Chapter 1
Kai always loved living on the outskirts of the village. When she was younger, she would use it to her advantage to escape from her problems. Now, it helped her keep the orphans from causing chaos.
"Hey! Riku!" Kai hollered as a young boy, who proudly would tell you he was almost ten, ran by chasing a group of kids. He stopped, hearing Kai.
"Yes Ma'am?" He smirked, making Kai roll her eyes.
"You should be doing your chores and helping Kabuto, should you not?"
Riku didn't speak. Kai walked up to him and pushed him towards the orphanage. "Go on, it's not going to fix itself you know."
"I don't know why I have to help fix this stupid place." Riku grumbled, crossing her arms. Kai looked at him sadly before moving so she was in front of him.
"Listen, I know it's rough. The whole village is still getting things back together after the war. I can only imagine what it's like for you, but we can't keep living in the past."
"Do you think I'll find a new family?" Riku looked up, his young eyes no longer innocent as they should be.
"I'm sure you will." Kai ruffled his short blonde hair. "And if you don't, I guess you're just stuck in our little family."
Riku smiled, fixing his hair after Kai moved her hand. Kai smiled at him as well, turning to the door to the orphanage. "Now listen, I'm going on a mission, so I'll be gone for a while. I'm putting you in charge of keeping tabs on everyone, understand?"
"So I'm the boss now?" Riku grinned excited.
"No, you're just going to let Kabuto know when the other kids are doing something they shouldn't be." Riku nodded, understanding. "Now, go off and finish what chores you have and make sure your sections room is cleaned up. When Kabuto says you're done with chores then you can go train with the other kids, okay?"
"Yes ma'am!" Riku ran towards the door, and Kai watched him go. She absently held her stomach, before pulling her hand away. She had a mission to do, it was no time to be thinking of having her own kids. She walked towards her house, going around back to the barn. She held her fist to her mouth and called. Owl sounds vibrated in the air before disappearing.
A black horse stepped out of a building, snorted, and trotted to her. He nudged her pockets, making her pull out a carrot.
"Hey, that's cheating." She laughed as his lips grabbed the carrot and put it into his mouth. She rubbed her hand over his face. "Ready for your last big mission? I'm afraid after this you'll be retired to whatever D-rank mission we get assigned." Kai laughed sadly. Curse nickered in response and she smiled. "I'll be back, then."
She turned around and walked to the orphanage. Handling all the kids was work, and she loved every bit of it.
"I'm coming through, and your rooms better be clean or almost clean!" She yelled out, causing a few kids to yell to others to hurry up. She smiled, peeking in each room and giving them a thumbs up if they were done. She paused at one, the girls room, where she saw the four six to seven year olds sitting on the ground with dolls in their hands. Kai put her hands on her hips and stood there.
"Ladies, I hate to break up the doll party, but your beds aren't even made."
"Ah! Sorry Miss Kai!" The oldest, Haru, stood up quickly and ran over to her bed. The other girls followed. Kai shook her head, smiling.
"Get your beds made and clothes picked up, then you guys can play. But I want your chores done before lunch, understood?"
"Yes Miss Kai!" They chanted as they pulled the covers over their beds. Kai walked to an empty room that was in the works of becoming another room. The goal was to let the older kids have their own rooms, which was going to be quite the task. Kabuto was in the room with one other boy, Kokomaru.
"Kokomaru, could you give us a minute? Take a quick break." Kai said as she stood in the door. Kokomaru nodded, getting up and walking out. Kai shut the door behind him, knowing he would just bring a group to watch them.
"Hey sweetie."
Kabuto, who had turned just sensing Kai, smiled. He stood up and walked over to her, and they shared a kiss.
"Hey." He said. Kai breathed out, ignoring the way she felt when he talked like that.
"Kakashi-sensei called me in, so I'm leaving today then."
"So soon?"
"Well, duty calls." Kai smiled, holding his hand up. Kabuto tilted his head just the slightest at her, making her sigh.
"Be careful, alright?"
"I will, you know that."
"You have the scroll still?"
"Right here." Kai pulled out a scroll tied together and sealed on the outside. Inside was a summoning that was tied to Orochimaru. The seal on the outside would alert him and when he was summoned he would know something was wrong. It was sort of a gift for Kai after the war. Sasuke had refused one.
"Use it if you find yourself in trouble, okay?"
"Kabuto, you know I can take care of myself. I was there at the end of the war, I think I can handle this mission."
"It's your first S-rank mission."
"First time for everything." Kai smiled. Kabuto grabbed her hand and held it. He paused, then pulled her into a hug.
"Just get back safely."
Kai hugged him back, taking in his embrace.
"I will, I promise."
"Send for help if you need it, I'll be there in a heartbeat."
"Kabuto, I love you, but these kids need you. Stay here, Kakashi-Sensei will send back-up. Probably Naruto if need be. He's the powerhouse, I'm the brains."
Kabuto smiled faintly and Kai giggled. Trying to imagine Naruto not doing something stupid on the mission was funny. She heard a crow outside and looked out the window. A flash of an ANBU made her sigh.
"Alright, I gotta go."
"I love you." Kabuto said. Kai held his head, rubbing the scales left behind from his forced sage mode.
"I love you too." Kai said, before walking out. When she opened the door, she was met with a group of kids looking at her with varying emotions. Sad, excited, frustrated. She sighed.
"Guys, what did we say about eavesdropping?" Kabuto said, walking up behind Kai. One of the little girls had tears in her eyes. She was maybe four, and was holding a blanket.
"You're leaving?" She said, tears rolling down her face. Kai knelt down and rubbed her head, pulling her in.
"Just for a little. I promise I'll be back, and I'll have fun stories to tell all of you after I'm done, okay?"
"Are you scared?" One of the older boys called out from behind the kids. Kai looked up at him and smiled.
"I'm not sure scary is the way to put it." She pushed her way through the kids, leaving Kabuto at the door. "I'm just going to get my job done and come back home too all of you, okay?"
"Come back soon!" They all chanted. Kabuto pushed his way to the front of them. Kai took note of the crowded hallway.
"I will. Now listen to Kabuto-san, understood?"
"Hai!" They all cheered. Kai waved before walking outside. She glanced at the hawk overhead and sighed.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." She muttered, running over to the house her and Kabuto shared on the property. She went around back again and got on Curse.
"Off to see Kakashi-sensei. Apparently he's the only one who's allowed to be late." Curse knickered underneath her and jumped his fence, heading down the street to the Hokage tower, conveniently located in the back of the village.
Kai let Curse trot by himself the way there, as she trusted him to know where he was going. Her childhood horse, she knew it was his last mission. She wanted to make this one count. Especially that it was her first S-rank mission.
When they arrived to the building, Kai let Curse stand alongside where she always let him stand, in between the buildings and out of the way. She hurried inside and walked up the winding hallways until she reached the top, the Hokage's office.
These hallways were welcoming and full of memories. She smiled sadly, thinking about the different missions they had growing up. She knocked on the door three times. She heard fumbling and a quick "come in", so she opened the door.
"Ah, Kai." Kakashi said, holding a paper in his hands. Kai stepped in, almost tripping over a pile of papers in front of the door. She set it to the side and shut the door. "Yeah, sorry about that." He rubbed the back of his head embarrassed at the state of the office. "I had Shikamaru set those there not too long ago."
"It's okay." Kai said, turning and smiling. It took time to get used to Kakashi no longer having the sharingan, and she wondered how he felt about that, but he didn't seem to mind right now. She walked up to the desk. "You called? Did you find him?"
"Yes, we did." Kakashi said, pulling out a map from the drawer. "Here, at this village north of here."
Kai leaned forward, looking at the map. She pulled out her own mini map and made a mark at that spot. "Which way do we think he's moving?"
"From what we've gathered, it seems he's moving towards Mountain's graveyard."
"There? Why does he need to go there?" Kai said, looking up. "Madara is dead."
"Yes, but there's probably something there he needs. We haven't been there to look, as it's hidden so well."
Kai looked back at the map. "It'd take him over a week to get there, assuming he knew where it was."
"Yes, which unless he was in contact with Obito and Madara at all before the war, he won't. Which is a bonus for us. I want you to locate him again and take him out."
"Assassinate him?" Kai looked up. "Before you wanted him alive."
"It seems it will be too much trouble for you to try and take him alive." Kakashi pulled out another picture, a group of people were in this one. He pointed to a taller, bigger guy in the middle. "He not only beats you in size, he can wield this dark chakra. It's new to us, and we can only imagine he gained it after he left the village."
"And the others in this picture?" Kai said, looking at them. A few were younger, and her eyes spotted a boy with blue hair, no older than Kokomaru.
"If you find them, send them to us. We don't know much about them, but we can only assume they too have the same powers."
"Anything else I should know?" Kai said, looking at Kakashi. Kakashi leaned back, thinking.
"Not as your hokage, but as your teacher, I'm telling you that if you need help to retreat and come back here immediately. We'll send you back out with help. This mission does not need you to lose your life."
"You just don't want Sasuke to come for you if something happens to me." Kai giggled. Kakashi smiled faintly.
"It's not just that."
"I'm going to be fine. I survived the war, I can manage this just fine."
"Yes, well…" Kakashi leaned forward, looking at the picture on his desk of his team growing up and the team he led. "War is different than missions."
"I promise I'll get help if I need it."
"One last thing." Kakashi said, standing up. He walked over to a shelf and grabbed the folder of information on this person. He walked over and handed it to her. Kai took it and looked up.
"Yes?"
"Try to keep Orochimaru out of this. We don't know where Chisuke got this power and I don't want Orochimaru involved."
"Right." Kai said, shifting her feet. "I won't even go there." she smiled. Kakashi nodded, patting her on the head despite being only a tad taller than her now.
"Look that over and then head out as soon as possible."
"Right." Kai turned and started to walk out.
"How's the orphanage?"
"Sorry?" Kai turned.
"The orphans." Kakashi said again, sitting back down this time.
"Oh." Kai stopped and smiled. "They're doing well, and they haven't caused any trouble. The ones old enough are excited to attend the academy." Kakashi didn't speak again, so Kai reached for the door handle.
"You're doing a great job."
"Thanks." Kai said, waving and then shutting the door. She hurried down to the bottom entrance and went over to Curse.
"Alright, let's head to the main gate and I'll look this over while we go." Curse snorted and Kai sat herself on his back, no saddle or bridle to guide them, as he trotted down the main road.
Kakashi looked up as the door opened. He sighed. What did he tell him about knocking? Naruto walked in, hands over his head and a grin on his face.
"You had a mission for me, Kakashi-sensei?"
"Yes, actually." Kakashi pointed to the stack of papers to the side. "I need help sorting this paperwork so I can work faster."
"What!" Naruto lowered his hands. "I thought you had some really cool mission for me!"
"It is a really cool mission." Kakashi picked up a stack of unorganized papers and set them down in front of Naruto, who sat down as well. Kakashi put his hand on his head. "It's hokage training."
"You gave Kai a cool mission…" Naruto mumbled, beginning to sort the papers. Kakashi stopped at his window, looking out. He could almost spot Kai and Curse walking down the road.
"Yes, I did." He turned to look at Naruto, who stopped to pick up the change in Kakashi's words. He smiled, breaking his pause.
"She'll do great, she's a strong ninja now, nothing can stop her." He said.
With a smile, Kakashi sat down and began filling out papers again. "Yeah, she's certainly grown. So have you, Naruto."
With a grin and a laugh, Naruto kept working. Kakashi looked out once again.
Was he doing the right thing, letting her go on this mission by herself?