Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ The Reflection of Oneself ❯ Realm ( Chapter 20 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

The Reflection of Oneself

Chapter 20: Realm

Diversity.

The world is full of different kinds of people. Wherever you go, everyone is different. We come in all in an assortment of different shapes, sizes, and colors, different personalities, dreams and histories. Together we create a multicolored quilt of unique joys, sorrows and experiences - forever.

Yet as different as we are, there is a part of us that yearns for unity. To have this, we create great nations - striving to achieve harmony for all. And sometimes it can be our similarities rather then our differences that cause these nations fall. They're legacies, however, live on, and those of us who are left behind try to learn from they're mistakes.

Come brother, come sister - let us join hands…

A late summer wind had begun to blow though the trees, rustling the leaves as it made its way though the ancient forest that protected the shinobi village of Konohagakure at its heart. As it drifted, it whispered its gossip to all that would listen - telling them that a change was coming.

And that change came on a soft voice, a whispering lilt that was one with nature, belying secrets and sharing with the world, its music

Blackbird singing in the dead of night

Take these broken wings and learn to fly

All your life

You were only waiting for this moment to arise

Blackbird singing in the dead of night

Take these sunken eyes and learn to see

All your life

You were only waiting for this moment to be free

Blackbird fly Blackbird fly

Into the light of the dark black night

Blackbird fly Blackbird fly

Into the light of the dark black night

Blackbird singing in the dead of night

Take these broken wings and learn to fly

All your life

You were only waiting for this moment to arise

Nanikato sighed as soon as he was finished singing.

He didn't know what had compelled him to do so, but it had been an urge so strong that it could not be ignored. Perhaps it was subconscious mind reaching out and trying to ease the distress that kept growing in his stomach the closer they got to Konoha. It did, however, seem to calm his unwelcome companions, two of which were giving him admiring looks.

And currently, he was seated in the back of an ox-drawn wagon - one that the ANBU had procured that afternoon three days ago, to easier transport their `cumbersome cargo'. It also didn't take a genius to figure out that the wagon was for another reason: once covered, it would keep the identities of their prisoners hidden from the greater population of the village, who would undoubtedly cause an uproar at the sight of the Uchiha returning, captive or not. And even though he would have preferred to walk, Nanikato made no complaints seeing as it allowed him to stay close to his sensei and adoptive older sister, both of whom had awakened two days ago and were radiating strong killing intent due to their paralysis.

“What?” he snapped, glowering down at Tayuya-oneesama, who was laid out next to him. He didn't like the look in her eyes, the look that was seemingly directed at him. “It's not like I can do much here!” the blonde shook his chakra cuffed hands at her. “I can't use my chakra, remember and using too much nature chakra turns me into a gibbering idiot.”

He harrumphed at her when the gleam in her eyes turned dangerous and even though she couldn't hurt him for breaking the rule of `no talking back to your elders', he still moved safely away from her. With another sigh, Nanikato leaned over the edge of the wagon.

“How much longer `til we get there?”

`Ms. Stab `n' Jab' was currently driving, but the other three weren't. They flanked the cart on the sides and back, wary of any bandits that might try to get in the way. `Eyebrow Freak' flanked the right side, babbling some bizarre saying every few minutes. `White-eyed Prude' flanked the back, using his creepy eyes to scout for danger coming from behind and `Mr. Melodrama' - flanked the left side.

Out of the corner of his vision, he saw with frustration that scarred ANBU was also watching him. Although the man had not spoken to him once since the bitter outburst three days ago, that didn't stop him from silently pinioning him with frequent wounded glances that resembled a puppy that had just been abandoned by its master.

When he received no answer, he sucked in a breath and bellowed. “Moshimoshi! This is Kyuuzano Nanikato speaking - can you hear me?!”

The white-eyed man growled, clenching his fists in growing ire. It was the fifteenth time the blonde had asked that question in the last half hour; if they were going to keep his precious people and himself hostage, then he was going to make the bastards suffer the consequence for getting on his bad side.

“We still have several more hours to travel.” the Hyuuga ground out. “No more, no less. So stop asking.”

“Good. Then do you mind if we stop and take a brake for a moment? I have to take a piss!”

There was a brief stretch of momentary silence, as the ANBU seemed to debate stopping their progress and letting him out of the wagon. Nanikato snorted, seriously unable to believe that they wouldn't trust him with something as simple as that when they still had Sasuke and Tayuya as captives. And even if he did run away, whom would he look to for help anyway?

“You know, it's not like I'm going to run away, if that's what you think. I kinda can't use my chakra and you have sensei and onee-sama at your mercy. All I need to do is relieve myself, okay?”

A few seconds later, the wagon slowly drew to a stop, near a small river. While the oxen took the time to drink and relax, the blonde hoped out of the wagon. He groaned the moment his feet touched the ground, and he allowed himself a few moments to stretch his aching limbs. He had, after all, been riding in the back of that wagon for almost forty-eight hours taking into account the time spent eating and sleeping.

“That's more like it!” he sighed, then turned and sprinted across the rushing waters of the creek toward the trees on the other side. Pausing enroute, the blonde turned back and threw his best `serious' expression over his shoulder back at Neji. “And don't you dare peak, hentai!”

If he had waited a few seconds longer before continuing his dash for the trees, he would have bore witness to the look of shock and disgust that passed over the stoic Hyuuga's pale face. He was, however, able to hear the sound of Lee uproarious laughter.

Once hidden within the cover of the foliage, the blonde contented himself with his task of watering the ferns. As soon as he was done, he buttoned his pants and slumped back against the trunk of a nearby tree and buried his face in his hands. Although he desperately tried to fight back the bitter tears that were threatening to overcome him, Nanikato was unable to hold back the quite sob that escaped his throat.

He hated them.

In his more docile moods, they always conveniently forgot that they were by no means on friendly terms with him. As far as he was concerned, they were the scum of the earth - ranking somewhere around Orochimaru and Kabuto-san.

Nanikato sighed miserably, rubbing his stinging eyes with the heel of his right palm, thoughts turning back to his outburst three days earlier. Thinking about that, he couldn't help but feel his stomach churn miserably - guiltily. But he didn't have anything to be guilty for. That didn't stop his heart from hurting though. Could it be something that Naruto-niisan had left behind for him? It wasn't memories really, but feelings. These people had been some of his brother's precious people - Iruka especially - and it caused a deep ache inside the boy whenever he hurt them.

And he hated it.

He hated having to feel like this. It left him conflicted, not knowing who to trust and who to defend. Unable to voice his feelings with anyone, they remained bottled up to the point when he would snap. And it wasn't the fact he wasn't happy they could see pieces of Naruto-niisan inside of him. On the contrary, he was very proud of that. Perhaps it was the instinctive reaction that all younger siblings have when they desperately want to escape their older sibling's shadow. As a matter of fact, what he really wanted more then anything was to prove that he wasn't just Naruto's clone.

If only… if only they could just understand that.

“I won the bet, gaki, now pay up!”

“Gaki? Who you calling a gaki?! I'm older then you, baka!”

Nanikato twitched, blinking in surprise as he snapped out of his reverie. Getting to his feet, the blonde looked around and noticed that it wasn't any of the ANBU whom had spoken, but obliviously someone else. Whoever it was sounded young, meaning whoever it was must be about his age. His curiosity getting the better of him, the blonde got to his feet and proceeded to investigate.

His investigation led him another sixty to seventy feet into the forest, where he came across a small clearing that could have been a campsite at one time. Peaking through a gap in the trees, he noticed that two boys were seated around a stump, playing a card game of some kind. From the looks of things, the younger of the two had apparently lost.

“So what?” the older boy snapped. “I'm almost fourteen and you're only twelve!”

The younger boy puffed his cheeks defiantly. “I still have more seniority then you!”

“And you think that makes you special?”

“Hell yeah!”

While they squabbled heatedly, Nanikato stared intently at them, frowning slightly.

The first boy had possessed unruly raven hair and oddly enough, was dressed in a pair of dark blue pants along with a matching jacket trimmed in a shade of garish orange. The youth also wore a pair of large neon orange goggles with sliver lenses over dark eyes and not to mention bore an odd resemblance to Sasuke-sensei. But hadn't his sensei told him that everyone in the Uchiha clan, save for his older brother and himself, were dead?

As for the second boy, he was almost a perfect contrast to the first boy. He possessed untamable ashen blonde hair and was dressed in a pair of beige pants, a light blue and white long-sleeved shirt. Aside from that, he didn't have any other accessories upon his person that made him appear to be anything out of the ordinary. He didn't even have a hitai-ate like the other boy, so he obviously wasn't a ninja or at least was still an academy student.

But what were they doing out here, so far away from the village?

His face twisting into a look of utmost concentration, Nanikato continued to stare at them. Without the aid of his unusual kekkei genkai, he wasn't able to figure out what it was about them that seemed… off. And it was also sometime during his observation that the squabbling pair seemed to notice that they were being watched.

Looking up, the two boys gazed across the clearing back at him, their expressions one of confusion. As they unrelenting staring contest persisted for a few minutes in absolute silence, no one moved. Then finally the pair gave in, conferring bewildered glances with one another. Moments later, they turned to look around the clearing.

“What do you think he's looking at?” the younger boy asked.

The older boy shrugged. “I have no idea, but it can't be us - we're dead.”

It was those that words that finally allowed the pieces to falling to place, effectively causing Nanikato to snort with laughter. Why hadn't he realized it sooner? These two were ghosts!

“And who says I can't see you just because you're dead?” he asked, stepping out into the clearing, the twin looks of utter shock that suddenly appeared on the two spirit's faces well worth spoiling his cover.

“Y-y-you can s-see us?” the younger boy gasped, his jaw slack.

“I thought I just said that? Of course I can see you.”

The pair was silent as he walked up to them and sat down, his head cocked to one side. The amber-eyed blonde was staring at him at in awe. The onyx-eyed brunette, however, was staring at him with a muddle of jumbled emotions varying from disbelief to hope to confusion.

“How?”

“How what?”

“How are you still alive!?” the goggle-faced boy shouted, jumping to his feet and waving his arms franticly. “We heard that you died!”

“Ara? What are you talking about?” but Nanikato knew exactly what the boy was talking about - he was confusing him for Naruto-niisan.

The raven-haired youth paused in his crazy dance, cocking his head to the side and staring at the blonde this time. He blinked, befuddled, and then asked. “Who are you?”

The blonde smiled.

“That's exactly what I wanted to hear. My name is Nanikato.”

“But how? You look exactly like him, but everyone in that clan is dead?”

“It's a long story,” Nanikato shrugged. “But for the record, you're not the first person to mistake me for another,” he sighed, sitting down in the grass across from the two ghosts. Perhaps this was a good experience - a good chance to explain who he was to someone new without getting defensive. “So, what's your name?”

The young ghosted smiled. “I'm Obito and,” jabbing a thumb in the amber eyed boy's direction. “The gaki here is Nawaki.”

“I am not a gaki, you baka!” Nawaki snapped. “Born before you and I died before you!”

Obito stuck his tongue out at the older/younger boy.

“So what? I experienced life longer than you.”

“Only by two extra years!”

Nanikato smiled, realizing that he could come to like these guys. All the comic relief he need and he didn't even have to pay big money for the front seat tickets. He snickered, allowing the two to continuing bickering.

“Well, two more years makes me more mature then you!”

“More mature, my butt! I'm not the one that looks up woman's skirts for sport!”

“Look who's talking chibi-hentai! It's easy to go cozying up to all the naked women in the hot springs when they can't see you!” Nawaki's face burned red, causing Obito to crow with laughter. “What? The repressed hormones getting to you?”

“Urusai!”

“You guys done yet?”

The two boys turned to Nanikato, who was smirking at them like a cat that had not only caught the canary, but the gold fish as well. Muttering, the pair finally quieted down and turned their attention back to their new companion.

“Okay, so how come you look like Naruto and Arashi-sensei?” Obito asked.

The blonde sighed. “Ever hear of cloning - and not with bunshin?”

“No way!” Nawaki gasped. “That's theoretically impossible!”

“Apparently not - I'm living proof that it is.”

“Naruto! You're a clone of Naruto!”

Nanikato sighed and nodded, turning back to Obito once more, who was currently gapping like a fish out of water. “Well, at least you're not one of the people who jumped the gun and decided that I was Naruto. I mean nii-san was a good person and all, but I want to be me.”

“How?”

“Kabuto-san.”

Nawaki's face darkened and he fiddled with his hem of his shirt. “You mean that traitor made you?”

“Yes.” the blonde looked away. “He made nine of us. My brothers died before they could be born and I was the only one that survived. From what my sensei told me, they were planning on using me against Konoha when the war begins again.”

The two ghosts shared a glance. “So… you're not from Konoha.”

“No, I'm not.” Nanikato said, answering Obito's question. “I was born and raised in Otogakure - even if I was only `born' almost a year ago. But a few months ago we left Oto. Neither my sensei or onee-sama wanted to see what Orochimaru would do to me - he already marked me with his curse seal.”

He showed the two ghostly boys the seal on his left shoulder.

“It turned me into a monster, even if it was for a short time. As for the reason to why I'm here, we were leaving Wave Country enroute to Earth Country when we attacked by an ANBU team. We lost, as you can see. I'm not exactly sure what will happen to me. One of the ANBU has already tried to force me to be Naruto. As for Sasuke-sensei and Tayuya-oneesama… you know what happens to enemies and traitors.”

There was nothing either of the two boys could say to make the blonde feel any better. They knew exactly what sort of things happened to enemies and traitors - execution. The fact that Nanikato had come from Oto meant that his sensei and sister had come from there as well. Since prisoners of war were dealt with firmly in both Konoha and Oto respectively, there was little chance that they'd survive for more then a few months at the most.

Then a couple of things seemed to finally catch up with Obito. “Hold on a second! Did you say Sasuke!?”

Nanikato nodded “Yes.”

Obito frowned. “He is my cousin and he -”

The blonde's eyes widened and pointed wildly.

“I knew you looked familiar! I never thought that I'd actually meet one of his relatives! Just wait till I tell him! He'll be - ”

“He killed Naruto!”

Everything went suddenly deathly silent.

Obito heaved a breath, even though he didn't have to breath, shocked and furious that his sensei's son's killer was this boy's - this clone's - own sensei

“I know,” he whispered. “But I've forgiven him… and so has nii-san. You must know what Sasuke-sensei went through. He wasn't in his right mind when it happened. However, since that day, he's hated himself for what he did. Nii-san was the only friend he ever had. If death was a way of paying penance, he'd have died a thousand deaths by now. But death is never the answer. Sasuke has been trying to make up for all the terrible things he's ever done by living.” tears slowly began to well up in the blonde's brilliant blue eyes, causing them to turn foggy. “He acts like he doesn't care if everyone hates him and even though he may not show it, it hurts him. I've seen it. I've seen how strong he is… because he has something worth protecting now. He is my brother and he has always been there for me when I needed him.”

The ghostly Uchiha blinked in shock. He looked at Nawaki, who shrugged. What could they do? Absolutely nothing. In only several minutes, Nanikato had become their friend. Had they been living, they would have trusted him with their lives. There was just something about the living boy that garnered a person's friendship and trust. Taking his unfortunate predicament into account, they couldn't help but feel bad.

It sickened Obito knowing that his cousin, who was the murderer of his sensei's son, was the sensei of the aforementioned son's clone. But could he really hate him? He remembered what it was like watching the boy - now a man - before and after their clan's massacre. Before, Sasuke had been such a bright, happy child - always ready to prove himself. After, Sasuke had become a cloud of perpetual misery. Taking into account how mentally scarred he was following the massacre at Itachi's hands, who had once been, before Obito's death, a sweet little annoyance.

So perhaps there was the chance that his unhappy, mislead cousin had grown up to be a better man. If he truly was the kind of person now that Nanikato said he was, then he might even be willing to forgive him. And even though Nanikato wasn't Naruto and never would be, Obito knew he owed it his sensei, who was wandering somewhere around Konoha, to introduce him to the only thing that was left of the son he had never gotten to meet.

“We'll help you,” Nawaki said, placing a hand on the other blonde's shoulder. “In whatever way we can.”

Obito nodded, unable to do anything else.

“Yes. If what you say about my cousin is true, then I wish to help as well.”

He couldn't leave his friend to suffer amidst people he didn't know - people who had loved Naruto and might expect him to be something he wasn't. Naruto had already suffered the village believing him to be the Kyuubi. It wouldn't be fair for…

Brushing aside his tears once more, Nanikato silently agreed and got to his feet.

“Then you'd better come with me.”

Silently, the trio made they're way back through the forest to where the ANBU and the wagon were waiting for him. Along the way, Obito began telling them of his genin days when the Yondaime Hokage was his sensei. Soon, the trees stopped and there was a large creek blocking their path. Nanikato focused the smallest amount on nature chakra into his feet to allow him to water-walk while his new friends simply glided across the water, taking advantage of the few cool tricks they got out of being dead.

Approaching the now staring ANBU, who had been growing impatient by his lateness and had been planning on sending out a `search party', Nanikato had returned with his blue eyes red rimmed - proof that he had been crying.

Neji raised an eyebrow, his Byakugan seeing nothing out of the ordinary. “Who were you talking to?”

The blonde chuckled weakly, pointing at Obito and Nawaki.

“My new friends.”

“Umm… Nanikato-san.” Tenten replied gently. “I hate to break it to you, but there's no one there.”

The two ghosts smiled, elbowing each other in the side.

“Of course you can't see them.” Nanikato smirked, his vigor renewing itself. “Since you guys can't see ghosts like I can, its kind of impossible for you to see them. Still, it doesn't mean they aren't there.”

“Ghosts?”

She sounded skeptical and she had already witnessed his power first had. Go figure.

“What, you don't believe me? Was summoning Zabuza-san to hand your ass back to you not enough?”

Tenten went red and gritted her teeth at being reminded that a dead man had beaten her. At the same time, Nawaki perked.

“You can summon ghosts?” the amber-eyed boy asked hopefully.

Nanikato grinned savagely. “Yep! And if you agree to help me when I need it, I can summon you later if you want? It'll be like you were alive, only use go back to being ghosts again when you get dismissed, just like the summon beasts. I'd do it right now, but I kinda have these chakra cuffs and the thought of getting drunk on nature chakra doesn't sound too appealing.”

The two spirits shouted their agreement, pouncing on him with hands outstretched. Ignoring the staring ANBU, Nanikato more then happily shook Nawaki and Obito's eagerly awaiting hands, solidifying their contract. As soon as they were done and the blonde had acquired two more spirits to summon. He turned back to the four flabbergasts adults and smiled innocently.

“So… are we going to Konoha or what?”

-.ooOoo.-

Meanwhile:

“You ain't seen nothing yet bishie! Just wait `til they make you watch a rutting! Do you have any idea how bloody it can get when one of the males chooses a female that wants nothing to do with him? The last time I bore witness to such a spectacle, Murasaki nearly tore - ”

Toboe smirked victoriously as Kozue's face became a mask of abject horror and he boy let a wail of disgust, plugged his ears and began chanting his protective manta loudly. “LA, LA, LA!! I'M NOT LISTENING!! LA, LA, LA!!”

The action, however, only further gave the silver haired girl the reason to burst into gales of merciless laughter.

Currently, the trio were sitting atop the slanted roof the guardhouse just inside of the village gates, swapping whatever story or idea they could in order to keep from going crazy from the boredom. Below them, the jounin guards, Kotetsu and Izumo, could only shake their heads exasperatedly. It was impossible to get rid of the two academy students and one puppy whenever they decided to use the roof over their heads as a sunning lounge.

“And then there was the time that - ”

A loud squeal followed.

“NO MORE!!”

Toboe was laughing so hard that tears stained her tattooed cheeks and Kozue was trying to glare at her, his pretty face flushed a wonderful shade of crimson from embarrassment and too much information. The young Inuzuka pouted, sitting up and recomposing her `talk-to-the-hand-the-face-doesn't-care' mask and scratched a mirthfully growling Yukimaru behind the ears.

“And you want to be a medic?” she smirked. “Shame on you Kozue-chan! If you can't take something as tame as that, then how are you going to withstand the pressure your dream job entails?”

The boy grumbled miserably, looking away, still red. “It'll be easy because I won't constantly be around you!”

“If it's that easy, then why do you hang around me? You could always free yourself from the horror by staying away from me.”

“Someone's got to keep you on a short leash and it might as well be me!”

Her dark eyes widened, insulted. “A leash! I don't need a leash, bishie!”

Kozue snorted.

“Yes, you do. Your lewdness gets more volatile with each passing day. When you aren't trying to gross out your fanboys with talk about your `feminine problems' and the mating rituals of your clan's canines, you're acting more violent! If you keep this up, you'll turn into the next Mitarashi Anko!”

“I will not!”

“Yes you will! Do you remember how she congratulated you after that time you kneed Yagi-sensei in the ass so hard it bleed?”

“That kusoyaro should be lucky that's all he got!” the Inuzuka protested. “He should know better then to hit on his students - a ten year old at that!”

“But did you really have to ask as him if it, and I quote, `felt nice to get butt-fuckedby an elephant?'?!”

“Of course!”

“Because of that, you had Anko-sama begging to take you on as her apprentice - when she swore never to teach anyone!” the Sarutobi snapped, his arms crossed and his red eyes slightly darker. “The fact that you got ero-sensei slapped with a restraining order, six months unpaid suspension and isn't to go within a thousand feet of the academy ever again, was right up her ally. You should be thankful that your uncle saved your butt!”

Toboe scowled, then thought better of saying what she was planning on say and tugged playfully on stray lock of his dark hair.

“Would you have preferred me asking Yukimaru to bite his balls off instead?” she asked innocently.

The puppy stared up at the two children incredulously. `Are you kidding? I wouldn't think of poisoning myself in such a way, even if it was for your sake!'

The boy laughed, patting the poor canine on the head. “Well… you could have just pretended they were the same as the meatballs you got into the last time okaa-san invited you and Toboe-chan over for dinner.”

`Yeah right… those meatballs were yummy and I wouldn't have had to face the risk of food poisoning!'

“Fine then,” Toboe began. “Next time I - ”

Kozue suddenly raised a finger to his lips. “Shush! Someone's coming.”

She was going to protest that he was imagining things when she realized that he was right. Strangely enough, her enhanced hearing hadn't picked up the sound of voices that had caught both Kozue and Yukimaru's attentions. It wasn't Kotetsu or Izumo, and intrigued, the two children and one puppy peeked over the edge of the roof.

Approaching the gates from inside the village, were two people.

The one the left was a young woman with pink hair the color of bubblegum ands eyes as green as jade. She was dressed in pair of pale green slacks, a knee-length white overcoat that resembled medic robe and her hitai-ate collar-like around her neck. The one on the left was older man with silvery aerodynamic hair and a single dark gray eye. He was dressed in a pair of blue pants, a dark blue long-sleeved shirt topped with a green jounin vest, a dark blue facial mask that covered the lower half of his face and his hitai-ate slanted horizontally to hide his left eye.

Toboe and Kozue recognized the woman instantly. She was jounin medic-nin, Rock Sakura, second only to Tsunade-sama and Shizune-san. A strict, but amiable person - who wouldn't be when married to Rock Lee and the mother of the little devils known as Lien and Liang (whom they were occasionally forced to baby-sit because the less Maito Gai could corrupt her children, the better)? Aside from that, both Kiba-ojisan and Shikamaru-ojisama had gone to the academy with her when they were children. Apparently she hadn't been the nicest person in those days, only changing once she lost everything - which was the inevitable demise of her genin team. After that, the young woman had begun seeking to amend the mistakes she had made in her early youth.

The man, however, neither of the children really recognized. He was one of those faces you sometimes glimpsed in the middle of a crowd before he was gone. But they had heard the stories, nonetheless. He was Hatake Kakashi, the legendary Copy-Nin. Known for possessing one Sharingan eye and his chronic tardiness (which had increased during the last thirteen years), he had, at one time, been Rock Sakura's genin sensei. More of a recluse then ever these days, it was a shock to see him out and about rather then hidden in the shadows, watching.

“I don't think Shikamaru was overreacting, do you?” they heard the woman asking her companion.

The man shook his head. “Overreacting? Of course not. Though I do question his judgment for sending me as this `welcoming committee'.”

She winced.

“I was just thinking the same thing myself. Although it was thirteen years ago, I can still vividly remember Iruka going psycho and try to beat you within an inch of your life - it's not something I care to see repeated.”

The two children gazed quickly at each other in silent shock. They knew that Iruka-san wasn't a very happy person, but had actually tried to beat this man - this legend - to death?

“But I guess taking into account that Sasuke is a part of their cargo, I think Shikamaru decided that I was the best suited for the situation.” Kakashi replied softly.

“Has he told you anything more about that boy they're bringing with them?”

“No, but it seems that he's Sasuke's apprentice. Not only that, but Iruka's team have learned he was supposed to be Orochimaru's `secret weapon'.”

“Shikamaru is taking the right precautions then.” Sakura agrees as the duo came to a stop directly under the eavesdropping trio. “You can never be too careful when it comes to people that have been under his influence. The fact that he could be a victim or a victimizer is still yet to be seen.”

“Exactly.”

Kozue frowned, the lights going on and the gears in his brain beginning to pick up speed. The more he took in the appearance of the silver haired shinobi below them, the more he began to realize that the man looked liked Toboe-chan.

In all the pictures that he had seen of Inuzuka Hana, Toboe was nearly the perfect image of her late mother. There were three features, however, that the girl had truly inherited from her mysterious father. The first was her silver hair, which looked like spun strands of moonbeams. Few people in Konoha possessed such hair. The second was her eyes, a shade of gray the color of thunderstorm. The third was her tall, gracefully slender figure that bordered on gangling.

Those three features were the things that Kozue looked for everyday. Although it embarrassed Toboe liked crazy whenever she caught him in the act, he was always asking any men that possessed those same traits if he was her father. It was his self appointed mission and he wasn't about to fail. No, when the young Sarutobi had learned that like he, she never known her father, it was his duty to find the man. The fact that her's was still alive made his heart hurt, knowing that one day she might meet him while he was never going to meet his own father. It would have been simple for Kozue to have turned a blind eye, but it wasn't in his nature to let someone suffer and he knew that Toboe's deepest wish was to find the father that had left her behind.

Seeing the silver haired man below them, Kozue just knew that this had to be the man. Steeling his resolve before he lost his chance forever, and knowing full well that Toboe would more then likely kill him later, the raven haired boy swung his legs over the edge of the guardhouse and let himself drop.

“Yo!”

Kozue greeted, waving adults and smiling that winning smile of his that could win over anyone. He ignored Sakura and two guards immediately after, turning to look directly up into Kakashi`s masked face. “You wouldn't mind helping me with a personal mission mine, would you sir?”

He batted his eyes Bambi-like for effect. If he looked like girl, why not use the powers that went with the package to his advantage?

“Umm… sure.”

Hook, line and sinker! It was just too bad the man was looking at him like he was some door-to-door salesman ready to try to sell some worthless gimmick or another.

“Well you see, I have this friend and she kinda been looking for her father her whole life. She doesn't know who he is since he vanished just after she was born and no one will tell her who he is. Now I figured you could help me seeing as you have the same hair, eyes - err… eye - and both of you are bloody tall, so I was kind of hoping, maybe that you could tell me whether or not you wouldn't happen to be her father?”

His bold question was followed a brief moment of silence. Kozue could feel his heart pounding. This had to be the man - he had to be! In near slow motion, he watched as the jounin's single eye began to widen in shock, and he knew he had him. His instincts screaming that he had jackpot, the raven-haired knew that he had found his best friend's missing father.

“Kozue!”

Toboe's sudden war cry caused the boy flinch, his discovery forgotten as a wave of killing intent washed over him. He stumbled backward, as the young Inuzuka, Yukimaru following, launched herself off the guardhouse roof and dropped between him and the silver haired man. The effeminate brunette quaked, babbling apologies that she couldn't seem to hear and snared Kozue by the collar of his coat and began to shake him like a rag doll.

Because she was so concerned about making the monkey-boy pay for embarrassing her, she was completely oblivious to the look of concealed panic that crossed the face of the masked man behind her.

“Do you always have to ask every man with sliver hair whether they are my father or not!?” Toboe demanded with her teeth bared, nearly rabid and her killing intent rampant. “Kami-sama, how dare you embarrass me like this you, you - !”

Unable to continue throttling the damnable, but well-meaning boy, she dropped him like a sack of potatoes and watched for a moment as his crimson eyes spun in their sockets. Then swallowing her rage - she had just made a fool of herself as well - and taking a deep breath, Toboe turned towards the much taller shinobi behind her and bowed respectfully.

“Gomen nasai. I just don't know what got into this baka. He seems to think it's his duty to hunt down my missing otou-san. You're the thirteenth man with silvery hair that he's accosted in the past year. I can assure you that he won't bother you again.” she looked the young Sarutobi and poked him in the side with a toe. “Now come on, baka,” she said with a syrupy sweetness that belied danger. “Or I'll turn you into my own personal eunuch!”

Kozue squeaked fearfully, leaping to his feet with danger senses tingling. He knew from firsthand experience that Toboe always `sweet talked' when she was serious - deadly serious.

“But Toboe-chan! I was only trying to help!”

“I don't call that helping!”

“But I - ”

“I don't give a damn! Now let's get to school before I take away the only thing the proves your manhood, bishie!”

The boy looked ready to burst into tears. “You're so mean!”

“Damn straight!”

Kakashi and Sakura, along with Kotetsu and Izumo, watched in silence as the irate silver haired girl dragged the terrified raven-haired boy away, her puppy nipping at the boy's heels as they went. The silence persisted until the two academy children were out of sight, after which Kakashi let out the agonized breath that he had been holding and slumped against the nearest post. Groaning the silver haired man held his head in his hands.

Sakura gazed at her former sensei sadly, shaking her head.

“When are you going to tell her, Kakashi? You know you can't avoid it for much longer - it's almost been eleven years for Kami's sake.”

“I don't - I can't…” Kakashi ran had shacking hand through his hair.

“She's your daughter, Kakashi - she deserves to know.”

“But she looks so much like Hana…”

Kotetsu and Izumo were looking back and forth between Kakashi, Sakura, and the direction in which Toboe had disappeared.

“Holy shit!” Kotetsu gasped. “So you were Hana's lover! I never would have expected it to be you, but it's so painfully obvious now.”

Izumo nodded in agreement. “Exactly. That little girl of yours has hung around here enough that we should have figured it out sooner. She's almost identical personality wise when you were her age. Of course, leave it to Kurenai-san's musuko to figure it out.”

“But why did you - ”

The question they had just been about to ask the silver haired jounin was cut off when the sound of approaching wheels on gravel caught their attentions. Coming down the twisting road that led through the forest to Konoha, was a small ox driven wagon, the four ANBU that had left on their mission to infiltrate Otogakure, were finally home.

As the wagon drove through the gates and stopped, Kakashi kept a respectful distance away from Iruka, who was eyeing him dangerously. But what caught the older man's attention was that the younger man kept casting short, almost pained glances at the wagon, which was covered with canvas cover to insure that its `cargo' remained hidden.

Kakashi sincerely doubted that Iruka was looking at it like that because of Sasuke.

His unspoken question as to who was answered second later when a hauntingly familiar head of blonde hair peaked out from under the canvas, coughing and choking. It was a boy, no older then thirteen. His skin a light tan, his eyes a dazzling blue and his cheeks adorned with three symmetrical birthmarks that looked strangely like whiskers.

“Are you trying to suffocate us to death, you bastards!?” the boy snapped, fanning himself with a chakra-cuffed hand. “It's like fifty degrees under here! I know that Sasuke-sensei and Tayuya-oneesama are you're prisoners, but how humane is this!? Fuckers!”

Sakura took one look at the boy… and fainted.

Nanikato looked at the woman who had just fainted and suddenly bemoaned. “Not another one.”

-.ooOoo.-

“How troublesome…”

Nara Shikamaru groaned, messaging his aching temples as he stood gazing forlornly out the window of his office, watching the small wagon and it's on foot entourage approaching Hokage Tower. It wasn't often that he spoke to himself, but at times like these, his mouth just seemed to have a mind of its own.

“You know, there's going to be uproar soon…”

How very true those words were soon going to be…

-.ooOoo.-

Translation/Original Jutsu

Moshimoshi - Hello

Murasaki - Violet

Yagi - Goat

Kusoyaro - Bastard