Howl of Konoha Book II

Surprise!~

Showers. Are. Amazing!

I had just got out of the shower and am currently sitting on my bed, drying my hair and tail. Looking over at my clock, the time read 8:51am. Akatsuki wouldn't be up for another hour or so and because today we are free of missions, they probably wont wake up 'til noon.

My room was dimly lit with a single candle, shrouding most of the space in shadows. I released a bored sigh and threw my damp towel into my clothing hamper. I sat back onto my bed and leaned over to open up the top draw of my bedside table. Inside, there was a smallish wooden box that was slightly singed from flames. I placed the box on my bed in front of me and opened it to reveal it's contents. The first thing I pulled out was a set of six kunai. They were old but still looked fairly new in appearance. The blades were a faded black in colouring whilst the handles had blue and red intertwined stitching that gave them an easier grip. These were my mother's originally. She passed them down to me for my fourth birthday - a week before the attack.

I placed them down to the side of me for cleaning and sharpening later. Next, I pulled out a photo of me and my parents. I was just a baby when this photo was taken. In the photo I was being gently cradled in my mothers arms, whilst my father cared for another baby. My older sister, Takara. We looked so much alike, anyone would of thought we were clones. I was told by my parents at a young age that my sister had died as a baby in her sleep. For years I have wished she was alive so we got to experience things together, grown as ninja together and maybe even one day fought for the title of Hokage when we were old enough.

That would of been nice.

I put the photo back into the box and took out another. This one was my team photo with Naruto and the others. Sakura sat in the foreground, her hands holding up her head and a smile was carved into her face. Behind her stood Naruto and Sasuke, both of them shooting irritated glares at each other. In the background was me and Kakashi. Kakashi gave an awkward smile and sweat dropped at Naruto and Sasuke, while I was grinning like a naive child, my ears on full display and my tail wagging behind me. Unconsciously, I found myself dragging a finger over the image of the ravenette. We were happy and all together back then. In our own way, we were inseparable. But now, we are all following our own paths, on both sides of the same coin. Sighing, I place the photo back in its home.

Next up I pulled out a letter. Today's date was written on the front of the envelope. It was a letter addressed to me from my parents. The box was pretty much a gold mine of my parents' letters. Each one held a specific date.

I opened the envelope and pulled out the aged letter, reading the contents:

Dear my sweet Natsuki,

Happy 16th Birthday. I wish your father and I could be with you to celebrate this joyous occasion with you. I hope you are doing well and have grown into a fine young woman and beautiful konoichi. I remember the days when I would find you running around the gardens with the other children your age, pretending you were famous ninja. It was wonderful to see.

However, my dear, I'm afraid this letter is not going to be like the others I have wrote you. I believe you are finally old enough now to begin to understand the things that stand behind the name 'Himura'. But to do that, you must uncover it yourself.

In our clan's compound - in our house - there is a room on the first floor, sixth door on the left in the west hallway. I'm sure you know what I speak of. The door is locked with a powerful jutsu, that only us Himura's can use. This door was to ensure no one outside of the clan could uncover the clan's secrets. I apologize but I can't tell you what that jutsu is, I can't be sure that it is truly you, Natsuki, who is reading this. However, Okami will help you in my stead.