Kakashi's View:

The next year flew by, Aurora's extra training proving to be vital before she entered the academy. The binding mark was holding her back, but she had learned to use her chakra sparingly. She was accepted in her first time through the entrance exam, having a top shinobi for a father and a teacher for a dad, she was more than prepared.

She was taking after me, entering the academy early and already earning high marks. She got lucky and ended up in Iruka's class, I might have bribed someone. Although it seemed to be at her disadvantage.

The kids knew who she was and teased her for being a teacher's pet. This didn't bother her, but it did put a distance between them and her. She was also taking after me in the form of being a loner. I wished she wouldn't, but the other kids didn't seem to be giving her a chance. The only one who stayed her friend was the boy, Sora. He was a nice kid, just odd.

She was training on how to avoid obstacles along the rooftops while I sat amongst the rooftops, thinking on how to help her with her classmates, when a familiar chakra appeared in front of me. The laugh was unmistakable.

"You've grown a lot, haven't you, Naruto?" I had known he was coming home soon, but he was a little early.

"Naruto?!" Aurora said as she landed near us, tired from jumping around the rooftops.

"Kakashi-Sensei! Aurora-chan!" The blonde jumped over to us, telling me I hadn't changed at all. "Woh! You got so big Aurora-chan!" He lifted her up and spun her around. "Oh yeah! I have something for you." He said, pulling a book out of his bag. Aurora looked over my shoulder, curious as to what it was.

"You...how...this is…" I was shaking with excitement.

"This is the latest in the Icha Icha series! It's kind of boring, but you'll like it." I couldn't contain it and started reading it right then. Aurora tilted her head, wondering why I liked these books so much. We then joined Jiraya and Naruto through the village. Aurora kept asking me about the book, but I brushed her off. She gave up and went to talk to Naruto. She wanted to know all about his travels and he was more than happy to tell her. At some point, he lifted her up and put her on his shoulders.

Along the way, the Sanin told me he'd leave Naruto back in my care, as promised.

"I fear the Akatsuki is getting impatient, they may make a move on Naruto soon. I'm going to head around and see what more information I can gather." We both heard Naruto yell, seeing he had found Sakura. She had blossomed into a beautiful young lady and was trying to get Aurora to stop hugging her from atop Naruto's shoulders.. She liked Sakura and had missed her too. Tsunade was with Sakura, discussing something before we came up.

I listened to them catch up, absorbed in my new book. That's when Konohamaru showed up. Naruto put Aurora on the ground as Konohamaru used the sexy jutsu. I was so glad Aurora was here to see this…

"Father?" She had come back to me, confused on what just happened. She knew of the replacement jutsu, but this was a new one for her.

"Er…" I was dumbfounded at how immature he still was.

Before Naruto did his "new and improved" version, Saukra punched him into the ground. I ignored them for the most part, still reading and holding Aurora close. Sakura's strength scared her. I felt the younger of the idiots hide behind me, while Sakura was yelling at Naruto.

"Hey, Sakura, calm down. You're scaring Konohamaru." I tried, but she wasn't going to let them get away for being immature boys.

"Jiraiya...Naruto has grown to be more like you, hasn't he?" Tsunade teased, making Jiraiya grin sheepishly. "Right...The nostalgia ends here. Kakashi."

I snapped my book shut, looking up at my two old students.

"Maa...it's been a while, hasn't it? From now on, you two will be on missions with me. It's different than before. It's no longer as teacher and pupil. Starting today, we are equal shinobi."

I had Aurora step back as I pulled out the bells from my pack. "Well...first I'm curious to how you two have developed. The rules are the same as before, if you don't come at me with the intent to kill, you'll never get the bells. We'll meet at the training grounds."

"Can I come to see the bell test?" Aurora asked on the way. She was supposed to meet Iruka after school, but instead she had followed me.

"No." I told her, again. She wanted nothing more than to train with me lately, to show how good she actually was. She was good, for a five year old, but the village was about to be in danger again and I needed to make sure my other students were up for it. I would not have her involved in this situation.

"Why not? You said I was just as good as them."

"That was a few years ago. You still have a lot to learn. You're not ready for my test." And she wasn't. She had it in her mind it was better to be alone than to fight in a team. She'd learn the hard way, but it wasn't time for that. "Go, now. I have things to do." I was being hard on her, but she had been a bit of a pill lately.

Aurora's View:

I sat on the swing outside of the academy, waiting for dad to be done. It wasn't fair...the second Naruto came back, father started paying attention to him more. I know dad and father care for him too, like they did for me, but I still felt a little jealous. I decided I was tired of waiting and ran off, not caring if dad would worry. I wanted to see who else was back.

I ended up in the middle of town, not seeing anyone I recognized. I thought I heard Sakura, but it wasn't possible yet. I was sure they were still at the bell test. It was getting late, and I knew dad would be out looking for me now. I was already going to be in trouble, so why not make it kind of worth it. I went to go get dango at the dango shop when I overheard my father talking. He was talking to the weird guy, Jiraiya. I guess their training had ended...Thanks for telling me...

"Why would the Akatsuki start with flashy moves? What's their objective?" I heard father ask.

"I don't know that much, I'm going back out to investigate some more." Who are they talking about? I felt someone's chakra flicker and felt them behind me.

"Little lady, what are you doing out this late?" I looked up to see father with his hands on his hips, leaning over me. The eye smile wasn't a happy one.

"Err…." I stammered, unsure of what to do now that I was caught.

"Ah, we didn't get to talk much earlier! You must be Aurora!" Jiraiya came up behind us, putting a hand on my head. "Nice to formally meet you. You weren't trying to spy on us, were you?" I shook my head, scared of both of them. "Good!"

"You're supposed to be at home…" Father looked angry with me. "I'm sorry, but we'll have to continue this meeting later…"

"Where have you been?!" dad yelled when Father and I got home. "I've been everywhere looking for you, do you know how worried I was?"

"Maa, she's fine." Father was still angry, but not like dad was. "Go upstairs, we'll talk in a minute."

I waited for them, hearing them talking downstairs about me. I guess I was worrying them, but father was apparently just like me when he was five. So why was he upset with me?

"You want to explain?" Father asked, suddenly appearing and not bothering to knock on the door.

"I don't see the big deal…" I could take care of myself. I had to when they were working.

"You know how dangerous it is for you to be out there alone." He said as he sat by me. "I know you don't understand that, but…"

"There's people out there who want to hurt me...I know!" I'd heard that one for the last two years. I remembered everything from the trip to Kiri...He waited for me to calm down. "I...don't want to be watched all the time."

"I get it. You think you're tough enough to be on your own, but you're not. You will be one day, but you aren't there yet." So what was the point of me training?

"You were five when you were allowed to be on your own." I blurted, realizing my mistake.

"I didn't have a choice." I hated when his voice went low like that. "You don't understand why, so I'll explain. My father...he went on a mission and broke the rules. He saved a friend instead of completing the mission. The village turned on him and he killed himself. That is why I was on my own." He stood up. "Think about these things…" He left my room, leaving me alone. I felt how hurt he was from it.

I didn't know that was what happened...now I felt a burning guilt in my stomach, but father wanted nothing to do with me right now. So I fell over onto my side, facing the wall and cried. I didn't know why, but the thought of father losing his dad like that made me think, what would I do if that happened to me? I realized I had it better than he did by having a family.

I didn't hear dad come in, but I felt him brush my hair from my face.

"I know you're upset, but do you understand now?" he said softly. I tried to nod, but ended up just burying my face further into the blanket "I know it's tough to hear, but your father and I...we're trying to give you what we never had."

"What happened to your parents?" I couldn't remember if I had asked.

"You remember learning about the nine tails attack? Well...my parents died during the attack. They saved me, but I was too young to help them. I know how you feel, wanting to help fight, but trust me...it's too soon." he looked really sad all of the sudden.

"Dad?" He smiled sadly, laying next to me and pulling me into a hug.

"You have plenty of time...don't try to grow up so fast."

Father was going to be sent on a new mission with Sakura and Naruto. I was allowed to go with them to the missions desk, but not on the mission.

"You're late!" Both of them yelled at father, but it wasn't his fault.

"This time I was delayed filling out paperwork for the new team."

"Today is our first mission as a new team! Can't you be enthusiastic?" Naruto complained, but actually, he was happy. No one could tell though, unless you really knew him. I saw father deflate at the comment.

I learned Naruto was picky when it came to missions. He didn't want the first mission given to them. Lady Tsunade was pissed and father looked concerned. I was afraid someone was about to get thrown out the window.

Kakashi's View:

Please, don't talk so selfishly...she'll get angry at me. I begged silently, not wanting any violence to break out over his stubbornness.

"You haven't mentally matured at all, have you Naruto?" Iruka scolded. Sakura apologized, putting the blonde into a headlock.

"The Third was more sensible…" Naruto muttered, setting off Tsunade. I took the mission statement while Sakura argued with Naruto.

"It's bad! Fifth!" A voice yelled from the hallway. She burst in, shouting the Kazekage had been kidnapped by the Akatsuki. Everyone in the room became still. Tsunade flicked the paper back out of my hand.

"Right, Team Kakashi, I will tell you your new mission." Our blonde Hokage was worried as well. We were all to go to Sunagakure and back up the team there. I felt Aurora take my hand, worried about what we were walking into.

Tsunade and Iruka went to the gate with us. Aurora now gripping tightly on to his hand. She was upset, but I explained we would be back. This mission was going to be dangerous, but she didn't need to know that.

"Well, off we go!" Naruto said, anxious to get moving and save his friend, Gaara. Sakura said goodbye as well, but I only waved at Iruka and Aurora. I wasn't good at goodbyes, even after all this time.

I saw worry cross Iruka's face before he played it off by saying, "Do your best."

Before we left, Jiraiya cut us off to discuss the dangers of taking Naruto there. He warned Tsunade first, then Naruto himself. He made sure none of us over heard too much. The Akatsuki might make a move on Naruto as well...

"Kakashi, make sure he doesn't do something stupid. He's all yours."

"Yeah." I could handle him.

"Come on, let's go!" Naruto started to head off without us, leaving me no time to say bye.

"See ya." I waved again, following the two.

Iruka's View:

I watched as Naruto and Kakashi left, feeling like a part of me was leaving. Naruto was like...well, like a son to me now. Of course I would miss Kakashi too, but I worried more about the blonde. He was still young...

"Worried?" Tsunade asked me. I did, but…

"Nah...he isn't a weak shinobi I should worry about. Sakura too…" Both the Sanin gave a soft smile. I knew in my heart that Naruto could do just about anything.

"Maturity is a weird thing." Tsunade agreed as she looked down to Aurora. "Someday, you'll be able to join them, too." Aurora had a smile under her mask. It hurt to think about, but someday I'd be watching her go off on her first chunin mission.

Aurora was deep into her training, using it as a cover for how she felt. I knew she missed her father, but it was more the fact that she had felt abandoned by him. He had a bad habit of not explaining his reasons behind things and apparently didn't tell Aurora that Naruto was also in danger.

"Sweetheart, please come inside." I tried again. She had set up targets all over the yard and was using her shuriken to take them out. She'd improved quite a bit and could hit the targets dead center. She landed next to me, looking tired and beyond worn out from doing this all day. "I made your favorite." She loved pork buns and I was trying to bribe her into taking a break.

"Really?" I sighed, finally getting her attention. "Thanks dad!" She came running in after that.

Kakashi hadn't been gone more than two days, but this time felt different. It was effecting Aurora far more than usual. The only time I saw her is when I could bribe her to come inside or at school. I needed her to open up to me.

"How has school been?" I tried, but she just shrugged. Sure I knew how most of her day went, I somehow ended up having her in my class. "I see you've made a friend."

"Sora's not really a friend…" She admitted, even though they had known each other for a year. He seemed friendly enough, seeing as he was always trying to get Aurora to smile. It had yet to work.

"Oh? Well, why not?"

"He's...weird." She made a face when talking about him.

"Because of his puppets?" She nodded. "That's what his ability is, he's a puppet master." Or he would be one day. I also knew about the reason he was transferred. The political side said it was to strengthen our ties to Sunagakure, but the reality was his family wasn't the best. He moved here to live with his aunt to get away from it. Both he and Aurora needed a friend, so why not try to get her to be his friend.

"He can talk through them." It wasn't unheard of for puppet masters to be ventriloquists too, but it was more rare. I had wondered who had been making voices appear out of nowhere...

"How is that weird?" I asked. "Does he say weird things?" She nodded, shutting me out again. I was noticing a small pattern to her silence. If there was something she couldn't explain well, she'd shut down and stop talking. This was one of those times, where I didn't understand how Sora was weird, so she wouldn't talk anymore about it. "Alright, well if it does bother you maybe speak up to him." I doubted she had tried that. She did take after Kakashi more than me.

Aurora was just on edge again today. I wondered if it had something to do with school, but I couldn't get her to say. I know she was bullied for her powers being weak, but it wasn't her fault. The seal had made it that way. The latest I heard was no one wanted to talk to her because she was known to lash out. I hadn't witnessed it in class and had no idea what they were talking about. I pulled her to the side while they did laps, seeing she was pushing herself harder than needed.

"I know you don't want to talk, but is everything ok?" I tried to look her in the eye, but she looked everywhere but me.

"I'm ok…" She was lying to me. That hurt more than I wanted to admit.

"I don't know what's wrong until you tell me." I reasoned, which finally got her to look at me. "Please, sweet pea, tell me." I knelt down to her.

"Father will come home...right?" She looked broken again. "He won't die?" I see...the talk Kakashi had with her about his father had stuck with her in all the wrong ways.

"Of course he will." I put a hand on her shoulder. "Your father is one of the strongest shinobi out there. Trust me, he'll be ok."

this is where the two stories will converge. R&R!