AN: English is not my native language and I apologize for the mistakes.
...
Chapter 17
It's been a while since Hari did anything but work, and though she's found her rhythm within ANBU, it has come at the expense of her friends who she sees less and less these days. Her regular schedule is full, and that is not counting the long term missions. Even if Hari manages to squeeze in random visits, it's more a matter of being unavailable during the big moments.
Since the Kumo disaster Hari has missed Shino's fourth birthday, Kasuga's Chūnin Exams, Santa's apprentice promotion and her workload was picking up. Well, she kind of were there for Santa's thing – just not as herself.
...
Team Ebo had come back from a mission in Land of Fang with a captive, and while her comrades had gone ahead to the lockers to clean up, Hari, still wearing her uniform and Owl mask, went to deliver the prisoner to Konoha Torture and Interrogation Division.
Where Santa happened to be on duty.
He had looked up from his desk, eyes sliding from the sedated captive and over to Hari, where they paused, remained and then widened.
The silence stretched while they stared at each other across the office, broken only when Santa rolled his eyes, leant across the desk and clicked a button that made a ringing sound – the notification of a new prisoner. "Thank you, ANBU-san" Santa's voice was dry as sandpaper when he came over to take custody of her drop-off.
"Aren't you a… new recruit?" Hari remained incapable of feeling anything but uncomfortable trying to address Santa as if they didn't know each other. "Do you have the clearance for this?"
Santa smirked. "I was just accepted by the Analyse division as an apprentice to Yamanaka Inoichi, so no – this is very much within my job description."
So technically she had been there for Santa's big moment - had even heard the news before Kasuga – but that was an exception to the general rule, as Hari had basically been living within her ANBU mask this last year.
She can picture how easy it must have been for Hisao and Kakashi to simply remain there. Sometimes it was comfortable to be a job - to not have to face the world and the problems of who they were without their ANBU aliases. Hari had to be mindful, or she'd be dragged into the shadows because in the darkness it was hard to see, but that also meant it was hard to be found. And for Hari there was a lot of security in removing herself from Mokuton no Hari, and just be any other interchangeable operative without her mile long list of problems that had yet to be resolved.
Yet this was what she had asked for. Hari has grown in heaps and bounds since joining ANBU. Even if she was only number twenty six on the rankings during Boot Camp – Hari has always been a better in real life applicable situations - she's done well enough that no one has complained, and she's yet to fail a mission.
...
...
Hari has barely been back within the gates of Konoha for five hours – all of which was spent completing the latest load of mission reporting - when Hari is passing through the ANBU training dojo where the newest set of plebe is busy at work.
When she takes a sweeping look over the hall she recognize them nearly instantly. Had there just been one, or if their hair colour wasn't such a particular shade and cut, if Hari didn't know one of them as well as she did, she may not have noticed.
But with two purple haired girls with the exact same height, body type and outfits with the sole exception of varying mask designs – well… it wasn't hard for Hari to figure out who the two new plebe busying themselves hitting punching bags were.
The Uzuki twins. Yugao and Gazeru...
Hari halts mid step to gawk at them for several seconds while wondering why the twins had joined ANBU, and what it meant for their teams. Yugao's more than Gazeru's, as the former only had the one teammate left.
Hari finds the answer to that question four steps later, when she jolts to a stop once more after seeing the eerily familiar figure in the sparring ring. This plebe is facing another, taller ANBU, but she takes special note of the black, tousled hair, pale skin and how he wields a tantō.
At first Hari thinks she's mistaken, because Shisui was harder to recognize with his more generic features that blended with most of the others. But she had just thought of him which is why she noticed at all, and after a couple seconds decides it must be him. At least 81% certain.
Hari manages to hold in a snort of derisive humour, even if it's a near thing, and continues towards the exit.
...
Normally running into them would be a nice surprise, but Hari isn't sure she like seeing them within ANBU headquarters. Since Yugao and Shisui were Hizashi's students it reminds her of the Hyūga affair, and that never fails to make her frustrated.
Because even if she understood what Konoha was facing if they didn't reach an agreement with Kumogakure - an arguably stronger village - and pragmatically she could understand that one Hyūga was better than the thousands that would die if the fourth war broke out. Yet there was some things that simply didn't feel right. That was so unfair and cruel and just shouldn't have happened.
And now Hizashi was dead, because he wore the wrong face – or the right face – according to which angle you viewed the situation.
The village and clans had always guarded their bloodlines jealously.
...
When Hari tries to think of it without her own emotions clouding her viewpoints, she can partly puzzle together how it came to this, mostly because of her Mokuton cells. Though unlike the Hyūga and Uchiha, she was just one person and her bloodline wasn't bound to any lineage or family. Upholding the secrets of the Mokuton wasn't really an issue for her as much as protecting herself as an individual.
If history had proved anything it was that Mokuton was a twisted mess of accidental mutations that would only happen naturally once every "green full moon", which was practically the same as never.
...
The Shodai was the only one in recorded history to obtain it naturally, making it difficult to compare it to genetically inherited powers such as the Byakugan, which was passed from parent to child – something the Mokuton proved time and time again it wasn't.
As none of Hashirama's ancestors nor his descendent had a trace of it. Konoha - with full access to Hashirama's remains - had tried their hands at uncovering the Wood Release recipe without success, and it was deemed a failure. Orochimaru had abandoned Hari and Tenzō thinking them failures too, and to some extent they probably were. Nowhere had Hari heard that Senju Hashirama suffered any side effects when using the Mokuton.
Which is why Hari's situation was closer to that of a jinchūriki than a bloodline holder.
Yet Hari had experienced too much, seen and been through enough to understand some of these clan issues anyway.
...
Being alone and orphaned was nothing new, it was just how things seemed to be, and though Hari could experience envy towards those who grew up with their parents she knew blood didn't always matter. Her biological aunt had been Petunia after all, and family was much more than who you shared DNA with.
The Weasley was the only family Hari remembers having, and in this life she thinks, hopes... perhaps, she is a little bit part of the Uzumakis too.
But a clan wasn't the exact same as a family, because though they were normally related it was more like a larger collective which could consists of hundreds of members. And even if it would have been nice to be part of something like that, in this instance though, Hari had decided being alone and just accountable to herself and the village was probably better than being part of a clan like the Hyūga.
After all - they guarded their bloodline by enslaving half their family.
It wasn't a part of the image they broadcasted, but now – after the Head of the clan nearly started the fourth war saving his daughter (which was understandable at least) but then turned around and made his twin brother pay the price for his own actions… well, it was hard to remain passive about that.
One thing was if the fuinjutsu brand was strictly and solely to seal away their eyes upon death to prevent theft, but the side effect of having a built in torture button that the elders of their clan could activate at any moment spoke of a much uglier reality. Their argument of the "branch members" protecting the "main family" just didn't hold up, because if all of them got the seal it would no longer be necessary for half the clan to dedicate themselves to the other, leaving the divide redundant.
...
Finding out these details had also explained why no Hyūga had ever been considered for the Hokage seat either. Despite producing jōnin level ninjas left right and centre none of the other clans would ever accept an Hyūga in that position for fear of getting a seal branded into their foreheads too.
They claimed they wouldn't, but then again – Hiashi branded his own blood relations, so what would protect the rest of the village?
And Hari knew what it felt like to be bound to a volatile brand on her forehead as well.
...
She's still deep in this spiralling downturn of depressing thoughts when Hari reach the stairwell, where a familiar voice breaks into her awareness.
"- I didn't suggest it for him, I thought it would be a good position for his teammate actually, but he was listening in, and now I think he's considering it for himself instead. Don't know what that will-"
Two ANBU are in the middle of a conversation, but as they are blocking her path Hari clears her throat and say; "Frog-taichō, Horse – perhaps you should take this somewhere else? You're clogging the exits."
They turn to her, Hisao quickly shutting up about whatever he had been talking about, while Horse takes over effortlessly. "Owl, you're back? I thought I saw Lion-taichō in the hall but he disappeared so quickly I wasn't sure."
And the reminder of yet another bloodline mess has Hari twitch in annoyance. "I am. It was a successful mission, and neither your taichō or teammates were injured." Hari rattles off to Horse.
Team Kim and team Ebo had swapped members for this mission. Hari had been sent off with team Kim as their medic while Horse's teammate 'Badger' from the tracking portion of the Komorebi platoon had remained to fill her place. The mission had lasted seven weeks, and included investigating leads and poking around the boarders of Water Country as a follow up to several previous reports about the unrest there.
Something strange was going on, and their collected reports all said the same – bloodline wielders were being targeted and killed. And though it wasn't confirmed all the signs indicated the Hidden Mist was heading for a civil war.
...
Normally Horse should have been on the mission too, but she was on an extended leave of absence – which made her appearance in headquarters a curiosity. "What are you doing here?"
Horse reach up and adjust the collar of her ANBU cloak, the black draping garment with a wide hood that every agent received for bad weather or simply for better concealment. She was probably on her way out. "I stopped by for a delivery. I'm still on leave."
"Oh, alright. Hope you feel better." Hari say, because it must have been a severe injury for Horse to be off duty for so long. Even before Hari left for her mission she had already been on leave for a while.
"But I really do need to go up," Hari say and wave her hand holding a thick scroll. It's the mission report – because even in ANBU you don't escape paperwork.
She'd spent the last two hours completing it, and before that a couple more doing the verbal reports with all the confidential matters that wasn't allowed to be written down.
Horse steps aside and wave her past with a chuckle, and though she hears Frog exchange a couple of words with her he catch up with Hari a moment later.
...
"Got anything interesting for the admins this time?" It was an unofficial tradition within ANBU to share; 'weirdest confiscated item handed in to ANBU admin' stories – within reason of course.
Usually things like foreign documents, maps, samples, tools, weapons and similar intel related items found and deemed 'objects of interests' during assignments were brought back to Konoha and handed in to ANBU admin.
These things weren't always so easy to drag along though, and as ANBU couldn't speak about their missions, being as vague as possible was part of the game.
Hari hums, taps her chin theatrically and reply; "Not me, but Lion has to hand in a baby bottle."
Not knowing the 'why or how's' usually just made it better to speculate about how the items became 'objects of interest'. The baby bottle was brought in because the people they were investigating had scribbled an unfamiliar code on it which they'd been unable to decipher. But Hari had heard about more amusing confiscations too.
Someone had delivered a small lake sealed inside a scroll, which either malfunctioned or wasn't properly labelled – either way it ended in a flooded office and a lot of destroyed reports.
Once a sunburnt and severely sleep deprived ANBU had handed in four grown camels after escorting the pack all the way from Suna. Apparently navigating them up the staircases to the admin office on the fourth floor had been a spectacle most of headquarters had been able to witness too.
Then about a year ago ANBU Dog had dropped off a child to admin – an actual human girl, who may or may not have been a princess – claiming she was a mission requisition.
...
"Baby bottle?" Hisao hums, taking a long break as if he wants to add something specific to that, but instead he shrugs and say; "I can think of hundreds of reasons for that. A sample?" He guess without expecting a reply. "Anyway, we need to have a meeting soon."
Hari peers at him. "I have some time after I've handed off the report." She waves the scroll again.
"No, I mean without these." He adds to his face, indicating the masks. Which meant he wanted to speak about something regarding Hari as herself, or potentially himself as Hisao. As ANBU took "leave your personal problems at home" a little more seriously than any other division.
But it was surprisingly difficult to find a moment where both Hari and Hisao were… well, Hari and Hisao at the same time. It was no joke when Hari felt as if she had moved into the ANBU uniform, and the meeting doesn't come to anything for a long time.
...
...
ANBU has many more uses for her than Hari expected. One of her regular duties is to maintain a Mokuton assisted herb garden with plants used to make medicine. She spends a lot more time and effort on physical training than with team Shibi, there's the regular patrols and the harder specialised missions, which fortunately isn't as frequent as she had initially believed.
Eventually Hari isn't the freshest recruit on team Ebo either. A couple months after Hari noticed the new plebe in the dojo, a purple haired girl fresh from boot camp in a Lynx mask enters locker 15. From the momentarily open doorway Hari notices an identical copy disappear into the room on the opposite side of the hallway.
Lynx's introductory speech is much the same as hers was, but when Hisao introduces Hari as; 'Owl, like me she is a medic and ninjutsu user', she takes off her mask and greets her downstairs neighbour with a smile; "Welcome to the team, Lynx."
The girl's shoulders stiffen and Hari takes some gratification in the surprise radiating from her body language, though she'd pay for that brief moment of smugness.
Hari knows it's one of the Uzuki twins, but it takes an embarrassingly long time before she figures out which one.
Since in repayment the damn girl decided to consistently wear her Lynx mask and distort her voice so it was impossible to tell.
It takes nine whole days of Hari going back and forth before the girl slip up - her voice going higher and smoother than her older twin sister - and then she knows. Their only difference is in their voices after all.
"Yugao!" Hari hiss under her breath, which only makes Yugao giggle when she realize the game is up. The laugh has been a rare sound after the loss of Itsuki and Hizashi, so even though Hari's miffed it took so long she's relieved Yugao can still find some joy in smaller games to amuse herself.
"And that means…." Hari glance across the training dojo to where Gazeru stands with team Ro. Though Gazeru's mask is; 'Rat', and that probably irks the older twin greatly since 'Lynx' is obviously the cooler option.
Not everyone gets a customized codename though. Hari's well aware her own was blatant favouritism and special treatment which Hiruzen-sama allowed because of her connections to Biwako-shishō, and unimportant though it is, she still appreciate it. It would also explain why Kakashi snagged the Dog mask. If Minato-sama wasn't behind that then Hari would eat Shibi-sensei's kikaichū for dinner.
...
...
Yugao is a welcoming addition to the team. Not only is she already Hari's friend, her age and someone she works well with, but as ANBU Lynx she is a kenjutsu user and prefers close combat even more than Cow does. It balances out the differences, since before the team had been very tilted towards ranged fighters.
The team makes sure to introduce her to the formations and expectations, and it's in the middle of these drills that Hisao breaks all ANBU protocols for the first time – at least that Hari knows of.
They had been on their way to admin again, this time to deliver a report from a short patrol duty where they had picked up on some suspect visitors in the village that might – possibly - be infiltrators.
So while Hari and Hisao left to hand in a status report, Cow has been left in charge of the remaining team who is tasked with solving the mystery, and they are using it to assess Lynx's capabilities under pressure.
But a few doors away from the admin office Frog derails everything with a simple; "I need to speak with you."
...
Confused, Hari follows her captain into one of the empty rooms – one of the soundproof ones for verbal reports. "What is going on?" She asks when Frog closes the door and then slides his ANBU mask up to reveal his face. He doesn't look worried or stressed at least.
Hari mimics him by pushing her mask up, and Hisao suddenly grins sheepishly. "I felt… well, our schedules have been very hectic but you need to know… so- um.. The thing is..."
This is clearly a message from Hisao, and for a man who actually manages to walk the line between secret identity and public figure with an enviable ease it's very unusual for him to break protocol like this - and the stuttering is not becoming either.
"I'm going to be a father."
Hari doesn't gape. No, she doesn't.
"How?"
She claps a hand over her mouth - it wasn't meant to come out that way! But Hari didn't even know her captain had a wife… or a girlfriend – or was interested in a committed relationship for that matter.
"I- I mean congratulations!" Her cheeks heats but luckily Hisao only breaks into laugher. "Um… When … how long until-?" The words pours out fantastically incoherent, because how did she explain that she had no idea who the mother of his child was?
"Thank you Hari, and I won't say. It's just… safer, you know? But I will inform you after he is born and we've had some time to adjust to the changes in our lives. I hope you can understand that."
"He?"
Hisao perks up, his happiness infectious. "Yes, it's a boy." The excitement in his voice is unfamiliar but warming. "And my wife, you've met her. She works here."
"Wife?" Hari demands, "Since when? How come I wasn't invited to the wedding?"
It annoys her to have been left in the dark, as Hari isn't just anyone. She is Hisao's kōhai on team Ebo, Biwako was her shishō and they had known each other for years. And yet…Hari gets it. Hisao was pretty deep in ANBU – and who he was as Sarutobi Hisao shouldn't matter when he was Frog. That's the company line at least. And though ANBU Frog could have a secret family, the Sarutobi clan heir, the son of the active Hokage, would have a much harder time hiding his child. It would come out eventually, and Hisao knew how Hari would feel if she came across these news at random in the street instead.
Still… would it have been so difficult to give her a head's up? At least mention he had a girlfriend?
Is this why he had moved into a house instead of another flat as well? Hari had thought it excessive for a guy who was always at work, but if it was a home he shared with a girlfriend... a wife… Yeah, that made more sense. Hisao is very apologetic when he tries to defend himself. "There were no guests, it was a quick signing of papers about…um... a year ago."
...
"Harry, guess what?" said Tonks from her perch on top of the washing machine, and she wiggled her left hand at him; a ring glittered there.
"You got married?" Harry yelped, looking from her to Lupin.
"I'm sorry you couldn't be there, Harry, it was very quiet."
...
But Remus and Tonks hadn't waited a year and a pregnancy before sharing the news, so Hari stare at him deadpan as the pieces falls into place.
Because there had been signs.
During her Mokuton practises with team Ebo, Cow had once tested out her clones and sent it searching for Hisao's staff while Hari had to remain in the training field and report its movements as part of sensory training. She'd been confused when the clone had moved into locker 17 instead of number 15, and more so when it returned with the staff after retrieving it from one of the cabinets in team Kim's quarters.
Then it was Hisao's inexplicable ability to cook edible meals, not to mention another agent's unexplained leave of absence.
"Horse?" Hari guesses. The two had always seemed like they knew each other well.
Hisao nods. "You'd eventually find out no matter what, and I have permission from both my wife and Hokage to share this, but I don't have to remind you this go no further; her name is Inari Shion. And… well, I am supposed to invite you for dinner…"
Hari grins, and nods. "I can't believe you managed to get Horse to marry you. Who would have thought you were that capable? But I would love to come for dinner, taichō."
At that Hisao seems to be regretting the invitation, but returns Hari's sharp smile with a nervous one of his own.
...
...
Hari has no idea why Minato-sama had coveted the position of Yondaime - it was a job designed to make you a failure.
Even if Konoha wasn't England and the Hokage was a dictator, he was unofficially accountable to the people he governed – mostly because they were a lethal force of mercenary soldiers, and any sane person would know pissing them off was unwise.
So Hiruzen-sama could make seventy good decisions daily that went utterly unnoticed and unacknowledged, as making the right call was simply part of his job description, but if he made one wrong one, people would forever rub his nose in the mistake.
It was the price of compromise that something always had to give, and within ANBU Hari saw more of this the longer she trailed after the Sandaime.
He was always working too. Not that Hari could judge. But he was always the Hokage from the moment he arose at the crack of dawn until he closed his eyes in the evening.
...
After the Kyūbi attack he had set up a secondary office in the Hokage residence as well, and spent several hours there to read and complete paperwork. Perhaps it had been an attempt to be closer to Asuma after Biwako-shishō's death while still allowing him to keep up his duties - but if so it wasn't working. Because the two failed to communicate with one another even as they stood in the same kitchen making tea in the morning. The silence would just stretch before they hurried to opposite ends of the spacious house.
For the few words they spoke; "morning," and; "good night," - They may as well have lived alone.
So a lot of her guard duties was spent standing in the hallway by the doors of his private quarters, make sure visitors at the house had the clearance and appointment to enter. In truth; during those shifts there were moment Hari felt less like a guard and more like a glorified secretary.
It was also where she received a few missions directly from Hiruzen-sama. Hisao was normally the one to accept missions for team Ebo, so the times Hari was assigned something directly was rare, in fact she could count them on one hand. It meant the mission was for her specifically, and so far they had all been solo assignments.
And today she received another one.
...
"You've made no secret of your desire to work on cases which can lead to Orochimaru's neutralization," Hiruzen-sama states while Hari kneels in front of him, mask resting on the top of her head because it shows a lack of trust to conceal her face from her Hokage. Even if a not so small part of her wishes she could hide behind the mask anyway.
Speaking about this, especially with Orochimaru's ex-sensei – pretending this is normal – was always uncomfortable. "Yes, Hokage-sama."
"It's part of why you joined ANBU to put a stop to his repulsive actions." He continues, sounding as if he is talking about any random missing ninja that neither has any connection to.
"Yes." Hari parrots.
"You've done well since your induction, and your mission record is perfect within ANBU, which is why I believe you've earned the right to be involved." Hiruzen-sama arch a brow and studies her closely. "Your personal experience with this will grant you a specific insight into the mission I need completed, though it'll be dangerous and outside your regular speciality, so you won't be going with team Ebo."
Hari feels suddenly hyper aware of the situation just as Hiruzen-sama signals for someone to be allowed entrance. From the corner of her eye she sees Kakashi come in and kneel besides her.
Hiruzen-sama nods. "I summoned you here because a battalion of Konoha ninja recently came across one of Orochimaru's abandoned hideouts by accident. When fleeing the village he made sure some of them were destroyed, but this one seems to remain intact, we do not know what is inside as the battalion wisely did not enter themselves. Your mission is to assess and investigate the abandoned hideout." Dog accepts the mission scroll while Hari reach up to slide her mask into place. They're given their destination and a few additional words of caution before they leave silently.
...
Outside Kakashi reads over the scroll, then hands it to Hari and say; "I can't decide what's appropriate with the assignment and all… But is congratulations in order?"
Hari laughs, and shakes her head. "Considering where we're heading – I don't think that's fitting."
"But this is what you wanted, isn't it?" Kakashi counters curiously.
Hari could argue, say it was misleading to say it that way – too simplified. It's not like her dream job is to shift through abandoned labs and whatever horrors they'll potentially find there. But instead she say; "Yes,"
Since even if she wish it wasn't necessary, that isn't the reality of things, so she would rather be here than on any other mission.
...
...
As they run for the coordinates Kakashi has a briefing, most of which could be summarized as; I'm the captain, you follow my orders or I'm sending you packing back to Konoha. And though it feels patronizing, Kakashi has never worked with her before and this was not an ideal assignment for a trial run, so she can understand his reasons for being overly specific.
The village is left behind, and three hours out they are still running, the morning breeze pleasant against Hari's skin.
When they reach the area, it takes a little while to find the exact location. They spread out and search between the bushes, boulders and the uneven terrain which curves in formations that doesn't give long sight lines. It's not too difficult though, and soon Hari hears Kakashi's call of; "Found it,"
She meets up with him in front of something that could be mistaken for a well - if it wasn't for the deserted location and lack of water.
After inspecting it as much as they'll be able to without entering, Kakashi moves in first, dropping into the hole and gives Hari the clear signal to follow.
It's not a particularly long drop – not for a ninja – and she lands in a dark cave. Hari studies their surrounding with mute curiosity while Kakashi moves forwards. There's a door at one of the cave walls, the entrance to the base they will be inspecting, but though they haven't really started the mission yet something is already going on.
Hari signals Kakashi to stop.
There's a hum in the air, and Hari wishes she could close her eyes and focus inwards, though doing that would be stupidly unwise. But her sensory ability is picking up on a signal she can't interpret, and it frustrates her.
"What?" He asks when Hari remains quiet for too long.
"I… I sense something." She answers honestly. "I don't know what. But there's…"
Merlin damn it, Hari thinks, because whatever it is she notices can't be good, can it? They are in Orochimaru's abandoned hideout, and what she senses reminds her most of all of herself.
"If I didn't know better I'd say one of my Wood Clones was nearby… Or the remnants of one I had deactivated - it's not a complete signal. Only a weak… partly distorted one." Hari explains carefully, trying to translate the strange symbiotic reaction she had come to associate with her Wood Clones. As long as they were active she could find them across an entire country, and she did not like the implications. "It got stronger down here…"
"It could be significant to what this hideout was used for." Kakashi muses thoughtfully, his head turning towards the entrance of the underground place. "We won't find out before we go inside."
"Yes," Hari agrees, begins to walk for the entrance but has to stop again. Because she's sure this time – this signal isn't coming from inside those doors.
It's coming from the wrong direction.
...
Her hand reach for her tantō while she whirls towards the other end of the cave. Kakashi reacts too, and she hears the slide of a katana being drawn. He moves forwards so he's half a step in front of her, and having read her body language correctly demands; "Show yourself."
For several seconds nothing happens.
Then a shuffle reach their ears followed by the uncoiling of a chakra camouflage technique as it's released. A figure rise in the very back of the cave and Hari's activated sensory technique goes haywire.
"Ha- Owl?" Kakashi demands, confused at her sudden jerk when she is hit with a wave of resonating chakra. One that is as close to identical to her own it was nearly impossible to tell the difference.
But this chakra wasn't hers the same way a Wood Clone was. They were made of the same clay, and though they had been moulded differently, they would always be connected.
A person comes forwards, a boy about Hari's age. His outfit matches the standard ANBU gear and he wears a mask with green and red markings.
Hari has never seen him so close or so clearly. Now there is no green liquid or distorting glass in the way. No vast industrial hall or beams between them. It seems so unreal and random a meeting Hari is left wrong footed.
...
"Kinoe, is that you?" Kakashi calls out as he takes another step forwards, which brings him in front of Hari and blocks her line of sight. That coupled with the name – Kinoe, one she has never heard before – drags her out of her tunnel vision.
This wasn't right… What was going on?
Hari was supposed to go find him… wasn't that the plan?
But once again he had found her first instead.
"Your sensory technique is… better than expected." He say, the dark eyed boy – Tenzō.. Kinoe? Hari doesn't know what to call him even in her own head. "Or perhaps it's just me."
Hari has dreamed of speaking to this person a million times. But in her dreams he is a young boy, a child who's features are blurred and she can not remember what he say or sounds like upon waking up.
"It's just you." Her voice sounds too tight, and she makes an effort to make her words softer. "When you stop hiding from me, I can find you… we're the same…" Hari falters, and then takes a shot in the dark - suspecting this connection doesn't just go one way. "And you can probably find me too."
He nods. "I've found you several times." He admits.
"Then you should have showed yourself," Hari snaps, abruptly both angry and upset, feeling too much for this person she is speaking to for the first time. "Where have you been?"
Yet a part of her knows this person, what he's made of, where he came from and so understands better than anyone what he must have overcome to make it as far as he has. Hari knows him – and if he knew she was alive too he should have talked to her!
As if to be obstinate against her very thoughts he chooses not to speak this time.
...
The silence stretches until a throat clears.
Hari doesn't startle in surprise when she's reminded they are not the only two in this cave. It's not like she had forgotten.
..Not entirely...
Kakashi is shifting awkwardly, and she recognizes his; "clueless" shuffling. it's one she's seen a few times when he's been around the Uzumakis, usually if the topic turns to something he doesn't know how to react to during a socially challenging situation.
"Kinoe is part of the Foundation." Kakashi explains, relieved to be able to move the situation along.
"Root?" Hari clarify, as that is the name she is more familiar with.
"I don't know much, but… I don't think his time is his own. He was probably ordered not to make contact." Kakashi looks pointedly at the boy… Kinoe? "Or I would assume he would have, right?"
It takes several seconds before they conclude Kinoe's continued refusal to form words means he isn't planning to respond at all.
Kakashi drags a hand through his hair. "Right… Root agents doesn't speak about their missions…"
Hari blinks, another thought suddenly dawning on her, one that has some unpleasant implications yet relevant. Kinoe might be able to sense her, but does he understand why? "Kinoe?" She asks carefully, the name sounding alien on her tongue. "You do know who I am? You recognize me… right?"
"I do." He insists quickly and sounds sincere about that at least. "I remember you."
...
"Right," Kakashi say, clears his voice and glance from Hari to Kinoe. "But we are actually on a mission… Owl." Then he directs his next question at their additional visitor, and Hari is really out of it apparently, because it's first now she begin questioning the entire situation on more than a personal level.
Kinoe is obviously not here for her. He had been trying to hide for Merlin's sake.
"What are you doing here?" Kakashi asks, sounding more confident moving away from the previous emotionally charged moment he had been forced to witness.
"I'm on a mission."
"As our backup?" Kakashi asks dubiously, but his head tilts momentarily towards Hari before he continues. "No, that's not it. Did Danzō dispatch you because he's interested in Orochimaru's research facility?"
Kinoe decides – again - that words are unnecessary, and remains silent. It isn't just Hari who's frustrated by this though. "Root never discuss their mission…" Kakashi repeats exasperated.
But then turns around and surprises Hari when he invites Kinoe in on their mission. "Do you want to investigate what's inside together? Whatever we find, we'll share the intel with each other." He's still wearing his mask, so it's hard to tell, but Kinoe acts as if he's considering it.
"Wait, no!"
At her sudden outburst both turns to her in unison.
Hari has a lot of conflicting thoughts drifting through her head right then. Switching from the mission, the situation, to Kinoe, to Kakashi, to herself and what she wants to do versus what she needs to do. But one thing she knows; Hari does not want to bring Kinoe into Orochimaru's hideout.
She is already emotionally compromised, and his presence is distracting – not an ideal addition to a mission where Hari should remain alert and focused. Not to mention he has given no reason for why he is here. Kakashi seems to think that is fine – even expected – yet...
"I mean… If Hokage-sama did not send you, and you won't even explain who did nor what you are going to do," Hari think this is self-explanatory and can't understand why Kakashi – an ANBU captain - would ignore it. " You should not interfere with our duties without cause. Your silence isn't enough." She faces Kakashi to get her point across. "He has no grounds to enter that place. It has not been assessed and there's a reason the battalion who located it didn't enter. It's Orochimaru's hideout – it's dangerous. He should wait outside or return to the village."
"Ah," Kakashi nods slowly. "You have a point, but this is within Root's speciality. You don't need to worry about Kinoe, Owl. Agents like him is trained for this, and his qualifications is actually better than yours for this type of mission."
"What does that matter?" Hari asks, and shoots a quick apologetic glance at Kinoe that's probably futile since they're all wearing masks. "I don't doubt you – but… If I had shown up to one of your other assignments without giving either cause or reason, would you accept me onto the missions simply because I was in the same area? Especially one as sensitive as this – Hokage-sama said specifically he didn't want news of this base to spread."
Why did she even have to explain this? What was Hari missing here?
"Hokage-sama can't interfere with the Root division, it's part of its structure. ANBU and Root are divided – so if Danzō dispatched Kinoe to this base, legally he doesn't have to share mission details if it's confidential. Not with us." Kakashi tells her, and that is news to Hari.
...
"I am on a mission." Kinoe confirms though he's already said as much. "I am here on Danzō-sama's orders, but Kakashi is right, I can not share mission details."
"Which is why there's no point doing the same job twice." Kakashi concludes with fake cheer, probably trying to lighten the tense mood.
Hari backs off, because in the end Dog is the leader of this assignment. On the way here he had made it clear he expected her to follow orders, yet he had listened to her opinion even if it had been denied. She would just have to make the best of this… somehow.
Seeing her compliance he turns to Kinoe. "We may work in different divisions, but we're all leaf ninjas. Let's cooperate."
Her fellow Mokuton user nods. "Yes. It'd be better… And who knows if a demon or snake will appear."
Hari can't tell if that was a joke or not, but; "Considering where we are, that is more likely than not."
Kakashi huffs, turns on his heel and heads towards the hideout. "Let's unseal the door then."
They follow, though Hari has a hard time concentrating. This isn't supposed to be a reunion, this is still a mission. An important one Hari couldn't afford to mess up. She wasn't sure what she felt anymore, there were a lot of relief to find him, a strange sense of familiarity yet they were complete strangers.
How could she care so much about someone she didn't know?
Kakashi stands in front of the doors where a seal tag awaits him, and say; "This is sealed. I'll deactivate it."
But Hari is busy keeping her eyes off Kinoe. She wants to categorize him while she has a chance - it still feels as if she would wake up at any moment, and then he'd be gone.
He's taller than her, and his brown hair falls a little below his shoulders. His ANBU mask was in the way of his face, but she knew his eyes were dark. Was certain that she remembered that much. She couldn't have been wrong about that, right?
She wonders at the metal peeking out from under his mask and concludes after a couple of inspections he's wearing one of those forehead protectors with side plates.
...
If given the possibility Hari would have continued studying Kinoe, but her mind snaps back to the moment thanks to a violent burst of reactive chakra and Kakashi's gasp.
There's a bang and a flash followed by flaring fire and Hari is forming seals before she knows what she is reacting to. She only sees the source – and that is sufficient.
Her jutsu shoots out of the ground while Kakashi is busy getting out of the range of the explosion. But her Mokuton clash with another – her pale wood construct twines around a warm toned variation as both Hari and Kinoe reacts at the same time by creating a barrier between Kakashi and the deadly jutsu trap.
Kakashi stumbles to a stop right in front of them, his right arm a little red. His attention swap between them and then the overlapping Mokuton… thing... that had been used to suffocate the explosion before it could take down the entire cave. "Thanks… That was helpful."
Kinoe hums. "We can't have you burn up,"
"I thought you deactivated that seal." Hari wonders aloud.
"Not well enough apparently."
Kakashi's shoulders slumps at the mumbled admission, and Hari and Kinoe's eyes connect through the masks. She has the sudden urge to grin, but Kinoe seem more uncomfortable than ever.
"Mah, that took care of the doors though," Her mission leader eyes them sharply and nods towards the entrance reaching into the hideout. "Ready to go?"
It was a rhetorical question, and they head inside together in silence. This mission hasn't even started yet, and ready or not - Hari feels unbalanced all the same.
...
...
AN: Sooo... they met (again)! Not the way Hari ever expected, (and not the way I initially planned) but I don't know... what do you think? Of course this isn't finished, and some of you might recognize the setting which is going on here, but next chapter will continue where this left off.
Thank you for reading!