A/N: Hi guys! I've been wanting to write a Naruto fanfic for a long time, but since the original manga seems to be getting to the end, I thought I'd save the big idea until it's done. Right now, I'll be writing this short (or maybe medium-length) novel, mostly casual and filled with pointless crack and occasional seriousness. The pairing is going to be ShikamaruXOC, but those of you looking for a story about true love, this is probably not what you're looking for.

Shika to Kappa

Chapter 01

Return to Konoha

"Mizuno-sama! Over here! If you don't hurry, it's going to be too late!"

"I cannot leave with you all. Take my daughter and go!"

The edge of the Konoha River was a fairly secluded area in the hidden village of Konoha. One of the reasons being that it had as bad of a reputation as the Forest of Death, but the main reason was that it seemed to be a private property owned by the Saga Clan. There were scarcely any human that stepped foot into the area, but now, a young woman in her twenties stood by the river with a baby in her arms. In front of her, a group of creatures-very human like, but definitely not human-floated in the river with half of their bodies in the river. They seemed to be scared. Like everyone else in Konoha-after a short period of peace after the Shinobi World War, Konoha was under the attack of Kyuubi.

"What are you saying? If you stay here, you will die!"

The oldest of the group of creatures, seemingly the leader, swam close to shore to speak with the young woman. The young woman was a descendent of the Saga Clan, Saga Mizuno. Her skin was pale from fear and it contrasted greatly with her Anbu uniform. However, the arms that held her baby was tight and secure.

"When I became a shinobi, I swore an oath to protect my village. Konoha is my home and its villagers are my family. Protecting the village is the same as protecting ourselves-that was what Kawatarou and I both believed in..."

Saga Mizuno's voice trembled as she handed her crying baby to the leader of the creatures, who received it great care. However, the creatures were shocked to see what was tied onto the cloth which wrapped around the baby-a blood-stained forehead protector.

"This... Kawatarou-sama is... it can't be!" the creatures gasped and cried in grievance.

"I leave my daughter to you, Dangame-san, please raise her as your own even if she is a human..." the sky of Konoha behind her was burning with a horrendous fire, and its piercing red flare darkened her face toward the creatures. However, the liquid streams on her cheeks still sparkled visibly. "But please, promise me that when she is of age, you will let her return to Konoha-her birthplace and the village that her father sacrificed his life to protect..."

"Mizuno-sama... Of course. The Saga Clan has given us protection and a safe haven for years; it is our duty to repay you with this responsibility. The kappas will always be happy to be of help to the Saga Clan."

"Thank you, Dangame-san..."

With a blink of an eye, Saga Mizuno disappeared from the creatures' sight. Dangame, the creatures' leader, motioned for the group to move in the direction outward of Konoha. As the creatures submerged into water, Dangame carefully put his scaley webbed hand above the infant's face. A bubble formed around her head and it muffled her crying. Then, Dangame gently lowered her into the river, and to his surprise, the baby girl ceased crying. Looking back one last time at village filled with screams and fire, Dangame dove into the river and swam out of Konoha's vicinities.

"That's just not right! Not right, I said!"

Just outside of the main entrance to Konoha, a young girl was throwing a fit. The gatekeepers had troubled expressions on their faces; they are unauthorized to let any outsider into Konoha without proper identifications, but it's also hard to explain that to a little girl.

"I'm sorry, child, but rules are rules..." one of the gatekeepers said kindly; he has never been good with children. It would be easy if some kind of enemy tried to break in, and he could just fight them, but the same cannot be done with a child. Especially one that is dressed in rags and carried a weird, dirty old lidded dish on her head.

"Hey... do you think she begs for money on the streets with that dish...?" the other gatekeeper whispered to his friend.

"You think so? That's just sad... for a kid to be a beggar..."

"And what's with the carapace on her back...? Is it because she can't afford a coat for the winter...?"

The young girl looked back and forth at the two gatekeepers as they whispered amongst themselves. "Ossans... if you are wondering about the dish on my head and my shell, they're just things from the place I grew up in, you culture-deprived old men..."

"Wha-at?" the second gatekeeper choked on his spit when he heard the little girl's last words. "Hey, who taught you to talk like that? You manner-deprived kid... Now I'm never gonna let you into the village, brat!"

"Don't be like that!" the kinder one of the gatekeepers patted his friend on the back. "Take into consideration that she probably grew up in the slums..."

"No, I did not!" The girl put her hands on her hips as she said proudly, "I grew up in paradise! The Sand Village would definitely be jealous!"

"What do we do with this kid? She won't leave..."

The two gatekeepers ignored the little girl completely and discussed how to kick out the girl as humanely as possible.

"I'm not leaving!" The girl declared, "I am Saga Kawako and my birthplace is Konoha! I've returned to my hometown to become a kunoichi and protect the village like my parents did!"
The two gatekeepers looked at the girl named Saga Kawako and then at each other.

"Saga...? That name sounds a little familiar..."

"Should we report to the hokage about this?"

"Oooooiiii! Kuma, Yasu, is my eye deceiving me or are you two lazing off during your job?"

A groggy voice came from the other side of the gate behind the two gatekeepers. The gatekeepers Kuma Seiichi and Yasu Takafumi turned around to see a familiar man with silver hair, whose face was mostly covered by a black mask and one of his eyes by his forehead protector. Kawako poked her head in between Kuma and Yasu to see the newcomer.

"Kakashi-senpai!" Kuma, the kinder one, cried out in joy. "I'm so glad you came! You have to help us!"

"You're such a hypocrite, Kakashi-senpai. Aren't you supposed to be training your students?" Yasu grunted as he crossed his arms.

"Yeah, yeah, well, the munchkins had a tough mission a couple of days ago, so I'm letting them rest," the silver-haired ninja named Kakashi said while scratching the back of his head.

"Che... I bet you're just too lazy..."

"So who's giving you guys trouble?" Kakashi cut Yasu's sentence short as he peeked over their shoulders to see Kawako standing there quietly. "Hm? A little girl? Man, you guys need to pick on someone your own size..."

"We're not picking on her, Kakashi-senpai!" Kuma said helplessly. "This girl wants to come into Konoha, but she has no identification. She said that her name is Saga and her family's from Konoha."

"Saga? Sounds familiar, but no face comes to mind," Kakashi said and bent down to look at the girl more closely. Aside from the strange things she carried, she seemed no harm, although it is quite possible for skilled ninjas to change appearances and hide their chakra. But it would seem logical to shift your appearance to a more generic form than such a small child. "How old are you? And what's your name?"

"Saga Kawako. I am turning thirteen this year," said Kawako. "Hey, gramps, why are you wearing a mask?"

"G-gramps?" Kakashi's face stiffened under his mask to his new title and the indiscreet snickers from Kuma and Yasu. "Kawako-chan... I'm only twenty-six..."

"Why are you wearing a mask if you're only twenty-six?"

"What does my age have to do with my mask...?" Kakashi muttered audibly. One thing so far that really proves that she's a kid is how annoying she is. "I just got into a habit of wearing it. No special reason. Now, back to business. Kawako-chan, we cannot let you in unless you have some proof of identity. Where are you from and where are your parents?"

"I'm from a place where humans can't step in and my parents are dead."

Kakashi put a hand on his throbbing temple. And he thought his team 7 was hard to handle. "Sorry for your loss. But do you have any useful information that we can put on record?"

Kawako puckered her lips as she thought for a moment, and then reached her hand into a crack in the shell on her back, and pulled out a forehead protector. The three jounins studied the forehead protector closely; it looked normal with a few scratches and stains on the blue cloth.

"My dad's forehead protector," said Kawako. "Dangame said that my dad died during Kyuubi's attack on Konoha. My mom had Dangame take care of me so she could stay and fight, but she's probably dead too."

Kakashi listened speechlessly at the ease of Kawako's tone at telling her parents' death, although it sounded like she had never really met her parents. "Many great ninjas died to protect Konoha during that time. Again, sorry for your loss. Who's Dangame? Is he your guardian?"

"Dangame's dead too. Just last month. He was getting real old."

Kakashi let out an exasperated sigh. "All right. Kuma, Yasu, I'll take this girl to Hokage and see if he can do anything. Kawako-chan, you're coming with me straight to the Hokage's office. That doesn't mean you can stay in Konoha for sure though."

"Great! Thank you, mister!" A big smile bloomed on Kawako's face, and it relieved Kakashi as a small sign of normality in the kid. But when she ran toward him and grabbed his hand, the strong smell of fish that emitted from her almost made him gag and terminally regret his stroll around the village today.

Nothing ever made Kakashi walk faster than he did today. The weird looks that he was receiving from some of the villagers was making him too uncomfortable. Even if they were staring mostly at the kid with the dish on her head, the fact that he had to walk with her made him uneasy. However, having told the gatekeepers that he will take her to the Hokage, he had no choice but to hurry and get it over with. He just hoped that no acquaintances would run into him.

Luckily, he got to the Hokage's office without any interference.

"Kakashi, what in the world..." the Third Hokage raised an eyebrow at the weird-looking child that Kakashi brought to his office.

"Uh... this girl claims that her parents were from Konoha and she wants to return to her hometown. Her name is Saga Kawako. Does that ring a bell?"

"Saga?" A look of surprise splattered across the Sandaime's face. He looked at Kawako with widened eyes. "You are from the Saga Clan? I thought that all of your clan's people have deceased during the Kyuubi attack. You must be Mizuno's child... I can see the resemblance now. I thought you died from the fire too..."

"So she was telling the truth?"

"Old man, how do you know about my family?"

"Oi! Be respectful! He's the Hokage!" Kakashi whispered to the young girl, remembering a certain blonde kid in his team who is just as rude.

"Bahahaha! You're right, I am old, therefore I had all the time to get to know a lot of my village's people," Sandaime said, "your clan was a small but special clan. Not a lot people knew about you guys since you lived on the very edge of Konoha by the river. Long time ago there were watersprite sages roaming around there, but people were scared of them and wanted to kick them out of Konoha. Those watersprites were not on good terms with humans, but the Saga Clan befriended them and built their home next to the river so that the watersprites could live in river and forest around them in peace."

"Wait... by watersprites, you mean... kappa?" Kakashi raised his hands with a question.

"You're right."

"I thought those were legends..."

"Toad sages are legends, too, but someone eventually discovers them," said Sandaime. "But this is going to be a problem... your house has burned down during the Kyuubi attack and there is no place for you to live..."

"I want to be a ninja!" Kawako exclaimed. "Dangame said there is a school where I have to attend, but he has already taught me a lot of ninjutsu!"

"Dangame, eh?" a nostalgic smile appeared on Sandaime's face. "How is he?"

"He died from old age. He was about as old as you, so I guess it's your turn soon."

"Oi, oi..." Kakashi felt exhausted from the girl's lack of manners.

"...Well, uh... the rules are you have to attend ninja academy and pass the graduation exam to become a genin. That's the first step of becoming a ninja."

Kawako frowned. "Why is this village all about rules, rules, rules? I heard that kids from five years old start going to ninja academy. I'm turning thirteen soon!"

"If you want to become a shinobi, you're going to the academy!" Sandaime put down his smile and said sternly. "I would like to welcome you home, Kawako, but if you want to live in Konoha, you have to abide to Konoha's rules. You have been away from Konoha for too long; I cannot let you have privileges one after another just because I knew your parents and the sage kappas."

Kawako puffed up her cheeks.

Seeing that she wasn't going to retort this time, Sandaime continued, "Now, back to the problem of housing. We need to find you a place to live..."

"That is not a problem, Sandaime!"

The door to the Hokage's office suddenly swung open and a deep, powerful voice followed. The three occupants in the office turned around in surprise. Kawako's eyes instantly lit up at the sight of the man standing in the doorway. He was dressed in all green, and his hair was black and slick. It reminded her of all the kappas she grew up with. And what struck her immediately after that was his bright smile and his pearly white teeth that seemed to sparkle.

"Guy?" Sandaime raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought I felt somebody following us..." Kakashi murmured.

"Mister!" Kawako ran up to the man named Guy and grabbed his hands. "My name is Saga Kawako and your sense of fashion has struck me with awe! Please allow me to be your disciple!"

"Oi, oi..." Kakashi was too tired to say anything else for the day.

"Ahahaha! Why, Kawako-chan, I'm fond of your sense of fashion as well!" Guy laughed heartily and patted Kawako's shoulders. "But if you want to be my disciple, you'd have to graduate ninja academy first. Don't worry, a spot under my wing will always be reserved for you!"

Then, he turned to Sandaime. "Hokage-sama, when I followed Kakashi here, I saw a lot of potential in this child! (Kakashi: "It's probably just the shell on her back...") Don't worry about her housing. She can live at my place!"

"That's generous of you, Guy, but... that kind of conduct might not be good for your reputation," said Sandaime, "You know, living under the same roof with an underage girl..."

"Don't worry! Lee is always sleeping over at my place too!"

Sandaime wiped away a drop of sweat. "I don't know if that makes anything better, but... it seems like the most convenient thing to do now, before we find her a better place to live..."

"Really?" Kawako smiled hopefully. "You'll take me in even when I'm completely penniless and have nothing to offer?"

"Of course! That is what youth is all about-helping people in need!" Guy put a hand on Kawako's shoulder and guided her out the door.

"You are the most awesome person I've ever met!" Kawako said happily as she followed Guy with springs in her steps. "Who is this Lee guy?"

"He's one of my students. He's a great kid too! About the same age as you..."

"I'm sure he's great if you think he's great..."

"Ahahaha! My eyes didn't deceive me! You're gonna be a great ninja..."

"You think so?"

"Of course!"

"..."

"..."

Guy and Kawako's voices faded into the hallway. Both Sandaime and Kakashi stared at the unclosed door silently, and looked back at each other. They didn't say anything to each other, but they were thinking the same thing. This was probably going to be a bad idea, but there probably wouldn't be anyone willing to take in Kawako besides Guy.

And after everything that's happened in the past years, Konoha is still in need of more shinobis to protect the village.

"And that road would take you to Neji's house. He's another student of mine. He's not as cute as Lee, but he's a good kid too..." Guy blabbed on as he took Kawako on a brief tour of Konoha, although it was just showing her the restaurants, the school, and where his other students lived. "And that road... eh? Kawako-chan?"

It didn't take long for Guy to notice that Kawako wasn't next to him anymore.

Out of instinct, Guy swerved his head toward the lake that they had just passed. First, he saw the Uchiha boy from Kakashi's team sitting alone by the lake. And then, he saw Kawako slowly approaching the boy from behind. Even though he didn't know exactly what Kawako was planning to do, but somehow he had an idea. Having heard about that Uchiha boy's temper from Kakashi, Guy felt the need to stop her.

"Kawako-chan! Don-"

Before Guy could finish his sentence, Kawako had already went behind the black-haired boy. And just as the boy was about to turn around, Kawako pushed him into the lake.

Guy's jaw dropped, and for a second, he did not know how to react.

And after a few bubbles, the Uchiha boy came back up to the surface, revealing a completely pissed off face.

"WHO THE HELL DID THAT?!"

TBC