That day, the village became a rampage in only a couple of hours and it's beauty as a whole was nearly gone.

It was a couple of hours later, after the attack, and Kaiya was taking her mother to her apartment, without hurry.

'Was it absolutely necessary to sent Amida and Akira back home?'Kaiya asked. 'They must be really tired.'

'They're capable boys. I'm sure they'll do another 3 days until home just fine.' Fuzasane shrugged. 'Besides, I wanted to talk to you more privately.'

'Hm.'

Kaiya couldn't help but tense a little- They haven't seen each other in over three years. Who knows what she'd want to scold her about? Her mother didn't make any further comments until they eventually found themselves in front of Kaiya's apartment door.

'Now, don't expect me to have any fancy apartment, alright? I'm not doing as good as you might think.' Kaiya said, unlocking the door.

Fuzasane mumbled something that sounded much like We'll see about that. For a moment, Kaiya stopped. She looked down the hallway and noticed an old man in a yellow polo and glasses- a neighbour of hers.

'Good afternoon, Takahata-san!' Kaiya called out with a small wave. 'How are you?'

'I'm good, thank you for asking, Kaiya-chan.' The old man answered with a smile, glad to see the girl.

He hardly ever had any company in the past decade and, as it seemed, Kaiya was the only person in the building to notice and greet him. It was nice to talk to someone every now and then.

But, things were a bit different for Fuzasane. She looked around the hallway with a frown, but couldn't notice anyone.

'Who are you talking to, Kaiya?' Ahe asked urgently.

Kaiya looked at her mother dumbfounded.

'I'm talking to my neighbour, mr. Takahata. He's right there.' Kaiya said, pointing to the old man.

'Kaiya, there's no one there.' Fuzasane said, her heart now racing.

She was fairly sure that her daughter wasn't insane. It couldn't be it, could it...? Not her daughter. Fuzasane shook her head. Her daughter was not a Spirit-Seer.

'Let's go in.' Fuzasane said, making a sign with her head towards the Apartment's door.

'Fine.' Kaiya obliged, having the same thoughts as her mother.

Kaiya pushed the door, her apartment now becoming accessible. Kaiya entered without any problems with a light sigh of relief, while Fuzasane hesitated, analysing the apartment from the outside. Kaiya pursed her lips as she looked at her mother.

'Come on in, mother. The apartment won't hurt you.' Kaiya said, slightly sarcastically.

Fuzasane puffed in annoyment, before eventually entering. She closed the door behind her and began to walk around slowly, making her way into the small kitchen.

'This is nice...' Fuzasane said, looking around the kitchen.

Kaiya opened her mouth to take the compliment, but she never got the chance to do so.

'But this apartment has another smell than yours.' Fuzasane pointed out.

Kaiya's cheek twitched, as she screamed internally. How could she forget that her mother had such a good sense of smell? After all, it was in the family...

'Maybe it's the ex-owners' smell, mother.' Kaiya laughed nervously. 'After all, I didn't move in that long ago...'

'No, this smell is fresh.' Fuzasane argued. 'This smell is from yesterday, and, if my nose doesn't fail me... this belongs to a male, maybe around your age.'

Kaiya sighed, looking to the ground. There was no point in lying.

'Yes, a teammate of mine was here yesterday evening.' She admitted.

'Is that so?' Fuzasane asked.

Kaiya knicked as Fuzasane made her way towards her from the kitchen. The woman put a strong grip with her hands on her shoulders, sending in a shock throughout the girl's entire body.

'Look me in the eyes and don't lie to me, Kaiya.' Fuzasane ordered. 'Did you two do anything yesterday?'

Kaiya looked back into her mother's eyes fiercely. She knew she wasn't lying.

'We didn't.' She answered, calmly.

After a few moments in which the staring contest continued, Fuzasane eventually looked away with a few puffs of annoyment as she let go of Kaiya, who now started to massage her shoulders, muttering something vulgar under her breath.

'You said you wanted to talk to me about something?' Kaiya asked, taking a seat on the couch.

She wasn't sure where this would lead to, but she hoped it wasn't anything too bad.

'Actually, I did.' Fuzasane said as she leaned onto the kitchen counter, her eyes widening. 'After I recover a little bit, I'd like you to return with me to the Kobayashi clan. You've been too long away from home.'

Kaiya frowned with a small sigh of stress.

'I don't know, mother.' She said. 'The place brings many memories back and... well, I actually have made a quite decent life for myself here in Konoha.'

'But you can't remain here! Your father's here.'

'I also have a father back at home.' Kaiya pointed out. 'What makes you think that I'd treat Kakashi-sensei differently now that I found out we're blood-related? For me, he's just an ordinary shinobi who happens to be my father.'

Fuzasane looked away, displeased with the answer. 'You'd still have to return back home, even for a while. You have to clear things up with Taka and your aunt once and for all. After that, you're free to do as you please.'

'For how long?'

'For good.'

'This is a seriously unsteady gamble you want me to play.'

'It isn't a gamble. If you manage to promise yourself the post of Alpha, you can pass it on to someone else. Nobody'll be able to tell you anything.'

Kaiya thought for a while. It was a win on both sides, but it seemed just too good to be true.

'I'll think about it.' She said, before brushing it off. 'How's Kouta?'

Fuzasane pursed her lips as she looked at her daughter. Of course, she'd ask about her brother.

'He's fine, but he misses you a lot.'

Quietness filled the room. Kaiya looked down as she fidgeted her fingers, and Fuzasane was in thought. After a while, Fuzasane chose to break the silence.

'I'm tired.'

'You can sleep in my room.' Kaiya offered.

'No, it's fine. That's your room, not mine.' Fuzasane refused. 'I'll sleep on the couch.'

Kaiya sighed. It was expected from her mother to say that- in fact, it should've been expected that anyone from her family would react a little differently than most people.

One of the things you had to know if you ever wanted to become part of the Kobayashi clan was how people tended to get protective of their own stuff, and didn't lust much for someone else's stuff- they considered it a disrespect.

There were quite a few etiquette rules and other various manners in the Kobayashi clan that an outsider probably couldn't keep up with, but Kaiya just knew them out of reflex.

'Are you-' Kaiya began, standing up.

'Yes, I'm sure.' Her mother said, taking a seat on the couch.

'Fine, then. Do as you please.' Kaiya shrugged as she walked to the door, 'I don't want to bother you much, so I'll go solve some business.'

Fuzasane furrowed her eyebrows questioningly but bit her lip. There's no point in asking now, she thought. Maybe she'll ask later, but it would be best to let the girl do as she pleases for now. Kaiya took on a leather jacket she had. She bid her mother goodbye, before exiting the apartment.

Fuzasane sighed as she let herself drop on the couch. She sighed. Now that she thought of it, she realised that they didn't have the best reunion. Not after three years of knowing nothing of each other. Her daughter could've been long dead or treated badly, and when she's finally proven the opposite... she decides to make a scene.
Even so, she couldn't help to feel relieved. Her daughter was alive and well. Right there, next to her.

Kaiya walked aimlessly down Konoha's streets. At first, she thought it was all in her head. Soon enough though, she was sure of it. People were, in fact, looking at her from the corner of their eyes, maybe even whispering.

The word must've gotten out, Kaiya considered. There was no other option. She got one or two books before, but nothing as outstanding as this. Even so, she couldn't care less at the moment- she had other things to care for.

That day just took multiple twists and turns, and she needed to clear mind. Maybe she could find her team, perhaps they'd help her out...

Just as she thought of that, a familiar voice could be heard from behind her.

'Kaiya-san. Wait...' The voice said as it got closer to her, panting.

Kaiya looked around with a sweat-drop, as some civilians stopped to watch the scene. Just behind her, stood Lee, panting very hard, resting on his crutches.

'Did you force yourself again, Lee?' She asked. 'You know what the doctors said.'

'Yeah, but... I needed to talk to you.' He said.

Kaiya waited for the boy to catch his breath. He soon regained stability and began walking normally- well, as normal as you can with crutches- alongside Kaiya. Kaiya already foresaw what the conversation will be about, but she chose not to push it.

'Would you like to eat some ramen?' Lee asked, calmly.

The question was so sudden and off-topic that Kaiya needed to stop for a second and blink twice. 'I'm sorry, what?'

'Would you like to eat some Ramen?' He repeated.

For a moment, Kaiya wanted to point out how they already did that just an evening before but seeing the situation she was in, it didn't sound so bad. 'Sure.'

Up until Ichiraku's Ramen, there wasn't much discussion between the two. They both seemed very shocked about the damages that happened to the village. When they eventually reached the place, they saw how, much to Kaiya's surprise, the building was near if not fully intact, leaving aside all the specks of dust on it.

They entered and noticed how the small restaurant had 2 other guests- a tall, well-built man with white, long hair at an advanced age, and a blonde boy around 12 in an orange and blue suit, an more familiar face.

'You're fuelling up before your mission, eh, Naruto?' The owner of the restaurant asked as Naruto was eating his third bowl of Ramen.

Noticing Kaiya and Lee entering, he turned for a second to his daughter.

'Ayame, please take care of the two.'

'Yes, father.' Ayame nodded.

The white-haired man and Naruto turned around to see Kaiya and Lee sitting down slightly awkwardly, as they were handed two menus by Ayame.

'Lee!' Naruto exclaimed. 'How are you? I haven't really seen you since after the preliminaries.'

'I'm doing great!' Lee asked, in his typical energetic voice. 'Thank you for asking, Naruto-Kun.'

'Who were you again...? I forgot your name.' Naruto asked, squinting at Kaiya.

'I'm Kaiya.' She answered coldly.

'Oh yeah!' Naruto exclaimed, illuminated. 'You're Kiba's cousin, right?'

Kaiya pursed her lips with a slight nod. 'Yep, that's me.'

'But you're less annoying...' Naruto pointed out, confused.

For some reason, Naruto's comment was a hilarious thing for the White-haired man.

'Family hasn't always to do with personalities and temper, Naruto.' The man said.

'I know that...' Naruto puffed his cheeks as he turned his attention back to his bowl.

'Can I get your order?' Ayame asked, sounding much nicer than the first time Kaiya met her.

'I'll have a Tonkatsu ramen, miss.' Lee said, putting down his menu.

'Alright. What about you?' Ayame turned to Kaiya, with a smile.

'Well, I think I'll have a Paitan Ramen.' Kaiya said, returning the smile.

Ayame nodded as she took the menus, before walking away into the kitchen. If the rumours were true about the girl, then she should be careful on how she acted with the girl, otherwise, she'd be in big trouble.

Just as Naruto was about to order another bowl, the White-haired man patted his back. 'I think it's enough Ramen, for now, Naruto.'

Naruto muttered something under his breath obviously displeased as the man paid the check, but he didn't argue. The man paid the check and left the restaurant along with Naruto, bidding the restaurant's owner goodbye. Just as they did that, two bowls of Ramen appeared in from of Kaiya and Lee. The two thanked, before dipping into the food.

'See ya later, Lee!' Naruto called out as he left. 'Next time we meet, I'll be really strong!'

'So will I be!' Lee answered back, but Kaiya wasn't sure that the blonde boy was able to hear him.

A few silent moments passed as the two waited for their ramen to cool off a bit.

'So, how's with the crutches?' She asked. 'You won't have to sit with them for long, right?'

'I'll get rid of them this week, but the doctors said I won't be able to be a ninja again.'

Kaiya looked down quietly with a sigh, before taking a bite from her ramen. It was a pity, indeed. Especially when thinking of all his hard work going down for nothing. She tried to find something motivating to tell the boy, but there was nothing worth of saying- it was hard to argue with doctors without being one yourself and knowing your facts and she wouldn't enjoy lying to the boy in an attempt of giving him false hope.

'It's ok, I guess. Maybe I'll still be able to help you and Guy-sensei on missions.' Lee said as he forced a smile that made Kaiya tear apart a little on the inside. 'But I'll be fine anyhow. I wanted to ask you something else, Kaiya-san. I heard these rumours about you. Something about that you're blood-related to Kakashi-sensei.'

Just as he said that someone entered the restaurant without making a sound, and stopped in his tracks to listen. The owner raised his head to greet him, but the masked man with silver hair made a sign to keep quiet to which the owner nodded obediently- he understood the situation.

Kaiya pursed her lips. She knew this was coming but there was no going back now.

'Well, yes, it appears so.' Kaiya said calmly and noticed how Lee's eyes widened in surprise. 'My mother came in town a couple of hours ago and decided it was time for me to know who my biological father is... with him present.'

Lee nearly choked on his ramen.

'But how do you know for sure he is your father?' Lee asked.

'My mother never really made a habit of lying to me, and, according to some DNA tests, my DNA matches with Kakashi-sensei's.'

The man behind the closed eyes for a second. So Fuzasane took care that the girl had no clue who her real father is., he thought. It's understandable, taking the circumstances.

'I see. Wait- your mother's in town?' Lee asked, bombarding.

Kaiya nodded. 'That is correct.'

'Why is she not with you?'

'She said she was tired.' Kaiya shrugged. 'I let her rest in my apartment. She didn't really seem to mind me leaving her alone for a bit.'

'So, are you able to tell me more about you, now?' Lee asked.

Kaiya sighed a little. 'I guess I could, now. My mother says it's fine, so... I guess I could.'

So, she told him everything. She told him about her clan and the traditions, about her childhood, about her little brothers, about her aunts and cousins, and so on.

The still undetected listener behind him took in every word and analysed carefully, finding himself at loss of words. Not even Fuzasane, the closest person he once had there, told him this much, and it honestly amazed him, whilst a feeling of guilt slowly crippled upon him.

On the other hand, Lee found it all fascinating- he didn't invest much thought in what Kaiya's past could be, but even when he did, never had he expected so much story. If he didn't consider it before, it was time he considered and acknowledged a fact- Kaiya was a fascinating person.

'So let me get this on the correct line.' He said after Kaiya was finished. 'You come from the Kobayashi clan, which is situated somewhere at the border of the Land of Lightning, in a forest.'

'Correct.' Kaiya nodded.

'However, your family isn't affiliated with the country. Your family made a deal with the Raikage to be able to live there, without interfering with the affiliated shinobi.'

'Also correct.'

'Your clan has a Kekkei Genkai that allows you to transform into wolves, but it is very hard to achieve control over it because... wait I still don't get it very well.'

'We have a bad chakra control.' Kaiya explained. 'Not that we couldn't, but there's no one fitting enough to teach us how to use it. If you want to shapeshift, you'll need an extremely good chakra control, otherwise, you'd mutilate yourself and remain part wolf. Many people died like that in my clan, so now it's recommended for us to stay away from the Kekkei Genkai.'

'Right! That explains your bad chakra control when you first came here. So, your family focused on Taijutsu and weaponry, which also explains why you're really good at that and you know how to hunt.'

'You got it all right.' Kaiya nodded, with a smile growing on her face.

It honestly felt good to vent off, but the thing that topped it was the fact that the boy didn't overreact or respond negatively in any way, but was rather curious and showed immediate acceptance. It felt nice to be around people like that.

'Sometimes, there's also a side effect to your Kekkei Kekkei Genkai with which some people are born with, that allows them to see the spirits of the dead and talk to them, correct?' Lee asked, and Kaiya approved. 'They're named Spirit-seers or priests
The side effect drains them from chakra all the time until they learn how to control their powers. May I ask a question?'

'Shoot it.' Kaiya encouraged.

'How do you know if you're a Spirit-seer?'

Kaiya shrugged. 'I guess you start considering when you become self-conscious about the fact that you see things others don't.'

'Have you ever considered being a Spirit-Seer?'

Kaiya's face tensed in thought for a second. 'Hm, not really, to be honest. I never really felt like I saw unusual things.'

Lee nodded.

'You have two younger brothers, right?' Lee asked Kaiya nodded. 'Jun and Kouta. But... Jun died a few years ago in an hunting accident, which made you leave.'

Lee pursed his lips. He was very aware that this was a rather sensitive subject, so he decided that for now, he wouldn't put too many questions on them.

'But... Kakashi-sensei's not their father as well, right?'

Kaiya shook her head, regaining posure.

'Nah. More like half-brothers, actually. My mother married this elite hunter from our clan, Kaito-san, sometime after I was born and had Kouta and Jun with him.'

'Really? What's he like?'

'He's a nice man, but my brothers and I didn't get to see him particularly often, y' know, being an elite hunter and all, but I can't say he wasn't present as a father. He lets me call him father, and even gave me a bow and some arrows hand made by him as a gift when I took my first animal down.'

A few moments of silence pass, as the two finished their bowls of Ramen.

'So your mother didn't tell you anything about Kakashi-sensei?'

'No, not really. She once let it slip that he lived in Konoha, but all the rest of the information I got about him was that he shouldn't be trusted.'

'Hm.' Lee considered. 'And how do you feel about it?'

Kaiya looked at Lee surprised. 'Me?'

'Yeah. How do you feel about it?'

'I-I don't know. I don't really blame my mother for saying that stuff- that's how she feels about it, after all-, but I can't really hate my father the way she does.'

'I see. So you're not angry at Kakashi-sensei.' Lee said, in a slightly questioning tone.

'Lee, now listen. I am not a copy of my mother, nor my father. I haven't experienced what she did, so we're two different persons. Unlike her, I will give my children freedom and choice. Unlike my father, I won't run away from my mistakes, only to live in regret later. But there is one thing that, as a mother, is my duty to do, just like my mother before me. I will love my children unconditionally. Do you understand?'

Lee fell in thought for a while, as Ayame came along to take their now empty bowls. Behind them, the masked man looked at the girl in amazement. If his calculations were right, the girl was only 14, and yet she was thinking in a much mature way than he expected.

'That's wise.' Lee said, still in thought.

'And you know, I can't really say that my family was necessarily happy with the whole situation, but in the end, why should I defend my parents, my clan or anyone? I won't defend my parents, as I am just the mere result of a mistake made through a dark time. I won't accuse them either though, as I wouldn't be here if they would've not helped when I couldn't defend myself as a child.'

'She's a really smart girl, father.' Ayame told her father in the kitchen, as she was washing some dishes.

'So... you're not having any... ill feelings towards Kakashi-sensei.' Lee stated.

Kaiya shrugged.

'Not really. As a child, I guess I always carved to know who my real father, but seeing it from here, I could never ask him for all the affection I had missed. How could I ask for something he himself might still miss? As long as he shows me acceptance and acknowledges me as the ordinary being I am, there's nothing I could ask more from my father.'

At this point, Kakashi couldn't take in all that information right there, at that moment. He slowly backed away and walked away, his mind fuzzy and confused. Could it really be that he had a child that didn't hate him for not treating them the way he should've?

He shook his head. The whole situation seemed unreal. For a moment, his mind flickered to his father. What would've he said if he knew? If he only knew...

Neither of the two noticed nor felt Kakashi's presence appear or disappear. The two paid for their meals and Kaiya looked at the clock. It was nearly 6 pm. Kaiya closed her eyes for a moment, trying to calm herself down. Her mother would kill her for being so late.

'Do you want me to walk you home?' Lee offered.

'I'll do good by myself, thanks.'

'Alright then.' Lee nodded before they began to walk separate ways.

A few seconds later, he remembered something, all of a sudden.

'Kaiya-San!' He called out, catching the girl's attention. 'Can I tell our team about this?'

Kaiya thought for a little and considered, before eventually answering.

'Do as you please!' She said.

She told everything she could to him and she probably didn't have any energy to tell the whole thing again and again. Hopefully, if the boy chose to tell the story -which he most probably will- he will get most of it accurate. She waved once again to Lee as a goodbye, before walking back home slowly.

This was sure a full day.

A/N

What's up my dudes?

Another chapter here! I'm happy/ surprised to announce that the next chapter in this book will (probably) be the last one in this book! But weep not the sequel will make it's way very soon here. The sequel will be named 'The Wolf Within'. What do you guys think?

I actually made a cover for that book:

Now on this chapter, it did, in fact, take a lot of time to come out, but I'm afraid I had to rewrite the whole thing halfway through. Why? you may ask. Well, the chapter took some turns that weren't planned and the chapter didn't look the way I wanted it. What was the only good way to fix it? Delete and rewrite. But here we are back with the 3.6K worth of words just for you guys.

So, you guys got to know just so much more about Kaiya and her past. What do you guys think? Let me know in the comments!

See you in the next chapter!

-Avery