Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

PROTECT

/prəˈtekt/

keep safe from any harm or injury, aim to preserve; to keep from being damaged, attacked, stolen or injured; guard

"This fucking sucks!"

Aburame Shino sighed for the umpteenth time as he listened to Kiba's complaining, continuing to rub the top of Akamaru's head. The dog whined under its breath, visibly annoyed by Kiba's constant complaining but lacking the capability to get through the moron he called a master and get through to him. Shino gave him a sympathetic look, which would've went known by the ninken even if the Aburame wasn't wearing his usual sunglasses. Shino felt safe enough in the confines of Kiba's room to take them off, though (and the light was always low, so he didn't have to worry about hurting his sensitive eyes) and so all his emotions were easy to see, easy to read.

"Don't you agree?!"

Such as his disdain for Kiba's idiocy.

"No. Sasuke is a good shinobi, and his missions are nearly always successful. He'll keep you safe, uninjured, and capable to complete the task given to you two," Shino said in his usual no-nonsense tone.

He was doing his best to hide the fact that he didn't like it when Kiba idiotically made his 'disapproval' for Sasuke known to people. It wasn't a smart thing to do, especially since it was so obvious to him now that the two were in love with each other. He felt like an idiot for not seeing it earlier than two years ago (at least, not seeing Kiba's side of it until two years ago) but now that he had, it was aggravating to see Kiba believe he had to always deny himself what he wanted.

Kiba scowled. "You're supposed to be on my side, not that traitor's."

"I'm on the side of reason, Kiba. Nothing else."

"Reason my ass; you just wanna piss me off, don't you!?"

Shino sighed. "Pissing you off is the least of my concerns. It's so easy to do that I don't need to try for it. Have you ever considered trying to have a conversation with Sasuke, Kiba, rather than having a hatred for him formed out of nothing other than a bunch of incorrect observations? Maybe then you'd known what you're talking about."

"I do know what I'm talking about, ass! He's an egotistical, power-hungry little traitor!" spat Kiba.

"Egotistical, maybe, but he's not 'power-hungry', 'little' or a 'traitor', not anymore. Just because he's slightly shorter and skinnier than you does not make him little, just because he's stronger than you doesn't make him power-hungry, and just because he once left Konoha does not make him a traitor. It makes him confused and misunderstood."

"He isn't confused," said Kiba, attempting to be cold, but finding it hard to keep the curious lilt out of his voice. Sasuke always seemed confident and in control, always seeming incredibly perfect to Kiba, incredibly inhuman. "Sasuke's never been confused."

Shino shook his head. "Yes, he is. Sasuke is socially awkward due to the fact that for the longest time, he had to live up to the status of being the 'last Uchiha'. It puts a strain on a person, especially when Sasuke was so young. Beyond that, he's lived up tot that standard for years, only to have the carpet ripped out from underneath him with the discovery that he wasn't the last, and that he wasn't alone. He has no idea how to readjust to not being 'the last' anything, and he has no idea how to converse with people now that it's known that he isn't the last of a dying breed of ninja. He has social inadequacies that will probably never be fixed, especially with the judgments about him that people pass about him." Shino sighed. "Kiba, you're going to be around him for weeks on end for the duration of the mission. Can you try to get to know him, even just a little? I think you could benefit."

Kiba stared at him, his eyes softening. He did want to get to know Sasuke, but he… he wasn't sure how he could possibly go about being nicer to him. Sasuke hated him, he knew it full well; Sasuke's comments towards him made him sure of it. It was his own fault, really: Sasuke wasn't as cold towards anyone as he was towards other people and while Kiba really wanted to fix that relationship, he wasn't sure how. It was his fault, but he had no idea where to start something like that.

"I don't need to know him, Shino," Kiba responded sadly.

"But you want to," Shino said, and Akamaru barked in agreement. Kiba scowled but said nothing, returning to packing the necessary and minimum supplies, knowing to travel light despite the possibility of a long-term mission. He knew his scowl wasn't true; inside he was sad, and he was hurting. He wanted Sasuke to honestly like him. He hated that Sasuke hated him. He really liked Sasuke, he knew he did, but something about him made so insecure and so… just so unable to think clearly. Something about Sasuke made him so incredibly stupid and he was constantly putting his foot straight into that big mouth of his and he didn't know how to stop and – "Kiba?"

He snapped up, looking Shino in the eyes. Dammit. He'd gotten lost in his thoughts about Sasuke; that goddamned Uchiha that drove him so crazy and made him so stupid all the damned time. Kiba opened his mouth to apologize for spacing out and thinking about Sasuke when he was supposed to be hanging out with his friend, who was only recently back from his search-and-destroy mission, but Shino beat him to the punch with a question that was so far out there that Kiba momentarily forgot how to breathe: "Kiba, are you in love with Sasuke?"

The question had surprised him, but what surprised him more was his automatic reaction to the question, one made only because the surprise had resulted in a lapse of judgment.

"Yeah. I love Sasuke a lot and too much to think about sometimes. It's painful, and I've fucked it up beyond all recognition and I've got no idea how to even go about fixing what it's become."

He slapped his hands over his mouth the moment the last word left his lips, his eyes widening as Shino and Akamaru both stared at him, shocked that he—the ever-stubborn Inuzuka Kiba—had actually admitted out loud, with no amount of forcing on either his or his ninken's part, that he loved Sasuke. Kiba ran a hand through his hair, his tattoo doing nothing to hide the incredibly red and large blush on his cheeks, cursing himself up and down silently. "Shit. I never said that. I never fucking said that."

"There's nothing wrong with being in love, Kiba," responded Shino with a whisper. "Love is good. Sasuke is a good man, so why don't you… you know, get with him?" It was slightly weird to him to be talking to his male best friend about boys, but this was Kiba. Kiba would never judge him, so who would he be to judge him? Besides, what did it matter if Kiba was into men? That didn't make him any different from the Kiba he'd known practically all of his entire life. Kiba was, and always would be, his best friend and that would never change, despite his sexuality, despite who he chose to be with. As long as he was happy Shino would always support him and if Sasuke made Kiba the happiest then he would help Kiba get the happiness he deserved.

"I… I'm afraid," he whispered, sitting down on the floor and putting his elbows on top of his bent thighs, pushing his face into his forehead. Shino frowned, and Akamaru moved off of his lap and began licking Kiba's face, trying to reassure his master. Kiba didn't even smile at him; he simply pushed Akamaru away gently, his shoulders trembling slightly. Akamaru looked up at Shino, a bemused look on his furry face, which was emulated by the usually stoic and unusually confused Aburame.

"Why?" asked Shino, for once not having a bounty of answers or even knowing what the answer could really be.

"He left once." Kiba's voice was so uncharacteristically small; Shino had to strain to hear him. Kiba was acting shy, scared, confused—things he never acted like, at least in his romantic life. Kiba tended to have everything figured out. That was why he went to Kiba for advice sometimes, when he had problems with his own new-found relationship with one of Hinata's many cousins. Kiba always knew what to do, and so to see him like this, so broken, was disconcerting. Distressing. Worrying. For once, the sympathy he usually had for Sasuke due to Kiba's idiocy towards him was slightly less than the sympathy he currently had towards Kiba.

"So?" Shino found himself asking, needing Kiba to keep going.

"He left us all," he continued hesitantly, "He left everyone who cared about him in the pursuit of power. He didn't care about who he hurt. He didn't care that we almost died to get him back, to save him. I can't think to leave Konoha for a minute, and he left for years. I don't know how to leave. I can't do it. I'm loyal to Konoha and I can't leave. He isn't. He can leave whenever he wants. He can leave everyone who cares about him without any qualms. That means… that means he can leave me without problems. He doesn't need to reciprocate my feelings to hurt me. He can just by leaving again, and I know that nothing I say will stop him if he wants to leave, and I think about that, and that makes me want to stay away… so if and when it happens, I don't have to feel so much pain. I don't want to give him myself and risk the pain. It hurts without me doing that."

"So you'd rather live with regrets and always have to pretend to not be in love with him?" asked Shino, brows furrowing deeper than they were already. "It'll hurt either way, Kiba, you must know that. You're not stupid."

Kiba looked up with pain filled eyes. "He doesn't even feel the same way as me, Shino. He's not in love with me. He hates me because he thinks I hate him, and I don't hate him and motherfucker!" He grabbed a shirt out of his half-packed bag and threw it across the room. "I don't know what to fucking do! I want him! Shino, I want to be his! I don't know why I can't just get it together when I'm near him. He makes me stupid and confused and weird and funny and good and safe and weak and strong and… and…" Kiba sighed angrily, his face turning red. "I hate this stupid fucking feeling!"

"Sounds like love," Shino replied with a half-sigh, rubbing the back of his head. "Just change his opinion of you, Kiba. Just change is opinion of you. Act the way you do around me."

Kiba stared at him. "I can't. I don't want to be just friends with Sasuke. All I want to do every time I see him is to…" His eyes glazed over, and Akamaru growled under his breath at him. He snapped out of it almost immediately, blushing more than he already was. "Sorry. B-But I can't just be friends with Sasuke. I need him more than just a friend."

Shino sighed. "I meant act friendly. Be the person you are to everyone else. Be yourself, and try to see if Sasuke really hates you, like you think he does. Become friends with him. Become someone who matters. See if that becomes more. See if you want to be in a relationship with him after. But… Kiba, just stop feeling this pain. It's not necessary. You don't deserve it. You're a good person, and you deserve to be happy." Shino gave him a small smirk. "Besides, you never know. This mission is going to be long. Maybe you'll find everything works out."

Kiba snorted. "Yeah. Sure. Right. Okay, Shino. And then next I'll become the Hokage instead of Naruto."

Shino actually chuckled at that. Everyone seemed to have given up on trying on surpassing Naruto, hadn't they? Even Kiba had, though he seemed okay with giving up on becoming the Hokage someday, probably because Naruto would make a damned better one than he would, and he knew it.

"You never know, Kiba," Shino said, barely hiding his growing smile, "Life can be surprising sometimes, especially our life. You never know what could happen."

"'Have faith in me… 'cause there are things that I've seen that I don't believe. So cling to what you know… and never let go. You should know, things aren't always what they seem.'"

Vaguely, Obito knew he recognized the words to the song his mother used to sing to him, before his life had changed so drastically. He hadn't heard it in such a long time, but for reasons he, himself, did not understand, it made him feel safer. It pulled him from his dreams and into consciousness, giving him the strength, somehow, to face the day as he cracked open his eyes, blinking as his pupils began to focus in on his surroundings.

Even though it had been a long time, identifying his father's muscled body, even though it was mostly his back and shoulder that was to him, was more than easy enough. He smiled to himself, allowing himself to feel childish admiration for the older male sitting on the edge of his bed, his face turned away from him as he sung the old song his mother had often sung for him when he was often scared from some sort of nightmare. "'I said I'd never let you go, and I never did. I said I'd never let you fall, and I always meant it. If you didn't have a chance, then I never did. You'll always find me right there, again'."

Obito swallowed dryly and opened his mouth, the words to the song slowly, carefully. Though he knew the words by heart—they had been sung often enough for him to be able to, even at such a young age—he had never sung the words out loud, out of fear that he might break. However, in the safety of his father's presence, he was sure—pretty positive—that it was okay to allow himself this moment. "'I've gone crazy… 'cause there are things in the streets I don't believe. So we'll pretend it's alright, and stay in for the night, what a world! I'll keep you safe here with me…'"

"I was wondering if you'd be asleep any longer," said Shisui, turning slightly in the direction of his son, his hand reaching out and softly touching Obito's cheek. "I was worried that you were dead."

Obito gave a small chuckle, sitting up in his bed. "I didn't give you that big of a scare, did I?"

"No, you did," said Shisui, giving a soft, sardonic smile. "I think I lost a good two decades of my life because of that. And I don't mean right now. I mean before." Obito swallowed dryly and looked away, feeling guilty for having been in such a position. "I thought I'd lost you. I could barely 'see' you; your chakra signature was so low. I thought… I thought you really were going to die, and I felt so… powerless."

"Otō… I'm sorry…"

Shisui grabbed his son's hand expertly. "You've got nothing to apologize for. You can't be expected to never get hurt. I know that. What happened wasn't your fault, and I know that."

He shook his head. "It happened because I allowed myself to get drunk, and I had egged it on. I'd been staring…"

"It's perfectly natural. You're a teenaged boy with the hormones to match. Based on Jiraiya-sama's descriptions of them, if you haven't been staring, something would've been wrong with you. The only person I know that doesn't like staring at girls is Sasuke, and there is a specific reason for that." Obito chuckled, a soft smile touching his lips. Shisui had basically just confirmed for him that his suspicions on Sasuke's sexual preferences were correct. Well, that definitely made his more-than-obvious attraction Inuzuka Kiba, which he had observed several times before he'd left Konoha with Naruto, a hell of a lot less odd.

"Speaking of Jiraiya-sama… he tells me that you have certain… proficiency when it comes to the aiding of the writing of, well… porn. He appraised it, in fact." Obito turned scarlet now, eyes widening in embarrassment and mortification. "Not that I'm the kind of father who has the position to tell you what to do, but I must say… the idea that you help a fifty-year-old man write porn in your spare time makes me very uncomfortable, and I'm leaving it up to you to tell your aunt—because you know she'll have something to say about it."

Obito rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes landing anywhere but on his father. "I, um… it kinda just… happened. I…"

"I don't want details!" said Shisui, obviously flustered as he held up his hands, a crimson blush of his own on his face. "Just… it makes me uncomfortable. End of conversation."

"Please," agreed Obito, nodding empathetically, making Shisui chuckle in a mixture of surprise, embarrassment, mortification, and amusement. He moved his hand up to rub Obito's head, surprising him. Obito blinked and looked at his father, who was smiling brightly at him. "W-What?"

"I missed talking to you," Shisui unabashedly admitted, making Obito's blush grow tenfold. "It was always quite amusing; embarrassing you. Easy, yes. But it is fun. I consider it to be father-son bonding of the highest form."

Obito rolled his eyes, but his smile brightened. He was gifted with an amazing father. Despite Shisui's proclivity for heavily teasing him in the oddest of circumstances, he liked that he had a father willing to do it. He was happy his father didn't hate him for killing his mother. He was glad he understood that it was necessary, and that he was willing to overlook it so easily, despite the fact that his mother was the love of his father's life.

"I missed you, too," he replied warmly, grinning full-heartedly at his father. "I missed you, too, Otōsan."

One would think that because she had managed to successfully tell off the Hyūga clan advisory council just the night before, Hinata would be the happiest girl alive. She should have been jumping for joy for having stood up for herself in front of the men who had managed to make her father's life a living hell time and time again. She should have been glad that she finally made her own difference in the clan, before she even took the seat of the clan head, officially, on her twenty-first birthday. She should be glad that she had a reason to be glad at all, in fact. But she wasn't glad, at all.

She wasn't because she wasn't sure if she would make it to be heiress anymore—if she'd be alive to make it to that point.

Kabuto's lackeys had attacked the Nara compound last night, a fact she was made painfully aware of when missing-nin-turned-mercenary Suigetsu came in, asking for Neji. She'd forced him to explain, not why he needed Neji at a quarter to midnight, but why there was blood on his hands and his clothes—which he had, hesitantly. She had then found herself making her own way over to Shikamaru's, in order to make sure that Temari and Soyokaze were perfectly alright, as well as to make sure that Shikamaru wasn't damaged in some sort of way.

It wasn't that she thought Shikamaru couldn't handle death, but because he hadn't killed in a good few years, and he'd certainly never killed the way he had, according to Suigetsu. He seemed alright, but she could see that he was closing off quite a bit of emotion—a coping mechanism she hadn't seen in him since he started in ANBU. She knew there wasn't really anything she could do to help him; he'd have to work through his own issues. But she knew that Shikamaru was completely in the right, and she was happy that he chose to do it, though more than likely Tsunade might be pissed off about it. The intruder would've been killed anyways, but an informant lost is still an informant lost.

"Hinata."

The heiress blinked, not realizing she had been caught up in her own thoughts, and looked up from her plate, up into the concerned eyes of Kankurō. It occurred to her that he had been calling her name for several minutes, trying to get her attention, but it just wouldn't work. Unlike usual, she didn't force a fake smile—she didn't hide her feelings from Kankurō, not anymore. He'd earned the right to know exactly what she was thinking, what she was feeling.

"How worried?" he asked softly.

"Very," she admitted with a sigh, putting down her chopsticks. Eating was the last thing on her mind. Kankurō had, in celebration of her ripping the council a new one, chosen to take her to breakfast that day, which she was very much appreciative of. Sadly, she couldn't keep focused—her worry for Shikamaru (and her own status) was taking the forefront of her mind. "I'm worried he'll come after us again. I'm worried he'll try to take me again, for whatever new twisted reason he may have. And… I'm worried he'll try to kill you again, Kankurō. I don't want that to happen. I don't want to lose you."

He got up from his seat, walking around the booth and slipping in next to her, wrapping an arm around her waist. He put his cheek on the top of her head, gently stroking her side. His presence next to her was reassuring, but not nearly enough for her to completely stop worrying. Nothing short of Kabuto's head on a silver platter would stop her from worrying about this.

"I'm not gonna let any of that happen, hime," he said, "I told you before, and I'll tell you again; I'm going to protect you any way I can. There are no ifs, ands, or buts. I'll do anything to keep you safe."

"What about yourself?" she asked, looking up into Kankurō's face.

He gave a small smirk. "Well, as you tell me time and time again… that's why I have you. I know you'll have my back, and I'll have yours."

She smiled gently as well, feeling her bad mood dissipate. "And… anyone else who needs protection… what about them?"

He chuckled gently, saying, "You're talking about our friends, Hinata. Trust me; there are more than enough of our friends for me to confidently say that we've all pretty much got each other's backs. If something happens, like before… we'll raise hell. The last thing we'll ever do is bend over, shove our heads in the dirt, and let Kabuto take whatever he wants. No, if he comes after us… we'll take him out."

"I couldn't have said it any better myself."

Hinata flinched, looking away from Kankurō to see Kakashi standing behind them, arms crossed over his chest. Hinata grinned widely, and the Copy Nin smiled behind his mask, walking to the now-empty side of Hinata and Kankurō's booth. "Saw you two; thought I might pop in and say hello. Well actually, Hayato did, but I agreed."

"Where is Little Scarecrow?" asked Kankurō, pulling his plate of food over to him, giving up on ever moving back to his original side of the booth. Besides, he liked feeling Hinata next to him. Her presence was assuring. Truthfully speaking, he was a little bit shaken by the events last night—after all, he did almost lose his precious little nephew—and it was Kabuto who'd been behind it, a man who wanted to use his Hinata for his own devious exploitations and kill him. Knowing he was around and ready to play had him more than a little bit jumpy. He put his arm around her waist, his grip tight, maybe too tight, but he didn't care, and Hinata didn't seem to notice. He was afraid to even blink. He'd lost her once to Kabuto, and he wasn't ready to repeat the experience. He refused to repeat the experience.

"Convincing that waitress over there to bring him free food," said Kakashi with a chuckle, pointing. Hinata had to crane her neck in order to see the small eight-year-old working his innocent, boyish charms on an unsuspecting member of the wait staff, who was no match for the boy. She never stood a chance. "Hopefully, he's not using any genjutsu, but I can't be sure. Ever since I taught him the basics, he's been using it left and right. He's actually taken to stealing things—small things, like fruits, hard candies and cheap toys."

"Things you have no issue on letting him keep," chastised Hinata, smiling. She knew that Kakashi was in no way forcing him to put them back, much like her father hadn't when she had taken to doing the exact same thing. Most shinobi parents didn't, but it was a constant source of humor amongst the population. They all teased each other often about the use of genjutsu for personal gain, especially on the topic of their children using it. It was against the rules to steal with genjutsu, but it was a rule broken often—stealing was the best way to practice a genjutsu as a young child; they all knew it. Besides, if a child could get away with it, then the shop owner deserved to be swindled.

Kakashi shrugged. "He is going to be a shinobi when he grows up. Sometimes, a shinobi has to steal while on missions, whether for the objective or for sustenance. As long as he knows not to steals things like televisions or microwaves, or tries to convince someone to give him an apartment for free, I think he'll be okay. But, don't worry; I've put my foot down on occasion. He understands his limitations. He knows not to draw attention towards himself."

Hinata smiled. "He is a smart boy."

"Very." He, and the other two shinobi present, continued to watch the eight-year-old with great amusement. "I'm going to induct him into my clan soon, I think."

Hinata frowned, turning back to him. "I thought you said that you were going to wait until he was older to do that."

"I was," agreed Kakashi, "But then Shikamaru's house was invaded last night, so I think I need to do it early. And… I'd like to give you two the protection of my clan." Kankurō blinked, turning around and, like his girlfriend, staring at him. What protection? both shinobi thought, but didn't make their thoughts verbal. "I know you can summon the dogs already, Hinata, but… an extra protection wouldn't harm anyone. And since you're hers, technically, Kankurō, the same protection would be given to you. I'm also giving it to Naruto, and to Sasuke, when he gets back."

"Back?" Hinata's worry began to rise afresh. Added to the worry that Kabuto was coming for her, and the incredibly vagueness that Kakashi was giving in his words; news of Sasuke leaving the village was incredibly worrisome. "Why did he leave?"

"He was given a mission with Inuzuka Kiba. Itachi's with Hana. They're spreading out, trying to see if they can find Kabuto anywhere. They have a lead," said Kakashi, his own voice laced with worry.

"But… why didn't Tsunade come to me? I could've helped!" Hinata blurted, eyebrows creasing. And Kiba was gone to? Kiba was thrown into danger? And both Uchiha were out chasing the same guy? It was like Konoha was throwing Kabuto a freaking present! The Sharingan on a silver-fucking-platter!

Kankurō growled under his breath. "You're kidding me, right, hime?"

Kakashi's eyebrow twitched. He could see where Kankurō's irritation lay as plain as day. He said, slowly, "Hinata, you have other things to deal with. Sasuke doesn't. Kabuto also isn't nearly as interested in Sasuke as he is in you. He was always more of Orochimaru's prize. You're his. You're reasonably safe here."

"But… he might try to kill Sasuke! He's a psycho! He wanted Sasuke once; what'll stop him from wanting him again?!" she asked, her voice indicating that her panic was steadily growing.

"Love, Sasuke can handle it," said Kankurō in a gentler voice, "And he's got Kiba and Akamaru with him. Kiba would do whatever he can to keep him alive, even though he 'hates' him." He smirked softly at that—he was only being sarcastic. He could see as plain as day that Kiba might as well be a blushing, nervous teenaged girl near Sasuke, though he did his best to hide it. It was too obvious to be hidden. He was in love with Sasuke, and he was too blind to see that Sasuke was in love with him, too. "Sasuke has the skills of an ANBU operative. He's strong."

Kakashi opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a loud "Otō". The three shinobi immediately stopped their topic of conversation as the eight-year-old ran up, climbing into the booth besides his father. Hayato grinned widely up at his father, proud of himself as he whispered, "They're bringing us food, Otō! I didn't even have to use genjutsu this time!"

Kakashi, a true actor, hid his worry towards the predicament currently in conversation and gave his son his famous eye smile. "Good job."

Hayato nodded, turning to the other two shinobi. "Hinata-neechan, did you see me? Kankurō-kun, did she see me?"

"Yeah, she saw you, Scarecrow," said Kankurō, smirking. He didn't really like most kids, but he'd have to admit: Hayato was beyond amusing. He liked him. "Though, I bet that could've been handled a lot better if you had a second kid with you."

Hayato frowned. "What second kid?"

"Well, if you had a puppet, asking that question would be redundant."

He giggled now. "Kankurō-kun, I still don't want a puppet!"

"You'd be good at it, I swear. It's easy."

Kankurō easily and intentionally diverted Hayato's attention away from Hinata, allowing her to silently think through the conversation they had just had with Kakashi. She was worried about Sasuke—not that he couldn't handle himself, but because she was just worried something might happen that was just not something he could handle. Sasuke was only human, after all; he couldn't handle absolutely everything. Kabuto would not make it easy for him, at all. She looked up at Kakashi, who was watching her with a serious dark grey eye. One look told her everything—he felt the same way, and, if it came down to it, he would get into his ANBU uniform right alongside Hinata in order to get him out of trouble and bring him back to Konohagakure.

That was soothing enough for her, for now.

If Fuki had learned one thing over the years, it was that she deeply hated allowing herself to be pushed around or manipulated. She'd always been a freer, more independent sort of spirit who had her own ideas and opinions about what she should do, or what she should believe. That was why, after the Academy days, she promptly ditched that pompous bitch, Ami, and decided to focus more on who she was, because, at that point, she didn't truly know. She'd spent so long just following Ami that she'd never figured out the kind of person she was. She'd learned so many cutesy little jutsus because Ami liked them, and spent so much time just trying to please her, that her own development was immensely stunted.

What she found about herself, after dumping Ami, and after another year at the Academy trying to become a Genin, was that she liked to use Water Release ninjutsu techniques, as well as a varying degree of weaponry and general tactical thinking. Her seemingly natural capability to use a variety of weapons and to think her way through situations moved her through the ranks quickly. Before she truly knew it… she'd become an ANBU operative.

She was proud of herself, for her progress through the ranks since her Academy days. She'd come far, she knew, further than her parents had figured she would ever get. They didn't have much faith in her (actually, that was putting it mildly, they used to beat her because she wasn't the child they'd wanted), when it came to anything, but she stopped letting it get to her. She did her best to just… live. It'd work out for her, in the long run, she believed. It had to.

"Good job, Wolf," said her teammates, Eagle and Fox. Behind her mask, she smiled—she much appreciated their approval of her skills on a mission; it was important to her. Thanks to them, she'd gotten far in ANBU. They'd become her closest friends.

"Daichi, we're home; you can call me by my name," Fuki said with a giggle, pushing her porcelain wolf's mask up and off her face, pushing down her gravity-defying red locks. Daichi chuckled, pulling off his eagle mask and tying it to his belt, his dark blue hair plastered down to his forehead due to sweat, hiding the Hyūga clans' curse mark upon his forehead. Daichi was tall, much taller than she was. His nearly white eyes had been dead when they'd first met three years ago, and now, slowly, they'd awakened, and he began to live again—which she was glad for, as his odd sense of humor often made her days.

Takeshi took off his own mask wordlessly, shaking his head at his two teammates, a small smile on his lips. Takeshi was a quieter one than the two of them, unexpectedly. His hair was bright green, his eyes bright yellow—he screamed obnoxious and loud. Oddly, except for physical appearance, he was neither of the two things. "At least we're done," Takeshi said in his soft voice, placing the mask sideways on his head so it pushed his hair off to the right side. "We get to rest for couple of days."

Fuki nodded in agreement, stretching her muscles with a loud, long yawn, her taut stomach peeking out from underneath her undone armor vest. Something patted her head, pushing down heavily on her mask. Frowning, she stopped stretching, turning around. A taller ANBU, by the codename of Gorilla (a truly fitting name, if you asked her) stood behind her, his broad arms slowly crossing over his chest. "Tsunade-sama needs the three of you in her office, full uniform."

Daichi frowned. "We just got in."

"She knows. She told me to tell you to get there ASAP. You know what that means. It means haul ass, 'cause she's impatient as hell." The three younger ANBU groaned, pulling their masks back over their faces as they abandoned the ANBU headquarters, running at full speed to make it out and get to Tsunade in only a few minutes. She was incredibly impatient, but she did give a little bit of leeway when a team was literally just getting into Konohagakure.

They ran past a flustered-seeming Shizune, not bothering to say hello, or to really focus on anything but avoiding plowing into her in their haste. Usually, they would say something polite, but they honestly didn't have the time to do so. They didn't know how long they kept Tsunade waiting, and to keep Tsunade waiting for any amount of time other than sixty seconds was a very bad thing. Takeshi was the first to the door, holding it open for his two companions so they wouldn't waste any more time, getting into position in front of their impatient Hokage who, on a close, but brief inspection, indeed looked pissed off, lending Fuki to believe they'd kept her waiting a very long time.

"About damned time you three got here," growled Tsunade, much to Fuki's own irritation. "Remove your damned masks. I want to talk face-to-face." Knowing better than to argue about protocol, Takeshi moved behind the desk, quickly closing all the curtains before returning to his former position, the three of them moving in unison to remove their animal masks, crouching down in front of Tsunade. "Stand up. You're too late to be thinking about some damned formality." The three shinobi shrugged, returning to their former positions, their shoulders sagging slightly. Yup. She was pissed. "I've got a new assignment for the three of you." Fuki did her best to hold back her complaints, and she would admit out loud when she wasn't in front of Tsunade—it was very, very hard of her to do.

"Hokage-sama, with absolutely no disrespect meant towards you, but we've only just gotten in from our last dispatch assignment from the Land of Rice Fields," Takeshi said, noticing his two teammate's looks of disdain towards their Hokage. "We thought we were getting our week of time in order to rejuvenate completely."

"I understand you completely, Takeshi, but this assignment is nothing the three of you cannot handle," said Tsunade, nodding at him. "It's a simple mission, honestly. It's not even A-class."

"It must be important, though, if you're having ANBU agents take care of this," said Daichi, frowning. "So what is it?"

Tsunade sighed. "Guarding. I need—each of you—to guard important people. That is your mission. There are three in total—and then there are three of you." She yawned, pulling out a set of three scrolls. "These scrolls are detailed with your missions. I don't want to hear you whine, or bitch, about the person you've received as your guarding detail. I've had a busy-as-hell day, and I don't need to hear anything else." Daichi, Takeshi, and Fuki all looked between the three of them, their eyebrows furrowed. What exactly had happened while they were gone?

Well, as they were about to find out… a hell of a lot.

"It appears the Uchiha Avenger has left Konoha."

Kabuto looked up from the body he was currently dissecting, turning to look at the messenger behind him, who quivered in fear of the possible reaction Kabuto could give. Kabuto had real issues controlling his emotions, ever since he'd injected some of Orochimaru's DNA into his own genetic code. The deep and troubling psychosis that was Orochimaru did not mix well with anyone, and especially not the already deeply troubled mind that was Yakushi Kabuto.

Thankfully enough, Kabuto seemed to contain his anger. "Is that right? Why has he done that?"

"I'm unsure of the details, but he left with what appeared to be a tracker nin. Judging by the facial marks; an Inuzuka tracker."

"Hmm. Interesting. Keep me updated. I want to know where he is at all times. And what of the Heiress?"

"She is still in Konoha, and it appears she is under heavy watch-and-guard, Kabuto-sama."

Kabuto resisted the urge to chuckle. They were onto him, weren't they? They seemed to just know that she was his main target. That was why she was exempt from this phase of his planning. The other pieces he needed were knights, bishops, silver generals, golden generals, and rooks. Easily replaceable pieces, as Konoha didn't have a lack of them. But her… she was a dragon king. She was a promoted rook, and possibly a dragon horse as well. She was a precious piece, a piece that didn't get played around with carelessly. She was a piece he needed, and a piece he would make sure to have, through whatever means necessary.

"Keep a careful eye on her; I can't afford her getting away from me," he said, "Tell me what happened at the Nara compound."

"The Two-Tails killed the pawn, sir, like you said it would, but the seal does not seem to have affected him. He's perfectly fine. Nothing like you said would happen happened." The messenger's eyes looked doubtful, and Kabuto could see easily that he wanted to blame Naito for the lack of success. If Kabuto were him, he would, too; but he knew that Naito would never dare something so bold and stupid. Naito may hate him, but he was also smartly afraid of him, too.

"It isn't Naito's fault. The seal only works for some people, not all. Thinking it would work for the Two-Tails was a stretch on my part, admittedly. Keep going on with the plan. It's bound to work with someone. I trust your superior has begun with the charts for those involved with the invasion?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. When he's done, I want you to send him straight to me. I need word about it so I can coordinate a plan of attack myself."

"On Konoha, sir?"

"No. Your superior can handle Konoha. I have some place much different in mind for myself. You are dismissed."

Kakashi means scarecrow. When I have Kankuro call Hayato 'Little Scarecrow', it's therefore a play on Kakashi's name and on their physical similarities; Kankuro is calling Hayato a near double of Kakashi.

The song I used is A Day to Remember's 'Have Faith in Me', which has its influence on different parts of the story.

I have writer's block. So many ideas and no ability to write them down. I'm overstressed and my will to write is disappearing. I'm angry at my family, myself, and my lack of control over my life.

I'm back again to being disappointed in the lack of reviews, not only here, but in The Ripple Effect. It makes me feel like I suck. Not that I don't appreciate Favorites and Follows, they make me smile, but nothing brightens my day like a review, and considering how my week's been heading, with my shitty family dynamic, I'd like a day-brightener.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.