When the group returned back to the village, Hebi told the youngest male to go back to the Anbu hideout and get cleaned up. Kurama was still in control of Daidai's body, since the boy was really not dealing with things very well.

Once they had gotten back to the base, he headed straight to the showers, sitting down on a seat that was inside the shower cubicle that was there to put the clean clothes and towel on while the person was showering. Once he was sure that Daidai's body wouldn't fall off, Kurama returned to the mindscape, walking over to the boy and curling up around him. "Come on, Naruto. You have to wash yourself, it'll make you feel better," Kurama told him gently, resting his head on the boy's lap.

Naruto shook his head, whimpering softly and curling closer to the fox. "What have I done, Kurama? I'm a horrible person," he whispered, voice shaky and barely audible. He felt so small and at the same time so big. "I just want to forget it, I don't want to remember their faces."

"I know, kit, I know. It'll all be better soon, have a nice warm shower and put on some warm clothes. Then you can rest and stay in here with me. I'll look after you, I promise, but you need to have a shower on your own."

Naruto whimpered but nodded at his words, wrapping his arms around the chakra beast once more. "I'll try, Kurama. Talk to me while I do?"

"Of course, anything to help you," he promised, before forcing Naruto out of the mindscape and into his body once more. He whispered happy things to him as he showered, washing off all the blood and sweat. The water was warm and calming, and though he wasn't better completely he did feel a lot calmer. It would be a long time until Naruto got used to the life of an Anbu, and Kurama would be there to support him. The fox wasn't usually one for kindness and caring, but he recognised when it was needed. If nobody else was around to help Naruto, then he would be.

x-X-x

After about twenty minutes, Naruto was finally out of the shower. His burnt orange hair was plastered to his skin, and though he usually had a tan complexion his face was much more pale and gaunt than it usually was.

He dried off and got changed into some plain blank pants and an oversized grey sweater that Kurama had gotten from the cupboard that kept spare clothes in case any of the Anbu that didn't usually stay there needed to stay overnight at the base for some reason or another. He then made his way to the spare sleeping quarters, when he was stopped by none other than Weasel, who was dressed in his casual clothes and with a bag as if he was about to go home. He recognised the boy as the Uchiha clan heir, who he knew was only about four years older than him.

"Oh, it's you," Daidai whispered, looking up at him blankly. He seemed so young, and in comparison he felt even younger. "Did you need something?"

Itachi shrugged and gestured for him to follow. "I don't need something, but it looks like you do. I'm not going home, at least tonight anyway, it's too late for that. It's the early hours of the morning. If I try to sleep I'll be awake all night," he said in reply.

Daidai nodded tiredly and followed him, Kurama still talking to him in the background. Now that he wasn't in his mission gear, and he had other things in front of him, he was managing to keep things off his mind just a little. They walked the empty streets, watching as the sun began to rise and stores began to open. The pair were silent, which was helpful for Daidai as he wanted to focus on Kurama's voice.

Eventually they arrived at a dango store. There were not many people out and about, so there were no customers aside from them and a woman. Anko walked over, standing between the two and placing a hand on their shoulders. "I didn't expect to see you two of all people here," she told them with her normal mischievous grin. "What brought little Itachi and Daidai-" She froze when she saw the state of the younger boy, sighing and nodding in understanding before taking her hands away. "I see... going to take him there? I'll come with."

Itachi usually wouldn't want company such as Anko around, but he had seen her and the boy, who he now knew was called Daidai, training together. He thought for a moment and spoke to her quietly so that nobody else could hear him. "Fine, just don't do anything to upset him. I heard what he did when we were giving the mission report to Hokage-sama, anyone would be traumatised after that."

It didn't take long for them to be finished getting their food, and the trio left the shop. Once again they were in silence, and though Anko had pulled away from him Daidai was walking closer to her than Itachi since he knew her better and felt safer around her. He still wasn't really paying attention to much was and was focusing on Kurama's voice.

They walked a little way out of the main part of the village, to an anbu training ground that wasn't used very often. When they got there, they walked inside and through a bit of forest until they reached a hill. Once they got to the top, the older ninja sat down, pulling Daidai down with them. From the top of the hill, they could see a field of flowers. It was a beautiful place, with birds and rabbits running around and a stream nearby. Daidai watched it, a half smile on his lips, until a wolf crept out. It's aim? A family of rabbits. Behind the wolf were two younger ones. They were obviously out looking for their food.

"Look, Daidai. Those bunnies are innocent, but so are those wolf cubs. All they need is food to live. If they don't fight, they will die. The mother is only doing what she needs for her cubs. It is not exactly the same, but it's similar to our village. It's peaceful and full of life, but other people will try to attack it or ruin the peace for their own reasons that seem just, we are also the wolf, fighting for our people and killing because it protects the peace. I'm not the best at analogies, but I hope that makes sense," Anko said, unusually quiet. She couldn't deny that she had a soft spot for the boy and she wanted to help him through it. "I might not be in Anbu, but I know how it feels. I've broken people to get information from them, I've done so many inhumane and horrible things for the sake of this village. No ninja can fight and come out the other side completely unscathed. The best we can do is find a way to cope, and not let it hold us back."

Daidai, who had been listening to her words, nodded silently. A few tears fell down his face, but there was also determination behind his gaze as he remembered what he'd told Hebi. He was a wolf hiding in sheep's clothing, or a fox, and he would keep on going for the sake of the village and the people he loved no matter how hard it was. "I think I understand, Anko, thank you. Itachi, right? Why did you bring me here," he said eventually, glancing over at him tiredly.

The boy just shrugged and offered him some dango, looking down. "I was only a few years older than you when I started. My brother is your age, too, so I understand a little how you feel. I've worked with Hebi before and I know that this job has ruined him, he's just good at hiding it. I don't want the same to happen to you. That is all."

x-X-x

Four years passed since that day. That first Anbu mission was not the last that Daidai was on. He went on hundreds more under the code name Hitsuji, making a name for himself in the bingo books. It was quite a relief, to be honest. He could still live his life normally without having people chasing after him day by day, since only a few people knew who he really was.

It was hard to accept going on another mission, but after the first time he never struggled as much. It was just a part of the job, something he could forget about by the time he arrived back home. If not for Kurama, Itachi and Anko, he doubted he could have gotten through it. He knew his strengths and who he was, but often times he had himself wondering why he'd become an anbu in the first place. Ever since that first mission he'd found himself distancing from other people, at least the ones who wouldn't understand. He didn't give up on the friends and family he already had he definitely wasn't striving for new ones, though he found them somewhat in the very job that had disconnected him from society.

He, Hebi and Weasel became more permanent partners. They didn't talk much and simply got on with the mission. They didn't talk much about each other's daily lives, or talk about trivial things like other anbu did when they weren't on a mission. They told each other things, but only the important things such as how their mental health was going. For Itachi it was in regards to pressure from his clan to leave the anbu and become a police officer and better prepare for clan head. For Daidai it was the disconnect from society and the struggles he had talking to other people his age, other than Shikamaru and Katsuko. Hibiki didn't really talk much about himself, but when he did it was usually that he'd had a decent conversation with a shop keeper or something that others would consider trivial, that was something that he'd struggled with. It was often commented that there was almost no bond between them at all, but that was far from the truth. The three understood each other in ways that didn't need to be conveyed through words. They trusted each other with their lives and their identities as well.

Their team was one of the strongest ones, the one that got the hardest and most dangerous missions. After the first two months, Daidai had taken to being in Anbu much better, and he worked like he'd been there for years. He only kept improving as battle experience combined with training and lots of hard work showing with good results. He wasn't as strong as he could be, he was only twelve and so was still not at the peak of his ability. That would come in the next few years as he got older and his body more capable.

The one annoying thing was despite the fact that he ate good food, he still was quite short. He wasn't getting tall like many would expect from someone such as him. Perhaps it had to do with the constant resistance seals he wore, or the weights, but he was only a little bit shorter than average. As his hair was smoother like the Uzumaki's, he couldn't compensate his height with his hair, which was now shoulder length.

Perhaps his hair wasn't the red colour the Uzumaki were so infamous for, but he certainly had the good looks of an Uzumaki. The only issue was that he wasn't particularly interested in anyone romantically. If he was to date anyone, he didn't particularly care for gender as long as they had a good personality and wasn't just being with him for looks or because he was strong. He knew that it would be more of an issue from now on though.

Just like he'd planned years ago, he was going to enter the academy at age twelve as was the 'recommendation'. He hadn't left the Anbu and would continue to do missions at night or on the weekend, but he was always welcome to leave if it was too much stress, and his mask would be put aside for when he came back.

Daidai was not looking forward to spending a year with bratty children, some of who ranged from age eight to twelve like him. At least he and Shikamaru were both entering this year, since that was probably the only way he would stay sane. The pineapple haired boy had gotten stronger himself, and though he still had a laid back personality and liked watching the clouds, he had done a lot and was easily high chūnin level, if not low jonin. That was to be expected with a brain such as his and over four years of hard work, along with his father, Daidai and Katsuko helping them out.

The three children often would train and spar together, giving each other tips and advice. Even though they weren't beginners, it was helpful for Katsuko who was originally a chūnin, and was now a Jonin. She wasn't looking to get a team of her own in the near future, but she definitely wanted one in a few years. At the moment she was still in a trio with Motoshi and Neji, who were both chūnin and were still assholes, which was the main reason they hadn't advanced yet. They didn't like working with anyone but each other, and felt they were better than most of the ninja in the village. They were strong, but their attitude had made it difficult on missions and they weren't deemed good enough to be mission leaders or other leadership roles that Jonins would be.

Occasionally Choji would join their training sessions, which was probably the most helpful for Katsuko. He was waiting until he was twelve, as was Ino, so the three of them could remake the Ino-Shika-Cho trio. As much as Daidai wanted to be on a team with Shikamaru, he knew it was likely the group would be put together. That meant he would get stuck with some brats that didn't really know what it meant to be a ninja or were fangirls or whatever it was.

Daidai had just entered the room for the advanced class, sitting down in the back corner with Shikamaru following him and sitting beside him. He didn't smile, he would only speak when necessary, and he planned to only do enough to stay in the genin range.

The teacher entered the room, a kind man with a scar across his nose, and write up the title of the first lesson on the board. 'The history of Kunai and Shuriken'.

"Shikamaru, we made a very big mistake," he groaned, resting his head in his arms and closing his eyes. He just wanted to get this year over with.