Chapter 144: III Chapter 46 – leaving Kiri

Getting out of the complicated Kimonos, they folded them back together carefully and Granny insisted them taking their things along with a smile. 

Outside the constant mist of the village greeted them, but there was a big difference from the emptiness from before, the people were returning to the streets. There was a bustling city that seemed to slowly reawaken out of a long slumber. There were little children in the streets clothed and Gene watched them, and even the abandoned Yuki courtyard was being less avoided than before, but still they kept a distance from it, fearing it. 

Walking to the mansion, she stopped at the entrance to the archives and opened the door. Doing a few hand signs, she signed and closed her eyes. "You should remember." she muttered and left. 

"Things will change one day." Shisui said and patted her back.

I sure hope so.  

--

Two days later, their things were packed. Tsukiko was calling now a new friend her own, or was he an enemy, at least Ao was staring at her with quite a bit of animosity and not letting her escape his dark gaze. Muttering something along the lines of bratty menace, it seemed another one had joined the long lines of people who would like to rip off the metaphorical head from Tsukiko. 
The Samurai were back on the ship as they walked back on it too. 

Once she felt it set off from Kiri she felt like there was something falling off her, a certain tension she barely noticed she had been carrying. The further they were away from Kiri the more she felt relieved, this place, it was a comfortable on to be at. With a sign, she took Shisuis hand and squeezed it, and he returned it softly. 

"Better?" he asked, and she nodded. 

"A lot better, I am happy when we are back home, I rather talk Mikoto-dono into letting you go and join in as my vice head, worry about Tsunade succeeding, getting my behind handed to Kushina as she tries to teach me how to be a decent Jinchuuriki, have Tsukiko help tease Kakashi and the fact that the Hyuga still dislike me then spend time in Kiri."  

"You forgot figuring out who Orange Mask is." Shisui muttered and Gene nodded, taking out a book from her sleeve. "And the Yuki Curse....that reminds me Shisui have you ever heard of a Shinobi called Phillipe?"

"Phili...?" Shisui seemed to be drifting off mentally, "I believe I read that strange name somewhere among the founding Shinobi of Konoha, but god, don't ask me where. Why the question?"

"He was a Yuki, and he had the same eyes as me, the same Dojutsu, and apparently like me and Tsukiko, from a far, far away place." She said, and Shisui stared at her. 

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"A Yuki a co-founder of Konoha? Konoha and Kiri had always a very bad relationship." he noted, and Tsukiko grumbled behind them. 

"If it was Philipe it just may would have been possible, the guy was always a tad unusual." Tsukiko said. "My captor let some nice Info fall like the fact that they want Gene's Dojutsu badly, and whoever it is knew Philipe. But admit tingly, he would have outdone himself there if what I am guessing and know is only half true." 

"What do you mean with that?" Shisui asked her, and Tsukiko snickered. 

"Can you keep a secret?" 

Shisui nodded at her question. 

"Can you keep a secret even in the face of death, are you willing to sign away your life and Gene's to keep it?" 

Now he hesitated, and Tsukiko shook her head. 

"I guessed so, and it might be better if you do not know, but let us say, if I am right, Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, the two greatest Shinobi of their time had his name mentioned alongside them. You might want to scourge the Uchiha clan archives, I am pretty sure you will encounter the name again. He was never one who did things out in the open, he always kept them quiet, but what he could maneuver in the shadows often surpassed what most people would have guessed. If I am a tactician, a strategist or politician, Anuk was the warrior, Emeraude the Joker and Philipe was the one who made our cooperation possible, the one who paved the way." 

Tsukiko smiled and looked to the sky, suddenly appearing very old, older than she should be. "He was my best bud and the brightest mind I ever had the pleasure to encounter." 

"He was mentioned alongside them." Gene said and took out a diary. "He was also a friend of theirs, it might not be completely impossible that he co-founded Konoha."