In the Hokage's room, Tsunade was having a break from all the works she had today. Her mind kept replaying the investigation that she went to early this morning. Tapping her fingers on the table, she closed her eyes trying to clear her mind, when she suddenly heard rushing footsteps from the hallway, followed by Shizune's voice.

"Shiruma-san! What are you doing here?! You're not fully recovered yet!" she shrieked. Tsunade opened her eyes, as she heard Shiruma's name. No longer after that, the door flung opened hardly and Shiruma ran into the room, in his hospital outfit.

"Tsunade!" he managed to cough out, as he breathing hardly. He collapsed on the floor, as she approached him. He grabbed her forearm, tightly but she didn't even retreat. "She left! She left the village!"

"What?! Why?!" she swiftly asked, shocked with the news. "Shizune-"

"She wanted to confront Akatsuki!" he shrieked, before coughing blood hardly. Tsunade started to use her medical technique on him.

"Shizune, quick! Get anyone to bring him back to the hospital!" she ordered. As Shizune left, Tsunade started to ask Shiruma. "How did you know it?"

"She... told me... earlier... before she knocked... me out... Urgh!"

"Hold on! Your internal injuries haven't recovered yet," she said, continuing using her ability on him, as Shizune came with a few staffs from the hospital. As Shiruma was brought back to the hospital, Tsunade went behind her table and gazed out the window. "Shizune, call Kakashi. And the rest of his team. Tell them, a mission awaits them."

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

"Hokage-sama," Kakashi called out, from the outside of the Hokage's room. Still gazing out her room's window, Tsunade called them in, and the whole team entered the room. "What's the matter, Hokage-sama?"

"I want your team to look for someone. That person had just left Konoha."

"Is that person are so important?" As usual, Naruto would ask. "Is it a man or a woman?"

"Yes, she's important. Important to our village."

"How important- Ah! Sakura-chan!" Naruto shrieked as Sakura gave him a sharp elbow hit on his side.

"Anyway, who is she?" Kakashi asked, making everyone's attentions moved to Tsunade. She turned around, and sat back down on her seat, closing her eyes. Suddenly, her left fist clenched tightly, making everyone surprised. "Don't tell me... Hokage-sama?"

"How did she leave the hospital, Kakashi? I told you to keep her there until she's recovered, and now she's out there, still not fully recovered, on her way to confront Akatsuki by herself!" Kakashi's eye widened, after hearing the word 'Akatsuki'. Same reaction went to the rest of the team. Naruto, who was surprised, clenched both of his fists on his sides.

"Who... is she?" Naruto asked, through his clenched teeth. Tsunade noticed it, as she slowly opened her eyes. "Who is she, obachan?!"

"Mirai." Her simple answer made him more surprised. "She left the village."

"But why is she going to confront Akatsuki?! Is it because that she can use all five elements, that they want her too?"

"I guessed you've already know, right Kakashi?" Tsunade asked, shifting her gaze at the team's captain, who was now looked gloomy. "From the time you were training her... I'm sure it showed up, but you didn't want to tell me."

"Uh... Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto softly asked, after Kakashi let out a deep sigh. "Sensei? What does Mirai-neechan..." Kakashi turned to Naruto, who was furrowing his brows at him.

"She have the White-Wolf Shadow in her." The answer had made his team became surprised, with their eyes widened. "As you guys already know, Akatsuki is going after her-"

"Well then, let's go after her! We shouldn't waste time! She might not be that far!" Naruto cut in.

"Naruto!"

"Yes, she's not that far! We've had our lunch together just now! Oh, so that's why she went to the gate after that... Argh, I should've stop her!" He started to blame himself, running his hands through his hair before squating down. "Argh!!! I really should've stop her!!"

"It's not the time to blame yourself, Naruto. None of us would know that this is going to happen," Tsunade spoke, as she went around her table and sat at it, facing them. "The reason why I want your team to be in this mission, is that most of you guys have a good relationship with her. Kakashi; as her sensei, Sakura..."

"Well, we hang out sometimes... and she always tell me about rare medicinal herbs from other Lands," Sakura continued, while putting on her gloves. Tsunade nodded, and turned to Sai.

"Hm... She helps me in understanding relationships. Is that considered as a good relationship?" he asked, as usual with a smile across his pale face.

"And Naruto..." Tsunade stopped, as Naruto slowly stood up, with an expression on his face that she knew whenever he has a goal in his mind.

"Ah... even though it's not biologically, but she's my oneechan!" Suddenly, the door flung open, drawing everyone's attentions.

"Hokage-sa... ma?" Yamato breathed out, as he saw Team Kakashi in the room. "Ah... I supposed you guys have heard about her, right? And are preparing to pursue her?"

"Yes. You want to come?" Kakashi asked, as Yamato approached them. But he just kept quiet. "Ah... you still think about what happened? Don't worry, just come with me."

"Hm, you can backup the team, Yamato," Tsunade suggested, crossing her arm over her abdomen. Still, nothing left his mouth. "Yamato..."

"Hokage-sama..."

"Do you still trust her?" Kakashi suddenly asked, patting Yamato's shoulder. "If you do, you'll know that she still had her trust on you." He glanced up at his senpai, who later gave him a smiling eye. "She still trust me."

"Really?!" Suddenly, Yamato felt some hopes in him. He turned to Tsunade, and gave her a smile. "Count me in."

"Good. Others, be prepare and we meet in 20 minutes at the gate. Besides, I have something to ask you, Yamato," Kakashi told him, before leaving the room after the rest of his team left.

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

"Let's stop for now!" Kakashi ordered, halting the whole team under a tree.

"Kakashi-sensei! We've already had our rest! We shouldn't stop by now!" Naruto voiced out, approaching his sensei. "I'm not tired-"

"Naruto, get hold of yourself and think about the others too." Naruto looked at his team; they all looked exhausted. "Let's stop here. We'll continue tomorrow." Yamato started to build a house for them to have a rest.

It has been hours since Team 7 left the village, and still they had found no signs of Mirai. The day had turned dark faster, and the wind had been blowing much colder that night. All of them had gathered around a lit-up hearth in a room.

"It's cold tonight," Sakura stated, as she put her hands out towrds the fire, warming herself. "I wonder how is she doing?"

"Don't worry. I know she'll be okay. She's not just an ordinary girl," Kakashi answered, while he was looking at the fire. "She's a girl with Shiroi Ookami no Kage in her. That wolf knows what to do."

"Sensei, how did you know that Mirai-neechan is the one?" Naruto asked. Everyone in the room turned their attentions to Kakashi. There was a short moment of silence, before he started to speak.

"I saw it through her body with my Sharingan. At the first time we met, where I've tested her skills, I saw a different flow of chakra in her. And it looked so familiar to me."

"Ah! So that's why you didn't use so much skills that time. You were focusing on her chakra... and necklace," Naruto jumped in, rubbing the back of his head. "What about the genjutsu?" Kakashi just nodded, before proceeding.

"Well, coincidentally that time my mind was thinking about Shiroi. Maybe that genjutsu really reflects someone's desire. Or maybe, that genjutsu uses Shiroi as the attacker. I'm not sure about it..."

"Eh?" Sakura said, with a bit of confused tone in her question. "But then, if you're not sure of it, how did you..."

"There have been few times that I saw her in a Demon Fox cloak-like form, like yours, Naruto. You saw it before too," Kakashi said as he looked at Naruto. Then he turned to Yamato. "When you told me about it first, I was doubting about the truth.  But when I've seen it myself, that's when I've confirmed that she's the one who had the Wolf in her," Kakashi ended.

The room went silent, only the crackling sound of the fire burning that filled the room. None of them had ever thought that all through this time, the one that they have to look for and protect it from enemies, had been with them all the time. And now here they were, pursuing her before her encounter with Akatsuki after what she had believed; losing trust from her own village.

"Well then, let's go to sleep everyone. We have a long way to go," Yamato said. All of them nodded, and started to stand up, taking a spot for themselves in the room, except one person. "Eh? Senpai? You're not going to sleep?"

"Yamato, I want to ask you something," Kakashi whispered, before he walked out the room, towards the balcony, followed by Yamato. "Do you remember anyone, other than you, in Orochimaru's secret lab during the experiment?"

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"Anyone who had survived the experiment with you." Kakashi's question had made his junior astonished. "Do you know any?"

"No. I am so sure about it. There's no one," Yamato answered, bewildered. "Why?" Kakashi scraped the balcony's wooden hand rail with the metal plate on his glove, producing wood chips from it.

"I saw these in the door lock of Mirai's room. And I saw her placing her palm against the lock, and unlocked it. What could that mean?" Hearing it, Yamato was a bit amazed. "Either you've picked the lock, or..."

"No way! I swear that I'm the sole survivor of the experiment. I'm hundred percent sure!" he demanded. "I still remember... how did they... die... And also, I didn't even know her room. So how could I possibly pick the lock for her?"

"I know. But to leave with the explanation that she also have the First Hokage's ability, that's just too impossible."