It had started out as just another day in the life of Naruto Uzumaki. He woke up, blearily made the first package of ramen that he could get his hands on, and almost fell asleep in the now steaming cup of chicken flavored ramen. Suddenly, Kakashi-sensei popped into his window.

"Naruto!"

"Ah!" Naruto yelled, as he fell backwards from the table, spilling hot ramen all over himself. "Ouch! Hot hot hot hot hot hot!!" Rolling his eyes, Kakashi grabbed a bottle of water that was lying around and soaked Naruto even more. "What was that for?" Naruto asked, obviously peeved off.

"The water helped cool you down," Kakashi said flatly. "Be at the Hokage's office in half an hour. We have an important topic to discuss." And with that Kakashi jumped out the window to inform Sakura. She, thankfully, didn't spill hot ramen all over herself, so Kakashi was in and out of there in less than a minute. As he headed towards the Hokage's office, he couldn't help but look in the direction of the Uchiha complex. Sasuke had been gone over two years now and Kakashi couldn't help but wonder what his former student was doing.

Kakashi looked back to where he was going, and realized that he was already at the Hokage's building. Stepping inside, his feet automatically led him to Tsunade's office as he plunged back into his favorite novel, Make-out Tactics. He leaned against the wall outside her office as he waited for his students to arrive. He had gotten five chapters ahead, and was deeply involved in the new plot twist with the main character's husband who turned out to be having an affair with her sister, when Naruto and Sakura arrived, arguing as usual. He rolled his eyes, put his book back into his pocket, and led them inside.

"Excellent, you're here," Tsunade said. "For once you aren't late, Kakashi," she added with a wry grin. "Well, anyways, to get down to business, you are to go on a retrieval mission. You are to go to a village near the Hidden Village of Sound, in the north. A woman there will give you the rest of the information."

"How will we know who she is, old lady Tsunade?" Naruto questioned.

"She will make herself known to you," Tsunade replied. A vein in her temple throbbed. Less than a month back and he's already back into the habit of calling me that, Tsunade thought. "You are to leave at noon. Take this time to get ready, or whatever you people do. I have paperwork to avoid, so shoo." Team Kakashi promptly about faced and walked out the door.

As soon as they were outside, Naruto practically exploded. "What are we retrieving anyways? She never told us!" He had nearly exploded in Tsunade's office, but he could tell she was pissed off and didn't want to risk not being able to go on the mission.

"I suppose it is rather strange that she didn't tell us. She gave you more information though, right, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura said.

"Yes, she did. But to be honest, it isn't much. It's mainly just the directions to the village, and a general description of the person we will be meeting. The village is a day away, so we don't need much," Kakashi stated. "It's nearly noon, so let's head on over to the main gate." Naruto and Sakura nodded, and followed behind him. It was an uneventful trip to the village, and they arrived there in the early afternoon of the next day.

"Ach, I'm starving!" Naruto said. "Let's go grab a bite to eat." He took a quick glance along the street they were on and headed straight for the barbeque restaurant. "Ah, I haven't had good barbeque in ages, c'mon!" He grabbed Sakura by the arm and dragged her along before she could react. Kakashi drifted behind them. They were quickly seated and soon they were tucking into a delicious meal of kalbi.

"Um… excuse me," a timid voice came from beside the table. The three of them looked up to see a pretty woman in who seemed to be in her mid to late thirties. "I hate to be a bother, but are you ninjas from Konoha?"

"That we are," Kakashi said, the same moment Naruto said, "You betcha!" Sakura merely nodded.

The woman smiled. "Well, in that case," she said, "Please come to my house when you are done eating. My name is Jansei Ukimasu. I am the one who will be giving you the rest of your instructions for the mission." She gave them directions to her house and left.

"Awesome! I can't wait to find out what we're going to be doing," Naruto said, excitedly. He began shoveling rice and kalbi into his mouth as quickly as he could, and began urging the others to eat faster as well. "C'mon you guys! The faster you finish eating, the faster we can- Blarrrff!" Naruto barfed all over the floor behind him.

"Gosh, Naruto!" Sakura yelled, "If you're going to eat, don't barf it up right when you finish!" Further argument proceeded once Naruto had recovered, and they soon were on their way to the woman's house.

Upon their arrival, she warmly welcomed them into her home and formal introductions were made. "Please, make yourselves at home. Can I get you a drink?" She politely asked. After getting all of them a glass of water, she sat down and said, "I'm sure you want to know why you are here." She sighed heavily and called out, "Tsuru-chan! Come here please!" An annoyed "coming!" sounded from a few rooms away and they could hear the padding of feet on the wood floor approaching.

The door slid open to reveal a young girl, about fifteen or sixteen, with dark hair just passing her shoulders. She was dressed in a gray shirt that was just baggy enough to only hint at her figure, and comfortable knee length shorts. Her face was set in a scowl; she was obviously not pleased to see the Konoha ninja here. "What do you want," she said flatly.

Jansei Ukimasu, who gave a slight hum of disapproval as the girl sat down, said, "This is my niece, Tsureru Kichigai. Tsuru, this is Kakashi, Sakura and Kakashi. You have been sent to 'retrieve' her, or more like escort, and take her back to Konoha. Her parents were originally from Konoha, but were sent out on a long term mission to spy on neighboring Hidden Villages. It was a top secret intelligence mission, but they were well suited for the job. They had been the top ninja in infiltration, secrecy, and intelligence gathering. They had been given this mission before Ainako, Tsuru's mother, became pregnant. This was about seventeen years ago. They infiltrated the Land of Bears and Hoshigakure, the Village Hidden among the Stars. You have all heard of the meteor that was there?"

"I had a mission there a few years ago. I was involved with its destruction." Naruto stated.

"Ah, so you all know of it then." Jansei said. She continued. "Well, Tsuru was born there. So when Akahoshi took over, people were forced to do the training for the Peacock method. Tsuru's parents were strong, and were of the few that survived the training. They gave birth to Tsuru while there. She didn't know about the infiltration, and because of various reasons, Tsuru's chakra control is incredible. I think it was because her parents had been doing the training when Tsuru was, ah, conceived, and during the early stages of Ainako's pregnancy. Also, Tsuru received a small amount of 'training' in the ways of the Peacock method. But-"

"My parents died. When I was five." Tsuru cut in. Kakashi was slightly taken aback by the coldness of the girl's voice. "The side effects of the training did them in. So I left the village as soon as I officially became a genin at age eight. I pretended to fall into the poison gas valley so they would have thought I died. I didn't need people looking for Hakuchou Oushi." At Naruto's confused expression she said, "That was my name." She continued with the story and said, "I ran and ran, and didn't particularly care what direction I was going in. I eventually wound up in the Land of Rice Fields, but Orochimaru had already taken control, so I guess that makes it the Land of Sound. He was impressed with my chakra control abilities; I could walk on air, slice through things, and was a fairly good healer."

To demonstrate, Tsuru flicked a finger in Naruto's direction and suddenly small scratch appeared on his cheek. "Ah! How'd you do that?" he asked nervously.

Quickly getting back to the explanation at hand, Tsuru said, "Orochimaru saw me: angry, lost, alone, and talented. He employed me in his village and when I wasn't on missions, I was training. That was when I changed my name to Tsureru Kichigai. The majority of my training was with nin-and gen- jutsu, but I did some tai-jutsu to have all the bases covered. I became a Chunin officially a few years ago, but I had been at Chunin level for several years. I know what you're thinking and yes, I was part of the force that attacked Konoha. I was obeying orders. Anyways, on a mission about a year ago, I had to head down to Konoha to see what they were doing. So when I passed this village on my way down there, my aunt, whose existence I never knew of before I met her, caught me off guard and stuck a kunai in me. When I turned around to retaliate, she knocked me right upside the head and knocked me unconscious. When I woke up I was in here, and to make what could become an even longer story short, I'm going back to Konoha. Not by choice to be honest," she added with a scowl.

Naruto and Sakura stared on in awe and confusion, and Kakashi nodded sagely. "I remember hearing the news that your parents had died. Because they had already passed on, it was no longer deemed necessary for their existence to be confidential."

"Yeah, well, don't go wasting your pity on me. I don't like being pitied." Tsureru snapped. "Why do I have to go back with these guys anyways? I wasn't born a Konoha ninja; I see no reason to become one."

Jansei glared at her niece and said through gritted teeth, "You were born as a Konoha ninja. You just never knew it. Your parents didn't tell you about the infiltration because, first of all, you were too young to understand, and it could've jeopardized the whole mission! So you will go to Konoha, you will cooperate with Team Kakashi, and you will not assassinate anyone there!" Her last command had been particularly forceful and Sakura and Naruto gave each other slightly nervous looks.

Tsuru glared back at her aunt for a while, but gave in with a grudging huff and muttered, "Fine." Turning on Team Kakashi she yelled, "Well, are you going to take me or not?" She was obviously not pleased with the aspect of going back to Konoha, but whether it was because of her attachments to Orochimaru, or simply the fact that she had not known her identity for at least fourteen years, Kakashi and company had no idea.

Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi exchanged glances, and Naruto said, "Actually, we were thinking to just head out in the morning, so we can travel by daylight. Do you think we could stay at your house?"

Tsuru yelled out "NO DAMN WAY!" the same instant her aunt said, "Sure, no problem." Bewildered, Tsuru turned on Jansei, "What the hell, Jansei-san? You're letting these total strangers stay at our house? How do you know they won't do something immoral or perverted?"

As Tsuru seethed beside her, Jansei calmly stated, "Having them stay here is merely an act of hospitality and generosity. An aspect of humanity you still lack after all those years with the damn snake bastard. It will be a good chance to get to know each other, seeing as how you will probably be on the same team after this."

"What?!" Tsuru and Naruto yelled at the same time.

"I have to be-

"We have to be-

"- set up with these-"

"- on a team with-"

"- Leaf wimps?!"

"- this psycho?!"

Both Naruto and Tsuru had gotten to their feet and were pointing to the other. When they realized they had basically said the same thing at the same time, they glared at each other. Sakura sighed and muttered, "What a lovely start," before getting to her feet and saying, "Thank you for your generosity Jansei-san. We apologize for being a burden." With that, her humble act was discarded and she roughly grabbed Naruto by the collar and dragged him backward into the yard. Loud screaming and bangs could be heard for the next several minutes and when Sakura and Naruto rejoined the group, Naruto had mysteriously gotten a black eye, a broken nose, and several cuts and bruises. Tsuru had angrily stomped back to her room while Sakura and Naruto were outside, and rejoined the group only for dinner that evening.

Jansei had cooked a large pot of Kimchi soup with tofu and beef. "I'm sorry dinner is so basic, but Tsuru and I live a basic life out here," she said apologetically. "And you've been such a help with the cooking."

"No problem," Sakura said as she chopped up some spring onion to add to the soup. "It's the least we could do in return for letting us spend the night." Kakashi nodded from behind his book and Naruto muttered agreement. They all sat around the table and little conversation passed due to Tsuru's murderous mood. After dinner, the kitchen was cleaned up and Jansei showed their guests to the spare bedrooms where they would be staying.

It was late at night and Kakashi was still awake. He couldn't help but feel that there was something Tsuru wasn't telling them. He began pacing the room he was sharing with Naruto, who was sleeping deeply, and soon began to feel the need for open spaces. He exited through the window and jumped to the roof only to see Tsuru gazing up at the stars with her back to him. He considered either leaving as if he were never here, or catching her off guard, but his plans were foiled when she said, "I know you're there. You're the one with the mask."

"You heard me land on the roof." It was a statement, not a question. But Tsuru answered anyways, "That, and I sensed your chakra. I can match chakra to faces after one or two meetings." It was a statement of fact, not bragging.

"You're quite skilled with chakra aren't you?" Kakashi said, sitting next to her, but still not looking directly at her. If she had indeed learned the Peacock method, she would be a valuable asset to the team. "How is it that you haven't died from the Peacock method?" he asked.

"I only took very little training in it. I was born with superhuman control. For whatever reason it was, my mother was in the star temple when I was born. The radiation from it affected me and I had a huge amount of chakra and pinpoint control over it." She demonstrated by walking off the roof and seemingly hovering in midair. "I refused to learn the Peacock thing, but was forced to take one week of training in it before I could become a Genin. After that, I did my own fiddling around and experimenting. Walking on air for me is much like walking on water. And I don't need to do a jutsu to gain control. I always have it. That's why I didn't want to do the Peacock training; I didn't need it."

Kakashi looked at Tsuru as she walked back onto the roof and sat in her spot again. "You seemed to be extremely reluctant to return to Konoha. I suppose Orochimaru has really driven his hatred into you. You were part of the attack force on Konoha. You killed our ninja didn't you?" Kakashi's voice was neither scolding nor angry when he said this. It was like he was talking about the nighttime sky.

"Yes, but I didn't reach my quota." When Kakashi asked what she meant she replied, "Orochimaru told us that we were to kill a certain of ninja each. I had eliminated six of yours and was going to head to the exam arena to make sure everyone there was gone. While I was there, some crazy guy with a bowl haircut and wearing a green spandex jumpsuit knocked me out. Luckily, Kabuto revived me and we escaped after Orochimaru's battle with the Third was over."

"Your quota was ten?" Kakashi asked. Most quotas were round numbers and multiples of five. Tsuru nodded, confirming his guess. A small smile hid under his mask when he recognized the description of Guy. "You speak of killing and murder so apathetically. You were an assassinator for Orochimaru, weren't you?" Tsuru nodded again.

"I had never had any particularly close attachments to anyone. My parents died when I was young, so I was cared for by a neighbor, but I never loved them. I had matured emotionally very quickly. Orochimaru was just a superior ninja so I have some sort of respect for him. I guess I care for my aunt though."

Kakashi hummed in acknowledgement. He didn't say anything, but he could feel the waves of inner turmoil coming off of her as clearly as the breeze flowing around them. She had been taught for years by Orochimaru hate and destroy Konoha, only to find out a year ago that she is from there. Now she has to go back, and face the people she had tried to conquer. As he pondered all this, he was surprised to hear quiet sobs coming from Tsuru. She had seemed calloused and cold when they first met, but now, all alone besides for Kakashi, she let down her guard and let the tears flow.

"They'll hate me," she said inbetween sobs. "I worked for Orochimaru and tried to kill them and take over with him. They'll all hate me." Tsureru's sobs became more dramatic, and Kakashi placed a comforting arm around her shoulder. He was about to say something, but was cut off when Tsureru flung herself onto him and cried into his chest. Completely taken aback by this dramatic behavior, he awkwardly wrapped his arms around her and she soon cried herself to sleep. Even in sleep, she still fought with pain and agony, and moaned and writhed with pain as she lay in his grasp. Despite her request, more like demand, earlier today against pitying her, Kakashi felt profoundly sorry for the girl sleeping in his arms.

He picked her up bridal style and nimbly leaped down to the ground. As he turned to re-enter the home, he couldn't help but notice how beautiful Tsureru's face was, streaked with tears as it was, when it was in the moonlight. Instead of the perpetual scowl she had worn during the day, her face was free of anger and frustration. Her ebony hair shone in the light of the full moon and her full lips were slightly parted. She shifted slightly in his arms as he crossed over the threshold and a small smile made her face even more lovely. Kakashi realized where his thoughts were leading and shook himself mentally. She was a probably future team member and about ten years his junior. He couldn't afford to be thinking those kinds of thoughts.

He reached Tsureru's room and gently placed her on the bed and covered her up. He was about to leave and go back to his room when he suddenly turned back. He picked up a soft washcloth from her adjoining bathroom and gently wiped her face free of tears. With that, he swiftly and silently returned to his room, but sleep was still hours away.

AN: yay! i started a new fanfic! I love Kakashi, so I made this in honor of him and since I have too much spare time /grin/ read and review and what not...