From the Journal of Namikaze Minato

March 16th, 1995

Today my team arrived back from the mission to infiltrate Orochimaru’s layer.  Based on what we saw of his experiments, it seems that he is attempting to create some kind if superhuman.  While there we were split up for a time.  Kushina and Kakashi say that they think they were exposed to some type of chemical, but we do not know what it was or what it will do to them, if anything at all.  I worry for their safety, but for now there is nothing to be done.

March 24th, 1995

Whatever chemical it was that Kushina and Kakashi were exposed to on that mission seems to have had a strange effect on them.  They are exhibiting superhuman strength and speed.  We do not know if the effects are permanent.  What we do know is that whatever Orochimaru is developing is dangerous.  He must be stopped before this gets out.

April 14th, 1995

Today I received what may be the best news of my life.  Kushina is pregnant!  I am overjoyed to know that I will soon have a child of my own.  The only worry I have is that the Chemical, as it is now being called, will affect it.  The effects on Kushina and Kakashi seem to be wearing off though, so my worries seem moot.  I hope that they are.

October 10th, 1995

Today my daughter was born.  She is a beautiful little girl, with blonde hair and blue eyes just like mine, though I think that her face will be more like Kushina’s.  She has the most peculiar marks on her cheeks – three lines on each, like whiskers.  We named her Naru.

January 4th, 1996

It seems that the Chemical has affected Naru like I feared.  She is growing somewhat faster that most babies, and she is stronger and smarter that any child I have ever seen.  Her eyes are alert and she rarely cries.  This is why the Third, along with the Council, has agreed that she will be sent to an orphanage for her childhood.  Many people will come after because she is my daughter, and even more because of this, especially with how shaky things are between Fire and Earth Country.  Hopefully she will be smart enough to hide her abilities until it is safe for her to return to us.  I hate sending her away, but it is for her own safety. 

When we are young we are often afraid of the Dark.  This is because we do not know what it hides, and we humans tend to shy away from things we do not understand.  As we grow older that fear of the Darkness leaves us, because we think we know what is in it.  But we do not.  There are things in the Dark – in the Night – that should never see the Light that comes with the Day.  Or rather, we who live in the Light of Day should never see what dwells in the Dark of Night.

Here we tell the story of a girl – a girl that lives in the Dark of Night.  Now, for the first time in her life, she is going to find a reason to live in the Light of Day.  But will she be able to?  After all, those who live in the Shadows can easily be blinded by the Light.  So, like we hide from the Dark when we are children, they hide from the Day.

 -_}{_-

SHOPPING DISTRICT, LEAF VILLAGE

MAY 11TH, 2012

9:45 P.M.

The Night was young in the city’s most active neighborhood, a crescent Moon just beginning to show itself over the horizon.  The neon lights and ads constantly flashing across the tops of the huge buildings illuminated the people crowding the sidewalks.  Cars zoomed down the wide streets.

In the crowd of bodies were eleven teenagers, all holding on to one of the others in some way as they attempted to stay in a group as they pushed through the throng of people.

“Sasuke, could you hold my hand so I don’t get lost?” said one of the girls sweetly, batting her long eyelashes at him.

“If Sasuke was going to hold anyone’s hand, it would be mine, billboard-brow!” another teen, this one with long blonde hair and blue eyes, snapped at her.

One of the boys cut in, “Do not fear, my beautiful cherry blossom!  I will use my youthful power to make sure you do not stray!”

The pink-haired girl scowled in disgust at the idea of the boy dressed all in green looking after her.

Nine meters above them, making its way across the rooftops, was a figure dressed in head-to-toe black.  It stopped its steps as it reached its destination.  Before it loomed a slanted roof made of many square windows.  She, for the person was obviously female, took off the backpack she carried and placed it on the ground, crouching to open it.  From it she pulled two thin instruments, which she used to pick the lock on one of the windows.  Next was a rope, which she clipped to a nearby heating system.  Returning to the window, she threw down the black cord, which stopped about four-and-a-half meters shy of the floor.  This was no problem for her, as she simply jumped down, landing softly on her feet.

The next Morning the manager would come in to find none of the glass cases broken, but more than half of the jewelry gone and a piece of paper sitting on the cash register, a nine-tailed fox sketched onto it.

-_}{_-

INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT, LEAF VILLAGE

MAY 12th, 2012

6:47 A.M.

A teenage girl dressed in dark jeans, scuffed sneakers, a baggy hoody, a baseball cap, sunglasses, and carrying a black backpack arrived at the top floor of an abandoned warehouse in Leaf’s Industrial District.  She flopped down on the small bed in the center of the large room, tossing her pack onto the floor next to her.

After a moment a sigh escaped her lips and she sat up, beginning the process of removing her clothes.  First went the cap, revealing a head of messy blonde hair short enough to be a boy’s, followed by the sunglasses, which covered large cerulean eyes.  Then the shoes, the hoody, the shirt under it, and finally the pants were taken off, until a long, lithe body was revealed.

She opened her bag and dumped everything out onto her bed.  The black body suit was folded and put on the floor next to some other black clothes, and several large wads of cash were put into the drawer of a small table by the bed.

After the heist, the teen had spent her entire Night going from pawn shop to pawn shop, careful not to sell too much of her loot in the same place, keeping her face covered and voice disguised.  But now the Night was over, and Day was just arriving.  Time to go to bed.

-_}{_-

UCHIHA HOUSEHOLD, UPPER HOUSING DISTRICT, LEAF VILLAGE

MAY 12TH, 2012

7:51 A.M.

Sasuke Uchiha, the second son of Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha, sat at the breakfast table in his family’s mansion, his brother Itachi and father across from him, both reading newspapers.  His mother stood at the stove making pancakes.

“So, what does everyone have planned for today?” she asked as she placed a full plate in the center of the table.

“Going to see Dark Shadows with some friends,” Itachi replied.

Sasuke snorted.  “You do know that it’s a comedy, right?  Not a freaky horror film.”

“Little brother, shut up,” he said flatly.

“Now, now, boys, be nice,” Mikoto scolded, looking pointedly at the younger one as she added, “Especially you, mister.”

Just then Fugaku’s cell phone rang.  He sat forward to pull it out of his back pocket.

“No phones at the table, sweetie,” his wife reminded him.

The man glanced at the screen.  “It’s work.”  He stood and pressed the accept button.

Fugaku Uchiha was in charge of the entire Leaf Village Police Department, or L. V. P. D. for short.  He had solved hundreds of homicides and robberies in his life, and was known all over the world for his accomplishments.

“I have to go,” he said swiftly, closing his phone and grabbing his wallet and keys from the table.  “The Shadow Fox robbed a jewelry store last night.”

The Shadow Fox – the city’s most notorious thief.  Since he appeared two years ago he had robbed almost fifty banks, museums, and jewelry stores.  No one ever saw him come or go.

“I wonder why the Shadow Fox only robs places with medium-level security.  With his level of skill, you would think that he’d be stealing from the government by now,” Itachi put in.

Fugaku’s eyes narrowed.  “Let’s hope that he doesn’t, then,” he said before leaving.

-_}{_-

HOKAGE TOWER, BUSINESS DISTRICT, LEAF VILLAGE

MAY 12TH, 2012

8:02 A.M.

Minato Namikaze, to put in lightly, was very nervous at the moment.  After almost seventeen years, the Council, which consisted of Homura Mitokado, Koharu Utatane, Danzou Shimura, and Hiruzen Sarutobi now that he was no longer Hokage, had agreed that he could finally get his daughter back.

Sadly he could not go and get her himself, so he and his wife, Kushina Namikaze, were currently sitting in his office waiting for his ANBU agents to bring her.

A knock sounded at the door.

Both of their heads shot up and their backs straightened.  After taking a deep breath, Minato spoke.  “Come in.”

The door opened, two men and a woman stepping through.  “Well?  Where is she?” the Hokage asked impatiently.

“Well, you see…” the agent in front – a man with spiky silver hair and wearing a mask on the lower half of his face – said nervously.

TEDASUKE ORPHANAGE, LOWER HOUSING DISTRICT, LEAF VILLAGE

MAY 12TH, 2012

6:31 A.M.

The silver-haired ANBU agent knocked on the door of the large brick building, from which the sounds of children could be heard.  After a moment it was opened, and the three adults looked down at the small child in front of them.

“Hey, sweetie,” the woman of the group spoke sweetly.  “Could we see your Director, please?”

The boy turned.  “Ms. Suzuki, there’re some people here to see you,” he called.

A second later a short, round woman came around the corner and the end of the entrance hall.

She took one look at them and her eyes widened.

“Thank you, Aki,” she said quickly.  The boy nodded and darted away.

“Come with me, please,” Ms. Suzuki turned and walked began walking away, leading the three agents to a sitting room void of children.

“Sit, sit,” the woman told them, obviously nervous.

“Thank you,  ma’am, but we’re only here for a moment,” the female agent said.  “We’ve come to get one of your children.  Her name is Naru Uzumaki.  She’s sixteen years old.”

The large woman began mumbling to herself and fidgeting nervously.

“Excuse me?” the black-haired agent spoke up.

She sighed.  “I was afraid of this.”  The orphanage Director began pacing.  “I knew you would come for her one day.  She was obviously… special.”

“Was?” again, it was the dark-haired man.

“That girl… she never got along with anyone.  She was too different, so…”

“So?” the silver-haired agent pressed.

“So she left – about ten years ago.  She ran away.”

After the three agents recounted their story, the Hokage and his wife were silent for a moment.  Then, “Find her,” commanded the blonde man.

SHOPPING DISTRICT, LEAF VILLAGE

MAY 12TH, 2012

8:29 A.M.

Fugaku Uchiha ducked under the crime tape surrounding the building that was the Shadow Fox’s latest hit.  “Well?” he asked Chouza Akimichi, one of his detectives, as he stepped up next to him.

“Same as usual: no prints, nothing broken, nothing on the security feed, no sign of a break in what-so-ever except that most of the jewelry is gone, and a drawing of a nine-tailed fox was on the cash register,” the large man informed him.

Sighing and running his hand through his hair, the Chief commanded dejectedly, “Make a list of anything that was stolen and see if it pops up anywhere.”

“Yes, sir,” the red-head nodded.

Fugaku had begun making his way toward the store when his cell phone rang.  He glanced at the caller ID, surprised to see Minato’s name on the screen.  “Hey, Minato, how’s it going?”

“Not well,” the blonde man replied.

His friend frowned.  “I thought you were getting Naru back today.  Shouldn’t you be happy?”

“I would be if she had actually been there any time in the past twelve years!” his voice rose in frustration and anger.

“What?” the Chief asked, shocked.

“Apparently,” he said, “she ran away when she was six.  People thought she was ‘strange’ and she didn’t like it.”

“Oh, my God,” Fugaku groaned.  “Don’t worry, Minato.  I’ll find her for you.”

“Thanks…” he trailed off.  “Now I really need to talk about someone else.  I heard the Shadow Fox did another heist.”

“Yup – at a random time, with no warning, and with no traces left behind, just like always,” the Uchiha confirmed.

“He’s bound to slip up at some point,” Minato reassured him.

“I sure as Hell hope so, otherwise this city will have a real crisis on its hands.”

-_}{_-

UPPER HOUSING DISTRICT, LEAF VILLAGE

MAY 12TH, 2012

11:49 A.M.

Sasuke Uchiha pulled up to the iron gates of a large stone mansion much like his own, stopping next to the keypad that would allow him to enter.  He leaned out the window of his sleek black Ferrari and punched in the correct code before driving forward through the now opened gates.  The teen went down the long driveway until he reached the front of the house, where he parked and walked to the door.  Three quick knocks and it opened, revealing a man in a black suit.

The butler bowed.  “Mr. Uchiha, Master and Mistress Hyuuga are expecting you in the library,” he said and stepped aside, allowing the young man to enter.

Sasuke made his way up the stairs and down the winding halls to the place where his friends were waiting for him.  He knocked once on the door and entered, not waiting for a response.

Neji Hyuuga was reclining on one of the many couches, his pale eyes scanning the pages of a thick book.  Hinata, his cousin, was in a chair next to him doing the same.

After a moment they put their books down and rose.  Sasuke and Neji nodded to each other in acknowledgement, while Hinata only stuttered a shy hello.

The three of them went back downstairs and out to the Ferrari.  Once they were in Neji spoke.  “We are meeting the others at the mall, going to the movies at four o’clock, and then going to a club, correct?” he asked.

Sasuke simply nodded.  The rest of the ride went by in silence.

-_}{_-

INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT, LEAF VILLAGE

MAY 12TH, 2012

8:00 P.M.

The blonde teen’s eyes opened to the pitch black of the warehouse at precisely eight in the Evening.  She silently slipped form her bed and moved to a pile of clothes by the small wooden table that sat by her.  Her bra and underwear were replaced by new ones, while sheer black stockings; light blue, denim boy shorts; and a white halter-top went over them.  Red canvas sneakers covered her feet.

Sitting down at the table, she picked up eyeliner and began running it along the edges of her large blue eyes.  The eye shadow she chose was dark gold, the mascara light brown.  Finally, it was time for her to head out.

The blonde teen possessed no means of transportation besides her legs, which she chose to use whenever possible.  So, a minute later, she was running over the rooftops of the abandoned warehouses in the Industrial District, easily jumping the ten feet between each one.

She got to the edge of the final building and jumped, twisting in the air so that she could grab the sides of the gutter running down the wall and slide to the ground.  Once she landed she was off running again, a mere blur to the human eye.

In the Shopping District she slipped into an alley, no longer needing to run.  Her destination wouldn’t be how she liked it until later anyway.

-_}{_-

SIXTH SENSE NIGHT CLUB, SHOPPING DISTRICT, LEAF VILLAGE

MAY 12TH, 2012

9:14 P.M.

Five teenage boys stood with their backs to a bar top, watching people grinding together on the dance floor in front of them.  Two scanned the area with blank expressions, one’s face was invisible behind sunglasses and a high-collared jacket, a fourth was stuffing his face, and the fifth just looked bored.

“Hey, guys, come on!” a shaggy-haired brunette beckoned them from his place on the dance floor.

The last boy, who had his dark brown hair in a ponytail that stuck straight up, sighed and muttered, “Troublesome,” before turning and sitting on a bar stool.

Suddenly, two girls, one with platinum blonde hair and the other with bubblegum pink, emerged from the crowd, latching on to one of the boy’s arms.

“Sasuke, come dance with me!” the blonde urged.

“Shut up Ino-pig, he’s going to dance with me!” the other snapped harshly, then, continuing in a sugary sweet tone, “Right, Sasuke?”

“Hn,” was his simple reply as he pulled his arms from their grips.

A small voice piped up, “I-if Sa-Sasuke d-doesn’t want t-t-to d-dance, d-don’t m-make hi-hi-him.”

As the two girls looked toward the one that was sitting next to the boys, a man of twenty-something years of age walked up to her.  “Hey, babe, have we met before?”

Neji, who was right by his cousin, turned to the man.  Though the teen was younger, he was just as tall as and more muscular than the other.

“Do you need anything from my cousin, sir?”

“Ah, nah, nah, just chatting, dude,” the man reassured him, slowly backing away before turning and dashing into the crowd, leaving the Hyuuga male to glare after him.

“What’s going on over there?” the boy that wouldn’t stop eating, who was named Chouji, asked.

The other seven teenagers looked over at what the large boy was talking about.  A crowd was forming in the middle of the dance floor, bodies obscuring whatever sight was attracting people’s attention.

Sasuke walked toward the throng of people, grateful for an excuse to get away from his two fangirls.  The others followed behind him.  The eight of them pushed their way through the crowd until they could see what the commotion was about.

Sasuke’s jaw dropped.

In the center of the circle was a teenage girl about his age, dancing to the fast beat of the music.  He watched a brave man come forward and join her in her movements.  After only a minute he missed a single beat, and she moved away from him.

Man after man came to dance with her, and each was dismissed the second they made a mistake or faltered the slightest bit.

Sasuke was transfixed on the sight before him, watching the beautiful blonde girl move gracefully but wildly enough for her dance to be considered club-appropriate.

Who is she? Sasuke thought in awe.