At that moment, Sasuke was the most conflicted of them all. He stood between his companions and the older cousin he remembered as gentle, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles had turned white.
The Sharingan flickered in his eyes. On one side were the companions and teacher with whom he had just survived a fight for their lives; on the other was the cousin who had once shown him warmth.
If Izumi had really come to seize the Talismans, what was he supposed to do? Fight his own family?
Sensing the hostility that had suddenly flared below, Izumi Uchiha shook her head gently. She adjusted the Longbow on her back and spread her hands slightly to show that she meant them no harm.
"No, Kakashi. You've misunderstood." Her voice remained cool. "I died long ago, and I'm no longer a member of the Uchiha. My name now is Kikyo."
"I'm here on behalf of Heaven."
"And I've come on my leader's orders to discuss an alliance with Konoha."
"An alliance?!"
Kakashi Hatake frowned. This turn of events had caught him completely off guard. "Heaven? The organization that helped the Uchiha on the Canopy Screen?"
"Why? Why now?" His question went straight to the heart of it.
"I believe you've met that monster from Nine Nether." Kikyo's tone grew grave as she revealed the force behind Mahito. "They are Heaven's sworn enemies."
Her gaze passed over Naruto's hand, still clamped to his chest. "The Talismans hold ancient power, and both sides are after them. But Heaven's goals are nothing like Nine Nether's."
She looked at Kakashi, her expression open and resolute. "We're collecting the Talismans to keep them out of Nine Nether's hands and prevent an even greater disaster."
"To show our sincerity, we're willing to let you keep