{A/N} I do not own the manga/anime that is Naruto. I just write fictional stories about it. Please enjoy and leave a review. This story doesn't have a beta and I can't catch all of my own mistakes, so if there is one feel free to point it out.


Murayama Kasai stared across the wide clearing at his burning home and felt the first stirrings of grief break through the traumatic shock he was in. The darkness of night and the distance were the only things that shrouded his presence from the Iwa hunter-nins, but he could see them. Their dark forms were outlined by the fire that they had started in his home as they crouched around it watching the small house burn. Even at the age of seven, the boy knew that the faces under those white porcelain masks would be blank, showing no emotion about the deaths they had just caused. The deaths of his parents.

Murayama Kozo and Murayama Yuna had fled Iwagakure at the end of the Second Shinobi War and had fled to the land of their enemies, the Land of Fire. The couple had been disillusioned by the death and destruction caused by the war and had vowed that they would have no more part in it. Young and idealistic though they were, the pair managed to escape the Land of Earth into the enemy's territory, shedding their Hitae-ate and the rest of their gear to disappear quietly into the countryside. The pair had reasoned that rather low profile Jonin and a career Chunin wouldn't be missed in the chaos that followed Iwa's retreat out of Ame.

With nothing more than the clothes on their back the two former Iwa ninjas started a new life in the rich land that was the Land of Fire, becoming prosperous farmers, a humble profession that kept food on the table, money in the pocket, and a distinctly low profile to any who might be interested. After a few years of peace and solitude their lives were disrupted by the birth of their son, Kasai.

As all children are wont to do, the boy immediately ingratiated himself into the hearts of his parents and they doted on the baby. As he grew, Kasai learned at an incredible rate, crawling, walking, and talking well before he was supposed to. Kozo would watch his son show him something new he had learned with delight and always had a wide smile, and words of encouragement for his only son. His mother Yuna would only sigh, bemoaning the trouble that her two boys would get into, but always there to kiss a scraped knee, and give a stern lecture.

Four years after Kasai's birth, the rumblings of war were again on the horizon. Whispers in the night suggested the Iwa and Kumo were plotting against Konoha after being humiliated after the Second War. The presence of Konoha shinobi increased as well. Kasai always saw a few when he went to town with his father. Whenever they were in town Kasai noticed a curious phenomenon. His father, normally swift and sure in his movements, would slow down and slouch, seemingly hiding his true self from observers in the town.

Kasai listened to many hushed late night arguments about current events between his parents. They were away from it for the most part, being on the outskirts of the Land of Fire close to both the borders of Taki and Tetsu no Kuni. It was close enough to make his parents worry though, but Kasai didn't understand at the time. What he did understand was that when he turned five his parents decided to reveal to him that they were in fact Shinobi, and that for his own protection they were going to start teaching him.

The subject of shinobi seemed to be sensitive for Kasai's parents. On one hand he could tell that neither of them truly wanted to teach him, but he could pick up the tell-tale signs that something had scared his parents enough that they were going to anyways. On the other hand, both seemed to be proud of their shinobi heritage and they told him stories of the Elemental Countries that filled his young mind with tales of far flung battles and heroes.

Kasai's training started early in the morning, when he went out with his father to tend their farm. The hard physical labor toughened his small body and though he complained as his joints and muscles burned with tiredness, his words dried up as soon as his father explained that Shinobi must be strong of body, and that his work on the farm would get him there. In the afternoons he would rest and listen to his mother talk about chakra, the energy that all Shinobi used. It fascinated him, this unseen energy that let his father leap from tree to tree without any effort at all, or let his mother raise a wall of earth out of the ground with nothing more than handsigns and words. He greedily lapped up all the knowledge of chakra that he could and the day that he unlocked his was the happiest day of his short life.

When he turned six his father began to teach him taijutsu. Kozo called it Strong Rock style, and explained that all aspiring Shinobi of Iwagakure learned this taijutsu style at Iwa's academy. It seemed to fit with his growing body, already the signs of great height and wide shoulders could be seen on his frame, which in the future would allow him to use the simple but powerful style effectively. For now though, his father taught him the basic kata's and kept up with his physical training. To go along with that, his mother began teaching him about how to actually use chakra. Again he absorbed information on chakra like a sponge. He learned the twelve hand seals as well as how to mold chakra. His mother began to teach him the the simple jutsu that was the rite of passage of all Iwa shinobi, Doton: Doryuheki.

Even though a B-rank technique, manipulating the earth to create a small wall was well within the range of all Iwa shinobi, and as Kasai's parents mentioned, was part of the graduation test to Genin for Iwagakure Shinobi. Kasai's progress with it was slow but after months of practicing he was able to raise a wall of earth of a height and thickness that pleased his parents, and the small boy loved every moment of it. Manipulating the elemental forces of nature was the most exciting and exhilarating thing the small boy had ever experienced, even though he had barely scratched the surface.

Alongside his jutsu studies and taijutsu practice, his parents showed him the all purpose tool and weapon of a ninja, the kunai. His parents taught him how to grip it, to throw it accurately, and to fight with it in his hands. The black dagger slammed home the point that, he really was training how to kill. Taijutsu and Ninjutsu didn't seem to him that they were designed for killing, but whenever a kunai he threw thudded into the outline of a human that was painted on the side of a tree he shivered a bit on the inside.

At seven his training continued, but Kasai became curious. Why did his family live in the Land of Fire, but train him how to be an Iwa shinobi? When he asked the question his parents gave each other and then him a grave look, and then sat him down to explain the reality of the wars between the nations. They explained the disillusionment with Iwagakure and death that it had reaped during the Second War and their decision to flee. Kozo and Yuna were Iwagakure shinobi born and bred, and even though they lived in the Land of Fire whose hidden village was Konoha, they could only train him how they had been trained. When Kasai asked why they couldn't just go to Konoha and be ninja there his parents only gave him a sad smile, but refused to say any more.

His life continued in this way for a time and he was happy, but two months after his seventh birthday hostilities had exploded between Konoha and Iwa and fighting raged between the two armies across Kusagakure. An expression of worry appeared near constantly on Kasai's parents faces, and they began preparing for the worst, knowing how Iwa operated. Their special forces and hunter-nin would infiltrate their enemies lands and sow terror throughout the populace. That was how Kasai found himself watching his home burn.


Thirty Minutes Ago

Kasai was going through a few of the more advanced kata for the Strong Rock style outside in the shade of a particularly large tree that shaded him from the heat of the sun. He had been practicing for hours running through all of the exercises with precision and only stopped when the yellow orb in the sky finally began to bleed into an orange that denoted the coming of darkness.

With a pleasant ache in his limbs Kasai wiped a hand across his forehead to remove sticky strands of black hair and try and tame the mess of it that sat atop his head. At seven he was nearly four feet tall, which according to his parents meant he was going to be larger than most when he hit his full growth. For now though he was content with just being taller than everyone in his age group, or so he was told, he didn't have much contact with anyone other than his parents. To go along with his dark hair he had deep, dark brown eyes. From working in the fields every day his skin was deeply tanned and he had developed a muscular physique, as muscular as a seven year old child could get. His strength belied his size though because of the unconscious and minute chakra enhancement that he used whenever he did anything physical. All of this combined, according to his mother, made him look very much like many Iwagakure shinobi.

The boy meandered towards his house, enjoying the way the oranges and reds of the sunset framed his house, giving it an almost ethereal glow. Sunset and sunrise were his favorite times of the day. The normal yellow sun was boring to Kasai and so watching the transitions between day and night across the sky's vast canvas filled him with a sense of wonderment. He entered his home and found his mother in the kitchen, humming quietly to herself as she cooked. When he came into the kitchen she glanced at him and asked in her soft melodious voice, "Where is your father?"

Kasai could only shrug before answering, "He helped me practice my taijutsu for a bit then went into town to see if he could get any news."

Yuna nodded to herself and went back to cooking, leaving Kasai to go through the house towards his room, looking for a shower and then clean clothes to replace the sweat soaked clothes he wore. It only took him a few minutes to shower and he quickly returned to his room, shivering, to pull on black shorts and a plain green shirt. With the task of cleaning himself finished, he plopped down on his bed and grabbed a tattered book on elementary chakra manipulation. His parents had bought it from a traveling vendor and it was one of the precious few written resources he had to help him train as a shinobi. The boy had only read a paragraph before his ear caught the front door of the house slamming open and closed. Just a few seconds later his mother called out to him, her voice laced with panic, "Kasai! Come here right now!"

Kasai scrambled out of his bed, book forgotten in his haste, and quickly ran into the kitchen. He was not prepared for the site of his father leaning against the kitchen counter breathing heavily and with a deep cut in his right arm. His mother was in the act of wrapping a bandage around it when Kasai found his voice, "Tou-san? What's wrong? What's going on?"

With a grimace Kozo began explaining, "I ran into two Iwa hunter-nin on my way back from town. Normally they wouldn't have bothered but I think one of them recognized me. We fought and I was able to kill one but the other got away, he's surely going to warn the rest of his team and they're probably on their way here right now."

Ice cold fear gripped Kasai and he started shaking, feeling his whole life beginning to come inexorably down around his head. His mother noticed and quickly finished tying off the bandage before quickly sweeping over to Kasai and pulling him into a hug, "Don't worry, nothing is going to happen to us, I promise."

Kasai nodded mutely and his mother let go of him, quickly moving through the house and beginning to pack up important items. His father left the room but returned a few minutes later with a small backpack that he shoved into Kasai's arms. Kozo went down onto one knee and put his hands on the small boys shoulders, forcing him to look his father in the eyes, "Son, I've packed some food and extra clothes in here for you, as well as the rest of the scrolls for you. Your mother and I have written out everything that we want you to learn in them."

Lips trembling, Kasai gasped out, "Tou-san? Why are you telling me this, you're going to teach me."

Kozo only gave a small smile, "Here's something I want you to always remember. No plan survives first contact with the enemy, so you have to plan for the best, expect the worst, and deal with whatever actually happens. One day you'll understand it. Now, you remember the old oak tree that we use as target practice across the clearing?"

Kasai nodded and his father pressed a kunai into his hands, the grip worn and comforting, "Go and wait for your mother and I at that tree. We'll be right behind you."

A determined nod and a few shaky breaths later Kasai was out the door and sprinting as fast as his small body could manage across the clearing towards the outline of white paint he could see on the oak tree. Full darkness had arrived in the scant minutes he had been in the house but it was there now, and crowding around him. He reached the tree and turned back towards his house, dropping down on his stomach to hide from the phantoms he perceived in the darkness. Light spilled from the windows of his house and he could see his parents move about with a frantic urgency that he'd never witnessed before. A minute passed and his mother passed by the window again, her long black hair near streaming behind her in her haste but as she passed she stopped, and he could tell even at a distance that her body had tensed and her hand had drifted down towards the kunai pouch he knew would be wrapped around her right leg.

The attack happened so fast that Kasai had blinked and missed it. One moment he could see his mother standing stock still in front of the window, and the next the house was on fire and shadows darted around it, the clanging of metal on metal echoing through the woods. Two figures danced into his view, their bodies bending and twisting as they fought with breathtaking speed. Kasai couldn't see it but he knew that one of the combatants had made a mistake. A shiver ran down his back as he watched one of them collapse bonelessly to the ground. He gripped one of the roots of the oak tree that extruded from the ground in pure terror, hoping against hope that his father or mother had been the one to strike the decisive blow. His stomach dropped and his heart stopped though when the figure turned and gazed out over the clearing, the firelight in the background reflecting off of the demonic mask the figure wore. Suddenly six other figures appeared around the one that had slain his parent and they looked like they were conversing. One of them picked up the limp body on the ground and Kasai recognized his mother, her hair falling from her head and trailing limply on the ground as the Iwa hunter-nin carelessly tossed her body through one of the houses windows, consigning the body of Kasai's mother to be consumed by the flames.

Murayama Kasai stared across the wide clearing at his burning home and felt the first stirrings of grief break through the traumatic shock he was in.


A war raged within Kasai. His heart told him to leave the protective cover of darkness, run towards the men and women who had killed his parents and wreak vengeance upon them. His brain meanwhile, injected doses of body numbing fear into his seven year old body, reminding him that he would in no way shape or form be able to put a scratch on any of the people that his heart demanded he crush. His soul was deadlocked but his body moved of its own accord, perhaps on some survival instinct, when he felt a presence behind him. The kunai that he'd forgotten about in his white knuckled grip whipped across in front of him as he rolled from his stomach to his back, instinctively attempting to avoid being impaled for staying in one place. His actions were for naught though as a large hand grabbed his wrist and another covered his mouth, muffling his instinctive scream. A voice whispered in his ear, "Shut up kid, we don't want them to find us."

Kasai closed his eyes as his heart leapt into his throat, beating faster and faster every moment, waiting to follow his parents into the afterlife. A few minutes of tenseness and his body couldn't hold it anymore. He let the kunai slip out of his grasp to land softly in the dirt and opened his eyes to see a face hidden by darkness and a hitae-ate staring past him. His body slowly relaxed as he realised he wasn't dead and a moment later the man holding him down relaxed as well, turning his gaze from the burning house to the small boy beneath him. The man spoke softly, "Looks like those Iwa bastards are gone."

With a start, Kasai realized that on his words three other presences had appeared around them, crouching down, hidden by the darkness and the forest. The man that held him down spoke softly again, "Alright kid, let's start with names. Mine is Watanabe Kinoue, what's yours."

The hand holding his mouth lifted slightly and Kasai breathed in fresh air for a moment that wasn't laced with dirt and sweat before saying shakily, "Murayama Kasai."

Watanabe spoke again, "Alright Murayama-san. We're going to take you back to our camp and you're going to answer some questions okay?"

Kasai's dark brown eyes widened as he breathed out, "But… Tou-san. Kaa-san."

Another member of the party spoke up, this time a woman's soft alto, "Sorry kid, but they're already gone."

Kasai's breath hitched, tears welled in his eyes, and his body started to shake uncontrollably as the horrible truth that he already knew was vocalized. The man holding him simply sighed but was shoved out of the way as the woman said irritably, "Move you insensitive clod."

A pair of warm arms picked him up and embraced him. Kasai instinctively wrapped his arms around her neck, feeling long soft hair, and buried his face into the crook of her neck. He let the tears flow freely and his body shook with quiet sobs. The woman crooned softly, "Shhh. It's alright kid. I've got you now."

Watanabe sighed heavily again, "Come on let's get back to camp, we'll get answers out of the brat there."

With startling suddenness Kasai felt the woman stand up and suddenly they were flying through the trees. This, plus the hitae-ate's, proved that whoever had grabbed him were ninjas, although who's ninja's he couldn't tell. The darkness had kept him from being able to see the insignia on the mysterious ninjas hitae-ate, but he could make a reasonable deduction. Since he was in the Land of Fire, they were most like Konoha ninjas. Kasai didn't have a problem with Leaf ninjas, but with a sudden burst of panic he realized that they might have a problem with him.

The thought had just hit him that he was the son of two Iwa ninjas and Iwa was definitely at war with Konoha when they descended from the tree's and into a campsite. There were three tents set up in a tiny clearing, with a firepit off to the side. When heat flared up from it Kasai noted in the back of his mind that someone must have used a Katon jutsu to start a fire. The woman who was holding him in her arms and who he was desperately gripping muttered to the other three, "Go set a picket around the campsite, this kid needs a woman's touch."

With a nearly silent rush of air the other three were gone and Kasai was suddenly sitting on a rock near the fire. The fire gave off enough light that he could finally make out the features of the woman who had carried him. She wore a Leaf Hitae-ate on her forehead that helped hold back her brown hair into a short ponytail. Her eyes, a lighter shade of brown than his, reflected the firelight and her full lips were turned up in a warm smile. She knelt down in front of him and said in a kind voice, "Now, why don't you tell me exactly what happened."

Kasai decided that he was in a tough spot. His parents were former Iwa ninjas, and had made it plain that Konoha despised people like them. Konoha was also currently at war with Iwagakure. The people who had rescued him and the woman in front of him were all Konoha ninjas, so by dint of who they were, they would not like his parents. Kasai settled for saying dully, "You won't like my answer."

One of the woman's eyebrows quirked, he was being awfully defensive for a kid, but her smile never wavered, "Come on, you can tell me. We got you away from the bad men so nothing else bad can happen."

With a childish innocence he whispered after a few moments, "Promise?"

The warm smile never wavered, "Promise."

The dam burst. Kasai told her about his parents and their origins. He told her of what had happened earlier that night, the Iwa hunter nins and the hurried packing that hadn't been fast enough. When he finished the warm smile was gone and her expression was grave. Kasai waited for the inevitable betrayal by his rescuer but she only sighed and pulled him into another hug before whispering, "Sorry about your parents kid."

Kasai nodded into her shoulder before speaking again, his words muffled by her vest, "I don't know what to do. I don't even know who you are. I'm so lost."

The woman broke their hug and leaned back, "Oh, how rude of me. I didn't even introduce myself before asking for your life's story. My name is Saitama Suzuki, it's very nice to meet you."

Kasai felt a hint of a smile tug reluctantly at his lips, "Murayama Kasai."

"There you go. Now as for what you're going to do. Right now you're going to eat this ration bar, it tastes terrible but it'll fill you up. After that my squad and I are going to take you back to Konoha with us."

With widening eyes Kasai scrambled for words, "But… my parents are from Iwa."

Suzuki shrugged, "Well, they weren't fighting us, and if what you said is correct they deserted after the last war. Plus, you're not from Iwa. You were born in the Land of Fire, so you have nothing to worry about."

Kasai could only nod and chew on the nasty ration bar as the woman began to wax eloquent about the Land of Fire and Konoha. In a tightly locked up part of his mind, he was screaming that this woman was only making small talk to try and make him forget about his problems, and his parents, and his shattered life. The small boy ignored those thoughts in favor of listening intently to Suzuki. After a while though, and then all of a sudden, his eyelids began to droop and his arms and legs began to feel like lead. Suzuki noticed and stopped her monologuing to say, "Alright Kasai-kun. I think it's time you go to bed. It's been a tough day for you."

The brunette gently grabbed one of Kasai's hands and led him over to a tent and saying, "You can use my sleeping bag, it's the only one in there."

Kasai glanced at her before saying tiredly, "Don't you need to use it though."

With a chuckle almost too low and too quiet for Kasai to hear Suzuki chided, "I'm a ninja and an adult, I can for a few days without sleeping. Plus I'm a Leaf ninja, I can rough it without a tent or a sleeping bag unlike those Iwa wimps."

Kasai smiled at her feeble attempt at humor, it hadn't cheered him any but he was glad someone tried, "Okay Saitama-san, I'll go to sleep now."

At his words a faux look of horror came over the woman's face, "Saitama-san? I gave you my sleeping bag, tent, and ration bar! Aren't we friends?"

Kasai sputtered at her teasing, "Well… I mean… My mother always told me to be polite to everyone."

Suzuki crouched down to his level and with a mischievous smile said, "Come on, just between us, you can use my given name."

"Suzuki-san?"

Her smile never wavering Suzuki stood back up and ruffled his hair, "Good enough kid. Now go get some sleep."

Kasai nodded and crouched down to enter the small tent. He could barely see in the darkness and felt around until he found a light sleeping bag. Carefully placing his backpack off to the side so that he didn't lose the precious items within he then slid into the sleeping bag. Within a second he had bonelessly relaxed into it, not even feeling the hard ground underneath the relatively thin material. The last thing he heard before falling into the deepest sleep of his life were the quiet voices of Suzuki's returned teammates.

In the morning a soft hand shook him awake and through bleary eyes he saw Suzuki's lips moving, "Up you get Kasai-kun, we've got a long day ahead of us."

Her head withdraw from the tent and it took a moment for the reality of the situation to sink in. Kasai let his head drop back onto ground with a groan before sighing and climbing out of the sleeping bag. Summer was nearing its end but the morning autumn chill hadn't arrived yet and he was pleasantly surprised not to be glanced around and found his backpack and let curiosity get the better of him. Quickly scooting over to his backpack he undid the straps atop it and flung back the flap, looking inside. As his father had told him there were a number of books and scrolls, as well as a pair of shirts and another green shirt for him. What intrigued him though was the envelope that sat atop it all, so he quickly grabbed it and ripped it open, nearly ripping the paper inside in his haste to pull it out. He unfolded the paper with shaky hands and in sloppy and hurried handwriting he read his father's last words to him.

Kasai

Your mother and I are dead. The life of a shinobi is one of deception and I am sorry to say that we have deceived you. We have no intention of following you, the hunter-nin will surely track us down slay the entire family. Your mother and I will erase your existence and stay behind so that you can escape freely. Do not mourn us but live a good life, that is all any parent wishes. The reason that we did not want to take you to Konoha to become a ninja was because we did not want you to have to bear the stigma that will surely come from your origins. Now though, you must go there and become a ninja. Be proud of your heritage and never let anyone put you down because of it, but make a new life in Konoha as a Leaf ninja.

Your proud Father

Kasai read the letter once and that was all he needed to burn it into his memory. It was all he ever needed to burn written word into memory. For as long as he'd been able to read he had vexed his parents with his perfect memory. They told him that it was called Eidetic memory, and that it would serve him well in life, allowing him to recall perfectly things he had seen or read. They had been proud of the fact that he could read a book once, thoroughly but once, and recite it back to them perfectly. They had also grumbled about having to find him more reading material that was already scarce. A memory sprang unbidden to his mind of his mother's smiling face, and her outstretched hand with a book held towards him.

The newly orphaned boy took a deep shuddering breath before closing his eyes and concentrating, taking a slow and deep one. With great effort he envisioned a black door in his mind and opened it, shoving all of his grief and trauma and horror behind it before slamming it shut. With a loud click he firmly locked the door and then willed it to disappear again. Opening his eyes the boy gave himself a slight, but decisive, nod. He got up and quickly shed his grass stained clothes for the new ones he had found in the pack. Folding his old ones and replacing them in the backpack he cinched it back up before exiting the tent and quickly pulling the straps onto his shoulders.

Suzuki and Kinoue were standing around the fire with the two other men in their squad. The other two tents in the clearing were knocked down and Kasai could see them packed up on the backs of the two men he didn't know. Suzuki gave him a smile when he walked over and joined them at the fire and introduced everyone, "Alright Kasai-kun. You already know Kinoue. The tall one is Kosuke and the short one is Shigure."

Kasai opened his mouth to politely introduce himself again but Shigure burst out, "Damnit Suzuki-chan! I'm not that short!"

Kosuke was standing next to Shigure and was tall enough to lean over and rest his elbow on top of his comrades head, "Yes you are."

In a flash Shigure had swiped at Kosuke with a kunai and started to chase the taller man around the clearing, shouting insults. Kasai watched with wide eyes before turning to the woman next to him, "Suzuki-san… Is there something wrong with them?"

The stony facade she was trying to keep on her face cracked a little bit and a tiny sound escaped from her throat that might have been the beginnings of a giggle. Kasai went on, "They're pretty loud, aren't they worried the Iwa-nin will find us?"

Suzuki glanced at him and said seriously, "No, that's not how they operate. It's daylight and they've just attacked someone, they've gone to ground and we won't see hide or hair of them for a few days. We've been tracking this group for a month but it wasn't until last night that we got an accurate count of them. Seven is too much for us to handle, especially since we don't know what rank all of them are. We haven't had time to thin out all of their jounin level hunter-nin."

Curiosity got the better of Kasai, "Jounin? My dad said he was a Jounin and mom was a Chunin but I don't really know what that means."

Suzuki raised an eyebrow at him, "What were they teaching you?"

Kasai shrugged, "Practical things. Kunai and taijutsu. I don't think they thought I would ever join a village and need to know things like jounins and chunins."

Her eyebrow still raised but with a slight look of understanding in her eye Suzuki explained everything to him. There were three main ranks for ninja. Genin was the lowest, comprised mainly of younger shinobi who didn't have much in the way of combat skill or experience or shinobi with just enough talent to pass the academy but not enough to advance in rank. Chunin was the next rank. The bulk of every villages ninja population was comprised of chunin. These shinobi were squad leaders and had enough experience to be trusted fighting other ninja. Above them came the jounin. Jounin were the best each village had to offer, a master of whatever skill they specialized in, and proficient in everything else. They were tasked with carrying out the hardest missions that villages took, anything from sabotage to assassinations.

There were other various ranks, tokubetsu jounin and ANBU for instance, but those were the main three. Suzuki explained that their group was made up of Chunin, ones who had a good deal of experience, but chunin nonetheless, "If that other group has more than one jounin, and I'd be willing to be that they do, we wouldn't stand much of a chance even if we set up a good ambush for them."

Kasai nodded in understanding, "I see, so you're going to go back to Konoha and ask for reinforcements?"

This got another smile out of Suzuki, "You catch on quick kid."

"It just seems like the smartest thing to do."

She nodded again and then stretched her arms upwards, limbering her body up. After a groan of satisfaction she said, "Alright then, camps packed up and we need to move out."

Kasai whirled around and saw that the tent he'd been in was indeed packed up. Kinoue had moved over to it and packed it up without Kasai ever noticing. He heard Suzuki give a warm chuckle and glared up at her before she said innocently, "What you didn't know we were packing up? We are in kind of a hurry."

Pointing a finger at Shigure and Kosuke, Kasai said in a deadpan, "Are you sure about that?"

"Oi!"

In a flash the two were standing next to Suzuki, along with Kinoue. Suzuki grinned at him, "Ready to go?"

Kasai crossed his arms and grumbled, "It's going to be a long trip. I can't even jump through the trees yet."

With a yelp Kasai was grabbed by Kinoue and slung around piggyback onto the man. Suzuki smiled, "We drew straws for who had to carry you and Kinoue lost."

The aforementioned man grumbled, "You're heavy kid."

Kasai snorted, "Kaa-san can still pick me up and she doesn't complain. Plus she's smaller than you are. Wimp."

The other three in their group burst out laughing and before long tears were streaming down Kosuke and Shigure's faces. Kinoue's head turned and he glared at Kasai, "Oi! Do you want me to drop you while we're in the tree's?"

"I'm just stating a fact. You can't get mad at me for telling the truth can you?"

Kasai used his best innocent eyes that he used on his parents when he really wanted something on the man that was currently carrying him and they worked because he grumbled and turned his head around before shouting, "Alright, let's just go."

It took the group three days to travel to Konoha. Kasai stayed quiet throughout the rest of the trip, letting the others do most of the talking. Flying through the trees on the backs of the ninja made everything real to him. He wouldn't see his parents again, his room, his house, the fields where he grew up. Kasai didn't really feel different than he had a few days ago, but he knew that he was different. He just wasn't quite sure how yet.

His first sight of Konoha was breathtaking. Kasai wasn't paying attention and was just watching the landscape flow by when the squad of ninjas jumped down from the tree's and onto a road. He glanced around and the first thing he saw were the huge gates. He'd never seen anything so big in his life. Stretching out from the gates were the monstrous walls that protected the village. Suzuki chuckled when she noticed the look of awe and Kasai's gaping mouth, "First time seeing the village eh? It's pretty amazing isn't it."

It was amazing. Through the gates Kasai could see a long street lined with shops and stalls with people moving to and fro. There were more people on that one street than Kasai had seen in his entire lifetime. He could hear the swell of their voices one hundred yards away they were so loud. It was the most awe inspiring thing Kasai had ever seen.

Kinoue dropped him and Kasai instinctively landed on his feet, still gaping at the village. The chunin cuffed him lightly across the head and said, "Let's go. I want to give my report and then go sleep for a week."

The squad of shinobi plus one walked through the gates, checking in at the guard station manned by two chunin, and made their way towards the giant cliff face near the back of the village. It had three huge stone faces carved into it and Kasai was curious about them so he grabbed Suzuki's sleeve and when he got her attention pointed to them and asked, "Who are they?"

Suzuki followed his finger and smiled, "They are the Hokage's of our village. The first was Senju Hashirama-sama, he built our village from the ground up. The second is Senju Tobirama-sama, who was the First's younger brother. The third is Sarutobi Hiruzen-sama, who is the current Hokage."

Kasai looked at them with awe, "So they're all really powerful ninja?"

Suzuki nodded, "Did you see the forest outside the gates? The First Hokage grew that forest with his unique ninjutsu, Mokuton."

Kasai looked around and then snorted, "And people go to war with a place that has monsters like that?"

The woman shrugged, "Iwa shinobi are crazy like that."

"Oi!"

Her hand came up to ruffle his hair while he glared at her, "If you can't handle a little joke like that you're going to have a rough time around here Kasai-kun."

The small boy crossed his arms, "I know. That doesn't mean I have to take it lying down though."

Suzuki gave him a warm smile, "Alright kid. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

Kasai just nodded and followed the group the rest of the way to the Hokage tower, taking in the sights and sounds of the new village. The Hokage's tower was huge, and bustling with ninja. There was a constant stream of them flowing in and out of the large doors and when Kasai looked up there were ninja flitting on the rooftops to and from the building. As they entered Suzuki pointed to one part of the complex and said, "If you want to become a ninja that's where the academy is located. The rest of this building is just administration and paperwork."

Kasai nodded resolutely, "That's where I'm headed then."

He made to move in that direction but Suzuki put a hand of his shoulder and steered him back towards the direction the squad was headed, "Hold on there Kasai-kun, we need to report in and figure out what we're going to do with you first."

"What do you mean what you're going to do with me?"

Suzuki gave him a dry look, "Do you want to have a place to sleep tonight?"

The boy was nonplussed and could only reply, "Oh…"

The woman gave him a smile and ruffled his hair again, "You're a kid, no one expects you to think of everything. Now let's go."

They made their way to one of the various desks that Shinobi were reporting too and Kinoue stepped up to talk to the ninja manning the desk. After a brief conversation he came back to the group with an unexpectedly serious look, "Hokage-sama is taking a special interest in the Iwa hunter-nin groups so we're reporting directly to him."

Everyone looked surprised but went with it and the group ascended the stairs to the top of the tower. There was a secretary at a desk outside of a door that had two guards at it. Both guards wore masks with animal motifs, reminding Kasai of the masks the Iwa shinobi had worn when they slaughtered his parents. Apparently nobody was in there and so they were waved through. The guards did give him a suspicious glare, or what Kasai thought was a suspicious glare. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up and the masks were inclined in a way that made it look as if they were staring at him. He decided that he definitely was not imagining it and it freaked him out a little.

When the group entered they all lined up before the Hokage's desk and Kasai made sure to stand next to Suzuki before looking at the man behind the desk, who he'd been told was the strongest ninja in the village. The Hokage was a man in the late stages of middle ages or the early part of old age, Kasai couldn't tell which. His short beard and hair were only just starting to gray and that, Kasai mused, was probably from having to do such a tough job. His smile was that of a kindly grandfather, but his eyes held the glint of steel that his own father had had. Especially when Kasai got in trouble. The various punishments in the guise of training made him shudder slightly at the memory.

While he'd been woolgathering the Hokage had finished whatever paperwork had been in front of them at the time and said tersely, "Report."

Kinoue was the squad leader so he stepped forward slightly and began. The man glossed over the month they'd spent tracking only hitting the interesting points such as where the Iwa ninja's had struck. He got to the end and said, "We finally caught up to them as they were attacking a house near the border with Iron Country. There were seven Iwa-nin and so we decided that rather than engage them we'd come back to report and get reinforcements."

The Hokage looked like he was about to speak but Kasai beat him to it, "There were eight. Tou-san killed one of them."

All of the attention in the room suddenly turned on him but he didn't shrink back from it. Suzuki placed a hand on his head and sighed, "And you didn't tell us this why?"

Kasai could only shrug, "You didn't ask."

The Hokage decided to steer the conversation back in a direction he wanted it to go, "I think it's about time someone told me who this young man is."

It was Suzuki's turn to answer, "This is Murayama Kasai, he's the only survivor from the house the Iwa-nin hit."

The slightly grayed man behind the desk finally turned his full attention to the small boy in front of him, "Well then, Kasai-kun, why don't you tell me what happened."

Kasai shrugged again, "Tou-san went to town and met two of the Iwa ninjas on the way back. They recognized him and fought. Tou-san killed one but the other got away. He came back and gave me this backpack and told me to go hide and wait for him and Kaa-san. The hunter-nin got there before they finished whatever they were doing and killed them."

With a grave nod the Hokage sighed quietly and spoke again, "I see. How did the Rock ninjas recognize your father."

"He used to be an Iwa ninja too."

If Kasai hadn't had the Hokage's attention before he was sure that he had it now. The rooms features seemed to sharpen and the air seemed to press down on Kasai. The Hokage didn't seem angry, but he was radiating power and when he leaned forward the small boy couldn't help but take a small step back, "I think you should tell me everything."

Kasai did. Without a moment of hesitation. He was sure that something really bad would happen if he didn't so he gave everything up. After he was finished with the fastest explanation he'd given in his short life the pressure on him seemed to abate a small bit. The Hokage didn't lean back though and his gaze still pinned Kasai in place. The elderly statesmen didn't give anything away as he steepled his hands and said, "So, what to do with you now."

"I'm going to be a ninja."

"Oh?" The Hokage's lips curved upwards in a small smile, "You're a bit old to start at the academy. You would be playing a lot of catch up."

Kasai waved his hand in a blase act that only a child could get away with in front of the Hokage, "I'm already in great shape and I'm pretty good at taijutsu already. I can handle a kunai and throw it with reasonable accuracy. I have unlocked my chakra and can use it. I bet I'm ahead of most of your academy students in practical skills."

Suzuki immediately clapped him on the back of the head, "It's not nice to boast Kasai-kun."

Showing his age after a very mature assessment of his own skills Kasai whined back, "But it's true. Tou-san is a really good teacher."

A loud cough from the Hokage got their attention again, "Well, if you're confident in your skills we shall see what the Academy Instructors say. Suzuki-chan, I assume you will be taking responsibility for this young man?"

The woman frowned thoughtfully, "I can put him up for a few days and get him on his feet but I still have to run missions and I'm getting deployed to Kusa in a few months. It wouldn't feel right just leaving a seven year old kid in my apartment all on his lonesome."

Kasai grimaced and said mulishly, "I'm fine. I can get a job and work hard and take care of myself."

Suzuki put a soothing hand on his shoulder, "No one thinks you can't. But we can't in good conscience let you run around by yourself, so you'll stick with me until we figure out something else."

The small boy was about to argue but the Hokage interjected, "I do believe that is everything. Suzuki-chan, if you would take Kasai-kun down to the academy level I believe Hiruki-sensei is free at the moment. Please have him test the boy. The rest of you have a week of recovery before you will be called back for another mission."

Everyone recognized the dismissal and Suzuki and the rest replied, "Of course, Hokage-sama."

The sole woman in the room quickly steered Kasai out the door and they were followed by the rest of her squad. After a few quick words they dispersed and Kasai was left with Suzuki. She began to lead him downstairs and said, "What brought all that on? You were really disrespectful to Hokage-sama."

Kasai crossed his arms, "Nobody takes responsibility of me. The only people that have a responsibility for me are Tou-san and Kaa-san."

Suzuki sighed and hit him over the head, metaphorically, "Kasai-kun, your parents are dead. You are all of seven years old. You may not like it but somebody has to look after you."

The two of them were in an empty hallway and so nobody saw Kasai throw a punch at the woman next to him. She easily caught it and then crouched down to his level, keeping a tight grip on his fist, "Look kid, let it out. You've been way too accepting of everything that's happened. You need to grieve and you haven't been."

Kasai stared into her eyes and then took a deep breath, "I'm fine."

She cocked an eyebrow at him and glanced pointedly at his small fist still caught in her hand. Kasai at least had the grace to look embarrassed and mutter an apology. Suzuki smiled kindly at him, "We're going to get you tested and I'm sure Hiruki-sensei will test your taijutsu. Why don't you take some of your anger out on him."

The black haired boy visibly brightened and Suzuki laughed, "Just make sure you don't let it affect your technique. You have to make a good impression after all."

With a little extra spring in his step Kasai followed Suzuki down the stairs and over into the academy. There were less people in this part of the complex, probably because the students had all gone home for the day. The pair passed empty classrooms as they walked and soon they entered a small suite of offices. There was only one person left and Suzuki called over to him, "Hiruki-sensei! I have someone here that Hokage-sama wants you to test."

The man perked up and then stood up with a smile, "Thank you. Anything to get away from grading these blasted tests for a few minutes."

Kasai looked the man up and down. He wore what Kasai was beginning to assume was standard dress for a chunin, black pants and shirt with the olive green flak jacket over it. He was a good foot and a half taller than Kasai's own four feet but had a leaner body than Kasai knew he would grow into. His brown has was slicked back in the front, not by design it seemed, but because he had been running his hands through his hair in frustration for a long amount of time. Kasai couldn't stifle a grin at the thought and the man mistook the emotion, "Oh? It looks like he's excited. Why don't you tell me what's going on Suzuki-san."

After a quick explanation Hiruki ran his hands through his hair again, this time with a thoughtful air about him, "Hmm… this could work out very well. How proficient are you at the Iwagakure style of taijutsu?"

Kasai smiled again, "Isn't that something you're supposed to test?"

Hiruki smiled wryly, "I guess it is. Why don't we take this outside."

All three of them quickly went outside and Hiruki led them over to the small sparring ring next to a large copse of trees. The two of them quickly stepped into the ring while Suzuki stayed on the perimeter to watch. Both slid into their opening stances and Hiruki said, "Alright, we'll spar until I get a good assessment of your skills and stop you."

Kasai nodded and as soon as Hiruki said, "Begin!" he slid forward and threw a kick at the taller man's midsection. It was easily blocked and Kasai quickly recovered and began a blistering assault on the Chunin in front of him. It was all quickly blocked and he never really got in a good hit, but it was cathartic for the small boy. Taijutsu wasn't Kasai's favorite aspect of the shinobi arts but he had to admit that hitting something with his fist gave him a different kind of satisfaction than hitting something with a jutsu. He nearly missed the punch that would have caught him in the side of the head but was able to duck under it just in time. His return punch was about to thunk into Hiruki's abdomen when his feet were swept out from under him and he suddenly found himself staring up at the darkening sky flat on his back.

He was about to hop up when Hiruki said with a smile, "Alright, that's enough."

The man helped him up and said, "That was pretty good. I'm not sure if I can say how proficient you are, it's a style that I don't know, but you're definitely good enough to be placed in the third year class based on your taijutsu alone."

Suzuki had walked over to them and when she heard what the man had to say she ruffled Kasai's hair, "Good job kid. That was better than I thought you'd do."

Kasai grinned and Hiruki looked excited, "This is excellent. I think I'm going to put you in the class regardless of your other skills. You are going to be a priceless training asset."

The black haired boy cocked his head, "What do you mean?"

Hiruki continued, "Our students will be able to get some experience against the Iwagakure taijutsu. It will give them an edge in combat when they've already seen how it works and have practiced against it."

Suzuki nodded, "Hey, that's a pretty good idea. I wish we'd had that back when I went through the academy."

With a smile Hiruki glanced back at him, "Do you know any jutsu?"

Kasai nodded and then went through a series of hand seals before slamming his hands into the ground, "Doton: Doryuheki!"

A wall of earth rose up until it was six feet high, three feet wide, and almost a foot thick. It was larger than he'd ever managed when working with his parents and he felt exhausted afterwards. It might have been the spar with Hiruki or it might have been the extra emotion he was feeling but he had put much more chakra than usual into the jutsu and it showed. He panted while Suzuki stared at the wall slack jawed and Hiruki whistled. The academy instructor said admiringly, "What the hell have your parents been teaching you?"

Kasai stood up and shrugged, taking large gulps of air to try and get his breath back, "That jutsu is part of the Iwagakure academy graduation test."

Suzuki grumbled, "No wonder every one of those bastards knows it. A squad of Iwa ninjas can throw up a big barrier in a few seconds. It's hard to dislodge them from a position that they've fortified."

Hiruki frowned, "It means they've already started elemental manipulation in the academy. Here it's only the Uchiha that do that, and it's just that one fire jutsu."

The two adults started a discussion of the academy training regimen but Kasai tuned that out. He wiped a hand across his sweaty brow, removing a few strands of his black hair from it, and looked around. The Hokage's tower rose up behind him and as he looked out the rest of the Hidden Village stretched out in front of him. It wasn't bad, Kasai decided, and he didn't think he'd mind living here.

It was large, but he could get used to that. Having spent most of his life cloistered in his home with only his parents, rarely going into town, he didn't have much experience with people. He decided that he wouldn't let it bother him. He also decided that he wouldn't let the stigma of his origins bother him either. He was going to be a proud Shinobi of the Leaf, and if somebody decided that they didn't like that well then tough.

While he made his life choices Suzuki and Hiruki had finished talking to each other. Suzuki smiled down at him, "You look pretty wiped out, why don't we head back to my apartment and put you to bed?"

Kasai really was too tired to argue. He let her take his hand and she led him out of the academy grounds and through the city until they came to an apartment complex. It wasn't in the greatest of shape but it wasn't a hovel either. Suzuki explained as she led him into it and to her own apartment, "This is an apartment complex subsidized by the village for genin and chunin who don't have families. Sometimes it can be hard to live off of a genin's pay and chunin isn't that much better so the village makes housing available for it's less well of shinobi."

Kasai nodded in understanding, "So I'll probably end up with an apartment like this?"

Suzuki unlocked her door and led him inside before answering impishly, "What, you don't want to live with me? I thought you liked me Kasai-kun."

Kasai was well used to her teasing after three days and he just looked at her tiredly, "Can I please go to bed now?"

Suzuki gave him a mothering smile, "Alright alright. You're not getting my couch dirty though so go clean up, bathroom is right through there."

In short order Kasai had taken a short shower and dressed himself in an overlarge pair of shorts and shirt that Suzuki had let him borrow. She settled him onto her couch with a blanket and a pillow and smiled at him as he found a comfortable position, "So, how do you think you'll like the Leaf village?"

Kasai yawned, "I think I'll like it just fine."

"Good, now get some sleep. I think we'll have a long day tomorrow."