Important note: I have made a few editing in the past chapters though the plot is still the same except for chapter one (Zero) Kindly check it out and it'll only take three minutes of your reading time. Thank you :)


In the special nursery in Iwa, the newly transferred kids that were reported living in the forest are currently undergoing a medical checkup. A nurse is seen comforting a child after getting a shot. In another section, a doctor is examining a child's mental healthness.

"So how was your life living in the house in the forest?"

It wasn't a first question, rather a repeated one. Momiji, the boy with dark hair shook his head innocently. "I don't know."

"How about your mother? And your father?" The doctor leaned close to the boy to steal his attention from the toy in his hands, and somehow the boy stared back at him, before Momiji, the boy plucked the glasses from his nose.

"My glasses! Give it back to Doctor, Momiji. Yes... What a good boy you are..." Just when the boy about to give it back to him, he ran off with the glasses, giggling happily.

"Someone! Nurse! Help me!" There was a hectic scene in the scenery as the Doctor and the nurses trying to chase Momiji, whom now had a few other boys joining him in his alliance. After moments of struggle. he finally retrieved his glasses when the nurses presented them a new toy. Some kind of music instrument like a guitar designed for kids.

The doctor sighed and leaned back against his chair, jotting down something in the paper. Apparently, the children really didn't know anything about their past life. And he was positive the children weren't feigning it.

"There's something wrong with the children." The doctor said to a reporting ninja of Iwa as he handed the report.

"What is it? They're sick?"

He fixed the now slightly misaligned specs on his nose, "I'm afraid it's quite the opposite. Apparently they're all in good health and energetic as it should a child. I believe they were in good hands before this."

"So what's the problem?" The ninja asked, handing back the report with a slightly confused look.

The doctor surveyed his surroundings before leaned in to whisper. "If such thing is possible, I think they didn't have any memories about their past life in the forest nor the people who took care of them."

While in the far off distance, Hanare was taking a good look of the playing children through the open door. She watched in relief as the children's attention now were on the small shamisen she secretly sent earlier. Just as she took a step back into the darkness she came from, now another cry erupted from the nursery as Momiji, yet again, took a used syringe from the tray and obliviously pointed it to his palm. She almost ran into the scene but a guarding ninja suddenly appeared in a gust of wind and easily snatched the tool from his hand. And now, the boy's full attention darted to the ninja, his eyes wide and amazed, asking all sorts of questions with starry eyes.

Hanare let out a sigh, a hand on her chest. You almost got me even in this distance, Momiji... She always remembered him stealing her shamisen early in the morning just before she go to work in the town. Such a naughty but a sweet boy this one... because he'd always let the other younger children ate first before himself.

They are now saved from the haunted memories of war and their once lived in the woods with her, for she had erased them so they may start anew. All thanks to Kakashi demanded there are war victims living somewhere in the forest during the Kage Summit, conforming to her request.

"I'll come visit sometime soon, children."

She then took out a cap with the cow logo and flopped it on top of her head.

Got to work.


Two weeks later | Konohagakure

In the Hokage tower, it was way passed midnight when the Hokage office's lamp finally lights out. Kakashi was seen walked down the hall with heavy steps, his shoulders slightly slumped in exhaustion.

Shizune, who has been hiding for hours after the office hour watched the Hokage's defeated form. On her side, Yamato simply observed him with fathom look.

"What's wrong with the Hokage recently, I wonder?" Shizune said, clearly have no idea of his odd behavior recently; he simply won't come out during lunch hour, and he hardly got to spare his time for his salacious reading material. Hell, she can't even see his face amongst those mountains of paperwork on his desk which seemed gradually piling up each day. Ah. And that very, very strange habit as of late.

"He's been acting like that these days." She said.

Yamato sighed. "That's because he's being lonely from being bullied by the Council." As Kakashi walked, they noticed that he will touch the wall with his fingers. "Since he has no one to talk to, he touched the wall for interaction."

Shizune nodded, desolately. "Is that because of the failed meeting with the Mizukage in Iwagakure?" Yamato nodded.

"The Council really have no mercy this time, I see."

"Precisely."

"But why would the Hokage refused to be with the Mizukage? I don't see any flaws on her, to be honest." Shizune commented, hands on her chin. Just then, two figures melted from the darkness and joined their observation.

"Maybe she's not her type?" Naruto said, tilting his head.

"Maybe he's impotent?" Next to him, Sai said matter-of-factly.

"Impotent, huh?" Naruto looked deep in thought, trying to figure out the meaning before he whirled back to Sai with a mixture of horror and painful look, "Y-you mean... as in... he can't do... what a man can do?"

"No. What I said is that it could be. You see, I've been reading this book titled The Lover's Guide," He said, innocently taking out the book from his bag, "and it said a man who had no desire towards woman might be impotent."

"Oh nooo! Is there any cure for it? We need to do something!" Naruto pulled on his hair, clearly distressed by his teacher's likelihood of disability to be a true man.

"Oh, brother. Just go home already, children." Yamato shooed them, but not before he took a brief look of the controversial book that contained all the information needed regarding the bedroom department, making Shizune sighed in dejection. All these discussions only make watching the Hokage walking alone in the hallway all the more sadder.

"Poor, Hokage."


After closing the door behind him, he flopped onto the couch, finally feeling relax after a whole taxing day. Kakashi lied on his back, bringing a hand onto his forehead and forced his eyes to rest, but somehow he couldn't. His mind is still too active to get a rest. His eyes wandered on the ceiling, then to the frame on the wall, before a tall bag just beside a drawer drew his attention.

It was the smashed pieces of woods from Hanare's shamisen.

On the night when he visited her place in Iwa, he took it upon himself to repair the broken instrument although, to be honest, he didn't have much experience in craftsmanship. So he secretly bought a new one and make it as if he had fixed it. But he wasn't that irresponsible to leave things as it is so to make it up, he took the smashed pieces back to Konoha and he planned to ask the famous craftsman here in Konoha to fix it as close as possible to her former shamisen.

I'll bring it to my office tomorrow.

His mind wandered to the memory of that night. He'd always thought Hanare as modest and observant, seeing that was her nature as an espionage ninja.

"Wait a minute." He sat up on the couch, recalling another occurrences on the said night, "Does that mean she become the playful, naughty type whenever she's drunk?" He recalled she playfully slapped him on the ass, and the coquettish way she leaned close to him that night.

For some reason, his body became hot. He loosened his collar and fanned himself a bit. "Why's the room so hot?"

Wanting to cool himself down, he then went to his feet, walking towards the bag and unzip it. Pieces of woods scattered on the desk as he took it all out. However, a particular shiny piece drew his eyes and he retrieved it. There, a symbol of gold chrysanthemum insignia carved into the piece.

A crest of the imperial family.

It can't be...


Iwagakure

"Want some?" Kira offered to pour Hanare sake, but she refused with bitter smile.

"I had bad experience with sake, so no, thank you." She said, taking a sip of her juice, clearly aware of Hattori's watchful eyes on her but she pretended to not notice it. On the morning she woke up and found her a brand new shamisen in the room, she immediately aware that someone was with her on that night but her memory was all fuzzy and blurred. A day after, she finally realized the one who came to her house on that night was Kakashi. Considering that she had tried her utmost to avoid meeting him but he did met her that night, positively drunk, brought her to endless shame. For the umpteenth time, she sighed.

"Aww really? Since when?" Asked Kira. "Two weeks ago." Hanare answered, and placed another order in hope to end the conversation but she persisted. Kira, now a bit drunk slapped her ass, "C'mon, Hanare. You're not fun at all, y'know."

Hanare was caught off guard. That gesture, ass slap, definitely ring a bell inside her head.

You, my delusional Kakashi," she reached up, fixing his collar nonchalantly, "stay by that corner and wait for big sis to finish up, okay?"

Did I... did I do that to him after that? Deeply embarrassed, she covered her face with both hands.

"Someone please just kill me now..." she murmured.

"You okay, Hanare?" Hattori said, he sounded worry as he said so. Hanare took a deep breath and smiled though faintly. "I'm fine. Want some?" She offered him a plate of snacks, but he didn't take it right away. His penetrating gaze somehow made her uneasy as though he tried to read her mind. When she was about to pull back, Hattori immediately took it and smiled back.

"Thanks."

She nodded.

Things have become awkward between them, and she knew he realized it too. Before, she could eat together with him, just the two of them but now she needed Kira to enlighten the atmosphere.

"Hmm? What's with the ninja outside?" Kira said, pointing to the outside of the restaurant; several ninja were wandering outside, sticking posters on walls while knocking on doors in search of someone. Just then, a ninja came inside their restaurant and gave the poster to the restaurant's owner. Hanare's eyes squinted to look at the far off poster.

"Wasn't that you, Hanare?" Kira said, her words slurry at best but both Hanare and Hattori instantly tried to peek on the poster. The ninja turned around after sticking it on the wall of the counter, to check on every customers in the place. And that was when they saw the bold font and a picture in the poster.

WANTED | HANARE OF JOMIAI VILLAGE | DEAD OR ALIVE

Hanare couldn't believe her eyes. There was her picture taken secretly during the hi-tea in the poster. Before she can do anything, she felt someone grabbed her hand and pulled her through the back door.

Hattori.


"Let's get out of here." Hattori said, leading the way as they walked on the back alley. He immediately pulled back when he saw there were beyond numbers of ninja scouting on the roads. "We can't get out now. There are too many of them." He then turned to her.

"You okay?" He said, peering on her face through the dim light and she nodded, though she tore her eyes away immediately after and hugged herself. Her body can't stop shivering. She always maintained a good image in front of him and the people of the village. But now, everything is ruined. They now know who she really is.

"Hanare." Hattori whispered her name and tried to reach out to her but she evaded him. The honey-hued eyes that looked back at him was one of terror.

"I... I'm not a good woman, Hattori." He can hear the fright in her voice, his heart broke looking at the woman he secretly loved looking so terrified. But, just then, the back door of the restaurant flew open and came out a ninja from inside.

On impulse, he pushed her to the wall and pinioned her body with his larger one and leaned close her to make it look like they are having a secret tryst. But it wasn't enough. The sudden gesture had the ninja suspicious and he walked closer to them with searching eyes. Noticing this, Hattori leaned even closer until he can feel her nervous breath on his cheeks, his lips inches away from hers but she didn't pulled away, not wanting to get caught.

"Excuse me. May I take a look at the woman for a moment?" Inquired the ninja.

For a second, he caught the trepidation from her eyes as she stared at him, as though pleading him to do something. Anything. Then, his eyes darted to her trembling lips, the piece of flesh that had made his heart skipped a beat once. And always be.

Forgive me, Hanare.

Hattori closed their distance, one hand cupped the back of her head and he met his lips upon hers. She gasped in surprise and he took the chance to deepen the kiss. Over and over, he mapped out her lips with his own, keeping her in safe angle as he did, and changed the other way around because even the ninja started to walk away, his eyes still on them. After make sure he had disappeared, Hattori pulled back from the kiss, catching his breath. Hanare, on the other hand, seemed confused and lost, her chest rise and fall in erratic beats.

"I've always known who you are, Hanare." He started, after awhile giving her time to recover herself. She looked up, his eyes unwavering, and her brows furrowed, looking hurt and betrayed. "And yet you didn't tell me?"

"Because I believe you have your own reason to keep it as a secret." She went silent this time, neither agreeing nor denying. She really can't sort things out right now. The life she had built in the village for years was destroyed in a blink of an eye. The shock was too much that she didn't know what to do.

"Let me take the responsibility. Wherever you go, I'll be with you."

"Responsibility?" She breathed out, puzzled.

"The Hokage was the one who invited you to that place, am I right? It's obvious he made you this way, Hanare." There are hint of anger in his voice as well as jealousy.

"No, he's not." She denied it curtly, strongly. "You don't know anything about me, Hattori." Her hands automatically went to her emerald bracelet, her family heirloom. The jade pearls -the pieces of royalty- shone under the moonlight.

Hattori took a step back and apologized. "I'm sorry." He breathed out. "But I need you to know something." His voice took on a serious tone. "I'm a ninja too." He can feel the slight change of her breathing, telling him all he needs to know that she still have yet to discover that. He resumed as he took a step closer, towering her, "And I currently work for this village. Do you know what that means?"

She kept her ground although the color seemed to dry from her face, and she gave him her harshest glare. "How dare you."

End of chapter 8