Guess who's baack? Sorry for the long delay. I got depressed when I didn't receive any reviews… HINT, HINT. Alright. So this one is a lot of talking again, but it explains some stuff. Sorry about not knowing any good Japanese names… I'm working on it, I swear. By the by, Kia in this story is pronounced with a long "I" as in "bike" or "I want you to submit a review".

Disclaimer: if I owned Naruto, Kakashi would be tired all the time. I think you know why. If you don't, you don't want to know.

Enjoy! Please review!

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"Nice weather today, isn't it?" came the rough greeting from the old mortician.

"Yes. We should be able to see the moon tonight," Kakashi growled in an impatient reply.

Gravekeep's head snapped up.

"If it decides to show its fa–"

"It always does when we need it to."

The older man peered into the woods as Kakashi pushed past him into the hut.

"She's not there anymore," he remarked, surveying the inside of the small home.

"What's your story?" asked Gravekeep with a suspicious growl. "Aren't you one of those Leaf nin who have been following her around?"

Kakashi drained the hostility from his voice before answering. "I was there when she found Masao. Look, I'm not like the nin of the valley. I'm here to deal with Okami as according to our observations. I know she didn't do it, but –"

"She won't tell you anything." Gravekeep shook his head and went to the stove. "Come on. Sit down and have some tea. Hey kids!" he addressed the cupboard Gai had mentioned. "It's alright. He's a friend. Coast is clear."

The door opened, revealing two girls, who should not have been able to fit in such a small place.

The first was about 18, and the second was Masao. They cautiously climbed up a ladder and into the main room. The older of the two grabbed a plate from the counter and handed it to the worn out refugee, all the while keeping her eye on the intruder.

"This is Tamoe and you know who Masao is. Girls, this is…"

"Hatake Kakashi."

"Right. I have more, young, old, male, female, all living here. 17 in all. There's a tunnel under the graveyard that leads to a clearing inaccessible to anyone but us. We form a nice, little family here. Tamoe, take Masao back down, will you?"

"Right, Gravekeep."

They disappeared under the pantry again.

"Now then. What do you want to know?"

"Why don't we start with her real name?"

Gravekeep smiled.

"What a bummer. I usually like to save that right 'til the end. Right to the point, aren't you?"

Kakashi was confused. He thought that the only thing her name would be useful for would be to track down and… deal with her family. It's actually relevant?

"Smart kid," Gravekeep was still ranting praise. "Much better than the shinobi here. Her name's Kia. She's Tanza's daughter."

"What?" Never had Kakashi suspected that. A high ranked noble yes, but the village leader? Had he not had a mask on, his jaw would have hit the table.

Gravekeep grinned and chuckled.

"Gets 'em every time."

Past the shock now, Kakashi felt the presence of rage reenter his mind.

"Why don't I just tell you the rest," the aging mortician continued, setting a mug of hot tea in front of the jonin.

"Kia was born in the village about 27 years ago. As they have told you, her mother was killed when she was 4, while she witnessed the death. I'm sure they did not show you the case file, which points to Tanza as the culprit."

Inside Kakashi's mind, the pieces were slowly sliding into place.

"That bastard." he managed to mutter. "So when she remembered the murder he set her up to save his own ass."

"Almost," sighed Gravekeep in a soft reply. "The first seven of the deaths were the work of her own hands. They were not, however, who the report claimed them to be, and I have their uniforms to prove it. They were a group of enemy ANBU who had come to the village hidden in the valley to destroy it. Their mission was to burn down the city and its occupants, and then to set up camps and strip the mountain of trees in order to prepare it for mining. Our enemy villages seem to be under the impression that we have a vast amount of metal hidden in caverns below the mountain. The wolves prevent any of us from getting close enough to see, so it has been known by our people for centuries that it's a bad idea in the first place.

"The wolves are the reason Kia was able to defend herself. It has been said in legend that the Shadow, or leader, of the Moon Pack- an ancient line of wolves from this area- has an immense power that remains dormant in him for as long as he reigns. The tale states that if he feels he must, he has the ability to pass this power for a short time into a human, where it will become active. Because the ANBU's main goal was to destroy the home of the Moon pack, Tsuma, their leader, thought it best to lend his power to Kia, in order to nip the problem at the bud.

"Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, there was a minor glitch in the power transfer." The old man took a thoughtful sip of his tea. "You see, normally, as soon as the urgent situation passes, the power is returned, leaving the recipient with no memory of the acts he or she preformed with the power surge. However, as legend states, if the human was born on the night of the lunar eclipse, the power does not take control of their conscious mind, and it remains with them until their death. I know this may sound like an old wives' tale, but given that Kia is perfectly aware of her thoughts, and the fact that she was born on the night of the lunar eclipse…"

"It fits too well to be dismissed."

"Correct. Anyways, Tsuma passed his power off to Kia who was able to defeat the ANBU. After the shock of the attack wore away, the power's second ability took affect."

"Second ability?"

"The first ability that appears is the raising of physical abilities. The second improves the senses gives the mind a good clearing. Kia remembered her mother's death, and accused Tanza of the deed in front of many of the nobles in the village. He declared her insane and banished her, and she was in too much of a shock to stand her ground. She fled to the wolves and disappeared until about five years ago."

He paused. "You have, no doubt, seen how this village treats women."

"No rights, no freedom, treated as property. It's a felony to teach them how to fight, and a death sentence for them to learn." Kakashi had seen more than enough oppression in his few days since arrival.

"Well, Tanza's the worst of them all. He probably killed his wife because she did not bear him another son, while he knows well enough that he is the problem. When Kia came back, he had no problem convincing the elders that she was here to destroy them, and after he set up a few murders…"

"Who did the killing?"

"That's the best part. He sent a message across the country, calling all criminals of our village to kill innocent people in exchange for their freedom. His son, Kuna, trains them to kill and tear them up using the same technique, so the bodies appear to be from the same person. When one imposter dies, two more are hired to take his place."

He looked across the table at Kakashi, his eyebrows raised.

"You know, that mug never did anything to you."

The jonin looked at his hand. Hairline cracks were beginning to form on the rim of the mug as he held it with his tensed hand.

He let go and slowly clenched and unclenched his fist.

"Who was the 'last person who tried to help her'?"

Gravekeep sighed and picked up the two mugs, one empty, one leaking.

"His name was Tankato. He was her bodyguard after her mother died. Before her banishment, he taught her how to defend herself, and he preached using her own mind and opinions to fix her problems. He taught her many jutsus for about a month after that, until he was discovered and killed. You've probably seen his grave. It's at the base of a huge white stone in the forest. He was like a father to that girl. After they slaughtered him, she left to train elsewhere. She doesn't talk much to me, but I believe it was some sort of ancient shrine to the west of here. Tanza and Kuna know a few and their family scrolls talk about their origin some. My only guess is that she went looking for where they originated in her travels."

Kakashi sat, collecting his thoughts. At long last, he spoke again.

"How do I know that any of this is true?"

"For one, you'll find that deaths 8 to current are much more primitive than 1 through 7. What wolf kills so inefficiently: a stab wound to the heart: the most heavily protected area on the body! Then, what wolf would spend extra time carving the body up with a blade that she doesn't posses, when she doesn't even feed the kill to her pack. A little sadistic of a thought, but they're efficient creatures, not wanting to spend extra time on showy tricks. No. Kia's kills are usually throat slits, and she tends to burry the bodies.

"Two, you can see by the number and depth of lacerations on each body that they were caused by a number of people with different strengths, weaknesses, and body types.

"Finally, well, you saw her at the actual scene of the crime. Try to tell me she caused that. Directly or indirectly. Ever wonder why she wears the mask? It protects her from the pain around her. I saw her take it off to eat once, during a rough patch. The tears just spilled out. No, Kakashi. This is not just some story," he finished with a solemn frown.

"Why do you care so much?"

The elder man frowned deeply, staring out the small window of the hut.

"Victim number 117. Hazuna Shikiro. My daughter. I tried to kill Kia for it. She avoided everything I threw at her, be it shuriken, fist or trap. I tried to chase her down and slipped on a wet rock. Woke up in one of her pack's dens with a huge bump on my head and a note telling me how to get home and "I'm sorry" written over the bottom. Only thing was, it was wet with tears to the point that you couldn't read much of it." He chuckled. "I spent some time actually doing my job, figured it out, and found her at the rock. I told her I wasn't much of a fighter, but that I have room and resources to keep people safe if they need it. That's how we started up." He smiled and finished putting away the mugs.

"Now, I have one question for you, Kakashi." He looked up with a smirk. "Why do you care so much?"

The jonin blinked.

"What?"

"Never mind. Silly question," he said hastily, smiling to himself. "It's getting late. Your squad will be wondering where you are. See you again sometime!"

With that, Gravekeep ushered him out the cabin and closed the door behind the bewildered shinobi's back.

As he slowly made his way to the village, the considered the old man's last question. Why did he care so much? It wasn't like him to be so offended by Tanza's acts. He had seen similar stories, worse stories. This one had him straining to keep his emotions in check from the first moment he saw Kia…

The jonin stopped in his tracks.

No. It can't be. He stood for a moment, then shook his head of the thought. No. That was a silly thought. I'm thinking too hard on this.

He kept walking, though a bit more briskly, back to the village.

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"Those bastards!" Gai was the only one of Kakashi's squad who could articulate, but Asuma and Kurenai' shared a look of shocked disgust.

"Tell me about it. We all knew something was off with this mission."

Kurenai found her voice.

"What are we going to do about it? We're no match for the village's army, and with this accusation, that's who we'd be fighting."

"Maybe," remarked Asuma, "we should ask her for help again. If her pack pitches in, we'd at least get our point across."

"Right. We'll go see her in the morning. It's late, and we've got a big day ahead of us. Let's get some rest for now." With that, the four headed off to their rooms anxious for the day to come.

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Kakashi woke well before dawn. He restlessly paced the kitchen floor as he heated water for tea. He waited impatiently as his squad members had breakfast and readied themselves for the day. As soon as they were done, he hurried them out the door.

Kia was standing, as usual, by the white rock. When the four ninjas approached, she lifted her head.

"It's no use, shinobi. Just go home."

She made as if to take off again. Kakashi wouldn't have it.

"Kia! Wait!"

She stumbled at the sound of her name. Her eyes revealed a split second of shock, then quickly returned to a slightly annoyed state.

"So, you've talked to Gravekeep. So what? No one in the village trusts him, and they definitely don't trust me."

"He gave us concrete evidence. They can't just ignore that." Kurenai spoke in a matter of fact tone. She was sell known for her aptitude in fights in Konoha, whether they were physical or verbal.

"Oh? And the average villager will believe in a bunch of hacked up bones presented by an old hermit, a demonic wolf girl, her pets, and a squad of former enemy ninja including a kunoichi? Not to mention, we're up against one of the most powerful leaders this region has ever seen, and the top jonin of the village. Go home before they hang you for conspiracy against the government. I'm happy enough living out here anyway. Not too much noise, all the food I can eat, and company that doesn't try to stab me in the back every time I turn around."

"No," Kakashi spoke quietly, "you're not happy. As long as you live out here, they'll keep killing in your name." He wasn't about to pick up and leave.

"It's none of my concern. They can't even get close to my pack mates. They're just hurting themselves."

"And you can't stand that. It hurts every stand of your being to see them taking each other out. It goes against everything you've ever been taught."

"Give it a rest." She rolled her eyes and turned away from them.

"And your guard, Tankato, was it? Would he tell you to just hide out here in the woods, doing nothing?"

She stopped dead for a split second and seemed to flicker out of existence. All at once, she appeared as a blur to hit Kakashi in the gut with a blinding blow.

He gasped for air as he hit the ground, and felt her foot resting firmly on his throat.

"Dark type, immobile seal!" she shouted. He saw his teammates, trying to get to them, freeze up suddenly. Gai struggled in vain as a ribbon of shadow wound its way up his body. Kakashi could feel the icy binds twist around him, but he did not struggle.

When the wolf girl spoke, her voice came out with a furious hiss, ripe with pain.

"Above all, he taught me to care for my family! Not necessarily my birth family, but those who really care about me! The come before the villagers, and they definitely come before me!"

A wet drop fell from her mask to his. Kakashi could taste the salty flavor as it soaked through the black cloth.

"But do you think they can really be happy?" he asked in the same voice he used the previous day, "knowing that the one they love, the one who does everything possible to protect them isn't happy at all?"

She slowly picked her foot back off of his neck and turned around. As she walked away, he could feel the seal receding.

He did not move from where she had thrown him.

"I will not allow my pack mates to be hurt while trying to bring me a better life.

He watched her as she disappeared into the forest.

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Yay! Chapter 4 complete! It'll start to pick up a lot more now, hopefully. If you enjoyed this, hated it, fell asleep, or died of laughter (though I doubt the last one occurred, unfortunately) TELL ME! REVIEW! NOW! thank you.