Chapter 22

(Naru POV)

Our entrance into Konoha passed by as one huge green blur, too many sights and sounds overloading my senses at one time. It was overwhelming, but welcomed all the same. For a while back there I doubted I would ever see my home again, but looking at the determined faces of my rescue team I realized there was no way they would have just left me behind. I laid my head on Dad's back and just let the realization sink into my body. I was home.

My body finally gave into the lingering exhaustion that I had been feeling since my rescue. It was the kind of exhaustion that not even Kyuubi could take care of and slowly I let my body give in to its desire to shut down once more. The next time I woke up I was settled beneath the stark white hospital sheets with clean bandages adorning my body and Dad sitting beside the bed.

He reached over and stroked my cheek. "Hey sweetie, Tsunade finalized your healing and she said you'll get to go home soon."

I cleared my throat, "How long was I out?"

Dad smiled softly. "Two days, but while you were out Tsunade pumped your stomach and took care of your dental work. They just healed the gums and reattached some nerve endings; you'll have to wait for your permanent teeth to come up."

I nodded slowly and looked around the empty room. "Where's everyone at?"

Dad smiled softly. "Sakumo went to report to the Third. He should have done it when we returned, but he stayed here with me and Kakashi. The Third was here the first day we brought you in, but seeing how you were knocked out he said to tell you 'welcome home' and that he'd stop by later on. Tsunade's around getting reacquainted with the hospital and 'Kashi's getting you a surprise."

I blinked. "A surprise?"

Dad nodded. "Yeah and I think you'll like it."

I nodded and squirmed a little bit underneath the clean sheets. They reeked of disinfectant and I felt disgusting. "Daddy, is there any way for me to get clean? I really need a shower."

Dad nodded. "I'll go see if I can go pull a couple of strings and get you a shower."

I nodded, feeling a whole lot better now that I was going to get clean. The door opened and Kakashi walked in with his hands hidden behind his back. Dad smiled at him before turning back to me. "Since Kakashi's here I'm going to go see about that shower."

(Kakashi POV)

Sensei ruffled my hair before walking out of the room and leaving me with Naru. I eye-smiled at her and walked over to her bed before bringing out my surprise. According to Tsunade, Naru hadn't eaten very well while in captivity and I figured she'd love to have some original Ichiraku Ramen. Naru's eyes dulled slightly as she took the box from me and set it on the small table beside the bed and turned back to me. Never in my entire life, this one and the one before, had I ever seen Uzumaki Naru turn down ramen, until now. If I wouldn't have been wearing my mask then I'm sure my jaw would have hit the floor from shock. "Naru? Are you okay?"

Naru nodded. "Yeah, why?"

I pointed to the box of ramen. "You didn't devour that in five seconds like you normally would."

She looked away before whispering, "I'm sorry Kakashi; it's just that…" She trailed off and continued to look down at the floor.

(Naru POV)

I couldn't meet Kakashi's eyes as he questioned me about not eating the ramen. Shigure taught me well not to trust food because I had no way of knowing exactly what was put into the food. It wasn't that I didn't trust Kakashi or even Teuchi; I just didn't trust the food itself. It may seem like a silly thing to mistrust, but the last time I took food from someone who was nice to me I ended up being overdosed.

I sighed before trying to explain to him why I wasn't eating, but I felt like if I spoke the words out loud they would sound even sillier than they sounded in my mind. I finally pushed my ridiculous fear away and looked into Kakashi's eyes. Charcoal grey eyes stared back at me with an understanding I hadn't expected to be there and at that moment I realized I wasn't the only person in the room that had experiences dealing with torture. In the other timeline Kakashi had been ANBU and surely knew the pain of a torturer's blade and the mental anguish of psychotic fears. I wasn't as alone as I originally thought.

"Kakashi, I just can't…"

"It's okay Naru, I understand completely but you've got to eat something." I nodded before looking at the ramen box with dread; it literally tore my insides in half that something as simple as food could make me this jittery. Would it always be like this? "It won't always be like this Naru." I blinked in shock at him, wondering just how he knew what I was thinking. He smiled at me from underneath his mask, "Wondering how I knew? Well, I can read you like a book Naru, and every little worry is written across your face. You're going to get better and I'll be with you every step of the way."

I nodded slowly. "Thanks Scarecrow."

(Narrator POV)

A knock sounded throughout the room and Minato walked in with Tsunade and another nurse. Tsunade smiled at Naru. "Well, let's go get you cleaned up okay?"

Naru nodded and Kakashi silently slipped out the hospital door with a brilliant idea to get Naru to eat. If she wouldn't eat anything she hadn't watched being cooked, then he would bring the kitchen to her and cook whatever food she wanted. The only question was how exactly he was going to cook without a stove.

Kakashi shrugged before heading to the market, he would wing it and hope for the best.

The Third greeted Sakumo as the shinobi headed towards the Hokage Tower to give his report. "My ANBU just informed me Naru was awake, so since I'm heading to the hospital to see Naru, you can just give the report there in one of the meeting rooms."

Sakumo nodded, a small smile glued to his face as the uttered one simple phrase before walking with his Hokage back to the hospital. "Mission accomplished."

Sarutobi laughed before clapping Sakumo on the back. "There was no doubt in my mind about the success of this mission Sakumo, no doubt at all."

Tsunade led the way to the private bathroom in the hospital personnel lounge on the same floor as Naru's room. Minato walked beside his daughter and watched as she slowly walked in the flowing hospital gown. She looked so small in the oversized gown, so much like the child she was.

Tsunade stopped before the door labeled 'bathrooms' and opened the door before ushering Naru inside. "Naru, everything you need is already in there. The towels are on the counter and a new gown is underneath the towels. Take as long as you want okay?"

Naru nodded before looking back at Minato. "Don't leave."

Minato nodded. "I won't, I'll be right here for when you get out."

Naru nodded and entered the bathroom.

(Naru POV)

Mentally I was applauding whoever designed the bathroom; it was spacious and didn't look like it belonged inside a hospital. Needless to say I was impressed. The bathroom was separated into two rooms; the second room being where I assumed the showers was at. I walked over to the counter in the first room and quickly undressed before wrapping the large towel around my body and walking into the other room.

I froze as I entered the room and stared at the large bathtub inside. A small whimper escaped my throat as my mind instantly flashed back to a similar tub filled with ice-cold water. I felt my hands reach up to rub my neck because I swore I could feel the grip of Tero's hands around them. A shiver worked its way up my back as the room became extremely cold and dark. I backed away from the tub and felt my back connect hard with the tiled wall and slowly I sunk down to rest against the floor. The chilly feeling wouldn't leave my body even as I wrapped the towel closer to myself and stared at the cause of my panic.

I had never felt more weak in my entire life as I sat there whimpering and carrying on over something as simple as a bathtub. I hated feeling like this.

"Kit."

I didn't answer the fox; I wasn't in the mood to talk to him at that moment. I was less than a few feet away from getting clean and I couldn't force my feet to carry me over there. I simply sat there and stared at the tub, replaying memories inside my mind.

"Kit, listen to me and listen good."

I nodded to show that I was listening, but there was no way I was going to actually pay attention to what he said.

"You've got to go get into the bath Naru."

I shook my head before answering him; there was no way I was going to be able to ignore him, especially when he was using my name. "Kyuubi, I can't, it's too soon."

The fox growled inside my head. "I'm telling you that you can. My host isn't the type of person to back down because she's scared or frightened. You've never backed down before powerful enemies and here a porcelain bathtub has your knees quaking."

I closed my eyes at his words, they were the truth, but every time I thought about getting into the tub I thought about Tero and his hands around my neck and the bite of the ice-cold water. Kyuubi sighed in frustration.

"Fine, sit here until someone finally comes in to check on you."

I sighed. "Kyuubi, are you fully awake now?"

"The seal that Iwa bastard used to cut off our chakra connection allowed me to build my chakra back up. I don't have as much as I used to, but I won't have to sleep like I was. You'll be hearing from me more often now."

I rolled my eyes. "Just great, the voice inside my head is going to come back."

"Naru?" I jumped slightly at the sound of Dad knocking on the second door. "Are you okay?"

I chewed on my bottom lip, but didn't answer. I hoped he would just walk away and let me finish, but no, he slowly opened the door and walked inside. His eyes softened as he saw me sitting along the wall wrapped in the large towel. He didn't speak as he walked over and sat beside me. We were quiet for a long time before he finally spoke. "Wanna' talk about it?"

I sighed. "Shigure and Tero used a bathtub filled with freezing water during one of my torture sessions." I saw out of the corner of my eye his hands tightened into fists. "I'm pretty sure my heart stopped 'cause Tero got a little carried away and nearly drowned me."

I trailed off and let the sentence sink into his mind; he was ticked from what I could tell. He stood up and held out a hand for me. "Come on, we've got to get you clean."

I blinked before taking his hand and letting him drag me close to the bathtub. I instantly began trying to break away from his hold. "Daddy no!"

He shushed me and turned around to hug me. "I'm not Tero nor am I Shigure; I'm going to take care of you."

He reached over and began running the bath water, constantly checking the temperature to see if it was to his liking before adding soap to the water. I stood beside the bathtub, still covered in my towel, and watched the large tub fill. Dad gently took my hand and stuck it into the water. "See? It's very warm and not even a little cold. So how about getting in so you can get clean?"

Dad let go of my hand, but I didn't bring it out of the water. I continued to twirl the water and soap bubbles around my hand before finally removing it from the water. He smiled at me before turning around. "Okay, get in."

I nodded to his back and dropped the towel before getting in and stooping down until the water level came to my chin. I gently closed my eyes to get used to the feeling; it was eerily similar to what I had gone through. I breathed heavily for a few seconds before willing myself to open my eyes and see that I wasn't with Tero or Shigure, to see that I was safe in Konoha with my dad. "Naru, I'm going to wash your hair now."

I nodded and sat up slightly as he picked up a cup from the basket with the soaps and settled behind me. The tub itself was situated in the middle of the room and Dad simply kneeled behind the tub to wash my hair. The first cup full of water got out the initial twigs and dirt that built up on the surface of my hair and I watched the little swirls of water carrying the debris down my face and into the tub of soapy water. Soon after that, he began massaging the soap into my scalp to remove the other traces of dirt from my hair.

It felt strange to have someone care enough to want to actually wash my hair for me. I knew this was something parents did for their children but I had never had this before. It was all new and strange to me. Dad, somewhere along the way, began humming a gentle tune as he washed the suds out of my hair and began putting more soap in the dirty locks. I hadn't had my hair washed in a while and all of the blood and mud had dried in my scalp, so I knew it was going to take more than one wash before it was deemed clean.

Dad's humming became a gentle buzz in the back of my mind as he finished washing out the last of the soap from my hair. It was comforting and warm. His hands stopped before more soap was added, this time it was a little bit thicker than before. "It's a conditioner. It'll help with the tangles."

I nodded and he went back to sliding the conditioner through my shortened locks of hair. His humming still calming to me and I finally worked up the nerve to ask him what the tune was. "Daddy, what are you humming?"

His hands stopped again before I heard him chuckle. "It's an old lullaby my mother used to sing to me. I don't exactly remember the words but I remember the tune. It was a silly little song about dancing foxes and singing moons, completely nonsense, but comforting all the same." The water cascaded down my face again and a washcloth was placed on the side of the tub. "I'll wash your back and you can wash everything else."

I nodded and began washing the dirt out from underneath my nails. Secretly I wanted to ask about his mother, my grandmother, but he beat me to it. "My mother, well I guess she's your grandmother too, anyway she was a storyteller by trade, which is why she had all of these little lullabies. She was a civilian in one of the small towns close to Konoha and would entertain the shinobi passing through the town with her stories."

I turned to look at him. "Is that how she met your dad?"

Dad smiled before nodding. "Yeah and he brought her back to Konoha to live, but she just wasn't cut out for the big village life. She liked the intimacy of the small town and always said Konoha was too impersonal for her tastes." He laughed before running the washcloth across my back. "She was something else though."

"What happened to her and your dad?"

Dad stopped running the washcloth across my back before answering. "They died about three years ago. Some of my enemies found out about them and got to them before I could."

I looked down at the water in sadness. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

Dad sighed behind me. "It's okay, and besides, they're your family too. I want you to know about them."

I nodded and dropped the washcloth into the dirty water. "I think I'm clean enough."

Dad chuckled before picking up the towel and holding it out for me to grab. "I'm going to wait for you outside okay?"

I nodded and waited for him to leave before getting out of the tub. As eerie as it felt to look at the tub, I felt like I had accomplished something.

(Kakashi POV)

Mentally I checked all of the items off of my grocery list before heading back to the hospital. I even stopped by the house and picked up a few pots to cook with so all that was left was figuring out how I was going to cook the food. I sighed before heading up the hospital steps with my bags and finding Naru's room. It was empty so I figured I would just wait for her to get there. I began setting everything up, and spread all of the ingredients across the table beside Naru's bed so she could see everything that went into the ramen.

Yeah I was making her ramen because I knew she would enjoy that more than anything else. The door opened and Naru walked in with Sensei. She looked a whole lot better. The bruises had all faded away and her hair looked like it had been washed, but her eyes still bore that tiredness in them.

Sensei smiled at me before gesturing to the box of ramen and the ramen ingredients. "Kakashi, I think you have enough ramen here."

I glared at him and he only laughed louder. A knock sounded on the door and Sensei opened it before nodding to the person saying he'd be there shortly. Sensei turned around and gave Naru an apologetic smile. "I've got to run to a meeting real quick, okay? I'll be back shortly."

(Narrator POV)

Naru sat on the bed and watched as Kakashi began putting water from the sink into the pot and added the seasoning. He stared at the pot a few minutes before setting the pot on the other bed and looking back at Naru. "I'm going to fix some ramen for you."

Naru raised an eyebrow before questioning him. "And exactly how are you going to do that without a stove or any heat source?"

Kakashi eye-smiled at her. "I have a theory of sorts. Hang on and I'll try it out."

Kakashi grabbed the pot with both hands and looked at Naru. "I think if I add just the right amount of chakra into the metal around the pot that it will boil."

Naru blinked before nodding and watching as Kakashi began slowly pumping chakra into the metal pot. The only problem was that the chakra began pushing against the water and since the water couldn't move past the boundaries of the walls of the pot it had only one place to go and that was up. The water reacted violently and pushed up to splash Kakashi in the face. Bits of naruto and eggplant flew up from the water and showered both Kakashi and Naru.

Kakashi looked down in shock at the wet floor littered with bits of naruto and eggplant here and there. His eyes left the floor and looked at Naru, who was trying her hardest to keep a straight face before losing the battle and erupting in a fit of giggles.

Kakashi blushed underneath his mask at his failure before glaring playfully at Naru. He didn't care that she was giggling at him, all he could think about was the fact she was actually giggling. He hadn't seen her smile or giggle in days. "Okay, it wasn't that funny."

She nodded her head. "Yes it was Scarecrow."

Kakashi glared once more before grabbing a blanket off of the other bed and cleaning up the mess from the floor. "Okay, I've got another theory."

Naru had finally gotten herself under control and was watching Kakashi carefully to see what he was going to do. Kakashi's only other option was to use a Katon jutsu to boil the water. He refilled the pot with more water and seasoning before setting the pot on the floor and gathering his chakra to produce the jutsu. Naru watched with wide eyes as Kakashi brought his fingers up to perform the hand signs.

"Katon no Ju…"

"HATAKE KAKASHI! If you finish that jutsu you are grounded until you're forty-two!"

(Kakashi POV)

My hands faltered as I heard Dad's threat before slowing turning around to see him and the Third Hokage standing in the doorway. I eye-smiled at him before giving a tiny wave. "Hiya?"

Dad massaged his head underneath his forehead protector. "What did I do to deserve this?"

The Third patted Dad's shoulder before entering the room and looking at everything. "Kakashi-kun, what are you doing?"

I sighed. "Well Hokage-sama I was going to cook ramen and seeing how this is a hospital room I didn't have a stove and was going to improvise."

Dad glared. "What happened the last time you improvised like this?"

I blushed slightly before remembering exactly what happened last time I improvised to cook something.

Flashback….

Kakashi glared at the missing flame. The pilot light was out again. His dad was still asleep and Kakashi wanted to cook breakfast as kind of a way to show his appreciation for everything his Dad had done, like not killing himself. Kakashi shivered as he thought about how close his Dad came to committing suicide.

The young boy knew his father kept the matches in the highest cabinet and with a few chakra manipulation techniques he was walking up the side of the cabinet and reaching into the open cabinet door. Kakashi grinned in victory before pulling out the box of matches only to find a single match in the box. Mentally Kakashi cursed his luck before walking back down the cabinet and standing in front of the stove. With determination burning bright in his eyes, Kakashi struck the match against the box and watched it ignite.

He slowly lowered the match to the pilot light and grinned as the match stayed lit, then without warning, Kakashi felt the tickling in his nose. His eyes watered as he tried to hold the sneeze in, but all too soon he had to let it go and out went his match. Kakashi pouted as he straightened up and groaned, if he would have been wearing his mask that wouldn't have happened.

Kakashi grinned once more as his genius mind came up with another solution. A fire jutsu could light the pilot light if it was controlled enough. Kakashi smiled as he began forcing his chakra into concentrated streams to be able to control the strength and intensity of the flame. His entire mind was blank as he focused everything on building up his chakra and sculpting it into the correct amount he believed he needed. Kakashi made the hand signs and felt the chakra build up in his throat.

"Katon no Jut…"

"Ka-chan? What are you doing?"

Kakashi's concentration broke and he released a small puff of flame, which caught a dishtowel on fire. "Whoa!"

Sakumo yelped before knocking the burning cloth to the ground and stomping on it.

End Flashback…

I believe that was the closest I had ever came to getting corporal punishment and I wouldn't have blamed him if he had spanked me. That was a pretty stupid idea. I then realized I just tried the same thing over. I shook my head at my stupidity before looking up at Dad; he was still shaking his head in disbelief.

(Narrator POV)

The Third turned away from father and son to look at Naru. She looked relieved to be home, but there was still a shadow that seemed to settle over her. He smiled at her gently. "Naru, I just wanted to come down and see how you were."

Naru nodded before answering, "I'm alive Hokage-sama."

The Third nodded. "That you are, my dear, that you are."

Sakumo ruffled Kakashi's hair before picking the pot off of the floor and making his hands glow white. Kakashi watched as the water began to boil in the pot. "How did you do that!? I tried and all I got was a face full of water."

Sakumo laughed. "I've been around a few years longer than you have, so obviously I'm going to pick up some nifty little tricks along the way. Water's tricky, you've got to put a little bit more chakra in there than you need or it will try to escape."

Sakumo placed the boiling water in the bedside table for Kakashi to add the noodles. Soon the room was filled with the delicious smell of ramen and Naru smiled as Kakashi handed her the bowl along with a pair of chopsticks.

Sakumo walked out of Naru's room and down the hall to see Tsunade. He wanted to see when Naru would be allowed to go home.

"Ahh, Hatake-san."

Sakumo stopped and turned to see Danzo walk out of one of the hospital rooms. His arms were crossed across his chest and his mouth was set in a smirk. "Danzo, what a pleasant surprise. I haven't seen you since you tried to destroy my life's work."

Danzo's eyes flashed before he held out a hand to Sakumo. "Now, let's be reasonable. I only said those things for your own good. Everything turned out okay in the end right?"

Sakumo snarled at the man before knocking his hand away. "What do you want Danzo?"

Danzo reached into his pocket and brought out a scroll before handing it off to Sakumo. "Simple, I have a proposition for you."

Sakumo took the scroll and began reading it as Danzo continued talking. "I was terribly upset to hear that Naru was captured and that we had to send a rescue team after her. I don't think you're teaching her correctly."

Sakumo's head snapped up and anger flashed across his face. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Danzo chuckled. "I'm saying that obviously she's not learning everything she needs to know or she wouldn't have been caught. You're failing as a teacher and not teaching her correctly."

Sakumo controlled his emotions before answering Danzo. "Danzo get out of my face. I have business to attend to."

Danzo called after Sakumo as he continued down the hallway. "I would make her great Sakumo and she would never be in that situation ever again. I will make her everything you want her to be, but can't train her to be. I will make her a worthy shinobi."

Sakumo didn't answer Danzo, but the man's words rang through his mind as he tried to find Tsunade. Was it his fault Naru had been captured? Was there anything he should have taught her that could have prevented this?

Sakumo found Tsunade talking to Minato about Naru. "Sakumo, Tsunade said we could take her home today."

Sakumo turned to Tsunade. "Seriously?"

Tsunade nodded. "She's completely healed physically. All you've got to worry about is her mental state. The Third is most likely setting her up with a therapist and she'll be barred from missions until she gets an 'okay' from her therapist, but other than that she's going to be fine."

Minato smiled at Tsunade. "Is there anything else we should know?"

Tsunade nodded her head. "Yes, there were two very serious complications that I need to address. We've had her on medication to prevent nightmares; the only problem is that it works by preventing the brain from entering REM sleep, which is the rapid eye movement sleep level. It's preventing her from becoming well rested, so we can't let her continue to take the medication. We're sending her home without any medication, so she's most likely going to experience nightmares. These can be extremely violent and hard on her. Just comfort her the best way you can and keep her talking about it. We took her off this morning, so the remainder of the drug should be out of her system by tonight."

Sakumo paled slightly and Minato's smile dropped into a grimace.

Tsunade sighed. "I'm going to have a colleague of mine tell you about the other complication. Tohru, they're ready for you."

Sakumo smiled as the distinct sound of heels clicking against the floor sounded down the hall. Minato playfully shoved Sakumo's shoulder before calling out, "Hey Tohru!"

Tohru brushed her brown hair out of her eyes before greeting the shinobi. "It's good to see you two again; I just wish it were on better terms. Naru was drugged during her T&I session with a high dosage of an unknown psychochemical drug. My labs haven't been able to pinpoint exactly what it was yet, but they've narrowed it down to having similar properties to lysergic acid diethylamide or better known as LSD. It's not the exact same drug though, and it's definitely more sinister. My labs have taken samples from Naru's digestive track while she was asleep and should be able to determine what was altered about the drug. I hate to say this, but Konoha could possibly use whatever it was they used on her."

Minato sighed. "Are there any long term effects?"

Tohru shook her head. "She didn't take it long enough for there to be any effects, the most she'll get is headaches. LSD mostly alters the mind and since we've gotten as much out of her system as we could, she should be fine."

Sakumo smiled. "Thanks Tohru."

Tohru smiled back. "Any time. If she does start experiencing strange behaviors or symptoms just send a message and I'll be there as soon as I can."

The Third bid goodbye to the young shinobi before walking out of the hospital room and contemplating his conversation with Yamanaka Inoichi from the first day Naru was back. The meeting went well, but the young shinobi was still having doubts about taking on a single patient. He didn't understand why Naru was such an important patient that he only needed to take her on.

Hiruzen sighed before rubbing his eyes. The war was taking a lot out of him, not to mention his sons missed him being home. The younger of the two boys, Asuma, made sure to let him know exactly how much he wanted his dad home too. As Sarutobi walked back to the Hokage Tower for his final few hours of work, he met Yamanaka Inoichi.

The tall blonde haired teenager bowed in greeting. "Hello Hokage-sama."

The Hokage nodded to Inoichi. "Have you made your decision Inoichi?"

Inoichi nodded. "Before I decide, is there any way for me to observe the girl?"

The Hokage nodded. "Follow me Inoichi." Inoichi followed the Third back to the Hokage Tower.

"Inoichi you are by far one of the best therapists in the village."

Inoichi blushed slightly as he entered the Hokage's office. "Thank you sir."

The Third nodded. "Which is why I decided you would be the best candidate for this mission."

Inoichi nodded. "I'm fine with that, but like I said two days ago, what about my other patients?"

The Third sighed. "They'll be taken by another therapist for the first few months. Don't worry they'll be fine."

Inoichi sighed before nodding in defeat. He was honestly curious about the girl the Hokage told him about. The Hokage hadn't gone into any details over her situation yet and since he agreed to work with her, he figured it was time to educate himself about this girl. "What happened to her?"

"She was captured by Iwa shinobi and forced to undergo T&I at Fort Kei. She's not herself and I'm afraid she's been affected more by this than I originally thought. This normally bright and laughing girl is now dark and depressed. Uzu Naru is far from the life of the party she used to be."

Inoichi nodded before the name clicked in his head. "Wait, Uzu Naru? Is that the same Naru that pranked the ANBU and Jounin?"

The Third laughed. "Yes, the very same. I believe you were a part of the lucky few that missed out on that meeting."

"Has her personality changed completely?"

The Third sighed. "There is still a lot of the old Naru in there, but she has a few fears now that are left over from some of the things they did to her at Fort Kei. She refuses to eat anything that she hasn't watched being cooked and she can't stand for her arms to be pinned above her head. All of these things must tie in with whatever they did to her."

Inoichi nodded while he mentally took notes on everything he was learning. "I'll have to hold a session with her in order to find out everything that happened, plus you'll need the report of her experiences anyway."

The Third nodded before bringing his hands together and performing a privacy jutsu. "Inoichi, what I'm about to tell you is very important and you must not reveal this information until I or Naru sees fit."

Inoichi nodded. "Yes sir!"

"Uzu Naru is the daughter of Namikaze Minato."

Inoichi blinked in surprise. "Seriously?"

The Third nodded before heading over to his crystal ball. "Come look."

Inoichi watched as the haze in the ball became clearer and a small blonde haired girl was sitting in a hospital bed staring at the wall in front of her. She looked either to be deep in thought or completely out of it. The silver haired boy sitting on the edge of her bed was trying his hardest to get her attention, but to no avail. Inoichi recognized the two as Uzu Naru and Hatake Kakashi.

Kakashi's eyes flashed before he challenged Naru to a staring contest. The girl looked like she was going to tell him no before a spark of ambition ignited in her eyes. The same prankster Naru was still there, they would just have to look for her. Both children stared unblinking at each other. Kakashi's eyes were fixed somewhere slightly above Naru's head and Naru's eyes were trained on Kakashi's forehead protector.

Naru's eye twitched with the desire to blink before she shook it off and continued staring. Kakashi's eyes watered slightly before he too shook it off and continued staring. Inoichi looked at the Hokage in disbelief. "Are they always like that?"

Sarutobi laughed. "Unfortunately yes, they like to compete against each other and make the other squirm, but they're closer than siblings."

Inoichi turned his attention back to the crystal ball and watched as Naru's hand snaked closer to the blanket Kakashi was sitting on top of. He furrowed his brows together as he tried to figure out what the girl was going to do. Kakashi was sitting balanced on the side of the bed, his feet were dangling off the side and his body was right on top of the blanket. Inoichi's eyes widened as he watched Naru harshly tug on the blanket and Kakashi fell off of the hospital bed.

The sudden movement startled Kakashi into blinking as he hit the floor. Naru grinned from her spot in the bed before declaring she was the winner.

Inoichi erupted in laughter and wiped away the tears that had escaped his eyes before talking. "I'll take her Hokage-sama! She's going to be the most interesting patient I've had in years."

Sarutobi smiled before leading Inoichi away from the crystal ball and telling him the conditions of working with Naru. "Inoichi, you cannot use any of your families mind walking techniques on her. Do you understand?"

Inoichi nodded once and the Hokage sighed in relief. "Good, I knew I could trust you."

Minato and Sakumo returned only to find a glaring Kakashi and a satisfied Naru sitting on her bed.

Sakumo grinned. "Tsunade-sama said you're free to go home right now if you want to."

Naru sighed in relief before getting out of bed to get ready.

(Kakashi POV)

I smiled as Naru headed up the stairs and into the house; she was on strict bed rest for the next week. It was a part of the deal Minato-sensei had made with Tsunade. If they could keep Naru from stressing herself out then she was able to go home. I rolled my eyes. Yeah, like Naru was going to actually stay in the bed like she was supposed to. Normally a shinobi would be in the hospital for months if they sustained injuries like Naru had, but thanks to Tsunade's and Kyuubi's healing, she was ready to be discharged.

I smiled though, they wouldn't have kept her in the hospital anyway because she was worse than I was about hospitals and tried to avoid them like the plaque. I walked into the living room and watched as Naru yawned. The only thing they hadn't been able to take away was her exhaustion. Naru told everyone she was heading to bed. Minato-sensei followed her upstairs and Dad fiddled with a scroll in his hand.

"Dad? What's that?"

I pointed to the scroll, which he quickly pushed into his pocket before smiling at me. "Nothing Kakashi, don't worry about it. Did you eat today?"

I shook my head and he ushered me into the kitchen and fixed a quick meal.

(Naru POV)

Dad pulled back the covers and tucked me in before ruffling my hair and brushing a kiss across my forehead. "Night sweetie."

I sighed as he walked out of the door before closing my eyes and letting my mind wander. This was the first time I had been truly alone since I was rescued and I couldn't stop myself from thinking back on everything I had been through.

I drifted off into a fitful sleep full of images of things that happened. A whimper escaped my throat as the dream progressed.

Dreamscape…..

Naru blinked as she watched the dark ripples flowing across the stone floor. Her mind screamed at her that this was impossible without a downward slope, but her body continued to follow the flowing ripples. The ripples of water lapped against her bare feet and forced a shiver down her spine as she continued walking across the empty room.

Suddenly the water tightened around her feet and pulled them out from underneath her. Her head banged against the stone floor as the tentacles of water traveled up her body before wrapping tightly around her neck.

The cold seeped into her bones as a horrible laugh filled the air. Naru screamed with everything she had.

End Dreamscape….

(Narrator POV)

Sakumo excused himself from the table and headed into his study with the scroll in hand. His mind had been buzzing since he saw Danzo. He couldn't help but wonder if there was something he didn't teach Naru that got her caught or prevented her from getting away. Sakumo sighed before running his hand through his bangs and opening the scroll up; if he signed his name on the scroll then Uzu Naru would be given over to Danzo to train.

A small voice in the back of Sakumo's head told him she would be better off with Danzo, but that thought didn't sit well with Sakumo. He sighed once more before pacing the room. Then his eye caught the gleam of light reflecting off of something on the floor. Upon closer inspection, Sakumo found a picture lying carelessly on the floor. He picked the picture up and smiled as he saw what it was a picture of.

It was the picture they had taken at Naru's birthday supper at Ichiraku Ramen. Both Kakashi and Naru were sitting on their stools. Naru was smiling happily over a bowl of steaming ramen while Kakashi was mask-less and smirking at his friend's antics. Minato was standing behind Naru giving her bunny ears and Sakumo was behind Kakashi trying to keep his son from pulling that mask back up.

They were happy though and Sakumo couldn't bear to break that up. He turned to the scroll as the words of Tero came back to him. "Y-you tr-trained h-her w-well." Sakumo closed his eyes and ripped the scroll in half. Uzu Naru was his student and no one was going to take his student away from him. Sakumo was throwing the scroll in the trashcan when a scream tore through the house.

"Naru!"

Minato was the first up the stairs and into the room. He reached for Naru, but Sakumo stopped him. The man turned on his friend and hissed, "What are you doing?"

Sakumo sighed before whispering, "You can't just wake her up by coming in here and yelling. You've got to slowly wake her up or she'll attack you once she's aware."

Minato slumped slightly. "I know that, but Sakumo, this is my daughter we're talking about."

Sakumo nodded before turning to look at Kakashi, who was standing by the doorway. "I know it's hard, but calm down and then go over there."

Minato took a deep breath before going over to his whimpering daughter and gently shaking her awake. She instantly fought back and snarled at him. He dropped his hands and tried to gently talk to her, so she would recognize him. Naru's eyes widened as she realized she wasn't dreaming anymore and instantly began shivering. The dream had been too real for her to handle. Her mind warped her nightmares into something close to reality and that scared her more than anything else ever would. Tero hadn't been shy about using genjutsu on her and her mind used that against her.

Minato pulled Naru into his lap as she shivered. "Naru, what's wrong?"

She shook her head before burying her face into his chest. Sakumo whispered for Kakashi to make some tea for Naru. Minato rubbed her back to calm her down before gently beginning to hum the same lullaby from earlier. Kakashi entered the room with a cup of hot Chamomile tea and set it on the table beside Naru's bed.

(Naru POV)

I shivered once more before molding into dad's arms. His gentle humming worked wonders on my erratic mind. Sensei and Kakashi slowly drifted out of the bedroom as dad got comfortable on the small bed, never breaking his hold on me.

"Naru, will you tell me what you dreamed?"

I shook my head. The dream hadn't been horrible. There weren't any monsters chasing after me or scary things lurking in the dark. It was simply that same feeling of loneliness and coldness. It was the feeling I had long associated with death and fear. I shivered closer to him before rubbing my hands on the skin of my neck to take away the cold feeling left there by my dream.

Dad sighed before stroking my hair. "You've got to talk about it Naru."

"I don't feel like it right now."

He sighed before nodding and bringing the blanket to wrap around me and handing me the cup of tea. "Fine, drink this and go back to sleep."

I did drift back to sleep after finishing the cup of tea, but it wasn't restful and I continuously woke up. Having dad there though was a huge help.

(Narrator POV)

Sakumo sighed before heading downstairs to lock the front door and to make sure Kakashi turned off the stove. His son wasn't forgetful, but it didn't hurt to check just in case. The stove was off and the lights were out as Sakumo headed back up the stairs before slipping into Kakashi's room to watch his son sleep for a few minutes. The boy had proved himself a lot over the last week as both a shinobi and as a friend. Sakumo couldn't have been any prouder of him than he was at that moment.

Sakumo silently backed out of the room and entered his bedroom to find an ANBU operative standing beside his window. "ANBU-san?"

The cat masked shinobi bowed to Sakumo before speaking. "The Hokage wants to inform you that Uzu Naru will meet with Yamanaka Inoichi tomorrow afternoon at the Hokage Tower."

Sakumo nodded. "Okay, thank you."

The ANBU turned before speaking again. "Oh and the Hokage requests your presence at the same time tomorrow."

Sakumo nodded again. "I'll be there."

Sakumo watched the ANBU disappear in a puff of smoke before heading into his bathroom to get ready for the night.

Ryozo glared at the clock on the wall as he took another swig from his bottle of sake. His girlfriend still wasn't home yet. He growled before slamming the bottle down on the table and kicking over a chair.

"Seriously, let's not break those chairs. They were a gift from my brother."

Ryozo's eyes quickly flicked toward the door where Tohru stood in her hospital uniform, the emblem of Konoha's poison detection department proudly stitched across her shoulder. The green leaf spiral with the silver skull and crossbones in shadow behind it added to the feel of danger around her. "Where the hell have you been?"

Tohru rolled her eyes before kicking her heels off and walking into the house. "I had to work another double shift."

Ryozo snarled at her. "I thought we had an agreement about tonight. You were supposed to be home early so we could go to dinner. You know how much I hate to cancel my plans."

Tohru walked away from him and snarled back, venom lacing into her voice. "Yeah, I know all about your plans."

Ryozo grabbed her arm and pulled her to him before gently kissing her lips. "I must have sounded angry just then. I'm sorry, but you drive me so crazy sometimes. You know how jealous I can get."

Tohru let him kiss her before breaking away. "You've got to get over this jealousy thing Ryozo. I can't even take care of patients without being accused of cheating."

The man turned away before letting her arm go. "How was work?"

Tohru smiled softly, she loved this side of Ryozo, the kind side. It was the other side she couldn't stand. "It was good, a little busy. I had a new patient. Hatake Sakumo's student."

Tohru froze as she realized exactly what name she said and mentally cursed as the sake bottle in Ryozo's hand cracked. "You are to stay away from him, do you hear me!?"

"He's a good man Ryozo; you have no right to judge him!"

Ryozo was across the room and in her face before she could defend herself. He pinned her close to the wall and snarled in her ear. "He's scum and I swear if I hear or see you around him I'll…"

Ryozo's words melted into a groan as Tohru kneed him in the groin and broke away from his hold. "You won't do a damn thing to me Suzuki Ryozo! I dare you to try because I promise once I'm through beating your sorry backside from here to the hospital you'll be very lucky to even remember what your last name is."

Tohru was breathing heavily as she pointed to the door. "Now get out! I don't care where you go or how you get there, but you better leave my kitchen."

Ryozo snatched up his bag before limping out of the house, cursing her name all the way. Tohru sighed before locking the door and climbing the stairs to her bathroom and hopping in the shower. It had been a very long day.

"Where is it? Where is it? It's not here! Where is it?"

Sakumo blinked as he heard the distinct sound of Naru tearing through the house looking for something. He yawned before dragging his body out of bed and walking downstairs to see Naru tearing apart the living room.

"Naru?"

She stopped and looked briefly at Sakumo. Tears collected in her eyes as she continued searching. "Sensei I can't find it!"

Sakumo tilted his head in confusion. "What can't you find Naru?"

"My forehead protector!"

Sakumo blinked before chuckling. "That's okay, we'll just get you another one."

Naru shook her head. "No! Iwa took that one from me and I just left it behind. I need that one to prove I am still strong. It's my promise that I'll never be weak again and now it's gone!"

Sakumo shook his head. "Naru, it's going to be okay. We'll get you another one."

Naru shook her head as the tears finally fell from her eyes, a combination of exhaustion and emotional trauma finally slipping out. "That's not the point! I know I can get another one! I know that, I just hoped that…"

Sakumo smiled sadly before kneeling and pulling his student into a hug while shushing her. "Shush, shush, calm down Naru. You don't need that forehead protector to prove you're strong. You already know you're strong."

A small tap landed on Sakumo's shoulder as he saw his sleepy eyed son holding a leaf forehead protector in his hands. "I got it after I got Naru's katana. I thought she'd like to have it back."

Naru blinked before taking the forehead protector out of Kakashi's hands and hugging him tightly. "Thanks Kakashi."

Kakashi nodded before smiling. "Any time Naru, any time."

Sakumo sighed before running a hand through his hair. It was about five o'clock in the morning. "Where's Minato?"

Naru sighed. "Still sleeping. I kind of snuck out of bed."

Sakumo nodded before heading back upstairs. He probably should have gone out to train, but his body vetoed that decision as he entered his bedroom.

Kakashi looked at Naru. "How long have you been awake?"

Naru looked away before answering. "Just a few minutes."

Kakashi rolled his eyes. "Liar."

Naru sighed before running her fingers over the forehead protector in her hands. "Okay fine, maybe a few hours."

Kakashi nodded before pointing back upstairs. "Go on back to sleep, you look like you need it."

Naru huffed slightly before heading up the stairs. "Hey Kakashi? Where's Aki?"

"Gai's got her."

"Oh, okay." Naru nodded before continuing up the stairs and into her room. Kakashi yawned once more before heading up after her and walking into his bedroom.

Kakashi lay down on his quilt before watching the stars twinkle outside. It was going to be a long road for Naru, but she would get through it.

She wasn't Konoha's Number One Unpredictable Shinobi for nothing.

Across the village Kushina packed her bags. She hadn't seen Minato since the rescue team returned. Though it would have been better to just leave without saying goodbye, she couldn't make herself do that. She sighed before stuffing another pair of pants into her bag. She really did love Minato; even with all of her teasing she did love him.

He was one of the best things that ever happened to her and she wasn't going to let him go that easy. The red head sighed as she moved around their shared house before plopping down on the couch. She decided at that moment she would go see Minato and Naru before she left for Whirlpool. She did owe her lover and his daughter that much.

Kushina yawned before falling asleep, curled up on their old, worn out couch.

Jiraiya groaned before thumbing through his old notebooks from his traveling years all of those years ago. Back when he was dirt poor and simply traveling to find an adventure. Way back before the title of Sannin came to him and his teammates. He sighed once more as he pulled out a picture of a young, white haired girl and a black haired woman. Those two brought back painful memories and were the reason he wanted to know the truth about Uzu Naru. He had to make sure the same thing didn't happen to Minato that happened to him.

Jiraiya dropped the picture back into the notebook and slammed it shut. The memories of that betrayal far too painful for him to relive sober. He ordered up another round.

"You've got a mission tomorrow and here you are drinking your troubles away."

Jiraiya rolled his eyes at his teammate before offering up a shot glass. "Shove it Orochimaru. If I want to be drunk, then I'm going to get drunk. So join me will ya?"

Orochimaru smirked at his teammate. "Alcohol is not the answer Jiraiya. Especially not when it means I'll have to deal with Tsunade harping on you because you've got a hangover and you harping on Tsunade because she won't heal your hangover."

Jiraiya laughed before handing his friend a shot glass and watching the other shinobi stare at it with distaste before setting it down on the bar. "Don't be late tomorrow Jiraiya. I have other business to attend to besides waiting all day for you to show up."

Jiraiya watched as his teammate walked out of the bar before shaking his head and wondering when the snake became so distant. Surely the war wasn't causing this. The small troubling feeling Jiraiya got whenever something was about to screw up big time thudded loudly in his head as he downed the next shot glass.