"We're here." Tatsuo informed as they were hovering over the Hidden Waterfall Village. "Ne, Oto-san. You know how we have to go back to the Cloud Village just to visit the Eight-Tails? Why didn't we just stay there so we could get the training over and done with?" Nue asked.

"You were the one who said you want to be trained in order." Tatsuo stated. "You make a fair point." She replied. They landed on the ground and walked towards the building where they would meet the leader of the village.

"Can I help you with something?" A man asked. "We're looking for the leader of this village. We heard his name was Shibuki." Tatsuo explained. "You're speaking to him. What can I help you with?" Shibuki asked. "My name is Tatsuo Houjuu. Beside me, is my daughter, Nue Houjuu." He introduced.

"Houjuu? Ah, so you must be here to see Fū. She's-"

"So cute!"

Nue nearly screamed when she was suddenly swept off her feet. "You're so cute! Look at you! I can't believe you're only three years old! I bet I could put you in my pocket if I really tried!" Fū said, excitedly as she swung Nue around while hugging her close to her chest.

"Can't... breathe..." Nue said, feeling sick from the spinning. "Needless to say, that's Fū. And as you can see, she's really excited to see Nue." Shibuki said. "I look forward to training your daughter, Tatsuo-san!" Fū said, still hugging her close to her chest.

Tiny hearts floated around Fū as she cuddled the little girl. "Please let go." Nue requested.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Before we get started, I'd like you to tell me everything about you." Fū said. "Why?" Nue asked. "Oh, come on! Don't look so glum! As teacher and student, I think we should at least learn a little bit of something about each other!" Fū said.

She and Nue were in the training grounds, just talking. Both of them faced each other as they sat on their knees. While they were talking, Tatsuo was in the trees, watching them. Due to Nue's enhancing abilities, he doubt the training would take a month or two.

Nue sighed. "All right. What do you wanna know?" She asked. "Is it true you can fly without using any jutsu? Do you really sleep during the day and act during the night? Are you a vampire? What's your favorite color? Are you sure you're only three years old? You look so much older!"

Fū was asking so may questions, Nue felt like she was being interrogated. "Yes, I can fly without using any jutsu. Yes, I sleep during the day and I'm only active at night. It's called being nocturnal. No, I'm not a vampire. My favorite colors are black, blue, and red. And yes, I'm three years old. Members of my clan look a bit older for our age. For the example, the clan elder is 75 years old, but he looks 24." Nue explained.

"Wow, that's amazing! Hey, because you sleep during the day, does that make you a vampire?" Fū asked, making Nue deadpan. "I just told you, I'm not a vampire!" She said. Fū laughed at Nue's temper. "You're so cute when you get all hostile!" She said.

'Happy-go-lucky much? I can't believe she's the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki. Isn't she a bit young to be a Jinchuriki?' Nue thought. "So, Shibuki tells me you're being trained by all the Tailed Beast Jinchuriki. Which ones have you trained with so far?" Fū asked.

"I've trained with the One-Tail, the Two-Tails, the Three-Tails, the Four-Tails, the Five-Tails, and the Six-Tails." Nue answered. "Wow, that many? So cool! So, why do you wanna become strong, anyway, if you don't mind me asking? You're a bit too young to be handling all that power, don't you think?" Fū asked.

"I'm actually a lot stronger than I look. Trust me, I can handle it. Judging by your appearance, you must be a Chunin, right? I'll do my best to be your perfect student, Fū-sensei." Nue said, bowing her head respectfully. "Actually, I'm a Genin." Fū mentioned.

"HUH?!"

"Surprised?" Fū smiled.

"Yeah, kind of. I mean, you're so young and all. I thought maybe you'd be a Chunin. How old are you, anyway?"

"Sorry, can't tell you."

"Eh? Why not?"

"Shibuki said, I'm not allowed to answer any personal questions like my age and stuff."

"He sounds very protective of you."

"He is, and I'm grateful for that."

Nue gave a slight smile, but her smiled faded when she noticed Fū was smiling brightly at her. "Uh... Why are you staring at me like that?" Nue asked, getting slightly creeped out. "Because I'm in love with your wings and tails. You just look so beautiful with them, I can't stop staring." Fū explained.

"Beautiful?" Nue repeated, quietly, before looking at the ground. "I'm... not beautiful." She said, aloud. "Don't be ridiculous! Of course you're beautiful!" Fū objected. "How? We're nothing but freaks," Nue closed her eyes for a moment, remembering the question Utakata asked her.

"Fū-sensei. What do you see when you look at me?" She asked. "What do I see?" Fū repeated, in which Nue nodded. "I see a beautiful little girl who's willing to do anything she's capable of. That's what I see."

Nue looked at her as Fū placed her hand on her cheek, smiling kindly. "You're very sweet, Fū-sensei." Nue said, smiling back at her. "All right!" Fū jumped to her feet. "Let the training begin. Let's see what you got so far." She said. "Hai." Nue responded.

Nue showed Fū all the techniques she was taught from the previous Jinchuriki. "Amazing! I can't believe they taught you all of that! How long did it take you to master them all?" Fū asked. "A long time. But it was worth it." Nue answered.

"Sounds great. Now, the first technique I'm going to teach you is the Blue Joro Spider." Fū mentioned. "Blue Joro Spider? What's that?" Nue asked, in which Fū grinned. "I'll show you," Fu made a couple hand signs and took a couple steps back from Nue.

Once she got some distance from her, she did some hand signs. "Ninja Art: Blue Joro Spider!"

Nue gasped as she was trapped inside a spider web-like dome. "The hell?!" Nue yelled. "Pretty cool, huh?" Fū said. "Cool? It's amazing! I've never seen anything like it!" Nue mentioned.

"Wanna learn it?"

"Of course I do!"

Fū chuckled and taught the hand signs to her after she got Nue out of the spider web-like dome. At first, Nue struggled because she wasn't building up enough chakra. "This is impossible!" Nue said. Fū chuckled. "It's okay, Nue-chan. You just need to keep practicing." She mentioned.

"Fū," Tatsuo waved his hand to get her attention. "Can I talk to you for a moment?" He requested. "Sure. Keep practicing, Nue-chan." She said before going over to Tatsuo.

"What's up?"

"It's about... Nue."

"Nue-chan?" Fū looked towards Nue as she was practicing the hand signs. "What about Nue-chan?" Fū asked. "Well..."

"I did it!" Nue announced. Fū and Tatsuo looked over at Nue as she got the Blue Joro Spider technique under control. "Wow, that was fast. Nice work, Nue-chan!" Fū praised, shooting her thumbs up. "Thanks." Nue smiled.

Tatsuo narrowed his eyes as she noticed his daughter's eyes were purple. When she blinked, they were back to her original red color.

'Strange. I don't remember her eyes being able to change color.' Tatsuo thought. "I'm sorry. What were you saying, Tatsuo-san?" Fū asked. "It's nothing. Forget it." Tatsuo said.

"Okay. Ready to learn a new technique, Nue-chan?" Fū asked, walking back over to her. "Yeah." Nue nodded.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Two weeks later, Nue remarkably mastered Fū's techniques; the Chakra Threads, Ninja Art: Cocoon, Scale Powder, Hidden Waterfall Hurricane, and the Wave Transmission Technique. Fū and Nue had a lot of fun with that one.

Due to Nue's inability to sleep during the night, she and Fū would use the Wave Transmission Technique to communicate with each other through the walls of the their rooms.

"Cannonball!" Fū yelled as she jumped into the lake. "Hey! Fū-sensei, you got me all wet!" Nue whined. "Sorry, I didn't see you there." Fū apologized. "Bullshit." Nue replied. They stared at each other for a moment before the two of them broke into laughter.  

Tatsuo watched them as he stayed hidden behind a tree. "I'm quite impressed with you, Nue-chan." Fū said. "What do you mean?" Nue asked. "I mean, you were able to master all my techniques in just two weeks. That's pretty short." She mentioned.

"I guess the techniques were easier to master than I thought." Nue smiled. Tatsuo frowned at Nue's reply.

"Something isn't right here. Nue shouldn't be able to master all this stuff in only two weeks. When she was training with the other Jinchuriki, it took her months to master them. What's going on?" He mumbled himself.

"Dad? Is that you standing over there?" Nue called, spotting her father from afar. "Huh? Oh! Hi, girls! I was just making sure you two were safe!" Tatsuo called with a smile. "You have nothing to worry about, Tatsuo-san! We're perfectly fine!" Fū called back as she waved to him.

Tatsuo gave a closed-eye smile as he waved back. But on the inside, he was concerned for his daughter. He wondered why she was able to learn and master these techniques so quickly. What's changed in Nue? Why is she advancing so quickly? What's the cause?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Bye, Nue-chan! Good luck with the Eight-Tails!" Fū called, waving to her and her father as they flew off. Nue looked back at her and turned back around, flying back towards Fū. 

Fū raised a brow as she took notice. "What's the matter? Did you forget something?" She asked. Nue responded by hugging Fū's waist, holding her tightly. "I did. I forgot to thank you for training me... and for being my friend." Nue said.

Fū smiled warmly as she hugged Nue back, closing her eyes. "I sure hope we get to see each other, Nue-chan. Promise me, we'll meet again in the future." Fū said. "Hai. I promise. You have my word." Nue vowed.

She let go of Fū and smiled at her before flying back to her father. Fū waved again as they left while Nue waved back.

"Next stop, the Cloud Village. You really liked Fū, didn't you, Nue?" Tatsuo mentioned. "I did. I'm looking forward to see her again." Nue replied. "And someday... you will." He said. Nue smiled slightly at her father and they flew towards the Cloud Village.  

"Dad, can we take a break? I'm getting tired." Nue said. "From flying?" Tatsuo asked. "Un." Nue nodded. "We have been flying for a while. Yeah, maybe we should stop to rest." Tatsuo suggested. They landed near a secluded area surrounded by trees and sat down.

"From your persistent personality, I figured you'd want to keep going." Tatsuo said as he lied down on the grass, his hands behind his head while crossing his legs. "Nue?" He looked over at her and saw her fast asleep. 

Tatsuo took this opportunity to sit up and examine his daughter. He gently sat her up and noticed a small purple mark near her neck. "What is that?" He mumbled. He went to touch it until he heard, "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

He looked at Nue, thinking it was her who said that, but she was still asleep. He gasped slightly when someone grabbed his wrist. He looked up and saw a purple, shadowy figure emerging from behind Nue. "What the hell? Who are you?" Tatsuo asked.

"What's the matter? Don't you recognize your own daughter, Dad?" The figure said, mimicking Nue's voice. "You're not Nue. You may sound like her, but you're not her. Who... What are you?" Tatsuo said, frowning.

"None of your business. Now, stay out of my way or you'll regret it." The figure said before disappearing inside Nue. Tatsuo looked at his daughter and hugged her close to him. "What's happening to my baby girl? Why is this happening to only her?" Tatsuo asked, extremely worried for his daughter. 

Later that day, Tatsuo slept by Nue's side, holding her close to him to make sure nothing would happen to her. When nightfall arrived, Tatsuo woke Nue up so they could get a move on. "Eyes. Open, Nue." Tatsuo said before tapping her cheek.

"Mm..." Nue frowned and pushed her father's hand away from her face. "You know I hate when you do that, Dad." Nue mumbled as she slowly opened her eyes. "I know. Now, come on. We need to get going." He said. Nue yawned and shook her head, trying to wake herself up.

"Okay, I'm up." She said, yawning again. They stood to her feet and flew to the Cloud Village. By the time the sun rose up, they were halfway there.

"Greetings, Lord Raikage. It's an honor to meet you," Tatsuo gave a bow of respect as he stood before the Raikage, A, the Eight Tails Jinchuriki, Killer B. "My name is Tatsuo Houju-"

"I know who you are." The Raikage interrupted him, then looked at Nue. "Is this the child you spoke of?" He asked. "Yes. This is my daughter, Nue Houjuu." Tatsuo introduced. Nue blinked her eyes as her wings and tails twitched before she gave a bow.

"I won't let you down. I promise I'll train my hardest to not disappoint you." Nue said, holding out her hand for him to shake. "We'll see." A said, shaking her hand. "Sugoi!" Killer B ran over to Nue, stopping in front of her.

"I can't wait to start working together, Nue-chan!" He said. "Likewise." Nue said, a bit emotionlessly. "Are those things on your back real?" Killer B asked, excitedly. "Yes." Nue answered, bluntly.  

"That's so cool! And your name's really Nue? Like in the folktale?"

"Yes."

"Cool!"

"Are you always this hyper?"

"Of course I am, yo!"

"Yo?"

"Yeah! Have you ever rapped before?"

"What's that?"

"I'll teach you! Come on!"

Killer B grabbed Nue's hand and ran out of the room, taking her with him. The Raikage sighed as Tatsuo chuckled nervously. "Lord Raikage, if I may, I'd like to speak with you in private for a second." Tatsuo requested.

The Raikage stared at him before telling A to leave so the two of them could talk in private. "What did you want to discuss, Tatsuo?" He asked him. "I don't think you should be training Nue." Tatsuo whispered.

The Raikage raised a brow at his request. "Why is that?" He asked. "There's something wrong with her." Tatsuo answered.

"Is she sick?"

"No, nothing like that. I just... I just think she's incapabale of being trained right now."

After seeing that shadowy figure emerge from Nue's body last night, he kept getting this feeling that if Nue got too strong, that figure he saw might take over her or something. "Then... if you don't want me training her, why did you bring her here?" The Raikage asked.

"Well, if I didn't bring her here, she'd get upset, and I know how determined she is in becoming strong." Tatsuo explained. "Then, what would you like me to do?" The Raikage asked. "Well... I suppose you could teach her the basic techniques. But please, don't teach her any of the Tailed Beast techniques." Tatsuo begged.

The Raikage went to reply until they heard Killer B yell, "Whoa! Nue-chan, what's gotten into you?!"

The two of them looked outside and gasped when they saw Nue. Nothing was wrong with her... except she had eight tails! Each tail she had on her belonged to each of the tailed beast. Nue was down in a crouching position, her hands in the dirt, as she glared at Killer B.

"Oh... my god..." The Raikage said in shock. "The hell does she think she's doing?!" A yelled. "Nue!" Tatsuo jumped out the window and landed on the ground in a kneeling position. "Nue, what are you doing?!" He called to her.

Nue looked his way and he gasped, seeing his daughter's eyes were glowing purple. Nue hissed at him while opening her mouth slightly, revealing small fangs where her teeth should be. "Restrain her!" The guard ordered.

"No, don't!" Tatsuo yelled, trying to stop the guards. But it was too late as the ninjas attempted to restrain her. Nue, without performing any hand signs, she breathed out multiple balls of lava at the ninjas. 

"I need to stop her before this gets out of hand. At this rate, she'll kill anyone in sight." Tatsuo mumbled to himself. He made a single hand sign and trapped Nue inside a red force field. Nue roared like an animal and scratched at the force field with her nails, as if she was trying to claw her way out of the force field. 

"What's wrong with her? Why is she acting this way?" The Raikage asked. "My apologies, Lord Raikage. But I don't knowYour guess is as good as mine," Tatsuo replied, turning his head to look at him. "But what I'm more concern is how she got those tails." 

Nue continued to growl until her eyes changed back to their original red color while the tails she had disappeared. "Huh?" Nue shook her head hard before looking around, her hands placed against the wall of the force field.

"Uh, Dad? Why am I inside your force field?" She asked. "You're saying, you don't remember?" The Raikage asked. "I was talking with Killer B and then..." Nue paused as she thought to herself. "Uh... What happened after that?" Nue asked as she couldn't remember.

The Raikage, A, and Tatsuo all looked at each other, then back at Nue. "Nue, what were you and Killer B talking about?" Tatsuo asked.

"Killer B was just telling me how rapping was like singing. When he said that, I thought about Mom. Then... I don't remember anything after that. It's all a blur. Next thing I know, I'm in the force field." Nue explained.

'So, the thought of Hotaru made her snap? Or maybe she was thinking about something else? Her ambush maybe?' Tatsuo thought. "Can I get out of here now? I feel like a caged animal." Nue said. "Yeah, sorry about that." Tatsuo apologized before dispersing the force field around his daughter.

"Wow! That was incredible, Nue-chan! You totally rock!" Killer B cheered as he ran over to her. "Eh? What are you talking about?" Nue asked. "The way you made all those tails appear from behind you! Incredible! Way to go, dude!" Killer B said, bumping his fist with hers.

"I don't understand what you mean, Killer B. What tails?" Nue asked as she had no memory of summoning tails behind her. "All right. Settle down, you two, and let's head out." A said. "Hai/Hai, Brother!" Nue and Killer B answered at the same time.

"A-san, are you sure that's a good idea?" Tatsuo asked while thinking, 'After seeing that, he's still willing to have her be trained?!'

"She doesn't seem to remember her actions when she had those tails behind her. For now, we'll observe her and see what she does. If things get out of hand, I'll stop the training session." The Raikage explained.

Tatsuo wasn't too excited with that idea, fearing Nue would act up again. "I have a bad feeling about this." He mumbled.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"What kind of techniques do you know?" A-san asked. "Well... I know how to manipulate the sand, I know Lava Style, Water Style-"

"Don't tell me. Show me." A intrupted her. "Right." Nue nodded. She got in a stance and performed all the techniques she was taught over the past few months.  

"Sugoi! Awesome!" Killer B cheered. 'A three-year-old knows all that? Almost scary' A thought. "Nue-chan, that was so cool! You totoally rock! Are you sure you're three years old?" Killer B said. "Yes. Why do you ask?" Nue asked.

"Because you look a lot older than that. Like, seven or eight at least." He answered. "Do you have a problem with how I look or something?" Nue asked, bluntly. "Of course not. I think you look pretty cool for a girl your age. Not to mention, attractive." Killer B grinned.

Nue blushed, madly at his comment. "Don't go saying things like that to people you hardly know!" She yelled with her eyes closed shut as the blush stayed on her face. Killer B only grinned a her reaction.

Nue opened her eyes and frowned at him, trying to make her blush go away. "So, you really learned all that from the Tailed Beast you trained with?" A asked, interrupting their conversation. "Yes, sir." Nue answered.

"Come on, Nue-chan! I'll show you the techniques I'll be teaching you!" Killer B said, grabbing her hand. Nue blushed slightly as she saw their entwined hands. "E-Eh? Wait, you're gonna be teaching me?" Nue asked, snapping out of it.

"Of course I am, silly! Who else?" Killer B laughed. "If that's the case, then what's A-san doing here?" Nue mumbled. "He's just here to watch us." He said. Nue looked over at A as he watched them, his arms crossed over his chest.

"All right! Let's get started! This way!" Killer B ran off, taking Nue with him. "Where are we going?" Nue asked. "Just over there." Killer B answered, looking over at a waterfall. "It's a bit far, don't you think?" Nue mentioned.

"We can make it. Don't worry." He assured her. Nue gave him a blunt look as she was tired of running and picked up Killer B from under his arms, flying over to the waterfall instead. "Sugoi! I didn't you could fly!" Killer B said in amazement. "I can do more than that." Nue replied.

Once they were by the waterfall, Nue set her sensei down on his feet. "Incredible! Are you always able to fly?" Killer B asked. "Yes. It's part of who I am, Killer B-sensei." Nue nodded.

"Sugoi! Oh, and you can call me B."

"Hai, B-sensei." 

Nue gave a warm smiled and they got to work.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Killer B and Nue started off their training with swords techniques. Both of them were equally matched, but Killer B was better. "Hey, you're pretty good at this, Nue-chan." Killer B mentioned. "But..."

"Ouch!" Nue yelped when Killer B head-butted her against her forehead. "You should also anticipate your opponents more often; Look into their eyes, not their weapons." Killer B advised.

"You should've just told me so instead of smashing your forehead against mine." Nue said as she rubbed her forehead, which was now red. "Don't worry. Some day, that move will come in handy. I call it Headbutt." Killer B smiled at her.

"Might wanna change that to 'Headache'. Damn, that hurt." Nue said, still rubbing her forehead. "Sorry about that, dude." Killer B apologized. "It's fine. No need to apologize." She replied.

"Next, I'm going to teach you a smooth technique of mine called Acrobat." He explained.

"Isn't that the technique where you hold these swords in a weird way and attack while still holding them with your body? I'm pretty sure it had another name, too. What was it called? Oh, yeah! The Rough Spin Heron Striking Sword." Nue mentioned.

"Whoa, how'd you know?!"

"Because I've seen my mom practice that technique many times. But she refused to teach it to me because she said it was dangerous and way to advanced for my age. Plus, she said, it could end up killing someone."

"Nah! I think you're ready to learn it! Here, try it out on me!"

"I'm not gonna try out that technique on you, B-sensei. I could end up killing you."

"No, you won't. I have total faith in you."

"I'm not so sure about this."

"If you're that worried about hurting him, then try it out on me." Tatsuo suggested. "What? But-"

"Oh, come on, Nue. Your old man can take it. Hit me with your best shot." Tatsuo said, confidently while hitting the front of his chest with his fist. "Well... Okay, if you say so." Nue said.

She summoned some swords of her own, and without hesitation, she attacked Tatsuo. Tatsuo summoned his own sword and began to fight Nue. He couldn't keep up with her movements and eventually got struck by the swords.

He tumbled to the ground, landing on his back. "Dad!" Nue dropped the swords and ran over to her father. "Ugh... Damn, Nue. You could've held back a little. That was merciless." Tatsuo said as he sat up, rubbing his head.

"Are you alright?" Nue asked, helping him up. "Yeah, I'm fine. My body's already healing. Hehe... I must be getting old." Tatsuo chuckled. "Old? You look pretty young to me." A said. "Dad is 40 years old." Nue informed.

"What?!" A and Killer B's jaws dropped open.

"Why'd you had to go and tell them that, Nue?" Tatsuo asked, sighing. "I didn't think they'd overreact that much. " Nue answered, bluntly.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The sun went down and everyone went to bed, especially Nue. She was so tired, the moment she fell on the mattress, she was out like a light. "She sure did train hard today. I don't think I've ever seen a child so determined to get strong." A commented.

"Needless to say, she gets that a lot." Tatsuo said, chuckling. But his laugh was cut short as he thought about what happened earlier; He couldn't stop thinking about the tails that appeared on Nue.

"Surprisingly, she didn't act up today. Those tails didn't come back like I was expecting." A mentioned. "Yeah..." Tatsuo agreed. 'How was she able to do that, and why doesn't she remember?' He thought.

Tatsuo continued to think to himself until he got a weird theory. He remembered that Nue made physical contact with each of the Jinchuriki, including Killer B. Could it be that the tails have appeared from that? Or was it from the shadowy figure he saw while Nue was sleeping that one time?

He wanted to get to the bottom of this and find out why this was happening, and why it was happening to just Nue? Was it a curse? Did Nue do something wrong? Or was just she was born in a special way?

"Your daughter..." Tatsuo looked at A when he spoke up. "She sure is something else, isn't she?" He said. "What do you mean?" Tatsuo asked.

"You claimed Nue hates humans. So, why is she comfortable around B and I? We're humans." A stated. "I'm not entirely sure how to answer that question, A-san." Tatsuo said.

"Well, here's what I think. I believe Nue understands what the Jinchuriki go through. The Jinchuriki, I feel that Nue understands the Jinchuriki better than anyone, even at her age. She understands the feeling of pain, rejection, sorrow, hatred. She understands it all. You and your people suffer the same thing they do. Maybe that's why I see a bit of mercy in the red of her eyes." A explained.

"Heh... Well, that's one way to explain it because there's no way I'd be able to explain like that." Tatsuo chuckled.

The next morning, Killer B and Nue were at it again, teaching all the techniques he was taught. Techniques that included Disturbance Body Technique, Lariat, and Octopus Leg Clone.

The only techniques Killer B didn't teach her was his Tailed Beast techniques. According to Tatsuo, Nue was incapable of learning something that powerful. Mainly, because he feared Nue's shadowy self had something to do with Nue's unspeakable skills.

 "Way to go, Nue-chan!" Killer B cheered. "But..." Nue gasped when Killer B swept his leg beneath Nue's feet, making her fall on her back. "Your balance could still use some more work." He mentioned. "Hai..." Nue mumbled.

"Even I saw that one coming, Nue." Tatsuo laughed as Killer B helped Nue to her feet. "Oh, yeah? Then, you better see this one coming!" Nue ran at her father and smashed her forehead against his. "Ow!" Tatsuo yelled as he stumbled back before landing on his butt.

"Hahaha! You were right, B-sensei! That technique does come in handy!" Nue laughed. "Nice!" Killer B shot her a thumbs up. "Oh, so you found that funny, did you?" Tatsuo said as he shot Nue a deadly glare. As punishment for that stunt, he trapped her in his force field.

"Hey! Let me outta here! It was a joke! Can't you take a joke?!" Nue said. "Sure I can." Tatsuo answered. "I'm sorry, Dad. I promise it won't happen again." Nue apologized, whining a bit as she anime cried.

Tatsuo knows how much Nue hates to be in the force field because it made her feel like a caged animal. After all, she mentioned it earlier.

"I don't wanna hear it." Tatsuo said as he leaned against a tree, sipping from his bottle of sake. "Oh, come on, Dad. I was just having a little fun. You know I would never hurt you on purpose." Nue protested. "I know that." He said.

"I'm really sorry." Nue apologized again.

"You're forgiven."

"So, does that mean you'll let me out?"

"Nope."

"Ugh..." Nue whined until she smiled. "What's with the smile on your face?" Tatsuo asked. "Nothing. I'm just so happy." She said. "About what?" Killer B asked. "This. I'm having so much fun with you all." Nue said.

"Training's not supposed to be fun." A mentioned. "I know that. But I guess it's because I've never trained with a kid before. That's what makes it fun." She explained.

'And due to the training, I can feel myself getting stronger every day, and I have everyone to thank for that. Bunpuku-sensei. Yugito-sensei. Yagura-sensei. Roshi-sensei. Han-sensei. Utakata-sensei. Fū-sensei. And even you, B-sensei. If it weren't for them all, I wouldn't be this strong. And now that I am strong, I can protect Mother and the rest of the Houjuu Clan.' She thought, devotedly.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Two weeks later, Nue's training had ended. "Well done, my dudette! I knew you had it in you! Way to go!" Killer B praised as he bumped his fist with hers. "You did good, kid." A grinned, giving her a thumbs up.

"Thank you for everything. I am forever grateful." Nue said, giving a bow of respect. Tatsuo bowed his head as well and Nue hugged Killer B. "Thank you for helping me get strong, B-sensei." She said. "That's just how I roll, yo!" Killer B said as he hugged her back.

"Come back any time so I can give you more rapping lessons! Peace out!" Killer B called as he and his brother watch the two Houjuu Clan members fly off.

"All right, Nue. Next, we'll head to the Leaf Village." Tatsuo said. "Isn't that the village who attacked Mom?" Nue asked. "Yeah, so what we have to do is-"

"Forget it. Let's go home." Nue interrupted him, flying the other direction. "Huh? But... I don't get it. I thought you-"

"There's no way I'm going to train with someone who nearly killed my mother."

"Now, Nue. You don't even know if that person really attacked Hotaru."

"I don't care. I hate the Leaf Village. I'm never going to that place. Come on, we're going home."

Tatsuo sighed, seeing no point in arguing with her. "Fine, let's go home." He said, flying in the direction Nue was going, heading home.

After flying for a while, Nue got tired and her and Tatsuo travel in her bubble, one of the techniques Utakata taught her.

"Welcome home, Nue!" Nue's cousin, Kameyo, cheered. Nue popped the bubble she and Tatsuo were traveling in and Kameyo ran over to her, hugging her. "I missed you so much! How was your trip? Did you have fun? Tell me everything!" Kameyo said.

"I'll tell you everything, but I wanna say hi to my mom and Karin." Nue said. "Sure!" Kameyo led Nue and Tatsuo inside the house, where they found Hotaru sitting on the couch with Karin and Zabuza. "Mom! Karin! Uncle Moo Moo!" Nue cheered, hugging all three of them.

"Welcome home, Nue." Hotaru greeted. "I thought I told you not to call me by that name?" Zabuza said. "I can't help it when you have cow patterns on your pants." Nue objected. Zabuza chuckled and ruffled her head. Welcome back, kiddo." He said.

"Welcome home, Nue." Karin greeted with a smile. "Hi, Karin. Are you okay? Did anything happen to you?" Nue asked. "No," Karin shook her head. "I'm fine. Hotaru-san and Zabuza-san took care of me." She informed.

"I'm glad for that." Nue said as she hugged her. "Man, it's good to be home." Tatsuo said as he sat beside his wife and kissed her head. "Sounds like you're exhausted from your journey." Hotaru chuckled. "You have no idea." Tatsuo replied.

"Okay, enough with the greetings! Tell us about your trip, Nue! What were the Jinchuriki like? What techniques did you learn? Were any of them cute?" Kameyo asked. "Slow down, Kame-chan. All your questions are making my head spin." Nue said.

"Okay, let me tell you the story..."

All right, y'all! This is the end of Nue's training. Again, I apologize for making the chapters super long. In the next chapter, we are back on track and back to the present. Meaning, we're going back to the war. I'll try and end this book quickly because there's another story I'm working on, and I'd like to publish it very soon.

See you all next time!

Kureiji out~