"Yeah, same here..." she replied hesitantly, still feeling a little awkward at the whole situation. How did she end up here? Why couldn't she remember what happened?

"Um..." she started, but stopped, not sure of how to compose her question.

"Yes?" Kakashi answered, seemingly eager to help her fill in the blanks. She hesitated for a minute, but finally found the right words.

"The nurse that was in here; told me you found me in the woods? Not sure how I ended up there but...was there anyone else there with me?"

Curious as to how she couldn't remember why she was out there, Kakashi gave her some insight on what happened when he and his team stumbled upon her the day prior.

"You were alone; lying at the base of a tree next to some brush. Then, we brought you here. Why, was someone else with you?"

"Yeah, I--" she broke off suddenly, thinking about how to explain the situation. "I was with three others, but I guess we got separated. I don't know where they are, but I'd like to find them, if that's alright. I promise we'll be out of your way quickly." she proposed, feeling a touch of angst encroaching upon her. Hopefully she could reunite with the others, and they would all be on their way. A peaceful resolution in her mind.

"Well, if your companions were with you, they may have already entered the village. I can take you to meet the Hokage when you feel up to it. We keep a vigilant watch over all who live here. But, if they are dressed anything like you, I'm sure they won't be hard to find." he offered in reassurance.

"I'm perfectly fine." she countered. Her quick response appeared to intrigue him.

"Well, I suppose I'll be escorting you then." he replied with an intense stare that sent a chill through her body, albeit she was a stranger, it still seemed like he didn't believe what she told him. She could understand why she wouldn't be trusted to wander around alone though. They didn't know her. All she could do was abide by their laws to gain their trust.

Regardless of how dangerous it might be, she knew she had no other option other than to follow this man.

"Thank you. I am in your debt." she said, trying to sound as confident as possible.

"You're cooperative and respectful, that's good." he murmured to himself as he turned and started heading for the door. Upon reaching it, he stopped and faced Harata again. "Coming?" he asked, as she hadn't moved from her spot yet.

"Oh, right..." she said as she walked over to the door and waited for him to exit, before doing so herself.

Once they reached the front of the clinic, the woman who had was assigned to be Harata's nurse came running over to Kakashi.

"Oh, you done visiting now?" she questioned, but paused once she saw Harata trailing behind him.

"Yes." Kakashi intervened. "By the way...she'll be coming with me." he finished. The nurse, with a quizzical, yet flustered look on her face merely shook her head and smiled.

"I had a feeling that might be the case. Well then, it was nice meeting you young lady. Try to stay safe out there, although, if you've got Kakashi with you, you'll be absolutely fine!" she teased.

Kakashi smiled and chuckled nervously while rubbing the back of his head. "I'm nothing special." he replied modestly.

"So, he is strong. Guess I was right to trust him" Harata thought to herself as she snuck a glance up at him, averting her eyes when he looked down at her.

"I might be overstepping my boundaries a little, but aren't you a little young to be traveling without adult supervision?" he inquired.

"What?! How young do you think I am?!" Harata blurted out uncontrollably. Both Kakashi and the nurse bore looks of surprise at her boisterous outburst, and stared at her for a moment, before the nurse spoke up.

"Fourteen?" she guessed, with an apologetic expression.

"fourteen?!" Harata repeated in disbelief. She knew she was a little short for her age, but that assumption was just ridiculous!

Kakashi wasn't wide eyed like the nurse, but still was fairly shocked by this seemingly calm young woman yelling so abruptly.

Realizing how loud she had been, Harata gathered her thoughts, and sighed deeply before responding.

"Apologies, but no I'm not fourteen, I'm twenty." she finished.

"Twenty...I thought because you were-- hehe, sorry!" the nurse apologized profusely.

"No, it's okay. I'm guessing you thought I was a kid cause I'm short, right?" Harata interrogated, as the nurse's eyes grew comically big and started to water.

"I'm so sorry!" the nurse apologized again, smiling nervously at Harata.

"No really, it's okay...it happens a lot back home anyway, so I should be use to it by now." Harata reassured.

"Really? You poor thing. That must be frustrating." the nurse replied, snapping out of her incoherent ramblings.

"No seriously, it's fine. I'm the shortest in my clan anyway. My mom and older sister tower over me--" she broke off mid sentence. "Like I said before it's okay." she said abruptly, her face flushing a deep red as she put her head down in embarrassment for talking so familiarly.

She didn't even notice how much private information she had divulged until she heard Kakashi chuckle, which made her start getting flustered. Trying to distance herself from that entire exchange, she started heading toward what looked like the entrance to the clinic.

"I hope I didn't make her mad, she seemed a little upset." the nurse worried aloud, as Kakashi nodded in a 'goodbye' manner and followed Harata.

"Well that was interesting." he said as they stepped out into the bright, warm sunlight. Harata, ignoring his snarky comment folded her arms and remained silent. But upon seeing the village for the first time, her attitude changed quickly. It was so inviting and...normal. She hadn't expected that from a village full of assassins.

She marveled at the view; it was like she stepped into the feudal era. But it also reminded her of her home somehow. It seemed so peaceful and free. There were food stands, shrines, and all kinds of monuments.

"This place, was quite a sight to behold" she thought as she spun her head left and right trying to take in everything all at once. "Shocking..." she mumbled, thinking she said it low enough for Kakashi not to hear.

"Agreed, it is quite a lovely view." he said jokingly, snapping Harata out of her awestruck trance, as she cleared her throat to speak.

"Yeah. It's uh, really nice." she replied, slightly annoyed by her inability to keep her mouth shut as of recent.

There were people wandering around in very similar attire. Kids running about freely. If it weren't for the way everyone dressed, one could assume that it was just a regular small town, dedicated to old traditions.

"Uh, this leader of yours...will they be able to help me?" she asked without thinking.

"The Hokage is the mosted trusted and strongest shinobi in Konoha village." he replied simply, knowing that would suffice for her.

"Oh, I see. You sure they're not too busy to care about a trivial matter like mine?" she questioned, hoping for another swift answer.

"Well you're situation is, how should I put it? Special. It involves the overall security of this village." he retorted.

Harata understood exactly what he meant. Though she couldn't help but notice how carefully he chose his words, as if not to reveal information needlessly until she could be trusted. However she wasn't offended. Her ruler never secured an ally by not trusting them first. So this wasn't a foreign concept to her.

Unaware that Kakashi had resumed walking, she ran to catch up with him, so as not to get lost. Once they reached the Hokage's residence, he went inside, leaving her to wait outside.

With nothing else to do but wait for Kakashi, Harata found herself admiring the fine craftsmanship of the aged structure. She leaned against the wall leading to the entrance and looked out over the horizon, noticing a cliffside monument off in the distance.

She gazed at it awhile, wondering who the men were whose faces were carved into the side, until she heard the doors open.

Out walked a man with brown hair fashioned into a topknot ponytail.

"Oh, I didn't realize anyone was out here. Sorry if I startled you." the man said apologetically, with a friendly smile.

Harata gave a small nod of acknowledgement toward the man.

"Hold on, are you the one Kakashi's team found the other day?" he suddenly asked. He seemed nice enough, so she decided to answer him. "I suppose so... but does everyone know about what happened with me or something?"

"She's pretty perceptive..." he thought to himself, not expecting such a direct question, he chuckled nervously and scratched his nose.

"Well, not everyone exactly. Only us instructors were informed. Oh, by the way I'm Iruka, an acquaintance of Kakashi's." he said extending his hand.

Not wanting to be rude, she shook his hand. "Harata." she replied.

"Ah, it's a pleasure to meet you." he said with a goofy smile. Seeing how kind he was, Harata became a little less tense; even taking notice of Iruka's attire.

"That gear of yours...your acquaintance wears something very similar to it." she observed, eyeing Iruka's vest.

"Oh this thing? Yeah, it's standard issue. Although some of us have some very questionable taste in clothes, this is required of all Jonin." he explained.

"Jo-nin? What is that, some sort of rank title?" she questioned.

"Yeah, for the most part. But all instructors are required to be ranked a Jonin in order to teach the younger shinobi, which are called Genin." he answered excitedly.

"I see, makes sense." Harata replied as her eyes drifted back toward the giant carved out faces. "What about that?" Harata asked pointing to the famous monument. Iruka followed Harata's gaze to the cliffside.

"A tribute to the leaders of the past. Pretty neat isn't it?" he said, admiring the visage himself.

"It is truly a sight to behold." Harata agreed.

"Where are you from? If you don't mind me asking?" Iruka asked bashfully. Turning her attention back to the seemingly harmless man in front of her, she gave a vague response.

"Out of town." she replied, hoping that would satiate his curiosity.

"Oh, so you're from abroad? We've never had anyone like that pass through here before. I hope you weren't traveling by yourself, that can be dangerous for a young woman...ah! No offense!" he suddenly blurted out. Feeling a little slighted, Harata shot Iruka a sharp look.

"Trust me, I can handle myself. I know my way around a blade." she reassured. This seemed to pique Iruka's interest.

"Do you have a certain profession then?" he asked eagerly. "Not really. I tend to mix my combat style with various fighting techniques." Harata explained, praying he would relent and finally stop interrogating her.

"I see, well that's a shame. But I must admit, you're quite an interesting individual." he said with a smirk. "Uh, oh...thank you...I think." she replied with a half smile.

Just then, what looked like a guard to Harata, stepped outside and whispered something to Iruka. Her eyes narrowed with anticipation, as she felt her body tense up once more.

"Yes, of course. Thank you for letting me know." he said as the guard vanished into thin air.

"Well Harata, Lady Tsunade is ready to speak with you. This way please." Iruka said, directing Harata inside of the residence. She could feel a lump forming in her throat, but she felt somewhat relieved to hear that their leader was a woman. Maybe that would give her some leadway? At least she hoped it would.

She would soon find out what this 'Hokage' was like. She braced herself mentally and stepped inside.