Blue Sky (青雲)

"Strength brought people together. The strong protects the weak. The stronger teaches the strong. The strongest brought destruction."

—Unknown Elder

Prologue: Blue Sky (青雲)

Disclaimer: I own only the OCs.

The Hokage's office was again filled with stacks of paperworks, a strong reminder how politics successfully disarmed even the strongest shinobi more often than not. Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed. He couldn't begin to comprehend how he had to be the one to complete all these papers without a helping hand. Why did Tobirama-sensei propose him as the Hokage again? He found himself lamenting his sensei these days, when the paperworks amounted to the Hokage's mountain.

"Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen looked up from his papers, glad that he had another situation to address besides that blasphemy of blacks and whites. It was about time for Team Ro to return and they did, with the absence of the team's Captain itself. He arched an eyebrow at this. The mission Team Ro was given was a sensitive one, involving the Land of Earth as the primary location for the mission's objective, which could land him in at least a week's worth of paperworks was it not handled properly. He sincerely prayed that was not the reason of why his silver-haired subordinate was not present for debriefing.

"Team Ro reporting for debriefing. The mission is successfully completed. However, Kakashi-taichou came across a peculiar situation and thus decided to investigate further in Tokino village." Neko reported. The three-men team were on their knees, one leg folded on the floor in a common stance of ANBU reporting for duty as they faced the wooden planks.

Hiruzen huffed, his tobacco pipe in his hand. "And this peculiar situation you speak of?" he gazed deep into his subordinates, expecting answers. He knew for a fact that his successor's student wouldn't do anything unnecessary unless otherwise. He could only hope this situation wasn't a bad one.

"...Kakashi-taichou found a little girl - no older than five years old based on her appearances - bearing a strong resemblance to Konoha's shinobi in Tokino Village." Neko hesitated, knowing full well the sensitivity of the issue. The security of the village itself was involved, they couldn't tread carelessly.

Konohagakure no Satō had strict rules on shinobi's work ethics, one of which detailing on the subject of procreation outside of the village's walls. Shinobi's offsprings were to be born and raised within the village and when the former was unavoidable, the latter was absolute. This was to prevent any breach of kekkei genkai or clan's techniques that might be attainable by birth, and possible relations which could threaten the village's safety.

While some of the shinobi's rules were merely guidances and were largely loose on the punishments, certain rules were to be obeyed and necessary actions were carried where the offender was found guilty, including this one rule. The consequences varied depending on the condition of the child's conception to the child as an individual. In all cases however, the child was to be raised in Konoha.

Which meant another round of paperworks for Hiruzen. Depending on the child's lineage, he might even have to call a clans meeting and the council might need to be informed. He sincerely hoped that wasn't the case.

"...The child shows evidence of possessing a kekkei genkai, Hokage-sama." Neko continued, unaware of his leader's inner conflict. He was never good at discerning emotions.

And there went Hiruzen's hope, dashed and left in the dust. He already felt the incoming headaches, the paperworks, the meetings and hours of endless discussions. "Possibility of this being the case?" he managed without a sigh.

Neko looked up at this, his eyes resting on the old Hokage's weary yet sharp gaze through the holes in his porcelain mask. "92%, Hokage-sama." he spoke before he bowed his head.

This time, he sighed. A child. Possessing kekkei genkai, which usually also meant having prominent shinobi as parents and belonging to a clan with its own rules and traditions. A good thing under normal circumstances, a headache-inducing otherwise. This was the latter. Whoever was dumb enough to cause such problems, Hiruzen would have a nice, long talk with later.

"And the suspected kekkei genkai?" he questioned, his stare hard and unrelenting.

Neko shifted slightly, showing his discomfort at the whole situation and what he was about to report. One thing for sure, his Hokage wouldn't take it too well. He knew his senpai didn't, which was why he stayed in the small village and sent the team ahead for debriefing. Or maybe his senpai just didn't want to be on the receiving end of the Hokage's ire for being the person who delivered the report.

Hiruzen knew it was a sensitive matter where kekkei genkai and the village's safety was involved, and he was glad that the silver-haired shinobi took it upon himself to get it settled. Now though, which clan's head was he supposed to call after this report? Neko clearly stated the case to be 'suspected kekkei genkai', and there were only a handful of such within Konoha, none was preferable. After what seemed to be minutes, was his question answered.

"...It's the Byakugan of the Hyūga Clan, Hokage-sama."

-o o-

Hatake Kakashi didn't expect to be in this situation when he and his team completed his mission and on their way home to the village. Exactly three days ago, Team Ro arrived at a small settlement half-way on their route to Konoha, a farming village, Tokino village. It was supposed to be a casual break, a fifteen-minutes rest, away from the villagers' prying eyes. That was until a little girl stumbled on her stroll and towards his feet. The very moment she raised her head and stared into the holes of his mask, he knew she was trouble.

Now on their way to Konoha, civilian's pace through the civilian's roads, Kakashi had his hand holding the little girl, who would otherwise tripped and fell for every ten steps she took. There're about four more days before they reached Konoha's gates, considering the girl needed her naps to the addition of sleep. Children were handful, he decided. He could hardly handle one, he didn't think he would survive having more.

In his early careers, Kakashi had to take baby-sitting mission with his team, and he never really lifted a finger. His sensei was amazing enough with those stuffs, his brazen teammate was unexpectedly capable with children and the kunoichi of the team was a mother's materials. He didn't really need to bother at all back then. And now he was alone. Depressing thoughts.

"Inu-san," she tugged at his hand to earn his attention, "tell me more about Konoha, please?" she tilted her head adorably, staring at the masked shinobi with her eyes twinkling with childish interest.

Difficult missions with high risk, Kakashi could deal with, not this. He had been subjected to those shining eyes for three days now, and every time, he fell short before those huge white pupil-less eyes with a hint of sapphire in the depth. Really, he swore that it was a kinjutsu she was using. So unfair. Perhaps staying behind was a wrong choice in his part? He should have had the female ANBU in his team to do it instead.

"Eh... Let's see..." he drawled. What other information was the girl allowed to know when she had yet to confirm her position in the village? These past days he had indulged her some general infos, Konoha was to be her new living place after all, she deserved to know that at least. "There's an Academy for young hopeful shinobi..." he secretly glanced at the smaller girl, hoping to detect her reaction.

"Academy?" she parroted with bubbling excitement in her eyes, her eyes were most expressive. People said they had a hard time trying to discern her emotions if not for her eyes. "What's that?" she asked, her tone hopeful.

Kakashi hummed for a moment, thinking the best way to deliver the piece of vital information to the little girl - she was a potential shinobi candidate, with her Byakugan and her backstory he managed to get from her on their second day - he needed to word it so as to catch her interest and subtly push her into the decision.

Pity really, he wouldn't wish such a harsh life for the kindhearted girl she was, but a choice was a luxury she couldn't afford. The snow-haired girl wouldn't even kill an ant, her adoptive mother confirmed him this. These past three days Kakashi had to hunt for food when he had ration bars with him. After being trusted by her former guardian for her well-being, he couldn't get his young companion to eat said ration that could affect her growth negatively.

And when he served whatever animal he sacked that day, she would solemnly expressed her thanks towards the poor soul and persistently reminded him to do the same. She was too kind, too naïve and inexperienced to the cold truth of the world. To be a shinobi would mean she had to take a life on some point, and proceed to do more from there onwards.

"Mmhmm... I taught you about chakra and the twelve-basic-hand seals, didn't I? The Academy is a place to learn and practice those hand seals, to properly use chakra and many more. To be a proud Konoha shinobi." Kakashi smiled behind his mask, feeling the girl's inquisitive stare on him, he continued. "'Shinobi are those who protect the village, for their loved ones', I told you this before, right? You learn how to protect at the Academy."

Kakashi recalled his surprise when the little girl asked him upfront, what was a shinobi, and when given answer, she further asked what was it that shinobi were protecting the people from. He remembered he was momentarily stunned. How could he tell her it was mostly from enemy shinobi? What other difficult question would he get then? In the end he settled for the basic and vague truth; bad things. After which she stopped asking. The girl was smart enough to realise she wouldn't get any other answer out of him.

"Do I have to go too? To this Academy." she questioned quietly, her gaze sweeping the ground she was walking on. Her mind was whirling with questions and doubts as her steps grew heavy.

Why did it seem like she wouldn't get much say in her own life? It was probably the slight hint of surprise her shinobi escort had in his eyes when she told him the first and last weird 'activation' thing with her eyes was when she was three. He controlled his expression in a split second but she knew she didn't mistake it. He inquired first, if she ever tried channelling the newly learned term, 'chakra', to her eyes before. She didn't know what this 'chakra' was referring to, and turned out it was what her people would call 'life force'.

"When you are older, perhaps." Kakashi replied, looking forward instead of at his little companion. In truth, he knew it would happen.

Kakashi could clearly recall the girl's first attempt at forming the basic hand seals, and boy, was it atrocious. Maybe it was her baby limbs simply refusing to cooperate, that or she was born with the most horrendous hand-eye-coordination he'd ever seen. Each and every one was sloppy, and she couldn't construct them together in an acceptable pace for even children her age. Granted, he was comparing her with shinobi children who had begun their training but she was still a lot worse.

Her chakra control however, was beyond prodigious; activating her Byakugan without a single hand seal, with neither proper knowledge of the possibility at the tender age of three. She breezed through the unprecedented feat of activating the Byakugan with only half of the required hand seals at the young age of five that made Hyūga Neji the prodigy of the Hyūga Clan, limited only by his birth as a cadet branch member.

It was still too early to decide on her hand-to-hand combat skills, but judging from how she could trip over her own feet in a perfectly flat surface, he would say she had chronic balance issues. Unless the girl could somehow cure that her inherent trait of hers, then it'd be suffice to say she wouldn't get far in that specific area. But with what he had gathered, he knew that the little child was a diamond in the rough, she had enough talent to net her early admission to the Academy if any of the higher-ups declared so. A civilian life wouldn't be a door opened to her.

The pair was back into the silence journey to Konoha, neither was a conversationalist. His little charge seemed content with the quiet walk and would occasionally turned left and right to take in her surroundings, mainly forests. Sometimes, she would look up towards the sky, seemingly looking for something. Kakashi noticed this to be her habit; observing the sky. He wondered if she was like the Naras who had some kind of fascination with the blue expanse, lazing under the protection of a tall tree throughout the day.

Other thing he noticed about her was her intellectual mind. Kakashi couldn't be sure if she was a genius or just smart. The questions she asked was obvious in her situation, wanting to know about the village she would be living in was normal, but some of her responses to his answers were slightly disturbing. To know when to back out and quit was also surprising, a tact children in general lacked. So far, she hadn't showed many evidences pointing to her state of intelligence.

Still, fact remained that the child was not ordinary. It probably stemmed from her civilian upbringing and growing up in a secluded farming village with minimum knowledge of shinobi affairs. And in his life, he learned that when one didn't meet the standard, they were mostly geniuses in their own ways. Take his self-proclaimed rival for example, his prowess in taijutsu was through the roof even when he was visibly lacking in other areas. Yeah, he wasn't ordinary by any means. Everyone who had as much as one glance at the man would agree that he wasn't normal.

One thing for sure; she was a weird four-years-old girl. General populations might not notice, but under that incurable clumsiness was a grace many didn't possess. Even Kakashi himself might miss it if he hadn't been paying close attention ever since their first accidental meeting. It was the way she carried herself even after tripping and falling on the dirt paths, the faint glimmer in her pale eyes as she took in her surroundings. Most of all, it was how she accepted her condition- when she was told to relocate to an unfamiliar destination with an unknown stranger.

It wasn't that she was unfeeling or unresponsive to her whole situation, she did feel. He recognised the flicker of pain before understanding and acceptance dawned on her eyes, all within seconds, when she heard the news. Through their travel, he didn't detect any animosities from the girl, even when he was the one who ripped her from her foster family. He hid his identity, his name and everything but his codename; Inu. And still, she treated him like she would any other.

Somehow, one way or the other, Kakashi found himself comforted by the childish innocence.

-o o-

Hidden by the thick forests and clustered amongst the safety of hundreds of trees was Konohagakure no Satō, her huge green and red painted gate stood tall, welcoming her weary children from their arduous journey. The white cobblestone was engraved with a swirly symbol in the middle and a triangle was attached to it, two identical kanji in red was also next to it.

As an ANBU returning from a classified mission, Kakashi couldn't take the front gate. He circled through the village walls for an entrance only ANBU had access to, which led straight to their quarters. Of course, this would mean that he had to piggyback the little girl. Without even telling her to, it appeared she was aware that she had to be quiet - another hint to her intellect.

His destination was but one; Hokage Tower. His mission report was long due and he needed to take his charge to the Hokage because clearly she wasn't a villager of Konoha. As Kakashi travelled via roof hopping, the snow-haired girl was mesmerised by the bustling activities below her, and most of all, the red-and-white fan crest etched on the white cobblestone on the outskirt of the village. It appeared to be a small gate to a district, she couldn't be sure.

It was only a quick split second view, yet it was burned into her memories. She could always see far and clearly, even when she was moving quickly, or in this case, her escort did. She could also see a rocky mountain. It was huge and carved into it were what appeared to be four different faces, none of which she recognised. When they finally stopped, it was on the red roofed building on the base of the mountain, the tallest structure on the village as far as she could see. One second they were on top of the building, the other they were inside with another unfamiliar presence.

"Hokage-sama." Kakashi bowed and crouched in one knee after he put the girl down.

Having expected his presence from his chakra, the Hokage calmly assessed the two people before him. He let his eyes wander towards the lone young girl, he analysed her. Starting from her snow coloured tresses, her porcelain complexion and finally, her pale white eyes with the slightest hint of blue instead of lavender, yet the resemblance was uncanny. He also noticed a glint in her eyes when they locked gazes. It wasn't fear but courage.

And he found that intriguing. Here she was, in a place she didn't have a clue of, with no known relatives and even after taken away from her village, she didn't fear him nor her situation. He might have expected this from a seasoned enemy shinobi taken hostage, but certainly not from a little girl barely out of her toddlerhood. It appeared that his subordinate managed to find an interesting child.

After he was satisfied with his short observation, Hiruzen nodded as he parted with his smoking pipe, keeping it between his fingers instead. He eyed his silver-haired ANBU. "Inu. I received your squad's report. Good work." he spoke in a tone that reminded the girl of the wisest man back in her home village – old with age, wise with experience – yet weary.

Soon as he said that, he returned his gaze towards the subject of interest. He gave her a friendly smile to make her feel welcomed. "I have heard about you, child. I wish to talk with you, but first thing first." he took a breathe out of his pipe and blew out smokes before he addressed his subordinate. "Inu. I expect your report later. You are dismissed." he told him as a command, not harsh but leaving no room for arguments.

Kakashi nodded and was about to use his convenient jutsu to poof away when he felt a firm grip on his shirt this time as he was still kneeling. He was met with a pair of moist milky eyes silently pleading for him to do something and a pouty lips as an additional effect. She is absolutely adorable, he couldn't deny that. There was just something about the girl that had him wrapped around her little fingers and that was saying something.

"Inu-san..." she continued with her puppy-eyes attack, letting out a slight whimper that had the ANBU stiffened and would have sweated bullets if he didn't have better control over his emotions. Seeing no way out, Kakashi sighed before smiling as his hand gently landed on her unsuspecting head. He absently noted that her hair was soft and manageable, unlike his despite sharing the same ancient colour. The girl had gotten attached, like he did. And it was a bit saddening to part like this.

She reveled into the gesture, enjoying the warmth from the contact through the fabric covering his skin. She understood he had to leave and he had no say in the matter. She knew, yet she didn't want him to. So she settled for a pout with puffing red cheeks that earned her a light chuckle from the amused shinobi. He patted her head one more time before poofing away. Shinobi lived differently, if the way they appeared and disappeared out and into thin air was any indication.

The Hokage puffed another smoke and his eyes crinkled as he smiled. He had wrinkles all over his features, signifying his old age. "Now... I am Sarutobi Hiruzen. What is your name, child?" he asked kindly so as to not intimidate the young girl. He was surprised when her gaze turned sharp and she regarded him straight in the eyes. From her eyes alone, he could tell that the young child before him would one day become a formidable kunoichi.

"...Seiun. My name is Seiun, Hokage-sama." she told him in a loud and clear voice, confident and unwavering.

That day, the sky was a clear blue with only a few clouds. It was the view her Father loved so much, thus her namesake; Seiun, the blue sky.

So yeah, how is it?

Reviews are very much appreciated!

This is my first Naruto fanfic, so constructive reviews are strongly welcomed!

Next time, her presence will stir changes. What will be of her fate?