Truth: Everything had worth in this world.

She felt the presence of the man when she was out hunting for berries. There should be raspberries by the stream, and while it was always rough on her to try and find the berries in amongst the thorns, she had a craving and had decided it was worth it.

She was distracted from her thoughts when she felt the presence of another person. She'd ducked behind a tree, staying quiet and listening. There was no movement from that direction, not even the sound of breathing. The presence was a bit faint, almost as if he were asleep.

Slowly, she inched out from around the tree and ventured in that direction.

"Sir?" she asked softly. "Sir?"

No response. Not even a twitch of acknowledgement. She moved forwards, toeing the man with her bare feet. He let out a breath of air. Confused, she knelt beside him and placed her hand on his chest. Almost immediately, she felt warm wet liquid. Her heart sank as she brought her hands to her face. She licked one finger, the metallic tang of blood entering her mouth. He was injured, and badly. Her hands were covered in blood just from this brief brush.

For a moment, she contemplated just leaving and letting him die. It served no purpose for her help him and heal him. She actually could, conceivably, make him feel better. Gathering herbs for such purposes had been one of her many duties, especially right before a raid was planned, and she'd helped patch the men up. Those that weren't too manly to shun medical aid, that was.

Just as quickly, she threw the thought aside. Kimimaro's face drifted in her mind. If someone had found him in this state, she wished beyond anything else they would take him in and heal him. She didn't care if she never saw him after that, so long as she knew he was alive. She didn't even have that luxury.

Mind made up, she grabbed the man under the shoulders and started tugging, pulling him back towards the small cave, really more of a niche in the rock, where she'd made her home in the woods. It was not luxurious, but it was hers, and she was proud of it. She was capable of cooking, sewing, and gathering, so she did not go hungry or want for suitable clothes. The money she'd taken had been enough to buy a few pots and pans, as well as some bedding and thicker clothes for the colder months. There was plenty of wood nearby for fires, and the stream was within easy walking distance.

She set the man down by the fire and fetched her needle and thread, as well as several poultices and tinctures she'd prepared ahead of time. If she ever got injured, she found comfort in knowing that she was prepared to treat herself should she be beyond making usable medicines.


Satoru Minamoto was not an optimistic man. That said, he wasn't a pessimist either. He was a realist, and he knew that, realistically, there wasn't a big chance of him waking up after he collapsed in the woods and being in any state to make a break back to Konoha. He'd thought the escort mission would be easy, which was why he took it on alone. That, and he needed the cash. But he hadn't expected an entire squad of Could-nin to swoop out of nowhere. It was a miracle he made it out of there with his skin mostly connected to his meat.

Satoru blinked his eyes open and found himself lying by a fire. His shirt was gone, and he could see the tattered shreds smoldering on the fire. Might as well use it for heat, as it was nowhere near wearable anymore. He was covered in a blanket, and he shoved it aside, looking down at his torso. His many wounds were covered in clean, white bandages, but he could feel the pull of stitches. He knew by feel that they were well done from extensive experience with having gashes.

That meant someone had found him and tended to him. Either he was about to thank some kindly old hermit, or he was going to have to fight for his life. He was just thinking maybe he might be able to simply sneak away, as there didn't seem to be anyone in the cave, when he saw a small figure shift.

He gaped. It wasn't an enemy, and it certainly wasn't an old hermit. It was a little girl. She stared at him blankly. She was a skinny little thing, slightly dirty, but her clothes were well cared for, if not a bit threadbare. Her face was chubby, but he could see the baby fat was starting to recede, showing prominent cheekbones. Her eyes were a dark blue-green, grey hair parted in a zig-zag. Odd red dots were just above her eyebrows, red smudges under her eyes. He might have thought it was makeup, if not for the fact that the dots were perfectly circular, and also, what homeless kid had makeup? Red dots, that rang a bell… some clan…

"You're awake," the girl said, distracting him. She spoke quietly and cautiously, almost as if she were afraid of him. He couldn't blame her. He was a adult shinobi and she didn't know him. He could easily kill her. "Who are you?"

"How do I know I can trust you?" Satoru asked, although his tone was light. Her eyes narrowed slightly, her jaw hardening.

"You are an adult, male shinobi. How do I know I can trust you?" she shot back with the exact reason he'd just considered.

Inside, she was terrified. This man could kill her, and she knew it. She had her kekkei genkai, sure, but did that mean she knew how to use it? No. She could make a blade, did that mean she could wield one? She could barely use her own power to defend herself, and he had trained for years to fight.

"I'm Satoru Minamoto," he said for the sake of peace. She remained silent. "It's polite to give me your name in response," he goaded gently.

She blinked, looking surprised. "Is it?" she asked, suddenly looking confused. "I'm sorry, I didn't know." It was his turn to blink. Was this girl raised by wolves? "I don't really have a name. The men of my clan called me Nigate though."

Satoru's eyes widened. They didn't give her a name, and then they called her weak? What kind of men did she grow up with? Was if just because she was female, or… He'd noticed that her eyes didn't react when he moved, didn't shift at all.

"Are you... blind?" he ventured. She nodded.

"I am," she said matter-of-factly.

Satoru's heart went out to the little girl. What kind of life had she had, called weak so often she accepted it as a name? He wasn't soft, by any means, but the girl couldn't be more than ten. She was at the age to start at the Academy. She was so young to already be so messed up.

"Do you know what Nigate means?" he asked softly. She shook her head somewhat hesitantly.

"… Does it mean something bad?"

"It means… weak."

"I am not weak!" she snapped immediately.

Rage filled her. All this time, they had called her weak, and she hadn't known? She was not weak! She was blind, not helpless! She may not be worth much, but she had her own strengths and weaknesses just like anyone else. Her weaknesses were just a little more obvious. There was a time she had accepted herself as worthless, but with the discovery of her kekkei genkai and her friendship with Kimimaro, she no longer believed that.

It had become one of the truths of her life. Everyone had worth in this world.

Satoru held up his hands when she burst out, before realizing how fruitless the gesture was. He brought them back to the ground with a sigh.

"I didn't say you were. Whoever you grew up with did. What clan are you from, anyway?" Those marks were really bothering him. He knew he'd heard something about them…

"I am a Kaguya," she said somewhat proudly.

Satoru's eyes widened as he remembered. The Kaguya's were some battle-crazy clan near Mist that had all been slaughtered by the shinobi of that village when they tried to invade. He'd heard some other jonin talking about it a few months ago and had brushed it off, thinking them stupid for even bothering to go against an enemy as powerful as Mist with just a handful of men. Someone had made an offhanded comment about how Kaguyas supposedly had red circles on their foreheads. Apparently there was still one left.

She wasn't what he'd expected from a Kaguya. She was thin, but if she'd dragged him here all by herself, then she was definitely strong. She didn't seem violent though. She hadn't left him to die or simply killed him herself. She brought him back here and tended him. Her blindness would have made her useless to the Kaguyas. She'd probably been a sort of servant to them if anything, otherwise they wouldn't have kept her around at all from what he knew of them.

For a moment, he entertained the thought of bringing the girl back with him to Konoha. When winter hit, this cave wouldn't be livable, no matter how big the fire was, and she'd die. The girl had a couple months to live at most if she stayed here. In Konoha, she could grow up in security. He could sense her chakra, and it wasn't that impressive, but for someone her age, she showed potential. Maybe she could be a shinobi.

And there was that rumor that the Kaguya had a very rare, very powerful kekkei genkai. The chances were slim to none, but…

"Hey kid," he said slowly. "Do you have any kind of ability? I heard the Kaguyas had a pretty impressive kekkei genkai."

She gave him a suspicious look. "If I do, are you going to attack me?"

"No," Satoru replied slowly. "I was thinking about taking you back to my village with me and finding you a better home."

She couldn't believe it. This stranger… yes, he owed her for healing him, but to give her a life with food she didn't have to prepare herself, the possibility of friends or even loving parents… It was unreal, something she'd never thought she'd be able to have. She'd heard of those things, but they had no place in the world where she'd grown up. The idea that she might be able to have them… it blew her mind.

And a shinobi village. If she could become a shinobi, she would never again be called weak. If she could triumph over her disability, no one would ever be able to look down on her again. She would be the fighter the Kaguya always told her she could not be. She could make the Mist shinobi pay for killing Kimimaro. She could carry on and live for him, experience all the things he never got to. And when she died, she'd find him in the afterlife and tell him all about it, just like she always had.

She had no hesitation as she held out her arm, a bone pushing from her palm. It had hurt at first, and the small amount of blood that leaked out had alarmed her, but with the small amount of practice she was capable of, the pain had lessened and the blood no longer bothered her.

Satoru's eyes widened and he felt vaguely ill. Blood and guts he could handle, but bones… he'd seen too many of them glinting among the wreckage of a person to be completely okay with this display. Still, he sucked it up. If a little kid could handle it, so could he.

And it was an impressive ability. Already Satoru was thinking about all the many advantages the ability to manipulate one's skeletal structure could come in handy in a fight. She could heal a broken bone in no time flat, apparently she could make blades. She could probably make shields as well, maybe even inside her body under the skin. At the end of the day though, it was still just bone.

"How hard is that?" Satoru asked. In response she turned around and struck the wall. The bone slid in like a knife through butter, her palm pressing flat against the wall. She tugged the bone free, leaving a perfect little hole there only visible when the firelight flickered onto it. His eyes widened. The wall of the cave was solid rock, and she'd cut into it like it was nothing.

"Can I see that?" Satoru requested, mildly envious now. He had no kekkei genkai. He'd gotten to be a chunin through pure hard work and determination.

She wordlessly grabbed the bone and tugged, pulling it fully from her palm. The hole in her hand closed up behind it, the blood sucking back into her skin. He knew the medics at the hospital would be envious of that little ability of hers.

He sat up and took the sword from her, shoving the thought that she'd just handed him one of her bones into the back of his mind, and started testing it. He bit it, prodded the point, tried to bend and break it. It gave slightly, but didn't break. He tossed it in the fire, but it didn't crack.

"That's impressive," he said approvingly. "So, do we have a deal? When I'm better, you'll come with me back to Konoha?"

"You would really do that?" she asked, sounding distrustful, but hopeful. He didn't blame her. She probably didn't have much experience with kindness.

"I would. No kid should grow up in a cave. People might say you were raised by wolves," he teased.

She frowned. "I was raised by Kaguyas."

He sighed. This girl would need a lot of work before she was even fit for normal social interaction. "It was a joke…"

"...But it wasn't funny."

"...It was a bad joke."

"I see. Do you tell bad jokes often?"

"… I don't think so."

She went silent and nudged the bone out of the fire, stared at it intently, and it cracked apart. She kicked the bits aside into a corner carelessly. Apparently the bone held up as long as she wanted it to.

"You should rest for at least a day," she advised. "You body needs to heal some before you can move."

"You're the doctor," Satoru said, lying back onto the stone floor. She flushed with pleasure and he grinned slightly. She seemed like a good kid. "You're gonna need a name though, if you're going to be a Konoha shinobi."

"Konoha? Is that your village?" she asked curiously. She moved forwards and sat next to him by the fire, eyes focused intently on his face. Satoru wondered absently how she could tell where it was.

"The Village Hidden in the Leaves," he said proudly. "The largest shinobi village."

"And I will need a name," she repeated. "I… do not like the name Nigate."

"Nobody would," Satoru said wryly.

"I know no other women's names though," she admitted. Satoru blinked.

"Were there no women in your clan?" Satoru asked, startled. Females were a bit important for continuing the clan line…

"Women are weak," she recited, although this time there was an annoyed twist to her mouth as she did. "The men found a woman to sleep with, and if she gave birth the child was brought to the clan. Many died of neglect or illness. The Kaguya do not know how to take care of children. This way ensured only the strongest survived. However, I lived despite my infirmity, so while I could not fight, I was allowed to serve."

"I know a lot of names," Satoru said thoughtfully. "There's a jonin I know named Teruko."

"And what does that mean?" she asked. He looked up at her in surprise. She seemed to sense his look and shrugged in response. "I do not want to unknowingly bear a bad name again."

"I wouldn't give you a bad name," Satoru protested, mildly offended.

"Still, I want to know," she said insisted.

"Uh," he had to wrack his brains. He thought he'd heard her mention it once. "I think it means… shining child?"

She pondered for a moment, and shook her head. "I don't think I like that name."

"Okay, what about… Rin? That one means dignified."

"Am I dignified?" she pondered. "I don't really think so. That would not be a good name for me."

"Why does the meaning matter to you so much?" Satoru mused. It was odd. Sometimes people took pride in the meaning of their names if it was something grand, sometimes they were simply named for their order they were born, other times the meaning was ironic or contrasted with their personality. Overall though, most people didn't care much.

"Your name is who you are," she said strongly. "It is what others know you as. Isn't it deceitful to be known for something you're not? I don't think it matters so much as an object versus a trait. Clearly someone would know you are not a… a stool or something, but they won't know you aren't dignified until they know you for a while."

That made a kind of twisted sense, even though most people were forgiven any discrepancies between their name and personality seeing as they were named as a baby. She didn't have that luxury, so it was understandable that she wanted a name that fit her well.

"Hitomi means pupil," Satoru ventured, unsure if he'd just crossed a line. "That might be a bit to on the nose though…"

She thought that one over for a minute. "I don't think that would be a good choice. Do you… know any flower names?"

"Huh?" Satoru blinked. She wanted something that fit her, and she jumped straight to flowers? "You mean like Ran? That means orchid."

"Like that, but not that one," she said, shaking her head. "He didn't really like orchids."

"Who?" Satoru pressed, eager to find out more about the girl. She smiled sadly.

"My only friend. He loved flowers. He died when my clan attacked the Mist village. I am doing this, going with you, for him. He always wanted to live a free life, but he was never able to, so I will live it for him."

Satoru blinked. This ten-year-old kid was one of the most disturbingly mature children he'd ever met. He supposed being surrounded by people like the Kaguyas she'd probably had to grow up fast. She'd probably experienced death and disdain since she was born and was used to how harsh the world could be. That would make it easier for her to accept some of the missions other struggled with. Maybe he really had made a good choice in taking her with him.

"There's Sakura," he began again. "That means cherry- oh, wait, I think there's already a girl about your age with that name at the Academy."

"I don't want to take her name from her," she said hastily. "It's hers."

"Ume means plum blossom."

She shook her head. "I have never seen those."

"Aoi is hollyhock."

"I don't know what that is either."

"How about Chika? That just means scattered flowers."

"But he liked them in a line," she said thoughtfully. "Not scattered."

Satoru didn't quite know how to respond to that. "Okay, uh… Kiku means chrysanthemum."

"I don't much like that either. It sounds rough."

"I'm running out of flower names here," Satoru complained.

"But you're not out yet," she noticed. He sighed.

"Alright, alright. Umm… Sayuri means lily?" he suggested.

"Lily," she mused. "He liked lilies… I will be Sayuri," she said decidedly. Her face went somewhat hesitant. "Do you know what Kimimaro means?"

"Kimimaro?" he repeated. "Is that your friend?"

She nodded. "I'm hoping he doesn't have a bad name."

"Oh, um… I think Kimi means noble, and I'm not sure after that."

"Noble," she mused, and smiled. "Yes, that is a nice name to have."

The newly-christened Sayuri made dinner for more than just herself for the first time in months that night. Knowing she was going to leave soon, she had no problem pulling out all of the stops. There was a thick, hearty stew, roots, and berries. She even made tea with one of the few packets she'd bought on her trip through the village, saving for a special occasion.

"You're a pretty good cook!" Satoru grinned around a bite of stew. He popped a few berries into his mouth. Thus far he'd been avoiding the roots.

"It was one of my primary duties," Sayuri explained.

"Huh. And what were your other duties?"

"I was to mend and wash clothes, prepare the clan's meals, keep the camp relatively clean, gather food and herbs, and feed Kimimaro," she recited.

"I see. Three meals a day for... how many years?"

"I don't know," Sayuri admitted. "I'm not sure how old I am. I think I am about ten."

"Ten… probably around there. Anyway, that's a lot of practice."

"Eat," Sayuri encouraged, dipping more stew into his bowl. "You will need your strength for tomorrow."

"That's something I've been thinking about," Satoru began somewhat hesitantly. "Is your… disability going to slow us down?" He was wary of offending her in some way. "See, most ninja run in the trees. Are you able?"

"I... think so," Sayuri admitted, shaking her head. "I can hear very well. I will hear where your feet land and I will follow."

"It's not just about knowing where to go," Satoru disagreed. "It's about balance and strength. It takes a lot to keep the pace for a long time."

Sayuri cocked her head. "I am stronger than most girls," she said slowly. "But I am not a shinobi. I will not be able to do what you can do, even after I am trained, I don't think, purely by virtue of my gender. But I will try my best. I will consider this an exercise to build my muscles and learn to pace myself."

Satoru stared at her. This ten-year-old kid just kept blowing my mind. There were plenty of little kids he'd seen who wanted to grow up and be the best without having to build up their muscles. They just thought they could suddenly do these things after one lesson. She understood what most children had to be taught – that it wasn't easy to be a shinobi, and you had to do everything you could to become stronger.

"Are you annoyed that I might slow you down?" she asked suddenly. He blinked.

"What?"

"You stopped chewing," she noted. Satoru realized he had.

"No, just thinking."

"I see," Sayuri nodded. She spooned stew into her mouth slowly and deliberately, chewed, and swallowed. "Do you think I would be a good shinobi?" she asked softly. She touched her eyelids. "I know I will always have to struggle, and I know that I will be at a disadvantage to everyone else. But could I still be of some use?"

"Oh yes," Satoru said confidently. "That kekkei genkai of yours will help keep you alive, I think, and it's a pretty good compliment to your blindness, is a way."

"How so?" Sayuri frowned.

"Well, you can manipulate all your bones, right?"

"Yes, though I haven't been able to practice much."

"Well, you could force bones out to keep enemies back if you can't see them. We'll have to hone your reflexes in case you miss something at first," Satoru said, mind rolling back to the days when he had trained Academy students. He hadn't taught in a couple years. He remembered developing training for each of them based on their strengths and weaknesses. "And if you could spread that bone all the way under your skin, like a membrane… It would be like armor, protecting your internal organs. You'd still have to watch for blood loss, but… I think you could be a very good kunoichi."

"Kunoichi?" Sayuri said blankly.

"Female ninja," he explained, setting his empty bowl aside. Sayuri lowered her eyes.

"Oh, I see. I suppose there is more than I thought that I have to learn. A whole new language." She paused and looked up. "I will be the laughingstock of this Academy you told me about, won't I?"

Satoru contemplated for a moment. "You don't have to start immediately. We could take a few days and work on the basics so you don't go in blind… so to speak."

"You're not going to offend me by mentioning that I'm blind, unless you're purposefully being cruel," Sayuri pointed out. "I'm well aware that I'm blind."

Satoru gave a self-deprecating smile. "It's just going to take some getting used to for me. I don't hang out with kids much."

"I imagine not. Sleep," Sayuri encouraged. "You are not fully healed, and the rest will do you good for our traveling tomorrow. I still have to pack."

"What do you have to pack?" Satoru asked blankly. "Konoha will supply you with a furnished apartment seeing as you're a minor shinobi-in-training."

"I still need clothes, the spare money I have left, and the flowers."

"What flowers?" Satoru said blankly, casting around. There were no bright spots of color that would indicate flowers anywhere around the cave.

Sayuri stood and moved deftly around the fire, guiding herself with the feel of the heat towards the bed of blankets. She reached into the small gap between them and the wall and began drawing out the flowers one by one and setting them out in a line for Satoru to see.

"Who made these?" he asked in surprise, picking up a highly-detailed dandelion. He turned it over in his hand, admiring the texture added to the flower itself. "That Kimimaro friend of yours?"

"I did. I made them for him," Sayuri admitted. Satoru looked at her in surprise, and then his glance slid to her hands. They were scarred, cuts and nicks decorating the fingers and palms, just like the hands of any other woodworker he'd ever seen. He supposed she was used to living purely off what she felt and heard, so translating what she touched into the wood with a large amount of accuracy was probably very easy for her.

"They're very good," Satoru praised. "You could make a fortune off these in the market."

"I'm not selling them!" Sayuri snapped. Even the idea of selling the flowers Kimimaro so treasured turned her stomach.

Satoru held up his hands defensively. "I didn't say you had to. But if you ever needed cash, you could definitely sell carvings. You're pretty good."

"Thank you," Sayuri said, dipping her head politely. "Rest," she insisted. "I will pack and you can return home in the morning."


Go Sayuri, way to have a decent name! An a bit of backbone! Told you she wasn't going to be Miss Doormat for long.