10. Student

The boy had pushed his luck by remaining in the records building this long, and he still had very little to show for it. Even when he'd been a Konoha nin, he had never been here and hadn't known that mission logs had little personal information about the ninja who executed them, and as his eyes caught no answers, he knew this would have to be the last scroll. Better to give up now and come back later than get caught and pay the price.

The most he'd been able to find was a vague "Team 7," and he was certain that the team logs for concrete personnel files would be in an entirely other place with higher security. Luckily, he'd been able to quietly ask around for where Team 7 practiced - the most distant field on the outskirts of the village, the one past the thickest parts of the forest where the field was completely open. The young shinobi himself had only been there a few times as a legitimate citizen of Konoha and had not seen it since defecting from the village. As he stepped out of the records building for the training field, the shinobi thought to himself this strange chase hardly seemed worth the effort.

Still, there was really nowhere else like Konohagakure. In his many travels, the young man had visited many far away lands and even a handful of Hidden Villages, but none were as affluent or bright as the Hidden Leaf Village. The colors here were more vivid, the voices sharper. Though his days here had been spent on the periphery, they had been sufficient. There were some days when he even missed the village just a little.

The walk to the training grounds was long. Running would draw attention, so he kept his pace steady, even pausing at a few stands in the market to pretend to look at frivolous merchandise. He passed a few genin chatting over hair baubles and wondered if he might have turned out differently by experiencing such mundanity. Such a life was hard to imagine.

Finally, he entered the forest and made his way through at a faster pace until he came out on the other end. Pausing for a moment, there was nothing but silence laced with the faint sound of birds. Had the shinobi in the records building been mistaken? Perhaps Team 7 was on a mission. If they weren't there, he would have to come back again, a huge waste of his time-

"Hiiyagh!"

The boy inhaled sharply as the ground shook beneath him. More than the vibration or the voice that cut through the air, the surge of chakra that rippled through him stopped him in his tracks. It was unlike anything he'd ever felt, something wild and powerful. What was this jutsu and just who had performed it? He leapt into a tree on the edge of the forest and looked around quickly. As his eyes focused, his throat tightened with awe.

It was a child, younger even than he. A boy? No, a girl - a small, gangly girl with crudely cut black hair and ill-fitting clothes moved furiously through a series of forms in the center of the field. Her movements lacked finesse, but they were powerful, each strike of her arms and pounding of her feet releasing another wave of chakra.

That chakra - he had never felt a signature like it. He felt it in his bones and gut, something between an earthquake and the crash of the tide.

The analysis came to a halt as the girl stopped mid-stance. Heart pounding, he waited for her to make her next move, but she suddenly stood, head snapping towards him.

"Who's there!" she shouted.

Shit, he cursed silently. How could he have been spotted already? The boy waited for a moment as he wrestled with his next move, but his thoughts were broken as he shifted his head to narrowly dodge the pair of kunai that drilled into the branch next to his face. Hiding was no longer an option, so he dropped down from the tree. The girl was already moving directly towards him, another kunai in hand.

The face he hadn't been able to see from the distance was young and snarling, but those eyes - he was startled by their intense shade of red.

"Who are you?" she hissed.

"My name's Rei. I'm a genin," he said, hands up with a smile. "Sorry. I didn't mean to creep around. I'm on a training exercise with my team but got distracted when I felt your jutsu. It was really impressive." She visibly tensed up, and he knew she was uneasy about being seen.

"It's nothing special," she said stiffly.

"Are you training alone?"

The girl didn't answer right away. Her eyes shifted around warily as if waiting for someone else to jump out and ambush her. He waited patiently until she said, "My teacher is late."

He nodded and put on his best sympathetic face. It only seemed to make her tense up more. "That seems unprofessional. Is he late often?"

She only shrugged her shoulders. He mentally grit his teeth. This was going to be annoying.

"It's just you and your teacher then? You don't have teammates?" he continued.

"I don't need any," she said obstinately.

He decided to humor her. "You must be pretty strong then." She shrugged again. "You're a chuunin then, right? You're pretty young."

"I guess."

"You must've been at the top of your class at the academy though."

"Nope."

The boy sighed inwardly and decided he wasn't going to get anywhere like this. She didn't respond to flattery, so maybe treating her with derision would work. If he could coax her into a fight, he'd be able to experience that onslaught of strange chakra.

"So you got lucky then, huh?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"If you're not that talented, then you must've passed the exams during an easy year."

"A pass is a pass."

"Some passes are worth more than others."

"What the hell would you know?"

"I wouldn't, but I'm not going to waste my time asking someone who got lucky for advice." He narrowed his eyes. "Or maybe you cheated."

"The hell did you say?" she snarled.

The boy braced himself but the strike didn't come, for a hand grabbed the girl's arm. They both looked up to see a lazy eye staring down at them.

"What have I said about fighting?" said the man holding her. The genin's eyes widened for a second as he recognized the gray hair, the bored voice. The boy didn't need to see the man's face to know Hatake Kakashi.

Memories spun. White masks emerged from dark forests, a flash of blinding light. Hatake Kakashi was here, and the boy knew he needed to put as much distance between them as possible.

"He started it." The girl's voice snapped him back.

"But you know better."

"This wouldn't have happened if you'd just been on time!"

"Ah, yeah. Sorry, there was an injured dog on the way."

"There's always an injured dog on the way!"

The boy watched the girl bicker with Kakashi, heart racing. It had been years since he'd last seen Kakashi, and despite the racing beat of his heart, putting the infamous ninja together with this strange girl made up for all the effort of this seemingly pointless mission.

"You, kid." The boy stood at attention as Kakashi's focus shifted back to him. There was no glimmer of recognition there, thankfully. "You're a genin?"

"Yes, sir."

"Shouldn't you be with your team?"

"Yes, sir. I was on an exercise when I ran into your student-" The boy left his sentence dangling, hoping that either of them would fill in the blank of her name, but they both stared at him, silent.

"What team are you on?" asked Kakashi instead.

"Team 10, sir." This was not the right answer, for the girl's eyes narrowed.

"No, you're not."

"How do you know?" he countered. Kakashi silenced her with a hand to her shoulder before she could retort.

"That's Asuma's team. Are you new?"

"Yes," he lied, cursing himself for the poor choice in cover story. Of all teams to randomly choose, he had chosen the one led by the Hokage's son. "I traded teams from Team 5."

"I see," said Kakashi. His tone was neutral, but the boy knew he had to end the exchange before he slipped again.

"Anyway, I need to head back. I've been gone awhile." Kakashi nodded.

"Hurry back. I'm sure your captain is concerned."

The boy didn't need to be told twice. He turned and ran in the opposite direction, disappearing into the forest quickly. His feet did not stop until he reached the opposite side of the village, where he curved his path away from Konoha and deep into the woods. His "captain" surely would be interested in what he had discovered. If he kept up the pace, he would be able to report by morning.

...

...

"That guy sucked."

Aki's words rolled over him as Kakashi stared after the boy. He had disappeared into the woods many minutes ago, but something in his gut kept Kakashi's gaze there. The boy's face had been unfamiliar, but something about him sent off an alarm in Kakashi's head, even before the blatant lie about being on Asuma's team. Had he been a member of Root? Wouldn't Kakashi have remembered him then?

Shimura Danzo's face emerged in Kakashi's mind. Though Kakashi had severed his ties with Anbu, he knew that Danzo was still working from the shadows of the village and was always seeking young impressionable followers for his own gains. He had tried to influence Kakashi. He had tried to influence Itachi.

Kakashi's throat tightened at the thought of the young Uchiha. He had not thought of him in many weeks, but now and then, the boy's face would emerge in his mind. Sometimes when he looked at Aki, he thought of Itachi with his red Sharingan and black hair. The Hokage had surely kept Aki's identity a secret from the entire village with the knowledge that Danzo would have less than benevolent intentions for her. Even if she were not controlled enough for Root, her DNA was reason enough for Danzo to want her within his grasp.

He would have to keep a closer eye on her. Reporting this strange interaction to the Hokage also couldn't hurt.

"Kakashi?"

The dark thoughts were broken at the sound of his name. Looking away from the forest finally, he saw the face he had come to know so well staring up at him with a deep frown. The red shade of her eyes was now a comfort instead of the harshness he had once felt. Affection welled up within him, regret. He hadn't been able to save Itachi from despair, but he could do right by this girl.

"Sorry, I was just thinking. Come on, let's work on chakra control today," he said.

"Ugh, again? We did that yesterday!" whined Aki.

She whined throughout the exercise, but Kakashi was glad that the practice had yielded even a little bit of improvement in her finesse. She would still require years of training to help control that massive pool of chakra, but Kakashi was certain that he would see it through.

...

...

On the edge of the Land of Fire, a surge of water ran through a deep valley. If one followed the water upstream, they would come to find two men carved from stone facing each other, the river bursting between them from up on high as if the seals their hands formed brought the water forward. As the sun sank below the forest surrounding them, the men's faces fell into shadow, and a boy of about 13 years of age sprinted through the trees, relishing the darkness.

The run had been long. Normally, the boy would have stopped to sleep a few hours to recover his stamina, but he ran the entire length without stopping. Even if he were not being followed, he could not allow himself to rest. Even unrecognizable, Hatake Kakashi had seen his face, and he could not stop until he was safe in his master's domain.

Luckily, the signs of his safety were in sight. The forest was growing shorter but denser with branches that seemed determined to block out any semblances of light. If one were looking for them, they would find little nicks and cuts in the trunks, high in the canopies. The sound of birds softened and softened until the boy could only hear the harshness of his own breath.

Finally, he found the precise tree in the forest - the one that pulled open the ground below with its massive roots. As the shadows came into view, he was able to slow his steps and let his lungs steady. Stepping down into the tunnel, he peeled away the prosthetics on his cheekbones and chin and reached up to his eyes to pull out the colored contacts. He flicked them away before replacing them with a pair of simple glasses. Yakushi Kabuto brushed the hair out of his face just as the door closed behind him, noting that the black dye would not fade for at least a week.

The week away had been more arduous than expected, and as dark and uninviting as the base was, Kabuto felt himself sigh with relief as his eyes adjusted to the shadows. They had barely been there for a year, but it was the longest he'd used any particular location as a "home" of sorts since he had been a child in the Konoha orphanage. He supposed "home" was a strong word, but the base certainly carried a level of comfort. That was really the best he could hope for.

At the end of the long tunnel, a red light glowed, bleeding into the stone walls. Kabuto was greeted at the end with the slender back of a figure hunched over a metal table, his long hair inky and dangling over his face.

"Orochimaru-sama."

The man straightened, unfurling his spine like a serpent and turned his head to peer over his shoulder with a wide smile, his lips thin and pale. That expression was also somehow a form of comfort, at least in its familiarity.

"Kabuto-kun, welcome back. How was your mission?"

"Successful. How have you been adapting while I was away?" The Sannin smiled, his lips a bit too red, jawline unexpectedly delicate.

"Well enough. This body will do for now." His arms stretched wide and pale. "Curse that Uchiha Itachi for putting me through this inconvenience, but this body will be sufficient for the time being."

"Will you need to find another in the near future?"

"We will see. I was hoping to prepare this body more thoroughly so that it would survive longer than the last, but circumstances have prevented that."

"We'll just have to plan better for the next," said Kabuto. Orochimaru smiled.

"Indeed. So tell me about your mission: you found the ones who killed the Stone Trio."

"Yes. Konoha-nin, just as we thought." Orochimaru nodded thoughtfully.

"That is unfortunate. I was hoping to remain out of Sarutobi's attention for a while longer. What team did he send?"

"A two-man group - new from what I can tell. Unfortunately, I was forced to make contact and made a mistake in my cover story, so they'll be looking out for me."

"Jonin?"

"Chuunin and jonin. The younger one had some chakra levels I haven't seen before. It's like chakra was spilling out of her." Kabuto paused thoughtfully for a moment. "I didn't put it together at the time, but the signature felt like Kinoe's."

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed. "What's her name?" he said.

"I wasn't able to get a name. It took a lot to prying to get any conversation out of her, but she didn't have any of the markers of the well-known clans."

"How old is she?"

"A little younger than I am, maybe 11 or 12."

"Who was her teammate?"

"Hatake Kakashi."

Orochimaru's back lengthened. His eyes glowed in the dim room, yellow and narrow. Kabuto shivered slightly at the intensity of his gaze.

"Kakashi?" echoed the Sannin. "So Sandaime gave Kakashi his own student. How interesting."

"Is that so odd?" Orochimaru smiled.

"The Copycat Ninja of Konoha has never taught a genin or chuunin team, so why now? And why lead only one student? If Sandaime has assigned this girl to him, it was for a specific reason. I'd like you to keep an eye on this no-clan girl."

"Do you want me to look out for anything in particular?"

"See what kinds of jutsu she uses, how much control she has over that chakra of hers." He paused and then added, "I want to know about her relationship with Kakashi as well. That man has been a thorn in my side for too long."

"Yes, sir."

"How did Kakashi look? It's been awhile since we last saw him."

"Same as always. It was odd to see him in jonin-wear."

"Yes, that is curious. Find out when Sarutobi retired him from Anbu as well."

Kabuto nodded, his mind wandering to the strange girl with the unique energy. Yes, her chakra was similar to Orochimaru's failed experiment, Kinoe, but there was something else. It felt deeper, like a wine that had aged longer despite her young age. Just what was it?

"You are preoccupied."

"I can't stop thinking about that girl."

"Oh?" Orochimaru grinned. "I didn't take you for a romantic, Kabuto-kun."

"It's nothing like that," said Kabuto with disdain. He paused thoughtfully. "She looked familiar, but I can't figure out why."

"Perhaps you saw her before we left the village." Kabuto shrugged.

"Maybe," he agreed, though something murmured that there was more to it. He pushed it to the back of his mind. "I think it'd be best if I maintained my distance from them for the time being. I slipped up today, and I can't be careless around Kakashi."

"Yes, that would probably be for the best. Switching your disguise would be wise as well for next time."

"Yes, sir."

Orochimaru smiled with approval and moved towards the corridor leading deeper into the base. "Come. The test subjects need inspecting, and I'm sure you're tired from your mission. We can continue our discussion later."

"Yes, sir."

Kabuto followed his master down, anticipating his bed. Fatigue settled into his bones as he lay down to rest, but his mind would not allow him to slip into sleep. A red scowl played continuously, the earthy pulse of chakra rippling through his limbs. A web of threads began to stretch before him, tying him to Kakashi, to Kinoe, to this nameless girl. Just as the connections began to come into sight, his eyes shuttered, and when he woke, she was a mystery to him once more.

A/N: Thank you to everyone who has been reading and especially to those who are reviewing. I really appreciate the time people take to leave me feedback, constructive or not.