Kakashi had just finished giving his report to the Hokage, and was in his living quarters pacing the floor. 'All I know about Otani are a few things.' He thought, slowly going over what he knew about the mysterious assistant. He then started to talk out loud to himself. "When Kagome was kidnapped, and we were in the Hokage's office, he was there as well. He said with his own words, 'Obito and I do owe her our lives. She gave us a second chance.'" He stopped at a window and stared down at the street below him. "How does he know Obito? Obviously Kagome brought him back from death as well. Who is he?"

He then walked to his chair and sat down, propped his feet up on a stool he dragged over and leaned back in his chair with his arms hanging over the sides in a worn out, lazy jester. "Obito looked sheepish when he admitted that I knew who 'we were, well at least me'. Otani looked at him in shock, and why was Obito still cloaked?" He brought his hands to his chin, then drummed his fingers in thought. 'Then, when we were fighting with Orochumaru, and I threw the kunai that Mina...' His eye widened in shock, and he jumped up out of his chair, but then tripped over the stool that was there. From the ground he groaned out, "He's Minato."

Minato was with Sarutobi in his office. They were going over what to do with Kagome and Obito since they didn't come back from the mission. Sarutobi was sitting at his desk and said, "We'll have no choice but to label them both as missing nin's." Then reached down in his desk to grab some forms to start the paperwork on them.

Minato put his hand on the desk then said, "You won't be able to do that."

"And why not? They abandoned the village! It's what's supposed to happen." He said, not giving up in what he was saying.

"Kagome was never a Ninja with us. She was, and is considered a civilian. As a civilian, she has the right to leave when she wants, unlike us ninja." Sarutobi opened his mouth to say something, but Minato didn't stop talking, he continued. "Now, with Obito, he's considered dead. It's not like you gave him another identity when he was here. So therefore, you cannot label a dead man as a missing nin."

Sarutobi looked at Minato, then sighed. "You're right. I just worry for them now that they're away from the village. I just wanted them brought back so we can keep an eye on them. I worry for Kagome's safety, just because who knows who Obito might tell his secret to next. He's a sloppy ninja, and I worry, what that might bring to them."

Otani nodded but said, "I have faith on those two, they'll do just fine on their own." He then left the office, he needed to go check on Naruto. Since Kagome was kidnapped from the tower, he hid him on his own, in a place only he and one other person knew. He didn't trust that tower anymore.

A whispered voice interrupted Minato's thoughts, "Hello... Sensei." He looked up, and his eyes landed on Kakashi, who was looking at him intently.

"Sensei? You must have me confused with someone else Kakashi. I think you need to rest, that was a long mission you just got back from." He said, putting his hand on the young teen's shoulders.

Kakashi sighed then said in a low voice, "You gave yourself away. Please, we need to talk."

Minato opened his mouth to speak, but then nodded. "Let's go to your place."

They were looking at each other in silence, both not really knowing what to say. Finally one of them broke the tension that was slowly building. "You said I gave myself away, how?" Otani asked the only question that was in his thoughts at the moment.

"Well, first off, I have to say your disguise is really great, I wouldn't have known if I didn't piece things together. The biggest clue, was when you arrived to help us with Orochimaru. Minato, was the only one that could move that fast, and it was the same dagger you gave me."

Otani sighed. He noticed he's been doing that a lot lately. It must be all this stress and drama that's building. "Well, good job Kakashi. I'm sorry I didn't let you know before hand, but it wasn't and isn't my place to tell you such things."

Kakashi nodded, "It's understandable. But I've been thinking about some other things." He was going to sit in his chair, but then looked at the toppled stool, then decided to move it, and then sat down.

"Why did Orochimaru go after Kagome? He would have had to know something about her to get his interest peaked. As far as I know, I was the only person Obito told. I think he was tipped off by someone."

"Oh?" Otani then moved the stool, then sat down in front of Kakashi. "Why do you think that?"

"I don't know. All I know is that when Obito was admitting to Kagome about spilling to me, I could have sworn I felt another presence there, but I couldn't pinpoint where it came from. Then, that same night, Kagome gets kidnapped, not the mysterious hooded person in the alley, but Kagome."

Otani sat there, soaking in all the information Kakashi had just said. "We need to have another person to have eyes around here. One that won't know my identity, and who we can keep in the dark, but someone who we can also trust. Jiairya."

Kakashi's eyebrow rose with that, "The pervert sanin? Why him?"

"He's the only one other then myself right now who knows where Naruto is hidden. He's his godfather. I know I can trust him. If we tell him that we think someone was working with Orochimaru, he would want to help."

"Then let's go track him down, I bet I know where to look first. Does he know who you are?"

"No. He came up to me one day, demanding that I let him in on Naruto's whereabouts. Ever since Kagome's kidnapping, he's been on edge. It's common knowledge around here that I'm Naruto's 'new' guardian. I couldn't say no to the man."

Kakashi just nodded and then the two then left and started walking in town.

Otani was following Kakashi who seemed like he knew where he was going. Suddenly they stopped, and they were looking at the entrance to Konoha's hot springs. Minato's eyebrow rose in question and he just had to ask his old student something. "How in the world did you find out he would be here?"

"I ah...ran into him when I was here relaxing myself."

"Mmmm hmmm, sure." He said with a smirk. "I'm sure you enjoyed yourself with the views too?"

"Like I said, I was relaxing." Kakashi then turned and walked in the entrance. He noticed a woman who was about to turn a corner and he just said, "Excuse me ma'am. I was wondering if you could do me a favor?"

The blond haired woman turned to look at him, then said with a smile, "Sure kid, what can I do for you?" As she asked this her eyebrow rose.

"This might seem a bit odd, but before you change to go into the hot springs, would you go inside there and look under all the chairs that have a towel draped over them?"

The woman was silent for a moment before she nodded then said, "Ok. I guess I can do this, but can I ask why?"

"I'm doing an experiment to see if ninja's of old age loose their sense of security, and if a woman such as yourself if she were to find said ninja, could throw them out, and kick their butt to kingdom come." When the woman looked a little taken aback by his statement he added. "We received a report that a pervert ninja was seen here spying on the ladies while they're having a relaxing time."

Her eyes widened and she power walked to the woman's side of the hot springs. Suddenly he could hear chairs being thrown about and a man's voice shouting with pain, while women voices where shouting vulgar words. Kakashi and Minato could actually hear slaps, kicks and punches coming from inside. Soon the two saw a long white haired man flying through the air and landed inside an aluminum trash can outside the building. At that time the garbage man with his truck picked up that exact trash can, and dumped it inside the compartment and slowly took off to the next building.

"Well. That's going to hurt."Otani commented, and couldn't help himself he started to laugh at what he just witnessed. "Kakashi, you..." He had to take a break to breathe here. "...You can be quite an evil ninja. I'm going to remember that for the rest of my life."

"Thank you, Otani. But I think we should go follow that truck, so that when he comes out we can talk to him." He then started to walk behind the garbage truck.

When they got to Kanoha's dump, Jiairya had already gotten out of the truck and was standing there, slightly dazed and confused with his hand holding his head. He was also sporting some nasty slap marks on his face, that would probably be there for quite awhile if he doesn't want to get it healed by a medic.

"Jiairya. Are you going to be alright?" Otani asked, slightly worried for his old sensei.

"Yes. I'll be fine Otani. I've had worse. I'm just surprised it took so long for the foxy ladies to figure out I was there." He said with a grin planted on his face.

"Well, since this is probably the most secure place in Konoha, because I don't think people will actually be willing to hang out here. I will still put a silent jitsu around us, just encase. I will go ahead and tell you why Kakashi and I are here." As he was speaking he went ahead and put up the jitsu. "We need your help. We need to have some extra eyes, so to speak to keep an eye out and watch for suspicious activity."

"There's always suspicious activity. This is a Ninja village, people are bound to have secrets and seem suspicious."

"Yes. But we think that your old teammate Orochimaru was tipped off about the civilian Kagome. With rumors of her having highly sought after abilities."

"Really?" At that news Jiairya's curiosity was peaked. "You think there's someone here that's working for him? I guess I can keep a lookout and ear out for things. But why was a civilian taken anyway?"

Kakashi started to talk at this point. "There were rumors of her having the ability to raise the dead."

At that, Jiairya's eyes widened. "Yes. He would want to check that out. But I know you were on a mission to bring her back. Where is she?"

"She decided to not come back to the village."

Jiairya nodded his head in understanding. "If I was a civilian, and a village full of ninja's couldn't protect me, I wouldn't want to be here either." He then turned to Otani, "And how's my godson doing? It was wise of you to take him from the tower, and let me help with Naruto. Thank you, for letting me still be active in his life." He said with a genuine smile on his face. "Oh yes! I just finished my first book, here take one." He gave one to Otani then he looked at Kakashi and said, "Oh, I already offered to give you one, here you go." He said while handing Kakashi an orange book.

Kakashi, if you paid close attention was turning a slight pink in the cheeks. Then mumbled a "Thank you." while quickly pocketing the book in his vest. Otani just smirked a knowing smile.

It was quite. The only sound in the room was the gentle rhythmic breathing that could only mean sleep. A few moments pass and soon whimpers and the sound of limbs lashing about were heard. Then suddenly a sharp scream and sobbing started.

The sound of another body jumping quickly from sleep then footsteps on the floorboards. A voice was heard trying to soothe the other nightmare induced occupant, "Kagome! Snap out of it, it's a nightmare! You're okay."

The female now known as Kagome shot up and hugged the person speaking, trembling and crying in their arms. The sound of breathing trying to be controlled and the once in awhile sob that escapes the mouth while calming down. "It...it was horrible. I keep seeing his face! Right before he blinds me, then the torchers, again and again. The pain. I can still feel it! Ghostlike pain! It won't leave even in sleep!" Kagome feels the tears falling from her eyes. "I keep thinking I'm strong, strong enough to not let this bother me, but it does!"

"I would be a little worried if it wasn't bothering you Kags. You were torchered for a long time. If it was me I would be having nightmares too! In fact I did have them, and still do! I keep thinking of what if we never found you, or if you died."

Silence was felt for a bit after those words were said. Then it was broken with one sentence. "It's your fault Obito. Always telling people about what I can do. You're not careful! I fear being with you now because I keep thinking, 'who is he going to tell next?'" She felt a hand brush her shoulder and she shrugged it off. "Just don't touch me. At least not now."

The hand slowly leaves her arm and she heard soft footsteps walking away from her. "I'm sorry Kagome. I will do anything to have you forgive me."

"I know Obi...but it will take time."