Chapter 7

Tetsuna folded the piece of paper that Kakashi had given to her with the details of what the next day would entail and of what they should bring. After he had pulled her to the side, and informed her of the change in her guardianship, from Tachibana to himself. She hadn't even bothered to pretend to be surprised - pretending wasn't her style, but neither had she let her expression show that the news he was relaying was old and already known. Besides she could feel that his single dark eye had been probing her for some sort of outward reaction.

Just because Tetsuna had decided to unshroud her veil didn't mean she would tip her hand early.

Had the circumstances been different, Tetsuna might have been more interested in survival training. There was some hidden agenda behind it besides testing their abilities she knew ...Because there was no possible way three genin level ninja, fresh from the Academy, could beat a jonin with years of experience under their belt. Especially one like Kakashi Hatake.

Placing the folded piece of paper in her pocket, she brushed her fingers against the forgotten sweet Choji had given her earlier. She pulled it out and examined it momentarily. It was some sort of mixture of chocolate and almond if her nose served her correctly. Honestly in the sweep of things she hadn't paid attention to the treats weight in her pocket, or she would have gotten rid of it earlier. She lifted it to throw it in the waste bin by the doors leading into the Academy with a careless and dismissive flick of her wrist. But then thought better of it.

She had a better idea in mind. A small test of her own.

"Naruto -san...". Naruto's whiny voice, complaining about something related to the pinkette no doubt, came to abrupt halt. His warm summer blue eyes met her own curiously .But there was a wariness, a natural distrust in his gaze. He was open, and naturally unassuming normally, but he was guarded. Good boy. A certain level of instinctual distrust certainly never did anyone any harm.

Tetsuna watched him the entire time with narrowed probing eyes.

"Choji gave this to me. I'm not overly a big fan of sweets but I didn't want to throw it away so..." she left her sentence open. At first the blonde blinked slowly, like an unsure animal who had been kicked one too many times, and then his lips parted in a purely happy, carefree smile. He was still guarded but life had taught him not to dismiss anything free.

"Thank's" the blonde gushed happily. With a flick of her wrist Tetsuna sent it flying in his direction, adding a small amount of chakra to propel it faster. Instinct and reflexes kicked in, and Naruto brought his hand up to catch it. He snagged it soundly, then blinked in surprise.

She placed her hands inside her pockets - less surprised, and more satisfied that she had been correct. It had only recently come to her attention that Mizuki was not a man to be trusted, but she had always been suspicious of intentional sabotage in the blondes training, but had never been in the same class with him to see it for herself. And had been too absorbed in her own small world to go out of her way.

But what she did know was that Naruto had a vast amount of chakra and natural talents, but because of the nature of the beast inside of him it seemed many of the Academy's teachers simply overlooked it in favor of holding him in contempt of something had had no control or part in. And the ones that did not outright hate him, simply ignored him and had no desire to handle the rowdy blonde prankster. But with proper training and the right teacher, the boy could became extremely powerful in the future.

And if Sasuke ever let himself see past his blind need for vengeance, he might also become just as powerful. Again she didn't agree with what Itachi had done. Giving Sasuke hatred and blind ambition would only foster volatile and undpredicatabler results.

It was like giving a blind man a blade. But just because she was keeping her distance from both Naruto and Sasuke didn't mean she could help them along. Tetsuna might not have played fair in a lot of things but she would never willfully stump Naruto's progression or growth, or let Sasuke spiral out of control...especially being on their team.

After a moment of thought she thought to ...impart her new team members with some friendly advice.

"A little word for the wise..." Tetsuna said, making sure she met the eyes of each of her teammates. She didn't like Sakura, but she was also a member of her team and refused to have her as a dead weight. Despite everything that was going on, she did want to become a shinobi." ...Eat breakfast tomorrow, or regret it later."

"What are you talking about?" Sakura asked, with a flip of her brightly colored hair, the look on her face indicating that she was thinking that Tetsuna was lacking a few brain cells. "Didn't sensei tell us not to?"

"Yeah didn't he tell us not too" Naruto mimicked. A frown forming on his face, while he scratched his head confused. Tetsuna could have taken the time to explain to them that Kakashi had been blatantly lying but didn't have the desire to. And this could also double as a lesson. So with a careless shrug of her shoulders she turned on her heel, and waved at them dismissively over her shoulder.

They would learn to trust her judgement sooner or later.

"As a team member I warned you. I'm not going to sit and argue with you about why I'm right. Just don't regret it later."

Sasuke listened to Sakura and Naruto contemplate whether or not to follow Tetsuna's advice or not for a full ten minutes, distracting himself, and if he were honest with himself putting distance between the girl who had just left and himself, before he finally couldn't take it anymore.

More than likely Tetsuna was right. As much as he bitterly hated to admit it - Tetsuna had always reminded him of him. And he had always been sharp, had always spoken only when he knew he was absolutely right.

He shoved his hands in his pockets and left. His turn of thoughts already making his terrible emotional state worse. But soon Sakura followed behind him with quick steps. The scent of whatever sweet perfume, or shampoo she used, or perhaps a combination of both invaded his sense of smell as she crowded his space. Her thin fingers wrapped around his arm, and he peered down at her, while she peered up at him with big emerald eyes, and lashes a paler pink than her bubblegum colored hair. Her lips parted in a sugary sweet smile, and Sasuke was reminded of how much he hated sweet things.

"Sasuke-kun since we're on the same team let's...".

Sakura's words were cut short and she let out a surprised yelp as he yanked his arm away from her. For a moment before he walked away, he saw her hurt expression. But he couldn't find it in himself to care. It wasn't his fault that she didn't know the definition of hands to yourself and personal space, and if she followed him, then inadvertently Naruto would trail after her, which would in turn lead to him also following Sasuke.

He wanted to be alone. Needed to be alone. His blood was still hot, and he needed to cool down and clear his head. But every time he looked at Naruto, he was reminded how she had stop to give him something, and in the classroom had, in her own way, defended the blonde against Sakura's verbal attack, and it made him want to cave his face in, made him want to feel the blondes skin curl around his fist, while bone crack beneath the pressure. Because Sasuke knew without a doubt that whenever Tetsuna bothered to pay attention to someone, or go out of her way to speak to someone it was because she found them worth her time.

What did Naruto have that Sasuke didn't? What was he to her?

These thought ran wild in his head, and it took him a moment to blink away the haze that threatened to cover his vision he moved faster, avoiding the front entrance, and taking the twisting halls to the back. Ignoring everything until it became background noise.

When Tetsuna pushed through the double wooden doors of the Academy's front courtyard, Tachibana was sitting on the tree swing just in front of the Academy, with his legs straddled on the swings seat and his back against the rope. The shadows from the fading evening light swallowed his form. With setting of the sun Tachibana's civilian persona was discarded as easily as the light and airy clothes he wore.

His lean body was covered in a form fitting, sleeveless turtleneck, and fitted dark pants.

For a second, in the brief moment of twilight, the past, and the now collided, merging together - melting together. It was time to bring this all together. She walked over to Tachibana, and he stayed seated, peering up at her with his long fingers curled together in his lap. His platinum hair was piled haphazardly on top of his head, wispy loose strands framing his face.

His expression was neutral, but his teal shards were methodological and assessing.

"From what I've gleaned. The Hokage will be meeting Kakashi-kun tonight inside his home. It seems he is becoming more paranoid since the disappearance of Mizuki... he believes it to be an inside job, and does not believe the rumor of him murdering his guard and escaping."

"It's to be expected. It was an inside job...", she placed her hands on her hips. " What about the other organization?"

"The leader of the particular faction is far to arrogant to believe Mizuki's claims." Tachibana replied. Tetsuna crossed her arms over her chest. She figured that something like that might occur. This helped her out immensely. She didn't really want to waste her energy evading Root agents.

"And have all my loose ends been tied?"

"Yes."

There was a small moment of silence between them. She took a moment to turn around and gaze at the faces jutting out of the stone mountain side enclosing the village, glaring sternly down at everything they had created. Turning away from them she wondered if the previous Hokages knew how warped the idea of peace had become. How so many shadows had formed in the blazing light of the Will of Fire. Sometimes she felt as if those men were naive and narrow minded.

"Alright let's go, we have to prepare. Showing up at the Hokage's mansion without being properly invited isn't going to be easy."

Tachibana watched her with an unreadable expression for a few seconds, before slowly following after her, his hands tucked neatly into his pockets. His eyes glittered in anticipation.

"No I suppose it won't ...but it will be fun."

8 years ago...

Kakashi set his dog mask to the side, as he shifted through the charred remains of the Yuki manor. High up in the mountains it was bitingly cold despite the smoldering corpses littered around him. The mask he wore over the lower half of his face did not protect his sensitive nose from the pungent odor that permeated the air, and he tightened the scarf around the lower half of his face, trying to protect himself from the cold, and the smell. . Above him, the clouds were swollen, dark, and grey, and snow had begun to fall mixing with the ashes that has yet to settled back down.

It was light, but this snowy region was known for unpredictable blizzard storms, and he didn't want him or his team trudging down the mountain if one should occur. Around him the forest closed them in, the naked branches of the trees twisted like thin fingers reaching for the sky,rattling angrily in the wind. It was the only sound, besides the crunch of snow beneath his boots. There wasn't a village for miles, and the silence seemed to bear down on them knowingly, as if to judge the horrible thing that they had did here today.

But no matter how he felt. He was a shinobi loyal to his village - and up-kept that loyalty, even at the price of his soul.

The need to hurry this up, so that he could leave and hopefully forget what had took place here, hit him in a sudden strong wave. Maybe he'd lose himself in a woman, or maybe he would drink a bottle of sake in his apartment until he blacked out and couldn't dream. He paused and looked around, but there wasn't anything left here.

They had been meticulous, and had planned this before they made it to their destination. Making sure to come through swiftly, his team had first cast a genjutsu, then used poisonous gases to create sickness and hallucinations. By the time they had swept through the manor they had little difficulty in dispatching the clan members inside. And after that, per special parameters from the Daimyo, had burned down the manor, and the dead along with it.

The fire Lord had wanted no trace of the Yuki clan remaining. Kakashi knew that under any other circumstances the Hokage wouldn't have bended, wouldn't have condemned an entire clan to death because the actions of a small few ...but after the attack of the demon fox ... political ties had become shaky and strained.

Across from him he could see Rabbit-san, Weasel-san, and Tiger-san covering their mouths and shifting through the remains as well. He gave a low sharp whistle and called them to his side. Killing helpless clan members was not the highlight of any of their careers, and although he knew that none of the members of his small team would complain, he wanted them away from here as soon as possible.

"We're done here. We'll stay the night at the cottage on the lower side of the mountain. Then begin the journey back in the morning" he said to them when they were gathered around him. His companions agreed with him and he pulled his cloak tighter around his frame, adjusting it against the cold.

For a brief moment the wind died around them, an eerie dead silence followed. A then a sound like a strangled animal came from the back edge of the burnt out manor, ripping through Kakashi. The other's heard it too and they rushed toward the sound cautiously.

"Kami !" Rabbit-san muttered beneath her breath, her feet coming to a halt. Pale blue eyes glared defiantly from the small soot, and dirt smudged face of a child. She was laying awkwardly on her arm, and the once white sleeping yukata around her frame was torn around her legs, and around the huge blood stain around her stomach. From his position Kakashi could see the torn and caved in flesh of her belly.

The child couldn't have been more than three or four. Kakashi crouched down to close her lids, feeling sick. But the little girl let out a whimper, shocking Kakashi and keeping his fingers at bay.

"She's still alive!?" Rabbit-san muttered. Her voice was a mixture of pity, and awe. Kakashi was also surprised...but a dark thought occurred to him. In all that happened, where had this child been? Beside's the soot covering her skin- she didn't have any type of burn marks. And although she was dying - it wasn't by any means that his team had employed.

So who had done it? And more importantly were they still out there, and were there more of them?

"What do we do." Tiger-san asked.He already had his blade in his hand, ready to put the poor child out of it's misery. Kakashi put his hand up and stilled his hand. It was better to let her bleed out, it wouldn't be long, he was surprised that she lasted as long as she had.

"We will wait until she dies" he finally said. Kakashi would not speak his suspicions out loud. Not when they could have been being watched without them knowing, and had no idea what was out there. He looked around at the corpses. Most of them were to burnt to be unrecognizable, which only made him feel more uneasy.

He would have kept the child alive, if her wounds hadn't been so grave, and he would have had Tiger -san use his mind to mind technique to figure out what the girl had seen before who ever had did this to her had done this to her.

It wasn't until twenty minutes passed that they realized that the girl wasn't dying but ...healing. The wound in her belly was becoming significantly less deep. Significantly less in size. The rise and fall of her chest was becoming stronger and so was her breathing.

Kakashi bent down and pressed his fingers to her wrist. Her heart beat was fluttering rapidly. All the while her angry blue eyes were glaring definitely. Something about her expression, her angry will and need to live, struck a cord in Kakashi. A cord a little too close to home. Before he realized it, he had the small girl in his arms, while he shifted the cloak around her freezing form.

"Let's take her with us" he finally said." I have a feeling this isn't over."

Kakashi felt an odd cold shiver run down his spine. He brushed off the feeling, and followed the Hokage into his personal office inside his home. The Hokage let him step through the threshold before closing the door, he turned the lock, then performed a series of hand seals and pressed his palm to the wood.

Chakra seals activated along the walls, the letters became momentarily visible as the Hokage's chakra filled them and then faded and died out leaving the room the same as it was when they first entered. When he was done he gather his hands behind his back.

"I find that trust is very hard to come by these days", he waved his hand toward the cushions positioned on either side of a low wooden table, settled with a iron kettle, and ceramic cups on top. "Please have a seat Kakashi-kun."

Kakashi waited until the Hokage sat before letting his legs fold beneath him. For a moment neither of them spoke and the only sound that filled the dimly lit room was that of the liquid sloshing in the kettle filling the cup. And even then they drank in silence for a short time before the Hokage set down his cup and adopted a stern and serious expression.

"I would like to believe I've known you for a long enough time to know what that crease in your brow means..." he let out a weary and tired sigh. "...I would have hoped you would have assuaged my fears. But although I am not inclined to believe a word that Mizuki said ...I have known desperate men to spill secrets they think are important in attempt to save their own lives."

The Hokage poured himself more tea, and Kakashi choose is next words carefully." One meeting is not enough to confirm or disconfirm the information you have given to me Hokage-sama but..."

"Ah. There's always a but."

"...Healthy paranoia and precaution would do no harm in the situation."

"Yes. Because we have a long history of lacking both." The Hokage's expression soured, and his words left a bitter flavour polluting the air. He looked aged and wizened. The years were starting to tell on him, weighing down on him. The heavy burden of the robes on his shoulders and the hat on his head stooped his spine and made his shoulders bend from the pressure. Sometimes Kakashi wondered if his friend would have turned out similar. If his dark hair would already be sporting streaks of grey, and his pale forehead lined with groove marks. His warm, determined disposition, worn, like a rock in a river.

Kakashi placed his empty cup on the table, but paused pulling his hand back as a dark gloved small hand came into view from his right. He followed the hand to the wrist hidden beneath a wide dark sleeve with silver embroidery lining the hem, all the way to the sharp rounded shoulder, and the high collar of a Changshan robe, with a hood attachment that covered most of the head and left the face.

The light caught the side of a crimson Hayyan mask, glinting hellishly off the lacquered surface of the gruesome angry face, while the other side was twisted in long shadowy shapes. It made the curling horns, ominous beady yellow eyes, and frowning smile of yellow sharp teeth all the more sinister.

Kakashi's shoulders tensed, then relaxed the next instant. Something cool, and distinctly sharp pressed against his throat, effectively keeping him still, lest he slit his own throat or provoke the person holding the blade to.

The Hokage was in a similar position, and from his seat he could see the person across from him holding the blade against the older man's throat, or at least what he was wearing. The person wore a dark cloak and a white mask with red Peony flowers. From the delicate set of the fingers gripping the handle he assumed that the person was female.

The figure to Kakashi's right continued to pour themselves a cup of tea, taking Kakashi's cup and wiping the rim with the fabric of their sleeve. The only sound Kakashi was able to hear was of the adrenaline pumping and rushing through his ears as he tried to figure out just how anyone slipped beneath the Hokage's seals, and how neither he nor the Hokage had notice the extra three presences in the room until now.

"You are the Akuma no ō, the Devil king of the Akia chika, the Red Underground...", despite the situation the Hokage remained surprisingly calm. He peered at the individual. " Funny. I expected you to be..taller."

The was a small silence. And then unexpectedly a thick miasma of killing intent flooded the room, and although he could not see it he could feel cold chakra burn into his senses and hold him in a vice grip, that made his breath come out in shallow frosted breath. He felt goosebumps rise along the exposed parts of his skin.

"Sorry to disappoint you but twelve year old girls don't get very tall" a soft a familiar voice hummed sarcastically. The revealing of the face behind the mask, and hood were only afterthought.

Gloved fingers reached up to remove the mask, and push back the hood. Revealing a familiar shock of neatly brushed, short white hair parted and framing the side of a dark face with frosty piercing blue eyes.

The look that crossed both Kakashi Hatake's and Hiruzen Sarutobi's faces was one that could have chilled over oceans, but lacked the desired effect on its recipient. Tetsuna's lips parted in a brittle smile, while her bright luminescent eyes observed both of them momentarily. She held out her hand to the Hokage.

"You wanted to find the Akuma no o for sometime now and here I am...but let me properly introduce myself...I am Tetsuna Setsuko Yuki. Only daughter of Matsumune Owara Yuki, and his Heir."