If it wasn't for the fact that Kushina had had unpleasant dealings while helping the village doctor in the past, she would have screamed. However, she was able to keep the shocked noises to a minimum and only gave out a little squeak that would have been undignified had there been anyone conscious enough to hear it. Thankfully, her boys were in the other room arguing loudly about who was the bigger crybaby, it sounded like Obito was losing.

The object of her sudden alarm? A man, his eyes fluttering closed as he pitched forward, had arrived at her doorstep half-dead, his blond hair streaked with dirt —and is that blood? Another startled squeak nearly escaped her when she barely managed to catch the man as he fell. Instead, a string of profanities tumbled off her tongue loud enough to catch the attention of the boys in the other room.

"Kushina-san, what's wrong?" That was Kakashi. Unlike Obito, he never took to calling her Onee-chan.

"D-don't come in here!" Unfortunately, her protest came too late as the boys, Obito in the lead, scampered into the room like a pair of puppies. Kushina carefully laid the man down as the youngsters gathered around, each with their own exclamations of shock.

"Is he dead!?" Cried Obito as he backed away, unconsciously hiding himself behind Kakashi, who was staring wide-eyed at the man. Kushina noticed Kakashi's clenched fists and the way Obito's eyes misted with tears. She quickly ushered them away from the man bleeding all over the floor and pushed them into the bedroom.

"You two stay here, I'm gonna take him to Dr. Nohara." Kushina said, wiping her hands free of blood and water to give them each a squeeze.

"But Kushina-san, he's already dead." Kakashi told her quietly, eyes withdrawn.

"He's not dead. I can feel a pulse," Kushina replied, giving the boys a smile she hoped was reassuring, "He'll be all right in the doctor's hands."

Closing the door behind her, she returned to the stranger on the floor. Studying him more closely, she realized he was wearing a jounin uniform complete with weapon pouches she was sure were stocked with kunai and shuriken. Heart pounding with the thought that she could be kneeling beside an enemy, she took her sleeve and wiped the mud away from his hitai-ate, the symbol of Konoha calmed her frightened mind.

"Not an enemy then." She breathed, thoughts of what she might've had to do to him passed from her mind. She knelt still for a moment, wondering at the possibility of bringing him more harm during the journey ahead of them. Telling the boys she would take him to the doctor was one thing, actually bringing herself to lug the heavy man all the way there was something entirely different.


The day had started out a tad bit peculiar for eleven year old Rin Nohara. First, classes at the village school had been canceled, according to the poor rain soaked boy who had been tasked with spreading the message. What unforgivable sin he had committed to be picked for the job was unknown to Rin. Maybe he just likes the rain, she pondered.

The second peculiarity, although not unexpected, it was in fact pouring rain outside, was the nice lady who runs the herb shop several blocks away didn't come in at the usual time to deliver the supply of medicinal herbs to her father, the village doctor. Rin likes Kushina-san, she's happy that Kushina-san is the caretaker of Kakashi and Obito. The two boys are her best friends in school and she loves them both, though she'd never tell Obito that she loves Kakashi a bit more.

This third peculiar event definitely takes the cake, Rin decided as she opened the door, revealing a soaking wet Kushina-san, half-carrying, half-dragging an unconscious person behind her.

"Hey there, Rin-chan," Kushina started, grunting as she tried and failed to heft the person more onto her shoulder, "Is the doc in?"

"U-um.." Rin started, her mind still trying to catch up with the situation. A moment of silence reigned, in which Kushina-san got increasingly impatient, before Rin turned around to shout.

"Daaaaad!" She screamed with all her might, "Kushina-san's got a patient for you!"

The sound of footsteps were heard before a man, his grey-brown hair flopping wildly about, burst into the room.

"Where's the patient?" He asked, following the silent pointing of his daughter to the door where Kushina awaited. He rushed forward, taking the injured man from Kushina and bringing him into the examination room at the back of the clinic.

"What happened to him? Did you see who attacked him? These wounds were made by a kunai! Did the enemy shinobi get away?"

When bombarded by the doctor with these questions, Kushina's already fragile state of mind worsened and pacing outside the door to the room was all she could do to keep calm.

"I don't know!" She shouted her answer through the door, "He just showed up at my house all injured and bleeding, you know!"

She would've been embarrassed for the slip into her verbal tick had it not been for the questions pressing at her mind. Had there been an enemy shinobi? If so, where have they gone?


Kakashi was normally one to stay calm but seeing the injured man on the floor of their home had sent his mind spinning. That man was a shinobi. From what village, Kakashi didn't know, nor did it matter because in his eyes all shinobi are evil. It was shinobi who had driven he and his father away from their home. It was they who had plunged his father into depression and ultimately it was they who had plunged his father's tanto through his body.

"Who do you think he is, Kakashi? He was wearing a hitai-ate which means he's a shinobi, right?" Obito asked, his eyes alight with curiosity. He didn't know it was because of shinobi that Kakashi's father had died, he didn't know it was the shinobi way that had broken Kakashi's family. He only knew that Kakashi was different from him and yet the same. Both of them had had their precious people ripped away, both of them have each other, and both of them have Kushina.

"He's no one." Kakashi replied, turning to look out the window, gazing in the direction he knew the doctor's clinic was. Whoever that shinobi was, whatever made him come to this village, only one thing mattered. Kakashi would not let this shinobi take away those precious to him, not again.


Hey, guys! It would be awesome if you could review, I love to hear what you guys think :) I have lots and lots in store for this story so stay tuned.