new relationship with Fleur.

 

“Zat means ze world to me Riley. Were it possible, I would give you ze family you desire. I would be happy to make a big family wiz you. But I cannot.” Fleur admitted, earning a curious look from Riley.

 

“Why not?” Riley asked her.

 

“We Veela do not have many babies. We are known as sexual creatures, and we certainly enjoy doing zat a lot, but we do not get pregnant very easily.” Fleur began to explain, causing Riley to blush a bit at the mention of sex.

 

“Veela are only fertile for around four days out of ze year. Our ovulation cycles are about six monzs. If we are not fertilized on zose days, we cannot get pregnant. It is… also difficult to track our cycles. Because of how long zey are, the actual days of fertility can move by as much as two or zree weeks. No real indications as to ze days eizer. We are known to be quite a bit more aroused during our fertility, and for a human that might stand out, but we Veela already have a high sex drive. If a human woman’s sex drive sits around a six, zen a Veela is a ten. During out fertility days, that may be a twelve. It’s just hard to tell. We are very devoted to our partners, and can be quite needy regularly. Spotting ze difference is not so easy. Zere is also the issue that pregnancy is not guaranteed. It is somezing like a one in eight chance, if we procreate on zose days. And like I said, it only lasts two days. Without knowing ze days, life can easily get in ze way. Just because we become more aroused does not mean we are immune to being tired, or distracted by ozer events in life. My mama and papa are usually all over each ozer. Ze number of times I have almost walked in on zem is to high to count. You may have noticed Gabby and I announce ourselves quite often, or call out to zem instead of just going to look. It is gross. But I am happy for zem. Happy zey are still so close. My papa has four brozers and a sister. I have many, many cousins. My mama also loves children. She would be happy if she got pregnant again. It just doesn’t happen easily. Zey have been togezer since zey were teens, and zey only have ze two of us. Mama has only been pregnant twice in her life.” Fleur explained the situation, gifting Riley a deeper look into Veela biology.

 

“Huh…” Riley uttered as she took that all in.

 

“You see… if I could give you what you wanted, I would be more zen happy to try and convince you to make it just us. However… I do not even know if I will be able to give you one. Let alone more. Veela are not overly fertile creatures. What I wanted to talk about was my willingness in you finding ozer partners. Veela can be quite possessive but I zink I can manage it, just so long as I am treated fairly.” Fleur admitted to her.

 

“Well of course. I wouldn’t think of being disrespectful or underhanded. I’d want all of my partners to be happy, and have a respectable opinion of each other. I wouldn’t want them fighting or trying to compete for my attention.” Riley responded, getting a nod from Fleur.

 

“How many were you zinking?” Fleur asked.

 

“I don’t know. Three, I guess. Seems reasonable. Logically if I could get at least one child from each of you, that would give the Uzumaki a good starting point to begin recovering, and hell, maybe there’s other Uzumaki still alive out there that I can find and bring into the clan, which will help our numbers recover. But yeah, three seems a good starting point. Maybe I’ll find more then that, but threes what I’ll aim for right now.” Riley answered honestly.

 

“Zree… okay. If you find anozer girl and start dating her, I would like to meet her early on. Not too early, just sometime after you decide to take ze relationship furzer. Zat way, we can get to know each ozer, outside of meeting after you and she are already close. Hopefully zat will reduce ze chance of infighting or jealousy.” Fleur suggested.

 

“Good thinking.” Riley nodded in agreement.

 

“Good. I am happy we were able to address zis. I know zis means a lot to you, to rebuild your clan, and I want to help you do it. I like ze idea of being a mozer some day. Unfortunately, I cannot give you what you want, not as needed. Do not worry though, it does not upset me. I knew long before we started dating, what your intentions were, and I am at peace wiz it. I just want us to be open in our communications. So we know how we feel.” Fleur explained.

 

“Yeah. I certainly appreciate it. If there’s ever anything you need to talk about, or want to address, don’t hesitate to bring it up. I want us to work, and I know that takes work, so never be afraid to tell me if something is wrong, or if there’s something we need to talk about because I want us to work. I really like you Fleur, and I want this to last. Hopefully for a lifetime.” Riley responded to her, causing Fleur to smile.

 

“I like you too, Riley. I cannot imagine myself with anyone else.” Fleur admitted, still smiling.

 

Riley returned the smile, and moved closer, allowing Fleur to wrap an arm around her, an action that Riley mimicked. The two made lovey eyes at each other for several long moments before sharing a kiss.

 

They continued to chat, long into the night, and at some point, laid back on Fleur’s bed, continuing to talk to one another. They chatted about life, their beliefs and desires. More and more, Riley found herself approaching true honesty with her girlfriend. She felt like she could tell her anything, and Fleur would still accept her.

 

She held back though. Her paranoia as a shinobi, kept her in check. Despite her feelings, despite her desire to be open and honest with her newfound love, that fear of letting someone in, letting someone see her for who she truly was, it kept her in check. Fleur was one of the few friends she had, who knew of her secret identity as Null, an identity that was much truer to the real Riley, than the parts of herself she chose to show to her friends.

 

She was a shinobi, a warrior, a killer. Fighting wasn’t just what she was good at, it was who she was. It was how she expressed herself. It was how she was raised by Madara. Talking with her fists, was the only completely honest way she knew how to communicate. It wasn’t something she showed others. Only a few people knew how dangerous she truly was.

 

Still. Despite holding back, she still felt a sense of comfort and peace with Fleur that she’d never felt with anyone before. Not since Naruko had she ever felt so close to another person. When they were little, the twins were nearly inseparable. Almost like two sides of the same coin. Riley felt that same level of connection, beginning to manifest with Fleur.

 

Though Riley kept her secrets, still she kept talking. Long into the night the two talked, on and on until, much to Riley’s own surprise, she found her eyes opening.

 

Light drifted in from the morning sunrise, Fleur’s beautiful slumbering face, filling her view.

 

Riley sat there, dumbfounded for many long minutes, as she slowly came to realize that she’d fallen asleep with Fleur.

 

Again, not since Naruko had she ever shared a bed with someone else. When the twins were very young, they would often fall asleep holding on to one another. Not since those days had Riley ever felt safe or comfortable enough to fall into such a deep sleep with another person nearby.

 

She was a shinobi, and a particularly paranoid one at that. Riley slept as a shinobi did, on the very edge of slumber, where the slightest sound, the mildest shift in the air, could wake her up.

 

Riley always slept with her back to the wall, again as most shinobi often did. Yet here she was, laying in the open on Fleur’s bed, which sat in the middle of the wall, open to the whole room.

 

A chuckle from Madara broke her out of her disbelief and wonderment. Her reaction was a lot like his own when such a thing had first happened to him. While she laid there, he regaled her of his own experience with such things. How he’d never felt that comfortable with other people, not even his various lovers, or flings over the years. He never fell into a deep sleep around others, never let his guard down around people. His sleep was always just barely on the razor’s edge. Where even the slightest disruption of his partners rhythmic breathing could wake him. It wasn’t until he’d married Kaguya that it had finally happened.

 

It took years, even with her, but it happened. One day, seemingly out of nowhere, after a night of love and comfort, and communication that was no different that many like it in the past, he found himself waking to the light of day, feeling Kaguya gently tracing his chest with her finger.

 

He chuckled to himself as he recalled how he’d shot up, momentarily confused by the light, believing it to be an attack of some kind, only to recognize the rising sun.

 

For him, it had been decades, almost thirty years, since he’d fallen into such a deep and comfortable sleep.

 

Kaguya seemed to understand his reaction without needing an explanation. She merely smiled at him and pulled him back down onto the bed, resting her head on his chest and continuing to trace one of the scars along his pectoral.

 

Riley listed to the story, taking it in. She loved hearing stories about Madara, and her Grandmother, especially stories of them together. Madara had enough tact to romanticize any of the gross stuff, so the stories always seemed so much more intimate, and meaningful. She also liked hearing how much alike her and her grandfather were. She respected him a lot, and deeply admired him. A lot of her own personality was shaped by his.

 

It didn’t take Riley long to settle, and once she did, she found herself admiring Fleur’s sleeping face. It was the perfect opportunity to finally mesmerize every feature. Despite it being one of her favorite parts of Fleur’s face, it was good that her eyes were shut. They always had a tendency to draw Riley’s gaze to them, so having them closed right now, allowed her to really look at her girlfriend, and memorize every perfection, every imperfection, every line and curve.

 

After a few moments, a playful mischievous thought descended on Riley. Grinning, she reached out and started pinching Fleur’s cheeks, making her purse her lips. Riley began giggling as Fleur slowly awoke. She blinked a few times as she took in Riley’s presence and recognized what she was doing.

 

She pulled away, as Riley broke down into laughter, Fleur sat up and glared at her girlfriend, pursing her lips in frustration. Seeing her making that face, caused Riley to laugh further. It was moment before Fleur realized why Riley was laughing. She was now making the same face Riley had been making her make, unaided. She blushed, and fought to control her face, which only served to make Riley laugh harder, as she took notice of Fleur’s struggle to not purse her lips when frustrated.

 

After a few moments, Fleur finally lost her composure and pushed Riley back onto the bed. She then got to her feet and stormed over to the window to try and correct her features.

 

Riley laid on the bed giggling for a few more moments before sitting up. Fleur slowly turned to face her, glaring all the while.

 

“Are you done messing wiz me?” Fleur questioned.

 

“Nah. I can picture a lifetime of this.” Riley replied, grinning.

 

Fleur smiled at that, and crossed the distance between them to sit next to Riley.

 

“Your cute when you’re angry.” Riley teased.

 

“I am always cute Riley.” Fleur pouted, gaining a grin from Riley in the process.

 

The two remained together for a while, talking, bonding, just enjoying each other’s presence. Eventually they’d be called down for breakfast, their day allowed to progress as normal.

 

Unfortunately, the time would come and Riley had to return to Hogwarts. Saying goodbye to the Delacours was difficult, especially saying her farewells to her new girlfriend, but she swore she’d write to her the moment she got back, and that she’d see them all again during the summer.

 

Fleur gave her a long farewell kiss, before hugging her, promising to write as well. With that, Riley and Remus returned to England, and soon Riley was off returning to Hogwarts.

 

The train ride back was full of talk from her friends, reminiscing about their holiday plans. Riley listened in but was surprisingly quiet in regards to her own adventures. Instead, when asked, she simply smiled fondling, and kept it to herself. Her friends picked up on something having happened, and Riley had obviously enjoyed it, but none of them knew what it could be.

 

Only Draco really knew that she’d gone to spend time with a friend over the break, so he guessed it probably had something to do with that.

 

Back in Hogwarts, Riley continued her studies and continued climbing the social latter. She would help the kids in her school year with their schoolwork, not just those in her own house, this helped endear her to them, and gave her the opportunity to refine her understanding of these lessons. It was Madara who’d once said to her that the true measure of your mastery of a subject was your ability to teach it to another, so Riley took the time to help any of the other kids who wanted it. This helped earn her a reputation around school, and made acquaintances within her year.

 

It was several weeks into her return when Hermione informed Riley that she’d overheard Ron Weasley and another boy discussing how they’d discovered a Cerberus in the third floor corridor, the one that had been labeled off limits to the students this year.

 

She shared this with her group of friends who discussed what it could mean and why such a dangerous creature would be hiding inside the school. It was Draco who pointed out that Cerberus were often used as guard dogs, and it was likely something was being hidden there and the Cerberus was keeping it safe.

 

Riley and her friends were naturally curious, though none wanted to risk getting eaten, or in Riley’s case, risk getting into trouble and messing with something that had nothing to do with her. It was Daphne who emphasized to the group just how powerful Cerberus were, having magical resilient skin, and a ferocious hunger. They were incredibly dangerous, even skilled witches and wizards had to be careful dealing with them, so it would be wise for them to just forget about it.

 

Riley agreed with her, she didn’t want any of them risking themselves by going near that creature, so she downplayed her own curiosity and warned them against trying anything, just to make sure no one let curiosity get the better of them.

 

The following weeks she kept on with her lessons, and spending time with her friends. She wrote to Fleur and the Delacours often, even sending a few letters to Remus every so often to make sure he was doing alright. She kept her skills focused, and sharp by training in the Forbidden Forest. There she would practice her ninjutsu, and other shinobi skills. To keep her stealth skills sharp she’d often stalk the creatures of the forest or spy on the Centaurs just to keep her abilities in tip-top shape. She fully intended to return to bounty hunting, over the summer break, and after what happened the last time she’d made a misstep, she knew to be prepared and keep her skills sharp.

 

One part of her shinobi training that she could easily perform in the castle was continuing to learn the sealing arts. The massive hoard of knowledge held by the Uzumaki Clan was more than one person could reasonably learn in a lifetime, but Riley was committed to learning as much as she could. She kept to seals that were safer, or involved concepts she already knew, and continued to add more to her roster of abilities. She eventually learned a special seal that could copy written documents from one medium to another. This technique was devised to help the Uzumaki clan in intelligence gathering info as it allowed them to quickly copy a large amount of information to their own scrolls or books, while leaving the original documents behind. They could then review the gathered information at their leisure and the victims of the theft would never even know the info had been stolen since the original documents were still in their place.

 

While she had intended to use this ability to aid in her own information gathering missions, as well as expanding her services to stealing information for payment, it was Madara who pointed out that she could actually use this ability on the books in the library. Though he didn’t outright say it, his intention was for her to use it on books from the Restricted Section, so she could learn of the deeper mysteries of magic, again at her leisure. Though it could also be used just on regular books, since their were limited copies of certain texts, and Madam Pince was a hawk in regards to where her books went, and how long they were checked out for. So copying that information to blank books, meant Riley could have those text for her own personal use, without having to worry about the librarian tracking her movements whenever she had to loan out a book or two.

 

This became a new hobby of hers, and eventually, she came upon Madara’s actual intention with the idea, on her own, and began discreetly sneaking into the restricted section to copy the books within. It was a slow process, though Riley was methodical with it. She knew she likely wasn’t ready yet to begin studying those secrets so instead she just picked a section, and started copying every single book it contained. Her only limit to this process was the number of blank scrolls or books she could get her hands on, and the ability to perform the sealing technique, as it did require a small ritual for each copied document, which could take a few minutes to set up. With the help of a few Shadow Clones it went quickly, but even still, there was hundreds upon hundreds of books just in the restricted section alone, this process would likely take her a few years, but Riley wasn’t worried. The idea that she’d have all of these documents for her own personal use after leaving Hogwarts, or during private training, was well worth the investment of her time, plus it helped with her skills as a shinobi, infiltrating the restricted section, working around the older students or teachers coming or going to avoid being caught, it was useful training. The only downside was that she hardly took time to read more than the title of a book before copying it so she never really knew if she’d gotten anything good for her efforts.

 

She settled on just the training as making the effort worth it, to keep her spirits up.

 

When she wasn’t studying, training, hanging out with her friends, or stealing the entire library and hiding the copies in her trunk, Riley was exploring the castle and the grounds. Her new home was a magical place, and she had long ago come to love its mystery and majesty.

 

The end of the year and final exams began approaching, and while Riley’s friends were busy focusing on their studies, Riley found herself continuing to explore the underbelly of Hogwarts. There were so many secret pathways, and magically hidden routes, and finding them was an absolute joy for Riley who used her Sharingan to scan the magic of the castle and find places where it concentrated in unnatural ways, there she would examine and experiment and find hidden paths to other parts of the castle or ways that led out onto the grounds. It was incredibly fun.

 

During a break she sat alone in a dark room, having an internal chat with grandfather and Kurama when the sound of footfalls caught her ears. In the dark silence of the underbelly of Hogwarts, the noise was almost like gunshots to her ears. She rose to her feet, immediately on alert, her curiosity peaked. She slid into the shadows and waited to see who it was coming this way.

 

Professor Quirell came bursting into the chamber, his eyes flickering about, wand drawn, a Lumos lit up the tip of his wand, casting the blackness of the chamber in a bright blue glow. Shadows danced around the large room, ancient wooden tables and chairs, a half rotted bookcase, hanging chains, and old statues and standing rusted suits of armor, all cast darkness into the recesses of the room, and Riley moved with these shadows, hiding just out of the sight of the DADA professor as she watched him curiously.

 

“It’s here… it has to be here.” Quirell spoke aloud and to himself. He crossed the room, over to an alcove in the far wall nestled half behind a cobweb covered statue. Riley knew that a secret doorway was located there, which it seemed that Quirell was trying to find.

 

He seemed hurried, breathless, like he’d run all the way here. His movements were quick, on the verge of frantic.

 

“Where. Where. Where. Where.” He rattled on to himself as he searched about the area.

 

Riley was about to step out and reveal herself, when another voiced pierced the darkness.

 

“Settle yourself! We are so close now. Settle.” Quirell seemed to shudder at the voice, freezing for a moment. At the sound of it, Riley also froze. It seemed to come from Quirell himself, yet he was reacting as if he hadn’t been the one to say it.

 

“Yes… yes… it’s around here though… right around here.” Quirell took a breath and seemed to calm down a bit.

 

Riley blinked several times in confusion before a look of concern flitted onto her face. Her Sharingan sprung to live and she was surprised by what she saw.

 

A mass of dark and powerful energy radiated from the back of Quirell’s head. It appeared almost attached to him. His own energy was being drained into this foreign one, which seemed several times more powerful than the DADA professor. The two magics were entirely different though, they couldn’t possibly be from the same person. Either Quirell was possessed by something, physically, magically, or spiritually, or her was a Jinchuriki, those were the only explanations that Riley could come up with.

 

“Professor.” Riley spoke quietly, after drawing her wand.

 

He turned in a panic, his eyes searching the darkness for her until he spotted the blood red glow of her Sharingan.

 

“You… what are you… how did you…” Quirell began blinking rapidly at the sight of her.

 

“Something’s wrong with you.” She said to him. “Something is attached to you.”

 

Quirell blinked several more times, his panic seemingly growing before an eerie calm seemed to descend on him.

 

“You truly are remarkably bright.” He spoke, no sign of his typical stutter.

 

Riley stared at him for a moment, she saw before he moved what he was about to do. She saw his magic move, saw his body move, all thanks to the predictive powers of the Sharingan.

 

“Wai…!” A voice began to speak, but it was cut off.

 

“Avada Kadavra!” The green light of the Killing Curse lit up the darkness of the room, but Riley was already moving by the time he began making the motion for the spell.

 

It lanced in her direction, striking and melting through a suit of ancient armor. In an instant she was gone, vanishing into the shadows of the room.

 

Quirell blinked several times at the swiftness of her movement. For a moment his calm was broken, he then made another move, slamming the doorway on the far side of the room shut to prevent her from sneaking out.

 

Riley heard him magically lock it as he began to move through the room looking for her.

 

“I am sorry for this. Truly I am. I don’t know why you’re down here, but I can’t have you giving me away. This doesn’t have to be painful. I don’t want it to be. Please come out… this will only be worse for you if you don’t.” Quirell spoke as he moved through the room, searching the darkness for her. He knew enough to be on guard, she’d killed a troll on her own, he knew how powerful she was, and how skilled she could be.

 

Unfortunately for the DADA professor, he didn’t know everything about her.

 

“That was exciting professor. The Killing Curse, right off the bat. Never would have expected it from you. Let me guess… you’re the one who let the troll in back during Halloween?” Riley’s voice emerged from the darkness. Quirell turned to it’s source, but found nothing but old furniture and dusty stands.

 

“What makes you say that?” Quirell questioned as he continued moving through the room, a growing sense of unease building within his gut. He knew as much as the other teachers about her. He knew she had shinobi heritage, that she actually had remarkable shinobi heritage, and though she claimed to have been raised in Japan, it was likely that she’d had some training in their ways. Just how much was the question he was concerned about right now.

 

She was still just a child, nothing more than a little girl, but those eyes… those blood red eyes…

 

“The Third Floor Corridor. There’s a Cerberus guarding something there. I don’t know what it is, but I think I’m starting to understand who it was meant to guard against.” Riley continuing the speak from the darkness. Quirell spun to face the source of the noise, this time fire off a powerful blasting curse that send tables, a chair, and a few stands scattering into the darkness, some splintering apart. This cleared away some of the clutter in the room, but it didn’t reveal Riley to him.

 

“It guarded something that I needed.” Quirell agreed, his eyes flickering about as sweat built upon his face and poured down his brow.

 

“Reasonable. Now you have it, and you’re willing to kill to cover your tracks. If I may inquire, what’s worth killing me for?” Riley again questioned, and again Quirell sent a spell in the direction of her voice, again scattering the clutter in the room, but revealing no sign of her.

 

“The Philosopher’s Stone. Have you heard of it? Truly a remarkable work of magic. Worth more than you could possibly imagine.” Quirell answered honestly, beginning to think of a better plan since this obviously wasn’t working. He slowly began moving towards one of the far walls, intent on following it to a corner and putting his back to it, limiting her avenues of attack.

 

“A Philosopher's Stone? Like the immortality, turning lead into gold kind of stone? Wow… I never would have guessed. Okay… fair enough. I’d kill for that. I’ve killed for less. Like… way less. That’s basically infinite money right there.” Riley chuckled in the darkness. Quirell blinked at that, feeling his throat go dry. What did she mean she’d killed for less?

 

“That troll wasn’t your first kill, Ms. Uzumaki?” Quirell spoke, as he got closer and closer to the wall.

 

“Far from it. You could fill a graveyard with my body count, and that’s not an exaggeration. A literal, graveyard.” She responded, sounding almost amused.

 

A cold chill washed over the DADA professor. He felt the sweat start to sting at his eyes, despite the chill of the dungeon. He was starting to panic and he knew it. He’d been in danger before, faced threats that could kill him. He knew that panic well, and he was feeling it now. A man faced with a predator.

 

With a growl he sent loose another spell into the darkness, again he struck nothing as his back finally reached the wall.

 

He was about to start moving towards the corner when a chuckle caught his ears. It came from directly above him.

 

Lifting his gaze, he caught sight of her blood red eyes staring down at him. She stood there, knelt several feet above him on the wall, somehow sticking to it. He turned and tried to raise his wand, but she made a motion with her arms, moving them upwards and over her head as she smiled down at him. He felt a sharp pain lance through his neck and his feet lift off the ground.

 

His wand dropped from his fingers as he rose into the air, his hands shot towards his neck, his fingers clawing at a razor thin pain that dug into his flesh. Something was there, something small, digging into the soft flesh of his neck, drawing blood, and holding him aloft.

 

With his wand now dropped, his Lumos had faded, leaving the only light visible to be the dim glow of her blood red eyes, staring down at him from above.

 

She was holding him up, easily taking his full weight as she hung him with ninja wire. He kicked at the air, trying desperately to get free. One of his hands even tried reaching above him, where he could actually feel the wire pulled taught from her grip. He could do nothing to it, nothing but cut his hand on the razor thin but incredibly strong wire.

 

Riley watched as the light left the man’s eyes. From the moment he’d tried to kill her, any thought to avoiding harming him, or causing lasting damage vanished. Again, she had to take a moment to recognize how easily this came to her. Ending life. It was such a simple thing.

 

A full minute passed by. Quirell’s face had turned purple, blood drained from where the wire dug into his neck. Riley shook her head and dropped him to the ground. She leaped from the wall, landing a few feet away from the body. She turned to face it, watching as the dark power latched onto the back of his head, slowly began to suffuse into his body.

 

She watched, as the body began to animate, Quirell remained motionless, as if playing dead, but she could see the magic filling him up.

 

“I know you’re still in there.” Riley spoke, training her wand on the man.

 

“Ah, worth a try.” Came the mysterious voice from earlier.

 

Quirell slowly rose to his feet, picking up his wand as he did. He turned to face her, his bloodshot eyes, still frozen in horror as they stared in her general direction. He lifted his hands, and slowly undid the turban he wore, letting it fall to the wayside, he then turned around, revealing the source of the voice.

 

The face of a man was growing from the back of Quirell’s head. Riley reeled back in disgust, blinking several times in surprise.

 

“Fuck! What the hell are you?” She questioned with disgust.

 

“Those eyes… it’s been a long time since I’ve seen eyes like that. I would love to explain things, but unfortunately, I cannot. This has taken to long, and I must escape before they catch up. Let me pass, and I will see you rewarded for it.” The face spoke, seemingly able to control Quirell’s body like it was it’s own, albeit in reverse since it was on the back of his head.

 

“Sorry, but I can’t let you escape with an artifact as powerful as the Philosopher’s Stone. No idea what you want it for, but I can only imagine something nefarious.” Riley responded, having regained her composure from the disgusting sight.

 

“Do you know who I am, child?” The face questioned her.

 

“Not a clue.” Riley answered honestly.

 

“Voldemort, that is who I am. Leader of the Dark, heir to Salazar Slytherin. With this stone, I will see to my revival. I cannot allow you to impede me on my quest.” The Dark Lord revealed to her.

 

“Voldemort. Still alive… I had wondered if you’d ever show up again.” Riley spoke, a dark shadow passing over her face, as her Sharingan evolved into the Mangekyou.

 

“You suspected my survival? My you truly are remarkably bright miss Uzumaki. You would do well as my ally. You came to this country to establish yourself, rebuild your clan, did you not. I can aid in that endeavor.” Voldemort offered to her.

 

“I may have interest in such an offer, were it not for the fact that you’ve already tried to kill me. I don’t take attempts on my life, lying down.” Riley responded darkly.

 

“Ah, but that was Quirell, not I. I would have preferred speaking to you first, and if it came to a fight, disabling you. Knowledge of my actions was inconsequential at this venture. So long as you couldn’t impede or pursue, that would have been good enough. Quirell for all of his benefits, was far to cruel and paranoid.” Voldemort responded, attempting to appease her.

 

“That’s not the attempt I’m talking about. You don’t remember me, do you?” Riley questioned him, a cruel smile dancing onto her face.

 

Voldemort stared at her for several long moments, confusion obvious. He blinked several times, before realization seemed to dawn on him.

 

“This way!” A voice cut through the silence, as dim light colored the sealed door.

 

A sudden rattle of the door surprised both of them, though it remained magically locked. It seems Voldemort’s pursuers had caught up to him.

 

Taking advantage of his surprise and the fact that he couldn’t attack as easily with the way his body was oriented, Riley launched a powerful Reducto right at the body’s center mass. Voldemort seemed to catch sight of it, but made no move to block the incoming attack.

 

The body was nearly ripped in two, as his chest exploded in a shower of gore.

 

He flew back against the wall and collapsed to the ground.

 

The face, on the back of Quirell’s head began to vanish, sinking back into the regular shape of a skull.

 

Riley quickly advanced on the fallen body, as she heard the pursuers preparing to unlock the door.

 

She gave the corpse just a brief moment of observation before she quickly dug her hand into it’s pockets. A smile spread across her face as she felt the Stone in her grasp, pulling it free, she rose, ready to hide herself from those in pursuit and sneak away with her prize, and the knowledge that she’d killed the Dark Lord.

 

A shadow passed over her, and before she realized what was happening everything went dark.

 

--

 

In her mind’s eyes, a vision played out. She found herself standing naked before a floating sword. This blade, it was her sword, floating in the pure darkness around her.

 

Standing before her, with it’s back facing her, was a multi-winged figure. Abyss black wings, stretched out into the darkness, their depths filled with the light of the cosmos. Dim twinkling light, like that of the stars, was the only distinction other than blackness within them. They framed what appeared to be jet black hair. The figure was tall, and draped in black robes, over them, ornate, red shinobi battle-armor. Upon it’s head, a crown of horns could be seen, further adding to the intrigue and mystique of this creature.

 

The figure did not turn to face her. It kept it’s back to her, staring off into the darkness of the void. At the edges of her vision, Riley could see movement. Shifting darkness in the void. Glowing eyes filling it’s blackness. Eyes of red, and blue, and green, and yellow. More colors revealed themselves, as twin orbs of light stared at her from the darkness, their gaze piercing into her naked flesh, straight down to her very soul. It was a violating gaze, one that seemed impossible to hide anything from.

 

A pulse echoed through the void. A deep thrumming that sounded almost like a heartbeat. As it did, a dim red glow emerged from her sword, casting some light onto the darkness.

 

“Sooooonnnn…” Came a voice from the shadows all around her. Another pulse, a greater light, revealing the eyes in the darkness.

 

These eyes belonged to hundreds of eel-like serpents. Riley’s eyes flew about as another pulse lit up the army of creatures better. Countless serpents, of different shapes, hung in the darkness, their bodies stretching unseen into the void.

 

She felt her fear boil in her gut, felt helpless for the first time in years.

 

With another pulse, the dim reflection of nine titanic beings shown in her vision. Shapeless things, of color. Red, orange, blue, green, yellow, indigo, violet, black and white. Things that her mind couldn’t comprehend were there, staring down at her from within the depths of the darkness.

 

A final pulse. A final deafening noise.

 

“Soon…” The dark voice spoke once more.

 

---

 

“Wake Up!” Kurama snapped at her, causing Riley’s eyes to fly open.

 

She found herself staring up at the familiar ceiling of her bedroom.

 

“Wh-What happened?” Riley questioned, blinking as she sat up, her body soaked in sweat.

 

In her hands she held her wand, and the Philosopher’s Stone, but had no memory of how she’d gotten there.

 

“We have a bit of a problem.” Madara spoke, unamused.

 

“What?” Her mind still reeling from the dream.

 

“Narumi Namikaze… it’s a pleasure to see you again.” Came the familiar voice of the Dark Lord.

 

Riley blinked several times as a feeling of dread washed over her.

 

“No…” She groaned as a realization washed over her, the dream momentarily forgotten as a new sense of worry flooded into her.

 

“Yes/Yes.” Madara and Kurama responded.

 

“You jumped into my body, you fucking prick!” Riley snapped as she shot out bed.

 

“Such language.” Voldemort hummed.

 

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?!? Kurama why haven’t you eaten this guy’s soul?” Riley growled, angry, annoyed, and more than a little afraid of having the Dark Lord’s spirit nesting in her body.

 

“I fully intended on it, but the other guy wont let me. While you were out, he woke up and stopped me from eating this puny little human’s soul. Said something about him being useful, and to let you decide how to handle it. Then he fucked off back to sleep. Guy really knows how to insert himself at the worst moment and then fuck off into the abyss of your soul. Kind of annoying really.” Kurama explained to her. Riley blinked at that, momentarily remembering the dream. Was that the ‘other guy’s’ voice that she’d heard in the darkness.

 

“For it’s intervention, I am most grateful.” Voldemort hummed with amusement.

 

“What the fuck do you want? How did I make it back to my room? What happened down in that chamber?” Riley questioned.

 

“When my spirit leaped into your body, it knocked you unconscious. I intended to simply play the passed out victim and let the staff make up their own story until you regained consciousness and we had the opportunity to chat. Strangely though, your body began acting, almost on it’s own. You began moving, and used your ocular powers to teleport away just before the door was opened. You dropped us all here in what I assume is your bedroom, and then clocked out again.” Voldemort explained to her.

 

“Pretty much, yeah.” Madara agreed.

 

“Yeah, kind of like what happened last time your were knocked out, how you dragged yourself all the way back to France and then stood over Fleur for like an hour before going to sleep. Weird kind of autopilot.” Kurama added in.

 

“As for what I want, the answer is simple, I want to talk. Especially now that I know who you really are. I am curious though, before we begin, are you really the Lord of the Uzumaki Clan?” Voldemort inquired.

 

“Yeah, I am. What’s it to you?” Riley responded as she folded her arms over her chest and focused on her inner head space.

 

With a bit of concentration she found herself standing before Kurama’s cage. There floating before her was the ghostly apparition of Lord Voldemort, which greeted her with an incline of the head, Madara’s own incorporeal spirit residing unseen, somewhere nearby.

 

“As I offered before, if it’s station you seek here in Britain, I can help you acquire it. The Uzumaki are a legendary clan from the Elemental Nations, known to those with even a passing knowledge of those lands. Having such a powerful clan reestablish itself in Britain would be a huge boon for the country on the political and magical stages, not even mentioning the military might the Nine Tails Jinchuriki could bring.” Voldemort expressed.

 

“Well it makes sense, but I’m curious, given what the shinobi did to your movement during the first Wizarding War, I’d think you’d despise my kind.” Riley wondered, not correcting him on the nature of her status as a Jinchuriki, or how that was slowly changing.

 

“I’ve grown beyond such gross generalizations. I can despise the individuals, but never the whole. My love for all things magical simply doesn’t allow it.” Voldemort responded. “You have no reason to believe this, but I am happy that you survived. I’ve always despised the harming of children, especially magical children to whom our future relies upon. Were it not for the overwhelming threat that your father and the Hidden Leaf provided, I would have never considered such an option. It is why I went there myself that day. I would not, and could not place the burden of such an act onto another. For my people, my cause, my beliefs, I was, and am, willing to do whatever it takes, but I still have my morals. My attack against you was never malicious, nor have I held any ill will towards your marvelous reversal of my attempt which left me in this state.”

 

Riley blinked at his words, surprised by that admission.

 

“Professor Quirell didn’t seem to share in such beliefs. He went for the kill right away.” She noted.

 

“Indeed. Far from the best of my followers, and always consumed by paranoia and anger. He would not have been my first option, and were it possible for me to take full control against his will, I would have stopped him, however, once he had begun, it was best not to distract him, in the hopes that we could escape.” Voldemort admitted.

 

“Fair enough. I guess at that point you’ve got no other option than to carry on and hope for the best. No point in second guessing when your life is in immediate danger.” Riley conceded, acknowledging that she’d likely have just gone with it, in the same scenario. That had happened to her several times in her life. Doing one thing out of instinct, or just as a reaction, and then later wondering if she couldn’t have tried something else. Like during her fight against the troll earlier in the year.

 

“So you want to offer me position here in Britain, forgive me, but how in the hell can you offer that? You’re basically a ghost, and your movement is broken. The other side won.” Riley questioned after a moment of thought.

 

“And what is it you want, in exchange for such an offer?” Madara added in.

 

“The Light did not win, they merely survived. They won no victories over my side, they merely outlasted us. A victory in itself, but far from something worth taking an abundance of pride in. My following remains strong here in Britain, with many preparing for my eventual return. I have ensured in my years in exile, that my followers have heard whispers and seen signs that our time was coming again. They are separate, leaderless, moving of their own accord, but they are still moving, and soon, I will reveal myself to them once more and we can begin consolidating our power to prepare for the next uprising.” Voldemort began to explain to her. Riley listened patiently, though she had no basis to believe or refute his claim. At the moment she had no ties to the political world here in Britain so what went on behind closed doors was anyone’s guess.

 

“Each year that goes by, the threat to our way of life, grows. The muggles, their technology continues to flourish, gifting them abilities that can rival or surpass what we can accomplish with magic. Each year we must crawl deeper into the shadows to hide from them, forgoing more of our powers, and abilities, allowing the divide between our two peoples to widen. Our enemy, our true enemy, outnumbers us a thousand to one, and that difference will only expand. Out of fear, paranoia, and delusions, our people continue to limit themselves. Those of pure blood look to inbreeding to consolidate their power, which only serves to weaken them genetically, they cling to power, and to ancient traditions, unable to see the threat for what it is. They direct their hatred towards the Muggleborns, not realizing the reality of the threat. Our world, the magical world, is on the brink of collapse. It isn’t an isolated incident. All it will take is one. One muggleborn. One child with the right mind, or the right connections. Parents who can’t be controlled, or a child to willful to be broken by the system. Only one, and suddenly our existence is revealed to the world. The moment that happens, humanity will do what it has always done, and try to seize our power for themselves, and because they cannot wield magic on their own, the only way for them to control it, is to own us. The best case scenario is one where we are relegated to interment camps, and wielded as tools by the muggle world for the rest of our days. Living as servants and slaves. The worst case scenario is the realization that they can never fully control us, and thus, never mitigate the threat we pose, and they choose to wipe us all out. I do not hate muggleborns for their blood status, I don’t hate them at all, really. I just recognize that they are likely going to be the ones to destroy the Statute of Secrecy. I see these things, I recognize them. It is for these reasons, I do what I must do. I must prepare our people, prepare our world for that day. To defeat the muggles, and ensure our freedom. Britain is just a first step, but it is home. It is for these reasons, that I have built my movement, and why I have encouraged the aggression of my people, because that day will come when we must fight for our survival, and they must be ready for it. I hate that we must sharpen our teeth against each other, but I am a practical man. If fighting is going to happen regardless, we best get the most out of it.” Voldemort explained to her.

 

Riley was surprised. Surprised by how impassioned the man was. She could feel how much this meant to him, how it worried him. In her minds eye, she saw Konoha, the Civilian Council. Merchants, and landowners, normal people, muggles. Always butting heads with the Clan Leaders, always trying to direct and control the actions of the Hokage. The Council of Konoha was never more than an advisory group yet somewhere in their history, they’d began grasping onto to actual power. Riley could remember how they had their own shinobi guards, how they walked around all high and mighty, despite being ordinary humans.

 

It wasn’t something that Riley understood. Growing up under Madara’s tutelage, she was raised on the belief the might makes right. That the strongest got to decide what was right and wrong. That was the human experience. That’s how it had always been. The strongest made the rules, the strongest guided civilization. Madara had explained it to her that power was not will, it was the phenomenon of physically making things happen. Those who could make things happen, they had power. They were powerful. A merchant lord, could make things happen. He had money, influence, control, and it gave him power, but all of that power relied on other people. It relied on those weaker than him, kowtowing to the perception of his power. For a human being, there was no difference in their individual powers. All humans, sat at about the same level of power. The wealthiest businessmen in the world, could be cut down with a knife wielded by a homeless vagrant. Take the most physically fit humans in the world, and the weakest, put them in a circle, give each one a gun, and tell them to kill one another, their abilities only barely effect their chances of survival. Humans, because of their technology, were largely on an even playing field when it came to independent power. No one man could singularly wield much more than another, they relied on each other to amass more power.

 

Magicals were different though. Madara and Hashirama were perfect examples. Madara was the second strongest shinobi to have ever lived, and his rival, the only man who could defeat him, the man who stood as his opposite, in terms of their beliefs, still fought him on his own. Both men, despite their differing philosophies, fought each other alone. It was their singular power, their own strength, that made them legends, that made them monsters. People didn’t fear Hashirama Senju because he was the leader of the Senju Clan, or the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf, they feared him because he was the God of the Shinobi, a man who could slaughter entire armies as easily as heal them. A one-man terror that not even the Tailed Beasts could compete with. It was the same for Madara. No one cared that he was the leader of the Uchiha Clan. That point was far outweighed by the fact that he was the only man who could face Hashirama Senju in a one-on-one battle and survive.

 

Magicals had the ability to do things, that muggles could only dream of, and they had the potential to do it on their own. One magical, one great magical being, could reshape the entire world. Magicals and muggles couldn’t be compared. Muggles had to rely on each other to amass further power. Magicals had the ability to grow into the realm of the gods, if they had the right ambition, and drive. Even a weakling shinobi, could wipe out a squad of some of the best muggle soldiers in the world.

 

Voldemort was right. If the muggle world knew of the magical one, it would either seek to control it, like the civilians in Konoha, or destroy it outright. The muggles strength was in their numbers and technology, both of which grew with each passing day. Eventually, in fact, most likely, already, they would have the power to destroy the magical world. That was something Riley certainly couldn’t stand for. The magical world included her. Her friends. Her lover. There was no argument as to where she fell in that conflict.

 

“How do you intend to stop them?” Riley asked him.

 

“I don’t know.” Voldemort answered honestly, much to Riley’s surprise.

 

“You don’t know? After all this time, all your planning and work, and you don’t have anything yet?” She questioned with disbelief.

 

“I’ve had many ideas, all untested, and unproven. None of those ideas, included the possibility of you. You change things, open the doorway to possibilities I would have never considered.” Voldemort explained to her.

 

“How?” Riley asked him.

 

“Tell me… those eyes of yours, those ringed eyes that I saw before you destroyed me… are they the eyes of god? The Rinnegan?” Voldemort questioned.

 

Riley was silent for a moment, understanding dawning on her. “They are.”

 

“You have the eyes of the founder of magic. The Sage of the Six Paths. You are a Jinchuriki of the Nine Tails. You are the leader of the Uzumaki Clan. All of these things on their own, add elements to this equation that weren’t there before. All of them in one person, that… that puts a piece on the board who’s value cannot be quantified.” Voldemort pointed out.

 

“You seek to control her.” Madara noted.

 

“I would prefer to work with her, towards a common goal. I will not deny my intention to use her power for my benefit, but I am not so naive to believe such a boon is without cost, hence my earlier offer to aid her in establishing her clan here in Britain.” Voldemort responded.

 

“You should know my intention is not just to restore my clan, but to carry it to new heights, the kind of thing you only hear about in stories and ancient legends. Its my goal, my ambition to see my clan rise to a level without comparison. That isn’t exactly the most amenable goal involving subservience to another.” Riley made note.

 

“Lucky for me then, I have no desire to rule.” Voldemort replied.

 

“You don’t?” Riley questioned, surprised.

 

“Ruling was only ever a means to an end. If I could see our world to it’s proper salvation, see it safe and secured, I would happily turn to more personal pursuits. The study of ancient knowledge, and magical secrets, and sharing such knowledge with others. I never wished for this. Never wanted to find myself in such a role, I’d always seen myself as a teacher. In fact, I once applied to become the DADA professor here at Hogwarts when I was younger. Teaching others, showing them the scope of magic, and it’s possibilities, that is where my heart truly lays. It was a dream though, a desire on a far off shore. Not until our world is safe can I allow myself to be so selfish. I wish I could. I wish I could be that man, and live a simpler life, but I cannot. The things I’ve seen and felt, have spurred me to action, and I cannot stop now. I know what is coming, and though I recognize the scope of this intrusion, I could not pass up the opportunity to speak with you, and convince you to aid our cause. This isn’t about light or dark, blood purity, or anything like that. This is a struggle against the inevitable. A great conflict is coming. I see it ending only one way. War. And we are not in a position to survive it. Scattered, divided, leaderless, the magical world will fall and all of our hopes and dreams will die with it. So I ask you, Riley Uzumaki, will you fight for this world of ours, can we set aside the conflicts of our past and work towards a brighter future together?” Voldemort implored her.

 

Riley was silent for a long moment as she thought on that. She knew he was right, she knew that one day, the secret would get out, and due to her abilities, due to her becoming a Tailed Beast, she would live long enough to see it. So… the question was, did she join forces with the Dark Lord, one of the most terrifying and powerful wizards of all time, or did she proceed on her own?

 

The lone wolf path, like Madara, or the path of cooperation, like Hashirama?

 

What would her grandmother do? The one who led the Uzumaki to become one of the most feared clans in history. The Uzumaki were famous for their power. It was theirs though. The clans. The clan was not bound by blood, but by loyalty. Those brought to Uzushiogakure became members of the Uzumaki clan. Even Madara, was once welcomed as one of their own. An Uzumaki by marriage, and by loyalty. The strength of muggles lie in their unity and technology. Magicals didn’t need these things to have power, but that didn’t mean they should forgo them. All avenues of power should be exploited. Power in ones self, power in ones people. Power in all it’s forms. Power… the ability to make things happen.

 

In order for her dream to become a reality, this world of theirs had to survive, and if Voldemort’s fears were valid, than each day was a gamble, and one day, they’d lose. One day, the dice would fall on Snake Eyes, and the Statute of Secrecy would fall. When that time came, they had to be ready. To face the onslaught that would arise. Riley was a realist, but she tended to lean more towards pessimism when it came to her enemies. There was likely to be war. It was a war they weren’t yet ready for. They needed to unite. That was the first step. Once the collective powers of the magical world were united under a single banner, than they could take the next step.

 

“What would you have of me, Lord Voldemort. My help, what would that entail?” Riley asked him.

 

“The Philosopher’s Stone, is but the first step, leading to my revival. I would have you help me return to physical form. In the meantime, I will take you on as my apprentice, and teach you all I know of magic. We will be allies in this. The restoration of your clan, the unification of all magical peoples. Your potential is limitless, and I would see it cultivated to it’s fullest. In the meantime I will help you locate the resources needed to bring me back, and when the time is right, I will take my leave of your body, and we will begin moving against the Ministry and the Wizengamot.” Voldemort answered.

 

Riley took that in, a pang of excitement at the offer to teach her in the ways of magic, but there was one last thing she needed to address, a point that she wanted to put out there, just so it wasn’t a surprise later on.

 

“You know that one day, people will realize who I am. My family will learn of my ascension here, and see through this new name and title. When that happens Minato and the Leaf will come for Britain again.” Riley pointed out.

 

“I am aware. Do you intend to fight them?” Voldemort questioned in response.

 

“I will never return to that village. If they come after me, I’ll kill them. I’ll kill them all.” Riley responded.

 

“Than we are of like minds. If the Leaf chooses to return to Britain, then we shall be ready. You are not alone in this.” Voldemort assured her.

 

“Very well then. Lord Voldemort, I will accept your offer, and I’ll help you return to physical form. Perhaps together, we can ensure our worlds survival, and the safety of all that we hold dear.” Riley said to him, making her choice to join forces with the Dark Lord.

 

“And I accept you as my student, Riley Uzumaki. I will teach you what I know, and help see you to your fullest potential in magic. While it is just us, please, call me Tom.” Voldemort responded.

 

With that, the deal was made, the pact sealed. Riley’s course, her path for the future began to take shape. This alliance with the Dark Lord would open many doorway for her, and from it, a means of beginning to see her dream realized.

 

The Uzumaki Clan, would be restored, and she would rise to become greater than any who came before her. One day, the magical world would reveal itself, and when that day came, she’d be ready to protect all that she held dear. No matter what the muggles had, or what they tried to throw at them, she’d beat it. She had no other choice but to win.

 

For a brief moment, she recalled the strange dream she’d had, the strange vision, that she didn’t understand. There was meaning there. Something profound, something revealing, but she didn’t yet understand it. Perhaps by expanding her understanding of magic, by receiving this training from Voldemort, she’d finally start to understand the nature of this power that lay within her. The nature of the unknown demon, and those things, that watched her from the shadows.

 

One day, she’d understand. For now though, for now it was time to focus on what she could currently grasp. To learn and grow.

 

Her path now set with this alliance, it was time for her to take her first steps towards rebuilding her clan.

 

-To Be Continued-

Notes:

Alright, there’s chapter nine for you guys. Some major changes here. Lots going on. I condensed about three chapters into one, removing the chapter where we first met Kurama since that already happened, and bringing the events of the First year together quite nicely, I think.

Riley has a new guest living inside of her, one that will better help her learn the nature of magic and the political world of Britain. In the original I just kind of had her be a horcrux and have her learn Voldemort’s power from that, which was fine on it’s own but it just kind of gave her his knowledge to learn from. It was just a tool, and that was it. Going this route allows for the two to form a closer bond, and cooperate with one another and give Riley another teacher that can help mold her.

Now having Voldemort living inside of her for a time will certainly shake up the events of Second year, and possibly more, if it carries on beyond that. So we’ll have to see what comes of it. Hope you all enjoy, I love the feedback I’ve been getting, and I’m definitely enjoying this rewrite. Hope you all enjoy it too. Until the next time. Later!

Chapter 10: Summer Time

Notes:

Time for the next chapter.

An air of unease held over the staff of Hogwarts. The sudden disappearance of Professor Quirell was unusual. While the students wondered what had happened to the stuttering DADA professor, the staff couldn’t quite keep their knowledge of the truth from affecting them.

 

Riley observed them for a short while, spying on a few of their meetings. The teachers were of the belief that Quirell had been working with someone, and that someone had met him down in the dungeons and killed him before taking the Philosopher’s Stone. It was an explanation that made sense in their minds, the only thing to really explain his sudden death. It was apparent from her observations that the teachers, and Dumbledore had been aware that Quirell was likely the one attempting to steal the Philosopher’s Stone, but they didn’t have any definitive proof so they laid their traps and waited. Quirell had managed to steal the stone, but he didn’t escape unnoticed, with several of the staff pursuing him and others waiting out on the grounds if he emerged from a secret path. Still none of them expected an accomplice.

 

It was revealing hearing the teachers discuss the likelihood that Quirell was working with, or for Voldemort, acknowledging the strong possibility that the Dark Lord was still alive. This came as a bit of a surprise for Voldemort himself as he listened in alongside Riley as she spied on them. He knew to not underestimate a man like Dumbledore, but he’d have never guessed the old man still thought he was around and influencing things.

 

It was Dumbledore who voiced the possibility that the reason behind Quirell’s need for the Philosopher’s Stone was likely to aid in Voldemort’s revival or restoration, as Dumbledore wasn’t quite set on what state he believed that Dark Lord to be in, either grievously wounded, or as a ghost or spirit. It was likely the latter, given the pile of ashes found at the scene of his supposed ‘death’, but Dumbledore didn’t seem to want to fully commit to one idea or the other.

 

So the question became, could the Dark Lord use the Philosopher’s Stone to come back to life? None knew the answer to that question. The Stone could be used to create the Elixir of Life, a potion that would extend one’s life span by several decades, and if used repeatedly, would grant one immortality for as long as they wished it, but to their knowledge, the only healing properties it provided was a resistance to disease. It didn’t heal injuries, nor did it restore the body. It also didn’t stop one from aging, it just increased the time they had left, so the body would continue to age endlessly until one was incredibly decrepit. Due to it’s limitations, the how behind it’s ability to revive the Dark Lord, remained a mystery to them, but they couldn’t help but lean into that explanation as the worst case scenario.

 

It was Voldemort who chimed in there, revealing to Riley that such information was only what was ‘publicly’ known about the Elixir of Life, and he had discovered information leading him to believe that the creator of the Philosopher’s Stone Nicolas Flamel, had spread false information regarding the Stone’s abilities to limit the number of people who’d try to steal it, or replicate his work. Flamel was a crafty man, and was known for his deceptive mind, and cunning. Voldemort didn’t put it past the legendary Alchemist to spread false knowledge of the Stone’s abilities.

 

Riley had no way of knowing either way, but concluded that with it now in her possession she could learn the truth alongside the Dark Lord, a notion he agreed with.

 

The teachers would eventually conclude that their only option was to keep watch for any signs of the Dark Lord’s return. They would monitor his old allies for now, and wait to see if anything suspicious was emerging.

 

Armed with this knowledge the Dark Lord, and his newfound apprentice would have to proceed with caution.

 

Riley’s training under Voldemort began almost immediately, though it was not in magic that his first lessons would be about, but rather in history, and decorum.

 

She had some knowledge of how to be a lady, due to Madara’s teachings, though the old Uchiha was far from an aristocrat or a politician. In order to be an effective lord or lady, one had to be able to navigate the political field as effectively as the battlefield, so Voldemort’s first lessons were in teaching Riley about the ancient families, lessons Madara had already encouraged her to begin learning. He not only shared with her their history, both past and present, but also their nature as families, and how to deal with them.

 

He also taught her how to act in highborn society, how to navigate it in order to achieve her desires.

 

She spent many long hours in deep meditation, often subconsciously performing chakra or magical control exercises while the Dark Lord taught her.

 

It wouldn’t be long before she had to take her final exams for the year. Riley passed each and every one of them with an O. She received praise from her teachers, and her friends for scoring the highest of any first year. She was also distinguished for being one of the few First Years to ever receive such high scores in all of Hogwarts’ history. According to Dumbledore, her scores put her on par with only seven others to ever pass through the school’s storied halls. One of eight, in over a thousand years of history, a proud accomplishment to say the least.

 

The praise she received really moved her. To be truly recognized for her efforts, even if it was easy for her, she was grateful to experience it. The last day of the school year came about with Riley spending the day with her friends. She made plans to meet with them over the summer and to write each and every one of them often.

 

Leaving Hogwarts was not easy, and Riley already began feeling anxious on the train ride back, feeling homesick.

 

Thankfully her friends kept her distracted by discussing their summer plans, and possible hangouts in the coming weeks.

 

After making it to the train station she met up with Remus and they returned to the Leaky Cauldron, where Remus shared with her a number of houses he’d looked into over the last couple of weeks. Riley had written to him and asked him to investigate and check out some houses and give his opinion on them. She planned on buying one, and finally setting down roots here in Britain.

 

Meeting up with Remus again, even just a few months further on, showed just how much more open she was becoming. She greeted him with a smile and a hug, she was positively chatty, by comparison to her more usual demeanor. He didn’t comment on it, merely accepted that she was growing and healing from her past. At the Leaky Cauldron, the two discussed homes in the area, and after an hour or two, Riley picked out a few that she liked and they went to look at them.

 

She would eventually settle on one that was out of the way, just outside of London. It was close enough to the action, but far enough away for privacy, and room to grow. The house wasn’t all that big. Three bedroom, two and a half baths, but it had a large plot of land that would allow for growth. The previous owners had died, and their children didn’t want to keep up the maintenance on the property which was slowly becoming overgrown. Riley was more than happy to take it off their hands, and after purchasing it, she and Remus moved in.

 

It was lovely having a house to call her own, and Riley spent the coming days furnishing it, and redecorating to make it look nice. She also worked on cleaning up the land, getting it back to looking decent. Remus helped out a lot, going with her to pick out plants to build a garden, or new furniture to update the old place, he helped with the yard work, doing what he could to be a good tenant, which is how he’d often describe the nature of their living together. It was her house, and she was letting him stay with her, so helping her out with whatever she needed seemed just par for the course. Riley saw them more as roommates, even if she was the owner of the house, it’s not like money was really an issue for her, given the wealth she had from the Uzumaki, and the fact that she now had the Philosopher’s Stone. She just preferred his company. Having someone, who had become like an uncle to her, to look out for her was enjoyable.

 

It was Voldemort, who revealed a secret about Remus that Riley hadn’t guessed at. He told her that Remus had once been a follower of Lord Voldemort, someone who served him in secret. Never an official Death Eater, never considered one of them, solely for the purposes of acting as a spy. Remus, and those like him, never took the Dark Mark or acted in the same capacity as regular Death Eaters. If they were captured, even under Veriteserum they could honestly say they weren’t Death Eaters. They would still reveal that they had served the Dark Lord under such interrogation, but because it was a common belief that the Death Eaters were Voldemort’s most fanatic followers, those who weren’t Death Eaters, were usually just low level guys. Wannabes, and informants, who’s crimes were usually less heinous. It was also easier to claim that you were under the affects of something like the Imperius Curse, since your crimes weren’t suspected to be violent. Of course, anyone with an ounce of sense would wonder why you wouldn’t use your mind-controlled slave to perform the more heinous crimes, to leave you blameless, but Voldemort was quick to point out that unfortunately, the Magical World, especially magical Britain didn’t operate on a great deal of common sense, something that Riley would have to get used to, and learn to navigate and use to her advantage.

 

It was using the views, ideals, misconceptions, and beliefs of his fellow witches and wizards, that allowed Voldemort so much success in his movement.

 

These were the things he began teaching her during the summer break. Magic was one thing, she’d have all of her Hogwarts’ education to learn common magic, Voldemort intended to take the time to teach her how to wield the tools of a politician, and the magic he did intend to teach her was the kind that wasn’t taught at Hogwarts. Things that she’d never have the chance to learn while in school. Neither of them knew how long they’d have connected like this, so Voldemort intended to make the most of that time by teaching her what mattered. Charms and Transfiguration and DADA, she’d have the next six years to learn that from skilled practitioners. It was the ability to guide the thoughts and ideas of others to her purposes, the ability to get to the root of another person’s desires and direct those goals and ambitions to work to your benefit. These were skills she’d need to reestablish her clan. She’d need more than just fighting ability or magical know-how.

 

So Riley learned, she was led through scenarios about people, about people’s wants and goals, and how to talk to them. She was taught how to act, how to move, how to direct with motion to elevate herself. There was a degree of theatrics in lordship that went hand-in-hand with the kind of theatrics found in Shinobi life. One’s body told a story, how they held themselves, told a story. Right now, Riley held herself as someone who was powerful, someone who was confident, perhaps even overly so. It allowed people to trust her, because of that confidence. It’s why it was easy for her friends to look to her as a leader, but she’d need more than that. Voldemort described it as the difference between a shinobi squad leader, and a kage. What she had now, inspired in a particular way, it made people trust in a specific way. The idea of a soldier, a warrior, someone who had experience in battle, who’d faced conflict and survived. That wasn’t necessarily the best way to be seen as a politician. On the field of battle, and in the face of danger, absolutely valuable, but in the day-to-day running of a system, it was harder to approach someone like that. It scared away the timid, or the distrustful, and it put one in danger of becoming too big, too far above everyone else to approach, and for a leader, that was a death sentence because as soon as you couldn’t hear what your lowest level followers were saying about you, couldn’t hear their problems, you would eventually start to work against them, and that would lead to resentment which would lead to your support structure crumbling.

 

Having a legend, being a legend, and wearing that legendary status all day every day, was actually quite harmful to her dreams and wishes.

 

It was here that Madara actually voiced his agreement. He compared it to the differences between himself and Hashirama. Both were legends, both were terrors, both titans that stood far above everybody else, hell Hashirama stood on a rung even higher than Madara by his own admission, but the difference was, Hashirama was approachable. He had this friendly nature to him that invited people in. In spite of his terrifying reputation, children were happy to come up to him, adults would wave or stop to chat. He carried himself in such a way that people weren’t dumbstruck by his mere presence, but also weren’t terrified by it either. Normal people could just come up to him and talk. It was why he made such a good Hokage. Why he was so loved. Madara always wore his legend, always carried himself on that pedestal, and it made him terrifying. Children were scared of him, people wouldn’t come near him unless they had to, even his own clan were terrified of him, as like Voldemort had said, the moment you became to big to approach, you lost the ability to interact with, and thus the ability to truly understand those that followed you.

 

It was how he had lost the faith of his clan. Why the Uchiha had abandoned him. He kept following his own path, never realizing that they no longer wanted to keep going in his direction. Everything he did, he did for them, but at some point, they’d chosen a different path, and he hadn’t seen it, hadn’t learned of it, until it was too late. By the time he saw what his clan truly wanted, he had become an outsider, he was no longer the leader they wanted.

 

Kaguya, was a lot like Hashirama. She had a motherly or even grandmotherly nature to her. She was approachable, she made people want to share their hardships with her, like they would their own mother. Voldemort helped her to cultivate that sort of mindset when dealing with others. A political mindset, always analyzing, always questioning, always working to play the angles. He helped her to adjust how she carried herself. How to appear more open, more approachable, to still hold to that greatness, to still appear larger than life, but also be someone that even the meekest of followers would open up to.

 

Voldemort approved of her keeping her true nature a secret. Hiding who, and what she truly was, even from her close friends, even from her lover, it gave her power. Of course she felt guilty but, as Voldemort pointed out, it’s not a lie, if it’s never addressed, and sometimes lies can be helpful, sometimes they can be for someone’s betterment. One day, she’d know which of her friends could truly be trusted, she’d form an inner circle, and these were the people she’d open up more to. Some more than others, but they’d be the people who knew her better than most.

 

Of all her friends, Remus and the Delacour’s were the only one’s who knew of her secret identity as Null. A skilled bounty-hunter who’d made a name for herself, but had been mysteriously absent since she started school. She’d have to correct that, and begin going out again if she wished to hold onto that alias and keep the name alive. Of them though, only Remus knew of her past. Mr. Delacour she’d told that she was originally from the Elemental Nations, but he didn’t know more than that. Whether he’d shared that knowledge with his wife or children, Riley didn’t know. No one, not even Fleur, knew everything that had happened to her. Even Remus didn’t know everything. He definitely knew more than everyone else, but he didn’t know it all. He didn’t know the truth about Itachi and the Uchiha’s Coup. He didn’t know about Madara, or about him still being around to influence her.

 

There were many things Riley kept to herself, and it was to her benefit to remain mysterious. Knowledge was power and the more people knew about you the better they understood you. The less they knew, the less they could anticipate your actions.

 

Riley used his encouragement to push away the guilt. One day she’d tell those she loved the truth. Once she knew that they could be trusted completely, once she knew that she could keep them safe and shield them from harm. Until that time, she had to keep her secrets.

 

In the quiet of the night, Riley donned her mask, and shrouded herself in a black cloak. She would stalk the streets of England, spying on people, studying them, learning about them, magicals and muggles alike. Her reason for doing so, was to learn the best ways to manipulate people, learn their secrets. Knowing your enemies was just as valuable on the political field, as it was the battlefield, so Voldemort had her gather intel and then they discussed what she’d learned and they used that knowledge to better understand these people, and allow her to judge what they’d do next.

 

The concept was known as Game Theory, and it basically represented a method of analyzing situations, strategizing, and determining outcomes, based on the idea of multiple participants. Essentially, it was the idea that each participant in a given ‘game’ could affect the outcome for everyone else and also, effect everyone’s actions. This could be applied to the battlefield or the political field or just life in general. By using Game Theory, by studying and understanding the participants, and not only learning how and why they made certain moves, but how their moves affected the whole ‘game’ you could then use your moves to guide the game towards the outcome you desire.

 

Voldemort explained how it was often valuable to not make moves directly, but have them made for you, by others, and how with enough understanding of your opponents, with enough understanding of how each piece interacted with the game and each other, you could use Game Theory to guide any given situation towards the preferred result, even if you weren’t the one making it so.

 

Take for example a pedophile who had acted on their desires. The mere knowledge that a person had committed such a crime would spark anger, even rage in most people. Not all, but many people were more than happy to see such a person punished for such a crime. Some would likely even kill them for it, or happily watch them die. Knowing this, knowing how people viewed people like that, gave you the leverage to manipulate not only the pedophile, but the people. If you knew people would attack them, if you knew that the pedophile knew this as well, the things you could get them to do without ever having to directly control the situation…

 

Blackmail, coercion, manipulation, deception, all were tools to be exploited in the pursuit of your goals.

 

It gave you power. To guide the actions of others, by simply knowing how they viewed the world, how they’d react to certain information. Voldemort was good at this, it was how he guided people towards his cause, convincing them that his way, wasn’t just the right way, but the way to see their own goals, or dreams accomplished.

 

The more she understood, the more she sought to learn. Riley had always been magically gifted, and she’d always been clever. Manipulating people came naturally to her, and though she didn’t enjoy lying to her friends, her need for self-preservation kept her in check.

 

Speaking of her friends, she wrote to them often, even met up with most of them over the summer to hang out and just enjoy themselves. Of particular note was the few times she hung out with Daphne, Riley hadn’t gotten the chance to hang out with her just the two of them, they were always with part of their friend group, so Riley hadn’t gotten to see where she lived or met any of her family. According to Tracey she had a younger sister, but Daphne didn’t talk about her often. Of all her friends, Daphne was the most mysterious. Riley did take notice during the few times they got to hang out, a particular scent that she was familiar with. It was always there, despite being covered up by either shampoo or perfume. It was the scent of blood.

 

Ever the curiosity, though Riley kept her distance. She watched Daphne during their meetings, though saw no signs, other than that familiar scent, that made her believe anything nefarious was going on. She did take note though of something particular that made her realize that Daphne was probably the most clever student at Hogwarts. Riley began to notice the act she put on, the mask that she wore, how she came off as frigid and cool, and difficult to approach, which always seemed at odds with her best friend Tracey who was loud, bubbly, and playful, always eager to be the center of attention. Riley had seen the mask slip a few times, and she’d noticed that Daphne was far more mature, thoughtful, and cool-headed, than she portrayed.

 

It took some time for Riley to realize that Daphne reminded her a lot of herself. Her curiosity grew, but she chose not to pry, not wanting to deliberately infringe on her friend’s privacy. People she didn’t know were perfectly okay, but someone she was friends with was a bit of a line that she wasn’t yet willing to cross.

 

During the summer, Riley learned of a new ability she had acquired. During her training she began to hear voices coming from somewhere nearby. Naturally she went to investigate, and upon locating the source she found a small snake.

 

She hovered over the snake, listening as it spoke, whispering threatening words to a rat that leered nearby.

 

She didn’t hear the rat speak in reply, but she could detect what the snake was saying.

 

“Parseltongue. You’re a Parseltongue. How is that possible.” Voldemort questioned.

 

“What’s a Parseltongue?” Riley inquired.

 

“Someone who can speak and understand the language of serpents. It’s a rare gift. In our lands it’s usually only found in the descendants of Salazar Slytherin, such as myself.” Voldemort answered.

 

“Well than, you just answered your own question. She got it from you.” Kurama responded.

 

“From me?” Voldemort hummed curiously.

 

“She absorbed the trait from you. As a Tailed Beast, a demon, her magic is highly adaptive, able to pick up traits from foreign magics that it consumes, or remains in contact with for extended periods of time. It’s not something we can do, because of the limits the Sage put on us, but she doesn’t have such limits. Remember, demons carry ancient and primordial magics within them. By comparison even a power like Parseltongue would be rather mundane by comparison. Adapting to it, absorbing it, it would come easily, and naturally. It just goes to show that the changes are still occurring. She’s becoming more like a demon as time goes on. You’ve been with her for a few months now, and after all that time she’s begun to absorb bloodline traits specific to your magic. It means she can do the same with other forms of magic as well. If she absorbs them, she can use them.” Kurama explained to the two.

 

“Huh… so does that mean I could gain access to other bloodlines? Like the Byakugan I have in my possession.” Riley questioned.

 

“Sure. Now that I know you actually have the ability, you should be able to absorb it.” Kurama responded, offering her a mental shrug.

 

“I would wait a bit, preferably until next summer to start with such experimentation. Allow your skills in biology and healing magic mature a bit further.” Madara suggested.

 

“Okay. Then I’ll focus more on that while I’m at school too. Adding the powers of the Byakugan to my body, who knows how that would work with my Sharingan. Maybe even combine the two together! Regardless, is there anything I can learn to do with Parseltongue or is it just language?” Riley questioned Voldemort.

 

“Oh, it is far more than just a language. An entire school of magic lies hidden behind the ability to speak in this tongue. I can show you some of what I know. If you get the knack for it, then perhaps I will show you where I learned such magic.” Riley grinned with excitement at his offer, and eagerly set to work learning about this newly acquired skill.

 

As the summer dragged on, Riley continued with her regular training, going into Kamui to practice new Ninjutsu as well as sword training. She took notice that her blade was a bit too long to employ in the typical fashion of a shinobi. Madara commented that she’d likely need the help of an actual swordsman to learn how to use it efficiently, as using such a long blade with typical kenjutsu wasn’t overly feasible, and would ultimately be limiting. She’d need to find a sword-master to train her.

 

Riley couldn’t help but agree, but didn’t know where to start at the moment, so for now she stuck to just learning to wield the blade. It would take time but eventually she’d learn to use the blade as a weapon, and not just as a tool.

 

During her training she improved her seal crafting ability, learning a few new ones from the Uzumaki scrolls.

 

She also learned and developed newer methods of using Amatsumara. Her understanding of the technique was beginning to grow and evolve, as she opened her mind to the possibilities that it allowed for. Starting with the fact that it could create objects at the focal point of her vision, she learned that she didn’t have to limit this to just making weapons to throw at her enemies, or blockades to hinder them. She could really just make any sort of object at the focal point of her vision, and that included objects interacting with the bodies of her opponents. For example, while testing the power on her Shadow Clones, she found that she could create cages around them, form chains of light to bind their appendages, or shape ropes to wrap around them.

 

The more she practiced the more she began to grasp how the ability worked. When she made an object, it was made with the exact properties of the object she was trying to create, based on her understanding of that object. For example, if she made a kunai, that kunai knife was typically just made of iron, or low-quality steel. Despite being made of light, the object she created had the quality of iron, and would thus carry the same strengths and weaknesses. The light made the object mimic the properties to her exacting desire. She wanted an iron kunai, she got an iron kunai.

 

She couldn’t make the iron kunai more durable, because it was made of iron, the strength of iron only went so far. However she could make the kunai out of steel. In fact, she could imagine and shape a kunai out of higher quality steel, make them more durable, sharper, all around of better quality, all she needed was an understanding of the thing she wanted to make and she could make it. She could create ropes that had the appearance of being made from cotton but have the tensile strength of steel. She could create a cage to weigh down her opponent, that cage could be made of steel, but have the weight of iron.

 

The creations of Amatsumara weren’t limited or bound by the basic principals of reality. She could create ninja wire that was heavy, like it was made of iron, while still being thin, nearly invisible strands with the same tensile strength. The only limits to the power were her imagination, and ability to understand a thing, and of course the power to keep these objects active. It truly was one of her greatest powers, and she took the time to master it further and further, honing her understanding, and widening her imagination.

 

Over the summer she slowly began going out on hunts again, returning to the bounty hunter life and allowing the name ‘Null’ to return to the lips of criminals. Her intention was to send Shadow Clones to keep up the hunt while she was in school so that people wouldn’t think that Null was attending a magical school. People already guessed that Null was a shinobi and a young one at that, tying her schedule to a magical student would further allow them to identify her.

 

Two weeks before Hogwarts was set to begin, Riley and Remus left for France to spend some time with the Delacours. They would have gone sooner but Fleur had spent most of the summer at the Veela Coven with her grandmother. Riley knew that it was just for Veela but didn’t understand at first why Fleur ‘had’ to spend her summer there, rather than just wanting too. Remus explained to her that it was likely to help Fleur gain more control over her powers. As she matured her Veela powers would continue to grow. On top of her Allure, Veela had the ability to produce and control fire, they could also transform into towering swan-like creatures, and could thus fly. The need to train was something that Riley could very much understand, and though she longed to see her girlfriend in the flesh, she was content with their letters for the moment. She actually found her respect and admiration for Fleur growing. It took a lot to set aside the things you wanted for the things you needed. Riley had no doubt that Fleur wanted to see her again, but if she needed this training, than it was wiser to pursue it, and save the rest for later.

 

Riley and Fleur had written to each other every day over the break, but seeing each other again was a whole other animal. Fleur practically flew into Riley’s arms when they met again, wrapping her in a tight and powerful hug.

 

It was a bit surprising, but Riley enjoyed the affection. Gone was Fleur’s nervousness around Riley. She became far more expressive and open with her feelings around her, which Riley tried to reciprocate as best she could. Riley could only wonder if perhaps her time at the Veela coven hadn’t instilled some greater confidence in her.

 

They spent a great deal of time together, traveling about, going on little adventures. It was fun, pleasant. It gave the two the opportunity to bond and grow closer. Each night, Riley let herself fall asleep beside Fleur. It wasn’t easy, she had to get used to letting her guard down, and get used to the feeling of being vulnerable, but she managed as well as she could.

 

Fleur was perceptive though, and she took notice of Riley’s discomfort, as minimally as she displayed it. She brought it to her mother’s attention, and then asked Remus about it. She told him how Riley was restless before falling asleep. If they just stayed up and talked until they passed out she was fine, but just trying to go to sleep, Riley shifted and turned unable to get comfortable. Once she was asleep, she was out like a light, but getting her there was difficult. Fleur wanted to know if there was anything she could try to help make her more comfortable.

 

Apolline for her part, deferred to Remus, whom seemed thoughtful at her quandary. After a few moments of thought, he spoke.

 

“That isn’t an easy thing to solve, Fleur. Trust that it has little to do with you. It’s just in her nature. You know she comes from the Elemental Nations, she’s a Shinobi.” He began, she nodded, having heard as much from her father after getting more clarification as to the nature of her being a lord.

 

“Do you know what that is, what it means to be a Shinobi, a Kunoichi?” Remus asked.

 

“I know a bit. Papa explained some of it to me, but the most I got from it was zat zey are a suspicious and secretive people, who have zere own special magic, kind of like ze Veela.” Fleur answered, Remus hummed before he carried on.

 

“Shinobi by their very nature are suspicious, and paranoid of others. The fact that she’s willing to let her guard down around you, to fall asleep next to you is a testament to how much she trusts you. As a shinobi her mind is always going over the what-ifs. Always planning a way out, or how she’d respond if something were to happen. Always looking for danger. As comfortable as she is with you, it’s probably for that very reason, that she’s more tense then normal. She wants to protect you, wants to keep you safe. Back home, Riley tucks her bed into a corner of the room and sleeps with her back to the wall, ready to face any intrusion or attack that may come. She rearranges her room at least once a week to keep it’s layout from becoming predictable. It’s hard to set that aside, that mentality. It’s drilled into her. I know it’s easy to forget sometimes, but we must remember she is a shinobi, she has the mentality of one. Even a year spent at Hogwarts, even after all her time away from those lands, hasn’t changed that.” Remus explained to her. Fleur took this in, a part of her feeling sad that Riley had grown up to be so paranoid and distrustful of the world around her.

 

Still she accepted this bit of information and set to work trying to make things just a bit easier for her girlfriend.

 

That night when Riley came to Fleur’s room she found the layout of the room completely changed. Riley had to take a moment to register the sight since she hadn’t been expecting it. She hadn’t heard the sound of moving furniture, so Fleur had probably used magic to move everything about. Her bed, which had sat in the center of the wall, had traded places with a dresser in the corner, the back and side of it, flush against the wall. Riley didn’t immediately understand what was going on.

 

They went through their routine as usual, sitting on the bed, talking with one another, discussing music, Fleur sharing some of her favorites. Eventually they grew tired and began settling in to sleep. Before getting comfortable, Fleur left the bed to step into the bathroom for a moment. She then returned, and climbed back into bed. Taking place behind Riley with her back to the wall, and spooning with her.

 

Fleur sat and waited to see if her labors bore fruit. She was now tucked behind Riley, between her and the wall, the place she’d be the least vulnerable. Each passing second, her excitement grew as Riley hardly moved. She didn’t shift, didn’t adjust herself, she stretched out a bit tucking one of her hands beneath the pillow, the other resting on Fleur’s arm which was draped over Riley’s side at stomach level.

 

Fleur was satisfied with the results.

 

If she wanted their relationship to grow and deepen than she needed to recognize and understand how her girlfriend saw the world. Riley was far from an ordinary girl. There was still so much Fleur didn’t know about her. Her father had shared with her that Riley had been framed for a crime in her homeland and had fled to avoid arrest, but she didn’t know anything more than that. She hadn’t yet shared that she knew this with her girlfriend, not wanting to pressure her into revealing more if she wasn’t ready.

 

She didn’t think for a second that Riley could have been at fault or was lying. In her mind, Riley was still her knight in shining armor. The one who’d saved her life, saved her family. She saw Riley as a hero, but she was starting to recognize that she wasn’t allowing herself to see the whole picture by just keeping that hero image front and center in her mind.

 

Riley was a shinobi. She was a fighter, a warrior, a bounty hunter. She was a lord, a Daimyo, one of the last of her clan. So many different facets to her being, so much complexity. Like Remus had said, Riley wanted to keep her safe, wanted to look out for her. By rearranging the room and sleeping like this, she was allowing Riley to do that, to keep her safe. Even if there was no enemies, or threats. It was that peace of mind, that allowed Riley to feel more comfortable, and that’s all Fleur wanted for her. To be more comfortable with her. There was so much that was still a mystery between them, and Fleur wanted to know more about her, wanted Riley to open up and trust her. She knew that would take time. In fact, after today, she was starting to imagine it was going to take longer than she’d initially thought.

 

Still, she was committed to making this work. In fact, the more she thought on it, the more certain she became that this young woman in her arms would be her partner for the rest of her life. If she was lucky, one day Riley would be her wife. Their relationship was still young, and yet Fleur was growing more certain of it the more time passed.

 

Since the day they’d first met, truly met one another, she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Riley. Her every dream, was about Riley, her every thought of the future, involved Riley being there. She couldn’t imagine anyone else, couldn’t picture anyone who measured up, or came even close. Riley was perfect in her eyes, and Fleur wanted to be good enough for someone like that. So she worked to make things better for her. Of course, the next step was to be better. To live up to some measure of Riley’s greatness.

 

The night would pass quietly, and comfortably. In the morning, Fleur would wake up first, to find Riley still asleep. She smiled, proud that her plan had seemingly worked in making Riley more comfortable. She laid with her for around fifteen minutes, gently caressing her stomach, feeling at the muscles there, until Riley finally awoke. The smile she got when Riley caught her hand and turned to glance at her, brightened her day.

 

Just that smile, that small pleasant morning smile was all she needed to know she’d done well.

 

For the rest of the week, the two continued on as normal, talking, bonding, occasionally snogging when they found themselves alone. Fleur even asked if there was any other girls that Riley had her eye on at Hogwarts. Riley merely blushed and shook her head. She admitted that she found several of her friends cute, but hadn’t really considered anything beyond that. Fleur for her part, was playfully curious and asked her about them. Riley just shrugged, keeping it mostly superficial, though Fleur did take notice of a bit of detail that Riley provided when discussing one in particular. Her friend Daphne Greengrass. She mentioned Daphne’s cool demeanor and quiet confidence, how she’d always have this knowing look in her eyes, and carried a level of maturity that rivaled or even surpassed Riley’s own. Daphne definitely didn’t seem like a kid. It was her features though that caused a smile to creep onto Fleur’s face. Daphne had light blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and sharp features, all traits that Fleur possessed.

 

Fleur couldn’t help but wonder if she was starting to pick up on Riley’s type. Blonde haired, blue-eyed, women with more maturity perhaps? She’d have to wait and see, to early to determine right now, though a part of her wanted to believe she might have influence her dearest girlfriend in that regard, which naturally made Fleur quite proud of herself.

 

Despite the fun they were having, eventually Riley and Remus had to return to England so that Riley could prepare for her return to Hogwarts, Fleur similarly had to get ready to return to Beauxbatons. Their farewells were brief but heartfelt, with the two once more promising to write, and to see each other come the holidays.

 

Once she’d returned home, Riley set out to prepare for the coming school year. While buying her supplies, Riley got the idea to try and find a House Elf to help take care of the house while she was away. Remus spent a lot of time there, though he also traveled, doing odd jobs to keep himself busy and bring in some money to help pay for things, so having a House Elf to care for the house while they were away seemed the practical choice.

 

As a small side note, while looking for her supplies, Riley also invested time in picking up a few books on Alchemical Transfiguration, which was a more permanent method of transmuting one object or resource into another. She’d need to learn more about it, if she ever wanted to use the Philosopher’s Stone to transmute objects into gold. Voldemort knew some about it, but he recommended picking up actual texts on it to study so that they could refine the process together.

 

After finding such texts, the two continued their search for a House Elf, as well as gathering more of Riley’s supplies when suddenly Riley heard someone call out her name.

 

Riley turned and saw Draco and his parents walking towards them, she smiled broadly and made her way over to see him. Taking notice of his mom and dad, neither of whom she’d met yet.

 

“Hey Draco, you here buying your supplies?” Riley asked him.

 

“Yeah, I’m assuming you’re here getting everything too.” Draco responded.

 

“Yep. You do something different with your hair?” Riley inquired, a mischievous grin spreading across her face.

 

“Maybe, why?” Draco questioned, narrowing his eyes as her, sensing something in her smile.

 

“No reason. Just curious.” Riley responded, shrugging nonchalantly. She knew how much time Draco spent tending to his appearance, grooming himself. She just hoped this would get a rise out of him, make him wonder if perhaps something was off.

 

It appeared to work, since he made a face, than reached up to touch at his hair, checking to see if anything was out of place.

 

Riley chuckled to herself, while Remus offered a nod to the Malfoys, both of whom returned the slight gesture in affirmation.

 

“Who might this be, Draco?” His mother inquired.

 

“Mother, this is Riley Uzumaki. She’s the friend I was telling you about, schooled two seventh years her first day.” Draco introduced her.

 

“Ah, so this is the girl you were talking about.” His mother hummed, taking a moment to take note of Riley’s appearance. Aside from her hair, which had a bleached white streak in it, Riley appeared rather normal. She was tall for her age, with dark hair that seemed to have a bit of red in it. Her facial features were becoming more distinct, more feminine, girlish. Same with her body as well. She was pretty, genuinely so. Riley considered herself rather average, but to the people of Britain her half-Asian features, made her stand out quite a bit more, made her appear exotic.

 

“Lady Malfoy.” Riley offered in greeting.

 

“Polite this one, she certainly knows her manners.” Narcissa Malfoy hummed with amusement.

 

“Besting two seventh years on your first day, I must admit such skill is almost unheard of. Though I’m curious as to the how behind it, I find myself much more intrigued by the why?” Draco’s Father spoke, his tone sharp, and aristocratic.

 

“Ah Lucius, my former left hand man. He was third in command of our entire movement, just behind my dearest Bellatrix Lestrange, who happened to have a close relationship with your uncle Remus. Lucius is cold, and calculating, but he is a good man beneath it all. He seeks a better like for his family, to raise them ever higher, but he is also very aware as to the failings of this country and how it is teetering towards disaster. The Malfoy’s come from a history of hardships, and though Lucius has never known them, he’s branded those tales into his heart, and works to ensure his family line never sinks to such depths again.” Voldemort spoke fondly of his old captain.

 

“Is he aware of your attempts to return, have you made contact with him?” Riley inquired.

 

“Not directly, though I have left signs, and ensured that whispers of my return are slowly starting to reach the ears of my old inner circle. Lucius is cunning though. He will hide in plain sight, and play the politician until the time is right.” Voldemort answered back.

 

“The why is complicated. Besting those two boys had as much to do with elevating myself, as it did with breaking decades of tradition that has weakened house Slytherin, and thus all who pass through it’s chambers. Our House is tainted by a very specific coloring, those two boys, leaders of our house, would of seen us continue in those traditions and continue to be seen as such. I seek the opportunity to break the chains that have shackled one of the great houses of Hogwarts, to give us the chance to forge our own identity. After all, it is we who will inherit the title of House Slytherin, it should be up to us to determine what that means. We are not our predecessors. Just as the son should not suffer for the sins of the father, so too should we be free to rise and fall absent prejudice born of injustices not our own. Beating those two was a means to an end. To give us the chance to break the mold, and become something more. To show the world that House Slytherin is more than a stereotype.” Riley explained to him, the aristocratic lord seemed to hang on her words for a moment, slowly starting to nod as she spoke. A small smile touched at his lips as she finished.

 

“A great undertaking for one so young, and for someone not from these lands, your interest and desire to shape the world around you, speaks of your ambition. If only more of your generation were so eager to climb out of the mundane, and escape the mold, as you so eloquently surmised.” Lucius Malfoy complimented.

 

“Most people spend their lives avoiding intense situations. I don’t hold it against them, I am who I am, and they are who they are. If I want to see my clan restored, than certain risks need to be taken.” Riley shrugged.

 

“Yes your clan, I understand the Uzumaki are an ancient family from the Elemental Nations, one that held some renown in the past.” Lucius noted.

 

“Yes. Most of the Clan was wiped out during the fall of Uzushio, but my parents managed to survive. I was born in Japan, and I’ve never actually seen the Elemental Nations.” Riley expressed, sticking to the lie of she’d fed to the teachers at Hogwarts.

 

“I see.” Lucius hummed.

 

“What’s the Elemental Nations? I’ve never heard of that.” Draco asked, curiously.

 

“I’d be surprised if you had, little dragon. The Elemental Nations are the home of Shinobi, I know you’ve heard of them. The Girl-Who-Lived is one of them. It’s a hidden continent located somewhere in the Pacific ocean. There is a means of accessing it in Japan, but it’s heavily guarded by shinobi and magicals alike to keep travel to a minimum. Britain actually has some trade deals with the Land of Fire, one of the countries in Elemental Nations.” Narcissa explained to her son.

 

“Wow, you’re one of them Riley? You’re a shinobi?” Draco asked.

 

“By blood, but like I said, I wasn’t born there.” Riley lied in response.

 

“The Shinobi are a warlike people Draco, they are vicious and deceptive. They thrive just as easily in places of chaos, as they do in places of law and order. Even one simply descended from them, will likely go far in our world. I’d keep a close eye on this one if I were you.” Lucius noted, gifting Riley an appraising look, while Riley merely chuckled at his description of her kind.

 

The two groups walked together for a bit, Draco questioning Riley on what she knew about Shinobi and what they were like. She feigned a distant understanding of them, as they made their way about gathering more of their school supplies.

 

“Seems we just need a few books and we should be finished up for Draco, was there anything else you needed Riley?” Narcissa inquired as they exited a shop.

 

“Not really school supplies, but we were looking for a House Elf to buy, someone to keep an eye on the house when we’re not around.” Riley answered.

 

"A house elf you say? You wouldn't happen to be interested in purchasing the excitable little elf I've been looking to sell?" Lucius asked.

 

"Hm... what's wrong him?" Riley asked.

 

"Nothing... he's just very high strung. We kept him around because Draco enjoyed his antics when he was little. Though now that he's older, we're looking to replace him with a more relaxed elf." Narcissa replied, earning a nod from Draco.

 

"You should buy him Riley. You'd like him. He's got a lot of energy and loves to do things. I think you two would get along well together. You’ve got the energy to keep up with him." Draco told her.

 

"Hm... a hyper little house elf, that sounds perfect for me. We’ve been looking all day and haven’t really seen any good options. How much?" Riley inquired.

 

"Well... since he's experienced and has training in working in regal households, I'd say two hundred galleons." Lucius replied diplomatically.

 

“Sounds good to me.” Riley responded brightly, fishing out her money and gathering the required funds.

 

"Alright let's go somewhere a little quieter." Lucius stated as the five of them stepped over to an alley.

 

"Dobby!" Lucius stated.

 

A pop was heard, and a small frail little creature appeared before them. He was wearing what looked like a longer shirt, that happened to have the Malfoy crest on it, along with tiny shorts. The little elf had big eyes, and grayish skin, with long pointy ears.

 

"Yes, master Malfoy sir. What does master need of Dobby?" Dobby replied.

 

"Dobby. I would like to thank you for your service to our house, but your assistance will no longer be required..." Lucius began. The little elf looked terrified as he heard that.

 

"So, I will be passing your service on to Lady Uzumaki here. She requires a house elf and has purchased you." Lucius informed him.

 

Dobby glanced over at Riley, and the two locked eyes for a moment.

 

"So's Dobby be working for missy Uzumaki now?" Dobby asked.

 

"Yes... as my final order for you, perform the bonding to miss Uzumaki." Lucius stated as he conjured a sock and handed it to Dobby.

 

"Good luck with her Dobby. Riley can be a handful." Draco said his farewells to the little house elf.

 

"So's Missy Uzumaki wants Dobby to work for her?" Dobby asked.

 

"Yes Dobby. I would like that. Please perform whatever ritual you need to for the bonding process." Riley replied with a smile. That smile filled Dobby with warmth, and he quickly got excited. He nodded vigorously and magic began to appear from his hand. He waved his hand in the air a few times before snapping his fingers. Riley felt something come into contact with her magic, she then noticed that Dobby was holding his hand out for her to take. She did so without hesitation and felt something connect to her.

 

Dobby smiled, brightly and was about to start dancing, when he felt Riley magic pass back to him.

 

All five people present watched as Dobby's veins all glowed bright blue, and his eyes turned red for a moment, before it all faded leaving the little elf looking tired.

 

"Are you alright Dobby?" Riley asked with concern.

 

"Yes Lady Uzumaki. Dobby is alright. You's very powerful master." Dobby replied as he got back to his feet and smiled. A few moments passed before the elf started bouncing all around the alley hooting and hollering happily.

 

"You weren't kidding." Riley stated as she watched him.

 

"Nope... have fun." Draco replied with a chuckle.

 

"Dobby. Can you locate our home from here?" Riley asked the little House Elf as he stopped hopping about.

 

"Yes... Dobby can find master's home." Dobby replied.

 

"Alright we'll be there later. I want you to go there and start cleaning up the place. Can you do that for me?" Riley asked.

 

"Of course! Call if you needs anything!" Dobby stated excitedly as he vanished in a pop.

 

"Well now that that's done. Perhaps we can finish shopping." Remus stated, earning a nod from Riley.

 

The five continued on, trading pleasant conversation, until they made it to the bookstore. Where they came upon a scuffle by the head of the Weasely family, Arthur Weasely, and Nott Sr. Theodore's father. Lucius and Remus tore the two men off each other and kept them from fighting.

 

“Settle down Arthur!” Remus whispered to the man as he held him back.

 

“Have you lost your mind? Brawling in the streets like some lowborn ruffian, Nott.” Lucius growled as he stood between the two men. “I’d expect this kind of action from a Weasley but not the lord of a distinguished house.”

 

Nott Sr. made a face at him but let out a snort as he clicked his teeth in annoyance. He turned his gaze to find a young girl standing nearby. Red of hair, like the rest of her family, definitely a Weasley.

 

He reached into the cauldron she was carrying that held many of her books, likely for her first year at Hogwarts. He examined their warn appearance with a sneer.

 

“Take good care of these books girl, they’re the best your father can afford.” Nott Sr. stated as he dropped it back into the cauldron and motioned for Theodore, who stood nearby, to follow him.

 

The young boy shared a look with Riley and Draco before wearily following after his father.

 

“Malfoy.” Nott Sr. uttered in farewell as he stormed past Lucius.

 

“Nott.” Lucius responded keenly as he watched him depart with his son.

 

The Weasley family glared after the retreating Notts, while Remus worked to calm down their patriarch.

 

"Thanks for the help, Remus." Arthur thanked Remus, as he calmed down.

 

"You need to learn better control Arthur. You can't let Nott rile you up. What would have happened had someone called the aurors? I think you’d rather not spend a night in jail." Remus scolded in reply.

 

"I know... Thanks again for the help." Arthur stated again, as he motioned for his kids to follow him out.

 

"Well, that was exciting." Riley muttered.

 

"Theo's dad's kind of a ponce." Draco added, earning a nod from Riley while Narcissa gave him a warning pinch. He let out a noise and gave her a look, which she returned, warning him not to say such things about a lord, out in the open where others might overheard.

 

"He put something in the girl's cauldron." Riley stated, having noticed that bit of sleight-of-hand he’d performed while examining her books.

 

“Nott was always one of my most loyal supporters, though he came a bit off the rails when his brother died, during the war. I trusted him greatly, once upon a time, though perhaps I should reexamine that trust. It seems his fuse has shortened even further since then.” Voldemort noted, curiously.

 

Riley gave a mental hum of affirmation, to show that she’d heard him, but ultimately could offer nothing more on the subject. She recognized how strongly loss could affect some people, even changing them completely.

 

"I'd keep your distance from that girl this year. He's planning something and it wouldn't do to get overly involved." Lucius warned them.

 

The two children nodded, and they proceeded to finish their shopping, before going their separate ways, Riley and Draco looking forward to seeing each other again on the trip to Hogwarts.

 

It was later that night, that Riley and Remus were in the study, when Riley felt that it was finally time to address something that she’d known for a while now, but never had the opportunity to bring up. Today she’d found a reason.

 

"Hey Remus, how do you know the Malfoy's so well?" Riley inquired.

 

"Hm... why so curious?" Remus asked in reply.

 

"Well, when we saw them today, you greeted each other like old acquaintances. But from the way Draco talks about the pureblood agenda, I would assume his family, at the very least supported Voldemort's cause. I thought you were a member of the Order of the Phoenix?" Riley stated, giving him a curious look, feigning ignorance of the truth.

 

"True..." Remus replied carefully.

 

"I didn't sense any animosity between the two of you. One would assume having been on the opposite sides during the last war, you'd at least resent one another?" Riley added as she saw him fidget uncomfortably.

 

"Unless... you weren't on opposites sides during the war? That would mean either Lucius was a spy... or you were?" Riley guessed as a knowing smirk crept across her face, keying him in on her suspicions.

 

"You know, you are too damn smart for your own good." Remus replied with a sigh.

 

"So... let me guess. You were a spy for Voldemort in the Order of the Phoenix, and they never found out about it?" Riley added on.

 

All Remus could do was sigh and nod again.

 

"So... did that mean that both you and Sirius Black sided with the Dark Lord? What happened between you guys and my mother and Pettigrew that led Sirius to betray her, and kill Peter?" Riley inquired curiously.

 

"Actually, we all worked for the Dark Lord. Except for your mother of course. We all had our reasons for joining. I wanted to be treated as an equal, Peter wanted to belong, Sirius felt that the dark was right about everything wrong in Britain. We never hated Lily. She was our best friend in school her and our old friend James Potter. We were thick as thieves and even when we sided with Voldemort, we never had any ill will towards Lily or James. In truth James and Sirius were the best of friends, did almost everything together. Honestly, he and Lily were very close in those early years, almost as close as she was with Severus. Had it not been for her meeting Minato, I can picture her and James ending up together. Unfortunately we started growing apart after our years at Hogwarts, and James became more militant, he always butted heads with Dumbledore about how to deal with the Death Eaters.” Remus began to explain.

 

“James Potter… isn’t he one of the chief aurors in the DMLE, second only to Madam Bones? I know I’ve heard that name before.” Riley inquired, gaining a nod of affirmation from Remus.

 

“When it comes to Sirius... I just don't know. The Dark Lord told us to stay away from the Elemental Nations, and Lily. He didn't want to draw Minato or the Leaf into our war. Then Sirius goes and sells out Minato's squad to their enemies, which led to one of them dying. I have no clue why he went crazy and killed all those people along with Peter... it just doesn't make sense. It tore us apart. I remember the look on James’ face after he arrested Sirius. He was never the same afterwards. Called Sirius mad. One look at his mugshot certainly shows that much." Remus replied with a shake of his head.

 

"Maybe some people just have too much darkness hidden away inside of them." Riley mused.

 

"Do you think less of me? Now that you know?" Remus asked.

 

"Of course not! If the Dark Lord came back today, I would probably side with him. I agree with a lot of what he stood for. As for the rest, well it was war. I know things happen in battle, bad things. It can’t be clean or nice. Britain needs to change, and I don't blame you or think less of you for trying to change it. Good people, not just here but all over are held back simply for how they were born, or how afflictions they contracted that they cannot control." Riley replied as she gave the man a warm hug.

 

"Thank you. That means a lot to me." Remus replied as he returned the hug.

 

"No problem, Remus, and thanks for being honest with me. Now before I go to bed, do you have any idea why I had to buy six books about the adventures of Gilderoy Lockheart for DADA this year?" Riley asked. Remus just stared at her for a moment before bursting into laughter, for what reason, Riley didn’t yet understand.

 

Time flew by, and Riley found herself on the train heading to Hogwarts. She was sitting in a cabin with her whole gang. Draco, Pansy, Theo, Crabbe, Goyle, Daphne, Tracy, Hermione, and Neville. Needless to say, their little cabin was quite packed, but none of them were that bothered by it. They were all busy discussing their excitement for the year to come. Riley wore a big smile, happy to be amongst her friends and to be returning to Hogwarts, her home away from home.

 

“Time to start second year. Lets see what I can learn.” Riley thought excitedly, her eyes drifting out to the passing countryside as she pondered the future of her time at Hogwarts. Regardless of what awaited, she was sure she would enjoy another year of learning and growing.

 

-To be continued-

Notes:

Alrighty, there we go on another chapter. Time to get into second year, hope you guys and gals are ready for it, hope you enjoyed the changes. Again more establishment, more setup for future events. Establishing her powers and abilities more early on and allowing her to grow more naturally over the story rather that in huge amounts all of a sudden.

Chapter 11: Second Year

Notes:

Alrighty, time for second year!

“Fuck is this…” Riley wondered with annoyance while Voldemort, Madara, and Kurama all chuckled at the situation she’d been presented with. Dumbledore was introducing their new DADA teacher, Gilderoy Lockhart, a man known to be quite the talented adventurer and explorer. He’d written numerous books on his apparent favorite subject, himself, and all of the adventures he’d gone on. Many of those books, Riley had been forced to read, as part of her preparation for DADA this year. In doing so, she quickly learned that the guy was a complete sham, and that was without Voldemort all but confirming it, as even he had heard of the guys exploits and how impossible they were.

 

“That guy is a total sham.” Pansy muttered.

 

“He’s not gonna last the year, I’m gonna make sure of it.” Riley vowed with old determination in her eyes as she tried to make the annoying fool's head explode with her mind.

 

According to his books, he was fighting vampires in Romania while hunting Nundu in Africa while also dealing with werewolves in the Netherlands at the same time. It was clearly all a fabrication, at most he could have maybe pulled off one such adventure, but not all of them within literal days of each other.

 

Aside from the annoyance that was their future DADA classes, the feast itself went off without a hitch.

 

The new students got sorted and surprisingly the youngest Weaselette got sorted into Slytherin. The girl had a horrified look on her face and all of the Slytherins sat dumbfounded for a moment.

 

"Well that's surprising," Riley muttered as she started to clap.

 

Following her lead, the other second years started to clap, followed quickly by the new first years and then the older students, politely joined in.

 

Ginny nervously made her way over to the clapping Slytherins, doing her best to avoid the hateful glare of her brother Ron and the two mischievous looks that appeared on the faces of her twin brothers, Fred and George.

 

"Why are we happy about this?" Draco whispered into Riley's ear.

 

"A few reasons. One, remember what I told you first year. Never underestimate someone's worth. Her family may be blood traitors, but she could be anything. And number two... I really wanna know what Nott Sr. put into her cauldron. Let’s just hope that she doesn’t eat like Ron." Riley replied as young Ginny walked up to her and asked to sit next to her.

 

"Of course," Riley replied with a smile as she and the others made room.

 

Few Slytherins dared to question Riley's actions, none of them having forgotten what she’d accomplished last year. The few who shot dirty looks at Ginny quickly straightened up when Riley glanced in their direction, challenging them to start something.

 

"Welcome to Slytherin house. My name's Tracey," Tracey greeted her with a smile. Being a halfblood Tracey never really dealt with many of the pureblood prejudices. Well, her mother kept her away from most of them. Even if she came from a line of purebloods, that didn't mean she had to be exposed to their bigotry and hatefulness.

 

"Ginny. Nice to meet you," the girl replied meekly.

 

"Don't be so nervous. You're one of us now. We Slytherins stick together, and if anyone bothers you, just take it up with the Queen," Tracey whispered across the table.

 

"The Queen?" Ginny replied curiously.

 

Tracey simply smirked wider and shot her eyes over to Riley, who was sitting right next to Ginny, giving Tracey a dirty look. Tracey simply giggled at Riley's look and went back to chatting with Daphne.

 

"Why do they call you the Queen?" Ginny asked, giving Riley an inquiring look.

 

"I don't know," Riley replied with a bored shrug.

 

"It's cuz she beat up two seventh years on her first day. And beat a troll the same year," Crabbe stated.

 

"Yeah, Riley's awesome," Goyle agreed.

 

"You beat a troll?" Ginny asked with amazement.

 

“Yeah, though don’t let that fool you, I’m really pretty laid back. Besides, it was trying to squish Draco’s girlfriend. Couldn’t have that.” Riley responded, earning chuckles from her friends, save for one.

 

“You’re unbelievable, and she’s not my girlfriend.” Draco countered, offended.

 

“Don’t think I didn’t notice that smile while you guys were talking earlier.” Riley threw back at him with a grin.

 

“That- she- …” Draco started to stutter, a blush barely beginning to creep onto his face.

 

“Ignore them, we all know Draco is destined to fall in love with the muggleborn bookworm and bridge the ancient gaps between highborn and lowborn. It actually quite romantic when you think about it, storybook almost.” Pansy stated as she and Tracey mock-swooned.

 

If one looked closely they could barely see the slightest ounce of amusement in Daphne's eyes, though otherwise her face was as cool as it always was.

 

"Keep it up and I'll hex the both of you," Draco growled out as everyone started to giggle and laugh.

 

"Who's the girl they're talking about?" Ginny whispered to Riley. Riley smiled and pointed at the Ravenclaw table to a bushy-haired girl talking with her fellow claws.

 

"I know her. She talked to me on the train. She seems nice," Ginny stated.

 

"Her name's Hermione... she's part of our little group, so you'll probably get a chance to talk to her again soon," Riley stated.

 

"I thought Slytherins didn't associate with anyone outside of their house?" Ginny stated.

 

"Eh... we kinda have a bad reputation, but our little group actually has two friends from other houses. Hermione, from Ravenclaw, and Neville Longbottom, from Hufflepuff. No reason to separate ourselves simply because of what House we’re sorted into. I say, make friends with whoever you want." Riley replied, earning nods of agreement from her friends. They had all at one point or another seen what Riley was trying to instill into the Slytherins, a willingness to reach out, beyond the confines of their house and form bonds and attachments with others, to change what it meant to be a Slytherin. They were the future, they got to decide on what that meant.

 

Soon the feast ended, and they all began to disperse, Riley and her friends heading down to the dungeons alongside the rest of the first years.

 

Riley stood patiently while Snape gave his yearly speech to the new first years about House loyalty and looking out for what another. Once he had concluded and made his departure Riley stepped forward silencing all of the chatter from her fellow student. The older ones especially shifted nervously, none of them forgetting the reputation she’d earned, or how powerful she was known to be.

 

“I’m hoping we have no need of a repeat of last years first night.” Riley began her eyes darting around, focused primarily on the sixth and seventh years, meeting many of their gazes, her eyes piercing even while under magical disguise behind her glasses.

 

None of them chose to speak, a few even shook their heads nervously.

 

“Happy to hear it. Fighting amongst one another is a pointless endeavor. For all of you who are new, do please reach out to the older students if you need anything, especially the prefects, they’ve been here the longest, they know their way around. As professor Snape said, we’ve won the House Cup repeatedly and that is not a streak any of us want to break so lets do our best to win.” Riley offered to them, her words earning some cheers from the kids closer to her year, though some of the older ones did join in.

 

Riley smiled, enjoying the moment before turning to her room, leaving the rest of the kids to get settled.

 

That night Riley resumed her theft from the previous year, taking books from the library and copying their contents onto scrolls so she’d have access to the information at her leisure. At the same time Riley began using Shadow Clones to read the information she acquired from the library, allowing her to learn at a much faster rate. Shadow Clones were unique amongst the various Clone Jutsus. They were physically weaker, often dispersing when lightly struck, and they weren’t perfect copies. Shadow Clones carried most of their creators personality, but not all of it. Sometimes just one thing could be different, one different like, or dislike, something of that nature. A bit friendlier, a bit meaner, more laid back, or serious. Shadow Clones weren’t perfect copies unlike other clone techniques. What made them so much more versatile though was as a tool for information gathering. Anything a Shadow Clone learned was transferred back to the creator. Meaning you could send them to scout ahead and just have it pop and you’d instantly know what it had learned, even if it had run into a trap or ambush.

 

Because of this feature, Madara suggested she start using them to read books for her while she trained.

 

Tom, after hearing this function of the ability asked if she could use it to learn new spells and abilities, Madara explained that it was possible, but only in the broadest sense of grasping a new technique.

 

Essentially he explained that the clones transferred over what they had learned or experienced during their time alive, but it was all only mental. The process was learned, but none of the physical or magical elements were copied. There was also the limitations brought on by the clone being imperfect. It wasn’t entirely you so the methods that worked for the clone may not work for you, the clone is also working from a different power level. Clones were always weaker, and thus had an easier time controlling their magic since their was less of it. They also had greater control because their magic didn’t regenerate so the amount they had was a flat number, only ever decreasing when powers or abilities were used.

 

So while you could use a clone to learn a new ability it wouldn’t actually help ‘you’ learn the technique. Rather it would allow you to see and experience how it was done, or the steps to do it, but you still had to do it on your own.

 

A useful tool, no doubt, in fact, Madara was willing to bet it probably the most versatile and useful of all the powers Tobirama Senju had ever invented, but like all magic, it had it’s limitations.

 

Tom certainly agreed that the technique was useful to have, and could help Riley acquire quite a bit of knowledge in a short amount of time. The only two downsides to this method, was one, it took a lot of chakra, but Riley had a lot so that one didn’t affect her. The other was the mental backlash from an immense amount of knowledge hitting your brain at once. He advised Riley not have her clones active for very long between the times when they fed her information. An entire book being jammed into her brain in an instant was likely to cause a headache. Ten books, might just cause her to have a seizure.

 

It was Voldemort that suggested she have her clones read in sections. Say a book had fifteen chapters. Have fifteen clones each read a chapter, than have them pop in sequence separated by say thirty seconds or a minute. For the real Riley this whole process would only take a couple of minutes to essentially download a whole book’s worth of info into her brain. Same with scrolls. Have a clone read only one scroll, or say half a scroll while another clone read the rest, and have them pop in sequence to give her the information and avoid the mental backlash from too much info at once.

 

Riley took on their advice, and set to work on her ever growing backlog of reading material.

 

As the school year really got going, Riley got the chance to once again wow her teachers with the speed of her progress, blasting past the other students with impeccable ease. McGonagall and Flitwick liked to test her on more advanced material, just to see if she could grasp it with the same level of ease.

 

Riley had hoped for such attentive instructors in regards to DADA but unfortunately, she’d been spot on the money in regards to Lockhart. One of his first lessons he let pixies loose in the classroom without telling the students how to stop them from running amok. He then proceeded to blunder about like a buffoon as he attempted to coral the vicious little beasts.

 

Riley was forced to assist him once it was clear the pixies were ready to graduate from nuisance to violence.

 

She got her house some points for her actions, as well as the gratitude of her fellow Slytherins and even some of the Gryffindors. If nothing else, it united half of the second years in their hatred for Lockhart.

 

Days passed as Riley continued her studying. She spent her free time continuing her lessons with Tom, and each night she would send out clones to take on light bounty hunter missions, just to keep up with the Null persona, and put what she was learning to more practical use.

 

When she wasn’t doing that, Tom directed her to certain secrets within Hogwarts that he was aware of, showing her to secret places, or hidden chambers. He even guided her to the Room of Requirement, a place he had discovered during his time at school. It was a hidden chamber, constructed by Rowena Ravenclaw. Pace before it’s secret entrance and think of what you desire and the room will take shape in the form best fit to satiate that desire. This helped her immensely in her training, as it provided a safe and secret place to practice not just magic, but also her shinobi abilities without risk of discovery as hardly anyone knew of the Room’s existence. Perhaps a few of the teachers, but outside of them, hardly anyone else knew about it. Maybe one or two students a generation would discover it and make use of it during their time in Hogwarts, and then it would go quiet for a few years only to be found again.

 

She learned how to use it, and she was even shown the Room of Lost Things, a form of the Room of Requirement where items that were lost or hidden ended up over the years. It was full of useful bits and bobbles, a vast room of objects from books to chairs, to old suits of armor and rusted weapons. Countless magical and mundane items had ended up there over the years. According to Tom, there was no telling what might be found inside, though it was far to vast and full of useless crap, for it to be worth it for a single person to explore in hopes of finding the treasures hidden amongst the refuse. However with her ability to create clones of herself, she could send a troop of them into the Room of Lost Things while she was busy with classes to see what they could find. His biggest hope was for her to collect the various books and ancient scrolls, and copy their contents for her own study. Who knows what kinds of texts, both lost and forbidden could be found inside.

 

So that became one of Riley’s pet projects.

 

Outside of her own personal growth, Riley spent a lot of time with her friends, helping them with their studies, making sure she kept track of their progress. She didn’t want them falling behind if they failed to understand something. Even Crabbe and Goyle who were, somewhat mentally deficient were able to get a grasp on the material with Riley there to help explain it.

 

One day stood out amongst the rest as she made a new friend. Hermione approached her with a problem occurring within Ravenclaw house.

 

“Bullying?” Riley repeated, blinking curiously.

 

“Yes, Cho Chang is the worst of them. Her and her friends are always picking on Luna. She’s a very sweet girl, a first year. She’s a bit… unusual. Talks to herself sometimes, mentions creatures that I’m not entirely sure are real, but she’s harmless. I tried going to Flitwick about it, but those wretched girls just pretended they would leave her alone then went right back to bullying her. They’re taking her stuff, I know they are, but I don’t think the teachers will do anything more without proof.” Hermione explained the situation to Riley.

 

“Huh… this girl, is she new?” Riley inquired, having never heard of her before.

 

“Yes, she’s a first year.” Hermione answered.

 

“Ah… well that just wont do. Picking on people, especially those younger than you, that’s just low. I always knew there was something about Chang I didn’t like. Come on, let’s go and find Luna.” Riley offered, gaining a smile and a nod from Hermione.

 

After a brief walk through the castle they eventually found the girl. Luna was small, and dainty, with pale blond hair, like Draco’s. She had pale silvery-blue eyes and carried this look upon her face, almost like she was in her own little world as she stared off towards the ceiling.

 

“Luna?” Hermione questioned as they approached.

 

"The Nargles took my shoes again, Hermione." Luna stated as she stared up.

 

Riley and Hermione glanced up and spotted a pair of shoes hanging from a ceiling post high above them, hung there by the shoelaces.

 

"Loathsome girls." Hermione growled out.

 

Riley simply made a face and used Accio to retrieve Luna's shoes.

 

“Here you go.” Riley said as she offered the girl her shoes. Luna turned to face her, giving her a long curious look. There was something hopeful, almost with an edge of anticipation that Riley could sense in her gaze. It almost felt like she was expecting her, though that idea made little sense.

 

Her eyes remained on Riley for a moment long enough to be odd before drifting down to her offered shoes. She reached out to retrieve them, a small smile creeping onto her face.

 

“Thank you, Riley Uzumaki-Uchiha. You seem to be quite the accomplished witch, your reputation proceeds you.” Luna said to her.

 

“Appreciate it. Hermione told me you’ve been having some problems with some older girls in your house.” Riley addressed the situation.

 

“Oh it’s just a harmless bit of teasing. All in good fun.” Luna spoke softly, her eyes remaining on her shoes.

 

“You don’t need to let them pick on you. Why don’t you come hang out with me and my group of friends. Maybe you can make a few friends of your own and you can get away from those rude brats.” Riley offered to her. Luna blinked for a moment as her gaze lifted to meet with Riley’s.

 

Before she could respond, a tut of laughter caught Riley’s ear.

 

“Aw look at that, Loony finally found her shoes.” Came a girl’s voice. The three of them looked over to see three second year girls gathered nearby. The leader of the troop was Cho Chang, who watched them with a smug smirk on her face.

 

“Yes, I am still missing my socks though. I suspect the Nargles got creative when hiding them.” Luna uttered, more to herself than to the girls.

 

The three glanced at each other for a long moment before bursting into laughter.

 

Riley observed, the way Luna's eyes filled with sadness at their laughter. Her face remained the same, this dreamy, almost spaced-out look, but it quickly became apparent to Riley, that this was just a mask. Despite appearing like her head was permanently stuck in the clouds, Luna was obviously very aware that she was being made fun of, and it was hurting her feelings.

 

Slowly Luna took notice of Riley watching her. She lifted her eyes to meet with Riley’s and found concern reflected behind her glasses, that concern quickly morphed into something dangerous as a smirk crept onto Riley’s face.

 

“Alright, this has gone on long enough. From now on, Luna is under my protection. If you losers ever come near her again, well… let’s just give you a taste…” Riley spoke, drawing her wand as she did. In a swift motion, Chang found herself upside down, lifted off the ground. Her friends tried to react, but were left frozen in place with a wordless spell from Riley. Chang screamed out in fear, her wand slipping from her pocket and clattering to the ground as she was lifted higher and higher.

 

Once her feet touched the ceiling, Riley used a sticking charm to stick her shoes to the same beam that Luna’s shoes had been hung from. She then left a levitation charm in place, to keep Cho from actually falling, though she remained under the illusion that she could drop at any moment. The levitation charm was on Cho specifically, while her shoes remained stuck to the beam, so from her perspective the only thing keeping her from falling was her shoes.

 

With one final wave of her wand, Riley tightened the girl’s shoelaces, just to sell the illusion of that belief.

 

While Cho screamed in panic Riley walked over to the other two girls, still frozen in place, unable to move or cry for help. As she did this, students began to gather drawn in by Cho’s cries of fear.

 

Riley waved her wand a few times, transfiguring the other girls’ robes into clown outfits, she then transfigured a few of their books into bright shiny clown noses that she put on their faces, both girls could only stand, frozen in place, watching through unblinking eyes as Riley dolled them up.

 

“There, now you look the part. Clowns that you are.” Riley hummed with a smile. Her actions began drawing some giggles and laughter from the gathered students.

 

As laughter filled the halls, Riley glanced over at Luna, their eyes meeting for a moment, she gave the younger girl a smile and a wink to show that she had her back now, and would look out for her. Luna seemed to interpret this in the way Riley intended as her mood brightened, and she smiled genuinely.

 

“Go on, I’ll deal with them. You should join us for lunch tomorrow Luna, I’d certainly like to get to know you.” Riley spoke to Hermione and offered to Luna.

 

Luna gave Riley a long look before smiling again, a light dusting of red seeming to touch at her pale cheeks. She didn’t respond to the offer, instead keeping her smile as she turned and skipped away.

 

“You know you’re going to get into trouble for this.” Hermione warned her, though it was obvious she was far from displeased.

 

“Eh, who cares. What’s a detention or two gonna do to me.” Riley shrugged. Hermione made a face at her, but ultimately didn’t argue the point. Instead she chose to depart while Riley walked over to one of the clowns and draped an arm around her.

 

“So, you wanna tell me where you hid the rest of Luna’s things? If you do I’ll let you go.” Riley asked her. The girl was able to reply her willingness by looking up and down.

 

“Good.” Riley responded.

 

Within a few moments a prefect would arrive, one from Hufflepuff house, to see what was going on. Riley waited patiently for them to arrive, knowing that it was unlikely she’d escape this without being revealed as the one behind it, so she’d best just face the music.

 

A few moments later she was standing in front of professor Snape and professor Flitwick.

 

“She’s a psychopath! I could have been killed!” Cho shrieked, her voice shrill.

 

“You hung her upside down from the ceiling?” Flitwick inquired of Riley.

 

“Yes, stuck her shoes to one of the beams.” Riley answered honestly.

 

“Were you not worried that she could fall and hurt herself?” He asked her with concern.

 

“Not at all. I placed a levitation charm on her to keep her floating. She was anchored in place by her shoes, she wasn’t being held by them. She was in no danger of falling, the worst that might’ve happened is a headrush from being upside down for too long.” Riley explained, revealing that the girl was never in any real danger.

 

“So you simply sought to scare her?” Snape inquired with a raised eyebrow.

 

“She and her goons were bullying Luna Lovegood, so I sought to correct such behavior.” Riley responded.

 

“Yes, I had heard about that…” Flitwick hummed, his eyes darting to the three girls for a brief moment.

 

“She’s lying! We never did anything to Loony, I mean Luna! We talked about this, remember professor! We haven’t done anything since then.” Cho snapped in response, lying through her teeth.

 

“Oh? So you’re telling me that I wont find Luna’s socks and undergarments hidden atop one of the statues in the girl’s bathroom?” Riley countered. The three girls stared at her like owls, the one who’d spilled the beans suddenly cringing and shrinking away from her friends.

 

The two professors saw their reactions, and seemed to read the situation. Flitwick turned to the prefect who’d brought Riley and the girls to them and asked her to go to the girl’s bathroom and retrieve the stolen items, thus proving that they had in fact been stolen, and if he’d read the room correctly, this was information Riley had gotten from the girls, proving their involvement.

 

The prefect nodded and quickly left, allowing the professors to return to the initial matter.

 

“Though I can applaud you standing up for a member of my house miss Uzumaki, I must advise you that using your magic in such a way against a fellow student is highly discouraged. Yes you took precautions but still, you placed miss Chang in a dangerous situation, and she could have gotten hurt. I must unfortunately give you detention. Three days, I feel will suffice.” Flitwick said to her, Snape made no move to counter such a decision. Riley accepted it with grace, simply nodding. A few moments later, the prefect returned, carrying a small bag, filled with the stolen clothing.

 

Flitwick let out a sigh, and turned a look towards the three girls who were now trying to sink into their robes.

 

“That will be three days of detention for each of you as well. You three will report to my classroom after your lessons, Severus I leave miss Uzumaki’s detentions to your discretion.” Flitwick put forth.

 

“As you say. Miss Uzumaki, you’ll report to the potion’s room after lessons are concluded to serve your detentions.” Snape instructed.

 

“Yes professor.” Riley acquiesced.

 

“Then you may leave us.” Snape told her, earning a nod, Riley gathered her things and headed out, followed soon after by the Ravenclaw girls as they were similarly released.

 

Later that day, after her lessons, Riley reported to the Potion’s classroom to serve out her detention. Snape had her assist him in taking inventory and organizing supplies, a routine that Riley took to with gusto. Despite it supposedly being a punishment, she enjoyed the simple monotony of counting, inspecting, and organizing. Especially since she could converse with her mental companions while doing so, unbeknownst to Snape.

 

“Ah Severus, some things never change.” Tom hummed.

 

“You two knew each other? Was he a follower of yours?” Riley inquired.

 

“Yes, for a time, though I am curious where his loyalties will lie now. I took a risk in that regard when I came after you and your sister. Such action placed Lily in danger and I knew Severus to have had feelings for her, in his youth. When he learned of my plans to aid in the attack on your village he grew quiet and uncertain. I know what troubled him then, though I could offer him no assurances in regards to Lily. My plan had been to release the Nine Tails once more, and while I was sure the Fourth Hokage would see to her safety, there was never any certainty.”Tom explained the nation of his relationship with Snape. Riley hummed at that, finding it curious, and quite interesting. To learn that one of her favorite teachers had gone to school with, and had a thing for Lily, was interesting to say the least.

 

“Was he a member of your inner circle?” Riley asked as she wrote down the numbers for ingredients, taking stock of them while this conversation played out.

 

“In a manner of speaking. He sought a place to belong, and his skills and abilities saw him rise quickly within the ranks of followers. He would act as an adviser, on occasion, and sometimes stood amongst my inner circle, though it was far more fluid than any of the other members. Severus was always an outsider, even when we tried to offer him a place in this world, he found it hard to let down his guard and fit in. Looking back, I think I would have granted him a full position amongst my greatest followers had he shown interest in it. I suspect, at that time, he was still trying to figure out who he wanted to be.” Tom explained to her.

 

“Hmm… how did he end up here if he held such high-standing amongst your followers? Despite his skills, you’d think Dumbledore would be weary of providing a place for a former Death Eater.” Riley asked, curious to hear if Tom knew the answer.

 

“During the war, professor Trelawney applied to become the divination teacher here at Hogwarts, during her interview she was struck by a premonition, a prophecy that she delivered to Dumbledore. Unbeknownst to either of them at the time, Severus had overheard the prophecy, and he delivered it to me. I was never one for prophecy, far to open to interpretation and it can often have it’s roots in possibility rather than certainty. The prophecy spoke of my coming defeat. It claimed that one with the power to defeat me would soon arise, born to those who had thrice defied me, born as the warmth fades, I would mark them as my equal and they would have power unknown, that one must defeat the other, as neither can live while the other survives. A foreboding thing, but just as apt to be misleading, or misinterpreted. I chose to leave it alone, but I knew that Dumbledore believed it. He hoped for a means of stopping me, and now he had a prophecy to rely on. Knowing this, I used it to my advantage. You see there were a few people that actually fit the criteria of that prophecy at the time. Your friend Neville Longbottom and had just been born in July, and you and your sister were about to be born. Frank Longbottom was an auror who’d faced me many times, and of course, your own mother and father. All three of you fit the prophecy, as did a few scant others less completely, but I knew Dumbledore would logic this out, same as I, so I sent Severus to warn him that I knew of the prophecy and was targeting those I thought involved. This allowed Severus a means to get close to Dumbledore and act as a triple agent. Which is how I learned about what was going on in the Hidden Leaf, thanks to Dumbledore’s and Minato’s friendship.” Tom laid it out for her.

 

“So Dumbledore trusts him, he likely also knows of Snape’s fondness for Lily, I’m guessing you used that as a reasoning for Snape’s supposed ‘defection’, well played.” Madara hummed with approval.

 

“Yeah, but you never really believed in it? I mean I get why you came after me and Naruko, but I understand you also targeted Neville’s parents as well. One of your agents put them in the hospital from my understanding.” Riley noted.

 

“Yes, driven they were to insanity. Dirty business that. Though my targeting of them was mainly to aid in the ruse that I believed in the prophecy to help with Severus’ cover, but Frank Longbottom was still an enemy, one who’d successfully killed several of my followers, including a member of my inner circle. I regret that he was left in such a state, and not granted a death fitting someone with that kind of fighting spirit, but in war, things are never as clean as we want them to be.” Tom spoke, thoughtful for a moment.

 

“Hmm…” Riley hummed to herself as she continued with her work.

 

The following day Luna joined them at their table, much to Riley’s enjoyment, having a new friend was always welcome. Speaking of new friends, Ginny Weasley could hesitantly be called that. Riley was friendly with her and tried to make her feel welcome in Slytherin house but it was apparent she was having some issues. Riley didn’t yet know what they were but she could tell that Ginny having some trouble acclimating. Some days she’d be fine, playful and friendly like a kid should be, and then the next day she’d be moody and quiet and now say anything to anyone. Riley wanted to make friends, simply because she could empathize with that feeling of loneliness and didn’t like seeing others going through that. Though as an added bit, she was also curious as to what Theo’s dad had put in Ginny’s cauldron before the start of the year. She was hoping to get some idea of what it was by getting close to her.

 

Speaking with Draco, Daphne, and Pansy on the subject the three guessed it was probably trouble at home. Ginny came from a notoriously light family, and one that were also recognized as blood traitors, neither of those titles would serve her well in Slytherin house, even with the changes Riley was trying to implement.

 

Riley felt bad for her and tried to be welcoming whenever Ginny was around. Ginny certainly seemed to appreciate it, though little changed at first.

 

Shortly into the year a new source of frustration came about. A dueling club set up by Lockhart. The idea was cool on paper, and Riley and some of her friends were eager to participate but it quickly lost it’s appeal once people realized that meant they’d have to deal with Lockhart. About the most enjoyment Riley got out of it was watching Snape hand Lockhart his own ass during a demonstration.

 

It didn’t last long, and soon people grew tired of dealing with the annoying DADA professor and quick.

 

Riley wasn’t exactly happy about this, as a dueling club was something she’d have loved to participate in, so naturally she sat seething amongst her friends glaring daggers at Lockhart, her friends quickly picking up on the nature of her frustration.

 

"What are we gonna do about that idiot Lockhart?" Pansy asked.

 

"Yeah... that idiot doesn't know anything about DADA," Theo said.

 

"I could let my father know, see if the board of governors can do something about it?" Draco suggested.

 

"No... I have a better plan. We'll deal with him the Slytherin way," Riley replied after a pause, a cunning smirk spreading across her face.

 

“Oh? What do you have planned?” Daphne inquired, glancing up from her textbook.

 

“Well, the way I see it, this is gonna take a while, a constant stream of retaliation. He’s gonna need to hurt from it. I think I have the perfect idea.” Riley stated as her eyes fell upon the Weasley twins, notorious pranksters of Hogwarts.

 

A few moments later, Riley and a few of her friends stood by and watched as Ginny spoke with her brothers on their behalf. After a minute or so of conversation she waved them over.

 

“So, little Slytherin Queen, how may we be of service?” Fred, or perhaps it was George questioned, both with curious little smirks upon their faces.

 

"We'd like to hire you two for a job," Riley said with a grin. The twins exchanged a glance before leaning in, matching devilish smirks lighting up their faces.

 

“Lockhart is an annoying sham who knows less than nothing about DADA, we need to get rid of him. We want the two of you to make his life a living hell.” Draco continued on.

 

“Ooh, now there’s a mission if ever I’d heard one. While I’m all for a bit of altruism in the name of the greater good, I must inquired as to what we stand to gain from taking on such an assignment.” One of the brothers asked, acting all professional like this was some sort of business arrangement, which in all truths, it was.

 

“Yes, what do we get out of it?” The other twin inquired.

 

"Word has it you two are planning to start a joke shop after graduation. You'll need some capital for that. We'd be willing to provide a bit, if you take on this job for us," Daphne said with a smirk. This was far too entertaining for her and exactly how she wanted to deal with Lockhart. Directly attacking him could trace back to them, but enlisting the Weasley twins, infamous pranksters, would keep the Slytherins out of suspicion.

 

"How much we talking?" both twins asked at once.

 

"At the end of the year, I'm going to expose Lockhart for the fraud he truly is. Until then, we want him to suffer. We'll pay you for every prank you pull. Anything done to him in private earns ten galleons. Pull it off in front of one of his classes, and that's thirty. In front of the teachers, fifty. But if you manage it in front of the whole school, you'll get two hundred. Get him to quit before I expose him at the end of the year, and we'll pay you a thousand galleons. The only conditions are that you provide proof of your involvement, and you only get paid if you don't get caught. By 'caught,' I mean they must have solid evidence against you. They might suspect you, but as long as there's no proof, you're fine. Also, you can't tell anyone about this deal. If you do, you lose the payment and any chance of future business. So, what do you say?" Riley explained.

 

The twins shared a look before smirking widely.

 

"It seems we've come to an accord ickle Slytherins. We expect payment upon proof of completion. Shall we get this contract in writing?" the Twins replied.

 

"Yep," The Slytherins answered with devilish smirks.

 

After they shook hands the Slytherins walked away with grins on their faces.

 

"This is exactly what I've been saying, you guys. Never underestimate someone's worth—you might need or want to deal with them later," Riley said as they walked, drawing devilish smiles from her gang.

 

"Oh, and Luna... if the Nargles start pilfering your things again, let me know. I'll see if the twins have any... 'solutions’," Riley quipped.

 

Luna looked up from her book, a glint of mischievous amusement appeared in her eyes before she returned to reading.

 

“Let’s see what those scoundrels come up with. In the meantime, we can figure out the best way to expose him as the fraud he is,” Riley said to her friends.

 

-Later-

 

The Slytherins were gathered to watch a Quidditch match between Slytherin and Gryffindor. Draco had tried out for the team and earned the position of Seeker, so all his friends were there to cheer him on.

 

Riley was only half-focused on the game when she sensed a pulse of familiar magic. She couldn’t immediately place why it felt so recognizable, but she was certain she’d encountered it somewhere before.

 

“…”Tom seemed to recognize the sensation as well.

 

She glanced around the crowd but couldn’t find it. Then, something caught her eye in the sky. One of the Bludgers was hurtling toward a Gryffindor player at an incredible speed. Riley didn’t know much about Quidditch, but she was sure Bludgers weren’t supposed to move that fast. She watched as it slammed into the unsuspecting Gryffindor, snapping the front of her broom clean off.

 

The girl was thrown from her broom and went tumbling towards the ground from nearly three hundred feet up.

 

Riley sprang to her feet, her wand materializing in her hand. While several teachers, including Dumbledore, rose and began to respond, she was already casting a spell. “Arresto Momentum.”

 

The falling girl slowed in her descent, lowering to the ground at a steady pace, to land gently on the grass.

 

Seeing her make it to the ground safely, Riley’s eyes lifted to the bewitched bludger, which was now targeting another student, this time one of the older Slytherin boys. The boy raced away on his broom the demented iron ball chasing after with what could only be described as malicious intent.

 

She moved to the edge of the stands and lifted her wand, casting a powerful Lumos to draw the eyes of her house mate, when his head turned towards her she waved at him, urging him to head in her direction.

 

He did so, banking towards her as the bludger closed in behind him.

 

Riley prepared a spell, watching intently. She waited for the moment the boy passed over her, before casting a Bombarda spell. The bolt of magic struck true, strike the iron ball, shattering it to pieces and halting it’s rampage.

 

Cheers rose up from the crowd as the danger passed, Riley clicking her teeth in concern and suspicion, her eyes once more darting about in search of whomever had bewitched the bludger.

 

Even as a few of her housemates ran over to pat her on the back and offer her praise, she kept alert. Nothing revealed itself though. After the game, Riley was awarded with quite a few point towards her house, for her efforts which naturally elevated her in the eyes of her fellow Slytherin.

 

The following day, while chatting with her friends she was approached by that same girl that she’d saved from falling, she looked to be a bit older than Riley, perhaps a third or fourth year.

 

“Hi.” The girl greeted.

 

“Hey.” Riley responded giving her a curious look.

 

“Your Riley, right? Riley Uzumaki. You’re the one who stopped me from falling.” She questioned.

 

“Yeah that was Riley, little miss hero. That’s two years in a row you’ve saved someone from near death.” Pansy responded for her.

 

“Let’s try not to make it a trend.” Riley shook her head, and offered the girl a smile.

 

"My name's Katie, Katie Bell. I just wanted to say thank you. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t stepped up." Katie said gratefully.

 

“I’m sure one of the professors was right behind me. You’d have been fine.” Riley offered.

 

“Still, I appreciate it.” Katie spoke.

 

“Well, your welcome miss Bell. You played well, kept this one on his toes.” Riley responded gesturing to Draco.

 

“I tried. You flew well too Malfoy, I look forward to our next match.” Katie said to him, a bright smile spreading across her face.

 

“Let’s hope all goes well the next time. No more mishaps so the match can be settled fair and square. No fun in winning when someone interferes with the game.” Draco spoke.

 

“Yeah, did you guys hear anything about that. McGonagall hasn’t really said.” Katie inquired.

 

“No idea. The bludger was obviously bewitched, the only question is by whom, and why.” Draco answered, sharing a glance with Riley whom shrugged, as she knew nothing more either.

 

“Yeah, it’s weird. If you guys here anything, please let me know. Certainly like a heads up if I’ve found my way onto someones bad side.” Katie asked.

 

“Sure thing. Hopefully the bludger was just targeting everyone and you were the unlucky one. That’s how it looked to me, but until we find out who did this, we wont know for sure, so stay safe in the meantime.” Riley said to her.

 

“I will. Thanks again.” Katie returned as her friends called out to her. She offered Riley and company a friendly wave as she made her way back to her friends.

 

Days passed, Riley continued to learn and spend time with her friends. Nothing turned up in the investigation surrounding the bewitched bludger, the teachers ended up writing it off as a prank gone wrong. Riley hoped that’s all it was, still she couldn’t get over the strange feeling she’d gotten right before everything happened.

 

One night, she sat awake in the Slytherin common room, reading a book in the dark. It was past lights out, but the darkness didn’t really bother Riley. She was about to close the book and head for bed with a distant voice pierced the walls, and filled the deathly silent room.

 

“Rip, Tear, Kill!” Riley blinked.

 

“What the fuck…” Riley uttered aloud, glancing around for the source of the noise.

 

“That wasn’t English.” Kurama noted.

 

“No, it wasn’t. That was a serpent.” Tom recognized.

 

“Yeah it was. Is there a snake in here?” Riley wondered, looking around the room. She found nothing, so she quietly slipped out of the dungeons. She wandered around for a bit, and caught the voice again.

 

“Where… where are they? Rip at them! Tear into them! Kill! Kill! Kill!” The voice spoke again, louder this time. It was coming from higher up in the castle. Riley followed it, traveling to the second floor, which seemed where it had originated from.

 

As she made her way through the halls, towards where she thought the voice was coming from, she felt apprehension build within her. It caught her off guard as she realized it wasn’t coming from her. It was Tom, who seemed to be growing troubled.

 

“What’s wrong?” Riley asked him.

 

“That voice… Riley… be very careful here. Keep your eyes low. Listen and smell for the serpent. Do not look at it. I’ve heard this voice before, we’re getting close to a place… secret of this school, a secret only I knew of. If that secret has been unleashed, than somewhere nearby may be a creature that can kill with sight alone.” Tom warned her. She could hear the unease in his voice.

 

“What kind of creature kills with sight alone?” Madara questioned.

 

“The King of Serpents. The Monster of Slytherin. A Basilisk.” Tom replied, his tone deathly serious, though touched by just the smallest bit of reverence.

 

“A story there, I have no doubt. Eyes low then. I’ll listen for it.” Riley acquiesced to her master’s warning.

 

“You should have no problem hearing it. The beast of Slytherin is huge. Over sixty feet long, at last I’d seen it.” Tom told her, causing Riley to pause, and take a moment to digest that.

 

Once settling herself, she continued to advance, going over everything she knew about Basilisks. They were some of the most terrifying and powerful magical creatures in the world. A venom that rated as the most lethal of all snakes. Killing sight, that could stop the heart of a full grown man with a single glance. An aversion to the crowing of roosters. Magically enhanced scales to resist both physical and magical attacks. Basilisks weren’t natural creations. Something about an egg and a frog in order to create them, she didn’t remember the specifics.

 

She’d never encountered one before, so she approached the situation with care and caution.

 

“Do you think my Sharingan will grant me some resistance to it’s Killing Sight?” Riley inquired.

 

“I have no idea. I’m not even sure if it’s safe to have a Shadow Clone look into it’s eyes. The transfer of memories may actually cause you physical harm. It’s killing sight is a magical attack that overwhelms the target. It’s described as a sensation of absolute terror. Almost like Killing Intent but focused to the extreme.” Tom responded, his answer earning an internal curse from Riley.

 

Riley navigated the blackened corridors listening for the monstrous creature as she moved silently in the dark.

 

A familiar scent caught her nose, as she passed into a lit hallway. Drawing a kunai, she used the reflection off the blade to scan the hallway. Finding nothing, she lifted her gaze to find the source of the scent. She knew it was blood, a smell she’d learned to recognize years ago.

 

Her gaze fell on the lifeless body of a cat, dangling from one of the unused torch sconces. She stared for a moment, trying to place where she had seen the cat before. Then it hit her—this was Mrs. Norris, the cat belonging to Filch, the school’s caretaker.

 

Beside the strung up cat, written in blood across the wall was a message.

 

‘The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the heir… beware.’

 

Riley stared at the message for several long moments.

 

“It’s impossible…” Tom uttered.

 

“So it’s as you feared. This Chamber, that’s where this Basilisk was held. Who is the heir?” Riley questioned, recognizing the source of his concern.

 

“Yes. The Chamber of Secrets, personal laboratory and study of Salazar Slytherin, home to his monster. The heir this message refers to, is the one person who can control the Basilisk. The Heir to Slytherin. It is I.” The Dark Lord responded, his tone leaving no room for doubt that he was deeply concerned over this discovery.

 

“Oi! What are you doing out of bed?” Came the call from one of the patrolling prefects.

 

“Fetch one of the professors. Something terrible has happened.” Riley responded, her gaze locked on the message. The prefect stepped up beside her, and saw the message as well as Mrs. Norris.

 

“Bloody hell…” They muttered, disbelief and fear echoing in their tone.

 

The prefect quickly raced off, forgetting to drag her with too stunned by the message written in blood and the seemingly dead cat. Only seemingly as Riley saw no signs of injury. She couldn’t tell if the cat was dead or not.

 

She reached up, standing on her toes to feel the cat’s body. Beneath her fingertips she could feel the gentle beating of the cat’s heart, and the tiniest movement, indicating that it was taking breath.

 

“It’s petrified. It saw a reflection of the Basilisk’s gaze. Seeing it’s killing sight through a reflection will freeze you on the spot, similar to the stare of a gorgon.” Tom recognized.

 

“I see…” Riley spoke softly as she stepped back and closed her eyes, listening for the creature. She heard nothing, other than the sound of footfalls echoing the corridors.

 

“The entrance to the Chamber is nearby. In the girl’s bathroom just down the hall.” Tom told her, Riley had to stop herself from looking in that direction, now paranoid of accidentally catching the gaze of this monster.

 

“Someone has gained access to a terrible power, and has unleashed it upon the school. We need to find out who and why, and do it quickly, before this monster begins eating students.” Madara spoke.

 

“There is only one answer, a direct descendant of Slytherin. Another like myself. You should retreat for now Riley, we will work on a plan and protections for dealing with this creature and whomever is controlling it.” Riley nodded at his suggestion, knowing that he was right. A massive, magically resilient predator that was venomous, and could kill with sight alone, being controlled by a descendant of Slytherin, that was not a battle she could approach without a bit of preparation.

 

She heard footfalls approaching, mentally preparing herself for the conversation that would come of this. Once that was done, she’d need to immediately get to work on preparing herself for the battle to come. Who knows how much time they had before this creature struck again. This warning had been given, meaning they had at least some time to prepare before the attack.

 

“Miss Uzumaki…” She heard the voice of professor McGonagall as the prefect led her back to the corridor.

 

“Someone is here Professor. Someone who shouldn’t be.” Riley spoke, her eyes returning to the message scrawled upon the wall.

 

She heard McGonagall take in a breath as she read it. No doubt, she was already coming to some conclusion as to what it meant. Dumbeldore already suspected Voldemort’s involvement in the death of Quirell and the theft of the Philosopher’s Stone, it wasn’t a stretch to imagine how he and the other teachers would interpret this warning.

 

Riley could only hope she could ready herself to face this creature and it’s unknown master before it hurt one of her classmates. She needed to prepare, and quickly.

 

-To Be Continued-

Notes:

Alrighty, here’s the next chapter, a bit spread out, more interactions and growth and of course, bigger changes for Riley’s second year. Hope you all enjoy.

Chapter 12: Second Year: Part 2

Notes:

Alright, time for the next chapter, bigger changes are coming, hope you all enjoy!

A simple lie was all that was needed. She was restless and needed to take a walk. No one questioned it. It happened about a hundred times throughout the school year. Just a student who needed to stretch their legs, and take a walk, found out after dark. Was it always the truth? Of course not. But it was the excuse used almost every time, and it was true enough that the teachers chose to accept it.

 

They had bigger problems now.

 

Mrs. Norris had been attacked. A warning had been scrawled in blood. And by morning, the whispers turned to gasps, every rooster in the coop had been slaughtered.

 

Riley felt the chill of it settle deep in her bones when she heard that.

 

“The crowing of a rooster can repel a Basilisk,” Tom murmured inside her mind. “Prolonged exposure can even kill one.”

 

“So someone’s clearing the way,” Riley said quietly, her voice barely audible over the breakfast chatter. “They’re planning more attacks.”

 

Her friends speculated, voices rising and falling around her. But Riley barely heard them. Her thoughts were elsewhere — on the creature, and the heir who had unleashed it.

 

Riley offered little to the discussion, more focused on how she would deal with the deadly creature and this ‘heir’ that had unleashed it.

 

The heir had to be a Parselmouth. A blood descendant of Slytherin. Voldemort had no known children. No surviving relatives. No obvious suspects.

 

Riley for her part, took stock of the students and teachers. Was it one of them? Or someone hidden in the school.

 

She began watching. Listening. Sniffing the air for blood. Her senses were sharp, but not sharp enough. Menstrual blood masked the girls. She also couldn’t tell rooster from human blood. She tried the boys, but it was a guess at best, and only if the heir was even among them.

 

On that point, she did notice that Ginny smelled a bit like blood, and looked somewhat off. She seemed almost tired.

 

Riley approached her gently.

 

“You okay?” she asked.

 

“Is is that bad?” Ginny asked, rubbing the side of her head with the faintest of smiles.

 

“A little, but I tend to notice things.” Riley responded.

 

“Sorry. I just haven’t been sleeping very well. Been having nightmares recently. They keep me up.” Ginny responded.

 

“Have you tried talking to Madam Pomfrey about it. She might be able to give you something, to help you sleep.” Riley asked.

 

“I haven’t but I think it will. Thanks for the suggestion. I appreciate it.” Ginny responded, again with a tired smile before gathering her books to head off to class.

 

Riley watched her go, a slight worry forming in the back of her mind.

 

“There’s no way it’s Ginny…” she whispered to the voices in her mind.

 

“It does seem odd, but to my knowledge of her family line, they have no connection to any of Slytherin’s descendants. Unless there’s something I’m missing, or have overlooked. Still her condition does seem rather odd. I’d keep an eye on her.” Tom suggested.

 

“You think there’s a chance it could be her?” Riley inquired.

 

“I think there’s a chance she killed the roosters and scrawled the message. She needn’t be a ‘willing’ participant in another’s plot.” Tom responded darkly.

 

Riley took in a breath at that. Recognizing that there were many kinds of mind-control and compulsion magics that could be used to turn someone into a puppet. If someone was using one of her new friends as a pawn, she’d do everything in her power to save them.

 

That night, she counted heads. Every student in her house. She sat by the entrance, eyes scanning faces, ticking names off silently. If someone was late, she went looking. She walked Neville, Luna, and Hermione back to their dorms every night, her presence quiet but firm.

 

And in secret, she sent out Shadow Clones. After dinner, they slipped into the halls, trailing her friends like silent guardians.

 

She couldn’t hide her protectiveness, but she could hide her magic.

 

Someone was out there, plotting, planning, and Riley intended to find them before someone got killed.

 

So she watched, she watched and she waited, and within a few days she was growing more certain that something was up with Ginny. The girl was constantly tucked into her journal. Writing in it, at all hours of the day.

 

Five days after the warning appeared, she spotted Ginny slipping out of the Slytherin Common Room. Late. Alone. Clutching her journal like a lifeline.

 

Riley followed.

 

She moved like smoke, silent, unseen, crawling across the ceiling, her Sharingan flickering to life. Ginny’s magic was… off. Suppressed. Something else was pushing through. Something familiar. Too familiar.

 

The journal pulsed with it.

 

“That look on her face, it’s like she is under some kind of trance. This isn’t the Imperius Curse.” Tom hummed.

 

“It might be the journal.” Riley noted her Sharingan spotting the way the magic of the book seemed to flow into and around Ginny.

 

“No… that can’t be…” Tom spoke as he saw what Riley was seeing.

 

“See something familiar?” Madara inquired.

 

Tom’s voice was tight. “It’s my journal.”

 

“Yours?” Riley asked, her body tensing.

 

“She’s heading for the girl’s bathroom.” Madara noted, recognizing where they were headed. “The Chamber.”

 

Tom’s voice darkened. “I gave that diary to Nott. Trusted him to hide it. I never thought…”

 

“How is it controlling her?” Riley asked, eyes locked on Ginny’s trance-like movements.

 

“In my youth, I sought power in many forms. One such pursuit was in the form of immortality. I learned that there existed a way to separate a piece of your own soul and bound it to physical object. A Horcrux. So long as the Horcrux existed the one who created it could not be fully destroyed, as their spirit would remain anchored to the world. I was still in Hogwarts at the time, and I foolishly went about creating one. My diary, that book that she carries. It makes sense. The reason she can command the Basilisk, is because of my spirit.” Voldemort explained to his companions.

 

“What was so foolish about giving yourself immortality. I mean, it’s the reason you survived me killing you all those years ago, isn’t it?” Riley inquired as she continued to follow after Ginny, now armed with the knowledge that it was likely the Dark Lord himself controlling her body.

 

“The ritual to create a Horcrux involved removing a piece of your soul. The easiest way to sever a part of your soul is to commit a murder. When you murder someone, the backlash of such a vile act, tears your soul apart. Now normally the pieces come back together, but the soul remains disfigured from the act. The more murders one commits the more mangled their soul becomes, but the whole of their soul remains. The Horcrux ritual, takes the broken piece and locks it away, prevents it from returning to the whole. You are less than what you were before. I did not understand this until after I had created it. Sensations were not as clear as they had been before. Emotions were more difficult to control. I realized that there was far greater ramifications for my actions, far too late, and it left me scarred. I carry such wounds, even to this day, though yes, it is part of the reason I was able to remain alive even after you’d killed me. I have found other ways to extend my life, and protect myself from death, methods with more agreeable risks and less of a cost than the creation of a Horcrux.” Tom laid it out for them.

 

“So it’s not manipulation, it’s full on possession.” Riley recognized.

 

“Yes. It would seem that way.” Voldemort sighed.

 

“Why give it to Nott? Guy seemed like a prick.” Riley asked.

 

“He does now. Back then, as I mentioned before, he was one of my most loyal followers. Lord Nott was always more a brute, but he was loyal, and had a cunning mind when given the time. His brother though, he was a genius, helped coordinate our movement, and won us many battles during the war. When he died, Nott began to spiral. It was a slow, simmering thing. He must not have recovered from the loss if he’s gone so far as to use my Diary for this plot.” Voldemort informed her.

 

“What do you think he’s after?” Riley asked as they made it to the girl’s bathroom, and she watched as Ginny approached one of the sinks, and began to hiss at it, speaking Parseltongue.

 

“I wish I knew. It’s possible he began communing with the book. If you write in it, my spirit can write back. Years ago, when I gained control over the Basilisk and found the Chamber of Secrets I caused a bit of ruckus. Young and stupid, I felt invincible with that kind of power under my control. It is a reflection of me, born out of that time, that resides within the Diary. A young, arrogant, power hungry fool. One who doesn’t yet appreciate the nuances of his position, nor the weight of the position he would one day hold. It would be many years still before I began to shape into the man I am today. I traveled the world, and learned much of myself and magic. I saw the state of the world, and saw what I needed to do in order to save it from what was coming. Back then though… I was just a powerful young wizard with a mean streak a mile long, and too much charisma for his own good.” Tom explained, in response to her question.

 

As the passageway yawned open, Riley hesitated. She had no answer for the Basilisk, a creature of legend, steeped in venom and death, capable of killing with a glance. Kamui could shield her from its attacks, but not its lethal gaze. Was she really going to charge into battle unprepared? Could its magic-resistant scales withstand Susano’o? Would her power be enough?

 

While she wrestled with her doubt, Ginny slipped into the darkness. Riley tensed at the sight, ready to leap after her, but froze. She understood the danger, and the cost of recklessness. Eastern Europe. The day she died, or came nearly there. She remembered what happened the last time she had failed, and what it had cost innocent people. She couldn’t afford to let something like that happen here. Not at Hogwarts. She loved this place, her new home.

 

Ginny was in danger. If Riley didn’t act, the Basilisk might kill tonight.

 

“Riley…” Madara’s voice was low, warning. He sensed what she was about to do.

 

“I’m not gonna let that thing out, and have someone’s blood on my hands. It’s just not happening. If I get the book away from her, will that set Ginny free, or do I need to destroy it?” Riley questioned as she appeared before the opening.

 

“If she’s actively possessed, proximity won’t matter,” Voldemort replied. “Try to take it, and my soul fragment will cling to her, draining her life. Destroying the Diary would free her, but Horcruxes resist damage, magical or mundane. I don’t even know how to destroy one.”

 

“What’ll happen to your soul if it is destroyed?” Madara questioned.

 

“I doubt much at all. I haven’t had that piece since I was a boy. Losing it permanently won’t affect me now.” Voldemort answered with certainty.

 

“Then destroying it is our best shot.” Riley decided.

 

“If it saves innocent lives, do what you must.” Voldemort urged. “But go now, before she releases the beast. The Chamber lies deeper, but the Basilisk may already be awake. It could be waiting just below.”

 

As risky as it was, they had no way of knowing what Riddle’s soul fragment had planned. If someone died because of the Basilisk it would fall on Riley for not acting. The choice set before her was whether or not she could live with that. To risk her own life, knowing that it was dangerous, knowing that there were things she could do to prepare if she had more time. If she rolled the dice, and Ginny came back up out of the Chamber, if the Basilisk didn’t kill anyone tonight, than she could deal with the Diary tomorrow, with relative safety.

 

Did she roll the dice? Did she take the risk on someone’s life? A shinobi likely would. She was armed with a helluva lot of new information now. Info that she could use to put a stop to this, and do it with significantly less risk to herself.

 

Logic pointed towards waiting. To wait, and pray, and deal with Ginny while she was separate from the Basilisk. That made the most sense, but it was a gamble. There were other options. Riley could go and fetch the professors. Tell Dumbledore what she’d learned. Reveal Ginny’s possession, have the school evacuated, leave it to professionals, but what if Ginny didn’t come back? What if she didn’t come out of this hole? It seemed likely she would. Again, logically she was still useful as a pawn, so she’d emerge, but what if she didn’t, what if this was her last night alive, and Riley’s only opportunity to save her. Could she live with herself if she chose not to rescue her friend.

 

They weren’t close, but Riley had welcomed Ginny into her circle. Abandoning her now felt like betrayal.

 

“Shit. Tom tell me where I’m going.” Riley spoke as she began to advance, hopping in the darkened hole, sliding down the tube towards it’s depths.

 

She heard Madara sigh at her actions, but he offered no further warning. Despite the risk, she had chosen to act. For good or for ill, best to help her through this, and face whatever consequences came of it as they emerged. Kurama seemed to be of similar mind, eerily quiet as he watched events unfold.

 

“Keep your ears open, listen for the creature, it could be anywhere down here. Listen for it, and the moment you hear it, keep your eyes on the ground, or better yet, keep them closed. This tunnel leads ahead for about a hundred yards. Proceed carefully.” Tom instructed.

 

Riley did so, moving forward in the darkness, keeping her ears open for noise.

 

She moved carefully, stopping at any sound of noise as she proceeded through the near blackness.

 

A low groaning noise touched at the air from somewhere up ahead. Riley listened carefully, guessing that the noise was the sound of a door opening.

 

“She’s reached the chamber. Hurry! The beast must still be inside!” Tom urged.

 

Riley shot forward, speeding ahead, and passing through the open chamber. As she entered she could hear Ginny hissing, speaking in Parseltongue, though the voice was hardly her own.

 

“Speak to me Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts four!” She intoned as she crossed the chamber towards the head of a great statue.

 

Riley didn’t hesitate. She dashed across the chamber, struck Ginny at the base of her neck, and caught her before she fell. The Diary flew from Ginny’s arms with a kick. Riley drew her wand and fired a Reducto.

 

The spell fizzled.

 

“No good.” Riley let out an internal curse as she pondered what spell to try next.

 

“Riley, the statue, it’s coming!” Tom warned her as she heard the mouth of the statue begin to open.

 

She turned her gaze to the statue, taking the moment to recognize it as the head of Salazar Slytherin. The moment after recognizing this, she dropped her gaze to the ground.

 

A hiss filled the air. Riley activated her Mangekyou. Something massive slithered from the statue’s mouth.

 

“Kill, Kill, Food!” The serpent hissed as it moved towards her.

 

Riley began moving, stepping sideways, giving the creature a clear avenue towards her, and away from Ginny’s unconscious form.

 

Water lined either side of the chamber, and Riley found herself standing upon it’s surface. She heard the creature hiss once more, and then lunge at her. It’s massive bulk, and enormous mouth rushing to close in on her.

 

It slammed it’s jaws around her body, and pulled back. The bite force would have easily broken a full grown man in two. Thanks to Kamui the creature phased right through her. It pulled back, biting at the air, attempting to feel for her, only to spot her still standing there.

 

It hissed and lunged again. From it’s perspective it was hitting her, yet when it pulled back, she was still standing there, unharmed.

 

Riley kept her eyes down, waiting for it to lunge again. As it did, Susano’o began to form around her. The Serpent sunk it’s fangs into the muscle of the construct as it grew and shaped. As soon as it’s arms formed, she grabbed at the Basilisk, seizing it just behind the head.

 

“You’ve got it!” Kurama recognized.

 

Summoning all of the strength she could must through the chakra construct she squeezed it’s fists and rotated them opposite each other. Intent on trying to essentially decapitate the massive creature.

 

“You…! NO!!!!” She heard a boy’s voice shout as the sound of crunching, joined with the hellish roar of the beast.

 

She could hear the snake thrashing as it died, fighting to it’s very last to escape as the fingers of Susano’o sunk into it’s scales and flesh, ripping open skin and muscle, spilling dark blood across the construct’s body and onto the floor.

 

Riley kept her eyes down until the snake stopped moving. It’s body went limp, as it stopped struggling.

 

“Careful, even while dead, it’s gaze can still kill you. I’ve heard stories of hunters and adventurers falling pray to that.” Tom warned her.

 

“Okay. Now… who was that voice?” Riley slowly lifted her eyes, peering out just enough to see the body of the Basilisk. Slowly she lowered it’s huge corpse to the ground, as her eyes turned to scan the room for that voice.

 

She spotted a figure, ghostly in appearance, knelt over Ginny, pawing at her body and cursing with frustration.

 

A young man, dressed in Hogwarts robes. It looked to be a student, or at least, the ghost of one.

 

“Ah, so he shows himself.” Tom spoke.

 

“Is that you?” Riley asked as she approached the ghostly figure. She could see him trying to reach something in Ginny’s robes. Likely searching for her wand, and failing to do so.

 

“He doesn’t yet have enough power to interact with the physical world. We must destroy the Diary. The longer it remains active, the more power he’ll draw from Ginny and the greater chance he’ll have to begin interacting with the world again.” Voldemort explained to her.

 

“Any idea how?” Riley asked, wand at her side.

 

The boy looked up, eyes burning with hatred.

 

“You vile little bitch! Do you have any idea what you’ve done! What you’ve just destroyed!” Tom’s younger self snarled at her, rising to his feet.

 

“A weapon, and little more. I put the creature out of it’s misery, and now I’ll do the same to you Tom.” Riley threw back at him coldly.

 

His name struck him like a blow. Surprise flickered across his face.

 

“It might be possible to destroy the Diary with powerful, debilitating dark magic,” Voldemort said. “The Killing Curse might work on a living Horcrux, but not an object. Fiendfyre might succeed, its malice is legendary, but it’s volatile, and we don’t have time to master it.”

 

“Dammit,” Riley muttered, mind racing.

 

Then a voice came. Smooth, masculine, unfamiliar, it echoed in her thoughts.

 

“The answer is ever so simple.”

 

Her eyes went wide, and she glanced around for it’s source.

 

“Who’s there?” Riley questioned.

 

“Riley? What’s wrong?” Madara asked her, sensing the shift in her demeanor.

 

“Use the sword.” The Voice said to her.

 

“Use the sword? My sword?” Riley blinked, and summoned her sword, drawing it from it’s sheath. She stared at the blade for a long moment, sensing a smile forming on the unseen face of this unknown entity. She turned her eyes over to where the diary lay. Slowly she advanced towards it.

 

“Riley, what are you doing?” Voldemort questioned her, just as confused as Madara as to her actions. Neither man, apparently being privy to the words of the unknown.

 

“What are you doing?” The Young Tom asked her as she passed by him.

 

“What are you doing!?!” He shouted at her, rising to his feet and advancing on her. The specter could do her no harm in it’s current state, but it was slowly growing more powerful as it fed on Ginny. Already she was growing pale, her energy beginning to fade as the spirit began to actively feed on her.

 

“Sorry, Tom,” Riley said, standing over the book. “I won’t let you hurt my friends.”

 

“No! NO!!!” He shouted as she drove her blade down into the diary, praying that it worked. The sword stabbed through the book and into the stone.

 

An explosion of black smoke erupted from the book, filling the air around Riley, forcing her to jump back, retreating in order to escape the potential danger. She watched as Tom’s ghost faded out of existence, screaming as it vanished into the void, all the while a similar scream could be heard bellowing out from the swirling cone of black smoke, that suddenly rushed outward, and dissipated, fading from sight.

 

“It worked!” Madara said, stunned.

 

“It did. Well done.” Tom agreed, surprised by the sword’s power.

 

Riley exhaled, her heart pounding. She hadn’t realized by just how much until silence fell over the chamber.

 

“Perfection.” She heard the unknown voice state, obviously pleased.

 

“Who are you?” Riley thought back, her eyes lowering to the blade.

 

“An important question, but yours to answer. I am an ally, you needn’t fear.” The voice responded to her.

 

“Where are you? Why can’t the others hear you?” Riley questioned in her mind.

 

“Because I am speaking only to you. This is between us.” The voice answered back.

 

“Are you… in my head?” Riley asked, uncertainty filling her tone.

 

“No. I’m part of you, just as they are. Our bond began the day you were born. I’ve always been here.”

 

Riley felt a chill. The voice was calm, but its vagueness unsettled her.

 

“Why did that work? Why was the sword able to destroy the Diary?” Riley questioned, hoping that it would at least answer that for her.

 

“Because the sword is not of this world. It is not a thing of metal, as it’s appearance may belie. It is made of the energy of the spirit.” The voice answered her, causing her to blink, and once more examine the blade with curiosity.

 

“Do you know where it came from? Why it suddenly appeared? It came from my body. I literally pulled it out of my chest…” Riley inquired, again hoping it could answer the question and clear away some of the mystery surrounding the strange weapon.

 

“The sword was placed within you on the day of your birth, following the events that saw you perish. It was placed there in order to protect you from hollowing. Your slumbering demonic companion knew this, which is why it urged Kurama to revive you using his heart. The creature knew that doing so would cause the seal to break, and you would summon the sword. You have the essence of a hollow within you. You are part hollow. Even as you transform into a Tailed Beast, you will retain that essence and nature.” The Voice explained to her.

 

“What? But I thought this process would stop me from becoming a Hollow? That’s why Kurama chose it.” Riley asked, her concern growing.

 

“Kurama’s actions stopped you from becoming ‘only’ a Hollow. What you will become instead is something else. A Hollowed Tailed Beast. Still, essentially a Hollow, but a new breed. Something never seen before. That is what it wanted, for you to become more. Greater. It lied. As it is apt to. But it also told the truth, because it knew about the sword. I can suppress your Hollow side. For a time at least. Keep you from developing a taste for souls, but my protections only extend so far. I can only do so much. As your powers grow, my own ability to contain your Hollow side will weaken, and it will fail more and more. Events, like what happened in Eastern Europe will repeat themselves, and you will become more vicious. It wont just be killing that drives you, but feeding as well. The stronger you become, the harder it will be to keep that part of you at bay. Eventually you will have to confront it, and overcome it on your own. Only then will you truly be free to make your own choices. For good or for ill, at least you’ll be free.” The Voice informed her.

 

Riley clicked her teeth at that. Mentally cursing the slumbering demon for it’s manipulation, but ultimately recognizing that it had still given her a chance to retain some semblance of her humanity, a chance to fight, which is more than she would have had, had it not spoken up.

 

“Does that mean that you’re, part of the sword?” Riley asked the Voice.

 

“In a manner of speaking. Perhaps it’s more accurate to say that the sword is a representation of me.” Riley let out a sigh at hearing that. So the sword was sentient, alive even.

 

“Why speak up now? Why have you been so quiet all this time?” Riley asked it.

 

“Because you needed help to save Ginny, and I figured it was time for introductions. As for why I remained quiet, you’re just a child. I wanted you to have some time to be a child. I wish I could have given you more time, but you’re growing too fast. It’s time we started working together. As our bond grows, so too will my ability to suppress your Hollow nature, up to a point. Eventually you’ll grow beyond my ability to keep it buried, but we can buy more time by learning to work together. So I chose to break my silence.” The Sword explained to her, it seemed almost compassionate. Caring, in a way, which Riley found odd, but also a bit refreshing.

 

“Do you know who placed you with me?” Riley inquired.

 

“I do not, but I have my suspicions. That is for later though, best not to worry. Whomever they are, I believe their intentions were noble, and meant for your well-being. In time, I am certain they too will reveal themselves. For now, it may be best to check on Ginny.” The sword said to her, it’s finishing words, drawing her eyes back over to where Ginny lay. Riley quickly began approaching her, summoning the sword’s sheath to her as she did.

 

“Oh and one last thing, a request, if I may?” The sword inquired.

 

“What is it?” Riley replied as she made it to Ginny and knelt next to her.

 

“Keep me with you. Don’t seal me away. Our bond grows stronger when we’re together. Storage scrolls are… lonely.”

 

“Oh! Of course. Sorry. Yeah I’ll keep you out from now on. Would a shrinking charm be alright?” She asked, blinking at hearing that.

 

“That’s perfectly acceptable.” Her sword responded.

 

Riley nodded at that, and placed the blade back into its sheath, treating it far more respectfully now that she knew it was alive, sentient, and cognoscente of its surroundings.

 

Once done, she shrunk it down and placed it into her pocket. She then scooped Ginny into her arms, and began carrying her towards the exit.

 

“Um, Riley?” Madara began, “We all only caught half of that conversation. Mind telling us what that was about?”

 

Riley explained things to Madara, Kurama, and Tom as she made her way to hospital wing. None of them knew what to make of that. A living sword, placed with her on the day of her birth to stop her from hollowing.

 

Things were growing ever stranger, and the fact that someone placed the sword there, knowing what Riley would become, well that certainly set off alarm bells. Her sword not telling her it’s name, that was also a bit strange. Unfortunately none of them knew anything that might help her.

 

She placed Ginny in one of the beds in the hospital wing, then went and knocked on Madam Pomfrey’s door, vanishing before the woman answered. She hid and waited just long enough to make sure Pomfrey noticed Ginny, before departing.

 

She knew her friend would be in good hands with the school nurse now that her soul was no longer being drained.

 

She returned to the chamber of secrets, recovering the Diary which still held traces of dark magic, but now no longer held the soul fragment of the Dark Lord. She then turned her attention to the corpse of the Basilisk.

 

“I’m surprised by how easy that was.” Riley noted as she eyed the body.

 

“Easy? Any other person would be dead in a battle against that monster. You only had an easy time because of your unique gifts. Any normal person wouldn’t have survived, let alone won.” Tom rebutted.

 

“That’s fair.” Riley hummed aloud.

 

“Why did you never use the creature after leaving Hogwarts Tom?” Madara inquired.

 

“Well firstly, It would have been a huge risk sneaking it out of the castle by the time the war started, and I had nowhere to put it that wouldn’t draw attention to the massive creature. Beyond that, I did actually have a plan to use it. In fact, my intention had been to use it to kill the Fourth Hokage. I figured the Basilisk’s killing sight was the only method I had at killing the man. Had the war gone on any longer than it did, I would have formed such a plan to use it. Alas, other options appeared, and well, you all know how that went. It was necessary to destroy it, but it is a shame. A thousand year old Basilisk, likely the oldest of any Basilisk. A piece of history right here, and now you’re a part of it Riley, having slain the beast. What’ll you do with it’s body? There are many magical properties to be found in such a creature. Basislik venom can be used as a wand core, the scales could be made into armor, the meat is apparently a delicacy for goblins. There’s plenty of money to be had.” Voldemort responded curiously.

 

“Huh, ya know, you mentioned before Kurama that I could absorb the powers of the Byakugan, that I kept, because of my demonic nature. Is it possible for me to absorb the powers of the Basilisk too? Like could I develop it’s Killing sight if I took it’s eyes?” Riley inquired.

 

“Hmm… that’s a good question. Maybe. My only reason for doubt is because of the nature of the Basilisk itself. It’s not a natural creation. It’s a malformed form of life, born through dark rituals. It’s possible for you to obtain parts of it’s powers, but it might also not be. I don’t know. You’d have to experiment since the creature is far from normal. I’d like to say yes, since as a demon, the abnormal nature of this thing shouldn’t matter, but I’m simply not sure. So I can’t be certain. Do keep in mind though that the killing sight of this creature is not a dōjutsu the snake can’t turn the power on or off, so I’d hazard to guess such an adaptation wouldn’t grant you the ability to do so either. So I’d be careful with that one.” Kurama responded, finishing off with a warning, which earned a nod of understanding from Riley.

 

She took a moment, staring at the corpse as she pondered what she could do with it. She advanced a few steps, stopping when she felt some resistance under her foot. Looking down, she spotted a dark oval shaped object on the ground, kneeling, she picked it up.

 

“Huh…” Riley hummed as she recognized the object as one of the Basilisk’s scales. A number had broken off as she broke the creature’s neck. Despite the incredible power of Susano’o many of the scales were remarkably undamaged. They had broken or torn away from the flesh but the scales themselves were completely intact, leaving a mess of them on the ground around the creature’s corpse.

 

An idea formed in her mind, and a smirk spread across her face. As she decided on how to handle the body, she set to work. She collected several samples of blood, and venom, placing them into vials and sealing them away to be kept preserved, she also gathered up all of the fallen scales she could find to take with her. She then went about summoning a troop of clones, they pulled the body of the serpent onto a sealing scroll and sealed it away. She then followed Tom’s directions, finding her way through the chamber to locate Slytherin’s hidden study.

 

An ancient dusty office sat before her. The walls were lined with books, old relics dotted the room. A worn old desk sat facing the door. She could imagine this place had once been lively but now, it was just worn.

 

“Anything interesting in here?” Riley inquired to Tom.

 

“Plenty, and who knows what you may find that I did not. Keep in mind that when I found this place I was in my Fifth year. I only ventured down here a handful of times. I had my studies to attend to, alliances I was working to form, as much as I wanted to explore I never had a great deal of time to do so. I still had to sleep after all. Unlike you who has access to Shadow Clones, I was simply one person. I found a number of interesting books, though this library has only been partially examined. Who knows what you might find.” Tom explained to her.

 

Riley smiled at that. She created a number of Shadow Clones and set them to work beginning to examine the study and it’s contents.

 

While they were busy with that, she left the chamber, leaving the door open, but sealing the passageway in the girl’s bathroom, so no one would come down and snoop. Afterwards she returned to her room and got some sleep. Now that the school was safe, she could finally rest easy.

 

The sun soon rose, and she did her normal routine, though in the morning she feigned taking notice of Ginny’s absence and began asking around if anyone had seen her. Once she’d ensured a few people had noticed her asking, she found her way down to the hospital wing.

 

When she first poked in and spotted Madam Pomfrey she asked if Ginny was there, feigning ignorance to the truth.

 

“Yes, actually. Were you the one who brought her in?” Madam Pomfrey inquired.

 

“No, I just noticed she didn’t come down to the Common Room this morning and no one had seen her. Is she alright?” Riley lied in response.

 

“Yes. She is alright. You can come see her if you’d like.” Pomfrey offered.

 

Riley smiled and made her way into the room. Ginny looked to be resting comfortably.

 

So Riley sat, and she waited, even made small talk with Madam Pomfrey as she went about her morning.

 

After about a half hour, Ginny began to stir, her eyes drifting open.

 

“Morning.” Riley greeted her.

 

Ginny blinked a few times, turning her gaze towards the sound of Riley’s voice. When she spotted her, she appeared confused for several long moments, before finally realizing where she was.

 

“Yeah, you’re in the hospital wing.” Riley affirmed.

 

“What happened?” Ginny asked her.

 

Riley was quiet for a moment, glancing around for signs of Pomfrey, but she wasn’t in the room at the moments.

 

Leaning forward, Riley spoke quietly.

 

“That diary you were writing in Ginny, it was a cursed artifact. It possessed you. Has been for the last few weeks. It controlled you while you were sleeping, made you do things.” Riley said to her, causing her eyes to widen in surprise and fear.

 

“No one knows. I followed you, destroyed the book, set you free. I brought you here. You’re safe now. Keep it quiet, will you. And please, be more careful. Messing with dark artifacts can have some nasty repercussions if you’re not careful.” Riley explained. Ginny seemed to tense, offering a slow nod as she understood why Riley was keeping quiet.

 

“You’re the one who killed the roosters, and wrote that threat. The diary you had, it belonged to the heir. He controlled you. Used you for his own ends. I don’t want you to get into any trouble, and I don’t want the other students blaming you. You need to know what happened, but they don’t. I’ll keep quiet about what happened if you do. No one needs to know.” Riley expressed, again Ginny nodded. She shifted nervously, obviously embarrassed and unnerved, knowing someone else had taken control of her body, it was a violating feeling.

 

“I’m here if you wanna talk, okay. Otherwise, get some rest, feel better. Maybe things wont be so tough now that that damn book isn’t trying to wear down your mind.” Riley offered, rising to her feet and placing a hand on Ginny’s shoulder. She gave her a comforting squeeze, which earned a small smile from the girl.

 

"Thanks, Riley, for saving me. You're a good friend." Ginny said gratefully.

 

“Ya know, I’m not the only one interested in your well being. I’m sure the others will be happy to see that you’re doing alright. Rest up, some of them might even pop by to see you.” Riley spoke, giving her a reassuring smile.

 

Ginny’s mood seemed to brighten at that, so Riley took the opportunity to make her exit. She stopped by Pomfrey’s office, and informed her that Ginny was awake, so she could go check on her, but Riley was sure she was going to be alright.

 

She spent the morning letting her friends know that she’d found Ginny in the hospital wing, and that she’d somehow ended up there, but no one knew how. Of course several of them went to check on her, just as Riley had suggested, which further brightened Ginny’s mood, and by that night she’d returned to the Common Room, having been released by Pomfrey who seemed to diagnose her condition as some form of magical exhaustion.

 

The next few days were relaxing for Riley. Now that she knew they were safe, she could finally relax and focus on her school work, as well as exploring the secrets of the Chamber. She’d still have to deal with Nott Sr. as he was the one who set things in motion by placing the Diary with Ginny. As the cause of all of these events, as well as the person ultimately responsible for the destruction of the Diary and the death of the Basilisk he was the one who’d have to answer for it. Voldemort was naturally furious as the man for what he’d done, and wanted answers as to why he’d done it. Riley intended to wait until the new year and then she’d go after him, under the guise of Null.

 

Unbeknownst to Riley, a certain someone had taken notice of her relaxed posture. This same someone was one of those that had also noticed Riley’s increased paranoia after the threat from the mysterious ‘heir’ was given.

 

“What’d you need to ask about?” Riley inquired as Daphne led her to her room. Once there, she shut the door and turned to face her.

 

Riley blinked at her, curious to hear why Daphne needed to talk to her.

 

“Am I to presume that the mysterious ‘heir’ has been dealt with?” Daphne asked her.

 

Riley again blinked at her.

 

“You’ve been more your normal self these last few days. Given how worried you were before, that can only mean one thing. You found the heir, and dealt with the threat. Does that mean you dealt with the Basilisk as well?” Daphne questioned.

 

“How do you know about the Basilisk?” Riley questioned, surprise appearing on her face.

 

“You fought it?!? A thousand year old Basilisk! Are you insane!” Daphne questioned, her tone direct, but Riley could hear the concern that colored the edge of her words.

 

“No, no, no, go back. How do YOU know about the Basilisk?” Riley countered.

 

“The Chamber of Secrets, rumored to be the secret study of Salazar Slytherin himself. Slytherin’s Monster, a beast that guards this fabled study. The man was known to favor snakes, his sigil kind of gives that away. He was also a known Parseltongue, and dark wizard. The historians agree that if the chamber does exist, and if there really is a beast guarding it, it’s either a Wyrm of some kind, or a Basilisk. The dark wizard part, and the love of snakes leads many to lean more towards the Basilisk, which can petrify if their gaze is spotted in reflection.” Daphne explained to her, laying out the points, and her understanding of the situation.

 

“She’s good.” Tom hummed.

 

“She is.” Riley couldn’t help but agree.

 

“So it’s done, dealt with?” Daphne questioned.

 

“Yeah, it’s done. The beast is dead, the Chamber has been secured. I’m a Parseltongue, I have control over the Chamber now.” Riley admitted, interested to see how Daphne would react to that information, since she already suspected that Riley had dealt with the creature.

 

Daphne made a face at the Parseltongue bit, almost a momentary hum of consideration before moving on. She folded her arms over her chest, and fixed Riley with a pointed stare. “And the mysterious heir?”

 

“A cursed object. It possessed Ginny. That’s how she ended up hurt. I followed her down there, dealt with the object, and the creature and brought Ginny back. The spirit within the object was a descendant of Slytherin’s.” Riley explained.

 

“So that’s what happened. I guess she was lucky that you noticed. Dammit, why didn’t I? What gave it away? That she was being possessed I mean?” Daphne inquired, Riley gave her a curious look, wondering why Daphne thought she should have noticed the signs.

 

“I’ve got an eye for such things, ways of spotting it. What I’m curious about is why you think you’d notice. Have you been training to spot possession?” Riley questioned.

 

“Among other things.” Daphne responded with a sigh.

 

“Well, don’t beat yourself up. Just keep training, and you’ll get better at it.” Riley offered with a shrug, and a small smile.

 

Daphne gave her a look, but accepted the reassurance.

 

“You really fought and killed a thousand year old Basilisk?” Daphne asked her.

 

“I did.” Riley affirmed. Daphne stared into her eyes for a long moment, taking the time to read her, gauging if she believed her or not. Riley had killed a troll last year, so it wasn’t impossible for Daphne to believe, but still, there was a huge difference between your average troll, and Slytherin’s monster.

 

She let out another sigh and stared off into the middle distance for a bit, appearing thoughtful.

 

“You seem upset.” Riley noted.

 

“I’m not upset just… this is the second time our school was threatened by a monster, and both times it was saved by you. This shouldn’t be happening, and it certainly shouldn’t fall on you to stop it.” Daphne shook her head as she explained the source of her frustration.

 

“You say that like it’s supposed to be your problem to deal with.” Riley recognized.

 

“It is, in a manner of speaking. I’m far more qualified to deal with such threats than most of the students here. At least in an advisory role.” Daphne responded, earning further curiosity from Riley.

 

“May I ask why you feel that way?” Riley asked.

 

“It’s not about feeling. It is my responsibility. Dealing with monsters, and creatures, protecting the magical and muggle world from such dangers, that is my responsibility.” Daphne answered back.

 

“Oh… now isn’t this a surprise.” Tom hummed.

 

“What?” Riley asked.

 

“Stories, they stretch back a bit. Rumors of a close relationship between house Greengrass and the enigmatic and illustrious house Hellsing. Daphne’s aunt was rumored to be in close contact with the leader of the organization, Richard Hellsing.” Voldemort explained to her.

 

“Wait like Doctor Van Hellsing? The guy who fought Dracula, that Van Hellsing? They’re real?” Riley questioned in surprise.

 

“The very same. In fact the very act that ignited his legend. His defeat of the monstrous Count Dracula of Wallachia, said to be the greatest Vampire Lord to ever exist, it made the Hellsing family into legends overnight. For his efforts they became one of only a handful of Venerated houses, as recognized by the ICW. Technically speaking Doctor Van Hellsing was known to be a squib, but given what he accomplished, as well as his mastery of runes, potions, and alchemy, he’s still seen very highly in magical circles, as are his descendants. The Hellsing organization, it’s a group charged by Royal decree to protect our world, and the muggle world from monsters. Dark creatures of all shapes and forms are hunted by the organization. They act almost like a paramilitary strike force, hunting down these threat, or advising groups on how to do so. Their influence spreads far and wide and they carry out operations all over the world.” Tom laid out what he knew about the mysterious group of monster hunters.

 

“So what, you think Daphne might be a member?” Riley inquired.

 

“It’s possible. As I said, her aunt was known to be close to the leader of the organization, at least she was before her passing. She died around the time Daphne was born if memory serves me correct. An accident of some sort.” Tom responded.

 

“Does this have anything to do with the Hellsing Organization?” Riley asked her, causing Daphne to give her a suspicious look, as a smirk morphed onto her face.

 

“Why does it not surprise me that you’ve heard of us.” Daphne hummed.

 

“There you go.” Madara noted, as Daphne all but confirmed her connection to the group.

 

“I’ve heard a thing or two. You think it’s your responsibility to protect people, you wanna be part of this group one day, is that it?” Riley guessed.

 

“Partly. As I said, it is my responsibility. Right now. I may be a child, but the responsibility still rests on my shoulders, yet you’ve beaten me to the punch, both times. Listen… I’m only telling you this because I want your help, I’ve kept this secret since coming here, only Tracey knows the truth.” Daphne said to her.

 

“What truth is that?” Riley asked.

 

“My real name isn’t Daphne Greengrass. In fact, I’m not actually a Greengrass. Well I am by blood, but I’m not the heiress to house Greengrass, Astoria Greengrass is the actual heir. My real name is Integra and I am the last of house Hellsing. I am the head of the Hellsing organization, by birthright. Others may operate it while I’m going through my schooling, but it’s still my organization, my responsibility.” Daphne revealed to her, earning genuine surprise from Riley.

 

“Wait, why the subterfuge. Your family is famous, they’d get along great in the magical world. Oh…” Riley questioned before realizing the answer.

 

“There hasn’t ever been a full blown witch or wizard in the Hellsing family. Not in our recorded history. I’m the first. Given my family’s reputation and fame, if anyone knew my true identity, it would make quite the scene. The Hellsing organization has always tried to remain apolitical. The light, the dark, neither side interests me, yet both would seek to use my position, and authority to their advantage. My only desire is the stability of this nation, so that I can better protect it. No matter which side rules, so long as they keep things orderly, and I’m allowed to do my job, I wouldn’t be bothered if either side took the lead. My mother, she was a member of house Greengrass. My uncle is the head of the family. He took me in when my father died back when I was ten. I’ve been learning how to lead the Hellsing organization during my summer breaks, and once I conclude my magical training, I’ll take it over fully. For now, I’ll act as a member of House Greengrass, and keep a relatively low profile.” Daphne explained to her.

 

“I see. So, what did you want my help with? You mentioned that earlier, that the only reason you were telling me all this was because you wanted my help.” Riley asked.

 

“I want to learn how to fight like you can. You took down a troll, and a Basilisk. My responsibility is to protect people from monsters. You’ve shown an aptitude for dealing with them. If I wanna be able to perform to the best of my abilities, I need to start learning now. I would ask that you take the time to teach me how to fight.” Daphne expressed, her ask, causing Riley to turn thoughtful.

 

Teaching Daphne how to fight? That was a curious offer. On one hand, it opened the doorway for Daphne to learn more about Riley, which Riley wasn’t quite sure how she felt about, being the secretive person that she was. On the other hand, it sure would be nice to have someone to train with, who wasn’t a Shadow Clone.

 

“What do you guys think?” Riley inquired.

 

“What you do with your time is your business. I couldn’t give less of a shit.” Kurama responded, half asleep.

 

“Thanks. Appreciate the input.” Riley visibly deadpanned, which earned a curious look from Daphne as Riley apparently considered her ask.

 

“Well, teaching her how to fight, can only help her in the years to come, and help form a bond between your clan, and the Hellsing organization. She’s a powerful ally to have, so for that reason alone I’d advise considering it.” Tom put forth.

 

“Keep in mind though that training her will be a double-edged sword. On one hand, by training her, you can help keep her safe from future threats she’ll have to face, as her duty to this organization compels her to involve herself in such threats, so training her will help her survive. However, on the other hand, by training her, you may encourage her to get involved in more danger than she otherwise would. The stronger she becomes, the greater her confidence, the more likely she involves herself in issues that may be outside of her ability to handle. Helping her to achieve more power, can both help, and hinder her, and you must be ready for the consequences, no matter which path you choose. Do nothing and leave her training entirely to her, or take an active role, and live with what comes of it.” Madara expressed, both men providing valuable insight from their own perspectives.

 

Riley was thoughtful for a few more moments before finally returning her attention to Daphne.

 

“Alright. I’ll teach you, but I have a few conditions.” Riley responded.

 

“Name them.” Daphne said to her.

 

“Okay, firstly the things I teach you, the things we discuss, it stays between us. Just like you, I have things I’d rather keep secret from others. If our friends ask what we’re up to, we’ll come up with something. Secondly, you’re putting trust in me to teach you, so I expect you to listen and trust the process. I’ve been learning how to fight since I was old enough to walk. Like you, my reason for training is need-driven. It’s not a hobby to me. Trust me, and trust that I’ll get you to a place where you can strong like me. And lastly, you’d better not hold any of this against me. I don’t do half measures, especially when I know the training is needed to help keep you alive. I wont go easy on you, just because we’re friends. I expect full effort while we’re training. You wanna bitch and complain, do it on your own time. When we’re training, we focus on that.” Riley set out her conditions. Daphne nodded along with them, her face remaining stoic and serious.

 

“I wont make this a waste of your time. You can trust in that.” Daphne assured her.

 

“Alright, then we start tomorrow morning and hour before breakfast. Meet me on the Seventh floor in front of the tapestry of Barnabas and Barmy teaching trolls ballet. We’ll do an hour in the morning, and an hour at night, every day.” Riley instructed her. Daphne took a breath at that, but offered a nod of agreement.

 

The following morning, Daphne arrived at the appointed time.

 

“Morning.” Riley greeted.

 

“Morning. I told Tracey about our arrangement, so she knows not to ask where I’m disappearing to every day. Just so you know.” Daphne informed her.

 

“Hmm… you trust her a great deal.” Riley noted.

 

“I’ve known her since I was a baby. When my dad realized I had magic like my mother, he reached out to my uncle and had him keep watch over me in preparation for when I could start training in magic. Due to the friendship between house Greengrass and House Davis, and the fact that Tracey was born only a month after me, my uncle thought it was a good idea to put us together and have us form a friendship. Being that I would be the first witch in my family, he thought it best that I form friendships and alliances with other magical families, and my father agreed. Not to mention it helped me socialize as my family manor was used more for business than anything else. Seeing my father when he wasn’t busy, bordered on being rare. So I practically grew up in the Greengrass household. Tracey learned the truth when my father died, but she’s been my best friend since we can remember, a sister in all but blood.” Daphne explained to her, as Riley paced back and forth.

 

“I see. Well it’s good to have a friend that you trust that much. Relationships like that are hard to come by.” Riley said to her, coming to a stop and turning her gaze to the wall opposite the tapestry.

 

Daphne turned her eyes to the wall and watched with curiosity as a door appeared there.

 

“Come on.” Riley gestured for her to follow.

 

They stepped through the doors, arriving into a wide open room, fit for training of all sorts.

 

“This is the Room of Requirement. I discovered it earlier this year. It was made by Rowena Ravenclaw. Pace in front of the door three times, imagining what you need, and the room will provide. A place to sleep, a place to train, whatever you might need. We’ll train here, away from prying eyes. No one else knows about it, as far I’m aware.” Riley explained to her.

 

“Wow. That’s quite the find.” Daphne responded, glancing around the room.

 

“Transfigure your clothes into something more suitable for exercise.” Riley instructed.

 

“Exercise?” Daphne parroted back.

 

“Yep. Building up your stamina, being able to keep up in a fight is just as important in battle as your actual ability to engage the enemy. It doesn’t matter how powerful you are, or how skilled in spellcraft, if you tire in a matter of minutes, than you’ll lose to any enemy that can outlast you. So for the morning we’ll work on physical skills, and at night we’ll work on magical skills.” Riley responded, as she transfigured her skirt and shirt into a t-shirt and shorts.

 

Daphne followed suite, and soon joined Riley in a run around the room. For fifteen minutes they circled the room, Riley chatting nonchalantly the whole time. Meanwhile after about four minutes, Daphne was left panting and by the end she was wheezing, much to Riley’s amusement.

 

“Oh I’m gonna get a kick out of this.” Riley thought to herself, grinning as she stared down at Daphne. The Ice Queen was sitting on the ground, breathing heavily, sweating profusely.

 

Slowly she lifted her gaze to Riley who was grinning down at her.

 

“Don’t even start.” Daphne huffed, as she pulled herself to her feet. Riley merely chuckled and set to work on their next exercise.

 

At the end of the hour, the two went and cleaned up, then went and had breakfast. That night, after their lessons, Daphne joined her again to learn magic, and more importantly, magical application as Riley began teacher her ways of using the magic they already knew in creative way during combat.

 

Riley soon found that she enjoyed training with someone else, though it cut into her training time a bit, having someone to work with, ultimately made it more enjoyable.

 

Despite how exhausted she was left, Daphne still showed up to training every single day. One day became two, two became five, then ten, at around the tenth day, at the start of the weekend, Riley thought it was about time to finally do something with the Basilisk’s body, so she prepared to make a trip

 

The following morning, she awoke right at the time that Gringotts in France opened, and used Kamui to travel there.

 

She approached one of the tellers right after the door opened and asked to speak to the manager. After a bit, she was brought to meet with Wrask.

 

“Greetings Lady Uzumaki-Uchiha. I understand you wished to speak with me. Got here quite early too.” Wrask said to her as she sat down in his office.

 

“I did, figured it was best to come early. I wanted to discuss selling a body to the Goblin Nation, figured you’d be one of the best people to talk too in regards to that.” Riley explained to him.

 

“Oh? And what kind of body would that be?” Wrask inquired, curiously.

 

“The body of a thousand year old Basilisk.” Riley answered. The goblin’s eyebrows show up, and Riley grinned at him, removed the large scroll that held the creature’s corpse.

 

“A thousand year old Basilisk you say. How did you acquire such a thing?” The goblin chief asked.

 

“Fought and killed it. This creature, it’s known as Slytherin’s monster. Someone tried to unleash in Hogwarts School, I killed it before it could cause a ruckus. To the victor, the spoils. Though I don’t wanna draw too much attention to what I’ve done, so bringing it here to France and selling it to the goblins will hopefully keep this quieter.” Riley explained to him.

 

“Ah, very clever, and most impressive. A thousand year old Basilisk, ya know I hear they never stop growing. How large is it, and what kind of condition is the body in?” Wrask asked her.

 

“Sixty feet in length, and relatively intact I crushed it’s neck, basically decapitated the thing, but it’s still all in one piece. The head is totally intact, so is most of the body.” Riley explained. At hearing the size of the creature, she could practically see Wrask start to salivate. The kind of money the Goblin’s could make from such a corpse was immense, and of course, all of that delicious meat. Basilisk meat was delicious to goblins, but dangerous for humans to consume. You usually couldn’t get a lot of it, since the creatures were both rare, and rather small, being snakes and all. A sixty foot Basilisk, oh now that would be a feast the likes of which the goblins hadn’t seen in generations.

 

“What would you ask for such a tremendous offering?” Wrask inquired, his excitement almost palpable.

 

“I’ve taken samples of it’s blood and venom for my own use. I would offer to sell you the rest of the body in it’s entirety, save for some of it’s scales. From whatever you would offer to buy it, I would like to subtract the fee for a service of your peoples. I would a suit of armor created for my own use. I understand that Basilisk scales are incredibly durable, and magically resilient.” Riley expressed, removing one of the scales she’d collected and placing it on the desk for Wrask to inspect. He took the scale and eyed it with wonder. Seeing it, all but confirmed that the creature was as massive as she’d proclaimed. If it had scales this large, easily as big as his palm, then it was truly massive.

 

“Do you know what the problem is with making armor from Basilisk skin? Too little Basilisk. By the time they’re becoming a problem they’re usually only a few feet long. Even fully skinned, they can hardly provide enough scales for anything remotely close to armor. Armorers try to get around that by using magic to increase the size of the scales, but this is firstly, very difficult as they’re magically resilient, and even if you can get them bigger, it takes a lot to make the magic hold, but secondly, using magic to alter them, to make them bigger, actually weakens their properties. Usually in accordance with the size increase. You make a single scale four times bigger, the resulting product is only a fourth as strong. That’s why you almost never see it, despite how good it would be. Armor like that would practically be invaluable. With scales like this, oh you could make yourself a suit of armor, probably more than one. Probably many more than one. I tell you what, let’s take this beast’s body and have it examined, we’ll get it appraised and give you an idea of what it’s worth, while that’s going on, I’ll have our armorers take your measurements and come up with some ideas for what kind of armor you’d like. Once we know all of the numbers, we’ll be in contact and work everything out. Shouldn’t take more than a day or two. Deals like this, we like to be expedient.” Wrask told her, grinning from ear to ear. She smiled in response, offering him a nod of agreement.

 

From there Wrask led her to a large chamber, where she could summon the serpent’s body.

 

He then went to fetch several of their beast masters, who handled transactions like this.

 

By the time they’d arrived, they’d already been informed, appearing with a large dark tarp, as well as some additional supplies.

 

At Wrask’s instruction she summoned the snake’s body. Despite her warnings, they weren’t really prepared for how massive it truly was.

 

It took a few moments for the Beast master’s to recover and when they did, they put their eyes on the ground, and slowly approached the beast.

 

“Don’t worry, I made sure to shut it’s eyes.” Riley told them.

 

“That is good, but it pays to be cautious, especially with beasts such as this. Let us get it’s head covered, and we can begin our work.” The lead, beast master responded to her.

 

Riley watched for a moment as they made their way over to it’s head, then used the tarp they brought to cover it. Only then did they lift their gazes, now safe to work.

 

“Ms. Uzumaki-Uchiha, this way.” Wrask addressed her.

 

She followed along with him leaving the beast masters to their work.

 

She ventured deep into the underbelly of Gringotts, making it to a large collection of forges and smithies. There she was introduced to a rather eccentric looking goblin named Grubish. Wrask informed him of why she was there and what she was looking for, which seemed to light up the goblin’s day.

 

“My oh my, making Basilisk scale armor, now that certainly wasn’t in my hand of cards for this lifetime! Exciting! Exciting! Here here girl, let me get a measure of you. Human ey, ya know you’ll grow still, gotta take that into account. Little one that you are. Sizing charms’ll be difficult. Plus the armor wont be sized right for the adult body you’ll one day have. Might be better to go with what you have, and just come back to get it resized and add more to it later. We have enough for something like that?” Grubish inquired.

 

“More than enough. We’ll account for that when go over the numbers. Let’s get her measurements so she can be on her way.” Wrask instructed, earning a chipper nod from the goblin who quickly fetched his tools.

 

Riley followed his instructions as her measurements were taken, letting the goblin do his work. Once done, she was escorted back to the lobby, Wrask informed her that they’d owl her as soon as they were done with their appraisal, and once Grubish had concluded with drawing up some concepts for her to go over.

 

She agreed, looking forward to seeing what they came up with. Once she was done, Riley left the bank. She found herself standing just outside of it, wondering if she should head back to Hogwarts, or perhaps take this opportunity, since she was in France, to head over and see Fleur, and try her luck at sneaking into Beauxbatons. It was Saturday morning, so she wasn’t required for classes back in Hogwarts, though she did want to check in on Ginny when she woke up. Thanks to Kurama, she could actually have him speak to her clones that were still working in the Chamber of Secrets, and just have one of them act in her place, so no one would suspect anything.

 

Yeah, going to see Fleur sounded like a good use of her time. Fun even. Plus if she was successful than she’d be able to teleport to Fleur’s room in the school using Kamui. That was more than reason enough to try her hand at it.

 

So with her decision made, she headed towards the direction of Beauxbatons. Travelling south, she made her way to the mountains, finding her way to where the school was located. Using the Sharingan she searched for the concentration of magical energy that would come with the wards surrounding the grounds. With the aid of Shadow Clones this didn’t take long. A helpful whisper from Kurama at one point to try looking a bit further north from where she was looking, was also very helpful, and much appreciated.

 

Due to his Negative-Emotion Sensing he was familiar with Fleur’s presence and could located her anywhere in the world.

 

As Riley approached the grounds, she proceeded cautiously. Her intent was to sneak inside, but she had no idea what kind of defenses the school might have. Using her Sharingan she was able to navigate through the wards surrounding the grounds that kept muggles away. Once inside, she quickly realized that it’s protections weren’t all that dissimilar from Hogwarts. Anti-Apparition wards, for one. A few basic defenses, that might alert the Headmistress to a student wandering off the grounds, or an intruder wandering on to them, but they were far from foolproof. Riley quickly noted several gaps in these protections, that aided her in making it to the school itself. Once inside, she disguised herself in the garbs of a Beauxbatons students, and made her way towards Fleur’s room. It was still early in the day, and she knew her girlfriend was likely to sleep in on the weekend. Students were already up and about, many heading to retrieve their breakfast.

 

It took her a bit, but using her Sharingan she was able to put one of the girls around Fluer’s age under a genjutsu and ask her where Fleur lived. Once she had an answer she released the girl, leaving her with no recollection of the conversation and headed towards the girl’s dorm. Sneaking inside she eventually found her way to Fleur’s dorm room, and then right to her bedroom. While the dorms were far more open than those in Hogwarts, Riley took immediate notice of the protections on Fleur’s door. Locking charms, magical alarms, spells to resist intrusion or attempts to force the door open. Quite extensive. She wondered if only for a moment if these were specific to Fleur, or if all of the rooms were similarly protected. A part of her hoped it was the latter, but she could understand why it might be the former. As a Veela, and with how open the dorms were to people coming and going, it wouldn’t surprise her if Fleur took extra precautions to avoid any of the boys trying to get into her room.

 

A part of her wanted to knock and avoid startling her girlfriend, who was likely still inside. After a few moments, she took note of other students passing by. Most hadn’t noticed her, or how she was watching Fleur’s room, which she now noticed had her name on the door, in stylish writing, similar to the other rooms which carried their own resident’s name.

 

After a few moments, Riley decided to just surprise her by sneaking in. Using her Intangibility she walked through the wall and into the darkened room. It was rather spacious, and quite private inside. Fleur’s bed was empty, though a dim light was coming from what Riley assumed was the bathroom.

 

She could hear running water, signifying that Fleur was probably taking a morning shower.

 

Taking a seat on the bed, Riley waited patiently for her. A few moments went by. Then several minutes. Slowly Riley grew more comfortable, eventually sitting back on the bed, taking in Fleur’s scent with a pleasant smile as she waited on her.

 

A few moments passed when the door to the bathroom opened. Riley sat up with a smile as Fleur exited, heading straight over to a vanity.

 

Riley’s mouth fell open and her face turned beat red. Fleur was naked. Completely naked.

 

She was rustling her hair in a towel, drying it off, but her body was completely bare. It may have been for only a moment, but with her Sharingan still active, it dragged on for what felt like an eternity, and Riley saw ‘everything’.

 

“Oops, should have knocked, jackass.” Kurama hummed with a grin as he felt Riley’s embarrassment.

 

Tom sighed, averting his mental gaze. “This is why doors exist.”

 

Madara’s voice was calm, almost amused. “Fight, flight, or freeze. What’s your move, Riley?”

 

“Why can’t I look away! Why can’t I turn my head! It’s frozen, I can’t move!” Riley was currently panicking. The only part of her body that was moving was her eyes, and they shot up and down, taking in every shape, and every line, and every curve, and especially every movement.

 

Kurama grinned. “You’re frozen because you’re a pervert. A hopeless, wide-eyed little pervert.”

 

“Kamui. Kamui. Just phase through the bed, disappear into the earth. Please.” Riley’s thoughts spiraled.

 

“Looks like she’s settled on freezing.” Tom noted.

 

Madara’s tone softened. “I remember the first time I saw Kaguya like that. I couldn’t speak. Couldn’t look away. It wasn’t lust, it was awe. That strange blend of love and vulnerability. It changes you.”

 

“Ah… sadly I cannot relate. Women were always easy for me, though perhaps it has to do with that combination you spoke of. I’ve never truly been in love before, so I’ll withhold judgment and trust in those that have more experience.” Tom responded.

 

As they reminisced, Riley remained trapped in the moment.

 

She couldn’t help but make a noise as Fleur rustled her hair, attempting to dry it further, which of course caused her breasts to start moving, shaking in an erratic way.

 

Fleur lowered her towel, meeting her own gaze in the mirror for the first time. It was only then that she spotted the glowing red eyes staring at her from behind.

 

She didn’t scream. Didn’t flinch. She froze, like prey sensing a predator, but then recognition flickered in her eyes.

 

Slowly, she turned her head, and her bright blue eyes, met with Riley’s.

 

“Hi…” Riley whispered, voice barely audible, heart thundering, utterly spellbound.

 

“R-Riley?” Fleur breathed.

 

And just like that, Riley’s body finally responded. Her head whipped around so fast she winced in pain. The sharp jolt broke the trance, and the image of Fleur vanished from her mind.

 

She shrieked and tumbled off the bed, clutching her neck as tears welled in her eyes.

 

“Ow…” Riley whimpered.

 

Kurama howled with laughter. Tom and Madara kept their amusement to themselves, though Riley could sense it, further adding to her embarrassment. She even felt touches of amusement coming from her sword as well, much to her chagrin.

 

“No comments from the peanut gallery!” Riley mentally growled at them as she clutched at her neck.

 

“Riley!” She heard Fleur cross the room, and around the bed. She could feel her gently touch at her shoulder.

 

“Hey Fleur… came to surprise you. Now my neck hurts,” Riley muttered, peeking up from the corner of her eye. Fleur squatted beside her, towel barely covering her, and Riley couldn’t help but notice the curve of her hip.

 

“Oh, zat is sweet. How did you get in here zough?” Fleur asked, smiling softly.

 

Riley’s hands began to glow as she healed herself, eyes squeezed shut. Fleur watched her, sensing the pain was worse than Riley let on.

 

“Are you okay?” She asked.

 

“Fleur… I can still see your butt. Maybe get dressed while I fix my neck?” Riley mumbled.

 

Fleur blushed, a bashful smile tugging at her lips. “I… don’t mind if you look.”

 

“…” Riley didn’t know how to respond to that. Either it was a trap, or an invitation, and at the moment she couldn’t tell which was more likely.

 

Fleur let out a soft giggle and rose to her feet. She quickly vanished from sight. Riley heard her dress herself while she worked on healing her neck. The pain quickly faded, and she was able to sit up, resting against the bed, blushing up a storm.

 

A few moments passed when she felt movement on the bed. She felt Fleur’s fingers dance into her hair as she crawled up behind her.

 

“Are you better?” Fleur inquired.

 

“Yeah. Neck feels better.” Riley replied, rolling her head back and forth, only for a loud pop to fill the quiet of the room. “Okay that didn’t.”

 

She winced again and resumed healing. Fleur settled beside her, quiet and close.

 

After a few moments, everything felt better.

 

“So…?” Fleur asked.

 

“Sooo?” Riley echoed, bracing for the inevitable question about seeing her naked.

 

“How did you get in here?” Fleur asked after letting the build-up hang in the air for a moment.

 

“I think you look incredible. Like perfect doesn’t do it justice. Wait, you didn’t ask that…” Riley began, only to blink as she realized that wasn’t what Fleur had questioned her about.

 

Fleur grinned and bit her lip, recognizing that her girlfriend was flustered. Riley must not be used to seeing naked people. Fleur was far more relaxed about nudity then most girls. While not full on nudists, her family did participate every so often. They would cover up when they had quests over, but when it was just the family, it wasn’t uncommon for them to be shirtless in the summer. Hell both her mother and father would tan naked during the summer, so she often got an eyeful of both of them. They also went to nude beaches every so often, ones that were specifically for Veela and their families. Places like that, that were owned by the Veela covens, which were safe for the Veela to act how they wanted to and express themselves more openly.

 

So while Fleur had a more open view of it, she recognized that Riley probably didn’t or at least, she wasn’t as experienced with nudity.

 

For Fleur, she was less embarrassed about being seen naked, and more embarrassed about how she viewed Riley seeing her naked. While she was willing to be naked around her family, and be perfectly comfortable with it, showing off parts of her body to Riley was always nerve-wracking. It took a while to figure it out, and it was actually her grandmother who helped her understand. Because she viewed Riley as a sexual outlet. The idea of nudity and Riley, was interlinked with the idea of sex, which they weren’t having yet, so obviously it made her nervous, and a bit shy. It would take her time to work through these things, once she’d had time to grow more comfortable around her partner, and find a way to separate the ideas of nudity and sex in relation to that person, than she’d return to being more comfortable with being naked around Riley. All couples went through it. Eventually they got so used to each other, that nudity wasn’t immediately seen as sexual in nature. Just one of the perks and consequences of cohabitation.

 

Fleur was smiling to herself, happy that Riley had enjoyed the sight, and archiving her girlfriend’s reaction for future teasing.

 

“So… how did you get in here?” Fleur asked again, still curious.

 

“Oh uh, I walked through the walls.” Riley responded, causing Fleur to blink and make a face. “I can do that.”

 

“So you just walked zrough ze walls to get here?” Fleur asked.

 

“Yep.” Riley responded, staring off into the middle distance, too embarrassed to look at Fleur, for the moment.

 

A silence held between them for several long moments before Riley finally let out a breath and slapped at her cheeks. She then turned and met with Fleur’s gaze, their blue eyes locking, and Riley gifted her that charming pleasant smile she saved for her friends.

 

“I have the ability to teleport to places I’ve been before. I figured I didn’t wanna wait till holidays to see you, so I snuck into the school. Now I can teleport between this room and Hogwarts whenever I want.” Riley explained to her.

 

Fleur blinked in surprise then allowed a grin to spread across her face.

 

“So you can come see me every night?” She questioned, growing excited at the news.

 

“Yeah. I kinda like spending the night with you, so why not come over after we’re done with school work and spend the night. Maybe I can come earlier a few times a week so we can have dinner. I can help you sneak out if you want and we can go places if you’re interested.” Riley offered. Having told her of her ability to teleport, she had no reason not to offer to take her places. It’d be nice if the two of them could actually go on dates, and plan things, instead of having only a short time to spend with each other having to make the most of it.

 

Fleur beamed at the idea, positively vibrating with excitement. She quickly threw her arms around Riley hugging her tightly.

 

“Zat is wonderful! I get so lonely wizout you here. I would love to get ze chance to spend every night wiz you.” Fleur said to her. Riley blushed and grinned, happy to finally be able to spend more time with Fleur.

 

The two spent several long hours just lounging around in Fleur’s room. Fleur snuck out for a bit to steal some food which she brought back for the two to snack on for breakfast, but then they just hung out in Fleur’s room for a while.

 

At around noon, Riley left, but she promised to return that night.

 

She quickly returned to Hogwarts, and allowed the clones she’d left there to pop, one of which had taken over training Daphne that morning while Riley was away.

 

Having accomplished her immediate goals Riley spent a bit reflecting on just how easy it had been to defeat the Basilisk and Tom’s younger self. By his own admission Tom had told her that anyone else would have likely been killed had they gone to confront the Basilisk like she did.

 

Going into the fight, Riley had been worried. She knew enough about Basilisk’s to be afraid, and yet the largest and arguably most dangerous of them all, she’d killed it with relative ease. She took a moment to reflect on the idea that maybe her brush with death before starting school had left her a bit paranoid, and had maybe hampered her confidence a bit.

 

She took the time to acknowledge how strong she actually was. She hadn’t realized how much more uncertain she’d become, since her defeat in Eastern Europe. Since then she hadn’t faced something to truly challenge her, but a Thousand year old Basilisk and the younger spirit of the Dark Lord felt like more than enough threat.

 

In the end though, it was actually rather easy.

 

That realization stuck with her for a while, as she examined herself and how she was now. She began to wonder, how strong was she now compared to real dangers like mages, like shinobi. She’d beaten several shinobi already, as well as several mages, but how did they compare to others of their kind? Riley didn’t know the ranks of Danzo’s henchmen, but the team of Leaf ninja that she’d killed were Chuunin.

 

All of these things made her wonder, made her curious to know the real answers.

 

How strong was she now, in comparison to her usual benchmark? Was she a Jonin level shinobi? Higher? She wanted to believe that, but she simply didn’t know. Madara seemed confident that she was at the abilities of a Jonin, and while Riley didn’t doubt that, she also had never fought someone she knew to be a Jonin. So she had no way to know for sure. She had fought Obito, and she’d forced him to retreat, and he’d fought the Fourth Hokage, who’d also forced him to retreat. Did that mean she was on their level? Close?

 

Again she didn’t know, and it made her wonder. With all of her powers and abilities, how did she compare to the most powerful. Was she truly a Jonin level warrior, was she greater? She had no clear answer that made her certain, but she guessed that she was.

 

Eventually her thoughts would turn towards acquiring more power. No matter where she stood in comparison to others, she knew she needed to be stronger. To face a guy like the Fourth Hokage one day, to get her revenge against the Leaf Higher-ups for what they did to her mother, to beat Obito, she knew she needed to be as strong as she could. There was also her want to restore the Uzumaki clan to it’s rightful place, to restore Uzushiogakure to it’s position as the strongest of the Hidden Villages, which she knew would bring her into conflict with the other Hidden Villages. She would need to be very strong indeed to face all of that.

 

So how did she plan to improve. Training was an obvious given. Then there was developing new jutsu and spells. There was the idea of combining her magical fighting abilities with her shinobi abilities, developing a style that could rely on either in equal measure without having to switch between them. There was her evolution into a Tailed-Beast, a demon. She was still undergoing that process, and one day she’d be a full demon. Beyond that, she’d one day become a Hollow as well, if her sword was to be believed. As a demon she wasn’t fully bound by the physical, she could adapt and evolve, could change herself and absorb the traits and abilities of the mundane, and lower level magics.

 

Before she could begin altering her own body or experimenting with its biology, she needed to deepen her medical expertise and refine her understanding of human anatomy. Equally important was mastering her sword, a magical weapon that demanded skill and respect. While Madara was capable of wielding a blade, he openly admitted he was no swordsman. To him, a sword was merely a tool, but that philosophy didn’t align with the living weapon she now possessed.

 

Her sword was more than a kunai or shuriken, it was akin to her wand, a conduit of power and intent. To wield it properly, she needed more than basic proficiency; she needed mastery. And mastery required guidance. If she truly aspired to become the best, she would need to train under a swordmaster, someone versed not only in swordsmanship but in the shinobi arts that had helped shape her as a child.

 

She wasn’t going to find one of those here in Britain.

 

How to go about it locating one?

 

“Firstly, you’ll be looking in the Elemental Nations, that’s a given.” Madara began.

 

“That’s right, but where do I look, and how do I convince them to train me. It’d work out best if I could get them to come here to Britain. It’ll make it easier for me to send Shadow Clones to school and work on my swordsmanship on their time. I guess I’ll have to find one first before I can determine if that’s even possible.” Riley thought back.

 

“I would summon Zetsu, have him look in his free time. He can report back on swordsman in the Elemental Nations and where they are and you can pick the best choice.” Madara suggested.

 

“That’s a good idea. Okay, I’ll do just that.” That night, Riley snuck down to the Chamber of Secrets, and performed the summoning jutsu to reverse summon Zetsu.

 

It took some time before he could respond.

 

A poof of smoke filled the room, and Zetsu suddenly appeared.

 

“Lady Narumi. I heard your call. Apologies for taking so long, I was occupied with business.” Zetsu greeted her. The strange plant-man gifting her a smile.

 

“It’s alright Zetsu, I just needed your help for a little assignment. I’m looking for a sword master, one who specializes in the Shinobi arts as well as kenjutsu. You wouldn’t happen to know of any would you, or be able to locate some. I need one to help me in my training. I’m not worried about time, if you need a bit that’s fine, I just wanted to ask you.” Riley informed her.

 

“A sword master? Hmm… I know of a few at the moment that might interest you. There is Kisame Hoshigaki, known as the Monster of the Hidden Mist. He wields the legendary sword Samehada. Though he is currently a member of the Akatsuki and newly the partner of Itachi Uchiha, so it is unlikely he can find the time to train you.” Zetsu began, earning a hum of curiosity from Riley as she heard about Itachi.

 

“Hmm, you may be able to convince Zabuza Momochi to come and train you. The Demon of the Hidden Mist, another of the Seven Swordsman of the Mist. He recently defected from the village after a failed coup and assassination attempt against the Mizukage. He wields the Kubikiribōchō. Having stolen it from Kiri after his failed attempt. He and his small group of followers have been on the run, doing mercenary work for a short while now. I’m sure if you paid him, he would train you. I can locate others, if that’s not satisfactory.” Zetsu continued on.

 

“Do we know where this guy is?” Riley asked.

 

“I can locate him for you, if you wish. I only know of him do to how closely I’ve been watching Kiri. The Mizukage is a Jinchuriki and thus one of our targets.” Zetsu offered.

 

“Okay, let me know where he is, while I consider it. I’ll go and meet him myself if I choose to go that route. Thanks Zetsu. If you want, I can take you back to the Elemental Nations.” Riley put forward in repayment.

 

“That would be appreciated. I honestly have no idea where I am right now. Give me a month and then summon me again, and I will tell you where Zabuza is.” Zetsu replied.

 

“Alright. One month.” Riley agreed, before using Kamui to take Zetsu back to the Elemental Nations, to the Land of Fire. After dropping him off she returned to Hogwarts, and began planning for the future.

 

A few days later, Riley would receive a letter from Gringotts, instructing her to return.

 

She did so, and say with manager Wrask as he laid out the worth of the Basilisk’s body, as well as the costs to her new armor.

 

A few designs were presented to her, allowing her to choose the type of armor she wanted, and what would work best for her. A number of scales were set aside, those needed for the initial design, as well as what would be added as she grew, and extra for repairs or additions as needed. It was a sizable chunk out of what the goblins were willing to pay, but well worth the price, as it would grant her magically resistant armor, that could also counter many physical attacks.

 

Riley went over the designs with Grubish and eventually settled on one she liked. She then asked about cosmetic modifications that could be added. She wanted the insignia’s of her clans represented on the armor, the Uzumaki and Uchiha, in honor of her mother and grandmother, and grandfather. She also wanted as many enchantments that could be placed on such an armor as possible. Grubish was more than happy to embark on such a project.

 

They told her it would take several weeks, likely as much as two or three months before the armor was ready, which was perfectly fine for Riley. She accepted the deal they offered and received her payout for the Basilisk’s body. They would contact her once the armor was completed. Riley left the bank a very happy young woman.

 

Days would pass. Her days full from beginning to end. In the morning she trained Daphne in physical exercise, helping her get in better shape so that she’d be ready to learn more martial skills. Then she went through her day at school, learning and absorbing as much as she could from her teachers. As soon as lessons were done, she put her clones to work finishing any school work she might have, while she spent time training by herself under the guidance of Madara or Tom, developing her skills, or learning new abilities. Then she would teach Daphne again, this time in the practical use of magic, though eventually she’d begin teacher her new spells to add to her arsenal. Once done, she’d return to training for a bit longer, then teleport to Fleur’s room to spend the night with her.

 

Throughout all of that, she spent as much time with her friends as she could, often changing or adjusting her routine to spend time with them. If she wasn’t available to learn some physical skill, she could always have a clone or two go and learn something mental, or discuss with Madara, Tom, and Kurama new ideas for what they could do for training while Riley hung out with her friends.

 

On that note, it didn’t take long for more of her friends to recognize the change in Riley’s demeanor. She was no longer paranoid, and seemed to have calmed down, though it took them longer than Daphne, some of them did start to notice that she seemed back to her usual self.

 

That, coupled with the sudden absence of any further threats or attacks, led some to become suspicious.

 

Discussions were had between them, some wanting to ask her, some believing it best not too, that there was a reason why she was keeping things to themselves. While the group was torn about what they thought was best, it was Draco who simply chose to approach Riley and ask her one day after lessons.

 

“I’ve noticed things quieting down around here. No more threats, no more attacks, and you’re not doing a head count anymore.” Draco noted, sitting next to her in the library. The two were by themselves, sat a reasonable distance from the nearest student.

 

“Hmm?” Riley glanced up from her book.

 

“You wouldn’t happen to know anything, would you?” Draco asked.

 

“Maybe I do. Don’t worry, the danger is in the past, that’s all that really matters.” Riley responded with a smirk, glancing back down at her book.

 

“Interesting. So if the danger is gone, why not share your success with everyone else?” He inquired, curious to hear the answer.

 

Again, Riley smirked. “The spoils of victory should belong to the victor. The powers that be, aren’t so comfortable with that. They can’t take what they don’t know about.”

 

Draco was quiet as he thought on that. It took a moment but he grasped what she was trying to say. If anyone knew what she’d done, they’d try and take what she’d won. What was it that she’d won? He didn’t know for certain, but he knew it had to be valuable, and after a moment, an idea entered into his mind, and he suddenly understood what it must be.

 

The Chamber of Secrets. Riley had found it, and secured it, and now it was hers. If she told the teachers, they’d demand she hand over access to the ancient study of Salazar Slytherin. That had to be it. It had to be the truth.

 

Draco sat back and offered his friend an appraising look. Just when he thought he was starting to understand her, she goes and proves herself to be even more than he imagined. She recognized the value of the Chamber of Secrets, and how that compared to the esteem she’d gain by revealing that she’d found this mysterious heir, and stopped them. Both had value, but she could only choose one. She’d chosen the Chamber, and Draco could respect that. Her victory would gain her status, but the Chamber could offer her power.

 

His friend truly was one of the smartest people he knew.

 

Still, he was happy to know they had nothing to worry about anymore. No dangerous person running around the school harassing everyone for whatever reason.

 

Time would pass as Riley continued her routine. It was during her experiments with Kamui that she came to realization, with her ability to alter the flow of time within it, she could effectively use it as a training ground, as it didn’t take power to remain in Kamui it only took power to alter it’s properties from the norm. Meaning she could go in and make time flow twice as fast inside as it did on the outside. It was an incredibly useful property, one she couldn’t actually use right now.

 

When she became a full blooded demon, she’d become immortal, and once she mastered her Hollow powers, and overcame that transformation, there would be nothing hanging over her that would prevent her use of Kamui as a training tool, but right now, she had those things to worry about. Using Kamui in that way, would cut down the time she had left till she fully transformed into a demon. It would also cut down the time she had until her Hollow nature began to become a problem. She needed to overcome both of these limitations before she could use Kamui in that manner.

 

It was an interesting revelation, one that opened the doors to incredible training opportunities, but it was far down the road, something she couldn’t exploit to it’s fullest potential for many years still to come.

 

Riley’s training would continue, and in that time, the onslaught of pranks against Lockheart would begin. One morning he showed up to class, and slowly began to turn orange. It wasn’t until his class was barking with laughter that he finally realized what had happened. No one knew how the twins had managed it, but still, a good prank to begin with, and it only got more creative from there.

 

Riley’s gang was more than happy to cough up the money for the twins’ service. It gave them something other than misery and boredom from their interactions with Lockheart which was also a boon.

 

A few days before the Yule Holidays were set to begin, the allotted month had passed and Riley summoned Zetsu to speak with him and hear what he had to tell her.

 

“Zabuza and his band are currently under employment, though their contract is set to expire here in about two months. If you wish to acquire his cooperation, that would be the best time to approach them, once they’re looking for new employment. Currently there are four of them in his band. Zubuza himself, two Chūnin ranked ninja, the Demon Brothers, Gōzu and Meizu, and a young boy, Haku, a member of the Yuki clan, a group possessing the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai.” Zetsu explained to her.

 

“Alright, then I’ll approach them then. Keep an eye on them, let me know if something comes up or they go looking for a new contract earlier than expected.” Riley instructed.

 

“Of course, my lady. Was there anything else?” Zetsu inquired.

 

“No, not at the moment. I’ll contact you again when I’m ready to go and meet with them. For now I’ll take you back to the Elemental Nations.” Riley responded, and from there, used Kamui to teleport him home.

 

During the Yule holiday Riley was once more invited to the Malfoy’s family ball. She agreed to go, bringing Fleur as her date, which certainly served to make a statement as the two danced together.

 

Not that the statement was overly needed. Homosexual relationships were more or less fine in the magical world. This mostly stemmed from the use of magic, and it’s ability to allow for same-sex reproduction. There were some issues, as with everything, but for the most part, surprisingly, magicals didn’t really care. Homosexual relationships were seen as non-traditional but that was about the biggest grievance a magical might have with it, because of what magic allowed for.

 

From the perspective of a magical who didn’t know what you did behind closed doors, you could, and likely were using magic to enhance the sexual experience, which happened with Hetero relationships as well. From their perspective it was more a question of who was the ‘man’ and who was the ‘woman’ in the bedroom, that you’d find some grief from, but that was no different than learning a man liked to cuddle with his wife after sex. He might get shit for it, if anyone knew, so best to just keep that private.

 

For her friends, it was more surprising to them that Riley actually had a girlfriend, as while she mentioned Fleur every so often, having never seen her, they didn’t quite know for sure if she was real. Even for Riley, the idea of having a hot, older Veela as a girlfriend, seemed a bit fantastical to some of them, but here she was, in the flesh, dancing with Riley and looking radiant.

 

It actually got to the point where most of her friends were watching as the two danced, only for Riley to snap her gaze in their direction and glare, causing them to scatter like roaches.

 

At one point during the ball, Riley noticed Lord Nott, sitting off to the side, downing glasses of alcohol, looking surly. She saw Draco’s father stop to talk to him, only for their conversation to break into hushed whispers, that led to Nott storming out.

 

Theodore spotted this, and was left naturally embarrassed by his father’s actions.

 

Riley watched the Senior Nott with a calculating gaze, intent on dealing with him sometime after the new year.

 

Riley enjoyed the party, as did Fleur, whom Riley introduced to all of her friends as well, allowing them to meet. After the party, Riley spent the evening snogging with Fleur, then took her home, back to France, where she and Remus spend the holidays with the Delacours.

 

Her time spent with Fleur really allowed their relationship to deepen, Riley was starting to actively consider telling Fleur more about herself as she truly began to envision the future they would have together.

 

It was the last day of their time together on Yule Break when Fleur herself actually broached that very subject.

 

The two were about to go to bed, Riley had just exited the bathroom when Fleur asked her if they could talk for a moment.

 

“What’s up?” Riley inquired, sitting down with her.

 

“Zere is somezing I have been meaning to talk to you about,” Fleur began. “It has been on mind a lot lately.”

 

Riley waited patiently, giving her space to continue.

 

“I am not trying to push you, or rush zings, but I wanted you to know zat I do wish to know more about you. You know practically everyzing about me, and yet I hardly know anyzing about you, about your past. I know zat it is complex, and zat zeir are zings you may not wish to discuss, but I do want to know. When you are ready, I hope you will let me in.” Fleur expressed to her.

 

Riley drew in a breath, her gaze drifting toward the middle distance.

 

Fleur watched her quietly for a moment. Then, after a few seconds, she reached out and gently turned Riley’s face back toward her. She spoke softly, switching to French.

 

“I love you, more than I can put into words. I see you carrying burdens from your past, and I want to help you carry them. I do not want to rush you, or pressure you. When you are ready though, I do want to know, to share in your life, all of it. The good, and the bad, and the difficult.”

 

Fleur’s words earned a genuine smile from Riley. Once more she averted her gaze, but she held her smile as she considered how to respond. A moment or two passed as her hand found Fleur’s their fingers intertwining. Riley took the moment to consider how she wanted to respond before she finally coming to a decision.

 

“I trust you, Fleur. I truly do. I trust you, and I love you. That isn’t the reason I hide things. Why I keep them to myself. There are truths that I know, realities that surround me, and they put you in danger. By being with me, you are in danger. The more I tell you though, the more danger you’ll be in. Secrets are safe when their held by only a few. Once they’re spoken aloud though, they become something else, something that others can use against you.” Riley began.

 

Fleur nodded, understanding her words, even if she didn’t fully grasp her meaning.

 

“I love you,” Riley said softly. “And I’ll tell you whatever you want to know. Just ask, and I’ll do my best to answer.”

 

“Thank you Riley. I promise I will keep your secrets safe,” Fleur replied, her voice warm, filled with affection.” I will try not to pester you with my questions. One of the big things I want to ask you was why someone would frame you. Who would want to hurt you like that?”

 

Riley let out a long, quiet sigh, her gaze dropping to their joined hands. She was silent for a moment, gathering her thoughts. After a moment of thought, she began speaking, deciding to answer it the best way she knew how.

 

“My father is a man named Minato Namikaze, my mother is Kushina Uzumaki. I wasn’t exactly… planned.”

 

Fleur’s full attention focused on listening as Riley started telling her story.

 

“My conception was complicated. Minato’s wife couldn’t have children, so my mother, his friend. offered to help. Using my father’s DNA, my mother’s DNA, and his wife’s magic to imprint some of her traits, they created a child. The plan was for my mother to carry the baby until it could be transferred to Minato’s wife. That child became my sister. But… we were twins. Only one of us was transferred. I stayed with my mother.”

 

Fleur’s eyes widened slightly. Riley had a sister, that was something she’d never mentioned before. A sibling just like Fleur had.

 

“On the day of our births, our village was attacked. My father, he’s the village leader. He fought off the attack, but my mother died. He and his wife took me in, though they didn’t truly want me. I was raised in the shadow of my younger sister. For obvious reasons, I guess. I was always better than her though. I was better at magic, I was smarter, keener, more clever. Not to say my sister lacked these things, I just… surpassed her.”

 

She paused, her voice softening.

 

“We were close once. I loved her more than anyone. But as we grew, she changed. She started acting like her parents, treating me like a burden. Like I was the one who needed looking after. My parents barely acknowledged me. The more I excelled, the more they resented me, especially Minato’s wife. I think it hurt her to see me outshine her daughter. Eventually, I realized they were never going to love me the way I needed them to. So I left. I ran away.” Fleur’s heart ached as she imagined Riley as a child, alone and unwanted. She squeezed her hand gently, silently offering comfort.

 

“I lived on the streets,” Riley continued. “I stole food when I had to. I survived. It was hard, but it hurt less than staying. After a while, I met two guys, older, maybe twice my age. I was seven. They became my friends. Like brothers to me. I grew especially close to one of them.”

 

A faint smile touched her lips at the memory of Itachi and Shisui, though her eyes shimmered with loss at the thought of Shisui.

 

“They were from the Uchiha Clan, the same clan I’m descended from on my father’s side. There was an incident, something big. The Uchiha were powerful, and what happened shook the village. I got caught up in it. A man named Danzō, who was involved, came after me. I still don’t know what he wanted. But when he sent men to capture me, I fought back. I killed two of them, Fleur. And he framed me for their deaths.” Riley revealed, admitting to what she’d done. Fleur’s breath caught. She knew Riley had killed before, but hearing that it had started so young, it was a heavy truth. Still, she didn’t let go of her hand.

 

“I went on the run. I vanished from my village. My father sent men to find me, and I fought them too. A four man squad caught up to me, and I fought them off, I killed three of them. As the leader of the village, the deaths of five shinobi couldn’t go unanswered, even if I could explain Danzō’s actions, those deaths sealed my fate. I became a criminal. One hunted by my village. I was able to escape the Elemental Nations and make it to Europe. I started a new life, changed my name, I took on my mother’s last name, and the name of my grandfather, the only person to care about me for my whole life. You know a lot of the rest. There’s a lot there. A lot of the finer details, a lot I left out for personal reasons, stuff I’m not ready to share. But that’s basically the story. The truth. I don’t know why Danzō was after me. I don’t know what he wanted. I have a few theories, but I have nothing concrete.” Riley shared, feeling a growing sense of relief as unburdening herself and sharing these things with her girlfriend.

 

“Now you know the basics. I’m here because I wanna restore my clan, the Uzumaki. I want to rebuild Uzushiogakure, our Hidden Village. To honor my mother, who loved me from the moment she knew she was pregnant to her very last breath.” Riley finished with her story feeling a great swell of emotion as she thought on her mother, and how Kurama had expressed Kushina’s immense love and happiness when she had learned she still carried a baby within her.

 

Fleur said nothing at first. She simply reached out and cupped Riley’s cheek, her thumb brushing away a tear Riley hadn’t realized had fallen. Then she leaned in, resting her forehead against hers.

 

“I’m with you,” she whispered. “Wherever this path leads, I’m with you. Thank you, my love. Thank you for telling me this.”

Riley took in a breath at that, wondering if perhaps she’d said too much. A part of her wondered if Fleur might look at her differently, now knowing a bit more, would she start to pity her. Riley didn’t know how to manage that idea. The thought of being pitied irked her, and stabbed at her pride, but it coming from Fleur would shake her immensely.

 

After a moment, Fleur leaned in, and placed a kiss on her temple. Riley felt her worries slip away, and she began to settle.

 

“I’m so sorry you went through that. You didn’t deserve any of it.” Fleur whispered, her voice soft, full of love and understanding.

 

Riley felt something shift inside of her at hearing that. There was so much more, things that made the truth all the more terrifying and disturbed, but having Fleur accept it even without those details, Riley felt something inside of her soften at that. Almost as if she was starting to understand what it meant to love someone unconditionally.

 

“You are here now Riley. You are here with me. You are not alone, and you never will be again. I love you, with all of my heart. Your past is part of who you are, it is part of what defines you. I love you for all of you. That includes your past, the parts that set the foundation for this wonderful, beautiful woman in my arms.” Fleur expressed to her, her words causing Riley’s heart to dance with love.

 

“Fleur…” Riley uttered, warmth and love dancing in her eyes.

 

“I want to help you rebuild. Not just your village or your clan, but you. I want to be part of that. I want to be your home.” Fleur offered with loving conviction. She knew, in that moment without a shadow of doubt that there was no question of it anymore. In her arms right now, was her wife. One day they’d be married, and Riley would be her wife. She knew it with absolute certainty.

 

Riley responded to her declaration with a kiss. She leaned in and met her lips. It was slow, and deep, a kiss that said thank you, that said I love you, that said you mean the world to me. Fleur kissed her back with the same quiet intensity, and for a single moment, the world fell away completely and all became a right and perfect.

 

When they parted, Riley rested her forehead against Fleur’s once more, her voice barely a whisper.

 

“You already are my home.”

 

Fleur’s heart trembled with joy at hearing those words. A few happy tears fell down her cheeks and she smiled.

 

A weight seemed to fall off of Riley from that day forward. She had always believed that she could trust Fleur, but the acceptance and love that she’d gotten, it wasn’t something she’d expected so when it was given, it was more comforting than almost anything else Riley had felt in her life. A part of her wanted to just tell her everything, then and there, but she didn’t. Fleur didn’t ask anymore questions that night, or in the immediate nights to follow, despite Riley’s willingness to begin sharing more, she didn’t press her. Likely waiting for Riley to offer more up willing before she would again seek further answers.

 

Still, she felt more confident in her relationship with Fleur, and that was a welcome thought.

 

After the Yule holidays and the start of the new year, Riley took the time to go and deal with Nott Sr.

 

She knew that killing him would break Theo’s heart, and as one of her friends, she didn’t want to cause him such pain, but she couldn’t allow his father to get away with what he’d done.

 

Under the guise of Null, she began stalking the man, and after learning his routine, began to set her plan into motion.

 

Nott Sr. was a heavy drinker, and ended up in a bar most nights so she orchestrated a run-in he would have with a man that Riley had targeted for death. That man, a muggleborn magical, had murdered a muggle and hid the body.

 

One night, while stumbling home drunk from the bar, Riley guided the two together, and then knocked both unconscious with Genjutsu. She then beat the murderer to death with her fists, and dressed up Nott Sr. to mimic injuries one might receive during such an attack. She framed him for the murder, and drew in the attention of witnesses, each of these witnesses, were placed in a genjutsu that caused them to view the assault that Riley wished them to perceive. She made sure to change the nature of the illusion, so that it wasn’t an exact copy. One witness saw the entire thing, one saw only the end, another witnessed events just afterwards. Once done, she allowed them to call the aurors.

 

He’d end up spending a few years in Azkaban. Given the current state of the government, now that it was no longer being led by cutthroats like Barty Crocuh Sr, Nott Sr. was going to be treated with kid gloves. As a lord, having murdered a muggleborn, he wouldn’t get a lot of time, but he would get some. Long enough that Tom would have regained his body by the time Nott got out, and the Dark Lord could then confront him for his crimes.

 

Thankfully no one was killed by his actions, and because he was Theo’s father, Riley let him live, but he would face punishment for it, for endangering everyone, for hurting Ginny.

 

She stuck around long enough to make sure everything was in place, and once he was in custody she departed.

 

A day later, Theo received a letter from his mother, detailing what happened. He was angry, and disappointed, but he wasn’t surprised. His father’s attitude these last few years made this story incredibly believable. Riley and her friends offered Theo sympathy and did what they could to help him.

 

Time would pass and Riley would be forced to deal with the gossip-mill spreading crap about Theo. As news reached the school about what his father had done. His friends naturally closed rank around him, and more than few of them would offer payment to the Weasley twins to target those who tried to get at Theo.

 

During this, something interesting that occurred was a particular closeness that Riley noted between Ginny and Theo. Ginny for her part, was perhaps looking for a means of redemption from her stint of being possessed, and found helping a friend who showed interest in her when she was recovering to be a great avenue to pursue.

 

Theo, for his part was receptive to her friendship, and the two developed a closer bond with one another. Riley for her part, found this interesting since neither one knew the connection they shared through their respective trauma. That being Nott Sr’s. involvement in it.

 

Riley didn’t comment on it, nor did she intend to tell either of them the truth at this junction. Perhaps later on, but not right now. The two seemed to be forming a strong friendship, with Ginny coming more out of her shell in order to help keep Theo’s spirits up. Weasleys were known for being brash, direct, and confrontational, and standing up for Theo, helped little Ginny find her backbone.

 

Riley was happy to see it.

 

Time progressed, with Riley taking time to delve deeper into her studies of potions. In order to begin working with the Philosopher’s Stone, even under the direction of Tom, she’d need at least a moderate to advanced ability in potion crafting.

 

So she was extra attentive during lessons, and would approach Professor Snape with questions in regards to more complex Potion crafting methods, and procedures, all under the guise of a keen interest in the subject, which Riley didn’t really have to fake. She took to potions with the same ease that she did with seals, the methodical, precise nature of potion-brewing walked hand in hand with seal-making, not to mention it allowed her to further her study of biology as she learned more about what could be done to the human body through the use of potions. From temporary changes, to more permanent alterations, the sky was truly the limit, as new discoveries were made all the time.

 

So Riley made sure to be attentive to her studies. Weeks went by, three days before she planned on taking a trip to the Elemental Nations to meet with Zabuza and discuss getting him to train her, was when she got a letter from Gringotts telling her that her armor was ready.

 

She arrived the next day and was led to the foundry.

 

Wrask watched on with a grin, as Grubish wheeled out the newly crafted Basilisk Scale Armor.

 

“Wow.” Riley uttered, as she took in the suit of armor.

 

It was dark green in color, a battle dress, interlinked with goblin silver chainmail to form a suit of scale-mail armor.

 

The main part of the armor, covered her front and back in rows of physically and magically resilient scales. It hung over the chest, being a looser fit as it was designed with the idea of robes being worn underneath it. The battle dress covered her whole torso and stretched down to just above the knees, though it split at the waist-line allowing for freedom of movement, while still covering her hips and thighs. On the back, inscribed into two larger scales were the symbols of the Uzumaki and the Uchiha Clan. Scale-covered shoulder pads, were sown into a jet-black hooded cloak. There was also a set of scaled shin and thigh guards.

 

Normally an armor like this would be loud and cumbersome, but because it was mostly organic with the scales coming from a basilisk, the only real noise was made by the chain-mail which could be diminished quiet a bit with proper padding and layering. Riley didn’t intend to wear the armor everywhere, just when she knew she needed the added protection in a fight.

 

She tried on the armor, making sure everything fit. Grubish than ran her through everything she had left over, along with instructions to return as she began to outgrow it, so that he could expand the armor an add additional scales to it. If it was damaged she could also bring it back for repairs. Until such a time her considerable stockpile of remaining scales would be stored safely in her vault.

 

Riley was more than pleased with the end result, and happily praised their work. One final thing before they handed it over, the typical goblin clause with all of their constructions. Should her family line go extinct, and no one is left to legally claim the armor, the goblin nation reserves the right to reclaim it. Riley didn’t overly mind, if she had no family left, and there was no one left to claim this armor, why let it rot.

 

Once that was settled, the armor was officially transferred to her ownership. She left the bank, more than pleased, and quickly returned to Hogwarts, to the Room of Requirement to begin training in the armor.

 

She needed to test how it handled her movements. She had left instructions with the goblins to make sure it was weighted correctly for the movements of a shinobi.

 

For the next two days, Riley trained in her armor, and when the appointed time arrived, she left a number of Shadow Clones to watch over Hogwarts, and set off to return to the Elemental Nations, intent on finding herself a sword master to teach her.

 

Donning her regular cloak and mask, assuming the guise of Null, she used Kamui to return to Land of Fire, and then summoned Zetsu.

 

“Ah, my lady, I was wondering when I would hear from you.” Zetsu greeted.

 

“Zetsu.” Riley responded cordially.

 

“I’m assuming you’re hear to meet with Zabuza, I must confess while I was waiting I kept an eye on him, and a bit of a snag may have occurred.” Zetsu informed her.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“His contract expired early, and his crew was immediately hired for a mission. A man named Gatō, a shipping magnate and crime boss. He holds a monopoly over the shipping lanes of the Land of Waves, and basically has complete control over the nation. A man named Tazuna, a master bridge-builder is overseeing the construction of a bridge from the island nation, to the mainland of the Land of Fire, which would end Gatō’s monopoly over access to the country.” Zetsu explained.

 

“So Zabuza and his crew were hired to assassinate him. Doesn’t sound like a difficult mission.” Riley shrugged. She did find it a bit annoying that she’d missed her window, but unfortunately she had no way of talking to Zetsu when he was on the other side of the planet without summoning him, so he was unable to tell her these things until she did.

 

“No, but Tazuna managed to leave the Land of Waves before Zabuza and his group arrived. He’s made his way to Konoha. No doubt intending to hire Leaf Shinobi for protection, if he hasn’t already. Once they begin moving, and make it far enough away from the village, and away from the Fourth’s immediate sensory range, my clones will be able to tell who he managed to hire and if they’re a danger to Zabuza’s group. I doubt he’ll manage that, Waves is a very poor country so they don’t have the money for much of a mission, a B-Rank as the highest, but who knows. Lord Fourth Hokage is a shrewd man, he may see value in aiding the island nation just off his nation’s coast. Who knows what kind of deal could be made. Regardless, Zabuza is in the Land of Waves, I’d make my way there if you wish to meet with him. This mission wont take long, depending on who, if anyone, the Leaf sends.” Zetsu explained to her.

 

“I see. Thanks for the heads up. Let me know if the Leaf sends anyone, I’ll make my way to the Land of Waves.” Riley commanded.

 

“Yes my lady. Good luck. I hope all goes well.” Zetsu offered before sinking into the ground.

 

“Hmm, so the Land of Waves huh? Alright… guess I better get going. The Land of Waves is more towards the east. Unfortunately when I left Konoha I went west and then north, so I don’t really have any places I can teleport too in the eastern half of the Land of Fire, at least nowhere that isn’t close to Konoha, and I don’t wanna risk going too close to there. Zetsu wasn’t kidding about the Fourth Hokage’s sensory ability. Guy can detect chakra signatures from kilometers away. Huh, guess I’m running.” Riley thought to herself before turning and heading off towards the Land of Waves. She intended to get this job done quickly, but she also wasn’t leaving till she’d convinced this Demon of the Hidden Mist to come and train her. With a teacher like that, she could begin truly working with her sword, developing her own fighting style, and learning to wield the blade not as a tool, but as a true weapon.

 

So with her goal set, she set forth, to the Land of Waves.

 

-To Be Continued-

Notes:

Alrighty, here’s the next chapter. Again, major changes and alterations to the story going on here. Introducing more Naruto themes and stories, earlier on, plus the opportunity for a confrontation between Riley(Null) and Naruko. Dropped the bit about Riley beginning to train all of her friends in ninjutsu, at this junction specifically because it never went anywhere in the long run, not meaningfully at least. That’s something I intent to change, make it more focused, like for instance her taking on Daphne as a student.

And then there’s that, Daphne’s reveal of her true identity, making her secretly Integra Hellsing, hiding under the guise of Daphne Greengrass, I think that adds more to her character, and her role in the story, both earlier on, and later, plus if gives weight to Daphne’s drive and focus.

Also revealed a new nature to her mysterious sword. Again that was such an interesting part of the sequel that I felt had themes that were more valuable exploring in Riley’s formative years, rather than when she’s an adult, so moving those things forward made more sense to me.

Hope you all enjoyed, let me know what you think, if you have any questions comments or concerns.