The Hidden Truth: Chapter One

I've been looking for a way to bring you back to life,

And if I could find a way, then I would bring you back tonight.

I'd make you look, I'd make you lie, I'd take the coldness from your eyes,

But you told me, if you love me, let it die.

~Let It Die by Starset

---

 

Nobody noticed the woman walking the streets of the Hidden Leaf Village that day. The civilians, the ninja, not even the anbu black ops paid her any attention. This is mostly because the woman appeared so completely ordinary that giving her more than a second glance would be considered a waste of time. She had plain coffee brown hair that fell in soft curls all the way down to her lower back, eyes a regular shade of light brown, and a frame that was neither too big nor too small. Nothing at all stuck out about her. The only thing that made her seem out of the ordinary was the size of her stomach.

When first looking at her she simply appeared as though she'd gone too heavy on the sweets and bowls of pasta. If one took the time to observe her more closely, however, it became fairly obvious that she was with child. Of course, even then it wasn't too obvious. She was only about four to five months along, her pregnancy still easy enough to hide with baggy clothing. Sure her young face around the age of twenty or twenty-one definitely caught some people's attention if they noticed her stomach, but this lead to nothing more than a scowl or a surprised expression before they went back to their business. It is because of this that nobody was able to foresee what this young woman would do on this very same night.

"Hurry! We can't let her escape!"

It is well after midnight, the full moon hanging high over Konoha. Besides the few drunkards and gamblers that hang around the occasional tavern, most civilians are asleep inside their homes. In a way the small duo of anbu black ops is thankful for this. Had it been the height of the afternoon when the town is at its busiest the Leaf Village could very well be in full-fledged panic mode at the moment. After all, it isn't every day that a seemingly ordinary person breaks into the Hokage's office almost completely unnoticed. Even rarer is the idea that this person would harm nothing and take nothing. Of course, even if she didn't seem to do anything, the anbu aren't about to let the assailant escape. Not a chance.

The two masked men jump from roof to roof and weave their way through dark alleyways, all in pursuit of a woman wearing a black hooded cloak and holding her stomach protectively. Normally they wouldn't be able to identify the gender of a person wearing such a garment but at some point during the chase her hood came down, revealing her feminine features. Even though they've only been in pursuit of this woman for less than ten minutes this chase has not been an easy one. After using paper bombs, creating tall earth style barriers, and even going as far as attempting genjutsu this woman is somehow still on the run. Somehow she has been able to overcome every obstacle they throw at her, suggesting that she isn't as delicate as she appears.

The three of them are currently jumping from rooftop to rooftop, the female wrapping both arms around her stomach as if protecting it is her life. At this point they're nearing the edge of the village which means they'll also be nearing a large gap in between the trees and the buildings. Even with the masks covering their faces, the two anbu can't help but smile knowingly. They're on the last rooftop at this very moment, leaving the woman very little room left to run. She may be daring, but she wouldn't dare jump off of a rooftop at this point. With no buildings or shadows to hide in, she's practically done for. When they see her stop abruptly at the roof's edge, they both know that they've guessed right.

"Just give up and come with us. It's no use trying to run," says one of the anbu men.

"Come here nice and easy," supports the other. "We promise not to hurt you."

Standing rigidly, the woman turns to face them for the first time since the start of their chase. To their surprise she doesn't appear dangerous, threatening, or anything at all beyond ordinary. Her brown curls are hanging askew from all of the running and her brown eyes hold not a single pleasant emotion. All they can see in her eyes are fear, adrenaline, and desperation. The whole time her arms never once leave her stomach. Of course, with the thickness of her black cloak, they haven't the slightest idea why this is. Their only focus is on how she takes a single step forward, as if ready to turn herself over to them. It is because of this that they never expect what she does next.

Instead of taking another step in their direction she gives them one last intense look of desperation. It is only then that she does it. The woman takes one large step backwards off of the roof, removing her hands from her stomach in order to make hand signs. The men rush over to the roof's edge at this point, terrified that the woman is about to commit suicide.

"No!" one shouts out frantically.

However, the sound of an explosion or a body meeting the rocky pavement never meets their ears. The only thing their senses conceive is a whooshing sound and a flash of bright white light, the young lady disappearing in a single instant. One moment she's there and the next she's gone, leaving the two anbu black ops in complete shock. However, the only thing that surprises them more is a small piece of paper that lies where the woman previously stood. On the paper are a few short sentences written out in flawlessly clean handwriting. Even from a mile away it's very clear that this piece of paper isn't any type of weapon or paper bomb. It is because of this that one of them kneels down and picks it up. Furrowing his brow under the animal mask, he reads the writing aloud:

"Forgive me. I cannot stay in the Hidden Leaf Village. What needed to be done is done, so now I must go."

---

Several hours have passed since the dark haired woman's escape. In that time the anbu black ops along with many ninja searched all of Konoha and much of the forest outside the village. Unfortunately not a trace of the woman was found. It is currently around five thirty in the morning, the stars in the sky beginning to fade slightly. Lady Tsunade sits in the very same office that was very recently broken into, her painted finger nails tapping on the wooden surface of her desk. Brown eyes narrowed, she glares at those who stand before her.

"How did this happen?! Why didn't someone inform me that my office was broken into sooner?!"

Several people stand in the Hokage's office at the moment, reaping the havoc of her intense glare. These people would be Shizune, Kakashi Hatake, and several anbu black ops. Unsurprisingly, Shizune is the first to respond to that question.

"We were hoping to take care of the situation ourselves before informing you, Lady Tsunade. It was reported that whoever broke into your office was a young woman without a ninja headband, and that she didn't seem to touch anything. We originally thought that we would be able to detain her."

Leaning back in her chair, Tsunade crosses her arms over her chest before looking at them sternly. "Well, if that's the case, then it looks like you've underestimated this woman. Not even the anbu black ops were able to track her down after she seemingly vanished into thin air. Whatever her jutsu is, it must be good."

"Believe me. It's very impressive," confirms one of the anbu men. "It makes me wonder if this girl is somehow involved with the Akatsuki."

The others in the room turn in the man's direction, eying him skeptically yet curiously.

"I'm not too sure about that," Kakashi debates sounding doubtful. "They've suffered a lot of loses recently. First Sasori of the Red Sand was killed, then Hidan, Kakuzu, and Deidara, and now Itachi at the hands of Sasuke. Call me skeptical, but it seems like the Akatsuki would take time to recuperate before making any kind of strike at the Hidden Leaf Village."

Tsunade nods as she considers the copy ninja's words. "You make a good point, Kakashi. I give you that. Of course, it still leaves the question as to who she was and why she broke into my office."

Not a moment of silence passes once the Hokage goes quiet. Another anbu black op, this time a woman, speaks out determinedly.

"Don't worry, Lady Tsunade. We'll get started on pinpointing possible candidates for the assailant right away. We have all the information we need to start working."

She replies with a stiff nod before gesturing to the door with her wrist. "Very well. In that case, you're free to go. I think we've done all we can do here for tonight, anyhow."

The anbu black ops give respectful bows and appropriate farewells before exiting. Once they're gone it's just Shizune, Kakashi, and the fifth Hokage. Based on his posture it's apparent that the copy ninja wants to say something else, but the chance never comes. Instead loud footsteps echo through the hallway just outside the door. Less than three seconds later it comes swinging opened, the hyperactive jinjurichi and Tsunade's pink-haired student rushing inside looking panicked.

"Grandma Tsunade, is it true?!" Naruto exclaims.

Sakura finishes in his place. "Did someone really break into your office?!"

Instead of the blonde-haired woman answering, Kakashi responds to them.

"Yes, it's true. Someone broke into her office a few hours ago," he confirms. Then he adds, "Although, they didn't seem to damage anything, nothing was stolen, and the assailant escaped. So I don't think there's anything we can really do about it at the moment."

Sakura and Naruto stand firmly in place while staring at him blankly. Of course, a minute later, the boy in orange begins immediately protesting.

"Aw, come on! You can't actually mean that! Someone broke in to Granny Tsunade's office! They wouldn't go through the trouble of sneaking into the village and getting past the anbu black ops just for the heck of it!"

Tsunade scowls at the boy, appearing very annoyed at his early morning shouting. Opening her mouth, she snaps something back at him. Most likely something meant to get him to be quiet. As the two argue back and forth Sakura, Shizune, and Kakashi say nothing, deciding to let the argument run its course. It's too early in the morning for them to try and break anything up. Meanwhile, while the blonde boy and the leader of the Hidden Leaf Village shout at one another, it is Sakura who sees something out of the corner of her eye.

It isn't anything much. In all honesty, what she sees is so small and insignificant that anyone could miss it easily. Yet, still she sees it. Off in the far corner of the room coming from behind a plant is a small metallic sparkle. Sakura arches a brow, curious as to what it might be. The intent expression on her face doesn't go unnoticed, because that is when Kakashi speaks to her.

"Sakura," he asks. "What are you looking at?"

She replies without returning his gaze, eyes locked on the metallic shine coming from that one corner. "I'm not sure. I just got to looking around the room and noticed something. It looks like there's something behind that plant over there."

It is only once she speaks that the noise from the jinjurichi and the Hokage stops. Suddenly all eyes shoot in that direction. Certainly enough, all of them manage to spot it now that someone finally mentioned it. Naruto, of course, does more than just spot it. He walks in the plant's direction, prepared to look at whatever it is that's hiding.

"Naruto, be careful!" warns Sakura. "We have no idea what it is!"

"Yeah, but we have to find out somehow. Don't we?" he points out simply.

Before anyone else can protest Naruto bends down and feels around the plant carefully, a curious expression on his face. Several seconds later his curious expression morphs into a confused one and he pauses in his movements, apparently having found the foreign object.

"What is it, Naruto? Did you find something?" asks Tsunade.

"Yeah, but I don't think it's anything important," replies the boy as he stands to his full height. In his hand is a small plastic case containing a shiny disk. "All I found was some random DVD."

Eyes widening, the four exchange glances before rushing in Naruto's direction. Everyone looks undeniably flabbergasted. As soon as they get to talking and Naruto catches on he is just as stunned as the rest of them.

"A DVD?" Shizune says. "Lady Tsunade, I don't recognize this at all. Not to mention that neither of us has been anywhere near that corner for months. I don't think anyone would have had a chance to drop anything back there; especially not recently."

His single brow arched in surprise, Kakashi asks, "You don't think that someone broke in to leave something rather than take something?"

"Well, it would certainly make sense," says Tsunade to Kakashi and Shizune alike. "Nothing's missing and nothing has been destroyed, so someone might have come here for that exact reason."

Several long minutes pass them by, feeling more like hours. Each pair of eyes is on the simple unmarked DVD, all of them wondering what to do now that they've discovered it. At long last it is Naruto who makes the obvious suggestion.

"So are we going to watch it or what? I don't think staring at it is going to help us find anything out about it."

Gaping at Naruto like he's ludicrous, Shizune starts to protest. "We can't watch this! An enemy of the Leaf Village could use it to put us under some kind of genjutsu!"

Shizune looks to Tsunade for support, but unfortunately she doesn't get any. The fifth Hokage is already at her desk digging for something in one of her bottom drawers. Less than an instant is what it takes for Tsunade to produce a medium-sized portable DVD player. Based on the little green light that blinks when she turns it on, the device is completely charged.

"Naruto," she says, "bring me the DVD."

A beaming smile spreads across his face as he rushes across the room to stand beside her. "Here it is, Granny Tsunade!"

Opening her mouth partway, Shizune looks as though she's about to protest once more. Not only she, but Sakura and Kakashi appear skeptical as well. Of course, their skepticism doesn't last for long. The moment the DVD is in the player all of them walk over and huddle around the screen. Surprisingly there isn't any type of strange patterns or noises that would suggest genjutsu. The only thing on the screen is the face of a young woman. It's a very ordinary woman with dark brown hair and light brown eyes. In her lap is a little girl with long straight black hair and onyx eyes wearing a bright, happy, grin. The child can't be any older than four years old. At this point one of the Leaf ninjas would have spoken by now, but none of them do. They're too busy being shocked by what the young woman says. After all, based on the word of the anbu black ops, it appears to be the same young woman that snuck inside Lady Tsunade's office.

"Lady Tsunade, I'm sorry that I had to break into your office to get this DVD to you, but I couldn't think of any other way to do it. This DVD was meant just for you. Not for the anbu black ops. Not for the village elders. For you and you alone. There's a lot to tell you. So much that it might make your head spin. So, instead of jumping into it head first, let me start off with our names. That alone should tell you a lot.

"My name is Kazumi Uchiha. I'm not an Uchiha by birth, but my marriage. I was Itachi's wife. This little girl is our daughter, Miki."