They say where someone thinks of you that is your home, but in my case i have no home. In the Village hidden under the Moon, there is no hiding. A small village has no secrets except for me. My childhood was like no other. All the people of the village looked at me with eyes full of hate, even my own father. I left when I was ten, and I never went back, and I don’t plan on going back either. I’ve had a few attacks directed toward me from the land of the moon. Hunting me down, trying to end my life. I lose conscience when the attack, but wake up in front of their dead bodies. I’ve killed people, their blood stained my hand. The crescent moon on their head band still haunt me, even after fourteen years on the run.

A dreadful feeling dawn upon me as the sinister night passed by slowly. The wind was beginning to die but the eerie atmosphere still remained in the air. I wanted to scream, I wanted to turn away, and search for help. But who would I look for? Their eyes pierced me with disgust and pure hatred and it was all because of the monster in me. The voice deep within me whispered, “Kill them all.”

No matter how much they hated me, I could never kill them intentionally. A fight within me that never stops, between me and the monster.In the end I couldn’t blame it, we both wanted the same thing. We wanted to be set free. I shake the paranoia out of my head.

I walk the streets alone, wanting nothing more than a hot bath.I paid for the bath and made my way to the area for the women. I was walking down the hall as a kunai nearly hit my head and stabbing the wall in front of me.I turn and see four men, all wearing the same uniform and the same headbands. A crescent moon clearly on the plaque. They are back again. Forgetting about the warm water I wanted to bathe in, I turned and looked for an exit near by. They were blocking it. My only option would be fighting, but I know I would lose conscience and kill them, I didn’t want to have more deaths put on my shoulder.

“Please stop following me.” I plead. My voice seemed foreign. I wondered when was the last time I talked to someone.

“Kiyoko, we must take you back to the Land of the Moon. You have no choice,” one of them said. He threw another kunai in my direction, I dodged it, but the other three men charged at me. One weaving signs in midair. I felt the ground shake as it tried to grab my feet to trap me. I dodged and didn’t fight back.

“Stop! I don’t want to hurt you. Leave me alone,” I yelled as I ran away from them. I heard the static of lightning behind me. I knew one of them was using a lightning jutsu, trying to hit a blow on me but failing.

“Let me do the fighting.” I heard the voice inside my head. It was always that voice I hear before losing conscience. Its voice silky smooth but menacing. I gave in again, and let him fight.

The first thing i felt was the hard floor under me. It was wet and warm where i lay. My body ached, but I knew it would from past experience. I opened my eyes and stared. I saw blood covering my hands, and ground. I searched for others and all I found were the four dead bodies of the men that attacked me. I screamed. I yelled for no certain amount of time, I've done it again. I've killed people, and their blood is on my hands. How could they be dead and I left unharmed?

You killed them. the voice said. He was mocking my weakness, my weakness of giving in. Fear of people. They were always after me, always trying to kill me, but I wanted to live. But I can’t live if I’m looking over my shoulder every minute.

Kill them. All of them, then you will be able to live. He said. His voice always trying to make me turn into the monster people fear. Can others hear him, is that why people call me a monster.

“Stop! Get out of my head! Get out, now!” I yell. I feel his laughter roll inside my head, i know he can’t get out, and he knew it too. His laughter hurt my head, made me feel tiny. I didn't see myself in my head, all I saw were two glaring eyes looking at me.

Kill everyone who stands in your way. I shake my head. No, i won’t give you that power. “You can’t control me.” I yell back. I had a war raging in my head. My head was pounding, as I feel a warm liquid run down my chin as it dripped to the floor. I stare at my shaking hands in front of me, my whole body was shaking, my vision blurred. No not again. “Please not again.” I pleaded.

“Snap out of it!” I heard someone yell. My attention is focused on a figure in front of me. My vision failed me, for all I could see was the out line of his body. Three more flanking him. Were they back for me again? I don’t want to kill anyone. I felt tears run down my face. All of them should just run, no one should be able to get near me. All I do is kill.

Kill. His presence shuddered in me.

“We are not here to hurt you. I know what you’re going through!” The same voice said. He came closer, but with the little strength I had, backed away.

“Go, who ever comes near me like this, ends up dead. Can’t you see those bodies over there, they came for me, and died. So get away from me! I have no control of this!” I yelled back. I feared i will lose conscience. My pale complexion began to glow, I felt my body burn. I was going under. I pushed with all my strength to keep him inside. “I don’t want to kill.” I yelled in my head.

“I can help you.” He says softly. His voice calms me, as I feel my body come back into my control. His presence returning to the back of my mind. The burning subsiding, but the pounding of my head stayed. I saw him clearly now. His hair was bright yellow, while his eyes were calming blue. He stayed a few feet away from me, close enough to show he wasn't intending to attack, but far enough from any danger. I was danger. The figure behind him came closer. The girl of the group cautiously in the middle back. Her short pink hair blew in the wind, as he eyes stayed focused on me. Beside her was a boy that seemed to be the same age as the pink haired girl and yellow haired boy. His skin was ghostly pale. His eyes black, some of his hair coming into their view.
The taller member of the group was right behind the yellow haired boy. Ready with a kunai in hand. They were going to attack. The man looked my age. Silver hair, as his onyx eye stared me down, the other hidden away from me. I backed away, not wanting to fight again. they clearly intended to, he had a kunai ready, while the others had a stance that was ready to pounce. They all wore headbands with a symbol that looked like a swirly leaf, I felt little relief. They weren't from the Moon.

“Relax guys, you’re not making this any easier on her. She’ll come around, but that’s only is she doesn't feel in danger.” The boy in the orange said. He looked at me “Right?” I stood there stiff, not knowing what to do.

“My name is Naruto. What’s your’s” He said as he slowly pulled his left thumb up.

“My name is Kiyoko.” I quietly said.

“Kiyoko? What a beautiful name.” The pink haired girl said as she offered me a warm smile. What was going on here? She smiled at me, actually smiled at me.

“I’m Sakura, he is Sai, and our leader Kakashi.” She pointed to the young man before pointing to the tall man. I simply nodded, I don’t know what to do. They all stared intently, trying to read my next move, but I haven’t figured my next move either.

“We were just returning from a mission, when we heard a fight. Then I spotted you. You are a jinchuuriki, aren’t you?” Naruto said, he came to my aid and helped me to my feet. My knees wobbled, I was lacking energy, and caught myself before hitting the ground again.

“I have no idea what you are talking about.” I said with a small voice. It took energy to project my voice, which i clearly didn’t have right now.

“Why don’t we take you to the Leaf where you can rest, and then we’ll talk.” Kakashi said. He moved to hook his arm around me, and we were on our way. I tried to pull away, but he was too strong. I didn’t know where they were taking me, but something in me trusted them. I limply held on while they escorted me to their village.

I prayed that when we arrived there wouldn't be too many people. I feared people, I fear myself, i don’t want to lose control and kill people who are actually helping me. Soon I felt myself slipping from his grasp, we were high above the ground, moving in the trees.

“Hold on. We’re almost there.” Kakashi whispered in my ear and held me tighter. I didn’t know what this feeling meant. I was feeling warm and I felt this sensation of warmth. I pushed it away, his voice , the monster’s voice spoke in my mind. “Kill him, he’s taking you to the Moon, they’ll kill you.” He said. It felt like he was right beside me, I look over to Kakashi, but find darkness. I turn and the terrain blacked out. I felt my body shake, the monster is coming out.

“No! No! Stay in!” I yelled, I felt my body hit the ground. I curled as I felt the burning sensation. Turning again would only bring me to my weakest points, I wouldn't be able to keep him in if he escaped again. I can’t let him break through.

“She must have a sealing jutsu somewhere. Maybe it broke.” Kakashi said from afar.

“Make it stop, hearing her scream that way, is not good for her, she’s going to hurt herself.” I heard Sakura say. I blanked out from the physical world, and peered inside my head. I saw the two glowing eyes scurry from one side of my head to the other. Roaming free, slamming onto the side of my head, inflicting pain on me.

“You can’t get out, so stop causing pain on others. Stop trying. Please.” I say. I heard a deep growl before his voice spoke.

“Why must I listen to you, a human. It was because humans put me in here, that I live in misery. I must get out and kill them all. Kill all who tried to take me and use me.All of the humans. I will kill them one day.” He said.

I felt him grow in my head, my head was going to explode, and he would be set free, free to kill everyone. No i couldn’t let him do that, even if those humans he was talking about wanted me dead too. I won’t let them take him. For the benefit of everyone not the monster.

“I won’t let you go free. I won’t let them take advantage of you.” I say back, hoping my words will go through the empty skull of his. I hear him snort. “I don’t need protecting from you.” He said harshly, but he crept back to the end of my mind.

I heard Kakashi’s voice first, before the colors of the world began to form in my mind. I was laying on the ground where I fell, but i wasn’t harm. They could have killed me if they wanted, but they didn’t. What makes them so different from everyone else?

“I think she’s coming back.” I hear Kakashi say from my side. Naruto’s face is full of worry, I see Sakura putting her hands over my left arm. I noticed a green light surrounding them.

“You fell on your arm, just trying to ease the pain, I know you’ll heal. You are just like Naruto. His healing abilities never cease to amaze me.” She smiles at me. I stretch my arm, immediately feeling relief of pain. Why are they caring for my wounds? Why do they care at all?

“No one has done this for me, thank you.” I say quietly.
“What healed you?” She asked. I shook my head.
“No, cared for me.” I say. All their eyes are full of pity, all but Naruto. He was the only one smiling. He gave me a thumbs up. “Well that’s what we are here for.”

I still clung to Kakashi’s side as we headed to their village. Before long we saw the main entrance to the village, I was set on the ground, but still hand to have Kakashi support most of my weight.

“Hey Izumo, hey Kotetsu. We’re back.” Naruto says to the two men at the entrance. They nodded, but kept their eyes on me. “We’ll be reporting to Lady Tsunade, immediately.” Naruto waves them goodbye, as we walk the streets of the Leaf. I see many kids running around freely,while the adults yell after them. Smiles shining everywhere, there was no worry of any kind. It kinda made me smile too, their smiles were contagious. Before long we were entering a large building that stood in front of a wall of dirt. Five faces carved into it.

My hand slipped from Kakashi’s grip, it was then that I noticed I was sweating of nervousness. I was able to stand on my own now, but I moved slower than the others. “I think I’m able to walk now, Thank you.” I say. I walk beside Kakashi, and Naruto, while Sai and Sakura go on ahead. They lead the way, we enter a round room through a green door. I first see the windows looking over the village. What a beautiful sight. Then I see a woman sitting behind the large desk in the center. Her blond hair is tied back, but her bangs fall on the side of her face. I presume, she was lady Tsunade.

“I see you're back from your mission. Did go well?” She asks looking up from her papers.
They all bow before speaking. Kakashi addresses her. “Yes, it was a successful mission. There were no problems.”

“I see. Who do we have here?” She asked, and inspected me. I felt myself get tinier by the second.

“My name is Kiyoko Tsukino.” I say before bowing. It takes me energy to go back to standing, I stumble on my feet. Naruto catches my arm before I fall on my face.

“Granny Tsunade, she’s a jinchuuriki. I saw it with my own eyes. She had a cloak. But i don’t know what tailed beast she is. Frankly I don’t think she even knows is.” He says. Why does he keeps saying jinchuuriki. I don’t even know what that means. Lady Tsunade gasps.

“Where are you from?” She asks me. I swallow, she’s more intimidating when she is standing.
“From the The Village Hidden under the Moon.” I say quickly. She looks confused. Did I say something wrong?

“I must know everything.” She says. Lady Tsunade makes her way towards me.

“I agree, but she has had close calls today, and I believe it would be better after she rested.” Kakashi says. She takes in my appearance before nodding.

“Very well, take her to the hospital so she can rest, then we will talk.”

Kakashi nods before I follow him and the others out. They walked me to the hospital, what ever that was. Kakashi walked me in, while the others went to rest to their homes. They had somewhere they are being thought of. They are home. Before long I am out into a room, and put into bed. I’ve never seen these things before. A bed, I haven’t slept in one for some time now. The sheets were soft against my skin. I closed my eyes, not worrying for once about anything.

I slept for hours, days, I don’t know how long, but I was woken up when I heard voices outside of my room.

“What do you mean she doesn’t have a sealing?” I hear Lady Tsunade’s voice exclaim.

“They examined her completely, twice just to be sure, Kiyoko doesn’t have a sealing to keep the tailed beast in.” I heard Kakashi explain.

“You mean she is strong enough to suppress the tailed beasts with her own strength?”

“Yes, it seems so.” Kakashi said with astonishment. I instinctively touched my stomach, there was something in me, I know that, but what is this tailed beast they are talking about.

“Now is your chance to kill them, they are letting their guards down.” I hear him say inside me. There he was again, always haunting me. I feel sweat bead down my forehead, I muster every strength I had to wipe it off, but it was no use, new beads formed in replacement.

It began to get harder to breath, as the monster in me became harder to control. Will this happen everyday now.

“Kakashi.” I say, but my voice isn’t strong enough to go through the door. I heard their conversation come to a halt, and thankfully the door opened, revealing Kakashi, and Lady Tsunade.

“Get me.. out.. of here. Not .. safe.” I breath out. I crumble the sheets in my hand, fighting the urge of letting the monster out. I focused my mind on one person, it seemed to help me control the monster. I kept my eyes on Kakashi, I was more comfortable with him than with Lady Tsunade. Well I wasn’t comfortable at all, not with the risk of lashing out.

“We have to get a sealing jutsu on her now. It looks like she’s fighting her inner demon.” Lady Tsunade says. “A powerful sealing jutsu takes time, but for now we have to help her keep the tailed beast in check. I will try the Uzumaki sealing jutsu, then we’ll try the Four symbol seal. It keeps the nine tails in Naruto in check.” Kakashi agrees. What are they going to do with me?

“We don’t have time to waste, we must do it now, while she’s still able to control it.” Tsunade says. Kakashi nods.

“What’s happening? What are you going to do to me?” I asked Kakashi softly. I was scared, afraid that the monster inside of me was right. They only thought of me as a weapon. “Told you.” I hear him say inside my head. “They aren’t going to hurt us.Trust me.” I say back, hoping these words do come true. Please don’t let them hurt me I say to whoever is listening up there in the sky. If there was a god, he would save me right.

“Don’t worry. We are going to help you control the tailed beast inside. You’ll be safe, we won’t ever hurt you.” Lady Tsunade says with sincerity. I feel myself relax a bit, but still fight the monster inside me.

“Do it quickly, the less pain the better it will be for her.” Kakashi says into Lady Tsunade’s ear. I’ll try she replies.

“Let me see your midriff. We will put the seal there.” Tsunade instructs. I lay on my stomach and left the shirt to reveal my pale midriff.

“Just breath, it’ll be over soon.” Kakashi says from behind Lady Tsunade. I saw her begin to weave signs, thats when I became nervous. My breathing was shallow, and sweat sprinkled my forehead. I closed my eyes and stared into my head. Soon I felt a jolt of electricity starting from my stomach, spread through all of my body. Then the heat rolled into. It felt like my body was set on fire. I see myself standing inside my head. My black hair static from the electricity, my pale hands curling in agony. I see my body collapse onto the ground. Nothing but gray and black surrounded me.

I see the two glowing eyes scanning for a way out. We both knew there wasn’t one. I see steel poles ascend from above, planting themselves into the ground, creating a cage. The monster began to slam its dark body against the cage. I hear myself scream with every slam. The pain grew intense with every second. Soon a symbol appears on the front gate. Altogether there were ten gates that held the beast in the cage. From a distance I see my body lay in front of the gates, still, and dead like, but I know I’m alive. Right?

“I will get out, and I will kill everyone in this village, starting with that old hag.” I hear him growl from the the cage.

I gasp for air, and return to the real world. I stare at my stomach, from my point of view all I could see were black squiggles, and a red ring around it. I tasted blood, and noticed my nose was bleeding. Blood, and for once it was mine not someone else’s.

“How do you feel?” Kakashi says.

“I feel lighter.Like I can finally take a deep breath. I can finally let myself relax now, I didn’t know I can feel this way.” I say quietly, and for the first time in a long time I laughed. The rumbling of my chest felt so strange. A smile on my face, something I forgot I could do.

“Does this mean I won’t hurt anyone anymore.” I say hoping the answer is yes.

“We can’t say that for sure, it took a lot more gates than I originally thought it would.” Lady Tsunade said.

“How many did it take?” Kashi asks. “Ten” She replies.

I got up from the bed, and feel my bare feet touch the cool tile floor. I tugged my tattered pants, and my dirty shirt into position. I wipe the blood from my face. Man I really need a shower. I stare at the two people in front of. They had so many chance to end me, but they helped me control and store away this monster inside me. It has been so many years since I’ve met kind people.
Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura, Sai, and Lady Tsunade, are they thinking of me. Will this be my home?

“Get settled in, I’ll call you into my office so we can talk.” Tsunade directs to me. ”Kakashi keep on an eye on her, I will like if she could stay with you for now, until she gets the hang of things. If you could teach her a few things.”

“Yes my lady.” He responds.

“Thank you for all you’ve done for me. I am forever in your debt.” I say. She doesn’t reply, instead she takes a good look at me before leaving the room. I shake as the cold wind comes in through the open window.

“Lets check you out, then I’ll show you around the village.” He gives me a squinting smile. I feel myself get warm, why do I feel that way. I nod, before following Kakashi through the many hallways. I see sick people through open door, a few were crying, and a few held newborns in their arms. They seemed so happy, the beginning of a new life was beautiful, and I find myself smiling at the baby. I figured from the reaction my father had towards me, my birth wasn’t beautiful, it wasn’t joyful.

I notice Kakashi keep walking, so I draw my attention away from the joyous families and catch up.I take my time to take a good look at Kakashi from behind. He was certainly a lot taller than I was. Maybe a full foot taller, and he walked with no care in the world. His hands stuffed in his pocket, and his body posture lazy. Nothing about him said danger, it just said relax. And every time I walked besides him I felt utter most heavenly peaceful. And because of that I want to stay by his side.

We don’t speak as we made our way through the busy street. My stomach grumbles loudly, I try to mask the sound with my hand. But I still hear a small chuckle from Kakashi.

“Hungry? We can stop to grab a bite somewhere.” He stops in front of a restaurant.

“Oh no, no really I don’t want to bother you. I would really appreciate a bath though” I say. “ if that’s not too much to ask.” I quickly add on. He must be tired, so I don’t want to bother him with taking care of me.

“Well lets go back to my apartment, so you can freshen up. I’ll get Sakura so she can get you fresh clothes. Sound good.” He says. I nod and follow him towards a complex. We finally arrive to his front door. Kakashi steps into his apartment first before holding the door open for me.
I take my shoes off and leave them in the entrance.

“The bathroom is on your right, make yourself at home. I’m going to go get Sakura. Be back in a bit.” He says as he leaves me alone. I hear him lock the door behind him. I feel so strange being in his home. I roam around, and see there is a small spare room. his bedroom in the other side. It was a small apartment, but then again he did live on his own. Well i think he does. I see two picture frame above his bed. One where he seems to be a child. Maybe ten, I can’t be sure, but he was frowning. He looked annoyed. Beside him was a beautiful girl, and a boy besides her, they must be his friends. An older man laid his hands on the two boys, smiling widely and proud. His smile reminded me of Naruto’s.

The other picture was the same, except he was the one smiling proudly, while Naruto and a black haired boy scowled. Sakura smiling brightly in the middle. Who was the other kid in the picture. It wasn’t Sai, and yet I feel like I’ve seen him before.

I leave his bedroom, it was wrong of me to snoop in his bedroom. I finally take the shower I have wanted for a time. The bathroom filled with steam of the hot water as I sat in the tub. The scorching water burned away at my skin. Cleaning my hands from all the blood its touched. I don’t know how long I was in there, but soon I heard Sakura and Kakashi come into his apartment.

“Kiyoko?” Sakura asks.

“In the bathroom.” I say. I hear her stop in front of the door. “Um, I got you fresh clothes, can I leave them in there?” She asks. I pull the curtain closer to my body, “Yes please.”

After changing into the clothes Sakura got me, I examined myself. Sakura got my blue pants that I’ve seen so many ninja wear here, and a yellow long shirt that looked a lot like her’s. I slide the bathroom door open and see a backpack sitting there.

“Its for you, Sakura got you things you would need.” I see Kakashi lean at the end of the hallway. I nod. I quickly scan the things in it.

“There are a few things in the fridge if you’re hungry, I’ll be heading to bed. You can take the empty room. There is a futon in the closet and blanket there too.” Kakashi says before walking to his room.

“Uh, wait. Thank you for letting me stay with you. I’ll try not to get in your way.” I say as I bow my head in respect. I don’t know what I would have done if he didn’t agree with Lady Tsunade. I would probably be alone in some motel or something. He just waves me goodnight, and slides his door without another word. He was as mysterious as me.

I fixed my bedroom to my comfort, but I couldn’t sleep. The crickets chirped outside of the open window, and the trees swayed to the small breeze. Instead of tossing and turning all night, I got up and stood in front of the window. A few lights illuminated a few houses, but the village was peacefully quiet, like inside me. I was at peace with myself, but I still remember the faces I killed. They were from my village, I wonder what father thinks of me now? I haven’t seen or heard from him in fourteen years. If he cared, he would have looked for you.

I carried a photo of my mother around, she was smiling along side of father. I ripped father apart a few years ago, when moon ninjas attacked me late at night. I was so angry with the village I ripped the photo in half, but I found myself safely keeping mother intact. Her hair was long like mine, but her hair was a deep brown. Her eyes were bright, and so cheerful. I looked a lot like her, she was so happy, but I ruined her life. I killed her, I owe her. She gave me life, but all I do is kill. There must be some kind of balance to me right?

I kill, so where is my other half that gives life. Was it mother?
I feel safer here, in the Leaf, but being in the village won’t protect me from my father. I somehow know he sends ninjas to kill me. Will he go far enough to attack the village to find me. I can’t risk them getting hurt, they cared for me. Kakashi, Lady Tsunade, Naruto, Sai, and Sakura, I don’t want them getting hurt because of me. But I’m afraid to go again.

“Gah stop having arguments with yourself.” I said to myself. This wasn’t helping, I would just go crazy. I expected the monster to speak but it didn’t thanks to the seal. I saw something shift in the tree outside, two glaring eyes staring right at me. My heart raced, did the monster escape? I take a step back, and shutting the window, I trip over the futon, and send my things tumbling. I cursed, I quietly and cautiously make my way to the door. I had to lead the monster away from here. I open the bedroom door, still keeping my eyes glued on the window. Right before I close the door I bump into something. I don’t remember the wall being so close to the door.

I’m paralyzed with fear, every muscle in my body didn’t respond to the signals my brain was sending. Run, I had to get out of here, but who ever was behind me prevented me from doing so. My heart beat was so loud,I knew it echoed through the apartment.

“Kiyoko, we are here as an order from your father, to take you back to the Village Hidden under the Moon. Do not resist, and there will be no punishment for all the lives you have taken.” I hear a man with a deep voice say. My heart stopped, they were here, for me. I opened my mouth to scream, but no sound came out. What is this? Why can’t I speak. The monster in me didn’t stir, it was like I didn’t hold it in me. The monster couldn’t get me out of this situation, there was no helping me. Their hands grabbed me, as I helplessly let them take me away.

“Kiyoko? Are you doing fine in there?” Kakashi asks loudly. I am awaken from my horrible nightmare. I see the window is still wide open, and my things are scattered everywhere. I wasn’t in bed I was lying near my door.

“I don’t know.” I whisper to myself, but I know Kakashi heard it. Sakura told me he has the sharpest senses in the Leaf. Did he sense my nightmare? I stared at my arms and saw light indents of hand marks, they were clearly here. I scrambled to my feet, rushing to the open window. It wasn’t a nightmare, they were in the hallway, and those two eyes I saw were not the monster’s they were the men that came for me.

“ They were here! Kakashi they came for me!” I rushed to open the door. Kakashi seemed confused at my outburst, but I was certain that they were here, but left when Kakashi awoke.

“What are you talking about, no one is here. If they were I would have noticed.” Kakashi said.

“They were here I tell you. I see two eyes glare back at me through the window, and soon there are three men dragging me in the hallway. They were here, they caused all of this mess.” I open my door wider and let him see my scattered things, I bared my arms for his eyes to examine.

“Are you sure? I didn’t sense them come in.” Kakashi says, concentrating on the evidence.

I gulp and nod. I didn’t want to believe it either but I knew they entered this house.

“They said they were here on behalf of my father, and they were taking me back.” I whisper quickly. “What do they want from me?” I asked desperately. Kakashi ignores my question and enters my room. Examining the window before jumping on his neighbor’s roof. I organized my things as best as I could, but I couldn’t concentrate. So many questions ran through my mind.
“I can’t track their smell, they must have used a transportation jutsu. If that’s the case then they are highly skilled ninja.” Kakashi says as he jumps through my window. That didn’t make me feel any better. “And long gone.” He added.

I made my way to the bathroom to grab some water and wash my face from all the nervous sweat I’ve produced tonight. I tied my hair back, and that’s when I realized something was off about me. Underneath my black hair at the nape of my neck was a marking. Black symbols connected to other black symbols as they made their way down my back. I lifted my shirt and saw that my back was covered in symbols. I felt my heart race and tears began to block my view.
They’ve marked me. Not only did they try to kidnap, they marked me. They failed to capture me, but somehow they were able to cover my body in these black hideous symbol. I feel invaded and lack of respect. I quickly made my way to Kakashi, hoping these marks are illusions, that my mind is playing games on me.

“They did something to me. They left symbols running all over my back.” I panic as his eyes widen. I show him the nape of my neck and tug just a little on the collar of my shirt.

“I’ve never seen this before. I just hope it won’t interfere with the sealing jutsu. We must report this to Lady Tsunade immediately.” He rushed to put on his shoes as I struggle to keep up with him. I did graduate the academy in the VIllage hidden under the Moon, but I never had any further training. Needless to say, Kakashi’s speed to Lady Tsunade left me breathless.

We enter her office without knocking, she was sleeping on top of unorganized papers. But she quickly woke up when we shut the door. She groggily looked at us with confusion before her facial expression changed to awareness. I had time to catch my breath.

“What’s going on?” She asks before standing and getting closer to us.

“My Lady, I believe men from the Hidden Moon came and tried to kidnap Kiyoko. She was left with some memories, and these markings.” Kakashi quickly summarizes. “It is clear that they are highly skilled ninja, I didn’t notice them until I sensed Kiyoko’s uneasiness. They took great care to infiltrate without notice and left without leaving a trace of their presence.”

I heard her hum, as she bit her nail. Taking great concentration to come up with theories.

“The- They marked me with these symbols.” I say again, but this time I tug my hair up and let Lady Tsunade see what the Moon ninja branded me with.

“they are just like Orochimaru’s curse mark, but with different pattern. It looks like it began at the base of her neck and spread out. I’ll just quickly see if it affected the sealing jutsu.” She says as her cold hand touches my sweaty forehead. I feel like a flow of coolness seeped into my head and left within a few seconds.
“It looks like the sealing jutsu is untouched. Better yet it looks stronger than the time I put the sealing there. Interesting “ Lady Tsunade carefully eyes me and for some reason makes me feel like I’ve done something wrong. Like I’ve been caught red handed, but I didn’t do anything wrong.

“Do you know how to transfer chakra into fortifying the sealing?” She asked. I shake my head. I had little knowledge of chakra, I only graduated the academy. Its been about fourteen years that I did any training. She sighs hitting a dead end.

“It looks like the symbols made the sealing stronger. I’m just confused as to why they wanted to help you, but they intended to abduct you anyways.” She said out loud. I didn’t have an answer, all I know I’ve been running from them for more than half of my life.

“Perhaps they were trying to seal the beast so when they did engage battle, she couldn't depend on the beast’s power to fight for her.” Kakashi implied, that did seem reasonable, by now the Hidden Moon must know that I depend on the monster for power.

They began to exchange ideas and theories, but I had no say in any of it, after all I just arrived, and I had no idea for the most part what they were talking about anyways. Then it dawned on me, if I no longer could use the monster’s power, I had to learn to use my own. Training was in need.

I don’t know when I fell asleep, but when I woke up I was back in my bedroom. The sun was high in the sky, clearly it was past noon. I learned over the years how to tell time with the position of the sun and the shadows. It kept me occupied when I was on the road. I taught myself almost everything I know from watching others. I was feeling refreshed and full of energy. I don’t remember the last time I got a somewhat full night sleep. I know I should be on guard but my body can’t keep up very well.

I look at the ceiling and let yesterday’s events finally settle in. I stretch before finally deciding I had enough rest to last me a lifetime. I brush my hair with my fingers before tying it in a ponytail, I change for the day. I changed my shirt and noticed the markings on my back were no longer there. Maybe yesterday’s event was a nightmare after all, but I laughed it off. I clearly knew they did happen.

Maybe they were only temporary, to immobilize me and then use me as the Hidden Moon’s weapon. I’m afraid that the sealing isn’t as strong without the markings, but perhaps Lady Tsunade can help me with that. I clear the floor from my belongings, making sure everything was out of the way. I finally exit my bedroom and search for Kakashi, he’s probably doing important things, I don’t mind at all. It’ll give me a chance to explore on my own.

Once I look through the apartment, I know I’m alone, I quickly eat some toast and milk. I hum in appreciation. It seems like its been forever since I’ve eaten anything. My stomach craved for more, but I didn’t want to clear out Kakashi from any food. I shake my head and put on my shoes. I made sure the door was locked. Kakashi told me so if I was the last one in the apartment, I slip the key under the mat, and walk down the stairs.

In front of the apartments there is a newspaper stand. An elderly man waving the newspaper in his hands. I see kids running with their lunch boxes in hand, as their mothers bid them a safe journey to the academy. the smiley kids would meet up with others, and together they would run to school. I was walking in no particular direction when someone or something bumps into me. I look back and see a little girl with brown hair tied into ponytails. She had a freckled face, and her blue eyes shyly turned away.

“I’m sorry miss.” She says. An older woman comes to her aid. “I am sorry, my granddaughter is a little clumsy goofball.” She says as she smiles at her grandchild. I can’t help but smile at her affection.

I nod, and they make their way down the street. The little girl clinging to her grandma’s hand. I wonder if I stayed in the Hidden Moon would I have that happiness. If I worked harder at making father proud, then maybe he would have loved me. I shake my head from that ridiculous idea, that would have never happen. They hated me, everyone did.

I somehow find myself entering a library. I spot Sai sitting with a few books in front of him and Sakura laughing quietly. I smile, and make my way to them.

“Hey Sai, Sakura. Thank you for the cloths.” I say. She smiles at my clothing, “You look beautiful with your hair up.”

I feel my face get a little warm. No one has ever complimented me before, so I didn’t know how to respond to her kind words. I unconsciously run my hand through my hair, their stares make me feel smaller.

“I wish I still had my long hair, but since I’m so busy now a days I guess it’ll get in my way.” She looks at her own hair.Sai returns to his books obviously bored with our conversation.

“What are you doing here?” I asked her.

“Oh, I’m going to make Naruto a few food pills, he’s going to go train for a couple years with Master Jiraiya, so I’m searching for ingredients. It’ll get pretty quiet around here.” She says with a sad smile. But I thought Naruto would help me with the monster inside me. Then again it is under control for now.

“I just met him, but I’ll miss him too.” I reply, I say my goodbyes to Sai and Sakura and continue my walk through the town. Along the way I smell delicious food from food stands, and beautiful arts in open booths. I took great interest into the oil paintings. There were few portraits but my eye caught the paintings of landscapes. Every stroke making the picture more realistic. The mountains seemed lifelike, the water was so clear, as the trees leaves fell from the branches. It looked so peaceful there, and I wondered if there was ever such a place like that painting. The birds flew freely. I wanted to feel the sensation of truly being free.

“Kiyoko Tsukino, you have been summoned by Lady Tsunade.” I hear a women say behind me. I turn to see a woman holding a pig. Her hair is short and black and her robe is black as well.

I had no choice but to follow her back. I’m sure she’s a nice lady. We walk in silence. A few strangers stand and stare but the majority go on with their lives. I try to dry my sweaty palms with my long shirt, but it doesn’t help at all. I wonder what she called me in for. The lady opens the all too familiar door. Lady Tsunade was there along with Kakashi, and so was this tall man with mustard color hair. He held his hair back in a ponytail, and we wore slightly darker clothing than the rest.

“Kiyoko, so glad we found you quickly, we have some questions we’d like to ask you.” Lady Tsunade says. She nods at the tall man, and he moves closer to me, I instinctively move back. My heart beats as the man tries once again.

“What’s going on? Why am I here?” I ask, looking at Lady Tsunade and Kakashi. In the back of my mind I feared they were going to get rid of me.

“This is Inoichi, all he is going to do is see what is inside your head. It’s the only way we know you aren’t a threat to the village. Just relax and let him in.” Lady Tsunade says. I gulp and stare at the man. His eyes were kind, but concentrated. I didn’t know if I could trust him, but everyone else looked like they had faith in him. I breath in and let my beating heart rest a little, but eventually nodded. I wanted to stay here and make a home, somewhere where others are thinking of me and maybe I found it here. I have to trust them before they trust me.

They usher me to a chair, and I close my eyes and let my guard down, as best as I could. As soon as Inoichi cold hand was pressed on my forehead, I didn’t feel a thing, and slipped into darkness. One minute hasn’t even past before I gain my senses. Did something go wrong?

“I can’t read her mind.” Inoichi says. CLearly everyone was confused, Inoichi was the best at mind control.

“It’s not a jutsu, its the tailed beast. It won’t let me pass through.” He explains. Everyone looks at me.

“I’m trying, but the beast has its mind of its own. I don’t have anything to hide, I’ll tell you anything you want to know about me, just don’t make me be on the run again.” I beg Lady Tsunade. She takes a few minutes of silence and keeps her eye upon my body, but she always kept looking in my eyes as she paced in front of me. The lack of sound in the room only made my heart beat louder. She wasn’t giving me an answer, and I felt like i was going to faint any moment.

“We can’t see your memories, the only way is if you tell us. All, everything you remember you must tell us.” She says, there is no affection in her voice, only authority. I rub my hands on my pants, and quickly nod.

“Tell us your story.” She says as she takes her seat behind her desk. Where do I begin?

“I was born November 30th. My father is Michio Tsukino, and my mother was Akira Kimura. I am from the Village Hidden under the Moon. I was born premature, so there was complication at birth. My father told me I survived because my mother demanded I was saved instead. She died minutes after I was born. From that moment on no one in the village could look me in the eye. I was set aside from everyone else. The villagers called me a monster and at the time I didn’t know what they referred to. But I have a guess now. I couldn’t make my father talk to me, so I excelled in school, bringing perfect grades, I thought then he would accept me. He would tear it in front of my face, and leave me there. He would leave me alone in the house for days, not caring if I was fed, or safe. No one cared. The children at school wouldn’t approach me because they feared me. No one tied to hide the fact that I was a monster. Sometimes I would pass some strangers and hear them talking about the monster inside me. I didn’t talk to the beast inside me until I was ten. It was the year I ran away from home.
I remember that day perfectly. It was my birthday,and no one remembered. The beast in me said ‘ No one remembered today did they? But I did, I am always going to remember. Friends remember and friends listen to each other right.’ I was scared at the voice with no body. I thought I was going crazy until I concentrated enough to look inside my head. All I saw were two glaring eyes.

‘ Listen to me Kiyoko, you should kill everyone who forgot your birthday.’ He hissed.

His voice scared me. I cried at the thought of killing everyone in the village. I refused to let him convince me. I was afraid that I would eventually give into his words, so I packed my bag and sneaked on a boat. I got off on the first stop, and I roamed around ever since. I must have been thirteen or twelve when the war began. I went into hiding, for that period. Explosions shook my hideout, and blood seeped through the dirt from above. I went weeks from any proper food and water. I thought I was going to die from starvation, or I was going to be killed. I had no idea what was going on, I didn’t belong anywhere so no one informed me it was a ninja war. A few weeks after it ended was when I was first attacked. Men from the Moon village tried to kill me or kidnap me, all I knew was that they were enemies. I caved into my fears and let the beast in me do the fighting. That was the first time I killed people. Up until the recent attack I’ve been attacked seven times. I still don’t know everything about the reason my father wants me dead, or about the monster in me, but that is the gist of my story. I could go into detail, if you’d like.” I ended. Inoichi, Kakashi, and Lady Tsunade looked at me with emotions I couldn’t read.

“So you don’t know what tail beast you have in you?” Kakashi asks. I shake my head.

“He has never showed his body, all I see are his yellow eyes. Can someone explain to me what tail beats are?”

“That conversation is for another day. I must ask. Do you know of any special chakra or jutsu your family has?” Inoichi asks.

“I didn’t meet any family members. My father didn’t talk to me so I have no information about relatives.”

“You have immense amount of chakra to be able to hold and suppress a tailed beast without a seal for almost twenty five years. I felt your honesty when you spoke. I choose to believe you, so don’t make me regret it.” Lady Tsunade says. She kept her back to me as I told my story, and she didn’t turn around when she spoke. Her eyes were glued to the village.

“Kakashi, I’d like you to train her while Naruto is off with Jiraiya. She will accompany you in missions, but for the most part she will stay in the village. I want to keep her out of harm’s way and prevent anyone from outside know she is a jinchuuriki. This knowledge stays between us, understood?” I agree along with the others.

“I don’t want to start conflicts with the Hidden Moon, so try to stay hidden when you are out of the village. If you are feeling uneasy, or the sealing feels weak, speak to me immediately, Kiyoko.” She says.

“I understand, thank you for letting me stay in your village. I will treat it as my own.” I say. I hear her grunt of approval before Kakashi ushers me outside.

“Hope you didn’t eat anything because training begins now.” Kakashi says to me. I was ready for whatever he has in plan. I’m relying on my own strength not the beast.

I was feeling nervous as hell. I couldn’t remember when was the last time someone guided me. I graduated the academy, and I knew all the basic skills but I haven’t been taught anything advanced.My confidence dwindled as the distance from the village grew larger. I didn’t like being outside the walls anymore, not when I’m wide open for someone to attack. This was an opportunity to learn new and effective ways to defend myself.

We stopped at an open field, the trees swayed at a distance, it was plain. No one is near by, so he Kakashi takes his stance in front of me.

“Lets start of with ninjutsu. Show me anything you know about ninjutsu.” He says as he takes a defensive stand. I rack my brain, trying to remember what I learned almost fifteen years ago. One did pop into my mind. I put my hands into the correct position “Kage Bunshin no Jutsu.” I concentrate on my chakra, and release. Two clones stand on right and left, Kakashi eases on his stand.

“Shadow clones, they taught you that? Wow i must say I’m impressed.” He says. “Now lets see what you can do with a kunai and those shadow clones.” He throws a kunai for me to use.

“Attack me.” He says. The weapon feels weird in my hand, but I gripped it. I make my way toward to him, i threw the kunai to distract him from me as a clone attacks him from behind. He doesn’t take the bait, and hits both clones. There is no way I’m going to be able land a blow on him.

“Your technique is not quite there yet. We’ll work on it.” He says with ease. He must have years and years of experience, while I have little. I have experience fighting, but the tailed beast would do all the fighting for me.

“You do know the three jutsu, correct?” I nod.

“Ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu.” I say, he nods in approval. He stands, waiting for me to make a move, and I take the hint that we were now assessing my taijutsu. Now that is something I haven’t done in a long time. I ounce and kick my left leg for his side, he blocks. I try again, but throw my left fist too. He catches it in his palm before pushing me back. I’m getting no where.
I’m clearly out of shape, my endurance is not like it used to be. I’m really out of practice. I use a shadow clone to attack again, maybe the extra limbs will help me out.

I try to catch an opening while he blocks, my clone’s blows, and I finally got an opening. He was using both hands to keep my clone from hitting him, and he left his back side open. I learned in the academy to never let the enemy get behind you. I left my leg to finally land a hit, only to have Kakashi swing around and use my clone as a shield. I sigh in frustration.

“Almost got me there.” He chuckles. “Well now I know you aren’t too far behind from the others. We just need to train more, and we’ll start the real training tomorrow after we say goodbye to Naruto.”

I noticed how tired I was already, sweat ran down my forehead, and my stomach roared for food.

“As a treat I’ll pay for ramen.” He says as he begins to walk toward the village again. This training was going to be a rough one.

The ramen settled happily in my stomach, as Kakashi waited patiently for me to finish.

“Aren’t you going to eat anything?” I ask sheepingly. I felt bad for making him spend his money on me, but he did offer. He shook his head “I didn’t break a sweat, and I don’t have much of an appetite.”

I scowl, ya he didn’t break a sweat while I was drenched in it. It was like everything came so easily to him. We sit in silence until I had the nerve to ask him a daring question.

“Who is the boy with black hair in the picture? I saw it when I was looking around, it was wrong of me, I know, but I’m curious.” I say. I remember seeing his face, somewhere. It wasn’t the first time I’ve seen him, but my brain was running empty with places I might have seen him.

“He was a student of mine, before he went rogue. His name is Sasuke Uchiha.” He says, it finally clicks, Sasuke. I remember seeing him once, it was one of the most frightening things I’ve ever seen.

“I’ve seen him before.” I say quietly,as my hands begin to shake with the frightening thought in mind. I see Kakashi tense.

“What?” He says. I take a deep breath. I don’t know how I’m supposed to tell his former teacher what he’s done to innocent people.

“It was about seven months ago. I was heading toward a village by the border, when I hear two men talking. I heard them call each other’s names. Someone named, Kabuto, Orochimaru, and Sasuke. Orochimaru was telling Sasuke about this training they were going to do, and then I see him. He looked like the boy in the picture only older. I followed them, I learned new techniques by watching others over the years, so I wanted to see what training they were going to do. I followed them toward a secluded field, and there were about a hundred men there. They looked under someone’s control. Orochimaru said to kill all of the men with his new Chidori stream. I watched as he killed all of them in one shot. I couldn’t stay longer because the beast inside me was craving to kill. I’ve never seen someone look so emotionless while killing dozens of men.”

The image of the blood drench the ground stayed in my mind. Body parts being disconnected with lightning, limbs flew in the air, and the screams died down as each of them died. I could still smell the blood. I could still see the small drop of blood splatter on Sasuke’s detached face. He was so different from all the others, from me. I couldn’t stand the thought of killing someone, while he ended several without thinking twice about it. He didn’t care about the blood on his hands, while I cried endlessly about it. He didn’t seem human.

The thought of blood made me run to the nearest bush as I threw up the delicious ramen I had just eaten, the thought of blood made me queasy, but I managed to contain the rest down. Kakashi came out of the booth with a distraught expression.

“Let’s keep this between us. Naruto nor Sakura can know about this. It will only make them go into depression and self disappointment. I can’t believe he advanced so far already. If Naruto hears this then he wouldn’t want to stop training until he surpasses Sasuke.” Kakashi says with worry. It seemed like he deeply cared for them two. I promised him I wouldn’t tell them, and we made our way back to his home. With Naruto leaving soon Kakashi was going to have more time to train me, and I know I was only going to get stronger.

“Kakashi!” Someone says. We turn to see a broad man with white hair make his way towards us. He has a red coat over his green attire. His wood sandals clicked with every step as he carried a large scroll behind him.

“Master Jiraiya.” Kakashi addresses. So this the man who will train Naruto, if I saw correctly he had a head protector that said sage. He was extremely skilled to have become a sage. Naruto was in good hands.

“Well its been a while since I’ve seen you. Who is this beautiful young lady?” He says as he flashes me a bright smile. I cower back from him, a smile was friendly but his was a little too friendly.

“Her name is Kiyoko. She just moved into the village.” He responds for me. I sigh in relief, still no good with strangers.

“I would love to talk more with you Kiyoko, but I must steal Kakashi from you.” Master Jiraiya says, I simply nod.

“I’ll be going,I’ll meet you later.” Kakashi says as he waves goodbye to me.

I walk alone to the apartment, couples walking to dinner, parents taking their children out to eat, I’ve never seen a village so content. I’ve been to many villages, but this one is the best one I’ve been to. Their free to do as their heart pleases. Their happiness is shared with others, the joy of company, the exhilarating feeling of being safe and free.

“You will never be truly free until you know you really are.” The beasts says in my mind. He was quoting my father. He used to say that to me when I was younger, I never understood him, and I still don’t. Who am I?

“You’ve been quiet lately.” I remark. He snorts and I can almost see his eyes roll. Still the same old,same old. He doesn’t say anything, and I assume I’ve pushed him away. Good, this is my body, I control what I want to listen to and what happens to me.

I jiggle the key into the slot and open the apartment open and that’s when I noticed something was wrong. I could feel someone inside the apartment, I don’t know if it was an enemy or if it was a comrade, but I couldn’t make my body move from its spot.

“Come on brain I can’t freeze when I think its dangerous.” I think to myself. I concentrate on my breathing and I quietly move to close the door. The person inside noticed my movements because I felt it come closer. I slip my hand into the pouch full of shurikens and kunais that Kakashi supplied me with after training. I’m not good with them yet, but it would buy me time to escape if it was an intruder. I saw yellow hair peek over the corner, my body relaxes as I see Naruto come forward.

“Kiyoko, just the person I wanted to talk to.” He smiles. I noticed that the marks on his face, the whisker like markings, were no longer there. A poorly transformation technique. He wasn’t Naruto, he was the enemy in disguise. I wrap my hand around the kunai I had, and quickly throw it at his direction, I turn around and sprint to the main streets, if they were after me I don’t know what I would do to capture me. They could possibly harm people from the village, harm people I finally trust, and I will not allow that. I look over my shoulder and make sure my pursuer was still behind me as I ran to the exit. I’ll lead him away from the village and confront him then.

My pursuer no longer looked like Naruto, and I clearly saw the moon on the plaque. Who else would come after me. Its always my village they don’t understand I have finally quit running, and I’ve finally stopped killing people. I was jumping through the treetops right outside the village, and noticed I was already tired.THis wasn’t going to turn at well, I had no endurance. I looked back and saw the enemy make a turn to the right before disappearing through the woods.

I stopped on the highest branch looking for the crescent moon ninja, but I felt him fade away.

“Kiyoko!” I hear Kakashi yell. I sit on the branch in exhaustion and relief. I see Kakashi and Master Jiraiya make their way towards me.

“They won’t stop. I’m putting the village in danger.” I cry. I feel the tears run down my face as Kakashi leans down to my height. Master Jiraiya stands closely behind on his guard for any enemies. “I’ve never been assaulted these many times over a short period of time.”

“Lets get back to the village.” Kakashi says. I shake my head.

“ They know where you live now. You can get hurt, or Sakura, or Naruto. They can attack Lady Tsunade. It will be safer if I go on the road again, for the benefit of everyone. If someone gets hurt I won’t be able to live with myself knowing it was my fault.” I stand on my sore legs. I lean on the tree for support.

“You're not thinking rationally.” Kakashi says. I see Master Jiraiya slip through the forest.

“No you are not thinking rationally. Why risk your lives for someone you barely know?” I ask. I wipe the tears away, as I waited for an answer.

“You are part of the Leaf Village, and we protect each other. We protect our home and the people that live in it. This is your home.”

His words made it harder to think straight, this was my home. I can’t describe the feeling I got when his words finally reached me. It felt like I’m floating, like this is not reality, but he is here in front of me and his words were really said from his mouth. Tears fell from my eyes, I tried to keep my vision clear but I couldn’t keep up with it. My nails dug into the wood as I desperately held on.

“Home?” My voice cracked. That word sounded so foreign, to hear and to say. The word sent new signals and emotions to my brain. I rested my forehead against the trunk and tried to picture home. And all I saw was Kakashi, I saw the Hidden Leaf village.

“Lets go home.” Kakashi says as he stands before me. He offers me his back, and my body screams to take the offer. I agree and let myself be carried back. Home, I finally found it. A smile forces my cheeks to rise, something my face muscles are not accustomed to yet.

“Mom, I finally found a place to call home? Are you watching over me?” I think as my eyes looked at the blue sky. Though I did kill her, and my father told me she hated me, I still loved her. She was always there, she held me for nine months, she gave me life, and every instinct says I should hate her like I hate my father but my heart can’t feel that towards her. I love my mother even if she hated me.

I woke up in my bed, there were a few men talking outside. I heard Kakashi’s voice and Master Jiraiya talk about Naruto. I hear a few laughs being exchanged, but they quickly die down. My body screams as I stand up, I’ve never been so sore in my life. I groaned at the thought of training tomorrow morning after Naruto leaves. He’ll be on the road and training for two years, and when he comes back he’ll be a stronger shinobi and he’ll grow up. He’ll no longer be a child, and I’ll no longer be helpless, I’ll train my hardest too.

“Tsunade tells me she is a jinchuuriki as well.” I hear Jiraiya says.
“It seems so, but we aren’t sure what tailed beast she has inside her, It can’t be the one tail,two tail, five tail, six tails, eight tail, or the nine tails. Perhaps it is one of the others.” Kakashi replies.

I sense the beast awaken, and scoff. “I am none of those. What weaklings they are.” The monster says inside my head.

“Then what are you?” I ask trying to get an answer. He isn’t any of the nine tails, then what is he?

“I am not telling you who I am. You don’t need to know either.” He scoffs before going back to the depths of the cages. I must tell Kakashi this new piece of information. I nervously slide my door open and walk toward their voices. They were seated in the living room, I stood at the hallway entrance.

“Kiyoko are you alright?” Kakashi asks and looks from Jiraiya. I nod. “I’m sorry but I heard some of your conversation, and I’ve gained new information about myself.

“Well what is it?” Jiraiya pushes. I clear my throat.

“I heard about the nine tails that exist, and I’m not none of them. The beast inside me sounded offended that you would compare him to them. He says they are weaklings, and that he is none of the nine tails.” I say with a strong voice. I watch their reaction as confusion over takes their faces. I’m just as confused.

“Is there anything else he told you?”
I shake my head. “ He doesn’t talk very often, and he doesn’t like to help, especially not humans. It was surprising that he spoke to me.”

I hear Jiraiya humph. I watch as he stands.

“I must leave, but I’ll think about this and get back to you if anything pops up.” Jiraiya hurries to the open window and hops to the ground. Couldn’t he just use the door? That is the reason its there for. Kakashi is lost in his thoughts, as I have a seat on the other couch. My body relaxes as the tense muscles finally loosen. The fatigue is making my eyelids heavy but I fight the urge to close them.

“It looks like the symbols on your back are gone.” Kakashi’s voice awakens me. “Feel any different.”

“No, I’m only extremely tired.” I say. He gets up from the couch and goes over to the dresser that is on the far right side of the room. He grabs something on the top drawer.

“Lady Tsunade and I got you something.” He says as he hands me a headband. Its navy blue and has a silver plaque in the center. It is like the hidden moon except instead of the moon there is a leaf. I forehead protector, I was supposed to receive one when I graduated the academy, but I never did get one. I wasn’t allowed to become a ninja, I wasn’t allowed to mature my skills and become an important shinobi. I only graduated so the villagers could get me off their backs. I didn’t realize I was crying until I saw my tears fall onto the leaf symbol. I quickly wiped them away.

“I never got a forehead protector. Thank you.” I say quietly. The soft fabric feels cool as I tie it. It feels so foreign on my head. I slowly stand and make my way to the closest mirror and stare at my reflection. My black hair is pulled back with the headband and my green eyes were glossy from fresh tears. I smiled at the leaf symbol. It felt like I was officially accepted here, like it finally my home.

“You’re a Leaf shinobi now, so protecting the village and future generations is our way of living, Our nindo way.” Kakashi says as he stares from behind. My duty is to protect people, for the first time in my life I felt like I had a purpose in living. I lived to protect. I laugh loudly, and something comes over me. I start jumping, laughing, and Kakashi just stood there with a smile on his face.

My body protested at the sudden movements, but I kept releasing my happiness. I sigh and let my body fall onto the couch. “Finally.” I smile.

“Want to go out for dinner with Sakura, Sai, and Naruto? Its a goodbye present for Naruto.” He asks me. I nod and follow him outside. I happily follow, aware that my headband is on display. It marks me as a shinobi and I couldn’t be any more content. I smile as I see Sakura wave her hands, Naruto’s eyes go wide as he sees the forehead protector. I quietly chuckle as Naruto’s jaw drop.

“Kiyoko you got one so quickly. How?” He stumbles on his words.

“I already began training, plus I already graduated the academy. You can’t send a twenty four year old back there.” I say, “I guess not” He mumbles. I laugh and follow them into a barbecue restaurant. All you can eat, my stomach grumbles loudly, as the meat sizzles in front of us.

“So Kiyoko have you found what tailed beasts you hold?” Naruto asks nonchalantly. I gasp. We aren’t supposed to talk about it in public.

“Naruto! You know we can’t talk about it so openly.” Kakashi scold him. He rolls his eyes and returns his attention to his meal. I look around, making sure no one heard our conversation. I can’t help but feel paranoid. What if someone heard us and that someone is a spy for my father? Then he’ll come after me, and possibly use a civilian as a hostage so they can lure me out and capture me. I shake that horrible thought out of my head. I feel the sweat under my forehead protector.

I hear something shatter, my head whips toward the table next to us, someone broke a sake bottle. My heart raced, but I mentally calm my heartbeat. “No one is here for you, remember this is your home now.” I think to myself.

“You don’t have a home. This is home you speak of is the place where you’ll die. These people you trust are going to betray you. Just admit the fact you will always be an outsider. You will always be a monster.” He says inside me. Of all the times he could possibly talk to me he always comes out when I am not at my strongest. I look at them. At Sakura, Sai, Naruto and Kakashi, and they are smiling and laughing at something Naruto said. they wouldn’t betray me, how can they? They are the kindest bunch I’ve met.

“You’re a naive idiot.” The monster says.

“Just leave me alone.” I say back.

“You’ll die young if you keep thinking so optimistically.”

“Then I’ll have a short life. But I’ll die knowing I’ve lived somewhat happily.” I feel it snap its head in surprise. He growls at my bold words, and begins to slam his huge body against the cages, sending painful signals to my brain. I hiss at the sudden sting and put my head in my hands trying to control the migraines.

“I’ll tear you apart, when I weaken this stupid seal. Then you'll surely die young.” He yells. I get a glance at the monster that lurks in the darkness of my head. His body look like a dragon, but has some features of a scorpion. Its body was covered in black fur. He hides himself before I get to see more of him, and he charges once more, with more force. This one sends me towards the floor. I feel myself falling from the platform of our table. I feel blood drip from my nose. Damn him. I see spots in my vision but other than the headache I felt fine.

“Are you alright?” Kakashi asks as he helps me from the floor. I’ve gathered some attention but I couldn’t keep a straight line of thought. I nod. I didn’t want to ruin Naruto’s goodbye dinner. I some how always find a way to draw attention to myself. Sakura hands me a napkin to clean my bloody nose. I try to sit on my own but Kakashi had to hold me forearm to keep myself from falling again. THey tell me multiple times that I should go home and rest, but I wasn’t going to miss the last few hours with Naruto. He was the one who saw me and saved me. He brought me here, he’s the reason I have a home so even if its sacrificing my health just a little, I’ll be there for him.

It was getting late and Naruto was finally saying his goodbyes. I gave him a hug. “Take care of yourself, and don’t come back until you’re stronger than ever, but I’ll miss you so get strong quickly.” I say as I ruffle his hair. I lean on the tree for support as the others bid him a safe journey tomorrow morning. Three years, and he’ll be a young man.

They go their separate ways as Kakashi helps me to his apartment. That tailed beast really did a number on me. It was night and the stars shined bright tonight. It was beautiful, I wished I felt good enough to star gaze. After locking the front door he gently seated me on the couch.

“Kakashi, I must tell you something. It was about the incident.” I say, that grabs his attention as he takes a seat facing me. I tell him in detail what I saw. The beast looks like a dragon, with claws of a scorpion, but he hid his body before I got to count his tails. My headache took the best of me and I closed my eyes to ease the pain.


My fourteen year old legs where not long enough to outrun my chaser closed the distance between us. The Moon symbol flashed in the darkness, they were after me again. I dodged tree branches and sieved through the treetops. I didn’t have speed but I was smaller and could turn quicker. I used my small body to my advantage.
“You aren’t going to outrun him. Let me out, I’ll protect you.” I hear him whisper into my head. I shake my head. Not again.

“Let me out.” He persists. I glance back and see the enemy get closer with every step. Tears fall from my eyes as I pray for someone to save me. No one ever came. “Don’t kill him, please, just get me away from here, get me away from this pain.” I plead the monster. He smiles and steps out of the darkness and into reality. I don’t remember what happens, but I wake up to the smell of blood. His blood on my hands. And I let out a yell.


I wake with a gasp as I stare at my hands in the darkness. They are tinted in red, with all the blood I’ve touched. I run to the bathroom wanting nothing more than to wash all the blood away.

“It won’t come off.” I whisper. I panic as I see the blood on my hands increase. My tears join the running water as I scrub my hands with no result.

“Why won’t it come off?”

“Because its not there.” I hear Kakashi say. I turn and see him standing at the bathroom door. He comes closer and turns the faucet off before he dries my hands with a dry towel.

“The blood isn’t there anymore.” He says like he’s been through the same thing I’ve been through. Has he killed someone and lived with regret? He tugs my arm away from the bathroom and led us to the living room.

“It’ll get better with time, I know it will.” He says, and grabs a blanket from the closet and drapes it over me. He sits on the other side and made sure I was asleep before he closed his eyes as well.

I open my eyes and see the couch beside me is empty. Kakashi must have seen Naruto go early in the morning. I stretch, I have some training to get to, but first I had to find Kakashi. It was like playing hide and go seek. Like the time I played it when I was younger.

Kiyoko- five years old

I don’t understand why no one wants to play with me. I don’t know why my father is the only parent that doesn’t pack my lunch, or sees me go off to school in the morning. He isn’t there when I get home, he isn’t there when I come crying home. I want to cry just thinking that my father isn’t like the others. I tried to do my hair before school but I couldn’t. I wished I had a mother to do my hair, my father tells me she wouldn’t want me, but I don’t believe him. Mothers love their children, right?
I try to ask one of my classmates if they knew the answer to my question, but they would run away before I got a chance to come near them. I sit in the back like always, and pay attention to today’s lesson. I have to get the best grade of my class, maybe father will finally treat me like other parents treat my classmates. I see them pick them up after school, while I walk alone. I feel sad when I see them smiling, but I feel angry too. I don’t know why I feel angry.

I take notes from my single seat and try to see what is written on the blackboard, but from where I’m sitting the words look fuzzy. It was lunch time, and as other students ate their lunch, I sat under a cherry tree with an empty stomach. I see a group of girls giggling and staring at my direction. I try to cover my face with my hair, but I can still hear them laughing at me. I stare at the grass underneath me until I see a pair of feet stop in front of me. I look up and see a girl from the group. She had orange hair that was tied back in two ponytails. I tried to put my hair like that this morning but couldn’t. She must had her mom help her do her hair. I knew her name, it was Eri. She forces a smile and offers me a dumpling.

“Want to play hide and go seek with my friends?” She asks, she sounded nervous, why would she be nervous talking to me. I was nothing special.

“Yes, thanks.” I say as I follow her to her friends. She smiles as she starts to explain the rules.

“I’ll count for one minute, so hide somewhere. Do not come out until I find you. Got it?” She says. We nod and I begin to run as she counts to sixty. I run to the well at the back of the school. It was a shallow well that I could easily climb in and out of. I climbed in and pulled the iron lid over. I quietly giggle, they’ll never find me in here. I sat in the darkness for about fifteen minutes before I hear Eri and her friend’s voices. They were coming closer and I was certain they have found my hiding spot.

“I saw her climb into the well.” I hear a girl say.

“Great, help me carry some big rocks over the lid, then she won’t be able to bother the village anymore.” Eri says. What? They were going to trap me in here? I stand and try to push the lid open, but some of the weight made it hard to move it. Just a few more shoves, then I’ll be out of here.

‘Hurry she’ll get out.”

I hear them stack more boulders on the lid as I helplessly tried to open it. I hear their footsteps fade away as I slammed against the lid.

“Someone help me! Some one, please. I’m in here!” I screamed and slammed his palm against the door. I was so scared, i was going to die in here. I was going to die in the darkness. Just like mother. My father said she died in darkness. I want to see the light. I cry, and scream for hours. No one was coming to save me. Why was I born? No one wants me alive, maybe Eri was doing everyone a favor. I cried, but why would people do this to me? I was frustrated with all these questions. Did I do something that made the adults angry? If I did I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I just don’t want to feel like this anymore.

“Someone help me!” I try one last time. I hear someone start to get the weights off of the lid and soon enough I see the outside. It was dark now and all of the kids have gone home. I see my father looking down at me, dissatisfaction clear on his face. He held the lid for me to climb out, and made his way out of the school grounds. I felt my heart squeeze. I rested my hand over my heart, why did I feel this way? Maybe he is starting to come around. I smiled and ran to catch up. It was the first time I walked home with my father.

Kiyoko-present

A sad smile creeped on my face. That was the only time my father came to my rescue. I wonder how he looks now? He must have aged, being alone, like me. Though he was the leader of our small island, people followed him. They followed me too, but not in the way I wanted them to.

I went on the hunt for Kakashi, and I was ready for a intense practice. I was reading a few summaries on the back covers of a few books, when my eye catches the movements of a familiar person. I see Kakashi, with a male and a women. The male wore the same outfit as him, but he had what seemed to be a handkerchief, tied around his waist. He had a full beard and a cigarette between his lips. The woman besides him was wearing a red and white dress. Her black hair was in layers and her eyes were ruby red. I’ve never seen eyes like her’s. She was beautiful none the less. For some reason I feel nervous. Should I approach them? Or should I let them approach me? What if they don’t want me to interrupt their nice walk? All these questions filled my head as I absently held a book in my hand. They come closer and I haven’t made my decision yet. God I don’t remember being social was this stressful.

“Kiyoko. I’ve been looking everywhere for you. You weren’t home when I got back.” He said with a smile. I leave the book on its stand.

“I went out looking for you.” I said.

“This is Asuma and Kurenai.” He introduces them. I bow in respect as Kurenai gives me a smile. I see Asuma nod his head. He puffs out a breath of smoke. He whispers something to Kakashi as Kurenai and him walk down the street. Kakashi and I watch them leave and turn the corner.

“So what about training?” I asked. He returns his attention back to me.

“Uh ya. Lets go to the field. How about taijutsu today?”
I sigh, the hardest them of them all. Physical is my weakest point. I’m more of a ninjutsu person but I follow him anyways. We don’t jump from tree top to tree top, instead we walk through the village.
“Did Naruto look sad to leave?” I asked. He shook his head. He smiled fondly of his student. “He was just extremely excited to start training. I’ve never seen him smile so wide like he smiled at Master Jiraiya.”

I imagine him walking along Jiraiya's side, his smile taking over his face. Like father and son. Like I did once. My heart feels full of joy at the thought Naruto didn’t have it so rough like I did. We walk in silence until I sense some tension in the air, Kakashi senses it too and stops. Its weird that I can sense more of my surroundings when I have a sealing keeping the beast in check. Kakashi tells me to stay where I am as he goes a few meters forward. A kunai is thrown his way, but he easily dodges it as I block it with another kunai I had in hand. Kakashi springs over the bush he hid behind of and I followed, ignoring his orders to stay put. I see Kurenai and Asuma standing in front of two men who had matching cloaks. They were black with red clouds, and one of them had a huge things wrapped in bandages over his shoulder.

“Itachi Uchiha, Kisame Hoshigaki.” Kakashi says as he takes stance in front of them. Uchiha, was he related to Sasuke? They looked alike in so many ways, but their lifeless eyes were exactly the same. They have no remorse in them, they are just like an endless abyss. I stand in the back, knowing I would only get in the way if they started to fight.

“Why are you here?” Kakashi asks as he takes a kunai and goes on the defensive. I see him tug at his headband, revealing the eye I have yet to see. No one spoke or moved, tension was thick in the air. Itachi’s eyes changed and they were like Sasuke’s except they had a different pattern. A strange feeling shifted inside me. The beast was wide awake, and I heard him growl.
Kisame springs toward Asuma as Kakashi stops him with a water dragon.

“So you’re the Kakashi the copy ninja. I must say I’m impressed. You knew what jutsu I was going to use before I sealed my hands.” Kisame laughs half heartedly.

“Four against two. I don’t like those ratios.” Itachi says as he takes notice of me. I feel myself get smaller under his cold stare. Kakashi takes his attention away from me as he uses a shadow clone to attack him.

“I’ll ask you again, why are you here?”

“For the Fourth’s legacy.” Itachi says. Kakashi tenses. “And one of you is going to tell me. Who will it be?” He says as he stares between the four of us. He smiles as he stares at me.

“Close your eyes! Don’t look in his eyes.” Kakashi yells. I obey and close my eyes. I hear my heartbeat in my head. Or was it the beasts’. How am I supposed to be on defense if I can’t see the enemy’s attack?

“You’re a bit too late.” He says as I feel my body go cold. I no longer see darkness, I see Itachi standing before me in a starry room. I'm under a genjutsu. Damn, I need to get out of here. I remember how to release it. Concentrate on my chakra flow and make it steady again. I close my eyes and concentrate on my chakra, the feeling of it rhythmically flowing through my body. I begin to feel my body move to my response. I hear Itachi grunt before I open my eyes, and see that I am back in the real world. I sigh in relief. My knees buckle under me and I land on my palms, that took a lot more chakra than I expected it too. My breathing was heavy, but I was glad I was able to release the jutsu. I still remember things I thought I have forgotten I was able to do.

“Who are you?” Itachi says. I can’t answer because my breathing is still irregular.
“No one has ever released a genjutsu I casted so quickly. I’ve never seen someone with so much chakra.” He says. I stare up from the ground, and notice he didn’t move an inch. No one has.

“What? She was under a genjutsu, but she just collapsed seconds after he spoke.” I hear Kurenai say in astonishment. That quick? It felt like hours of concentrating chakra.

“Your fight is with me.” Kakashi says as he attacks him again. Itachi dodges his kunai, and his shurikens. I stand and lean on the bush behind me. I’ve never been under a genjutsu, I didn’t know it was so hard to get out of one. Itachi’s chakra changes, and Kakashi is on his hands and knees. I move to help him, but someone comes before I can get closer. A man dressed in a green track suit blocks Kisame’s swing.

“Open your eyes, just stare at his feet. You can read a lot about your opponent with his movement of his feet.” He says to Asuma and Kurenai.

“But, Guy I-” Kurenai starts, but finally opens her eyes.

“We’ll hold him off as the reinforcements I called arrive.” Guy says as he extends his arms. Kakashi collapse. My body moves before my mind reacts. I run onto the water, remembering about putting the chakra at the base of my feet. I wobble, but get to his side.

“Lets go Kisame, we didn’t come here to start a war.” Itachi says, and I glance up and see them disappear. I pull Kakashi’s arm around me and try to carry most of his weight.

“Get him to the hospital. Its the effect of a genjutsu.” Asuma says as he glances at his own wound. Guy helps me with his other arm and together we make it to the hospital. I never thought Kakashi would take such a bad genjutsu, these effects must be from a powerful caster. Itachi was skilled and that made me fear him more. The doctors take him away, leaving me with worry.

“Don’t worry Kakashi has made it through worst. I’m Might Guy by the way.” He says with a sparkling smile.

“Kiyoko.” I say, I tried to hide my worry, but I couldn’t. He was one of the few I trusted and cared about. I didn’t want to lose someone who cared about me. Call me selfish, but he was important to me. He was there when I woke up in the hospital, I’ll be here when he wakes up.

I waited alone in the waiting room. Guy left but I didn’t pay attention when he told me the reason why. I was too preoccupied with my thoughts of Kakashi’s well being. He will be fine, Guy told me that countless of times. But he was sent to a hospital, every nerve in my body was on edge waiting for a doctor to tell me anything about him. I was imagining thousands of different scenarios in my head, some more horrible than others.

“Are you here for Kakashi Hatake?” A nurse brings me from my day nightmare. I nod. She jerks her head toward the hallway and I follow her down the halls.

“Is he going to be okay?” I ask nervously.

“We don’t know. It looks like he’s in a comatose state.” She says. I swallow my tears, I need to be strong for him and for myself. “I believe it is an effect from a very powerful genjutsu. It caused severe disruption of his chakra flow in his head.”

We stop in front of room 219, as she slides the door open.

“We’ll have Lady Tsunade take a look at him as soon she finishes her current occupation.” She smiles with hope. I smile at her and I finally feel some relief.

“You should rest, you look like you’ve lost quite bit of chakra too.” The nurse closes the door after her and I take a seat next to Kakashi’s bed. He looks refreshed and calm. If I didn’t know he was in a coma, he would’ve looked like he was taking a well deserved nap. He no longer wore his forehead protector and his unruly hair widely spread on his pillow. He still wore his mask, but I saw his left eye. It was closed of course, but there was a long scar running vertically. I wonder where he got it? The thought of sleep left my mind. I couldn’t sleep when Kakashi was in the state he is in. I remember returning to reality and seeing his face, I want to be here when he opens his eye again. I felt i owed him this much at the very least. In the short time we’ve known each other I felt at home with him. If I return to the apartment it wouldn’t feel like home. I’ll just wait until Lady Tsunade comes and heals him. Until then I won’t leave the room. I hear the door slide open and see Sakura with a basket full of fruit and flowers. She smiles at me, but her face turns into worry as she sees Kakashi.

“They tell me he is in a coma.” Sakura says as she leaves the basket on the bedside table. I nod, my stomach grumbling in hunger.

“There is no need to worry too much, Lady Tsunade is the best Medical ninja in the world.” She boasts about her with great admiration. I was glad she was here and able to heal him, He’ll wake up soon. She gives me an apple from the basket.

“You look like you’re about to pass out any minute. What exactly happened to you guys?” She asks. I take a bite to buy me some time in answering her question. I don’t think I’m in the position to give out that information. One of them was an Uchiha which means he is connected to Sasuke in someway. I promised not to mention anything about him to Naruto or Sakura. I take my time chewing the apple, someone save me from this awkward situation. I can’t lie in her face. I’ve never been good with deceiving people, and I don’t want to do it to someone I trust.

“Um oh you know how Kakashi is, always showing off.” I laugh, trying to brush the subject off. This only raises Sakura’s curiosity as an eyebrow raises.

“Kakashi is nothing like that.” She tells me. I know. I knew he always thinks things through and tries to not make unnecessary moves. Told ya I was horrible. I gulp.

“Well you see, the truth-” I begin to tell her, but was gratefully interrupted by Lady Tsunade’s entrance. I sigh, that was a close one.

She makes her way toward the other side of the bed and presses her hand on Kakashi’s forehead. A green light emits from her hand, and the color of Kakashi’s face returns to normal.

“I’ve helped him with returning his chakra flow, but he’ll still need plenty of rest. Kiyoko I’d like to have a word with you. Sakura if you don’t mind.” She says with a hurry. Sakura nods and quickly exits the room.

“Asuma has told me what happened, but I’m surprised you were able to release a genjutsu under Itachi’s power. I’ve never heard anyone do it.” She says with surprise. I’m surprised too, I thought I forgot everything I knew, but with fear as your motivator you remember a lot of things.

“I just released it like anyone would, but I exhausted myself. I used a lot of my chakra doing it.” I say, feeling my body sag.

“You have enormous amount of chakra. More than Naruto. Kakashi took it pretty hard because he doesn’t have much chakra to begin with. I’m glad you released it, who would have known if Itachi found out you are a jinchuuriki.” Lady Tsunade looks at Kakashi once more before she leaves the room. What would have happened if Itachi figured out I held a tailed beast? Was that the reason Kakashi took the attention away from me and pointed it at himself? Was it to protect me or was it to protect the beast? I steal another fruit from the basket and eat it with pleasure, I stare at the open window. Taking in the view. My body demands rest, but I don’t want to sleep in case Kakashi wakes up. I stay there for a few hours, but my body finally wins, I rest my head on the bed and use my forearm as a pillow. I close my eyes with effortlessness.

Kakashi’s POV

My head felt like it was going to explode when I finally opened my eyes. It was still dark outside, and the clock on the wall said is was ten till three in the morning. Itachi was a powerful foe to put me in here. I have to make myself stronger. If Guy didn’t come to our rescue, I don’t know what would have happened to Asuma, Kurenai, or Kiyoko. Kiyoko is she alright. I move my head to the sound of deep breathing, and notice black hair cascading onto the bed. Kiyoko sleeping peacefully, it looked like she didn’t go home. She had some dirt on her hands, and a smudge on her cheek. I wonder how long she has been here.

I pull the blanket over her. There was something that made me want to protect her, when I heard her drop to her knees, after she was a genjutsu, all I wanted to do was make her feel safe again. I’ve never felt like this. It was strange. I look at her and I can’t describe it, its just her. Its Kiyoko, just being around her makes me feel better. Having her by my side. What a lovesick fool I’ve become. Its all because of Jiraiya’s books. Man I have to stop reading them. I’m glad its me thats is in the hospital and not Kiyoko. She would have been in more danger if they figured out she is a jinchuuriki.

So Itachi is after Naruto, just like Jiraiya predicted. Their organization, the Akatsuki, are after the tailed beasts. Naruto will be safe with Master Jiraiya, even Itachi and Kisame can’t defeat him, he is a legendary Sannin after all. I’ll miss him, but I have my hands full too, training Kiyoko and keeping her safe. Sakura will begin training with Lady Tsunade soon, to become a medical ninja. Sai is still with the organization, but it seems like he wants to stay loyal to the team.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry” I hear Kiyoko whisper in her dreams, it looked like a nightmare. Her head moves away and she soon opens her eyes. Her green eyes are glossy with tears, but she doesn’t let them fall. She sighs “You’re awake.” Kiyoko smiles. “Is there anything you need? I can get a doctor.”

“No I’m fine. I just need rest, and you too. You were under a genjutsu too weren’t you.” I ask. She nods. “It wasn’t as bad as yours. What was it like, if you’ll tell me.” She asks. Kiyoko is full of interest. She reminds me of a child sometimes, like Naruto once was. Maybe all the Jinchuuriki’s are this curious because of their lack of human involvement.

“Well I was stuck in an alternate universe where Itachi controlled everything. It felt like days, but really it was seconds. I was nailed to a cross as thousands of Itachi’s stabbed me. The pain was real. If anyone else was stuck in that genjutsu they would have died, but since I have the sharingan I was able to withstand it.” I tell her. She takes in the information.

“Are Itachi and Sasuke related?”

I nod. “They are brothers.” She stiffens. “Their hatred runs in the family. So the eye you have and they have are the Sharingans?”

I confirm her assumptions. She was biting her nails as she thought. Her attention was drawn to the dark village on the other side of the window.

“If they were both from this village then why are they rouge?”

“Itachi killed everyone in their clan. Leaving Sasuke as an orphan, now Sasuke’s only reason for existing is being an avenger. He left the village to train with Orochimaru and gain skills to eventually kill Itachi.” I follow her gaze.

Kiyoko’s POV

Revenge such an ugly emotion. I’ve wanted to go down that path so many times. To harm everyone who lived happily,while I lived miserably. I harm my father for out casting me, I wanted to harm Eri and her friends for fooling me into thinking I could actually make friends. I felt an anger so deep, so young, I didn’t want to feel that. Being an avenger, what a hard life it must be. Having the conscious of your clan on your shoulder, burdening their deaths, and taking the responsibility to bring the killer down. Sasuke has turned his emotions off, and I don’t think Naruto nor Sakura can bring him back. I’ve seen his eyes they were lifeless.

Kakashi has a sharingan, but he is not an Uchiha. Where did he get it from? I wanted to ask him, but he has fallen into a deep sleep. It was still dark outside, and I went to the bathroom to freshen up. I scrubbed the dirt away, and thought about Naruto. Sasuke left the village, and Naruto is gone too. Sakura must feel alone, I vow to take her out from time to time, even if I am broke. My stomach still feels empty, since I’ve arrived Kakashi has been the one supply me with food. There must be something to eat back the apartment, but I don’t want to leave Kakashi on his own. I peek my head and sure enough he is still softly snoring away. Maybe a little trip home won’t hurt.

The streets were alone in the early morning, the temperature has dropped, making me shiver. A few market stands were barely opening for fresh produce to be delivered. A stray cat crossed my path, meowing as if it was saying good morning. I entered the apartment and it felt colder. Everything was were I left it. I took a quick dip, I couldn't stand being in there alone, it was too quiet and it reminded me when I was traveling from town to town. Sometimes I imagined others talking to me from the loneliness getting to me. The fatigue rolled off of me, and I quickly returned to the hospital after eating a big breakfast.

I was walking through the main door, and bumped into someone.

“I’m sorry miss.” She says, that voice makes my body run cold.
“Kiyoko? Is that you?” She says. I turn to see the girl who tried to keep me in a well when I was five. Eri was taller now, and her voice has changed, but she still looked like the Eri I remember. Her orange hair was down, she had a curvy figure now, thanks to puberty. I notice she taller than me. I gulp, my past doesn’t leave me alone does it.

“Eri, why are you here?” I asked ready to run and fight if i have to. Kakashi is still recovering so it looks like I’m on my own this time.

“I live here now. I moved when I was twelve, my father was ill and we thought they can cure him here, where the Lady Tsunade was. What are you doing here?” She says. I look for any weapon pouch and find none. She doesn’t even have a head protector. I don’t know if I can trust her, not after what she has done to me. I don’t trust any one from my past.

“I settled down here a couple days ago.” She nods and looks at me, her eyes taking in every inch of my body.

“Now that we know we live in the same village, I just want you to know I’m sorry for everything I did. I never realized it would push you enough to run away. I hope we can start fresh and be friends. I no longer live in the Moon Village so I don’t work for them as a spy. I promise you can trust me, I want to repay you.” Eri hold her hand out for a reply. Every instinct in my body tells me no, but my heart is tired of being alone, I want a friend, so I shake her hand. She smiles.

“You know I was jealous of you when we were younger. You were so beautiful, and you still are.”

“Thank you. Why are you here in the hospital?” I asked trying to start a conversation.

She puts her hand over her flat stomach and smiles. “I’m pregnant. I just found out, and I must go and tell my husband before he leaves for a mission. I’ll see you around Kiyoko.”

“Congratulations.” I say as she quickly walks outside, a smile plastered on her face. She was going to become a mother, I wonder if i will ever become one. I don’t know if I would be a good one, I never had a mother so I don’t know how I would be able to take care of the child. I prayed that I made the right decision trusting Eri. She did seem sincere in her apology and she did sound like she wanted to be friends. I walk to Kakashi’s room as I thought about the possibilities she was a spy. I knock and enter.

He was looking outside, the sun was rising and colors bled into the sky. I used to watch the sunrise every morning while I made my way from village to village. It was the only time I felt relaxed because after that I would be on my guard for any attacks.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Kakashi says, he looks a lot better now.

“I might as well have.” I say thinking of Eri. I continue watching the sun rise, a birth to a new day.

“I bumped into an old childhood friend from the Moon Village.” I tell him, even if she only acted to be my friend, I can say she is my friend now. “She’s cut her ties with our village, I put my trust into her. Do you think I did the right thing, putting my trust into her?”

It takes a while for him to take his eyes off of the sunrise, but he does to answer me.

“I don’t know.I haven’t met her yet. What kind of person was she?”

I didn’t know what kind of person Eri was. She was always quiet but popular. She was the one who came up with the idea of locking me in the well. Always be aware of the quiet ones, they are most likely to be the dangerous ones. An old lady told me that once, I don’t remember what village i was in or how old I was when I heard it but it stuck to me. When I was on the run all the years blend in and some years I would forget my birthday. I had to be aware of myself too, I was a quiet person.

“She was the girl who locked me in a well for hours, when I was five. She was the one who always picked out my mistakes and my insecurities. She teased me because my mother died cursing me. And yet I trust her, like I trust you. Like I trust the strangers who took me into their village. You trust me, so I trust her. Am I wrong?” I say confidently.

“So you decided to put the past behind you, and start all over?” He asks.

I nod. I see him smile, but doesn’t say anything. We turn to see Guy, Asuma, Kurenai, Sakura, Sai and a handful of kids that looked around Sakura’s age.

“Good morning!” Guy says with too much enthusiasm. I honestly think these many people in one room is a hazard.

“You can’t spend your youth in bed, Kakashi. Get better so we can have our challenges.” Guy says as he pushes me out of the way to get closer to Kakashi. Kakashi sighs.

“Why bring your teams?” He says.

“We are all off on missions soon, we came to just stop by.” Kurenai says. There were about nine children I didn’t know.

“We haven’t introduced ourselves. My name in Ino.” The girl with a blond ponytail says to me. The other proceed.
“I’m Shikamaru.”
“Choji here.”
“I’m the youthful Lee!”
“Neji.”
“I am Tenten, pleased to meet you.”
“I’m Kiba and this is Akamaru, my partner, is that right buddy.” The dog on his head barks in agreement.
“Hello my name is Hinata.”
“Shino is my name.”
I try to remember everyone’s name, but that was a tall order. All of their eyes landed on me waiting for something. Oh right my name.

“My name is Kiyoko.” I say quickly. I’ve never met so many people at once. Children nonetheless. I personally think they are a tougher critic than the adults are. Ino’s eyes widen, and she holds her hands under her chin.

“Are you Kakashi’s girlfriend?” She asks.

“What?” I say at the same time Kakashi says it. They all look at us, and I feel my face grow warm.

“No, of course not, I’ve only known him for a short period of time. I was just checking on him like any friend would.” I explain, she laughs as I stutter from embarrassment.

“Alright stop teasing her Ino, we have to get going. I’ll see you when you’re back on your feet Kakashi.” Asuma says as he waves his team out the door. Kurenai and her team leave right afterwards. Leaving Guy’s team, Sakura, and Sai in the room. My face still felt warm as Guy asked me to step out for a bit with him. I follow and close the door, sensing that Guy was getting serious.

“When I’m off I’d like you to teach Kakashi whatever you did to release that genjutsu.”

“I don’t know if I can. I mean he already knows how to release a genjutsu, the only difference was that I used excessive amount of chakra. Lady Tsunade says he couldn’t release it because he lacked the amount of chakra I have.” I explain to him. He nods in understanding, then he sticks out his right thumb and gives me a flashing smile.

“Alright then, he’ll just have to have you around next time he faces Itachi.”

I nod my head, I don’t know if we’ll ever face him again, but if he needs me then I’ll be there.

“Okay team Guy let’s move out.” He says as he sticks his head through the door. Lee springs into action, yelling something about the power of youth, what is up with him and youth, he is young. I raise an eyebrow as I notice from afar that Leen and Guy are wearing matching track suits. Lee takes after Guy alright, its kinda disturbing in a weird way, but kinda adorable too. Neji and Tenten lack enthusiasm as they walk behind their energized Sensei and teammate. I walk back into the room and see Sakura peeling an apple while Sai draws something in his sketchbook. They were comfortable with silence and I didn’t want to bug them.

“What did Guy want?” Kakashi asks.

“He just wanted to make sure you recovered so you guys can have challenges after he comes back” I lie and smile, he believes it and returns his book. I guess Sai and Sakura can keep him company, I’ll go ahead and train. If what Guy said is true, then I have to get stronger. I need to be able to fight against Itachi if we will fight him again.

I start off easy, throwing shurikens and kunai at logs. I’ve been at it for hours, but there still not landing where I want them to. A few shurikens don’t even land on the logs, they impale the earth near it. I know it’ll take time, but I’m starting to get impatient with the results. I’m covered in a light layer of sweat and dirt, and I’m thirsty. I lean on a log and rest for a while, I wonder if Naruto started to train with Master Jiraiya. If i remember correctly Kakashi was reading a book that Jiraiya wrote, are they any good? I think I saw a book he wrote yesterday at the book stand. I don’t remember the title though.

My tired body doesn’t want to move but I do anyways. I retrieve the shurikens and get into position. Maybe if I do it on a moving object then it would get me better results. I make a shadow clone meters away from me, it charges and moves from side to side, making it a challenge to land a shuriken on it. I concentrate on the area it will be going next and throw it in that direction. My clone is faster and dodges it, I expected no less from myself. I charge, I’ll be able to get a better shot at closer range. I had an opening as I tried to move left. I had the shuriken in position, just flick the wrist in the right position.

“Hey what are you doing!” Someone yells. I trip over a rock, pain surges through my ankle.

“Shit.” I curse as I land on my elbow. Who the hell would interrupt me, I had the shot. Damn who ever interrupted me. I see a little boy with a long blue scarf. He was hiding behind a tree. I tried to get up, but the pain from my ankle was too great.

“Who are you? I’ve never seen you around,” He asks.

“I’m Kiyoko. Who are you?” I ask from my seat on the ground.

“My name is Konohamaru. That’s is the same jutsu brother Naruto uses, isn’t it.” He comes closer. So Naruto knows the shadow clone jutsu too. I nod. I hiss as Konohamaru tries to help me up, he quickly lets go sending me plummeting to the ground again.

“Sorry.”

“If you don’t mind, can you get me to the hospital so someone can check my ankle.” I ask. I lean on him as I hop to the hospital. I sigh, I really hope its just a little sprain, I have to get back to training. The throbbing goes away and so does the pain. We enter the main door, and Konohamaru leaves me there. I gingerly test my ankle, surprised that its only an ache, and going away quickly. Hmm. I wonder why it healed this fast, Sakura mentioned something about my healing abilities, but I know nothing about it. While I’m here I’ll check Kakashi. Sakura and Sai have left, and Kakashi is still engrossed into the same book. I’ll have to look into the book, and see for myself if its any good.

I’m still a little iffy on my ankle, and somewhat limp to a chair.

“You look like you’ve been run through a beater” He says.

“I feel like it. I was training, but ended up hurting my ankle thanks to a surprise from Konohamaru. That little kid made me miss a great shot.” I humh, and cross my arms, he might be a little kid but I’m still upset. I’ll try again tomorrow, maybe then no one will interrupt me.

“Shouldn’t you rest too. You can train after you’ve had a good night sleep.” He says as he puts a bookmark in the spot he ended.

“I’ve fallen behind enough, if I slack off I’ll only be getting weaker and weaker everyday. Next thing you know Konohamaru will be passing me. I want to become a chunin as soon as possible. Its been my dream to become a jounin. I grew up thinking it will never be possible, but I have the chance now and I won’t let it go by.”

He laughs, and I felt self conscious of my dream, was it really that unrealistic. Kakashi is a jounin after all, I could do it if I put enough time into it.

“I’m sorry. Its not you I’m laughing at, it just that you and Naruto are so much alike its funny. I thought I would have a peaceful time, but you showed up and brought new adventure to my life. You want to become a jounin and we’ll get you there, Naruto wants to become Hokage and I believe he will get there too.” He gives me a smile of encouragement. I feel something new, I’ve never felt it before. Was this hope, pride, support? I don’t know how I feel about his words.

“I’m going to go back to the apartment and shower. Do you need anything?” I ask.

“I need fresh cloths. Just look around in my room.” He says confidently. I nod and roll my neck, it was getting stiff. My body did feel tired as I walked to the apartment.

“Kiyoko!” I hear Eri say from behind me. I mentally groan, I was happy we’ve put our past behind us, but I wanted to get home. Take a long hot shower, oh yea that sounded so great right now.

“Hey I’m glad I ran into you. Where are you heading?”

“Home.” I say and keep walking, she smiles as she walks besides me.

“Mind if I accompany you. Since my husband just left on a mission I have a lot of time on my hand. I’d love to catch up.” I never realized she was this energetic.
“I was going home to take a shower actually.”

“I don’t mind, I’ll wait for you.” And I don’t remember her being this pushy. I give in, and let her come into the apartment, she takes a seat in the living room as I take a quick shower. So much for a long hot shower. I quickly wash myself and change before looking for a bag to put Kakashi’s cloths in. His room is the same, it looked like it never changed. I go over to his dresser, and open the first door, his underwear drawer. I close it in embarrassment, and look behind me to see if anyone saw me. He said he need fresh clothes, does he need underwear too? Of course he does, its not like I’m snooping around. I open it again and pick the top one, and open the next drawer. I grab a clean shirt and pants, on the side are some masks. I have no idea what lays under his mask but I grab a clean one anyways. I fold them nicely in the bag.

Eri was browsing the books in the living room. Humming to an unfamiliar toon.

“I have something to drop off at the hospital, want to come?” I ask. Kakashi did say he’s never met her, well now he can. She nods and jumps into step beside me. Eri’s orange hair sways in the breeze, and my own hair gets into my eyes.

“So you’re going to be a mother. How does that feel?” I ask. I’m curious.

“I’m excited. The thought that I’m going to be a mother is scary, but honestly I don’t feel any different. Not now anyways. Maybe when I get bigger I will, but at this moment I am so content with the way my life is going.”

“When did you marry?”

“About ten months ago. I met Rokuro about five years ago, we started dating four years ago. Look at me I’m rambling on and on. What about you? What have you been doing all these years?” Eri looks down at me, her height made me feel smaller. My story isn’t so happy and sappy like her’s. I don’t feel like we’re close enough to share that information. Its hard to talk about my life on the run.

“I went traveling.” I say shortly. Eri takes a hint and keeps quiet for the rest of the trip. She doesn’t even question who we are visiting as we make our way to Kakashi’s room. I really hope Kakashi doesn’t mind her coming with me. I knock and slide the door open.

“Hope you don’t mind but I bumped into someone and she insisted to follow.” I leave his clothes next to his bed, he doesn’t say anything as Eri enters the room. She politely smiles.

“Hello I’m Eri. Kiyoko’s childhood friend.” I sit on a chair, and see Kakashi turn to me and raise his eyebrows in question, yup that’s her I nod slightly.

“Kakashi. Please take a seat, sorry for my current shape.” He sits up on his bed. I feel his serious demeanor switch on. Eri is too dense to notice, was he going to throw endless questions at her? She’ll probably answer them, and keep talking and talking. In the short reunion we had I’ve noticed she is a chatty person.

“So how did you two meet?”Kakashi starts with one of the most horrible questions you can ask. I open my mouth to reply, but she beat me to it.

“I tried to kill her.” Eri says confidently. I gulp, and stare at her. Why on earth would she say that? I give her props for being honest but I don’t think the idea of moving on brings back things that passed in the past. Kakashi shifts uncomfortably, not knowing what to say next. Well neither do I, remember not good with these awkward situations. I fiddle with my fingers instead waiting for who ever spoke next.

“I’ll be honest, I absolutely hated her, not because of her but the way I’ve been raised. My parents told me she was a danger to our village, that it would be better off if she would go away. I didn’t know I was doing something wrong. I tried to lock her in a well, thinking no one was going to save her because everyone felt the same way towards her.” She says quietly, full of shame.

Eri doesn’t know how to hold back does she. “I realize now, how cruel I was. How cruel everyone was, yet no one knows the entire truth behind the reason. My parents never told me what made everyone hate her. It looks like Kiyoko doesn’t know either.” Eri stares at me with her brown eyes concentrated on my expression. I was shocked she didn’t have a filter, the truth hurts. I already knew the entire village hates me, but it still like getting slapped across the face. I thought over the years the pain would fade away, but it only seemed to get stronger.

“Everyone was too full of hatred or fear to care, and the townspeople eventually started to ignore her existence. We didn’t realize she fled the village weeks after. “

Glad to know people still don’t care.

“I need to get some fresh air. You guys can keep talking about how shitty my life has been so far.” I say boldly, as I slide my chair away, and hear it fall as I slide the door harshly. I wasn’t going to stay in there, they were talking about me like I wasn’t even there. I just wanted to throw Eri across the room, but then I remembered she is pregnant. I was boiling, its been a while since I’ve felt like this. I can’t remember the last time I’ve felt this angry. My fingers itched for something to strangle. The beast in me felt present in the back of my mind.

I walk quickly for the training field, I need to let out some steam without hurting others. There were too many people around.

“What’s wrong little Kiyoko?” The beast laughs, I shove him back to the deep end of my head. Not in the mood. He stays there and doesn’t come back to the surface again. The logs were marked with my shurikens, but I stood where I stood last time. I throw with no concentration, just anger.

“Who does she think she is, telling him that!” I yell as I throw a kunai. It goes through the log. I scream in frustration, I didn’t know I had so much anger store in me. I reach for me more shurikens and notice I’ve run out. I charge at the log and just throw punches. Letting all of it go with every contact I make.

“Just let me go.” I whisper to my past. Let me go. Tears blind me, but I don’t stop. I don’t even stop when I see blood stain the wood log. I don’t even stop when I notice I can’t feel my arms anymore. I don’t want to stop. If I stop then I’ll have the time to think about things, things that I want to forget.

“You’ll hurt yourself further if you keep beating it.” I hear a voice say. I stop and focus on his voice. Kakashi looked like he just got out of bed, maybe he did. He was leaning on a tree on my far right, cautiously getting closer.

“I heal quickly,” I tell him. He shakes his head and slowly walks closer. He shouldn’t be out of bed yet, it's clear he isn’t fully healed yet. I can tell just by looking at him, his body still didn’t have that bounce to it. His shoulders sagged as if they were too heavy to carry.

“Don’t push your body’s limit.” He warns. I roll my eyes.

“You shouldn’t either.”

“Lets go back. We’ll talk at home.” Kakashi waits for me to lead the way back. The walk was short and quiet. My knuckle wounds were healing but the blood still dripped as I opened the door. I cup my hand to try to keep the blood from spilling everywhere, but that didn’t work so well. I ended up making a bigger mess. No worries it’ll wash out.

The cold water feels nice on my warm hands. It was cooling the rest of anger I had in me. My kickles feel soft from the new skin that closed the wounds. The water slowly became clear from my blood, and anger became into fatigue. It was then when I noticed the soreness in my arms. My body felt like it was going to fall apart.

“You know Eri feels sorry about saying those things.” Kakashi walks to the living room, suggesting I follow him. He closes his eyes and leans his head back. Has he fallen asleep?

“It was wrong of her for saying those things. I get it,” He says with his eyes still closed. I clean the blood from the floor. The pinkness of my knuckles slowly disappearing with every second that past.

“Try to get some rest. We’ll begin training again in a few days once I’m back to normal.” Kakashi makes his way to his bedroom leaving me with my thoughts. I was sitting on the ground, and the only noise was the buzz of the lightbulb in the room. What happened to Eri over the years? She was so quiet and polite when we were kids and now she was big mouthed and energized. This change of character surprised me, was she really done teasing me like she said she was? I want to ask her, but she must be home now. I couldn’t sleep with so many questions in mind, but my body didn’t want to move from its spot on the floor. I sigh, these past days it seems like my body is always sore. I shake my head and pull myself up from the comfortable ground, and put on my shoes. I lock the door behind me and step onto the dark streets. If I want a stronger body then I have to work for it.

No more running from awkward situations, no more weakness. First off my endurance, I need to build it up, so against my brain’s signal to rest I begin to jog around the town. Starting off slow, I made my way around the dark town a couple times, before my knees collapse on me.

“No way, you’re not resting yet. Not until I see the sun rise,” I think to myself. The adults from the Moon Village always prevented me from training further, they said I couldn’t do it. That’s the more of a reason to prove them wrong. I will not let them hold it against me, I will not let them win. I will train harder than everyone else, I will become the strongest ninja from the Moon Village.

The next thing I practice is dodging. There wasn’t anyone or anything thrown at me so I practiced by dodging tree branches that came onto my path. I wouldn’t fall if I used chakra every time I took a step. With chakra on base of my feet I’ll be able to use it as a little platform to get momentum. That’s where speed comes into play. Every time my body wanted to give up on me I reminded myself of my father’s face. That was all I needed. I never saw him smile. All I remember is his scowl, and a strange look in his eye. I don’t know what emotion he had inside him because he wouldn’t talk to me often. I can’t remember the sound of his voice very well either.

I was more of a stranger to him than a daughter.

Kiyoko- Eight years old

I’ve been hearing the adults say some strange things. I don’t know what they are talking about, but it involves me. It feels like everytime I go to school there is only more students glaring at me. The teachers don’t acknowledge me, and I don’t know why. I put on my shoes, and I grabbed my materials before I go to school. I walk alone again, but I didn’t expect anyone to walk with me anyways. I saw Eri and her friends laughing and talking while they walked. I wanted to cry, but I started to notice I cry almost everyday now.

“Look its her. She’s a loner. Like always. No one wants her around, that’s what my parents said.” Eri said, and smirked. Her friends laugh, making a few tears fall from my eyes. I promised myself I wouldn’t cry anymore. I hide my eyes with my hair. If I can’t see them then they couldn’t see me.

“Ya my mommy said that too,” One of her friends said. I rushed past them, all I wanted was to go to school and go back home. I was alone either way. The bells ring when I enter the classroom, Kenji-sensei my homeroom teacher, was taking attendance. He never calls my name.

“Alright class today we are going to focus on chakra control. Everyone follow me outside. Please be quiet in the hallways, you’ll disrupt the other classes.” Kenji-sensei says and leads the classroom to the open field in the back of schoolyard. All the other kids walked with their friends, so I stayed in the back of the line. We got closer to the river that flowed in the back.

“What the goal is to cross the river. You might have noticed that there is no bridge or rope to get across that’s because your will cross the stream using chakra. I’ll demonstrate.” Kenji-sensei stepped onto the water. We all clapped, he wasn’t sinking.

“Concentrate chakra on your feet. Use too little you’ll sink, use too much and you’ll rocket off the river.” He steps out. And begins to call names in alphabetical order. My name wasn’t called. I raise my hand, I wanted to try it. I see Kenji-sensei notice my hand. Excitement comes over me, but when he ignores it and says class is over for the day, I feel sadder than before. I watch my classmates run home, some parents come to pick them up. I look at my reflection in the river.

Was there something scary about me? Nope, I look normal. Was there something that made them ignore me? I can’t see it. Was I ugly? Eri and her friends said I was. But why? Why do they say mean things to me? I hit the water and I can’t see my reflection anymore. I’ll practice the chakra lesson we did today. I step on the water slowly. I picture my energy on the sole of my feet. I smile when I stand on the water. I did it. I laugh, maybe father will be proud that I am the only one in my classroom that did it on the first try. I walk slowly on the water, and then I’m running back and forth. I fall, getting all of my clothes wet.

Two boys were standing on the water next to me. they pushed me, I didn’t fall.

“Who do you think you are? You’re not supposed to learn that. Only humans get to go to school and learn.” He steps closer. I don’t know his name but he was bigger than me. The other one was shorter but had an intimidating stare. I stand, and look at them.

“I’m a person. I go to school too,” I quietly defend myself. They laugh at me.

“You’re a monster. Why don’t you just disappear.”

“No better yet, why don’t you die.” The smaller one gets closer, but I step back. Die? I don’t want to die. I wanted to pee from the fear of what they can do to me. The bigger boy grabs my long hair and drags me to land. I clutch the water but it slipped through my fingers. I cry.

“let go of me!”

They don’t listen, and the smaller boy holds my arms from flinging around. They were going to kill me like Eri and her friends tried to lock me in the well. Will father come to my rescue again?
They forced me to kneel in front of the river, the smaller boy kept his hands on my calfs, and the bigger boy still had a handful of hair in his fist. My tears were blinding me. My head hurt from the hair pulling and I was scared. So afraid.

They push my head into the water, holding it there for a while. The cool water seeped into my ear, I held my breath for as long as I could, but I was running out of air quickly. My heartbeat needed oxygen to keep the blood pumping but my breath was getting shorter and shorter with every second that passes. They pull me back, the sweet air rushes back into my lungs, but they push me back in the water before I get to take a deep breath. I was going to drown and die.

This time they didn’t pull my hair, and let me breath. They kept pushing my head into the deadly water. My head hurt from the lack of air, and my lungs were screaming in pain. I needed air, my brain reacted and took in deep breath, sucking in water instead. Water rushed into my body, I closed my eyes, this was it.

Their handle on me loosened for a second, I pushed back. I gasped when I was able to take a breath again. I coughed up water, my chest hurt from the sudden intake of air. I was shaking from fear, and from the cold water. The boys were running toward someone on the other side of the fence. I watched as they hugged their parents, and turned to scowl at me. Did their parents tell them to do this? Their parents did want me gone.

I take a few minutes to control my breathing. My wet clothing clung to my small body as I walked home. Everyone stared at me, with angry eyes. What did I do this time? I gulp down my tears, and run home.

“ That monster got my nephew in trouble, can’t it just leave this village and let us live in peace,” I hear a women say as I run past her. I do want to leave the village, but where would I go. If my people didn’t want me then who would? I slam my front door, wanting silence. I didn’t want to hear them say those things anymore. They said once I don’t need to be reminded about it everyday. I take a bath, and hang my clothes to dry. At least I know how to stand on water now, isn’t all the jutsus have to do with chakra control. I’m better at controlling my chakra then my classmates, but no one acknowledges me. Kenji-sensei acts like I don’t exist.

“ Do you know why everyone hates me, mother?” I wait for an answer but there is nothing but silence in this house.

“Because you destroyed the only hope we had.” I see a shadow move. Father’s face comes into view, his eyes just like everyone else’s. The only hope? What did he mean by that? I haven’t destroyed anything. He talks about hope, but I don’t really know what that signifies. What is hope?

Kiyoko-present

Hope, a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. I looked at father, and I wanted him to be proud. I’ve felt hope before, but I abandoned it when I ran away. If I wanted something to happen, then I’ll have to make it happen. I learned that over my many years on the run.

I hoped to be a jounin, but that didn’t happen. It’ll happen now because I’m putting hard work into training. The sun has finally rose, and like a timer my body falls onto the ground, completely exhausted. With the new light of the day I finally see where I am. I see the village walls just a few meters away, I have my back resting on a tree. I smile, I did it. I trained until sunrise, I can happily rest for a while. The wind feels nice against my clammy skin, I closed my eyes and rest.

“You don’t know when to stop, do you?”

I open my eyes, but the sun is high in the sky and blinding me. It must be around twelve or one, I’ve been asleep for about five hours. I don’t feel the hard surface of the tree on my back anymore. My feet are hanging, and I don’t feel the ground anymore. I squint and see the familiar mask and the one eye of Kakashi. I want to hop out of his arms, but my body doesn’t respond. I had no energy left, all I wanted was to fall into an endless dream, but more often than not I have nightmares. I let myself be carried to wherever Kakashi intended to take me, I closed my eyes but I didn’t doze off again. I feel him begin to climb the stairs, I know we were going to the apartment.

“I can walk now,” I tell him, and open my eyes. I see him hesitate but sighs in defeat. I’m put onto my feet, they ache as they carry my weight. Kakashi helps me to the door after sensing that I couldn’t walk on my own. I sit on the couch and let out a sigh of contentment.

“You over did it. You won’t be moving very much for at least another couple days.”

I’ll start tomorrow, I wasn’t going to stop now. I’m finally able to throw the shurikens correctly. They landed in a perfect line down half the log. I remembered watching a young girl train with her sensei, I must have been fifteen when I saw them. I hid in a tree, away from their eyes and away from an attackers. Her sensei told her to transfer some of her chakra into the kunai, it will be much more effective that way. I tried it last night. I put my chakra into a kunai and threw it. It went right through the wood log and impaled boulder behind it.

“Where you training all night?” Kakashi gets me a glass of water. I nod and chug it down. It felt nice as it went down my throat. My thirst wasn’t satisfied but it was tamed. My hunger, on the other hand, was savage. I’ll regain energy faster if I eat and rest. I already feel my body recuperate its lost chakra. I grunt and stand up to get a fruit from the kitchen. Kakashi watches me closely, I know because I can feel his eye burn a hole in my back. The apple is sweet and juicy. I grab four more and a knife from the drawer. I sit at the kitchen table and try to cut the apples, but my shaky hands make it impossible. The empty bowl in front of me was waiting for its peeled and sliced apples.

“Here let me. You’re still a little shaky.” Kakashi takes the knife from my hand and starts peeling the apples for me.

“What are you trying to prove? If its that you’re determined to become a jounin, I believe you. But you can’t push your body to its extreme. Everyone has a limit, even if yours is larger than others.”

“I want to prove everyone who doubted me wrong. I don’t want them to think I let them win, that I’m weak,” I tell him. He sighs, cutting the apples down the middle.

“Why do you want to prove them wrong? You’ll never see them again.”

“You don’t know that. They told me I couldn’t be anyone. I was a monster you destroyed their only hope. I don’t know what that means. They always ignored me, and they never let me be who I wanted to be.” I try to not remember the looks they would give me.

“So you will train until you become who you think you are?” Kakashi starts to peel the third apple.

“All I want is to finally feel like I can do anything I want. To feel free from any danger, and focus of living my life. I want to protect, because the for the first time in my life I have a purpose to exist. Before all I did was try to survive everyday.”

Kakashi doesn’t answer this time, and continues to peel the last apple. Slowly the red skin is peeled away. The true identity of the apple hides behind the red peeling. Its true form was sweet and soft. I’ve finally peeled away who I was, and stepped into the world where I can reach my goal to become the person I want to be. It just took time and effort to peel away the doubt and guilt.

He slides the bowl full of sliced apples my way. I stand to throw the trash away, but Kakashi beats me to it. I munch on the apples. Humming as the sweet flesh settles in my empty stomach. Four apples wasn’t enough I felt like I could eat a big feast. Like the time when I was at the orphanage. I got a brilliant idea.

“Kakashi do you mind lending me some money?” I finish the last slice.

“Sure, how much do you need?” Kakashi goes into his bedroom.

“Not much, just enough for some groceries. I’ll make dinner tonight.” He hands me the money, and goes back to his room. I shower before I head out. My body was still sore, but I figured that I was going to be sore for a while, might as well get used to it. First I’ll go to the meat stand, I don’t cook very much because I never had a kitchen to use, but I know a few recipes. I get enough beef for six people. I know I’ll want seconds and leftovers for tomorrow. I go the produce stands on the other side. I ask for carrots, onions, celery, herbs, squash, and broth. I recall there was rice back home, so I had everything I needed to make dinner.

From the corner of my eye I see a girl with orange hair walk towards me. It was Eri. I don’t want to deal with her today, I didn’t want to ruin the mood I was in. I quickly make a detour and make sure she doesn’t see the way I am going. I look back and the coast is clear, I sigh in relief. The bags are heavy, and my arms scream for help, but it was a good way to gain muscle. I return to the apartment and find it alone, Kakashi must have gone out. I leave the change on his dresser and tied my hair back. I removed my forehead protector, and started cutting the vegetables into quarters. I boiled them in the chicken broth.

I looked for the oil in the cabinets, I had to climb on the counter to reach it. Then I’m on the search for a spatula. I find it on the right top corner. While they biol I look around and find where the cups and plates live. I find the spoons and forks home too. I grabbed a pan from the hanger and begin to broil the meat. It takes time to get it to perfection, but when I think about the meal overall my mouth waters. I set the rice cooker, and let the rice steam. I tuck a loose lock of hair behind my ear as I cut the hot meat into slivers.

Kakashi walks into the kitchen as I cut the last piece.

“The stove hasn’t been used in a while. How’s it running.”

“Just fine. I haven’t cooked in a while, I sure miss it.” I turn off the stew, and check the rice. I poke it and notice its spongy and ready.

“Dinner is ready if you’d like to join me,” I asked and begin to serve the stew into bowls,

“I haven’t had a home cooked meal like this in years. I always make snacks and eat take out. If you haven’t noticed I’m not much of a cooker.” He sits as I serve him the bowl. I cup the rice into smaller ones and put a couple slices on the edge of it. I get my meal as well.

“Itadakimasu.” We say in unison. I begin with the rice first, and dip my meat into the stew. My stomach welcomes the warm broth. I notice Kakashi slide his mask down. I try not to stare, but its the first time I see what hides underneath the mask. His skin is flawless, and he has a sharp jaw line. His lips are thin, and his teeth are perfectly straight. He doesn’t wear his forehead protector either. This may be the only time where he completely uncovers his face. Kakashi is handsome. What? Did I just think that? Why am I feeling something in my stomach? Its only the food, calm down. I have to stop having conversations like this with myself. He didn’t seem to notice me staring, he was occupied in his food.

“Its delicious. Who taught you how to cook?” I am drawn back from my trance.
“Sister Ai. It was after the war when she stumbled across me. I was laying in the ground, starving, but she found me and saved me. She took me in regardless of the overflow of war orphans. The kids there treated me nicely and I thought I've finally found a home. I always wanted to learn how to cook so I helped Sister Ai with dinner everyday. It was the happiest time of my life on the run. I slept in a warm bed. I are hot food, and I bathed every day. I wanted to stay there forever, but I was a fool to think the Moon ninja would let me live there on peace. They attacked me in the night, they killed Sister Ai in front of me. Sister Ai was like a mother I never had,so when I saw her die, the monster in me was released.” I swallow the last bite of my rice.

“What happened then?”

“When I woke up I saw that I killed everyone in the orphanage. The building was complete destroyed. I was soaked in the blood of all the kids that lived there. I’ve never felt so guilty in my life, I still feel guilty thinking about their lives that could have been lived. Sister Ai would hate me for killing all of them, she protected all the orphans like they were her children. My hands are tainted with blood of the innocent.” I look at my hands, they are clean, but they will always be dirty to me. No cleanser can wipe the blood off, and I’ve began to accept it.

“Can I have seconds?” Kakashi gives me his empty bowl, I smile at the change of subject and mood. I get up to serve him seconds, when there is a knock on the door.

“I’ll get it.” I leave his served food on the table, and peek at the door to see who it is. A tall man with brown hair enters the apartment. He has a different forehead protector that goes around his face. He has black eyes, but wears the same gear Kakashi wears.

I return to the kitchen, I don’t want to be caught eavesdropping. Their voices get closer and I sit in my chair.

“Yamato this is Kiyoko, Kiyoko this is Yamato.” Kakashi introduces the man, another name to remember. I stand up from my chair and bow.

“Pleased to meet you. Would you like to join us in dinner?”

“I would love to, but I only came to give Kakashi something. Maybe another time, thanks for the offer.” He smiles and turns to Kakashi. Kakashi nods and follows him to the living room. I let them have their privacy and serve myself more food. Soon enough Kakashi returns to finish his food, with a serious feeling radiating off of him. I want to ask him what is wrong but I decide it is better to let it go.

“I’ll clean the dishes.” Kakashi starts to gather the dirty dishes, there is leftovers to last us another meal, I use plastic wrap to cover the rice. I stick it in the refrigerator. I leave Kakashi with his thoughts and the dirty dishes. After Yamato left he was much more closed off. What did Yamato tell him? I return to my bedroom and notice a pile of dirty clothes getting bigger every day. After loading the washer machine with my smelly clothes, I had nothing to do for the first time since I’ve gotten here. I walk to the bookshelf in the living room, looking for anything good to read. A book does catch my eye “How a shinobi should die” , I slid it out of its place.

“You don’t want to read that, it’ll make you question the way you fight and why you exist. Believe me, I tell you from experience.” Kakashi wipes his wet hands with a towel, I look at the first page, the first word is death. I take his word and close it. I slide it back into its spot. Kakashi has pulled his mask over his face again, I sit in the living room. I was going to take a nap, when I hear another knock come from the door. So many visitors, I go to open the door, Kakashi was almost done cleaning anyways. His guest could wait just a little. I expected one of Kakashi’s friends, but instead its Eri.

I cursed under my breath.

“Hey,” She gives me an apologetic smile.

“Hi.”

“I was hoping we could go out for dinner.”

“I just ate.”

“Oh well, how about we go for a walk.”

“I don’t think thats a good idea.” Eri sighs and tugs at her orange hair. I feel Kakashi come closer from behind.

“I think that is a brilliant idea.” I whip to give him a glare. He knew I didn’t want to talk to her, not now. He gives me an encouraging smile, it didn’t make me feel any better about it.

“I’m about to head out anyways, it’ll get lonely. Why don’t you ladies go and talk. Here buy yourselves something.” Kakashi shoves money into my hand, he excuses himself and walks away from the apartment. I remind myself to give him a good tirade next time I see him. Eri is standing in front of me hopeful I’ll listen to Kakashi. Damn him, I pull on my sandals and lock the apartment. So much for laundry day.

I could think of hundreds of other places I would rather be, but karma hasn’t been my friend lately. Eri still smiles beside me, oblivious to my feelings about her at the moment. It bugs me. How can she act like she didn’t do anything wrong?

“Want to get dumplings? I haven’t eaten dinner yet.”

“Last time you offered me dumplings you ended up locking me in a well,” I say. If this didn’t hint to her I was having a bad time then I don’t know what will. She sighs in defeat.


“I’m sorry. I know I’ve said it before but I’m honestly saying that I am sorry. If I could take back all I did to you I would.”

“Why would you say that, Eri? What made you this way?”

“I should ask you the same question. You are nothing like the girl I knew.” We stop and sit at a park bench. It was getting close to sunset, and the sky was turning golden.

“We’ve both changed over the years. I told you we moved to get medical help for my father, at the time I didn’t know my father was gravely ill. They wouldn't tell. Four months after we arrived my father dies while our family is eating dinner. He just dropped and his lifeless body hit the ground. He had a disease that still doesn’t have a cure. They finally told me about his illness. They didn’t tell me the truth about him, so I vowed no matter how hard the truth is I’ll always speak my mind. I have created a few enemies because I am so open, but I don’t want anyone to feel like I felt when they hide their true feelings. I’m sorry if I offended you, but its just the way I am now,” She turns her head and gives me a brave smile. I guess she hasn’t had the perfect life I thought she did.

“It wasn’t until a few days ago that I was always on the run. Traveling from town to town. I would survive off of the earth, I never had enough money for many things. I hid during the war, I fought back against the Moon Village, but I came to accept that it was the way I lived. I’m the monster that would scare you when you were a child. I grew up to be the monster everyone feared. It was like that for the longest time, but someone heard me. Naruto heard my cry, and he saved me. I owe him this new life. I want to start all over here. I wanted to leave my past behind me, so when I saw you live here now, it caught me off guard.”

Eri takes my cold hands in hers.

“I’ll leave it behind us, if you leave what I did behind us as well.”
I don’t refuse so she drags me to the nearest dumpling shop and she orders dozens after dozens. I’ve noticed that she fancies dumplings.

Kakashi’s POV

I zip my flak jacket, and make it to the rendezvous area with Yamato. Earlier today he wanted to talk to, but I was occupied. He said something about a tailed beast. I see Yamato leaning on the bridge, staring at the river below him.

“Kakashi not a minute late.”

“I’m not late when things matter.” I stand beside him. I remember when I first met Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke, I thought they were idiots, but they showed improvement. They hated to wait for me.

“So what about the tailed beast.” I get straight to business. I took the liberty of asking Yamato for a favor. Since Kiyoko doesn’t know about the tailed beast she has inside her, I asked Yamato to make a list of its Jinchuuriki and the tailed beast. He’s an ANBU so he has the resources for the research.

“These are the most updated ones. Garra has the one tails, Yugito Nii, has the two tails. And um Rin Nohara last had the three tails inside her. As of right now the three tails doesn’t have a jinchuuriki, we don’t know where it is at the moment. Son Goku has the four tails, Han has the five tails, Utakata has the six tails, Fu contains the seven tails. Killer Bee has the eight tails and Naruto has the nine tails. I’ve written personal information about each jinchuuriki. Its all inside the folder.”

I take the yellow folder, every tailed beast is taken, all but the three tails, it must be inside Kiyoko then, thats the only explanation. There is one big misinterpretation though, Kiyoko told us the beast inside her is not any of the nine tails. Could it be possible that it tricked her and is lying about its true identity.

“Why do you need that?”

“You know personal curiosity.”

“Alright, alright, you don’t want to tell me,” Yamato says in defeat. We stay there watching the river flow in silence. There wasn’t much to say between us, there never has, but somehow we managed to become friends.

“Kakashi! Lady Tsunade sent me looking for you.” I see Eri run towards me, or rather walked quickly, she is pregnant after all.

“Its Kiyoko. She’s coughing up blood.”
Eri’s face flushed with panic. With that said, I quickly run to Lady Tsunade’s office. I let you have some fun and girl time and this is what happens. I can’t let you out of sight can I , Kiyoko.

Kakashi’s POV

“What happened while I was gone?” I ask Eri, I had to know and get there quickly but because she was pregnant it was going slower than I expected.

“We were at one of the mask stands, she was laughing at one of the ludicrous mask, and next thing she’s cupping her stomach and blood is seeping through her fingers. She told me to take her to Lady Tsunade. You go ahead of me. I’ll be there soon.”

I go ahead of her, using my speed to my advantage. I had to get there quickly. It must be the training that she did that finally got to her. I told her to not push herself, these are the consequences. If she would only listen for once. I open the door to Lady Tsunade's office to find it empty, where would they go?

“If you are looking for Lady Tsunade and Kiyoko, they went to a cave outside the village for precautionary measures.” I turn to see Shizune pointing to the west mountains. There was only a few places there I could think Lady Tsunade would take her. I jump from roof to roof, getting closer. The sun has set already, and the sky is dark. It reminded me of the time when the nine tails attacked the village, but Kiyoko won’t let it out. She’s strong, she won’t let the beast out.

I go to a cave, its the place Kushina gave birth to Naruto. It was confidential, but I was given that information because I guarded Kushina while she was pregnant. The fourth hokage wanted me to be his right hand man, but I failed him. I won’t fail Kiyoko. I see ANBU black ops standing at the mouth of the cave, they let me pass, I was one of them long ago. I hear heavy breathing when I get closer to the back of the cave. I see Kiyoko resting on a table, chains keep her in place. The way she struggles and muffles her screams makes it painful to watch. She was in pain, though her eyes were squeezed shut, tears leaked through her lashes. Sweat dampened her forehead.

“It looks the internal bleeding has stopped, but I don’t know why she is going through this. “ Lady Tsunade stands at Kiyoko’s side. I don’t have a clue either. I hate feeling helpless as she screams in pain in front of me. Kiyoko gasps and her eyes open, they are wide, and empty. Is like she can’t see anything. Her chakra shifts, and black symbols begin to overtake her body. The marks that the Moon Village left her with. We thought they disappeared, but it looked like they are still effective. Kiyoko lets out a bloodcurdling scream. Her body desperately tries to break the chains that confined her. The markings became thicker and soon covered every inch in her body.

“We have to do something. We don’t know how those symbols will affect her.” I tell Lady Tsunade.

“We don’t know how to stop it.”

Kiyoko stops moving and closes her eyes. It looks like she has fallen into a deep slumber. The rising and falling of her chest tells us she is still alive.

“Has she been using excessive amount of chakra?” Lady Tsunade continues, “There are sealing jutsus that react to chakra.”

“Yes, she trained on her own all night long last night.” I move closer to across from Kiyoko. Her tears still spilled, they ran down the side of her face, pooling in her ear.

“I believe the jutsu they used on her would be like that. If Kiyoko would try to use the beast’s chakra against them, this jutsu would prevent her from doing so.” Lady Tsunade explains. They really planned this out. Kiyoko began to cough again, the blood spurted out of her mouth, it stained her yellow qipao.

“It explains why the markings have overtaken her body, but why is she coughing blood?” I asked her in defense.

“I don’t know. I’m trying to figure that out.”

“Could it be possible that the beast inside her is trying to escape, and is physically hurting her from the inside.”

Kiyoko’s POV

It was dark, and all I felt was coldness of the empty space. I don’t know where I am, one minute I’m standing in front of the monkey mask, that looked more like a demented dog, and then I’m here. Am I in a genjutsu? I try to release, but it sends painful shock waves to my head. I see a few figures not too far from me. I run towards them and they soon come into view. I see my seven year old body laying on the ground, and little kids surround me, Eri is one of them in the crowd. I try to stop them from hurting me, I know they will, I lived through this experience before. It’s a memory. I watch helplessly as the girls pull my hair, and the boys spit at my face. I feel everything I felt that day, every hair pull, every slap, and every kick.

How can I get out of here?

The memory disappears,and is replaced with another one. I see my father, crying over someone’s dead body. It moves and I feel my body go cold. It’s mother. This is one of the first memories I have, but I don’t remember it at all. My father’s tears soak her bloody clothes.

“Get it away from me.” My father screams, and the next thing I hear is a baby cry. I see myself minutes old. I watch as my baby hands extend to the sky, my fingers gripping the air. My newborn hands full of blood. I feel my heart stop, the first life I took was my mother’s.

“That monster! I don’t want to see it!” My father flairs his arm at the person who was holding me at the time. The tears on my infant face don’t stop. Minutes old and I already knew what it meant to be hated, to be alone, and the feeling of not being love. I felt a pain in my chest, it wasn’t because they were hurting me in the memory, it was because I saw this. I felt my chest get heavy and it felt like it was going to collapse. I watched the death of my mother.
That memory disappears like the other one. I’m afraid of what recollection I have hidden somewhere in my brain. Images of blood, and dead people start flashing into my mind, I remember all of their faces, they are the ones I killed. The children at the orphanage, the Moon ninjas, my mother.

“I hate you. I hate what you did to me. I was supposed to live a long life. A happy one, but you cut it short!” The images stop and in front of me is my mom. She looks like she stepped out of the photograph I have of her. She wasn’t smiling now, and her eyes were full of hatred, and anger. Her eyes were exactly like the villagers back in the Mon Village. So she does hate me, my father was right.

“I’m sorry,” I try to step away from her, but she only got closer. The closer she got the painfuller it got. She was causing this horrible headache.

“Sorry, won’t bring me back to life! I’m dead!” My mother laughs, but I don’t find it funny. This was getting worse every second. I see blood drip from her eyes, she was crying, and her tears were crimson.

“I see everything you do, everything you feel. I’ve seen that you’ve tried to change the way your life is going. You will always be the beast, nothing will change that. No matter how many good deeds you do, you can’t change your destiny. You want to protect, but you couldn’t protect the one friend you had.” My mother’s black eyes stare with bad intentions. I’ve never seen her like this. In the rare occasion, I would dream of her. I dreamed that she would do all the things other mothers would do. Pack my lunch, make dinner, help me with my hair, and love me, but looking at her now she was nothing like this.

“You remember the friend you promised to protect.”

Everything I tried to forget came rushing back into my mind.

“No,no,no, don’t say it. I don’t want to remember her name, I don’t want to remember anything that happened.” I put my hands over my ears, trying to block her voice from reaching my mind. If I don’t hear her name then I won’t feel the guilt I have managed to put on the back burner. The name of my only friend reaches me, and I feel all of the memories of that day come flooding back.

“Suzu Kagome,” She whispers. The memory of that day materializes in front of me. I try to turn away and close my eyes, but my body no longer belonged to me. I was forced to see the most painful experience I’ve been through once again.

Kiyoko- twelve years old

I don’t know how long I’ve been in this cave. The war keeps me restricted here, I am in need for supplies, food and water. I sit in the darkness, it reminds me of time I was stuck in the well, but this time the ground above me shook. Paper bombs loosened the earth and rained on me. I stayed as far away from the entrance that I hid with large leaves. I couldn’t leave and find another shelter, it was too risky. The fighting was not too far from here, I could smell the blood from here.

Why are they fighting? what caused this war, that took so many lives. I’m clueless to the reason why, but I’m not part of it. I don’t want to be part of killing people, even if I already have a few deaths on my hand. It get colder everyday, and I don’t have anything to warm my young bones.

I hear the leaves at the entrance rustle and footsteps echo, approaching slowly. I grab the makeshift kunai I have made from a sharp rock and a thick stick. The shadow comes closer, holding a weapon in her hand. She hold a lit fire in her other hand. She notices me and relaxes just a bit, but I don’t trust anyone. She looks the same age as me, and she has short brown hair, her eyes are black, and her clothing is stained with blood. She wears a forehead protector with the insignia of the Stone Village. Her dark complexion glowed as she examines me.

“Are you an enemy or a war orphan?”

I shrug, I’m not an enemy or a war orphan. I don’t know how to answer her question.

“Neither. Its just too dangerous to go anywhere else. Who are you?” I interrogate the intruder.

“I’m a ninja tired of the useless fighting. Especially when they force children to go to the front lines of the war. I mean look at the position I am in. The Kage’s are too stubborn to make peace,” She extends her arms, and sits before me, making herself at home.

“So why is there a war?”

She laughs, “I’m sent to war to fight, but I do not know the reason we fight. I am too young to understand, they told me, but I’m old enough to fight!”

“What is your name?” She asks me, and smiles at me. At times like these I don’t know how she manages to smile and befriend me. She’s something else.

“Kiyoko.”

“My name is Suzu.”

“How can you be so easygoing?” I scoot just a little farther away from her. The way she nonchalantly talks, made me suspicious. She smiles at the small fire she had brought.

“In war you never know when you’ll be killed. For all I know I may die tomorrow, why must I live what may be the last hours of my life in fear.” Suzu lays down on her back staring at the dark ceiling. There was something strange about her, I couldn’t put my finger on it.

“There is a lot about you that you’re not telling me, isn’t there. I have a knack for reading people.”

“Your not to open yourself.”

She turns to face me, she begins to tell me her life story. She whispers her favorite books to me, and tells me all about her family. Suzu tells me about the pets she has back home, and about what she felt about the war. She even told me about her love life, which was nonexistent like mine. She wasn’t afraid of anything, it seemed like she had everything under control. I keep my life story to myself I just couldn’t find the courage in me to tell her the truth. I don’t know how much time we spent in the dark cave, but Suzu managed to make me laugh at some point, it felt nice to feel my chest rumble. She told me a story about her older brother and how he ran half naked all over the village chasing a dog for taking his clothes. Turned out the dog needed something to keep her pups warm. Her brother let the dog keep his clothes.

“What is your dream?” Suzu asks me.

“I want to protect people someday, become important to someone, and have a reason to exist. For as long as I remember all I wanted to be was a skilled ninja, but I don’t have a sensei to teach me things so I don’t think I’ll ever be able to do that,” I tell her, she hums in thought. Her white teeth shine in the darkness.

“How about this, after the war I’ll help you become a skilled ninja, all you have to do is protect me from harm. Then we can complete your dream, you’ll be protecting me and I’ll make you into a skilled ninja.”

We shake hands in agreement.

“Its a promise,” I smile. With this in mind all I wanted was the war to be over soon. There has to be a stop to this war or I’m going to go insane inside this pitch black cavern. We stay in the cave for two days before we completely run out of water. The dangerous task of going outside and getting water from the river was a daunting task, but I managed to do it alone before, Suzu will make it easier. The river flowed about two hundred yards to our left. During our run a lot of things can go wrong, but I’ll be there to protect Suzu just like I promised. I tell her the plan, we stick together, and watch each other’s back, it was that straight forward. We move the foliage that covered the entrance and adjust to the sunlight. I take in my surroundings and notice there are a lot more bodies littering the ground than the last time I came out. Suzu gives me the signal to follow her lead. She runs in front of me and takes the easiest route to the river, I carry the water jug.

We make it there without confrontation. I bend to fill the water jug, when I hear the clinking of metal striking. I jump to see three men standing in front of us, Suzu blocked with her kunai. They all had the Mist insignia on their forehead protector. They looked beat up from a previous battle. No one moves, but I get closer to Suzu, I promised I would protect her.

“Stay back, they look worn down, I think I can take them,” Suzu whispers into my ears. How could she take them on? They must be skilled ninja, while we are just kids.

“I was going to be promoted to Jounin before the war, so have some faith,” Suzu says like she read my hesitation. I gulp and stand back, I hated this. I was supposed to be protecting her, not the other way. I held the kunai Suzu gave me before we left the cave, she moves her hands to seal a jutsu, the rock shifts underneath us and the three men jump to dodge her attack. It looks like her chakra nature is earth, I never learned what mine is. She was skilled for her age, she dodged all the shurikens and kunai they threw at her. I stared in awe as I see her land a blow on one of the foes.

Everything looked like it was going to work out, but one of the enemy had done a substitution jutsu, Suzu was taken back, I thought she had the guy too. One of the men use water chakra nature and washes her away. I start leaning to getting involved, it looked like she needs it. Suzu sits in the water, I hear is before I see it. I see the lightening stream running up the water, and then I hear Suzu scream. The third man sends a kunai flying her way, I run to get to her, but it was too late, the kunai hits her chest and Suzu’s body goes limp. I run to her, she promised to help me get stronger, she couldn't be dead. I look for a pulse but her body was beginning to get cold. I failed.

"Weren't you supposed to protect her little Kiyoko?" The beast in me says. "You are a failure! You will never protect people dear to you, they will all die anyways,” He laughs at me. I close her eyes, and I pull the kunai out of her chest. Rage blinds me and the beast in me runs wild, I blank out.

Kiyoko-present

I watch my the kid me running wild and killing the three men savagely. I never see myself kill the people that I have murdered but this memory shows me all. I watch myself gain incredible speed, and I hear myself myself snarl. After I kill the first man, my tears begin to block the view of the memory screen, I’m grateful. It ends with the my childish self screaming when I get my mind and body back. It vanishes, and my mother is sitting happily on the other side. Her brown hair spills hazardly behind her.

“Do you realize now that you will never be able to protect people you care for? You will kill them yourself.” Her voice is softer, but there is no love in it. I gain control of my body and let myself fall to my knees.

“Why are you doing this?”

“You deserve it, don’t you? You live, and yet you took the lives of countless innocent people. They had their lives planned ahead of them, but you snatched it from their reach. This is your punishment.” I look up to see that my mother is gone and is replaced with the current me. I stand, and look into the reflection that stood in front of me. Was this my guilty conscious?

“Admit it, you deserve this, at the very least.” My clone reaches to stroke my hair. I stare at the the emptiness in my clone’s eyes. I see nothing in them. I swallow my tears, and nod. I deserve this, I killed humans, and I expected to live on with no worries. Their ghosts still haunt me. This is why I am sent here, to think about them, to accept my punishment for ending their lives. My clone gives me a desolate smile. She fades away, and the darkness of the empty space I was trapped in ripples into color. Its still dark, and shadows dance on the ceiling. I try to sit up, but the chains keep me down. Why am I chained down? I see Lady Tsunade not far to my right and Kakashi to my right, both of them on guard. In front of me the light shines through an opening. It looks like I’m in a cave. I was in a cave once before, with Suzu, but she is dead. I saw it happen twice.

“Get me out of here.” I plead, I can’t stand being here, it reminds me of the painful day, I broke a promise to the only friend I ever had.

“Take your time, we need to make sure you are okay,” Kakashi says besides me, he doesn’t understand. Lady Tsunade takes the liberty to check if the seal inside me is still intact, it is, I know it for a fact. I need to get out of here. It feels like the ceiling is getting closer and the walls are closing in on me.

“Take a deep breath. We need to check some things before we let you go,” Lady Tsunade says something but I don’t listen. I feel the sweat stick my clothes to my skin, and I taste blood in my mouth.

“I feel fine, I have to get out of here, now. I can’t stand to be in small and closed areas.” I explain, she finally understands, and tells a few men to let me loose. The chains fall to the ground with a thud, and I carefully sit up. Eri stands at the entrance, holding my forehead protector. The sight of it makes me feel ashamed. I wasn’t going to become a jounin, I couldn’t even protect one friend.

I couldn't look at myself in the mirror anymore. It reminded me of everything I went through a couple days ago. Lady Tsunade insisted on doing some research on the jutsu. I didn’t pay much attention because every time I had time to think my mind would wander to Suzu and to the words my mother said. I couldn’t think straight, couldn’t sleep at night, I couldn’t get up in the morning, I couldn’t eat, I just layed in my room and let the days go by. Eri came by on the day after the incident, she tried to give me the head protector, but I slapped it away from her hand. I’ll never touch that thing again. I’ll never use the weapons that my pouch holds. I didn’t deserve the trust of others, the trust that I would protect them. Suzu’s bloody face flashes into my head, I close my eyes and try to make it go away. Those memories still lingered. The face of my father as he shunned me. The face of my dead mother. Her haunting smile.

The sun began to illuminate my dark room, the sun rose again, how many times has it been, six sun rises and five sunsets. I’ve seen them all from the comfort of my small bedroom. I hear footsteps, I knew they would come. It would be Kakshi asking if I needed anything, and later it would be Shizune checking up on my for Lady Tsunade. She was the only person who dared to enter my room. I rose my hand and held it against the dull light, it was still there. The blood dripped and stained the floor, I no longer cried like I used to, it was always there. It smelled like copper and I grew to breath the odor in like I would breathe in oxygen.

The footsteps came to a halt in front of my door, Kakashi picked up the tray of untouched food from yesterday. My stomach still revolted to think about eating, the thought of food reminded me of the orphanage. I killed all of the war orphans, how could I live with the lives of children on my shoulders? I have been, but I just realize the heavy burden. There was a knock at my door, I knew it was coming. I expected Kakashi to tell me the usual, but I heard Sakura’s voice instead.

“Kiyoko, I’m coming in.”

Before I could refuse, she slides my door open and closes it behind her, Kakashi’s face is just visible before the door blocks the view. I didn’t want to see anyone right now, I couldn’t. Sakura sat in front of me, and I forced my body to lean on the wall. She looked the same as always, but her eyes were dimmer.

“I’m worried about you Kiyoko, We all are. Believe it or not, even Lady Tsunade is worried about you too. Tell me what is on your mind.”

Her pleads are useless, I couldn’t tell her what I have done. She would hate me, and I can’t live through those hatred stares again. She touches my hand, and I flinch away. Sakura is still a pure girl, she hasn’t been sullied with blood.

“Tell me Sakura, have you killed anyone?”

She jumps in confusion.

“No, I haven’t.” She looks down at her hands and then at mine, can she see the blood on my hand like I can see it?

“You can’t understand me no matter how much I tell you. Go, and come back when you’ve killed a friend.” I tell her. She stares widely at me, her eyes full of shock. I didn’t kill Suzu but I might as well have. Her life was in my hands and I might as well stabbed her with a kunai. Sakura swallows and slowly rises from her kneeling position. She shuffles to the door and I watch as she turns back. It looks like she wants to say something, but she left as quickly as she came. I let my body slide to the floor and stared at the closed door. Will she ever come back? No my mind told me, she wasn’t coming back anytime soon. There is part of me that tells me to get up and follow her and tell her everything I feel, but other part of me tells me its better to let her go. Its better to not have friends, then I don’t have to worry about feeling that type of pain again.

The sun was high in the sky and no one came by, I’ve chased Sakura away, Lady Tsunade was busy, Kakashi is probably done waiting for me to come out, and I know I make Shizune nervous. It was me, myself, and I, and not to forget the beast. He hasn’t spoken to me since the night I stormed from the hospital. It felt like it happened so long ago but it happened last week, time slowed when you are alone, I know with plenty of experience. My black hair felt stiff, how long has it been since I’ve showered? How long has it been since I’ve changed clothes?

“You do stink.” The beast in me comments, something in the voice made it sound like he was trying to cheer me up, but we both know he’d never do that.

“You can’t even smell me, so get lost.” I tell him, he laughs. Its annoying, he always laughs at the most not funny things. His sense of humor is messed up, but then again I’m a little messed up too.

“You’ve been lonely. I can feel it, I came here to keep you company, at the very least you can welcome me.”

“You’ll never be welcomed.”

“We’ll at least we share that much in common.” The beast smirks, he was beginning to irritate me, and using the little nerve I still had. I use the mental cages and shrink them, that’ll keep him quiet for a while. He was right though, I’m not welcomed, but I was somehow welcomed here, wasn’t I? Welcome doesn’t mean friends, or trust, it certainly doesn’t mean I’ll start a new life here.

It was the evening when someone knocks on my door again. I groan, today I’ve had one too many visitors. I was staring at the bird nest in a tree through the window, the door opened, I didn’t make an effort to turn and see who it was.

“Its a beautiful day.” Kakashi says. I turn around he hand his hands in his pockets, and leaned at my door way. I haven’t seen him in a couple days, it was silly since he lived here and his bedroom was right next door. He looked refreshed, so he’s fully recovered now, that’s good for him. He closes the door behind me and stands in front of the window, blocking my view of the birds. He looked outside instead, “Sakura came by earlier, she didn’t seem too happy when she left.”

In other words she told you what I told her. She always confines and trusts her elders. She had them in her life, I wished I had them when I was younger, maybe I wouldn’t have turned out like I did. I stare at my hands, the crimson liquid spread to my fore arm now. It was growing, with every person I killed.

“Yes, I have,” He asks. I was going to ask if he ever killed a friend, but it was if he read my mind. “Sakura is too young, but me on the other hand I have killed a friend, a couple to be honest. They were my former teammates.”

He knows what its like. To live with guilt, did he ever imagined he had bloody hands, I didn’t imagine, I did have bloody hands.

“It was during the war, I had just been promoted to a jounin. Our sensei assigned us to a mission, and I was the leader. It was my first mission as a jounin. I was someone who always believed in following the rules, and completing missions. If you followed them you’d become a successful ninja,” He says to the sky. He closes the window, and exists my bedroom, and shortly returns. He has picture frames in his hand, and he sits close enough to show me them.

“I led Obito Uchiha, and Rin Nohara.” He pointed at the boy with the goggles, and a petite girl in the middle. She was smiling brightly as Kakashi and Obito frowned. The older man in the picture must be their Sensei. He looked a lot like Naruto.

“We faced trouble immediately after Minato-sensei parted ways with us. Mist ninja attacked us, and kidnapped Rin. I was set on completing our mission, it was just the type of boy I was, but Obito couldn’t let Rin be taken away. You see, Obito loved Rin, he never admit it, but I saw through it. He and I never got along, he was always running late, and he was never good at a lot of things, he hasn’t even awaken his Sharingan yet.” I saw him smile at the distant memory he was thinking of. It sounded like they weren’t friends, but he still cared for him. Kakashi continued.

“We argued and before he went on his own, he said 'Those that break the rules and regulations are scum. But those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum. If I'm going to be called scum either way, I'd rather break the rules! And if that's not being a proper shinobi, then I'll destroy that idea!' He was so sure that friendship and saving your loves ones was the better than completing a mission. I just stared at his back as he walked away from, me. I was so furious that he didn't obey my orders. I thought I didn't need him, and I thought I could do the mission on my own. I was alone with my thoughts and I realized that I would be heartbroken if anything happened to them, they were the closest thing I had to friends. I found my way back to him, just in time. That was the first time Obito every taught me anything. It was the greatest lesson I have learned so far." Kakashi sets the pictures in my lap. Making me see the friend he had made. There was more to the story so I patiently waited for him to continue.

“We were facing a tricky enemy. One of the Mist Ninja could make it’s body transparent, there wasn’t a clear way to tell where he was. We covered each other’s back, but he got me. I dodged in time to be seriously injured. He scratched me eye with his kunai, its the reason I have this scar now. Obito jumped in front of me, ready to fight. And to my surprise he stabbed the enemy in the stomach. He was able to awaken his Sharingan, and see where the enemy was. It was a gift that saved both of our lives. We got to Rin, inside a cave. There was one ninja there, trying to get information out of her. We pushed him out of the cave, and we were going to go outside. I thought we were safe and we were all going to get home. It wasn’t until the cave began to cave in, one of the enemy ninja used earth jutsu to bury us in. A rock knocked me to my feet, I watched as the rock above me was going to crush me. I thought I was a dead boy.” He stared at Obito in the frame, he looked at him with so much admiration.

“Obito grabbed me and pushed me out of the way. The next time I open my eyes, I see RIn besides me, and Obito underneath the large bolder. I tried and I pushed, thinking of all the ways I could get him out there. We finally became friends, I couldn’t let him die. He told me he couldn’t feel anything anymore. He knew it was over for him. Obito gave me this eye, as a gift.” Kakashi lifts his head protector, I finally see the Sharingan he posses. So that is where he got the Sharingan without being part of an Uchiha.

“I felt so unworthy of being a captain, and a jounin. Obito smiled in his last moments. The last words he told me were ‘ Kakashi I leave Rin to you’ I vowed to protect Rin for Obito, he loved her. I tried, but I failed at that too.” Kakashi looked lost in thought.

“What happened to her?” I bravely asked. He sighs and continues the long story.

“Shortly after, Rin was forced to be the Jinchuuriki of the three tails. The Mist ninja wanted to control her and use the beasts power to win the war. She kept on telling me to kill her, that she would rather die than harm the village. I was convinced that the village would be able to help her, I couldn’t let Rin die after promising Obito I would protect her. The Mist were persistent and attacked us with numbers, we were completely surrounded. I still remember the fear I felt back then. I used my Chidori to take an enemy down, but Rin jumped between us. I was going to fast to stop my movements, and I pierced her heart. I looked into her eyes, and she smiled before she said my name. I killed her, I did everything in my power to keep her alive and she died by my hand. I’ve never felt so low.” He stares at his hands, like I do.

“I’m telling you this because I know what its like. I know what it is like to wake up in the middle of the night and see the blood running down my fingers. I thought the holes in my heart were never going to filled again, but I had my sensei, and I met comrades I could trust. Then I became a sensei myself, Naruto, Sakura, even Sasuke filled in gaps. You need to let people fill the holes too.”

“But how can you be so certain that something like that won’t happen again. I don’t want to feel like this anymore,” I exclaim. How can he just put that behind him, like it never happened. I want to know what he did to forget.

“Its not certain that it’ll never happen again, but I’m a different person now. I know you’ve changed too. If you haven’t you would be long gone by now.” Kakashi takes the pictures back to his room and doesn’t return. I’m left with confusion, I don’t know if I should trust his words. My head told me no, but my heart said yes. I was at war with myself. My mind reminded me of all of the things I’ve done, it told me I should not care for others, that all it will bring me is misery, but my heart said otherwise. It was telling me to have some faith, to trust again, and to believe in myself. It told me I was capable of protecting, I was worth being protected. It yelled I am wanted here.

For the first time in days I get up from the floor, I grab hold of the wall, my legs strained to keep me up. Gravity felt heavier up here. I slid my hand along the wall, the blood didn’t smear, it was no longer there. I smelled the faintest odor of copper lingering in the still air. I stand there, the wall supporting me, for a couple of minutes, letting my body adjust to moving again. What would Suzu think of me? What would she do if she was in my position?

“She would probably follow her heart.” My mind spoke to me, weren’t you just telling me to listen to my brain, not my heart? I am the most contradicting person I’ve ever met. Would you Suzu, would you move forward and help me get to my goal? Get me to become a jounin. I wouldn’t know, you’re not here anymore, you couldn’t possibly answer that question. I slowly walk to the door, sliding it open, the hallway was lit dimly, I expected something to change while I was cooped up, but everything looked exactly the same. Well almost, the food tray was right in front of me, I feel my stomach roar in joy. Its been some time since I’ve felt this hungry. My dry hands reach for the sandwich, and water. The rice was dry, Kakashi must have cooked it. I licked it clean in minutes, and I felt noticeably stronger. No one was home, and I make my way to the bathroom.

There was a mirror in there, as much as I would like to avoid it, I had to clean myself up, I don’t know how anyone was able to withstand being in the same room as me. I kept my back to the mirror as I undressed, the cold air nipping at my exposed skin. The hot water didn’t produce enough steam to shield me from my own face. I stared at my face, my skin was pale, and lacked color, my green eyes were somber, they were like mother’s. I close my eyes, no, I wasn’t going back there. I’ll promise myself, I’ll keep moving forward. I’ll keep moving forward. I’ll do it for Naruto, for Sakura, for Lady Tsunade, for Kakashi, and for myself. Kakashi was able to pull himself out of it, I’ll do the same.

I slip into the bathtub, the hot water burning away all the dust I’ve collected. My hair sticks to my neck. I get out of the bathtub when I notice my fingers getting pruny. My forehead protector was nicely folded on the dresser. Has it always been there? I gulp, can I do it? Start over, and make a life I’ll be proud of. I take it in my hand, the cloth the is smooth in my clammy palms. If i tie it around my head now, there is no turning back. I won’t let anyone stand in my way, its a promise to myself. An oath to not let myself give up on me. I’ll do it, with the help of others. I’ll put faith in my heart and trust again, for the last time, I’ll gamble on it, I just hope I didn’t make a mistake in moving forward.

I tie the forehead protector where it belongs, it feels so right on my forehead. Its a new beginning to beginnings.

My shaky hands opened the top drawer of my dresser. I kept all of my small things there,I kept the photo of my mother there, on the side. I reach for it and I look at her. Before her soul haunted me I never thought of destroying it but now I know the truth behind her feelings. She hates me, she made that clear. Why keep something that will only bring pain? I shouldn't have this, and so I pinch the top of the photo and I begin to tear, I keep tearing until I couldn't put it back together. I didn't notice I was holding my breath until I take a deep breath, it was over. The false love I gave myself had always been a lie, and now I've finally see what is important. That's protecting those who live in the village, I'll protect them and make Suzu proud. She'll be proud of what I have become. I get some fruit from the counter and I lock the apartment behind me, I’ve lost six days of training, I have to make up for it as soon as possible.

I step into the dim streets and make my way to the training field. I haven’t been outside for about a week and the village somehow looks more lively. The kids looked like grasshoppers, jumping from one wall to the other. Lanterns lit the some of the shops, it was getting closer to new year. It was quiet when I get to the open field, but that the way I prefer to train. The pouch is secured around my waist. Te kunai feels nice and cold against my warm flesh. I can do this. I breath out and concentrate my chakra in the weapon. I throw it to the wood logs that were beaten up from the last time I came here. It goes right through the log, on the first try.

“I had a feeling you would be here,” Kakashi says from behind a tree. Does he always have to be so secretive? He retreives the kunai the landed to his right, and walks to me. When he is ten feet from me, he shifts the blade, he was ready for an attack. A smile slides onto my face, I’ll get a blow on him this time. I seal my hands for the shadow clone jutsu, and make three of them. Four to one is a good match, not too little. Two of my shadow clones go for a frontal attack, while I take a deep breath and concentrate on my chakra control. The blade in my hand feels lighter as the chakra wraps around it. My other shadow clone covers me as I charge at him.

He was too occupied in my other two clones to notice the kunai in my hand. I throw it, but he reacts in time to block it with the kuai he held. This time my chakra chips the metal from his blade and slides across his cheek, leaving a scratch. I got him, just a bit. Better than last time.

“Yes! I finally got you.” I jump in joy, but the poofing sound interrupts me. Kakashi vanishes in front of me.

“Not quite,” I hear Kakashi say from behind me. I turn around, and see him standing, with his hands in his pockets and a sly smile on his face. When did he make a shadow clone?

“Oh come on.”

“Don’t be too hard on yourself, if it was anyone else you would have gotten them, but it wasn’t. Your quick on your feet, and your chakra control is better. Considering your lack of training.” Kakashi grabs the chipped kunai, and examines it. He throws it back on the ground.

“Still up for a little late night training?” He asks. I was hoping he would say that. It will be a tiring training, but I couldn’t ask for a better distraction. Kakashi attacks first this time.

It was past midnight when we call it quits, well Kakashi called it a night. I was still roaring, but Kakashi looked beat. His shoulder slouched.

“How can you still have energy left?” He sighs as he walks besides me, he was dragging his feet a bit. I laughed quietly, trying not to offend him.

“Remember I have more chakra than anyone ever, i think.” I remember Itachi saying something like that, or was it Lady Tsunade? He takes it as a sufficient answer and doesn’t complain anymore. I need to get some food in my system quickly. My mouth waters at the thought of the dumplings Eri left the other day. They were frozen and wrapped, waiting for me. We quietly entered the apartment, trying not to disturb the neighbors.

I make a bee line to the kitchen, popping the dumplings into a hot pan. Thier odor over takes the room, making it harder to resist them.

"Glad to see you have your apitite back." Kakashi sits at the table.

"I didn't notice I was so hungry," I tell him. I slide the hot dumplings on to a plate.

"Thank you for today," I tell him, if he hadn't told me about Obito, and Rin, I think I would still be holed up in my bedroom. He doesn't respond, and makes his way to his room. A question I"ve been dying to ask is finally spoken.

"What happened to your sensei?" He turns his head to my direction, his eyes look at the ground, it takes him a while to answer.

"He sacrificed himself for the safety of the village." His answer only made me more curious, but I've already asked too many personal questions today. I let him go, and I ate my dumplings. They are so delicious, I need Eri to teach me how to make them. I'll go visit her tomorrow, to thank her for all she's done so far.

I eat alone, and listen the silent night. The meows of cats interrupt the stillness, and the buzzing of the lightbulb in the streets made the night seem a little less lonely. I go back to my room, and stare at the dark bird nest in the tree, I lean out the window to get a better look. Their chirping making it impossible to ignore, it wasn't day, so why are they singing? As I come closer I see a round figure making its way to the nest, a cat. It was going to eat them, I tried to shoo it away but I wasn't quiet close enough. I didn't want them to be eaten by a fat cat.

I balance. Myself on the edge of my open window and jump to the tree branch closest to me. I climb to the branch and shoo the cat away, it hisses, but leaves. I smile as the birds stop chirping and begin sleeping. I should get to sleep to, it's past one in the morning. I slide into my warm bed, and I finally get a nightmare less sleep.

I kept my eye on the birds for weeks, not letting anything harm them, I don't know why I was so protective of them? The cat was the predator and the birds were the prey. The chicks were defenseless, I want to protect the defenseless. I open the front door this evening to find Eri smiling, I notice she was getting a little wide. You wouldn't know she was pregnant if she didn't tell you, there was barely a bump, but it was there. I invited her to try the dumplings I've made. It's a work in progress, but she happily agreed to be my guinea pig. Kakashi quit after eating the first trial, it was too spicy, but I've improved drastically in cooking, and in training. Though I can't get a hit on Kakashi yet, I am able to beat Sakura in a dual. She's gotten better as well.

"Let me have them." Eri says enthusiastically. I held them out her reach.

"We have to wait for Sakura, I've invited her too." The bell rung, and Sakura let herself in. She smiled when she entered the kitchen. She sits next to Eri and they wait patiently. I let them have the steamy dumplings, waiting for their judgements. I tried them before they got here, and I must say the they are the best ones yet. I hear their hum of approval, and I mentally pat myself on the back. I've finally done it.

"These are delicious Kiyoko." Eri takes her finally bite, and asks for another two. Sakura finishes her's, but instead of asking me for seconds, she asks a different question.

"Kiyoko are you enrolling for the upcoming chunin exams?"

What? I haven't heard anything about them coming so soon, how come no one has told me.

"No one has told me anything about it? When are they?" I ask, getting slightly annoyed at Kakashi for keeping this information from me.

"They are in a week. I'm joining Ino and Choji's team. If you're planning on joining you should join Hinata's team, Shino won't be participating this time." I make a mental note to ask her about it. After they left I make my way to Lady Tsunade's office for an application, and an explanation as to why no one told me. I'm too angry to knock, so I just open the door. I see Kakashi standing in front of her, perfect I needed to tell him as well. He knew what my dream was, I want to be a jounin, but I have to become a chunin first. He knows that, so why wouldn't he say anything about the exams coming up so quickly.

"Kiyoko, the person we needed. Come in, but you already are so close the door behind you," Lady Tsunade gestures her hand to the door behind me. I close it, and walk towards her.

"The chunin exams are coming up, why didn't anyone tell me," I made it clear that I was not amused with the sudden lack of trust, or information.

"We were going to tell you, but we had to do some background check for every person who enrolled, before we could let you go. " Kakashi tells me.

"I don't understand," I say.

"We had to make sure there was no threat that could harm you, your a jinchuuriki that only a few know of. We had to make sure there was no one who could possibly know about your secret." Lady Tsunade explains. I felt ungrateful for bursting on them. They were only looking out for me, and here I was getting angry at them.

"Thank you, so will I be able to enter?" Hoping they will say yes.

"Yes," Kakashi smiles. A smile grows on my face, I let out a small quiet squeal. I was getting closer to becoming a jounin.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you." I tell them, a week from today I'll be on my way. I'll have to train harder, I have to be ready for everything and anything.

"I have an understanding that I must join a team."

"That's right, because Shino is not participating this time, I'll put you with Hinata's and Kiba." Lady Tsunade writes something down on the paper in front of her. Sakura was right, I will be in their team, I hardly know anything about those two, I'll have to get to know them before the exams.

"There is a written part, then a team challenge, and then an individual dual."

Written? I have to study, I don't remember much of the things from the academy. I better start tonight. I'll ask Sakura how it was last time they took the written test, that would help me tremendously.

"I must go, but thank you," I excused myself and quickly walked to the streets. I must find Hinata or Kiba. I didn't know where they lived so this was going to be difficult. I walked for a few minutes, turning right, and then left. But after an hour of searching, I still haven't seen them. I didn't see them but I do see Kurenai walking away from me, I run to catch up to her.

"Kurenai!" I yell. She stops and turns towards me. She smiles, I'm glad we know each other.

"Hey Kiyoko, what do you need?"

"I need a favor. Do you know where Kiba or Hinata are? I am assigned to be the third member of the team for the chunin exams. I want to train with them so I can get comfortable with their fighting style," I tell her. She nods in approval.

"I just saw Hinata on her way to the tea shop, she was meeting Kiba and Neji there. I'm sure they are still there." She points the direction the tea shop was.

"Thank you," I say as I practically run there. The tea restaurant was small and quiet, older men and women filled the tables. I see kiba's dog waiting outside, Akamaru. Neji, Hinata and Kiba are the only young ones there. I slip my sandals off and walk to their table.

"Hey guys," I say, I feel somewhat nervous, but I don't know why. I,ve met them before but we are not as close as I am with Sakura, Sai and Kakashi. I just need to warm myself up to them.

"Oh, Kiyoko. Hello, would you like to join us," Hinata motions me to the empty mat inform of her, and beside Kiba. I sit, and poor myself some tea from the kettle. It smelled sweet and fruity.

"I found out I'm your new team member," I tell her.

"Really that is great!"

"We need to train to get comfortable to one another, I won't lose this time, so you better not be dead weight," Kiba remarks.

"Kiba! That,s so rude! I'm sure she is a great ninja." Hinata sends a stare to Kiba, but her expressions are too kind. She is a soft and small spoken person. She's too kind. I admire that, she might get hurt easily, but that doesn't stop her.

"Show some respect to your elders," Neji says as he sips his tea. Neji and Hinata's eyes are the same, they must be the bayakugan, that Sakura has told me about. They can see the chakra point and flow of a person. It's a powerful tool. Kiba on the other hand has a dog for a partner, they are considered one, and use attacks that involve dual jutsus. They are great ninja's i dont think we will fail. Not with this team. But then there is me. I know how to use shadow clones, and I can concentrate chakra into my shurikens and kunai, but I have no special abilities. If having excessive amount of chakra is considered special then I guess I have that. I don't have unique eyes and I don't have a partner that I combine jutsus with. I don't even have special jutsus to begin with, I may be dead weight after all. I have to get better to what I know then, I'll focus on my shadow clone usage.

"It's fine, I'll try my best. There is no way I'll fail, so when can we train?" I ask and taste the fruity tea. It is sweet and my taste buds beg for more, this was tasty. I sip some more, and wait for their answer.

"The day after tomorrow is fine with me." Kiba says, and shrugs his jacket on. He leaves money on the table before rising. "I'll be in the open field outside the east gate the day after tomorrow at ten in the morning," he says goodbye and l watch as he disappears.

"I'm fine with the day after tomorrow too," Hinata smiles. I picture her angry, but I can't imagine a frown on her face. I take a final sip of my tea, and leave the small amount of money I had on me. I'm sure it covers the tea I have drank.

"Thank you," I smile to Neji, and Hinata, and slip my sandals on. After having this taken off of my mind I can focus on training. I am too excited to return to the apartment so I make my way to the park. Though I am twenty four, I still played like a six year old. I guess it's because when I was six I would go to the local parka n watch others play. I goth swing, the feeling of the wind in my face makes me feel refreshed. I love going the highest I could go, and then jumping off, in those moments of freedom an falling, are exillerating. The park is full small children in this early evening, they were playing before their parents call them for dinner. I sat and waited for the swings to vacate. The wind blows strongly, my lose hair blocking my view and sending shivers down my spine.

I was getting cold, but I wanted to swing for a while. I'm sure thehildren would begin to leave in a few minutes. Slowly one by one the children left, leaving the park sad and alone. The crickets chirped, as the metal of the swing creaked under my weight. Is winged my legs and shifted my weight forward and back, gaining momentum with ever strive. The wind felt stronger every swing I took, and the higher I got. I kept on swinging until the sun began to set, I stopped and watched the sun hide behind the mountain, taking its light with it. The moon rose and provided the dim light that the sun left behind. It was a full moon. Back in the Moon village there would always be a small festival when the moon was full. There would be food booths, and games. My father never took me, instead I would watch from afar.

The Moon village was founded by a young couple. They discovered the island on a night like this one. The full moon shined down on the island, and guided the couple to land. They settled down there and began to develop the island. The village was hidden under the light of the moon, so that is where our name came from. Even though the light of the moon is much fainter than the sun's it still provides the push and pull of the waves, it is still important. I believe that no matter how small the deeds we do, they are still helpful.

The cold wind makes me hug myself for warmth. I walk back to the apartment, thinking of the warm bath that awaits me. On my way there I think of the training that lays ahead of me, I only have a week to improve myself, to show them I am worthy of becoming a chunin. I'll work hard with my teammates, it'll be a new challenge itself. I've never been part of a team, I don't know how to work with others. I train against Kakashi not with him. I improve my own skills, but teamwork involves the skill of the team as a whole, and I'm not too sure I will be good at it.

I open the apartment door and I am enveloped in warmth, my cold skin tingles. I should begin to carry my thin jacket. I see Kakashi reading in the living room, he looks up as I walk past him, but I make my way to my bedroom. I slide my door open, and the smell that attacks me makes me want to vomit. The copper smell of blood is strong, I bravely click the light on, afraid of what hides in the dark. I close my eyes not wanting to see, but I open my eyes. My room is untouched, but where is the smell coming from. My window is wide open, did I leave it open again? I walk tot eh window, and notice the source of the smell. I see the bloody bird on my window sill. It is decapitated, it's wing broken in several places. The blood was oozing down its body. It's blue feather turning purple. I don't know what came over me but I let out a yell. I spent weeks taking care of them, protecting them from the cat, but they still ended up dead. I freeze when I hear that menacing sound. The cat me owed, it's eyes glowed in the darkness. I looked at them, it was like the beast in me was looking at me. This was a bad omen.

The cat mocked me, it purposely put the dead bird on my window sill, and because it did that I wanted to kill it. I wanted the cat to suffer the same fate the birds did. I would have if Kakashi didn't come in running, he asked what was wrong but I didn't pay much attention. That damn cat, the birds were harmless, but they were still dead. I lunged toward the window, but Kakashi held my arm to keep me in place. I was getting out of control, getting easily distracted with the death of animals.

"Just calm down. I'll clean it up.” He lets go of me, making sure I wouldn’t kill the cat that purred in the tree. I was itching to grab its throat and watch the life slowly fade from its body. I shake that distasteful thought out of my head, this isn’t me. I give myself a hard pat on my cheek, trying to shake this awful feeling out of me. I breathe in, and out. I’m not a savage, I am not a monster, I won’t let the monster control me. I feel the anger fade, and sadness over takes instead. I’ve failed to protect a small bird, how do I know it won’t happen to a person I care about? No, i can’t think like that, I won’t go back to that dark place anymore.

I take the bloody bird in my hands before Kakashi returns. I’ve never been to a funeral, but I want the bird to rest in peace. I hope I don’t go to any actual funerals. I don’t want to see the sadness of others, it feels like I’m invading their privacy. I pass Kakashi in the hallway, cupping the blood from dripping to the floor.

“What are you doing?” He asks. I turn my head, and don’t bother to put on my sandals.

“I’m putting it to rest,” I tell him, he has the wet cloth in his hands, he doesn’t follow me. My bare feet walk upon the cold floor. The dirt sticking to the bottom of my feet. I walk to the grassy area not too far from the apartment, I find a place on the edge, along side a building. I lay the broken bird gently on the grass. I use my hands to dig a hole big enough for the bird. The wet blood made the dirt stick to my fingers. I lay it in the hole, trying to put the wings to a position that looked comfortable. With every scoop of dirt, the bird vanishes from my eyesight, it safely lays under the ground. It will no longer be in danger of hungry animals, it can rest in peace. I don’t find anything that will suffice as a marker, so instead I use the blood on my hands to mark the concrete wall at the head of the grave. I never named it, so I simply write the letter L and the letter B, for little bird. After I pat the ground, I walk back home.

I scrub the blood with hot water and soap, it glides off of my skin with ease, it was much easier that getting human blood off, and I don’t know why. Blood is blood after all. The smell flows down the drain with the crimson water. I dry my hands, and notice Kakashi is staring intently at me. My eyebrows come together.

“Yes?” I move over and let him clean the dirty rag. He holds the stained cloth under the running water.

“Its nothing. I was just making sure you were okay. I don’t want to see you go back to your bedroom and never come out again,” His gaze is not on me, he watches as the animal blood washes out of the white cloth. Something in me flutters at his words, my face feels a little warm.

“It won’t happen again. I’ve learned that the monster can’t control me. I will make my own decisions,” I tell him. He squeezes all the water out of the towel.

“Anyways my room is too small to do any training.” I try to lighten up the mood, I don’t like talking about things like this. They are too heavy and serious, and honestly I’ve had enough time to worry. I want to enjoy the life I am given now, not worry about something that happened in the past. I see him nod in agreement, I’m glad he believes me. We go to our respective bedrooms. I sigh as my tired body lands on the soft bed. I close the window, the glass separates the cat and me. I want nothing more than a dreamless night, but not everything goes my way.

I hear someone crying in my dream. I'm in a place I've never seen before. The waterfall behind me is loud and the grass around me is tall. The trees are thick and wide. It's was peaceful and perfect. If I imagined a quiet perfect place this would be it. Around the wasteful were flat rocks perfect for sitting, it was there that I saw a small figure sitting.

I walk closer, trying not to scare the small child. I can't see his face from this angle so I try to get in a better angle. I notice the boy wears orange goggles, he looks a lot like Obito. I crouch in front of him, I gently put my hand on his shoulder, well I try to put my hand in his shoulder but my hand slips through his body. He like a hologram. What can I do to stop him from crying a river.

"Obito." He keeps crying, filling the goggles with his salty tears. I see the waterfall grow stronger. I hear another child cry, I turn and see Rin sitting next to him, her hand in her face. Beside her Kakashi appears, he is crying too. What is happening? I tried to move their small bodies to higher ground but my hand goes right through their bodies. They'll drown if they stay here and cry. Bodies begin to appear in a long line, one after the other. They begin to form a circle around me. I stare and notice these are the people I have killed, but why are Rin, Obito, and Kakashi here too. I didn't kill them. Suzu's face is in the crowd of crying children.

The waterfall has grown and I searched for higher ground, my eye catches a person on the top of the waterfall. Who is that? Why are they not sitting with the rest of children? What makes her so special?

I climb the flat rocks, every step taking me higher and away from the weeping crowd. My lungs burned as the air got thinner and my arms cried in pain, telling me to stop and rest, but there is no place to rest. I grit my teeth as I pull myself over the edge. I catch my breath, thanking god I didn't fall to my death. My clothes are wet from the spray of water on the way up. I walk to the child. I stop when I see her long black hair flow in the wind. She wears a purple shirt and yellow pants, the same clothes I had when I ran away. Was she me?

I put my hands in her shoulder and this time I make physical contact. I turn to see her face, it assured me that I was definitely looking at my younger self. My ten year old body trembling with the wails that escaped my mouths. I was crying the most, my younger self was covered in blood. The body of young Kakashi, Rin, and Obito laid in front of me. I check for a pulse, but find none. They are down there crying because I did kill them.

My younger self was the one producing the most tears. I lead my small body away from their dead bodies. Little me curls on my lap, wiping the blood on my yellow shirt. Her body stops shaking, and her green eyes stare at my own. I never knew there was so much sadness inside my juvenile eyes at that time. She seeks for comfort in my own, but I don’t know how to comfort my past’s mind.

“Everything will be alright,” I whisper to myself. It will be alright, I think of the present, and I know I’ll be fine if I stay here in the Leaf village. I’ve created a home here. I want to tell my young clone everything, but she may be too young to feel hope, I remember losing it at that age. I feel her head shake her head against my chest, refusing to believe my words. I can’t make myself believe in myself, the irony. I watch as the water swells with more water falling. I can’t see the others anymore, they must be under the water.

“I don’t trust you.” My little voice says. I turn to look at her, she clutches my hands tightly.

“ You don’t trust your future self?” I challenge. She shakes her head. I didn’t trust myself back then, I was afraid of losing control, or hurting others.

“Well let me tell you, in the future you will be joyous and free.”

I see little me smile just a little. I’m not entirely free, not yet anyways, I’m still being restrained by hosting the beast in my body. Until he leaves me, I will be free.


She kneels in front of me, her eyes lighten just a bit. Little me begins to say something when something cuts her off. Her eyes are wide, and she leans on my knees. My young body falls in front of me, a kunai sticking in her back. I stare at the direction the attack came from, I pull the kunai from my small body, and stand on my shaky legs. The cat who murdered the birds gets closer to me, it threw the kunai? No it couldn’t. It speaks, and it uses my voice. I hear myself,
“You’re next.” The cat’s gray body moves closer, its yellow eyes staring at me. The fat cat grins, showing its pointy teeth, and lunges towards me. I see its claws come out, digging into the dirt, and accelerating quickly. I use the kunai to protect myself, I was going to die like the bird, wasn’t I?

I open my eyes from the horrible nightmare. Its too dark to see clearly,and the pitter patter of the rain is the only sound I hear. I didn’t notice the rain clouds earlier, it was unusual that it rained this time of year. I catch my breath, I wasn’t going to kill myself, I won’t kill Kakashi. No I couldn’t. I wipe the sweat off my forehead. My hands shake, the way the cat stared at me, the way it smiled, and the way it used my voice to speak. I’m next, next to do what? Die? Who would kill me?

I lay back in my bed, watching as the raindrops raced down my window. And soon enough the sound of rain rocks me to sleep.

When I open my eyes again, the sun has broken through the dark clouds, but the rain clouds still linger. I pull on a long sleeve dark blue shirt before my regular clothing. It was a bit colder than most days, the extra clothing will keep me warm. I make myself breakfast, waiting for Kakashi to get up, so we can head to the training grounds. Today it will be routine, but starting tomorrow I will have to train with Hinata and Kiba, oh and I can’t forget Akamaru.

I wash my dirty dishes. The running water reminds me of the waterfall. THey were my tears, they were everyone’s tears. It was such a confusing dream I don’t think there was any reason or purpose to it at all.

“ I think the dishes are clean enough,” Kakashi says from behind. I rush to turn it off, it is embarrassing how he can always find a way to sneak up on me. One of these days I’ll be the one to surprise him.

“Lets get going.” Kakashi leads the way as always, I walk besides him, jumping over puddles here and there. I keep looking behind me, making sure the gray cat isn’t following me. We arrive in minutes, my body tingles in anticipation of the upcoming training. I need to distract my mind from last night’s dream.

“Alright today I’m going to teach you something new. I know we only have a week to get the hang of it, but you’ll need something that will help the team. Its chakra nature. You do know what it is right?”

I nod, there are five. Water, fire, earth, wind, and lightning.

“Good I didn’t want to explain it, so today we are going to find out what nature you have.” He takes out a piece of paper from his jacket.

“To know what chakra nature you have, you’ll have to concentrate your chakra on the paper. If you have water chakra, then it will get soggy. If its fire, then it will burn. If it is earth you have, it will crumble away. Wind chakra will tear the paper, and lightning chakra will wrinkle it. I have lightning chakra so if I flow my chakra to the paper it will wrinkle. Like this.” Kakashi puts the paper between his fingers and holds it in front of him. It wrinkles right away.

He gives me a piece of paper, it was my turn now. I grab it, excitement gets the better of me. I put my palms over it, and send my chakra to the surface, I feel my hands get clammy, and press harder. I lift one of them noticing the paper is wet and plastered to my hand. I gulp, water, waterfall. I guess I should have seen this coming. I was hoping I had fire chakra, that would have been amazing, but I got the opposite, water. It provides life but it also a killer. I almost died in water, I can still feel the water rushing into my lungs as I tried to pull out of the water.

“Looks like your chakra nature is water.”

“How are you going to teach me water jutsus if you’re a lightning user?” I asked. He is a great teacher, but this wasn’t in his field.

“I know a few, but I know someone who has water chakra. Yamato.”

Yamato is a water user, how useful.

“Though the one I know has a long string of hand seals, it’ll be crazy if I taught you that one first. I’ll call Yamato to get here, he’ll teach you simpler ones.”

He stands back a bit, and bites his thumb, blood oozing from the wound, his hands move quickly. “Summoning jutsu.” He sets his hand on the ground, a cloud appears in front of him. It fades away quickly and reveals a small dog, he can summon hounds.

“Biscuit, I need you to track Yamato and tell him to come to the east training grounds immediately.”

I hear the dog sigh. “I’m not a messenger dog, but fine I’ll tell him.” He jumps out of view, getting closer to the village. I want to summon an animal, it looked so great to be partners with an animal. I sadly remember the bird I buried last night.

“While we wait, lets start with the basic. Water chakra is about the natural flow, your chakra will manipulate the speed and state it will be used. I have an exercise in mind, but I need Yamato here.”
A few minutes pass before Yamato leaps from a tree close by, he looks out of breath.

“I came as soon as I heard, what is the emergency.” He rests his hands on his knees.

“You’ll be teaching Kiyoko water jutsus.”

He turns his head, and looks at me, I raise my hand as a greeting.

“Thats the emergency?” He sighs and straightens his posture. He mumbles something under his breath, all i heard was something about Kakashi always pushing him around. “Alright, we’ll stop with manipulation of water and shaping it to your will.”

Yamato seals his hands and creates a small pond in the center of us. Its clear, how’d he make water appear?

“There is energy everywhere, water is energy. The key role to water jutsu is connecting your chakra energy to the water.” He kneels in front of the water, cupping some water.

“Your first exercise will be to form a sphere of water, using your chakra to hold it in place.” Kakashi tells me, as Yamato demonstrates. The water in Yamato’s hands leave his hands, but doesn’t spill on the ground. It hovers around his hands. I study his posture, and the position of his hands, if only I could see the amount of chakra he uses, but I didn’t have special eyes.

“Okay now you try it,” Yamato says as he lets the water plop in the pond. I cup the water in my hands, but a little less than the amount Yamato used. I focus my chakra and picture it as a sphere. I know I did it wrong when I feel the water spray my face, it wets all of my dry clothes. Not only is it cold from last night’s rain, but now I am soaking. I hope I don’t catch a cold after this training. I huff a strand of hair away from my face, this was going to take time, time that I didn’t have.

"You're still using too much chakra," Yamato tells me once again. I've been at this for several hours,I've seen the sun go down and I still haven't been able to form the water into the sphere. My clothes are soaked, and i am chilled to the bone. The rain clouds thunder above, but I can’t stop now, I only have one week. Plus I think I’m starting to get the hang of it. All I need is a small amount of chakra, and I’ll use it to evenly spread it to create a perfect sphere. I close my eyes to picture is better, I feel with my hands, and feel the chakra slowly form around the water.

I open my eyes when I don’t feel the water in my hands anymore. I’ve finally did it!

“You’re a fast learner. I’ve never seen anyone form the sphere as quickly as you did,” Yamato says with surprise, I feel my self confidence boost. Water may not be such a bad nature after all. I let the water slip out of my hands, now that that’s out of the way.

“I’ll teach you one more thing today, and that is rotation.” Yamao forms the water sphere, but his hand position is different from before. The water begins to spin, “ this is the fundamental base of the tearing torrent.” The water wild in his hands, like a water tornado.

“Your next task is to make the water spin quickly with your chakra.” Yamato holds his hand out, letting me see the rotation it was spinning at. It focused its energy at the center sending water tearing the air. They were like spikes, I grab a handful of water, making it into a sphere. I bite my lips out of habit. Spin it with energy, I tell myself. Infuse my chakra, shape the chakra into tearing spikes rotating around the water’s center point.

The water begins to look a lot like Yamato’s version, but its smaller. Its a lot harder than creating the sphere, but its easier if you have a stable sphere to begin with. It begins to swirl, but it gets out of control, spurting the water everywhere.

“You’re a lot closer than I did, when I first learned it, I think you’ll be able to master it by the chunin exams, but you’ll have a month of training for the individual challenges,” Yamato smiles, encouraging me to try again. I reach for more water in the pond, I see my reflection. My black hair is plastered to my face, the lack of sun today made my pale skin look white.

“I think its time to call it a day. We’ve been out here all day, we’ll continue tomorrow after group practice,” Kakashi looking at the dark clouds above us, the thunder rolling, after the lightning flashed. Yamato leaves after a brief nod of the head. I don’t argue this time, I did want to get out of the cold and get warmer.

“You’re lips are turning bluer every minute, lets get home quickly,” Kakashi tells me, before he jumps out of the open field. I’m left touching my lips, why did he notice my lips? I shake that ridiculous idea out of my mind. He was just telling me, there was nothing behind what he said.

I quickly catch up to him. We get to the apartment in the knick of time, the rain begins to pound on the walls. It looked like a downpour. All I want is to change into warm dry clothes, but after turning my room upside down, I realized my clothes were not clean. I smack my face, I haven’t been doing laundry. I have no other choice, but stay in my wet clothes. I take my full hamper to the washer, putting in the load. It’ll be about forty minutes before I get warm. My teeth chatter as I boil tea in a kettle, hopefully it will keep me warm while I wash and dry my clothes.

“Why are you still your wet clothes?” Kakashi looks confused, he has changed into his comfortable clothing. I envy the warmth he must be feeling.

“Um well, I don’t have any clean clothes, so I’m washing them right now.” The kettle whistles, and I pay attention to not spilling the hot water on me, as tempting as warming up looked right now, I didn’t want third degree burns. When I turn to offer Kakashi some tea, he is no longer there. I add some honey to sweeten it, the clattering of the raindrops against the kitchen window, distracts me. I study on the technique I have yet to master, thinking of possibilities to improve the rotation.

“Here you can wear these in the mean time,” Kakashi says, he interrupts my string of thought. He holds out a blue shirt, like the one he wears, and pants he uses. I feel my face go warm, and I’m certain I am as red as a tomato. I set my cup of tea on the table, and thank him for the dry cloths. I change in my room, the long sleeve shirt is not too big, its comfortable, the pants on the other hand are long and I trip over them. I fold the ends. I sigh in relief, as the heat begins to warm my cold bones. I put my wet clothes in the laundry basket, the pile only grew bigger as I washed to make it smaller.

I go back to the kitchen, Kakashi’s back is towards me. I step into the room, but the long pants get in my way. I step on the excessive material, and face plant the ground. I groan at the pain my cheekbones receives. Kakashi laughs a little, the sound of it makes my heart race, but why? It is light and he doesn’t laugh very often. Its a beautiful sound that I wished I could hear more of.

“Look like they are a bit too big. Are you alright?” I can still see the small smile he was trying to fight off, but he was failing. I do love his laugh, but I hate when people laugh at me. I squint my eyes, trying to look intimidating. The smile underneath his mask widens at my facial expression, I guess I can put up with being the idiot if I get to see his smile. I get up from the harsh cold ground, and retrieve my warm tea. Kakashi pours himself some, removing his mask to drink it, I like to see the sharp jaw line, and the thin lips of his.

Did I just think that? I need to stop looking at his features. I blink away.

“I’m glad your chakra nature is water,” Kakashi says. I look back at him.

“Why is that?”

“Well water conducts electricity. My lightning style and your water style go perfect together.”

His comments makes me blush for some reason. He continues.

“Combining these two natures will make us powerful against enemies. And we have plenty of them. All you need to do is master water jutsus, and you’ll be getting closer to becoming a jounin.” He takes a sip of his tea. Mastering water, it reminded me of the nightmare. The water was out of control and I had no power to stop it. I feared that I will somehow end up killing Kakashi, even if it was by accident.

“Kiyoko?” He asks. I must have spaced out, and missed something he told me.

“I’m sorry, what?”
“You look like you have something on your mind. Something is bothering you I can tell.” Kakashi finishes his tea, while mine has been untouched for several minutes. He is always so observant, sometimes I wish he wasn’t.

“I um. I had a dream last night.”

“Ya, I sensed your uneven breathing. What was it about?”

“I saw everyone I have killed, and I saw Minato sensei, Rin, Obito, and you. I killed you,” I whisper the last part, not wanting for him to hear. I don’t want him to be afraid of me, because of what I dreamed.

“I don’t want to have these dreams. I don’t want to kill anyone, and I’m afraid, I’ll accidently end up hurting you. Or hurting Lady Tsunade, & Sakura, Sai, and Naruto.” I say before my brain can register that I actually said them out loud. I don’t like telling others my horrific dreams,they’ll only run away, they always have. The Moon villagers would go out of their way to avoid direct contact. A lot of the time I would walk empty streets because no one wanted to be on the same street as me.

I sense that Kakashi want to hear more, he’s told me something about his past I should tell him some of mine. I swallow the lump in my throat before I begin.

“When I was at the mercy of the seal’s hallucination, I saw a memory of mine, that I wish I never have to remember. It happened during the last great ninja war. I would usually hide, while ninjas battled, I stayed underground, and I only came out when it was necessary. I was alone, but one day a girl finds me. Her name was Suzu, and she was only a few years older than me. You should have seen her, her confidence was so contagious, she made me believe that I can change. I can become the jounin I have always wanted to be.” I smile as I remember her heart warming smile. I wish I had a dazzling smile like her’s. I went on, feeling the faint sadness at the back of mind.

“She was so angry with the thought that children were fighting and dying at such a young age. Suzu was so open, and that made me suspicious. She said ‘In war you never know when you’ll be killed. For all I know I may die tomorrow, why must I live what may be the last hours of my life in fear?’” I chuckle, I can practically hear her, one eyebrow would be raised, and her posture would be full of attitude.

“She promised me she would train me, all I had to do was protect her. I would be getting two things done at the same time. It was a simple task, but I failed too.” I recall Kakashi also went through something similar.

“We were forced to leave the cave, we called shelter. We were getting thirsty, and the river wasn’t too far. The battle has moved away, so we thought it was safe enough to go and return. I was filling the canteen, I honestly thought we could make it, but that’s when mist ninja confront us. Three against two, well three against Suzu, I was powerless. She wouldn’t let me fight them, she told me to have faith in her. I watched as they battled, I wanted to help her, but I didn’t know how. She was holding against them, she was actually winning, landing blows left and right,” I say with admiration. It was quite a sight. Kakashi nods, indicating that he was still listening.

“They used water and lightning combination to stop her. I saw the water push her on her back, and I saw the lightning shock her. I saw the kunai hit her chest, I saw everything. Her life was gone in a matter of minutes.”

Water and lightning, thats the pairing Kakashi and I have. I shake my head at the irony.

“I was so angry, and so dissapointed in myself for letting her die. I promised her, I promised to keep her safe, but at the end I couldn’t. I was weak, and the beast was strong. In the genjutsu I watched myself tear the men apart, like an animal. I couldn’t believe I did that. The worst part of it all is that the one person I thought loved me unconditionally, was the one who showed me the memory. I loved my mother because she never ignored me, because she didn’t see this part of me. And I was stupid enough to listen to her, what child would not listen to their mother?” I laugh, but that doesn’t keep the tears from dripping into my cold tea.

“I listened to her, she kept telling me, that no matter how much I tried to change and improve the people I love will die. Why would a person like me get to live a long and happy life, while I shortened innocent’s lives? I couldn’t find the answer myself, so I let her tell me what to do. I felt lost, but you told me your story, and you made me realize that Suzu’s death shouldn’t be in vain. I thank you for that.” I wipe the tears off of my face. It felt nice to tell someone how I felt, I’ve never told anyone what I’ve experienced. Even if it wasn’t much, He knew more about me, and I knew more about him.

“We won’t let Suzu’s death be futile. You’ll pass the chunin exams with flying colors, and you’ll go on missions protecting others. You get a second chance at life, so take advantage of it.” Kakashi leaves his empty tea cup in the sink, before he bids me good night. I eat a late dinner before I go to bed. I don’t dream of anything this night, it feels like every worry on my mind was washing away. My chakra nature cleansing the impurities I have acquired. It wasn’t that simple, but I let myself believe it was for just this night.

I get up earlier than usual and finish my laundry. I neatly fold Kakashi’s clothes, and leave them on his dresser, I quietly close his bedroom door. The sun has yet to rise, but I had to practice the new jutsu. Only six days left, and I needed all the time I could get. I grab my jacket, it was getting colder every day. The new year was about a couple weeks after the exams, I couldn’t wait to smell the traditional food and the entertainment. I wanted to wear a kimono, for the first time in my life, and I want to style my hair. I wanted to feel like a woman, beautiful and strong.
The puddles were still there, the lack of sun hasn’t been able the evaporate it, I am glad. I start off with forming the sphere , its a lot easier now, the feeling is familiar, and the chakra is at a great balance. The tricky part is adding the rotation, it needs to be quick and sharp, so when it makes contact with an enemy it tears its flesh. Thats the reason its called tearing torrent. I work on the rotation until Kiba shows up, with Akamaru at his side. Akamaru barks, when he sees me. I let the water fall, and smile at them. Friendship makes teams stronger, and I wanted friends. Friends that I could rely on, friends to protect, and friends that will protect me.

“Good Morning Kiba.” The red paint on his face always looks vibrant, I wonder if its permanent, because it doesn’t smudge when Akamaru licks his face. His eyes are focused and determined, today will be a make or break, if we would be a great team or if we will be a horrible one. Akamaru and Kiba take the liberty to sniff me, invading my personal space.

“We’ve memorized your smell, it makes Akamaru and I feel closer to new teammates,” He explains, that’s understandable. Kiba looks at his watch, its five till ten, Hinata should be on her way.

“So what is your specialty?” Kiba asks. “We need to know each other’s skills, so we can combine attacks.”

I nod, “Why don’t we wait for Hinata to get here, I don’t really want to say it twice.”

We watch the horizon, and a small figure gets closer, an arm in the air, waving. It was Hinata, her hair was dark, so it made it easier to spot her. She had a smile on her face, just being around her made me feel happier, it was contagious. She looked so peaceful, but determined to work hard and get results. Always trying to see the good in others, before the bad. Its polar opposite of me. I see the bad, before the good. I’m always weary of others, I always think they are not trustworthy, that maybe all they want from me is the beast I hold inside me.

“Good morning, Kiyoko, Kiba, Akamaru. I’m sorry I kept you waiting, but I made everyone lunch boxes, I think we’ll be here for a while.” She holds a large bag, only Hinata would think of this.

“Thank you Hinata,” I say with a grin. She sets the bag under a tree, keeping it out of the sun rays. I see Kiba clap his hands, and rubs them, “Alright, lets get started. I know how to combine my attack with Hinata, because we are in the same team, so Kiyoko what about you, tell us everything we need to know.”

“Hmmm, well. I know how to make a massive amount of shadow clones, because I have a vast amount of chakra. I can concentrate chakra into weapons, so they fly faster in the air, and cause more damage. They can go through rocks and logs, so I think that is helpful. My chakra nature is water, but I am barely learning jutsus. I like to believe I am fast on my feet.”

I think about all of my years of running, it helped me some how. I’m faster than your average ninja.

“Shadow clones, that’ll come in handy. I think we can incorporate in our offense, while Hinata is on the defensive, with her gentle fists. Your shadow clones can take fatal shots, while you attack. They can also make a barrage, Naruto beat me with an Uzumaki barrage. Your clones can distract while, Akamaru and I do our combo attack. I think this will be a great team.” Kia thinks about our roles in the team, and I’m glad he thinks I’m not completely useless. I had a feeling he would be tough to win over, especially after what he said at the tea shop.

“Neji has been helping me, so my gentle fists has improved. I can block other weapons that come at us, and I can immobilize our opponent, by hitting their chakra points.” Hinata offers her role of importance, those eyes of hers are a gift and a wonder. Does she see the world differently?

“Akamaru and I are synchronized in many jutsus. Human beast technique, fang wolf fang, and I also know how to make shadow clones, but I don’t focus on them, all I need is Akamaru. Our style is forceful, while Hinata’s is more gentle. They aren’t too similar, but it works, Kiyoko on the other hand is a mid range, rather than close. Looks like we don’t have a long ranger user, but that doesn’t hinder our strength at all. It’ll make our team stronger, so how should we start,” Kiba concludes. We can start with shadow clones, I make ten of them.

“We attack my shadow clones as a team. Then we can have a feel of everyone’s rhythm. Of course my shadow clones will also be on the offensive, so give it your all,” I say. I hold a kunai full of chakra, ready for the first shadow clone to move, Hinata takes her stance as Kiba and Akamaru transform. I make the first move, sending my kunai flying toward one of the shadow clone, it moves quickly, and hits the clone. It didn’t have time to react. The clones scatter, attacking separately.

It takes a minute for the clones to diminish.I only got three, the others were Kiba’s and Hinata’s. Maybe ten were too little. But I felt their presence, Kiba rammed into its opponent, their spinning bodies rotate around each other. Hinata let’s the enemy come to her, using her byakugan to see their movements. She doesn’t let the weapons come near her, she uses her gentle fists to inflict damage. I notice that our backs are guarded by one another, we self consciously moved to protect our blind spots, well Hinata had 360 degree vision, but she protected ours. We don’t speak, and I make twenty clones. Everytime we defeat them, I increase our numbers, the max we can take is forty, anymore and we are left with too many openings. We take a lunch break at two in the afternoon.

The lunch box was delicious, the rice was a little dry for my taste, but the noodles were great, Hinata was a fine cook. We eat in silence, regaining the energy we have lost, I am not too tired, but I can see Hinata and Kiba are short of breath, they had less chakra than I. My body has gotten used to training everyday, and my muscles no longer screamed in pain at night. I was getting stronger, and I and glad that I’ll be able to protect my friends from any danger. I’ll protect my comrades, no matter what. That is my way.

“I think we’ll make a great team. All this hard work will certainly pay off,” Hinata interrupts the silence, Kiba nods, he’s too busy chewing.

“We’ll be able to face any teams that come our way. No stopping us,” I say with enthusiasm. Akamaru barks in agreement.

“Can you go for a few more hours? You are the one providing us the shadow clones.” Kiba stretches his body.

“Ya, I can go for days.” Literally i can go for days at this pace, but I don’t think my body would keep up. We walk back to the field, and I make twenty shadow clones, I’ve retrieved my kunai and shuriken before lunch so I’m stocked and ready to go. This time it doesn’t take us time to find our rhythm, its just there. It takes us less time to defeat all the shadow clones, the sun was bright, and the rain clouds were disappearing. The sweat ran down my face, we went on with this pace for two more hours, before we called it quits. Hinata had to go home to train with Neji, while Kiba and Akamaru had to go clean the dog house. I waved good bye to both of them, Kiba riding on Akamaru’s back, and Hinata’s dark blue hair swayed in the wind.

She is such a reserved girl, while Kiba is very loud. I laugh at the difference, I am glad I got to train with them. Who would have known this was a great team already. I go back to my individual practice, the puddle was getting smaller due to the sun’s rays this afternoon, I didn’t know how to produce water like Yamato yet, so I hoped it would be enough to get me through the day. I do the required techniques for the jutsu, it feels like a second skin, it was beginning to become second nature. I added the rotation, it was faster than the last time.

“Looks like you’re almost there.” Yamato comes out of the trees in front of me. “Add just a bit more chakra to your rotation, and it’ll enhance the sharpness of the water.”

I do as I am told, and the water looks identical to Yamato’s.

“I’ve never seen anyone master this technique in two days. You have extraordinary chakra control, I can’t believe you aren’t a chunin or a jounin.” Yamato says as he looks at my tearing torrent in my hand. The rotation makes it feel lighter than before.

“Go ahead throw it at the log. The momentum will keep the water going, its more efficient at a close ranger. But I got the feeling you are a close range fighter, so this is perfect for you.”

I step closer to the log in fornt of me, and I throw the torrent at it, the sound of breaking wood rings in the air, and once the water slows down and stops, the log is left with a whole in the middle. Pieces of wood are scattered everywhere, I can’t believe I did this. Its amazing.
“Its a lot like Naruto’s rasengan, but its not as powerful. Though I think with your chakra control you can make it faster and more destructive.”

I feel giddy inside, now I have this new power, power of my own, not the beast’s. I want to cry of joy because I no longer depend on the beast’s power for survival, I can do this on my own. I can, and I can imagine Suzu smiling down at me, this is what you wanted right?

“How long have you been out here?”

“Before sunrise, I needed to master this jutsu as quickly as possible, and now that I have, I need it to become second nature to me.”

He nods in agreement. Before I can get started on another tearing torrent, Kakashi appears in my field of vision. He walks closer as I rotate the water in my hands.

“So you’ve mastered it already,” Kakashi says. I nod and try to make it go faster, it was easier to control it with every second that I touch it. I want to test the strength against the weakness of water, earth. Earth is stronger than water, so this jutsu isn’t very powerful against earth chakra nature. I want to surpass my limit. I see a decent size bolder to my right, maybe if I don’t release it then it’ll be more powerful, I’ll strike with the torrent still in my hand. I run to it, keeping my hand at my side, keeping the chakra flow fast and steady. The sound of the water crashing against my chakra is in some ways reassuringly peaceful. When it comes in contact the water struggles against the hard surface, but I don’t budge either.

“Kiyoko it isn’t completely mastered yet.” Yamato says, I let the water fall from my hands. I thought this was the finishing product.

“You can do this by forming the orb first and then adding rotation, but its not the fastest way. There are hand seals that let you begin rotating as the water materializes from your chakra. like this, Boar, dog, ram.” He shows me the seals for every animal, the water begins to move in a circular motion as is appears in his palm. He didn’t use the water that existed instead he uses his chakra to create the water.

I mimic his seals, but the water in my palm doesn’t rotate like his. I try again, but it ends to the same result.

“You need to rotate your chakra and create the water with your chakra at the same time,” Yamato comments. But that’s like looking right and left at the same time. I imagine my chakra forming the water, and my other hand helping the chakra rotate. I put it to the test, one hand creates the water while the other creates the rotation. I have two hands, so in a way i am looking right and left at the same time.

Half of me concentrates on one task while the other does the other task. Man did this take some energy to do, my brain hurt just doing it. I grunt as the water begins to take shape, remembering the feel of the orb I originally used. I didn’t know how long I spent creating this torrent, but sweat began to run down my back, and my arms felt stiff in holding them in that position.

I taste blood in my mouth, and I realize I’ve been biting my bottom lip. I let my raw lip fall from my teeth. The water was beginning to appear in my palm and it began to spin. I was doing it. It was a lot harder now, it made the other way look easy.

“Incredible,” I hear Yamato whisper. The water began to spin faster, and it was shifting to a comfortable position in my palm. The water rushes and I know then that its where I want it to be. I throw it the slightly dented rock. The tearing water makes it through the solid rock, I sigh in relief, its much more powerful with chakra enhanced water.

“You adjusted so quickly. I thought it would be impossible to master this jutsu in a week, but you did it in two days.” Yamato stares with wide eyes, but I’m too tired to say anything back. All the shadow clones were finally getting to me, and this adjustment took all the energy I had. Now all I want is food, a shower, and sleep.

“Lets get you home, you have training tomorrow.” Kakashi kneels in front of me, bringing his hands to the back of my knees and my back. My body feels heavy in his arms. Yamato goes his own way, while we walk to the apartment.

“What kind of training did you do with Hinata and Kiba?” He asks. My voice comes out tired but strong.

“I used shadow clones, we got used to each other’s rhythm.”

“How many did you create?”
I think about it for a while. Our limit is forty and we continued for about four hours.

“Around hundred fifty.”

“No wonder you’re tired. You should really consider pulling back tomorrow. Using too many shadow clones will cut your endurance by half every time you create one. I can barely make ten, but you, you're on a different level.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

He sets me down, my knees are wobbly as he opens the apartment door. The smell of food fills my nostril.

“Eri came to give you a new recipe she made, but you were training. I thought it would be nice if we ate it. I didn’t want to eat it without you, so...” He fades away. My tired body feels warm, I smile a little. He guides me to the kitchen, the warmth of his hand on my back stays when he lifts his touch. Eri made dumpling covered in some sauce, the rice is still warm in its container. We eat in silence, my body slowly regaining its energy, the drowsiness in no longer present in my mind. After dinner we clean in silence, there is no need for words, his presence makes me feel at ease. I can’t explain the feeling I get when I steal glances at him. The way he wipes the dishes, his hands look rough from all they have experience. There are small scars, each of them telling a story. He bids me good night, as usual. There was something about those two words that makes me feel safe. They are familiar, and they never change, while a lot around me is constantly changing, his words don’t. Good night, they have more meaning than what it seem.

After a hot shower, I finally let my eyes close, and my mind wanders into darkness. I am too tired to dream tonight, all I could think about are Kakashi’s words and the challenge that lies ahead of me.

Today is the day, I’ve been giving it my all for the past week, and it will all pay off. Hinata, Kiba and I have worked hard, and I usually stayed to practice tearing torrent. It still not perfect, but I can use it in battle, Yamato said so. I stocked up on shurikens and kunai.

I stretch the sleep away before I change. I felt nervous, but excited, a mixture of both. It made my stomach feel uneasy, and my clammy hands tied the head protector. It took longer, to get ready this morning, I double checked I had everything. The exam I am most afraid of is the written exam, Hinata told me what happened last time she took the test. Ibiki, their proctor, made them second doubt themselves, torturing with the unknown that will come. I doubt they will put him as the proctor again, but I had to be prepared for anything. I won’t let anyone bend or break my will, just this once I will be strong headed.

I tie my hair into a ponytail, getting all of the loose hair out of my way. I’ve been waiting for this day for such a long time, I could jump of happiness, but I’ll celebrate when I get the certificate and the jacket. Kakashi is already up when I make my way to the kitchen. I see him heating some bread into the toaster, and taking the milk out of the fridge. He’s changed as well, I wonder what he will be doing while I am in the exams.

Sakura was kind enough to bring me some of her tea last night, supposedly it helped with tense muscles and it keeps your chakra at a nice flow, it was disgusting I couldn’t stomach a single drop. The tea is still in the fridge and I know it won’t be heated up and tasted any time soon. I push it aside, and reach for the juice.

“So are you ready for the exams?” He questions, and applies the spread onto his toast.

“More nervous than anything, but I’ll pull through.” I reply, and put some bread in the toaster for myself. I didn’t have much of an appetite, but I need my strength. I wait for my toast, and pour my juice into a cup. I tap my fingers on the table, trying to think of something that isn’t related to the exams. I know if I overthink it, I’ll end up making mistakes.

“Do what you did during practice and you’ll be set.”

I eat breakfast, the sun was shining today, the rain clouds that lingered last week are gone. Birds have settled into a nest not too far from the last one, they are higher, and I’m happy to see that they moved on. Higher away from the cat, I’m getting farther away from my mistakes in the past. Like keeps moving forward.

“I’ll be on guard today for the exams, during the group challenge however I’ll be outside the gates. If there is a problem Lady Tsunade will inform the groups through the speakers. So don’t worry about anything else, just focus on the task.” Kakashi says. Tension I didn’t know I held, loosened. I kept thinking about the possibilities of Moon Ninja attacking while I was in exams last night. His words reassured me that Lady Tsunade has looked though everyone's profile thoroughly. Lady Tsunade is a kind soul, but she does seem like a tough teacher. Sakura will be a tough woman like Lady Tsunade in the future.

Kakashi leaves to report in, while I walk to the academy for further instructions. A lot of kids around the age of thirteen were walking to the academy, in groups of three. There were many of them, I on the other hand was going to meet Hinata and Kiba at the entrance. The memory of my first day at the academy blinks into mind. I was so nervous, entering my classroom, I must have been around seven years old. I entered late because I didn’t know the process of enrolling, my father didn’t tell me when school started, so I went without paperwork, and I figured it out on my own. I roamed the halls like a lost puppy, and today wasn’t much of a difference. I am still nervous, I have to clutch my hands, so they can stop shaking. I stand in a swing that hung by a tree branch, waiting. I’ve always liked to observe people, and their actions, their expressions. Sometimes I would even put my hands over my ears and not hear a sound, instead I would watch their lips move. Its a weird habit.

“Kiyoko sama.” Hinata smiles when she catches my attention.

“There is no need for honorifics. I’m equal to you Hinata. Just call me Kiyoko.” I say. I’m flattered she thinks highly of me, but I’m not senior of her, not in ninja way. Age yes, but that’s all. She was jumpy too, even if she took it last year.

“I couldn’t make lunch today.” She tries to crack a joke, a smile appears on my face. While we practiced as a team, Hinata always brought lunch, but today, well that’s a different story. I hear Kiba before I see him, Akamaru panting behind him, it looked like they came running. I sigh leave it to our team leader to be almost late for the exam. In the past week we’ve had great teamwork, Kiba is usually the one who calls the shots, and makes suggestions, so naturally I followed. I’m not in any position to lead, especially because I’ve never experienced the chunin exams, and they have. Already their much wiser and experienced than me. We walk to the signaled room, red arrows pointing to the right room. When we enter the room, its hard to hear myself breathe, there was a lot of talking. The seats were filled and many were standing or leaning on the wall. Mixed forehead insignias were on different colored forehead protectors, some came from the Sand Village, others from the Mist. I gulp the nervous saliva when I see the Mist ninja.

They don’t know who you are. None of them do, I think to myself. My heart beat goes back to normal. I see a handful of Stone ninjas, along with Grass villagers and Waterfall ninjas. Most of them were, of course, Leaf Ninja. I seemed to be a few of the older ninja. If we all pass the first exam, then the group challenges are going to be tough. I wipe the sweat off my palms, and follow Kiba to a less crowded area. He doesn’t look to nervous, actually he looks relaxed. I couldn’t keep my foot from tapping, it wasn’t until Kiba sent me a glare that I forced myself to stop.

“Just don’t let them get into your head.” He says. I nod, afraid that if I speak it’ll show how nervous I really am. I see Sakura’s pink hair across the room, she sits beside Ino, and Choji, Choji has a bag of chips in his hand. At least they don’t look terrified. A loud sound comes from my left, and the room goes quiet. A tall, lanky woman enters. Her brown hair is cut short, like Sakura’s. Her brown eyes look over the crowd, and her thin hands hold a clipboard. She looks to tall and thin to be a ninja, but her voice booms.

“I will be your proctor for the first exam. I am Ume. We will move to a room, this clipboard is for you to sign. Before you sign, consider your options. If you are not feeling confident, leave, but if you believe in yourself, sign and continue to that room.” She points to a blue door, not too far from me. She sets it on a table, and the line begins to grow, luckily for us we were standing close by, so we don’t wait for long. We enter, and the escort us to our assigned desks, Kiba sits in the back, while I sit in the front, Hinata sits on the other side of the room. I feel completely alone, but they are in the same room. I’ve been spending so much time with them I kinda got used to them being around. The kids slowly sit, and I notice the younger students are not all here, they must have doubted themselves and left. Every seat is taken, and Ume makes her way toward the front of the class.

“You will be given twenty questions. I expect all of them to be completed in the given amount of time. You will have to complete it to go to the second stage of the exams. Cheating will not be allowed, I will personally kick you out of the room, if you don’t think you can pass, you can leave when you’d like. I don’t want to get your hopes up, so don’t have too much faith in yourself. You may have answered all the questions, but if they are wrong you’ll still fail. This will test your intelligence.”

Part of me wishes Ibiki was proctor. If it was him then all I had to do was hang in there, and ride out the time, but Ume, she’s really all about this test.
“But I do have two options. One, you can work on your own, get about one fourth of the questions wrong, and I’ll still pass you. The second option, you may work with your team, however you must get every single question right to pass. I’ll give you one minute to decide and move.” Ume stands as the front of the class. I want to pass, I do, but I don’t think I can do it on my own, certainly Hinata and Kiba know more than I do. And if things come to worse Hinata can use her byakugan for answers. I look around, Hinata and Kiba are already looking my way, I nod. They were thinking the same thing. You know what they say three heads are better than one. Not counting Akamaru.

I stand and make my way through the crowd, Kiba following closely behind, to Hinata table, it was much less crowded there. We need each other, we need to rely on each other to pass. I grab a chair and set it in front of Hinata, while Kiba sits besides her. Akamaru lays down at his feet, he knows he won’t be much help, so he closes his eyes, and tries to go to sleep.

“Your minute is up. The test will be handed out in just a few minutes. Those who are working independently, move to the right side of the room, no talking is permitted. Those of you who are working with your team, move to the left side of the room, you may talk among yourselves, but try to talk quietly, you don’t want to give you answers away.” Ume points to the right and the left. We don’t move, since we are seated on the left already.

I notice there are more individuals than groups. There must be about nine groups, out of twenty who stayed to take the test with their groups, out of sixty genin only twenty seven chose to do the group test. I see Sakura sitting with her team, so she isn’t doing this alone either. We were one of them, and feeling their presence next to me, makes me a lot less nervous.

I’ve been alone for a lot of my life, and now that I know how it feels like to have friends and comrades I don’t want to feel alone anymore. Kiba and Hinata are more like the siblings I never had. Kiba acts like an older brother, leading us, and directing us. Hinata is like the younger sister, always taking care of everyone. Strong, and kind. I, don’t know what role I would fill. The older sister? I want to protect them like they really are my siblings, I can’t imagine the thought of anyone hurting them, of hurting anyone I’ve met. Even Guy, as much as he freaks me out sometimes. And Master Jiraiya, no matter how pervy he is, I don’t want anything to happen to him or Naruto while they are gone. I pray for their safety every night before I go to bed.

The test land in front of each one of us, I take a deep breath before I read the first question.
What angle should the shuriken be thrown, if the enemy is twenty feet away, and ten feet below you? A diagram is beside the question. I scan the rest of the questions, I curse under my breath, they only get harder. Hinata begins to scribble, does she really know how to solve this? Man do I feel like the weak link. There is no way a genin would have to know this. Half of the vocabulary on this sheet of paper, I don’t know what they mean.

“Well I think this is how you solve it.” Hinata shows us her paper, he voice is quiet, that its hard for me to hear her clearly. I see her work, and nod, I don’t know if its right of wrong, but I’m in no position to question her. I copy down the answer. Kiba reads the next question, while I try to understand the question after it.

I watch the clock that hangs on the wall, we are given one hour and a half, and we already spent half an hour on five questions. Fifteen more to go. I don’t know where the time goes, but the next time Ume speaks, she warns us than we have five more minutes left. We hurry, copying answers off of Hinata’s test, since she’s the smartest one out of the three.

“Start wrapping up. I will correct each test right now.”

We have one more minute, and my hand hurts from writing so quickly. I sigh, and set my pencil down.

“I’m sorry if we get some answers wrong, and get us thrown out,” Hinata says. I reach for her hand, and squeeze it, in encouragement. She lacks confidence in herself, a lot like myself.

“If we fail, we fail as a team. You did your best and that’s all we could ask for. Without you I wouldn’t be able to pass the first question.” Kiba agrees, Hinata smiles, and lifts her eyes from her lap.

“Alright. Everyone who took the independent tests, you fail.” Ume says. Immediately after they begin to shout complaints.

“Thats not fair!”
“You didn’t even look at our tests!”
“This is bull!”
“I know I got everything right!”

She smiles a little, but turns her attention to the groups, “You all pass.” My heart leaps with joy, we passed the written exam. A smile overtakes my face, we’ve gotten over the hardest of the three, in my opinion. I’ll do much better in the group tests, I can support them much better there than here. The other side of the room, is still shouting.

Ume raises her hand, trying to get everyone to calm down.
“I’ll tell you why you failed and why you passed. A chunin must have faith in their teammates. Working together as a team will make or break a mission. Trust is key in a team, if you can’t trust your teammates, in a quiz like this, then how can you trust them with your lives? This was a test of your trust in each other, and working together in overcoming hard obstacles. The students who chose to do them in group had faith in their team’s intelligence, and those who worked individually only believe and trust themselves. You can never become a chunin if you don’t believe in teamwork.”

The room is silent, and after a few seconds the room is loud with the dragging of chairs. The students who failed, exit, their heads hanging in disbelief and shame. The groups watch them as they leave. Akamaru, sits up, coming out of his deep sleep.

“Now for the next challenge.” Ume says. The group challenges are next. I wonder what awaits us?

We were given two hours, before we had to head to the group challenge meet up. Kiba told me its called the Forest of Death. It didn’t make me feel any better, it made me feel more nervous than I already was. The name made me feel afraid, what was inside the gates. I ate a quick snack, I can’t afford to waste time. We passed the written exam, and now we have to pass the group challenge. I walk quickly to the outskirts of the village, the fenced area was outside the walls, near one of the training field. I felt nauseous as I saw the barbed wired fence appear in the horizon. The buzzing was loud, and a sigh read caution high voltage. This made my heart beat quicken, what was inside that they had to keep in? Or keep out?

Hinata and Kiba are already there when I arrive. They checked our team in the register already, all we can do now is wait.

“I thought you got cold feet and decided to bail on us. Glad you’re in one piece.” Kiba pets Akamaru’s head. I ignore his sarcasm. The teams begin to gather around the main entrance. The wind is blowing, and the trees bend with the air current. It made the forest look alive, and menacing. Hinata hasn’t said anything, her mind was somewhere else, maybe she is too focused to notice my uneasiness. We wait for ten minutes, before a ninja steps forward. He is not tall, but not short either. His brown hair is cut short, and his head band is wrapped around his waist. He wears the normal clothing of a ninja, his golden eyes, are bright with excitement.

“Well there are a lot of less of you this time around than last time. My name is Sho, and I will be your proctor for the group tests. Before I go into detail, you’ll have to sign this paper. We are not responsible for your safety, of course. Whatever happens inside the fence, happens. This consent form must be signed before you are assigned a gate. I’d like to point out that not everyone who enters these gates comes out. All fair in game.” He hands out the pieces of paper.

“The rules are simple. Each team will be given either a heaven scroll, or an earth scroll. Your objective is to have one of each, before time runs out. You have five days to complete this goal. You can not open the scroll, until you go the tower that is located ten kilometers from each gate. If your team fails to do so, they will not go to the next round,” Sho says.

If I go in, will I come out? I didn’t give it much thought, if I would, then I’ll only doubt myself and my teammates, and I can’t afford to do that. I sigh my name on the dotted line, and give it to the ninja who are seated at the table. Kiba and Hinata turn theirs in too.

“All right, your gate number is 7. There will be a ninja there to instruct you when it is permitted to enter.” The ninja points us to the direction of the gate. Every step is closer to the beginning of the battle, you take deep breaths, and stretch my fingers. In the face of danger, you must be aware of your surroundings, you can’t freeze any longer, I think to myself. Akamaru even seems tense, the forest looks intimidating, and I can’t help but wish I was somewhere else at the moment. A ninja stands and watches his clock, we are minutes away from entering. He hands us a scroll, Kiba takes it, and puts it in the pouch before I get to see what type we have. I watch as Hinata closes her eyes, and puts her hand over them, like she’s trying to quickly rest them before battle. Kiba is a little jumpy, seething with enthusiasm. He’s ready to go at a moment notice, I wish I had his confidence.

The ninja standing next to us, moves closer to the gate, and watches as the last few seconds tick by. He loosens the bolts, causing the noise of clanking to fill the air around us.

“Good luck.” He says, before he opens the door, thats our cue to enter, Kiba leads the way, with me in the middle and Hinata at the end. We came up with this formation three days ago. Hinata would be better at the rear because of her field of vision, Kiba would lead the way because of his sense of smell, while I was stuck in the middle, doing nothing too important. If we are attacked, I am responsible for shadow clones to increase our numbers.

The trees are slippery with moss, and brittle due to old age. The leaves are full, and provide great cover, Kiba leads us higher, away from enemies eyes. The higher we go the more likely we can spot enemies before they spot us. Hinata’s eyes are a great help, she’ll be able to see which scroll the enemy has, and we can decide to avoid confrontation. It’ll keep our chakra preserved and ready for battle when its necessary. I keep telling myself that I’m useful, but I don’t feel like it. They are crucial to success while I just tag along. I shake that thought away, I don’t need negative thoughts now.

We stop on a wide branch, Kiba takes the scroll from his jacket, looks like we got a heaven scroll.

“Okay, Hinata, use your byakugan to see if any enemies are nearby.” Kiba orders and Hinata complies. The veins near her eyes pop out a little, and she focuses on our surroundings.

“Looks like we are alone in this area,” She replies.

“What do you want to do Kiba? Be on defense or offense?” I asked. I was more comfortable with them coming to us rather us going to them, but Kiba was our team leader it was his call. He thinks for a minute, “We’ll be on the offensive.”

I nod anyways. “Hinata, while we are moving, look out for an earth scroll. We need to get out of this forest as soon as possible, so the sooner we get the scroll the sooner we move to the third stage,” Kiba says, as he begins to weave his way down the tree branches. So far we haven’t encountered any danger, but the voices of the forest were getting restless. Creatures scurried to one tree to the other, the forest is active every minute of every day, and I was dreading for night fall. The shadows come alive in the night.

We move to the edge of the east fence, where Akamaru smells ninja. We stop far enough, where they can’t sense us, but close enough where Hinata can see if they have the earth scroll. A small smile appears on her face, “they have an earth scroll. The one on the left with the black short hair, and purple vest. He has it in his shuriken holder”

Kiba begins to tell us our attack formation.

“Hinata, you’ll be in charge of distracting the one on the right, while I distract the one in the center. Kiyoko you’ll get the one on the right, the scroll holder. Out of all of us here you have the fastest and best aim. Throw a kunai that’ll rip the holder off of his leg, and grab it. Use shadow clones to keep him busy.”

“We need to misdirect them. If I use a shadow clone to attack from the other side then they’ll think the enemy is over there.” I point to the trees that was behind them. “They’ll be forced to turn around, and it’ll be easier to strike from behind.”

Kiba grunts in agreement. I make a shadow clone, and I sent it to the other side, now we wait until the kunai hits. They’ll turn around and face the direction it came from. I’ll take that opportunity to throw a kunai at the holder and another shadow clone can sweep in to grab it.

We get just a bit closer, and I can see their forehead protector. They are from the Grass Village. I get a kunai from my pouch and concentrate chakra into it, ready for throwing at a second’s notice. As planned my shadow clones throws a kunai from the shadows, the ninja get on their guard as the turn to face my shadow clone. I almost feel bad for thinking that this is a lot easier than I thought it would be. I throw my kunai at the shuriken holder, its wrapped around the ninja’s right leg. It goes exactly as planned, the kunai skims the fabric, ripping it, and the kunai lands on the trunk of a near by tree. Kiba, Akamaru, and Hinata are already in front of their opponents, I make three more shadow clones, and send them to the ninja with the purple vest. The holder is not far from my reach, I grab for it. A kunai flies right by my head. I dodge it, I look back to see that my shadow clones weren’t enough to stop him, his eyes are full of anger, and determination, but so are mine. not angry but determined.

I grab the holder, and tuck it inside my pouch, and grab another kunai, my stance on the defensive. The ninja I’m facing begins to weave his hands, and soon enough fire is coming towards me, I’m lucky I have water nature chakra and not wind. I jump away from his attack, leaving the kunai, and begin to seal my tearing torrent. It forms in my hand, the chakra incorporates with my water based chakra, the ninja takes notice, and tries to move away, he knows his jutsus are useless against me.

“Retreat.” He says, the other two ninjas stop battling Hinata and Kiba, and follow their leader to the safety of the thick forest. I take the scroll from my ouch and give it to Kiba, who puts it with the other scroll.

“Alright, lets get to the tower, we are pretty far from it,” Kiba says. The gates are closer than I thought, I can see the top from through the trees. Its close enough to see the grass on the other side, but the trees are thick in this area, making mobility difficult.

Akamaru barks. Its a warning bark, have they come back again. I put my guard up, Hinata and Kiba flank me. There is no time for me to move back, a fist comes my way. I dodge it. How could Hinata and Kiba not notice them? I feel the air around me move as the fist nearly comes into contact with my cheek. I regain my balance, and look at the ninja who slipped through our sensory specialty. The one who attacked me is a girl, older than Hinata and Kiba, but younger than me, and two boys older than her are at her side. The symbol on their forehead indicates their from the Waterfall Village.

“She has both scrolls.” Hinata says from behind.

“Why do you need our scrolls if you already have yours?” I ask. We can both go to the next level, why would they go to the extra trouble to get our pair of scrolls too.
Her smile is not genuine, it makes my skin crawl.

“I am not here for the scrolls. I am here for you, Kiyoko.” Her voice is silky smooth. Why are they here for me? What is going on here? I blink, am I seeing things? Her appearance begins to alter, beginning with her hair, it turns from black to brown, and her skin color begins to whiten. Her green eyes turn blue, and her forehead symbol changes, it clicks. The Moon sign is clear on her forehead. She was here for me, like all the other Moon ninja. I know exactly why they came. I watch as the other two ninja discard their disguises.

I thought Lady Tsunade did a background check of every genin who is participating the exams, they must have slipped through. The Moon Village is a small village, and because it is small, ninjas are highly skilled and sent on harder missions younger than they send youngsters here. The sensei in the Moon Academy would spend more individual time with each student due to small class sizes. I know these three ninjas are highly skilled, why would the be sent to capture me if they were not? Though I never went through the regular curriculum, while I was at the academy, I knew I am right. They are probably jounin already, but are disguised as genin, they look young enough.

I take a quick glance at Kiba and Hinata, they can’t intervene. This is my fight, and they are no match for them. I can’t let them get hurt, from my past. I’ll send them for reinforcements, while I fend them off.
“Listen carefully Kiba,Hinata, you two need to go to the towers and inform them that Moon ninjas are here.” I say urgently.

“ We can’t let you do this alone, Kiyoko. Its three of them, and only one of you,” Hinata protests.

“You must! I can’t tell you the importance of alarming Lady Tsunade. Now hurry, and don’t stop if teams get in your way. Run straight to the tower!” I yell at them, always keeping an eye on her. They hear the desperation in my voice, and I hear them run to the tower.

The ninja smiles.

“I don’t think I’ve introduced my self. I am Asami Tsukino.” She stands casually, as if I am not threat. My blood goes cold, Tsukino, that is my surname, and my father’s.”

I keep the bile from rising in my throat. “Who are you?”

She doesn’t give me an answer. “ Father told me to bring you back home. We want you to be part of our family Kiyoko.”

Father? Is she talking about my father?

“Our father married my mother not too long after you left. I believe I am eleven years younger than you. I always thought we could have been close sisters if you hadn’t abandoned us. Wouldn’t you think so, Kiyoko?”

The way she says my name, makes me feel sick. This girl in front of me is my half sister. And as much as I would like to have a family reunion, I won’t let them take me back there.

“You know you were smart to send them off.” Asami smiles, I want to rip that smile off of her face. She had father’s hair color, but she must have gotten her eyes from her mother. She is a beautiful girl, what a pity she is my enemy. “Looks like you won’t be coming with us without force, what a shame, I wanted to bring you back in one piece, but I guess a few broken bones and bruises will be needed.”

“I’ve been thinking about everyone you’ve killed from our village. Father sends them after you, but no one comes back. You’ve killed so many people, well guess what your next.”

My eyes widen, those were the words the cat in my dreams said to me. Will today be my last day alive? She weaves her hand with incredible speed, the two boys behind her begin to seal their hands as well.

“Summoning jutsu.” Asami says. A cloud appears and hides the summon. A purr vibrates the ground beneath me, and soon I see the giant cats she summoned. Was this some kind of cruel joke? There are three cats, and three ninja. The cats are large, and they are fast and flexible. This wasn’t looking good. I wish I knew how to summon, but for now I will have to rely on my shadow clones, and use my chakra amount to my advantage. They can’t afford to use unnecessary jutsus, while I can. I’ll wait them out.

I look around, the trees are close and dense in this area, I need to get to an open part, but to do that I have to pass them three. Asami, and the other two ninja are strong, I can already tell. I curse under my breath, if I stay here my lack of mobility will be the end of me.

“You don’t want me, you want the power I hold. Isn’t that true Asami?” I ask her. If I die today, I don’t want my final moments to be false, I want her to be honest. If she wants the beast I hold, then she’ll have to touch me and remove the seal. I couldn’t let that happen, the Leaf Village would be in danger, and everyone inside. I promised I would protect them, and this time I will fulfill my promise.

“I won’t lie to you, big sister, but your right.”

One of the boys behind her has a big jar, he pulled out of the scroll. Their planning on sealing it in there. I produce then shadow clones, any more and they’ll only get in the way. Maybe with the confusion I can slip through them, and get away from them. That’s my only way of survival. The cats are fast to run, they’ve noticed my eye movements and blocked the widest open space, they are smart, blocking my exits. My shadow clones form a circle, the two male ninja are ready for attack, and Asami has a blood thirsty look in her eye. I don’t know what my father said to her that made her this way, but she doesn’t look human. I form tearing torrent in my hand, and my shadow clone follow my lead. We all have tearing torrent in hand, and I attack Asami personally, while my shadows attack the others.

I see her smile, before she weaves her hands, I try to land a blow on her, but it skims her hair, trimming the part my sharp water touched. I’m moving too fast, to stop and turn around immediately. The earth beneath my feet begins to rumble, I focus my chakra on my feet, keeping me steady as the ground shifted. I see Asami, heading straight at me with her hand, earth surrounding it. She must be an earth user, water is weak against earth.

“Earth flow spears.” She says, the earth near me begin to protrude the air, sharp, and closing in fast. I dodge one spike of earth, and then another. It’s like playing with fire, you don’t want to touch it, in fear that it’ll burn. I don’t let it touch me, in fear that they’ll capture me and seal the beast inside the jar. I can’t let them have this power, they’ll only use it for evil purposes, I know it. Why else would my father want it? To bring peace to the world? He can’t even bring peace between us. My back slams into a tree trunk, damn it, I’m cornered. The only way to get out, is to force myself out, but water is weak against earth. Maybe if I concentrate chakra at higher pressure and rotation, it’ll go through the earth, its worth a shot. I make three shadow clones to cover me, while I concentrate on creating the powerful jutsu. The wall of earth was getting closer, the chakra control was harder but I can handle it. I release the clones, receiving back the chakra I used. I gather little momentum with the little space I have, and run toward the wall of earth that was cornering me. I have to believe I’m stronger than the wall, I’ll get through it. I stretch out my hand, making the jutsu push, I use my toes and dig into the ground, pushing the ninjutsu into the wall. I grit my teeth, it wasn’t making much progress. I add more chakra, making it faster than I ever made it go.

My wrist that holds the jutsu, bends in an unusual way, the bone cracks, sending painful waves up my arm, but it goes through. It breaks the wall, making a gap big enough for me to escape. I jump and jump away from Asami, my shadow clones have disappeared, I was where I started. Three cats and three ninjas. To make things worse my right hand is no use to me, it’ll take a while to heal, and without basic first aid, it’ll take even longer. I grab my kunai with my left, it feels uneasy, I’m right handed, but fighting with my left.

“I see that earth can’t keep you down, even if you use water. I didn’t want to use this jutsu but I have no choice.”

The cats disappear, and I see a conversation between them three with their eyes. They must be close enough to know what to do with the movements of an eye. The two other ninja hop to a tree near by leaving Asami and I in the middle of a small opening. The trees location was making this harder, I position my right hand so if I move it won’t hurt as much. She weaved her hands, my eyes couldn’t keep up with them. Her movements are much more aggressive now.

“Wood release: Great Forest Technique.” Asami’s right arm begins to thicken and change color. It looks like a tree trunk, and it was moving towards me. Wood? What kind of jutsu is this? I dodge it, and land on the trunk. I throw the kunai at Asami, but the branches extend and block it. Its a perfect offensive and defensive jutsu. I grab paper bombs from my pouch, and begin to lay them down her arm. I grab a smoke bomb, and let them explode first. In the confucian, I’ll substitute a shadow clone, and that’s when I’ll escape. The paper bombs explode, and I throw the smoke bomb right afterwards. The smoke covers my presence, and I try to remember which direction I am facing, I wish I was a sensory ninja. I cradle my broken wrist, and run to my right, where the ninja left unguarded.

I hear clanking, like wood against wood. Its near, Asami must be using her wood jutsu to locate me. But she is as blind as I am. I run into a tree, i feel the blood from an open wound run down my cheek. I must have hit my forehead hard enough to start bleeding. I move right, but hit a tree again, I try left, but end to the same result. I try to feel my surroundings with my left hand, but all I feel is wood. My heart begins to race, and thoughts began to overtake my head. The smoke thins out, and I finally see what I am touching.

Its like a cage, keeping me in. They’ve succeeded, they’ve managed to capture me. I hit the vertical bars with my left hand, putting my chakra into every punch, I had to get out of here, but I was getting no where. Wood is not like earth, I can’t break through this, not matter how much chakra I use. Asami walks closer, she seems out of breath, this must take out a lot from her.

“You're stronger than we expected. Looks like this time, you didn’t rely on the beast’s power? Is it because of the seal? Here let me help you with that.” Asami hold her hands in front of her, and slithers of wood begin to come up come from the ground beneath me, It wraps itself around me. The pressure against my broken wrist is too much, and I end up screaming in pain. It squeezes more, and I think my inside are going to explode. I taste blood in my mouth. Is she going to squeeze the beast out of me? I cough blood, and watch as it taints the ground in front of me. The cage buries itself, the only thing that restricts my movements is the wood that is wrapped around me. The two other ninja hop down from the branches, the jug in hand, Asami holds her hand out, red chakra lighting her fingertips. I spit in her face, its the only thing I can do. Asami wraps another wood limp around my right leg, bending it back. I scream in agony, my bone hangs limply. My right wrist pulses in pain, and my right leg is numb. Tears blur my vision, the pain made it hard to focus on reality. I close my eyes, I didn’t want to see the hand that was going to end my life, that was going to use this power I held.

Light flashes in front of me, the sound of electricity wakes me. I see a gray haired man standing in front of me. Kakashi. I turn my head to see Yamato with wide eyes, and I see five more ninja hidden behind animal masks. I smile. Hinata and Kiba were able to warn them, they are safe. Kakashi cuts through the wood, the lack of pressure lets my lungs finally take a deep breath.

“Try to keep at least one of them alive. They have important information.” One of the mask ninja says. I think they are ANBU ninjas, I’ve heard of them but I’ve never seen them.

“Ken, Kin, you know what we must do.” Asami says to the other two ninja. They nod, and summon the cats once again. They are going to fight, but Asami isn’t at her best, this won’t be much of a fight. The Leaf ninja get ready for the attack, but it doesn’t come. The cats unsheathe their claws, long and sharp. Instead of coming at us, it attacks the Moon ninja, and Asami, Kin, and Ken don’t put up a fight. They are willing to die, rather than be captured by the enemy. I watch as the cats slash through their bodies with ease. Blood spurts everywhere, some landing on my face, arms, and legs. They are ripped apart, beyond repair, the intelligent core can’t gather any intel from them now. Their bodies aren’t recognizable anymore, they are just a heap of blood and flesh. The cats disappear in a white cloud, but I can’t remove my eyes from what they left. I hate the Moon Village, but I admire their loyalty.

“Kiyoko, are you alright?” Kakashi bends down to my level, I shake my head. After everything I’ve seen today, I’m not alright in the least.

“Looks like you have a few broken bones. Lets get you to the infirmary.”

“But the challenge. I’m not done with the second stage,” I protest. Kakashi smiles a bit.

“Hinata and Kiba delivered the scrolls, you’re team goes to the third round.”

Those words are music to my ears. I let him help me back, I was getting closer. I have so many questions, but there are no answers. Why would father send her out of every ninja in the village for me? Why do they need the beast’s power? Yamato walks besides us, three ANBU ninja stay behind to investigate, the other two come with us. I don’t know why, but I feel somewhat secure with the four around. I reek of blood and sweat, and my head hurts from all the pain. I want to rest, but I can’t get the image of Asami’s eyes as she stared at the cat, her last seconds of her life she spent staring at the black fur.

“Kiyoko, I just need to ask you one question before I let you rest. Who was it that used Wood release?” Yamato asked from my right.

“The girl, my half sister, Asami.” I reply.

“Half sister? What do you mean? Does that mean you are a descendant of the senju too?”

My head hurts even more now. Senju? I’ve never heard of them. Descendants? My father and mother are born and raised in the Moon, and so were my grandparents, and my great grandparents, and generations after that.

“Yamato, let her rest. You’ll be able to ask her more questions later,” Kakashi says. I don’t see where we go, I just let my bed be dragged there. I feel my eyes close, and I drift into unconsciousness when my head hits a soft pillow.

Kakashi’s POV

Wood, she had wood release. I thought the only one who had it is Yamato, but she used it to capture Kiyoko. This doesn’t make sense at all. Kiyoko’s wounds were a little more serious than I thought, turns out she had some internal bleeding, the pressure of the wood wrapped around her cause it, but Lady Tsunade healed her, and she was going to be just fine. I sit down by her bedside, her right leg and right wrist is wrapped in gauze, what had she seen? What did she go through, while she fought them alone?

Her black hair was spread out in her pillow, she had recovered the color in her face. Someone knocks on the door, and enters. I see Yamato slide the door open.

“She’s not awake yet?” I shake my head, its been two days already, and she hasn’t opened her eyes yet, or moved her hands, no movement.

“Do you think her half sister was an experiment too? Maybe Orochimaru is working with that Village as well.” He says. I don’t know what to think, maybe Kiyoko knows, she’ll tell us.

Kiyoko’s POV

My body feels like lead, i hear voices, but I can’t distinguish what they are saying. I try to move my legs and arms, but its hard to do so. My wrist is bandaged and so is my leg, I feel the cloth around them. I open my eyes, my eyelids move upward, I see the white ceiling, and I hear the beeping of my heart beat. I smell the sterile hospital odor, I turn to see Kakashi and Yamato talking, they don’t notice I am awake. How long have I been out?

Yamato notices first, and Kakashi turns to see why Yamato smiles a bit.

“How are you feeling?” Kakashi asks.

“Been better.” I say, but my voice is rough, I need water. Yamato takes that as a hint and gets me a glass of water. I hold it with my left hand, afraid that my right hand still hurts. The cool liquid feels heavenly as it coats my dry throat with moisture.

“How long have I been out?”

“Two days. Any other person would have been out for much longer, but you heal at an incredible rate,” Kakashi says. Yamato bites hit inner cheek, like he wants to say something but doesn’t. He must have questions, and so do I?

“You can ask me Yamato, I’ll answer them as best as I could.” Feeling my body lighten as I adjusted to the world again. Yamato sighs.

“You said your half sister, Asami, used the Wood release.” He says. I nod.

“Do you know how she got it?”

I shake my head. “That was my first time I ever saw her. My father remarried, and had her. She said she didn’t want to use it, but I left her no choice. It looked like it took a lot of chakra out of her.”

Yamato nods. He puts his hand under his chin, thinking of it. Why is the wood release so interesting?

“Why is the Wood release so important? What is it?” I ask. Kakashi replies, Yamato is still thinking.

“Well, the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju was the only person who could use Wood Release. Wood is a hard nature to use, and its very powerful, that’s why its so important. If you have wood style, then you can control the tailed beast much easier. Yamato has Wood style, because he has the cells of the first Hokage in him. No one else has it, but Asami used it, and we don’t know if she is a descendant of the senju, or if she had the cells of the first hokage implanted in her.”

No wonder I couldn’t break through, wood is powerful, that’s why I felt panicked when I was stuck in the cage.

“I think its the latter of the two. My father and my mother were born and raised in the Moon Village, and so was my grandparents, and generations before them.”

“ There could be a possibility that Asami’s mother is a senju,” Yamato implies. That can be a possibility. There was so many possibilities, we can’t be sure if any of them are true or false. The only way to find the answers, is to ask my father personally, but I wouldn’t want to see his face in this lifetime. Its too dangerous to infiltrate the Moon and search for answers, who knows how strong the ninja there are.

I have two less days of a month, to get ready for the individual duals. I want to jump out of bed, and get to training, and to perfecting more jutsus, but I know its impossible with these two in the way. Kakashi won’t let me out of here until I am recovered, considering the last time I pushed myself too hard I ended up in a genjutsu and depressed. I need a way to get them to leave, so I can escape. A knock on the door interrupts my plan. I see Hinata peak in, she smiles when she sees me. The door slides open the whole way, Hinata walks in followed by Kiba, Akamaru, and Sakura. Hinata holds a bag in her hand, I can take a guess to what it is, lunch.

“I’m so sorry Kiyoko, we should have never left you, then maybe you wouldn’t be in the state you are in. I’m very sorry.” Hinata bows, I laugh a little, she’s too polite. Kiba leans on the wall facing my bed. I’m glad to see them safe and sound.

“Its okay, I’m glad I’m in here instead of you two. I’m proud that you guys accomplished the stage for us, and warned the rest.” Kiba’s eyes don’t land on me, he’s much more serious than ever. Hinata leaves the bag on my bedside table.

“Let me guess, food?” I smile, when she nods. She unpacks it, several servings, way too much for me.

“I thought we can all eat.” Hinata gives the containers to everyone, including Kakashi who justs holds it in his hand. Is he shy to eat in public? Yamato agrees to stay, they drag chairs around my bed. I bite my bottom lip, I can’t let the tears fall. I’ve never felt important, but seeing as they gather and worry, I feel like I actually exist. Its a new experience that’ll always remind me I have a reason to live, even when I think I don’t. I wish Naruto was here to be part of it, and Sai too. I eat my food in bed, Kakashi saves his for later, I test my right hand’s mobility, and grin when I realize that it doesn’t hurt anymore. I move it in circles, bending my stiff muscles and tendons. My leg is better to, I wonder how other’s heal, if they don’t heal like me. I can’t imagine the thought of waiting weeks for an injury to heal.

“Thank you Hinata,” I say once I finish my food, the others have finished and said their goodbyes, Kakashi and Hinata are the only ones left. Its nearly sun down, and my eyes were beginning to feel heavy. Another knock wakes me, I sigh softly, I love company as long as they are as quiet as Hinata and Kakashi. Orange hair flaps into view, Eri, nope she’s not quiet.
She gives me a side smile, and slides the door behind her.

“You look like hell.” Eri laughs, and somehow I end up laughing too. Always being honest, I smooth my hair down.

“Well if you were about to be killed I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t have looked all that great either.” I joke around, she chuckles, death isn’t something normal people laugh about, but I’m me, and I’m far from being a normal ninja. She sits in one of the empty chairs, with a smile plastered on her face. I didn’t know why, but seeing her smile lightened my mood.

“I’m so proud of you! You’re almost a chunin. God I remember the exams, I on the other hand didn’t get sent on to the hospital. I sent my opponents to the hospital.” She held out her arms, displaying the small biceps she had. I never knew she participated in the exams.

“So you passed?”

Eri nodded. “I even became a jounin, You know just because I’m pregnant, it doesn't I’ve always been weak. I was a badass. And now I’m stuck on the sidelines.” She pats her stomach. I try to imagine Eri in ninja gear, and a Leaf forehead protector around her head, its hard to see her in it.

“I think I’m going to need pictures to believe it,” I tease her. She smirks, and agrees to show me pictures some time. Hinata leaves for some training, leaving us three adults in the room. Eri brings her hand to her nose, “Oh god, what is that smell?”

I take a deep breathe, barely noticing the odor that lingered. It was Kakashi’s food that he didn’t eat.

“Their dumplings, Hinata made.” Eri turns green, running to the bathroom on my right, I hear her vomit. It must be a symptoms to being pregnant. But she loves dumplings.

“Do you know how hard it it to not vomit at the smell of dumplings? Its heart breaking, they’re my favorite. I guess the baby isn’t a fan of them,” Eri says as she close the bathroom door. I feel bad for her, pregnancy doesn’t seem all that fun.

“I’m going to go before I barf all over the room, I’ll come tomorrow morning.”

“That’s if I’m still in here.” I tell her before she shuts the door, keeping the smell from following her. Two days have been more than enough rest for me, my broken bones are healed, and after eating Hinata’s cooking I feel rejuvenated.

“You won’t be out of here for another couple days, so don’t even try to escape. I’m not letting you out of my sight.” Kakashi says, he pulls out a book out of his pouch.

“Oh, come on. I’m completely healed.”

Kakashi lifts his eyes from the novel, and eyebrow raised. He closes the book, setting it down on the window sill near him, before he stands up.

“Get up.” He waits for me to say something, but I obey, and sit up, my toes skim the cold ground. I trust my leg, I do. There is nothing to be afraid of, I’ll show Kakashi he doesn’t need to keep an eye on me. I hop to the ground, my leg aches from the sudden weight, I shift most of my weight to my left side, my wrist throbs from the blood flow increasing.

“See perfectly fine.”

Kakashi hums, and walks toward me, I stay in my place, scared that if I move he’ll see the balance issue. He taps my shoulder, I stay balanced, but he knows I’m not putting much weight on my leg. He’s just waiting for me to admit it. I get back into bed, I won’t say it out loud, so I’ll surrender silently. Kakashi looks satisfied as he settles back into his chair, reading. I sigh of boredom, what am I going to do. I watch as the clock ticks, its only five in the evening.

My mind wanders to the events that happened a couple days ago. Asami's wide eyes still linger in my mind. She looked terrified as the cat slashed its claws through her. It was an order that she couldn’t stop. Its the way my father programmed her to think. It always goes the way he wants it to go, because he knows how to manipulate a human’s thinking. He’s cunning, and I hate that about him. I imagine what my life would have been like if I did stay, and how it would be like if Asami and I got along like siblings. I would braid her hair, and then she would braid mine, and her mother would pack my lunch, and we’ll walk to the academy together. Then after school my father would walk us home, and we’d do homework together, and eat dinner as a family. I imagine, but I knew that if I stayed none of those things would have occurred. I would have ran away sooner or later, and I chose sooner than later.

If father wants the power so bad, why doesn’t he come personally. He’s a strong shinobi I know he is. He’s the leader of our island after all. I’ve seen him throw a few kunai here and there, they would always hit dead center of the target, he wouldn’t even look. He just threw and they landed. As a little girl, I always wanted to ask him for help, but I never had the guts to ask him. He would have rejected me anyways considering he hated me the most out of everyone in the village.

“I’m gonna go home and grab a few things. I’ll be back before you even have a chance to get out of bed, so don’t even try.” Kakashi leaves his book on his chair, and walks to the door. He makes sure I’m seated when he closes it behind him. I don’t feel up to being hunted down and scolded at, my leg isn’t in the position to run anyways. I think of all the possible things I could be doing right now, but I don’t know what I can do to pass the time.

I felt tingles run up my leg, my foot was asleep, and I knew a perfect way to make it go away. I get out of bed hopping to a wall with empty space, I face the window, and crouch down, before I kick my legs up. The sun looks like its rising rather than setting, the blood rushes to my head. I used to do this when I was younger, I forgot when was the last time I did this. I laugh a little, but the flush of blood makes me feel weird. My wrist aches a bit, but it adjusts to my weight. A little daunting idea pops into my head, you know I’ve never walked on my hands, but the boredom was killing me, I had to find something to do. I take my left hand first, and step forward, the wall behind me no longer supported my balance. It was easier than I expected, it’s like walking on your feet, but you adjust your weight in your legs when you walk on your hands.

“What are you doing?”

I turn to see Kakashi standing at the doorway, it looks like he’s hanging from the ceiling like a bat. I get back on my legs, well on my leg, sitting on the open chair. The bed was making my back ache.

“I ran into Lady Tsunade, she’ll be here in a few minutes, she wants to know everything that happened from your point of view. On que, Lady Tsunade slides the door open, a clipboard in hand. She looks at Kakashi first and then me, her eyes had some uncertainty in them.

“I’ve been given the run down, but I have yet to hear the entire story, so please enlighten us.” Lady Tsunade stands before me, she’s much more intimidating now than ever. I swallow, and gather my hands, remembering how it all began.

“Hinata, Kiba, and I had just gotten the earth scroll from another team, and we were about to leave for the tower. It was Akamaru who sensed them before any of us, they attacked me first, I was the closest one to them. Hinata told us they had their scrolls already, I asked them why they wanted the scrolls, if they had your's. It was the girl of the three, Asami, my half sister who answered me. She said they wanted me. Their appearance changed, and they showed us who they really were. Moon ninja, Asami tried to convince me to go home with her, that my father misses me and wants me to be a part of their family. I knew my father would never say that of course, she knew I wasn't going to go with them. They wanted the power I hold. I sent Hinata and Kiba to call reinforcement and sent them away from harm."

"You shouldn't have done that." Lady Tsunade says.

"The Moon Village ninjas are powerful. At a young age a ninja are sent on harder missions. An expected age to become a jounin is ten. Because the Moon village is small, the teachers spend more times with each students and help their growth. Every child must go the academy, and become a jounin, and at the age of thirty everyone has a choice to leave the ranks and work in the Village or stay a ninja. I knew that Asami, Kin, and Ken, the other two ninja were powerful, and jounin level. I couldn't let Hinata and Kiba get hurt, it was my fight, it's my past and no one should get tangled into it. After they left, I used shadow clones in my advantage. It was three cats, that they summoned and three ninja. I personally took Asami, but she had earth nature and I had water. I used tearing torrent but increased it's chakra concentration and rotation, it went through the earth wall, but I broke my wrist doing so."

I look at my wrist.

"Asami was impressed I could do that, she said she didn't want to use that jutsu, but I left her no choice. Her arm began to change, and that's the first time I saw wood release. I used paper bombs and smoke bombs to confuse them, I thought I would use that time to escape. Asami was a step ahead of me, she built a cage around me. I tried to get out, but I couldn't. She wrapped wood around me, I thought I was done for. I spit on her face, in disgust, and desperation. I thought they were finally going to get their hands on the beast, she broke my leg after I did that. Asami took the cage down, and her fingertips glowed with red chakra. She used the wood to lift my shirt and find the sealing. I closed my eyes, I didn't want to see what happened then. I saw Kakashi use his chidori to break me out. Yamato, and ANBU ninja were there too. Asami, Ken, and Kin knew they couldn't win a fight against them. So they summoned cats to kill them. The cats slashed at their bodies making sure the intel division wouldn't be able to gather an information from them," I tell her.

"It looks like someone managed to implant my grandfather's cells in her, or somehow she managed to learn wood release on her own, but that impossible if your body isn't from senju bloodline. It's a hard jutsu to learn, but it's possible as long as your descendants from a senju." Lady Tsunade taps her nails on the clipboard.

"My father is not a senju, but I don't know anything about Asami's mother."

She paces back and forth, looking for answers that weren’t there. There is no way of knowing, not without the intel that was destroyed.

“The only way to know the truth, is to go and find it.” Lady Tsunade says.

“You can’t mean actually infiltrating the village. That would only start conflict between the Leaf and the Moon,” I exclaim. Conflicts between the Leaf and the Moon, wouldn’t be a little problem, considering I am from the Moon, they’ll would probably bargain with my life. They’ll want me back, and if it endangers the people of the Leaf, I’ll be sacrificed. The Moon are strong and small, their quiet killers. They are the type of ninja someone would hire for a dirty job, murder, genocide, the skill jounin ninja from the Moon are high. I have yet to see the skill level the Leaf jounin when they are at their highest. They’ll see through any transformation jutsu, infiltrating would be near to impossible, father keeps an eye on everything, always a tight schedule, and I never knew why. He must have something to hide. Like Senju cells. The puzzle was coming along, now to know if its actually correct, that’s the tricky part.

“Of course not, who do you think I am? I’ll need to think of it more thoroughly before I make any decisions. For now focus on healing, meaning no all night training.”

They were never going to let me forget it, were they? I nod, letting her and Kakashi know I won’t be sneaking out tonight, if I’m here tomorrow, I might try it. She flips through the clipboard papers.

“Well, the internal bleeding has stopped, and everything looks normal. Your healing abilities remind me a lot of Naruto’s. I thought I could finally let loose for a while, but you're full of surprises. I’ll release you the day after tomorrow, so don’t think about sneaking out tomorrow either.”

Can she read minds?

“Right, sorry for being a bother.” I play with the hem of my shirt, not knowing what else to do under her stare. I don’t know how Sakura trains with her, I would be too intimidated to even move when we are under the same roof. I see her give me a small smile, satisfaction written over her face, but I don’t know why. She leaves without another word, I finally exhale, a breathe I didn’t know I was holding.

“I was about to tell you to breathe. Jeez you were beginning to turn blue” , Kakashi smirks, or I think he does, I can’t tell if he is when the mask is in the way.

“I brought something to pass the time, since I know you’re getting restless.” He grabs a bag he brought, but I didn’t see it before. He pulls out a large wooden box.

“Its called Shogi.”

He sets it on a stool between us, lifting the lid, and taking a board out. I’ve never seen this before, I never played around when I was a kid, and I was too busy trying to survive to notice when I was on the run. Kakashi takes out small boxes, little pieces are full of them. He starts setting them on the board.

"It's a strategical and tactical game. The goal, is to capture my king, using your other pieces.”

There were pawns, lance, knight,silver general, gold general, bishop, rook, and a king. Kakashi went on explaining every move each piece can do. I have to think like Kakashi if I want to win, always be a step ahead of him. I can’t beat him on the field, but on the board, I’ll crush him. Ever since I began training I found quality in me, I’m competitive. I hate losing, so when Kakashi is up against me, I want to win, but I always end up losing, it makes me want to train and get better.

I let him have the first move, exchange turns, we play for two hours. My pawns have been defeated and my knights and lances are the only ones defending my king, Kakashi on the other hand, still has three pawns to spare, and all of the other pieces. I tuck my hair behind my ear, what do I do now? I was a fool to be on the offensive, attacking first, leaving my defenses weak.

“I give up, you win.”

“What? You can make a comeback if you tried.”

“Not against you. I won’t let you get my king, so I surrender. Don’t let this get to your head, Kakashi. I’ll get you one day,” He stands up to stretch. I follow.

“Is there anything you’re not good at?” I ask. He’s a great ninja, and he plays shogi so well. He looks unstoppable.

“Yup, plenty of things, but I won’t tell you, that’ll make me look bad,” He says. I smile, a little, even he has an ego he wants to keep intact.

I help put the board game back in its box, it was night already, and the moon was like a slither, a clip of fingernail. The day’s events flashback into mind, especially what Lady Tsunade said.

“Kakashi can you promise me something?”

He was settling into the chair he planned to spend the night. He looks up, wondering what I was about to ask.

“Will you promise me to tell me, if Lady Tsunade does decide to infiltrate the Moon. If they do decide to do that, I want to be part of it, no one knows the island like I do.”

I explored the island as a little girl, finding ways to pass the time, since I was always alone. I know every crook and cranny of the island. I turned every rock, and smelled every flower. I know where every tree is located, I know where the weakest point of the island is. Where the easiest way to get in is. I don’t know, however, where the information they want is located. It would probably be stored away somewhere in father’s office, I do know where that is.

“She won’t send anyone out there. But I promise to tell you if she does decide to go to the Moon,” Kakashi compromises. My head rests with the answer. I pray Lady Tsunade isn’t desperate enough to actually send anyone to the isolated island, I used to call home.

My day at the hospital passes by quickly, I finally walk in the sunlight, the breeze was cold, but I’m glad to be out of the stuffy room. Eri came by yesterday to show me a picture of her as a chunin and a jounin. She wasn’t lying, she really did look fierce in both pictures. The picture where she just became a chunin she was with both her parents and her older brother, but when she showed me the picture when she was promoted to jounin it was just her and her mother.

Eri told me, her brother Haru, was killed in action right before her father passed away due to the illness. Now its just her mother, her husband, and her. Soon the baby would keep her company. In the picture Eri held a strong look in her eyes, currently its replaces with a more gentler look. Both suited her, but I preferred the gentler side of Eri, I don’t want to see her in a bad mood.

Lady Tsunade had permitted training as long as I don’t use my right arm too much. I can use it in three days, its still a little stiff, but that’s because I haven’t been using it at all. Kakashi finally let me out of his sight when I had a shower. I was combing my hair, finally getting the little pieces of wood that were stuck in there. Kakashi is in the living room, sleeping, something I rarely see him do. I make myself lunch, cooking eggs, and pork for a simple side dish. I can’t reach the rice steamer from the top shelf, and I don’t want to make noise in getting it down, so I eat lunch without rice. I get some green in my bowl. I eat and think, what can I do with my left hand, and train. I can do some stamina building, and shuriken throwing, tomorrow I’ll start practicing torrent in secrecy. Maybe Yamato can teach me other water jutsus.


What is father thinking, now that his own daughter is dead, and he is left with its guilt? I don’t know if he can feel guilty, but deep down I do. I pity Asami too, I don’t know what type of childhood she had, was it worse than mine or better? Was she a happy child, running around with her friends before sundown, or did she have to live up to our father’s high expectations? I like to think she was a joyful girl, it settles in my mind easier. I’ll never know, and something inside me wishes I did.

There’s no good being done, if I think about it. I wash my dishes, putting them on the rack to dry. Today I’ll stick to domestic duties, as much as I hate staying in the house, I can’t do a lot today, and I wanted to make sure I didn’t fall behind in laundry again. There are a few books I want to check out at the library and a few recipes I want to try out, this domestic life, this normal day was something I’ve always wanted, but now that its here, it feels off. It feels like a life I am not supposed to live. I’m not supposed to live without worries, and choose what I want to do today, the life I destined myself is a whole lot different. I chose to go down a path with order and danger. The path that protects others, and enforces the right of each person. Its a life I was always going to live. No doubt about it, but today was too relaxed, even Kakashi took two naps today, I’ve never seen him so tired. What was he up to?

After eating dinner alone, I walk the lamp lit streets. Kakashi was woken up by an urgent knock. Yamato and him ran straight to Lady Tsunade’s office. He left without a word, I was curious, but there was nothing I could do about it. The night was cold, and my toes were beginning to get numb, after just a few minutes of walking. The streets were empty, and the park was lonely, the kids were tucked away in the warmth of their homes, away from the bitter cold. The swing rocked back in forth, with the wind, I wanted to go swing in it, but decided against it, my bottom would freeze in seconds. I keep walking, going to an area with concrete stairs, a beautiful sculpture is in the middle, at the top. Benches are surrounding, facing to the village, and some facing the artwork. I sit in one that faces the village, its not too far up that I can see everything, but I see a wide view. I watched the trees bend with the current, and loose leaves float in the air. I take a deep breath in, filling my lungs with cold air. I was never able to relax and sit, to really look at the village, but now that I can, its larger than I expected. The buildings are close to one another, and the streets range from narrow ones to wide ones.

“Its beautiful when its peaceful, isn’t it.” I hear someone say behind me. I turn to see who disrupted my peace. Guy stands there, the same as always, shiny hair, clean green suit, and unzipped jacket. His headband is tied around his waist. I nod in agreement, peace is beautiful. He sits beside me, his breath coming out in puffs from the cold.

“I heard you passed the second stage of the chunin exams. That’s great. Looks like your flame of youth has just begun.” He gives me his famous thumbs up, flashing me his bright smile. I don’t know how he can manage to always smile, and have a positive attitude. I wish I was somewhat like him.

“My flame is brighter now than ever before,” I say. Its the present time that makes me feel alive. Not once before now did I ever feel like I was alive, I only felt like I lived to be chased, to be hunted down. That wasn’t living, the monster in me even said so, and that was something we both agreed on. The beast on the other hand wanted to kill all human kind, but I wasn’t participating in it. I liked humankind, just the way it is. They have caused wars, yes they have, but humans aren’t perfect, and are always looking for agreement. If we weren’t searching for even ground, we would always be in war. How would I find the answer to true peace? I don’t know, and it's something that I may never know either.

I’ve never and probably never have true peace within myself. The tension between my father and I reflects the tension within myself. I hate him, and he hates me, both my father and the tailed beast. They’ve never showed me who they truly are, and I don’t know who I am. Am I just a weapon, ready for destruction, or am I Kiyoko, the ninja who protects others from herself? Where do I belong? Here, where I feel at home, yet I’m not from here. This isn’t my birthplace, my roots lie in the Moon Village. I hate myself for belonging there, I wish I was born at a different time and place. Maybe I would have had a normal life, and loving parents, but I don’t decide that, that is the doing of something greater than myself.

“I just got back from a mission, so I’m going to head home early. I’ll see you around Kiyoko.” Guy flashes me another smile, before he heads down the stairs, disappearing with every step. The lights buzz, and the grasshoppers chirp, night was here again, taking the warmth of the sun. I felt myself shiver.

“What are you doing here? This isn’t your home, and you know damn right, that I’m right.” The monster in me says. I feel a different kind of shiver run up my spine.

“Where do I belong?” I don’t know anymore, perhaps the beast knows.

“No where. You and I we don’t belong anywhere. All we can do as long as you live is roam around. VIllage to village, it was fun. Seeing the different architecture, and smelling different foods. We should do that again,” his voice softens, like he actually enjoyed being outside the walls. His kind voice, rises my suspicions. What is he up to? I don’t reply, maybe he’ll continue to talk, if I don’t. And I’m right.

“Why be part of something that’ll only get yourself killed? For the good of others? What will they do for you in return? Love you, that’ll never happen. No one loves a monster.”

“I’m not you. I’m Kiyoko.”

He laughs, “As long as I am in your body, you and I are one. And every one knows you are a time bomb, you’ll crack, and you will be a monster.” He flashes an image of me, a savage look in my eye, and blood staining my hands. A memory, when I killed someone who was after me, I shake that picture away. I can’t let him persuade me to doubt myself, I promised Suzu, I promised myself. I promised Kakashi.

I rub my hands together, trying to return the warmth to my fingertips. The numb feeling tells me its time to head home. Rest, and be ready for training tomorrow. I’m in desperate need of exercise. To warm my body, I jog home, a few shop owners were closing their stores for the day. I pass the resting place of LB, little bird. Stopping slightly to pay my respect, and jog along. The feeling in my toes returns as I take two steps at a time up the stairs. I notice Kakashi is already home, as I open the front door. I hear the kettle scream, he must be in the kitchen. I slip off my shoes, and follow the heat, leading me to the kitchen. It looks like he just got home, because he still wears the jacket and his headband. He was tapping his fingers on the counter, somthing I noticed he does when he has something on his mind, or is nervous. I want to ask him about it, but then I’ll only be intruding.

“There’s still tea left if you’d like some, looks like you’ve been out in the cold for too long.” Kakashi says without looking at me. I grab a cup, and pour the steaming tea. It makes my fingers burn from the sudden change of temperature. He leaves with his thoughts and his tea, I hear his bedroom door slide open and close. There is something on his mind, and I wanted to know what it is. He’s always listen to me when I needed to vent, and I want to listen when he needs to let out steam too. I take a few sips, before I build enough courage to knock on his door. I tap quietly, not wanting to wake him if he did fall asleep.

I wait for a few seconds, he’s not going to answer is he?

“Yea?” Kakashi asks, from the other side of his door. I’m relieved he answered back, I don’t know what I would have done if he hadn’t.

“I’ve noticed you’re acting a little off. Everything okay?”

I hear the creak of his bed from his weight, and the soft steps of his feet coming closer to the door. I wait, my hands ringing themselves. I’ve never been good at these sort of things. Mostly because I didn’t grow up expressing my feelings, so I never had others tell me what they were feeling. Kakashi seemed like that type of person, reserved. The door slides open, the crease around his eye, was deeper, like he spent a lot of time frowning.

“Today is Obito’s anniversary.” Kakashi sighs. My heart feels heavy, today about fourteen years ago, his best friend died. I didn’t know what to say.

“Will you introduce him to me?” I blurt out. I wanted to go pay my respects at the cemetery, but I didn’t know where it was. It was close to midnight already, but better late than never. Kakashi smiles a bit, but agrees. I walk besides him as we make our way to the streets.

“You know when I was assigned team leader of team seven, the first thing I noticed was the rivalry between Naruto and Sasuke. It immediately reminded me of the relationship Obito and I had. Always trying to outdo each other, and arguing. It was like someone copied Obito and I into their bodies. I found it amusing at first, they helped each other, they pushed each other to train. And Sakura reminds me of Rin in some ways. She’s gentle when she has to be, but Sakura is a lot more corporeal and hard on Naruto. Rin was always looking out for both of us, patching us up. I was always annoyed with Obito’s excuses, but even if he was late most of the time, he had good reasons.”

We walk to a patch of green, the headstones, rising as we get closer. I let him walk us to the correct resting place. We stop in front of his plaque, it read Obito Uchiha. So this is where he lies in peace. I crouch down, and touch the fresh flowers, Kakashi must have placed them here recently.

“We’ve never met, but after everything I’ve heard, it sounds like you were a very brave ninja. My name is Kiyoko. If you’re anything like Kakashi tells me, I wish I could have met you. And if you’re anything like Naruto, then I’m sure you would have gotten a long way. I admire your love for your comrades. I’m going to take that to heart and try my best to protect people I hold dear to me too.” I touch the concrete, it was cold from the chilly night coming. I tuck my hair behind my ear, the wind was picking up, I make sure the flowers are secured in the container, I wouldn’t want them to blow away over the night.

I stand, and notice Kakashi’s spirit has lifted. He smiles a bit, and I smile knowing I could brighten his mood a bit.

“He even wanted to be Hokage, just like Naruto. That’s why I want to do everything in my power to get him there. If Naruto becomes hokage, I feel like Obito fulfilled his dream too.”

He really does love his students, and that makes me feel like I’m over the moon, to know someone like him. We back in silence, there wasn’t anything that needed to be said, I was happy he showed me his resting place, maybe next time when I have time, I’ll come visit him, let him know how Kakashi is doing. I’ll look for Rin’s plaque too.

Its been three days already, three very long days. I am now able to train without restrictions, my injuries are healed, and my body is ready for an intense training. I got up earlier than ever today, it wasn’t even light out, but I couldn’t keep tossing and turning, I lost about a week already, three weeks are left before the third stage of the exams, and if I wanted to be a chunin I will have to pull knew tricks out of my sleeves. Yamato being the kind person, agreed to show a few new jutsu, as long as I keep practicing tearing torrent. I get ready for the day, leaving Kakashi to his slumber. He’s back to normal, the Kakashi I know.

I get to the field quicker, the excitement was overflowing in me. I start off with the tearing torrent, while I wait for Yamato to arrive for our lesson. The seals come like second nature, and the chakra balance is easier too, tearing torrent was becoming trouble free. I kept it in my hand for a couple of seconds, before I decide to throw it at the near by log. Because of the balance, it cut with ease. I wonder why it cuts through logs, but won’t cut through wood jutsu, Asami used? It must be the chakra she uses to perform that jutsu, a log is just a log, it doesn’t use any chakra, so I guess that explains it.

“Kiyoko, tearing torrent is coming along nicely. Your a natural at ninjutsu, and by what I’ve heard genjutsu too.” Yamato says from behind me.

“So what are you teaching me today?” I ask ready for a new jutsu.

“We should have started with this jutsu, considering its easier than tearing torrent, but it slipped my mind. Its called wild water wave. I think you’ll be able to get this down in a day. To start off here are the seals. Dragon, tiger, hare. The key to this jutsu is the amount of chakra when it is being released. The base of this chakra center is your throat, the power of this jutsu relies on the chakra, and because this is you we are talking about, you’ll probably make this ten times more powerful than normal.”

“You’re giving me too much credit, I have to actually try it first.” I begin the seal my hands, concentrating my water chakra in the back of my mouth, I imagine the wave being powerful, releasing it at once. The water spurts out a few meters in front of me.

“Nice, your control is incredible, as to be expected. Keep practicing and you’ll get this down in half a day.”

I keep doing the same technique, I was getting used to my water chakra, the feel of it, is beginning to feel like a second skin. The sun was beginning to set high in the sky, it was a hot day, having water chakra does keep you cool. Yamato sits under a shady area, keeping an eye on my training. Something Kakashi told be the other day, about explaining the wood jutsu, popped into my mind. Yamato he was a wood user because he had senju dna planted in him, not because he was born that way. How did he get the first hokage’s DNA in him?

Curiosity gets the better of me, and I find myself walking towards him.

“Yamato I have a question for you. The other day we were talking about Wood release. and wood release is only used by the senju clan. How do you have Wood release, you have the first hokage’s DNA in you, right?”

He looks at me in a strange way, I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. He sits up straighter.

“Well I was very young when I was brought here. At the time Orochimaru was testing on adults, to see who could learn and use the wood jutsu, it was hard because they weren’t from senju descendants, so he began to implant the cells of the first hokage in small children. I was one of them. I don’t really know where I am from, but I ended up here. Orochimaru lost hope as every child died, I thought I was a goner too, but I wasn’t. Danzo, a man I trusted, discovered me and took me in. He taught me wood jutsu, and I became an essential part of the Leaf. You know about Naruto right?”

“He’s a... what do you call it, a jinchuuriki. He holds a beast inside him.” I reply, he nods.

“Wood release helps control the beast, and Naruto was growing so I was beginning to become important. And that’s what I am.”
Orochimaru, the name sends shivers up my spine. What an evil man, testing humans, like they were objects, like they couldn’t feel anything. Small children nonetheless. And Sasuke left the village to join him, all for revenge? I couldn’t see myself walking down that path, but I haven’t walked in his shoes so I don’t know how he feels. He was a rouge, both Orochimaru, and Sasuke, but they weren’t being hunted down? Was it because someone still thinks of them like the person they used to be, and can’t bare the thought of killing them? Someone was still thinking of Sasuke, so this must be where he belongs. Naruto and Sakura, they are his home, now that he doesn’t have anyone, so why did he leave them? Why can’t he see that they are his friends, they love him like family, Kakashi still believes Naruto can bring him back, he’s clinging to that. If I had a chance to somehow record everything they do, I would show it to Sasuke, make him see what they would do for him.

I leave Yamato under the tree, before I get back to practicing wild water wave. The wave was beginning to go farther, and with more amount.

“Soon enough you won’t need signs to master jutsu, the end seal is enough to complete the jutsu.” Yamato pats the dirt off of his clothes, walking closer, he moves his right hand to his face, two fingers was all he needed for the water to spurt out. He made it look so effortless. I try it his way, but the water doesn’t go so far, and the amount is smaller, than with the seals. Another obstacle to overcome, I’ll just learn with practice, just like I mastered tearing torrent. I might be exaggerating in saying mastered, but I’m almost there.

I called it a day at sundown, my wrist was throbbing from training, and my stomach was beginning to eat itself. Yamato was summoned by Lady Tsunade a few hours ago. There wasn’t a soul in the streets as I made my way home, which I found to be strange. The leaves raced each other in the wind, that was the movement that caught my eye, no one else seemed to be alive, and that thought scared me. My mind began to think of all the possibilities as to why no one was around.

“Maybe Moon ninja killed them all.” The beast in me blurts out. No, I would have sensed them, like I sensed Itachi and Kisame chakra. I would have noticed if they were attacking, the ninja in the Leaf aren’t that weak, they would have put up a fight. I don’t know when I start to run, fear building up in my chest, fueling me. Kakashi isn’t dead. He isn’t I know he isn’t. The door isn’t locked when I open it, the light in the living room is left on. I throw my shoes at the entrance, before I search every room. He isn’t in the kitchen, or the living room, and he isn’t in my room or his. I even checked the bathroom. He isn’t here. I pat my hair down, trying to think where he might be. I take a deep breath.

“I’m just being paranoid. No one powerful enough could kill everyone in the village. Not even the ninja from the Moon.” I think to myself. I catch myself pacing back and forth in the living room, before I go to the kitchen to make myself something to eat. Maybe this will distract my head for a while. Its just too cold to be outside, ya that’s why. My heart beat slows back to its normal pace. I scold myself, why do I always have to think of the worst that can happen. I eat alone, the silence was deafening. In all my years that I’ve been alone, I never thought I would get accustomed to noise. I grew to think of silence as my friend, but now I think of it as an enemy, funny how things can change in a blink of an eye.

I clean up, and I don’t know what else to do, other than sit in the living room and bite my nails. Waiting for Kakashi to get home, my mind wanders, but I refuse it to go into the back of my mind, into the darkness. It was the beast, who wants me to think this way, not me, and I won’t let him take over my state of mind. My mentality rides on the strength of my will, and even if everything else is broken, my will is not one of them. My will is my strength, as long as I have my will, the monster can’t control me. It was well past ten when Kakashi finally enters the living room, relief washes over me. I knew he wouldn’t be dead, I knew no one was attacking the village. I have to restrain myself from hugging him, I would be going too far, but happiness filled me where fear has left.

“Have you eaten already?” He asks as he makes his way to the kitchen, I nod, and follow, wanting to know why the village seems to lifeless. I helped him cook the rice, since he fails at doing so. It looks like I finally found something I am better at doing than him.

“Is there a reason as to why the village looks so abandoned?” I ask as I serve him a bowl of rice, he sits with his utensils and slips his mask down. He takes a few bites, while I get him a bowl of leftovers from yesterday.

“Last time the chunin exams were held here, the Leaf village was attacked. It was complete destruction and chaos, so as it gets closer to the third stage, we set a time curfew for precautionary measures.” He looks hungry and tired, like he hasn’t had much sleep in a while. I don’t ask anymore questions, not wanting him to get annoyed with my curiosity. I wonder what he’s doing that is making him so tired. He finishes his food, and gets up to go to the sink, but I stop him.

“Here, let me. You look tired.” I grab the plates and cup from his hand, my hand scrims his, the warmth making my flesh feel like its been lit on fire. I quickly turn to the sink, not wanting him to see my warm face. I expect him to walk back to his room, but I see from the corner of my eye that he stands next to me. A towel in hand.

“What did you do today while you were out? Yamato helped with new jutsu right?” He asks, as I scrub his plate.

“Yea. He taught me wild water wave. I think I almost got the hang of it. Its easier than tearing torrent, but I’ve never used a jutsu that concentrates the chakra in the mouth. I think with a couple more jutsus, I can really stand on my own in the final round.”

I hand him the clean plate.

“You can stand on your own already, you’re just getting used to standing with others. I think you’ll pass this challenge, no matter who you face. I’m not surprised you’re almost done mastering another jutsu.” Kakashi dries the rest of the dishes. I dry my hands, with a different towel.

“You look exhausted, what did you do while I was out?” I use his question against him.

“I was out training with my sharingan. I need to get stronger, in case I need to face Itachi again.”

I nod, that power must come with a cost, it must use a lot of chakra. I know that the beast I have is powerful, I know that, and I know the risks of using it. I lose control, and innocent people are usually the ones who pay the price. Guy also wants him to get stronger, from what I’ve observed, the only way to fight Itachi is to fight with a sharingan, and they were scarce. Kakashi, Sasuke, and Itachi have the last sharingans. There must be a lot of pressure on Kakashi’s shoulders. No one in the village understands him, because no one in the village has sharingan, independence, is a word that can describe him.

He folds the towel, before he thanks me for the meal, and says good night, there was a hop in his step that wasn’t there before. I settle into my bed too, letting today’s training finally catch up to me. I close my eyes, and walk into a dream that awaits me.

The dream takes place in the Moon village. I walk through the empty street, nothing moves, and it reminds me a lot of the Leaf village earlier. But the beast in me growled, and that puts my senses to an all time high. I see my pulse in my eyes, and my sweaty hands clench a kunai. I walk forward with caution. The trees provide shade from the heatless sun, it didn’t provide warmth that I needed to heat my chilled bones. I shivered with the cold wind, and walked down the street toward my old home.

On the horizon, a dark figured grew big. It was on the ground, it looked like a person. It wore blue clothing, like the Leaf ninja, and a green flak jacket. I knew then it was a Leaf ninja, I took a deep breath before getting closer. I was close enough to see its body clearly, but far enough to not know what face laid their. Their limbs bent in ways that were not normal, bones going directions they aren’t meant to. I take five more steps to the person who lifelessly laid there, I hear my kunai hit the ground, before my knees buckle on me. I stare at the face, I never want to see lifeless. Kakashi laid there, his eyes closed, but a hole is where his heart should have been. He clearly is dead, I scramble to check for a pulse, finding none. I feel the vomit rising.

I do nothing but stare at his closed eyes, praying, whispering, for them to open, but he wasn’t. My shake hands pat his hair, out of his face, trying to get a better view of him. Foot steps interrupt my grieving. I look up to see my reflection, an evil grin plastered on my face, and yellow eyes staring at me. Eyes that belonged to the beast. I looked at my clone’s right hand, it was smeared with blood, and it held Kakashi’s heart. The heart still beating in my clone’s hand.

I take in a deep breath of air, as I wake up from my nightmare. My hands tremble at the thought that I would be the one who killed Kakashi. It was the beast who took over my body, but it was my hand that wrapped itself around his heart and tore it out of his chest. If I didn’t look with my own eyes that he was still breathing, I wouldn’t be able to get any sleep tonight, but he was tired and I didn’t want to disturb his slumber. I chew my already bitten nails, I tossed and turned, not wanting to close my eyes again and see him in that state.

I go to the bathroom, splashing cold water onto my face. The mirror in front of me didn’t show my reflection, instead two yellow glaring eyes stared at me. My body reacts before my mind can gather what really is happening, soon enough tearing torrent is hand, ready for an attack. But there is none, no one is awake at this time. I cancel it, relaxing, rolling the tension in my wrist.

“I’m just imagining things,” I whisper to myself. I don’t think I can take anymore of this stalling, I need to know if Kakashi is still breathing, and very much alive. My hand hovers over the handle, my inner polite voice begins to argue with me. I want to, but I don’t want to. The door slides open for me, revealing a sleepy looking Kakashi. I sigh, he seems alright, there is no hole in his chest either.

“Do you need anything? You’re making quite a noise out here, did anything happen?” He was becoming aware of my erratic breathing, and jumpy posture. I lacked sleep, he knew I have been awake for some time.

“No, sorry to wake you. I just had to see if you were still breathing.” I say, I want to take back the last part.

“Why would I not be.”

I wave the question away, its too late to go into my nightmare, he and I need rest. Tomorrow I’ll be training and so will he. We have to replenish our chakra.

“I know you had a bad dream. Your breathing was irregular.” Kakashi straightens his sleepy posture, the slumber he was in moments ago, slipped off of him. I didn’t want to tell him I killed him, what would he say? I don’t want him to lose trust in me, to fear me. I don’t think I can handle Kakashi fearing me, it made my stomach clench at the thought of him avoiding me. He would never look at me the same way if I told him. He waited for an answer, should I tell him, or should I keep this to myself. My mind said one thing, but my heart wanted to say another.

The words didn’t come, and I was left in silence, with Kakashi leaning on his doorway. I couldn’t tell him, not the truth. I have to come up with a quick lie.

“It was just a dream about the cat, and you were there, so I was worried. But it was just a dream, I’ll just head back to bed.”

I quickly walk back to my room, sliding the door open. It was nothing but a dream, it wouldn’t happen because I will never go back to the Moon. There is no way I will kill him, I will never let the beast take over my body again. Never. I stretch my tense muscles before I get into bed. Sleep came quickly, and this time there was no nightmare waiting for me.

The next time I wake the sun is peaking over the east mountains, the day has just begun. After last night’s lack of sleep, my body doesn’t feel energized, instead it feels heavier, and my eyelids don’t want to stay open for more than a few seconds. A yawn escapes my mouth, and I drag my feet to the bathroom. It takes a while, but I arrive, Kakashi was up too. He didn’t look tired at all, he was putting on his shoes, in the living room.

“I’m off. I’ll see you when I get home.” Kakashi leaves the apartment in a hurry. He’s been doing that a lot lately. I get ready for the long day ahead of me. Tearing torrent needed a few more hours, and wild water wave needed a few more days to get it at my level. After that there would only be two weeks left before the third stage. Next week, I’ll learn one more jutsu, and the week after I’ll train with Yamato and Kakashi, using the jutsus against them to gain some battle experience with them. That was the plan. I brush the tangles out of my hair, as I lock the door behind me. The village was boisterous, completely opposite from last night, and my heart leaped with joy at the view of children running to their early morning classes. Mothers were buying groceries, and fathers were on their way to work. This is the way I like to see the Leaf Village.

The field is empty, like always, and I take a deep breath before I begin with tearing torrent. Yamato didn’t come today, so I practiced alone today, I wonder where he is? Its lonely practicing alone, I’ve realized that now. I was practicing wild water wave, when I hear footsteps from behind the trees on my left. I stop midway letting the water drop, I see pink hair peak from a tree. Sakura, smiled when she knows I’ve spotted her.

“And here I thought I could have sneaked up on you.”

“You need to get a little better at hiding yourself, before you sneak up on anyone,” I joke. Sakura gets closer, stepping out of the shade.

“Thought I could train with you, Lady Tsunade is busy today, so want to have a little dual?”

I nod. I could use a little more training with my taijutsu, Sakura is a genjutsu user, but I’ve heard Lady Tsunade was teaching her some new things. She tugs on her black gloves that she began to wear recently. She makes the first move, and instead of trying to land a hit on me, she connects her fist to the ground. The ground shifts, and its hard to keep my balance. I didn’t see her seal any signs, is this the strength she acquired? I can’t let her hit me, I’ll be back in the hospital. I concentrate my chakra on my feet, keeping contact with the ground. I smile, she’s definitely gotten better since the last time we challenged each other. She intends to get my unbalanced, but she’ll need to do better than that to get to me. She seals her hands again, and four clones appear. They aren’t shadow clones, but I think their are illusions, hiding the real one within them. Sakura is one of the five, and I try to identify the real one, but this illusion is a good one. If its only an illusion, then I can release it like a genjutsu. I dispel the illusion, but Sakura has taken the time to hide herself. She’s taken my advice and hidden herself very well.

I get on my defensive stance, waiting for her to attack. A minute passes by, and still no movement. I have to concentrate and visualize her chakra, maybe I can find her that way. I close my eyes and take in my surroundings, I feel energy to my right, and I take a chance that she’s there. I make a tearing torrent, and I throw it to the tree. I see Sakura jump from behind it, I was right, she was there after all. She throws shurikens, but they aren’t fast enough to hit me. I dodge them and throw my own chakra enhanced shurikens, she blocks them with her kunai. She runs towards me, her fist above her head. I step to the right, but she kicks her left leg, aiming my side. I duck, and swing my leg to knock her down. Sakura is quick and jumps. I could have gotten her last time, but this time its different. It was more challenging, and I loved a change of pace.

I can tell she’s getting tired a bit, so I take that opportunity to make contact with my fist, not putting any power to it. I can’t hurt her, it didn’t seem right. I stop, centimeters from her face, I see Sakura hunch a little.

“I was so sure I could take you on. You’ve gotten better, Kiyoko.”

“So have you. Don’t be so hard on yourself, I came to the Leaf Village with experience, so I had an advantage. Your power to your hits, are... What would be a good word to describe it? Terrifying.”

I hear her laugh, I smile, I didn’t want her to be in a foul mood.

“I always have a good time fighting against you. Do you think we can go out for the rest of the day? Look at clothes, and you know girl things. I haven’t had fun in a while, and you’ve been training so hard. Sometimes overworking yourself, will do the opposite of improving.”

Man does she know her ways with words, because soon enough I find myself follow her back to town, even after I promised myself training was the most important right now. Sakura skips besides me, a smile on her face. She was humming, and I found myself smiling too.

“lets eat some lunch, with the girls.” Sakura pulls me to the barbecue shop the smell of grilled meat made my mouth water. I wonder who we were going to meet there, but I remembered. I don’t have any money with me. I haven’t gone on any missions, so I don’t have any saving.

“Um, Sakura. I don’t think I’ll be able to pay for myself. I can just go home and eat, and then meet you here.”

“Don’t worry. I invited you, I’ll pay for you. As long as you promise to take me out some other time.” She winks and pats her pocket. I let her lead me inside, making her way toward a table in the back, the little section was blocked by a wall, so I couldn’t see who was there, but I knew one of the was HInata because I can hear her gentle voice.

“Hey, the party has arrived!” Sakura scoots next to Hinata, while I sit next to Ino. I haven’t seen Tenten since the time they visited Kakashi. Ino, I saw her at the chunin exams.

“Great! You found Kiyoko.” Ino smiles. The servings of meat come out, and everyone helps themselves. I can’t help but eat my share, dipping the hot meat in the sauce, it settles in my stomach, giving my tired body energy. The girls were chatting among themselves, like school girls, and I felt aware of my age. I’m almost twice their age, but I’m glad they are my friends. I could have had friends my age earlier on, but that didn’t go my way either. I have Eri, and Kurenai, and Kakashi, Guy, and I think of Asuma as a comrade. They are my close circle and I don’t mind hanging out with these girls, they make me feel young again. I laugh at myself, I’m beginning to sound like Guy and his youth peps. A lot of the time was spent talking about shampoo, and cosmetics. I knew nothing about it. At some point Tenten ended up burping, making all of us laugh.

“So Kiyoko, how’s your training going?” Hinata asks me.

“Good. I’m glad I took a break. I’ve never been out ‘with the girls.’” I put quotations around my words. By now the rest of the girls have eaten and talked and stare at me while I talk. They were listening as if they were really interested, it made me feel important, no it made me feel welcomed.

“I’ve been meaning to ask. What exactly happened last time the Leaf Village hosted the chunin exam?” I asked. I know the Leaf was attacked, but ‘ve been curious ever since Kakashi mentioned it. Ino stops drinking her beverage, and everyone else looks like they are holding their breaths, waiting for someone to say something. It was Sakura who cleared her throat.

“Well, a lot of things happened and its not something to talk about in public. In short, the Sand Village attacked us during the third round. They partnered up with Orochimaru, and if it wasn’t for Naruto, then this village wouldn’t have probably survived on its own. He fought a monster, and he saved me. I owe him my life. I think a lot of us saw him in a different light after that.”

Orochimaru’s names makes me shiver, he’s always slivering his way into other villages. Naruto he saved a lot of people, and I hope many of them began to see Naruto as a person and not a beast the thought he was. I don’t think Sakura and the girls know much about what Naruto and I are, but they know he’s special. He is special.

“Okay, I really need to get back to training. I’ll see you guys later.” I see Ino stretch before she leaves the money. Soon enough, its just Sakura and I again. She pays for both of us, I promise to take her out when I have enough savings. She lead us through the streets. Pulling me one way and another. She bought perfume, and shampoo. Cosmetics that she didn’t need because Sakura was beautiful already. We went to a tea shop when the sun was beginning to set, I’ve spent most of my day with her, and it felt like we were closer now than before. All through the day she would talk about her adventures with Naruto, and to my surprise Sasuke. When she talked about him, her eyes softened, but her mood became a little sad. She wore a sad smile, when she told me about the time Sasuke and Naruto would challenge each other to eating contest. Little challenges became their purpose, she told me. Even after Sasuke left them, she never said a bad word about him.

“Sakura do you love Sasuke?” I ask. I stare at the tea in my cup, unable to look at her. Maybe I crossed the line.


“Love? I thought I did, but now I’m not too sure. I do want him to come back, to leave all that anger and revenge behind him. He shouldn’t have the burden to himself, he should have come to us. His teammates, for help. You know Kiyoko, I tried to stop him, the night he left. I tried, but I was useless. All I could do was confess my love to him, and beg him to stay. I tried to tell him, but words aren’t so powerful after all.”

I reach over, and squeeze her hand. I shouldn’t have asked her about it. She gave me a sad smile, but I know this will be on her mind for the rest of the night. I see her eyes glint.

“So Kiyoko, are you in love?”

Love? I’m not sure I know the feeling of love, or being loved. I don’t know what love is, so I don’t think I’m capable of loving. The closest I can get to love is protecting my close friends, and comrades. The way I show love is through my actions.

“I don’t think I am. I’m not sure what the definition of love?”

Sakura laughs. I feel my cheeks get warm.

“There is no definition to love. You know you’re in love, when the little things are important and significant. A simple touch, or words. Even if they are small and simple, they make a person feel important. Love is anything you want it to be. Kiyoko, you’re gorgeous, I’m sure someone will take interest in you.”

“Just watch out for the perverts, like Master Jiraiya. Stay clear of them.” Sakura laughs, I laugh too. I’m glad she wasn’t thinking about Sasuke anymore. I was walking her to her house, and we pass a clothing store. The kimono were on display, the new years were getting closer. There was one that caught my eye, it was a simple one, but it was beautiful to me. It was a light purple, and had designs of blowing wind at the bottom. The figures were lined with gold colored thread. The cloth that wrapped around the midriff was a darker color of purple. It was perfect to me, I always imagined the feel of the cloth against my skin. The way it would look on me, would it make me look thinner? Curvier? Taller? Shorter?

I didn’t know. I pulled my eyes from the store and continued to walk Sakura to her house. She was smiling now, a real one this time, and I didn’t know why. We go our separate ways as she promises to come by some other time. I walk back to the apartment, thinking of what I can make for dinner. It became a routine, I made dinner, sometimes would eat it alone and other times I would eat it with Kakashi. It was the least I could do, he was providing what I needed to survive, more than I needed. I’m grateful.

The door is unlocked when I turn the knob. Kakashi must be home already. I close the door behind me, and smell smoke in the air. It was coming from the kitchen, I run there. I see Kakashi fanning the stove with the oven mit. The food he was trying to cook was burned to a char, I see bowls of mixtures on the counter around him. I try to contain the laughter, but I couldn’t. He really is bad at cooking.

“Oh, hey. Told you I wasn’t much of a cook.” He rubs the back of his head in embarrassment. I had a feeling he wasn’t used to admitting he wasn’t good at everything. It made him look more human, flawed, and I felt something in me jump. I’m flawed too. That’s a thing we share in common, one of a very few.

“Let me take over before you to burn down the house.”

There were no more distractions next week, and because of that I’ve mastered the three water jutsus I learned. Water whip, wild water wave, and tearing torrent, all three were done and perfected. I didn’t need the seals anymore, and it was easy to form them now. I finally had the feeling of my water base chakra memorized.

This week its all about using them in battle, today I’ll go against Yamato, and then Kakashi. If I get better at using them, because I know I’ll do horribly against them, then I’ll go against both of them at the same time. Its a small goal that I plan on achieving, before the third challenge.

It was midday when Yamato finally arrives at the field, I’ve practicing with shadow clones all morning, but I always end up beating myself with my own techniques. I wasn’t getting any real results. It was getting lonesome.
“Alright lets get down to business. Show me the results of your hard training.” Yamato gets ready for my attack, but I’m not stupid enough to go in blindly, I’ll use shadow clones to get the feel of his fighting skill. I need to see how he reacts to my attack, and think of a plan to counter attack his jutsus.

It was my shadow clones who attack him, using wild water wave. Its gotten better, much better. I can control the distance and amount to my desire. One of the three used tearing torrent and the other water whip. Each clone using my perfected water jutsu. Yamato uses his earth style to fight against my water style. Though my shadow clones are effective, they can’t add chakra like I did with my fight with Asami. They disappear quickly, but my clones gave me the experience.

I knew Yamato wasn’t going to be an easy opponent. He is a wood style user after all. Combining both water and earth style chakra, thats incredible. He goes on the offensive, using earth spikes to get my balance off, then he uses water chakra to push me to my back. I grit my teeth, it was getting harder to keep my feet on the ground, it was going the way he planned. I concentrate chakra on my toes, getting more friction with the ground beneath me. I use a smoke bomb to hide my presence. I see him jump out of the smoke cloud, and I take my chance to throw kunai, without giving away my location. I send a clone his way to distract him, while I slip behind him. I see him easily dodge my kunai, and my clone throws a few punches, but they only strike air. I hide behind a tree, at this angle he wouldn’t be able to see me, sense me perhaps, but not see me.

I form a tearing torrent, the rotation is faster than usual, I was going to throw it and leave a shadow clone behind. That should confuse him. Make him think the shadow clone did it, but by then I will move to a different location and plant another decoy. The more the better the confusion will work. I circle around the field, and by the time I get half way, I’ve planted seven decoy clones, along with tearing torrents, to keep Yamato on his toes.

I see Yamato turn a full circle. he’s clearly confused as to where I am. I smile, so it worked. I send three more clones, all coming from the same place, I run a few more meters, before I blend into two other clones. The first group was to convince him that that group and this group are all shadow clones. I’ll take him by surprise, when he finds out I’m not a clone. I’ll have slow him down to get a blow.

Four shadow have water whips at hand while the other two use water wave against him. Yamato uses earth wall to, block them, one of the clones gets behind him and wraps the whip around him, he slows down, but gets out of the trap. I take that to my advantage, I throw him a tearing torrent. It slices the air with ease, and I feel like I was going to jump with happiness. It was going to land. I see the tearing torrent make contact with his side, but Yamato begins to change. He used a wood clone. If this was a clone, then where is the real him?

Damn, I’ve been tricked. I should have been more observant, he’s a jounin after all. I hear Yamato chuckle not to far from me. I turn to his voice, I find him standing a few meters behind me, he scratches behind his neck.

“Man almost got me, there. Who would have guessed you would have come up with such a brilliant plan. Quantity before quality. Its smart when you know your opponent is powerful, you outnumbered me, with your shadow clones, and your water techniques. If I didn’t slip away and placed a wood clone, you would have definitely land that tearing torrent on me.”

Even though he praised me, I was still a little disappointed in myself. I wanted to get a blow, I wanted him that his time was not wasted on me. I want to show improvement greater than just techniques and tactics. But for now this is as far as I go. I didn’t challenge him again, I knew that all of my secrets were given away and it wouldn’t be much of a fight if we dualed again. By sun down I’ve already called it a day.

I walk alone, but my mind wanders to the challenge that was ahead of me. Who was I going to battle against?Would he or she be better than me? How would I react to their battle type? So many questions that would be left unanswered until that moment. The more I thought about the more nervous I got. I run into Guy when I turn the corner of the street the apartment is on.

“Good evening, Kiyoko. You look dazzling as ever” Guy says. He flashes me his famous smile, and this time throws a wink my way. I smile politely, I didn’t know if he was flirting. No one has ever flirted with me, so I’m not sure if he’s just being friendly.

“I see you’re heading home from a day of training. Nothing is more beautiful than a young woman using her youth in training. Makes me feel forever young. Doesn’t it?”

Beautiful? Young? Attractive? Did he say attractive? I feel my cheeks get warm, he’s the first to tell me such things. Master Jiraiya was known to be a little perverted, but Guy gave me a genuine smile.

“I have to be at my best for the exam.”

“You’ll kick their butts with your power. Have you had dinner yet?”

I shake my head.

“Great! Would you like to accompany me to dinner. I know this incredible dumpling and soup shop. Their stuffed meat dumpling is best combined with a chicken broth.”

For some reason, I look to the apartment. Kakashi’s light is on, I feel conflicted, almost like I’m betraying Kakashi. Why would I feel this way, after all it's just dinner with a comrade. I would really love to make dinner and eat silently with Kakashi. I would love to clean beside him, and sit in the living room to talk about the training we did that day. In those few minutes of sharing, I feel like Kakashi is opening up to me bit by bit. We sometimes talk about our past. He once told me about his time in the ANBU, and I shared my time on the run. They weren’t often, but they were important to me. I never told anyone else about my past, Kakashi is the only one who knows.

If I go with Guy, what would Kakashi eat for dinner? Would he be alright on his own? Of course he would, he was living alone before I moved in, I think to myself. My stomach answered for me, I was eating out tonight. I look back at his window one more time, before Guy leads the way to the dumpling and soup shop.

After many servings of soup and dumplings, Guy walks me back to the apartment. He insisted to see me off tonight. It was well past midnight when we arrive to the steps. Earlier that evening, he told me about Lee, Neji and Tenten. He was proud of his students, I could tell. He bragged a lot about Lee. Telling me how alike they were, which I already hinted. He was a bit louder than usual after drinking a few cups of sake. Not in a drunk state yet, a ninja should never fall into that.

He sighs when we stop at the steps leading to the apartment.

“I had a great night. Told you the dumplings would hit the spot.”

I nod in agreement. They were very good. It seems like all I’ve been eating are dumplings.

Guy shines me a smile, and I begin to walk to the steps. I hear footsteps getting closer.

“Hey, Kakashi, why are you out so late?” I hear Guy say loudly. He was going to wake the neighbors. I turn to see Kakashi walking under the street lights. His hands in his pockets.

“Oh you know.” He shrugs. “Its a little late for you to be talking so loudly. Get yourself home.”

Guy frowns, but walks away. Kakashi and I walk the stairs to the apartment. I can’t help but feel guilty, like Kakashi is shying away from me. He opens the door to the cold apartment. It looks like he left the window open, letting a cold draft in the house. I walk to my bedroom, but stop when he says something.

“I’m glad you’re safe.”

“Huh. What do you mean?”

Kakashi stands up from taking his shoes off at the entrance.

“When you didn’t come home, I got a little worried. I guess I got used to you being around for dinner.” Kakashi drops his head a little, keeping his eye away from me. I smile, I guess dinner became like a routine. I was glad he worried for me, he was the first to do so.

“Next time, I’ll let you know where I’m going. Maybe I’ll even let you tag along.”

I let him gather his thought, while I gather mine in my room.

Kakashi was lonely when I left, what he said explained it all. I wanted to take hold of his hand, let him know I’ll stay as long as he wants me too. I feel a flutter at the bottom of my stomach, my fingers itching to take hold of his. It was an odd feeling, but I like it. I liked feeling this way. He’s grown on me like I’ve grown on him, but for now all I could say was good night.

Two days ago I went up against Yamato, but today I fight against Kakashi. Today will be a great loss or a great defeat. If I manage to land a scratch on him, I’ll take it. Its been almost two months since I arrived here, and I still haven’t won a fight against him. I may be over my head, but I aim big, I have no time to take small individual steps.

I cook us some breakfast, before we walk to the field. The festival for the third exam was beginning to show in the streets. Booths for children were being built, and shops were going on sale. The festival would go on until new years, one week after the challenge. Every time I thought about it, my mind went back to the purple kimono, the whole package even came with a hair accessory. Oh how I wanted to wear it, but with no way to pay for it, it went on the back burner. Only after I have enough money will I be able to buy it, I hope it’ll be in stock for a while.

“I heard from Yamato, that I should be on my toes. I haven’t seen you in action for a while, so I’m guessing you’ve gotten a lot better. Yamato was kind of embarrassed to admit, that you almost got him with you tearing torrent.”

I laugh. I can picture Yamato saying something like that.

“Would you really think I wouldn’t try to defeat him? I guess I’ve improved faster than anyone anticipated.”

He humphs in approval. I couldn’t wait for the day where I’m actually at his level. Until then I have to get better. I was glad to have Kakashi on his toes, it meant Yamato and him have acknowledged my growth and strength. I was getting there, can you tell I’ve been working hard, Suzu?

Honestly I don’t know how to come at him today. He has lightning chakra, I have water chakra, it wouldn’t go my way if I use my jutsus. I can’t use genjutsu, my only hope is taijutsu, but that is the worst. My forte is ninjutsu, but not today. I can use my shuriken and kunai to my advantage and my shadow clones. I was definitely doubting my ability to beat him. As we get nearer to the field, I see two figures standing, facing each other. I can tell one of them is Sakura, by her pink hair, and the other is Lady Tsunade. They must be training too. We stop close enough that I can hear Sakura’s heavy breathing. I see a small smile stretch across Kakashi’s face. He leans on a tree, while I stand besides him.

“Its ironic, each of the legendary sannin is training team seven. Master Jiraiya is teaching Naruto his ways, while Sasuke learns from Orochimaru. Sakura is standing with Lady Tsunade. They will be the next generation’s heroes. They are going to be a key role in this village’s future. I can’t believe they were just a bunch of idiots when I first met them, now look at them. They’ll surpass me soon enough” Kakashi says as he watched Lady Tsunade moves toward Sakura. I cringe as I see Sakura take a painful blow.

“Women must be strong in order to survive!” Lady Tsunade yells. Strong? I need to be strong if I want to survive this shinobi world. I wonder what he meant about them being heroes. But I leave that question for later. I nudge him a little.

“Are you throwing in the towel already? I think you’re still pretty young, there is still a long road ahead of you.You can’t retire until I beat you in a battle.”

He stares down at me, his eye is unreadable. I couldn’t tell what he felt at the moment, but I didn’t mind being under his glare for a while. We watch a little while longer before Kakashi decides to train at a different field. It was clear that Sakura wasn’t going to call it off a day anytime soon. We make our way through the forest, getting closer to the cave they took me in. The cave where I almost fell apart. I avert my eyes from there, no point in going back to the past. He stops in the middle of the forest, the trees were spread out, the open field was small. This is it?

“The stadium, will have a few trees there. Use the terrain to your advantage. For today we will practice here.”

I nod, beginning to focus on the task in hand. I still didn’t know what I was going to do. For now all I could do was try to put up a fight. I take out a few shurikens, using my chakra to enhance their speed and sharpness. I throw them at him, but they don’t faze him. I’m going to need a little more time. I use a smoke bomb, and hide myself underneath a bush, he’ll find me, but the little time is enough. Throwing shurikens is pointless, he won’t be fooled by mediocre techniques. I make a shadow clone as the smoke thins out, I watch as it uses tearing torrent, Kakashi dodges it. He won’t use his lightning style yet.

Tearing torrent won’t work and neither will the shurikens. I send out another clone, the two clones attack one using tearing torrent and the other tries to keep him unbalanced by throwing shurikens. Both fail, and disappear. I grin a little, they won’t work separately but maybe just maybe if I combine them, it’ll catch him off guard. I crawl out of my hiding spot, and throw another smoke bomb. I use the smoke to produce three clones. Each one will take a position. One to his left, one to his right, one in front of him, and I will be behind him. I take a shuriken and place it in my palm. I begin to form the tearing torrent, I notice the shuriken spin with the rotating water. The smoke is gone, and I see Kakashi standing in the middle of the field, I find it a little suspicious. He would have taken the time to hide his presence too, this might be a shadow clone. Only one way to find out, the other three clones attack, but I close my eyes and try to feel his chakra. I only sense mine, but I feel it. Its faint, like its masked by something. He’s not above me, or beside me. The only place would be beneath me. I focus on the ground, using my chakra at the base of my feet as a transmitter.

I feel energy coming from my right. He must be there. I increase my water chakra concentration and my rotation. I’ll get him, it doesn’t matter if water is weak against earth. I’ll show him hiding is my specialty.

I move into position. I grunt as I make contact with the ground, it was harder than I thought it would be, but I could feel the chakra getting closer. Dirt flew to my direction, making it harder to see where I was moving. I see a poof of white smoke. Did I just land a blow on a shadow clone? Wait what? If this is a shadow clone and the other one is too? Where is the real Kakashi?

“Hey.” Kakashi stands in the middle of the small circular field. So the other one wasn’t a shadow clone. I sigh, I knew today was going to be a failure too.

“You’re supposed to look through deception. I knew if the bait was obvious than you wouldn’t take it, so I used it against you. But I gotta say, using shuriken that are hidden in tearing torrent. That jutsu just became a bit more dangerous.”

We practice taijutsu for a few hours, I didn’t get close to hitting him of course, but I started to have a feel to his battling rhythm. It was noon when we both think it’s enough for today. I wipe the sweat off of my forehead, finally breathing in a deep gasp of air. The air smelled sweeter, the current was spreading the aroma of the baked good in the festival.

“How about lunch at Ichiraku today? And your cooking for dinner of course,” Kakashi asks. I agree, ramen sounds good today. It felt like dinner was more than just a time for a meal. I’m glad that it was so important to both of us. On the way there he told me about Naruto’s experience at the chunin exams. And how he surprised everyone, when he beat Neji on the individual exams. He must have put a great show. Kakashi holds the cloth for me as I enter the long booth. The ramen noodles smelled delicious.

“What can I get you, young lady.” The man behind the counter said. I looked over the menu quickly, the original was what I picked. Kakashi ordered the same. He was actually eating in public, did it mean after our match he actually felt tired. Last time he didn’t even break a sweat, but now that I take a better look at him, he did look worn out.

“ So you and Guy?” Kakashi asks, while we wait for our order. I raise an eyebrow. Me and Guy?

“Huh?”

I see Kakashi hide his face from my view. Why was he getting so nervous? It’s just me.

“You two went out for dinner. How was it?”

“Oh, it was lovely. I couldn’t turn him down, as much as I wanted to make dinner.” I exaggerate, and chuckle. Kakashi leans his head on his hand, waiting for the ramen. I could tell his words were more than they meant, but I wasn’t sure what they really meant.

“Oh what a surprise! Kiyoko! Kakashi!” I hear someone say from behind me. I see Guy standing behind us, as smile on his face. Kakashi sighs, I say hello. Guy takes a seat besides me, scooting his stool a bit too close to me. Our order arrive, the smell was heavenly. I try to eat in silence, but it was hard when Guy kept glancing at me. I drank the broth, cleaning the bowl.

“ Want another bowl? Its my treat?” Guy insists. I shake my head. He already treated me to dinner yesterday, lunch would be too bothersome. “ If you won’t let me treat you to lunch, then perhaps I could treat you to dinner tomorrow night.”

“Oh that is really generous-” I begin to say.

“But she already promised dinner with me” Kakashi says from beside me. He too has finished his bowl, and was paying for my food.

“Hey, Kakashi, we haven’t had our challenged lately. Are you up for one now?” Guy challenges. Kakashi glares at him, his eye sends coldness in the air. It was much more serious now. Their friendship sure is weird.

They storm out of the booth. Leaving me to say thank you for the food to the older man who served us. I run outside, trying to catch up to the two hot headed men I called friends. I wonder what got them so worked up? Is it because of dinner, I could always invite Guy to eat with us, if that’s the problem. I try to understand they had some sort of rivalry they had going on, but this seemed pretty intense. I don’t know what “challenge” they had in mind, I hoped it wasn’t deadly.

“Oi, Kakashi. Today will be the day, I show Kiyoko the results of hard training. The work of a man,” Guy says, as he tried to push Kakashi to the side. I hear him grunt, I have to run just to have them in my view. I was so confused, is this all about their masculinity and egos. Boy did I know nothing about men.

“Are we going to have a rock paper scissors match? Or something more serious?” Guy asks Kakashi.

“Doesn’t really matter, I will still win.” He replies. I stand away from them, if they were going to fight, I would be best to keep my distance. This was a battle between two jounin. “You pick Guy.”

“This will be a battle of endurance, and strength. First, a set of one hundred push ups, walk back to Ichiraku’s, then order every dish on the menu, and finally a race through the village. The first one to do it, is the winner.” Guy pats Kakashi on the back, “And gets to have dinner with Kiyoko.”

Guy winks at my direction, I look around. No one else was standing behind me. I give him a smile, there is nothing else I could do. I see Kakashi clench his fists, it felt like they were going to fight, and I didn’t want to see this. friends shouldn’t fight each other.

“If dinner is a problem, we can eat together. I don’t mind,” I say, trying to ease the tension in the air. I could cut it with a knife. They don’t respond, instead I see them shake hands. They were really going through with this silly challenge. They’re always trying to outdo each other. Maybe Kakashi found someone else to bicker with, once Obito was taken from him. Maybe Kakashi needs this, to remind him about his lost friend. I can understand that much, he’s trying to stay connected to his past somehow. And if that’s the case, then I won’t stop them.

So I watched them, push from the ground. Their grunting filling the air around them, fifty were quickly done.

“Oh no, don’t tell me Guy-sensei and Kakashi-sensei are at it again” I hear a young girl say. I turn to see Tenten standing with a hand on her hip. Annoyance written all over her face. I’m guessing they did this often. “You know grown men should really act their age. Guy-sensei is too obsessed with youth, but you get used to it, you know.” Tenten shrugs. The annoyance disappears, its replaced with recognition. I guess I’ll have to get used to it too, even if it did look like they hated each other at times, I wished I had a rival. Someone to challenge and battle against. I’m envious of a few things, having someone like Kakashi has Guy is one of them. I don’t like feeling jealous, but I’ve never had many things in life. I want what everyone else feels, what everyone else experienced.

I see Kakashi kick his feet in the air first, but Gut is right on his heels. And with big hand steps, Guy is right beside him. Their strength looked evenly matched, the only difference was that Guy was beginning to sweat a little, and Kakashi showed no emotion, only concentration. Tenten and I walked meters behind them, their legs straight above them. I wonder how long they can go, I can kick my legs up, but only when I’m leaning on a wall. But these two.

“For the longest I could remember, Guy and Kakashi have always been rivals, but they completely trust each other. They trust each other with their lives. I don’t know if I could do that. Trust someone you are always trying to get the better of,” Tenten says.

“Well they seem like they know a lot about each other’s abilities. Each other’s weakness and strengths. Trust is key to keeping this rivalry from blossoming into true hatred. Then that’ll sprout a different conflict,” I tell her. Enemies between the Hidden Villages were created because of the lack of trust. Wars were waged because of the lack of communication and loyalty. But we learn from our mistakes.

We were getting closer to Ichiraku’s again. It looked like no one else was in the booth. I’m sure it would be a lot easier without customers coming in and seeing two jounin pigging out. Everything on the menu, I only got a quick view, but there were about fifteen different type of ramen, excluding the combos. I’m not sure they will be able to get through five bowls.

“It was fun watching them make a fool out of themselves, but I must be going. Have fun cleaning after their vomit. Bye. Kiyoko,” Tenten waves as she runs down the street. I see Kakashi and Guy finally land on their feet, stretching their arms, before the rush in the booth. I follow, sitting between them, one seat between me and Kakashi, and a seat between me and Guy. They were going to need a lot of counter space. The first bowls arrive, and they eat it with ease. I watch in astonishment as the fifth bowl goes down the hatch, their chopsticks moving on their own, clipping the noodle, and the slurping sound could be heard from miles away. I was beginning to think they could actually eat all on the menu.

Well I began to think, but then I see Guy moan, as the eighth bowl was set in front of him. He looked like he was going to throw up right there, I saw him clutch his stomach. It was his call to eat all of the ramen bowl, in the first place. He doesn’t know limitations. I turn to see Kakashi swallowing his broth of the eighth bowl too, though he didn’t show he was full, I saw his eyes begging to stop. Begging Guy to call off this part of the challenge. With this much food in them, they won’t be eating dinner for a couple days.

“How about nine bowls instead?” Guy asks as he slurps his noodles. They hurry to eat their last bowl, before their final and last part of the challenge. Kakashi finishes first and he begins to make his way to the opposite wall of town. Guy finishes one minute later, I make sure everything is properly paid, all they did was smack money on the counter and ran.

I peek out to see Guy running, Kakashi no longer in sight. I don’t know how they can run after eating all of that. I follow them, Guy stops a few times along the way, puking in a bush, and then running again. We arrive to the east gate, Kakashi is leaning on the wall, resting, while Guy jogs there. I catch up to him quickly.

“Looks like its 46-44, Kakashi. You win again,” Guy says and finally lets his body fall to the ground. I hear him burp loudly.

“Looks like I won’t be eating dinner tonight, sorry Kiyoko.” Kakashi walks slowly to me, waiting, but I shrug. There was nothing I could do. It was an hour before sun down, I still and to do a few things at home, before I went to bed and begin the cycle of practicing all over again tomorrow.

“Guy, are you going to be okay? I can help you home?” I ask. He’s still laying on the ground.

“As much as I would love that, I play fairly. So I’m fine.” He waves me off. I follow Kakashi back to the apartment. We walked slower than usual, but I didn’t mind. The streets were crowded on this side of town. The booths around here were more centered on trade from other villages, merchants were shouting prices everywhere. There were many different faces, different accents, different skin colors. It was so mixed and diverse, we blended in without trouble.

“How long have you and Guy been challenging each other?” I ask, as I try to squeeze my way through the small crowded street. Kakashi turns to make sure I’m still following him. It would be easy to get lost in the crowd.

“When was the first time when you and Guy challenged each other?” I ask as I find my way beside him. I hear him hum in thought.

“I don’t remember the exact date, but it was about the time we became chunin. We were both pretty young, I became a chunin first, but when he did, he demanded to be my rival. He wanted to test his abilities with someone like me. It was annoying, but now its different. When I think about siblings, I think it would be like the relationship Guy and I have, don’t you think?” Kakashi looks down on me with a smile. Guy and Kakashi do act like brothers, or how I think brothers would act. There wasn’t harm in their rivalry, I can see that now. We walk back in silence. The walk was longer than I thought it would be, but the farther away we got from the east gate the thinner the crowd got. I finally took a deep breath.

“Kakashi- sensei!” Someone yells. I see Sakura not too far ahead. She was with Sai and Ino, she had bags in her hand, and Sai had a few painting utensils in a brown bag. He lifts his hand in the air, she smiles when he notices her.

“Kakashi-sensei, I need to have a word with you...In private.” Sakura looks a little serious, but the small smile on her face made it hard to see her true intentions. I take the hint, “Its fine, I’m just going to eat dinner and do a few chores at home,” I say. Kakashi nods, then walks down the street with Sakura. I was tempted to follow, but I didn’t want to invade in their private conversation. I wish she came to talk to me if something was bothering her.

“Kiyoko, you and Kakashi getting comfortable together, eh.” I feel Ino nudge my side with her elbow. She laughs a little at my embarrassment. I don’t pay much attention to what Sai and Ino are talking about, my mind is filled with thoughts of Sakura and Kakashi. I hope nothing serious happened to her.

I get home and eat dinner alone. And by the time I do everything that needed to be done, Kakashi is still not home. It makes me worry about Sakura. She looked serious, but not like an emergency, it was casual. I was already in bed when Kakashi arrives, I turn my back to the door, not wanting him to see that I am still awake. I hear my bedroom door open, and then it closes. I can finally sleep tonight knowing he was just on the other side of the wall. Tomorrow Kakashi will train with me, and then there will be one less day before the challenge. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous at all. These nerves were eating me when I had the time to think about them. I’d rather work and keep my mind off of things.

“You know if you’re so worried about weak, little Kiyoko, I can always lend you my power during the match,” the beast says. I feel him bolden in the back of my mind, it finally has woken from its slumber. Its been a while since he last spoke, but I never forget he there. I could never forget that there is a monster in me. Always trying to overtake me, like he was trying to do now.

“I don’t need to rely on your power. I’m not so little and stupid anymore. I know what you’re trying to do” I think back. I see myself in my head, standing in front of the cage. All I see is his wide smile. Its teeth are sharp, ready to tear at my flesh, at anyone’s flesh.

“What do you mean little Kiyoko? I’m just trying to pay my share, I am living in your body after all,” he says with mockery in his voice. He loves to irritate me.

“Stop calling my little. I’m not the small child I once was.”

“But you are. Compared to my body, you’re a miniscule. You are small compared to me, you’re power is nothing without me. If I didn’t live in you, then your dream of being a jounin would have never made it this far. I’m being too generous, I’m offended you think of me in those manipulative ways,” the monster says seriously, but he ends up laughing. His words no longer had the effect on me like they once did. I was no longer the small child who was afraid of herself. I control him, I control my body. I am strong, and no monster will ever take advantage of my weakness again. I no longer fear people, I have grown to accept others. To accept their company in exchange for mine.

“I’m always watching.” The monster hides itself in the darkness of my mind. No longer interacting, and finally letting me rest my mind and eyes.
The next few days past in a blur. Kakashi and Yamato were given missions to go to, only five days remained before the final challenge. It was lonely in the evening when Kakashi was gone, but he was only away for two days. While he was away I would usually work myself to the bone, exhaust myself and get home late. I didn’t like being in the house alone, it’s silence didn’t feel right. By the time I would get home I would be too tired to think about the emptiness and fell right into sleep. The floors would creak, and the frogs were croaking late into the night. I would be awaken by the chirping of the birds who lived right outside my window. These few noises rocked me to sleep when I was left alone.

When two days came before the challenge Yamato couldn’t train with me, he was sent on another mission. I realized he was a busy ninja and to my fortune Kakashi was asked to keep guard during the exam. He would be there, and that was enough support.

“Just two days away and I craved your cooking.” I set a bowl of fried rice in front of him before fetching the grilled fish from the stove. I wasn’t fond of fish, I didn’t like the smell or the taste, but Kakashi loved it. I decided to cook it tonight, like a welcome home dinner. I wonder when will I go on my first mission? What rank would it be?

“Well I cooked enough to feed, six, eat up because that fish is all for you.”

“So tomorrow is the last day of training before the exam. Overworking yourself the day before the exam is tiring. So no training the day after tomorrow.” Kakashi picks his chopsticks, beginning with the fish. I nod, I suppose a day of relaxation is due, it’ll help clear my head, and let me sleep that night. Because I couldn’t fight against the two at the same time, I doubted my skills. Would I be good enough to defeat my opponent?

By the end of dinner, Kakashi has eaten half of the servings, and he helps me clean afterwards.

“You’ve got nothing to worry about. After everything you’ve done to prepare yourself, I know you’ll win. And if for some reason you do not, there is always next year. Failure isn’t something you should be afraid of.” Kakashi dries his hands before he heads to the shower. I walk to the living room, thinking of different strategies for the day after tomorrow. I take a deep breath, it really did go quickly. Just one month ago I was in the hospital with a broken wrist and leg. Just finding out my half sister was a wood user, and that I actually had a half sister to begin with. Just finding out my father would go to the extreme to sacrifice his own daughter to capture me. I knew my father was horrible already, I didn’t find that out one month ago.

And not too long ago I was still sleeping under the stars, still afraid of my own strength. Afraid of people. So much has changed in such a short period, it feels like a dream. I pinch myself, testing my theory. I was very much awake. I was fortunate for someone to have called out to me, to have woken me from my endless nightmare. I wonder how many have been left unnoticed, and left alone for their time here.

I remember walking without a destination, the empty feeling of not belonging anywhere. The fear of getting near the villagers, afraid they would harm me, but terrified that I would harm them instead. I remember the feeling of guilt as I recall moments in my life that I killed. I was not living, I was a walking corpse. And now I think of how devastating my life would be if I continued down that path. I wouldn’t have the people I have now. I wouldn’t feel this fullness inside me. My heart no longer had so many holes, the people here are filling them, one by one. I love what this village has down to me,it's changed me in more ways than one.

I see the old couples down the streets everyday, and I imagine my appearance at my ripe age. I try to think about my future, but its difficult since everything around me is uncertain. I can live this way for the rest of my life, and I would still be content. Uncertainty isn’t as bad as fear. I stare at my hands in front of me, they no longer look so dirty to me. I no longer see the blood on my fingers, nor do I smell the copper in the air. Kakashi comes into the living room, sitting on the other sofa, clearly tired from the mission. He doesn’t say anything, and I assume he’s asleep. I wonder what kind of mission he went on? I hope after I become a chunin will I be sent on many missions.

Watching him sleep away, makes my eyes feel heavy, and soon enough I am sleeping as well. I wake up the next morning with a blanket over my shoulder. Today I will work extra hard, i was going to make my skills better in just a few hours. That was my goal. And then the day after tomorrow will decide my fate, if my dream was going to be accomplished or not.

I forget about breakfast and make my way to the field. Beginning with shuriken throwing and then ninjutsu. It wasn’t much of a difference life the past few days, I had nothing new to work so, I’ve refined my few techniques the their peak.

I see a few other bodies far from my view, they too were pushing until the last minute. There are people out there that are a lot like me, in many ways. By midday the heatless sun settled high in the sky. It brought no warmth to my sweaty body. It was a winter’s sun, a new sun will arrive with the new year. The air was icy cold, making my sweat cold and sticky. I wish I brought a towel to wipe it off of my face. It was then that I noticed I was hungry. I started to head back, but the eerie feeling inside me awakens. My hair stands on the back of my neck, I rush to get a kunai out of my pouch, and turn around. My eyes scan the horizon, no one was there, not that I can see. Perhaps they were hiding deep in the forest, if I don’t go, I don’t think I will rest easy. I enhance my kunai with chakra and walk deeper into the forest. The closer I get to the center, the closer I am to this feeling of overwhelming chakra. I stop in front of a wide tree, a bird, larger than a regular one sits on the highest branch. It is a white owl, it looks like one. but its size is unusual. What is an owl doing here, in the middle of the day.

“Oh hello.” It says. I feel my mouth open a little, it talks. It looks down, a mischievous look in its caramel eyes. A few brown feather weaved into her body. It was a beautiful bird, but I thought they were nocturnal? It must be a summoning animal if it can talk. Its better to leave now before it’s owner makes it attack me. I turn to get out of the dense forest, but even if I want to step over the tree’s roots, another tree is right there. It was becoming endless, the trees were closer together here than the group challenges. I turn to see the owl still looking at me, I shake my head, no it can’t do that. It can’t put me under a genjutsu. I just need to find my way back in the direction I came.

“You need help getting out of here? Looks like you’re going in circles,” it says. Its voice is gentle, very feminine. The owl must be female. I ignore her, I make my way through the maze of trees, each step taking me farther away from the owl. It was three in the afternoon when I finally make it to the apartment. My mind and body were exhausted. The owl was still fresh in my mind, why was she here? Why did she catch my senses? Her chakra is different. Its not like human’s, maybe its animal chakra, or something. I wouldn’t know, I don’t summon animals just yet.

My internal clock wakes me early today, but it was then that I realized, I don’t train today, its against Kakashi’s orders. I don’t know what I am going to do with myself. I finally make breakfast, I haven’t had time to do so in the past. With Kakashi still sleeping I wander the streets alone this early morning. I see an elderly man struggle with his morning get up of opening a shop, I go to help him open the doors. He is beyond his age, but it makes me smile knowing he is still as healthy as can be. He thanks me, and I continue my time alone.

I don’t feel so alone anymore, not like the past. I know I choose to be alone once and a while, and when I go back home, most likely there is someone waiting for me, or I am waiting for someone. Its never been that way, but now that I have the choice of being alone, it doesn’t feel so sad. I see the streets fill with children, one by one making their way to the academy. I watch as they run to school, a smile creeps on my face. Thier happiness no longer brought me envy, just sad memories. Memories of getting pushed to the ground, memories of getting my clothes ripped from catching myself from their shoves, memories of the pain of having my hair pulled. But they are just memories and they’ll eventually fade into forgetfulness. When they are gone, I will not mourn for their loss, it will only lighten the weight on my shoulders.

I see a little girl no older than seven getting pushed to the ground by two other girls. Her brown hair falls from her ponytail. I see tears in her eyes, and the other two girls laugh at her pain. It makes me angry, more angry than I should be. I find myself getting closer to them. I see the little girl wipe her eyes, but the other two girls see me coming and run off. The little girl’s brown eyes are glossy, I kneel in front of her, wanting nothing more than to stop her tears from falling again.

“You’re okay.” I reassure her. She looks up to me, her eyes are guarded, the reflect my eyes.

“Why do they tease me?” She asks me. Like I knew the answer. Her freckles are visible this close. She has a small gap between her two front teeth. I see her hand is scraped from the fall. I grab the bandage I carry in my pouch, and hold it up to her. She nods and extends her right hand to me.

“I don’t know,” answering honestly. I don’t know a lot of things. But seeing her this way makes me remember the way I felt when my father would avoid me. I tried to convince myself that he was always too busy for me, that he was the leader of our small village, but the truth was ugly, and my young mind didn’t want to think of it. I didn’t want to see my father in hard light.

“They tell me, my daddy doesn’t love me enough to stay home. He’s away a lot, he’s protecting the village, but he loves me. I know he does. He works hard, that’s what my mommy tells me all the time.”

I secure the bandage never leaving her glare. “Well I bet your daddy works harder than their daddies. You should be proud of him. He loves you more than you know. Do you know why I know?”

Love? What am I thinking, I don’t know anything about fatherly love. But when I look at this sad child, I want her to believe what I once believed. No matter how distant your father is, he’s always there. I believed that once, but my distance with my father only grew. I told her what she wanted to hear.

Her sad eyes change to curiosity, I pick up her lunch box from the floor and hand it to her.
“If he’s protecting the village, then he is also protecting you. He’s away because he works hard, making sure no one can harm the village or you, and your mommy. Those girls just don’t know what hard work is.”

She finally smiles, she tucks her hair behind her ear, “I want to be like daddy when I grow up. I’ll work hard, just like him!” She exclaims, and takes her lunch box from my hands. She runs off before I can say another word, but there didn’t need to be another word to be spoken. everything was said, and my anger vanished as I saw her skip through the main door. She was a lucky one, born to a hard working and loving father. My father was hard working, but loving, he wasn’t. I imagine myself in her footsteps, how similar our lives could have been. I get up from the ground, dusting my knees in the process.

“You have your ways with children,” I hear Kakashi say from behind. It was embarrassing to know he saw what I had just done. I know little about love, but I imagine it as something beautiful and life changing. I can imagine all I can. I don’t say anything back, I guess I just want children to always feel accepted. I never want anyone to feel the way I did once. The unwelcoming feelings is not an emotion a child should ever feel.

“Since tomorrow is the final challenge, I’ll show you where it will be taking place, and the evacuation area in case of an attack,” He says. I follow him to the Hokage office, but instead of going inside we walk past it. Behind are generators, and staircases along the dirt wall. They are zigzagged up, one ending behind the faces of the hokage, and the other one ends at a door in the wall.

“In case of an emergency, you can come here, either one is fine,” he says.

“But if someone does attack then I want to fight and help.”

“Well in a certain situation we have to hide you. If a certain organization found out who you are, then not only will the village be in danger, but millions of others too.” He doesn’t look at me, he looks at the main entrance, like he’s waiting for someone.

“What organization?” I want to know who else wanted the beast, who else I had to be weary of. The Moon Village and this organization, all they wanted was the beast I hold, and for all I know they want to harm this world.

“I’ll tell you after the final challenge, your mind shouldn’t be full with questions just yet. Your mind should be focused on the battle at hand. A key part in being a successful ninja, is to never let your emotions get the best of you on a mission.”

He nods his head back to the village, before he starts walking. I let him have his way, and follow without question. He then shows me the stadium where I will battle my opponent tomorrow morning. Its closed of course, but it is tall, and large. Enough to hold hundreds of villagers, just thinking about all the eyes that will be on me tomorrow make my heartbeat race. I don’t want to think I’m the type of person that cracks under pressure, but I won’t find out until tomorrow. So much is riding on just one day.

“We’re running low on groceries.” Kakashi says. We make it to the market place, not too far away from the trade post. It is crowded with women, they too must have a family to feed. I grab a bag that is nailed to the wooden post, Kakashi already gabbing tomatoes, and lettuce.

“Wait a second, those are bruised and the lettuce looks a little yellow. Don’t tell me you don’t know how to buy vegetables?” I grab the tomatoes from his hand before setting them down with the pile.

“I didn’t know there was a ‘way’ to buy groceries.”

“Of course there is. You want to get the most of your money, so always look for the freshest and the biggest. Like this one.” I grab a nice vibrant red tomato, I gently give it a squeeze. I can feel it’s juices, it was smooth, not wrinkly, meaning it was fresh. I do the same with the lettuce, clipping off a piece, listening for the crisp break of the leaf. He hands me the vegetables for inspection, they either go back to the shelf or into the bag. He pays for the fruits and vegetables, but I carry them. Its the least i can do, someday I’ll pay him back.
We go to the grain booth, for rice, and the butcher, for meats. We don’t buy much, its only the two of us. We begin to walk back home for lunch. I quietly walk beside Kakashi, there were less people, but I hear someone call Kakashi’s name.

“Oi, Kakashi, Kiyoko! Come and join us for tea and sweet dumplings,” Guy says as he comes out of a small restaurant. Asuma and Kurenai are there too, tea in hand and dumplings in front of them. I smile at him, looking at Kakashi. I don’t know if he wanted to stay, but I didn’t want him to eat lunch alone again. I hear him sigh, but walks to the booth, me in tow. I sit beside Kakashi, setting the bag on the floor.

“So you’re battling tomorrow, I can’t wait to see you out there,” Kurenai says. SHe gives me a smile of encouragement.

“Well if you’re going to be there, then I guess I can’t look bad. I’ll try my best.”

“That’s all we’re asking from you,” Guy says from my side. Asuma takes the cigarette out of his mouth to take a sip of his tea. The waiter comes over to take my order. I stick to green tea and a couple sticks of dumplings. Sweet foods are my favorite. Kakashi sticks to tea, I know he doesn’t like sweet foods. I noticed when I made sweet food, he ate it of course, but never ate seconds. They are little things that I have remembered. The cold breeze made the bells outside ring, and me shiver. The thin sweater I wear isn’t providing enough heat anymore. When the tea does arrive, it warms my cold bones. I have to close my eyes to savor the moment, the tea here is great. A lot better than homemade tea for sure.

“How are Hinata and Kiba? I haven’t seen them in a while, they must be training hard too.” I ask Kurenai.

“Oh yes, Hinata and Kiba have been at it. Especially Hinata. Ever since Naruto left, all she wants to do is train. SHe wants to become stronger than she already is. I worry about her sometimes.” Kurenai, takes a dumpling from the stick. Naruto, there he is again, always pushing the people around him to be a better person, a better ninja. I guess his personality is contagious.

“Well I’ll be there to cheer you on Kiyoko. You can count on my youth to support you.” Guy gives me his smile, and his thumbs up. I smile in gratitude. Though I don’t think his youth will be able to reach me tomorrow. I eat my dumpling in quiet as the others talk about mission they have been on recently. Someday soon I’ll be able to talk to someone about my adventures that I have been on.

I finish my tea and dumplings first, and wait for their conversation to die down. Kakashi and I leave Guy, Kurenai, and Asuma where we found them.

“Let me carry the bag this time,” Kakashi says, as he takes them away from my arms. I don’t have time to complain. We walk back to the apartment, with his hands full I open the door for him. I take my shoes off, and grab the bags while he takes his shoes off. I set them on the counter, and begin to put the groceries in their respective places. It goes quicker with Kakashi helping me. A knock on the door, stops me from putting the rice in its shelf. I go to open the door, and leave Kakashi putting the fruit in the bowl. I open the door to see the bright Eri standing in front of me. She must be about three months along already, her face was just a bit rounder, and her stomach was a bit larger, her pregnancy was beginning to show.

“Well finally. I’ve come around, but no one answers. I was beginning to think you were trying to ignore me,” Eri winks and lets herself in.

“Please come in,” I sarcastically say. She slips off her sandals before heading to the couch. I follow her, Kakashi peeking his head from the kitchen.

“So tomorrow is the big day. I have high hopes for you, so don’t let me down. I’m going to haul my pregnant self to the stadium for you, so don’t lose.” She says. Well that doesn’t add anymore pressure.

“I’ll try not to disappoint you and the baby. Have you thought of names for the baby yet?” I say as I change the subject.

“Ya I have. If its a boy then I want him to be named Ryota. It means strong. He’ll be a strong healthy boy. If its a girl then she’ll be Yasuko, for peaceful child.”

“They are lovely.” I say.

We spend the rest of the afternoon talking about the baby. Where she would give birth. She wanted to give birth at home, but her mother thought it would be safer in the hospital. She talked about all the things she would make her first child. Knitted socks, knitted sweaters, knitted scarves. She had a talent for knitting. And to much surprise, Eri wanted me to be her first child’s godmother. Me, godmother. I almost choked on my own saliva. I knew nothing about being a godmother? What would I do? Babysit the child? Buy him or her things? I guess I can figure things out when the time comes. But I didn’t turn her down. how could I? She asked me, and I felt obliged to agree. So now I’m a soon to be godmother. Eri stays for dinner, she helps me with dinner. Kakashi is in the living room catching on some reading. Time flies when you are busy, because soon enough I find myself saying goodbye to Eri. Kakashi walks her home, as I finally let my head rest on my pillow. Tomorrow is the day.

To my surprise I was able to get sleep last night. I wake up and my body is full of energy and full of nerves. The first thing I do, is check my pouch, making sure I was stocked up on kunai and shurikens. I change quickly and check the time, I have two hours before I have to be at the arena. I plan on getting there early, being early is being on time, being on time is being late. I guess Kakashi can feel my excitement and nerves, that he wakes up too.

“Morning,” He says as he stretches the sleep away.

“Morning,” I say as I start peeling the potatoes for breakfast. My hands shake, I have to calm my nerves. If I go like this into the arena then I’m sure I won’t be able to use my jutsus correctly. I breath in and out, feeling the air in my lungs.My heart beat slows back to normal state. Kakashi washes his hands, before he grabs the kettle for morning tea. He helps peel a few potatoes. I feel untroubled by his actions, they are routine, but that helps keep my mind in peace. He doesn’t treat me any different than any other day, and I’m glad he isn’t adding more pressure.

After eating breakfast, and cleaning a bit around the house, I finally tie the forehead protector around my head. The final touch, I look in the mirror, maybe next time I look in the mirror I will have become a chunin. I tie my hair into a ponytail, I couldn’t have my hair getting in the way. Kakashi is slipping his sandals on when I go to the living room. He waits for me at the door, just forty five minutes before the first match. I wonder how many teams got through the second round. The streets are a lot more crowded than I’ve ever seen. Everyone was on their way, on their way to see talented genin prove their skills to the Hokage and special guest. I see many kids walking beside their father and mothers. I wonder how many people can the stadium actually hold. We get nearer, I get closer to Kakashi’s side, I didn’t want to be separated in the crowd. I would have a hard time orienting myself to the right direction of the arena.

“Well this is where we go our own ways. I’ll be in the stands, just go through the entrance. There will be others there to instruct you further.” Kakashi points to the smaller entrance of the two. I nod, feeling the nerves intensify again.

“Just do what you’ve always been doing. Don’t overthink it,” Kakashi says as he follows the river of people. I tighten my forehead protector out of habit. When I enter the passageway, I see familiar and new faces. Sakura, Hinata, Kiba, Ino, and Choji are there of course. Then there are six new face. So there will be six rounds. I hope I am not paired against someone from the Leaf village. I can’t imagine fighting against one of my comrades. It was five minutes before battle time, when an older man approaches us. He introduces himself as our proctor, Takeo. He is rounder than normal ninja, and his nose is like a button. He wears the ninja attire, and his forehead protector like a cap. We follow him to the arena, it was big, and round, a few trees aligned the walls, just like Kakashi said.

“There are no rules in this match. Everything goes, until one can’t fight anymore. If I sense that the match is over, I can intervene and stop it at my judgement. Each battle is random, I will announce the first match shortly, for now bow to the crowd. They are here to watch all of you prove yourselves. Put a good show,” Takeo says. “Oh and try not to get yourself killed here, its hard to get the blood off of the walls,” He adds. I turn a full circle, taking in the cheers of the audience. There were a lot of citizens, a few out of town villagers from other hidden villages. Their cheers, and clapping made it hard to concentrate on a single person, but I continued to look for Kakashi. I turn left, then behind me, then right, I see him standing in front of me, he stands behind all of the seats. Leaning on the wall, acting like his usual self. Somehow just looking at him makes me feel a little relaxed, just a bit. I was still nervous, but focused. I can’t screw this up. I see Lady Tsunade sitting on a high layer, overlooking the arena. She nods, and Takeo nods back. It was time. We go to our section of the arena. It was a balcony over looking the arena, but it only led to the arena. This is where we will wait for our names.

“Thank you for all coming. This is the final exam, this will test the skills a genin has acquired. A ninja must be strong in many areas, and this will be a passway to becoming greater ninja and citizens. We will begin the first match,” Takeo says loudly. The crowd goes quiet, everything was silent, as if everyone was holding their breaths. I was, without even noticing.

“By random draw, the first match will be between Temari of the Sand Village and Kiyoko of the Leaf Village.”

I feel little relief that I won’t have to battle anyone I knew, but I was going first. I was the opening act, and I didn’t have time to calm mind erratic mind. I was going first. I see Temari begin to walk to the arena, I follow her. Her hair is sandy blond, and in four small ponytails. She has the Sand Village insignia on her forehead protector. She carries a long thing on her back, its black. I have to be on guard of it, I still don’t know what it does. I keep my distance from her. The sun blinds me as we make it to the open ground. She takes the right side of the arena while I take the left, this is it. I need to find out what she can do, a smoke bomb would buy me enough time to hide and use a shadow clone as a decoy. That should buy me time to find out what thing behind her can do.

Takeo moves out of the way, before he says, “Begin!” I move my hand with quickness and throw the smoke bomb in front of me. I jump to hide behind the tree, then made two more shadow clones and they hid behind the other trees as well. Then if she does find me, she wouldn’t know which one is the real me. I hide a shadow clone in the smoke. I wait and see what she does next. I hear the swish of wind, and soon the smoke is blown away. Temari holds a very large fan. Three purple dots are there. So she is a wind user. At least I’m not a lightning user, then this would have been hopeless. My shadow clone takes out a kunai, before advancing to her. Temari use her fan to throw my clone against the far wall. She’s a long range, while I’m more short range. The fan is her weapon, to win I’m going to have to separate her and the fan.

One of my other shadow clones make their way out to the open, only to have the same result. I guess I should face her on now. My other shadow clone stays behind, making a tearing torrent. I see Temari pull back, I knew what was coming, I make a water whip and wrap it around a large rock near me. I should hold out until she stops. I feel the impact of the wind push me, I hold onto the water whip, connecting my chakra to my palms. Planting my feet to the ground with chakra, there is no way she’s going to push me back. I grunt with effort, feeling as the cold wind as it screamed in my ears. I closed my eyes, dust was getting in my eyes. It stops, and I finally open my eyes, my shadow clone has distracted her enough for me to have a little time to move. I make two more clones, sending them into hiding. I’ll wait until the right time to strike, for now it’ll look like I’m the only one she is battling. I’ll make my jutsu long range if I have to. She’s not the only one with a mid-long range jutsu. I’ll use water wave to push her back. I store chakra at the base of my throat, before letting it go, the power pushes farther than the time I usually practice with. It reaches her, sending her to the wall. I take the opening to reach for the fan, but she is quick to recover. She clutches to her fan, making waves of wind. I use my chakra as glue, planting me to the ground. I was beginning to slip, I need something for support. To keep me from getting farther away from her. I use my shadow clones as an anchor, I kept increasing them, until I no longer skidded on the ground.

She was breathing heavily now, I was reminded that she doesn’t have as much chakra as I do. I thank the heavens for my advantage. It was time to use a technique that I remember learning in the academy. I practiced it a few times, but never put much attention to it. I hide in the crowd of clones, before I transform into a tearing torrent. The transformation technique is a priceless jutsu. One of my shadow clones hold me in her hand. I wait as I watch myself get closer to Temari. She tries to keep my clones back, but I made too many, and I know she has lost the real me. All of my other clones use the jutsus I have perfected. Water is everywhere, making the ground wet. It stuck to my clones feet, making it easier to walk through her wind currents.

We were only six meters away when I feel the clone throw me. She uses powerful wind currents, I can tell she has added extra chakra to each swing of arm, but I’m not a shadow clone. I release the transformation, and use the water whip I have in had to grab the fan out of her hands. This time it slips out of her hand. I throw the fan to two of my clones making sure there was no way she would be able to get it again. Now that I have her weapon she is defenseless. And because she is a long range fighter, I have the advantage. I hear her curse, she realized she’s in a tough spot too. Temari takes a defensive stand, she has a few shurikens in one hand and a kunai in the other. I enhance my kunai with chakra, I’ll win today. I will win, I will prove everyone who separated me that I am just as capable of becoming a ninja like the rest. I’d like to think they are seeing it. I never want to see my father’s face again, but for once I wanted to rub my improvement in his face. This time it is Me who takes the offensive move, throwing a punch with my left, and trying to keep her from scratching me with her shuriken. She moves quickly, dodging my attacks with leaps. I have to slow her down, I struggle with the mud beneath me. I might as well make it harder for her too. I use wild water wave, and drench the ground, her feet finally sink into the ground. We we’re both struggling now, but I had clones to help me.

I use one clone to use water whip, one for wild water wave, and I begin to form a tearing torrent. My final attack, if this didn’t work then I would have a hard time getting her. My clone pushes the water wave in her face, it will impair her vision. She reaches up to wipe the water away, and my clone with the water whip closes in and wraps the water whip around her. Temari tries to break it, but she doesn’t have the strength nor chakra to do so. I got her, like a fly in a spider web. She was going no where. And deep inside me I enjoyed seeing her this way. I enjoyed seeing her struggle, seeing the panic in her eyes. Knowing she was going to lose. I thrived off of her struggle, of her fear. My vision goes red.

I blink it doesn’t feel right. This doesn’t feel correct. What is wrong with me, why did I think that way? I have to end this battle before I think that way again, so I run towards Temari, getting there quickly, tearing torrent in hand. I have to close my eyes as the jutsu lands. I didn’t want to see her pain, I didn’t want to hurt her. I hear an uph, and then the sound of her body landing on the wet ground. I still don’t open my eyes, not until I hear Takeo say, “Match. Kiyoko is the winner of this round.”

I watch as the crowd rises from their seats. I don’t hear their claps, it was all buzzy noise. Nothing else was quite clear, nothing but my thoughts. I have finally done it. I have finally gotten closer to becoming a jounin. I watch as Temari slowly gets up from the mud. My clones give me her fan, the only thing left is to return it. Temari looks away as I approach her.

“It was good fight,” I say and let her snatch her fan away. She limps out of the arena, never saying a word to me. Takeo, shoos me away,scolding me because I made such a mess with the ground. I don’t listen, I continue to walk, but I don’t go back to the balcony. No, I had to distance myself from the others. The thoughts I experienced while I looked in Temari’s eyes reappear. Anger, and pleasure swirled inside me. I shouldn’t be feeling like this. I shouldn’t.

“You felt it too. The feeling of hurting, of finally getting your anger out. It felt good didn’t it,” The beast inside me says. His tone is ever so knowing. He liked my suffering.

“Get out of my head, don’t say thing like that!” I scream inside my head. All he does is laugh. He laughs forever, and it rings in my head. I sit on the ground, no longer moving, no longer caring if I sat in the middle of the road. I didn’t want to move in fear that the monster would talk again.

“You’re becoming the monster everyone fears.” The beast laughs again. No, I’m not, I won’t, I can’t. I told myself. I repeated those few words, hoping they will stop the beast from continuing to torture me. I believed in myself, but why did I want to hurt her so badly.

I don’t go back to the arena, not even when I have finally gathered my thoughts and controlled myself. Not even then can I watch others fight, it might bring the beast back, and I wanted nothing to do with him at the moment. I thought once I have won my battle I would be too ecstatic to do anything, but the beast has ruined my mood. My hands still shook, but my legs felt firm, they moved out of habit, taking my body to the apartment. I feared the voice that spoke to me at that moment. Telling me it was okay to hurt Temari, to watch as she writhed in pain. Told me it was okay!

I dragged my tired body through the streets. My feet were coated in a layer of mud, and so was most of my body. My hair was no longer in its ponytail, it blocked my view as the winter wind blew. I made no effort to tuck it behind my ear. Was this all I was meant to do? Is this why my father wants to control me? Am I really just a weapon? I didn’t know anymore. My life is just up and downs, most of them being down. I was now waiting for my up.

I get home, making a beeline to the bathroom. I sank into the warm water, letting all the dirt wash away. In the far distance I can hear the cheer of the crowd, another genin must have ended their battle. I close my eyes, hoping the leaf ninja have been successful like I have. I scrub my body until my skin was raw, for some reason I still felt dirty. It was the beast who influenced me, it had to be. I never want to think of people like the beast thinks of us. He was at fault here.

“Oh why are you putting all of the blame on me, little Kiyoko. You and I both know, it was all you. I didn’t help you one bit in the match,” the beasts tells me with a voice of a child. He was trying real hard to get to me, and it was working.

I ignore him, and finish my shower. I stare at my reflection, my skin flushed from the heat. What am I doing to myself? I think back to Suzu, to the orphans, to Kakashi, and to the comrades I have made already. I can’t go on this way, sinking and rising. They don’t need a person like me, bending with the influence of the beast. I need to be stronger for myself, for the well being of others around me. I walk to the kitchen, making sure the animal in me stayed in its cage, away from my conscience. I ate in silence, not even the beast dared to disturb me.

I didn’t know how long I stayed there, sitting, but soon enough I heard Kakashi enter the house. My plate has long been empty, but it looked like my muscles weren’t functioning the way I commanded them to move. Come on move, make it look like nothing was wrong. If Kakashi sees me this way then I know it will rise questions. I get up from my chair making my way to the sink, my back was toward the entrance.

“I waited for you, but looks like you got here before me,” Kakashi says, as he begins to untie his forehead protector. I busy myself with washing the dishes.

“Sorry, I was covered in mud and I wanted to get clean and fed. That fight did make me lose more chakra than I ever thought it would.”

“It was a brilliant strategy. You used all of your jutsus with perfect timing. And who would have thought you were hiding as a tearing torrent. You surprised everyone, considering it was Shikamaru who battled her last year. She won, but because her village attacked us, her victory was revoked,” Kakashi leaves the kitchen, I breathe in, getting calmer.

“Congratulation Kiyoko. You deserve every bit of it,”

“Who else passed?” I ask, finally thinking of the others.

“Sakura defeated her opponent with ease, she’s become faster and stronger, much stronger. Hinata passed too, her timidness has slowly decreased. And Kiba won his battle. Unfortunately Ino’s opponent was too quick for her to use her mind transfer jutsu, and Choji almost won his battle. Really close match, it was a great way to end the final rounds but he couldn’t tie the ends,”

I smile, Hinata, Sakura, and Kiba passed too. I put the dishes out to dry before I finally turn to see him. His eyes were different, no longer so harsh and cold. I only see him with that look when he is serious, but I’ve never seen this look in his eyes. It made all of my worries go away, made me forget about my vision going red earlier today.

“I’m taking you out for a celebration dinner tonight,” Kakashi crosses his arms, and leans on the door frame. All I do is nod and smile. He smiles in agreement, before he begins to zip his flak jacket, and walking to his room. There is a knock on the door, but they decide to open the door without being invited in, that’s when I know its Eri. Her smile is big, and she rushes to kick her sandals off and gives me a hug. Kakashi returning to the living room.

“Oh my god, Kiyoko! I didn’t know you were that amazing! Like you might actually become a better ninja than me, you’re so getting promoted to jounin soon.”

“I sure hope so,” I say.

“I mean you totally kicked miss fan sand. I couldn’t believe my eyes when you popped out of your transformation jutsu. Its been a while since I’ve been this excited at watching chunin exams. But I must go already, I have a lunch date with my mom. Congrats! This baby is proud of her future godmother!” She says as she tugs her sandals back on and walks out of the apartment like she owns the place.

“Godmother?” Kakashi asks from behind.

I shrug, “it was kind of forced upon me. She said she couldn’t think of anyone better than me to be her first child’s godmother. I think she’s confused with all of the hormones of being pregnant, but...”

So that evening I wore my clean clothes, and let my hair down. I left my forehead protector on my dresser. It was just Kakashi and I for dinner, just like any other night, but tonight was special. Tonight we celebrate my victory, but it felt much more important than just that. Kakashi wears the same clothes as always, I wondered if he owned any different clothing. I didn’t they all looked pretty much the same, just varying in the color yellow. I walk out of the apartment letting him lock the front door. It warmed up a bit tonight, just a little, but the cold bit my nose. I could already see it turn red from the lack of heat, but it didn’t stop us. We made it to the busy streets, it seemed like the whole town was out. There were kids with their family, booths were bright and open. Games were crowded with young adults, and children ran through the crowd. I already saw a few men swaying with every step, they’ve already had their fair share of alcohol.

It was a perfect happy village, it was to my eyes. It was perfect because it wasn’t the Moon Village. I heard laughter ring through the dirt roads, everyone was enjoying the festivities, and new year was only eight days away. And for the first time in my life I am excited to celebrate it. Back in the Moon village new years would not be any different from any other day, of course there was festivals and food and games, but I was not allowed to attend, saying I was “harmful and unstable.” I suppose they were right in some ways, so I never did celebrate New Years with everyone else, instead I would usually climb on my roof, and watch the new moon of the new year glow in the sky, and count the stars. I would always fall into peaceful sleep, it was the best way to fall asleep.

Kakashi stops in front of a colorful eatery. There were many colored lanterns hanging outside, leading inside, it was very festive. We walk inside, its just as colorful as outside, there is live music on one corner, playing quietly, not too loud to disturb the costumers. We sit across an elderly couple, they were there with their grandchildren. I couldn’t help but smile, I really do love this village, have I mentioned it before? We sit at our table, that he reserved before hand. I wonder if he would still have brought me to dinner if I failed. I look over the menu, yaki soba standing out, noodles looked really appetizing to me right now. The waiter takes our order, and rushes to serves us our beverage. It would be appropriate to drink sake, but I never did like the taste of it. It was strong and bitter.

We were quiet for a short amount of time, but it was long enough for my mind to wander.

“Say, is it normal to like winning?” I ask Kakashi.

“Of course it is,” He replies. I don’t think he clearly understood me.

“I mean is it normal to like making others suffer.” I quietly say. The tables were not too close to each other and the music hid our conversation well, but I didn’t want anyone else hearing me say such horrible things. Kakashi sets down his cup.

“It was during the match wasn’t it. For a split second I saw fear in your eyes, but I thought I imagined it.”

I nod, “I was afraid of feeling and thinking like that. I actually wanted to kill her, I wanted to watch her suffer, and I have no idea why. I was afraid that the beast was going to control me again, I-”

“But it didn’t. Nothing bad happened, he is sealed away. He influenced you thats it, it wasn’t you who thought it. That wasn’t you,” Kakashi reassures. I nod once again, agreeing. I feel some relief, maybe I am not as weak as I think of myself. Our food arrive, and it smells delicious. Kakashi eats as well, the few rare occasions that he unmasks himself. It still catches me off guard, but I’m quick to recover. Kakashi eats his sushi while I eat my noodles. I see Sakura and her parents walk past the restaurant, they must be on their way for a celebratory dinner too.

“What happened to Naruto’s parents?” I ask, seeing Sakura with her parents reminded me. Kakashi clears his throat.

“That’s a long story, it all connects to the tailed beast. How about we finish dinner and go for a walk. Its a story that shouldn’t be said out loud. I nod, happy that he would tell me. I eat, thinking of Naruto. I wonder what he is doing now? Training? Sleeping? Eating? We leave the restaurant, the music faded as we walked farther away from it. The chatter of the lively crowd quieted as we walked to a park bench. The swing was swaying in the bitter wind, and the steel slide looked cold. We sit, the street lamp providing little light, Kakashi looks up to the moon, like he was remembering something.

“It happened almost thirteen years ago, on Naruto birthday, under a full moon like tonight. Believe it or not, but Naruto’s mother was the previous nine tail jinchuuriki. So you can imagine how tricky that would have been. The tailed beast broke the seal, and it attacked the Leaf Village. My generation were taken away to safety, we were not permitted to fight. I felt the earth shake. Naruto’s mother died, and the fourth hokage sealed the nine tails inside Naruto, before he died as well.”

“So your sensei was the fourth hokage,” I ask, remembering he told me his sensei sacrificed himself for the village.

“What happened to Naruto’s father?”

“He died as well, a very heroic death. So Naruto became an orphan, not knowing the love of parents, but it didn’t stop him from becoming the person he is now. The villagers knew he held the tailed beast, the third hokage forbid them to talk about it. It was the fourth hokage’s dying wish that Naruto should be seen as a hero instead of a monster. It still hasn’t fully convinced the villagers. It progress, the villagers are not so hostile toward him anymore. He did stop the Sand from completely destroying the village,” Kakashi says with a smile. That Naruto, he’s always been so strong. But I know how it feels to walk in his footsteps. Growing on your own, living under the stares of the village. He has grown strong, proving the village wrong, they are finally beginning to acknowledge him.

“He’s always trying to save everyone isn’t he,” I ask. Saved me, and saved countless of villagers. He is a hero to my eyes already. He hums in agreement.

“Even after Sasuke left the village he is still determined to get him back, we all are. Sakura feels like its her duty to save Sasuke from the darkness. Naruto finally had a bond, and thinks of him more like a brother. It was my shortcoming that I couldn’t understand Sasuke. I guess we all feel responsible for Sasuke’s departure. I haven’t lost hope, I have faith in Sakura and Naruto. They just need to get stronger, then we can bring him back home.”

“You can’t abandon him, can’t you. It like leaving a comrade behind. I bet it reminds you of Obito,” I say staring at the stars. I hear an agreement. I like hearing him talk, learning more about his thoughts.

“You really know nothing about your father or the beast inside you.”

“No, I was left in the dark, maybe on purpose. My father wants to control me, to use me as a weapon. I guess if I know what it really is then I would use the power instead. I wish I knew all the answers to every question, but I’m as clueless as everyone else,” I reply. We don’t say anything more, instead we look at the stars, dwarf compared to the moon. We don’t stay out long, it was getting colder as the night approached.

“Why don’t you like sweets?” I ask.

“I don’t know, I just don’t.” He replies. We walk up the stairs to the apartment.

“But what do you do on your birthdays. I’m sure you buy cake and get friends together, do you not eat cake then?”

“No I don’t. I guess I’m a bitter guy.”

“So when is your birthday?”

“September fifth,” He says. That was a year away, we enter the apartment, I go ahead and turn on the light before I make my way to the bathroom. Later that night, when I am alone in my bed, I can’t seem to fall asleep. I’m afraid of closing my eyes and seeing it go red. I am afraid that if I close my eyes and fall asleep then the monster will take control over me. It was my first sleepless night since I’ve arrived.

It was finally the day before the new year eve, just yesterday I went into Lady Tsunade’s office and received my diploma and flak jacket. I’ve added to my outfit, I now wear my jacket everyday, it felt right. It felt nice, and all the great adjectives to describe it. Three days ago I went to get my picture taken for my identification papers. It was the first time I had my picture taken. I tried to be serious, but the smile wanted to be seen. Kakashi bought me a frame for my diploma, it now hangs in my bedroom, just above my dresser. I see it everyday, reminding me of my achievements. A built in encouragement, so I don’t forget to always keep fighting against the beast in me. No matter how much weight I carry on my shoulder, as long as I am standing, I’ll be closer to becoming a jounin. I still had restless nights, but they were slowly getting better. I walk around the neighborhood, watching shop owners and merchants scramble to prepare for tonight, the shrine was clean and stocked with written oracles. Everything was frantic but it would all be worth it at midnight. I even made special breakfast this morning, Kakashi left the sweet paste on the side, I knew he would, but I still gave him a serving for the hell of it.

I make my way back to the apartment, waiting to make lunch, but Kakashi was running a little late. He must be busy too, I wonder if I’ll ever be needed like Kakashi is needed in the village. I wanted to be on missions after missions, earning my pay, and earning my jounin status. I pray Lady Tsunade will be thinking of assigning me a mission soon. I hear the door slam open, and heavy breathing Kakashi tugs his shoes off.

“Sorry... I...I had to get something,” Kakashi had a bag in his hand, but they aren’t groceries. I wave him off, lunch has just been served. He sets the bag on the couch, and takes off his jacket and headband, just recently he began wearing a scarf too. A red one, he bought me one too, a nice light pink scarf. It kept me warm while I walked outside. The days were short and cold, as everyday passes, I begin to see the changes more clearly. My room is more personal, and the villagers that I see nearly everyday greet me with my name in mind. I felt grateful that they didn’t know who I really was. Kakashi eats everything since there are no sweets, he is picky like a child. He returns to the kitchen after leaving, the bag is in his hands.

“I got you something. Consider it a late birthday present, new year present, and a congratulation present all in one,” Kakashi gives me the bag. My heart beats faster, this was my first present, I was glad I have experienced so many firsts in the Leaf. So I pull out the surprise, it felt cold and soft against my hands. I pulled it out, and there it was a neatly folded cloth. I unfold it, and it was the kimono, the purple kimono, he bought all of it. I breathe in the scent, I touch the fabric to my nose. It was beautiful, I throw my arms around him before I could think about it. I feel tears coming down my cheeks, he’s done so much for me already, he went out of his way to buy this. It was the entire outfit, I felt him hesitate, but I feels his arms go around me. He smells like laundry. I’ll always remember hugging him, for the first time.

“How did you know?” I ask in his ear.

“Sakura told me all about it. Eri is coming over to help you put it on later today,” Kakashi says and finally pulls away. I feel cold without the warmth of his body, but I hug the kimono to myself. I couldn’t stop smiling. I hang the kimono on my wall, making sure not a single wrinkle would be created. And he wasn’t lying, because at four in the afternoon, Eri was knocking on our front door. Kakashi left us to ourselves, he said he had a few things to do before tonight. Erii leaves the large tote in my room, before we go to the kitchen and drink some tea.

“Are you wearing a kimono tonight too?” I ask and pour the warm tea.

“Ya, I always do, its the only time of the year that I dress up, so I might as well go all out.”

“Today will be the first time I’ve ever worn a kimono, thanks for helping me,” I say. She smiles, her lips coated in red gloss.

“I also brought bobby pins, so we can play with your hair a little. I think an updo with the accessory would look lovely. Your pale, and your hair is raven black, an updo would let you show your face that you’ve been hiding. And because you’re flawless, just a little mascara would make your eyes look greener. Kakashi will surely be left speechless.”

I don’t say anything about the last part, there isn’t much I can say about it anyways. But flawless, I was far from it. I let her tug me to my room, she gets a chair from the dining table, and sets it in the middle of my room. She finally starts taking things out of her tote bag. Eri was getting bigger quickly, she had to ug her shirt , but it never went down all the way anymore. I could tell her face and her feet were swelling. But she was as energetic as ever. I sit on the chair, she takes out small boxes, and a hairspray can. A few pins with jewels sparkled on my bed. Different shaped combs were everywhere, I only owned one. She began to brush my hair, taking pieces up, and in. Pins were stabbed into my hair, a few scraped my scalp. Slowly I felt less hair touching my back, and soon all of my hair was pinned on my head. Eri pinned the flower accessory to a side. She claps her hand, “You look so wonderful. I’m jealous of you, Kiyoko. Here I am fat and pregnant, but you are beautiful.”

“I shouldn’t be. I mean you still look great. You’ll look even more beautiful when you put on your kimono. It’ll make your small tummy look invisible.”

The sun was setting when Eri helped me into my kimono. I slipped it on, and she tied it. I helped her wrappe the cloth around my waist, she tied an elegant bow in the back. And for the last touch she applied a swipe of mascara. It went on my eyelashes, which I found weird, I thought it was on the eyelids, but I was no expert. All through the process Eri wouldn’t let me steal a look at myself in the mirror, but she finally held it in front of me. She was right, I looked brighter. More refreshed with my hair up, and away from my eyes. My eyes looked more vibrant, and a smile decorated my face. The purple kimono made me look a little curvier, but not too much to notice, but my pale skin and the deep purple complimented each other. I was never one to think about my appearance, it was never a priority, but I had to say I loved how I looked. Mostly because there was a beaming grin on my face, I want to make up for the time I spent frowning and crying.

“Okay, you’re all finished. I have to go and get ready myself,” Eri says and starts packing her belongings, I help her.

“Thank you so much. Next time I’ll help you,” I say. She laughs, “I don’t think that would be a great idea, no offense, but you don’t look like a girl who knows about cosmetics.”

I shrug, it was true. I walk her to the door, and see her off. She had her hand under her slow growing tummy, but it was there and a smile was there too. I hear her say from a afar, “Kakashi, you better keep Kiyoko close to you or someone will snatch her up.”

Then I see Kakashi walking up the stairs, he was turning away, probably waving goodbye to Eri. I step out of the doorway, the sun has set, and the stars had come out of hiding. The moon was full tonight, and I could hear the buzz of the crowd from the streets below. Kakashi finally turns to see me, I’m not sure how I feel right now. I wanted to show him the kimono he bought me, but my face felt hotter than usual. The cold air cooled them down. Kakashi walks closer, his eyes on me.

“Uh, You, you look wonderful a kimono Kiyoko. Do you want to go head to the shrine?” He asks. I nod, and lock the door behind me. He waits for me to catch up, we walk besides each other. The shrine was not too far away, but the streets were crowded and we stopped at a few booths. We eat different booth food, filling our stomach with festive cuisine. I didn’t cook dinner, but I didn’t mind. Kakashi and I still ate together. It was two hours before the new year when we make it to the line, it was wide, but the villagers including myself would wait to give our prayers to the shrine.

“You’ve been smiling all evening, I know it will be a good year, if you smile as we say goodbye to the old year and welcome the new one,” Kakashi rubs his hands together. His breath could be seen in front of him, my breath were puffs of tiny clouds.

“Then I’ll smile all night if I have to. My past years no longer matter to the new one. I’ll start new and untroubled. I’m not afraid to be alone anymore, and its all thanks to you, and to everyone else I’ve met. This year is one I’ll never forget,” I smile.

“You won’t be alone anymore.” I hear him say, but I wasn’t sure if he said to me or to himself, but either way I trust him. I felt like I was never going to truly feel alone again. I see Sakura with her family talking to Kurenai, and Asuma, they were ahead of us, I see Sakura in a pink kimono, and Kurenai wore a red rose kimono. They both looked very beautiful.

“What was your favorite memory of this year?” I ask Kakashi, he has tucked his hands in his pockets, I wished I had pockets, my fingers were numb from the cold. I tuck my hands in my sleeves.

“I’ve had many great events this year, but my favorite would be seeing Sasuke, and Naruto work together to stop the Sand from destroying the Leaf. And your?”

“Coming to this village, and finally feeling at home, I’ll cherish my time here,” I reply. We wait in the cold, but the body heat from the line kept me warm. We began to hear the murmurs of the time, only five minutes remained of the year, five minutes until a new fresh start. I could hear the popping sounds of bottles, and the clanking of opening doors. I was getting nervous and excited.

“10!” The crowd began to yell.
“9!”
“8!”
“7!”
“6!”
“5!”
“4!”
“3!”
“2!”
“1!” I yell on the top of my lungs, “Happy New Years!”

I clap my hands and I see everyone else doing the same. And like I promised Kakashi I smiled into the new year. Kakashi smiles, the biggest smile I’ve ever seen on him. He pulls me into a hug, I squeeze back. There isn’t a person I would like to spend my new year with, I pull away first, “Happy New Year Kakashi”

“Happy New Year,” He says. We wait for our turn, but after half an hour we walk up the stairs to the shrine. We clap twice before we ring the bell together, then we pray for a better year than the last. I pray for the safety of the village, and for the safe return of Jiraiya and Naruto. I pray for the well being of my comrades, and I pray for the security of the seal. We let the person next in line come up to the shrine, before Kakashi and I walk around back.

“Mind coming with me to wish Obito and Rin a happy new year? Its kind of a tradition to me.”

“Not at all, but then you’ll have to follow one of my traditions,” I say. He agrees. We walk to the cemetery quickly, our bodies shook in the cold wind, the heat of the crowd no longer protected us. Unconsciously we walked closer to each other. At the entrance he takes a pail and fills it wil water, I help with a few flowers. Every week flowers are provided, fresh and ready for the fallen. Kakashi washes the headstones, like he’s washing all the ad from their graves. He fills the flower cups with new water, and I arrange them the best I could. I give Obito yellow daisies and lilies, yellow symbolizes courage. Bluebells for Rin to show my gratitude for looking after Kakashi and Obito while she was still alive. I was glad that she wanted to protect the village like I do, we both love this village.

I walk back and leave the pail where we got it, and wait for Kakashi there, it felt like he needed a few minutes on his own, I gladly let him. I wished I knew where Suzu was buried, maybe if I knew I would have visited her while I was on the run.

“Alright, what is this tradition of your’s?” He appears from the top of the stairs. I smile, “its better if I show you, just be glad that tonight is a clear night.”

I walk quickly, it was late, and the Moon looked brighter right after midnight, right after New Years. I looked for the tallest building, and began to climb the tree that was next to it, it was easy to get up on the roof, Kakashi doesn't fall behind, we stand on the roof, there are still many villagers on the streets, the village looked like stars in the night, they reflected tonight’s sky.

“Every night of every New Year I would watch the stars and the moon for hours. I tried to count every star before the sun would rise. I wasn’t allowed to celebrate New Years, so I would do this to keep my mind occupied,” I say and lay on the slanted roof. Kakashi laying beside me.

“It’s beautiful,” I hear him whisper. I count the stars, using my pointer finger to keep me track. The moon was bright tonight, the stars were lost in it’s brightness, but I counted. And I counted, I didn’t know how long we stayed there but I counted one hundred ten stars before Kakashi sat up. Finally it was time to rest for the first time of the year. By the time we make it home, it was two in the morning, Kakashi says goodnight and calls it a night. I undress in my room, letting the silky fabric fall. I fold my beautiful kimono, and begin to take out the pins from my hair. I was letting the beauty I felt, be stored away. Who knew when I would wear it again?
I fell asleep on top of my covers, I was tired and ready for the new day.

It was early when I wake up again, there is a knock on my bedroom door. I rub the sleep away, stepping off of my bed.

“Kiyoko, you’ve been summoned by Lady Tsunade.” I hear Kakashi say. My heart races, was I finally going to be assigned to a mission?

I change in record time, before open my bedroom door. Kakashi is there, not fully dressed. I zip up my flak jacket.

“Aren’t you coming?” I ask, skipping breakfast. He shakes his head. Okay, so she wanted to talk to me only, I don’t know what to think. I hope its not bad news, Kakashi walks me to the door, I quickly slip on my sandals and start to Lady Tsunade’s office. I brush my hair with my fingers while I lightly jog there. I only got six hours of sleep, but my body was awake from the start. It has to be good news, I did welcome the year with a smile, I even counted the stars like I always do, but maybe that was the bad luck charm after all. I take two stairs at a time, and finally slow down my pace to a stroll. I see the green door come into view. Its silent and no one else is around, I was about to knock the door, when I hear Lady Tsunade talk.

“Its a covert mission. Infiltrate the Moon Village and gather as much information without being noticed. All of you know the reason for this mission, we must know what that island holds. We must know if it may become a future threat. I have gathered intel on the higher villagers of the village. Depart immediately, dismissed.”

My body goes cold, and all I hear is my shallow breathing. She sent them out there anyways, she didn’t even consider their safety. Was this what it meant to be a shinobi, to just throw your life around and hope you don’t die? I had to bite my lip to force me to not barge in and stop this mission. I felt angry and crestfallen, they were sent to their deaths. No matter how much information you have about my father, he is a shinobi of great skill. No stats will prepare anyone for him. At the very least Lady Tsunade should have consulted with me, she should have atleast let me on this mission, to be a guide of somesort.

“Oh Kiyoko, you’re here, step right in,” I hear Shizune say from behind me. I breathe, trying to put up my best act. Pretend I just arrived, I didn’t hear anything, I thought to myself. I put my best fake smile, “Right, good morning Shizune.” I open the door, Lady Tsunade is sitting behind her desk as always. I get even angrier with looking at her, she has the perfect poker face. Its like she didn’t just send them to their doom. It was my problem, I should be the one to deal with it, not the innocent of another town!

“Kiyoko, I don’t necessarily have a mission for you yet, but I wanted to check the strength of the seal. When I have an appropriate mission for you, I’ll let you know. All we have now is genin level missions.” I nod, I’m afraid that if I speak then I would show my emotions. I hide them well. I walk to her side and let her touch my forehead and midriff.

“Looks like everything is strong. Do you feel anything I should worry about?”

I shake my head, still not saying a word.

“Very well you may go,” she says, I bow and leave the room as quickly as possible. I clench my fists as I stomp down the stairs. What could I do? If I leave the village and somehow stop the ninja who were sent, would I be accepted back? I touch my pouch, I did have everything I needed to go. I could simply go to the Moon Village and help them gather the information. I could, but that would be giving my father a chance to capture me.


“I can’t be afraid of going out of the village. I’m not an animal that should be caged and hidden from hungry eyes,” I whisper to myself. That was all I needed to convince my angry mind. I was going after them, I take off north east, not bothering to go through the gate, instead I jump over the roof tops and over the wall. I look back one more time, it may be the last time I ever see this village. Kakashi’s face comes to mind, and Hinata, Sakura, and Naruto’s, all of them came like a flood. For the time being I was leaving them behind, I was being selfish, I knew that. It’ll be a three day journey, and the village only has one way to get there. If I get there before the squad then maybe they’ll let me guide them to my father’s office. I don’t stop once I’m off, I jump from tree branch to tree branch, ignoring the complaint from my thighs.

Here I thought I wouldn’t have to return to the village ever again. What if I face my father? What if I face Asami’s mother? What would I do then? What would happen if they did capture me? What would they do to power once they did get it? I shake my head, no I won’t let them. I’ll never let anyone control me, or the beast.

“You’re an idiot you know that! All you’re doing it going to your death too. Leave those imbeciles to die, they chose to go. Why risk your life for them? If you’re captured they won’t come for you, after all you aren’t really one of them,” the monster yells from inside my head.

“I risk my life for them because I have to. I will protect them, I will not let them die for me, not for my mess!” I yell back louder.

“You can’t protect everyone, you already know that. I don’t care what you do, but if you go back to the island you know you won’t come out again. He’ll control me, and eventually he’ll attack the Leaf.”

“Why the Leaf? What do you know that I don’t.” I spit at him. I don’t receive an answer, which bothers me. He knows something, that I don’t, and it could possibly be information that could save us this mess. He was keeping it to himself, I found it unfair, how he lived in my head, and could see every thought, but I had no idea what was inside of his. I keep moving, not wanting to get there after the squad, I push my body through the first night, only stopping once for a restroom break, and water, I didn’t even think about food. I’ll find a few fruit trees as I get closer to the ocean, I know the terrain, I spent a lot of my time out here. I pass small villages, but everything blurred together. I didn’t feel any fear as I got closer to my old home. I thought I would never come near it again, but my confidence has gone up since then. I am no longer the same person I once was. Just look after me Suzu.

On the second day I eat my fair share of strawberries that grew in the wild. I stopped once again, for water from a river that flowed to the ocean. By then I wonder what Kakashi would be thinking right about now. Would he notice I have not gone home? I wonder if anyone noticed my departure at all, I’m sure they did since I would have noticed my comrade’s absence.

I arrive to the shore late that afternoon, I catch my breath, I managed to get here in two days rather than three. I’m sure the squad Lady Tsunade sent are highly skilled in infiltration so I’m sure they will arrive soon. I expect the ANBU to be here rather than jounin ninja. I sit under the shade of a large tree. In front of me was the pier and beyond that a speck of island, the size of a fly. It was out there, the island Lady Tsunade was so desperate to infiltrate. I wasn’t scared, but I was nervous. I couldn’t keep my hands from shaking, I held onto the grass beneath me. They should some this way, it was the easiest route to the village, and I don’t think they would just walk there. If I would infiltrate a village I would disguise myself among the commoners, wear their clothing and use their accents in language. I sit there, making it clear that I was visible to anyone who came. It was just about sun down when I hear a rustle behind me. I stand and turn, making sure my leaf symbol was not blocked by my hair.

“Kiyoko, what are you doing here?” I hear someone say. I recognize that voice, it belonged to Yamato, but I didn’t know which one he was. There were four masked man, I should have known he was in the ANBU, it didn’t surprise me.

“I know I may be jeopardizing the mission, but I know this village with a blindfold tied over my eyes. I know where all the weak points and blindspot are. And I know where my father’s office is, and secret archive vault that is hidden inside his office. I can help. I’ll keep up,” I explain. I see Yamato remove his mask.

“Does anyone know you’re here?” I shake my head, and I hear him sigh.

“Leaving the village without permission will get you in a lot of trouble, and not only that but intruding on an ANBU mission.”

“I know that.”

He sighs again, before he thinks. A hand under his chin, and his eyes averted to the ground.

“Very well, but I’ll need you to swallow one of my seeds. I’ll be able to locate you if we do get separated.”

He hands me a small seed, I swallow it, trusting that it won’t grow inside me. I was glad he believed in my strength to let me tag along. He explain the plan to me, we’ll wait until sunrise and go on the next ship there. We’ll be disguised as villagers, he thought about going out there tonight and looking for a blind spot to go through, but I saved him the trouble. I map out the island with a stick in the ground, circling the best blind spot, it was just beneath a cliff. The crashing waves should block out our noise, and view. It was dangerous because of the crashing waves, but Yamato would stabilize us with his wood jutsu. We had everything planned out, and I thought the plan would work out, and we would all get home safely. That was until Moon ninjas attacked us in the middle of the night.

I was stupid and careless if I thought my father didn’t have ninja out here too. I should have known better, I should have been more observant. It was dark, almost too dark to see anyone. I didn’t know who was my comrades and who are my enemies. I swallow the fear that was rising in my throat. I was fighting blindly, part of me feared hurting Yamato and the ANBU more than I feared the Moon ninja. I didn’t know what our plan was now, to retreat or to fight and escape in the chaos to the village. We did need the information, maybe it would reveal the secrets my father kept hidden for so long. Maybe the answers to Asami’s abilities could be somewhere in there. I have shadow clones by my side, making sure the real me is hidden. I knew my power is still wanted.

I have my kunai in one hand, the other is right in front of me, trying to sense the chakra in the darkness. I sense twelve others, and four of them were my comrades. We were outnumbered, two to one, but I’m sure the ANBU would be able to stand on their own. I was more worried about one of the other chakra, it was stronger than all the others, so I noticed it immediately. It made me shiver, I tense when I sense someone come behind me. I crouch and kick, but that person jumps, I use my water whip to grab their ankle, bringing them down to the ground. I see other shadows move, and I feel like they were coming for me. I hear grunts and the clashing of metal. Sweat ran down my neck, but it was the coldest night I have ever lived through.

I felt the strong chakra get closer to me, and it was then when I began to fear for myself. I still couldn’t find Yamato or the others in the night, the moon was blocked by the many trees. I feel the overwhelming numbers increase, the enemy must be using shadow clones. I feel pain brush my cheek, I touch the sensitive spot, finally realizing, a kunai has cut me. I turn to see more shadows were beginning to surround me. I feel water at my ankles, they were using water jutsus against me, I began to feel slower. I couldn’t fight back in the darkness, but I tried anyways. I threw water waves left and right, along with tearing torrents. I whipped water as fast and sharp as I could, but soon my hands were bind behind me. My heart beat was beating, and I stared at the emptiness around me.

“Looks like you’ve gotten much stronger, but still not strong enough to win a fight against us,” I hear someone say. I could almost match the face to the voice. I’ve heard it before, long ago.I feel real human hands lay on me, I bite my lip, they got me. They have finally got me. I wanted to cry and scream, but I kept my mouth shut.

“Who would have guessed you would have walked right to our doorsteps. Oh Kiyoko you made this just too easy,” The voice said again. Someone had lit a torch and I finally see what is in front of me. I se Yamato and the three other ANBU back to back, all of them breathing heavily. I look behind me and all eight Moon men were there, all of them protecting me from my friends. I close my eyes, I should have stayed home, but as long as I will be taken back, I will try and use that time to find out the information we risked our lives for. Even if I do die soon, I’ll try to get the message. But they needed to go, before they end up the same way I did.
I see them advance just a little, and I panic.

“No! A seed must be harvested once it is fully grown and matured.” I say, hoping Yamato gets the message. I’ll absorb as much information as I can, then they could help me escape, for now I’ll go quietly. I send Yamato my glare, I’ll be okay, I send. He waits for just three seconds before he disappears. I let out a deep breath, they’ll come for me. I know they will.

I feel the strong chakra come behind me, I move my head to see who it was. It was no other but Kenji-sensei. My academy teacher.

“Long time no see Kiyoko. We have someone who would love to see you.” He smiles, I turn back, not wanting to see him. I closed my eyes instead. I didn’t want to see anyone. I already knew who that someone was, it was father. All the memories of my time here came back, blinding me from the dim lit night. I let myself be escorted to the small boats. I feel the ocean spray, making me shiver. I no longer felt the warmth that I felt next to Kakashi.

It takes us about an hour to cover the sea, it was still dark when we arrive, but the street lights were bright enough for me to see clearly. There were two ninja with their hands on me, and two other ninja tooks the liberty to wrap chains around me. They tug on the chains, but I was too busy looking at the town. Everything was just like I left it, it was like I took a picture fourteen years ago and the only thing that changed was me. The eight ninja take me to the main building, I knew they would. The canopy of the trees were thick, just like I remembered. The shops were built between every tree, the streets were shielded from the sky. The mountain was ahead of us, the main building on the top, it was placed there so the leader could oversee all of the town. There were no blind spots, not that I knew of, which made me worry. If they do come for me one day it’ll be difficult to attack secretly. We pass many familiar houses, many with the lights turned off. They’ll know about my arrival by sunrise, it was a small town, no secrets were hidden well.

My old house was right beside the main building. My father could be in any of the two,but I didn’t want to go back to my old house. Pictures of mother still hung on the walls, when I left I doubt they changed. I doubt his new wife would be courageous enough to tell him otherwise. He didn’t have a warm heart, to listen to his wife. The closer we get to the building, I see the light of his office was on. He must be there, I swallow my bile, it was today that I face my father again.

“You’re father is going to be ecstatic to see you,” one of the eight ninja say. I’m sure he won’t be jumping in joy to see my face again, he’ll smile only because he has the power he has searched for so long. He’s a fool if he thinks I’ll give it to him willingly. I don’t trip over the rocks and roots as we make our way up the island, my feet remember the terrain like I just walked it yesterday. I feel my hands begin to tremble as the ninja open the main building’s door, every step was one step closer to him. He who made my life a living hell, he who never looked at me with affection in his eye, he who never saw me as a daughter, he who only saw me as a monster and weapon. The inside is brightly lit, I clearly saw the painting in the lobby, and two leading hallways. I knew we were going to the right, that was where he was. The tug me to the right hallway, then we turn left, before a large door was at the end of the hallway. It was there that we will enter shortly.
I feel the chains pull me, and I realize that I have put chakra at the base of my feet without realizing. I didn’t want to go in there.

“Keep moving!” I hear one of them spit in my ear. I feel my foot step out before I can stop myself. A ninja opens the door, and I was pushed inside. He sat behind a round table, papers were neatly piled on one corner. Behind him, they was a wall, a map, with tabs on a place. I look at it closely, I’m here for information. It looks like he’s tracking something or someone. I see him put something in his left drawer. I look down before I get a glance at his face.

“Kiyoko, you’re finally home,” I hear his voice. I bite my lip, I wasn’t going to say anything, I didn’t even want to see his face. I feel him come nearer, and then I feel his fingertip under my chin, forcing me to look at him. For the first time in fourteen years I stare at him, his dark brown eyes are as lifeless as always. Wrinkles have invaded his skin, he looked older, much older. His hands were rough and worn. He was still as tall as ever, he crouched to get a better look at me. I tried to turn away, but I couldn’t. Every time I looked at him, it reminded me of mother.

“I want to have a good look at you,” he whispers and smiles. His smile has malintentions hidden behind it. There is no happiness in him, not since the moment I took my first breath. I hold my head high, letting his finger in the air, I want nothing of him, but I am here on a mission. He nods to the ninja who held me in place. They take me back to the hallway but take me into a room on the right. It is empty, only a steel chair was there in the middle of the room. Interrogation, I am glad that I was the one who they captured, if Inoichi can’t read my mind then I know they wouldn’t be able to. For one more time I am grateful I have the power of the beast.

They finally release me, but I find no way of escaping, not when the room looked airtight. They leave me be, and I stand on the farthest wall, they weren’t going to get me to sit on that damn chair. The door opens again, my father is the only one who enters. I feel the air tense to a new level, I couldn’t keep my breathing at a constant pace.

“Sit,” He stands in front of the door, just feets away from the bolted steel chair. I don’t respond.

“What happened to you all of these years? You used to do anything to please me, you always followed my orders when it came to obedience. I see your time away from home has changed you,”

Home? I became angry, furious, he thought this was my home. I know what home is, and its at the Leaf. This was never my home to begin with.

“The pain of being alone is almost unbearable isn’t it?” He asks louder.

“You know nothing about being alone,” I spit at him. His loneliness will never compare to mine.

“I do, believe it or not. You left on your own, and I was left alone. Much like someone you know. Do you know Sasuke Uchiha?”

I try to hide my surprised expression. What does he want with Sasuke? How does he know who he is?

“By your expression I believe you do know who he is. The last of the Uchiha. His brother Itachi killed their clan, and now only three have that visual power,”

He knows Kakashi has a sharingan too. What exactly does he want? He knocks on the door, three ninja come in, chains in hand. I automatically get on the defensive, but in this small room they manage to chain me down to the cold chair. Kenji-sensei comes in after the other leave, my father whispers something in his ear. Kenji-sensei puts his hand on my forehead. He was trying to fish for anything that I knew about the Sharingan. Too bad for him that he wasn’t going to get anything. Kenji snaps his hand away like he just touched a hot burner. A smile creeps on my face, knowing the beast has done his job again.

“Why do you need me? What exactly am I?” I press. I need answers, I need to know what beast I hold. My father laughs at my questioning.

“I’ll be doing all the questioning around here. So please tell us about Sasuke Uchiha.”

“I don’t know where he is. I’ve never met him,” I tell him. Its the truth. I know him but I’ve never met him.


“Kiyoko, daughter of mine, don’t make this difficult for your old man. Tell me about the Leaf’s ninja who posses the Sharingan. I don’t want to use drastic measures,” he sounds tired, like he actually thought of me like a daughter. I want to reach out and strangle him, he’s never looked at me with fatherly love.

“I don’t know anything about them,” I say again. My father tap again on the door. I don’t know what time it is anymore, there are no windows so I can read the sun. I was losing my sense of time. Two men enter again, “I know you’re a water chakra user.” My father stands behind me as the two men wrap their arms around me, I feel the pain of electricity roll in. I bite the inside of my cheeks. I wanted to scream, but I didn’t. It pricked my nerves, but they stopped in what seemed hours. I catch my breath, “you can go ahead and kill me now. I will never tell you anything.”

“I can’t kill you. You’re the perfect vessel for that power of your’s. Why don’t you use it and get out of here. Break the seal, its not strong enough to hold it back,”

I shake my head, I won’t let him out. I know the seal is strong, because I am strong. I am strong because I have people to protect.

“You won’t get anything out of me,” I breath out, feeling the pain subside again. It was my healing abilities that lets me with stand so much.

“Not unless I put you under a genjutsu. Oh Kiyoko you are still so naive,” He laughs.

I feel the beast in me go wild with rage, he hated him as much as I did. I hear myself snarl.

“Oh please do let him out. I want to see the power that managed to kill countless of my best ninja. Let the monster out.”

“No, I’ll never let that happen again. Never”

“Let him out!” My father raises his voice. The beast slams the cages inside my head. Its trying to break the seal, but I’m doing my best to not let him. It wants to rip my father’s head off, he showed me images. I wouldn’t mind in all honesty, but if the beast escapes this time, his rage will make it impossible to pull him back. I feel them shock me once more, making the beast in my snarl and roar in anger. I shut my eyes and focus on myself, I can feel my injuries slowly heal.

“So I hear that you sacrificed yourself for the well being of the others. I’m lucky to have such a compassionate person for my daughter.” My father tugs my hair, pulling my face to the bright light on the ceiling. Its getting harder to breath. The lightning they used was enhanced with chakra so it affected not only my muscles but my chakra network too.

“Stop giving me that crap. We all know you hate me the most out of everyone here. You’re so obsessed with power that you sacrificed your own daughter. Asami didn’t even know who you really are.”

He lets go of my head, I struggle to keep it up. He paces around the room, much faster. His patience was running out.

“You won’t be getting out of here. Not even if Leaf ninja do try to come to your rescue. They won’t get one mile from you, so you might as well tell me what you know, so I can stop with this nonsense. Tell me about the Sharingan!”

“Why do you want Sasuke? Why do you want the sharingan?”

“Must you really know? I am trying to help Sasuke, I want to bring Itachi to justice. Itachi killed their clan I only see fit that Itachi must be killed. Currently he is with an organization the Akatsuki. He won’t be easy to manipulate, but Sasuke on the other hand is easy to control. His bait is simple, revenge. He will be the key to peace. And you will be peace.” He finally tells me.

Peace? Helping Sasuke? Sasuke doesn’t need revenge, he needs love. Enough love to melt all of the hatred in his heart. My father will end him if he takes him down that path. Darkness consumes, never giving life. I can’t bring peace, I am a contradiction in itself. Why do we need peace if there is no war.

“You can track him all you want, but I don’t know anything about the sharingan. I have been living alone and moving for years. I don’t know anything of what you speak,” I tell him, getting my strength back. My father whips his hand, slapping me across the face.

“Don’t try to fool me. I am much wiser and I know much more than any human alive. What about the copy ninja, Kakashi Hatake. You know him, you know he has the sharingan. If I can’t have Sasuke then I will have Kakashi.”

If he really does intend on going on with this plan, then the only way to stop him, is to kill him, but with these chains wrapped around me, I couldn’t lift one arm. I can’t let him have Sasuke, I will never let him lay his hands on Kakashi. After everything Kakashi has done for me, I will protect him. Sasuke is precious to Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi. No matter the hurt Sasuke caused toward them, no one should be used for their power. The beast should have never been inside me in the first place, he shouldn’t be imprisoned. Who knows what peace he talks about, his peace is distorted to the peace we all have in mind.

A ninja comes in, he is wide and muscular. Were they finally bringing out their specialty in interrogation? He gets behind me grabbing the chains, the two other ninja have lightning chakra in hand. I feel the chains tighten, pressure building inside me and the electricity finally making contact with my flesh. I let out a scream full of pure agony. I quickly seal my lips, he likes to hear my screams of pain. I won’t satisfy him. I cough, watching the floor turn red in front of me. They bring out a roll full of weapons, it was father who brought a large kunai to my face.

“What does the Leaf have to do with the Akatsuki?” I look at him through my tired eyes. How long has it been? It feels like an eternity.

“You can go to hell,” I spit back at him. He smiles, showing his perfect white teeth. He takes the kunai, and stabs me in the hand. I feel pain all over my body, it was getting harder to stay calm. The pain was getting unbearable, almost, but I couldn’t give in. I start to lose feeling in my right hand, but not too long after the wound starts to heal.

“At this rate it’ll be tough to weaken you enough to put you under a genjutsu,” my father sighs. I breath in the smell of copper and sweat. I was the only one who smelled this way. My father was perfectly clean, like my blood didn’t stain his clothing. I hear someone slam their fist in the door, for a split second I think its the Leaf ninja, but I don’t get my hopes up. They wouldn’t be stupid enough to come that way. I see a middle aged women storm in. She has Asami’s eyes and nose. Her facial features are very similar, she must be Asami’s mother, my father’s wife. She rushes in, her eyes are full of hatred and sadness. I tilt my head down, not wanting to see her.

“Lady Miwa you’re not supposed to be in here,” a ninja grabs her arm, but she pulls away. I hear her steps come closer, I saw her feet stop in front of me. Before long I feel her hand yank my hair, she has tears in her eyes. I look anywhere but her eyes, she is the enemy so I hate to see her this way. She is human, but I think of her as an evil human. Anyone from the Moon is an enemy to me. I am even any enemy to myself.

“You killed my daughter! You killed her!” She screams in my face, slapping my face, now both cheeks throbbed with pain.

“I didn’t,” I say. Asami made her choice, she ended her life. I feel her yank my hair one way and then the other. She screams profanities, and nonsense. Saying she was gifted, that she had a future ahead of her. I knew many who I killed that I stole their future from. I didn’t need another life, especially a half sister on my shoulder. Finally someone pulls her away, but she takes a handful of hair with her. I feel the swelling in my face throb. It has only been the first day, and I have already gathered more information than I thought. I don’t stay awake much after, my beaten body wants to sleep and recover. Tomorrow will bring more pain.

The next time I wake, I wake with a punch to the gut. The air is musty and I was in need of fresh air. My father isn’t here, so I feel little relief, but there were three ninjas in his place. I didn’t even try to look at their faces, I was still so tired. I was still in pain, but I have feeling in my right hand now.

“Look kid, if you want to get out of here, you need to let the seal weaken.”

I refuse to do what they want. For all I knew the beast and my father were working together to bring “peace.” Instead of letting him help I make sure the seal is stronger, I feel weak but keeping him in was crucial. I’m putting my chakra into this beast, I want to go to sleep again, but I feel water being dumped on my head. And then the pain of electrocution comes into play. I feel the blood dripping from my nose, I was losing my sight, and my sense of touch. They fade and return as the day proceeds.

“Come on kid, don’t be stupid,” the beast growls again.

“Shut up!Just keep you mouth shut for once,” I scream. He was distracting me from strengthening the seal. My father came back in hours later, I was fried. I lost my sense of touch a few hours ago. Everytime they shock me its getting harder to breath and its getting slower to recover.

“You’re still not saying anything. If you really do no nothing of the Sharingan then tell me anything you know about the Leaf. You were in there long enough to have learned something. If you tell me something new then I don’t have to torture you any longer,” my father looks refreshed, probably sleeping without a trouble. I on the other hand have never felt this hurt. It was painful to breath, so I tried to take small breaths. Because of the electrocution going on for hours in the early morning, my body has given up on healing over and over. It no longer worked in the way I wanted to, the electricity was destroying my muscles. They don’t let me recover, that’s the whole plan. They need to weaken me until I am vulnerable for genjutsu and they were getting there. Time begins to be insignificant, I no longer cared or know what time of day or night it is. The would drag my body to the bathroom, and then they would feed me. They were killing me and keeping me alive.

“You- You, want the information so badly, why don’t you risk your life for it instead of sending your men to their deaths,” I struggle to say. “You know that the Moon is no match for the Leaf, if there does happen to be a conflict between these two villages, and you two do fight. We all know who will win. Their skills and numbers will outmatch you. You are in no position to push for information as much as I am.”

I see him spin a kunai around his index finger. I knew he was going to stab me somewhere, last time it was my hand, but now? He sends it flying toward me like I knew he would. It punctures the side of my stomach, I feel the sharp pain grow into my nervous system. It was growing like a vine, the pain was getting more intense. The beast was no longer helping with speeding the healing process. I was healing at my normal rate, it was faster than everyone else, but not fast enough to make it bearable anymore. I knew his patience was wearing thin, and that I should think about shutting my mouth, but it was hard when all I felt was pure hatred and irritation toward one person.

“Alright lets talk about something else then. Jinchuuriki’s, I’m sure you know what they are,” my father pulls a chair in front of me. I don’t look in his eyes, he would tell I would be lying if he did. Of course I know what they are, I am a jinchuuriki. I keep my gaze to the ground.

“Very well, I’ll just keep saying names, and tell me if you recognize any of them,” he says with an amusing voice.

“Minato Namikaze?” Kakashi’s sensei and Hero of the Leaf. I don’t react.
“Kushina Uzumaki?” Never heard of her. Naruto has the same last name, I wonder if they are related in someway.
“Madara Uchiha?”
“Hashirama Senju?” The first hokage, the master of wood technique.
“Sage of Six Paths?” Sage? Paths? What kind of senjutsu is that?


The names ran on and on, and I never did say a thing. Of course I did endure the few hair pulls, but that was to be expected. I felt the anger in his every physical contact. Like he was finally getting all of his frustrations out. After all of these years of separation, he was finally doing what he pleased. He couldn’t hit a child, that would make him look bad, but now I am an adult. I am the enemy, its understandable to torture the enemy. No one in the village will question it, why would they? They all want me dead.

“Its getting a little stuffy in here isn’t it. How about we get you to your old bedroom,” my father smiles at me. I finally snap my head up, no, no, that is the last place I want to be in right now. I was trying to search for any kind of heart, but his eyes were empty, he wasn’t lying. He would really make me suffer if he took me there. I would only feel the pain of my childhood. I would see images of her. My mother who I thought loved me, but I found out she didn’t in the least. I’m not strong enough to face her memory yet.

“You wouldn’t dare,” I cough the words. My throat was not used to my vocal cords vibrating again. My head was pounding, I could see my heartbeat through my eyes.

“You know I would,” my father takes my binded my hands. He runs his thumb along my knuckles like he’s trying to sooth away my anxiety. I was feeling ill with his touch, I tried to pull it away, but my muscles didn’t move to my command. He squeezes my hands much harder than they should be, I hear my knuckles pop out of place, and then there is pain. Pain, pain, that is all I felt, just a breath, and there it was, pain. Just a blink and there it was, pain. Just a heartbeat and there it was, pain. He leaves, and his ninjas go behind him. I was left with my pain, and I wanted to hurt him, oh how I wanted to, but here I was chained to a chair, like an animal.

I was so pissed beyond belief, he still thought of me like an animal. I held a beast inside, I know that now, but I am not an animal. I am a person too, I live like anyone else, but he still treats me like an animal.

I don’t know how much time passes, when they enter, but it feels like forever. It must have been a while because my wounds were beginning to heal, it was less painful now. I can almost take a deep breathe, I could if chains weren’t restricting me. I was asleep when the ninjas enter again, my father was there too. I knew he wouldn’t be letting me out of his sight for too long.

“How long have I been in here?” I ask.

“Four days. If you think they are coming to rescue you, then I suggest you don’t get your hopes up. If they were so urgently trying to save you, don’t you think they would have by now?” My father replies with a soft tone, which bothers me. I hated that he was so calm and collected, he only raised his voice once, but I was more afraid to see this side of him. I knew he could be right, my head told me so, or rather the beast told me so. I didn’t, I had faith in them, in their strength. I had faith in our friendship that it would be enough to them to make me seem somewhat important. I really do think they will come, and I will have information for them to hold.

“You are mine,” He caresses my cheek, I turn, leaving his hand in the air. I was truly afraid now. I couldn’t control my heartbeat, and tears were beginning to fall. I promised myself that I wouldn’t cry, but I did. I cried, letting all of my fears show. I was afraid, terrified of my father. I tried to mask it with courage, but I can’t anymore. I didn’t want to stay here, I don’t want to. I cried until the left, and then I cried some more. It hurt in my chest, it wasn’t bleeding but it hurt.

“I want to go back home,” I whisper and close my eyes. I repeat it so many times, but when I open my eyes I am still in the closed room. I am still in the Moon Village, and I am still my father’s daughter.

Has it been one day or more? I was losing my strength and my will to stay strong. I no longer felt the pain, I just felt jolts of electricity running through my body. It was just a tingle and getting fainter. My body was going numb, and the seal was vulnerable. I can’t enforce it anymore. I no longer had the strength to move my body to my will. I was going to break. I was going to betray the Leaf eventually. I was going to let him know everything I know, and it's because I’m not strong enough. If I was strong I would have been able to get out of here.

I feel the tingles again, my hearing was getting worse. I was losing my sense, I wasn’t healing fast enough. I was going to die wasn’t I. I was going to die at the hand of my father. Even if he did tell me he wouldn’t, he will. He will once they get the information they need, they’ll find someone who will cooperate with them, and use them as a vessel. I am not so special. I am useless. Every second I waited for the white light to come and collect me. But it never did. All I saw was darkness. I would sleep and all I would see is darkness. Why is sleep dark? Maybe I didn’t deserve to be saved by the white light, instead I am damned to the dark.

They fed me, and brought me water. It just meant they were keeping me alive for one more day.

“Are you going to talk today?” I hear my father say. I close my eyes in refusal. No, not today, not ever. I hear him click his tongue, I hear his foot stomp the floor beneath me. I could sense his irritation.

“Very well then, I guess I do have to use genjutsu,” he says. I open my eyes, this was it, the moment I let everything spill. They were going to reach into my brain where the beast can’t protect. They are going to use me. I feel the guards, beginning to loosen the chains, I can’t feel, but they tug me to my feet. My father leaves as I am dragged to where ever they were taking me. My head dangles with their step. We walk outside, its bright out, it was the first time I have seen the sun since I arrived. I feel them tugging me to my old house, my heart drops, he’s taking me there. To that evil place, to my home which never truly felt like home. The tears fall again, but I can’t move my hands to wipe them away. I was powerless. I don’t even have the strength to kill myself. I would go that far to protect the Leaf. They took me in, remembering the first time I saw those gates. Wide open like the village was embracing me. I remember the smiles I saw on the villagers, I remember the confidence of Naruto. The kindness of Hinata’s heart. The strength of Sakura’s fist. I was remembering all of it. I could almost feel the warmth of Kakashi walking along side of me. I wanted all of it back. Why did my father choose my life, my destiny? I will not be peace.

I don’t know how but I end up falling to the ground. I see the ninja that was holding my left arm drops beside me, a kunai right in the middle of his chest, the other ninja left me to go to my father, like he needed protection.

“Don’t let them get her!” I hear my father scream. I try to move my head and see them. My heart lightens, I try to smile. They came, they were here to rescue me. To take me back home. I see a Moon ninja come running towards me, but I see lightning stab him right through his heart. I see a flash of gray move in a whirl. Kakashi, I smile. Kakashi! He needs to get out of here! He is in danger of being captured too, it is the sharingan that they want. I try to scream at him, but I can’t. It comes out as a whisper. There are ANBU from the Leaf, I see kunai being thrown, and nature chakra used everywhere. I could hear grunts of ninjas as they fought. I see green, and then I see a sweaty Guy stand before me. He takes me in his arms, before he takes off. I try to hang onto his shirt, but my fingers don’t curl like I want them to.

“Guy you have to go to that building we just past. I know where the information is,” I say as loud as I can. Its in that drawer. All we need, I feel the change of direction, Guy grunts as he makes his way up the small hill. I hope in all of the chaos, we don’t run into the enemy. Luckily, most of the ninja are out in front of my old home fighting the enemy. I wonder how many are out there. I direct Guy to my father’s office. He smashes in, not holding back. He sets me on the floor, I tell him to get the maps behind him, and the paperwork in the small drawer. He tucks it in his jacket, before he carried me again. I feel sensation in my fingertips, I was getting my feeling back very slowly.

“We have to get Kakashi!” I say louder.

“Don’t worry about him. We had two ANBU squads, and a jounin squad attack, there is one ANBU squad waiting for us on the left side of the island. They’ll protect you from anyone who is posted on the main land. Plus I’ve never seen him this cold and heartless against an enemy. Not even when Rin died. He is on a rampage that no one can stop. He’ll be fine,” He says, and hold me tighter as we jump of a ledge.

I pray Kakashi makes it out alive and unharmed. I hope for everyone’s sake my father never gets his hands on the Sharingan. Just like Guy said a small motorized boat awaited us. There are two more boats as well, I’m glad they have a way out of here. They hid in the blindspot, Yamato must have told them about it. Guy hands me to an ANBU member waiting for us, he takes all of the paperwork and maps from his jacket and stuffs it inside my shirt. I couldn’t hold it, but I tried to keep them all in one place.Guy was heading back to the fight.

“Get them all out of here, please,” I tell him, he smiles and gives me his thumbs up. I don’t want to be responsible for anyone’s injury, or death. I pray everyone gets out of there alive. I am set on the floor of the boat, soon enough I feel the ocean spray again. I was going home. I could finally close my eyes and sleep, but I wouldn’t not until I see Kakashi in front of me. I want to know he is right beside me, and not with my father. The ABNU are on their guard, but no one attacks us as we cross the sea and land on the main land. One of the ANBU carries me, I still can’t move my legs, or much of my body. Its going to take time for my muscles to heal. I was getting nervous, this was where we were ambushed, this time we are a man short. But it was midday, and last time we were impaired from the lack of light.

The Leaf ninja took out their weapons, ready for an attack, but we kept moving. We should just avoid all enemy at this point.

“Dai, use your sensory jutsu to locate any enemies,” The man who hold me says. I hear an agreement in response.

“There are two at our right, 500 meters away, and five at our left 350 meters.” Dai says. We go through the trees, moving so the ninja can’t sense us. I try not to breathe too deeply so that the paper won’t crinkle and make noise. When we pass the danger, they put away their weapons, and we pick up the speed. The ninja holds on tighter making sure I don’t fall, we were high in the trees, moving from one branch to the other. I watch the sky, the leaves let little light in, but they looked like dancing lights. The blue sky that peeked through looked cheerful, it made me feel lighter. Maybe it was because I was important enough to be saved. I don’t know how long I spend looking at the sky. But the rest of the ANBU squads catch up to us quickly. I don’t see the jounin squad. Where is Kakashi? I feel dizzy in thinking the horrible possibilities.

“Where is the jounin squad?” The man who carries me says. It feels like he is the captain.

“They are close behind us, no one is following us, I believe we are out of danger, captain.” A female voice says. Her voice calms my erratic mind, the oxygen finally arrives to my head. We stop in a small open field, he sets me down so I can lean on a tree trunk. They needed time to organize themselves, I didn’t listen, I just wanted to see Kakashi with my own eyes. I hear the leaves rustle, and then Kakashi jumps from below, he was there right in front of me. I see the blood on his face, he was hurt. The rest of the jounin appear behind him, they were alright, but why does Kakashi have blood on him. No one else looks hurt. Kakashi comes to my side, gathering me in his arms, as we move again. All of us were going home. I take in his scent, finally feeling the warmth.

“Your hurt?” I say, trying to move my hand, but the only thing I can do is curl my fingers in his sleeve.

“Its not mine. Idiot, what were you thinking? Do you know how much trouble you’ve caused us?” He says, but there is no anger behind his words. I pat my stomach the best I could,

“I have it all,” I smile. I close my eyes, finally I can sleep and now Kakashi is safe. That everyone is safe. I sleep with the scent of Kakashi in my mind. I wasn’t afraid to fall alseep anymore, I was in his arms and that is the safest I’ve ever felt.

Kakashi’s POV

Was she a handful, she was much lighter than the last time I carried her. She has many small scars, it was obvious what she went through. They tortured her, I just wanted to go back to the Moon Village and kill the guy who did this to her. I can’t imagine what she went through, I’m sure she had to face her father again. I worry about her mental stability, how will she be after this incident. I just hope she doesn’t slip back into the darkness. I wonder if she will ever be the same again.

The day she left was the loneliest I have felt in a while. I waited for her to come back from Lady Tsunade’s office, but after waiting for an hour I went to check with Lady Tsunade. She left her office about an hour ago. I searched for her all over the village. It rained that day, making it impossible to track her scent. It wasn’t until the two day when a frantic Yamato came into the office, explaining all that happened. The next few days were just one big blur.


Kiyoko-POV

I hear a hoot. Its dark, nothing is bright. Did I really die? No, I’m certain I’m still alive. I hear the hoot again, much louder this time. Its an empty space, and for a second I think I am in my mind, maybe in that space between my thoughts and the beasts’, but I can’t sense him. I look at my right hand, where the tiny scar seemed to have disappeared. I run my hand through my hair, it slide right through, smooth and healthy. It was nothing like how it really was, all the electricity damaged everything. I take a deep breath in, the air filling my lungs with ease. Where exactly am I?

The hoot comes from behind me, I turn to see a single tree far away from where I stand. It looked out of place, everything else was dark, but there it was a living tree. It was big, huge, titanic, it was the biggest tree I have ever seen in my life. I take a step, testing my muscle control, they feel normal, like I was never injured. The hoot gets louder, like it was calling me. I don’t see anything else, so I go to the tree. The closer I get the better I get a sense of the tree’s size. The roots are as tall as stacked buildings, the leaves are the size of villages. I am an ant compared to the size. Why exactly is an enormous tree doing in the middle blankness. In the middle of what I think, my conscious. I hear the hoot again, I look up to see a large white owl sitting on the lowest tree. The owl I saw in the forest the other day. The speaking owl, it flaps its wings and soars to a root where I stood close by.

“By the look you have on your face, it looks like you remember me,” it speaks. Her voice is gentle.

“Who are you exactly? Why are you here?” I ask.

The owl laughs a bit, “My you ask quite a few questions and you don’t even know my name, Kiyoko,”

“How do you know my name, and what is your’s?”

“I know your name because you are peace. And as for my name, I am Tomoko.” She opens one of her wings like she is bowing to me.

“Not with this again. I’m not peace. Nor will I ever be,” This must be my self conscious displaying my father’s thoughts.

“The peace you believe we want to accomplish is not the one we want. It is a pure peace that will be guided my others and fulfilled by you.We have for seen it in your future,” the owl says. Her eyes are wide and knowing. My future, how can a complete stranger know my future, when I don’t even know what will happen to me tommorow.

“Peace? How will I be peace, if I don’t know the meaning of peace!” I was getting frustrated. Peace this, peace that. Why does my father and Tomoko expect me, out of everyone in this world, to know anything about peace.

“Peace can not be defined. Peace is achieved with actions and understanding loss. And as we have seen, no one knows loss and pain as much as you do. You posses a special quality that has only existed one time since the time of the first shinobi. Your time will come, for now I will leave you to your problems, I will come for you when the time is right. Then I will teach you ways that has only been mastered once in all of the world’s life.” Tomoko flies to the top of the tree. Leaving me with questions. Am I really that mentally messed up? This has to be my mind playing tricks on me. The tree begins to fade, and so did I. I was losing myself, I begin to feel tired. So I give into sleep, and let myself be dissolved with the darkness.

Kakashi-POV

Its been five days already, and she hasn’t moved a muscle. Lady Tsunade says it will be a miracle if she will be able to move like before. Most of her muscles were completely destroyed. I kept hanging on to the beat’s healing abilities. She’ll be alright. She had some color back in her face, not much, but enough to know she was alive and breathing. Her fullness of her face was gone, she has lost a lot of weight in a short amount of time. They wanted he to be weak, to manipulate her, but the seal look untouched. She must have put a lot of her energy into the seal rather than herself. I wouldn’t be surprised, Kiyoko has the will of fire, even if she is not born here. It is much stronger than some of the shinobi here.

She had plenty of scratches to show her strength, but I wanted to see her green eyes. I want to know if she was truly going to be okay.

From the information she gathered, it seems like the Moon is tracking the Akatsuki and Orochimaru. They had plenty information on all nine members, which was a jackpot. The only information about Orochimaru was what we already know. Sasuke was mentioned too, and for what reason. Why are they tracking the Akatsuki and Orochimaru? I had a feeling they were after the Sharingan. Guy told me what Kiyoko said, I made sure he was to take her to safety. I didn’t want her to see me that way. It was my Sharingan that they wanted, or any Sharingan. The only person who might know the reason was still asleep.

Kiyoko-POV

First I hear my surroundings. I wonder how long I have been asleep. I can hear the distant talking of other patients, and breathing. It must be the other patient that shares our room. I try to open my eyes, but they feel heavy. My chest felt heavy too. I felt like I was made of steel. I hear a door open, and then footsteps. More than one, about four pair of feet enter the room.

“Looks like she’s not awake yet,” I hear Sakura say.

“Poor Kiyoko. I’ve never seen her this bad, not even when they attacked us during the chunin exams. I wonder what happened to her?” Hinata says. I can picture the frown etched on her face.

“It's been twelve days already. I’m starting to get worried,” I hear Kiba say. Twelve! I’ve been out for almost two weeks. It felt much shorter than that. Its feels like I’ve only been asleep for half a day. I hear them pull chairs beside my bed, and a dog’s pant. That last pair of feet must be Akamaru. I feel a touch swipe a piece of hair from my forehead.

“I wish she wouldn’t throw herself in front of danger so easily, she cares too much about everyone,” Kiba says. I can imagine a pout on his face.

“That’s just the type of person she is. Reminds me a lot of a certain knucklehead,” Sakura replies.

“Ya, Naruto and her are so much alike. He always ended up in the hospital for pushing himself too far. I’m glad she’s around to keep us on our toes. Who would have known what we would have become if we relaxed while Naruto was away training. He would be angry to see us so unfocused. Its because of Kiyoko that I became a chunin. She is very strong, I admire that,” Hinata says. I feel her squeeze my hand. Her hands are smaller and softer than Sakura’s. Sakura is working with her hand much more, I’m proud of all of them. Even those who I don’t know too well, I still want all of them to train their hardest and accomplish their dreams because that is exactly what I plan to do and I want everyone to accompany me on my journey, and I want to help them along theirs.

They continue to talk about their adventures with Naruto. Hinata’s voice is so full admiration I find it very cute she looks up to Naruto, a jinchuuriki, a person who has always felt alone but he never was. He just never saw who looked at him. Kiba was a playful rivalry, not so serious as Sasuke and Naruto’s rivalry, but it was there. He talked about the battle they had at the chunin exams last year. Sakura spoke about his idiotic ideas, but I can feel a smile on her face. If he only saw how much we cared for him, how much we miss him. He won’t be alone, I promise him that. I won’t let him be alone anymore. I listen to them as the time ticks by. I drift in and out consciousness. It must have been late in the evening when someone arrives too.

“Kakashi-sensei,” Sakura says.

“Thanks for visiting her these past two days while I was away” Kakashi says.

“Oh its fine really. I’m sure you’re busy with your mission, and it was nice to see her doing well. The doctors and Lady Tsunade are astonished by her recovery. It only a matter of time before she wakes up.” Hinata tells him. I didn’t know he was gone, well I wouldn’t know I’ve been asleep for two days.

“Well I gotta go, and feed Akamaru. Bye Kakashi- sensei, Sakura, Hinata,” Kiba’s footsteps get fainter. After a while Hinata leaves to, but Sakura and Kakashi stay.

“Kakashi-sensei, what do they want with her? Why did her own village do this to her?” Sakura sounds very irritated, I can feel tension radiating from her. I hear Kakashi sit on the other side of my bed. Was he going to tell her? Tell her everything, will she look at me the same way.

“Is she like Naruto?” She says quieter, I sense sadness coming from her. Kakashi sighs.

“We aren’t certain, but her village wants to control the power she holds. I guess her and Naruto are born with special abilities. I’m sure she would like to tell you someday, there are things she needs to talk to a girl, right? Thats what girls do,” He lightens the mood. Sakura laughs.

“Kakashi-sensei, you’re dense. You and I care about her, but your worry is different from mine. I’ll wait for her to tell me anything, and if it worries you then I’ll tell you. If I think its appropriate.”Sakura was teasing Kakashi.

“I just want to make sure she doesn’t feel alone anymore. I don’t want her to leave the village looking for revenge. Its my fault Sasuke left, I wasn’t there enough for him. I promised myself that I won’t let her be alone anymore.” Kakashi sounds serious again,

“Its all of our shortcomings. We all think we could have been better at being there for him. I promise to not let her feel alone either. We’ll do our best to keep her from her past.” Sakura says with much more umph. If I could cry I would, but my eyelids didn’t let the tears fall. How did I get so lucky to have met Naruto, Sakura, Sai, and Kakashi that day. If I had been in a different part of town, I probably wouldn’t have been spotted. I wouldn’t have been saved, and broughten here. I wouldn’t have met all of them, I would still be alone. I would still afraid of myself.

“We should stop dwelling on the past, and get stronger ourselves. Then we have a chance to get him back,” Kakashi says. The conversation ends there, but I knew Sakura was left with encouragement. Kakashi hasn’t lost hope to save him, and she shouldn’t either. I will even rescue him myself, their bonds is too important to simply throw away. I’ll protect it like I had a bond with Sasuke. Their lack of communication rocks me to sleep.

I don’t know how long I sleep this time, but I feel much more energized, much more stronger. Sleep fixes everything, I shouldn’t take it for granted. I can finally open my eyes, finally seeing the town from my window. The sun was just rising, shining behind the mountains. I smile, making my face hurt, now that I am aware of my surroundings, I am aware of the pain. My muscles hurt, but at least I could feel now, I can actually feel the pain. I feel the warmth of someone on my arm. I turn my head to see Kakashi sleeping, his hand held mine, and the other rested on my forearm. He laid his head on the mattress, sleeping. He must have been tired after coming from a mission. I vow to no longer be a burden to him, all I have done is cause him trouble. I don’t want to hold him back. I have had enough sleep, so I no longer fall back into my slumber. Instead I remember the time I spent on the island, the time I thought would never end.

My father actually did torture me, he looked at me as I screamed in pain. He loved seeing me in pain, I knew he wasn’t caring, but it still hurt me to think my own father would go to that extent. He would really kill me. I would die and I wouldn’t have changed, I would have left this world as an insignificant ninja. Nothing is more painful than to be useless, than to be nothing more than nothing. And for most of my life I believed I was nothing, that it didn’t matter who I am. I was going to die eventually, why care how I died. Why care the mark I didn’t leave behind? I thought my life was nothing. That is why I am so grateful to have the Leaf as my home. I am in the thoughts of someone here, may it be Eri, or Naruto, or Sakura, or Sai, or Kakashi. I was here, and if one day comes that I die, I will have at least left my imprint on someone who thought of me.

My father was right, I have been here long enough to have learned something new. I learned the importance of teamwork, of friendship. I learned that my dream could be achieved with hard work. I learned that just because I may be different, I am equal to everyone else. That is something I could have never been taught. My father wouldn’t have taught me, he will never understand.

While I was alone for those fourteen years, I had to learn ways to survive. Steal from posts, learn ninjutsu from a distance. Use my resources to survive. Sometimes I would have to do things I didn’t want to do to survive. It was never enough, it never is when you’re alone. When you’re alone you have to work harder to forget your loneliness. I fed my body, but the emptiness in me was never satisfied. I was always hungry, cold, and alone.

I feel Kakashi squeeze me hand, breaking my train of thought. He was finally waking. My hand was warm, the opposite from two weeks ago. When my father touched me, I shivered, his hands, his stare, it was frigid.

“Well looks who’s awake. How do you feel?”

“Hungry,” I say honestly. Hungry, hungry, of course I was in pain too, but when was I not. He takes his hand away from mine, but the warmth stayed. I touch my right hand, the one he held, and the one my father stabbed. There was a scar running down my palm, even my healing abilities couldn’t take this hideous mark away. I reach under my gown, my fingers skim countless other scars to, smaller, but on my side was a deep one. My father stabbed me there too.

“Are you okay?” Kakashi asks again.

“I don’t know. It feels like a dream. It feels like it did happen, but then it didn’t,” I say, and run my hand through my hair. It felt brittle like it was supposed to, but not how I remembered. I touch my face, it felt dry. I don’t remember my skin feeling so tight.

“Just take it slow. Your body is still recovering,” He says. His eye wanders my face. He was searching for something, but I didn’t know what.

“He did this to me. My father did this to me,” I say out loud. Never before had he ever laid a hand on me, but this time he didn’t hold back. He did this, I shouldn't be surprised, but I felt shocked. I felt out of place. Tears ran down my face, I couldn’t make them stop, I tried to wipe them away but they were like a dam. Kakashi handed me a handkerchief.

“Hey, don’t think about that right now. Just relax, and let it drift to the back of your mind,” He touched my knee closest to him.

“How can I do that? I want to forget, Kakashi. I want to, but I felt so alone. I felt so weak, and I was so afraid,” I sneeze into the cloth. Fear, I’ve never felt so afraid. My father owned me, that is what he said, and that was what sunk my stomach. It was true, he did. Does he still own me.

“I promised you that I wouldn’t ever leave you. We came for you, you’re important to us. I know this will probably be difficult to forget, just don’t go back there. Don’t go back to your darkness, don’t shut yourself away from me,” Kakashi frowns. He stands up to gather me in his arms. I cried there, in his neck. I was petrified of my father. I weep for all I have held in. I let Kakashi hold me, I wet his shirt with my tears, but he doesn’t complain. Never have I ever cried on someone else’s shoulder. It felt nice to breath in his scent, it calmed my cries.

Even after I stopped crying, Kakashi stayed there. He let me be cradled in his arms. It was one of the only places I felt true serenity. I was safe here.

“I promise to be here, if you promise to not shut me out, ever,” He says as he holds me.

“I promise,” my voice cracks with thickness. After crying so much, I felt weak. Still very much hungry.

“When can I eat solid food?” I ask him, wiping the remaining tears away. I pull away to see the big wet spot I left. He doesn’t take notice, instead he stands up.

“I think by now the doctors should now you’re awake. You still need your fluids, but I think I can manage to sneak something in. Sweet bean dumplings right?” He asks. I smile, he remembered my favorite. Kakashi disappears through the door. I have to go to the bathroom, my bladder was screaming for relief. I don’t know if my body was strong enough to walk, but I couldn’t simply wet the bed. Kakashi already left, he couldn’t help me there. I was just about to try to move and get out of bed when my door slide open. Standing in the doorway is a very angry Hokage. Am I in for the time of my life.

“What do you think you were doing?” Lady Tsunade storms in, anger written all over her face. I slip back into bed. I can tell she has been stressed, all about this whole situation, making me feel bad about putting worry on her.

“I’m sorry Lady Tsunade,”

“Sorry? Do you know what you did? You left the village without permission. You jeopardize an ANBU mission. Then you let yourself be captured by the enemy. We were lucky they didn’t extract the beast from your body. Your lucky they rescued you in time,” She scolds at me. Her eyes are hard and serious. It was hard to look back at her.

“Look I know I have caused a lot of trouble, but I couldn’t simply turn the other cheek. I couldn’t let you send them in blind like a bat. That is my values, I can’t let others fight my battles. I had vital information that could have helped the mission, but you didn’t consult with me,” I respond. I really hope I wasn’t being rude. She sighs and rubs her eyes.

“You received a lot of severe damage to your muscle. But the seal looks intact. I’m going to have to keep you in here until you are completely healed. Even then I will have restrictions on you, until I know you are not conspiring with the Moon. I have my rights to be suspicious,”

“Do you really believe all of this is some kind of plan to take down the Leaf? I hate my father. I don’t ever want to be affiliated with the Moon. I can understand the position you are in Lady Tsunade. I do, but remember that I promised to treat the Village like I am from here. I promised to protect it, and all who live here. I tend to keep that promise. I kept my mouth shut, I never said a word about anything, nor could they read my mind. Their best sensory ninja couldn’t get through the wall my beast acts like. I promise you they know nothing about the Leaf.” I tell her. I promised, and I will always keep my promises. There is a knock on the door, Kakashi slides the door open. His face is serious as he sees Lady Tsunade standing in front of me. He tries to hide the bag of food he brought.

“Come in Kakashi. We were just about to begin discussing the intel she had on the Moon,” Lady Tsunade goes over to close my window. Kakashi leaves the bag under my table side. He stands in her presence.

“By the information you managed to bring back, it looks like they are tracking the Akatsuki and Orochimaru. Why are they tracking them?”

“They are after the Sharingan. He knows Itachi is with the Akatsuki, and Sasuke is with Orochimaru. They even know Kakashi holds one. They want to control the beast I host. My father wants ‘peace’ , he intends to manipulate Sasuke’s revenge for his advantage. He said Sasuke is the key to peace, and I am peace. I don’t know what he plans on doing. Not only did he say that but he knows about Minato Namikaze. He asked me if I knew about Kushina Uzumaki,”

Kakashi clenches his fist “How does he know about them?” He says to himself.

“What else did he ask?” Lady Tsunade had forgotten all about her anger towards me. I try to remember the names but only come up with a few more.

“He asked if I knew about Madara Uchiha, Hashirama Senju, and the Sage of Six Paths.”

“So he knows about that legend as well. Who is he to know about these founders of the Leaf. How does he know so much about us?” Lady Tsunade asks, but I don’t answer. She knew I didn’t know.

“Who is the Sage of Six Paths?” I ask.

“He is a godlike shinobi, who was the first human to wield chakra. Of course we don’t believe everything about him is real. Its said that his eyes were Rinnegan. He could control death and life. And countless of other jutsus that seem inhuman. Its just a legend, nothing more,” Lady Tsunade says. She looks out over the town. I noticed that she does it often when she is thinking. Why would my father think I know about a godlike shinobi? If he could really control like and death, then he must be a myth. No ninja could do that. You died, and you stayed dead, you lived until you died. It was the way everyone left this world one way of another. I will eventually die too, no one can live forever.

“Not only are we racing against time to get Sasuke from Orochimaru, but the Akatsuki is planning something big, it’ll be about three years until they are ready to attack. Now we have to race against the Moon for Sasuke. Three years to get powerful enough to fight back, we all need to be ready for the unexpected.” Lady Tsunade looks over my chart one more time. Writing down a few things, before she leaves. He face was set on a frown, like she was thinking of something to much. I finally smell my breakfast, my stomach roars, and my bladder issues are forgotten. Kakashi grabs the bag and hands me the containers.

“Eri made them yesterday, she’s been coming every day. I’m sure she’ll be here in a bit, eat slowly or you’ll get sick,” Kakashi hands me the sealed cup of tea. It smelled fruity and I knew Eri brewed the tea too. She loved to use honey. They are warm, at least Kakashi knows how to reheat food. The dumplings are sweet, I savor the taste. It felt like forever since that last time I ate. I offer Kakashi some, but he refuses. The food hits my empty stomach, I feel a lot stronger.

“Who is Kushina Uzumaki? Isn’t that Naruto’s last name? Are they related?” I ask with a mouth full of bean paste. Kakashi looks at the Stone Faces outside, then back at me.

“Not many know who she really is. Of course the town knew who she was, but they don’t know she is Naruto’s mother. She was the previous nine tail jinchuuriki. Naruto doesn’t even know who his parents are. Its better to keep it from him, if he knew then the burden may be too much for him. When he is stronger then he’ll know. His parents were very powerful shinobi, so naturally they had many enemies. If they knew Naruto was their son then Naruto would be in danger. Their dying wish was to protect Naruto, and so far we’ve succeeded, but its been difficult considering Naruto likes to jump into dangerous situations.” He says in a very quiet voice. Another secret that was kept hidden. She died because of the beast, but now Naruto is her inheritor. He is the jinchuuriki now, no wonder they share the last name. It was odd he took his mother’s name instead of his father’s.

“Who was his father?” I ask in an even quieter voice. Kakashi sighs “you really do ask difficult questions.”

He continues, “Minato Namikaze.”

I nearly choke on my food. That was a mind teaser.

“So you’re telling me Minato, your sensei, was married to Kushina Uzumaki, and they had a son, and that son is Naruto. And on the day he was born, they died saving the village from the nine tails’ rampage. Then the Fourth Hokage, Minato, sealed the Nine tail inside Naruto and thats why he has always had a rough time with the villagers.” I say in confusion. What was all of this. “And Naruto knows nothing about this?”

Kakashi nods. Another knock interrupts our conversation. A very irritated Eri enters the room. Everytime I see her she looks bigger. She was finally looking pregnant, I can finally picture the little life that is growing inside. Eventually I will meet this little life, and I’ll be their godmother.

“Kiyoko! Why would you be so stupid to go back there! Do you know how it felt to be asked if I knew where you were? I had to stay here, because I can’t go out and fight anymore! I was so worried,” Eri scolds me, but then she starts to cry. She hugs me for dear life, this time I am the shoulder who is being cried on. Her round belly pokes my flat one. Kakashi simply smiles. Looks like I am thought about. I hug her back “I’m so glad you are safe,” she whispers. She pulls away and wipes her tears away.

“I bet the village hasn’t changed at all,” she guesses. I nod, “It just like I remembered.”

“How are you?” I change the subject. I didn’t want to talk about the incident.

“Other than the fact that I am always hungry, and my feet ache all the time. Not to mention the morning sickness, and back pain, I’m doing just fine. In a couple of weeks, I’ll be able to find out the sex of the baby. I’m hoping its girl, but my husband wants a boy. What do you think it’ll be?” She asks me.

“I think it’ll be a girl.” I say with a smile. She would be the cutest girl ever, and maybe I’ll be able to be a better godmother if it was a girl rather than a boy. Eri asks Kakashi.

“I don’t know. It could be a boy or a girl. I would want a boy first,” Kakashi says. Eri sticks her tongue at him like a little girl. She wants everyone else to agree with her, but she can’t always get her way. She leans back in her chair, a hand over her growing stomach. She dives into a conversation of the pros and cons of having a boy. Then she talks about all the things she would do if it was a girl. She would shop for her as an infant. Eri would buy lots and lots of dresses, cute little shoes, and hair ties. She talked about all of the mother daughter bonding days she would take with her. She didn’t say any down part to having a girl first. But then she talked about having a baby boy. How her husband would be so happy to have him. She would watch them play in the park, she would take him to school everyday. She would tease him in front of his friends, make him lunch.

“Either way I’ll love them,” She says. I no longer feel so jealous, just happy for her. Maybe sometime in the future I can feel the love of being a mother. After everything is resolved and its safe to bring someone into the world, only then would I want kids. Now, that would only be unfair for the child. I’m not ready to be a mother at the moment, maybe being a godmother will help me with learning the ways of being a mom. I feel my bladder again, I really had to go to the bathroom.

“I really need to go to the bathroom,” I say as I get sit up. Kakashi and Eri both stand to help.

“I’ll help her Kakashi,” Eri says, as she grabs hold of my waist, I move my arm around her neck.

“You’ve lost so much weight Kiyoko,” Eri says besides me. She tries to keep most of my weight, but I can’t have that much strain on her body. She’s pregnant. I take a step forward, my knees buckle under me. I begin to fall, but Eri keeps me standing. Its harder to move, I didn’t expect to walk out of bed like nothing ever happened to me, but I didn’t know the electricity had taken this much out of me. I do feel weak, its from all of the weight I’ve lost. Eri and I struggle to get to the bathroom, I nearly fall multiple times. Eri pulls me up without effort every time. Kakashi opens the door for us, thank god its big enough for both of us, Kakashi closes the door behind us. Eri sets me on the toilet, before she turns around.

The walk to the bathroom has left me breathless, all of that training, all of that hard work to get into shape, it has all been thrown away. Eri waits until I finish.

“Do you want to take a bath? I can help you with that too. I don’t mind at all,” Eri says as she nods toward the tub near by. I feel my face redden, I did want her to help me, I must stink from all of the sweat, tears and blood. I was just embarrassed.

“Its not like I haven’t seen it before. We’re both females, remember. Now if you were a guy, that would be a different story,” Eri encourages me. I nod in agreement. Eri prepares the water for me as I undress myself the best I could. I felt like a baby, I was getting everything done for me. I’m just happy I can eat on my own. Eri helps me stand, before she unties the rob in back, she helps me sit inside the warm water.

“I’m going to go get clean clothes, be back in a bit,” She says. She shuts the door behind her. It feels so nice to be soaking in warm water. My hair still felt brittle, but the water was softening it. I look at my hands, both Lady Tsunade and Eri said I have lost weight, and now that I look at my fingers they do look thinner. Now that I can see my naked body, I can see all of the tiny scars clearly, the water magnified all of the little details. The scar on my hand looked bigger than before. I’m glad there aren’t mirrors in the hospital bathrooms, I don’t think I’ll be able to look at my reflection, not like this. Eri enter again, her arms full of towels, clean clothes, soap and shampoo. She sets them on the rim, before she stands before me. She washes my hair first.

“You can tell me anything you know. You and I are from that village, so I’ll be able to understand just a bit of what you feel, not much, but I’ll try.” She scrubs my scalp.

“I just want to pretend it never happened,” I tell her. Eri pours water to wash the shampoo away.

“Pretending to forget and forgetting are two completely different things,” She says. She begins to scrub my arms. Her eyes scan the scars lining my skin. I see her swallow her tears.

“What was the scariest part of being there again?” She asks quietly. Eri was trying to be strong and not cry again. I turn away, I didn’t want anyone to cry anymore, I didn’t want to cause pain to anyone.

“Not knowing how much time passed by, that was scary, but the scariest thing is believing I still belonged to my father,” I tell her.

“When I have this child, and I raise him. I’ll be a ninja again, and I’ll kill that bastard,” Eri hands my hand, her eyes are hard. She means it every bit of it. I squeeze her hand the best I could.

“No, I don’t want that. It’ll be okay,” I say. I don’t want to put that burden on her. She has a family to keep together, and I am not part of it. I am a friend, family must always come first. That child comes before me.

“Will it really? Kiyoko all of your life you have been dealing with this on your own. Do you think he’ll stop now? Just because you escaped once, doesn’t mean you will if he captured you again,” Eri lifts my leg from the water and begins to wash it to.

“I can’t stay in the village forever Eri. I have to get stronger so if they do come for me again, they won’t be able to capture me. I won’t let myself be used,” I reclaim. Eri stays quiet for the rest of the bath. She helps me out, and wraps the towel around me, I lean on the wall as I put on my clothes, Eri helps me with brushing my hair.

“I just don’t want anything to happen to you,” Eri glides the comb through my hair. It feels silky.

“Nothing will happen,” I end the conversation. Eri helps me out, we must have been in the bathroom for sometime because more visitors have arrived. Sai, Sakura, Hinata, Kiba, Akamaru, Ino, Tenten, Guy, and even Kurenai were crowded in my room. Kakashi helps me for the rest of the way to bed, while Eri cleans up the mess we’ve made in the bathroom. All of them have smiles of relief on their faces, though Hinata still looks a bit worried.

“Glad to know you’re beginning to get on your feet, but you mustn't push yourself,” Hinata speaks. Ino gives me a bouquet of yellow lilies. They brightened the room, the curtains were open letting the afternoon sunshine. Kakashi brings the covers over my body, and takes the bouquet. He puts them in a vase that I didn’t seem to notice before on the window sill. Eri comes out of the room, looking flushed from the heat of the hot water. She sits down, fanning herself. We don’t talk very much, there isn’t very much to say either. They know what happened to a certain extent, but they don’t want to talk about it. I’m glad they don’t push either.

“So Kiyoko how does it feel to be a chunin now? Does it feel more empowering?” Ino asks me. I speak to reply, but Sakura butts in.

“No you dummy, it’s just more work, but you wouldn’t know about being a chunin, now would you.” Sakura smirks at Ino. In reply Ino rolls her eyes. I was sure they were friends, but now that I look at them closely, they did have a rivalry going. Was friendship all about rivalry? Naruto and Sasuke, Sakura and Ino, and there is Kiba and Naruto. Not to mention there is Guy and Kakashi’s rivalry going on to. Should I have a rival too? Maybe Eri is my rival, I sneak a peek at her, she was still fanning herself. No, she’s not my rival not in the way everyone’s is. I think the only competition would be cooking. I’m obviously the better cook.

“So do you know when you’re being released from the hospital? I’m thinking a celebratory dinner the night you get discharged,” Guy comments. Tenten grunts and smacks him in the back of the head.

“Don’t hit on her, it is disturbing,” Tenten looks a little irritated. I laugh a bit, it feels funny, its been a while since I’ve laughed isn’t it. Everyone in the room laughs at the pain Guy feels. Its funny how just a little comment and action can change the rooms’ mood. Kurenai leaves first, something about watering her plants. Sai leaves soon after, but promises to come back around dinner time. Guy and Tenten leave, their team has a mission tomorrow morning. Ino and Sakura leave, arguing about something. Kiba and Hinata stay just a few more minutes before they have training to do.

“I have to get home and make dinner, I’ll stop by tomorrow,” Eri leaves once she has cooled down. Kakashi lets out a sigh, he looked as tired as he sounded. I wonder if he’s gone home at all.

“I’m going to go get dinner. I’ll be back,” Kakashi leaves the window open for me. The weather hasn’t improved. The sun was still shining, but it was still cold. The wind is strong, but I like the feeling of it against my face. I’ve always liked the feeling of wind blowing, I loved how it felt as it ripped through my hair. The wind knocks down my vase, sending glass and water everywhere. The lilies scatter, a few drift outside and fall to the ground. By instinct I go to pick it up, but find myself too tired to move. To tired to do anything. I feel so useless, like a ragdoll that’s been thrown away. I hate feeling like a child. I just stare at the puddle of water, I scoot to the side of my bed, getting closer to the water. I wonder if it still feels like second nature to form my jutsus. I reach out to the water, and notice my chakra levels aren’t strong like they used to be. Its harder to visualize my chakra now than before. I worked so hard to achieve mastery of my jutsus, but he took it away. I think about forming a whip, the water begins to rise to palm, but it falls to the ground again.

I lean my weight too far, and I fall to the ground. I don’t land on any glass, but my leg is wet from the water. I can feel the water, but I can’t use it. And its all his fault! I feel so angry, I just wanted to repay him for what he’s done to me. I’m so angry, but I’m so afraid of facing him again. The door opens after some time, I see Kakashi’s feet walk quickly to the side of the bed. He sets dinner on the chair, before he helps me to bed. It was then that I notice I’m crying again. I’ve been crying too much lately, so I hold in my tears, and put a brave face on. He shouldn’t worry about me like a mother worries for her child.

“Don’t hold it back,” Kakashi whispers as he cleans up the shattered glass. But I don’t cry anymore, instead I grab my pillow and punch it. I hit it over and over, but it barely leaves an indent.

“Its all his fault! I worked so hard to improve myself, and he takes it all away! Its not fair, its not fair!” I scream immediately feeling better. Kakashi throws away the glass, I look at the pillow before me. I was too weak to make much of a difference, he’s taken my strength away. I hate him more than ever, he didn’t have the right to do this to me. I have the right to live my life, I put time and effort into training myself. I felt so angry I could throw up.

Kakashi takes out two bowls of ramen, they were still steamy. He gives me my chopsticks, I know I have enough strength to break them apart. I did, but I was tired afterwards. It eat my dinner in silence, I was still a little angry, but I can’t do anything about it now. What is done is done, now I have to work again to get back to where I was before. I’m just going to have to work ten times as hard. After dinner, Kakashi brings out that Shoji to keep me busy.

“You better try to win this time, I’m getting tired of winning,” He says with a smile on his face as he puts the pieces on the board.

“I always try to win, maybe you should try losing. Its fun to lose sometimes you know,”

“I bet it is,”
We end up playing for four hours this time, much longer than the last we played. But at the end of the day Kakashi captures my king, and I lose, again. I see Kakashi trying to hide the smile beneath his mask, but I knew he was smiling at me. He is the winner again. It was getting closer to sunset, it was then that Sai enters the room. He had an easel in his hand, and a bag in another.

“Sai,” I say as he sets up in front of the window. “What are you doing here so late?” I asked. By now he should have had some down time, instead he is here.

“I read in a book that to cheer a friend up it would be considerate to make them something bright,” Sai says without looking at me, he gets his paintbrushes out and his paints. He begins to dip the brush in paint. Strokes revealed the picture, he was painting the setting sun, he was doing it for me. Kakashi cleans the board game, as I watch Sai paint from the comfort of my bed. Watching him stroke the brush to his liking, made me tired. My body relaxed as Sai worked on the painting. I fell asleep as Sai painted me a piece of paradise.

I dream tonight, but I am not in Sai’s paradise. Instead I am in the Moon Village again. But all of the Leaf villagers were there instead. Everyone, even the old man who greeted me everyday was there. I don’t know how they all got here, but they did. They walked and talked to each other like their were home. Kakashi is talking to Guy. I turn in a circle, watching for any movement of the enemy. but there aren’t any. I can’t sense any enemy chakra, but I can sense my father. And if my father is here, then I have to warm Kakashi. He’s after the Sharingan after all. I run toward him, but when I call his name he doesn’t respond. He keeps talking to Guy like nothing happened.

I can’t clearly tell what he is saying, everything is white noise, its just a blob. I wave my hand in front of him, and then Guy, but they don’t move. Its like I am invisible, like they can’t see me. I try to grab his arm, but my hand goes right through him. I don’t exist. I feel my stomach drop, I. Don’t. Exist.

I feel the tears begin to form as Sakura and Hinata walk closer to their senseis. Both greet them, and never glance my way, they can’t see me either. No one can see me because I don’t exist. From a far I see Lady Tsunade walk out from a bar, Shizune is running after her, its like a normal day in the Leaf, but its in the Moon. This is how their lives would have been if I have not shown up, they wouldn’t have gone to the trouble of rescuing me. They wouldn’t have another burden to carry. Tomoko soars above us all, and my father walks in her shadow. Tomoko screams something, but its lost in the white noise. Her facial expression is full of worry, she was trying to warm me. My father was walking towards me, his legs moved, but the space between us did not change. He can’t get to me, so why is Tomoko so worried? She screams her battle dry one more time, but no one wakes from their dream, no one takes notice of my existence.

I wake up with Tomoko’s cry ringing in my ear. Kakashi is standing above me, his hands are on my shoulder. He must have shaken me from my dream. I feel his hand, he knows I am real. I know he is real, and that helps me calm down a bit. I sit up to look out the window, it is dark but I can see the Hokage’s faces, I was home. We were all home, and my father is thousands of miles away, he can’t reach me. Kakashi brushes my hair away from my face, his touch calms me. Just knowing that he sees me dismisses the dream. It was only a dream.

“Im okay,” I whisper to myself, and to Kakashi. He must have stayed again, he should get some rest, but I am glad that he was here to wake me up. Sweat rolls down my back making me shiver. Sai’s finished painting is resting against the window, it looks just like the scenery in front of me but hours earlier. He painted the faces of the Hokage, and the trees. He painted the colors of the sunset, and the buildings. He painted the people in the streets. Sai even painted a white owl flying over a tree.

That dream haunts me everytime I fall asleep. There is no way to escape it, no one can see me. But everytime I dream my father gets closer, it may be just a centimeter, or an inch, and on the worse ones he moved meters towards me. He never does reach me though, and every time its Kakashi who has to shake me awake. Its been two weeks already, and I don’t have any control over it, in most dreams Tomoko simply isn’t there. She must have been a one time thing, but it didn’t make a difference, I still woke up crying no matter what. I knew it was just a dream, but it still felt real, too real.

I barely started therapy yesterday, and everything hurt, I couldn’t walk on my own yet, I still had to lean on the wall, but I no longer had Eri do almost everything for me. She still made Kakashi dinner though, but when he could he would eat with me. He’s not here everyday, but I don’t mind at all, he is busy. I go to sleep alone, but I am awaken from my nightmare by him. He’s always there somehow, so I get some rest from a hurtful session. Sai took the liberty to draw me two more paintings, one of the sun rising and the other in the afternoon. Then he put them next to each other, and the three paintings looked like a complete day had past by. It was beautiful, and it was all mine. I find myself staring at the stroke lines when I am alone, my mind wanders to disitant places where even I can’t always reach myself.

There is a knock on the door, but I already know who it was. Recently I have been appointed Sakura’s guinea pig. I have great chakra control, so they’ve told me, and Sakura is still learning how to apply her chakra to healing, so I can tell her if she’s using too much or too little chakra. It relieves the pain and speeds the healing process. Like always Sakura walks into the room smiling.

“Good morning Kiyoko, how are you feeling?” She asks again.

“You know, in much pain, but you’re here to help me through this right,” I say. The nurse comes after her with breakfast. I usually wait a little later for Hinata or Eri to sneak in breakfast for me. They put me on a special diet to rebuild my muscles, I need a lot of protein. The nurse leaves after she sets the food in front of me. Sakura sits, and I wait until the nurse is gone to put it on my table side. Later Kiba and Akamaru will come by, and Akamaru will take care of the nasty hospital food. I sit up for Sakura, this is routine, she unties the robe in the back, and hold her hands above my back. I feel the medical chakra that she’s been working so hard for was finally doing its job.

The first time I met Sakura she eased the pain when I fell, but now I can actually feel the healing process speed, her chakra was helping me at a cellular level. She’s really has improved tremendously. The air is cold as my back is exposed to it, the window is closed but that didn’t stop the draft. I stare at Sai’s painting, and waited for my morning session to end. Hinata comes in an hour later as Sakura helps me tie my robe, like always she brought breakfast for both Sakura and me. Is different every day, it was the only thing that changed in my life right now, other than breakfast my life was uneventful. I was waiting for something to happen.

“Kiyoko you look great. Your therapy is going well?” Hinata asks. I did feel stronger, and my fingers look almost like they used to. I still haven’t looked in a mirror, I’m still afraid that I will see my father staring back at me.

“Yes it has, its a bit painful, but Sakura is helping me with the pain,” I tell her. I earn a smile from her. I don’t want to tell her it hurts to move that would only make her worry. We eat breakfast, and then Kiba joins us to do his duty. Akamaru licks the plates clean. Hinata leaves for daily training with Neji, and Kiba leaves to feed the pups. It was his job to take care of the young dogs, they would soon be big enough to join their masters in battle. Sakura leaves when the nurse enters, she has to keep training with Lady Tsunade. It seems like everyone has their pace to live, mine was at a halt for the time being. I was just glad I wasn’t holding them back.

“Miss Kiyoko, it time for your daily stretching and exercise.” Yuki, my nurse helps me stand, but she takes my arms, and begins to stretch my muscles. After she takes care of my upper body, I sit so she can stretch my lower body. After the stretch I feel much more tired, but I still had to go through physical therapy. Yuki offered me a canw that helped me walk on my own, but I don’t take it. I can walk on my own. I slip on my slippers, and walk to room. My muscles screamed, and sweat formed on my forehead. By the time I slide the door open my lungs were tired from breathing so irregularly. That is how I spend one more week of my time.

Its been three weeks already, and I can do everything on my own, I was still slow, but i didn’t need anyone to bath me anymore. Of course Lady Tsunade and my nurses thought I would be stuck in there for much longer, but they forgotten how I heal is different. As a matter of fact anyone else who would have gone through what I have should have died. Their heart would have stopped, and their brain would be fried. I on the other hand still had my heart beating and my brain was not cooked, I guess I had to thank my strong body and the beast for that.

Kakashi was here since the very early morning, he would help me get me home. I gather my clothing and my flowers that Ino changed every couple of days. She has helped me too. My bones were still sore, but I wasn’t in any pain anymore. Kakashi takes all of my belongings, telling me he didn’t want to push my muscles too far. Asking him when I can begin training again is out of the question, I know he will only say no. I say goodbye to Yuki, and walk beside Kakashi to the house.

I was finally going to be able to sleep in my own room, and eat the food I wanted. I wrap my scarf around my neck, it was late January and the sky looked like it could cry tears of frost. Snow was getting closer. Kakashi brought me a pair of his gloves, they fit loose, but they keep me warm. The old man who always greeted me is standing in front of his stand like always.

“Oh Miss, I hope you are doing well, I’ve very happy to see you moving around again,” He smiles. I smile in return, “I’m glad you still remember me,” I stop.

“How could I forget your kind smile,” his smile is worn, but still very much genuine. Like a smile that never sent false perceptions. He gives me a round piece of candy.

“For your worries,” he squeezes my hand. I nod before I leave him. He is such a kind soul. Kakashi waits for me catch up.

“You know that old man always gave Obito candy when he helped him groceries. The other day he told me your smile remindes him of the boy from long ago. Obito had a kind smile too,” He smiles too. His smile is not just kind, but it is warm. I look at the stairs leading to the apartment. I haven’t climbed stairs yet. so I don’t know if I can. Kakashi notices because he sets the bags on the top of the staircase, and helps me get up. He wraps his arm around my waist and practically carried most of my weight.

“Thank you,” I say, I didn’t want to ask for help, but I knew stairs might have been to much for me. Kakashi goes ahead and opens the apartment door. It is warm inside, it makes my skin tingle, it smells like home, just like I remembered.

“I’ll go set your things in my room,” he says. His room? What?

“Your room?”

“I thought you would be more comfortable sleeping on a bed rather than a futon,”

“No, no. I’m okay really. I won’t let you sleep on a futon,”

Kakashi smiles, but takes my things in his room anyways. I just stand in the living room. He comes back with his backpack.

“Its okay, I have to go on a mission in a bit, so I asked Eri if she could keep you company while I’m gone. I don’t want you to sleep through your nightmares,” His voice softens at the end. I just got home, and he was already leaving. It was just a ninja life, he had to go, I can’t hold him back from his missions. I nod, he gives me a spirit lifting smile, before he walks over to me and gather me in his arms. I take a deep breath in, I want to memorize his smell, I want to remember his warmth. I knew what it felt to lose, I almost fell into the coldness not too long ago.

“Rest, and don’t you dare train while I am away. Take it easy, Eri will be here with you and I will be back sooner than you know,” He says into my hair.

“Will Sakura and Sai go with you?” I ask. Savoring the warmth while I still can. He has always been here to look after me I never thought I would need him like I do now. He makes me feel sure of myself. Kakashi has changed the way I think, especially his experience and Obito’s. I do wish I had meet him somehow.

“Yes and Yamato, Stay warm, okay?” He squeezes me again, before he lets me go. I don’t feel his warmth anymore, but the apartment keeps me from shivering. He doesn’t look back when he shuts the door behind him. I don’t know what to do, so I just put some tea in the kettle and wait for Eri to arrive. I make sure all of the windows are closed, I didn’t want the heat to escape through the cracks. I was folding my clothes back into their drawers when a knock interrupts me. Eri lets herself in, a blanket in hand, and a small bag in the other.

“Looks like you’re glad to be home,” She smiles, before she sets her fluffy blanket on the couch. Maybe she should sleep on the bed, she is pregnant.

“Are you okay with staying with me? You don’t have to, I”m sure your husband would like to be with you.” I ask and pour us some steaming tea. Her face is red from the cold wind outside.

“He’s on another mission. When you can’t be a ninja anymore, you kind of realize that ninja are busy. He leaves a lot, but that’s his job,” Eri shrugs. I leave to the bathroom, it slips my mind that there is a mirror in there. I finally look at my reflection, it was true I’m no longer the same. Now I know why Kakashi said to stay warm because my eyes looked cold, dead, there was no life in them like there was before. The green of my eyes was no longer vibrant, it was like all the electricity has sucked it away. I looked more like my father now than I ever did before. I turned away, deciding my relief can wait until later.

I walk back to Eri, she was looking through the cabinets for snacks. She reaches for a packet of crackers, she turns when I enter the kitchen.

“Are you okay, you look paler than usual,” She opens the packet. I swallow my fear. I was afraid that I looked like him.

“Ya, so have you found out the gender of the baby?” I ask, trying to keep all of the attention away from me. She smiles.

“Oh yes I did! I totally forgot, guess what it is?” Eri holds her hands in front of her. She was bursting of excitement.

“A girl?” I ask, I knew she wanted a girl first.

“Yes!” She jumps, “I knew it, I’m so excited for everything we will do together.”

“That’s great. So she will be named Yasuko,” I remember. She agrees. That afternoon she told me what the duties of being a godmother is. She told me I’ll called Auntie Kiyoko, and I was going to buy her first outfit. I had to get money before, but I promised her I would. I was to take care of her if anything happened to her and her husband. I pray nothing happened to them because I wouldn’t know how to raise a child. A godmother is like a second mother. Ino stops by for a bit, but she has a mission to go on too. It seems like everyone was assigned missions today, it makes me worry if there is danger near. Eri and I make lunch for ourselves, before we go out on a walk. Eri is wrapped in her coat, her hands are in gloves, and her neck is shielded by the cold. I bundle up too, and begin thinking of the best way to get down the stairs. Eri holds my arm while I get down slowly, my knees hurt, but I get down the stairs without falling flat on my face.

“It looks like its going to snow any moment,” Eri looks at the sky. You can clearly see our breathing, and it was just past midday.

“Do you mind if we go visit my mom. I go everyday since she lives on her own now,” Eri points to the direction of her house. I don’t reject but I wasn’t looking forward to seeing her mother. I am afraid she still sees me as the monster she warned her daughter to stay away from. I hope she has left it all behind like Eri has. We walk east, we get closer to one another, the cold wind made us shiver. It felt like forever because my body was aching. She stops in front of a small house. There are large plant plots by the front door. They looked very healthy, which was out of place considering the weather. She walks to the front door before opening it, thankfully there are no stairs.

“Ma, I brought a friend over,” She yells. I hear the scraping of a chair.

“Well bring them into the kitchen before you two freeze to death. Shut the door, the warm air will escape and my bones will ache from the coldness.” Eri’s mother yells back. I step inside quickly and shut the door. The house looks very cozy, a little crowded but very homey. There were many pictures on the wall which made the walls look smaller. I see a family portrait, it was taken back in the Moon Village. Eri is in front of her father and next to her brother. Eri’s mother hand her hand on their shoulders. They were a big happy family. Eri had her father’s looks. Their hair were a few shades off, but their eyes were the same. Eri and her brother looked alike too. Her mother had dark brown hair. Her nose was longer than her children and husband, but still beautiful. She must have been beaming to see her family together, but now it was just her and Eri. The couch was warmed down, but looked very soft. I follow Eri to her mother. She was sitting in the kitchen, a blanket on her lap, and knitting needles in her hand. She must be knitting her first grandchild something. Her brown hair had a few gay hairs lining her face. She was older now, years of grieving had aged her. She finally looks at me, her hands stopping, she’s finally realized who I am.

“You! What do you think you’re doing with her! Eri you’re pregnant, don’t you think about the safety of your child!” Eri’s mother stands from her chair. So she has remembered me as the monster, I guess she can only see me in a certain way.

“Mom! She’s not dangerous! She isn’t who you remember, it-”

“No! Get out, don’t you dare get near my daughter again”

“She’s Yasuko’s godmother! You don’t know who she really is!” Eri defends me.

“Eri I think it’s better if I leave and let you two discuss about it,” I say to Eri. She stops talking to her mother.

“No, there is no need to talk about it-”

“There is. I’m fine really. I was planning on visiting a few people today anyways,” I let myself out, I close the door, shutting the argument from the public. My past is mine, I can’t erase it from everyone’s mind. I walk a bit before I stop at the cemetery. I grab a pail, filling it with water. I go to Rin’s graveyard first, washing away the cold dirt, giving my respect. And then I do the same with Obito. Watch over Kakashi, Sai, Sakura, and Yamato while they are away.

“He thinks of you everyday, just today I learned that the old man in front of our house knew you while you were away. Even after death, you’re still remembered. Nothing bad is ever spoken of you, and I wonder if that will be the same for me. If you really can see everything then you must have seen Eri’s mother reaction. Do you think I’ll ever change in everyone’s eyes, I hope I do,” I tell Obito. It can say everything that is on my chest and I know he won’t tell a soul. Maybe he can tell Rin who is up there with him, but they can’t tell anyone down here. I make sure both Rin and Obito are taken care of before I leave the pail where it belongs.

I continue my walk, its the only source of exercise I can get right now, but maybe in a week or two I can get back to normal. That is what I hope. I was walking far enough to get out of the buzz of the central commotion, it was then that I see it. It must have been full of Uchihas at some point, the Uchiha district. I can only imagine the number of people that lived here, but it was deserted now. It was all alone, I don’t walk in, I just stare from a far like everyone else. I see something wizz pat me, and then I see Tomoko sitting on a tree leading to the entrance. I get a little closer to her, her white feather were bright.

“Tomoko,” I say, making sure she wasn’t just my imagination.

“Tomorrow Kiyoko,” She says, before she vanishes in a puff of white. A puff of white snow. One by one snow fell, frosted water fell from heaven, covering everything in it’s path. It came in a thin layer. I look above to see the sky grey and cold. Stay warm, Kakashi said. If only I could feel warmth like I did before. I look at the snowflake that lands on my palm, it doesn’t melt rapidly. I don’t feel warm, and I fear that I will be cold forever. Tomoko said tomorrow, but I didn’t know what was going to happen tomorrow. Maybe tomorrow I will feel the warmth again, or maybe tomorrow I will begin my journey she had mentioned before. Or maybe tomorrow will only bring more snow.

For today I return to the artificial warmth in the apartment. I feel like a frozen shell, and no boiling shower could melt layers away. I see Eri in living room as I get out of the shower, her face is in a frown.

“Kiyoko, I’m so sorry, about my mom. She had no right to say that. I decide who I hang out with, and I still want you to be her godmother. You’ll do it right?” Eri looks like she is in the brink of tears and for now I forget about the iceberg inside me. I forget that it grew, instead I try to send all of my warmth to Eri.

“Its okay. I know that people will always think of me as a monster, I just have to deal with it right.” I put a brave smile for her. Her tears don’t fall.

“As an apology I’ll make dinner tonight,” Eri practically skips to the kitchen, leaving me to shiver on my own. I stare at my hands, they were shaking furiously. I think about fire, trying to imagine the heat. Why am I feeling so cold? Eri doesn't let me help with dinner, I retreat to Kakashi’s bedroom that is temporarily mine. I look at the pictures I’ve seen countless of times. Their smiles make me feel just a bit warmer. I wanted something like this, I wanted to teach others my ninja way. Can I ever be a sensei to students? I lay my head on Kakashi’s pillow, it smells just like him, and for an instant I can feel his presence with me, his flame that he carries inside him. I can feel it melt the ice inside me.

“Kiyoko dinner is ready,” Eri says from the kitchen. I blow warm air to my fingers, easing the shaking a bit. Eri serves my dinner, a steaming miso soup, with sweet bean pot stickers. Eri apologizes again. She even said she wanted me to attend Yasuko's birth. I didn’t say a word, I just ate. I cleaned in return while she showered. I turned the hot water on, but the shaking continued, I know Eri noticed it, but she didn’t say a word about it. We sit in the living room after everything is out away and clean.

“Do you want the couch or bed?” I ask her, I was feeling tired from today’s event. I thought sleeping a bit early tonight would be better.

“You take the bed, I brought my warm blanket so the couch is perfect.They are much more comfortable than my own couch,” She smiles. I think she senses my unease.We say good night. I change for the night, and pray the well being of everyone who is out on a mission. I pray that tonight’s dream does not come. However it did, it came with force.

There was no one this time. No Kakashi, no Guy, no one was there. And I was not in the Moon anymore, I was in the Leaf. I was home, but there wasn’t a soul around. I ran through the streets, looking for anyone who is still alive. I run every street, and it was finally than that I see the Uchiha district. It was full, it was vibrant with life. I see Sasuke smiling , and there were countless of faces that I didn’t know. But they all shared one thing, they all had activated their Sharingans. All of them, even infants.

Was this how it would have been if the Uchiha did attack the Leaf. Sasuke was at front and center, he was walking towards me. Their eyes were boring into mine. I take a step back, but I crash into someone. I turn around to see my father smiling down at me.

“I’ve won,” He smirks. Sasuke gets closer.

“No, NO!” I yell out of desperation. I can feel the vomit build. My hands were shaking, and the beast takes control, I wrap my hands around my father’s throat.

I wake up to the sound of gasping air. I’m so disoriented that I don’t realize my hands are around Eri’s throat. I pull them away. She’s on her knees, gasping for air. I’ve hurt her. I can see my fingers turn blue, like they were turning into ice. I was afraid of myself again.

“Kiyoko,” Eri begins.

“No, don’t get any closer. Please just get out of here!”

“No. I’m not afraid of you. I won’t leave you alone,”

“You should be scared of me! Now get out of here before I throw you out!” I spit at her. Even in the dark I can see the marks I’ve left her. It was almost daybreak, tomorrow she said. Tomorrow is today, was this what she meant. Was this what she tried to warn me? Eri doesn’t say anything more, she leaves the room, and soon after I hear the front door slam shut.

This dream, the sharingan, my father, Sasuke, today. I am feeling a new fear.

I didn’t sleep a minute longer, and Eri didn’t return. I was glad that no one is close enough that I can hurt them. First there was blood on my hands, but now I felt them turn to ice. It wasn’t humanly possible, one moments they are frozen and then another they aren’t. And I’m afraid of the unknown, I have no idea what to do about this now. I don’t even feel the beast, was it him that is making me feel like this.

I stay in bed, wrapped in Kakashi’s blankets. His warmth is the only thing that keeps me from becoming consumed in ice. Its hard to remember the feeling of being warm, the feeling of being safe, and sure of myself. I stared at the pictures again, and then someone poofs inside the room. It was Tomoko.

“Its today. Today you begin your journey.” She stands at the edge of the bed. I sit up, she feels so warm.

“If we don’t go now, you’re condition will worsen. Your conscious is battling you, and at the moment you don’t know what path to choose. We have to make sure you choose the right path. I’m sure you’re own destruction will be the destruction of humanity,” Tomoko sounds a bit urgent. I try to speak, but she is weaving her feathers rapidly. For a split second I feel nothing, and then I see my surroundings change. I am no longer in bed I am in the middle of a forest. Everywhere I turned there were trees, nothing but trees. It was dense too. Tomoko was on the lowest branch of a tree closest to me.

Tomoko grabs my shirt, pulling me somewhere. I stumble over the roots, its hard to move through a thick forest.

“Tomoko where are you taking me?” I tell her. I can’t feel my feet anymore. I think I am turning into a block of ice.

“Just walk faster!” She flaps her wings faster. My toes barely touch the floor, she was carrying me the best she could.

“At my age, this sure isn’t easy,” I hear her grunt. I feel the warmth getting closer, I close my eyes to savor the warmth. I want to feel like this forever, fuzzy and safe. I can feel it wrap itself around me like a blanket.

“Here we are,” Tomoko says. I open my eyes, I see a steaming pond in the middle of a small clearing. Tomoko falls closer, the heat nipping at my toes. Tomoko dips me into the hot spring. clothes and all. It burns my skin first, but it melts the ice away. I can feel it deep inside me, taking all of the ice with it. I don’t remember when I’ve felt this warm. The water sizzles, but all I can do is smile and close my eyes.

“Looks like its keeping the darkness at bay, good. If you’re feeling strong enough, you should get out. We only have about four days of training.”

“Four?”

“Well Kakashi is away for four days. When he arrives it will be harder to manage your time. We must keep this a secret for as long as we can. No one should know where you are going off to.” Tomoko is impatient, looking west. I turn to see, and I can’t believe it slipped my field of vision.

There stood the largest tree in earth. The same tree that I saw when Tomoko appeared in my mind. Except now it was quadruple the size. Trees surrounding it looked like overgrown broccoli. The leaves were enormous, I didn’t know how it hasn’t collapsed in itself yet. I’ve only been in the water for a few minutes, but it sucked away the ice completely. My fingers were no longer turning blue like I imagined they were.

“Come on we need to get started,” Tomoko begins to pull on my wet shirt, but I yanked my sleeve from her claws.

“I- I need to know what we are going to do, and why. How did that water make me feel like new? Why did I feel so cold? And why is that tree so titanic?” I point to the tree.

“There is no time for that,”

“Like hell there is! I am not going to go into something blindly. I may be unstable but I am not crazy. You can’t honestly think I will do what you say because I am the ‘chosen one.’ What is the deal with me being peace! I need answers now!” I demanded. I hear Tomoko sigh. She flaps herself to a low tree.

“You want answers. Well can you trust me enough to tell you that all the answers are there. In that titanic tree. You asked and you will receive an answer. And do not worry about hurting anyone, you are the only human here,” Tomoko is serious now, much more calmer now that she knows I will not be turning into an icicle.

“Where am I?” I ask her and begin walking to the large tree as she soars beside me.

“We are in Shikkotsu Woods, you probably have not heard of it, only one other human has seen this forest and lived another day,”

“What? So I might die here?”

“If you do not respect nature, than yes. Look we are here, the outer roots of the home tree,” I see the sun begin to disappear behind the wall. wall it was, but they were called roots. They were tall, and I felt like I had shrunk to miniature size. I was nothing more than ant next to this tree. Tomoko takes the lead, and I follow right behind her. After I got out of the steaming pond, I feel like the old me. The warm, not weak, healthy me, and I hope this isn’t some kind of illusion because I don’t want to go back to where I was. I wanted to stay like this, I’m not so afraid to be around Tomoko anymore. I was still afraid to face Eri, and everyone else. I don’t know if I am a hundred percent stable. The bark of tree looks old, very worn, and very smooth. The color was dark and uneven. And by the smell and size, its been on earth for a very long time. The million dollar question was why? Why am I the chosen one, how on earth did I become peace? Nothing is making sense, the feeling of ice, the darkness that was at the center of it. Then the water that seemed to have melted it away. I was in this lonely and scary forest, where I might die if I don’t respect nature.

I look where I am stepping, I don’t want to accidently step on a bug and die, or something. We walk to the other side of the tree, it took much longer than I thought it would, but Tomoko didn’t explain anything further to me. I was in the dark again.

“Here we are, Sage Moriko. The oldest sage that has ever lived,” Tomoko says. she flaps her wings and begins to shrink. She is a normal owl size, so she rests on my shoulder. I look for the sage but I can’t find the old man that I expected to see. Tomoko points up, I look in that direction.

There was a middle aged woman there. She was wrapped in bark, and I thought she wouldn’t be able to move at all, but then she disappears. Tomoko turns my face back in front of me and there is the middle aged women in front of me. I don’t know how she moved so quickly but she did. Now that I see her standing so close, I see her eyes are much older than what she lead on to be. Her eyes are ancient. Those eyes should be in the sockets of an old lady. And her hair should white as ash, but it isn’t. Its honey brown like syrup. Her skin should be porcelain thin, but it is healthy and radiant. Her lips are thin, and she is a very lanky woman. She sure didn’t look like a sage.

Tomoko bows, and I do the same.

“Kiyoko I’ve been waiting your arrival. Thank you for coming to my forest,” She speaks. Her voice is small, but husky. “And no need to repeat your questions. I have already heard them. Come I will answer them all,” She moves gracefully. Tomoko follows obediently, I have no way to get out of this place, I don’t even know where this forest is, so I follow. Truth lies in her hands, I just hope it is no longer any false information. I have to trust them, maybe, just maybe they can answer questions I have always asked myself. The tree trunk suddenly opens in front of Sage Moriko and Tomoko, I stumble after them. I go through and find the inside of the tree hollow. And then I see many animals scurry on way and the other. There are railings and floors built inside the tree. This is where the animals of this forest lives. The tree trunk closes us in, the sage walks over to a small section of the tree, I follow. She moves her hands and a room appears before us. Tomoko and I step in while Sage Moriko closes us.

“I’ll start off with the size of this tree. That was one of your question, correct?” She sits before us, Tomoko takes the liberty to sit on my shoulder again, while I sit on the wooden chair that popped in the room. I had a hunch that she was the sage of wood technique, and if she did, then maybe Hashirama senju, trained here.

“This is the oldest tree alive, and I was the one who grew it and still take care of it. It is my home, and it is my life force.”

“How old are you exactly?”

“Now, now, don’t you know better than to ask a lady her age. I am old enough to have known the sage of the six paths and to know the great toad sage Gamamaru. We still are very good friends,” She smiles as if she doesn’t think time is a big deal. And there is that name again. The sage of the six paths.

“Now this is where I will reveal to you all that I know. And why you are peace,” Sage Moriko lifts her hand and a green sprout begins to grow from a wall. It spits out a clear ball, like you would see in a fortune telling shop. And then images begin to appear. This was it, my story.

“Let me tell you, that this tree records every single person who lived. It records deaths and births. That is why it is so titanic. So ten years ago I received a vision. THe chosen one did not exist. I simply thought it was a false vision, but you, Kiyoko do not exist in my data. You are not recorded in this tree,”

“How is that possible?” I ask. I mean of course I exist. Then I remember the dream, the dream where I didn’t exist, and no one saw me. Maybe this is a connection to it.

“I do not know. Never in my life has this happened. You do not exist so you are a chosen one. The vision showed me what you are to do. You are to learn and become a sage of the forest. You are peace, and for now there is no immediate danger, however I predict about three years into the future that will change. Tomoko and I will guide you, and when the time comes you will decide what path this world takes,”

“Wait, wait, hold on. I am flattered to be the chosen one, but I can’t decide the path of the world. I am not capable of doing all of this,” I can’t do it, I can’t.

Here I was trying to wrap my head around the idea that I am supposed to be peace. It’s not possible. I can’t become a wood sage, I’m not even a senju.

“Its impossible. I can’t learn forest sage, I am not of senju bloodline,” I counter. Sage Moriko simply smiles.

“I understand this is a lot of information to process. I saw this vision ten years ago, the year you left your village. At first I thought it was a coincidence, but I am beginning to have my doubts. I kept an eye on you all of these years, I had to make sure you were the one, and once the child of prophecy saved you, I knew I had to contact you immediately. I predict Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, and you will change this world, and you will be the greatest savior of this world. We need to train you, for anything that is to come. As not being from senju bloodline, I can’t be certain, I do not know who you are. For all we know you are from senju bloodline. Anyone can master wood technique, you just need a strong body and mind to do so. So many have tried to master this but have failed because their minds were not pure. You have both strong body and mind. I’ve seen it, the strength of your mind, do you think you were able to suppress the tailed beast all of these years without a seal because you have a strong body, it was your mind you held him back. You are capable of becoming much more. I am begging you, for the safety of the future to let Tomoko and I guide you down your journey,”

The sage has out her hand on mine, and I can feel her pulse through her hand. She was relaxed and hopeful, and her eyes were true. I was supposed to save this world, I was supposed to be peace. Along this journey I am supposed to take, I may find the answer to peace. I don’t know if I am willing to take the chance, I wasn’t sure if I could trust them, not yet.

“Three years, Kiyoko, and we need to start training now. Its inevitable,” Tomoko speaks once again.

“Even if I do agree, I don’t have the chakra nature to make wood jutsus. I am a water nature, not earth, and I know you need both,” I say, feeling relief that I am not the chosen one. The sage and Tomoko look at one another. Sage Moriko and Tomoko stand, and an opening opens to go out. I run after them, and back into the center of the tree. I see Tomoko and Sage Moriko waiting for me to catch up.

“Where are we going?” I ask.

“To show you your chakra nature,” Tomoko lands once again on my shoulder.

“I told you I have water nature,”

The sage moves her hands into seals, and soon the ground beneath me is moving. In instinct I have already put chakra at the base of my feet, so I don’t fall as we make our way farther away from the ground. I look up, but it was still so dark. I was beginning to worry that we were going to hit the top very soon, but after five minutes of elevating up, I see a doorway letting light in. She settles the ground for me to hop out through the opening, and I find myself standing on a branch. It was wide and sturdy, I didn’t fear of falling.

Tomoko goes ahead and grabs the only small leaves that I see on this tree. It was like the tree was living on a bigger tree. She hands me the green leaf.

“Go on concentrate your chakra into it,”

I do, and I smirk when I feel water slip through my fingers.

“I told you s-”

I stop midway through my sentence. Mud began to slip through my fingers instead. I open my palms, and see my hands full of mud, the mixture of earth and water. I couldn’t even begin to gather my thoughts.

“You see this tree’s seed was a high concentration of chakra. I tend it by giving it chakra and receiving it. These leaves pick up the little chakra nature they pick up, and as I have seen in my vision and you have seen too, there is earth chakra in you too.”

I look to see the smirks on both Sage Moriko and Tomoko. They’ve played me well, and at the moment, I couldn’t think of an excuse to not train here. I’ll get stronger, and I’ll finally be able to protect the village. And I’ll finally be able stand against my father.

“If the world does need me, then I will try my best to keep the peace we have, and improve the currents situations. I can’t guarantee anything, I don’t believe I am peace, but I’ll try,”

“That is great! Thank you so much, the world will surely appreciate it. The future generations will forever be in your debt.”

“What is the danger that you saw in your visions?” I ask. Tomoko and the Sage sit in front of me, I can feel the serious tensions rolling off of them. I fear what they are going to tell me.

“I don’t know what it is, I have never seen so much power, it is out of this world. It is more powerful than the beast you hold inside you. That is why we must help you learn Wood technique and controlling the beast. There is a sacred place to the south of the forest, that is where you will fight the beast and control it. Then you will not be afraid to harm anyone you love. After you have mastered Wood Technique and the beast mode, you will combine your jutsus. I believe that is the only way to defeat this unknown power. It will be hard, but three years is all we have left.”

Unknown power, and its even more powerful that the beast I hold inside me. What in the demon is it, because it sure isn’t from this world.

“With this power, I believe you will become a ninja in its own level. The last time I trained someone it was Hashirama, but you have a very dark and powerful chakra in you. Not only that but your own chakra is greater than his, I believe someone purposely erased you from existence for your own safety. I just don’t know who is powerful enough to do that,” the Sage looks troubled.

More powerful the a ninja who is godlike, I couldn’t really believe that will actually happen, not to me.

“For the time being we will go ahead with the schedule. I will investigate, and tell you if anything does come up.” Sage Moriko gives Tomoko a quick nod before she leaves us alone.

“Okay, time to focus. First off lets get you to use earth nature. It has to be as string as your water nature. Too much water nature and it will turn into mud, so gra another leave and think about the ground,” Tomoko says.

“Wait, Sage Moriko said I will train here, but what about my training in the Leaf? Eri, and the others will get suspicious if I disappear again.”

“You’re right. Okay come closer. I’ll mark you with my summoning jutsu, when I see that you are not busy I will summon you here, but you have to secretly practice on your own as well. We’ll change our training course for today. Instead of learning earth jutsu, I will teach you summoning jutsu. You’ll be able to summon the owls of this forest,” Tomoko lifts my shirt a bit before I feel her feathers on my bare back. I feel a pinch, but that is all.

“Summoning jutsu needs a contract to be signed,” Tomoko weaves her hand and then a small scroll appears in her hands.

“You sign in with your blood, every time you summon us you must do it with your blood. It connects us, so we know where to go. You are the first person who will summon us, Hashirama never was a summoning user, so he never did use this jutsu. Go on bite your thumb and sign,” Tomoko unrolls the contract for me. I do as she says, signing my name with my blood, the other slots are empty, I was the only one who has signed this.

“You’ll be able to use us in battle if you see fit,”

“How will I explain it to the others once they see I can summon. Kakashi said I wasn’t supposed to train while he was gone.”

“Never mind that now, you’ll come up with something. First you find a place where you want to summon, and then you concentrate your chakra and...” Tomoko says as she shows me. I have seen this technique before. I might be able to get it quickly.

“The more chakra you use the more powerful the animal you summon. That is why summoning animals during battle can save your life. Now you try.”

I do as she says, memorizing the hand signs. I lay my hand on the ground, releasing my chakra. I feel energized, and then there is a poof of white smoke. I see a white feather beneath my hand.

“You’re not concentrating enough, do it again,” Tomoko says. So that is how I spend my first day training to become a sage. Time seems to go by slower here, than the rest of the world, or maybe it was because I am so tired. Even though my body has been restored to its height, my mind hasn’t. I see the dense forest from a branch, and i see the setting sun behind the massive leaves. I can see everything in front of me, but I still can’t believe this is the path my life is following.

Will I really be able to defeat this unknown, nonhuman power. I stare at my hands in front of me, the mud has dried long ago, I looked like everyone else, human, but I am different. And I choose to use my uniqueness for the greater good. I’ll save this world for future generations, I’ll never let anyone go through what I have been through. Everyone has a home, others just find it a bit later than others.

“Lets call it a day, I’ll show you where you can sleep tonight. I’ll get someone bring you something to eat.” Tomoko grows once again, she is great at changing her size. She nods her head to her back, she is big enough for me to be carried on her back with ease. She flaps her wings and soon enough we are in the air. I’m too tired to think about food, so I fall asleep with the wind blowing in my ears. Tonight I finally slept a dreamless night.

The next time I wake, I sit up in a bed I have been put in. The walls and pretty much everything is made of wood, and I’m guessing I am inside home tree. There are different variations of nuts in bowls on my bedside table, along with tea. I eat what I can, but I had to begin training again. Summoning is important, I’ll be able to summon Tomoko when I need her.

Tomoko and I spend the rest of the day practicing the summoning jutsu. I haven’t seen Sage Moriko all day either.

“Today is the last day we have to learn the summoning jutsu, we need to get back on track so I’m taking drastic measures,” Tomoko says as we go back to the branch we were on yesterday.

“What do you mean drasti-” I say, but Tomoko gives me a harsh push, and soon I am falling to my death. My heart was in my throat, but I managed to bite my bloody thumb, and weave my shaky hands. Please, let this time be successful, I don’t want to splat all over the forest floor. I stretch out my hand before me, and a puff of white appears again, this time I feel contact stop me, I feel smooth feathers beneath me. And once the smoke has vanished I see a large owl flying beneath me. I hand on tight, I’ve finally done it. I sigh, one jutsu down, countless of others to go. The brown owl flies me back to Tomoko who smiles when she sees me.

“You’re crazy! What if I hadn’t summoned the owl! What would have happened to me?”

“I knew you were going to do it, so lets not worry about it, we still have a lot to do,” Tomoko cuts a leave from the small tree,it was back to the first plan. That is how I spent the rest of my time at the forest. If I was concentrating correctly, the leaf should have turned into dirt, but so far only one fourth of the leaf has turned into dirt.

“I’m going to send you back to the Leaf, until I summon you practice on your own. If anything does come up, you know how to summon me,” Tomoko says. I don’t have time to respond because I feel nothing at one point and then I am finally back in Kakashi’s bedroom, on his bed, like I never left. It was freezing, I realize just how warm the forest was. I toss the cold blankets aside, and make my way to the kitchen. No one has been here while I was away, and it makes me feel sad that Eri really did leave me. I wonder if she will ever forgive me and come back.

While I was training Tomoko took the liberty to give her advice on the situation, they saw everything through that crystal ball of theirs. They saw how the beast takes advantage of my dreams, he influenced me to do it, they saw it in my eyes. Tomoko said fear will only make the beast stronger, that fear can’t hurt me anymore than a dream. I am more afraid of feeling fear than what causes fear itself, and she is right. I am more afraid of feeling weak and useless than the beast. If I want to become stronger than I can’t be afraid of myself. I'll be strong for Eri, and for her daughter. I’ll be strong for Sakura, Kakashi and Naruto. I’ll strong for the village. I see through the kitchen window how thick the snow fall has gotten, no one is outside anymore, it was late evening, and the snow has covered everything in a good couple feet of snow. Even if it is cold, I don’t feel like ice anymore. I go around the house making sure every window is still shut, and I make Kakashi’s bed. I hear the front door slam open, and then I hear the clattering of dropping packs.

“Kiyoko,” I hear Kakashi say, I fold the blanket over his pillow waiting for him to find me. I still don’t know what I will say to him. He’ll notice, I know he will. I see him turn into the hallway, I can see him let out a deep breathe. The snow hasn’t melted off of him yet. I feel the cold air come along with him, he finally gets to me.

“Welcome bac-” I say, but he takes my shoulders in his hands. His hot breath is going through his mask, and skimming my cheek.

“Eri told me.” He brings me into a hug, a lot like the one he left me with. He didn’t let me go for a while this time. I wasn’t so afraid to see his reaction anymore, I didn’t want him to be disappointed in me.

“You’re so warm,” He sighs. I must have felt like ice the last time he hugged me. I watched the snow melt into his clothes. He pulls away but still holds me shoulders. I see his eyes skim my face and then my eyes. I knew he was going to notice, I went against his wishes, I trained anyways, but now I have to lie about it.

“You’ve changed,” I hear him say to himself. He touches my cheek, “the ice is gone.”

“You’re freezing, I’m going to get the tea started while you settle in.” I leave the bedroom before he gets a good look at me. He noticed and part of me was glad that he cares, and another wishes I didn’t have to lie to him. Without trust what do I have?

I was pouring the tea, when the front door opens again. This time a very worried and angry Eri storms in. I look for Kakashi for help, but he managed to slip into the shower at this very moment.

“How dare you Kiyoko!”

“I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I was-”

“You lock yourself away. I came here everyday, but I couldn’t check how you were doing, or if you were eating because the damn front door was locked! How would I know if something happened to you! I was so worried, and Kakashi was too! You can’t be selfish anymore, you’re not going through anything alone anymore, so just let us in,” Eri yanks her gloves off and her scarf, throwing them on the couch. She had angry tears rolling down her face. I smiled a bit, at least she wasn’t afraid. I could deal with her being angry.

“You think this is funny? Well please tell me the part that is funny?”

“Eri. I’m very sorry. I just needed some alone time that’s all. And take deep breathes, I don’t think this stress is healthy for the baby.”

“Worry about yourself for once. Kiyoko I had to go four days without knowing how you were doing. Being alone doesn’t solve a damn thing! I’m going to say it once more, and listen well Kiyoko Tsukino stop being so selfish!”

I laugh, it felt like being scolded by a mother. Eri was the mother figure in my life, better late than never right. I can see a vain pop on her neck. Eri walks over smacking me in the back of my head. Then she hugs me. I feel her anger fade away, “I am not afraid of you, we’re okay,” she whispers to me. I feel warmth everywhere, I’m glad I have them to lean on.

“You look great actually, maybe having some me time is okay,” Eri says. Please just sip your tea before Kakashi hears what she is saying. I smile and enjoy being back.

I spend one more day under Kakashi’s surveillance, Eri’s husband was back from his mission, so she wanted to spend time with him. But I was finally able to train again, I practiced on my water nature again, but when Kakashi wasn’t looking, I practiced my earth chakra. The snow has lighten, but it still fell slowly. Kakashi thought some hot chocolate from the booth on the corner would warm us up. His flame kept me warm as we walk side by side, I’m not afraid that I’ll turn into an icicle anymore. I felt really sure of myself, and I guess its because I no longer have leisure to fall. I have to be strong for the future. I smile at the passing villagers. There is a small line at the hot chocolate booth, we wait in silence. I tug at my scarf, I was warm, but my feet were freezing.

“It looks like you’re back to the peek of you health. I’m glad, I’m sure Lady Tsunade will have a mission for us,” Kakashi says, his hands in his pockets.

“Its finally beginning to feel like before. My water jutsus are back to their best.” Kakashi pays for the cups of hot chocolate, I hold them while he pays.

“You know once I have money, I’m going to pay every cent back,” I sip the warm drink. Kakashi holds his cup up, and takes a sip. We walk around the village for a while, until we decide a place to eat dinner. I was walking, when someone bumps me from behind, making my hot chocolate spill all over the snow. I turn to a see a drunk man standing over us. He looks very angry, and his height reminds me of my father.

“Watch where you’re going bitch,” he grunts. Kakashi shoves his hot chocolate in my hands. He grabs the front of the drunk man’s shirt. They were both about the same height, I could see the anger pass through their stares. A few villagers have stopped and watched.

“I suggest you apologize to her,” Kakashi gives him a good jolt.

“You think you’re so great, Kakashi Hatake. Ninja are nothing more than weapons and sacrifice. Don’t think you or this hussy are better than me,” the man is smirking. I squeeze the cup in anger, weapons, huh. I have been seen as a weapon for all of my life and this drunk wasn’t going to throw the pride of being a ninja in my face.

“Ninja have courage, and if you do not have courage then you are nothing. You can waste your life in a bar for all I care, I on the other hand will not let ninja be bad spoken of. You’ll remember me, and there will come a day where you will need ninja, then you’ll appreciate our hard work, and courage.” I speak. I touch Kakashi’s arm, he finally lets him go. The spectators leave as quickly as they come. The drunk screams something, but I am still too angry to really listen. We walk away from that arse, before we finally sit at a park bench over looking the river. I gave Kakashi his drink.

“You have it,” he says. It wasn’t so hot anymore, but I still took sips. We don’t talk about the drunk. The river still flows beneath the frozen surface. You can see the fishes swimming in the frigid water.

“I can’t imagine myself doing anything else. Being a ninja is all I know, and there will come a day where I won’t be able to be a ninja anymore, and I don’t know what I will do.” Kakashi looks up to the cloudy sky.

“Hmm,” I agree. The future is given to me, it seems like it has. I will do so many grand things, but I don’t really have a choice do I. It’s my destiny. I finish my cold hot chocolate, there is a hoot that comes from behind me. I expect to see Tomoko behind me, but she’s not there. I’m must have been so angry that I have been imagining things.

“I think its time to buy your own pack for missions, I have a feeling we’ll be assigned a mission pretty soon,” Kakashi stands, forgetting the incident. I throw the cup away, following him to the post with many different backpacks hanging there. There are plenty of different colors.

“Pick which ever you want,” Kakashi says besides me. I smile, looking at the purple pack that looked like a large pouch. It pulled at the top, and the straps were thick and sturdy. There were plenty of pockets for smaller things. Purple, it must be my favorite color.

Five more days past before I finally dissolve the lead into dirt. I have spent all of my free time training, and I’ve finally done it. I throw the dirt in the air, I was getting there. Its much more tiring than using water nature, but thats to be expected I am strong in water nature. I have to use earth jutsus to even them out. I think its wise to let Tomoko know. I find a space to summon her. I remember the sign seals, and call out to her. My thumb throbs as Tomoko appears before me.

“I was beginning to think you would never be able to get the leaf to dissolve.”

“Its a lot harder than it looks. Earth and water are complete opposite, its hard to have the yin and yang of an element in one person,” I defend myself.

“It seems like you finally realize just how hard wood technique is. That is why no one since the first hokage has been able to go this far. They think this technique has a shortcut, it disgusts me what that Orochimaru did to so many innocent people. For the next part, we’ll have you learn some earth nature jutsus. Alright-” Tomoko is interrupted by Sakura, running towards me. I stand taller, hiding Tomoko behind me the best I could. Its been a while since I’ve spoken to Sakura. She gets to me quickly, a smile on her face.

“Kiyoko! Lady Tsunade has summon you, we’re going on a mission,” She takes my hand, pulling me. I look back for Tomoko but she isn’t there anymore. I run home, grabbing everything I needed for the mission. Sakura helps me gather the small medical kit I’ve assembled. I fill my canteen with water, and filled my pack. I was finally putting it to use. After I restock with kunai and shurikens, I follow Sakura to Lady Tsunade’s office.

I was beaming with excitement, and my heart was racing. Sakura opens the door for us, Kakashi and Sai are there already. Packs ready and waiting for the mission.

“Everyone is here, honestly I wish Kurenai’s team was back for this mission, but I think Kiyoko would do just fine for this mission. Team seven is in charge of guarding these two children to the Land hidden behind the Waterfall. Unfortunately their father has fallen in battle, and their mother is gone too. She died at childbirth. Their grandmother will be waiting at the village entrance. The boy, Akio, is four, and the infant is Chizuru. If it was any other case I wouldn’t have to assign ninja to do this, but their Father Teruo, the great shadow, had many enemies. They must arrive safely.”

I turn to see the small boy hide behind Shizune’s legs, but moves when Shizune walks over to me. She hands me the infant, she is asleep, and light. Her skin is light, and her hair is honey brown. Shizune helps me wrap the cloth around my body, so it’ll be easier to move and secure her to me.

My first mission is to take care of a baby, I have no maternal instinct. Why Kurenai, why couldn’t you do this instead. Shizune puts all of the things I need to tend to the baby in my pack, making it heavier. My pack pulled me back, and the baby pulled my forward. I know by the end of the day my back is going to hurt.

Sakura takes hold of the boy’s hand, but he refuses to let her carry his pack. He was a chubby boy, and his cheeks were rosy from the cold wind. He wore thick clothes and a hat that kept his head warm. His eyes were sad, and afraid. He didn’t know us, of course he was afraid of us. Lady Tsunade gives Kakashi some papers. I make Chizuru is bundled up, and sheltered from the cold wind that awaits us outside.

This will be a lengthy trip, we have to cross most of the Land of Fire to get there. We leave shortly after, making our way out the front gate. Chizuru keep me warm, while we make our way down the road, the snow was barely visible now, the ice of the season seemed to be going, and new flowers were beginning to bloom.

“Since this is no ordinary guarding mission, lets get into formation. Sai you’re at the rear, make one of your beast art to cover your back if you need one. Sakura you’re third, you are a short distant fighter, so you can protect Chizuru and Akio if enemies do manage to slip behind us or in front of us. Kiyoko you’re second, your wild wave comes in handy with my lightning, so I’ll be at the front,” Kakashi says. I follow order and step behind him. Akio is right in front of Sakura, close enough for either of us to grab him to safety. We walk silently, making sure nothing gets too close to us. I make personally spend extra time to look for chakra that I recognize. I’m sure the Moon will take action while I am outside the village.

We were about three hours away from the village when Chizuru began to stir in my arms. I hopefully thought she would stay asleep the entire way, but I knew it wouldn’t last long. She finally opens her eyes, they are the deepest blue I have ever seen. It was then that she began to cry, kicking her feet in the sack. They hit my side. What do I do? Maybe she’s hungry, or hot, or in a need of a diaper change. That’s what you check for, right?

We stop for a bit, while I look through my pack for the things Shizune gave me.

“Check if she needs a diaper change,” Sakura peeks over my shoulder. I lay Chizuru over the blanket on the ground, while I undress her. I could smell it right as I undid her pants. Oh god, this is horrible. The stench made my eyes water.

“You look like you know what you are doing Sakura, how about you do it,” I step away. Chizuru cries louder.

“What, no way. I’m in charge of Akio, Shizune gave Chizuru to you.” I see Sakura step closer to Akio. Akio was always close to his little sister. He always has his eyes on her, there wasn’t anything more precious than the love they share. They no longer had their parents, but they had each other, and that lifts my spirits. I hold my breath as I undo the dirty mess, I can hear the rest chuckle at my misery. Even if I will become a godmother soon, there is no way I will change Yasuko’s diaper. Chizuru still kicks and screams even after she is changed.

“Maybe she’s hungry,” Sakura says. I scavenge the pack for food. Shizune has packed pureed fruits and vegetables for Chizuru. She even included a spoon, she sure does think of everything. I give Chizuru applesauce, and she eats happily, but causes a mess. She doesn’t cry anymore, so I pack everything back in my pack and we keep going. Chizuru moves to much for me to put er back in the cloth hanger, so I hold her the best I could.

As the afternoon left, Chizuru played with my hair, pulling and twisting. She even gave me smiles that made me feel less tired. She was a beautiful baby, and Akio was protective of her, he would walk closer to me every now and then, just to see Chizuru’s face. Night fell quickly, and Kakashi led us to a small place in the forest by the road.My back ached, and so did my arms, holding a baby all day sure was an excersise. Chizuru was as energized as ever. I eat while Chizuru bounced in my arms. Akio sat right beside me, nibbling in a sandwich. Before I got too tired, I fed Chizuru again, and changed her diaper. I hoped she would fall asleep quickly, but she didn’t. Sakura and Sai take a rest first, while Kakashi and I stay awake on guard.

“You need to call her name to get her to sleep. And you- you need to wrap her up and bounce her really slow,” Akio says from my side. He was falling asleep quickly, his head resting on my shoulder. I take my blanket and pull it over him. I do what he says, wrapping her to me and bouncing her body slowly so she can rock to sleep. Akio is right, Chizuru is off like a light in seconds. I was finally beginning to feel the fatigue myself.

“Go to sleep, I’ll wake you if I sense anything,” Kakashi says. I don’t argue, taking care of a baby is tiring. I wake up a few hours before dawn, Sakura is the only one who is awake at this hour. I should have been on guard a while ago, but they let me sleep. Kakashi has his blanket over him, and I notice Akio’s head is resting on my thigh. Chizuru is sleeping soundly, and I want it to stay that way. I don’t move, but I don’t go back to sleep either. Akio wakes minutes later.

“I really have to go to the bathroom, really bad,” He says. He gets up and runs to the bushes behind us.

“Akio don’t go on your own,” I say. Who knows what it out there. I stop Sakura with my hand, telling her I’ll go get him myself. She stays put, guarding Kakashi and Sai. I walk quickly to Akio, keeping an arm around Chizuru to minimize the movement that might wake her. I see Akio’s head behind a bush.

“Don’t peek. I can do it by myself, dad taught me.” I stay close enough, but I stay put. A few seconds later, Akio walks towards me, sleep was still visible in his eyes, he rubbed it away. I wait for him, but he doesn’t move forward, he holds onto my hand. His hand can only go around my four fingers, but he held on tight.

“I miss dad,” he whimpers. I try to smooth his hair to comfort him, but I don’t know what to say.

“I couldn’t protect him. He died. I have to keep Chizuru safe, forever,” He tries to wipe the tears away. It tore my heart to see him like this. I bend down, so he can see his sleeping sister.

“Don’t cry, you’ll-” I begin, but stop when I hear a twig crack. I look that way and see Shurikens flying our way. I grab Akio and tuck him beneath me. I feel the pain, stab my back, I regret taking off my pack now. I pull back, just to check if Chizuru or Akip have been hit, but the only blood I see is my own. A shuriken must have cut my forehead because blood fell onto Akio’s cheek.

“You’re okay,” I reassure him. Wiping the blood away, it was then that Chizuru began to cry. I make a couple shadow clones to cover us, while I cover Akio and Chizuru on our way back to camp. Kakashi and Sakura meet us halfway, while I see Sai riding a bird above us. He glides down to grab Akio and Chizuru from my arms. My back ached, but I will heal, I sense the chakra to my right, so I throw a kunai in that direction, hearing an ooph to know i hit something. I am so furious that they intent to harm young children, there is no way I’ll let them live to harm them. They’ll have to kill me to get to them.

“Kiyoko, are you okay?” Sakura says as she sees the blood running down my back.

“Not really okay, but I’ll manage,” I say as the pulling on my back worsened as I grab more shurikens from my pouch. I see them jump out of the shadows, six of them all together, and none of them had a forehead protector. They were mercenaries. Their faces were contorted with anger, and they held large weapons. Three of them come after me, but one of my shadow clones grabs one with a water whip. I make a whip as well, I’ve been modifying the jutsu a bit. One of the ninja comes directly at me, I take the opportunity to wrap my water whip around him, her struggles but I tighten my grip. I use the modification, water spikes pierces him. The whip is like a stem full of thorns. The more you struggle the more damage it causes.

He goes limp and the other comes after me, only to end with the same result. They are too slow to catch me off guard. I see Sakura give her opponent a life dimming punch right in the head. Her strength is deadly. Kakashi finishes his battle quickly, and quickly rushes to me. My back still bled, I could feel the warm liquid run down my legs. Sakura comes to my aid too, she tugs my jacket off, and begins to apply first aid. The bleeding stops quickly, and she begins to wrap my wounds in bandages. Sai’s bird lands close by and liquefies. Akio holds onto Chizuru as best as he could. My blood is smeared on his cheek.

Sakura helps him with Chizuru, I won’t be able to carry a lot of weight anytime soon. Kakashi helps me back to our packs. Akio helps carry my own pack and his own, a brave smile on his face makes the pain disappear a bit. We go back into formation.

It takes us the rest of the day to reach the Land of Fire border. We stopped after crossing so I can rest, and so Sakura can feed and change Chizuru. It seems like all of the danger is behind us now. The next morning we make it to the Waterfall Village, and the pain in my back has almost disappeared. I carried my own pack today. For the last ten minutes of our journey I hold Chizuru, her hands pull my hair. Akio walks besides me, like he promised, he’ll protect her. I see an old woman standing in front of the gate, the sounds of multiple waterfalls filled the air. She looked a lot like Chizuru, and she smiled when she saw us.

“Oh thank you so much for escorting my grandchildren. I am forever in debt,” she says as she takes Akio in her arms. I take Chizuru in one more time before I hand her over, and give her the rest of the care pack.

“You seem hurt. Please let me tend to your wounds,”

“No I’m fine really. It was a pleasure escorting Akio and Chizuru,” I tell her. We part ways, I felt a little part of me inside Akio, he was the same as me. He protects his little sister, and I will protect my precious ones.

By the time we get back to the Leaf Village I don’t feel injured, and I finally received money of my own. I bought a small wallet to keep the rest of my money safe. Right after I close my bedroom door so I could rest, Tomoko appears in my room.

“Not tonight Tomoko. I want some rest,” I say as I get into bed. She yanks them back. I sigh, but let myself be sent to Shikkotsu Woods. I groan as feel the forest ground beneath me.

“Hurry up and lets start learning earth jutsus. Otherwise you’ll never learn wood technique.” I feel Tomoko’s talons on my head. I brush the dirt off of my pjs, as I get up from the dirty ground.

“You’re going to have to forget about your water nature for now. Only think about earth. Unfortunately I do not have earth nature, I am a wind user.”

“Then how am I supposed to learn earth nature!”

“You’re going to have to make earth of your own chakra first. So go ahead and try,”

I do try, and I fail.

“Try visualizing the earth chakra on your left hand, since your water chakra is on your right. That way one palm has one and the other palm has the other. That’ll help you,” Tomoko advices.

I do as she says, I leave my right hand to water, so I switch hands. It feels weak, I’m a righty not a lefty. But I remember the feeling of my earth chakra, and put all of my energy into my left palm. I see rock beginning to form at the center of it.

“Do you see it! Tomoko I’m doing it!”

“Concentrate!”

The rock grows just a bit before it falls onto the ground. Sweat running down my back, dirtying my clean pjs. I dug my toes into the dirt, trying to feel the earth, that helps me visualize my chakra.

“Earth is strong, and stable. It takes a lot of chakra to get it right, it is the most versatile element, so don’t goof around!” Tomoko gives me a hard peck on the forehead. I get back to work, and time passes too.

And that is how I spend three more months of my life. I went on missions regularly, and I’ve been lucky that I haven’t gotten injured in any of them. The Moon hasn’t even made its move, maybe now they understand I don’t belong there anymore. I juggle my time at the Leaf Village and the Shikkotsu Wood, thankfully no one has noticed me yet. My life soon began to settle in a regular beat, and I don’t complain about the lack of danger, for once I tasted the life I want.

Kakashi’s POV

She’s changed, Kiyoko has transformed right in front of me. She was no longer the scared woman we brought, she’s grown into a strong person. And she was as stubborn as can be when it comes to protecting the village, it makes me remember why I became the ninja I am today. She reminds me of so many of my late comrades.

Her eyes were warm again, and her smile was more vibrant these days. Kiyoko’s true colors were showing, and I hoped they stayed forever. After what she has been through, I can’t imagine what goes inside her head sometimes. I don’t know where she goes off to sometimes, but I wait for her everyday to come home. It always looks like she’s been training, and it remindes me so much of Naruto. She’ll become a jounin really soon. I saw how she made the water whip deadlier, who would have thought she would have that chakra control to do that. Her chakra control was already at jounin level.

We still don’t know about her though, the beast inside her. But it seems like it doesn’t bother her anymore, if it does, she hides it very well. I hear her knock my bedroom door, before she opens it. She appears on the other side, a smile glued to her face. Kiyoko holds her wallet in front of her.

“Dinner?” Kiyoko tucks a lock of hair behind her ear. I take my time to really look at her, she’s as bright as ever.

Kiyoko’s POV

We walk down the street, I was finally going to repay Kakashi for all he’s done, in bits, but its the thought that counts, right? We decided to eat ramen tonight, he told me Naruto absolutely loved this booth. Ichiraku’s we’ve eaten here before, I’ll try something new today. I feel at an all time high at the moment, this is what I’ve always wanted. Becoming jounin was a dream that I could actually feel. My fingers skimmed it.

I have been trying to learn earth jutsus,but its hard to get them right, Sage Moriko has been helping me with them. I’ve been going to one place to the other non stop, and I was really feeling it these past couple of days. Some ramen should energize me.

We enter the booth, someone is eating there too. It seem like Kakashi knows him.

“Iruka,” He says. Iruka waves hello, before he sips his noodles.

“My name is Kiyoko,” I introduce myself.

“Iruka,” he replies. I look over the menu while Kakashi and Iruka talk for a bit. I try not to eavesdrop, but I hear parts of their conversation over the sizzling noodles.

“Its been quiet without Naruto around. I’ve gotten used to the lack of noise, and complains of the villagers. How’ve you been,” Iruka asks Kakashi.

“Busy as always, but I’ve been training on my own. I feel tension rising,”

“Ya, so do I. Master Jiraiya has his hands full with that knucklehead.” I see Iruka pay for his ramen.

“I’ll see you around Kakashi. Its nice to have met you Kiyoko,” He says as he exits the booth. My order is set in front of me. A steaming pork ramen bowl, Kakashi ordered a large bowl of shrimp ramen, the smell was heavenly.

“So Iruka knows Naruto?” I ask Kakashi.

“He was his academy teacher. He really helped Naruto, Iruka was one of the first people to see Naruto as a person and not as a monster,” he says.

Iruka must have really shaped his thinking, I’m glad he had someone like him.

“I’ll be home late, I have to go talk to Lady Tsunade,” Kakashi says as he slurps the broth. I nod, as I finish my bowl as well. Kakashi doesn’t pay tonight, no way I’ll let him. I pay for the ramen, and a new sense of independence takes over me. I walk out of the booth with my chest out and chin up. I walk the streets, but when I see my surroundings I see that Tomoko has summoned me. Sage Moriko is standing there in front of home tree, back to the forest.

“You have to warn me when you summon me! I was having such a calm day,” I pout.

“Sorry, but your training with earth nature is going slower than we expected, today I’ll help you learn earth jutsus,” the forest sage begins. I sigh, I was really looking forward a warm bath.

“I think one of the most basic earth jutsu is earth wall. There are two ways to make a wall. The easiest way is to use pre existing earth, and using your chakra to manipulate the width and height. I’ll show you. The hand seals are tiger, hare, boar, dog. Then you just send your chakra through the ground.” Sage Moriko shows me the steps, and soon there is a wall in front of her.

“This wall however is easier to break through,” She punches right through the wall, like it was paper. I keep in mind to never anger her, otherwise there will be a hole in me.

“If you use your own chakra to make a wall it’ll be more resistant, but it does use chakra, so using one of the two depends on your situation,” She makes another wall this time one made of her own chakra.

“Go ahead try to punch through that wall,”

“I’d rather not break my fingers today if you don’t mind.” She shrugs and punches it herself. It didn’t crumble like the other one. She waves her hand, it was my turn to try.

“Oh and one more thing, try adding a layer of chakra surrounding your wall, then it really will be indestructible.”

She punches her wall with a fist infused chakra, and even though it was made of her chakra it fell quickly.

I try the harder one first, I’ll use my own chakra to make walls. I do as she instructed, the hand seals, the focus, the wall I wanted. It has to be strong, my chakra is indestructable. The earth wall began to rise before me, I visualize my chakra surrounding it, and use it to fortify it. My finishes wall isn’t perfectly square, and it isn’t tall. It was deformed and about a few inches taller than me. At least it was a wall.

“Lets test it out,” Sage Moriko says. Its gonna fall I know it is. Its a work in progress, especially because I suck at earth nature. She infuses her fist with her chakra, and strikes the wall. I see a crack spread throughout the wall, but it doesn’t fall. My wall doesn’t fall!

“Ugly, but strong. Just as I expected your chakra is even stronger than my own. You really are something Kiyoko,” she looks at the wall for a while, before she asks me to do it again. I try several times, and the more I practice the more shape the wall begins to take.

“Continue to practice it on your own. That is a great defensive jutsu, as for offensive. I’ll show you a jutsu that is all ranges. It is called Flying Stones. Just like the wall it could be formed two different ways, but I have a feeling you’ll use your own chakra. The key to this jutsu is making the fragments of rock as sharp as possible. This jutsu on the other hand has two ways to begin. You can either slam your hands on the ground, and project them from there or you can project them from your mouth. It is like the wild water wave, the base is at your mouth, and then you shoot sharp earth fragments from your mouth. Learning both is preferable.”

She shows me the hand seals, these were lengthier than the last. She shows me how to project them from my mouth, and then she shows me how to use the earth I stand on.

“If you enhance the earth with your chakra you can even move the rock to your desire, since it is your chakra it is made of. It is like a flying kunai that never misses. Lets practice, I’ll be your target,” she stands before me.

“I don’t know, I hate to use you as a target. What if I injure you,”

“Like you could, remember I am one of the oldest Sages alive.” She smiles. I didn’t mean it to sound so rude, she may be better than the Kages. I have yet to see both at their deadliest. She stands meters away from me, while I take in chakra at the base of my throat. I focus only on my earth nature.

After I feel like I have the correct amount of chakra, I leave my mouth open just a slip. If the opening is smaller, my jutsu will travel farther and faster, I’ve learned that from the wild water wave. It’ll help it shape into a spear. I send one her way, and then another. I use all of my chakra before I focus more. I see Sage Moriko split one of spears right down the middle with her bare hand.

“You’re focusing too much on the speed and shape, and you forgot to apply your chakra to the surrounding. Your earth chakra is still to soft to be effective without the chakra vail,” My wipes the dirt off her hands on her kimono. She never wears anything else, always that brown kimono, it blends with the wood.

I spend the rest of the evening training, and getting dirt everywhere. Sage Morkio sends me back home just seconds before Kakashi opens the door. I lay there in the living room ground, exhausted and dirty. I look at the clock above the door, it was almost one in the morning. Kakashi opens the door, and stops when he sees little dirty ol me laying there.

“Training again huh,” He helps me to sit against the wall. He sits besides me.

“You even have dirt in your hair,” He laughs quietly. He picks the bigger chunks of dirt out of my hair. He looks down to me, his face is the closest it's ever been to mine. I could smell his breath, and I could feel his warm hand still on the top of my head. I could see his cheek go red and I could feel my own face get warm.

Kakashi brings me into a hug, I begin to wonder if he is intoxicated, but he didn’t smell like sake.

“Everything has been going great for you, I want it to stay that way forever.” He gives me a squeeze before he lets me go. He says goodnight before he closes his bedroom door. He leaves me there, breathless, warm, and feeling dizzy. My heart raced when he looked at me, I wanted to be under his stare forever, I’ve never felt anything like it.

After a late shower I call it a night, tomorrow will probably be the same. Sage Moriko is teaching me two more earth techniques, then we’ll begin with wood training. I was nervous and a little excited for it, but more nervous than anything. I don’t know how it will go. I can’t possibly be better than the first hokage, he was godlike, and I was... not. I can’t imagine I can ever be as powerful as he ever was. I don’t want to fail this world, and I have my doubts. I know I shouldn’t be thinking so down of me, but I’ve never had this kind of responsibility. It wasn’t until recently that I had to take care of an infant, but taking care of the world, that was unreal, and it felt unthinkable. I still can’t wrap my mind around it.

The next morning I expect Tomoko to summon me to the Forest but I am free to do as I please today. By midday I have practiced the earth jutsus I already know in secret. Kakashi was doing his own training with his sharingan, I volunteered to go up against him, but he didn’t want to put me under a genjutsu. It was then that I bump into Sakura, and Ino, they were walking down the street when they spot me.

“Kiyoko, so glad we bumped into you. Sakura and I were on our way to meet the girls at the hot springs, why don’t you join us,” Ino smiles. I have nothing to do, so I might as well relax while I still can. After this I’ll probably be grind to the bone with sage training. I walk along side Sakura, she was smiling today.

“Even Kurenai-sensei is joining. And Tenten and Hinata are going to be there too. I’ve just got back from a mission, this will be worth the while,” Ino stretched her arms to the sky as the hot springs grow in the horizon.

“I’m surprised Kurenai-sensei agreed, I thought she would rather spend time with Asuma-sensei. They don’t think we can tell, but they are totally dating,” Sakura comments. It makes sense, I always saw them together. We enter the lobby, where we pay for our bath, I take this opportunity to pay Sakura back.

“I’ll pay for you Sakura. Its the only thing I can do right now,” I say as I pay for her entry and for mine.

“Its fine, thanks.”

The employee gives us our robes, and towels, while I undress and fold my clothes in a basket. We make it to the hot springs, and see Tenten and Hinata already soaking in the steaming water. Sakura and Ino disrobe and jump into water, I on the other hand didn’t feel like showing much of my skin. Eri helped me with bathing, but I felt their eyes on me. It felt like they were waiting for me to undress. Tenten laughs.

“Just come on in. Its not like we’re making a move on you. I mean I’m sure someone we know wants that, but...,” Tenten shrugs.

“Tenten, stop teasing her,” I hear Kurenai enter the room. She looks softer without her gear, all of the girls looked for them, without their pouches and forehead protector. There was a lot less women than men in the ninja world, but I think women are stronger, faster, and smarter. Have you seen Hinata and Sakura in action, its scary. I’m glad they are my comrades not my enemies. I disrobe and get into the water while they are distracted. The steaming water feels like the water at the Shikkotsu Woods, it felt so great.

“Kurenai-sensei, I thought you would be with Asuma-sensei,” Tenten says, she actually sounds surprised.

“What can’t I have some time with girls. If you don’t want me then I can go,” She says, but she slips into the water.

“It must be nice to have that special someone you always want to spend time with you,” Ino slumps into the water.

“Kiyoko and Kurenai-sensei are lucky.” Tenten grabs a towel to scrub her face.

“Me? Who?” I ask, I tie my hair into a bun, the steam was beginning to make me feel warm.

“You and Kakashi are always together. Its so nice to see his gentle side. I’ve known him all of my life, and he’s been through some tough times. I haven’t seen this part of him ever,” Kurenai smiles at me. I was special to Kakashi, he was special to me too. He always keeps his promises, and he keeps me warm when I felt like I was turning into ice.

“Ya, Kakashi-sensei looks at you differently. Its so full of warmth,” Hinata smiles widely. I see Ino and Tenten nod in agreement. Warmth huh, I always feel warm when I’m beside him.

“Enough of this boy talk, I don’t want to feel depressed for not having a special someone,” Ino waves her hand and the conversation ends there. After some time, I change back into my clothes, the others stayed for a while longer, but I was beginning to get heat exhaustion from the steam and hot water. I feel new, and my skin glowed, there was no dirt in my hair either.

I see Kakashi walking up ahead, by the way he walked I could tell he wasn’t at his best today, I rush to see if anything is wrong. When I finally get to his side, I can tell his face is pale, too pale for him. He’s been busier than usual, and on top of that he’s been training with his sharingan, he’s been pushing himself too hard.

“Kakashi, are you okay?” I ask, he notices my appearance. He puts up a strained smile.

“Ya, I’m feeling just fine.” I know he is lying, he was sweating. I touch his cheek with the back of my hand, I pull away, he’s burning. He was beyond okay. I take his elbow in my hands and guide him home, he was too sick to argue. Who would have thought Kakashi would ever get sick, but here he was leaning on me for support. I felt my heart quicken a bit, believe it or not, I liked being needed. Of course I’m sure Kakashi could take care of himself, but I liked taking care of someone else. I like the sense of being trusted and being responsible. I use most of my strength to get him up the stairs, he was breathing a little heavier now. He had a fever, and he was sweating. How do I help him get better? Once we are inside the apartment, I help him take his shoes off, and get him to bed. I untie his forehead band, and get his flak jacket off of him. He’s almost sweat through his shirt.

“You haven’t been getting enough rest, have you?” I ask, as I grab a new shirt from his dresser.


“I could say the same for you, you’re coming home late too.” I let him change, while I get cold water in a large bowl and a clean towel.

“Do you feel cold? Have headaches?” I was looking through the cabinet for medicine. I grab a glass of water for him.

“Its just a cold, I’ll sleep it off,” He closes his eyes. I soak the towel in the water, and squeeze most of the water out. I lay it on his forehead, that should help him lower his fever. He’s asleep in minutes, I grab his sweaty clothes and throw them in the washer. I resoak and squeeze his towel, every few minutes. He wakes up again half an hour later. I see him sit up in his bed, and getting his cover out of the way.

“Kakashi you have to rest,” I say, as I see his feet touch the ground.

“I just need another blanket,” He argues.

“I’ll get it for you,”

“I can get it,”

“Just let me take care of you Kakashi. You’ve taken me in and you’ve done so much for me, I want to take care of you like you took care of me,” I tell him. He shivers once more, but gets under his blankets. I grab the extra blanket, from my bedroom, and throw it over him. It’s warm from the sun hitting it this afternoon. I refill his glass of water that he gulped down. I was sitting beside his bed, when I hear a knock from the front door. I get the door quickly, Kakashi has just fallen asleep again. Eri stands there, looking very much pregnant, three months really does make a difference.

“Glad you’re home, I was thinking we could get something to eat?”

“I’m sorry, but Kakashi is sick, and I want to take care of him,” I say. She smiles.

“That’s okay. I’ll come around later this week. Oh, if its a cold, a nice chicken broth, with steams vegetables, its full of nutrients. It’ll cure him for sure, and since you’ll be the cook I’m sure he’ll eat a whole pot,” Eri pats her belly. I thank her as she waves goodbye. It was getting late, and I was thinking about making dinner, now it’ll be both delicious and beneficial. I reapply the new towel on Kakashi’s forehead, before I go to the kitchen. I get broccoli, carrots, squash, potatoes, tomato, and the chicken broth. I begin to trim what I didn’t want in the stew, I seasoned the broth, it was smelling great. Another recipe for the book, I toss in the vegetables, and put the flame to medium low. I’ll let them steam with the broth, and then it’ll be ready. I go check Kakashi, and change his towel, his fever still hasn’t cooled. He was shivering, but his hair stuck to his forehead from the sweat. I felt helpless, all I could do for him is change his towel water, and make him food. I’m sure he has been sick before, and he’s always done it for himself. I have never taken care of a sick person, and he has never been tended to. I was special to Kakashi, and I feel like Kakashi is always going to be special to me too. He’s the one who’s always been there, he’s at arm length away. He’s always ears for me when I don’t feel at my best. I want to be that person to him. I guess you can say the girls were right in some ways. I take the time to finally unzip my own flak jacket and untie my forehead protector.

When I go back to his room I see he has opened his eyes again, and he was sitting up. He’s sweat through his shirt again, and he was leaving his sweat on his pillow. I go grab a towel from the bathroom and lay it over his pillow, before I give him another shirt. He doesn’t wait for me to turn around, and I see a glimpse of his toned body. I turn away before I see anymore than I need to.

“Are you hungry?” I ask as I see him lay down again. His shivering has calmed, and I hope the hot vegetable soup will kick the fever away. He nods, and I go get him a bowl of the freshly cooked stew. I grab the little table, for him to set it on. I blow on it while I make my way back. He sits up again, his back against the wall. He takes the spoon in his shaky hands, but he doesn’t ask for help. He wasn’t completely unable to do anything.

“Its great,” he says as he chews. I bring him a glass of water, and a bowl for myself. I wanted to eat with him. I want to thank Eri again for this recipe, it really did taste great, maybe next time I”ll add noodles to add some grain. He eats every drop of it, and his shivering has slowed immensely. I feel relieved to see him doing a bit better. I pick up his plate, and set it on the side table, before I touch his forehead again. It was still warm, sleep was probably best now.

“I’m going to clean up for a bit, call me if you need anything,” I say and grab the plates. Kakashi grabs hold of my hand. His hands were still cold, but I only felt his warmth.

“Thank you,”

I smile, “don’t worry about it. Get some sleep.”

Kakashi gives me a side smile, before he lets go of my hand, and tucks himself under his blankets. I clean the dishes, and take some time to clean a bit around the house, and straighten my room. It was getting late, and the moon rose hours later. I was looking for a blanket for myself, but I couldn’t find another one. Kakashi only has two blankets, and he’s using both of them, that has to be why I can’t find another one. Looks like I’ll be sleeping without a blanket tonight, but its fine. If it helps Kakashi get better, than I don’t mind being cold a night. I closed the hallway closet, and changed into my pjs.

I was tying my hair when I hear Kakashi call my name. I enter his room to see Kakashi shivering ferociously again. Oh no, he’s back to his high fever again, its almost as bad as it started.

“I’m freezing,” his eyes are closed.

“There aren’t any blankets. I’ll run to the neighbor’s and lend one. Just hang tight,” I say.

“Please lay with me,” He says like he didn’t hear what I said. I see Kakashi shakely open the blankets for me. My warm body may help him calm his shaking. I get in the blankets, they were very warm already, he wrapped his arms around me. His shaking continued, if he didn’t wake up better, then I’m going to inform a doctor. He tucked his head in the nook of my neck, and I felt his body fold onto mine. His arm went around me, like he clung to me. He was trying to feel my heat.

My heart raced, I didn’t know where to put myself, but I rested a hand on his head. I wiped the sweat from the side of his face. He didn’t wear a mask, his breathing slowed, as I ran my hand through his hair. This motion rocked us both to sleep.

Kakashi’s POV

I wake up with a minor headache, it seems like the worst has passed. The sun was barely rising, but that wasn’t what woke me this morning. It was the sound of a steady heartbeat that woke me. I remember the sound of her heart and the feeling of her hand running through my hair, that is how I fell asleep. She stayed beside me all night, trying to ease my sick mind and body. Her face was close, that I noticed every detail of her features. Her eyelashes were dark and long, something I hadn’t noticed before. Her hair was tied back, but strands fell out in our sleep. I found myself tucking them back in their place.

Her skin was soft, and warm. It was this warmth that rid me of the shivers. I’ve never slept so soundly like last night. I want her to stay beside me everyday, it was like she cured me of every regret I have ever felt. She cured more than just a cold. I kiss her forehead, and pull her closer. There is more to her than anyone knows, and I want to be the only one who sees it.

Kiyoko’s POV

I feel the breath of Kakashi on my head, and I notice when I open my eyes, that I have fallen asleep just like I remembered. Kakashi still slept, and I touched his forehead to check if his fever was still there. I smiled when I didn’t feel the heat anymore, he was going to be fine. I move his arms from around me as quietly as I could, and slipped back to my room. I quietly changed, and I tried to be as quiet as I could, he still needed rest. I close the door, and see Tomoko standing on my window sill. I have to cover my mouth to keep my little yell in.

“What were you thinking just standing there?” I whisper. I see her beak turn into a smirk.

“I didn’t want to interrupt your little cuddle time with Mr. Hottiecopyninja.”

“It- it wasn’t cuddle time, okay. He was ill and I took care of him,”

“ Oh I think you took really good care of him,” She laughs.

“Shh, he’s still asleep,” I angrily whisper. She quiets her laugh but she summons us to Shikkotsu Woods. We were inside home tree, and Sage Moriko was there, a very disturbed look on her face. I swallow the intimidation, and bow my greetings. I turn to look at Tomoko who no longer laughed, all the humor has been suvked away. Something is wrong.

“Follow me Kiyoko,” the Sage shortly says. She no longer had the encouraging character to her that she always had. I follow her deeper into the center of the tree, where it opened for her convenience. Tomoko follows, she doesn’t land on my shoulder which made me realize just how serious this really is.

“Is something wrong?” I asked. Did I do something wrong? Oh god, did someone see me practice earth nature. She must be so angry with me, if that did happen. I was so careful, no one could surprise me, no one. The Sage opens a door leading to a large room. It is a enormous, and it is full of books. Millions and millions of books lined the walls.

“This is the memory vault. Everyone who has ever lived and is living is in here. Books grow as the person lives on, as you can see some books are bigger than others. This is the heaven of information, you can learn anything about anyone here, so I investigated your father’s history. Something came up, and I can’t believe I never caught it.” The Sage uses a rock platform to move to a high shelf near the ceiling. She takes out a thin book, my father’s name was on the cover. It was part of my history too.

“What did you find?” I asked bravely. What could she possibly have missed.

“What is your mother’s name?” She asks, and comes to our level.

“Amira Kimura,” I say.

“She disappeared from your life, she disappeared from everyone associated with her,” Sage Moriko tells me. She gives me the book that is opened to a page. It stated my parent’s information. How could she disappeared, she existed. I know she did, I saw it in my earliest memories.

“How does this happen?” I turn the page, and its my date of birth, where I began to live a life I didn’t choose for myself.

“There are two possibilities that this would occur. To erase something from this memory vault you first have to know it exists. And it takes a large amount of chakra, and mastery of genjutsu, and ninjutsu. They at least had to be sage level, or sannin level. I don’t even think a hokage could do such a thing,” Sage Moriko explains.

Tomoko continues as I turn back to my parent’s page, “Your mother either did this herself for an unknown reason, or she asked someone else to do it for her.”

Her name wasn’t there, like she never existed. There was an empty space under my father’s name, like it was meant to be there, but it clearly wasn’t. I didn’t have a history of my own, I am the chosen one of course, but why was she erased from my father’s.

“Where is my mother’s book?” I asked as I read my father’s life after my birth. His every thought was recorded in there too, but I closed it before I read something I would regret. I already knew what my father thought of me.

“It doesn't seem to exist either,” Tomoko says quietly.

“What?” Her history doesn’t exist either, and neither does mine. Why is this happening?

“I don’t track every single person on this planet, so you can imagine her lack of existence might have gone undetected for years without me noticing. I only noticed your’s because of the vision and because of your life force that I felt when I finally saw you. We don’t know if she erased her existence years ago, or if she even had one in the beginning. All of this is just a big snowball of questions that only seem to be getting bigger.” Sage Moriko sits down on a chair near a window. When everything was just barely making sense, now its not, there is no sense to what is happening.

The Sage no longer looked so serious, but I couldn’t stop thinking of my mother. How could she do this, erase her history and mine, and why? Why? We don’t even know if it really was her, maybe someone else did this. Maybe it was my father, because he was the only one who still had his book.

Sage Moriko said she would look into this, but I expected answers, not questions, because now I don’t know what to think anymore. Was she really my mother? Is my father really my father? Who exactly am I?
“How about training to let all of this out of your system. I can teach you a few more earth jutsus, before we start with wood technique,” Sage Moriko offers. She takes my father’s book from my hands, and lets Tomoko shelf it for her. I don’t argue, and follow her to the training area. I had to get things out of my head, especially if there was no answer to my questions. My mother is dead, I can’t simply ask her and if she was alive I wouldn’t want to ask anyways. I saw in my memories just how much she really hated me. My father was out of the question, and I have no relatives that I know of. I was alone in this.

Sage Moriko brought me to the field where we train, and explained the next jutsu I was to learn.

“This is called earth pillar spears. It is quite easy as well. Your objective is to create spears that should penetrate your opponent, like all the others you can use your chakra or the ground right beneath you. I’ll demonstrate, I’m going to try to penetrate you, so you’re going to have dodge me. This will also be a dodging exercise.” She weaves her hand, and extends her right hand in front of her. I expect them to come flying out of her hand, but I feel rumbling beneath me. They are coming from below.

I move out of the way, but I see earth spears begin to grow from the ground I was hopping to, I use my chakra infused leg to kick them down. Dirt begins to fly everywhere, like always. Sage Moriko was very aggressive when it came to testing jutsu with me. The spears began to penetrate the ground everywhere, even through the trees near by. This jutsu was beginning to alter the landscape around us. Sharp earth spears grew tall and wide from the ground beneath me, clear land was diminishing. I use my chakra to cling to the side of a few spears, but spears grew from spears.

“I thought this was a dodging exercise! Can I at least fight back?” I yell at her, she’s some distance away from me.

“Never said you couldn’t use other jutsus, feel free to do anything to make them stop, to stop me!” I see her raise her hands, and the earth grew closer to me. She’s going too far with this. Water won’t be much use against Sage Moriko’s earth jutsus. I create an earth wall on my right and left, it stops the earth spears from getting closer to me. Like she said before my chakra is different, and stronger than her’s. I just don’t have the control she does. I can’t imagine I would ever be able to change the landscape like she just did. She’s insane scary when she battles, her smile on her face makes her look like an old witch. Good thing I don’t have a history book that records my every thought, I wouldn’t want her to read what I just thought.

After a few hours of trying to fight back, and not succeeding, Sage Moriko has sent me back home. I had scratched all over my body from the the sharp end of the earth pillar spears. It looks like a cat attacked me, which would be a great excuse if anyone asked. I was a bit annoyed, I didn’t even learn earth pillar spear, all I did was run around trying not to get a hole in me.
It was early evening, just past four when I arrive to the apartment. The door is unlocked, Kakashi must be home. I brush all of the dirt I could feel, brushing thoroughly my hair. When I finally go inside I smell yesterday’s stew in the air. I enter the kitchen to see Kakashi slurping away and munching vegetables. He looked healthier, but the color of his face still wasn’t quite right. He was up on his feet which was a good sign.

“What happened to you?” He asks as he sees my scratches.

“I was just walking, and I helped a little boy get his cat from a tree, the cat didn’t cooperate with me,” I grab a bowl for myself. I sneak my hand on his forehead, he didn’t have his fever anymore.

“At least you look a lot better, how are you feeling?”

“Like new, thank you for taking care of me last night. My father died when I was young, and my mother as well, so since a very early age I’ve always been taking care of myself. Yesterday was different, I’ve never had anyone cook dinner for me, or take care of me when I’m ill.”

“Kakashi you promised me you will never let me go through what I went through, right? No more loneliness and no more fear, and you’ve done just that. I want to do that for you, its all I can give you.”

He scratches his neck, “its really not much of a bother, you can say we’re even in a sense.”

We eat an early dinner together, and I try not to think about Kakashi’s parents, he’s been on his own for much of his life, I still had a father, but it feels like I never did. Of course I wanted to know more, and of course I could look at his book in the memory vault at home tree but I wanted to know everything from him, not from anyone else. I take a careful shower to avoid too much pain, but its hard to put my clothes on afterwards, the Sage only took her frustrations out on me.

Late in the evening Eri stops by, a bag in her hands. She wore dresses now, her shirts are too small for her growing midriff. She was already four months pregnant, I’ve been in the Leaf for four months already.

“I brought some yarn and needles, I thought we can knit baby clothes together.” She seems really excited about it, me not so much. I don’t even know the basics to knitting anything. Kakashi reads in the living room while I get us some tea. Eri brought different pink colors, and flower pins, and any girly accessory you can think of. Wouldn’t it be a pain if Yasuko ended up being a tomboy.

“Here I’ll show you how to start, its simple really,” Eri scoots closer to where I sit. She holds both knitting needles in front of her, and begins to gather the yarn in her hands. She moves the needles in ways that I can’t copy. She gives me my own needles, and expects me to start, but there was no way. I tried to do what she did, but I only ended up making a big knot in the yarn.

“Wow, you really suck at knitting, its not even that complicated. I think I’ll just let you do the cooking while I am in recovery from the pregnancy. Hey Kakashi why don’t you try. I’m sure you’ll become a father some day,”

I hear Kakashi choke on his tea, and closes his book. Eri laughs, “you’re the copy ninja, I’m sure after seeing it once you’ll be able to get it.

“No I can’t, I have no instincts for those kind of things,”

“You’re just like Kiyoko,” She pouts. Eri stops teasing Kakashi and continues to knit a deep pink blanket. She did however manage to teach me how to sew on a few flowers on the corners. Even though I did prick my fingers quite a few times. I walk Eri home that evening, telling Kakashi to get to bed early instead of tagging along, he was still not entirely healthy again. Though I doubt he will sleep early, he was so engrossed in his book. The cold winds were leaving quickly, this night was warmer than before. Spring was at our doorsteps, and I welcomed it with open arms. Spring time was my favorite time of the year. I remember the fourteen years that I ran around the country, the seasons were very obvious in nature. Snow covered the land, and then it melted away, the sun would beat hard on the earth, and then the leaves would turn green to red, and finally the snow would fall again. It was beautiful to watch, but spring was the best time. The fruits would be fresh and ripe weeks after winter, and the rivers would defrost. Everything came back to life, and I saw animals come out from their sleep.

“Even though you don’t have great knitting skills, I think someday you will become a great mother. Kakashi told me about the first mission you went on. You have a deep rooted love for anyone who is close to you. You’ll be become a loving mother, and a caring wife someday. It may seem scary and unreachable right now, because you have so much on your plate, but it’ll come sooner than you expect,” I see Eri rub her hand over her womb. She stops quickly.

“Touch right here, right here, you can feel her move just a bit.” She takes my hands and puts them on the spot, I felt Yasuko move around, pushing on her mother’s wall. She was in there, a new life, and soon she will be coming out of sleep like the change of seasons. The thought of having a baby wasn’t even comprehensible, and being married was unreal, I don’t think I love anyone just yet. It’ll be hard for me, to love, but I see how Eri talks about her husband sometimes, and the way she smiles when she mentions him. She loves him, and I don’t know if I’ll ever do that. We walk to her house, the lights are on, Eri told me her husband was home tonight, she had someone who waits for her.

“I can take my guesses as to who you’ll marry,” Eri winks, she runs inside before I can ask about her comment. But I hurried home, I’m sure Kakashi hasn’t gone to sleep yet, he always said goodnight before he got to bed and I didn’t want to make him wait.

That night when I get home, after saying goodnight to Kakashi, I barely get a wink of sleep. I didn’t sleep, because a very frantic looking Tomoko was sitting on my pillow. I didn’t ask, I simply let myself be summoned to Shikkotsu Forest. I was getting really tired of being dragged everywhere, but I let Tomoko drag me to the the home tree.

“What is it this time? Did you find something new?”

“Yes we did, its in the memory vault,” She goes ahead, expecting me to run after her, and I do. Maybe they were mistaken and found my mother’s book, she was real. Sage Moriko waited for us in the huge library we called the memory vault, it looked bigger than last time.

“What is it?” I ask Sage Moriko who held a book in her hands, it was medium size.

“This evening when some of the house keepers where dusting the books, one of them found a book shoved to the back. Every book is organized by last name, but this book right here is empty. There is no name on the cover, and there is no history of the person it belongs to. I don’t know who it belongs to, but the only two humans who do not have a history of their own are you and your mother. It might belong to either of you, but I can’t confirm it because I have no way of knowing.” Sage Moriko hands me the black leather book, it was empty, every single page was blank. This was either my own book or my mothers.

“Was it next to my father’s?” I ask. If the books were really alphabetically ordered, than my mother’s or my own would be near my father’s.

“No it wasn’t, it was next to the Uchiha last names. Which is why I thought it was so bizarre, you’re mother isn’t an Uchiha is she?” Sage Moriko asks.

“Of course not, she was born in the Moon Village, and she married my father who is also from the Moon Village,”

“There is something odd about the Moon Village, its just not making sense. I looked from relatives that you should be connected to, turns out your parents are first of their last names. Well your father at least we know of, there are no other relatives that are connected to you. Its starting to look like your lack of history and your mother’s were intentionally erased. Your father’s may be purposely changed, but I have no idea how anyone would be able to do it in the first place.” Tomoko bounces on her talons. So my father and mother are first of their generation, maybe they changed their last names, or something along those lines, of course my mother isn’t an Uchiha, its just meer coincident that the blank book was near them and my mother’s lack of history. Maybe she was supposed to be the chosen one instead of myself.

“You can keep it, but now that you are here I’ll teach you earth jutsus,”

“Right now? I need some sleep,”

“You can sleep all you want when you’re dead, its an old saying. There is no much training you can do one your own, so this is the place where most of your training will be done, don’t go off thinking this is going to be easy, Being the chosen one has its demands,” Sage Moriko pushes me out of the memory vault.

“I never wanted to be the chosen one,” I mumble. Thankfully she doesn’t hear what I said, and keeps pushing me outside. I wish I had at least put on my sandals, my feet are beginning to get thicker, and they were blistered a lot of the time.

At least she was finally going to teach me earth pillar spears. Through the night I studied and practiced earth pillar spears, I used the jutsu against trees, trying to penetrate them, but it was more difficult than the Sage made it look like. I had a lot of work to do, and I had to hurry my process, Tomoko said I was behind schedule. I should start learning wood technique in a couple of days. I’m sure I can use earth and water equally even if I have more water techniques than earth. It was six in the morning when she sends me back home, the empty book in hand. I hide it on my drawer making sure its at the end, it wasn’t for anyone’s eyes, but mine. I had a feeling it belonged to my mother once. And part of my still believes she loved me, it was a mother’s love after all. I couldn’t let that go, I already let go of my father.

I clean up before Kakashi wakes up. I don’t want him to see me covered in dirt, then I would really have a hard time making up excuses. I make breakfast this morning, but I don’t wait for him, I can’t anymore. I don’t have the time to do it, I need all practice time I can squeeze in. My body was tired, but after breakfast I had enough energy to go for the day. I stop by a booth to buy food pills so I could go one for the rest of the day. I see Lady Tsunade walking my way, Shizune right by her side holding the cutest pig.

“Kiyoko, just who I was looking for, Team Kakashi will be assigned another mission, could you please inform Sakura. I need to get the paperwork prepared,” She coughs a bit. Looks like she spent her night drinking a bit, but I agree and make my way to Sakura’s house. My training will wait for now, I’m headed off to another mission. This will really put me behind, three years they said, I think that would be plenty of time to master something, but beast mode, and sage art wood style, will be two obstacles I will have a hard time overcoming.

I knock on Sakura’s front door, it was her mother that opened the door. Sakura has her facial features.

“Can I help you with something?”

“Oh, I am Sakura’s teammate, Kiyoko. I’m here to tell her we’ve been assigned to a mission, and we must attend Lady Tsunade at once.”

“Come in, my lazy daughter isn’t up yet. I’ll warn you now she isn’t a pretty cherry blossom early in the morning,” I wait for a bit, I need to get ready myself.

“Oi, Sakura get up, you’ve been summoned by Lady Tsunade. Looks like you’re going on another mission. When you get back you’re gonna have to clean your room.” Her mother is pounding on the door.

“Okay, don’t scream so loudly in the morning. I’m getting ready as quickly as I can.” I hear her say. She knows where to go, so I go back home to gather all of my belongings. Kakashi has eaten his breakfast by the time I arrive, the empty bowls were stacked in the sink. I grab my pack and my weapons. Kakashi was putting on his sandals when I zip my flak jacket.

“Did you eat breakfast?” He asks, and waits for me to clip on my shoes too.

“Yes and I went to tell Sakura about the mission.” We walk to Lady Tsunade’s office in silence. Sai and Sakura are walking just ahead of us. I see Sakura yell at Sai, I just hear her yell something about not being ugly. I don’t know maybe she did wake up in a bad mood.

“You’re feeling well right? Can’t let you go on a mission if you’re still ill,” I ask him. He stops to look at me. He takes my hand, and brings it to his cheek. His temperature was back to normal.

“See, healthy. No fever. There is no need to worry about me. Lets get going,” He lets my hand go, but I gather it in my other hand. I felt like I was catching a fever instead. We all gather in Lady Tsunade’s office a few minutes later.

“Today’s mission will probably be the most dangerous one yet. A small village lining the Land of Earth, just on the other side Kannabi Bridge there has been reports of drug dealing. I’ll give you information about the prime suspect, because of this person inhabiting there, their village income of goods has dropped immensely. Team Kakashi your goal is to end this drug dealing corporation and all of their roots. Be aware that the prime suspect and owner of all the drug transport is guarded heavily, but I’m sure this team will not have a rough time. Not with Kakashi’s strategy, Sakura’s strength, Sai’s agility, and Kiyoko’s chakra. Kakashi will inform you with detail when you get closer to the village. Have a safe journey.” We bow before we exist her office. It was odd to hear her compliment us so directly, it made me worry just how difficult this mission really is. Kakashi puts the folder in his backpack, and we are off.

We’ll have to cross the Land of Fire and the Grass land before we get to the village. Drug dealing this time, I’ve learned to stay away from that business, I was always desperate for money when I was on my own, but I never did deal with two things. That was drugs and selling my body. I’ve never had to go to those extremes, I was fortunate to land a few jobs here and there, as a waitress or cleaner. I have my morals.

“How long is the journey going to take?” Sakura asks us, we weren’t in any certain formation, the danger isn’t in the journey, its in the location.

“I estimate about three days and a half just to arrive. And then return is another three days and a half. If it goes to plan we’ll be home in about eight days.” Sai says from behind. He was the quiet one of the four of us, he’s always doing something. He’s either reading a book about friendship or people interaction. If he isn’t reading then he doodles a bit.

“We pass quite a few villages, so I’m sure it won’t be too tiring,” Sakura bounces besides me, hopefully we can rest soon, the lack of sleep I got was catching up to me. I sneak another food pill.

“Kiyoko you look pretty tired already,” Sakura says.

“I couldn’t get much sleep last night, I had a feeling we would be going on a mission today,” I say.

We walk at a quick pace, nothing I couldn’t handle, we stopped a few time to take potty breaks, and eat a few foods we brought, but we were going to need to stop at a restaurant some time soon. We aren’t the only ones traveling this road, we see many other travelers on the way, some carry bigger things than others. Some look richer than others, and I avoid the stares of the people who do look our way. I don’t want someone to recognize me and start a battle.

When I was sixteen, the Moon Village got desperate to find me. They put wanted posters everywhere, I took most of them down, but every now and then villagers would attack me, trying to get the bounty that hang on my head. I heard one of them say I was worth 45 million ryo. That was money my father didn’t own. I always wondered how he could afford such a high price. They never could touch me, I always ran before it got too serious. I was fortunate enough to not be attacked in large numbers, but that was what I feared now. I’ll always have to look over my shoulder when I am not in the safety of the village. I’ve been on a handful of missions already and we haven’t been attacked directly, but that can change at any given moment. I was fine with running on my own, but now Kakashi, Sakura, and Sai are here too. I trust them though, they can handle anything that is put ahead of us. We were strong, just like Lady Tsunade said.

No one recognizes us, and we keep walking for the rest of the day. Kakashi takes us to a small past by village for dinner, and a place to stay. It was a small hotel, but my body didn’t care. Sai and Kakashi get their own room while Sakura and I share our own.

“Kiyoko I’m heading to the bath, I’ll be back quickly.” She leaves quickly, while I kick off my shoes and just lay down for a bit. I was going to close my eyes for a bit when a knock on the door wakes me.

“Room service,” a male voice says. I didn’t order anything, and I’m pretty sure Sakura didn’t either. I know for certain it wasn’t Kakashi or Sai, the voice was too deep. I grab a kunai from my pouch, and I had a water whip ready in the other hand. I use the whip to open the door, and give me enough room to evade attacks. Someone must have seen my face and remembered it from a poster. I slam the door open, and see a large man with a large bouquet of red roses and a cart. He steps back when he sees my kunai. I drop my weapons, it looked like room service.

“I am so sorry to interrupt but the gentleman from the lobby requested that you received these. It is free of charge,” he says. He slides the cart in, and sets the bouquet on top of it before he leaves. There is a silver dish on the cart, and a note write next to it.

“I’ve never seen lips as red as your’s but these roses could barely compare. I’ve never seen anyone as sweet as you, but this chocolate cake is a portion of your sweetness,” the note said. I take the lid off to see a round chocolate cake, with strawberries. The roses smelled fresh. The note had a name, the man who sent this was names Goro. I don’t take the flowers in my hands, nor do I eat the cake, I didn’t trust random gifts, especially from a stranger. I didn’t even notice a man in the lobby when we checked in. What to do with them now?

“What’s this?” Kakashi I standing at my door way.

“A man from the lobby sent it, I- I don’t know what to do with them, they could be poisoned or booby trapped or something. I’m not touching them.”

Kakashi reads the note, he crushes it in his hands.

“I’ll return them to the lobby, we can never be too sure,” Kakashi takes the cart, and I follow. I see Sakura coming back from the bath, her hair is still damp. The lady at the front desk, takes the cart back, I didn’t eat the cake but it sure did look tasty. I love chocolate, I rarely ate it, but when I did I savored every bite. Sakura and Sai come down from their rooms, bathed and ready for dinner.

“I couldn't risk it, I’ve had a bounty on my head for fourteen years, so as you can imagine its hard to trust anything when I’m on a mission,” I tell Kakashi. He smiles a bit.

“You trust me, right? And you trust Sakura and Sai and that’s all you need right now. Lets go get something to eat. We leave early tomorrow.”

We spend the rest of our journey there without another incident, taking breaks here and there, but we spend our nights beneath the stars. It was the last night before we arrive Kannabi bridge, the village would be just a few minutes after crossing. Kakashi tells us everything we need to know about our mission

“The target’s code name is Jumble. As Lady Tsunade said it is heavily guarded. She assigned us this mission instead of an ANBU team because the most guards are not jounin level. The jounin level guards are personally guarding Jumble. I’ll go over our strategy shortly, but a few pointers about the operation. The headquarters is disguised as a pub, and once a week Jumble makes his appearance there to deal face to face with some of his clients. We’ve gathered information and looked in on the next client he will be seeing. We’ll intercept that client, and I will go in his place, using transformation. Kiyoko will accompany me, she’ll be disguised as one of Jumble's many mistresses.” Me? I was beginning to feel nervous. “While we personally go in, Sakura and Sai will be standing by. You two will be positioned near the bar, taking appearance of someone else. We all are going to be under transformation for our own safety.”

“Because most guards are at chunin levels, this mission shouldn’t be too difficult, its just that we are outnumbered, that is why Kiyoko, you will use your shadow clones to our advantages. I’ll take Jumble down, while Kiyoko, Sai and Sakura, will deal with the guards. Be aware Kiyoko that most of his mistresses are his guards, and they are at jounin levels. You’ll need your jutsus to even the playing field.”

“I’ve dipped my kunai into poisonous solution so when we do intercept the client he won’t be able to attend that’ll keep him out for days,” Sakura says. Kakashi shows us a lay out of the building, Kakashi and I were going to enter down stairs, while Sakura and Sai stayed upstairs to let an opening for us when the battling does begin.

“Sakura make sure you don’t make the floor collapse, we’ll be down there,” Kakashi says. She nods. Her strength is deadly. After our briefing we call it a night, but I couldn’t sleep. I was nervous for tomorrow. I tossed and turned, but my mind was full. I could end up fighting a jounin tomorrow, and I am still a chunin. And I have to act and be a mistress none the less. I don’t like the idea of belonging to a drug dealer, but it was only for one mission. Laying under the night sky would usually rock me to sleep, but tonight it just made me feel exposed. I walk just a few steps away from camp, when I noticed Kakashi wasn’t there. He was leaning on a tree close to me.

“You couldn’t go to sleep either.” Kakashi had his blanket on top of him.

“No, I’m feeling a little nervous,” I sit beside him, feeling his heat soothe my nerves. If he was close by tomorrow I think I’ll be able to pull through.

“If its tough, you don’t have to do it. I-”

“No, I can do it. I can.”

Kakashi takes half of his blanket and throws it over me, making me scoot closer to him. Our thighs and shoulders touched, and it reminded of me of the time we slept under the same blanket.

“Why aren’t you sleeping?”

“Tomorrow we’ll cross Kannabi bridge, and it was there that Obito’s life ended. I can’t help but remember that day like it happened just yesterday. I’m remembering the promise I wasn’t able to keep, he must be so angry with me,”

“He did say he wanted to look into the future with you, well there was peace after the war wasn’t there, and thanks to the destruction of that bridge the Leaf won the war. I think you’ve done more than enough repaying the broken promise. You couldn’t do anything about what happened to Rin, she went to war knowing she could die, and she sacrificed herself for the village, I can’t think of a death more fitted for a shinobi. They both risked their lives for the greater good, and they death surely aren’t in vain,” I say. Kakashi puts an arm around my shoulder, bringing me to his side. I felt his body rumble in a quiet laughter.

“When did you become so wise? You’ve grown so much in four months, its almost unbelievable,” He laughs again, but I don’t say anything. I enjoy his laughter and his presence before today’s fatigue finally catches up to me.

Kakashi’s POV

She always knew the right thing to say, she was a caring woman, and a wise one. Her experience and pain has molded her, and rather than hide them away she used her experience to her advantage. She’s beautiful with her words, she doesn’t realize the affect she has on others. Her innocence attracts others who are consumed in darkness, and I for one have been one of those. I am nothing more than a shinobi who has seen the color red too many times, but she soaks it all away. When she talks my worries vanish, and when she smiles I can’t explain the affect she has on me.

I was so furious to know I am not the only one who sees her. Those roses and sweets made me want to wrap her in a blanket so no one else can see what I selfishly want for myself. I know tomorrow will be nerve wracking for her, and I should move her to guard upstairs, but I can’t let her out of my sight tomorrow. I want her my my side when we battle. Kiyoko lays her head on my shoulder when she finally falls asleep. Her body curls onto mine, looking for the heat that protects her in the open sky. I feel her hands curl into my sleeve, I didn’t let her go that night either.

Kiyoko’s POV

When I wake that early morning, Kakashi has already packed everything but his blanket. I see Sakura and Sai folding their gear back in their packs as well. Sakura wears a huge grin on her ear, but I ignore it as I fold Kakashi’s blanket and give it back to him. Today was the day of the mission and anything can go. I tie my hair back, making sure I have a clear view of all of my surroundings. Kannabi bridge was ten minutes away and the village was about twelve minutes away.

“I want all you to take your flak jacket and your forehead protector off. I don’t want the enemy to know we are from the Leaf Village. We’ll come into contact with the client shortly after we cross the bridge so be prepared. We’ll stop them and I’ll go in place of him. We’ll follow the strategy we went over yesterday,” Kakashi takes his forehead protector off. I begin to take my own off, without my gear it will be hard to know what village I belong to. We dash through the trees getting to the bridge quickly.

“Kiyoko when I give you the signal, I want you to use your wild water wave, and drench all of the enemies. I’ll use my chidori to electrocute them, that way we use the least amount of chakra before we transform into our character.” I nod to Kakashi’s plan. Sai is posted on top of a tree, with his super beast scroll animals close at hand. Sakura is hidden well under the bridge, she can knock it down with a powerful fist or two. Kakashi’s and I wait on opposite ends on the bridge, I can see him clearly for the signal. I had my wild water wave ready in my mouth, the amount and chakra level were balanced, just the signal was needed to let it all go. We wait some time before I sense people coming over the bridge, I look at Kakashi. He had his hand up, as he looked over a bit to see the client and his guards. My heartbeat felt stronger, but I shooed it away. I need to concentrate. I wanted to start a mission on a great jutsu. I can hear the crunch of the dirt on the pavement very clearly, any second now.

I see Kakashi give me the sign, I get to my feet, finally letting the water wave drench the enemy. There were four of them, and they were out like a light when Kakashi used my water to make the lightning travel faster. Sakura and Sai come out of hiding.

“Wow never seen them go down so quickly, its not even fun,” Sakura says.

“Sai use one of your snake beasts to tie them up, we have to make sure they don’t show up to meeting,” Kakashi goes through a briefcase one of the guys had. He must be the client that Kakashi will later transform into. All of the paperwork was there, all the orders and money, everything was set. Next stage is to capture and detain one of the mistress that I will go in as. We can’t have two of the same mistress going in. It was going to be hard, but there was a restroom in there, one of them is bound to go in there at some point. We run to the pub that is located near the edge of the village. It looked like a regular pun if you didn’t know any different. We stopped far enough to change our appearance for the time being, I pictured myself with red hair instead, and black eyes, I changed my height as well, I made sure I didn’t look anything like myself. Even my clothing was differentiated. I pictured a normal villager with average proportions. I didn’t want to attract too much attention. Sakura and Sai change as well, Sai transformed into a woman, a very beautiful woman, I hope he doesn’t attract too much attention.

“Change into a man!” Sakura complains.

“Why? I think changing it up a bit is healthy. I read in a book that if a woman looks better than yourself, you tend to get insecure. Are you insecure Sakura?”

“Oh shut up,” She pouts. Sakura’s transformation is well done, all of ours are. Sai changes into man to Sakura’s request. Kakashi transformed into what looked like an average working man who was going to the pub for a drink. He had working clothes on, and handkerchief around his neck. I’m surprised he didn’t put a mask over his transformation. Kakashi’s hair was brown and long. His face was exposed and tan. We all looked like strangers.

We were going to wait for a mistress to go to the bathroom, then Sakura and I will ambush her in there. I’ll contain her with a water whip while Sakura punches her lights off.

“Just don’t kill her,” I tell Sakura as we walk to the pub. She gives me the thumbs up. Kakashi extends his elbow for me. I look up at him, his new face smiles for me, and takes my hand. He makes me grab his elbow.

“We’ll attract less attention this way,” He says. I nod, and walk a bit closer to him. I see Sai’s arm around Sakura’s shoulder. In their present transformed appearance they looked like a real couple, but if people only knew how different those two were. We enter the pub, I held my breath for a bit. The air was thick with smoke, and alcohol was everywhere. Sakura and Sai follow us to a table near the window. I looked around for the mistresses that were supposed to be the drug dealer’s guards. They stand out immediately, their figures are larger than average, they were beautiful. I lean closer to Kakashi, “those are them aren’t they?”

He nods. I keep an eye on them, but not making it too obvious. A waitress comes to give us a few drinks, Sakura and Sai know better than to touch them, but I force myself to drink a bit. It would be awkward to not drink at a pub. Kakashi drinks his quickly. At the far side of the pub a mistress guard begins to walk in the direction of the bathroom. Kakashi pushes me a little out of the booth, and Sakura and I make our way to get her. The bathroom are small, making is easier for us to capture her since we are both good at close combat.

Sakura closes the bathroom door behind us, using her strength to contort the knob so no one else can come in. The mistress was adjusting herself in front of the mirror, especially making her chest look it was going to fall out of her short dress. I wish I didn’t have to look like that in a few moments. Sakura handed me a lipstick she packed, while she applied some lotion. We stood on either side of the mistress. She leans into the mirror just a bit too close and I give Sakura the sign to make contact. She acts quickly, Sakura pushes the mistress into the mirror, hard enough to get her off balanced. I have my water whip around her quickly, she struggles, but I’ve managed to seal her mouth with my water nature. Part two is complete, thanks to the information we had before hand we know there is a window we can jump out of, that is where Kakashi and Sai will meet us, and we’ll move to the last part of the mission. Thankfully everything has been going the way we planned it, and I pray it ends well.

We drag the mistress’s body to a bush, away from the main road. I remove my transformation, and see Sai and Kakashi waiting for us. The mistress struggles in the jutsu, thankfully we didn’t knock her out completely, we still needed a little more information that could help us. Kakashi kept his eye closed, but he was going to use his sharingan to put her under a genjutsu. I take her in, making sure I get the hair length right, and the color of every fiber she wears. I can’t make a simple mistake in there. Her eyes were gold, and her hair was the tad green, her breast made mine feel small, and her figure was much more accentuated than normal women. She had a facial mark on one of her eyelids. I make sure to add it to my transformation.

I tighten my whip when I see her trying to escape more desperately. I wish I didn’t have to do it so brutally but this was a mission and Kakashi told me I can’t let my emotions get the best of me while I was on a mission. Kakashi knees in front of her, and reveals his sharingan, her body goes limp a few seconds later. I let my jutsu fall, but Sai wraps her in one his snakes, I should learn how to detach my jutsu like that as well. We wait on guard as Kakashi gathers the information she had on the drug dealer.

“She wasn’t a ninja, but she was a mistress. Her name is Aimi, so if you hear someone call you, Kiyoko go. She know that out of the ten mistress he has at the moment, only four are jounin, so this will work out on our favor. The client is supposed to be here in five minutes, so Kiyoko transform into Aimi and go back through the window and back to the others. I will enter with Sai and Sakura as the client, and they’ll be my bodyguard.They will wait upstairs like instructed, and I will go down. We all know the plan.”

“Sakura and Sai, its important to not act too hastily, when you sense danger act as you two see fit, but try to hold back. Don’t let the guards block the only exit we have. The later we are revealed the better.”

The nod, and we transform as needed. Sai and Sakura as the client’s body guards, and Kakashi turns into the man we electrocuted earlier. A tall old man, his hair is barely attached to his scalp. He looked like he needed to go back home. I transform into Aimi, feeling very much exposed. I look at Kakashi once more before I hop back through the bathroom window. I look at myself in the mirror, everything looked identical to the real Aimi. I tug at the short skirt, and walk a few steps with her heels to get used to them. I’ve never worn heels before. I’ll just have to make sure I don’t act too differently. I open the bathroom door, the knob was destroyed, no one could go in anymore, one the door closed it stayed closed. I walk back to rest of the girls who looked very much like me.

“I was just about to get you. The client is about to arrive,” a girl with short black hair tells me.

“Sorry, I’m not feeling to well,” I say with my new voice, its very dainty and clean. I try to remember how I sound like.

I sit with two other girls, there were only four of us, and I think the rest are waiting downstairs with Jumble the drug dealer. A few minutes later I see Sakura, Sai, and Kakashi walk in, their transformation was perfect, I follow the girls to them, where we guide them to an area behind the bar. It curls behind, and the staircase is leading down, I look around, making sure I remember my way out. Hopefully it was taller and wider downstairs. Kakashi, the client follows without hesitation, they all look completely comfortable.

“My two guards will wait for me upstairs, if that is alright with you lovely ladies,” the client says. They smile at Kakashi, and let Sai and Sakura stand by the entrance of the stairs, I walk down with the rest of the girls. Kakashi in the middle of us, a briefcase in hand. We arrive to the base, it extended quite a bit, it was like a small apartment down here. A man sat in a large chair, the mistresses who I presume were jounin where located near him. The drug dealer, wasn’t to old, he was a middle aged man, a had a cigarette between his teeth. He looked very familiar, I’m sure I have seen him somewhere. It scared me that I knew him somehow. I held my hands in front of me, to make sure they didn’t tremble. Kakashi took a seat in front of the man, setting the briefcase to his side. We stood on the other side of him.

“Aimi, Ran, go help the girls with the tea. We’ll brew the finest for our guest,” the man says. I follow Ran to the kitchen where other very similarly dressed girl began making side snacks. She turned when we entered, and I see her face. I feel my heart stop, and I freeze where I stand, I can feel my body go cold. I was going to throw up right in the spot, she stood there, my old friend who I thought died many years ago, Suzu.

“Do you not feel well Aimi?” She asks. I remember I am not Kiyoko at the moment, and I gulp all the feelings and questions I have. I shake my head, and begin brewing the tea, along side of her. She was there, her brown hair was a little longer now, but she kept it short. Her eyes were not so young and innocent anymore. She must be a jounin mistress, and eventually I will have to end her. I couldn’t do it, I panic at the thought of her dieing again in front of me. I looked out to see Kakashi talking, I don’t know if I could go through with this.

I saw her die right in front of me, I even checked for a pulse. I confirmed her death, I killed the men who did it. It clicks, that man, the drug dealer was one of the mist ninja who attacked us. He somehow survived, and there we was, dealing and using women. I lean on the counter, trying to keep my transformation from crumbling. I see Suzu place her hand on my shoulder, she was trying to comfort me. I was going to burst out in tears, she was alive! She was healthy and she was here beside me. How did she survive what looked like a fatal attack?

“Please do bring out the tea ladies,” the man says. I place the cups on the tray, and follow Suzu and Ran back to the main room. Kakashi eyes me, I knew I’ll have to be aware of his signal. He could attack at any moment and I feared the time will come sooner than later. They talked, but I didn’t pay much attention to their conversation, I could only concentrate on Kakashi’s hands.

I am a ninja, I am a ninja. I have to endure the pain, I have to endure the pain. I can’t let my emotions blind me. I can’t let the past affect the future. I kept repeating that in my head, trying to convince myself. All the guilt I felt when I failed to keep my promise, was it all a waste? Has she been living a good life? I hope she has, I always wanted to show her my skills when I finally did become a jounin, but it seems I’ll show her my chunin level jutsus instead. I pray she doesn’t attack me, I hope we don’t end up fighting at all.

The time came to trade the drugs for the money, Kakashi grabbed the briefcase, I knew what held inside, it was nothing but paper bombs. I’ve already began to form the water base for my wild water wave in my mouth. I see Kakashi give me the standby signal. The man, a former mist ninja and current drug dealer, sets the briefcase in front of him, I position my self just a bit away from the rest. The briefcase is opened just a bit, when Kakashi gives me the signal. I let my jutsu hit as many as the enemies as I can, knocking almost all of them down. I’ve counted nine mistresses, and only four of them are jounin. I hear the bomb go off, and then I hear the screams of civilians upstairs. The four women already have their weapons in hands, all of them did, of course they all know how to fight, some were just more skilled than others. I have my shadow clones within seconds, as long as I keep my transformation Suzu won’t know its me, but it was getting difficult to maintain it.

I see Kakashi fighting with the drug dealer, I knew it would be them two, water against lightning, it would help if one of my shadow clones would use earth against him, but I couldn’t let anyone know I knew earth jutsu. It was strictly against the rules Sage Moriko has put. I fight what looked like a jounin, she was quick, very quick, but I kept up. Kakashi was faster and I’ve trained myself to keep up. She throws a kunai, to get me off balanced, but I use the wall to bounce right back. I kick the kunai right back to her, it skims her shoulder. She uses a fire jutsu, but I use a tearing torrent to put it out. I see one of my shadow clone defeat one of the mistresses. The ones who weren’t skilled went down quickly, four of them remained and Suzu was among them. I made the mistake to turn, and my opponent lands a painful throw to my stomach, it makes my transformation disappear, and reveals the real me. I gather my strengths again, and use a water whip to trip my enemy, the pointed water goes through her leg.

In the corner of my eye I see Suzu frozen on front of my shadow clone. She looks my way like she knows which one is the real me, and there is nothing in her eyes. It seems like time has changed her as well.

“Kiyoko?” I hear her say. The sound of my name makes it harder to concentrate. I use a tearing torrent to end my battle, my two shadow clones were battling, while Suzu came closer to me.

“I thought you died, I-” I began to say, but stop when I see her grind her teeth in anger. She came at me with full force, making me fall onto the ground, and hit my head on the concrete floor. My vision faulted for a bit. She held me down, the kunai held against my throat. She looked like a different person, there is nothing left in her.

“You left me to die! I was still alive, and you left me! I became that disgusting ninja’s pleasure toy. I trusted you! I couldn't go back home, my family probably thinks I died in battle! I am stuck here, and its all your fault!” She presses the kunai a little harder.

“I’ll help you get out of here. You can escape now, I truly thought you died, Suzu I’m so sorry,”

“I can’t leave. He said if I tried he would hunt me down. I have a child Kiyoko! His child! Its not so easy anymore.” Suzu wasn’t letting the kunai away from my throat, a shadow clone pulls her off of me, but her tears are falling, and all the will to fight her has vanished. I left her, and he took advantage of her. She had a child now, but there was no happiness in her eyes, if I hadn’t left her she and I would have been taken in the Leaf, and she wouldn’t have to go through any of this.

“I saw what you turned into, a monster. You’re a monster now and you were a monster then, and because you’re a danger to everyone, I’ll kill you. I am going to kill that monster you have in there, and I’ll let you die slowly. You’ll know all the pain I had to go through except you die here,” she snarls, and I desperately search for Suzu, but hatred has consumed her. She wasn’t coming back untiI die, or until she dies. I don’t want to die, and I won’t kill her. I can’t.

“Suzu, please try to open your eyes, I don’t want to harm you. Please!” I beg. I hear two more bodies drop, and I see Sakura and Sai end the long battle between my shadow clones and the other enemies. Suzu sealed her hands before her hand began to change. Rock covered her right arm, and then she came charging.

Sakura comes to my aid, as she kicks her, but Suzu grabs her ankle and throws her to the side. Something in me beats sense back into me as I see Sakura collide with the wall, but Sai managed to soften the hit with a super beast scroll. If she intends to hurt Sakura, Sai, or Kakashi then I have to stop her. I have to save the person I thought she was, not the person she became.

“Try to remember the person you were! Suzu wanted to save the kids from war, she wouldn’t want to fight a friend!”

“Don’t try to reason with me! You haven’t gone through what I have been through! Why did you get the future you wanted and I didn’t.” She strikes at my head, and I easily dodge it, her tears weren’t helping her, and I make a water whip that wrapped her rock hand and held it behind her. I hold her against a wall.

“You don’t know what I have been through either, it hasn’t been fun and games for me. I struggled, and I almost didn’t make it to where I am, but I’m not making excuses. Please don’t make me fight you, Suzu.”

I feel the jutsu in her hand fall to floor between our legs.

“There is no need for us to talk anymore. You are no longer the girl I met in the cave, you are a monster, who only turned away when you saw I needed help. You could have saved me, but you left me! Why did you run? How am I supposed to go on this way?” Suzu looked at her shaking hands in front of her. She was going to break, I could tell she wasn’t in the best conditions for the past years, and I felt at fault for everything she has been through.

“You can get out now! Take your baby and go back home! Your family would be so glad to see you, just take your baby and get out of here before you end up dead,” I start to pull her to the stairs. I can’t let her die, no I can’t. That baby needs her mother, and she needed to get out of here. Please god, don’t let anything happen to her.

“Is this what you wanted? If I had known you were going to become who you are now, I would have killed you in that cave.” She spits in my face, Her words didn’t make sense, what is happening to her, she’s losing her mind. Maybe seeing me put her into a shock, maybe she sees the beast in me rather than Kiyoko.

“There is nothing left here. Nothing. You took it all away. You took my innocent, and my freedom. You stole what belonged to me,” Suzu mumbled. I see more guards flood in, but Sakura and Sai take care of them while Kakashi dealt with the drug dealer. He was good to stand against Kakashi for so long. It felt heavy in my chest, like I wasn’t getting enough air, I couldn’t function right by looking at her. She was shutting down, and it felt like I was going down with her.

I tried to remember the way she felt so passionate about. She was Suzu the savior of all children, she was going to set this waring world straight. Suzu talked about peace, the peace we all think of, and at the time I believed every word she said. We were going to travel the country, and learn powerful techniques to fight the evil doers and save the innocent. We were to protect the harmless, and justice. We were foolish and childish because this is what it has boiled down to. Suzu and I, we didn’t even come close to achieving our dreams, they never even began.

“Is this what you wanted Suzu? Is this what you really turned out to be?” I say to myself, she trembled at my feet, all of her anger turned into shock. I felt lost, what am I supposed to do, how am I supposed to snap her out of her state?

Suzu saved me from enemies who wanted to kill us. She threw herself in battle, but now in the middle of battle she stared blankly at my feet. I was more afraid of the lack of response from her than her anger. Has she turned off her emotions by just one look of my face? Was I that horrible to remember? Was this the power of the beasts’ monstrous intimidation? I don’t know if she cowered away from me, the monster, or herself. I couldn’t possibly know, but I could feel my heart break. It wasn’t until I feel a kunai pass by my head that I remember I am in enemy’s territory. I feel blood trickle down my cheek.

“What are you doing just standing there? Move before you get seriously hurt,” I hear Kakashi yell. I turn to see him using chidori on his opponent. It goes through the drug dealer’s chest, that was it for that battle. Sakura and Sai were hard at work, trying to cover my back as I stupidly stood there. I did what Kakashi never wanted me to do, I was letting my emotions blind me from the mission. I had to help them with the load, I use my tearing torrent on an enemy close to me, and stop a guard from attacking Sai from his back. Kakashi jumps into the fight, making it end much quicker with my water nature and his lightning nature.

It ended up being a successful mission after all, all of the enemies have been taken care of, everyone but Suzu.

“Its going to happen again isn’t it,” She kept whispering to herself.

“What are we going to do with her?” Sai asks as he takes his sword out of his holder.

“No!” I run up to Suzu, sai stops. I was going against the Leaf’s orders I know. But I couldn’t let them kill her, I know she was in there somewhere. I know the Suzu I remember still lived, she was just shocked. That is all.

“Suzu saved my life, and now I’m going to save her’s.” I stand a bit taller.

“Kiyoko. th-”Sakura begins but is cut off by Kakashi.

“Sakura, I want you to check upstairs for any enemies left. Sai go and check the perimeter. I’ll deal with this,” Kakashi says. Sai leaves immediately, but Sakura hesitates for a bit but leaves as well. I can’t read Kakashi clearly, there is no way knowing what he will do, but I couldn’t let her die. I didn’t want to leave her again.

“She is the enemy now Kiyoko, she isn’t the girl you met in the cave that day,” Kakashi tries to get closer, but I try to get closer to her. I can’t let her get hurt again. I tried to feel strong, but I was going against Kakashi. He sighs when he sees my resistance.

“Kiyoko, we can’t take her back with us. She is unstable and she is dangerous.”

“But you took me in when I was dangerous and unstable. What is the difference now?”

Suzu has stopped shaking, but she kept quiet behind me.

“That was different. We took you back because of the beast-”

“So that is the only reason you took me in. Its not because I needed help, its all because I have this power. That is all anyone cares for power! Am I not Kiyoko? I’m just the vessel to the beast, right? That is all that matters anyways.”

It hurt more than I thought it would when I said those things and Kakashi didn’t deny them. It was like someone punched my throat.

“Kiyoko. It wasn’t like that. I-”

“I can’t stand being here anymore. If we’re going to leave, can we leave, but she stays alive. That is the only way I can repay her,” I don’t wait for an answer. I rush to the exit of that damn pub, trying to make sense of what I feel. And trying to mask the tears that so desperately wanted to fall.

I couldn’t sleep the three days back home. I couldn’t no matter how tired I felt, I was afraid I would dream of Suzu. I thought about her of course but I was more scared of my dreams than my reality.In my dreams my mind would run wild, and I couldn’t control it. It showed me what I didn’t want to see, but at least if my eyes are open I see things I at least wouldn’t mind seeing. I didn’t mind watching the sunrise and set every day. I didn’t mind seeing the squirrels run around.

But I couldn’t force myself to look at Kakashi. I didn’t mind if he was angry with me or ignoring me. I could deal with that, but if he was disappointed in me, that was something I can’t bear to handle. Just like I couldn’t bear the look Suzu gave me. I felt like all anyone would see was the beast in me, I was living in its shadow not the other way around like it should be. I can’t outrun my own shadow after all. I didn’t expect to feel fear though.

I was afraid if their kindness was genuine or not. I was scared to know if they only thought of me as that person who held power. I thought it would be different in the Leaf, and it frightens me that I am beginning to doubt my place. My father’s words come back to mid he always told me I never belonged. And I was thinking he was right. I shouldn’t be thinking this way anymore, I was trying to put it behind me but trust is something hard to keep. And maybe I broke their trust in me. Regret filled in me, I should have dealt it differently. All of this was making me remember my darkest moments, and if I didn’t find something to do I was going to explode. Not knowing was almost unbearable, not knowing how tomorrow will end. Or how it will start. Sakura tried to approach me but she couldn’t find the words to talk to me. She stayed by my side though, I didn’t feel so alone.

Sai and Kakashi they weren’t so talkative, all of stayed quiet for most of the trip, and when the Leaf finally came into view, I became a little nervous at the thought of facing Lady Tsunade. We make our way to her office quickly I’m sure we all wanted to get home and rest, I did, but I doubt I will rest anytime soon. eight days have past and I’m sure I’ll be called to Shikkotsu Forest as soon as I get home, I was behind on my training big time. Tomoko and Sage Moriko are going to grind me on wood technique, I wouldn’t be surprise if they put a shadow clone in my place just so I could be at two place at once. I enter Lady Tsunade along with Kakashi, Sakura, and Sai. It was late morning and she held a tea cup in her hands.

“I assume the mission went well,”

“Yes, there were no incidents. Everything went according to plan,” Kakashi says. Little relief is brought to me when he doesn’t mention Suzu.

“Kakashi you can submit your written report later, get some rest it was a long journey,” Lady Tsunade says. We all make it back to our home, but I walk a bit farther behind Kakashi, I haven’t looked at his face since that incident. My mind wanders to Suzu? How is she doing? Will she be okay, will her baby be okay?

The guilt lingered in the back of my mind, she was alive why didn’t I save her now that I can? I should have brought her to the Leaf, and if they wouldn’t accept her, then I would have gone off with her. I would, well at least I think I would. I don’t know if I would give up all I have gained here. I don’t think I can leave Kakashi, or Sakura, or Hinata. I don’t think I would be able to choose between Suzu and the Leaf. I was afraid to know the answer.

“You would leave Suzu on her own. That is the answer, all of us know humans are selfish and you wouldn’t let this go,” the beast grins in the back of my head. I feel sick to my stomach, its been such a long time since he talked to me, I was beginning to think he would leave me alone, but this was the perfect situation for him to appear.

“I was beginning to wonder where those two ended up,” He continues.

“You let them live on purpose?” I thought. He laughs, “Of course I did, it went like I thought it would. Better actually. I always planned on you and the other girl to meet again. Its a small world afterall, but that mist ninja was a bonus.” He laughs loudly in my head, making it hard to concentrate on my surroundings. His presence was suffocating. He wanted me to meet her again, knowing she would react this way. It was evil that could only be guided by an evil doer. He was waiting, that is why he has been so quiet.

“About mastering the beast mode, don’t even try, I’ll kill you before you blink an eye. And if you die who would know what could happen to Kakashi. Or to Suzu, and her baby,” the beast is serious, like he is trying to intimidate me and it was working. I will never let him touch anyone, I’ll kill him.

“You can’t even land a scratch on me little Kiyoko.” I stumble up the stairs, it seems like the distance between Kakashi and I was only getting bigger. I gripped the rail, the beast was trying to overwhelm me, it was hard to get up these damn stairs.

“If I try hard enough, I’ll become stronger than you,” I say with strength. I hear him growl, a very deep and angry growl ripped through my absent minded head. It made me throw up the minimal food I had in my stomach. My bile spills on the concrete stairs that I stood on. I was light headed, maybe from the lack of rest and food or maybe because the beast was doing this to me.

“I kept quiet for a long time, watching you become stronger. I can’t let you go on anymore,” he threatens me with an image. An image of me ripping myself apart, while I turned into a monster.

“So you feel threatened by my progress, it just means I’m getting stronger, and I won’t need you anymore. Its true, I don’t need you. So just stay quiet, will you?” I snicker when he doesn’t respond. I regain my strengths, but I feel a lot more tired now than before. Everytime he makes his presence, he takes some of my energy with me.

I get to the apartment, Kakashi was locked away in his room. I clean up, taking a very long shower. My head hurt from thinking too much, I just wished I could not think at all for a bit. I close my eyes and relax, feeling the hot water soak away all the stress.

“We can’t wait for ever. Hurry up and shower, time is wasting,” I hear Tomoko say. I have a mini heart attack, and see Tomoko standing on the toilet. What does she think is doing? I am trying to relax, but she was right I didn’t have that luxury anymore. I was to begin wood style as soon as possible, and that is today.

“Well I would get out as soon as I finish my shower and get something to eat. I’ll summon you once I am done, so can you please leave. I don’t like being so bare in front of someone,” I say. Tomoko vanishes in a cloud of white. I finish my shower, and get dressed, I still felt light headed, and I rushed to the kitchen to make something to eat before I summon Tomoko. I make rice balls enough to fill four people up. Kakashi should eat too, I wonder if he would still eat dinner with me, or is he too disappointed to even stand to be in the same room? I don’t know how to apologize to him, I betrayed his trust didn’t I? I hope he doesn’t think I am an enemy. I leave the rice balls on the table, before I make my way to the door.

“Kiyoko, we need to talk,” I hear Kakashi say. He stands behind me.

“I have to do a few things, can we talk about it some other time,” I say, and grab the door knob. Kakashi grabbed my wrist.

“This can’t wait, and I’m not letting you go until you hear. I can’t let you go on like this,” he says. Kakashi looks tired, we both are. I let him pull me to the living room. I sit besides him.

“We couldn’t save her, just try to understand that. I know it was insensitive to say what I said, but I’m going to be honest. It was the truth, this is the truth. I am not a kind person, I do what I am told, and it only becomes difficult if my beliefs get in the way. This is the way the world works, we take what we think will benefit us and leave what doesn’t. We took you in partly because you are a jinchuuriki, but Naruto he knows the pain you felt. He connects to everyone he meets, good or bad, and he couldn’t leave you. And if he was here, then he wouldn’t have left Suzu, but he isn’t. And years from now you might regret it, but you live with your regrets.” Kakashi looked so exposed, his body was facing mine, he didn’t wear his mask. I saw his lips move when he talked.

“But let me make one thing very clear. I don’t have one regret of taking you in, and its not because I care about the beast in you. You’re strong, and caring. You protect, but don’t for a second believe you aren’t worthy enough to even be here. I will always protect you. You, Kiyoko, the master water nature jutsu ninja. Kiyoko the fabulous cook. Kiyoko the horrible knitter. Kiyoko the caretaker. Kiyoko the human. I could care less of the beast, but you I care for. You belong here, in this house. Every second you spent here, were seconds not wasted, and you have to believe it. No matter how hard the burden of living with your past, you don’t have to do it on your own. I’m here to share your burden, I’m here to stop you from running. I’m here to make sure you stay here, sane and safe, and I do it because I want to.”

It was difficult to hear him say it because no one has ever said it to me. He was here because he wants to, and I was so grateful to know he sees me as Kiyoko. I belonged here, with Kakashi, in this house, beside him. Kakashi brings me in his arms as I let my tears fall. The tears that shed for Suzu, and for my own insecurities, but mostly for Suzu. She was alone right now, while I was in Kakashi’s arms. But I can finally breathe easy just for now, just knowing what he thinks makes me feel a lot better. This was the reality of my life, I was taken in by chance, and I was lucky to have been brought in. It shouldn’t be this way, the world shouldn’t be so selfish. In some ways I had the beast to thank for this life I live now, but I was going to have this burden for the rest of my life. For the longest time, I thought I would have to live my life alone and carry the beast forever, but I’m no longer carrying it alone. Kakashi is sharing it with me, and back then I wouldn’t have believed him, but so far he hasn’t broken a promise. He was trying to repay for the promises he broke in his past. I was trying to keep mine, and we needed each other to keep going. Was this what the girls talked about in the hot springs the other day. Is this what it meant to have someone special. Kakashi was special and precious to me, that was the truth.

“Whatever is bothering you, when ever I’m open ears, and closed mouth. I’ll never tell a soul. I can tell something else is bothering you,” He looks down at me, a small smile brightens his face. Sometimes I wonder if Kakashi can read minds.

“The beast talked to me just a while I ago, its been so long it threw me off a bit,”

“What did it tell you?”

“He- he let them live on purpose. He knew someday I would see Suzu again, but that it just fell into play perfectly. I don’t know how he could know this would happen. He’s tormenting me. I know he wants me to rip myself apart.”

Kakashi holds me tighter, “but you aren’t weak enough to let him and I’ll make sure of it too.”

I nod, and Kakashi finally pulls away to wipe my tears away. His hand was warm, and comforting. I wanted to stay a bit longer, but I had to go to Shikkotsu Forest. I wanted to tell him where I always go off to, but I couldn’t. He swore he would never tell anyone, and I believed him, it was Sage Moriko who didn’t want anyone to know about my training.

“I’ll go get a few groceries, there are rice balls in the kitchen. I’ll be back in a few hours. I think I’ll swing by Eri’s house for a bit too,” I say as I stand from his embrace. He nods and makes his way to the kitchen. I grab my things and go to the nearest training ground. I summon Tomoko quickly, she popped out, looking very impatient.

“Took you long enough, now make a shadow clone, and lets go,” she says. I do as she says and send my clone to do the things I said I would do. Tomoko sends us to Shikkotsu Forest in a jiffy, I could really feel their impatience on being behind. We are west of home tree, this part of the forest is not so dense anymore. The scent is different here, sweeter, like maple. Sage Moriko sits on trunk of a fallen tree. It looked neglected almost, but I’m sure Sage Moriko would never neglect her forest.

“No time for greetings, come here Kiyoko, lets begin wood style technique.” Sage Moriko motions me to the center of the large open ground. Tomoko flies to near tree to get out of our way. I was getting a bit nervous.

“Wood release is different from all of the elements, and from all kekkei genkai. It is formed by simultaneously combining earth based chakra in one hand and water based chakra in the other. The user’s body is converted as the life force, which is why it is so difficult to control. That is why many who tried didn’t go back home alive. If your body is not strong then it will consume you, but it must be flexible to grow with your jutsu. Earth is strong, water is flexible. I’ll show you how to create a simple wood style vegetation. I use water nature in my left and earth nature in my right. I concentrate my chakra at my palm, and use my regular chakra right after I combine my palms, that will give it the energy it needs to grow wood. Like an earth style jutsu you must use your ground to grow the jutsu, and use water and your chakra to feed it, so it will grow strong like my home tree,” She says. I feel three different chakra inside Sage Moriko, all very distinct and strong. Her water chakra is present on her hand, and the earth chakra in the other, and behind both of her nature chakra is her own chakra, waiting to infuse.

I see as she connects both her hands, and then a tree begins to bend from the ground, growing quickly. A chakra grown tree stood there in front of me.

“If you do not take this seriously this life force will take over you, but I don’t think you need to worry about it, for a long time you have challenged taking control of a very powerful beast inside of you without help of a seal, so this shouldn’t be a problem for you. I even think you have stronger chakra than myself, so wood release should come easily to you,” she smiles in encouragement. I take a deep breath, it was my turn.

Strong and flexible. Earth and water. Life. I do as she says, using water nature chakra in my right palm and earth nature chakra in my left. She was opposite than me. Maybe she learned earth first and then water, so she switched her hands. I use what feel most comfortable for me. I can feel Sage Moriko stare at me, but I close my eyes to picture my own chakra split into two sides evenly. If I infuse it with my water too much or my earth like won’t be able to grow.

I choose a place to use my ground, I finally let my chakra combine, using my chakra as the life force. I open my eyes, and see a small tree grow from the ground beneath me, I fed it my chakra and it grew taller. I could hear a gasp, but I didn’t know if it came from Sage Moriko or Tomoko. I stop when I hear a clap. I turn to see a giant smile on Sage’s face. It felt good to cause that smile, since she is always grinding me to learn quickly.

“I knew it. You’re slow when it came to learning earth, but wood style came naturally to you, didn’t it. I was the same. Water was difficult to learn, but wood was easier. How did you feel?”

I stare at my hands, which are slightly pink from my nature chakra infusing, but I no longer felt so nervous. I could actually do this.

“Its not so difficult to control my chakra,”

“Well of course not. Your chakra control is incredible. Hashirama was just a bit older that you when he mastered this technique, and I believe you will master it quickly too. You two have similarities with your life force, but I might dare to say that your’s is stronger. And heavens only know why,” she compliments me, which is extremely odd. I was curious to know just how strong Hashirama was, especially because he was seen as a god. Maybe after practice Sage Moriko will let me read his history for a bit.

“Again. You must get comfortable with wood release that it will soon be second nature. And your jutsus will be even more powerful.”

I go on for hours, with breaks in between, and snacks are brought often. Because I am a life force it uses more chakra than any other jutsus. I was beginning to feel a bit more comfortable with woos release, I was afraid that it would be impossible for me, but as Sage said moments ago I have to be more confident with my power. My own power, not the beast.

“You are your own person, and no beast can ever define you. That is why you use your chakra for yourself, its all you, so be more confident with your skills. Its okay to realize your strengths and weaknesses,” she said. I am shy when it comes to showing what I can do, but when it came to protecting people I care for, I won’t hold back. I can’t anymore, I’m the savior of this world and I just have to embrace it. Sage Moriko would be so glad to hear my thoughts, I have accepted my fate, but I will control it am my will. It is my life I choose to live it the way I desire.

I’ve realized recently that I can’t save people in my current position, and I don’t want to feel like I did. I couldn’t snap Suzu out of her hatred for me because she saw the beast, but I’ll show her that I am not the beast. I know we’ll meet and then she’ll see Kiyoko. My failures has always given my strength to better myself, and it was a quality I lacked before. I wonder how my clone is doing, I wonder if Kakashi has fallen for it, or Eri. They are both jounin.

After a long day of practice Sage Moriko sends me back early, telling me to rest for more extensive training to come. It was five, and my clone was setting the groceries on the counter, it looks like Kakashi was out at the moment. I release my jutsu and shower again before Kakashi gets home. I was fortunate that he was gone, he would have questioned my filth and sweat.

I see what my clone has picked for dinner tonight, rice, beef, and vegetables. A spicy curry sounded nice for tonight, especially because I still had that sweet maple scent stuck in my nose. This should cover it. I grab my apron and begin to peel, the potatoes, I hear Kakashi come in, along with company. I hear Yamato’s voice soon enough. I haven’t seen in a while, he must be busy too. All ninja were.

“Oh you’re home. I just got back from filing the report.” I see Kakashi enter the kitchen along with Yamato.

“Hey Kiyoko it’s been a while,” He smiles. I greet back.

“That information that we got from the Moon sure has helped. I just got back from a mission investigating leads to Orochimaru’s where abouts,” Yamato says as Kakashi and him take a seat at the table. I smiled a bit, they didn’t mind if I heard their conversation.

“How did it go?” Kakashi asks.

“We can never find them, they are always a step ahead. They move frequently, and set many, many boobitraps. Its difficult to track Orochimaru, which was why the information was so helpful, but still we can’t find any directions to where they head off to,” Yamato tells him. I hear Kakashi sigh as I begin to cut up the potato in squares.

“It feels like the time period to get Sasuke back is getting smaller and smaller. We can’t even get into a hideout. Orochimaru goes to great care to make sure of it.” Kakashi sounds defeated. He said three years, that is all I have to master countless of techniques and Naruto’s training as well. It makes me wonder just what is going to happen in three years.

“I’ve heard many rumors about you two?” Yamato changes the subject. I turn to see him looking at Kakashi and I.

“What rumors?” I ask. He smiles.

“The deadly black and white combo. You two are deadly apparently. I wouldn’t be surprised, not with Kiyoko’s water jutsus and Kakashi’s lightning style. I could only imagine what feeling enemies feel when they are against you two. The deadly duo,” He snickers and laughs a bit. Kakashi serves him some juice, while he shakes his head a bit.

Deadly huh? I didn’t know we had become so well known, it made me feel proud of all of the work I have put in. I chop up the rest of the vegetables, and begin cooking the meat separately. They continue to talk while I finish cooking. It was nearly done when Yamato says he was heading home.

“Yamato would you like to join us for dinner?” I ask, and check the rice. There was plenty for all of us.

“I don’t know...”

“You said next time last time, so sit down, its almost ready. There is plenty for all of us. I made more than necessary. If its spicy, Kakashi usually eats more than he can handle,” I tease. I can see Kakashi fighting a smile. Yamato agrees and sits.

“You two sure are something.” I hear him say as I set his bowl in front of him.

“Again. The tree has to be strong enough to withstand my water jutsu,” Sage Moriko says. I’ve been using wood technique for only three days and the Sage wants it to be nearly perfect. I was still far from getting it mastered, not only that but I haven’t even learned wood jutsus. I’ve been here all day, leaving a shadow clone behind to keep the rest busy. They still hadn’t noticed in the three days I have used a clone, which I was glad. I’ve created a new forest with my practice, making the neglected looking forest full again. Some trees stood, but Sage Moriko used her earth and water jutsus to cut them down. If I infused the right amount of chakra into the jutsu then it shouldn’t break, but it was a Sage was against, I found it difficult to find it fair.

At the end of practice I pick out pieces of wood, instead of dirt, and ate a few snacks Tomoko brought for me. I sit on a trunk and extend my hand full of nuts to Tomoko, who took a few.

“You know the summoning jutsu can become much more powerful. Its called combining jutsus, since I know wind jutsus, I can combine it with your water or earth jutsu to make it deadlier. Like you and Kakashi do,” she says. I chew a handful of almonds listening.

“We have to be synchronized though. Often times you use your jutsu first and then Kakashi follows, but for this we have to do it at the same time. Would you like to try?”

I was tired from training for the day, but Tomoko sounded excited to try it, since I’ve been the only one who has summoned owls. I didn’t want to break her spirits, so I agree to try. Tomoko grows in size, and bends down so I could get on her back, I cling to her white feathers as she begins to fly over the forest. The wind felt nice, the air was great here, nothing but clean air. Not too hot not too cold, just right. Tomoko flew a for a few minutes for fun, but she got right to business.

“You have to be able to feel my chakra, and I have to feel your’s. You can use your wild water wave and I can use my wind chakra, we can both emit a stream and it will be like a powerful water gun. It quite simple if you can sense my chakra, then we can release at the same time. It’ll be difficult if we were both strangers who hate each other, but since that isn’t the case, we should get it in a couple tries.” She says.

I can feel her wind chakra beginning to fill her mouth, and I follow her lead building my own. I feel her chakra from my fingers that clung to her feathers. I hope she can feel mine. When I feel like she has enough wind nature in her mouth, I match my amount to hers. I wait for the feeling of her being ready, and I wait for her command. I release my jutsu when I feel her’s. I see my water jutsu and her wind jutsu form a spiral looking water gun, I could hear the wind chakra and the water chakra grind against one another. If there was something in front of us I’m sure it would have been destroyed.

“Amazing! On the first time, now if you do call me into action we can destroy anything,” She laughs a bit. It feels like she hasn’t had fun in a while, and this side training was fun, especially since I loved to fly on her back.

“I’ll keep that in mind next time I’m on a dangerous mission,” I tell her. We fly around the vast forest for a bit, I can see trees all the way to the horizon, and they may extend further. It really is an enormous forest, and home tree was right in the middle of it.

She lands on a branch of the home tree, and I slide off of her back, before she shrinks to a normal size. I wonder how she can do that. Time seemed slower here, I didn’t know what time it was at the Leaf, maybe I should get back home.

“Do you think I can go into the memory vault and look at a few things?” I ask Tomoko.

“I don’t see why not. Its just that too much knowledge can be a bad thing, so don’t go snooping too much will you Kiyoko?”

“Roger that. I’m just curious about a few things,” I walk through the opening, and make an earth platform for myself to go back to ground level. I was kind of proud of myself that I can do this on my own. I didn’t need Sage Moriko to get me up and down the trunk of home tree. I make my way to the library of histories, I walk quickly. The sooner I satisfy my curiosity the sooner I get to go home. I enter the large library, no one is here at the moment.

I do think the blank book is my mother’s, it has to be her, or it can be my own. Sage said they found it near the Uchiha section, so I look for the U section. It was easy to find, the covers of their section was blood red, every section had their own color cover. My mother’s was leather black, so I’m sure she wasn’t an Uchiha. I skim their names for anything that might pop out. I only knew a few, Madara Uchiha, Sasuke Uchiha, Itachi Uchiha and Obito Uchiha. Madara, my father knew about him. I wonder what he wanted to know? The Uchiha had a big section, they were once a abundant civilization. Its sad to know that only two books are still growing.

If this records everything they do than maybe I can locate Sasuke’s location and help Kakashi bring him back to the Leaf. Why haven’t I thought about this before? I take his book in my hands, with every second it got a bit heavier. That was sign that he was very much alive, and he was doing well. I flip to the last page, his thoughts were being recorded as I looked for a location.

“I’ll kill him.” He thought, as I read. As my eyes began to read his mind, the more I realized he was drenched in darkness. I couldn’t find anything that didn’t link back to revenge. He was troubled, it almost seemed like there was nothing that could bring him back to the light. He chose darkness over light.

“What are you doing?” I hear Sage Moriko speak over my shoulder. I close the book in shock.

“I was just looking,”

“Just looking? I’ll tell you before you make a major mistake, you can’t interfere. This knowledge is dangerous. Here in this room is the truth, and it may be better if you don’t know all the truth. I know you want to help Sasuke find his way back, but this is the wrong way to do it. Everyone else has to find him the hard way, its only right that you don’t have an advantage. In all of my years there has been tragedies and injustice and I could have corrected the wrong, but I didn’t interfere with it. Their history must run on their own, we can’t help them by forcing down the better road. You understand right?”

“But I don’t want to see them suffer if I can help them. Sakura is always thinking its her fault, and Kakashi is trying his hardest to track him. I don’t want to see them struggle anymore,” I tell her and put Sasuke’s book back in its shelf.

“Its hard to do the right thing, the fair thing, but their history is their own. Your own history can’t guide them.” She gives my shoulder a squeeze.

“I don’t have my own history,” I tell her. My fingers itched to grab Orochimaru’s book and locate him instead. Bringing him down would only benefit all of us.

“Who says you don’t? You have your own life. I got you a blank book, and you can write your own history. Like a journal, or a diary. Just make sure if you talk about all of you secret training to hide it very well. Put it in your underwear drawer, no one will go looking in there,” She gives me a wink and hands me a blank book. It was forest green, and my name was printed on the cover, she must have done it herself because it differed from all of the other books.

I take it, feeling overjoyed. I could write down my own thoughts, my own life. And I didn’t have to worry about others reading it, like Sage Moriko. She would not be happy if she read my thoughts about her sometimes.

“Now get home, you have a few people waiting for you. We’ll begin wood jutsus tomorrow,” She smiles, and stands in front of me. She seals her hands and sends me back to the Leaf Village. It was just past sunset, I’ve been gone all day. I curse as I see Kakashi’s bedroom light on, I was later than usual. I begin to climb the stairs when I hear glass shatter behind me. I turn to see the drunk man from the other day throwing glass bottles on the ground. It wouldn’t have angered me, but children were close by playing. That angered me beyond my senses. He could disrespect the ninja name all he wanted that didn’t harm anyone, but he was drunk and swearing, he could harm the children that played near by.

I could see their mothers call the children’s names, telling them to go over to where they were. I watch as the pregnant mother goes over to get her child, who has cut his finger with shattered glass. I begin to walk over to the drunk excuse of a man, that child was hurt because of him. This was a public part of town, very lively, he should get drunk somewhere else. He was just wasting himself away, he shouldn’t bring down others with him.

“Keep that dog on a leash,” I hear him slur at the mother who crouch to tend to her child’s wound.

“Maybe you should drink somewhere else. You could have harmed the children much worse,” She says back. She was a young protective mother, I smiled when I heard her defend herself.

“What are you a ninja? You are aren’t you,” He stumbles closer to her. The mother covered her child with her body. I saw him raise his hand to strike her, but my body moved on its own. I grab his hand, and pin it behind him, I use his size to my advantage, and kick his legs from under him. He was much bigger than me, but I managed to hold him to the ground.

“Are you two okay?” I hear Kakashi say. He was crouching beside the mother and child. I sigh when they nod their heads, her little boy just had a minor cut. She carried him away from me and the drunk.

Kakashi looks like he just rushed out of the house, shoeless, and dazed. I laugh a little, I’ve never seen him so frazzled looking. The drunk grunts under me as he tries to get out of my hold, but he was too disoriented to put much of a fight.

“You again huh? You little bitch, let me go and I’ll teach a lesson,” he kicks his legs, but I don’t let go. It wouldn’t be much of a fight if we did have a brawl. I hear a few more footsteps come closer.

“We got a call of complaints, is this the guy?” A man says. Kakashi answers him. I see two more ninja come and help me get him out of my hands. They have to push him away from the scene. He was so determined to fight with me. As soon as he is taken away the small crowd that has formed is dispersed.

“Savior of the world. Defeater of all evil Kiyoko,” Kakashi jokes. I smile, but try to not be affected by the fact that he said savior of the world. I brush the dirt from my pants.

“Are you okay?”

“ya I’m fine. It wasn’t too much trouble. But that man sure is bothersome. How dare he do that when there are children right there? It makes me so angry that he is so simple minded. Drinks and swears, that is all he does,” I stare in the direction he was taken. He should be in jail for what he has done. The children are the future of the world. We have to make sure they understand what being a citizen is if we want to keep the peace that we have.

“Your arm is bleeding. Lets go home so we can wrap it up,” Kakashi takes my left i arm in his hand gently. I feel the stinging, there certainly was a cut there. It must have been from the broken glass. When we enter the house I can smell rice cooking, Kakashi must have started dinner already, at least there wasn’t any smoke I smelled. He was learning. I sit in the living room while Kakashi gets the first aid kit. He disinfects it first which stung, but I bit my lip, he began to wrap it with gauze, but I could feel my body closing the wound quickly. I wanted to tell Kakashi, but I didn’t want to interrupt Kakashi in his work. He looked very proud of it, even though my wound is closing faster than the cloth that helped soak the small bits of blood.

“There you go, I was just about to attempt to make dinner, the rice turned out okay.” He goes to the kitchen I follow, I see the ingredients for dumplings laying on the counter, I could see a very deformed looking dumpling on the cutting board. I hide a smile, it was just so funny to see him this way. I thought I could control my laughters but I couldn’t when Kakashi actually put on an apron. It was covered in flour, most of the empty counter was lightly covered in flour. Homemade dumplings, they were under progress.

“Don’t just stand there and laugh at my dumplings, get in here and help me,” he defends himself, but gets back to firming the dumpling shape.

“No, you’re doing it wrong. You’re pinching the top too much, here let me show you,” I take the poor dumpling from his hands, showing him the correct way to close the dough sac. It didn’t help the shape, but at least now it wouldn’t spill when we cooked them. It has been a while since we cooked dinner together.

“What have you been training so hard to perfect Kiyoko? You’re gone a lot more than usual,” He asks as he forms the dumpling correctly this time. He was a quick learner.

“Oh um I’ve been practicing on a summoning jutsu,” I tell him the only truth I can say. I’m sure Tomoko wouldn’t mind if I summoned her and the others once in a while. They didn’t care if I let Kakashi know about this training.

“Really? Who taught you?” He asks. Now that is a question I didn’t have an honest answer for. Who should I say? Sakura, no she doesn’t know that just yet, so any chunin is out of the picture. Eri? No that wouldn’t do, she is pregnant. Yamato? He would tell Kakashi the truth about not teaching me. I was running out of people here.

“Kurenai, she helped me a bit. She helped me look in the library vault for jutsus for a contract that I could sign,” I blurt out.

“So what animals did you sign a contract with?” With every second more dumplings were made, and more sweat began to accumulate from lying to Kakashi.

“Owls. I thought about it, they are great at nocturnal vision and they fly, so its a win win.” I gather the dumplings and put them in the steamer. Kakashi pats the flour off of his apron, causing a cloud to appear.

“So how has it been going?”

“Really well actually. The owls and I have been training really hard that we began to combine our jutsus,” I smile remembering how Tomoko and I got out water air gun on the first try. It felt amazing to be good at something other than cooking. Its always hard work and training, but that was actually fun doing something on the side.

“So when are you going to show me this jutsu of yours? I’m really curious now, maybe all your secret training is paying off,”

I smile, trying to hide just how secret my training really was. Lying to him will be harder than any mission I have done. I killed me to do this, and honestly there are only so many lies I can handle to tell. I can’t do it to him, not after all he’s done for me. How can I repay him with lies? I was going to have to tell Sage Moriko I can’t hold out much more like this. I don’t want him to believe my lies, but here he was trusting me without a doubt.

“Whenever you’re not busy, I can summon her anytime really,” I try to keep those negative thoughts away. It was for my own good, Sage Moriko said. Was it really, knowledge is power, but too much knowledge isn’t good either. I was following them blindly practically, but no one really knew anything about me because I didn’t “exist.” I should know so much more in the position I am in, like when I have to face this godlike power? Or how I even become a powerful person to begin with? The most important one to me is why there is a monster living in me? Why me?

Isn’t that the million dollar question, now the answer would be worth much more than the power of knowledge. I was undefined, and for now I can deal with it, I was just afraid that these three years won’t be enough to prepare for whatever is to come. How will I be able to grow until then? I didn’t burden it alone anymore, Kakashi told me he would share it with me. He told he was here to keep me sane, and I think I would have gone crazy without his guidance already. He cares, and I care for him. I think I care for him, if this feeling I feel for him is what caring meant. I’m still not sure I understand it all, but there is friendship, and rivalries. There are innocent and guilty people all over. I take in what I can, and learn the rest on my way towards my unknown future.

It was funny really, watching Kakashi almost cut his finger while he cut the peppers for the sauce. I wouldn’t have known this side of Kakashi if he didn’t agree to take me in. I was really fortunate. His clumsiness in the kitchen was hilarious, my life has changed. And for some reason I think of Sasuke, and his history that I held in my hands. He had it all, a loving family and village. It was taken away from him, and now he is a rogue ninja who seemed to have strayed from the lit path, I chose to follow. Three years is all he has left to change his course. And Naruto will be back to help him.

“Kakashi, Naruto is away for three years training to get stronger to get Sasuke back, right?” I ask him and wash the tomatoes. He nods.

“And Sasuke also has a time limit of three years before Orochimaru decides to take his body. But what will happen if Naruto isn’t strong enough to fight him with power alone? What will happen then?”

“I hope it doesn’t come to that.”

That night I couldn’t sleep with my mind thinking about Sasuke and Naruto. They were alike and different. I’ve only seen Sasuke once, and his eyes held so much resent. Naruto was bright eyes, always trying to look for the best in everyone. He hasn’t lost his sight on Sasuke just yet, and I was glad. Everyone should have that person that look after them. Who knew how far Sasuke would go if was really alone in this darkness. He would be destroyed.

Sage Moriko summoned me before the sun rose, today I was going to learn wood jutsus. I was excited to learn it. We were in far from home tree, Tomoko was perched on a branch. Sage Moriko smiled this early morning, but I couldn’t keep my eyes open for long. I want to sleep. I feel water being splashed in my face. I wipe my eyes, to see a very innocent looking Sage in front of me. I should be annoyed, but it helped wake my body for today.

“Now that you are awake, lets begin with wood jutsus. For wood technique you already know that you’re body is the life force, so it is your ultimate weapon. For now we’ll begin transforming your body itself to wood. If you accomplish this then you could hide in trees, walk through them, not only that but you’ll be able to use water and earth in the same way. Using earth nature to harden your body, a simple blade won’t have the sharpness to penetrate your rock body. The same with water, the blade would just go through you, and not causing any harm.” She shows me her arm, that has turned dark brown, she takes a kunai and tries to stab herself, it doesn’t go through. Her arm transforms into water now, and she stabs her arm once again, this time the knife slides right into her arm. She takes it out, and lets her arm go back to normals, not a scratch on her arm. That was amazing.

Sage Moriko slides into a tree that stood to her right. She slips right through it, her body transforming into wood. It was amazing.

“Water and earth are very useful. It is difficult to transform into lightning, wind, and fire, but it is easier with water and earth, making wood easy for you. So if you can do wood, you can do water and earth, so we won’t start with those. Lets get right into it.” She pats the tree she just walked through. I didn’t want to get stuck in there.

“Is it safe? You know what if I can’t get out of there?”

“Of course its not safe. That is why I told you many who don’t come here to train do not go back home alive. I’m not sure how many have their bodies stuck in there trees. I lost count,” she says. That only made me feel afraid rather than insured. But I was going to have to go through this wasn’t I, because I am to save the world from certain destruction. Which seemed kind of silly at the moment, but I couldn’t be certain of anything.

I put my hands against the trunk, this was difficult, trying to have both water and earth nature on the surface that was touching the trunk not just on one hand. I’ll have to evenly spread my chakra. I try, doing what I believe is the right way to do it, since Sage Moriko didn’t really explain so much this time. She’s been testing me lately.

I felt my hands sink into the trunk, it was cooler inside the trunk. I began to spread it up my arms, making them go deeper. I then spread my chakra natures to my feet and legs, I step into the trunk. My chakra spread like it knew where I needed to cover next. Soon my face was fusing with the tree. I finally take the last step in feeling my whole body connects with the wood that surrounded me. I think I made it in, but if I could really do this than I have to get out, or I’ll be stuck here. I move through the trunk, extending my arm first. I feel the air outside, and I move my fingers, they feel completely normal to me. I step out on the other side, looking at myself to see that I did make it all in one piece.

“Now that you know how to use your body to your advantage, we’ll begin with jutsus. This jutsu has many names, but really I don’t understand why jutsus have names. Your friend Yamato and Hashirama call it Wood release: Great forest technique. You use your dominant arm and use your chakra to feed the tree in your chakra system. It will grow at a very quick speed. This jutsu has many purposes. It helps capturing an opponent, and once you have them you wrap them in sharp spear like wood stakes. I’ll show you,” she says and gathers her kimono sleeve at her arm, to get it out of the way.

She takes her left arm and keeps it in front of her body. I see trees begin to form around her arm, starting from where her arm attached to her body. It wrapped rapidly, forming a tree trunk thing around her arm.

“Kiyoko make a shadow clone for me,” she instructs. I make a clone for her, it steps in front of her.

“Okay I want you to run in random directions. I’ll chase you and demonstrate just how this jutsu is used.” She says to my shadow clone.

I feel my air being sucked out of me. Asami used this technique on me back at the chunin exams. I ran away from this jutsu, I was wrapped around this type of jutsu. She broke my leg so easily. I felt light headed from thinking about how I felt at the moment.

“I don’t think I can watch you do this,” I tell her and dispel my clone. I experienced it first hand just how powerful this jutsu was. It was almost impossible to get out of, maybe I was just too weak to break the wood.

“I can try it on my own. Just not this, not hunting me down. I’ve already experienced first hand just how painful this jutsu is.” I gather my strengths back, trying to forget Asami for the moment.

“What do you mean? Has Yamato showed you this jutsu? Have you told anyone about your training?” She asks, getting angrier with every question.

“No! I haven’t told anyone. My half sister attacked me during the chunin exams. And she used wood techniques to capture me. I know damn well how it feels to be trapped. I almost fainted because of the pain I endured. I’m not going to watch myself get trapped again!”

“Kiyoko-” Tomoko begins.

“So that is it? If you feel this feeling again, the feeling of being trap you’re just going to give up? Well let me tell you, if you don’t fight back and overcome your fears there is nothing I can teach you. You have to be willing to take chances, even if it involves remembering your past,” Sage Moriko defends herself.

“Isn’t that what I have been doing? If you haven’t noticed I just saw Suzu the other day, and I had to face my father not too long ago, and before that I saw an enemy who is now my friend. I forgive but I don’t forget. I remember every single thing that everyone told me. I remember everything that I have done, and I didn’t run away. You can’t imagine the things I heard and saw!” I argue back. She was really grinding my gears at the moment. I understood that this training was urgent but I didn’t have time to breath. I felt like I am drowning in my own surroundings.

“Self pity isn’t an excuse. If you don’t use a shadow clone, then I’ll use this jutsu against you,” She says.

“Sage Moriko I think this is going to far,” Tomoko speaks up. This has definitely gone too far. I wasn’t going to become some test dummy, not for this. Not for something that was forced upon me. I never wanted to become the chosen one. I never wanted to learn wood release. I never asked for earth nature. I never asked for any of this, all I asked for was a ninja life so I had a purpose to protect people that I would care for, and I have found the people that I care for. I don’t need any of this.

“Send me home, I’m not in the mood to train today.” I say and wait for Tomoko or the Sage to send me back to the Leaf.

“If the world is in danger, it will be destroyed if you do not feel like it? You have to sacrifice some times,” Sage Moriko still held her jutsu around her arm.

“That is all I have been doing. So don’t you dare tell me I have not sacrificed anything. Now send me home!” I demand. I should really learn how to get myself home.

Tomoko eyes Sage Moriko, who only stares at me. I was too tired to receive this, not right now. I can’t enjoy learning if she is thrusting this in my face. I can feel her chakra shirt and soon I see the wood around her arm come towards me. She was really going to go with attacking me.

Images of Asami flash into my head but I shake them out of my head. It branches more arms from the main trunk. Trying to get contact with me from different directions. I could feel the air around me dry, and my chest began to feel heavy. I was drowning.

I stumble over roots, and dodge the stakes that only came closer to me. It was harder to outrun them with little oxygen that I felt breathe in.

“Use your resources, your greatest weapon!” I hear Tomoko yell as she flew after me. My body was my greatest weapon. What do I do just let it hit me. But then it hit me, not literally, I know how wood technique works, so I know how to make it inefficient. I’ll just use my life force to suck all of the life force from her jutsu. I mean that has to work, she said my life force is greater than her’s even.

I wait for the nearest stake to get closer to me, I dodge the pointy part of the stake and grab onto the flat side. I move my wood chakra to that spot and begin to suck out the chakra that powered her jutsu. My wood fed off of her chakra instead of mine. I could physically see the wood get smaller, and within about six seconds the wood had no life in it left to even stay together. It fell right off of her arm.

“Get me home,” I ask Tomoko. It takes her a few seconds to hear what I said, she was too busy staring at the dead wood on the ground. It was nothing special, it would make good firewood though. She seals her feathers and I am off to my home. I pop back into my room, I’ve only been gone for any hour, and the sun was still hiding behind the mountains. I know I won’t get sleep not after what just happened.

The sun was going to rise soon, maybe it would relax me to watch it peek over the eastern side of town. I put on my shoes and head for the west gate, sitting on top of that wall would have a great view. I hopped on the rooftops as lightly as I could to not wake the residents. It felt like a very sleepy town this morning, no one was out just yet. They were all tucked under their blankets waiting for the sun to wake them. I climb the wall next to the western gate, it was a thick wall, making it much more comfortable to sit and wait.

Peace and quiet just what I need after arguing with Sage Moriko. That crazy old woman, she must have some loose screws considering just how old she is. I was running on about her in my head when I hear the rustling of tree. I stick my finger into my mouth and put in the air, there was no wind to make the leaves move. Maybe it was just an animal. I would have thought it was an animal if I didn’t hear people arguing on the other side of the wall.

“Be quiet? It won’t be a surprise attack if they hear us?” I hear a male voice say. Are they stupid? I can hear everything that they are talking about. Of if they were going to attack the village they messed with me on the wrong day.

I had to make sure they were no threat to the village, I could sense three bodies, but I didn’t know if they were skilled or not. Maybe they were more but hid their chakra better than those three simpletons. Man if they were really planning on invading I will take out all of anger on them. I’ll have to hide my presence well, thankfully I have learned to blend in with my surroundings very well. I pat the wall, I can use my earth nature chakra and travel through the wall and ground. I’ll eavesdrop on them to decide my next step. I infuse myself with the wall, feeling the earth engulf me, I moved down the wall, and move under ground quietly and quickly. I stop when I see more than three bodies. I was ten feet away and I can see seven men and women standing in a circle. I could feel the other five are much more serious than the three I sensed and heard. This looked like a serious attack on the leaf, but I’m sure with quick response we can get rid of them. I looked for a headband, and the piece of metal had a music note carved into it. I’m not sure I have heard about this village.

I move back underground, making sure I was a safe distance from them to materialize myself again. I need to send a message to Lady Tsunade, but I don’t want to let any of them to make their moves. I’ll summon Tomoko. I bite my thumb and seal my hands. She pops in front of me with a work hanging out of her beak. She opens her mouth to talk but I use my hands to keep her beak shut.

“Tomoko, summon Taro and Yuji.” I tell her, she takes it that something is serious, so she does as I tell her. The owl brothers pop in a cloud of white, I had to keep their mouths shut too.

“Listen. There are seven ninja outside the western wall. Their headband has a music note, I believe they are planning an attack on the village. Taro inform Lady Tsunade about our current situation, and Tomoko go wake Kakashi. I’ll need back up and the house is not too far. Tell him about the foreigners as well. Yuji will help me out here if I need it, go quickly,” I whisper to them. I see Taro fly swiftly to Lady Tsunade's office and Tomoko flies to Kakashi.

“I’m going to get closer and keep try to keep them in one place, act like a normal owl and stay here to instruct reinforcements the enemy’s location,” I tell Yuji. He nods, and flies to a branch. I slip in the ground and go back to where the enemy group was gathering for strategy. I slip inside the tree that one of the enemy leaned on. I listened to what looked like the leader of the mission.

“In a few minutes we will all activate our curse seals. As Orochimaru has instructed us, this attack is just a warning. Our duty is to destroy the gates, our group will split into four, and activate the bombs that are already set. Once the morning crowd come out of hiding we will let them explode. It will cause the walls to fall. Don’t hesitate to kill anyone who is in our way,” the tall man said.

“The walls are sure to crumble and destroy houses near by,” a woman dressed in brown laughed. My home is near by, there is no way I am going to let the disperse and reak havoc. There is no way.

“Okay you know your positions-” the tall man says again, but I don’t listen. I need to keep them all in one place. I slip out of the tree, keeping myself hidden. I make shadow clones, a chain of them, around the enemy. They all stop, I have to keep them in at least until Kakashi gets here.

“So we can kill anyone in our way. Now who is the real one?” A short man licks his lips, like he wants to taste my blood. In all of their eyes I saw their blood thirst. They weren’t regular enemies. One by one they changes, black marks began to invade their bodies, changing the color of their eyes and their features. Some grew another pair of arms, others grew another head, some grew wings. They looked like creations rather than humans. Their chakra changed too, it was so heavy now. This power together was incredible now I believe they can really do damage.

My shadow clones won’t be enough to hold them in one place. An earth dome would be perfect but I can’t use my earth nature. I’m just going to have to substitute earth for water and hope that it works. Its simple right, I just have to shape my water chakra to my will. While my shadow clones keep the enemies in one place, I start to concentrate enough chakra to expel from my mouth and form a water dome, keeping contact with it will make it stable. I release my chakra, using it to my will. It encloses the circle around the group, the water rose finally closing on the top. The enemy tried to pound its way through, and because of their chakra it was getting really hard to keep it standing, especially because I have never created a water dome.

“Too bad I’m an earth user, and too bad you’re such a doll face. I would love to get to know you if you were not in my way of my mission. It seems like I’m going to have kill you,” I hear someone say from behind me. He must have traveled through the ground, I let one of my hands fall from the dome, using a water whip to wrap around his hand. He smiles.

Shit only using one hand is making the dome waver. The man who managed to escape the dome aimed for my head, I dodged, but I had to let go of the dome. The water fell, but I saw lightning use it as a medium. Kakashi came into view along with Tomoko.

“Only you would find yourself in these kind of situations Kiyoko,” He uses his chidori to attack an opponent. It didn’t cut deep like other times. Their skin was thinks than humans. What the hell are they.

“Tomoko! Lets use our combining jutsus, Kakashi hope on Tomoko’s back, with three nature it will be deadlier,” I say, as Tomoko gets bigger in size.

“I’ve never done anything like it, I don’t think I can do it on the first try,” He yells over the sound of fire. One of the deformed humans knew fire nature. I get on Tomoko’s back.

“All you have to do is feel my chakra and her’s. You have to trust that we feel each other,” I say, and pat the spot besides me. Kakashi takes a look at our opponents. The stronger the better, he grabs onto Tomoko’s feathers and we fly.

We fly over looking the group, I see reinforcements keep them in one general place. They weren’t going to damage my home. Two of them seven who grew wings tailed us, throwing fire and wind jutsus our way. Tomoko flew harshly trying to dodge them, I clung to her, as Kakashi clung to me.

“We need to get behind them Tomoko. And stabilize before we release our jutsu.” I yell over the wind. We tried but they weren’t losing us any time soon. I turn around, facing the men in wings. I’ll have to obscure their vision for a bit. I create a water wall, thin enough for them to get through it, but they’ll have to shield their eyes. Tomoko dives swaying through the leaves, and flies back to the top of the trees. When I settle back besides Kakashi I noticed that it has worked, we were now behind them. It was not long before they notice us behind them.

“Just feel my chakra and adjust to me, Kakashi. I’ll adjust to Tomoko. I have confidence that this will work,” I breathe in and feel Tomoko breathe in with me as well. Kakashi catches on quickly. In seconds we were ready, Kakashi is looking directly at our enemies flying in front of us.

We let go of our chakra, a water gun flew out, spiraling with lighting and wind chakra. The water and wind slow them down and the lightning finishes the job. They go down like flies. The victory was short lived because huge pieces of rock were being thrown at us from the ground. It nearly hits us, but Tomoko manages to keep us in the air.

“Bring us down Tomoko,” I say. She lands on the ground and shrinks. The fight kept getting messier, these guys don’t go down easily with just a one on one fight. Their mutants by what they look like.

“What the hell are they?” I ask Kakashi.

“They are Orochimaru’s creations. He experiments on his people, its inhumane. He bites them and they have a curse mark that gives them a great amount of power they activate it, but it also lets Orochimaru control them when he wants to use them. Sasuke has a curse mark, that is partly why he left the village. With that new power there was nothing here that could get him stronger, power is what her craved. Power to take Itachi down.” Kakashi says as he takes in the battle scene.

“Does it mean that Orochimaru is close by hiding in the shadows?” I ask and make a few shadow clones that will help me in the prolonging battle. At first I thought they would be easy ninja to take down, but this curse mark has given them great power like Kakashi said.

“We can’t be too sure about that, I think he would want to keep a close eye on Sasuke so he doesn't leave without him. I don’t think he would be here at this moment, but maybe Kabuto is, Orochimaru’s right hand man. Most definitely he will be here hiding to attack at the right moment.” He begins to walk to a fight near us.

“Kiyoko, there-” Tomoko begins to say.

“What powerful chakra, who may you be?” A strange man says from behind me. I feel a blade cutting into my back, I smile a bit. I learned something to get around this, I turn the spot where he pressed into my back into water. I move out of his grasp, not a scratch on me. I had a feeling this was Kabuto, the grey haired, glasses man. His presence was unnerving.

Kakashi gets a chidori ready in his hand, while I get my tearing torrent in hand.

“I have to get you back to Orochimaru, he will be very happy to find out just what this power you hold. What a life force you have, you must be a very powerful human being. Oh yes, I absolutely have to capture you.” Kabuto licks his lips, it makes me shiver. Like hell I’ll let Orochimaru find out what I am, that’ll only give him even more power.

“Get out of here Tomoko. You’ve done enough, I don’t want you to get in the way. Take Yuji and Taro with you.” Tomoko does as I say without complaining. It makes me realize she was happy to get out of this confrontation, he must be a skilled ninja as well. She disappears. Kakashi and I stand with our jutsus ready, I’m waiting to see what he really is made of. His hands were flat and soon chakra covered them. It seems like his weapon for now was his body, your body is your greatest weapon after all.

“He uses to medical ninjutsu to disable and subdue his opponents, so now matter what do not let him land a blow on you. If it gets too heated at some point, leave the battle. He can’t capture you, whatever is the cost, I won’t let him,” He says.

Medical ninja was supposed to be for helping people, but he uses it to hurt them instead. He moves first, to me, even if he does land a blow on me I’ll transform my body into water. The fight begins, as I try to get Kabuto off balanced with a water whip. I want to land my tearing torrent somewhere it can cause damage. The way he moves his body it is clear that he is at least jounin level. He evades every attack we throw at him. We needed a long range fighter, and fortunately Kakashi covered that area.

His sharingan was brought out to play after it was clear any normal jutsus wouldn’t land on him. Kabuto chuckles, and brings his forehead protector over his eyes. If he couldn’t see Kakashi then did his genjutsu not work?

“Lets see just how good you are at sensing chakra,” Kakashi hides his Sharingan again. I’ll overwhelm him with my chakra then he won’t know from what direction we really are coming from. Either way Kabuto was going to be the loser of this battle. I make a sea of shadow clones, more than I have ever done at once, and I can feel Kabuto smile even from a far. He takes his forehead protector off and lets a low whistle.

“Now that is impressive. It seems like you have outmatched me. I’ll go quietly,” He stares at the real me among all of my shadow clones. He looked dead in my eyes and gives me a toothy grin, that made me feel sick to my stomach.

“I’ll come for you,” Kabuto says and disappears through the ground beneath him. I hear other poof from a distance, the enemies chakra have disappeared. I dispel my shadow clones, making me feel tired from making so many at once. I had a feeling that he will come for me, just another person out there I had to worry about. I take a seat where I stand, feeling dizzy, maybe from the intimidation, or maybe from everything that has occurred. My body has been under too much stress in such a short amount of time, and it hasn’t rested properly in what felt in such a long time.

The rest of reinforcements come to where we were, Guy and Asuma were among the rest of the ninja.

“It was a warning from Orochimaru,” Kakashi says.

“There is no enemy body to recover, they disappeared,” Asuma says. This was probably the only time I have seen him without a cigarette in his mouth.

“Bombs are set at all four gates of the village. They haven’t been activated yet, we’ll need to remove them quickly,” I tell the crowd. Serious faces turned into worries faces.

Later that morning the specialized took down the bombs, and Kakashi helped me home. He made Eri make me a big nutritious breakfast and Kakashi stayed with me to make sure I ate it all. Real breakfast beat nuts any day.

“You haven’t been sleepy well, or eating breakfast. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” Kakashi sounds a bit worried. I felt guilty to make him this way, he had enough to worry about already. He was expecting me to explain.

“I’ve been feeling like I have been drowning in my own surroundings. Everything is just weighing down on me, and I can’t catch my breath. I can’t sleep at night, the room feels like it is getting smaller, and air tight.” Just thinking about it makes me feel out of breath.

“Its gotten that bad, then why didn’t you come and tell me,” Kakashi takes my empty plate and serves me another serving. I didn’t mind.

“I didn’t want to bother you,”

“You’re not a bother. Tonight I will sleep in your room, on the floor, and I’ll keep you company until you fall asleep. Sometimes feeling alone causes anxiety. Or maybe you feel like you’re being swept away. I told you I would keep you here, safe. And I will keep that promise, its not a burden to me to help you,” Kakashi tells me with all honesty. I feel my face warm up when he said that we will sleep in the same room, but I felt grateful that I won’t have to experience the feeling of suffocation anymore.

“But those jutsus I saw today, they are incredible. So those are your end results from your training. A deadly combination jutsu, water dome, and a water wall in mid air. Not to forget about turning your body into water. I can’t even do that with my lightning chakra, you’re getting stronger very quickly.” He jokes around, trying to make me feel upbeat, it was working.

Later that day Eri and her husband, Rokuro, came over. He was a well built man, looking like a shinobi, his vest and clothes were almost the same as Kakashi’s. He has dark brown hair, and brown eyes. He had a button nose that would look so cute on a baby. I hope Yasuko gets his nose. His skin was tan from his time away on missions.

“So you must be Kiyoko. Eri has said so many things about you. Most of them being good,” He bows, and Eri gives him a smack on the shoulder.

“Well its the truth right, you said Kiyoko wasn’t very good at knitting,” He laughs, and I laugh along with him. They are very much alike. I go get the tea while Eri and Rokuro sit in the living room. Kakashi was still in Lady Tsunade’s office, filing reports about today’s incident. I bring the tea and make sure its not too hot or cold.

“Kiyoko, Eri told me that you will be my first born’s godmother. I must say after the rumors that have been floating around, I’m glad a strong shinobi will be Yasuko’s godmother.” He takes a sip of tea. It was nice to hear that he thinks so positively of me.

“I’m bac-” Kakashi enters the house, and stops when he sees Rokuro and Eri. Rokuro chokes on his tea, and stands up in a hurry.

“Kakashi. You live here?” he asks surprised.

“Yes, this is my home. So you are Eri’s husband?” Kakashi takes his shoes off, but the sound of his voice it seems like he wasn’t too happy about him being here. Please let this end well.

Rokuro sits down again as Kakashi unzips his flak jacket and hangs it on the coat hanger. I go to get another cup for Kakashi, but he follows me in the kitchen too.

“You don’t look too happy to see him?” I whisper to him. I don’t want Eri and Rokuro to hear.

“I’m not. As long as he keeps his mouth shut for most of the time then there won’t be any problems,” Kakashi says and grabs an apple, eating it in the kitchen instead of the living room. I could sense the tension in the air, Rokuro didn’t look so comfortable anymore.

“Eri has told me you are from the Moon Village, why did you decide to come the Leaf village?” He asks trying to start a conversation again. Eri tells him everything, maybe she kept the fact that I had a rough childhood from him.

“I’ve always wanted to become a jounin and the Moon was too small for my dream, I thought the Leaf Village would be perfect to accomplish it. I met Eri days after I arrived,” I tell him. Kakashi walks back in the living room, sitting next to me in the smaller sofa. He was the largest distant away from him.

“The lantern festival is coming soon, it will be beautiful. Hopefully the sky is clear that week,” Eri comments trying to change the serious conversation.

“What is the lantern festival?” I ask.

“It honors all of the fallen. Everyone lights a lantern for someone they want to remember for five days. The bigger lanterns are lit at midnight on the third day for the hokage who have served us and have passed away,” Kakashi tells me. I begin to think about the people who I want to remember, but really there are so many that I don’t remember which one is which of my victims. I’d rather not try at the moment and get myself riled up.

“So you’re going to light lanterns for Obito and Rin, Kakashi,” Rokuro says. Eri glares at him, making him stop smile. I wonder what happened between them that makes both of them so hostile toward one another.

“I am, I always do every year,” Kakashi stares right back at him.

“Its the least you can do for them right.” Rokuro doesn’t seem too happy.

“Okay that is enough. Rokuro we’re leaving,” Eri grabs hold of Rokuro’s arm, pulling him to the door. Kakashi turns away, not wanting to see him anymore.

“I’m sorry for his behalf. He doesn’t know when to shut his mouth sometimes. Its just that Rin and Obito’s deaths are sensitive to him as well,” Eri says as I walk them to the door. They leave before I can ask the reason. I return to the living room to see that Kakashi has left, and he is probably hiding in his bedroom.

I knock on his door, and he opens it.

“He couldn’t keep his mouth shut after all. Its always like this when I see him,” He sighs, and lets me into his room. We sit on his bed, and I watch as he looks at his right hand.

“This is the hand that took Rin’s life away. It took the life of Rokuro’s sister. Obito and him were close friends too. Obito and him would do many things together, and I took him away from Rokuro too. That is why he can’t look at me and forgive. I don’t blame me. If anything happened to you I would never forgive.”

Rokuro’s sister was Rin, well no wonder the tension between is so high. He still holds it against Kakashi. I can feel his mood only worsen.

“You know some wounds heal faster than others. And maybe he will always hold this grudge against you, but what are you going to do about it. It happens, and we can only better ourselves so that it never happens again and respect those who have been killed. It was an accident, it just happened.”

I put my hand over his right hand, trying to keep him from seeing the blood he sees. Its like I can see it too. He holds my hand tightly, my hand was smaller than his but they looked perfect in his hands. My scars blended in his. I run my thumb over his knuckles like he has done for me when I was troubled. It always calms me down, and I see Kakashi take a deep breath.

“Lets go get out lanterns early, the pretty ones sell out first,” He says and squeezes my hand. I smile when he says pretty because he it sounds so unusual when he says it. I get my wallet and slip my shoes on and follow Kakashi down the stairs. Lantern posts were new to the street, and not many have noticed it, but Kakashi and I are one of the few that are buying lanterns.

I but a pink one for sister Ai from the orphanage I was in. She was kind, even though I killed her. Damn I wish I didn’t just think that. I buy Rin and Obito a lantern even though I didn’t have a memory to honor. I have respect for them and I’ll honor them for being young and brave. I need two more, and for some reason I think about my mom. I would like to remember her the way I always thought of her. Loving, caring, always looking after me, but it turned out to be a lie. And Suzu, if I hadn’t known she was alive I would have bought her a lantern too, but she was alive. I bought two more and hopefully I’ll remember someone to honor by time I release them.

Kakashi had his lanterns in a paper bag, and I had mine.

“When is the festival?” I ask and go to a booth for lunch. It was a soup shop, I haven’t been here before.

“In five days, lets hope that we don’t get assigned a mission while its going on. Lady Tsunade is tough to bend even at festivities.”

“I hope so too. I want to see the night light with lanterns. It’ll be the brightest nights of the year,” I say. Many have lost friends and loved ones at some point of their lives, it will be many lanterns that will be lit those nights. I can’t wait to see the bigger lanterns, they’ll be the moons while the smaller lanterns will be the stars. I want to count them before their lights fade. Count every star if I could.

“Its beautiful to see the lanterns, especially if the night is clear. When I was younger, and my father was still around he and I would sit down on the hokage wall and try to count as many as we could. Who ever counted the least lanterns would have to buy sweet fried sugar dumplings. Maybe that’s why I can’t stand sweet foods anymore, I won every time,” He smiles at the soup that is served for him. It was different to see him this way, exposed and honest. He was showing me part of him that maybe I only know. It makes me feel light and fuzzy. Feelings that I have been feeling more of lately.

“Well then I guess you’re going to buy me sweet fried sugar dumplings in a few days, because I have been counting stars for years.” I take a spoonful of my bean soup.

“Is that so. If its a competition that I won’t lose. But if I win then you have to buy me broiled saury.”

“Fish? You’re doing to spite me aren’t you,” I accuse. but he laughs just a bit. Its rare to hear his laughter, and I try to memorize the sound of it. We eat our lunch and go around town for a walk, watching people buying from booths. God how much did I love this town and everyone in it. Bad and good, I’ll protect them all the best I could.

“What was your father like?” I ask as we sit on a bench away from the busy streets. I set down a few bags that I have accumulated from stopping at shops.

“He was known as the White Fang. He was one of those gifted ninja that came a few every generation. He was a caring father, always trying to teach me to be aware of other people’s strengths and away of my own. He taught me so much at such a young age. But when he died, I was just so angry with him. We were taught that missions were absolue and they had to be carried out, he knew that and he left the mission he was on to save his comrade. He got a lot of heat about it and one day I got home from the academy and he was laying there in his cold blood. I was so mad that he didn’t obey the rules. I made sure that I would obey every rule. It wasn’t until that fateful day that I realized what my father felt. I abandoned my mission to save Obito and Rin.”

“He was a very honorable man,” I say as I see the pride in Kakashi’s eye.

“Ya he was. You and him would have gotten along well too. I don’t think you can ever not get along with anyone. Maybe that is the quality Naruto and you share. Except Naruto is a bit more rash than you, him on the other hand I can stop, but you you’re a force to be messed with,” He smiles.

The day passes by and it was finally time to get to bed. I change and as Kakashi promised he would stay with me until I got better. He didn’t have an extra futon, I remind myself to buy blankets and a futon later on.He was laying on the floor beside my futon, blanket over his body, and his mask taken off for the night. I step over him, there was two of us in my room, making it look smaller than it really is. I lay in bed, looking outside the window.

“Try to get some rest, I’m right beside you nothing will happen to you,” He says quietly. His words comfort me enough to close my eyes. I think I fall asleep and dream. Its dark, and dense. Like I am in water, but its pitch black, I couldn’t see anything at all. I tried to breath in, but no air was making it to my lungs. I could feel my throat beginning to close, and my lungs were going to implode. Then I feel wood wrapping around my feet, growing quickly. It grows to my chest, and someone appears in front of me. Kakashi is there, wood growing up his body too. I tried to get to him, but I couldn’t move my muscles, I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t do anything, and so I watched Kakashi stop moving, before I stop seeing anything at all.

I gasp, and open my eyes to my dark room. Kakashi is sitting up too, his hand on my back. I gasp for air, it feeds my lungs. Kakashi was alive, and he wasn’t dying. My head hurt, but my breathing was stabilizing. I didn’t want to sleep again, I didn’t want to see Kakashi floating in the dark water, not moving, not living. But he was touching my back, that was the only sign that I needed to know he was still alive.

“It was only a dream. See your fine, I’m fine. Nothing happened,” he rubs my back, and my heart slows to a normal rate. My body feels tired but my mind is still in panic. The darkness was suffocating, but the moon’s light helped.

After a while I lay down again, but Kakashi stays sitting.

“Is there anything you need to help you sleep. Your body and mind need rest, real sleep. What can I do to help you?” He says. I take my hand from under my blanket, and bravely ask.

“Will you hold my hand?”

If I can feel him, that is how I know he is okay. That way I can rest my mind just a bit. He takes my bare hand in his, turning his body to me, so that both hands are holding my left hand. He draw circles until I fall into real sleep.

In the morning I wake up to the sound of Kakashi’s breathing. He no longer held my hand, instead he has me in his arms. It was like he was trying to protect me from my bad dreams and suffocation. He was warm, I close my eyes again, knowing that I won’t fall back to sleep but I didn’t try to move of his arms. I didn’t want to, I liked how I felt in them.

From this close I can feel his chest extend as he breathes in and out. I can see the stubs of hair from his chin. His hair is laying on his pillow, while I was pulled away from my own. His muscular arm is my pillow for now. I take a deep breath, smelling the morning sun and Kakashi’s scent. This is what helped stay calm throughout the night. My legs were entangled with his, not a cold spot on my body. I layed on the ground with him, even though his bed was comfortable I didn’t mind lying here.

I stare at his face, but I realize just how odd that must seem so I close my eyes again. I wonder who Kakashi takes after, his mother or his father. I took after my mother and my father, but I had no idea where I got my black hair. Both my parents had brown hair. And my green eyes, where did they appear? So odd.

“Kiyoko,” Kakashi whispers in his morning voice.

“Yes?” I open my eyes, and see that Kakashi still had his closed.

“Did you sleep well?” He loosens his hold on me but I don’t move away from him.

“Yes. I did, thank you for staying with me,” I say. Kakashi hums, but doesn’t open his eyes. Maybe I should get up, but I didn’t.

“Tonight do you mind if we share my bed? The floor is too hard,” He says finally opening his eyes. I think about our current position, and imagining us in his bed. It made me feel very warm all of the sudden.

“No, I don’t mind. It was only until you held my hand that I was able to fall asleep without any worries,” I tell him. He smiles, it has been a while since I have seen an uncovered smile.

“Is it that you’re afraid of losing me? Is that why you have to hold on to the physical me?”

I nod, “we were both drowning in my nightmare. I watched you struggle to breathe, you didn’t make it. I don’t want to see that anymore.”

Kakashi tightens his hold on me once again. He smooths my hair.

“I can swim if that makes you feel any better. As long as you and I are together, we can’t be beaten. Remember you and I are the deadly ying and yang combo. I call it the black and white fang duo.” He gives me a bigger smile. I laugh at the ridiculous name, fang, just like his father except now I was part of the equation.

“You’re just going to have to be by my side,” He says and sits up stretching. I was going to have to be stronger if I was going to stay by his side. I get up too, breakfast wasn’t going to cook itself.

It was not until later in the day that Tomoko flashes into the living room. Thankfully Kakashi wasn’t home at the moment, but she still gave me a scare. Just one day, one day that I had before I was back in the Shikkotsu Forest. I leave my load of laundry in the washer, and I am summoned to Sage Moriko’s presence. I was still not entirely over what she did to me the other day.

“Sage Moriko,” Tomoko says as she takes a seat on my shoulder.

Sage Moriko sighs. “I’m sorry for forcing you to participate in an activity that was not comfortable to you. I will try to take your emotions in consideration and it would be a pleasure if you return to training today.”

She didn’t sound too genuine, but it still made me laugh with the look on her face.It was better than not recieving an apology at all. I agree to return to training.

“I’ll return as long as you don’t take all of your frustrations out on me anymore. You tend to do that a lot,” I say.

“I do not do that!” She exclaims.

“Yes you do,” Tomoko and I say at the same time. She frowns, but smiles it off, because it was so true.

“Very well. As you could already take life force away from others, wood technique will go faster. It just about giving life force, lets go over the previous jutsu, this time you’ll try it,” She says. I’m glad she wasn’t going to make me create any shadow clones anymore.

I remember exactly how to make this arm jutsu. I flow my earth chakra and water chakra to my right arm, making my connection of my arm and body the converting site. Its there that my chakra gives it life. I see it form wod, it covered my arms, and grew, and grew to the direction I wanted it too. I tried to do what Sage Moriko has done, creating branches of spikes from the main body. They protrude. As long as my chakra guided my chakras, I could do what I wanted to do with my wooden arm.

“Outstanding. Even I the creator of Wood technique did not get this technique so well done on my first try.” Sage Moriko praises. Everyone else who does not know about Sage Moriko and her forest, which is the rest of the human population, except me, believes that Hashirama Senju made this technique, but really Sage Moriko created it. Hashirama was the only human to manage it, but now I was getting there. I stop my chakra, and pull my arm out of the wood, it falls with a very loud clunk.

“Now that is learned. practice it on your own. The next jutsu is Tree binding flourishing burial. It is a long name, but it is very deadly, hence burial. It begins with wrapping your enemy from wood underneath them. It creeps up their body, creating a tree in the process. The tree acts like a holder, keeping you enemy tangled in wooden roots and branches. At the users will the wood can squeeze the opponent to death. Once you’re trapped in this jutsu it is very hard to get out of, unless you’re a wod user, but thankfully there aren’t too many that I know of out there. I’ll show you how it is done,” Sage Moriko smiles. She weaves her hand and a shadow clone appears. Her own shadow clone thankfully.

It stands in front of her, and stays as small saplings of tree grew around the shadow clone’s legs. They got thicker, as it grew. A tree began to form behind her, branches bound her hands to the new trunk and wrapped around her only keeping her head out.

“You see, this jutsu is great with restricting your opponent, as long as you get the wood around their legs, once you have them, they are your’s. This jutsu is deadly at this point.” Sage Moriko brings her snake seal formes hands in front of her and then I see the wood around her shadow clone get tighter. Soon enough her shadow clone disappears in a puff, and there is nothing left.

“Flourishing, funny name. It wasn’t my original name for it, but Hashirama changed it. He was in a very foul mood at the time. Very angry, maybe that is the reason he wanted this jutsu’s name to be changed. I still remember what he said at the time, ‘this tree will flourish with the blood of those who dare to interrupt peace.’ But then I would scold him and he would get depressed. He was a very sensitive man,” Sage Moriko laughs. It made me shudder a bit.

“Okay enough of reminiscing, its time for you to try, and if it bothers you to use your own clone, I will supply the clone for you,” She gives me an encouraging nod. I don’t know if her clone would make this any easier, it was the fact that I will be staring at her clone while I crushed her that makes it difficult.

I begin to extend the wood around her feet, but once it covers two thirds on her, I could finish the rest of her, I couldn’t attach her arms to the trunk. I couldn’t hurt Sage Moriko even of it was simply a shadow clone.

“What is it now?”

“Its just not the way I learn. I do it myself, not on others. Can we substitute a log instead?” I ask. She sighs, and dispels her shadow clone, she inputs a log like I request. I thank her and continue to do what she has done. I wrap my jutsu around the log, the branches connect to the tree trunk making it impossible for the log to move an inch.

“Very good, now use your chakra to crush the log,” Sage Moriko said. I wrap it tightly around the log, it was just wood, thankfully it wasn’t too hard to do what she says. The log splinters off into millions of pieces, and the place where it was is hollow. I flattens out to the trunk making it look like a regular tree.

“Two jutsus down for the day. They aren’t perfect yet they still need work, but you’ll have to practice on your own. That is how we’ll get more down. I’ll teach you the jutsus here, but you’ll practice on your own. I think this way we can get more done,” Sage Moriko nods like she was convincing herself to this teaching style. I didn’t disagree, it would be a great way to practice, its just that it would be more dangerous that someone could see me.

“Okay, the next technique I will show you is called Cutting Technique. It has to uses. Your body produces sharp wooden spikes from your own body. It acts like a sword, but it can extend to your will. A lot like the great forest technique you already know. But this jutsu can be thrown as well. It can protrude the opponent, and as soon as it makes contact with water it grows inside the human. You already know that humans are made of sixty percent water, so if this jutsu lands than it it deadly. One of my favorites if you ask me.”

She shows me the ram seal that I need, and a long wooden spike sword grows from her wrist, she holds it like a sword. It grew the way she wanted. Handy. Then she shows me the second use of this jutsu. She uses a log for my sake. She stands a great distance away from it, she has another wooden spike sword growing from her wrist. I watch as she throws it to the log, it makes contact right in the middle, but is doesn’t expand in the log like it should.

“It works better with really flesh, this log is dead, so it didn’t work very well. If we cut it open than we would see small spiked growing from the larger one. That, in a human, would puncture vital organs killing enemies in seconds. Its great for outnumbered matches, just grow and throw,” She chuckles at her little rhyme. All I need to do is grow and throw.

I practiced those three jutsus as long as I could in Shikkotsu Forrest. It was already dinner time when Tomoko sends me back to the Leaf Village. The great thing was that she left me in a small dirty alley, I brush off the dust and sweat as best as I could, before I quickly got home. When I open the door, I see Kakashi making a sandwich in the kitchen. I feel bad for not being here early to make dinner properly.

“Oh good, Kiyoko I made you a sandwich. We’ve been assigned a mission, so go get your things ready.”

He was eating his sandwich as he said it. I didn’t have time to freshen up anymore, I guess this is how I’ll be going on another mission. I just hope that we’ll be back for the lantern festival. I get my pack filling them with the necessary things. Kakashi slips on his shoes, as I grab my sandwich and head to the door. I can feel him rushing, being very impatient.

I eat my sandwich and follow Kakashi to the main entrance.

“I already gathered all of the information from Lady Tsunade. I’ll tell you now Kiyoko, this is an A rank mission. Sakura and Sai will not be accompanying us this time. I’m only taking you because you can keep up with jounin movement. That and your jutsus will help us immensely. If we weren’t short of jounin, then I would want you to be substituted for your safety. We aren’t even able to fill in Sai’s spot, Guy stepped in for Sakura. It’ll be just us three.”

I see Guy waiting for us at the entrance.

“What exactly is the mission?” I ask. It was supposed to be a jounin level mission, it made me feel nervous, really nervous.

“We’ve managed to locate Orochimaru’s hideout, and not too far from it, people from a small village have spotted Sasuke, walking around with Kabuto. If there is any chance that I have to bring him back I will not let it pass by,” Kakashi says. Sasuke, we could bring Sasuke back. No wonder Kakashi is in such a hurry. I won’t slow them down, no, I want to help him bring back his student.

“Hello there Kakashi! Very nice to see you Kiyoko. It looks like fate has brought us together. I look forward to battle alongside your powerful youth,” He smiles. He seems much more energetic and smiley than Kakashi. Kakashi just wants his student home, and I was going to do everything in my power to bring Sasuke where he belongs.

“Guy stop fooling around. We need to be serious from the very beginning. The village that the hideout is supposed to be is a day journey away.

“Right, then lets go,” Guy says. Guy and Kakashi start with a hurry, leaving me behind, but I catch up quickly. I could just see the set determination on Kakashi’s face. I could save Sakura the heartbreak, and Naruto the worry, if I can bring him back. But in deep in my gut I knew he wasn’t going to simply come with us. He has shut his eyes from the world around him and only saw power to avenge his clan. I’m not sure a simple talk would convince him to bring him back to the Leaf. Especially if its power he craves for, I don’t think other than the hokage and the sannin are what he is looking for. And Orochimaru is a sannin, he is getting much more stronger if he follows his path.

He already knows the bond that he shares, but he wants to sever it. He’ll never know just how important these few bonds he has left. My bonds were cut, I only had the idea of Suzu that kept me from drifting off. I was able to stay grounded just barely, I was so close to giving in, but then Naruto came. And then I made new bonds.

Sasuke must be close to floating away in his own darkness. Naruto, Sakura, and Sai, and his friends he has in the Leaf won’t let him. I won’t let him.

Once we were off we didn’t stop very much. Guy had us stop once or twice because he needed to go to the bathroom.

“What are we going to do when we get there Kakashi,” Guy asks once we get on our way to the village next to Orochimaru’s suppose hideout.

“We’ll have to make sure these rumors are reliable. If it happens to be true then I’ll explain the plan once we figure things out. Now we need to get there quickly. We can’t miss them,” Kakashi says and speeds up just a bit. I stay right beside him, this was probably the most important mission I have been on. We’ve been traveling for nine hours already, covering land quicker than I imagined. We cut it down to half by reducing stops and moving very quickly. I was beginning to tire by the time we hit eleven hours of jumping from treetop to tree branch. I was depleted from training before I got home. I was already tired from practicing wood technique.

“Kiyoko, you doing alright? You look a bit tired. Don’t let your flame of youth dim just yet, put all of your will into this,” Guy says besides me. He pushed my pack, I’ve noticed that Kakashi was ahead of me. He was so focused on Sasuke right now. I didn’t want to hold him back.

“I’ll be fine, come on we can’t hold Kakashi back,” I push myself a bit harder than I already was.

There were no complains for two more hours. We’ve been traveling half a day and it was past midnight, the moon was past its full stage. It gave us very little light. My body wanted to rest, but Kakashi hasn’t spoken about stopping. My mind was tired as well it wandered off frequently now. I jump to another branch, expecting to land on the wood, but I jump to short. Damn it, I slip and feel myself falling to the ground far below us. I catch myself on the branch, the thick bark of the tree cut into my palms.

“Ow,” I say to myself, as I try to pull myself back to the branch. My hands stung, and the lack of chakra was preventing them to heal quickly. It was hard to get half of my body up, I felt much more heavier than ever.

“I got you,” I hear Kakashi say. Kakashi and Guy grab both of my hands pulling me up. I cringe in pain when their hands make contact with my palm.

“Kakashi we need to rest, if we do have to battle tomorrow we can’t go into confrontation like this,” Guy says.

“No, I’m fine. I just slipped, we need to get Sasuke. I’m all ready to go,” I stand up much to my legs refusal. Kakashi takes my hands in his, looking at the deep cuts that weren’t closing on their own. I close my fists, I didn’t want to hold him back.

“There is a small pass by village just ahead of here. We’ll stay at a hotel and leave at sunrise,” Kakashi lets go of my injured hands. We don’t jump from branch to branch anymore, we walk on the dark trail instead. He was right lights illuminated a very small town, a hotel was close by the hot springs. Kakashi checks us in while I look for bandages to wrap my slowly bleeding palms. I didn’t want to make a bloody mess while I wait for them to heal.

“Okay we got our rooms, lets go get some rest,” Kakashi waits for me to get up from my seat that was in the lobby. We make our way through the short hallways.

“Guy you’ll be in the room on the right, I’ll stay with Kiyoko,” Kakashi says and hands Guy his key. Guy lets his mouth drop.

“Wh-what? You’re staying in the same room? Are- but,” He stutters in surprise.

“Guy its a long story, get some rest. I’ll see you tomorrow at sunrise and explain it if it really bothers you,” Kakashi says, and pushes me slightly into the room.

“I’ll allow this time, just this once,” I hear Guy grumble outside. I slip off my shoes, and Kakashi sits on the floor.

“Let me see your hands,” Kakashi says and tugs me to sit in front of him. He takes some bandages from his pack, and disinfecting swabs. I bite my lip as he swabs my palms, it stung. but I felt relief of the pain. He begins to wrap my hands, blood seeped through the first layer, but he wrapped my hands with ease and care.

“I should have noticed that you’re exhausted. You were training before you got home weren’t you. That is why you’re not healing quickly, you haven’t restored your chakra. And that one sandwich isn’t enough to get it back. I’m sorry, I had my mind set on one thing, and you ended up getting hurt,” Kakashi finishes the first hand, and moves to the second one.

“Its fine. I should have been able to overcome my fatigue. Just because I am tired doesn’t mean Sasuke will wait for us. I should be the one apologizing,” I say, and watch as Kakashi’s big hand carefully held mine. Guy must be so confused about him staying in the same room, but Kakashi remembered. He remembered that I couldn’t sleep without him by my side.

“I’m going to go get a few snacks for us. Get dressed and set up the futons for us,” Kakashi says, and puts his shoes back on. I change into the robes the hotel provide us. It felt nice and soft on my tired body. I see the futons and blankets folded neatly in one corner. I struggle to pull them to the center of the room, my hands hurt, but by tomorrow they’ll be fine. After a snack and some sleep.

I’ll have to be at my best tomorrow. This is considered to be an A rank mission. This could be a very important mission that helps me to become a jounin. This is a very important mission, the most important mission I may ever have. One, Sasuke is said to be not too far from here. We can take him home, and second I need to prove myself worthy of being a jounin. I manage to get everything settled, when Kakashi opens the door with a bag.

“I’ll get changed. I bought some chips, dried meat, and drinks for a quick meal.” He hands me the bag as he grabs the robe. I turn away from his direction, and open a bag of chips, my hands already healing a bit quicker by my static body. I ate, feeling a whole lot better. Man was I hungry. Kakashi sat near me eating too. I unwrapped the dry meat digging into it with greed. I could see the fatigue in his face too.

“If Sasuke really is near, then Orochimaru will be near too. That’s what I am worried about, I’m worried that he’ll take interest in you, and wants to capture you to find out what power you hold. Just like before, if it gets too heated I want you to leave.”

“No, I’m not leaving you or Guy to fight on your own. I’ll fight to my fullest, you haven’t seen everything I got,” I smile. If it comes to the worst scenario than I would have to use my earth chakra. And if it comes to death then I’ll have to use wood technique. That was my plan, and if Sage Moriko didn’t like it than she can deal with it, because there is no way I’ll leave them.

“Stubborn. How could I forget that we are the black and white fang. You’ll be by my side right,” He takes a sip of his water. I nod. I’ll be by his side if we have to face a legendary Sannin. I’ll be by his side as we take Sasuke back home.

Kakashi and I finish the food, it felt so great to eat. It remindes me just how painful being hungry was. I was hungry a lot of my time on my own. But I wasn’t going hungry anymore.

Kakashi and begin to get ready for bed, and I didn’t know if he would simply hold my hand or hold me. I was too shy to ask. Kakashi gets into bed first, he smiles when he sees just how awkwardly I was sitting. He lifts his covers.

“Come get in here, we need to get some rest,” He says. I get under his blanket leaving my futon unattended. Kakashi must have felt my racing heartbeat, because he is the one who pulls me to him. I feel so much more at ease when I am near him. His bicep acts as my pillow just like before. I felt his legs begin to warm my cold feet. This way I began to fall into sleep without any troubles. Before I completely lose consciousness, I feel Kakashi press his lips on my forehead. I couldn’t help but smile, and try to hold onto him closer as I fell asleep.

It felt like just a few hours of sleep, but when Kakashi wakes me it is just before sunrise. My body wanted to sleep more but I was refreshed and ready for whatever I had to do. He changes first and leaves the room to wake Guy up and leave me to my privacy. Once I gather my things and fold the futons and blankets back I open the door and see Guy and Kakashi waiting for me.

“Alright lets get going,” Kakashi says. Guy lags behind a bit, mumbling to himself. We set off to the village where there has been many reports of Sasuke’s appearance. We didn’t stop, and I didn’t slip anymore. We made it there faster than we expected, just three hours. It was late morning and the small town was bustling. Kakashi stops us a few meters before the entrance.

“We’ll split up and ask around. We’ll meet up ten minutes from now to gather information. Mention Kabuto and Orochimaru. I brought pictures so you can show the citizens their faces.” Kakashi hands us pictures of Orochimaru and Kabuto. But the picture of Sasuke looked a bit outdated. I’m sure he has grown and changes, but they can get a picture of him. We walk in together and we split apart. I take the market area, Guy takes the back area, and Kakashi takes the civilian part of town. I walk over to a fruit stand, holding ripe tomatoes in my hands.

“Shall I get you a bag young lady?” The elder woman behind the stand says.

“Hmm I’ll take a few. They are nice and ripe. Have you been selling fruits all of you life?”

“Oh yes I have. I know anyone around these streets. I haven’t seen you. You must be new to town,” She smiles and holds the bag open for me to drop the two tomatoes.

“That is great. Have you seen any of these three men around here?” I show her their pictures. She adjusts her glasses. I let her take them from my hand holding it closer to her face.

“Ah yes. I have seen this man, with this young lad. But he looks a bit older than this picture.” She points at Kabuto and Sasuke. They must have been walking down this street at some point.

“Thank you very much. I’ve been searching for them for a very long time,” I smile and give her the money for the tomatoes I have bought. I don’t have use to them and hand them to a little boy who was sitting next to his elder. He thanks me and I continue to ask around for Sasuke, Kabuto and Orochimaru. I get back to our rendezvous point, Guy waits there. Kakashi must still be asking. Guy is leaning on a tree when I get there.

“Kiyoko you and Kakashi seem to be getting along real well,” He stretches real, making it sound a bit accusing.

“Well yes, he has been taking care of me. I am very grateful for everything that he has done for me,” I tell him. I was fortunate that Kakashi and I do get along, thankfully he isn’t someone who is so cold hearted. I see Guy’s face pale, and he begins to slide down the tree.

“Eh. He takes good care of you. Oh poor Kiyoko! Robbed of your innocence. I’ll never forgive that Kakashi for what he has done to you,” He wales a bit louder.

“What are you doing Guy? You can be heard a mile away,” Kakashi says.

“You, Kakashi. I know what you have done,” Guy accuses him. I couldn’t take him seriously, not when Guy had snot running down his nose.

“Guy I have done many things, but right now is not the time for this. How did your gathering information go?”

Guy recovers quickly, it makes me wonder if he was joking or serious just a bit ago.

“Everyone that I have asked have said that they have seen them. Every single person, which is what I found strange. Even small children,” Guy says.

“Yes that is the same result with me. Everyone seems to know Kabuto and Sasuke,” I agree.

“That is odd, I have asked at least ten villagers, all of them smiling and knowing exactly who they are. No one knew Orochimaru though, but that is not too unusual. He doesn’t show his face in public too much. We’re going to have to be extra careful around here. The hideout is not too far from here.” Kakashi grabs his map from his backpack. He extends it before us a clear mark on the supposed hideout. It seemed like we could be just about ten minutes away walking, but we could get there in five.

“We don’t know if this hideout is full of Orochimaru’s experiments, that is why I brought Kiyoko along. I don’t know anyone other than Naruto who can produce such a large amount of shadow clones. We’ll even out the plane with her. We don’t know the terrain inside the hideout so splitting should be a last resort. We battle our way through. If we do encounter Orochimaru, I will battle him and most likely Kabuto will be there as well. Guy will take care of him. Kiyoko you’ll keep our backs covered with your clones, but if Sasuke is in hand you will go after him. He will most likely use his sharingan but you can dispel it, you’ve done it before with Itachi, so he should be no problem. The only problem is that he is a fire user and a lightning user. You can counter his fire, but he can conduct his lightning through you so be cautious.” Kakashi instructs us.

“Try to avoid confrontation if possible. Together is the best option to get back Sasuke, if he is there,” Kakashi says. He shows us where the entrance to the hideout, it was a picture of it. It was zoomed in and not too clear, but it was better to know what we know what we are getting ourselves into. Once Kakashi had gone into greater detail of our strategy we begin to move into the hideout. Guy no longer was so sulky, we were all focused on the task in hand. It took us just three minutes to close in, Kakashi stopped meters away, no one was guarding the entrance.

“You know the plan,” Kakashi says quietly. I concentrate a bit on my surroundings, trying to read any chakra that are near, but I only felt one. Sage Moriko was helping me sense chakra for farther distances. She said it will become much more easier once I am training to become a sage.

“Kakashi I sense only once person just after the entrance, I’ve sensed this chakra before,” I say softly to him. Its powerful, but not unhandlable. Guy or Kakashi could stand against it for sure. I sense it, zoning out Guy and Kakashi’s chakra from my field of vision.

“Kabuto. That chakra is Kabuto,” I tell them. Guy clenches his fists, ready for a fight. Kakashi gives us the signal to close in. As I was appointed, I had to stay just a few inches behind Guy and Kakashi, in a triangle formation. I thought Kabuto would be by Orochimaru like Kakashi said, but I can’t sense anyone else.

“It seems like you have spotted me before I have spotted you. My how could that have happened?” I hear that voice say. Kabuto stands before the entrance of the hideout. It looked like he was expecting us.

“So glad to see you Kiyoko. You three must be here for someone isn’t that right,” He smiles. I was on my guard, this was too casual for a battle, I didn’t like it.

“Kakashi I know we are supposed to stay together, but we’re out here. I can handle him by myself. You and Kiyoko go get Sasuke,” Guy says from besides me. I see Kabuto’s grin only widen. Something was wrong, very wrong.

I see Kakashi weigh the options, leave guy to battle Kabuto, or we fight him together. But we didn’t have too much time to waste on deciding, not when Kabuto knows we are here for Sasuke. Kakashi nods, “Kiyoko leave a shadow clone with him, I’m sure it would help.”

I leave Guy with my shadow clone, and wait for Guy to strike making Kabuto move and giving us a free entry inside. It was a small opening, but inside it was cave like. We were surrounded by earth, I keep up with Kakashi as we run towards the end, if there was an end to this tunnel. Thankfully the walls were lit, but lit dimly. Guy will easily take Kabuto down, he’s a master in taijutsu, so close combat is great when battling Kabuto. I don’t need to worry about him, I worried about a chakra standing right in front of us meters away. It stood in the middle of the tunnel.

“Kakashi up ahead, I can sense chakra up there,” I tell him.

“How many?” He asks.

“Just one,” I tell him. It wasn’t like anything I have ever felt, it wasn’t too powerful, it just didn’t feel alive. I take out my kunai, enveloping it in my water chakra another thing I have been practicing on my own.

We get closer slowing our pace, so we stood a few meters away. I couldn’t see their face, just its silhouette, I looked female. It was then that I see Suzu walk into the light. What they hell was she doing here? She didn’t look right, the white of her eyes were black now, and she looked flakey. Like she was constructed out of paper. She looked lifeless.

“I’m sorry, I’m very sorry,” She murmurs to herself.

“Suzu?” I ask. She stumbles and looks at me, something clicked back into her. Her expression turned painful and sad.

“Kiyoko, Please you have to help me. I can’t control my body, he’s controlling me. I’m afraid. Kiyoko I’m terrified,” She wails. It made my heart break all over again. This had to be a genjutsu, and I try to remove it, but nothing changed. This was the real deal, she was here again, begging me to help her. I want to help her, but she was in our way of getting Sasuke.

“Kakashi you go up ahead, this won’t take long. I promise I’ll be right behind you. I’ll just have to restrain her that’s all.”I turn to tell Kakashi.

“Kiyoko, I don’t think it’ll be wise to leave you on your own.”

“I’ll be fine I don’t sense anyone around here, and I can always get to you. I’ll let one of my shadow clones go with you. Go and get Sasuke,” I encourage him. I make a clone for him, and he leaves me with Suzu.

“What is happening to you?” I ask my old friend. She was on her knees trying to get herself together.

“The man with grey hair called it reanimation. It- its bringing me back from the dead,” She struggles to say. She continues to explain while she had the strength to control herself.

“Its still not perfect, but I can try to gather my own thought. He is controlling me Kiyoko. That man killed me and brought me back to life just so I could capture you. You’re going to have to kill me, because its either your life or mine,” She lets out a small yell. And then she jerks to her feet like a puppet almost. Her eyes are slack she was under Kabuto’s control again. She seals her hands and soon enough two walls enclosed us in a small area. I would easily get out of here with earth jutsu, but for now I’ll keep my cards hidden. Suzu falls again, her breathing very strained, she was crying.

“Kill me. Kill me before I hurt you Kiyoko! Please that is the only way to save me and yourself. I want to die by your hand if anything else,” She says. I feel the emotions gather in my throat, I swallow them and clench my kunai. I couldn’t do it just like the last time we battled, I can’t do it.

“Kiyoko this is the way a shinobi like us die. We die in battle,” She tried again.

I shake my head, “You have a child Suzu! How can I take you away from your child.”

“That man said if I failed to capture you he will make me kill my own son. I can’t capture you for greater evil. I can’t let my son dire, so I must end my own life once again. Remember you said we were going to save this world, and rid it of war. Men like this only crave war. You can stop it. I really believe you can,” She smiles. She talks while she has control.

“You opened my eyes, because you told me I could change the way I wanted to live. I traveled back home. I open that front door Kiyoko. My old home’s front door. My mother was sitting there, with my older brother. They were there and they welcomed me like I never went missing. My mother took care of my son while I fetched water from the well. That man took me away from my family. But I saw them one more time before I died. My son will be safe, he’ll be raised exceptionally. He’ll grow up in a safe world where he won’t see a war. You’ll make sure of it, right?” She pleads.

There was hope in her eyes, hope that I will accomplish it. This was her dying wish.

“I will. Suzu I-” I begin to say.

“Thank you Kiyoko. Thank you so much.” Suzu cries, and her tears dried quickly. No emotions were reflected from her. But her appearance began to flake away, like disintegrating paper. It was like she has finally going in peace, even Kabuto could not restrain the heart and souls. Her body disappeared and an empty shell was left behind. It was a man that was left behind in the remains of Suzu’s body. It was she had her soul in his body, and once it was at peace she left all that physically held her down and went to where ever souls went.

Suzu died sacrificing herself for me, and there were no words to describe the emotions I am feeling, but I did feel one. Anger, absolute anger toward Kabuto. He took Suzu away from her family, he killed her and brought her back to life only to make her suffer more. I was going to end him for what he has done. As soon as we get Sasuke back. I was no longer going to be hunted I was going to hunt him down and kill him. That way he would no longer be able to do what he has done.

I walks through the earth walls with ease, I thank Suzu for her strength. I am so grateful I did not have to fight her. She was kind hearted to have given me an opportunity to evade that option. I will buy her the prettiest lantern of all. Out of the walls I finally feel the confusion in my shadow clone that was with Kakashi. There was something very wrong going on there. I sprint to Kakashi, taking turns after turns, where was he going. I make it to Kakashi in a minute, he managed to end up in a very large and circular room. I see my shadow clone right beside him, they both had confusion written all over their faces. It was then that I noticed that the room was filled with people like Suzu. They were brought back from the dead too.

I get to Kakashi’s side in a simple jump.

“No matter what I use they won’t die, they just regenerate their wounds,” Kakashi fills me in.

“Its called reanimation. Kabuto has brought them all back from the dead, he controls them now.I believe to release them the soul must be at peace. Suzu left a body behind that I think her soul used as a vessel,” I tell him what I have witnessed. The bodies encircled us, but they did not move just yet. How will we be able to stop them if the regenerate so quickly. Like I heal my wounds. We have to stop them from putting themselves back together.

An idea popped into my head, but I was going to have to go against Sage Moriko. They use both the chakra of their body that they are inhabiting, and their own chakra that they have in their souls. I’m going to have to take that chakra away from them, like I did it with Sage Moriko. My wood would come into contact with their bodies I’ll suck out all they have. That should stop the living dead.

I’m sorry I think. I look at Kakashi, he’s going to have so many questions, but he is the only one that I truly trust to not say a word. He said it not too long ago, he would have open ears and a sealed mouth, well now its going to be put to the test.

“Kakashi I think I know how I can stop them. Cover my back, I’ll explain everything you’re just going to have trust me,” I tell him. I was more nervous about his reaction than this theory to actually work. Kakashi gets behind me and I begin to seal my hands for Wood Release: Great Forest Technique. At any distance I will be able to land my wood to their bodies. Here we go, with the consequences very clear.

I extend my right arm out, feeling my two chakra infuse with one another. The wood extends and that is when the undead attack us. The first one didn’t dodge my jutsu, lets see just how far this jutsu can go. It lands right in the stomach of the enemy, I inplant myself to it and begin to take away its life force, and in seconds the outer coating falls and there is nothing but a corpse left behind just like Suzu left that man’s corpse behind. But this was going too slow, not with this many enemies, Kakashi fought them off, but as soon as it regenerated it attacked once again. I hope the cutting technique will have the same effect. If the wood can keep them immobile than I could use the great forest technique to take away their life force.

I have both sword like wood sticking from my inner wrist, ready in hand. Multiple opponents came towards me once that they saw just how I ended their little friend. I duck their grabs, and stab both of them in their abdomen, once detached from my body it blooms inside their bodies. Spikes protruded from their bodies, they fall and don’t get up anymore, but they still twitched like a dead insect.

I help take down the ones who were ganging up on Kakashi. I saw him freeze when he sees me use wood release. I can’t describe the look on his face. But I didn’t stop to keep him from making accusations, I had to take down the enemies before they did any harm to either of us.

I’ve taken down almost all of them but two remained, those two who were much more skilled than the others. Kakashi helps out with cutting off one of their arms keeping them from sealing jutsus. Another one falls like a fly. It was two against one, Kakashi tried to use his lightning style but the opponent stopped it with a wind style jutsu. Kakashi is pushed back, but I take the moment to wrap some wood around their legs keeping him once place. I use my great forest technique to take away his life. I wished they would have gone like Suzu, but they had to die twice so that they could finally go where they belonged. I gather my surroundings, I used my jutsu to expand and take the life of the others that lay on the ground. Within seconds all have left behind the corpse, and I was left with a very tired body and a very distant Kakashi.

I sit down trying to gather my strength, I’ve used so much wood style today, my body wasn’t used to using it in real combat. I get up not too long after sitting we have to collapse this area, no one should be able to see this, not when I am supposed to keep my wood style a secret.

“I’ll explain as soon as we get out of here and destroy this place. Kakashi we’ve been tricked. Sasuke isn’t here, I don’t sense anyone else in this hideout,” I tell him. He doesn’t respond but he simply nods and we make our way toward the exit. He uses his lightning style to tear down the walls when we reached them. He went ahead, looking behind to make sure I was still behind him, but I was getting tired quickly again.

We reach the mouth of the hideout to see Kabuto and Guy standing in front of each other. They don’t look hurt, but the terrain has taken a beating. I take the liberty to stuff some food pills in my mouth, it’ll give me enough energy to fight if I had to.

Kakashi and I get to Guy’s side.

“Oh it looks like you’re still here. That wench couldn’t capture you. It seems that even the undead couldn’t contain you,” He speaks directly to me. I feel my blood boil under my skin.

“I’m going to kill you for what you have done,” I snarl, and the beast’s voice is vocalized along with mine.

“I’ll help you little Kiyoko. Let me at him, I’ll rip his arms off first, and then his legs. I’ll tear his heart out of his chest. He’ll know the pain he has caused,” the beasts says within me. Kakashi keeps a hold on my shoulder.

“My, what a bold threat. I must apologize though, it seems like you guy have come all this way for nothing. Sasuke wasn’t even here, but the simple rumor of him being here brought just who I wanted here. Sorry,” he says with mockery.

His empty words made me want to throw up, I was so angry I couldn’t keep still, my fingers twitched. He dared to use the emotions to his manipulation, and he was going to pay for that.

“Oh but don’t worry he is in great care. I regret not bringing him along now, what a show that would have been right Kakashi,” He laughs.

“Enough of this, you’re going to pay for manipulating people. They are not your puppets,” I pull my shoulder from Kakashi’s hold. I make a tearing torrent in my hand.

“Just a minute, I need to ask one more question. Tell me what was wrong with my jutsu? I am curious to know how you were able to get out alive, and defeat my small little army of the living dead,” he sounds genuinely curious. I just wanted to smack those stupid round glasses off of his face.

“You control their bodies that is true. You don’t control their hearts and souls. That is the weakness of this jutsu, and that is a weakness that can’t be fixed,” I tell him thinking of Suzu.

“Is that so. I’ll find a way around that. Thank you really for your input, but I must go. Oh Lord Orochimaru isn’t going to be too happy with for not bringing you back with me Kiyoko and this hideout is now destroyed. By any chance would you accompany me to him?”

Kakashi throws him a kunai. Kabuto laughs, “I guessed not, so long.” He vanishes on a puff of white smoke.

“What does he mean the living dead?” Guy asks.

“I’ll inform you later, we need to get back quickly and inform Lady Tsunade,” Kakashi says.

“You always leave me out of the circle Kakashi,” Guy whines. I go back to the general area that was over the cave hideout. I need to bury the corpse and my wood technique, no one should see what went down there. Then they would suspect my wood style, and Kakashi is the only one who should know. I use my earth chakra to cave in the cave, rocks tumbled and the walls gave in. No one should be able to get down there anymore. Once that was taken care of I walk back to Kakashi and Guy, it seemed like Kakashi was filling in Guy, and he chose his words carefully. I sigh in relief, Guy doesn’t know the entire truth of what I did.

“Lets go back, Kiyoko you look like you’re about to pass out. You must have used all of your fire of youth to end the living dead, maybe we can stop by a hotel so you can get some rest,” Guy says, as he pats my head. Kakashi is quiet, and I didn’t expect any less, but still I wonder what is on his mind right now.

We make our way through the trees, but not too fast that I was falling behind, it was a nice steady pace. I could just think about what Kakashi is thinking about right now, he hasn’t spoken a word in the hours we have been moving. Sage Moriko must be so angry, I didn’t want to see her face for a while.

It took us half a day to get to the hotel that we first stopped at, it was the same as before. Kakashi gets two rooms, Guy didn’t complain this time, he could feel the change of mood in Kakashi. I didn’t want to get in there, I was afraid of what was going to happen, would he yell at me, I didn’t know. But I knew he would want an explanation and that was the least I could do in this confusing situation. We enter the room and take a seat in front of each other, his stare making me feel very nervous.

“I don’t know where to begin. I wanted to tell you for a long time, but I couldn’t,” I bravely say.

“Well now you can tell me,” He says. He was formal and serious like he was still on the mission. He was trying to figure out if I was a threat to the Leaf, it hurt that he sees me in that light. I want to protect them that is all I want. That is why I used my wood style, to protect Kakashi.

“It all began after my return from the Moon Village, Tomoko appeared in my dreams telling me I was peace.” I tell him about everything, finally getting it off of my chest. I told him about the Forest and how warm it was. It melted all of the ice away. I told him about Sage Moriko and her tree. Her library of history. My lack of history and the mystery of my mother. I told Kakashi about the three years that I have to master wood style, sage mode, and beast mode. I told him that I am not certain about who I am, if I was a senju or not, but a strong mind and body could master wood style as well. I told him about the vision that is to come, about the great danger the world faces. I told him that Naruto and Sasuke will play a big role in the future. He didn’t stop once, he looked shocked when I mentioned the Uchiha section in the library, about finding that empty book in their area. He took it all in, the truth about wood style, the truth that Hashirama wasn’t the one who invented it. All of the time I spent training I spent training wood style rather than water style.

“I wanted to tell you, I did, because I trust you and you’ve always been there for me. I’m sorry I kept it from you, I really am. I just don’t want you to lose your trust in me,” I say trying to remain strong, but his lack of words made it hard.

“How could this all be true?” He whispers.

“It is, and no one should have see this side of me at least not until the vision came true. No one was supposed to know, but I couldn’t stand by and not use my jutsu to protect you. I didn’t want you or Guy to get hurt, and what he did to Suzu. I won’t forgive him, I hope you find it in you to forgive me,” I bow my head. Begging him to forgive me.

“There wasn’t a need for an apology, I’m not angry with you. I’m glad you told me, I was just worried,” Kakashi says. I look up to see him, his eyes have soften. He smiles just a bit.

“I wasn’t expecting anything you just said. It really took me by surprise,” He says.

“Really?” I feel the utmost relief, I was so happy that he wasn’t angry with me or disappointed in me.

“I was worried that Orochimaru managed to plant Hashirama’s DNA. But what you said really did blow my mind just now,” Kakashi takes me in his arms, he didn’t want to see the tears in my eyes. I sigh in happiness and relief, I am so glad he forgave me.

“From now on I’ll tell you everything. I never want to keep things from you,” I say. He smells of sweat, but I do to. But even that didn’t stop him from planting a kiss on my head, it was comforting. I had his support, and I was happiest now that there are no more secrets between us.

Kakashi promised to not tell a soul, not even Lady Tsunade. This secret stayed between us, and I knew he could be trusted. Guy didn’t ask any questions, he was his normal self, everything was coming along perfectly to my standards. no longer had to hide things from Kakashi and I was feeling more comfortable by the second. The Leaf is my home.

We arrive home two days before the lantern festivals. And the first thing I do is get a lantern for Suzu. There weren’t many to choose from, but I picked a blue one, like the color of her spirit as she flew off to the other world. This lantern will fly with her as well.

Kakashi stayed behind to fill out the reports, I took a well deserved bath and a nap. Not even a nap because I couldn’t sleep with so many thoughts. My heart was at peace with the forgiveness of Suzu and Kakashi but my mind was trying to wage a war with itself. I am responsible for so many things now, responsibility that wouldn’t be handed to just anyone, to a normal person. I was given the responsibility to save the world and rid it of war because others have acknowledged me of my power and reliability. I should be happy, but I only felt afraid that I would disappoint them. That crystal ball of Sage Moriko could not see into the future to rid me of my doubts.

There was a knock on the door, making me get up from the very comfortable couch. I open it to see a very serious and crestfallen Sakura. I knew then that she must have heard the means for the mission we just went on.

“You went out looking for Sasuke? That is why Kakashi and Guy were gone too wasn’t it,” Sakura looks at her weakest, she was trying her hardest to not cry. It made my heart ache to see her like this. I try give her shoulder a squeeze, but she slaps my hand away before I can touch her.

“Sakura-”

“Why didn’t you take me! I should have been there, I should have brought Sasuke back. I know I’m not strong, and I am not at a jounin level of intelligence, but I could have helped somehow,” She bows her head to prevent me from seeing her tears, but they dropped and soaked the ground beneath her.

“We didn’t-”

“I just wanted to see him once more,” She whispers to herself. I swallowed my tears, her heart must be breaking at the moment. She is feeling useless, but she wasn’t. I take her in my arms, and she lets me this time. She clings to my fresh clothes, like she was trying to catch Sasuke’s smell, but it wasn’t there. She brings us to our knees, some of the neighbors peek their heads out to see what was the commotion and ducked back in. She brought us to our knees. She just wanted to see him one more time

“We didn’t see him Sakura, he wasn’t there,” I tell her, her body shakes once more. Who told her about our mission, it was their fault that she is this way right now. I do what Kakashi would do to me, I smoothed her hair to comfort her. She wept quietly, but cried she did.

I see Kakashi walk up the stairs and stop when he sees us. He raises an eyebrow and walks right back down the stairs. He stayed clear of this mess that somehow managed to get to her.

“We were fooled, they just wanted to get to me that is all,” I reassure her. She finally pulls away leaving a very large spot on my shoulder. She wipes her tears away curiosity written all over her face.

“Why is that? Why do people like Orochimaru and Kabuto have an interest in you?”

We take it back behind close doors, not just anyone could hear what we are talking about. Once in the living room I answer her question.

“Well, there are many things that even I don’t know. I have special chakra, very powerful and I guess now that they know they want to experiment on me. They are after me, and they used Sasuke as bait. It worked. You can say that Naruto and I are the same in that area, a lot of people are after him for that same reason,” I tell her in broad perspective. This conversation would take hours if I went into detail.

“Crying won’t change a thing will it? I have to get to their level to bring Sasuke back. I have to protect Naruto and you from people like them,” She clenches her first in enthusiasm. It warmed me that she wanted to protect not only me but Naruto as well. I’ve only seen ninja from the Leaf with hearts of gold, their purpose lies in protection of comrades and loves ones.

“Exactly, but don’t think just because I’m a bit older than you that I’ll retire any time soon. I still have decades of life in me, and as long as I live I’ll be doing the protection Sakura,” I smile. She smiles as well, and gets up to leave.

“I’m sorry for causing such a ruckus, I’ll be going. I have some training to do with Lady Tsunade,” She says and closes the door behind her. I’m sure Lady Tsunade will be at her neck with her, Sakura will only want to get stronger faster. Kakashi walks in seconds later, he sighs.

"I did not want to deal with that, looked like something you two needed to do," Kakashi smiles. He just didn't want to deal with an emotional teenage girl. Kakashi has a bag in hand, with ripe fruits and vegetables, he's learned how to buy produce correctly, thats only thing I have taught how to do.

"Poor girl, she really does love him. Lady Tsunade will have to pull a lot out of her sleeves to make Sakura as good as them. After all Naruto has powerful chakra and Sasuke has the sharingan," I say. Looking at it now it feels like Sakura is just staring at their backs from where she stands. But I have faith in her, she’ll become strong enough to stand right by their sides.

“Ya she does, no matter the darkness that has consume Sasuke, she still wants to save him from it. I admire her for that strength she has,” Kakashi speaks of his student with much confidence. I couldn’t help but smile to see him so concerned and observing over his students.

“How about we go window shopping, there are a lot of great things to see at this time of year,” Kakashi asks me. I grab my wallet and follow Kakashi down the stairs. The Lantern festival brings a lot of attention from all around the Land of Fire, I heard that even the Daimyo is escorted here and guarded during the five days of letting go of the lanterns.

The posts were stocked with lanterns and other things made by merchants. There were woven bracelets and necklaces on one post and real metal jewelry in others. Other merchants sold beautiful branded wallets and others sold leather hair band. There were many things that were brought from many different places of the earth. A merchant that came all the way from Land of Waves sold blown glass. They were colorful and in many different shapes.

“Wow beautiful,” I say as I look closer, but I do not touch in fear that I might break them.

“Thank you, its a very delicate process to make such a very delicate piece of art. This opening at the bottom lets a candle to be placed in. The opening at the top lets the oxygen in, and the color of the glass is illuminated. Dim light can relax, its very beautiful to see at night, just like the lanterns,” the woman behind the post tells me.

“Its very well done, I think I want this blue one right here,” I say. Its a blue figure that is formed in the shape of flowing water. The lady wrapped in paper before gently putting it in the bag. She was generous enough to give two free candles. I’m sure the dim light will help me relax and keep the bad nights at bay. I carry it gently as we make our way through the crowd, I cradle the glass sculpture in my arms. Kakashi stopped us at a frying stand where we fried our own dinner.

Kakashi didn’t buy anything, and I only bought my glass sculpture. We were both saving for the festival, one of us will have to buy the winning snack for the other if we win the counting competition. Just one more day and the lantern festival would begin.

That night I stayed in his bed, in his arms, and I no longer felt so nervous around him. He let me light my glass sculpture, it made the ceiling look like the afternoon sky. I slept there peacefully and let the sound of Kakashi rock me to sleep once again.

Another day passes by, and then the morning of the lantern festival came. All day I waited impatiently, making lunch and dinner. I trained on my own, I’m surprised Sage Moriko and Tomoko have not summoned me yet. They must be angry with me, but right now I didn’t care, I wanted to be here for the next five days. I want to count the lanterns and eat fried sugar dumplings that Kakashi will buy me because I will win. Kakashi said he talked to Lady Tsunade and that she would lets us attend the festival without the interruption of a mission.

The lanterns were let go of at midnight so Kakashi and I leave the house an hour before hand. I carry my lantern in my hand, tonight I will light it for Sister Ai from the orphanage. Kakashi holds his in his hand, I wonder who he will remember tonight.

“So it seems like Tomoko and Sage Moriko haven’t summoned you to their forest,” Kakashi says.

“Ya, I bet they are angry with me right now, but I want to enjoy the festival so I don’t mind. After this small break I’m really going to have to work hard, I am supposed to ‘save’ this world,” I say quietly. I need to be careful what I say out loud.

“Does it make you nervous just knowing?”

“Ya it does. I’m more afraid that I won’t be able to save it, I mean what happens if I don’t save it? What will happen to us?”

Kakashi places his hand on my head, and tugs me to his side as we walk.

“Well I can’t imagine this world ending, not in my lifetime, so you’re just going to have confident in yourself. From what i have seen you do so far, I truly believe that you can do anything,” Kakashi says. My heart races at those words, it feels like if I hear them I do believe I can do anything. If I had him by my side like this then it feels like we can do the impossible.

“Hello you two,” I hear Guy say from afar. I see him waving his hands and he wears a big smile on his face.

“Quick if it looks like we didn’t notice him then we can go a different way,” Kakashi whispers into my ears.

“Be nice, I’m sure he just wants to say hello. We have plenty of time to get up to the Hokage faces,” I tell him. Guy waits for us to get to him.

Smiley Guy awaits us with enthusiasm on this late night, I’m sure small children are tucked away with their mothers at this time. On any other night the town would be silent with a few moises here and there, but tonight and for the next four nights it will be alive. Children took advantage of it, they laughed on their parent’s shoulders, with no worry of disturbing many of their neighbors.

“So where are you two going to release your lanterns? I was thinking we could release them at the center of the town with the rest of the crowd. It will sure look bright there?” Guy says and takes his folded lantern from his jacket.

“Oh, we thought maybe we can go release them-” I begin to tell him but I was soon interrupted.


“Guy-sensei!” Someone says. I see a large group of kids coming closer. I see Sakura and Ino among them. I realize it was all of the students. Lee, Tenten, Neji, Hinata, Kiba, Akamaru, Shino, Ino, Choji, Shikamaru, Sakura, and even Sai were all together. They were a large crowd, they all held their own lanterns in their hands.

“Guy-sensei, you must help me with this one technique I am having trouble with,” Lee asks very loudly. Sakura smiles at me, and comes over to where Kakashi and I are standing.

“We’ll take care of this for you guys, take this opportunity to escape,” She whispers and shields her mouth from Guy’s view.

“I owe you one Sakura,” Kakashi says, and takes hold of my hand and pulls me to a different direction. I see Guy listen to his student and soon enough they were out of my sight. I felt just a bit bad for leaving Guy behind, but Kakashi held my hand, and I don’t think we would have been able to if Guy was tagging along. We wouldn’t be able to talk so freely, we wouldn’t be able to talk about my wood technique or about me saving the world. Kakashi is the only one I trust with these things. He’s taken care of me, and I trust him to keep taking care of me in this aspect of protecting my secret.

We walked quickly through alleys and dodged group of people that were in our way of our great escape. I couldn’t help but laugh at the idea of our great escape and just how weird we must look. Just two people running against the crowd, on our way to the Faces of the hokage. It felt like everyone else was going to the center of town just like Guy said, but part of me was glad that Kakashi had invited me along to see the lanterns from the outer part of town.

We finally slow down at the stairs behind the Hokage’s office and Kakashi lets go of my hand. I wish he hadn’t. We begin to walk up the stairs, each step getting closer to the faces. Amazing how the sculpted them up here.

“Where do you think they’ll carve the faces when they no longer fit up here?” I ask Kakashi. He takes his time to answer.

“I don’t know, but we won’t be around to see it even if we do die at an old age.”

“We can see it in our after lives,” I tell him.

“So you think there is an life after this one?” Kakashi says, and continues to walk up the stairs.

“Of course I do. Where would we go after we die, our souls have to go somewhere. I think we’re eternal and we only have a limited time in the physical world. After that we go to the other world and live out eternity with late friends and family,” I tell him. There has to be more to this life, I don’t think old age is enough time for me, not when I already spent so many years alone and afraid.

“There has to be an after life huh. But you can’t be sure what that after life is.” Kakashi almost says to himself.

“Is there forgiveness?” He asks me, making sure I am looking at him.

“There is. Without forgiveness then we live in our regrets, and no one or nothing could ever move on. That is why there are so many conflicts, it feels like its getting harder to forgive with so many generations full of grudges,” I tell him. He must be asking forgiveness to Obito and Rin, and I know they do forgive him. After all it sounds like he has changed for the good.

“Its incredible that you don’t hold grudges,” He smiles a bit and pats my head.

“Oh no I do. Two grudges, I’m not a perfect human being that could possibly be peace, but to the vision I am. My father and Kabuto have done horrible things that should have never been done. If I don’t do it myself, then some day they will get what they deserve. Karma will happen, and I’m sure my karma will come too,” I tell him. Kakashi laughs.

“Honest and wise. You’ve changed overnight Kiyoko.”

“Is that a good thing?” I ask him.

“Its great,” he says. I smile, and we walk over to the edge of the Fourth Hokage’s face. Our feet dangle as we sit. We still had time to waste.

“There are four midnights in five days, what do we do with the fifth lantern?”

“On the last day at midday we light the last lantern and let it go. Its for remembering the person we were and what we want to be. Because it is light out, the lanterns can’t be seen, its kind of a metaphor. It doesn’t matter the person you were, that is flowing away, what matters is the person you want to be,” He says, and leans on his hands.

“Wow, who comes up with these things?”

He shrugs, “my father told me that is what it meant. The lantern festival was his favorite part of the year. Its like another new year for him.”

“I would have wanted to meet your father. What was he like as a father?”

“He was always trying to make me be more considerate of others, believe it or not I used to be a bit of an ass,” he chuckles.

“He raised a very intelligent shinobi and man,” I praise him. We sit in a comfortable silence, watching the people gather at the center of town, they were so tiny from here, but the lanterns still shined. I take out my lantern and begin to give it its structure. Kakashi makes his.

“Is that one for your father?” I ask him. He nods. He tells me the counting game, there are no rules, we just count as many lanterns that we can before they fade. He warned me that it could take a while, but I didn’t mind. I used to fall asleep counting hundreds of stars.

At midnight we see the first lanterns begin to float up towards the moon, and that is when I send out my gratitude and forgiveness to Sister Ai. She shouldn’t have died the way she did. She took me in for a short time but it was a safe and wonderful little vacation, and I thank her for that little paradise. I light my candle and push it towards the heavens, Kakashi releases his, and then I see him give me the start sign. I began to count all the lanterns I could. The lights we beautiful, the different colored lanterns made the sky look like stained glass. It was the most beautiful night I have ever lived through. No wonder Kakashi’s father loved this time of year.

I got to two hundred forty five before they began to fade, and Kakashi said to stop counting.

“How many did you count?” I ask him.

“Two hundred ten,” he says.

“Ha, I counted two hundred forty five. I win. Did you bring your wallet?” I smile. He smiles.

I realize now just how close we were. Kakashi was lowering his mask and leaning in. My heart raced, but it felt natural to lean in too. I closed my eyes and waited for what I knew was going to happen. I felt Kakashi’s warm breath before I felt his soft lips touch mine. The lack of exposure made his lips feel smooth. The kiss felt natural, the only thing that has ever felt natural to me. I savored the taste of his lips, and I didn’t want to open my eyes yet. I felt Kakashi hold my cheek in his hand. We finally pull away, and I open my eyes to see a flushed Kakashi staring at me. I felt like he sucked all of my air with him.

“You still owe me my fried sweet dumplings,” I whisper to him. That was the first thing that popped into my head. He smiles, and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear.

“I wouldn’t dream of forgetting,” He says.

I still had that kiss stuck in my head as Kakashi lead the way down the stairs. My first kiss and it was memorable like I always thought it would be. A kiss is given when you care about the other person, does Kakashi care for me? I didn’t know if I should ask him or let him tell me. Kakashi has slipped back his mask, hiding those smooth lips of his. He still made my heart race, just the thought of the kiss made me feel light headed.

I liked it, I liked him holding my cheek, and tucking my hair. I liked him holding me every night. I liked that he shares my heavy burden and secrets. I like him. I have to stop down the stairs, I like Kakashi, like him. When I think about all of these moments, I just want to experience more of them. Maybe I’m thinking about all of this too much. I catch up to Kakashi, skipping a few steps.

We walked in silence, I didn’t know what to say, and I couldn’t read what was Kakashi’s mind right now. I couldn’t get a sense of what he is feeling either.

I could smell the sweet smell in the air and I know that we must be close to the booth. There are not too many people around the booth, just a few families buying sweets for the small children. The man behind the booth fried the sweet dough before he plucked them through sticks. Kakashi buys two sweet dumplings sticks, I’m guessing he’ll eat a sweet. He hands me my sweet before we slowly head back home. The streets were emptying quickly, a few villagers walked alone, but for the most part of our journey home we were alone.

“I haven’t had these since the year of my father’s death, its been years,” He says as he lowers his mask and takes a bite out of his first dumplings. I follow taking a bite of the hot dumpling, the sweet filling oozed out, it tasted like apple, and berries. It was delicious, I don’t know how Kakashi doesn’t eat them more often, I could eat these all the time, but that wouldn’t be so healthy for me.

“They are so good,” I say with a full mouth. I licked the jelly that oozed out of the dumpling.

I eat mine while its still hot and throw away my stick at the trash can outside our apartment. We get home, and get ready to get some sleep, but I don’t think that I will be able to sleep tonight, not when that kiss is stuck in my head. I can still feel his warm lips touch mine.

Kakashi’s POV

I might have crossed the line with that kiss, but I couldn’t stop myself. She looked so beautiful and happy. I could tell she was thinking about it all night, and I have too. I like the way she has changed, she is still the Kiyoko I know but she has grown in more ways than one. I walk to her room to see the door open, she was facing the window like she was still looking for the lanterns that have already faded. I couldn’t help but smile slightly, watching her like this clueless and vulnerable of my eyes that took her in. The room was dark, and the moon gave her skin a different glow, like she was a pale lantern ready to fade away. I didn’t want to disturb her in her train of thought, and I didn’t want to look away from her. I never thought that I would find anyone who would make me feel like the main character in one of Master Jiraiya's books, but she was here, and her name is Kiyoko.

Kiyoko’s POV

I wonder is Kakashi still feels my lips on his. Will he be able to sleep tonight? The night sky was dark again, but my eyes still saw the hundreds of lanterns from earlier, and the lanterns that will soon come in the future nights. It feels like a dream I would have years ago, when I slept under the stars. I dreamed of a day that I could have the luxury of looking out the window to see the stars. The day I would walk down the streets of a village and not be questioned about who I am. I found this place, and I found a person who might share it with me.

“Kiyoko are you coming to bed?” I hear Kakashi say from behind. I turn to see Kakashi leaning on my door frame. I wonder if he has been waiting for long. I feel my face get warm just at the thought of him staring at my aloof face just a moment ago.

I nod and follow Kakashi to his bedroom, where I was supposed to get sleep tonight. I am grateful he isn’t bothered by my need for his comfort.

“Is it bothering you? The kiss,” Kakashi says softly as he sits on his bed.

“No, it isn’t bothering me in the way you think,” I tell him. His tone made it sound like I did not like it. I did and I was embarrassed to admit it.

“I- uh- I liked it,” I mumble. I hope he hears me the first time. I continue while I still have my courage, “Do you like me? I, um, its just that when you kiss someone doesn’t it mean that you like that person?”

I look at my feet, I was too embarrassed to look at him, I didn’t know if what I was saying made sense.

“Would it be wrong if I did?” He says. I feel his hands pull on mine, guiding the rest of my body to sit in front of him. Kakashi’s words make my head finally lift to see his. He has settled in his sleeping clothes, removing the mask, and letting me see the lps that has sealed my first kiss.

“Is it too forward that I say, I do like you Kiyoko,” Kakashi says. He gives me a side smile. I could feel my heart race. “Do you like me?” He asks.

“I’ve never felt this way. I grew up seeing kids from my year have crushes on others. I never thought someone would like me that way. But I like the way it makes me feel. I like being besides you, fighting besides you, sleeping besides you, walking besides you, eating besides, and talking besides you. If that is the meaning that I like you then, I do,” I tell him what I am thinking. These words were not filtered, and I look into Kakashi’s eyes, both his regular and sharingan eyes to see them smiling. He was smiling, a smile rare, and wide. A smile that I have only seen now and hope to see more of.

Kakashi pulls me in a warm embrace, I could hear his racing heart through his shirt.

“Besides me, I want you besides me too. We’re the inseparable ying and yang fang duo. Then will you stay beside me?” He says into my hair. I feel my air escape from my lungs. I’ve waited for so long to hear those words. I didn’t care from who they came from or of they were romantic, I just waited to hear those words. They meant someone wanted me, someone cared. I have found that one person who gave me the gift of acceptance, and confidence. I found Kakashi at the center of it all, and my heart grew fonder of him with every heartbeat. I will stay beside him, and I will care for him like he cares for me. I found what my classmates looked for. I nod my head in response. Kakashi pulls away and takes my face into his hands. He looked at me, like he was searching for a doubt, but I have none. Why would I not stay beside him?

I saw him look at my lips once more, and with a sweet kiss we sealed the deal. I was to stay beside him and he was to stay besides me. Until then did I sleep, and I dreamed of my classmates looking for their own Kakashi. I waited for the morning to come again, looking forward to it, so it can prove to me that what happened was not a dream.

In morning I did wake up, and Kakashi was still sleeping. I slip out of bed to get into an early morning shower, but I wasn’t going to have an early shower. Tomoko stood there perched on the sofa and that is when I knew I was going to have to listen to two very angry women.

Tomoko does not say a single word, she just takes us to Shikkotsu Forest. Tomoko flies off, making me follow her, home tree wasn’t too far, and that is where she is headed. Sage Moriko is probably there, waiting very impatiently. I already knew what they were going to say, but I swallowed my excuses and reasons and made my way through the bark of home tree. Sage Moriko was waiting for me, not a very pleasant look on her face.

All of my courage went down the drain. She turned and walked into her study room, leaving the door wide open indicating that I was to follow. After closing the door after me, I sit down in front of her chair, and I see Tomoko fly in through one of her makeshift window. They didn’t need glass windows here, the climate didn’t really change. I waited for them to begin their rant, and boy did they.

“Do you have any idea what you have done?” Sage Moriko puts stress on every word.

“You’re powers were supposed to be kept secret until the correct moment, and now Kakashi Hatake knows. How will we be able cover this? Do you want me to kill him, he knows. You told him everything!” He yells. Something in me snaps, just at the thought of Sage Moriko killing Kakashi.

“If you dare touch him. I will not hesitate to end this. I will not continue to train here, and I will harm you if you come close to the idea of ending anyone close to me,” I growl.

Sage Moriko sighs, putting her head in her hands. I calm myself down too.

“I see that he is trustworthy, but when I see him come close to telling the truth I will restrain in him, and I will alter his memory,” She says.

“How can you do that?”

“I do it in his own book, I change what is written,” She says. Part of me wonders how many times has she done this. The tension in the air disappears, I guess the way I was brought here doesn’t ease my trust in them. We’ve never really sat down and talked, but they had to do what they had to do to achieve this vision. I had to do what I needed to do to protect the world and keep Kakashi safe.

“Look I will trust your judgement in Kakashi, I will not change his memory or interfere with him, but you must be more careful using your wood technique. No one else should know. Though I must say, using it to absorb the life of the living dead was a great idea. By the passing day you are becoming more and more like a Sage. The way you move and think is already at jounin level.” Sage Moriko gets up from her seat, finally leaving the whole ordeal behind us.

I was glad to hear that even though I have been busy, I am improving here as well as my goal. I could hit two birds with one stone. She waits for me to follow her, I sigh and push myself out of my chair, and follow her. Tomoko finally lands on my shoulder, she couldn’t have said anything moments ago. Tomoko bits my ear, I look up to her, a smile on her face, she did that as my punishment.

“Have you been writing in your journal?” Sage Moriko says as she leads us to the outside, I knew I was going to be training, as long as I got back for the releasing of the lanterns.

“No, I haven’t had the time to do so. Not with missions and with training, its impossible to get a free day,” I look at her. I don’t have any free time because I am here instead.

“Buy you have enough free time for Kakashi,” Tomoko teases me. I shush her off of my shoulder, she cackles and flies above us.

“We’ll get you two master your current wood techniques, and then we can learn new ones. Wood can be used in so many ways, even you Kiyoko can make a jutsu if you would like. Just try not to call it something ridiculous,” Sage Moriko stops in front of a very odd looking tree, it was deformed and gross looking tree. It wasn’t a very healthy look tree.

“Why did you bring me to a rotting tree?” I plugged my nose to keep me from smelling the horrible smell. It shouldn’t smell like this, its just wood not rotting flesh.

“I’m not rotting away,” someone exclaimed. I see eyes and a mouth appear on the trunk. It was the tree that just said it.

“What the hell is this?” I looked at it closer. How could this tree be talking to me? No it must be the fumes of the rotting smell that is making me see hallucinations. I give myself a good pinch and slap myself to get my head to respond correctly.

“Are you done there? You look like an idiot, by just staring at me. Yes I am a talking tree, not the most shocking thing you will ever see,” the tree says again. He sounded bored, but he looked a bit excited to see me. He must not see too many people, its not like he can move anywhere, he’s rooted to the ground.

“What am I supposed to do with him?” I ask, Sage Moriko who just looked at us. Tomoko stood on a branch of the rotting tree. He wasn’t so rude to her, but to me he was very hostile. I could feel it.

“His name is Yuudai, and he is the only person that decided to merge with the life force, he gave his life to the tree and the tree is giving him life. Other than my home tree, he is the oldest living thing here. He managed to follow his instincts for true harmony and enlightenment and it ended up here. He become one with nature, you may learn a few things from him before we get you to become a Sage,” Sage Moriko says before she vanishes into her forest. She too moved like she was connected to the forest.

“So you gave up your life, and became one with this tree? What made you pick this tree in particular?” I ask him. It looked hideous, why did he pick this tree out of every other one? I mean the tree next to him was beautiful, that green leaves, and smooth bark. But Yuudai picked flakey brown bark, and small brown droopy leaves.

“You are not looking into the life of this tree. You see I did not pick this tree, the tree led me here.”

Sage Moriko is crazy, she sent me to learn from someone who talks to trees. I’ll play along for now.

“Such an ugly tree wouldn’t be chosen to do many things, it does not attract the attention that so many other organisms like humans need. I left my needs behind, I no longer needed them, I just needed my life, and my wisdom of my journey. I’ll tell you a story about the the era I left behind.” The man begins. Ya, he didn’t have his screw tightened in that brain of his. If he still had his brain.

“Or do you not want to hear it? The only person who has ever seen me was Hashirama Senju, and he was too busy fighting wars to learn the way to understand the earth. It took him longer than just one year. You Kiyoko only have half a year to master wood technique and one year to master Sage art, so I suggest you take this old geezer’s words and knowledge seriously,” He says to me with good intentions. Its not everyday that he gets to share his journey, and its not every day that I get to learn from an old talking tree/man.

“Please, go on, and help me become a Sage worthy of protecting the world,” I say in a bit of exaggeration, Yuudai squints, and begins his story.


“I was born into a word that only knew destruction. Kids were raised to kill and honor their parents, and if they survived into adulthood then that was a bonus. My mother was a powerful shaman, believing that the soul is only connected by a string of good. My mother was always against the constant fighting, she prohibited my sibling and myself from participating in the wars. My father on the other hand was a man with chakra and leadership. He led our clan to war, he trained us in secret. One night I woke to see my mother covered in blood. She killed my older brother and two younger sisters, because their souls have been torn away from their bodies by blood and betrayal. They were no longer who they were. I left that house that night, and searched for answers to questions I did not even have in mind. I passed two years roaming around the land, trying to find questions that I wanted to ask.”

Yuudai was trying hard to remember all that happened that night, I could see it in his eyes that it must have been a painful experience.

“How old were you?” I asked.

“Just ten years old. The same age that you ran away from your own home. Sage Moriko has informed me. I finally found the questions I asked when I came across to the body of my dead father. He was drenched in sage oils, it was my mother who had killed him and tried to cleanse his evil spirit from the land. Why couldn’t humans find the true harmony that everyone fights for? Why was it a cycle of hate and more hate? Why was my mother so determined to end the lives of ‘evil’ bodies that souls have deemed unworthy? Those were a few questions that I found at the body of my father. Its human nature to do bad things, and so I searched for the human nature that wants to do good things. My mother failed to do one thing, she failed to cleanse the evil from their bodies, their free souls were tainted with mal intentions. Those souls roamed from generations to generations, that is why there are so many grudges. There is no forgiveness in humans.” He speaks. I find myself indulge into his story. Those were questions that I asked myself a few times, but I didn’t find the answers, hopefully Yuudai has the answers.

“I had to find the answer in myself, by ridding myself of all emotions that tied me to my family. I severed my bonds,” Yuudai did not look sad at his sentence.

“But severing ties could lead to many different pathways. There is evil and good, how did you guide yourself without help of others?” I asked him. My bonds kept me from going off the railing, how on earth did he manage to stay to earth.

“I rid myself of my own evil. Kiyoko, you know more than anyone else just what I am talking about. Your hatred for Kabuto, for your father, for that beast inside you, that is keeping you from connecting to the true you. Only then will you find the answer to my questions,” Yuudai moves one of his branches to point at my chest. My heart is where my grudges are, but I don’t know if I will be able to let them go.

“How will I be able to forgive everything they have done to me? Why do I suffer and they get to go without punishment?” I exclaim, it wasn’t fair. They couldn’t get away from their crimes.

“That is the reason of many wars. You must end it on your own, forget and forgive. End those feelings, fill them with love and friendship. Do that and give yourself to the true harmony of humans. There is good in everyone, but it is surrounded with evil. Your cage is thicker and worse than others, but your strong soul will be able to break through.”

It was hard to imagine me forgiving Kabuto, and my father. Kabuto hurt Suzu, he is dangerous. My father has given me so much pain, that I am still healing from what he has done to me. The beast was in me by force. He chose to control me, I don’t know anything about him. His hatred towards me made me hate him. I think about it now, he tried to control me, but was it really the only reason I have ill feelings towards it. Someday I will ask him about his hatred to humans.

“It still does not explain why you gave yourself to this tree?”

Yuudai chuckles.

“Right, right. Well I’ll skip you the boring details. I decided that to find the true nature of humans that I find the center of true nature itself. I searched for it until I came across this forest, which was a hassle. It led me to this tree, and I knew that to find the peace and my answers that I would have to experience true nature itself, but I was already tainted with evil. I gave my body and soul to this tree, and it has cleansed me of my impurities. I owe this tree my happiness, and serenity. I feel everything it has been through, something like what you will go through in time do,” Yuudai was falling back into his weird tree/man spiritual words.

“Righttt, well thanks for the advice, I just need to get rid of my grudges and my own evil inside me. I’ll try to do it,” I get up from the ground where I sat.

“But really, do you mind if I wash you down, you smell,” I say. Yuudai uses one of his branches to whack me behind the head.

“Its my human flesh regenerating itself with the tree, and yes I do mind. I don’t smell the rotting smell anymore. Now get out of here and get training for your own journey.”

I walk back to the area where I could train on my wood technique.

“Do come and ask for guidance if you need it,” I hear Yuudai say from behind. He must be lonely. I’ll come by sometime to ask about his boring details that he left out.

I practice the three wood jutsus I know for most of the day, Tomoko is gone, which I find odd. She is always supervising my training to tell me what I can do to make it better. Sage Moriko is not around either, but she doesn’t accompany my as much as Tomoko does. My wrist hurts from practicing the cutting technique for hours. I needed to get home somehow, and Tomoko nor Sage Moriko were around.

I walk over to the home tree, looking for Tomoko or Sage Moriko. Its harder to concentrate on their chakra with so many other animals scurrying here and there. Forest critters could be found here, but they didn’t talk like the owls I can summon. They understood me though, I asked a busy caterpillar about their whereabouts. It nods its head down toward a hall to the right. A hall that I haven’t been to, I thank the green caterpillar and go in that direction. The wooden hallways lead me to no certain place, but there were many doors. Too many for just a single me to search in.

“Kiyoko, what are you doing over here?” I hear Tomoko say from behind me. I was just about to make shadow clones to help me with the search.

“I’ll just send you back home. I’ll call you back here tomorrow around the same time,” Tomoko rushes to say and before I can ask her why she is secretive around me I am dropped into the Leaf. I land in front of my doorstep, it was just past sunset, Kakashi was home when I enter. He had an apron around him, he sighed when he saw me come into the kitchen. I could get used to having him home when I arrive back from a long day.

“I was beginning to worry just where you headed off to. You went to the Shikkotsu Forest?” Kakashi guesses. I nod, and pull the smaller apron Kakashi bought the other day. I help him cut the carrots for the stir fry he was cooking.

“Ya, they were pretty upset with me, but they understood why I had to do it. It was self defense, nothing could have been done to avoid it. Today has just been bizarre,” I say. He gathers my carrots and puts them into the pan.

“Why is that? Did something happen?”

“For one I am still in my pajamas. I didn’t have time to change when they summoned me. And another thing is that I just had a very fulfilling lesson with a human who merged with a tree. Needless to say he was a bit loose with his mind, but very wise,” I say. Yuudai did have some points that really stuck to me.

Kakashi listened as I told him about Yuudai, and his journey. Asking questions when it was necessary. It felt nice to talk to him so openly, and without secrets. It was refreshing.

“He wants me to forgive and forget, but I don’t think I will be able to do that. I won’t be able to become a Sage with so many grudges. Its hard to believe that in half a year I must master wood technique, its all coming onto me with no stopping it. I’m going to have to be a lot more careful where I use my jutsus,” I tell Kakashi. He serves me my bowl, setting it in front of me. He puts his hand on my head, and smiles at me.

“But you can do it. I know that it will be hard for you to do so many things at once, but tell me if there is anything I can do to help you ease the burden. Remember I’m sharing it now. Grudges and responsibilities, all of it. Those are going to obstacles you’re just going to have to overcome,” He says, and goes over to sit in his own seat. Kakashi did promise that he will stay by my side, and he hasn’t broken a promise to me. I’m lucky to have him by my side.

Kakashi tells me about his uneventful day while we eat dinner and get ready for the lantern festival. Tonight I will release my lantern for Rin, and then tomorrow Suzu’s and then Obito’s. Ladies first, right.

“Sakura came over just a while before you got home. I had to give her, her pay for what she did for me yesterday,” Kakashi laughs a bit, before he begins to put on his sandals. It was getting late and my body wanted to rest from today’s workout. I showered and changed out of my dirty clothes before Kakashi and I locked the apartment and began to make our way to the Hokage faces.

“Kakashi!” Someone yells his name, as we walk down the stairs. It was Yamato and he was quickly walking over to us. I could tell it was something serious. Yamato quickly greets me and pulls Kakashi to the side. I couldn’t hear what they were saying over the sound of the crowd. Kakashi nods and Yamato leaves over the roof. Kakashi’s face confirmed my suspicions, something wasn’t right.

“Is everything alright?” I ask him ask he comes over to me. He sighs, and gives me his lantern.

“There has been a sighting of the Akatsuki in a village not too far away. Yamato, a few others and I were sent to go check it out. I don’t think I’ll be back for the releasing of the lanterns. Its for Rin,” He says. My heart raced as he told me the name of the organization that is looking for trouble. They are a group of S rank ninja.

“Come back in one piece,” I tell him. I was more nervous about him going off than the possibility of them coming here. Kakashi gives my shoulders a squeeze and leans in to give my forehead a kiss before he jumps over the roof that Yamato has gone over. I feel the sadness come into play, is this what it feels to worry about someone? I was supposed to be by his side but with me having a powerful being in me, we couldn’t risk it, not when the akatsuki are so versatile and strong.

“Hey, I saw that,” Eri interrupts my worrying mind. She finally looks like she is very pregnant. Rokuro was by her side, a arm around her to help her walk a bit easier.

Eri winks at me, making me smile. Its been such a long time since Eri and I have talked.

“So you and Kakashi finally told each other that you guys love each other,” Eri nudges my arm. My heart leaps at the word love.

“I, well, we aren’t there just yet,” I tell her. I don’t know how else to answer her. She likes to make me feel uncomfortable.

“So where did Kakashi go off to?” Rokuro finally says.

“Oh he had an emergency to attend to. He didn’t plan to be sent on a mission, especially not during the lantern festival,” I say.

“Ya, I’m sure he wasn’t planning it,” Rokuro looks around. He was trying to not get so upset.

“Rokuro, we talked about this,” Eri warned him. I smile the tension away. I hold up the lanterns in my hand.

“So how about we go get ready to release the lanterns?” I change the subject. Eri agrees and we begin to walk to the center of town. I didn’t tell them about the spot I released them yesterday, I wanted that place to be just Kakashi and I’s. We bump into Guy not too long after, this time Sakura isn’t around to keep him busy, but I didn’t mind. Guy introduced himself to Eri, but he said that Rokuro and him have been on a few missions before.

“Yesterday was just so chaotic, Lee wanted to me to help him with this jutsu. I totally lost sight of you and Kakashi. Where is Kakashi anyway?” Guy asks. I tell him what I told Eri and Rokuro. I don’t know if their mission was appropriate to be spoken out loud so publicly. Guy smiles, and agrees that it couldn’t have been helped.

“Say, why don’t we go get a drink really quickly?” Guy asks me. I don’t have time to reply, because Eri says it for me.

“We’ll love to. The four of us should go get some warm tea before the releasing of the lanterns,” Eri takes my arm and pulls me down the streets, leaving Rokuro and Guy in the dust. She was acting very protective, it must be because she is pregnant.

“Are you doing okay?” I ask her as she pushes me into the booth and sits besides me.

“Yes, I’m perfectly fine. Just making sure certain things don’t happen while Kakashi is away,” Eri leans into my ear. Rokuro and Guy slide into the seats in front of us before I ask her what things could happen. We order, and Rokuro and Guy talk among themselves about missions that have been on. Eri told me about her mornings and how horrible they are not that she struggles to get up from bed. Yasuko is going to be a fat baby, Eri says. Her feet swell periodically. Then she warns me to not get pregnant anytime soon, that I should take things slow and enjoy my time as a ninja because life gets routine after you quit.

We drink out tea slowly to kill the time, and being here with Eri eased my mind worrying about Kakashi.

“Lets get going. Kiyoko I’ll pay for your drink,” Guy says as we get up from the table.

“Oh, that-” I begin to say.

“Rokuro you pay for all of us. We invited them along its the right thing to do,” Eri quickly says. She smiles a very peculiar smile at him.

“I didn’t invite them along, you did,” Rokuro says as he takes his wallet out. He mumbles something about pregnant women, making Eri give him a menacing look. Rokuro pays for the four of us and then we begin to walk to the center of town to release our lanterns. Eri stayed by my side once again.

I look up at the sky to see bright lights already illuminating the sky.

“That is odd, its not midnight yet, why are the lanterns being released?” Eri says. I look closer, those weren’t lanterns, they were balls of fire, and they were coming in closer. Why hadn’t the barrier already detected the intruding jutsus. If it was still up then Lady Tsunade would have called all of the shinobi to assemble in their squads and wait for instructions, but there were none. The barrier must be down, and that only happens if there is someone from the inside that put it down. My instincts jump in before I know it. I jump the top of the tree near by, the fireballs were growing bigger and they were coming in fast. I can cancel them with my water jutsu, but it’s going to be difficult to cover all of the Leaf Village.

I’m just going to have to make a water dome big enough to cover the entire village. I’m sure other shinobi with water jutsu, will help me out. The fireballs were coming in from all direction, there was no way where the enemies were coming from, I feared that we were surrounded. I concentrated making my chakra in my mouth, storing a massive amount, a lot more than I have ever used. I could hear the yells of people beneath me, Eri was telling me to get down, while Rokuro pulled her away from the battlefield. Guy was making his way to the Hokage’s office to inform of the attack. He yelled that he would come back as soon as he can.

I adjust my head so that it is looking up to the sky. I let my jutsu go and the water goes flying off, adjusting to my will. I secretly make the tree I stand on grow taller so I can touch my water dome to keep it stable. Hopefully everyone else is too preoccupied to notice the sudden tree growth. My hands touch my chakra enhanced water, I evenly spread my chakra over the dome. I turn my head to see that I have successfully covered the village. I sighed in relief, lets just hope that my wall will stop the incoming attack. I watched from my position the fireballs just feets away. I put more chakra into the water, letting out a yell of strength, my body wanted to give in by the sudden surge of fatigue, but I refused to let go of my wall. The fire jutsus came into contact with my jutsu, I clenched my teeth as they landed ferociously from what seemed everywhere.

Sweat ran down my arms and face. I suddenly feel someone behind me, I turn my head and see a kunai thrown my way. I try to dodge it, but I lands on my hand, I bite my lips and keep my right hand where it was. No way I was going to let the Leaf be destroyed by these fire balls. Until the ninja find the people who were creating these fireballs, I will protect everyone in the village. Another kunai is headed my way, I bend down, and let the kunai hit my wall and fall. I see who the attacker is, a man with blue hair, he was young, and he was from the Leaf. Why is someone attacking a comrade?

“There is no saving this village, it will burn, and you will not get in my way,” the man says. My blood boiled.

“Traitor,” I hiss, and let go of the wall with one hand, I could feel the wall waver from the right side, and I created shadow clones to help me stabilize the wall and fight the traitor. Anger coursed through me, I didn’t care for his reasons, he will not harm people of the Leaf.

I make a couple more shadow clones that I can make with my chakra and let them stabilize the water wall. My right hand bled, but I could feel it beginning to heal, it’ll be minutes before I’m all good to go. I look up once more, the balls of fire where slowly decreasing but they still hit my wall with force. Steam rose, making the black night sky look milky. The blue haired man had shurikens in his hand, and I jump down from the branch to face him head on.

“Nori, you’ve taken too long,” the blue haired man says, as I see another man jump next to him. He was wearing the Leaf attire, both of them with eyes full of bad intentions. Just were they planning.

“I had to get the barrier down for the jutsus to get in. Not so easy to do on your own, Takumi,” the other one said. He hid his head in a full mask, but I knew they were here to destroy the Leaf. To take down the village’s barrier meant that they must be high-ranked shinobi, and I was in trouble. Maybe they could tell that I wasn’t too strong at the moment because they talked so nonchalantly. They shouldn’t lower their guards.

“Takumi, have you been playing with this doll here? Must say you have an eye for interesting women,” The man who is named Nori says.

“Stop the attack on the village and I might let you live,” I threaten them as I form a tearing torrent in my hand, the chakra flow made my hand sting, but I didn’t put too much attention to it. I watch them, trying to find out their fighting pattern. If I had more chakra than I would have created more shadow clones to help me, but at the moment the wall and ten shadow clones were hard to maintain. Where the hell was Guy?

I form my water whip with the other hand, I don’t think attacking first would be wise, not right now. Takumi, and Nori eye me carefully as well, by the state I feel at the moment, I wouldn’t be too intimidated.

“Poor girl, doesn’t know what she’s getting herself into. How much do you think we can sell her for?” Nori asks his partner. I was so done with this chit chat. I extend my water whip so that is it meters in front of me, Nori and Takumi dodge my water whip with ease, but they don’t expect me to throw my tearing torrent. I throw it while Nori is still in the air, no way he’ll be able to dodge it, not unless he uses a shadow clone to change his direction. Thankfully he doesn’t use shadow clones and the jutsu hits him square in his left shoulder. He lands on a bush near by and struggles to get back up, my water has ripped through a quite bit of flesh.

“Why are you attacking the Leaf?” I growl. They didn’t give me an answer.

I feel Takumi’s shift in chakra, and I notice that he is now taking me a bit more serious now that his friend is injured. I see him seal his hands and then I feel my shadow clones struggle against the fireballs. He must be the one creating them and controlling them. My chakra couldn’t keep up much longer, the wall was too wide for the first time, but I had to push myself.

I go up to the tree to help my shadow clones stabilize the wall. I feel something wrap around my ankle, and pull me down hard to the ground. My head hits the hard ground making my vision falter for a bit, I see Nori has wrapped my ankle with mud, he held his shoulder with his hand. I wasn’t the only one who was bleeding now. I could tell that Takumi was running out of chakra, I pray that I outlast him.

“Two against one, that is an unfair fight, especially attacking a woman. Traitors are the worst kind of enemies,” I hear Guy say from behind them. I breath, its better late than never. I get up to my feet, Guy spars with Takumi, and I saw Asuma fight Nori. It wasn’t much of a fight, they made it look so easy. Takumi already used a lot of his chakra from trying to get past my water wall, and Nori struggled big time against the best close combat ninja. I find my way to the high branch, and finally come into contact with my water wall. It kept me from falling again, my shadow clones had to hold my back. That hit to the head really did a number on me.

Within the matters of minutes, Takumi and Nori were defeated and they were escorted to the interrogation unit.

I held my wall just in case of a surprise attack, I wanted to make sure.

“Kiyoko! Looks like everything is clear, you can let go of your water jutsu,” I hear Kurenai scream from down below. When did she get here? That didn’t matter, I just needed to get all of this water out of here. It would cause damage to the Leaf, and I couldn’t move it somewhere else with the little energy I had left. I begin to transform it back into chakra, feeling my chakra flow back into my body relieved me of my fatigue and headache. I sighed as I felt the warm energy flow through my fingers. Slowly the water wall vanished and seeped back to my body through my palms.

I regained my strength and hopped back to the ground, my shadow clones disappeared, and people began to come out of their hiding spots. Kurenai rests her hand on my shoulder, a smile written on her face.

“You’ve done very well,” She compliments me. I smile too, I was finally strong enough to protect the Leaf. Before I know it, I hear clapping, many hands clapping. I see the faces of the villagers surround me in a large circle, kids, teens, adults and elders, all of them were smiling and clapping. They were clapping for me. The sweat and blood were forgotten, I had this new kind of warmth within me, one that was different when I stood by Kakashi. This was s filling warmth. I see Eri push her pregnant body to the front of the line, she wore the widest grin and tears in her eyes. It was difficult to process the emotions I am feeling.

“Lets get you to a quick check up and then to Lady Tsunade's office,” Kurenai says besides me. I follow her and smile to the crowd. I get a quick check up, but thanks to regaining my chakra I do not have any serious head trauma. I just had to sleep it off. Kurenai accompanied me to the Hokage’s office, Guy was standing outside the main entrance.

“Glad to see you do not have any serious injuries,”Guy says as he sees me in one piece and no bandages.

“Lady Tsunade is waiting for you in her office,” He adds on. I go to her office, wondering what she will say. Hopefully she acknowledges my efforts.

I walk a faster pace to her office, knocking before I open the door. Lady Tsunade sits behind her desk as always, Shizune stood by her desk and Sakura was there too. Sakura had a smile on her face, even Shizune. Lady Tsunade stood from her chair.

“That was some water technique, I haven’t seen this control since my great uncle Tobirama Senju. He was the master of water jutsu, and you may be getting there. I must thank you for protecting the village, I have without a doubt, that you are truly a shinobi of the Leaf,” She praises.

“Our defenses were weak, especially because of the traitor among us, but thankfully you took action quickly and held that fortification while fighting two jounin. I’ve taken in consideration your past missions, especially the one where you and Kakashi took the living dead head on. Its only been just over six months since you came and you have already become a chunin. Well I am glad to say that I promoting you to jounin level, Kiyoko Tsukino,” She says, with a small smile. So many things have been running through my head, but it all stopped when she said that last sentence.

I am being promoted to jounin level.

“I know that you are not too experienced, but your tactics and skills are up there. But by the look on your face you don’t know just how powerful you have become. I am fortunate to have you as a comrade, not an enemy. I have signed the paperwork, all we need is your signature and then you will be a jounin,” She slides a piece of paper for me to sign. I walk over, still stunned by the sudden news.

When I walked through that door for the very first time, I never expected to sign this piece of paper. I sign my name where I am supposed to, and hand her the pen. I bow my head.

“Thank you for acknowledging my progress. I will not take this power for granted,” I tell her. She grunts in agreement. Sakura wraps her arm around my shoulders.

“You’ve done it, Kiyoko!” She laughs. I’ve done it. I’ve made it to my goal. I’ve protected the Leaf, I have become a jounin. I will keep that promise, Suzu, I will protect the world from war. I won’t let your son ever see war.

“Enjoy the festival, you can turn in the written report tomorrow,” Lady Tsunade says.

My happiness buzzed in my head as I walked back into the hallway. I couldn’t stop smiling. There were a few tears that wanted to spill, but they were happy tears.

I’ve gone against everything my father thought of me. I proved them that I am capable of being a shinobi. My thoughts are cut by the sound of heavy breathing, I turn to see a sweaty Kakashi standing in the hallway.

“We came running back as soon as we saw the attack. Is-”

“I’ve made it, Kakashi. I’m a jounin,” I tell him. He holds his breath, taking in the news too. I couldn’t help but run into his arms. I want to share my excitement with him. He smiles, and presses his body to mine.

“That’s great. I knew you would be promoted soon. I knew by the amount of water I saw, that it was you who was protecting the Leaf. I’m proud,” He says into my hair. He was proud of me for protecting something he cared for too. My mind and heart raced with his words. So many things have been introduced to me, but I don’t want it to stop. I’ll continue to ride the wave of warmth and strength. I lean up to give Kakashi a small kiss to the cheek, as a thank you for everything he has done and said to me.

“Lets get to the Hokage faces, we still need to release our lanterns. We can make it if we hurry,” Kakashi says. That night we paid our respect for Rin, who I imagined to be a very courageous girl. One of the people that admire and thank too.

Villagers sent me smiles as I walk besides Kakashi that night. I remember my dream and my life before the Leaf. Everyone turned their backs on me, or gave me disapproving looks. I don’t remember the feeling of being so alone anymore, not when the villagers greeted me with a smile and with Kakashi’s hand resting on my back. I knew that I would never be so alone anymore. This village was my home.

The next morning was a blur, the sudden promotion hasn’t entirely sinked in. But that morning I went in and turned in a written report on yesterday's event, along with Kakashi who wrote what he found on the Akatsuki sighting. It was like any other morning, but I was a jounin now.

Sakura was there in Lady Tsunade’s office, she greets Kakashi and I as we walk in. Lady Tsunade and Sakura leave while we submit our reports, Sakura was training for her medical ninjutsu. She was trying her best too.

“Now that you are a jounin, lets see just how much you’ve improved. How about a little dual?” Kakashi asks, as we walk the streets after breakfast.

“Unlike shogi, I’ll win this time. What are you going to buy me if I win?” I smile.

“Must everything be a bet to you? How about the winner gets bragging rights, and just to give you a little motivation I’ll even throw in a free kiss,” Kakashi says confidently. I feel a blush creep on my cheeks with the offer. I didn’t mind that if it was the prize.

“Does that mean I have to pay other times?” I ask him. He chuckles quietly, shaking his head. We were together, it was a new feeling being together with someone, romance was never something I would have expected in the Leaf, well not so soon. I was glad nothing has changed between us, other than the fact that we have more trust in each other now. He was keeping my secret, but I don’t know what I do for him. Have I changed his life like he has changed mine?

Kakashi leads the way over the roof tops to the open training ground, home to much of my training.

“Anything goes, the winner must get the other to fall first, no rules, you know the rules,” Kakashi says, as he lifts his forehead protector from his eye. This time it was different, I was stronger and he wasn’t going to hold back. His sharingan was bright in the light, I wasn’t too familiar with it just yet.

“Go!” Kakashi says and then vanishes in a puff of white, that is one thing that I have yet to learn. I want to vanish in a white puff. Kakashi is no longer in sight, but I know he’s somewhere close by. I try to sense his chakra, I know he won’t be too stupid enough to hide underground, I can easily detect him then. and among the forest isn’t a great spot either, I can find him there too. There really isn’t a good place to hide from me, not anymore.

He hides behind a tree at the edge of the forest, his hiding spot is too easy to see. I blend into the ground beneath me, moving underground to surprise him. I can tell that he has noticed my absence from the center of the field. He had his stance ready for any attack but, my plan was to use my wood technique and trap him. It was safe enough to use, no one else was around, and I could sense anyone who would be hiding.

I slip undetected, through the ground I attach my energy to the tree Kakashi hid behind of, slowly branches grew around him, but he takes action quickly, and cuts the thin branches from his leg.

“I’ve been around Yamato for many years, wood technique doesn’t catch me off guard anymore, Kiyoko,” Kakashi says and stands firm. I materialize from the tree, realizing just how difficult winning this match will be. How on earth did I ever believe I could win against him months ago. His sharingan sees more than what any regular person can see. I bet he can see where I was coming from too.

If there is no point in tactics and sneak attacks then I’m going to face him head on. Kakashi attacks first this time, he throws a punch aimed to my head, but I dodge it by ducking down. He has anticipated that move from me, and crouched to give me a kick. I grab hold of his ankle, and throw him to the side. He stands, but we stand in front of one another, Kakashi smiles. We were evenly matched, maybe I have caught up to him, after months of hard work, and I can’t imagine all of the work that still awaits me.

He tries again this time trying to catch me off guard by kicking my legs under me, and I see that he was forming a chidori in his hand. I jump from his legs, and I create a wall between us. I envelop my wall with my chakra, this way even lightning won’t be able to get through this wall. I create a clone while Kakashi strikes the wall, a big cloud of dust enveloped the air around us. I become one with the ground beneath me and leave my clone behind. I move faster this time to keep him from noticing me. I strike above me where he stands, my fist makes contact with his jaw. He falls to his rear end and I go back over ground. Did I really just beat Kakashi, I wait for the poof of a clone or a substitution jutsu, but there is none.

“You sure do pack a powerful punch,” Kakashi rubs his jaw.

“Oh I’m so sorry, I-I, you said to come at you with everything I had every time we battled.” I kneel where he laid. If I would have known it would hurt him I would have laid off the power a bit. I didn’t want to hurt Kakashi.

“I would have been angrier if you hadn’t. You’ve come a long way, you can stand on your own, even against a jounin like me.” Kakashi sits up.

“Maybe we should get you some ice for your jaw, I could go get it,” I tell him and get up from my knees. Kakashi grabs my hand to keep me in place.

“We’ll go once you get your reward,” he says. I remember my reward, a kiss, and bragging rights, but right now I had a feeling my bragging rights would come later. I feel my face get warmer, I wonder if this will happen every time Kakashi does this to me.I let Kakashi pull me to him and let my lips touch his bare ones. I move my hands to touch his face, to hold his face like he holds mine. He flinches when I touch the sensitive spot on his jaw.

“Sorry,” I say again. Kakashi pulls his mask up, and finally gets up. He helps me to my feet.

“As the winner, and a kindhearted woman, Kiyoko you must tend to my wounds,” Kakashi says with a bit exaggeration. I laugh, Kakashi’s fun side is a side I want to see more of.

“It would be a pleasure to tend to your wounds, Kakashi,” I bow, and lead the way home. At home, I get him a pack of ice, I could tell that there was going to be a bruise where I hit him. I still feel bad about, tonight I’ll treat Kakashi to whatever he wants, just as an apology.

“Was that sighting of the Akatsuki real?” I ask and hold the pack for him. Kakashi laid on the couch, looking very pleased with my services. I didn’t mind doing this for him, I was at fault. Kakashi sighs.

“Yes, it was. Thankfully it wasn’t a confrontation mission, we were just sent out to do some reconnaissance,” Kakashi’s mood gets serious, but he puts his hand over my own to keep me calm.

“It looks like they are after power, and I believe that they seek the tailed beast,” he says softly, like if that would help me worry less.

“Like Naruto,and I. They are after us, hunting us down like animals,” I whisper between us. It was sick to think that they hunt people, that organization was pure evil, and to think Itachi Uchiha is among them. There was nothing worse than betrayal.

“But we won’t let them take you or Naruto. Not without a fight, I won’t let them near my student or you. That is why I’m training hard with my Sharingan, and you focus on becoming a sage, and all the things you need to do to save the world of destruction because I can feel it. This world will need someone strong to save it. It’ll be the Akatsuki behind it, I think they will disrupt the fragile balance we have now,” Kakashi says.

“Right, and-” I begin to say.

“Are you two done?” I hear Tomoko say from behind. She was on the side of the couch, enjoying herself.

“What? When did you get here?” I ask Tomoko. I need her to teach me just how she manages to sneak up on me, I’m getting better at sensing chakra everyday. But I think about it now, I am always distracted in thought when she shows up.

“If you don’t mind Kakashi, I’ll be stealing her for the rest of the day. We have a lot to work on,” Tomoko says with a smile. Kakashi sits up, keeping the ice pack on his bruised cheek. He gives my hand a squeeze, and then I am transported to Shikkotsu forest.

“You’ve had fun and games, but we really need to start grilling you on wood mastery. We have about five more months before we need to start on sage art. So lets get cracking,” Tomoko says as she leads the way to home tree. Sage Moriko stands there, I greet her.

“I saw what you’ve managed to accomplish. Some would argue that you may be a greater water user than the second hokage. Of course you’re not there just yet. You were born for many great things Kiyoko. So let us begin with mastery over wood,” She smiles. Just the thought that I may be greater than the first and second hokage was unthinkable. They founded the hidden Leaf Village. I see it now, the greatness I am supposed to achieve and the responsibility. Even if I do not believe in myself at times, I see that I have friends that do.

Training wasn’t hard, even if I did battle Kakashi earlier. And the three wood techniques that I know were easier to handle. Tomoko and Sage Moriko weren’t grinding on me anymore, my pace of training was good for them. They gave me pointers on how to adjust my jutsu, it was a lot less stressful than the last few months. I even went to have a little session with Yuudai, the treeman.

“Well your aura is much more... brighter, and cleaner. Seems like you’ve stabilized yourself,” he says as I sit in front of him. His stench is still repulsive. I have gotten used to myself and my surroundings, it makes sense that he’s noticed. He is one with nature after all.

“So have you considered releasing your grudges?”

“I’ve given it thought, but it is not so easy. I know that grudges prevent healing and that is why we have so many problems. And that to become the savior of the world I must forgive and try to lend forgiveness to others so that we can finally find peace. We have to try to understand one another to find common ground and get to a mutual agreement,” I tell him. Yuudai’s branches droop, but he doesn’t disagrees with me.

“If that is helping you find the answer to true peace then trust yourself and follow what you believe it right. If you make a mistake then just start again, but you’ll have to face yourself to control the beast. It is an inevitable fight that you must win,” Yuudai says as he gives me the best advice that he could. I fight with myself, I know those fights all too well. I’ve fought them for fourteen years, I shouldn’t be afraid of it anymore, but I trembled at the thought of knowing the true me.

I don’t want to find out that the true me is nothing but what I don’t want to be. There is always a possibility of that happening, I’ll just have to train more to be stronger. I’ll defeat my other self.

“Kiyoko!” I hear Tomoko scream, before I can ask Yuudai something else. She is flying quickly, something that always alarms me. Something must have happened.

“What is it? Has something happened?” I ask as she lands on Yuudai’s very spread out roots.

“Your father’s book, it has disappeared as well. It is no longer there,” She sputters out as she catches her breath. So many possibilities begin to go through my head. First it was my mother’s life book, then the lack of my own, and now my father’s has disappeared. Who else know about the Library of Life. No one could possibly know about it, I am the second person to have known about this place, not counting Yuudai because he is part tree now. Its just Hashirama Senju and I. And there is no way that the First Hokage could still be alive right? Even if he managed to live at an old age, he would have died long ago. More mysteries were pooping into my life, just around the time I was living a routinne life. A life I want.

Tomoko expands and lets me ride on her back as she flies back to home tree.

“Maybe he has... died,” I struggle to say, I don’t know why I was having trouble saying that.

“No, the book should still be there, it would have just ended and not grow, but it has just vanished. I checked and countless others have checked everywhere. Its gone,” Tomoko says. She lands outside, and I slide off of her. I quickly walk over the library, finding the housekeeping squirrels searching for the book of my father. Tomoko was there right behind me, I watched as the large squirrels frantically looked for that book, but by the look on their faces they weren’t getting anywhere. It was gone.

“Where is Sage Moriko?” I ask.

“She’s looking into the possibility of someone who could have actually gotten into the forest and gotten through home tree undetected, stole the book and left. It should be impossible, but there are rumors of the all knowing tree in the world. People who are hungry for knowledge and the truth go far to get what they want,” Tomoko tells me.

I could think of a handful of people who would want to know the truth about people, but I don’t know why they want my father’s whoever it was.

“Shikkotsu Forest is Sage Moriko’s forest, every root of every tree is connected to this home tree. The Sage should have known about unfamiliar chakra the moment he or she or it stepped on this forest ground. No one should be able to get information so easily, but someone did. I have a feeling that the disappearance of your father’s book has more to do with you than it has to do with your father. Someone is trying to find out who you really are,” She says quietly. Tomoko realized how dangerous this leak of information actually is. They would know about what my father knows and what he knows about me. My father, a very knowledgeable man, knew many things. He may even know what I have inside me.

A cold wave rolls over my body, as the thought comes into mind. If a member of the Akatsuki got their hands on his book, this could cause trouble, not only for the Moon but for the Leaf village as well. And with this theft, my family has disappeared from written history.

Tomoko sends me home right after, telling me there is nothing for me to do, but accept it and be on my guard. Its a high possibility that my father knows the truth about the beast inside of me. I try to enjoy the rest of the festival, but the days were spent in training and the nights were filled with paranoia. All I could think about was the book, about me, about the village’s safety. And selfishly enough about Kakashi’s safety.

The festival goes and the bright lights of the lanterns are replaced with the stars. Kakashi has taken noticed of my change of attitude, he tries to support me, but he knows there is not much he can do for me. But the thought helps me, he wants to help and that is what counts.

“You’re still thinking about it aren’t you? The book, the Akatsuki. You can’t be certain that they even got it,” Kakashi says one morning. He knew I didn’t get any sleep the night before. I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t worried. How could I not, my mother died the moment I was born, she couldn’t live to be a threat. Her book didn’t exist, and her name wasn’t in my father’s book either. She couldn’t put me in danger, but my father, he knows. I’m almost certain that he knows about the beast.

“Who else could it have been? Orochimaru?”

“Maybe it was your own father, maybe he just wanted his own history hidden from everyone else,” Kakashi says.

“Ya maybe that was it.” I rub the tiredness from my face. If it really was Orochimaru then he knows things that even I don’t know, and he has another excuse to attack the hidden leaf village. Either way both were dangerous, and I would have a very hard time taking them on. If it was my father then maybe it won’t be so bad. He hasn’t sent any of his men for me, not even when I am on mission which I would expect. Perhaps he has given up on me and just wants to rid himself of the world around him.

But my fear was in not knowing out of the three options, who knows maybe someone has been watching me from afar. There was just no way of knowing, and slowly I could feel myself go insane. I have to find out. I didn’t even hear Kakashi call me until he had his face right in front of my face.

“yes?” I ask. Kakashi stays there, looking at me trying to look for something.

“I’m sorry,” he says softly. I pull back just a bit.

“Why are you sorry for?”

“If I was stronger and more skilled than maybe I could track down who ever took that book, and ended this problem. Then you could breathe and take it easy while you train. There are just too many things that you have to worry for, and I said that I will shoulder the burden with you, but so far I haven’t been doing such a great job. I”m sorry for not being strong enough,” He sighs. He was disappointed in himself, something in me falls.

“No, No, you have it all wrong. You’ve been more than plenty, I don’t need a super strong and demanding person. You’re all I need. You’ve been shouldering my burdens the moment you took me in, how could I asked more from you. Just being next to me relaxes me, just laughing, or cooking with you makes me forget about my troubles. You’ve taught me so many things that I have forgotten to do. I’ve learned to be human again because I went through hardship and you held my hand through it all. You’re strong and skilled, I know you are,” I tell him. He shouldn’t blame it on himself.

Kakashi smiles beneath that mask of his. He gives me a warming hug, telling me that everything was going to be okay. That he would kill anyone who tried to come after me, and I believed him. I knew that next to him was the safest place for me right now. The knock on my door pulls us apart. It was Kakashi who smiled, and told me to go answer it. I felt that he knew who was on the other side.

I open the door to see a crowd of people standing outside the door. Eri, Rokuro, Asuma, Kurenai, Sai, Sakura, Ino, Hinata, Kiba and Akamaru stood there. I noticed that all of them had something in their hands, Eri held balloons, even Rokuro was smiling, he put his differences with Kakashi aside hopefully. I turn to see Kakashi leaning on the wall, his hands in his pockets, smiling.

“I invited them over. We haven’t had time to celebrate your promotion, so I thought I invite your closest friends over for a little party,” Kakashi says.

Asuma brings the sake. Kurenai brings the cake. Hinata made dumplings. Kiba brought the games. Rokuro brought the non alcoholic drinks. Ino brought me a bouquet of large yellow tulips. They were one of my favorite flowers. Sai and Sakura told me that their bags were presents. I hold the door for them as they filed in, a smile on my face that could not be faltered. Kakashi did this for me, he must have wanted to keep my mind off of things.

I let Kiba set the games in the living room as the rest find the kitchen to set their things. The small lobby has never been so full of shoes before. Akamaru sat next to the couch, obediently getting out of the way for the others to find their way into the living room. With so many people it made the living room look so small.

But being gentlemen, the boys let the girls have a seat in the sofas.

“Alright lets get this party started with some games,” Kiba says. I watch as he takes out the board games and stack of cards from his bag.

“Those aren’t games adults pla,” I hear Asuma say. The adults in the room laugh, Kurenai elbows him to no elaborate as Kiba asks why.

“Lets play charades. We can all play,” Hinata offers. Everyone but Asuma agrees to join, to my surprise Sai and Kakashi don’t join Asuma. I help Kakashi move the center table to make some room. Kiba is first.

Kiba begins with licking his paws, and then making the motion of fangs clawing the air.

“A cat!” Ino yells. That is when Akamaru barks. It sends the whole room into a fit of laughter. Just the word cat get Akamaru riles up. Ino wins and Kiba sits on the floor. We played for an hour, Kakashi pretended to be an old man, Sai tried to act like an angry teenager. After a while we gave up and he said he was imitating Sakura, which got him a bonk on the head. We ate the delicious food they brought, Eri and I talked with the girls about the baby. Ino and Sakura were especially fond over the thought of a baby. The men were in the kitchen, Asuma sipped on sake.

“You’re just a kid, no way you’re drinking sake,” I hear him tell Kiba. I see that even Rokuro and Kakashi exchange a few words. Though I am not sure if they are opinions or insults from here. Kiba comes into the living room pouting, and saying that he wanted to play cards. This game Asuma participated in. I didn’t know what type of card game they were playing, so I watched. To my surprise Eri threw in some money and decided that they were playing for money. Hinata even contributed, small amounts, but she said she always played with her mother when she had a chance.

I watch with Kakashi as my friends play cards.

“Thank you for doing this,” I tell him. Kakashi wraps his arm around my shoulder.

“It was nothing. I’m glad to see you smile again. If this is all it takes then I’ll invite them over more often,” he says. I know he likes his privacy and silence, so for him to sacrifice it was touching. He does small things for me, things that are much more important to me than being strong.

“What!” I hear Kiba yell. I see the others have laid down their cards.

“No way! Hinata you have to be cheating! She’s using her byakugan,” Kiba says again. I laugh, so Hinata won the earnings in this round, who would have guessed that she was so good at cards.

“I would never cheat, if you want you can have the money, I don’t like playing for money,” She says timidly.

“Kiba she won fair and square, stop being a sore loser. She’s keeping the money, that is what makes the game more fun,” Sakura buts in. Kiba reshuffles the card deck, and they start another round. By the third game, Eri stops playing, and Hinata has won all three games, and Kiba is set on the fact that his teammate has been cheating. In the end Hinata promised to buy him a treat with the money she won.

“Shall we cut the cake?” Kurenai asks me. I nod, it was getting a bit late, and I’m sure they had other things to do. Everyone follows me to the kitchen, something I didn’t expect.

Kakashi seats me on a chair as everyone else gathers around me. That was when it was hard to maintain the tears that were rising from my eyes, but I didn’t want to miss a moment of this, so I held them in.

“Congratulations, Kiyoko on your promotion. We all expect great things to happen for you in the future, so keep doing what you are doing,” Eri tells me, but I had a feeling she was speaking for everyone here. Kakashi hands me the knife and I cut pieces for everyone.

“Lets open the gifts Sakura and Sai brought, I want to see them,” Eri says. Sakura brings the gift bags to the kitchen, handing me her’s first. I reach in to find what looks like a hairpin, but it was crystal and beautiful.

"I saw it and I thought it would look great with your purple kimono," Sakura smiles. It would look very beautiful with the kimono. I thank her, and Sai gives me his present from him. I had a feeling I knew what it was when I grabbed it. I pulled out a painting, a painting of the colorful lanterns.

“I didn’t know what to give you so Kakashi gave me the idea. He said you loved the lanterns, so I painted you one so you can always look at them,” Sai says. I turn to see Kakashi looking embarrassed.

“ You weren’t supposed to tell her that I gave you the idea,” Kakashi tells him. I thank Sai. Kakashi disappears into his room before coming back with his own little gift bag. He’s too thoughtful.

“I couldn’t not get you something,” Kakashi says and hands me the bag. I take his present out of the bag. It was a box, I open it to see a necklace. It was a thin chain, but not too thin so that it can survive my ninja life. It had a bronze leaf hanging. Symbolizing the leaf village. I couldn’t stop smiling, he really doesn’t know when to stop. He’s always giving me and comforting me. Asuma is slapping Kakashi’s back as I get up to hug him. Right now I didn’t care if we were in front of people.

“Thank you,” I tell him in his ear. Kakashi grabs the necklace and clips it around my neck. I will never take it off, well other than bathing time and for sleep, but other than those times I want to wear forever. The party ends after the gifts, Eri and Rokuro stay to help clean up, the others had other things to do, but I was grateful for them coming over. I was even more grateful that Kakashi and Rokuro weren’t at each other’s necks while they were gathering the plates and bringing them to Eri and I in the kitchen.

“I’m really proud of you Kiyoko. You’ve accomplished so much and had so many troubles that I don’t even know what I would have done. And you’ve had to go through most of it alone.” Eri says. I was taken back when she began to cry. I rub my dry hand on her back, she told me that she was really emotional these past couple days, these must be some of her fits. Rokuro comes in after hearing his wife cry. Eri dries her hands before she engulfs me in her arms, I let her cry on my shoulder, my happiness shouldn’t be something anyone cries over.

“Eri, are you doing okay? If you're tired we could go home,” Rokuro says as he quickly comes to her aid. She shakes her head.

“I’m fine. just thinking about everything Kiyoko has gone through, and even I was part of her rough past. You don’t know how sorry I am,” she cries. I feel a small smile take over my face. I squeeze back.

“Its all in the past. Its fine really,” I reassure her. Kakashi takes her position of washing the plates and cups. Eri decides that they’ll leave after she cleans herself up. She was looking a bit tired. Once they leave, the party has gone, but the effect stayed with me. The balloons that Eri brought were in a corner in the living room. Hinata left her dumplings here along with the chocolate cake Kurenai brought. Kakashi was just about to finish the dishes when I walk back into the kitchen. I touch the leaf around my necklace. Something in me changed when Kakashi clipped it around my neck. I felt more of something. An emotion I have never experienced. Something comes over me and I wrap my arms around Kakashi, I hear the plate land in the sink. He turns his head to see just what has come over me, but I held on tight.

“Thank you for the necklace, its beautiful,” I say into his shoulder. Kakashi’s dry hands cover my own. The necklace presses between us. Kakashi turns to face me in my arms, looking at me. He lowers his mask, and I know just what happens next. I lean in to meet his lips, they were warmer than the last time. I can taste the dumplings from his lips, and I bet my lips taste like chocolate cake. I thought he would pull away because of the sweet taste, but I felt my body being pulled closer to him. The only reason why we pull away is for air.

Three more days go by, but I still don’t sleep so deeply like before. I just got back from Shikkotsu Forest, Sage Moriko taught me a barrier-like jutsu. She tells me to try it out, maybe it will relieve the tension. I get Kakashi to tag along, I need someone to look out for me, in case someone is around. I don’t want anyone to see my wood technique. We make our way over the walls, and continue out for a few hundred meters away from the village walls. Sage Moriko has taught me to grow trees around the village, all of them are connected by their roots, and they are connected to me in a sense. She said that I will be able to feel strange chakra as soon as they cross my trees. I start on the edge of the path, making them path width between every tree. Kakashi followed, keeping eyes and ears out for me. It wasn’t hard to connect the trees, I was just unsure that I will be able to sense the whole circle.


It takes me half an hour to get the complete the barrier-like jutsu.

“No one was around, so I think your secret is safe,”Kakashi says.

“Does it work?” Kakashi asks right after.

“How about you walk through the trees, unless they fly over then I think I will be able to sense anything,” I tell him. Kakashi obeys, he walks through the trees, and I immediately see the chakra in my head. Its going to take some time to get used to this, but now at least I know who or what is coming. I nod, it works for sure. I had a feeling that they were coming, whoever it was, but I wasn’t going to be taken by surprised. Whos ever it was, I’ll destroy them.

Who ever stole my father’s book, they didn’t make their move for another two months. And thus six months turned into four months left to master wood technique, and I must say I was beginning to believe that I could master it by the time the year ends. Team seven were sent to missions regularly, escorting, guarding, investigating, we did a lot. I traveled from one place to another almost everyday, no matter where I was, wood mastery was important. Sage Moriko taught me three other jutsus, and said that I could create my own jutsus if I’d like.

I can turn any terrain into a forest, with the Nativity of a sea of tree jutsu. A forest grows to my will, the thickness and height of the trees, are all in my power, once I mastered this jutsu. I can take control of what ever fight with changing the terrain. Since only Yamato and I can slip through trees, I’ll have the upper hand. I learned many defensive technique, one that can even withstand an attack from a tailed beast. Its the Hobi technique, and well that was harder to master, its still not perfect. But one of my favorite is Advent of a world of flowering trees, that is a powerful technique, it dispersers pollen to the area I want it to, and renders the opponents unconscious in seconds. Though that jutsu takes quite a bit of chakra, and need much more chakra control to create the breeding ground for the pollen flowers. And I have many other jutsus to learn in the incoming four months.

I arrived to Shikkotsu Forest like any other day, but today Sage Moriko was going to teach me one of her personal favorite wood jutsu. She called it the Hotei Technique. Sage Moriko awaits me in a very large open field, she must have cleared it for today’s lesson. She smiles as she sees me, something we’ve both been doing much more of. We weren’t at each other’s necks anymore.

“Great to see you bright and early,” She greets me. I bow.

“So what is this your favorite? I’m dying to learn another technique,” I start.

“I told you yesterday a little about it. It is called the Hotei Technique, and it can even defend against a tailed beast attack. It can also restrain a tailed beast, something that will be a great help when mastering beast mode. The key point to this jutsu is that you must create the hands a fast as possible, because you are defenseless if you do not create a defensive wall before hand. You must clap your hands together, and use your chakra to grow massive hands from the earth right below us. Is just like creating any other wood technique, this one is on a large scale that is all, so concentrate,” Sage Moriko, claps her hand in front of her, and I can feel the flow of chakra go through the ground.

The ground rumbles, and soon I see massive hands come out of the ground. The were huge, maybe big enough to knock home tree down.

“You can move it to your will, it is your chakra that is creating it after all. A fist, and open palm, use it like extra limbs,” She says. The gigantic hands swing through the air, as if the air resistance was nothing. This jutsus could do a lot of harm.

“Now you try it Kiyoko. Take your time and visualize it,” She releases her jutsus, letting the wooden arms fall to the ground. As they hit the ground, I am lifted into the air by the impact, and land roughly on my feet.

I relax, feeling my chakra be the life for the wood that I will make. I clap my hands together, doing as she did. I feel the earth under me move just like Sage Moriko’s, and I see the gigantic wooden hands begin to protrude. I can feel them connect to my body, they are like a humongous extended arm that is linked to my body like my four limbs.

“You can control how many you want. And even the size of the wood hands,” Sage Moriko tells me. She clapped her hands, and smaller wooden hands wrapped around the air. They could easily pin me down if they got their hands on me.

“This technique is offensive, defensive, and supplementary. Great for mid and long ranges. You lacked long range jutsus, and this one covers your weak spot. Fight your opponents with extra limbs. You can defend yourself from all angles, as long as the wooden arms are under your control there is nothing that I know that can destroy chakra enforces wood, not even a beast’s attack. To restrain your enemy you just manage to get your opponents in your hands. Its a simple jutsu with many uses, that it why it is one of my favorites,” She pats my back.

“Is there any way that these extension of myself can also make jutsus like I do. Can the wooden arms make a tearing torrent or a water whip?” I ask. Wouldn’t that be amazing, I can see it now gigantic tearing torrents, and water whip. With this jutsu I can protect the Leaf, I can protect the world.

“I do not know. Well certainly not the way your are now, perhaps once you master sage art, you may be able to convert your wood chakra that travels through the arms and make it into water or earth chakra, but you do know just how difficult that is. I have tried to do what you want to, and I am unable to do it. But you’re a different story, you may have more chakra than an old friend of mine, Hagoromo. Hmm, well maybe not more, but about the same amount. Yes you two do resemble to one another,” Sage Moriko says with a tender look in her eye. I can tell that this friend was precious to her, and that he is no longer living in this world. Even Sage Moriko had a warm side.

“Well once I master sage art, I’ll give it a try.”

I clap my hands once again, trying different sizes, and directions. By the third hour of practicing this jutsu, I thought my palms were going to stick to one another. The terrain has changed, holes of all sizes were decorating the ground. Wooden arms littered the open field.

“Kiyoko, why don't you pay a visit to Yuudai, I can clean up here. Once you’re done talking to him, Tomoko will send you home. I’ll see you tomorrow morning for training,” Sage Moriko hands me a small towel to wipe the sweat off of my face. I gladly take it and walk with Tomoko to Yuudai.

“The year is almost over, next thing is sage art, and then mastering the beast. You have a lot going on. Make sure you take care of yourself,” Tomoko says as she sits on my shoulder.

I nod, letting her know that I eat everyday, and rest at night. There is no need to worry. All I feel is the fatigue, but that is to be expected from training and going on missions. Plus if I do arrive home late, Kakashi usually had dinner made. He was there supporting me in his own way.

After a short walk I smell Yuudai’s signature smell, before I see him. He was still looking disgusting as ever, but it didn’t surprise me anymore. The smell just fades away once you smell it for a couple minutes.

“I see that you’ve learned another jutsu,” Yuudai says as he sees me.

“Yes I have, but its far from mastered,” I reply. I sit in my regular spot, while Tomoko flies over to one of his branches.

“Wood release sure is powerful. Do you know why it is so powerful and difficult to control?” He asks. I nod.

“Wood can take over a person if they do not have the strong mind and body to control it,” I tell him.

“Yes that is true, but you do know why it is so powerful, the most difficult to destroy kekkei genkai out there.”

I shake my head. I should have known why it was just so powerful, I mean it sucks the life away if I used it right, and now that I remember my fight with my half sister Asami, I couldn’t punch my way through. No matter how hard I tried.

“What is chakra?” He asks. A smile on his trunk face.

“It is energy that supports life,” I tell him. His branches nod to confirm my answer. Hey, I got this one right.

“Wood is grown with your very own chakra, your life force is stronger than anyone I have ever encountered which makes your wood jutsus much more powerful than your friend Yamato. If it is made by chakra then how can more chakra destroy it? Lets say that someone hurls a ball of chakra to one of your wood jutsus, what do you think will happen to your jutsu?”

“Well if I did my jutsu correctly then nothing should happen to it,”

“That is true, but chakra is energy isn’t it. Energy is life, so your wood style can not be destroyed with even more life. That is why wood style is so powerful. Jutsus are just energy that comes from your very own body, its just that some energies are much more stronger than others. Wood sure is a great thing, now do you understand why I love being one with this tree?” He laughs.

“No, I understand the whole wood thing and life, but my mind can’t wrap around the idea of becoming one with a tree,” I softly laugh.

“Its still a mystery how your half sister could use wood release isn’t it,” Yuudai says, which silences me. Just how did he know that.

“Oh don’t worry, I am a lonely man and Sage Moriko and I get bored sometimes. I admit we do talk about you, but its not like we are gossipping about you,” He adds. It sure does sound like they gossip about me on their free time, and I feel like it happens often.

“There is a way,” I tell myself. The Library of Life, they have the life on Asami, maybe they will tell me more about my father and about her time learning wood style,” I say and get up to my feet. Yuudai asks me what I just said, something about his old age is affecting his hearing, and then Tomoko says its not just his hearing that is failing. I don’t stay to explain, this might just clear up a bit of my mystery.

There is just one problem, Sage Moriko can’t catch me, I promised to not gather knowledge more than I should, but this is important. I’m sure if she catches me she will understand. I get to home tree quickly, jumping over roots like second nature. I’ve grown accustom to this place. I slow my pace when I get inside, I check in every direction, there was no sign of her. I quickly walk to the door of the library, no house keeping critters were in either, I sigh in relief.

Asami Tsukino, that is what she should be under, that is if she takes my father’s last name. I walk over to when my father’s book was supposed to go if it was still here. My index finger helps me run my eyes down the spine of books in search for her name. But there was no Asami Tsukino, there was no Tsukino to begin with, three were under that name, but we were no longer here. I checked again, my grandfathers and grandmothers should have Tsukino as their last names. Its a family name, but there aren’t any. How could in millions of people on this earth there is no other Tsukino.

Things were not adding up. Okay, I just need to keep calm, getting frustrated will not help at all. Maybe my family tree takes the last name of the bride. Just like Naruto takes his mother’s last name rather than his father’s.

No what was her last name? I think I heard it when I was taken as a prisoner back to the Moon. The guards called her Lady Miwa, but what is her last name. I let out a sigh, how can I find their books if I don’t know their last names. I mean do you realize how many Miwas and Asamis must be on this planet. I don’t have the time to spend and look at every single book, three years would have gone by before I find their names.

“What are you doing? You aren’t looking for information are you?” I hear Sage Moriko say from behind me. I turn to see her standing in the middle of the library. How the hell did she get there? I didn’t even sense her chakra.

“Nothing, I was just cleaning, since dust collects so easily,” I smile, patting the book closest to me.

“Right, well as long as you’re here, I’ll send you off for today. You’ve lost a lot of chakra today, make sure you get some food in you and get some rest. Tomorrow we’ll keep practicing the hotei technique,” She says. I can’t tell if she bought my excuse or if she is letting me off the hook.

I let her get me home. I was glad that she sent me home early today, I’ll be able to make dinner. With all I’ve been doing it feels like I haven’t really had time to enjoy my rest time. Kakashi wasn’t home either, but I’m not home too much either. I realize now I miss him. I haven’t cooked in a while so I think to make it up I’ll cook fish tonight, but I’ll fry some chicken for me. I was beginning to skin the fish and steam the rice when Kakashi arrives. I peek into the living room to see him leaning on the wall. He held his left arm, I see the blood run down his arm.

“Kakashi what happened?” I get over to him, the towel in hand.

“I had a misshapen during training. Its not too deep. I’m fine,” He says. He shows me his wound.

“How could you get injured. You out of everyone,” I wrap it around his arm. He doesn’t heal the way I do.

“I’m not the perfect ninja.”

“I know you aren’t. Lets get that wound dressed,” I pull him to the bathroom. He sat on the toilet while I grabbed the swabs and bandages. The training story wasn’t convincing me, not unless he was training with someone else. I wrapped his arm, wishing that he had the healing abilities like mine. He looked tired, he must have been doing a lot of things recently.

“I got it. You can go finish dinner, I’ll be there in a minute,” Kakashi says. I nod, and go back to skinning the fish. Maybe something else happened to him, I can sense that he isn’t telling me everything. I was frying the fish when Kakashi joins me. He grabs the apron from the corner and begins to cut the carrots in slivers.

“Are you sure you’re okay. You seem a bit tired, I can cook dinner by myself you can get some rest before dinner,” I tell him.

“No, I don’t want to rest when I could spend the time with you. We haven’t had time to do things together recently. I miss eating dinner together,” He finishes the carrots and grabs the cabbage from the counter. I miss doing things with him as well.

“I’ll come back early tomorrow, I think I can convince Sage Moriko to let me off early. I’ve been doing great with wood style. I just need a bit more practicing,” I tell him.

“Good, you shouldn’t work yourself too much either. With missions and training I’m always thinking you’re going to fall from the weight of it all,” he says.

“Are you falling? Is my weight too heavy?” I ask him. Maybe my burden is too great for him afterall.

“No of course it isn’t. I have the easy part. We’re by each other’s side so we can get through anything as tiring as these couple months.”

We prepare dinner together. We talk about his day while we eat. He said that Guy challenged him to another battle today, but he wasn’t up to it. He was too busy, and Lady Tsunade has been grinding him with researching about the Akatsuki and Orochimaru. Lady Tsunade got word from Master Jiraiya today, Naruto and him are doing great, and there hasn’t been any incidents. Naruto has progressed quickly, he said. Thats great, he must be working harder than I am. In three years he will be a greater ninja than me, that is what I predict.

“I’ll clean up. You can shower first Kakashi,” I say after we finish our dinner. He doesn’t argue and gets himself to the bathroom.

That night after everything was washed and I bathed I felt it. I felt that twinge in my body, and I didn’t know what it was. But I had a feeling, it was coming. I don’t know what it is or who is coming, but the roots in the ground and my chakra felt it miles away. I laid in bed like any other night, Kakashi was right next to me. He fell asleep quickly, he was tired and his wound must still bother him. I knew I wasn’t getting any sleep tonight.

Miraculously I did get a wink of a sleep. It was about an hour, but I still got some rest. I was right though something was coming. It was a jolt of chakra that got me out of bed. I visualized the chakra that crossed the tree barrier I created. They were here, and it wasn’t just two or five, no there were at least sixty of them, no I’d say eighty. They were evenly spread in each gate.

“Kakashi, get up!” I yell and run to get my shoes. He was up and following me in seconds.

“What’s the matter?” He says and puts on his pouches and vest.

“Someone is close many of them,” I concentrate on my trees again, now that my brain is up and working I can sense the chakra a lot more individually. I recount an estimate, there weren’t eighty, I’d say there was hundred of them. And not adults only but children too. They weren’t the traveling circus, I can tell by the agitation and adrenaline of the their chakra that they were ready for a fight. Who could it be to send children out to battle, it reminds me of the promise I made to Suzu. I stop when I sense that one chakra among the many ninja. My father was among them, and that is when I knew that it was the Moon who were the ones planning their attack.

“Its the Moon village. My father is among them, so he’s finally made his move. Kakashi you should go inform Lady Tsunade, I’m going to face my father,” I fasten my forehead protector the sweat was already beginning to form. I admit I was nervous on facing him again, but this time I know that I can face him and win. Kakashi grabs hold of my arm.

“No, we’re going together. I’m not being separated from you. Last time you went on your own, you ended up in the hospital, or you old village. I’ll send Paku to inform Lady Tsunade. I’m going with you,” Kakashi says, he has already made him mind. I try to convince him anyways.

“My father wants the sharingan Kakashi. And if he manages to get both of us then its over. He’ll control me by controlling you. Maybe for just this fight, we’ll fight it in separate areas, just to be safe,” I try to convince him. There were so many things going through my head, I just couldn’t think about what would happen if we did get captured. What would happen to the Leaf? What is this peace my father wants?

“I told you, you aren’t doing things alone anymore.” He shakes his head, and summons Paku. I tried to convince him, but we were going to do this together after all. If it did come down to either of us, I knew what I was going to do. A small dog appears and Kakashi tells him the situation as I clip my pouch to my pants. We run out the door, not bothering for once to make sure it is locked. It was a full moon, fortunately it gave us plenty of dim light. My heart raced, I didn’t know if my father was planning on fighting tonight, but either way I wasn’t going to let him go without answering some of my questions.

“They are at every gate aren’t they? Where is your father?” Kakashi says besides me. We hopped from one rooftop to others quickly. I could tell he was a bit taken back from the sudden take of action. It was the Moon village after all, and even though there were kids among them, they were equally as deadly.

“Yes. They are evenly spread out, my father is located at the main entrance. There are children among them. I’m going to restrain them, I want to avoid casualties of young children,” I tell him. He nods, agreeing with me. I don’t think I will be able to harm a child, not ever, that was in my past and I don’t plan on reliving that moment again.

"So he’s back again, that brat doesn’t know when to stop does he?" The beast in me awakens, he is also disturbed by the sudden attack. He wasn’t so fond of father either, which only helps me.

"You know what he is after, don’t you Kiyoko," he asks. It takes me back for just half a second. He didn’t call me by the annoying name. This time he called me by my real name. Maybe the lack of talking pushed him to think and maybe he actually was lonely in my body, now that I didn’t pay much attention to him.

"He’s after the sharingan, and you. But he’s also here to gather information in the Uchiha district. We have to make sure he doesn’t get anywhere near there," He says ferociously. He knows more than I do, I need to know why. But now is not the time to ask.

“Kakashi, we need to get to the Uchiha Province, my father is seeking information that is there. He’s going to be there any moment, I can sense his chakra beginning to move in that direction.”

He doesn’t question how I gathered this new information, but thankfully the reinforcements were getting to the gates. The Moon ninja were flooding in when they sense the Leaf ninja near. The battle was beginning. Kakashi and I raced to the outer part of the village where the abandoned Uchiha district was. The power in this area has long been stopped, it was darker than other places, and it wasn’t just because of the missing lamp posts.

"He’ll be headed for a house at the center of the district. That is where he thinks he’ll get the information," The beast tells me. He directs me to the center of the district, a house with yellow walls stood. It was a small house, a perfect size for a small family of four. My heart pumped harder, like I knew this house somehow, but I know I have never been here.

"What do you know? Why is my father looking in this house?" I ask him.

"I don’t think its the time to tell you just yet, little Kiyoko. I have secrets to keep."

“Why are we in the middle of the district?” Kakashi asks me.

“My father is looking for something in this house, he’s heading this way right as we speak,” I tell him.

“How do you know? Why this house?”

“The beast told me my fathers is looking for something here, but just what he’s looking for is unknown. The beast won’t tell me,” I say. I hear Kakashi hum. What connection does my father have to the Leaf? This was all so confusing.

“We need to come up with a strategy to take down your father. Tell me what you know about his skills,” Kakashi looks around.

“I’ve never seen him fight in real combat, he used his subordinates to fight for him. I know he is an advanced ninja, he’s the leader of our village after all, but I don’t know what nature he has or is he is a long, middle, or short range fighter. He’s kept that hidden from me, now I know why. He knows he has the upper hand, he’s been watching us,” I sigh. I should know more about my father, but he wasn’t a very hands on parent to begin with. I’ve never seen him fight, but he’s coldhearted. He’ll kill Kakashi, and if I wasn’t the vessel to this important power, than I’m sure he would kill me too.

“For now, we’ll have shadow clones in our place, and make them attack to see his patterns. That’s the only way to even out the playing feel,” Kakashi says. I agree, and make a shadow clone, my father was minutes away, we had to get to a hiding place quickly. Kakashi hides underground with an earth jutsu, I on the other hand couldn’t use my wood or earth jutsus. I can’t let him know I’m a wood user. For this fight I had to use water, and I have been brushing up on old and new jutsus for both water and earth, while learning wood. I’ve been training until I could no longer.

"You can’t go easy on this fight, little Kiyoko. It will be very troublesome if he manages to capture you and that Hatake man. I will lend you my power if you need it," the beasts says.

"Why are you helping me?" I think in my head, I make sure he can hear me.

"I may hate him more than you. Certainly I hate him more that anyone alive. So if he is no longer around then it will be much more easier to live for both of us.," He grunts. He still does not let me see him clearly, whenever I got near to his cage, he made sure that he was hidden well in the darkness.

"I’m doing it for my benefit, so at least try to kill him, okay little Kiyoko. Or else I might have to butt in and be inhumane with that worm."

He was joking around, I wonder if something had happened that changed the way he acts towards me. For now he wasn’t so hostile to me, I want to ask him why he hates my father so much, but I don’t have time. My father is meters away and I hide in a well near by, it was full of unclean water, but my chakra dissolved into it anyways. I’ll just be part of the water, no way he’ll be able to sense me.

Our shadow clones stood there in front of him, defense up and ready for an attack. My father laughs, a laugh that makes me shiver. My scars pulse, like my body was remembering the sensation of being stabbed. I felt like I was stepping on eggshells, I had to be cautious, but my nervous body was not helping. I see him seal a jutsu, I know those signs. He slams his hands on the ground. He is an earth user, I feel the earth beneath the well begin to push the water up. He knows where we are hiding. At least lightning is dominant over earth, and even though water isn’t very powerful, I can make it destructive if I put chakra into it. I materialize from the water, and land on my feet while the water gushes out. Kakashi stumbles to his feet.

He’s skilled alright, he managed to sense us seconds after he arrived.

“Nice try hiding, but really,” He laughs again. Kakashi has his chidori ready, both his clone and him are ready to fight. He puts his hand up, making us wait.

“Wait, I need to catch my breath. And I’m sure you don’t want your friend to get harmed,” He says. He flicks his finger, and two ninja come out of the shadows, they held Sakura in their arms. A cloth was tied around her mouth, but she was limp. She’s not dead, I can feel her chakra. She must be in a genjutsu.

“I’m curious, how did you know I was going to come to this house? By chance do you know this house?” He asks. I don’t answer, right now I was thinking about a plan to get her out of their grasps. Maybe if she is released from the genjutsu, then she can punch her way out. I can see from this far that her hands were tied loosely, she must have put a fight, and they were in a hurry.

I need to touch her to release the genjutsu, but there is no way they will let me get near her.

“Answer me when I am talking to you. You do know what happened last time you gave me the silent treatment. I don’t want to harm your friend, maybe you need for encouragement. Should I take Kakashi as a hostage as well,” he asks.

“What is it that you want?” I hiss.

“I came to claim what is mine, you’re coming back with me, and so is Kakashi. You two will come with me with no problems. Then I will release your friend. I’m sure you care for her deeply,” He says.

“I’m done playing your games. I am not following your orders,” I snarl. Feeling the anger rise. He whistles lowly, but I don’t think about his next move, I have to get Sakura out of here. I hope this works. I travel my chakra through the ground, and let it get to her. I make the release sign, hoping it works. I see her eyes snap open, taking in her surroundings. She quickly snaps the loose ropes, and I run to cover her. Kakashi attacks one of the ninja that was holding Sakura. I create a wall to keep the earth jutsu that my father sent my way. Sakura uses her monster punch to land a blow on one of the ninja. He is sent flying, but he stands. He is a jounin, I believe all of the Moon ninja here were. Her battle will be a difficult one, but I need to face my father today. He won’t leave unscratched.

“I too am done chasing you. This time I will show you, our true identity. It is time that you learned to bear the weight of your crown!” My father yells at me.

He seals his hands once again, and I form a water whip in my right hand, ready to dodge whatever jutsu he throws at me. Earth spikes protrude, I dodge them, keeping me on my toes. I look down at my feet, and the next time I look up to my father there it is coming at me at full speed. The hotei technique, the wood arm grabs hold of my throat, immediately cutting me off of my air. He controls wood release too. What is going on here? My head hurt, maybe it was the lack of air, or maybe it was the sudden revelation. How the hell is my father a wood user. But how?

“You and I we are of the Senju clan. We have this powerful chakra that can do many marvelous things. But why are you not seeing it? You and I can do so many great things to this world. It was what your mother and I dreamed of. World Peace. Starting with this wretched place, we will rebuild it using our own chakra.”

I kick the air, trying to make contact, but he made it hard with the angle he has captured me. I grab hold of the wood wrapped around my throat, and I begin to suck away the life from it, like I did with Sage Moriko. It seemed like it was going slower than other times, but eventually It grew brittle and no longer held my weight. I fall harshly to the ground, gasping for air.

“What the hell are you talking about? I am not a Senju, I do not know what you are talking about,” I gather my thoughts. I was born in the Moon Village damn it! He can’t possibly use wood, he must have stolen Hashirama’s DNA.

“Don’t try to lie to me, I’ve seen you. I know where you go off to to train. There is no escaping me, you won’t be able to hide for much longer, not when this world is growing unstable by the day. Are you simply going to let it fall to pieces. Your mother and I had great plans for you,”

“Shut up! I don’t want to hear about mother or you! This is all a lie. You’re insane!” I tell him. He can’t know that I use wood, this would cause such a big problem. But now I know, he uses wood.

“Don’t you want to know why we put that beast in you?”

Get up, brat! Fight! Kill him, you must kill him! The beast inside my head yelled at me.

Is what he saying true? I ask him. I hear him grunt in agreement. I was not a Tsukino, I am a Senju. My mother, what is she? Was she really a Moon villager or was she a lie too? Why hide this?

“You must know about the Life of Library, correct. I’ll just say that your mother was powerful enough to get rid of your’s and her’s before she died. With her last chakra she only managed to change mine. If you want to know more then you must come with me. I will tell you the truth, and then you will understand why we must rejuvenate this world to its great glory.”

I shake my head. No, I was not going to go back with him. I don’t care about the truth! Sometimes it is better to not know at all. How could I know what he saying is true? Lies. That is all he made of. I won’t use wood, I won’t let him win this fight. I feel Kakashi close by, getting closer to where we were. My father has taken me to the outer forest while he had me by the throat.

I seal my hands quickly before he can tell what jutsu I will use. I push the jutsu from the belly, creating an enormous amount of water to make the perfect stage for Kakashi’s lightning style. My father creates a wall, but it won’t hold me back. Even if he is a Senju I have chakra that can’t be stopped with a wooden wall. I push my chakra fiercely, concentrating on him. The wall breaks, he falls, and I see Kakashi use his lightning style to electrocute him from a far. Three Moon Ninja get to my father, who struggled to get up.

“You’ll come to me one day for answers. I’ll be waiting patiently. Kiyoko Senju.”

Kiyoko Senju. Kiyoko Senju. So is that really my true identity? He must be lying, there is no way, I mean he isn’t really telling me the truth. But he just used wood style, much more easily than I did. It was clear that he had trained for many years, but why doesn’t Sage Moriko know about him. Why does she not remember that one more wood user? Why, when everything was going smoothly, the universe throws another curve ball my way? This shouldn’t be true, but I knew that it was.

I don’t know how powerful my mother was but to erase your life from the Library of Lives is hard enough, to change it and keep it changed even after the caster is gone, just seems unreal.

That is if my mother truly is dead. No, of course I know she is gone, I saw it in my first memory. So many questions were just rising in my head, I couldn’t think straight, and the world wasn’t in order anymore. Is was chaotic, absolute chaos, and I fear that my world will always be in this state.

“Kiyoko? Are you hurt? Hey, can you hear me?” Kakashi shakes me up a bit. I realize now, maybe he’s been doing that for a while. Its just that my brain is jammed, and late in responding.

“No, I don’t think I am. Did- did you just hear what my father said?”

“Yes, but don’t talk about it right now, there are still too many ears around, lets get you out of here. I can feel others around us,” Kakashi grabs hold of me.

“And Sakura? Where is she?”

“She’s gone off to fight others. She’ll be okay. I think the worst is over, they were after you and the information in the house after all. How did the tailed beast know about that?” Kakashi says. We make our way to our house. I expected to go directly to Lady Tsunade’s office to report our share in this attack. We needed a story first. One like, he was just trying to get me back is a good excuse of a story.

We enter the house, but something was not right. Maybe it was me, or there was something strange. I can feel the lingering of something, Kakashi feels it too. I grab a kunai, and follow Kakashi to the hallway. I open my bedroom door, and I find my window wide open. Someone has definitely been here. I can see my underwear drawer closed half hazardly. I push past Kakashi, slamming it open, not caring is Kakashi saw my undergarments.

He took it. My father took my book, my empty journal that was supposed to be my history in the making. I throw my clothes to the ground, searching the drawer until I know for certain that it really isn’t there.

“What is this?” Kakashi asks. He grabs a piece of paper that was set on top of the drawer. It was, what seemed like the last page of my empty journal. The paper was a bit thicker.


“It says, ‘today was just the beginning of the revelation, the end will come once you find the true path yourself. It will await you, written, the history of your life.’”

“So my father takes my journal to write the truth. Finally after ten years, he decided that I should know the truth,” I run my hand through my hair. Everything has scrambles back into disorder. I don’t know how any of this is making any sense.

“It just seems like he wants something you don’t have. He has the ‘truth’ and I’m sure all you want is to know what the truth really is. Its bait to get you to the Moon. We don’t know for certain that what he said is entirely true,” Kakashi sets the paper back on the drawer.

“But why would he lie about any of this. He just admit that he put the tailed beast in me. He just admit that my mother and him were going to rebuild this village to its great glory, and the world too. Who the hell are they? Who the hell am I? I’m not even Kiyoko Tsukino, I’m Kiyoko damn Senju. And that is just unthinkable! There is no connection,” I pull the ends of my hair just a bit.

Kakashi takes my shoulders and guides me to the living room. He sits besides me, keeping his hand on my knee in comfort.

“There really no way to pinpoint this situation,” Kakashi says.

“What do you know?” I ask the beast inside me. He sighs in annoyance, but I was not in the mood for his mood swings. He was going to cooperate with me.
“What I know? Oh, I’ve been long enough to know everything that has happened in the life of the first man. I know many things Little Kiyoko. You’re going to need to be a bit more specific,” the beasts lightens in his scowl. There was no way around this question, not today. I want answers, and I want them now.

“You know exactly what I am talking about. Tell me right now beast!”

“Well is that the way you talk to someone who knows the truth!”

“Then tell me how to talk to you. What is your name? Do you know how you were put in me? It was my father wasn’t it? That is why you hate him so much,” I take a guess. I can hear the beast chuckle.

“Now why would I tell you my name? A mere human knows nothing about the value of a name. Especially you, who doesn’t know if you truly are a Senju or a Tsukino,” the beast says.

“Then why don’t you tell me? Tell me am I a Senju? What are my father’s intentions?”

“Hmph, there you go again, thinking that I will simply give you the answers. Just because I helped you once does not mean I will help you again. Telling you doesn’t help me at all,” he grumbles.

“Then help me understand the truth to eliminate my father. Then it will benefit you too,” I tell him.

“It will only truly benefit me if I get out of this body, and no longer be under the mercy of humans. How could you possibly do that?” he growls.

“You’re just going to have to trust me.. uh, it would really help if you told me your name at least,” I tell him,

“Hmph, if the damn name is so important its Ryuu. But don’t get too comfortable with me, I’ll take you off guard if you do,” He threatens, but I smile. I feel a wall between us break. Ryuu, his name is Ryuu, the beast has a name, just like I have my name.

“Kiyoko?” Kakashi brings me back to reality. “Why are you smiling? Did you find something out?”

“Yea, I did. The beast’s name. Ryuu. He’s a bit annoyed though. I’m sure with him we can figure things out,” I say, feeling the world lighten just a bit. Kakashi smiles too.

“I think we should start with that house in the Uchiha district, I bet we can find some clues there,” I tell him. He agrees. We take flight again in the middle of the night, the sun should be rising in a couple of hours. I can see the scar in the forest from the battle I had with my father. My heart began to race when the house came into view. Something in me was eager to be there, but I was nervous to find clues. Part of the was afraid to know the truth and what if the answers were in there?

Once we get to the doorstep, my body moves like its been here before. I don’t try to open the door, I know its locked. I move over to the tree near the entrance, the key was hanging on the middle level branch, I knew it was there because I just did. The key was there alright, I snatch it and plop it back into the hole. I twist the key and hear the click, I open the door and push it open.

“How did you know the key was there?” Kakashi asks.

“I just did. I feel like I’ve been here somehow,” I step into the house. It was cold from the absent of the Uchiha residence. My heart beat faster, making it hard to breath and stand. Kakashi grabs hold of me, making sure I don’t fall. My feet stepped in front of one another nonetheless. A driving force was making me move, this wasn’t me who has been here. Maybe it was the beast.

The house had a large living room, the furniture was untouched. A thick layer of dust covered everything. The dining room was right next to the living room and it led to the kitchen. Down the hall there were five doors. Kakashi let me lean on the wall while he went on to look. I was slowly gathering my breath. The bathroom and three rooms were the other doors.

“There is what looked like a study room, maybe there is something in here,” Kakashi says. I walk over to the far right door. The moon outside was giving us little light now, the sun was coming.

There were many books in this small room. Stacked and opened half hazardly. It looked like everything was left undone. The chair in front of the best was pushed back. I walk over to the desk, maybe it was in some of the drawers. Kakashi goes over to the bookshelf, while my hand moves expertly to the second drawer on the left side of the desk. I knew exactly what I was looking for, that is what i felt. I already know what my father wanted, but the real me doesn’t. All of this was making me feel like there was two of me in one body right now.

I slide the drawer open. There were pictures, full of pictures. Pictures of mother and father, together. I grab a handful with my shaky hands, there were pictures of my mothers as a small child. A chubby girl with raven black hair. Her eyes were black to match. I could see what looks like her mother hugging her. They looked a like, much like I look alike to my mother. There were pictures of my mom on her first day of the academy, her parents were there with her. My mother’s mother was smiling, and her father was staring straight into the camera. He hid his smile, but I could see the pride in his eyes.

What the hell are these pictures doing here? Just looking at her through these pictures, she looked untouchable, like she was just a fairy tail character, but no she was my mother. I go through the pictures, the more there are the older she looks. It wasn’t until she looked about twenty that my father showed up in the pictures. They both looked so happy.

I’ve never seen my father smile so widely, and it was a genuine smile. He had his hand around her shoulder, and my mother stared at him. I can tell that they were truly in love. Then how could this man in the picture become my father today.

“He looks so loving and warm in this picture,” I tell myself. Maybe I ruined their happy ending. Maybe that is why I ruined my father’s hope. Maybe that is why he hated me so much. But I can’t comprehend it.

The last picture in the deck was the picture of their wedding day, well it looked like it was. My father wore a black kimono, while my mother wore a deep blood red. It reminds me of the color of Kakashi’s Sharingan. She had her hair in a curly bun, ruby pins held it in place. She was beautiful, and they both looked ecstatic to be wed. Their rings were shining in the sunlight.

But that wasn’t what caught me by surprise. It was the background, they stood in front of the Hokage faces. My parents must have lived here, if at the least at least one of them did. It was either my father or my mother that have roots here. Or both.

My father said he was a Senju, that family name is clearly rooted to the Leaf, then what about mother.

“Kiyoko?” Kakashi says softly. I realize that I am crying, but I don’t feel sad. Kakashi sucks in his breath as he sees the pictures on the desk. He knows who they are. My parents whose lives I thought I vaguely knew about. But now I feel like they are complete strangers. He picks up the picture that slipped out of my hand.

“What is this?” He says. I wipe the tears from my eyes, and kneel besides him. There was an indent in the ground underneath the ground. It was a little path to push the desk aside.

“Come here, help me push the desk to the side, I think there is a door leading to the ground,” Kakashi knocks on the floor. “Ya, its definitely hollow.” I push the pictures back into the drawer. I help Kakashi push the desk which looked a lot heavier than it really is. I use my weak chakra to heave it to the side. There was a door there, Kakashi uses his foot to unlevel it. It pops open. Steep stairs led down to a dark room. There was no lights and the dark night didn’t help.

Down there were probably the answers my father wants, and answers to my own questions. I want to know the truth about my parents. Kakashi grabs a small orb from his pocket. He crushes it in his hands and it soon began to glow a bright blue.

“Here we go,” Kakashi says. I follow him, keeping my hands on the walls around me. My heart raced again, my knees were growing weaker the closer we got to whatever we were heading to. Something in me was guiding me to the answers.

“Ryuu, is it you who is telling me where to go?” I ask the beast in me.

“It isn’t me kid,” He says. Someone else was helping me by telling my body to go to the correct places. That person was inside me, I can feel it. I have to stop to touch my beating heart, I’m not sure who it was but I can feel their eagerness run through me. Who ever it was, I thank them.

It was getting harder to continue down the staircase. I didn’t know just how long we’ve been walking, but to me it felt like ages. I crash into Kakashi’s back as he stops abruptly. He shines the light in front of him, it was wood.

“Is a thick wall, think you can get through it?” Kakashi asks me. I nod, it was harder now to use my chakra, I don’t know why but I felt like being in this house was draining me. I step in front of him, but he kept an arm around me to keep me up.

“Just a bit longer Kiyoko,” He whispers in encouragement. I touch the wood wall with my palms, sucking away the life of the energy. It became brittle, and finally cracking away on its own. The bit of energy I gathered made me a feel better. We walk forward, there was a door on the other side. The door was made of wood from someone else’s chakra, and I would bet my money that my father made it.

“There is a seal, let me try to deactivate it so we can get on the other side,” Kakashi lets me sit on the last step of the stairs. Being in this house was tiring and draining, I’m not sure if we somehow went through a barrier or if there was something else in here making me feel so tired. It isn’t Ryuu who was draining me of my chakra. I felt like a rock sitting at the bottom of a lake. The strange thing is that Kakashi didn’t seem to be affected. I feel the wave chakra role over me and then I hear the loud band of the thick wooden door fall.

“It sure was a tricky seal, lets get to the other side, so I can get you home and rested,” Kakashi helps me once again. We step over the fallen door, and Kakashi holds the light in his other hand. The door led to what felt like a very large room, I can feel the cold stale air. No one has been here for years, maybe since the time my father was once last here if what he says is true. We walk further into the room, but I knew where I was going. It was straight ahead, it was there. I pull Kakashi to that way, he followed. My weak body grew excited the closer we got to where my body wanted me to go.

When we got closer, Kakashi shined the light in front of us. It was a long and tall bureau with one large door, my hand moved to pull it but Kakashi stopped it.

“What if its a trap?”

“The seal would have prevented from people coming in,” I tell him.

“But we’ve managed to get through,” he says.

“Ya but you’re Kakashi and I can use wood release so we aren’t just anyone. We’re more than than average ninja.”

Kakashi sighs but lets his hand fall. I grab the handle and yank it open. Dust rises from movement, I cover my nose and mouth to keep it out. I expected some sort of weapon that can destroy an entire village, but I didn’t. I found a large book, bigger than any book I have ever seen. The symbols written on the cover were unreadable. It was a secret language, but I knew some of the symbols on it.

“Kakashi, is that the sharingan and the byakugan?” I ask him as he grabs hold of the large book. There was another symbol in it, but I haven’t seen it.

“Not only that, but the Rinnegan too. My sharingan can’t decipher it, not when I only have half the power of the sharingan. But I have a feeling this book is full knowledge the world may not know,” He whispers. He lets me go for just a bit, so that he can pat away the dust.

“Rinnegan? Is that a visual power like the Sharingan and the Byakugan?”

“Yes, but it’s power is on a different level. Many believed that the Sharingan was the most powerful of the visual enhancement, but there are legends and myths of a rippled pattern doujutsu. It has power that only gods possess, but why is it under the Uchiha district? And why is it under this house? Perhaps your father knew about it all along, and...” He fades away.

“What? And what?”

“Perhaps your mother was an Uchiha, Kiyoko,” he tells me.

“But, my parents, they’ve always lived in the Moon Village! They were born there, and they were raised there and I was born there. My mother died there!” I try to explain. My heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest. Kakashi grabs hold of me again, “Lets talk at home, I don’t want you fainting now.”

We manage to get up the stairs without tripping, Kakashi moves the desk back to where it belonged, but with the sudden movement, the picture drawer flew open scattering the pictures everywhere. The happy times of my parents in the village littered the place, but I knew that I found the start of my answers by just looking at their smiles. They were in love and they lived here. And my father was a Senju and my mother was an Uchiha, but for whatever reason they fled the Leaf Village. My heart believed it but my mind needed for persuasion. And maybe in a twist of faith, it was all a lie.

“This book that we have found, I have a feeling that it is more powerful than any weapon on earth,” I say softly. I hear Kakashi agree. We leave the pictures scattered, I’m sure no else would come here, there was no reason to.

“I’m quickly going to search the other rooms, maybe there are other doorways.”

Kakashi lets me rest in the living room, I was slowly getting my chakra back and I no longer felt so rushed to search the entire place. I came for one thing and now I know that I was looking for the book of the three doujutsu.

“Kiyoko,” Kakashi asks loudly from one of the doors.

“Yes?”

“Are you sure you were born in in the Moon Village?”

“Yes, of course I am.” I tell him, but right now I don’t think I am too certain of anything. I walk as quickly as I can to his voice, finding him inside the second door on the left. He stood there in the middle of a bedroom. I looked around, there was a crib, and a dresser. There were butterflies painted on the walls, and a mobile of birds hanging over the crib. It was a bedroom for any baby girl.

“Look at the blanket,” He says. I walk over to the wood crib, I run my hands over the edge, it was finely made, I can still sense the lingering chakra. A wood user must have made it, and that thought directed me to the picture of my father. It was a deep red blanket like the color of the Sharingan, and there was a sewed image of a large tree spreading its branches throughout the red background.

In yellow yarn was my name in cursive. Kiyoko.

“Maybe its all just a coincidence. Maybe we’re just looking into it too closely,” I can feel the tears in my eyes.

“Kiyoko,” Kakashi has his hands on my shoulders, letting me lean my tired body on his strong one. “ You may not believe it, but I think what you thought was the life you lived, it hasn’t all been true.”

“My father and mother were happy here, and they married and they were going or had me here in the Leaf Village. No wonder I felt so at home, when I first got here. Maybe this is my birthplace. And for some reason they had to flee and they found refuge in the Moon Village. But some things don’t add up. When I was under the genjutsu seal weeks after I arrived, I saw the first memory. It was the day of my birth, I was just minutes old. And my father was crying and yelling at me. From my eyes, I was already in the Moon Village. I saw the room I was born in, and it was in the Moon Village. It was the spare room in my old house, but it certainly was not in this house,” I tell him. I gather the cold soft blanket in my hands. This belonged to me, it was a strange sensation, perhaps my life wasn’t so bad. Maybe the hatred my father has for me is just a lie too. Maybe my misery was brought to me because of all the lies, but now I know the truth and maybe it won’t be so bad anymore.

“Lets get home. The sun is rising,” Kakashi says. I take my blanket with me, while Kakashi tucks the large book in his jacket. It made a bulge that was so noticeable. I locked the door behind me, but I kept the key on me. I take my necklace off, the one Kakashi gave me, and slipped it in. The key and leaf rattle, but I knew it would be safe with me.

“Kakashi why don’t you get home quickly before anyone sees you with that book, I’ll walk home,” I tell him. He lays his hand on my forehead.

“Are you sure you are doing okay? I don’t mind carrying you home, as a matter of fact, I would prefer to. You feel a bit warm,” He says. He doesn’t wait for my answer, because he takes me in his arms. I am too tired to complain.

We get home as the sun’s full circle glides over the mountain side. Kakashi sets me in bed, leaving both the book and my blanket with me.

“Get some sleep, I’m going to go report to Lady Tsunade,” He says, before he’s on a hurry.

Though I don’t get any sleep at all. Not with the blanket draped over me and the book right in front of me. I try to think of ways to find out if my mother really was from here, or how to tell if my father was telling the truth.

“Why don’t you just ask around? Grab a damn photo and ask the villagers. Jeez, Kiyoko you aren’t that bright.” Ryuu says from inside me. I roll my eyes, but he does have a great idea. I’m sure someone should recognize them. I make myself something to eat before I get into the shower. I think about who I would ask first. Twenty years ago, at the very least, I need to ask people who have been here since then. And if the Uchiha were still around then that would have been much more easier.

I was feeling much more better after showering and eating. It was just a few hours before lunch that I begin cooking for Kakashi and I. I play with my key and leaf while the rice cooks. I can’t do much but wait. I grab the book of the three doujutsus, while lunch is cooking.

The thin pages were inked in symbols, maybe this book could be deciphered by all three doujutsus together. A sharingan, a byakugan, and the rinnegan. But for now we only have one out of the three in certainty. Kakashi can’t read it now with only one eye, and Sasuke and Itachi sure are out of the picture. And as far as I know there are no survivors. The Rinnegan is nothing more than a myth, I’ve never seen it while I was on my travels. It would be remarkable if I ever decipher it in my lifetime.

I keep searching for something that I might know. Any names that might pop out to me. The back cover was blank, nothing at all. I grew frustrated by the minute, I didn’t realize I left the oven on and that the vegetables were burning.

“You left lunch on the stove,” Kakashi pops his head into his bedroom. “Don’t worry I brought lunch, I had a feeling you weren’t feeling too good to cook today.”

I nod. He gives me a side smile, trying to cheer me up. He sets lunch on the bedside table, before he takes the book out of my hands.

“Its no use Kiyoko, we won’t be able to decipher it. Not now anyways. Not when we don’t have the doujutsus necessary,” Kakashi says.

“I know. I know, its just, what are we supposed to do then? Wait for the answers to come to me? I’ve been lied to my entire life. I’m shocked that I know what is right and what if left. I feel like my world is about to explode at any moment,” I sigh. Its been a mess. Kakashi checks my temperature again.

“You’re warmer than earlier today. How about you eat lunch and get some rest. I’ll try to find a few things out,” Kakashi tells me. I nod my head. We eat together, Kakashi eating the few dumplings I couldn’t eat. He was right, I feel like crap. Kakashi leans in to give me a kiss on the forehead before the fever gets to me and I fall into a deep slumber.

Kakashi’s POV

I didn’t want to leave Kiyoko in the state she is in, but I wanted to start searching for answers. And I was going to begin with the records at the Hokage building. That archive was under lock and key, but I can get in there. I’ll go through the Senju files, and look for her father’s photo. I can’t be sure that Michio is his real first name. I leave a glass of water on the bedside table, and wipe the sweat off of Kiyoko’s forehead with a towel, before I lock the door behind me. I’ll be back quickly.

It was just at midday, but it felt like so much time has passed by. It was one of the longest day of my life, but my longest day would have to be going days without her. Revealing the truth has affected her, more than I thought. She was sick and in bed now, all because her memories have not been kind. She shouldn’t be finding these things at this time of her life. Perhaps after all of saving the world, would have been a better timing. The burden of finding the truth can be the heaviest one.

“Hey Kakashi! We’re you headed in such a hurry?” I hear Yamato say. He was walking on his way to the Hokage’s office too.

“Just checking in a few things. You’re back from a mission?”

“Ya, I heard there was an attack on the village from Kiyoko’s home town. How is she holding up?”

“She’s shaken up. She’s come down with a fever, but she is resting right now.”

“Hmm, well maybe a good root tea will kick that fever out. The store by the Yamanaka flower shop sells great remedies,” Yamato tells me as we walk up the stairs. We part ways, he walks to the Hokage’s office and I make it the library. It may not be the Library of Lives but its a start.

Kakashi’s POV

And so far nothing. There was no information on any Senjus actually, which I found odd. What about Hashirama Senju or Tobirama Senju? Where were their records, even Lady Tsunade's folder was not in the vault. They must be somewhere else, but I can’t think of any other place where personal files could be kept. Perhaps under a lock and key much more tighter than this one, I had to come up with some great excuse to get in here in the first place. But for the time being I’ll have to get Kiyoko better. She must be sleeping right now, but I had to be by her. She did when I was ill.

Kiyoko’s POV

I could feel the fever slowly subside, thanks to the extra chakra my body was fighting off whatever ailed me quicker than Kakashi. But I still shook under the blankets, and Kakashi was kind enough to leave a wet towel on my forehead. I don’t feel as bad as Kakashi looked, so I think I can be up and running again late evening today. I see the white smoke on the window sill above my head. At first my heart raced at the thought of an intruder but I felt Tomoko’s chakra.

“How you doing there Kiyoko?” Her voice is softer than usual. They must have seen everything from Sage Moriko’s crystal ball thing. They must know about our suspicions as well.

“So you think you’ll be up and running in a couple days?” She asks. I clear my throat before I speak.

“I think so. Its just a little fever. I’ll be able to go tomorrow,” I tell him.

“Good, because you test for wood mastery is only three month away. One full year since your arrival is almost here,” She says. I think about it, one year has gone quickly. But then thinking makes my head hurt, so I don’t try to remember everything that I‘ve managed to accomplish in such a short amount of time.

“Isn’t your birthday just three months away?” She asks me. I nod.

“Kakashi’s birthday is two weeks away,” I tell her. She hoots, and helps me soak the towel in water. She lays it upon my forehead.

“What do you plan on getting him?”

“I don’t know. Something that has meaning. I can buy anything off the streets, but I don’t want to do that. Maybe I can make him something.”

I’ve been too busy to really think about his present, and now wasn’t a very great time either. I hear Kakashi open the front door. I hear him take off his boots, and walk to his bedroom, where I lay under the covers. Tomoko didn’t leave to the Shikkotsu Forest, she was perched on the window sill instead.

“Are you feeling a bit better?” Kakashi asks as he sees me awake. I nod. He bows to Tomoko.

“How did it go for you? Did you find anything?”

He shakes his head, “nothing, it seems like they never really existed. Not on paper, but maybe if we show a picture of them to the villagers then maybe they would recognize one of them. It looks like when they left the Leaf Village they made sure the world forgot them. There are no records of them. Not in the Life of Library or the Leaf Village. All that is left are memories. Just pictures and Kiyoko’s experience.”

“Yes, and for some mysterious reason too. But if they truly were Uchiha and Senju then there is no doubt that they had the abilities to do so. After all those bloodlines are have powerful history. No wonder their daughter came to be the powerful ninja she is today. Kiyoko is the offspring of two ancestors with much history and much power. I believe that Kiyoko is the first of her kind,” Tomoko says. Its like I’m not even here.

“The first of her kind? What do you mean by that?” Kakashi asks her.

“Well you may know that the Uchiha and Senju have never been found of each other. It is astonishing to even think that and Uchiha and Senju would come to love one another, much less have a child together. The doujutsu the Uchiha have, and the ferocious love they carry inside them an Uchiha is a formidable foe. Just imagine combining that with the life force and chakra levels a Senju posses. Together that child has great power. And to add, Kiyoko’s father has mastery of Wood Technique. Its a great mystery just how far Kiyoko can go,” Tomoko says. The rooms falls into silence, all of us trailing into deep thought.

It may be the reason why I was the chosen one. Maybe the world or whoever decided that I was to save the world knew my entire history, my entire lineage. Perhaps my mother was an Uchiha and my father is a Senju. Together I was created.

“Its the reason why her chakra is strong enough to suppress the tailed beast. It explains for years without a seal, she was able to keep it in check,” Kakashi says into the silence. Tomoko nods. The puzzle of my existence was slowly coming together. Tomoko and Kakashi begin to talk but I don’t stay awake too long to listen. I close my eyes again to sleep the rest of the fever away.

The next time I awake, I feel the fever has gone away and left a headache instead. But it was nothing that I couldn’t handle. I look at the clock, it was 8:12 pm. I remove the moist towel from my forehead, the night was warm. Summer was almost over, and fall was waiting for the time to come.

“Ryuu, I didn’t get to ask you. Is everything that we think true? Do you know why they put you in me?” I ask the beast in me. He awakens from a deep sleep too.

“All I know is that your parents were powerful ninja, and your father is definitely a Senju. He didn’t show you everything he has that for sure. But I don’t know anything about you and I. Hell if I did I might find a way out of here,” he grumbles. And falls back to sleep. Perhaps my fever got him a bit irritated too. I find Kakashi drinking tea and reading in the living room. Sakura and Eri are there too, they were talking about the baby, that is due in a couple of weeks. Its due September 21. Eri was an big mommy, her belly couldn’t stretch more than it could. But even is her due date is three weeks away, she hasn’t been bedridden. She’s a strong shinobi and mother.

“Oh Kiyoko. We didn’t wake you right? I think we were talking a bit too loud,” Eri smiles.

“Not at all. I was dead to the world, I couldn’t hear anything. What is the whole commotion?”

“I was thinking about a baby shower this weekend. I haven’t had one, and i want all of my friends to come to my house so I can celebrate the last bit of my fun free time. I know its usually a surprise but I don’t surprises, so I’m planning it. And as the godmother you must attend, no excuses. Kakashi you too,” Eri points at the reading Kakashi. He peeks over his book to see if Eri was serious, but sighs. He nods. Hopefully this weekend we aren’t assigned to any missions.

“I brought you some remedies, all natural and easy to grow. Now that I see you, I don’t think you’ll need them. Sleep is all you needed,” Sakura says. I see a brown bag on the kitchen table. I knew Sakura’s medicines weren’t all to great tasting, hardly edible. My stomach growls, and I follow the scent of vegetable soup. Eri follows me.

“Kakashi called me to ask for help. He was getting worried about you, seemed like you’ve slept all day,” Eri smirks, but the mood fell into seriousness quickly. I grabbed a bowl of soup for myself, but Eri refused to have any.

“I had to get it out of Kakashi, your father he came back for you didn’t he. And he used Sakura as leverage, I wish I was there to help you, but I heard that you and Kakashi took care of him.”

“We didn’t. If we took care of him then he would be dead, all we did was manage to get out there alive. He’s stronger Eri, much more stronger than I last remember,” I tell her.

“Are you afraid?”

I shake my head, “its not that I am afraid, I’m surprised that is all. I know that if I work harder I will get stronger than him. And if he ever does come back then I know I’ll be able to fight him on his level.”

“Great to hear that he didn’t affect you, just don’t overwork yourself. I’ll need you to help out with Yasuko,” Eri winks.

“As if I would be any help.” The soup settles heavenly in my stomach. I hear Sakura yell from the living room that she was leaving and that she’ll see us this weekend for the baby shower. Soon Eri begins to talk to me about the whole event. I volunteer to bring the sweets, but I don’t know if I’ll make them or buy them. I like to pull Kakashi’s leg about sweets. I wonder if Eri’s mother will show up if I attend. Last time wasn’t such a great introduction, she still sees me like the person I was. But I’ve changed, even Ryuu has changed a bit, even if he denies it. I hear a knock on the door, and then I hear Rokuro’s voice. He must be here to pick Eri up, it was nightfall already, he saved me a trip on walking her home.

“I’ll see you two at the baby shower this Saturday. And don’t be so formal with ninja attire, wear something festive. Especially you Hatake, I don’t think I have ever seen you in other clothing,” Eri picks on Kakashi.

“Oh leave the man alone. Its a ninja life to wear these clothes. Lets get going,” Rokuro says on his defense, which catches me off guard. They leave in the night as Kakashi follows me back into the kitchen.

“That was odd. He was not being his other self.”

“Its been getting better, at least now we don’t mention Rin and Obito anymore,” Kakashi says.

Kakashi checks my forehead for the fever, thankfully it was gone now.

“I feel much better, I just have a little headache, but its not the worst pain I’ve been in. I can manage without Sakura’s medicines,” I joke. She’s a doll for bringing me them, but Sai’s warned me before hand. To accept them but not eat them.

“I think you’ll get worse than a fever. Her remedies are natural, but they are exotic,” Kakashi says. I leave my dirty bowl in the sink, I’ll just do it later.

“Kakashi is there anything you want for your birthday?” I ask him. He must want something, I’m having too much trouble thinking about his present. And the headache was not helping.

“I don’t need anything, I have everything I need. I just want to celebrate it with you, and maybe Sakura and Sai. I don’t need a party or anything, really.”

I smile when he said that he wants to celebrate is with me. I couldn’t help but bring him closer to me, until our bodies rested on one another. He’s done so much for me, protecting me, caring for me, and he says he doesn’t need anything.

“Well if you want anything, you let me know,” I whisper, there was no need to talk in the distance we were in. I could smell his tea breath and I bet mine smelled like broth. It didn’t matter, Kakashi still kissed me. His lips were always so soft, and warm. Our eyes were closed, but I felt every touch, his hands pressed into my back, and I could feel the hairline at the back of his neck. I just needed him, and perhaps he just needed me. We don’t want anything else but each other.

In the days before Eri’s baby shower. I spend my day training in Shikkotsu Forest, and on my free time I go around the village asking if they knew my parents. I would show them a picture of them, right in front of the the hoke wall. And like Kakashi said, no one remembered. They made sure they weren’t remembered here or anywhere else. But I know the truth, or I think it is the truth. They were alive, and in love. A love that was hard to maintain here with their rivalry. It makes sense why they would find refuge in the Moon Village. But just how did my father get to become the leader of the Village, that was a mystery.

Sage Moriko also believes our suspicions. It explains why we found that empty book in the Uchiha section of the Library of Lives. It has to be my mother’s. After all we think she was an Uchiha. Though when we told her about the power of my chakra, she was quiet and deep in thought. She wanted to say something, but she couldn’t. I wanted to know, but I didn’t ask. I can tell she didn’t want to tell me just yet.

Sage Moriko agreed to let me take Saturday off. I got up earlier than usual, I needed to make the desserts for later. I decided to make rice flour dango’s. Like the ones in the tea shop, with a sweet sauce. A grumpy Kakashi got up later that morning, complaining about the sweet sugar smell in the house. He shut himself in the shower for twenty minutes before he can withstand it.

“Kakashi are you going to obey Eri’s rule about your clothes?” I ask him and grab the milk from the fridge for him. He pops some toast out of the toaster and spreads jam.

“She’ll bite my head off if I don’t. I guess I’ll have to go shopping,” He crunches into his breakfast. I might as well tag along too, I didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to see Kakashi shopping for clothes. Maybe I’ll find something to buy for little Yasuko. Despite hating sweets, Kakashi helped me finish the dangos, cutting the time by a third. I leave them on the counter and we make our way to the nearest clothing store.

Kakashi walks into a very ordinary looking store, nothing special or glittery in here, which is what I expected. There are racks and racks of the same color clothes.

“Lets get something quickly, I feel like Eri will pop out anywhere. She’s around here, I can feel her,” I tell him. It was like a second nature, she was always near. Watching me, watching us, which was very odd. He laughs at my little suspicion.

He goes over to the section of his size. He pulls out a blue t shirt, just a plain tshirt. Nothing wrong with it, just that it looked like the one he was wearing except not long sleeved. I shrugged, I won’t force him to buy anything he doesn’t want. He grabs black pants, at least they weren’t the same color.

“I think you should buy some black clothes, for you know funerals. We’re lucky to not have lost anyone while you’ve been here, but that can change at any moment. We never know when a shinobi dies,” Kakashi says. I nod, I would have to buy them eventually, now that I am here as I might as well get them. Hopefully I don’t use them for a very long time. I grab my clothes that I need for funerals, but I quickly put those to the side and try not to imagine when I will wear them. I look around for any presents for Yasuko. I find a beautiful blanket, much like my own. It was yellow with pink flowers, reminding me of the meaning of her name. Peaceful child. I’m sure she’ll be warm with this blanket around her. I buy that too. We get home after buying our clothes.

I wrap the present in tissue paper and bag it in a small bag. Kakashi comes out of the shower, new clothes on, though he doesn’t look too different. Still Kakashi.

“I don’t see why she wants me to wear different clothes. I look absolutely the same,” He dries his hair with his towel.

“Well that blue color is lighter and it looks great on you. I’ll get changed so we can get going.”

I choose my yellow long shirt, and blue shorts. I clip half of my hair back, leaving the forehead protector off today. My bangs half gotten longer, but a few strands still fell out of the pin. I don’t put any ninja equipment on either, it was just a small gathering of friends. I even painted my nails earlier today. It was a light pink, I thought it looked great with my complexion. I look once more in the mirror of my bedroom, where I only come in to get dressed, and grab the gift before I meet Kakashi in the living room. He has the dangos in his hand. He too left his forehead protector, but that mask was still on, but I liked it. I enjoyed being the only one to see his face under it.

Kakashi locks the door, and tucks the key in his pocket. I kept my key around my neck. It jingles with the leaf. I smile, I knew exactly what to get Kakashi for his birthday, a necklace like my own, but manlier. We walk over the Eri’s house, not her mother’s this time. There were pink streamers outside, and I can hear the chatter of the people from inside.

I knock on her front door, waiting for Eri to answer it. Rokuro opens it instead.

“Great to see you two could make it,” He smiles, but it feels forced when its directed to Kakashi. They were working on it like Kakashi said.

He lets us in where I see unfamiliar faces and familiar faces. Sakura, Ino and Hinata, are among them. So are Kurenai, but not Asuma.

“We’re back in the backyard Kakashi, if you’ll like to join us. Asuma and Guy are there too, drinking a bit of sake,” Rokuro tell him. “Eri is in the kitchen, Kiyoko.”

“I’ll be out in a bit then,” Kakashi tell him.

“I just have to let Eri see me in new clothes,” Kakashi tells me. I smile, and follow my nose to the kitchen. She was there alright, laughing with women around our age. Women I feel like I have seen before. Eri smiles when she sees me, and that is when the others turn around. I can feel my heart race, and my throat close. Those women were from the Moon, those girls back then were just like Eri used to be. They made my life living hell, but hopefully they know I was here, and hopefully they have changed like Eri.

“Oh you’re here. Not looking too bad Kakashi. I’m sure Kiyoko likes this change,” She teases him.

“oh my god. Is it really her?” I hear one of the women say from behind her. Oh my god indeed.

“What do you think you’re doing? They are from the Moon, security has been tight because the Moon attacked four days ago. How did they manage to get here? Do you realize the trouble you can get it?”

“Look they weren’t part of the attack. So what if they lied about their nationality, they aren’t doing any harm. They promised to be on their best behavior,” She whispers.

“Did you tell them I was coming?”

“Well not really. I told them Moon Villagers were coming too, so its not entirely a lie.” Eri plays with her hands above her belly.

“Why? What happened to always telling the truth? How am I supposed to deal with this now?”

“If I told you then you wouldn’t have come and neither would they. I love both sides, Moon and Leaf, so as you can imagine this was not easy to think about either,” She sighs. I can feel her voice deepen with emotion, I sigh too. Nothing can come out of a pregnant women crying especially if the other girls think I made her cry.

“Is everything okay?” Kakashi asks from behind me. I almost forgot he was here.

“Ya, everything is fine. I’ll tell you later at home, why don’t you go outside with the guys,” I tell him. I don’t think I want him to be around and witness the awkwardness that was about to unfold. Kakashi leaves the dangos on the kitchen counter, before he leaves me in there with them. I felt like a rat trapped in a lion’s den. There was no way I would get out of here in one piece. Four of them, four of the girls from my past were here. Anzu, Ito, Mari, and Sugi. I definitely remember their names.

Eri smiled, and walks back over to the kitchen table, sometimes I wonder why I agreed to befriend her.

Anzu was a tall girl, she always has been. Her hair was midnight black, so black it seemed purple to me. It was sleek and neat. Her eyes were keen like a cat’s, blue. She wore a beautiful dress, red and flowy at the end. You can say she was a perfect girl in men’s eyes.

Ito was a more average girl. She was a little chubby girl back then, but she’s lost the baby fat and was left with a body that made me feel like a stick. Her hair was a dark shade of orange, and her eyes were chocolate brown. The freckles on her face weren’t so big anymore. She wore a ring on her left hand.

Mari was a skinny woman, but she had the body of a ninja. I can tell by the tan and scars that she has been on many missions. I think she was even on this last attack of the Moon too, she’s just a great ninja and hides her true emotions very well. I can tell that her eyes were guarded, after many years of experience and missions, she wasn’t that innocent girl of the group anymore. She was always the one who stood in the background of the group and watched rather than tease me. We never talked or befriend one another, but she was one less person I had to worry about.

Sugi on the other hand was right up there on the girls who hated me, along with Ito and Anzu. Eri, Anzu and Ito were my three top bullies. Sugi was Eri’s right hand woman. She has a bright smile that always scared me. Her lips were full and pink. She wore her brown hair in a bun today. I knew it was a frizzy mess, she was a tomboy. Always being the first to show how strong she was in the academy. But now she looked more feminine. Her makeup was done, and her nails were painted. She even wore heels for the celebration. I took all of their changes in and i’m sure they were taking me in like wolves. I had no doubt that they didn’t change all that much. Azun would still be trying to impress the boys, and Ito would be looking for food to eat. Mari wouldn’t talk too much, but enjoyed the company of others. Sugi would be on Eri’s side in a second, no doubt that hasn’t changed.

I don’t sit by them, Kurenai smiles and offers me a seat next to her and Hinata.

“Is has been a very long time Kiyoko.” Ito says. I swallow my nerves.

“Ya, it has. I didn’t know you four would be coming here, especially all the way from the Moon Village,” I say.


“We just had to see Eri with that baby belly. I hear she chose you to be Yasuko’s godmother. That is quite a responsibility,” Sugi tells me. The tone of her voice wasn’t very kind either.

“You’ve haven’t been stable for very long. I was surprised to see you managed to get here,” Sugi tells me.

“Its almost been a year since I moved here. I say I have a stable life,” I defend myself. I can feel it going down quickly.

“So Kiyoko you brought dangos. I must try some, you’re the best cook,” Kurenai says. She feels the tension too.

“I want to try one too.” Anzu speaks up. At least Mari and her weren’t so hostile to me. Everyone, but Eri get up to get some dangos, she mouths sorry, and I know she means it. I can’t help but accept it, it wasn’t her fault that they were still the same in some ways.

I can tell that they at least thought my desserts were good. No bad comment on those.

“How has it been here for you compared to your years alone?” Mari asks me, which caught me off guard. I’ve never heard her voice when I was young, and this is the first time I hear it as an adult. Finally a thoughtful question.

“Well its different all right. I was always doing things on my own, but once I got here I had to learn to work with others.”

“Did you become the ninja you wanted to become?” She asks. I smile, how did Mari know about my dream? I don’t think I remembered telling them about it.

“Yes. I was promoted a jounin not too long ago. I’ve made comrades to depend on. You are a ninja too aren’t you,” I answer. She nods.

“Ooh you’re a ninja, we must have a dual Kiyoko,” Sugi jumps to the opportunity.

“Why are we talking about me? Its Eri’s baby shower, we are here to celebrate her not interrogate me,” I tell Sugi. I see her slump and roll my eyes. She really wanted to fight me.

“Very well then, how about after the party. We’ll have a small dual. It will be fun,” Sugi ends our little conversation. I don’t reply, Sugi was really getting to me. I don’t want to fight her, my hatred and annoyance will make it harder to control myself.

“What happened between you two?” Kurenai whispers into my ear.

“Its a long story. She’s never liked me,” I tell her. Hinata smiled, trying to ease my mind of worry. I can hear the men outside laugh, I would rather be outside with them than in here with Sugi and Ito.

“Lets play a game!” Eri lightens the mood.

“So all of you have to guess how many centimeters wide I am around my belly. The closest gets a little prize. Lets go around guessing. Sakura will you keep score?” Eri gives her a pen and notepad.

“I say 36 centimeters,” I take a guess. We go around the table. Hinata was the closest at 38 centimeters. She won a homemade chocolate Eri made. We playe more silly games and we ate as we did. When they decide to move it to the living room, I volunteer to do the dishes, I needed a little time away from Sugi especially. I can feel her glare, she was studying me closely. Hinata stayed behind to help me dry.

“Sugi hasn’t been the kindest to you this evening. May I ask why?” Hinata dried the wet plates and set them on the counter.

“When we were young, I was always ignored as a child. Never really seen as myself so the girls and boys in my class never liked me. She was one of them and she still sees me that way. Its hard to change an opinion of a stubborn person.”

Hinata nods. From the kitchen window I can see the men outside, laughing and talking. It was a much more relaxed environment. I even see Kakashi with a cup of sake in his hand, he needed a little break too.

“Kiyoko,” Hinata says. I feel the a plate fall in the sink and water is splashed onto my shirt. I see Sugi right besides me. A smirk on my face.

“I’m sorry, the plate slipped out of my hand,” she says.

I see Hinata drop her towel on the counter, she stood right besides me.

“Its okay Hinata. You go back to the party, I’ll finish off here,” I tell her. I didn’t want her to hear Sugi’s words. I have a feeling she will bring back the past. She looks at Sugi once more, her Byakugan is activated but she leaves the kitchen, leaving me with Sugi.

“You’ve been staring outside for quite some time. Is that grey haired man your’s. He is quite handsome I might say.” She purrs. I feel a hot wave go over me. I clenched the towel in my hands.

“What do you want?”

“I have to ask, is that thing still in you. You know the savage, or has it always been your true nature?”

I hear the beast inside me growl. Damn right, he wasn’t too fond of her either.

“Why don’t you leave me alone? I don’t need to tell you anything,” I tell her. I put the towel aside, and start to grab the next dirty plate. I feel her hands grab my shoulders and gives me a painful turn. I grab hold of her wrist and push her away.

“I’m not going to fight you here. Don’t touch me again,” I threaten her.

“Maybe I should touch the man outside. I think his name is Kakashi Hatake. I’ve heard many thing about him. I don’t see anything he would want from you. The beast, the killer, the nothing,” she pushes herself back towards me, until my back hits the counter. I can feel my blood begin to boil under my skin. But I can’t fight now, I don’t want to ruin the party for Eri.

Before I know what happens I see her grab the knife behind me. Her speed is quick, she was a ninja for sure. I feel the blade cut right into my shoulder. I was too stunned to convert my flesh into water chakra, not when I wasn’t thinking clearly.

“I want to know what you’re made of Kiyoko. You’re still her, the one who never belongs. Soon enough you’ll leave the Leaf, and I’ll come back for your Kakashi. I’ll love him like you never could. He’ll be mine, and you’ll be nothing more than a mistake in his life,” She hisses in my face.

“Why are you so interested in him,” I push Sugi back. The knife cut deep in my shoulder. Blood seeped through my shirt and spilled on the floor. The pain was intense it probably cut a nerve, the knife clatters into the sink.

“Because you don’t deserve any happiness. A beast shouldn’t be rewarded,” She digs her nails into my wounds, I bite my lip to prevent the scream that wanted to vocalize. She pushes me with great strength into the paper door that lead outside. My body lands on the hard ground outside with an unph. The sun was smiling down at me, no clouds to block it.

Sugi stands before me, with a smile stitched on her face.

“Sugi what do you think you’re doing?” Mari yells at her from the porch. I feel Kakashi at my side on an instant.

“What should have happened a long time ago,” Sugi takes out a kunai that she’s kept in her shirt. Kakashi reaches for one in his pouch, but unfortunately we both left out supplies at home.

I make a water whip and wrap it around her wrist, I twist it back so that the kunai falls to the ground.

“I can still defeat you with one arm. You won’t kill me so easily, I am a jounin of the Leaf Village,” I grunt as I feel the pain pulse through my shoulder. This deep cut would take a while to heal.

“And I am a jounin of the Moon. You know how hard your father comes down at us ninja. I mean look at Mari, she’s a killing machine but she’s too soft to be a real ninja. She doesn’t know hatred, but I do.”

Ito attacks Kakashi who stood besides me. He dodgers her and makes shadow clones to keep Rokuro, Guy and Asuma from interfering. Kurenai stays by Eri’s side as Hinata, Sakura, and Ino come to my aid. Sugi uses water jutsus. I feel the chakra shift inside her. It lands on the three girls with force. But then I see it begin to shape around them, and soon they were enveloped in a sphere of water, all of them pounding away to get free. My water whip was sucked back into her body. She uses water and so do I. I need to get to them before they run out of air, which isn’t very much time.

“Still think you can beat me with one arm?”

“Without a doubt,” I tell her. She kicks and I duck. I use a water wall to make contact with one of the orbs, I suck back the water and Sugi’s, releasing Ino quickly. Sugi grunts she didn’t think you can do that, she’s just not as mastered in water as I am. I wish I was able yo make clones, damn this arm. She grabs hold of my hair, yanking it back so that she slams her foot onto my wound. She was playing dirty. Ino stance changed, but she’s pushed back by one of Ito’s clones. The pain wave was pulsing in my eyes, and it was making it harder to think straight.

I can feel Eri beginning to fill my body with chakra, my lungs specifically. I was drowning, and I tried to dispel the water but I couldn’t keep up. I couldn’t concentrate from where the water chakra was seeping in.

I hear the the earth grumble and then I see Sugi being yanked off of me by Mari. I crawl over to the two orbs of water and begin to suck the water into my system, it was making my condition worse, but I had to get Hinata and Sakura out of there. I feel Sakura push her hands on my chest. It hurt but I felt the water spurt out of my mouth. I helped by moving the chakra around to the top. The pressure was lifted and I finally caught my breath. Eri’s backyard was a wet mess, but I didn’t see her anywhere.

I see Sugi struggle in Mari’s grasp.

“I thought you would win Kiyoko,” She laughs.

“It wasn’t much of a fair fight. You injured me before hand and you used my friends. If you truly want to battle me then do so fairly. To me you’re nothing but a coward who had no confident in her own abilities. I can defeat you on a one to one fight fairly, but I know you won’t agree to that,” Kurenai helps me.

“There are no excuses for failure, Kiyoko.”

“Why are you really here for Sugi?” I ask her.

“For Eri’s baby shower of course.”

“Don’t lie to me. You were the only one who didn’t look surprised to see me. My father sent you?” I tell her.

Sakura was tending to my wound, while Guy and Mari had Ito and Sugi in custody.

“Why would he send me to kill you? He wants you alive, not dead. I’m afraid that you’ll have to come home on your own accord because he didn’t send me to capture you either. I haven’t been to the Moon in a very long time. I’ve been roaming the countryside just like you.”

My head ache from my hair being pulled and the sudden burst of air. I had a feeling that her roaming weren’t casual, I had a feeling that she’s been following me all of these years. Waiting for the perfect chance to attack.

“You’ve been following my every move? This roaming wasn’t random, you’ve been keeping tags on me haven’t you,” I accuse her.

“You’re decisive skills are incredible. How else would the Moon ninjas know where you were of every second of your life for fourteen years. I would have guessed you would always be able to sense me but you’re not the sharpest tool in the box.”

“I may be the only others person other than your father who knows exactly who you are. And that information is very dangerous, I don’t know perhaps the Akatsuki would like to know,” Sugi shrugs. I feel a cold shiver run down my spine. That organization, the one who is seeking the tailed beast.

“Enough, we’re taking these two to Lady Tsunade. She’ll figure out what to do,” Asuma says and takes Sugi from Mari’s grasp. Sugi and Ito don’t struggle they know they have lost.

“Hey Kiyoko! I’ll be waiting for the day of your death. Its coming sooner than you think,” Sugi yells as she is taken into the streets.

“Anyone who isn’t my comrade wants me dead,” I mumble to myself. I let Sakura finish her first aid. I was beginning to heal on my own anyways. The pain faded into a dull throb. Kakashi entered the house with Rokuro, and grabbed me a warm towel.

“Lets get you dry. I don’t want you to come down with another fever.”

He patted my head dry and wrapped it around my wet clothes. Ino, Sakura and Hinata went home to dry themselves off.

“Where is Eri?” I ask Rokuro once Kakashi and I were inside. Kurenai left, she was going to go with Asuma and tell Lady Tsunade what she saw and heard. Anzu left after the fight started, she must be long gone by now.

“She’s in the bedroom, locked away,” Rokuro tells me. Kakashi and Rokuro go outside to clean up the mess we’ve made, while I go over to Eri’s door. Mari waited there too. I raise my hand to knock, but stop when I hear Eri’s cries on the other side.

“Eri, please open the door,” I softly say.

“I don’t want to,” I hear her say.

“Look if you don’t open the door, I’m going to either break into the room or jump through the window. I’m not leaving until you let me in. I’m not leaving you alone, because you would do the same for me,” I say a bit louder.

“Please, Kiyoko I just want to be alone,” She says. Like hell I was going to leave this house without talking to her. No, I won’t she was going to let me in and she was going to hear what I said.

I counted to three, before I step back. I wished her doors where the slide ones like at home. But she had to get the lock ones. I concentrate chakra to my base of my foot. And kick the door down. Eri doesn’t jump by the sudden intrusion, she knew I was going to come in anyways.

“I’ll fix it,” I tell her, the door wasn’t going to work after my foot hit it. She wipes her tears away as I enter the room. Mari gives us a little privacy and stays in the hallway.

“I’m sorry,” We both say at the same time.

“Really I am. I honestly thought that we could act like adults, but I was too naive. It seems like everytime I want to help I end up hurting you in the process. I mean Sugi was out of her mind, but she hid it so well. And your father, and just everything I do screws you up.”

Eri begins to cry again.

“It wasn’t your fault. I think we need more naive people like you in the world. Always looking for the better in people. Sugi was just doing what she was trained for, it wasn’t your fault. Plus I’m not hurt anymore. My shoulder is all healed and patched up. I’ll be back to my full strength by tomorrow,” I lied. My shoulder still hurt, but I wasn’t going to tell her that. I heard pregnant women are a lot more emotional.

“You’re not very great with your poker face, you know that,” She smiled a bit.

“I know, I’ve been working on it,” I smile. She gets up from her her bed and we hug the conflict out. I feel the sudden splash of water soak my feet, and Eri stands back to look herself.

“Did you pee?” I ask her.

“No. Kiyoko my water broke. The baby is coming!” She looks wide eyes at our wet feet. I’m not sure if I should feel excited or disgusted by the wet spot on the floor.

“Right now! The baby is coming right now?” I ask her. She nods. I’m not ready for this. What do I do? What do I grab.

“Mari go tell Rokuro. I’ll get your things Eri,” I say. Mari leaves a quick as wind.

“They are in the closet. I packed most of my things in there for the day to come,” She points to the side closet.

“Its early. Why is the baby early?” I ask.

“She just wants to meet you, and the world I guess.” She smiles, and grabs her large abdomen. Rokuro comes into the room, with Kakashi right behind him. Rokuro rushes to her side, and grabs hold of her. She was beginning to breathe a bit heavier. We all looked shocked and scared, even Kakashi looked like a mouse caught in a mousetrap. He didn’t know what to do with himself.

“I’ll lock the house, and I’ll be at the hospital soon,” Mari says. Eri lets out a whimper.

“The contractions are starting,” She sighs.

“Why so soon?” Rokuro asks. Kakashi and I follow the frantic couple down the road. Villagers stopped and stood to the side to let us through. I can tell it was painful because Eri held on to Rokuro’s shirt until her knuckles were whiter than Sai’s complexion. She moaned as Rokuro entered the hospital. Nurses rush to help her to a room, and Kakashi and I wait in the waiting room. I wasn’t sure how this process goes, after a few minutes Rokuro tells us we can visit her until labor starts. Kakashi was a little skeptic to come along, but he followed Rokuro and I to Eri’s room.

Eri looked much better now, she was sitting in bed.

“How are you doing?”

“Much better, the contractions aren’t too close together so the baby may take hours to arrive.”

She was eating ice, and Rokuro held her hand. Her labor kicked in just hours after she was admitted into the hospital. Kakashi, Mari, and I waited in the hall, her screams were hard to hear. She was in tremendous pain, and I couldn’t stop it. Childbirth was a scary thing. I lost track of time, but it went on for hours.

“I never realized childbirth is so long and painful,” Kakashi says. He has slumped against the wall with his armed crossed, and he leaned his head on my shoulder for his head to rest on. I feel my face warm up a bit by the public touch, and Mari sat right next to us too.

I thought Kakashi would have left once she was admitted, I thought he wouldn’t want to wait around for a baby to be born, a baby that wasn’t his, but he stayed. He was asleep but he was waiting with me. I fell asleep for a while too, but I wake up when I hear the baby’s first cry. I hear Yasuko crying, but she was finally hear and Eri could rest now.

“She’s a healthy baby girl,” I hear one of the nurse say.

“Lets get you cleaned up,” another doctor says. Kakashi stirs and wakes up too by the sudden noise.

“So she’s finally arrived.”

“hmm, and they say she’s healthy,” I tell him. Rokuro comes out of the room, smiling like he’s just won a date with the most beautiful girl in the village, and he has, because now he has another girl to love.

“She’s healthy, her and Eri are doing great,” Rokuro tells the three of us.

“That’s great. Congratulations,” Kakashi says for the both of us. It was great, but now I justed wanted to see her. Eri and Yasuko, I wanted to see who Yasuko takes after.

Rokuro tells us we can see them now, and I’m the first one in the room. I see a very tired Eri slightly sitting in her bed, with her newborn child in her arms. She was smiling too. Eri waved her hand to me, telling me to come closer. It was an excited wave that rushed over me, I wanted to meet my goddaughter. It was another tiny heart that I would protect for as long as I live.

“She’s beautiful Eri,” I whisper. The baby was sound asleep in her mother’s arms. She’s taken more after her father, with her brown hair and button nose. She even had her father’s light complexion. I wanted to see her eyes, but she deserved a long nap.

“She looks like Rin,” Kakashi whispers from behind me.

“Ya, that’s why we’ve decided to call her Rin instead. She’ll be a great ninja just like her,” Rokuro tells us. I smile, she will.

“Here Kiyoko why don’t you hold her,” Eri tells me.

“Oh no, really I don’t know how to hold a baby. She’s sleeping I don’t want to wake her,” I tell her.

“I’ll give it a try,” Kakashi surprises me from behind. He wanted to hold her. Eri nods and gently hands Rin to Kakashi.

“Make sure you support her head with your arm,” Eri tells him. Kakashi takes Rin with great care, she folded perfectly in his arms. It was a new gentle side to Kakashi that I haven’t seen.

“She’s so light,” he says in awe. I loved to see him this way.

“Here Kiyoko, you’ll need to learn how to hold her if your her godmother,” Kakashi tells me. I agree and take her from his arms as slowly as I could. He was right she was light and she was warm. Rin, and here I was calling you Yasuko for months. Her cheeks were rosy and her chubby hands were clenched. I’ve never seen a more peaceful sight.

I looked down on her, and finally I see her eyes begin to open. She has Eri’s eyes.

“She wanted to see Auntie Kiyoko, didn’t you Rin?” Eri says with a little laugh. I smile at the name she called me, even though I wasn’t her aunt, I didn’t mind. I give her back to Eri, leaving me exposed to the cold air. Rin, what a lucky baby to be born to those two wonderful parents. A life I’m sure she will love, and cherish, much different from my own, but I don’t pity myself. I am glad that her life is different from mine. I’m glad I’m one of a kind because no one has felt to pain I have felt. I’m grateful I carry this burden rather than someone as peaceful as Rin.

“We’ll let you rest Eri, I’ll be back when I can,” I tell her. She nods, letting Rokuro carry her daughter and begin to slowly close her eyes. Mari stays, while Kakashi and I leave her room.

“After all of that swearing and pain, I say it was worth it,” I tell Kakashi. He smiles, “Ya it was. With Rin now here, I feel so calm for some reason.”

I agree, there was this new calmness made by Rin was strange yet accepting. I didn’t mind this feeling of happiness and serenity.

Two weeks pass by and Eri and little Rin were home. I go by when I can after practice in the morning and afternoon. I help Eri cook dinner, while she takes care of Rin. I even secretly made Kakashi’s present. I made it and bought it, I wanted it to have some kind of meaning.

“Kakashi’s birthday is tomorrow. What are you planning to do for him?” Eri asks me as she changes Rin’s diaper. Everytime I come over Rin is crying, she’s a fussing baby, that only quiets down with a full tummy.

“He doesn’t want to have a party, he said spending it with me would be fine,” I tell her.

“Thats so romantic. Kiyoko! Look at you, aww you’re just so innocent and adorable. I’m sure Kakashi just wants to spend the day with you, since you two are so busy. Are you doing anything special?”

“I made him/ bought him a present. That I am not going to tell you. I want it to be a surprise. Do you want the carrots in halves?” I say, while I cut the carrots for her stew. She nods, but pouts at my answer. I hid it in a wrapped box in my depth of my closet.

The day passes and Kakashi sleeps that night like any other day. He held me from my bad dreams, and anxiety. In the morning of Kakashi’s twenty sixth birthday, I slid out of bed before him. I wanted to make it a special day so I started off with a special birthday morning. I’ll make him something that is not too sweet since I know he won’t eat it. He’ll leave it on the side of the plate instead. I brew some fresh tea and begin to cook the rice, along with miso soup with eggplant since it is one of his favorite foods. For lunch I’ll broil saury fish and stir fry the race with a couple of eggs. I had it all planned out. For dinner I’ll treat him to any restaurant he wants eat at. I’ll give him his present after dinner, when we walk through the streets.

“What is the comotion? So much noise,” I hear Kakashi say from behind. He was still half asleep, and I feel a bit bad about waking him up.

“Sorry I woke you. Its a special day today! Happy Birthday!” I say as I remove myself from the front of stove. I surprise him by giving him his birthday hug.

“Hn, I’m just a year older. But thank you for making a fuss,” He says.

I serve him breakfast, which was bigger and tastier than usual. He eats it with great gusto. There wasn’t much food left after, and after he and I washed and cleaned up together.

“Is there anything that you want to do today?” I ask him and put the plates away.

“Not in particular. I want to check out the bookstore, and couple of other stores,” He answers.

“Mind if I tag along, Sage Moriko let me off today for your birthday.”

“I want you to come with me, I’m glad you won’t be coming back and forth from the Forest and the Village.”

That late morning Kakashi and I walk through the crowded streets, a few ninjas that must have been acquainted to Kakashi congratulate him for another year that he has lived. We stop at the bookstore first, he disappears to the depths of the bookshelves, while I roam around. There were so many different books to look at, there were medicine books, ninja books, fiction, nonfiction. Name it, it was here. Manuals on cooking and sewing. Maybe I should buy that sewing book, I can try to get better at it.

“Ready?” Kakashi finds me. I follow him out, it seems like he bought his books already. We walk down the street, I just follow him.

“Kakashi-sensei!” I hear someone say. I see a young pink girl running with Ino and Hinata behind her. She had a bag in her hand.

“Happy Birthday!” She says. Hinata bows and says happy birthday as well. Ino smiles and says happy birthday too.

“I got you a little something,” Sakura smiles. Ino gives Kakashi a bouquet of flowers, and Hinata gives him a basket full of food. He’ll receive my gift later today.

“Thank you,” Kakashi says.

“Where are you two heading? Is there going to be a birthday party?” Ino asks.

“Just shopping a bit. I didn’t want a big birthday party,” he answers them. Sakura and Ino began this long conversation about how old he is and why he didn’t want a birthday party. They followed us to the other stores we visited. Just to make it short they even ate lunch at our house. Hinata of course left before, she said she didn’t want to intrude, which I hoped Sakura and Ino would take a hint. I adore them but really, the day was going by and I wanted to give Kakashi his present in privacy. Through the afternoon Kakashi would send me glances in apology, but it wasn’t his fault. Everyone wanted to congratulate the birthday boy. Eventually it felt like the whole village has knocked on our door to tell him happy birthday, I never realized Kakashi had so many friends. Yamato, Kurenai, Asuma, and Sai even made themselves at home. Eri couldn’t make it, she didn’t want Rin to be out for too long, since babies needed time to get their immune systems stronger.

We couldn’t make it to our dinner reservations, and the only time I stepped out was to go pick up the cake I preordered. On the way back I realized that it may be a bit small for all of us, I guess we’ll have to cut small slice. When I arrived Asuma and Yamato were a bit tipsy with sake in their hands. I laid out the cake on the kitchen table, it was a simple vanilla cake with light frosting, Kakashi didn’t like sweets too much. I lit the candles, and they all gathered around. Sakura and Ino forced Kakashi to sit in front of it, telling him he must since it was his birthday, and he only had birthdays once a week.

Kurenai stood back, taking pictures with her new camera. We sang happy birthday, and Kakashi took time to wish for something. He blew his candles out, with a big puff. I sliced the cake in small thin slices, I boiled tea too. They all ate happily, I had it all planned, but this wasn’t too bad either. I wonder if Kakashi enjoyed himself. I saw him listen to a slumping Yamato. From across the room, Yamato was not making any sense with his words. It was close to midnight before our friends left, and left us with a sink full of dirty dishes.

“They finally left,” Kakashi says with a sigh.

“Ya, they did.”

“You looked disappointed all evening. Why was that Kiyoko?” Kakashi asks as I begin to wash dishes.

“Well, I wasn’t disappointed, I just had different plans for the two of us. We were supposed eat dinner, and overlook the village at the hokage wall after. You said you just wanted the two of us, so I planned it that way. I just thought that you weren’t enjoying yourself,” I tell him. Kakashi closes the running water, forcing me to stop my pouting and face him.

“It would have been great to do that, there is always next year. I still enjoyed myself because you were here. We can still look at the village from the Hokage faces.”

My heart races, but I smile and nod. Kakashi smiles and takes my hand, pulling me through the door and over the roofs. In a half a minute we were standing on the third Hokage’s forehead.

“You see, this birthday is already special before this because I spent it with friends and you. Usually I would be assigned a mission, but this time Lady Tsunade let me enjoy it with you, I am grateful,” He smiles at the sky.

Looks like he’s looking for someone up there, maybe he wished for his father, or Obito, or Rin to be here too. I’ll try to fill their emptiness in his heart, because he’s filled mine.

“I wasn’t able to give you my present yet,” I tell him. He turns to face me.

“Close your eyes,” I instruct. He obeys without a question, and closes his eye. I take the small box from my pocket. I take his hand and place it in his palm.

“There,” I quietly say. He open his eye, and stares at the box. He looks at me and finally opens it. He pulls out the thick silver necklace, with the wooden leaf hanging.

“Did you make the leaf?” He asks.

“Ya, I made it with my own chakra. I guess since I carry my own leaf, I feel like you’ll be with me no matter where you are. I wanted to give that to you since you’ve filled so many holes in my life,” I look at the village, trying to hide my embarrassment. I can feel Kakashi staring at me, I was too nervous to look back, maybe he didn’t like it.

“It seems like you filled the last one,” He whispers. I turn and feel his lips touch mine. I respond with my own actions. I was so glad he loved it. I’m glad I filled the last part of his empty space.

When he pulls away once more, he slides the necklace over his head, and brings me into his arms. My leaf and his leaf was pressed between our bodies, like they were going to smash together the longer they stayed between us.

“I love you Kiyoko,” Kakashi says into my head. That is when my head and heart were filled with pure warmth. He loves me.