"Oi! Wake up!" The loud voice stole her slumber and she opened her eyes. Her movement slow, as if her mind has yet to caught up that she was awake... and that she was in prison. The guard sneered as she woke, like a predator having fun just by surprising his prey. He threw a tray of bread and glass of water, spilling it out until only little left.

Oops, he said, and left just as stormily, hitting the bars while singing, mocking her village's song. It was one of the provokes they cast on her but she feigned ignorance to it. Instead, she counted the number of his footsteps inwardly until he disappears, estimating the distance between the cell and the door. She shifted from her seat at the corner and crawled to the tray. She took the whole remaining of the water and returned to her place at the wall, leaning against it. Her eyes closed.

Her brief nap was interrupted as the door of her cell opened. She opened her eyes expectantly; two Iwa ANBU entered and dragged her out to the investigation room. The usual routine, she thought. However, she was brought to another door. Sunlight seeping out from underneath the door, and her eyes narrowed in afraid of the brightness as the heavy door creaked open. There, she was presented with the greens of forest. A strangely calm greenery. After a hard shove on her back, the Iwa ANBU left her then, leaving her alone in the middle of the clearing.

A pair of phantom eyes were on her, she noticed, so she stood on guard.

A swift breeze swept past her, and she turned but met nothing, and it continued on as if testing her, challenging. She focused on the energy around her —the fallen leaves, the rustles of the branches— until there was a hit coming from behind her but she barely dodged it by a hair's breadth.

The figure seemed to blend itself into the wind and later she heard a derisive snort before another hit coming from her front. She stepped back to take the leverage to attack forward, but a hand suddenly pulled her by the collar and the wind de-materialized; a burly ninja with a long scar on his right cheek had his hand firm on her front shirt. She immediately stopped as the face with the distinctive scar seemed somewhat familiar to her.

"You—"

But it all occurred too fast when he pulled her in and headbutt her head with all his might. Unprepared for it, she was thrown few meters backward on the ground. She bit back a growl as she sit up, holding her shaken up head with her hand, warm liquids streaming down her forehead.

"Greetings, Hanare of Jomae. I'm called Gizenji. I'm in Intel Unit that report directly to the Tsuchikage. Apparently your appearance during the hi-tea had caused quite the disturbance to the peace of the village. We can't afford anymore intruder and call themselves citizens of Iwa, aren't we?"

Truthfully, Gizenji was the who planned the revolt of Iwa ninja few days ago despite being an Iwa ANBU. He marched towards her, holding an eerie smile on his chapped lips. He had been dying to meet the one who disgraced his man and left him hanging on the cliff on that night. As far as he was concerned, the ninja who did so was no ordinary one and that she was probably a Masamune. He deliberately stepped on her foot crushingly, and she winced in pain but he pressed on as he crouched before her, never letting her go.

"I know you work for someone. Tell me, Hanare of Jomae,'' he shifted his weight onto her foot, causing her to immediately grasped it with both hands, "Or your bone will pay for it." He had been informed of her persistence by saying nothing during the three days of her interrogation so he opted to his own way; physical torture until she speaks out.

Leveling him a sharp look, she spat blood to his face. He flinched upon the harmless assault and stepped back, wiping it off his face. She took the chance to spring back and gain her bearing.

"You think you can escape again?" Gizenji said, fully facing her, his face wearing a dark smirk. "You know there's no any single law on this land you can beseech protection from. You're not wanted everywhere, Hanare. You're an outcast. Even the people from your village despise you for the death of your Village Chief. I wonder... how could you do that, Hanare?" His voice took on a mocking disbelief and his smirk widened as she charged forward, throwing blow after blow and he effortlessly guarding himself from the continuous hit.

"I didn't kill him." Hanare denied between the blows, "Don't talk as if you know everything about me." She said defensively, keeping up with his speed as he switched to offensive. But a particular high kick hit her and she didn't managed to dodge it, sending her sprawling on the ground.

"It seems you haven't realized how grave the situation is. You're not in the place to speak so mightily." He said, looking at her from above. "We know why you were in hi-tea with the Hokage. And how you made an agreement with him to get the children you were taking care off to get under protection. Surprised, are you? Our eyes are everywhere; in every inch of Iwa. All that happened to you since the Five Kage's arrival has all been planned by me. You don't really know what is happening in Iwa right now, aren't you?" Gizenji said with a smirk, finally confessing his plans all along.

Hanare shook her head violently to get rid of the intense pain inside her head, and to listen to him, to fight him. Though she felt she was seconds from collapsing, she hold on to that fine line and hold her ground.

"I know. You're planning to make me the scapegoat, aren't you?" She spoke with a bitter smile, finally realizing that the moment her bag was stolen she had already been his target. Gizenji broke in merry applause. "You're quick-witted, I'd give you that. But it was already too late. You know, the people of Iwa need someone to blame for what had happened during the revolt or they would never be at ease until they found someone responsible for it. And, with your face all over the town, no doubt that would ease their worry and assumed you are the real criminal all along. Though, you had always been."

His words are like poisons to her. Though in truth, she really made an easy mark for him to switch blames to to escaped himself and make her the scapegoat. Had she had not been invited by Kakashi to the hi-tea, perhaps things might take a different turn...

"I do wonder why the Hokage asked you to join him in the hi-tea. Don't tell me... you both didn't have any special relationship, aren't you? Because that would be too funny! A lowly ninja with an accomplished one. That'd make a perfect comedy!" He laughed hysterically.

She let him savor his moment as she drafted an escape route inwardly. She would no doubt be able to escape had she not been injured as badly, but, she took the chance anyway. She dashed into the forest and not even hundred meters yet she was caught, vice grip on her neck, her legs kicking air.

"I told you you can't escape from this place. You're doomed, Hanare. Unless the Hokage comes here and makes statement that you were innocents, that's the only escape route you have. Not by running away from this place... no. But I doubt he would since that would hurt his reputation as a Kage to be seen with a suspect of a national crime. Or would he? Hahaha!"

"Say anything you want... but I'd die before having you sully my name with your vile crimes!" She hissed, then bit his hand around her neck hard until it bled. She bit on as he tried to pull his hand away. When he threw her particular hard on a tree, she immediately passed out.

Konoha | Hokage Office

Yamato watched the Hokage rolling a top-secret scroll and handed it to him to keep it into the safe. They just received a very important document from a village that seeked for protection from Konoha ninja regarding their tin mining activities.

Tucking it into his bag, Yamato then addressed the Hokage, "I have a news for you, Hokage-sama, but I need to confirm with you about something first." Kakashi, head now engrossed in the paper work made an inquisitive sound but nodded anyway, never look up to him. "Go ahead."

His voice lowered, "Did you aware that Hanare-san might be a spy?"

The pen in his hand stopped abruptly, and he looked up, "What make you said so?"

Yamato then took out a poster and presented it on the desk. Clearly, there was a picture of her during the hi-tea on it. "Few years back, you said you were able to identify her as spy with the help of your Sharingan. But now that you don't have it, did you noticed any strange behavior of hers when you were with her?"

Kakashi fell into deep thinking, his brows marred harshly. "As far as I concern, no. Although there were some strange things happened to her on that day," he said, reminiscing, "her shamisen destroyed, and she was disappeared the night after the hi-tea. Other than that, I don't think there's any. Where did you get this poster?"

"One of our ninja just came back from Iwa and they brought this." Yamato said. He took a moment before he announced the news. "I would like to inform you that she was arrested as crime suspect for the revolt that happened the other day."

"What?" The Hokage's eyes widened, and his face immediately sink into pensive mask.

"Hokage-sama?" Yamato tried to gauge his reaction, but, to his surprise, the Rokudaime then picked up his pen and resumed back his work as if nothing happened.

"Hokage-sama!"

"Remind you, Yamato, her loyalty lies to no one. She might be working for our potential enemy and we would never know it. Let the matter be." Kakashi concluded, too matter-of-factly.

"But, you're the one who asked her to be your partner! What if because of her involvement with you made her a target of the actual man responsible for the revolt?"

The Hokage's eyes narrowed. "Can you confirm me she's not entirely involve with it?"

Yamato's big eyes widened almost imperceptibly. He was disbelief beyond words. The Hokage didn't ordered so, he realized, but he only made it clear of his opinion and put the conversation to a halt. Yamato didn't retort this time. Emotions outweigh the duties is very unbecoming of a ninja. He bowed then and stalked towards the door and stopped halfway.

"I have a keen eyes for people who is innocent. And I believe she's one of them too." Then he exited the office, leaving the Hokage with his thought. Kakashi sighed and took the poster, eying the alluring woman in the pastel dress.

"I have my own hunch too."

There was an endless wall around her. A black wall that seems to go on forever. Quiet. Too quiet, she thought. Then a small light poured in one direction. There, on a hill, a cherry blossom tree stood gloriously, petals fluttering beautifully onto the ground. Young Hanare was seen standing under the tree, and in front of her is a boy with a mask.

"You're here again today. Aren't you cold?" She said. The boy totally ignored her, looking at the scenery past her. She asked again. "Did you eat yesterday?" He looked so sullen, and stubborn as if he doesn't want to be disturbed. Just after that, his stomach growled and Hanare chuckled, then produced an onigiri with bonito flakes from her pocket.

"Here." The boy stared at the slightly misshapen shape of the onigiri for a moment, curious. As if sensing his hesitation, she said, "My mother is blind, but it tastes great. I promise."

Young Kakashi, surprised, finally took the onigiri out of respect and took a bite. Delicious, he thought inwardly. "What are you doing here? You've been here for days." Hanare asked.

"It's the anniversary of my father's death...and.. I got lost." Young Kakashi said curtly and embarrassedly, and Hanare made an acknowledged sound and softly apologized.

"My father killed himself." He started, and she listened, taking a seat besides him. But that was it. He never spoke again never did she, and they sat quietly under the tree, content with only each other's company. But one thing she would never forget; the distant, fearful look in his raven eyes.

"Please don't look so sad..."

She jolted awake from the dream, and the first thing she realized is how cold her cell is, and a hand brushing fleetingly against her cheek.

"Hanare."

A voice called for her. A voice so familiar. Her eyes whipped up, searching for the source of the voice in the darkness, and there she saw he was on the other side of the cell, watching her with that same, fearful eyes.

She tried to reach out to him, but her body felt too heavy to even get up.

"Don't...look so sad." She choke out, her throat felt like burning.

Kakashi gripped the bar so tightly, looking down at her broken form with agonizing feeling threatening to burst from inside him.

"Hanare. Can you hear me?" To be honest, the looks in her eyes frightened him, like she could disappear in moments away like the dusts getting blown by the wind.

"I'm going to get you out of here, Hanare. I promise." That said, she gathered herself up to a sit with all her might.

"I can't allow you to do that." She said in a whisper, though it was too faint to be called such. Yamato, who was on guard interjected. "We don't have much time, Hokage-sama."

Kakashi looked back at her. "I'll figure out how to save you. Until then—"

"Don't save me." She uttered with her most loud voice and it came out faint still. She hold his gaze, "You can't save me, Kakashi. It was all a trap."

"What trap?"

She told him everything Gizenji told her, and his brows marred. "You understand now? We can't be seen together. It would do bad to your name."

"And what good in that name if I couldn't save a single woman?" Kakashi retorted almost immediately, the light in his eyes akin to irritation, blended with frustration. Hanare closed the distance between herself and the bars, carefully touching the hand gripping hard the spherical metal.

"To save something you loved, you must forfeit another." She uttered softly, his hand touching hers in return. Strongly.

"You're telling me to forfeit you?" He asked incredulously, silently telling her he had lost too much. Way too much. He kept his cool however, thinking, "There must be a way. We'll figure it out and come back to you."

"There's no other way, Kakashi." She repeated, making herself clear but Kakashi doesn't want any of that. His eyes flickered to the band around her wrist. He knew that; it is a band that was used exclusively in Iwa that prevent any execution of ninjutsu amongst their criminals. That means she must be enduring the tortures entirely physically.

She saw him looking at the band and then the wounds she inflicted. Immediately she hid her hand away. "I've lived my life this way far longer than you think. Do not concern yourself about me, and leave this place as soon as possible before someone sees you."

"I'm a man before I'm a Hokage, Hanare. I won't let you get beaten again."

"'Prideful ninja don't get swayed by emotions in the line of his duty.' You told me this, Kakashi." He looked stunned for a moment. She pressed on, "You have so much to protect; the people of your village and other places, but not me. If you choose to save me, you'll lose their trusts. Leave me be and—"

He cut her, almost admonishingly, "—and what does that left you with then?"

She answered just as readily, "My pride as a ninja... what else do I have?"

He fell into grave silent, taking in her last resolve look and stood up. Yamato, who was on edge overhearing their tense conversation all along gave her a small bow before trotting behind the Hokage as he exited the place.

The sound of the bolt hit home was so eeriely loud and she slumped on the floor. She must have hurt his feelings by her selfishness, she thought. But it was for the best. As long as she can do at least something useful and protect his name from being tainted.

Just then, she saw a green stuff on the floor just outside her cell. She picked it up and unwrapped the leaves. Immediately tears filled her eyes.

Three slightly misshapen onigiri with bonito flakes greeted her eyes.

End of chapter 9