• “Nii-san….”
    “Nii-san….”
    “Nii-san, Nii-san, Nii-san….”
    Ten-year-old Kuriimuiro Inuan woke up to his one-year-old sister jumping on his bed. “Ugh, what do you want now, Koneko?” he asked sleepily.
    “Get up, Nii-san,” Kitten said. “Kitten” was Koneko’s nickname.
    Inuan yawned and got out of bed. I hate mornings, he thought. Especially when Koneko gets me up.
    A few moments later, Kitten and Inuan arrived in the kitchen. “Good morning,” their mother, Kuriimuiro Nekoa, said.
    “Good morning, Mother,” Inuan said. “Why do you always send Koneko in to get me up?”
    “I didn’t send her in,” Nekoa said. “She went in herself. Isn’t that right, Kitten?”
    Kitten nodded, a big grin on her face. “Only three more days!” she said enthusiastically.
    “Until when?”
    “My second birthday!”
    “Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Inuan said, yawning again. “Where’s Father?”
    “He’s on a mission right now, but he should be home by this afternoon,” Nekoa said. “He asked Lord Tsuchikage for the 8th off, since it’s Kitten’s birthday.”
    “Are we going somewhere special, Mommy?” Kitten asked.
    “Yes we are.”
    “Where?”
    “It’s a surprise, Kitten, so I can’t tell you.”
    Kitten squealed with glee. “I love surprises!” she said. She ate the last bit of her toast before getting up to go get dressed. Inuan finished his breakfast and headed for the bathroom. “I’m getting my shower,” he said.
    Later, Kuriimuiro Okami, Kitten and Inuan’s father, arrived home. “Daddy!” Kitten yelled as she greeted her father. “You’re home!”
    “How was the mission?” Nekoa asked.
    “Easy,” Okami said. “Plus, Lord Tsuchikage said I can have the 8th off for Kitten’s birthday.”
    Inuan walked into the room. “Hello, Father,” he said.
    “Hello, Inuan. How was school?”
    “We’re getting ready for the graduation exams,” Inuan said. “Hopefully, once I pass, my teammates will someone worthwhile.”
    “Well, Inuan, no matter who your teammates are, you must learn to work together,” Nekoa said. “Understand?”
    Inuan nodded. “Yes, Mother.”
    “Good.”
    That night, Kitten lay awake in bed, thinking about her upcoming birthday. She had a feeling something exciting was going to happen, and she couldn’t wait.
    Three days later….
    “Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Kitten. Happy birthday to you.”
    “Take a deep breath, Kitten,” Nekoa said. Kitten took a deep breath and blew out both candles on her cake. “Yay!” she said. “I did it!”
    “Did you make a wish?” Okami asked. Kitten nodded.
    “What was it?”
    “Not telling.”
    “Why not?”
    “Because if I tell, it won’t come true.”
    Nekoa laughed. “That is true,” she said.
    “So Mommy, Daddy, where are we going?” Kitten asked.
    “The Village Hidden in the Leaves,” Nekoa said.
    Okami glanced at his wife, still a little unsure of her choice. “You do realize that’s where the Yellow Flash lives, right?” he said.
    “Even so,” Nekoa said, “We should at least congratulate the new Hokage. The Third Great Ninja War has long since been over, Okami, so it’s time we stop holding grudges against the Leaf. They’re not our enemies anymore.”
    “Those Leaf scum destroyed a landmark bridge!” Okami yelled, slamming his fist on the table. “Not to mention the Yellow Flash killed thousands of our men!”
    “Daddy, you’re scaring me,” Kitten whispered.
    “Sorry, Kitten,” Okami said. He looked at his son. “You coming, Inuan?” he asked.
    Inuan shook his head. “After all the Leaf has done, I’d rather stay here,” he said. “Besides, I’m a ninja now. I’m old enough to stay by myself.”
    “Alright,” Okami said. “Kitten, why don’t you go get ready? We’ll be leaving in a few moments.”
    Kitten got up from the table after finishing her cake. “Okay,” she said.
    Later, Kitten and her parents arrived at the Leaf. “Who goes there?” one of the guards demanded.
    “Relax,” said a voice. “There just here for a visit.”
    Okami turned toward the voice. “So,” he said, “We meet at last, Yellow Flash. I never would’ve guessed you were the new Hokage.”
    Namikaze Minato chuckled. “Well, I’m certainly glad we met under better circumstances,” he said. He turned toward Nekoa. “And you are…?”
    “I’m Kuriimuiro Nekoa,” Nekoa said. “This is my husband Okami. I thought we’d stop by and meet the new Hokage.”
    “That’s me,” Minato said. He spotted Kitten hiding shyly behind her mother and knelt down. “Well, hello there,” he said. “What’s your name?”
    Kitten hid more behind her mother. Nekoa laughed. “Sorry,” she said. “Our daughter here can get a little shy sometimes. Her name is Koneko.” She turned to her daughter. “Say hi to Lord Hokage, Kitten.”
    “Um, hi,” Kitten said quietly.
    “Today is her second birthday, so we decided to bring her with us,” Nekoa said. “She always wanted to visit the Leaf.”
    Minato stood up. “Well, I hope you enjoy your stay,” he said.
    Later that day, Kitten and her parents were taking a tour around the village. “This place looks nothing like the Stone Village,” Kitten said.
    “It’s because the Land of Fire has a different geography than that of the Land of Earth,” Okami said.
    “I wish Nii-san could see it,” Kitten said. “It’s so beautiful here.”
    Unknown to them, in two days, a terrible, unprecedented event was coming up. No one will be prepared.
    That night, Kitten and her family stayed in a nearby hotel. “So, Kitten, what do you think?” Nekoa asked.
    “I love it!” Kitten said. “I hope we’ll get to see more tomorrow.”
    “Well, get some sleep,” Okami said. “We’ve got a big day ahead of us tomorrow.”
    Two days later….
    “Nekoa, I just got an urgent message from Lord Tsuchikage,” Okami said.
    “What is it?”
    “He needs my help immediately, but he didn’t say why,” Okami said. “I have to get going.”
    “Goodbye, Daddy,” Kitten said.
    That night….
    Kitten and her mother were hiking back to their hotel when Nekoa stopped. “Mommy? What is it?” Kitten asked.
    “I thought I felt something,” Nekoa said. “Come on, we need to hurry.” She picked up her daughter and began running back to the village.
    Suddenly, they heard a thunderous crash behind them.
    “Hold tight, Kitten,” Nekoa said. Kitten looked back and saw a giant fox with nine tails.
    They managed to get to the village before the giant fox did. “Mommy, what’s going on?” Kitten asked.
    “I believe this village is being attacked,” Nekoa said. “Come on.” She grabbed her daughter’s hand and continued running.
    “Hold the attack and wait for the Fourth Hokage!”
    “It’s getting closer. Don’t let it near the village!”
    Thousands of Leaf ninja were fighting the Nine-Tailed Fox, known to be the most powerful of all of the Tailed Beasts. Nekoa managed to find a safe area to hide. “Stay close, Kitten,” she said.
    “Mommy, I’m scared.”
    “I am too, dear.”
    Suddenly, a giant frog appeared in front of the Nine-Tailed Fox, apparently challenging it. The fox turned and growled. On top of the frog was Minato, and although Kitten couldn’t see it, she somehow knew, that Minato held a small bundle in his arms. Then, as Kitten and her mother watched, a bright flash of white appeared….
    _____________________________________________________________________

    “…And you all know what happened after that,” Koneko said.
    “Well, no duh,” Kare said. “That fox got sealed up inside the knucklehead.”
    Naruto covered his ears. “Do you have to remind me?” he said.