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**In the Inuzuka clan compound.**
Nara Shikaku had come to meet Tsume, demanding the burial of Megumi. It had been a week since the death of the Fourth Hokage and several elite shinobi.
"Please, Clan Head Tsume, give me my nephew's body so I can bury him. At least let me prove I wasn't useless after all." Shikaku's voice wavered as Yoshino stood beside him, offering quiet consolation.
"I know he bore the Nara name, but I cannot release the body. I received permission from his mother herself, and I still haven't found Kaede's body." Tsume stepped closer, her wild eyes fixed on Shikaku's face. "He might be your nephew, but know this: he was my son-in-law as well."
Yoshino felt compelled to intervene before the situation escalated further. She knew Tsume could be unpredictable, but the woman always kept her promises. What surprised Yoshino most was that Kaede had granted Tsume the right to claim Megumi's body, yet Kaede's own remains were still missing.
The Nine-Tails' attack on the village had been devastating and unexpected, destroying entire sections. Now the Uchiha were being relocated to the village outskirts, branded as suspects in the catastrophe.
"Tsume, please. It's been over a week now. The boy's body will start to decompose. He needs to be buried." Yoshino appealed to her friend, though she couldn't shake the strange feeling that something was wrong. Megumi was dead. Kaede was dead. Yet Yoshino sensed her friend knew something she wasn't sharing, something that would put both kaede and her son at risk.
Tsume sighed heavily. "Hmm."
She was exhausted from protecting the boy's corpse. If she weren't a clan head, she would have been forced to surrender the body already. The Nara clan wasn't the only group demanding custody. The Gettek clan also wanted Megumi's remains as payment for debts Kaede had owed them.
"What do you think, friend?"
"Fine. I'll give you his body, but not today. Let's wait and see what happens tomorrow." Tsume paused, choosing her words carefully. "It's not that I don't want to hand him over to your clan, but Kaede said that... Never mind. Don't worry about it."
Yoshino was relieved to see that even after becoming head of the Inuzuka clan, this fierce woman still possessed a softer side.
"Okay. We'll return tomorrow morning."
The married couple left the room and made their way back to the Nara compound.
---
"Mom, what did the Nara clan head want?" Hana asked after they departed. She hadn't been present during the meeting, as it would have been disrespectful.
Her mother turned to face her, taking the baby from Hana's arms before settling into a chair.
"They want to take the boy's body too." She adjusted the infant to nurse.
"What will you do now? Some clan members are growing frustrated that outsiders come to see you every day. There have been rumors that you're hiding corpses around the village. What should we do, Mom?"
Tsume's companion, Kuromaru, a large black dog with one eye covered, lay on the far side of the room. He had been assigned to guard it.
"How long are you going to make me watch this young one's corpse? Just give the body to its rightful owner. If the reinstated Third Hokage hears about this, it will be considered a crime. You know that, right?" The dog spoke as Hana poured him milk.
"Those bastards. It's pointless now. Let's go clean him and dress him for tomorrow."
Tsume made her way to the same room where she had received the Nara couple. In the center of the room lay Megumi's corpse.
---
That same night, when the moon illuminated the darkness, men in black surrounded the Inuzuka compound. The clan guards lay unconscious at their posts.
"Set the barrier," one of the men commanded, arms crossed as though this were just another routine assignment. "Don't allow anyone in or out. This is Lord Danzo's order."
He walked with measured confidence toward the clan compound, heading straight for the room where Megumi's body was kept. Just as he reached for the door, a defensive mechanism activated.
*Clack! Clack!*
Shuriken rained down, forcing the masked man to leap backward.
"Who are you, and how dare you trespass into a Konoha clan compound?" Kuromaru emerged from the building's shadow, five dogs flanking him.
The ANBU operative stepped forward, signaling his men to prepare for combat.
"This is an order given by the Hokage. Now, where is your clan head?"
He glanced up, spotting a shadow descending toward him.
*Boom!*
He jumped back as the ground where he'd stood exploded in smoke and debris. A woman emerged from the rubble.
"What is ANBU doing in my clan compound, and why did you attack my people?" Tsume's voice was sharp with fury. Kuromaru's subordinates had alerted her to the masked intruders.
"You should hand over Megumi's body for investigation. His remains contain secrets exclusive to the village higher-ups." The ANBU operative's tone was cold and authoritative. "I've been given permission to question whether you've tampered with his brain. Now surrender his corpse, or—"
"Or what?" Tsume gritted her teeth, incredulous that a mere ANBU would speak to her so disrespectfully.
The masked man drew his tantō, ready to strike. "Or we will take him by force."
"Kuro, take Hana and Kiba into the room where the boy is. Don't open it without my permission." Tsume gave the instruction to her partner, who nodded and vanished into the wall.
"Follow them and bring me the boy's head," the ANBU commander ordered his subordinates, who immediately used the Body Flicker Technique to pursue.
Tsume's eyes blazed as she prepared for battle. The ANBU operative charged forward, tantō gleaming in the moonlight. Tsume dodged to the left, her feral instincts guiding her movements. She swept low with a leg strike, but the operative vaulted over her, twisting mid-air to slash downward.
She rolled aside, the blade missing her by inches and sparking against the stone floor. In one fluid motion, Tsume sprang to her feet and drove her clawed hand toward his ribs. He blocked with his forearm guard, the impact sending a sharp *clang* through the courtyard.
"You're not taking him," Tsume snarled, her canines elongated as her clan's feral transformation began. Her fingernails extended into razor-sharp claws, and her eyes took on an animalistic gleam.
The ANBU operative retreated a step, reassessing. "You would fight the Hokage's order?"
"I would fight anyone who threatens my clan." Tsume launched herself forward with frightening speed, closing the distance in a heartbeat. She unleashed a flurry of claw strikes, each one aimed at vital points. The operative parried desperately, his tantō a blur of steel as he defended against her relentless assault.
He managed to create an opening and thrust his blade toward her shoulder. Tsume twisted, allowing the weapon to graze her arm instead, then grabbed his wrist with crushing strength. Before he could react, she headbutted him with bone-cracking force, sending him staggering backward.
Blood dripped from beneath his cracked mask.
"Last warning," Tsume growled. "Leave my compound now."
The ANBU operative steadied himself, hand signs forming rapidly. "Earth Style: Earth Spear Jutsu!"
His skin darkened and hardened as the defensive technique took effect. He charged again, this time relying on his enhanced durability. Tsume met him head-on, their collision creating a shockwave that cracked the courtyard stones.
They exchanged blow after blow, neither willing to yield.
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