"Wake up, baka!"

A stinging sensation accompanies the rough shout. Grimacing, I open my eyes to find Kabuto kneeling over me, anger lighting his eyes.

"Where have you sent us?" he demands.

Knowing I have perhaps another five seconds before he slaps me again, I swiftly take in my new surroundings. A dark green canopy of leaves; tall, ancient looking trunks, many bigger around than I; a cacophony of birdsong accompanied by the chattering of small animals; the heady scent of rich soil beneath me.

"We've landed in a forest," I mutter, still groggy.

He administers another undeserved slap to my cheek, grinding his teeth. "I'm well aware we're in a forest. But we're supposed to be at the Hidden Leaf's gate right now. Care to explain?"

Pushing him off me, I prop myself up on my elbows, ignoring the dizziness that threatens to send me to the ground again.

"I must have misjudged the distance," I lie after a moment's hesitation. "The jutsu took more out of me than I'd anticipated. I couldn't complete it and passed out. We must be somewhere in-between the hideout and the Leaf." With another quick glance around, I add optimistically, "Judging by the greenery around us, I'd say we're not far from the village, though."

Again, he rears back. I tense, waiting for the blow, but he refrains.

Kneading the bridge of his nose beneath his spectacles, he huffs, "Fantastic. Can you not handle the simplest of tasks, baka?"

Can you not give me a more respectful title? I think, but I remain silent.

He rises, viciously yanking me with him by my collar. "Get moving. If we're to make decent time we have to hurry."

"Do you even know which way we're going?" I ask skeptically, rubbing my neck.

Looking over his shoulder, he spears me with a death glare. With an obviously tremendous effort, he ignores my tone, his head swiveling back and forth in search of something.

"There," he declares, releasing me to point to an especially thick patch of undergrowth. "I hear running water. You know what to do."

Legs feeling like lead, I trudge over to the indicated spot. Sure enough, when I brush aside the limbs of the bushes, a small stream is revealed trickling by at a leisurely place.

Aiko? Naoto whispers at the back of my mind.

You've done enough, I snap, kneeling on the muddy bank. Just shut up and let me concentrate!

His presence withdraws, leaving behind a lingering trail of his guilt. I swallow my own and focus on the task at hand.

Stretching my fingertips out, I focus a small amount of my remaining chakra on the edge of each finger. Characteristically blue orbs form, flickering above the water. I plunge the spheres into the water and close my eyes, concentrating. Pictures begin to flash before my closed lids, telling the history of the water as it passes.

A leaf drifts downward, causing ripples as it lands lazily on the surface of the water.

Flies buzz along the banks, alternating between the air above ground to the air above water. One makes the mistake of flying too close to the stream and is ensnared by a large, dully colored catfish as it leaps up.

Two ducks swim with the current, one female, the other male. Both have dark feathers and vividly orange beaks. They float along side-by-side for a while. Suddenly, a fox appears along the banks, pawing at the smaller female. She honks desperately, pleading with her companion to rescue her, but he only spreads his wings and flees, leaving the trapped fowl to her fate.

A monstrous black and white dog laps up water with his long, red tongue. His bushy tail wags, his ears drooping into the water. A boy shouts in the distance, "Break's over, Akamaru. Let's hit the road." The enormous canine lifts his head and yips. Suddenly, the boy who spoke appears beside the dog, resting his hand on his companion's broad back. "Come on boy. Kurunai-sensei told us we have to get moving if we're going to meet the deadline." As the boy speaks, his elongated canines are revealed. His dark hair is as shaggy as that of his dog's, and a headband rests slightly above his hairline. In the center of the silvery metal is an engraving, the swirling symbol showing he is from the Leaf.

I open my eyes, gradually coming back to the present. Kabuto stands over me impatiently. As I pull my fingers from the stream, the orbs fade into oblivion, the jutsu dying with it.

Gesturing upstream, I say, "A shinobi of the Leaf is about to leave his camp about two miles in that direction. If we hurry, I'm sure we'll be able to follow their trail back to the village before it goes cold."

Kabuto grunts in satisfaction, flipping his cloak hood up. "I'm not slowing my pace for you just because you're winded. You'd better keep up."

Without another word, he leaps high into the trees above, leaving me in the dust.

Why does he hate me? I wonder, heaving my body up into the waiting limbs. They still shake from Kabuto's disturbance, though he is already sprinting on branches in the distance.

I follow, breathing heavily. After a few minutes, my steps begin to falter, making apparent my weakened state. My heart pounds like thunder in my ears, but I carry on, determined to see this mission's completion.

Aiko, please hear me. I did not mean to—

You might not have meant to, but you did, I say, cutting Naoto off midsentence. The only danger I've faced so far on this mission has been you and your little stunt. If I fall in battle, you will only have yourself to blame you have weakened me so.

I only did what I did to protect you, Little Bird, he says. Through his gentle façade, I can sense his remorse, though just barely.

Well, you failed, I seethe. Now I am sprinting to catch up with a man who detests me for no apparent reason in a state that is so pitiful that if a single enemy genin where to engage me in battle, I would surely be killed. How do you expect all of this to protect me?

Now I can feel Naoto's anger begin to brew. Defensively, he retorts, Had you listened to me before agreeing to this Godforsaken mission, you wouldn't be in this situation. You would be at home, enjoying a peaceful evening at the hideout.

While Sasuke steals all my glory? I could never be at peace with that thought plaguing my mind.

Then you and I could have trained together. That way you could eventually impress that monstrous father of yours and follow in his footsteps.

Noting the sarcastic tone his voice has taken, I grit my teeth and hiss back, What is that supposed to mean, wolf?

It means you're walking down a dark road! he exclaims, temper finally flying. Think Aiko. Think! The very man you look up to is the same fiend who experimented on you when you were a baby. He constantly runs tests on you that cause you great pain and suffering. Never has he once told you he was proud to be your father, nor has he ever shown you favor over the Uchiha. You yourself quake when he leaves the room, and never any other times because you fear he will punish you for showing such weakness if he sees you cower.

I look on ahead, paying special attention to the branches that fly by my face as I continue to leap from tree to tree. Kabuto can still be seen ahead, but he is no closer to me than he was.

Aiko—Little Bird—if you follow this path, the inhumane ways of this man will surely corrupt you. No longer will you be the carefree girl I came to know so many years ago. Instead you will be hated as he, shunned by your own people.

"Shut up!" I scream aloud.

The noise grabs Kabuto's attention more than anything else I'd done that day. He turns to glance back at me, face still cloaked in shadow.

Suddenly, he halts, crouching low on an especially leafy branch. From the folds of his cloak, he pulls out a kunai, promptly flinging it towards me.