The Naruto characters (c) Masashi Kishimoto.
Ogawa Lutra (c) me, Lutra-Gem
Inuzuka Tsume stood before the Hokage, awaiting his news for her.
The chuunin who had delivered the Sandaime's request had informed her that the matter was urgent and concerned her family. Now her pack instinct was making her fidgety; the presence of another ninja was not soothing her at all, especially since he was from a foreign village.
Sarutobi noticed her restlessness, and decided to be as brief as reasonably possible.
"Tsume-san, I have called you here both to inform you of news and to give you a mission of sorts. An envoy," he said, glancing at the shinobi standing quietly at the window, "from the Hidden Mist has come to ask the Hidden Leaf to take in a child." He drew a piece of paper from one of the ever-present piles on his desk, scanned it, and then looked up after confirming something. "Your aunt married into the Ogawa family, a Hidden Mist clan." It wasn't a question. "I'm sorry to inform you that the last of the Ogawa nin was killed in action a month ago; your cousin, Miharu."
Tsume's eyes widened as she slammed her hands down on his desk, disturbing one of the piles. "What? How did this happen? Even jounin need highly advanced specialised jutsu to detect them when they're on the evasive! And Miharu… Miharu was one of the best, dammit!" Sarutobi observed that her nails were digging slightly into the wood.
Nodding tiredly, Sarutobi locked his fingers together, leaning his chin heavily on them. "While I am less familiar with the clans of the other villages than our own, I am curious as to how so many members of the clan were killed within such a short timeframe."
"How short?" Tsume asked.
"Three months."
Tsume spun to look at the Mist shinobi, who hadn't even turned from the window as he spoke. "Three months?"
"Three months."
"But… that's over thirty nin! Who can kill that many in just three months?"
"We don't know. We suspect that it may be someone, or a group of people with specialised tracking jutsu," he answered, finally looking over his shoulder at Tsume, who growled as she realised his implication, "or those with doujutsu." The shinobi locked eyes with Sarutobi, who nearly let a pained look flicker across his face. He was fully aware that the Hidden Leaf was home to two of the 'Three Doujutsu': the Byakugan and the Sharingan. "However," the shinobi continued, "we do not believe that the Hidden Leaf is responsible. A... a rogue nin is the most likely candidate."
Although Sarutobi was highly relieved that a political situation involving the two villages would not occur, he did not fail to notice the man's reluctance to elaborate on the identity of the rogue nin.
The shinobi then turned to face Tsume, who still looked irritated. "Inuzuka-san, a child – about six years of age – has been left unscathed. As her closest living relative, I must ask if you would take her in, at least until she becomes a genin. At that point, which village she joins and her further training will be discussed. Can I ask you to do that?"
Tsume didn't even hesitate to nod. "An orphaned pup of the extended Inuzuka pack needs help; I would be nothing if I did not uphold that."
The shinobi bowed. "Many thanks, Inuzuka-san. I will ensure that the girl is prepared to leave the village in seven day's time," he said. He then bowed to Sarutobi, and turned to leave.
"Wait," Tsume said. He stopped in the doorway at Tsume's request. "What should I know about the girl, and how come it too a whole month for you to approach the Inuzuka clan?"
The shinobi didn't turn as he answered. "Her name is Ogawa Lutra, and she is the daughter of Ogawa Shun and Ogawa Miharu. She is six years old, and appears to have inherited the family kekkei genkai very strongly. The reason we did not make contact as soon as we knew of Miharu's death is because we only found out that she existed two weeks ago, when she submitted, in surprisingly good handwriting, a benefits form concerning her new status as an orphan of ninja parents."
Tsume stared open-mouthed at the back of his head for a moment, and then regained her composure. "Didn't know she existed? How?"
Shrugging, the shinobi answered, "Nin aren't registered on the village documents until they start their education, and the Ogawa clan prefer not to declare children to the civil authorities. And I'm sure you, of all people, know how hard it is to find them without their approval." With that, he left.
Tight-lipped, Tsume turned to Sarutobi. She looked distinctly like she wanted to maul the indifferent shinobi. "Weren't aware of her existence," she said angrily.
"Tsume…"
She sighed. "I'm sorry, Hokage-sama. I will leave to make preparations for… Lutra's arrival, and then in two days I will leave for Kirigakure." She bowed, and then left the room, fists clenched and still muttering.
Sarutobi looked after her sympathetically, and wished that the village felt the same way about a certain, small blond boy.
My first relatively serious Naruto fanfic; please let me know what you like or dislike! I can take harsh criticism, just so long as it's not pure abuse. I'm new to the site, but I'll try and get back to reviewers if I can work out how.