Fate

by PancakeFlying

The Kanbayashi were supposed to die, wiped out and never mourned because in the eyes of the world, they never existed. That is not what happens, nor what should have happened. An black alien creature came for them and burned everything they loved to the ground; Sachi, against all odds, survives when she wouldn't have. This will change everything. Full summary inside!

4. Chapter 4: Impromptu adoption

CHAPTER 4: IMPROMPTU ADOPTION

At nightfall the Hokage received an unusual guest.

"Haiiro-sama," Hiruzen greeted. Inuzuka hierarchy prompted him to address the canine alpha of the clan just as he would address the Clan Head. Haiiro, following the same rules of etiquette, greeted him with a slight bow of his head and a slightly strained 'Hokage-sama'.

Unusual it was to see the Inuzuka ninken without their partners, putting aside puppies, since they would rather die than leave their mate behind. Which is why the Hokage had the slight suspicion that either Ashi was dead and Haiiro had been appointed to carry the news —improbable, since Haiiro wouldn't let that happen to Ashi— or something very wrong had happened.

He went with the later at the absence of blood and gore on his coat. Ashi and Haiiro's mission was a high risk one, months on the job that required the best tracking team they had. He had been expecting them for three days already; Inuzuka might be brash and raucous sometimes, but tardy they were not. Most of them.

"How was your mission?" the Sandaime asked, letting the old dog unravel first. Making assumptions was not something Hiruzen indulged in, proving fatal on the battlefield and administratively troublesome.

Haiiro, instead of answering, pointed his nose to the ceiling. The Hokage squinted his eyes at the dog, confirming that he truly wanted to get rid of the ANBU guard residing just above their heads. He nodded, and with a flicker of his chakra, that his guards answered instantly, they were gone.

"I hope it's for a good reason." he said, taking out his pipe.

There were privacy seals around the office, but not including the false ceiling were guards stayed to ensure that the Hokage was safe. For someone to request such a private audience it meant that something truly wrong had happened.

The Hokage only let it happen because Haiiro was an outstanding ninken and he wouldn't do nothing to endanger his clan; like insubordination, for example.

"May I ask a question, Hokage-sama?" the hound tested the waters, purposely keeping in the middle of the room and as relaxed as possible to not convey any threat. Talking he was, and an alpha too, but he was still a dog and recognized Hiruzen as above his position.

Honestly, the Hokage was tired of questions and answers, ever since a certain white haired girl had left the hospital a week ago. How was still a mystery, and not the good one.

"Go ahead," he amended after he lighted up his pipe. So many years as Hokage had given Hiruzen a sixth sense when to take out the tobacco, something his wife named 'headache smoke'.

"Have you met a girl named Sachi, sir?"

Lying to a ninken was impossible with that keen nose of theirs; so precise it was able to pick up scents months old. But Hiruzen was having trouble deciding how Haiiro knew Sachi's name without having met her, being on a mission before and after she came and went.

"Briefly," he said, igniting the dry leaves. His sixth sense was telling him that he will be having a headache that not even Tsunade might heal. "I presume you have met her as well, Haiiro-sama?"

The dog bowed again, "We crossed paths."

"Where?"

"Fire Country, halfway to Rice Country."

As if on cue, a throb pulsated inside his skull. "Where is Sachi?"

Haiiro's tail shuffled behind him "Ashi is bringing her here." the dog said, not meeting his eyes directly.

"Is she alive?"

"Yes."

The Hokage took a long drag of his pipe, letting the smoke burn his lungs and numbing his headache. It was going to be a long night.

"May I request you to fetch Tsunade-chan for me?" Haiiro gave a curt nod and disappeared quickly.

The Hokage couldn't use his assistants to bring his student in the office, not when they were still keeping everything a secret still. They realized that Sachi had escaped sometime in the night, but they had their hands behind their back in terms of pursuing her.

They couldn't send a tracking team, not even ANBU —sworn to secrecy— because it would inevitably bring the question of why there was a strange child running across the country that was needed back in the village. Tsunade's summons were not fit for tracking and Hiruzen didn't trust his own not to beat every inch out of Sachi or scare every person they came across. They tended to be… loud.

Tsunade couldn't be spared because of her duties in the hospital, and Biwako would be suspicious if her star pupil suddenly disappeared. Hiruzen, as Hokage, was out of the question. Had they not been busy with the unexpected chain of bad missions he would have sent a clone to comb the forest.

He didn't because he didn't want Sachi back.

It posed the decision to either keep Sachi or kill her. She was a child, yes, but also Archive. Escaping from the hospital had shown ingenuity —or a ridiculous amount of luck— that would only bring more problems in the long run. If Sachi was smart enough she would stay away and hide; in a more realistic tone, she would die without her identity being discovered and stop giving the Hokage a thundering migraine.

Speaking of thunder.

"Where's that little shit?" Tsunade said in greeting. She hadn't taken kindly at being played by a child.

"Tsunade-chan, please don't flare your chakra." Tsunade's temper was well known but the Hokage's guard would be waiting for any sign to intervene. They needed to be quiet; again.

"Sensei," she acknowledged with a vein in her neck ready to pop. "Haiiro-sama, please enlighten me?"

Haiiro's ears twitched, sensitive to Tsunade's anger "Ashi is almost here," he said, looking towards the window. "the pup's with her."

"Pup?!"

Hiruzen took another drag as the Clan Head herself appeared in his office with a shunshin.

And, sure enough, Sachi was on her back. She had leaves and branches sticking out of her hair, and mud on her cheeks but was otherwise unharmed. Ashi helped her down, Sachi standing near her leg as some sort of barrier between her and Tsunade.

Tsunade crackled her knuckles "My, my Sachi-chan. I've been waiting for you."

Sachi whimpered and went to hide behind Ashi. The Hokage watched as Wolf stood still and even put a hand forward to stop Tsunade from getting to Sachi.

Huh.

Tsunade noticed too "Wolf, stand down."

Haiiro went to his partner, staying close to the girl with his head low on the ground. Hiruzen didn't need to be an Inuzuka to know that Haiiro was defending Sachi from Tsunade. "Wolf—"

"Sachi," the Hokage called, interrupting the revolt that Tsunade's tone promised. "you came back." the girl nodded "Why?"

"The wolf promised that you wouldn't kill me." she said, glancing at Haiiro.

"Kill?"

Sachi met his eyes, not falling for his blunder "Because I know too much." which summarized their intentions of getting rid of her, "The wolf said you wouldn't, so I came back."

One would think Sachi's explanation as innocent, but given what they knew about the Kanbayashi and their promise-debt system, it put them into a delicate situation.

"Why did you came back, Sachi? I figured you weren't comfortable with being here, so that's why you left. Even if we were not to harm you under a promise, we aren't obligated to take you back; not when you left so promptly."

"You burnt Sumi!"

"Your cousin was dead." Tsunade said, serious "We did what we had to."

Sachi didn't ease, growing upset as Haiiro took a step forward "The pup has a different funerary rites, so it's confused about our customs." he said, trying to bring the room to a simmer, "She believed that… um, you were dishonoring her cousin, so she took it upon herself to honor him by going back to her home and doing it right."

Tsunade had some strong opinions about how she was going to dishonor his corpse if he kept interrupting her. Sachi had sneaked under her nose despite Tsunade trying to bring her as much comfort as possible. Strict she was, but she had mellowed for Sachi's sake. That stopped when Sachi decided to break out from the hospital and, somehow, making it out of the village without anyone reporting suspicious activity.

Hiruzen was really curious about how Haiiro knew this, since the Inuzuka didn't strike him as Kanbayashi affiliated "Haiiro-sama, are you familiar with those customs?"

"The pup has explained it to us," he paused, "sort off"

"She… explained it? As in, she told you?"

"And shown." Ashi added.

The room turned to Sachi. Hiruzen took exhaled rich smoke. "What more have you told them, Sachi?"

"... things."

Tsunade bristled "That's it, I'm going to—"

Sachi backed up as Haiiro and Ashi both stepped in, Haiiro baring his teeth just for a fraction. "Don't scare the pup, Tsunade-hime."

"A dog doesn't tell me what to do." she snarled back.

"Okay, let's not go there…"

Hiruzen watched the scene unfold. Sachi had shut down after her cousin's death, refusing to answer to anyone or anything. Tsunade had suggested to give her time, everyone grieving differently; of course, doing so gave Sachi enough leeway to disappear for a week.

And yet, Sachi had opened up to the Inuzuka and her hound. She had come back because of them, and even though Haiiro might have made a promise that he might or might not keep, Sachi trusted them enough to hide behind them and—

"Sachi, don't!"

The girl stopped with her hands in the air, a small cut on one of her fingers. She glanced towards Ashi, who was shacking her head "Don't try that, darlin'." miraculously, Sachi lowered her hands and did not try to make any seals.

Tsunade, who had been at the end of Sachi's antics, stood baffled "Your fever is acting up, pup, don't do anything."

Sachi listened.

Hiruzen had been in Sachi's presence for only a few minutes at a time, and even with little exposure he could tell that the girl was as stubborn as a mule and sly as a snake. Yet, when both of the Inuzuka alpha spoke to her she actually heard them and heeded their advice. The last of the Kanbayashi had been more than a month in Tsunade and Hiruzen's presence, and it took only a few days for Sachi to side with the Inuzuka.

What a day.

"Fever?" Tsunade asked, going into medic mode "What fever?"

"The pup's sick."

"Fucking fantastic." Tsunade grumbled, "I heal you for an entire month and then you go and catch a cold? I'm not healing that."

Sachi sneezed.

"Incredible." Tsunade hissed, annoyed, "Don't give me that drowned kitten look, Sachi-chan, I'm not going to heal you until you stop being difficult. No seals and no tricks, you get me?"

"Are you going to kill me?"

"I will if you keep asking that."

"Haiiro promised that you won't."

"I don't give a shit about what—"

Haiiro coughed, catching the attention of both women "Pup, don't piss off the medics. She's trying to help you."

Sachi frowned deeply, "But..."

"I don't have time for this," Tsunade said and in a blink took Sachi from the barricade that made the Inuzuka partners "Stop struggling, dammit!"

"No! Stop!" Sachi screeched "You promised, you promised—!"

And, just as quick, Sachi went limp. "Fucking hell," Tsunade cursed, "She's burning up again. Where did you find her?"

Ashi took hold of Haiiro's scruff, stopping him from lunging at Tsunade. Hiruzen remained silent as Tsunade made an earth clone and put Sachi in its arms, saying "Put her in the room near my office and strap her, I'll come soon" and off it went.

The ninken and his partner remained still, although Hiruzen could tell that Haiiro was somewhat concerned; his tail low on the ground and swaying slowly. Ashi must have noticed, petting his big grey head "What's going to happen to the pup?"

"She will be taken care of." the Hokage said, testing them. Haiiro's fur bristled but did nothing else.

Good.

"Now, I believe we are due a mission debrief, aren't we?"

.

"Absolutely not!"

That was the first shout of many more that Tsume had heard. It was hard to sneak by an Inuzuka, and not when they were familiar with your scent. However, it was considered a small curtesy not to wake the rest of the house at an unholy time of the morning when coming back from a mission.

Needless to say, Tsume was pissed.

"Hear me out—"

"No, Haiiro, I'm not. Do— do you even hear yourself? No, no! I'm not, I swear to the damned Sage—"

"Ashi! You are letting her die!"

"So what?!" was the shrilling response. Tsume didn't even need to put her ear to the wall to hear the conversation between her sister and her partner "Many people die, we have let more people die than we have killed!"

Oh.

Kuromaru blinked the last bits of sleep away, hearing the growls and curses beyond the wall; he mouths to her 'what the fuck?'. Tsume shakes her head, this was going to be long.

" —excuse! I promised to her that I would keep her safe!"

"You did; I didn't and I sure as hell won't go up to the Hokage and give him that bullshit. Were you even listening? She's dangerous! For fuck's sake, she eats—"

"She's just a kid!"

"So?! Do I look like a charity fair or something? It sucks to be her but I can't— no, don't give me those eyes, they won't work. Haiiro!"

"You can do something, you can at least talk to—"

"And say what? That I wanna babysit until she gets her head checked? How— I don't even understand what the fuck it's going on, and I don't want any part in that! The clan comes first, we are busy, I can't keep her!"

"Clan?" he barked, matching Ashi's volume "You speak to me about the clan?! How many missions have you taken, Ashi? How many?!"

A pause.

"... trackers are always needed."

"Bullshit." he bit back, a menacing growl shaking the entire house "You lie to yourself! Look at what you have become!"

"And what does it have to do with everything?!"

"You are killing yourself."

Haiiro said it so calmly that had not only stunned Ashi, but Tsume and Kuromaru too. The peace was short lived, as Ashi let out a ferocious howl. Kuromaru nodded his head towards the door but Tsume was not going to go out there and risk getting stabbed. Again.

Fights were usual in the Inuzuka, a healthier coping mechanism than keeping one's emotions bottled up until they exploded. Of course, the Inuzuka were also the very first to throw themselves at the neck and tear it apart with their teeth. Haiiro and Ashi, setting an example for the whole clan, often sparred or bickered together. It was easy going and just ol' rough housing.

This fight? Oh, this fight promised blood.

Tsume had heard enough of her older sister's fights and arguments to know that this one was serious. She had been out for a few months, something big must have happened for them to be so heated up and actually bring it home.

But Tsume agreed with Haiiro.

"You aren't a young bitch anymore, Ashi, you have to settle down or die in the next mission."

"Don't lecture me, Haiiro! I will do whatever I decide it's best! And if that means that I have to bite that fucking cyanide tooth so be it! And what 'settle down' are you talking about? Are you seriously telling me to take her in and play house. All. Day. Long?!" she mocked, outraged "And what do you fucking care, anyway? In the five seconds you met she nearly killed—"

What?

Tsume had just gotten up from her sleep but the turn in the conversation didn't made any sense. Also, who were they talking about?

"That's suicide with extra steps! I refuse to let you continue and kill yourself because you just gave up! I didn't raise you so you could break—"

"Don't bring that shit up, Haiiro, I'm warning you…"

" — ever since Isamu died you have been digging yourself a whole!"

"That's it."

Metal meeting wood and battlecries echoed through the hallway. By the sound of it, Ashi had went ahead and pulled out a kunai. It was to be expected, bringing up Ashi's husband like that. Although, it was true that Ashi was going downhill ever since she had to cremate Isamu.

Tsume had tried cheering her up, but what could she do when the most she saw her sister was when she came back for clean clothes and more kunai?

Kuromaru put his paws over his head. He was Haiiro's younger brother, two generations apart, and very done with their home-life. Haiiro was a sensible dog, someone to look up for the younger pups, but he had a way of pushing buttons that got him more than a few scars and attempted murders. Most of them from Ashi herself.

More clashes ensued, this time plates. They must have reached the kitchen, yelling and barking at each other and throwing everything that was in their path. Tsume would need to go to the carpenter for another dining table, and plastic plates to avoid going bankrupt from their meaningless fights.

" — her! I will not do it! I fucking can't— get off me, you damned— ow, did you just…? Haiiro, I swear to God…!"

"You can help her! She will be a good pup, I know—"

"Stop calling her pup! She's not one of us! That girl's lost either way, and I. Don't. Have. Time!"

"You could teach her! You, out of anyone, can make her one of us!"

"I don't want to! And why would I?! Just because you imprinted on her doesn't mean that I have! Fuck, Haiiro, think about it. I can't take care of her, she's—"

"She's what?!"

Two consecutive bangs thundered. Tsume swore that the plaster was coming off the walls in chunks.

"Get off!"

"Tell me, Ashi," Haiiro bellowed, snarling "you whine 'bout retiring, but you have yet to lay down that fuckin' mask. I'm giving you a chance and you won't take it!"

"Because I don't fucking want it!" Ashi shouted back, just as feral, "I can't just keep her! She doesn't belong to us!"

"That's the fucking problem, you dense two legged rat." good lord, Haiiro was all out today "She's got nobody and that's what's gonna get her killed. Who's gonna take that pup, the hime? She would rather snap her neck and be done with it, and the Hokage's wife would castrate him if he ever dared to—"

What had the Hokage and the Senju princess had to do with that argument? Tsume was trying to figure out what was the mess, but so far she only got that Haiiro wanted a pup and Ashi didn't.

Could it be?

"I want to sleep, Tsume." Kuromaru huffed, "make 'em stop"

"Shh, shut it!" she hissed back, catching more snipets from Ashi and Haiiro's fight.

" —mother!"

"Life don't go our way, we are shinobi! Isamu died before he—" Tsume didn't understand the last part as Kuromaru bit her ankle; she kicked him. " —try!"

Silence.

Tsume strained her ears, only hearing ragged breathing and the brush of fur against the wooden floor. For a moment, Tsume believed that they had fought it out and they were good again, letting the tension go so their house can still stand in the morning.

"Get out."

"Ashi—"

"Get. Out."

Even Tsume got her hair standing on end at the harsh tone. It was and order that promised something far worse than death if it wasn't followed; if Ashi used it on Haiiro—

"Just because you want to die doesn't mean I do."

And with that ending note, Haiiro left. Tsume heard his nails clicking against the wood and the shuffle to get the door open. Meanwhile, Ashi didn't move or talk for several minutes, breathing in and out.

"What a fucking mess."

Tsume agreed with her.

.

After cleaning all the blood on the floors and walls, Ashi proceeded to go into her office and brood for the next two days.

Despite being tired, she couldn't sleep; due to her exhaustion not coming from lack of sleep —or at least not most of it— but from a certain little eight year old with a death sentence.

The Hokage had explained what, or who Sachi really was. Kanbayashi wasn't the name of just a family, but an entire clan that had gotten wiped out as of last month; leaving Sachi as the only one left.

But that wasn't all.

Sachi was also vessel as what the Hokage called 'priceless information', which Tsunade translated as 'a fucking pain in the ass'. Ashi was used to not being given the full picture, but in Sachi's case she really would have lived better without the details.

(Ashi would have never met Sachi, nor preoccupied herself with her problems. They would have died years apart and in different corners of the world.)

Priceless information could go two ways; either to the village or to the grave. Sachi was only a child but understood pretty well what was going to happen if she didn't talk.

But she was still a child, and like one, she was stubborn.

All except for Ashi and Haiiro.

Said woman sighed, opening up the scrolls that Tsume had so dutifully staked up for her return. It was true that her and Haiiro had been taking more missions lately, and even though the money was always welcomed, she knew that doing so was over the top.

As Clan Head, Ashi had to see for the safety and sustenance of her clan. Pretty words for what entailed too much paperwork and more council meetings that she would ever want in a lifetime. Mindlessly boring was putting it mildly, and every Clan Head would agree; and yet, there was another motive.

Ashi refused to believe that the death of her late husband was the cause of her string of bad days. They had seventeen beautiful and amazing years together, and Ashi would always keep the memories of him and everything they had been with equal parts fondness and aching. Isamu would have never wanted her to be, Sage forbid, depressed for his sake; so that's why Inuzuka Ashi was not depressed.

So what if she was taking more missions than usual? She was still a kunoichi, and was not old enough to be considered an Elder. Tracking specialties were sought for, not because there was a shortage of them — basically all the Inuzuka were trackers — but the skill needed to come back safely. Ashi has gained every scar in her body and she was proud of them, it was proof of her survival and how, despite the odds, she had always come back.

But she was more tired than usual, and she was just a tiny bit slower than she used to be.

It had taken only half a second for Isamu to be gutted.

"Fuckin' hell."

That it was. There was a still bleeding gash were Isamu used to be, three years later. It hurt her like an open wound, salt rubbing in at random intervals that made her just want to rip her brain to shreds. Missions was the very best thing, and Haiiro could complain all he wanted, she was not suicidal.

She just wanted a break.

"Wait… Tsume!" she shouted, since Haiiro was not there to howl for her "Tsume!"

Kuromaru came "What's up?"

"Call Tsume for me, I need to check the entries." the dog murmured something but did as he was told. Being the alpha had its perks.

"You called?" was the bitter greeting her younger sister gave to her "Oh no, not paperwork."

"Yes, paperwork. What's this 'bar fight'?"

"Dunno, isn't it in the report?"

"It says 'shit happened'"

Tsume shrugged her shoulders "There you have it."

She leveled her a look. She did not need one of Tsume's moods today "Tsume, you can't just write this in the reports! How can I do my job, otherwise?"

Tsume shrugged her shoulders again "You are the Clan Head."

Wrong answer. Ashi let out a flare of chakra, making Tsume flinch "Come again?"

"I don't know, okay? I only remember Obu and Chairo getting into fight and breaking a few things at a bar. They paid the owner, I think, but those uppity Uchiha police wanted to file a report. Nothing more, if you want something else go ask Obu."

"I'm asking you."

"And I'm saying that I don't know anything more. I blacked out and Kuromaru dragged me back, so I don't remember what happened or what panties they were wearing two months ago."

Damn.

"Are you okay?"

Because it didn't matter how angry or tired she was, Tsume came first. "Do I look invalid to you?" her little sister huffed, Kuromaru nuzzling her hand "It was just a bump, got Hisumi-baa-sama to heal it, 's done."

The knowledge that her sister had been hurt didn't sit well with Ashi. At all. She had promised their parents that she will look after her, and yet—

What was she doing?

"Nee-san, you wanna talk about it?"

"There's nothing to talk about."

Tsume quirked an eyebrow, unimpressed "You haven't even said hello to us, and there's 'nothing to talk about'? Nee-san, I'm fine with you doing missions still, but don't get lost, 'kay?"

Where was Haiiro when you needed him? He would have known what to say to her.

"Thanks, Tsume." she settled with. She was tired to her bones, and the problems kept pilling up. Even her little sister had noticed.

"Can I go?"

"Ah, yes, sure." and, as she gave her back to her she added "... I'm back,"

"Welcome back." Tsume murmured and then shut the door behind.

Ashi let out a sigh. She didn't want to fight or argue anymore. Missions were supposed to be getaways, not more nightmare fuel. First Isamu, then Haiiro, now Tsume and—

Sachi.

There was no way that she could care for her. Sachi was too different and it would raise questions as to why she's there… No, Ashi can't take Sachi, she won't.

But—

She was alone.

Ashi and Tsume lost their parents at a young age, but Ashi had been old enough to take over the Clan and care for her sister. Sachi had lost all her family in a day, and her only cousin a few weeks later. And yet, her first instinct was to try and go back home, to try and make things right.

Ashi had done the same thing, but Sachi had no way of accomplishing it. That was the harsh truth. Sachi was not going back home because there was not a home to go back to. What was an empty home, but a shell of what it could be? If Sachi ever got there she would drown in grief and be chocked by the ghosts of those who aren't there anymore; haunting her and the places they had dwelled in life.

There was no escaping from them; Ashi should know.

She began working on the reports. She had months worth of reviews and reports and budgets to oversee and get done—

"I'm going to take a walk."

Which is exactly what she did.

Ashi couldn't stand staying in her office any longer, not when it was so empty and missing. Isamu had been her right hand, helping her with the clan's business and keeping her sane. Now that he was dead, she had to rely on her sister and the two Elders they had. Taking that many missions had only made her workload worse, but Ashi couldn't bring herself to look at it.

A little walk will do her good.

She only got two steps out of the door when someone behind her chuckled. "Fidgety much, Ashi?"

Haiiro, the old but experienced coot, dodged the senbon with a sidestep "Slow."

"Don't piss me off, Haiiro."

He bared his teeth once, licking his snout next "Simmer down; Hokage's summons."

Great.

Haiiro came in step with her and not a step ahead; they were equals, alphas in their respective hierarchies even if they were mad at one another.

Her partner had not came home for the two days after their argument, probably setting for the woods or taking a spot in the kennels. Ashi was not worried about him, since Haiiro could win any over jōnin easily on his own without even trying.

Isamu had been too and just half a second later—

"Shiga had a pup, you know?"

"Haiiro, I said—"

"You should visit him, as Alpha you need to give your blessings, remember?"

"Right." she groaned; that tradition "Wait, Shiga? Hisumi-baa-sama's grandchild? When did he even get himself a bitch?"

"Fell in love last year and knocked her up while we were in Grass. Name's Aimi, they wanna marry in spring."

"I… didn't know that." she muttered. Going on long-term missions always came with the drawback of disconnecting with the clan, so any kind of announcement came in late. "Got a name yet?"

"Waiting for you, Shiga wanted to ask if they can make Aimi one of us and make the pup an Inuzuka."

Shiga was a distant relative, from the other side of the family. Good ninja, if not a bit of a hothead — an Inuzuka through and through— and she did recall something of a rumor going on about one of their clansmen having a crush on a civvie.

"I'll talk to them." introducing new people outside of the clan was a mess of paperwork that will give her a few visits to Administration.

Haiiro flicked his tail, an obvious telltale sign that he wanted to say something more.

"What?"

"Nothing."

Yeah sure.

"Haiiro—"

The aforementioned dog completely ignored her and jumped over a roof, saying "Let's see what the old man wants to talk about."

.

On the other side of the village, Sachi was seething.

That woman had bound her hands with so much tape that they weighted an extra pound. 'For safety' she excused, as she trimmed her nails to nothingness and rolled her up in an hospital gown so many times that she felt like an onion. Also, it was itchy.

"I don't know what you were expecting, Sachi-chan," the not-Tsunade said at the foot of her bed "but why don't you stop fighting and take your medicine?"

Sachi was pretty sure that the 'medicine' was an euphemism for sedatives and coagulants. She didn't know what not-Tsunade was expecting, but certainly not her actually complying.

The wolf lied to her.

"You are in no position to be a brat." she reminded her, taking a few steps towards the side of the bed. It wasn't as if she could really move, not with her limbs strapped to the bars of the bed but she refused to open her mouth.

If she wanted to drug her she would have to forcibly open her mouth and shove it down her throat. Unfortunately for her, the other option was to let the medication go through IV that made the itch come from her blood. Sachi tersed her lips tighter.

"Sachi-chan, you have a cold that can kill you. Seriously, why did you think it was a good idea to go on a week long marathon when you aren't nearly as healed?" not-Tsunade took hold of her cheeks, digging her fingers into them "You are undoing all my work."

Sachi opened her mouth to argue, which gave Tsunade enough time to put the pills inside her mouth; she swallowed them dry, coughing.

"Was it that hard?"

The last of the Kanbayashi had a few opinions on how she could demonstrate her discontent, alas, her hands were tied. Two days had passed, most of which Sachi had spent in a haze of medication and fever as she tried not to die.

Who would have thought that living isolated all her life could make her susceptible to illnesses that the majority of the population was already immune to? Sachi did, and yet she had believed that going on a run for several days, underdressed and, more importantly, fucked up from the inside, was not going to happen to her.

Cue Tsunade losing her mind.

She had believed that it was just body heat, that she was a little bit under the weather. Under the weather she had been, which is why she is almost foaming at the mouth trying not to drown in mucus and antibiotics.

"Who gets colds in summer? You came from the coldest place on the planet and go down with the flu? In summer?" she ranted on.

Such was Sachi's luck.

Looking on the bright side, she was still alive; although she suspected it was just Tsunade's revenge to see her squirm and suffer. She could have healed her sickness in a few hours, but chose not to because chakra enhanced healing on viral or bacterial illnesses was too demanding.

"But I have to give it to you, Sachi-chan, you did manage to get pretty far," and, just to rub it in, she added "you came back, though."

Yes, she did came back.

And she regretted it.

Logically, Sachi wouldn't have gotten much further. The sealwork had made her weak and she had been nursing a cold ever since she stepped out from the hospital. Tsunade, already familiar with her messed up chakra network, had managed to not let her boil from the inside. All because her hipotalamus thought it would be a good idea to kill the bug by rising her body temperature; which was already high to begin with.

Despite not liking Tsunade's guts one bit — a feeling reciprocated by the medic herself— she had to admit that she was a good at her job.

But Sachi refused to say it outloud.

"... what are we going to do with you?"

Sachi wondered that too.

Not-Tsunade continued to stand watch, doing mechanical tasks such as checking her vitals and making sure she doesn't die in her sleep. Sachi had memorized her routine, but had yet to come up with a plan to get out again.

Not that it would be easy.

Before Tsunade could change the fluids bag the door opened; Tsunade stepping in. On cue, not-Tsunade popped off from existence, the real one taking a moment to gather herself and say "Not talking today either, huh?"

It was a jutsu; a clone technique. That's how Tsunade always kept someone with Sachi at all times and used to gather information without being near her. She came by just to check on her every few hours, having learned from her previous experience that letting her unsupervised came with troublesome consequences.

"Stop frowning so much, you are going to get wrinkles." Even though it was a bait to make her talk, she added "Don't say it or I'm putting potassium."

Angry she was, but not enough to endure that hellish potion drip in her bloodstream.

"Now, now, be nice. You have visitors."

Sachi stood up at once, bouncing back from the bindings and getting a headache for her efforts.

She heard them before she saw them. They were arguing, the gruff voice of the wolf rasping at curses and insults while a more feminine voice took over and upped the filthy words.

" —rat! Oh, hi pup."

Sachi had never thought that she would be happy to see a wolf, but Haiiro's presence was welcomed as long as he didn't eat her. A moment later, a woman came in.

She didn't recognize her.

The woman had short dark hair, with tanned skin and pretty bulky. She had three red triangles on her face, two on her cheeks and a smaller one on her forehead. Dressed with a black leather jacket and loose pants, and a pouch strapped to her right leg. She waved at her.

"Um, hi, you remember me?"

Sachi was pretty sure she hadn't seen that woman in her life; first because she was not a Kanbayashi and second because the only people she knew outside of her clan were Tsunade, the funny hat man and the woman with the wolf.

"Asami?" she tried.

The room stared at her.

Haiiro chuckled.

"It's Ashi, actually."

Sachi knew it she was lying about her name.

"Your…. face?" Sachi's voice was hoarse but suspicious. The woman she had met had had neutral features, with dull brown hair and dark eyes instead of black and grey respectively. She was sure that she had longer hair too, but if she didn't cut it then something was amiss.

Ashi rubbed the back of her head, glancing at Tsunade who just shrugged her shoulders "Genjutsu, it distorts perception so— you see what I want you to see, like this." she made two quick hand signs and the woman Sachi had known as Asami appeared before fading out just as fast.

Interesting.

"Now you talk," Tsunade muttered, amused "I'll leave to it then. Remember, Sachi-chan, no more tricks or you know what happens. Have fun."

And, just like that, Tsunade left.

Tsunade had always kept a clone behind to monitorize her, but now…

The binds were still there.

"Heard you have a cold," the wolf said, nearing her bed with slow steps "they feeding you well?"

Sachi grimaced. "It tastes… weird." Ashi might have known what she was talking about because she shuffled uncomfortably behind the wolf. It was surprising that they managed to mess up porridge of all things, but then again… "but it's food."

She won't complain when they are keeping her alive.

"How… are you feeling?" Sachi looked at herself, trying to search what was making Ashi so awkward. There were the binds and the tubes, the CVL and the bandages; nothing that should bother her. She had seen that woman disembowel rabbits like it was nothing, and she was carrying knives around…

"Fine?" the fire in her veins had died down a little bit so she could think straight again. Her body was sore, after running for so many days and stopping abruptly, but as long as she didn't move a lot it didn't hurt. The worst were the scars on her body, too tight and sensitive; or so she told herself to not look at them. "You?"

"F-fine. Good—"

"Oh, for fucks sake. Ignore Ashi, pup, she has a bad case of moroness. We are good, pup, thank you for asking." after he turned to snap his teeth at Ashi he asked "Actually, my paws are kinda tired, can I share the bed with you? I won't eat you."

"Share… a bed?"

"Yeah, yours looks kinda comfy, and I am kinda old. Pretty please?"

A wolf wanted to share a bed with her. If Sumi had been alive he would have had a heart attack. Welcoming death so eagerly—

"Do you promise to not eat me?

"Sure thing." the wolf jumped once and, incredibly, it didn't shake the bed too much so Sachi just flinched slightly. Haiiro was massive, but he found himself a spot at her feet with gentle movements. "Ahh, much better"

Ashi remained on her feet, shaking her head with an expression of pain and suffering.

"Haiiro—"

"Can I be frank with you, pup?" he ignored Ashi and flicked his tail around her ankles "The Hokage sent us so we can interrogate you."

"Haiiro!"

"But it's not fair to you now, is it? So why don't we talk like normal people, eh pup?"

"What if I don't want to answer?"

"Then you don't."

Sachi's suspicion increased "Why are you telling me this?"

"Can't have an honest conversation if we aren't honest."

"Sachi, don't listen to him, he's—"

She turned to the woman, "Is it true? The… Hokage sent you to interrogate me?"

Ashi sobered up quickly after that "It's complicated."

"Yes or no?"

Haiiro stifled his laugh between his paws, saying something about 'feral pups' while Ashi took Sachi's question like a personal challenge. Sachi was no sensor type, but she didn't need to be to sense that she might have overstepped a boundary.

"The Hokage did send us, yes." she answered after a few deep breaths.

"Why?"

"You tell me. You talk to us, the Hokage thinks we might get some answers out of you."

Sachi took a moment to think about it. She did talk to them, although she wasn't sure why. What could she gain from sharing information about her if not condemning herself further?

But… what could they do with any of the things she told them?

"Can I ask things too?"

"That's a conversation, pup, it's supposed to go both ways."

Maybe it was the medicine, or just the fact that Sachi wanted to talk. It certainly wasn't the pull at her soul and the throb in her heart, the crippling feeling that went beyond the smoldering blood but the freezing realizations that she was alone in the world. Yes, she just wanted to talk.

"Okay," she said, nodding twice "I'll talk"

Sachi was yet to see a wolf grin, but Haiiro did so as he snickered towards Ashi "Good, what you wanna know, pup? Must have questions of your own, hmm?"

"What are your true names?"

"Haiiro and Ashi," the wolf answered "Alphas of the Inuzuka clan."

Inuzuka? Sachi hadn't heard about that clan before. She was familiar with those in Iron and Uzushio, but that was as far as her knowledge went.

"Alpha? What's that?"

"The Alpha is... a title for the Clan Head of the Inuzuka. Like a leader, all the clansmen answer to us and we make sure they are looked after." Ashi explained easily.

"And paperwork."

"Yes, and a lot of paperwork."

Sachi vividly remembers Mother's paperwork back when she lived with her; mountains of paper and scrolls that she had to complete every day when the travelers came back. Or Chika-sama, the only time she had let her to sort through the transcripts while she checked on all of the Kanbayashi, in and out of the Heart.

"Oh, so you are the matriarch of your clan!"

"Not matriarch, alpha." Haiiro corrected "Our clan doesn't care for women or men when it cames to the alpha, we aren't matriarchal or patriarchal."

That confused Sachi. "How do you choose your… alpha, then?"

"We fight for the title." Ashi answered, taking a chair and bringing it closer to Sachi "We organize a contest and the Elders or the last Alpha oversee our fighting skills, as well as the other clansmen. Then, by voting we decide who is the best and then there's a year of trial to see if they are fit."

Some described the Inuzuka customs as primitive or bestial, since it did involve violence and a fair share of blood; and it was completely true. By the end of Ashi's trial she had three fractured ribs, her nose broken and a finger that had to be reattached. Her opponents had been sent to the hospital with much worse injuries.

At this, Sachi only answered "Oh, that's… new."

Haiiro and Ashi laughed, hearing much worse from closer acquaintances "How do they do it in your clan?"

"The Vessel of the Archive is the matriarch of the Kanbayashi, and seeks for the safety, well-being and continuation of the clan." Sachi said, translating the best she could Chika-sama's lectures "The woman that becomes the Archive is the… alpha, I suppose? But there were Houses for each of the six branches of the family. Ekashiba, Asir Rera, Abenanka, Resunotek, Isonash and… Chitina," she enumerated, pausing on the last one "The Houses were chosen by the Archive."

Sachi tried not to think about how all of that system was currently useless. With no other survivor besides herself, every House had died that day. Isonash, Sumi's family, had almost made it.

Almost.

"Six? As in, side families?" she nodded "Damn, that's a lot of people."

"Thousands."

All dead.

There was a second of heavy silence before Haiiro spoke up.

"No fighting, not even a little roughin' up?"

"No fighting. To become Archive takes years. They choose trainees from the families willing to give up their children and train them. All Houses vote for the next Archive, although the final decision is for the Archive herself."

At least, that was the theory; reality was another matter completely.

"The Archive is the Clan Head, then. This… Archive, what it is, exactly?"

What a loaded question.

"You don't have to answer but—"

"The stories talk about the Archive of the Kanbayashi, and they say it's a well of infinite wisdom that will answer every question." which, in Sachi's honest opinion, was a load of bullshit "The Archive is the vessel of all the lives of the Kanbayashi, proof that we lived and died. Every bit of their existence has been recorded and categorized in the Archive, and it has a lot of information about… everything, really, but that isn't the final goal."

No, it wasn't. The Archive held all the lives of every Kanbayashi that had ever been, proof that they had lived at all against the pass of time. Knowledge it had, yes, but it was much more than just a library full of books.

Ashi and Haiiro weren't expecting what Sachi said next.

"The goal of the Archive is to beat death." and it was in the simple manner that Sachi told them so, calm and collected that put a shiver down their spines "When you die you stop existing, right? You don't do nothing and everything you did will be lost forever. You have… like, a hundred years before the world forgets you lived at all. Everything you did, everything you said, everything…. you are will be lost, forever."

With a small smile she added "As long as the Archive lives, everyone does."

Haiiro shifted his weight on the bed, looking at Sachi intensely. "Pup, this Archive of yours, you have it?"

"...yes." and she didn't like it at all.

Everytime she closed her eyes, the door was there. Sachi was too small to bear thousands of lives in her mind, the mere thought of having them haunting her each second. She can't pass the Archive and she can't forget; a loop that is more painful than the scars she has been left with.

Sumi's life was in the Archive too; taken by greedy, greedy claws that ripped it out from his still fresh mind.

"So you can access the Archive?"

Everytime Sachi closed her eyes, the door was there.

"Yes," and a beat later "but I won't."

That was a final answer; curt and short.

"Wait. If you are the Archive, that means that you are the Clan Head," Ashi prompted before the room got too heavy "you said the process of the Archive took years, but…"

Sachi as Clan Head would mean a riot in the first five minutes. Sachi couldn't picture a reality where she would be made the leader of the Kanbayashi and expect her clan to follow her lead. The Kanbayashi were dead, but they might have died anyway had Sachi been seriously appointed Archive.

Pity that nobody got the joke.

"Normally, it takes a decade or so before they are eligible. I only did three years of training but I didn't want the Archive! Michiko was supposed to be the next, and I would have been her assistant but—"

Sachi choked, flashes of that evil grin haunting her memories. The blood on the snow, the howls of the wolves, the screams, the fire—

" —okay, Sachi?"

There was a beeping noise in the room. A monitor, a heart monitor; the same one connected to her heart. She didn't speak until the beeping noise faded and slowed down, Sachi not even daring to close her eyes in fear of seeing the same pictures over and over again.

She needed to bind them tighter.

"I was not supposed to become Archive. Like, never ever." Chika-sama had sworn to never pass the Archive onto Sachi, not a promise but an oath. And yet— "I was the only one left. So," she waved at herself "here I am."

Both of her visitors stared, cynicism coming from a little girl that had yet to have all her teeth fall out was something to behold. Sachi recovered quickly, blowing a strand of hair out of her face and stating "You are ninja."

"...yes" Ashi had believed that it was obvious, since Sachi was in a ninja village and had been visited by one of the Sannin and the God of Shinobi himself. Then again, Sachi spoke as if it was common knowledge that she carried the past lives of her relatives inside her brain.

Sachi pursed her lips, tilting her head like a straight up puppy while she was eyeing them up "What do you do as a ninja?"

Now it was Ashi's turn to get fronted by a loaded question.

"What the pissy nobles don't have courage to do, basically." was Haiiro's response "We kill, we steal, we lie, we eavesdrop… you name it."

"We also help people! Bodyguarding, rescues, sabotage…"

"You kill people?" she asked instead of questioning why sabotage counted as helping people.

Ashi was quite skittish, Sachi decided; that, or very nervous around children. Haiiro didn't have that problem. "Yeah, done a whole lot worse too. It's not something to brag about, but it does pay the bills or so it goes."

"You kill people for money?"

"And for free if they piss us off too much."

Sachi must have made a strange grimace because Haiiro laughed harder "Does it bother you, pup?"

The little girl took a few minutes to answer. "I mean… I have seen people kill people before, and then it's that thing—" she stopped, taking a deep breath "It's weird because you don't take the memories of those you kill so you are… finishing them, forever."

To be forgotten was a Kanbayashi's worse fear; because once you were forgotten, you never lived. What was the point to live if not to be preserved for eternity? To let a Kanbayashi die without their memories being passed onto the Archive was the worst disgrace one could do to another. It was a sentence, much worse than death itself; it was obliteration, definite and final.

Sachi knew that people outside of the Kanbayashi didn't have an Archive; something intimately tied to their bloodline limit. It was clear that she would have problems understanding death without being remembered; and it even worse, to purposely kill another to let history erase their existence.

"You aren't bothered by the fact that we kill people but that we don't remember them?" she nodded "You don't have to worry then, we do remember."

Sachi looked at the wolf. He was an animal, but he wore the same emotions as any human would. In that moment, Haiiro looked almost ashamed and, at the same time, unapologetic. Ashi had a similar expression, although hers had a thin veil of exhaustion.

He said that they remembered them, but Sachi was sure that it wasn't in the same way the Kanbayashi remembered their dead.

"Um… what is your favourite food?" was her attempt at changing the subject

"I won't say no to a steak." which wasn't surprising coming from a wolf.

"I have to go with apple pie." instead, Ashi's response was.

"You like apple pie?"

"Yes. What, I don't look like I like a good apple pie once in a while?"

Ashi had very sharp teeth and she wore a deep purple lipstick that made her look menacing. One would think that she liked to eat the flesh of her enemies —carrying so many knives with her— but she preferred sweet things like any other kid would.

"I know how to make apple pie."

"You do now?"

"What, I don't look like I can bake an apple pie?"

Ashi quirked a brow but smiled "You seem kinda young to me…"

"I know how! I had cooking duty for many, many, many hours. Apple pie is easy to do, I can also cook steaks, and do everything with potatoes—"

Ashi, who had barely intervened since the beginning of their mutual and consensual conversation, was intrigued "They let kids have cooking duty in your clan?"

"Not really? Cooking duty was one of Chika-sama's punishments, but I was the only one to ever get sent there."

"... punishment?"

Ashi was confused, her definition of punishment much more physical than… delicious.

"Yes! Chika-sama was so mean to me!" considering that her last one involved passing the Archive against her will, Sachi was certain of the former matriarch's sentiments towards her "Cooking duty, washing duty, shoveling snow… everything!"

Haiiro laughed "You must be something else if they punished you that much! You remind me of Ashi when she was a pup, y'know? My, what times were those…"

Before Ashi could protest that she was not that bad, Sachi asked "Really? What did she do?"

"Oh pup, you are gonna love this—"

.

"Thank you for your report, Ashi-sama."

She bowed respectfully to the Hokage and took her leave. They had spent hours talking, Haiiro airing the last four decades of dirty laundry she had on her soul for Sachi to laugh at until she fell asleep. Sachi did have some interesting stories of past shenanigans, but Ashi lost the inside jokes.

Worst of all, she had to tell the Hokage everything. Haiiro had not spared any details from what they told on their end and by the end of the briefing Ashi felt a powerful need to dig a hole and bury herself in it.

The Hokage, at least, had the human decency not to make any embarrassing comments and just nodded politely.

Which was even worse.

"That was refreshing." Haiiro's tail was wagging happily at her side.

Traitor.

"Refreshing for you."

"Come on, Ashi, the pup's nice to be around."

Sachi had behaved herself, true, but there was very little she could do tied to the bed and high as a kite. She had startled giggling after whatever medicine she was under kicked in, slowly dozing off as she was telling them a story about how she had accidentally set the office of her alpha on fire without using anything other than two sheets of paper and pure spite.

"She's a normal kid."

Ashi had to admit that their first encounter was rocky to say the least, and after she knew what she truly had… her opinion of the Kanbayashi and Sachi wasn't the best. Sachi had told them about how the Kanbayashi had travelers, whose sole purpose was to go around the world and collect information about everything they came across. As a kunoichi specialized in reconnaissance, Ashi understood why would someone preserve the Archive and use it for their own means.

Who knew, besides Sachi, what information the Archive had? How many secrets was she keeping? What did she not tell?

But then Sachi told them about how her cousin always brought her souvenirs from his travels and how the cooks always gave her cookies to share with her friends. Sachi spoke about a world where there was only ice and snow, so unforgivable and harsh that adventuring beyond the walls was seen as reckless.

And yet, that had been her home.

Ashi could see the love and fodness the little girl had for her home, describing how the sun would rise after six months of darkness or how, on the darkest of nights, the sky shone with ethereal lights. How her family would gather together and dance and sing together until everyone was either too tired or too drunk to continue; how busy the central plaza was during peak hours and how chaotic were the festivities.

There were things that Ashi couldn't understand and couldn't imagine, but she listened as Sachi bleed her heart out and opened the doors to a home that was no longer there.

" —do?"

"What?"

Haiiro bit her calf, saying "Pay attention. I asked if we are going to visit Shiga and his pup or not."

Oh right. Ashi was Clan Head, she had responsibilities.

"Yes, yes, we'll see him tomorrow. Now you are going to come with me and help me sort through the paperwork."

"I'm grounded."

"Not anymore. Come, I have some noise complaints for you."

Haiiro cursed.

Yes. Ashi was the alpha of the Inuzuka, she didn't have time to waste on orphaned children, not matter how tragic their backstory was.

.

"Thank you, Aimi-san."

"You're welcome, Ashi-sama."

Hashimoto Aimi was a lovely bitch. With jet black hair and beautiful tanned skin, she was more than just an eye candy. From what she has gathered so far, Aimi had a quick wit that she didn't spare when it came to her fiancé and plenty of snark to boot.

Ashi wondered what did she see in Shiga.

Inuzuka Shiga was a perfect example of an Inuzuka. Not too tall with broad shoulders and with a canine companion by the name of Niiro; he had short spiky brown hair and a scar that crossed the bridge of his nose. Ashi remembers healing that very same injury because he had thought very wise to run through the forest with his eyes closed as ninja training.

Miracles did happen; this one in the form of a baby boy that had two months in their world and had yet to have a name.

An honor that they had reserved just for Ashi.

Ashi was not stupid. Welcoming someone not clan related was a serious business. The Inuzuka didn't care for blood purity as other clans did, since they believed that what made a clansmen was their beliefs and not their kinship. Shiga was not dumb either, requesting Ashi to name his child so she would acknowledge his existence and tilt the balance in Aimi's favor and their marriage proposal.

He shouldn't have bothered, really. Ashi had yet to turn someone away from one of their kin marrying someone not clan affiliated; but she understood his apprehension. The Inuzuka took their children seriously, the pack dynamic forcing everyone to take the child in and raise them together. Since the little boy had been born without Ashi even knowing that Shiga was sniffing at Aimi's skirts, it was a delicate situation.

Recently, Ashi pondered, her life has been revolving around children.

Haiiro loved it.

He was across the room, peeking through the bars of the crib while Niiro, Shiga's partner named after the fiery red of her coat, crooned and gloated. The old dog's tail was fanning behind him, an obvious tell that he was excited.

And jealous.

"I can call the dogs away, if it's a nuisance."

"It's fine, Ashi-sama; we have already gotten used to Niiro, and Haiiro-sama is very gentle."

It was useless to deter the woman from not wanting to go into the clan. Ashi, not only as Alpha but as a human being had the duty to make sure that the pair was happy and there were no underlying motive for their union. Aimi seemed happy with her fiancé, and Ashi could tell that she was telling the truth when she said that she was fine with the dogs' presence.

The thing with Inuzukas is that they came in pairs. Their ninken were their partners and not their pets, just as they were their partners and not their owners. Ashi has had enough instances —specially in the dating field— were outsiders just… didn't get it.

Aimi was not one of them.

Ashi heard Shiga before she saw him. Aimi had good ears — she was a new mother, after all— but not near the senses of an Inuzuka. Shiga knew this, but rasped at the sliding door softly before entering the little living room of Aimi's apartment; he was carrying a tray of tea to accompany the little snacks that his fiancée had put on the table.

Shiga was twenty years younger than Ashi and he had already found a good mate and with a pup already here.

Kids these days grew up so fast.

Shiga bowed his head lightly, avoiding her eyes as it was customary for greeting the Alpha. Too much eye contact could mean a challenge, which Shiga didn't need right now since the pup was stirring in his crib. Aimi excused herself and went to appease him with soft hums and kind touches.

Truly, a lovely bitch.

"What have you decided to do, Ashi-sama?"

Niiro came to her partner, taking a seat across the table and at his side. Haiiro stayed with Aimi and sniffing at the kid's toes.

"We will call up the pack and introduce Aimi-san and your pup." she said easily. It was hardly something to debate, the formality making her skin prickle; it was necessary nonetheless, especially since Aimi was a civilian and just had a clan member's child. If paperwork would protect them, then Ashi will be too glad to comply "Have you thought about taking one of the slots from our lands?"

Shiga looked towards his fiancée, his brown eyes softening at her slight nod "We were thinking about talking with Hisumi-baa-sama for the slot adjacent to her."

It was a good spot, nearing the eastern lands and sandwiched between Elder Hisumi and her side of the family. Shiga and Hisumi-baa-sama had always been close, and Ashi could only imagine that she would be excited to have her third great-grandson near.

"I'll see to the paperwork then," and a beat later, she asked "And your career?"

That was a heavy topic, judging by the sudden stiffness of the room. Coddling wouldn't do, and Shiga was one of their best trackers; young or not, father or not, he was a shinobi first. Ashi would not force one of their own to continue putting their life at risk, but she needed to know if he would retire from active duty or not.

Of course, that would mean that Shiga's social standing inside the pack would drop, but no price was expensive enough for the chance to see one's children grow.

Or so she has heard.

"... I will stay as a ninja." he said after a moment, gathering his thoughts. Aimi was cradling their son, but her chakra was not all that happy. "But I will help Aimi until our son is at least six years old."

"No long-term missions then. I'll pass the notice to the Hokage, and I'll try for you to not get deployed too soon." but she wasn't promising anything. Trackers were in high demand, mostly Inuzuka since a single pair could do more than a team of Hyūga and Yamanaka.

Shiga understood that and bowed his head, Niiro doing the same. They understood, but Aimi perhaps not so much. Ashi has been a ninja for too long to know what was a civilian's point of view, but from the little sparks of her chakra and her emotions bleeding through her scent… she was afraid.

That, she could understand.

"Aimi-san, what are your thoughts?"

By her the slight jump she hadn't expected to be asked her opinion.

"I agree with what you have discussed but… pardon my intrusion, but…" she hesitated, shifting the babe in her arms "the Inuzuka marks…"

Oh.

"Don't worry, Aimi-san. We don't put the red fangs until they are about four years old, and the process is mostly painless. As for newcomers, they are optional."

That eased some of her worries, sighing in relief. The Inuzuka red fangs were tattooed on their young when they were about to get their ninken. It was tradition, but Ashi could see why Aimi would be apprehensive to put a needle into the little kid she had brought into the world not even three months ago; or suddenly be branded because her husband was part of the clan.

Babies were fussy little things, not that Ashi would know.

"Ashi, the name."

Right.

"What about Unari?"

Niiro, who was a normally quiet bitch, gasped. Her brown eyes were glowing with excitement. Ashi dismissed Shiga's cheer as she surveyed Aimi. The woman looked down at the babe, smoothing away the flyaway dark hair and mused. "Unari… Inuzuka Unari… it sounds about right."

Ashi smiled at the picture they painted. Shiga and Aimi were in love with a child in between; that was happiness, that was love.

Sometimes, Ashi longed for it.

Isamu had been her mate, and once she had believed that she would have a similar future as the couple in front of her did. Children they had not discussed before he… but it had always been implied. Ashi did wonder, if she had been just half a second faster, if the enemy just half a second slower— would she have had a pup, just like them? Maybe two? How would they have grown up? What people would they have become?

It was useless to think about it; it wasn't going to happen. Isamu was three years dead and Ashi was fine as a widow. The time of having children had passed.

Haiiro turned to her, his knowing grey eyes squinting ever so slightly.

"We'll take our leave." she said, getting up and Haiiro coming to her side instantly.

"Oh, but you have just arrived…!"

"It's better to start the process as soon as possible, we want you settled before the summer ends; better for the pup." Haiiro intervened.

"I see..."

Shiga got up, Niiro following at his heels "Thank you, Ashi-sama."

Ashi felt a pang of guilt. This should have happened months ago, before Unari was born. It felt like a failure to her clan, because while she was away doing missions, Shiga and Aimi had to wait for her to name their child and include them into their pack.

More disappointments.

"I'll send a notice with the clan meeting." and after she stopped to look at little Unari, they left.

Now she understood what Haiiro had barked to her about. She was getting reckless, lost as Tsume called it. The grief was getting to her, even when so much time had passed.

Not enough, never enough.

"You know…" Haiiro began once they were in the open streets, "Niiro told me that Shiga had been considering ANBU."

That surprised her. Shiga was young, not even in his thirties. People only got into ANBU when they had little regard for life or in need of a justification for their death. Shiga, with his boisterous laugh and easy smiles would crumble under the pressure of taking up a mask.

"Why I'm hearing it now?" because god fucking dammit, it was her job to care for every clanmate! She should have talked with Shiga, find out why he wanted to get into the darkest of institutions; money? Glory? Fame? Death?

Few ANBU got to the end of their training. Ashi won't lose any Inuzuka if she could do something about it.

"That was before he met his bitch; don't think he is going to pick up a mask soon. Aimi's got him whipped."

"That she has, but why haven't you told me? Haiiro, we've talked about this."

"You were pretty busy in Admin stacking up missions, someone had to listen to our own and do something 'bout it."

Ashi groaned "I get it, I get it! Too much time out, I learnt my lesson you old coot. Now stop biting already and tell me things! You are my partner, we are together in this."

Haiiro leveled her a look "Now you wanna hear me?"

"You have been scolding me for weeks! Stop it already, I get what you are saying. I'll stay in the village, for fucks sake—"

"That's not true."

Ashi stops. It's late morning, but the streets leading to the ninja district towards the Inuzuka and Nara compounds are rarely crossed at this hour. Ashi stops in the middle of the street and pins Haiiro with a glare.

"What's not true?"

"You aren't gonna stay in the village." Haiiro says calmly, circling her feet "I give you three months tops before you haunt the HQ again."

"That's not true." she hisses, but it's a lie. She has been in the village for a month, and she can feel the creeping feeling of restlessness scab around her senses. Three months was a stretch.

Haiiro, who is too smart for a dog and has a no-bullshit policy, huffs a laugh "Of course—"

Both of them stiffen when they feel another presence. An ANBU messenger slithers out of the shadows and stays there "The Hokage summons you, Ashi-sama, Haiiro-sama"

They recover well; you can't overreact at every shift, not even in the village "Thank you, Bat-san."

Bat takes a bow and leaves.

Haiiro follows the chakra trail with his snout. He knows who they are but doesn't say, it's not polite to go on snitching about others identities.

Ashi lets out a sigh.

More children.

.

They reached an odd impasse.

Sachi refused to talk to anyone that wasn't Ashi or Haiiro, at least, in a way that mattered. Tsunade or Hiruzen were met with cold glares or she simply didn't woke up; the times she did talk to them, she was to mock them. It was useless, since the Hokage had gotten enough information to reach a decision.

Sachi needed to die.

Archive or not, Sachi had a serious problem with authority. Despite being in a very delicate situation, one she fully understood, insisted on behaving like a spoiled child. Stubbornness was an understatement, and the Hokage had raised two children to have had something to compare her to.

It wasn't that she behaved badly. She took Tsunade's tender care without complaint or scorn, but, as Tsunade had put it, she was creepy. The Hokage preferred to say that she was uncanny.

(Her eyes were the problem; bright even in darkness, reflecting pupils that mirrored their very souls back at them. Uncanny didn't cover it.)

They had trapped her in that room, put shackles and chains, traps around the windows and the doors and even the roof; and yet, the very real possibility of another escape was hanging in the air. Hiruzen was confident in his skill to keep a 'guest', but it was a challenge for her.

(She had laughed at his seals.)

Every trap or trick had been spit back at them with mirthful eyes. Hiruzen had given her a few puzzles that the Nara used to evaluate their clansmen in terms of logical thinking; the results were troubling.

Ashi had reported Sachi having two sets of seals on her brain. It was a custom of the Kanbayashi, to put seals on their temporal lobes to allow them to control their memories and process the information consciously. Sachi was not bothered by it, expressing that she fully believed to be a blessing. In her words:

"Who would want to forget?"

Now, Hiruzen didn't know if Sachi's intelligence was due to her own right or product of her seals. The fact still stood, however, and it was that Sachi loved to get on everyone's nerves.

Hiruzen was not fooled, but he was still figuring out why did she chose to behave in such a way. She had literally nothing worth for her to be kept alive, her life hanging from Hiruzen's curiosity and intrigue about the Archive; and yet, she told him:

"Senju Tobirama had strange coloring, didn't he?"

It was a bait. Sachi had concluded that using Tobirama, his former sensei and late Hokage and granduncle to Tsunade, to chip at their confidence. It was true that Tobirama had stood out besides his brother, with white hair and pale skin.

But he had red eyes.

Hiruzen knew, logically, that Tobirama had been albino. A genetic mishap, he used to tell him, but it did remind him of Sachi.

(Same eyes, different colors.)

Tsunade had frozen in her place, not able to stop her from adding:

"A genius, pragmatic to a fault, and a scholar before a ninja." she told him "You know this, you were his student, after all…" he had been, and Hiruzen knew that he won't ever match his brilliance. Not when his teacher's mind comprehended reality on such a level that no detail was ever lost, no mistake was ever made, and no plan ever gone astray. "Ever wondered how he came to use seals before the Uzumaki came to Leaf?"

Countless seals had been penned under Tobirama's name, most of them locked away deemed too dangerous to use for anyone but their creator. Hiruzen had never understood them, the subtle nuances of fūinjutsu lost to him, wich wounded his pride more than he could ever admit. It was strange… remembering that Tobirama used seals well before he met his sister-in-law, or crossed paths with the people of Uzushio, separated by war and distrust.

What if he didn't learn from an Uzumaki?

Hiruzen stopped himself. For an eight year old to use mental warfare was something that he would praise in the Academy; but Sachi had an edge that was meant to jab and twist, just for the sake of pain.

Because, what would Sachi gain from outing Tobirama, beloved Hokage, teacher and granduncle as a Kanbayashi? Sympathy surely not, since he was long dead, but...

"When was the last time you saw him?" she had asked him. He didn't answer, but her eyes were attentive.

Hiruzen knew what she was playing at, and it was truly admirable. Tobirama's body had never been found, a loss to everyone to bury an empty grave, and she knew this. It was purposeful, everything she said to them; planting doubts, raising questions, fracturing confidence.

Sachi's mind would have been useful to them, had she been more compliant.

Information she already had, and she was quick to pick up clues and act on them. Hiruzen hadn't seen Tsunade so flustered ever since Nawaki died, and not in a good way. Tsunade had always been sensitive about people, an ability she didn't often use despite her gambling tendencies.

Tsunade had said that Sachi was dangerous.

Hiruzen believed her.

The mere notion that a child, a crippled, orphaned child could be a threat to a Kage, the God of Shinobi and the Slug Sannin was ridiculous.

(Sachi's eyes shone with malice. Her silence was barbed wire, her voice filled with venom. Bound, strapped and trapped; she smiled with a mouth full of teeth.)

"I hope you understand."

"... I do, Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen watched attentively. Ashi and Haiiro had came to his summons, the dog's tail waging with clear excitement. He told them that it was the last time he would need their services; he was grateful and he would reimburse them for their time.

Haiiro's tail dropped instantly, and Ashi had taken a breath that she released slowly. They didn't fight his decision, despite an obvious want from the dog's part. Ashi was harder to read, but one didn't become Hokage not knowing who his people were.

She was disappointed; resigned. Another loss, one unexpected.

Isamu's death had been a blow to the village, although one that was quickly forgotten as any other of their failures. Wolf and Eagle had been a team for decades, with fame that was whispered instead of shouted into the crowd. The Hokage knew them well, and he had trusted them to complete the mission; and they did.

Right before Eagle was gutted at their doorstep.

Ashi had held on the first year; a strong woman in every sense of the word. But grief could strike at any time, and it was true that Ashi had been running downhill for her demise. A pity, but not something uncommon.

And yet, she had taken to Sachi eagerly. She didn't show it, too good a kunoichi for that, but the stiffness of her shoulders had eased and Haiiro talked more, happy to gruff and howl with laughter. He had heard the rumours, about a certain Clan Head that seemed more… settled.

A month and a half had passed since they brought Sachi back, and she had yet to skim the ANBU HQ.

The newly found joy died quietly and instantly.

"Anything more you need, Hokage-sama?" and if Ashi spoke in a clipped tone, Hiruzen chose to ignore it.

"What's your opinion of Sachi?" he asked instead.

Tobirama had told Hiruzen that his curiosity was as much as a tool as it was a gravedigger; he wondered, which one will be this time?

The pair was confused at his question, Ashi blinking slowly before gathering her thoughts. Haiiro's body language consisted in a slight shuffle of his paws.

Sachi was more open with them, Hiruzen knew. He could her her laugh and excited rants when they were together; just like any other child would be. Bright and sunny, devoid of any second intentions and just… honest, simple.

Hiruzen couldn't help but think it was a trick. Favouring one person over the other generated conflict on the other side; an inverted version of 'good cop bad cop' meant to gain support at least one of them. Why Sachi chose Ashi and Haiiro over him or Tsunade, with more power and means, was only for him to wonder about.

"Lonely," Ashi said, almost unsure of her answer "she's lonely, Hokage-sama"

"How come?"

Sachi's grief was a strange thing. Despite her entire family being murdered, her ancestral home desecrated and burnt she took it calmly and clinically. Loneliness was to be expected, and yet he had failed to see it in her.

"We can feel it."

"It's the chakra, Hokage-sama. We use our senses to read non verbal cues and…" Ashi explained over Haiiro "Sachi's chakra it's all over the place. She tries to hide it, but… she can't lie to us."

That was… useful. Hiruzen knew that one couldn't fool an Inuzuka; he had numerous experiences, both good and bad, of Inuzuka knowing too much just by his scent or the way his heart beat. It was a good lesson to learn in his youth, to never ever lie to an Inuzuka if not in a position of power.

He had chosen Ashi and Haiiro because of their obvious involvement in Sachi's comeback, but now… he had another option.

"You can feel that she is lonely?"

Maybe death was not the solution.

"Yes"

Huh.

"May I?"

"Of course, Haiiro-sama."

The old dog glanced briefly at his partner, gaining a troubled look "Sachi's a pup, Hokage-sama. Not a child, but a pup. She had a pack, and now she's lost because she doesn't have an alpha. That's why she's actin' up."

A pack was a concept Hiruzen didn't have a full grasp on; it was not exclusive to one family, but every and each one of them was part of the pack. He knew that Ashi was the Alpha, something akin to a Clan Head, but with more authority than the others. Inuzukas were brash and rough, but one squint from Ashi and they would cower in a corner and don't even breathe until she gave them permission.

They had little information about the Kanbayashi as it was, and for Haiiro to claim that they had a similar dynamic was far fetched. For the sake of his curiosity, Hiruzen gave it some thought.

If the Kanbayashi, had, indeed, a pack structure then it meant that, perhaps, Sachi could be conditioned to stay and serve.

Tobirama used to say that his other fault, besides his undying curiosity, was the courage to actually go through his plans. Given that Tobirama had chosen him to become Hokage meant that, at least, had some faith in him. Hiruzen was willing to try.

"Thank you for everything, Ashi-sama, Haiiro-sama."

Or perhaps not.

Ashi and Haiiro bowed, leaving shortly after. He saw the tiny flinch of Haiiro, hesitating in the doorway before he followed Ashi. It was clear that they saw something that he didn't, and had the circumstances been different, he would have believed them.

Sachi was a gamble, a very dangerous and potentially catastrophic gamble. Setting aside the Archive and that strange bloodline limit, Sachi was as predictable as a cat with a firecracker tied to its tail. If having her in the hospital, in a somewhat controlled environment, was enough for her to give him grief then what could she potentially inflict on him, or the whole village, if she was set loose?

She was a child, a rather resourceful one but a little girl nonetheless. She was nursing a grudge against him and Tsunade, for whatever reason. If Mito-sama had been wary of them, then he didn't want his small act of kindness to bite him in his proverbial ass later on.

Loneliness he hadn't seen, but desolation he had. Golden eyes dulled when he closed the door, a crack in her façade enough to make her appear human. She was a child, but with too sharp of a mind; it was rare to encounter such a potential, even among the Nara. Sachi could be of great use, if only she had her loyalties in the village.

Hiruzen rose from his seat. It was getting late and his wife and children were already concerned about his all nighters.

(Sachi was Asuma's age.)

Getting to the Hokage Residence he had to pass by the hospital. The West wing was not visible, safely tucked away at the back to avoid disturbances. Being so far away and in the middle of the night, he could feel Sachi's gaze upon him. She liked to look out of the window, her big yellow eyes taking everything that happened below her watchpoint.

(She told him the Police Force rounds by the exact minute; there was not a clock in her room.)

Hiruzen continued on. He had a home to go back to, a wife and his children waiting for him; he had a village to protect and a country to serve.

Life went on.

.

"What's up with the Haiiro?"

That was the greeting they got that very same morning from Tsume. Neither of them had slept, deciding to haunt to kitchen and brood silently. Haiiro had gone awfully quiet, refusing to answer any of her questions or attempts to console him; instead, he had taken a cushion out of the living room and sprawled under the kitchen table. This was something he never does unless he was truly upset.

Ashi had a heavy weight at the bottom of her stomach, something she was treating with black tar coffee in hopes of not thinking about Sachi's imminent demise.

Haiiro had promised to her that he would protect her.

He broke his promise.

They tried convincing Sachi to speak to the Hokage, maybe butter him up and let her stay in the village or at least let her go on some shady contract or whatever. Hell, they would vouch for her because it wasn't her fault that she had been dealt such shitty cards.

"Is it worth it?" she had asked them.

Ashi wanted to strangle her. She was so damn young and was ready to throw her life away, the lives of every one of her clanmates just because she was a stubborn little shit. Death was something Sachi didn't fear, she had told them so.

It was forgetfulness.

With no Kanbayashi clan and no home, what could she do? They had seen how she held the hospital gown up to her neck, hiding those scars with trembling fingers. She had come back with them because she had no other choice, because she had momentarily trusted them to protect her.

Sachi laughed and joked with them.

She was going to die today.

Cue Haiiro sulking under the table and Ashi drowning herself in coffee. Tsume wasn't pleased and Kuromaru's inquiries were met with a deep growl.

"Stuff," was Ashi's elaborate answer "we'll get over it." or so she hoped.

They didn't share blood, nothing except a few hours every couple of days. Ashi could see why Haiiro addressed her as a pup, small but with pointy teeth and too much of an ego to tread carefully. The Inuzuka children were often referred to as 'brats', which any adult Inuzuka would agree on; but, they had the clan to care for them. Curbing their behaviour and shaping them to coexist with the rest of the world was a must in their clan, since no one would work with an entitled tyke.

Sachi didn't have a clan anymore, and that behaviour would be the death of her.

If only she listened.

"Doesn't look like it." Tsume took one mug for herself, snarling at the pungent scent "Damn, it must really bad if you took out the Water stuff."

Haiiro huffed.

"I have to ask, though, is the clan going bankrupt?"

"What?"

"I mean, you've gone to the Hokage a whole lot this past month, and I do hope you aren't sleepin' with him because—"

"I'm a widow!"

Tsume rolled her eyes " —because that would be very fucking weird. So, what's up with you going to see the old man? A mission?"

If a mission meant trying to argue with the Hokage that they shouldn't kill a child, despite that she could potentially cause a global outrage and put her in the Bingo Book for all the information she had. Only because Haiiro and herself had grown to like that brat… then yes, it was a mission.

"Nee-san, talk to me."

"We can't say anything, Tsume."

"Fuck that, I know the rules. Are you okay? Should I call Inoichi to check your attic?"

Ashi's chest warmed just a little, Tsume's concern making her feel loved but leaving a bitter aftertaste. Worrying her little sister was not something she wanted.

"Sage no." Inoichi, the nosy bastard would get himself off on the details of Sachi's mind. She was grateful that the Hokage didn't want to include the Yamanaka in the whole Kanbayashi mess because she would never hear the end of it; and Sachi would be left in a vegetable state, most likely. "It's not like that. The Hokage needed us for something, but not anymore." and the last part tasted like ashes in her mouth.

She could practically feel Haiiro's snarl.

"So you're upset because he doesn't need you? Are we really going bankrupt?"

"We aren't broke, Tsume. With all the missions we've taking and the clinics we're good, just— let it be. We'll get over it."

Tsume wasn't convinced; neither was Ashi.

"Better gettin' over it fast 'cause the pack's assembling. We've got to welcome Shiga and his bitch."

"Shit, almost forgot. Thanks Kuromaru." Ashi got up, letting the pure black caffeine in the sink and cracking her spine. "We've got to bring out the sake"

"Already did."

"I love you, Tsume." said sister gave her a roll of her eyes and finished her coffee quickly.

They had to prepare the parlor to accommodate their guests as well as give them drinks, maybe some snacks if Haiiro decided to get out from under the table. The private life of a Clan Head was intimately tied to that of their clan; Ashi was no different, and even though her heart was sunken to her ankles she had to continue.

(It was Isamu all over again. Not fast enough, not smart enough— not enough. She wasn't able to save a child from a fate she had thrown her towards.)

"Are you really okay?"

Ashi did stop then, hearing the trouble behind those words. Truthfully, she hasn't been okay in years, but that's not something she could burden Tsume with. Nor anyone.

"Worry about your business, now we have work to do." there was no bite in her words, and her sister took it with a shake of her head.

Sometimes, Ashi wished she was enough.

At least once.

.

The meeting was going the same way as any other Inuzuka clan meeting went.

With everyone drunk.

Ashi had welcomed Shiga and Aimi, with their little pup Unari, and introduced them to the whole clan. Aimi had been uncomfortable at the beginning, with so many excited people and dogs alike flocking both her and her son. Shiga fought them off easily, setting boundaries and limits.

For good measure, once the procedures and official details were settled, she was seated with the other mothers and expecting women. No one would ever dare coming near their group by threat of great violence; not even Shiga.

Overall, they would count it as a win. Any Inuzka would find any good reason for a meeting, if not for the drinks then for the company. They were a social bunch, and even though everyone was in their own little place in the hierarchy, they got along as any family would. Ashi had missed those reunions, were they would spar and drink and eat together until they awoke the next morning with a pulsating hungover.

Which is why the guilt of not enjoying it was worse. She watched from afar, at the back table while the men and the children played outside. Her foul mood shouldn't waste the general cheer, so she took a tumbler of sake and sipped it quietly while Haiiro was curled behind her back.

"It's good to have you back, Ashi-chan." there was only two people that could get away calling her that, and those were Hisumi-baa-sama and Kirasu-jii-sama; her Elders.

Hisumi-baa-sama inched closer carefully, her bones groaning louder than her words. She was old, even older than her cousin Kirasu that was currently trying to tackle Niiro on the grass. Greyish hair with streaks of white and a round face with her still bright red fangs on her cheeks. She had a triangle on her forehead, although faded into a light brown by time.

"It's good to be back." she said with honesty, bitter as it was.

"Hmm, try harder dear, might convince me before I die."

Ashi would have laughed at her dry humor, but death was a touchy subject as of late. She wondered, had Sachi been 'disposed of' yet? Did she cry, did she bargain?

Was it quick, was it painful?

"You aren't old enough for that yet."

The old Alpha chuckled "Kirasu might argue otherwise."

"Well, fuck him."

At that, she did laugh. They heard a grating cry outside and very loud pops coming out from said Elder who must have heard them. Ignoring the curses threw at them, Hisumi continued "Truly, dear, it's good to have you back. We all thought we might have you lost you there."

Lost was an euphemism for suicide.

"Did you came here to do a wellfare check on me?" Ashi had been angling for a joke, but Hisumi-baa-sama's dark eyes were blank. Oh.

"Do I have a reason to?"

Ashi downed her drink in response.

"That includes you, Haiiro. I can hear you sulk from the forest, and it's not the first time this month."

Ashi remembered Hisumi as alpha, and her not subtle approach towards anything.

Haiiro bared his teeth in warning, and Ashi pet him between his eyes to stop him getting into a fight that will give him more trouble than it was worth. Hisumi ignored his challenge to twitch her nose at her, saying "Your scents' changed."

And that was how their nice evening started to shatter.

A change in scent could mean a plethora of things, from pregnancy to grief, happiness or sadness; even hunger, if one was attentive enough. That included the people they have been with, and what they did all day. Hisumi might be old, but her nose still worked perfectly.

They have been sloppy.

Hisumi inched closer "I don't know that scent," she started "who is it—?"

Ashi and Haiiro barely got to have a heart attack at being outed to the whole clan, who was surely listening in on their conversation, when they sensed two small chakra flares and a prolongated one.

Hokage's summons.

Various heads turned to the roof, some of ANBU but others reacting to an unfamiliar chakra signature in their territory. Hisumi shook her head when Kirasu started cursing the poor courier out, the others falling silent with concern.

"Go, I'll keep the party goin'."

"Thanks, Haiiro, be right back. Keep 'em safe."

Ashi got up quickly, catching Tsume's eyes and making sure she stayed to keep the clan in their grounds. The Inuzuka could get unhinged when drunk and they needed to be mindful of their neighbours. Hisumi granted the look that meant that her interrogation wasn't over, but Ashi took her jacket and headed out in seconds.

It was nearing midnight, and at that hour few things were a good reason to be called to the Hokage. The alarms weren't called, so it wasn't a threat to the village. Bat made the hand signs for 'important' and 'meeting'. She signaled back, asking if it was a Clan Council but they made the sign for 'no' and made the sign for 'hospital'.

Ashi hurried through the rooftops, the way too familiar in the last weeks. There was a flicker of hope that she was smothering inside of her, because she had been only called by the Hokage to sort the mess with Sachi and perhaps—

She found Tsunade in the hospital corridor to the east wing, deep bags under her eyes and a dangerous scowl on her face. "I don't get paid enough for this." was her official statement.

"The Hokage…?"

"Inside. You— just get in there, I'm tired. Please."

If the hime had resorted to begging, it was bad.

The room was the same as yesterday. Sterile except the gathered machines near the window and around the bed where Sachi was chained to. Ashi was used to see Sachi's white hair pop up from underneath the blanket, her easy smile saying 'you're back!'

This time, she saw charcoal grey hair up to a little girl's chin, pale skin and the yellowest eyes she had ever seen.

And two bright crimson fangs on her cheeks.

"Oh fuck."

The Hokage nodded in understanding.

.

A few hours earlier, the Hokage proposed Sachi a deal.

Sachi had been thinking about a plan to get out of the hospital again, and so far, her most promising one was to shout from the window and hope to attract the attention of those guards patrolling the streets. Another one was to jump out of the window and pray she didn't break her legs and run for it.

Seals were out of the question, since Tsunade had put chakra stoppers directly onto her gates to avoid chakra leaking out of her pores until she was fully healed. If she was desperate enough she could bite her tongue and use her blood to make a seal, but Sachi didn't trust her system enough to use her tongue and not have it explode.

So, waiting it was.

Praying to her gods had twisted her gut, and so she avoided thinking about them. Death was a certainty, but she didn't want to die, not alone and so far from home. Who would make sure her soul passes? Who will remember her? What about the Archive and the others?

(How could they leave her family to die and keep her alive?)

Before she got too desperate, the Hokage entered. Sachi felt her body freeze, the same aura that Chika-sama once had about her.

Right up until she betrayed her.

Sachi couldn't stop to see the similarities between them; both old, wise beyond their years. They had the same wrinkles that spoke of experience and the façade of fragility that Sachi didn't trust one bit. Sarutobi Hiruzen was a powerful man, and Sachi knew she wasn't in his good graces.

He would betray her as Chika-sama did, Sachi was certain.

When Hiruzen came into her room after lunch, Sachi was ready to use herself as a bomb to die by her own terms instead of waiting another second. Thankfully, Hiruzen stopped her and asked:

"Would you like to make a deal?"

Extremely suspicious, Sachi had asked the terms.

"I can't let you go on a good conscience Sachi. Alone, you won't survive long, and when I am willing to give you a painless death and put an end to the Archive, others will not. The… creature that has killed your family might be looking for you." and after a slight pause, he added "But, after giving it some thought, I decided that the problem is the Archive. For you it's a legacy, and for us it's a threat. Are you willing to give up the Archive, in exchange for a life here?"

Sachi's mind went blank. The Hokage was giving her a place to stay, but the Archive—

"Yes, I know you can't physically surrender the Archive, but you have said that you don't want to use it. I can't assure it will be the same life you have had until now, but I can ensure you are looked after." his eyes softened "A home, a family. Ashi-sama and Haiiro-sama have been kind to you, haven't they? I can let them keep you, if you accept."

There was a knot in her throat. Ashi and Haiiro have been good to her, yes, kind when they didn't have to. They came back every time, the wolf that hunted for her and the same woman that carried her for miles because she was ill. The Hokage was promising her a family and a home, a loss that was rotting her very soul.

But then there was the pain, the suffering and the torture she had been put through to be made the vessel of the Archive, the purpose of the Kanbayashi and the only mark that testified to their existence. Sachi had been taught to always preserve the Archive, and that the Archive will protect her in return; offering answers to the most difficult questions, a solution to every problem. To shut it off would mean that the sacrifice of every and each on of the Kanbayashi that have died —Michiko, Rie, Harumi… Sumi, Father, Brother, Mother— was meaningless. Insult to injury to the those that laid still on the snow back in Snow, sentenced to roam the plains because of the massacre of the creature that bathed in their blood and set their home aflame.

"I'll stay."

Sachi didn't ask for the Archive.

Fast forward a few hours, Sachi was officially Inuzuka Sachi. Tsunade had applied the disguise seals on Sachi's scalp, which coated the underside of the hair follicles to tint them as they grew. When the medium to apply the seal was a tincture, the hair grew to be that very same color, mimicking the appearance of natural hair without the dubious smell of normal dye.

Tsunade had commented on how damn useful would have been in her early years, but otherwise applied some activated charcoal and helped it grew a few inches as to not give Sachi the look of a newly released inmate.

Using the same seal they added some iron oxide pigment from a very convenient blush powder, drawing two red triangles on her cheek and—

That was it.

Seeing herself in the mirror was jarring. The only thing that was familiar were her eyes, since Tsunade had outright refused to get a needle and delicately put the seal on her irises to change the color. Her reasoning was something along the lines of blindness and insufficient payment. Still, Sachi buried the uneasiness building in her chest; it was a decision to stay, but was it a good one?

(She would never know the answer).

"I wasn't aware that seals could change features." the Hokage remarked, tracing the seal she had drawn on a piece of paper for Tsunade to replicate "For how long will they stay?"

"As long as I have chakra." Sachi won't tell them that the seals were connected to her chakra pathways, mangled as they were, to sustain them and keep the pigment evenly distributed. Sumi had taught her that seal when he forgot to wash off the seals before he came to visit her. Seeing Sumi with pitch black hair and brown eyes had made her skin crawl by the uncanny and vaguely familiar features she had always known him by; quickly replaced by curiosity.

How would have he reacted, seeing her like that?

"Sage save me from seal masters." Tsunade mumbled, taking out the bandages around her hands. They were wrinkled and the cuts were a faded purple on her fingertips. The Dark Release marks faded once Tsunade checked for any issues, saying "You better don't use chakra until they are healed, no absorption or transferring or whatever. And no seals, ever; understood?"

Sachi nodded, since an annoyed Tsunade was a mean Tsunade and she didn't want to spend a second in that hospital anymore. The medic left, going to fetch a messenger to bring Ashi and Haiiro to the hospital.

Alone with the Hokage, Sachi calmed her nerves by asking:

"Are Ashi and Haiiro okay with this?"

The Hokage didn't answer.

"... they don't know?"

Silence.

"Oh fuck."

Ashi entered the room with the sensitivity of a raging bison, her hair tussled to one side instead of back and with an increasingly paling skin tone.

(Sachi would remember that moment as the landmark of her new life).

"Ashi-sama, thank you for your promptness. I believe we might have something to discuss with you."

"O-Of course, Hokage-sama… Sachi, is that you?" Ashi walked slowly until she reached her. She got down on one knee and touched one of her cheeks, tracing the triangle "For the Sage… it isn't a tattoo, is it?"

Sachi felt suddenly shy. Her fingers are cold, but her gaze is what makes her nervous. There's some sort of wonder behind her eyes, a little frown as she cradles her face gently; there's confusion and Sachi doesn't wait to see if there's disappointment or not.

"Seals." she provides, "I don't want more tattoos."

The sealwork of the Archive took every inch of her skin twice over. More tattoos could potentially break the thin balance she had reached with her own body; having another meltdown was not on her list. Also, sincerely speaking, Sachi believed that having face tattoos was a very bad idea.

She took a lock of her hair, the ends chopped clean to avoid strange white split ups; taking a not so subtle sniff, "How…?"

"Is it convincing?" the Hokage asked, amused.

"Well, yes— she doesn't smell off, and the fangs…" she rubbed them for emphasis, looking at her fingertips from any paint on them "But why?"

The Hokage gave a very small smirk "Sachi-kun and I have reached a consensus. I believe you would be willing to take her in, considering the circumstances."

Sachi watched as Ashi's face fell to the floor, turning very white and then slightly green as the implications settled in her mind.

"T-take her in? As in, the Inuzuka?"

"You aren't obligated, obviously, but we can't keep Sachi-kun in the hospital forever. I understand it's sudden, but as it stands..."

She picked up the end of the sentence. Sachi was no fool, and neither were the others in the room. Death had been her fate up until the Hokage decided to strike a deal, and even then she couldn't shake those icy claws scratching at the back of her mind. She needed to get out of there, but she was dependent on Ashi, a virtual stranger that could very well refuse—

"I understand, Hokage-sama, but— "

Sachi couldn't help but grab onto Ashi's sleeve. She didn't want anyone besides her, the only person that had given her a resemblance of kindness. The woman noticed, stopping herself and asking instead "For how long?"

It was a blow. Sachi didn't want to hang on baseless hope, because her life was at stake. The Hokage promised her a home, a family, for the Archive. She would give so much more for a fraction of their deal, but she needed Ashi to consent or it would be meaningless.

"For as long as Sachi-kun keeps her end of the bargain."

It was a challenge. The Hokage was baiting her to see if she could keep a promise. Sachi would bet her Kanbayashi pride on this, but for a man that didn't know to what lengths she was willing to go to keep her word, it was a taunt. However, Sachi kept her hand curled on the fabric of Ashi's leather jacket, not once meeting the curious gaze of the Hokage.

Ashi turned to her, using a soft tone she said "Is that true, Sachi? Will you stay?"

"Yes."

She took a few seconds to move, Sachi fixating in the way the smile lines around her mouth tensed or the tiny squint of eyes. It would be much later that she would know that it was Ashi's tells when she was deciding if someone was saying the truth.

Ashi nodded curtly, looking at the Hokage and Tsunade respectively "What are the details?"

Tsunade stepped in, holding a small folder "You came across Sachi on the northern border. Keep it vague, Iron or Rice it's fine; she was a prisoner of the rogues you were doing recon on and took her to the village because she might have had intel on them. You can flower it up but don't go overboard, as for her extended hospital stay…" the medic made a point to glare daggers at Sachi "Torture."

Sachi almost opened her mouth to disagree. Torture was too heavy of a word, the process had been painful and horrifying but it had been necessary. The Archive was too big for the human body to handle without discomfort; to say that she had been torture would imply that she was a victim, something she was absolutely not.

"Backstory?"

"ANBU classified. I just came it on the fly, but we need to not give the others too much to start asking questions. Family dead, home destroyed, the works. Play it up on the trauma, and you," she pointed to Sachi "don't say anything about the Kanbayashi, Archive or anything, really. If we are going to do this then you have to keep your mouth shut."

Tsunade used cold hard facts against Sachi, and she recognized why. She didn't have any intention of talking about the Kanbayashi, not when that thing was still out there. Sachi didn't like her tone though, but didn't dare to speak up against the woman who brought her back from the dead twice.

"I just take her home, then?"

Hiruzen nodded.

Sachi held her breath as Ashi turned to her. Her expression was clouded by emotions Sachi didn't quite catch, but she really hoped they were in her favour.

"Do you wanna come with me, darlin'?" she asked her softly. "Are you okay with this?"

How couldn't she be, when she was the last chance she had?

(And how true that was.)

"Yes."