The Fox's Third Flash of Hope

Lunar New Year 2015 Special: Lantern Moon

So, I suddenly got a genius idea that'll probably kill me. From now on, every time there's a holiday and I actually have a good idea or the story reaches a multiple of ten chapter, I'll write an extra bonus special. It might be another Shinobi Chronicles article, or it'll be a little spinoff story. Just a note: these chapters will have no relevance to the plot whatsoever(ok, maybe a bit).
Anyways, enjoy Lantern Moon, which takes place a few months before Kansen graduates the Academy.

Kansen was pacing through the village. Again. Except this time it was at night. On Senai's insistence, she was wearing a traditional multilayered kimono. The innermost fabric that just barely peeked out of the hems of the two layers above it was light purple with no adornments except for a ring of small green stitched curls that was partially hidden under Kansen's hair on the edge of the custom made high necked cloth. The second dress showed up the most, and it took up its duties with light blue-green silk printed with golden yellow feather like patterns. The outermost was more of a coat, what with consisting of only red-orange back and sleeves made of carefully pieced together silk. Her entire ensemble reached down to her ankles, a three inch wide red sash tied around her waist rounding out the outfit. Thank heavens she had been able to talk her way out of wearing an obi. By claiming that no one was going to pay attention to her feet, the twelve year old had managed to get her turquoise haired guardian to let her wear her normal black boots and ditch the weird sandals.

It was always New Years Eve that was the most festive. The actual first day of the year was pretty normal and bland in comparison. Dimly glowing orange, yellow, and red paper lanterns hung from poles and wires along the streets. Stall owners were busy getting their products ready for the surplus of customers, whether it was food or jewelry or clothes. Half an hour until the festival end with the appearance of fireworks that would signal the end of the old year and the beginning of the new. Yes, that was midnight. This was the only night of the year where kids were allowed to stay up that late.

"Mom, look! There's an artist supplies shop this year!" Kansen caught a familiar presence.

Heading straight for the drawing supplies and making it sound like a bad thing, eh? No doubt who that was. The redhead rounded the corner and saw a familiar brunette followed by a black haired woman with red eyes. 

"Hey, Penami!" she shouted.

The Sarutobi girl tore her eyes away from the array of brushes and paints and spotted her classmate. Her eyes widened at the sight of Kansen wearing something colorful. "Whoa, you look...." she struggled to find the right word, and even after she did she bit it down.

"Odd? Yeah, I thought so," Kansen filled in. Her gaze swept over Penami's simple yellow kimono with red floral prints. "It was Senai's idea, don't blame me."

"So you're Senai's adoptive daughter?" the black haired woman suddenly spoke up.

Kansen looked up. "Well, more like adoptive niece. My name's Kansen Reitsui, nice to meet you."

The woman smiled. "I've heard a bit about you from Penami. I'm Mirai Sarutobi, her mother."

"Looks like you've already found a friend in this huge festival, Penami," a different voice stated.

A gray haired, red eyed woman walked up to them. Some wrinkles on her face said that she was probably at least in her sixties. "I'm Kurenai Yuhi, nice to meet you too."

Kurenai Yuhi?! Daughter-in-law of the Third Hokage, one of the Seventh's teachers, Penami's grandmother.....This woman was pretty much ignored due to all the other famous people in her time, but from bits and pieces Kansen found in textbooks of various genre she could figure out that Kurenai Yuhi's genjutsu power was no laughing matter.