Naruto- More than a Number-Part 1.

Chapter 9 Nine Tails.

(Shisui POV)

I look thoroughly through my cards preparing a plan to win the game in my head. It's easy to beat the twins at this game, but Itachi is a different story. He's got better strategies than me and Asahi isn't much better, he almost wins this game every time we play. I need to keep an eye on Itachi and Asahi if I want to win, but I don't know about Mio. She says she's played before but I've never seen her play, so I don't know if she's any good.

"Youngest goes first," Emika cheers lightly with a gleeful smile.

"Who is the youngest, Itachi or Mio?" Kokoro questions placing her index finger gently on the tip of her chin. Everyone turns their head to Mio, who looks up with a unreadable expression. "When's your birthday?" Kokoro asks, leaning forwards towards Mio.

Mio sits silently for a few moments before signing, 'umm, I don't know.'

The twins round, brown eyes widen in incredulity. "How come?" Emika quickly blurts out, not even thinking of the consequences first.

I watch Mio's reaction intently but nothing happens. Her face doesn't have a single sign of emotion, it's as if the thought of a birthday means little to nothing to her.

"Emika." Asahi says sternly and the said girl turns her face to her Father.

"Yes, Father," she says politely, hiding her fear of being scolded behind her hazel eyes.

"You should think before you speak, Mio may not want to talk about it," he scolds briefly.

"I-I'm sorry, you are correct. I apologize Mi-" Emika states shamefully with her head bowed, but stops when she notices Mio placing down her first card to start the game.

We all stare at Mio as she moves back into a comfortable position and awaits the next players turn.

She's so hard to read, even more so then Itachi sometimes. Her face indicates very little about what might be on her mind, unless she willingly shares her emotions.

"Itachi, your turn," Asahi instructs strictly and the said boy nods, redirecting his eyes and leaning forwards to place his card on the table.

Analyzing the cards already in the center of the wooden table, I pick my first card and place it down.

I then proceed to look up at Asahi, he appears to be on edge, I wonder why.

Although he's a shinobi he's usually very calm and laid back, but these past few months he's been getting more and more uptight. Especially around Mio, I overheard him talking with Uncle Fugaku about how every glimpse of Mio makes him wonder what his daughter is like now.

She disappeared and he wonders if she found a new family or is lost somewhere, scared and alone.

Asahi loves his daughter dearly and blames himself for her disappearance because he left her, he thinks perhaps she went to find him and got lost. He also thinks she might have left because he refused to let her be a shinobi, he said she was a prodigy and had so much potential but her mother didn't want her to be a shinobi. They didn't want their little girl to get thrown into a world of fighting and violence, but she disappeared during the war and probably already experienced the worst of it all.

That poor little girl could be anywhere now and that's what makes Ashai feel the worst, she could be in pain somewhere and he can't do anything to help. He couldn't find her and now he can't help her, he feels so bad and when no ones around he cries and mourns his greatest lost.

Now, the war is over and we have a new Hokage there could be a better chance for him to find his daughter, but the possibility that she's dead are so high.