Days have passed since Ko was found by the Leaf Shinobi. When she was found, the shinobi brought her back to the village hospital. The Hokage has heard of Ko and visited her in the hospital everyday hoping she'd wake up so he could ask her questions. He walked into her room and sat beside her bed in a chair. The nurses told him about her condition when she was brought here. He was amazed that someone would deliberately beat a child to near death; it sickened him.

She had a sprained wrist, broken arm, broken ribs, deep cuts and bruises all over her body, she was dehydrated, and was suffering from malnutrition. Obviously, she was homeless and was traveling alone trying to survive. He noticed how pale her face was, but nurses confirmed that it was naturally pale. He ran his hand through her dark black hair feeling sympathetic towards Ko.

"Don't worry little one, you're save now. You're in good hands." He said with a compassionate expression as he looked down at her.

After a few minutes, the Hokage saw Ko's eyes open for a second then close again. Her face cringed from the light shining through the windows.

"So you're finally awake,"

Ko looked over at the Hokage wide-eyed.

"So this is the Hokage, father's old sensei."

The Hokage looked at her eyes with curiosity. There aren't many people in the world with red eyes.

"W-where am I? W-who are you?" Ko stammered.

The Hokage gave her a smile. "You're in the Village Hidden in the Leaves. I am the Hokage; the leader of the village. My shinobi found you on their way home from a mission and took you here. I'll let nurses look at you then I want you to answer some questions for me." He said as some nurses walked in.

Once he left, the nurses started looking at Ko checking all of her wounds. She was still sore from the injuries and winced at their touch.

"Alright sweetie, we're going to let you rest and bring you some food. When was the last time you ate honey?"

Ko wanted to glare and snarl at the nurses for calling her sweetie and honey but she had to keep up her innocent façade.

"Uh um a week or so ago?" The red eyed child responded innocently trying to act nervous by playing with her hands and looking down at them.

"Alright, we're going to give you a little bit of food but if you want more just ask."

The nurses then left and the Hokage walked back in and sat back in the chair. "So before I ask you my questions, what is your name?"

"K-Ko," she answered trying not to look up at him.

"That's a beautiful name for a beautiful young lady."

"Thank y-you,"

"There's no reason to be shy around me," he chuckled, "now Ko, why were you attacked and do you know by who?"

"I was in the forest and really hungry. I smelt food and I found a campsite so I tried taking some but there were these guys. They didn't like me so they chased me and hurt me. I didn't know who they were." She said fiddling with the gem in her necklace.

"Awe I'm sorry dear, in this village I promise you will never go hungry again."

"Wait, are you saying that I get to live here?" Ko made her eyes wide and her mouth agape in surprise.

"Of course, I can't have a little girl out on her own. I couldn't live with myself. Now, what happened to your parents?" He said with compassion in his eyes.

"They were killed a few years ago, they never came home." She said acting as if she were going to cry.

"So you were part of a village?"

"Yes, the Mist village."

"How old are you?"

"Eight," she answered truthfully feeling no reason to lie about that. She knew Sasuke was seven but they would have her start the academy in the introductory class with him.

"I see, well Ko. While you stay in the hospital, I will make living arrangements for you. Do you prefer living with someone or on your own?"

"Um I'm use to being alone."

"Alright, get some rest." He said with a smile.

Ko smiled back and watched as he left her room. Once he was gone her smile dropped. "I can't believe it was that easy. No wonder Father chose me for this mission." Ko thought.

She felt a presence to her right and saw Kabuto crouching in the windowsill. "Did he believe the story?"

"Yes, he is making living arrangements for me as we speak."

"Good, I won't be around much. You're on your own for a while. If you need anything send your snakes to us. Remember, be weak."

"Of course."

Kabuto then disappeared in a puff of smoke.

After a few days of being in the hospital the doctors decided she was well enough to leave the hospital. The Hokage brought her some clothes to wear instead of her old ones and walked her out of the hospital.

"I'm going to give you a tour of the village." He explained looking down at her giving her a smile. Ko looked up at him giving him a small smile then shyly reached out to hold his hand.

The Hokage led her all throughout the village showing her all the short cuts and telling her about every building even throwing in some stories about each. They then stopped at a large building which Ko guessed was the Academy.

"Now this is the academy where the children go to learn how to be ninja. Are you also a ninja Ko?"

"Uh I know about chakra. I haven't had a chance to train with it." She mumbled looking at her feet.

"Good, this is where you'll learn how to be a shinobi."

"You want me to be a leaf shinobi?" Ko looked up at him with a wide smile.

"Yes,"

"When do I start?"

"Now actually, I registered you while you were in the hospital. The other students started a few months ago but you'll catch up easily. I'll walk you in."

Ko followed him into the academy until he stopped at a classroom. He knocked on the door then walked in. He motioned for Ko to follow. When she walked into the room, her red eyes scanned the room seeing the students to her left and their instructor in front of her talking to the Hokage.

"Oh Lord Hokage, welcome." The man said with a smile. His brown hair was pulled pack spiking towards the end. The scar going across his nose intrigued Ko making her wonder how he got it.

"Hello Iruka, I'm here to drop off your new student." He said motioning to Ko who stepped out from behind him.

She looked over at the students to see them all staring at her but one kid caught her eye. "Sasuke Uchiha, hmph doesn't seem like much." She thought.

The girls in the class saw Ko looking at Sasuke and glared but the girl didn't care; she found her target.

"I'll be here to pick you up after class." The Hokage gave Ko a smile, patting her on the head then left.

"Alright class, this is our new student Ko. She just moved here so please be kind; Ko you can sit in the empty seat towards the back." Iruka said pointing to the empty chair.

Ko looked over towards the empty chair and saw that it was on the opposite side of where Sasuke was sitting.

"Damn,"

She walked up the stairs and sat in the seat so Iruka got back to his lecture. She felt someone staring at her so she looked next to her to see a girl with long blonde hair glaring at her with her light blue eyes.

"Can I help you?" Ko whispered trying to sound nice.

"I don't like you," the blonde responded with a nasty tone.

"Oh, okay." She replied looking away from the blonde to focus on the lecture.

Ko boredly sat in her seat listening to Iruka's lesson, the history of the village. She crossed her arms on her desk to rest her head on them attempting to listen without falling asleep. Hours dragged on until she looked up at the clock seeing that it was noon so Iruka ended his lesson.

"Alright, time for lunch." Everyone cheered quickly running out of the classroom. "Ko, I'll show you where the cafeteria is." Iruka said turning towards her.

Ko got up to follow Iruka down the hallway making many twists and turns throughout the hallways until they reached large room filled with tables.

"Since you guys are young, we have you eat here at the academy until you're about nine. It's just a precaution." Iruka explained.

"Are we allowed outside?" Ko questioned.

"Yes, we let you all outside where we usually have training practice." He reached into his pocket pulling out coins. "Here, the Hokage wanted me to give you some money to buy you food. He said that you need to eat something." Iruka explained handing her the coins.

He then walked away and went to sit with the other sensei. Ko found where they were serving food and got a sandwich. She looked around the room looking for a place to sit until she spotted Sasuke but he was surrounded by a lot of girls.

"Damn, how am I supposed to talk to him with those girls around?"

She saw a table that was clearand sat down eating in silence and was very surprised that no one came over to talk to her. She expected to be surrounded by everyone wanting to be her friend and asking her questions. Ko didn't mind but it wasn't what she expected; she had read that kids were very friendly always wanting to make friends. She saw most of the kids running outside so she decided to follow. Everyone was mostly in their own individual groups talking amongst themselves. Sasuke was still surrounded by girls and he looked pretty annoyed at their persistent attention seeking.

"Looks like I have to confront him when he's alone."

Ko walked over to a tree sitting in front of it watching everyone else play. She saw a bunch of girls glaring at her and once she looked over at them, they started walking over to her.

"Hey new girl?" A girl with brown hair and brown eyes approached her with a smug look plastered on her face.

"Yes?" Ko said looking up at them seeing the same expressions on each other their faces.

"We saw you staring at Sasuke this morning." She bent down a bit looking down at Ko feeling superior. Ko guess this was the leader of the infatuated girls.

"So? I can't look at someone?" Ko couldn't help but glare at them wanting nothing but to hurt them for talking down to her.

"Stay away from him," the blonde from class demanded pushing her way to the front.

"I don't think you can tell me who I can and can't hang out with." Ko replied crossing her arms unfazed by their threats.

The girls started to get angry shouting many things insults her way but Ko ignored their childish behavior.

"Stay away from him or else!"

"Or else what?" Ko rose to her feet glaring at each of them with her stone cold red eyes making most take a few steps back.

"O-Or else we'll beat you up," the leader stammered starting to feel threatened by Ko's body language. Even to the untrained eye, Ko was getting ready to attack, preparing her body for conflict.

"How dare they think they can beat me. I could kill them if I could."

"Why would you beat up an innocent girl over a boy? Your infatuation has turn you wonderful girls into sufficing primitive behavior."

The girls looked confused for a moment but continued to glare. "Just stay away from Sasuke!" They demanded before turning away going back to admire Sasuke.

"Did they seriously threaten me over a boy? How pathetic, they'll never become ninja. I guess it'll be dangerous to approach Sasuke with the girls around. He seems to be irritated by their presence, so I'll have to let him know that I am not a fan girl."

Ko looked over a Sasuke and he met her gaze. She kept eye contact with him not looking away which took Sasuke by surprise. They kept their staring contest not daring to look away. Sasuke was intrigued by Ko's boldness and sensed something strange about her, he could tell that she was different from everyone else. Their staring contest was interrupted by Iruka coming out saying that class was starting soon. They both looked back at each other then followed everyone back inside.

"That caught his attention," Ko thought smirking to herself.

Ko walked back to class but saw that her original seat was taken by another girl. All the other seats were taken except for one next to a blonde-haired boy. She walked over and stood next to him.

"Is anybody sitting here?" She asked noticing his sad demeanor.

The boy looked up; bright blue eyes held confusion. "Hm? Uh what?" It seemed he wasn't use to someone talking to him.

"There are no more seats, may I sit here?" Ko motioned to the seat beside him.

"Uh sure."

Ko sat next to him and resumed her position before lunch.

"I'm Naruto," The boy introduced giving her a sheepish smile rubbing the back of his head.

"Ko," her answer was muffled since her face was buried in her arms.

"So where did you come from?"

"The Mist village,"

"That's really cool! What's it like there?"

"Uh it's pretty depressing actually, lots of mist from the water and everyone there has no personality." She assumed since she's only been there once briefly to get Kimimaro.

"No wonder you moved." Naruto chuckled making her look up at him. He seemed like a nice boy so she wondered why he was stunned at her interaction with him.

"Yeah this village is the opposite. Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure,"

"What's up with the girls and that black haired guy with the attitude? They came up to me at lunch telling me to stay away from him."

"Oh that's Sasuke, he thinks he's so cool. For some reason all the girls like him." He said with an acidic tone.

"I can tell you don't like him,"

"He's a jerk," he spat out confirming her assumption.

"So is this class boring every day?"

"Pretty much, but not for long." His voice was full of mischief with a grin to match.

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see," Naruto said with a goofy grin.

Ko gave him a confused look but then watched as Iruka walked into the room. Ko noticed a wire attached to his chair behind the desk then looked over at Naruto. When Iruka pulled on the chair the wire making smoke bombs fall to the ground causing smoke to fill the room. Everyone screamed and Ko felt something wet hit her. Once the smoke cleared, she saw that it wasn't only smoke bombs but also paint bombs. The whole room and everyone in it were covered in multicolored paint.

"Naruto!" Iruka screamed making his face turn red with anger.

Naruto laughed at everyone's face almost falling back in his chair. Everyone in the room looked angry and disgusted with the mischievous boy but Ko only smirked at his antics. The girls screamed about their hair and clothes while the boys just glared at Naruto. He was right, that did make things less boring. Iruka grabbed Naruto by his shirt pulling him to the front of the class.

"Naruto clean this mess up!" Iruka went over to the closet to pull out a mop, a bucket, and sponges.

"You're going to spend the rest of the day cleaning this mess up while everyone else gets to leave early for the day." Everyone cheered out of excitement while Naruto groaned. "You're not leaving until every drop of paint is cleaned up! Everyone else, you may go home."

Everyone got out of their seats and ran out of the room. Ko got up and went over to Iruka.

"Uh Iruka sensei, the Hokage said that he was going to pick me up after class to show me where I live."

"You can go see him at the Hokage building. When you walk out of the academy go to the right and you'll be able to see a big building with a red roof. That's the building then tell them that you need to see the Hokage."

"Okay, thank you."

Ko followed Iruka's directions and walked into the building. She saw a lady at a desk just before the stairs rummaging through some files.

"Can I help you?" She questioned when she noticed the young girl.

"Uh I need to see the Hokage. He needs to show me where I live."

"Okay sweetie, just go up the stairs and down the hall it's the second door on your left."

"Thank you."

Ko walked up the stairs and found the door. She knocked on it and heard him say 'come in'. She walked into the office and saw the Hokage sitting at his desk. He looked up and was surprised to see Ko.

"Ko, what are you doing out of class so early and what happened to you?" He asked eyeing the splattered paint on her clothing and face.

"Uh well Naruto pulled a prank on Iruka-sensei causing paint to go everywhere so while he's cleaning up everyone else went home."

"Ah typical Naruto," he chuckled as he blew out smoke from his pipe. "What do you think of him?"

Ko was taken aback from his question. "He's alright, kinda weird. He was surprised when I talked to him. Is he always pulling pranks?"

"Yes he does, about every day I see him here after one of his pranks." The Hokage laughed. "Have you made any friends yet?"

"No, I think I got on the girls' bad sides though."

"Why is that?"

"Because I was looking at Sasuke. They keep glaring at me and told me to stay away from him."

"Ah well Sasuke is quite popular even if he doesn't want to be. I think you should give Naruto a chance; you may have some things in common."

"Why do you say that?"

"You'll see. Now let's get you to your new home."

Ko followed the Hokage down many streets then finally arrived at an apartment building. The building looked pretty new with beautiful landscaping around it. There were only two floors to the building with six doors to each floor. They walked up the stairs and stopped at the last door on the end. The Hokage pulled out a key handing it to Ko.

"This is your new home. While you were in the hospital, I had some furniture put in and stocked with food and water that will last you the month. I'll be supporting you financially until you graduate from the academy."

"Oh you don't need to do that. I'm sure I can find money elsewhere."

"You're too young for a job so it'll be my pleasure. I do this for some other children too, it's no hassle to me." He said with a humble smile.

Ko unlocked the door and walked into her new home.; everything was pretty plain. She had a few gray couches with a small table in the middle. She walked into the kitchen to see a table with a few chairs surrounding it. The fridge and cabinets were filled with food. She walked into the bedroom seeing a bed with blue sheets, a dresser, and a nightstand with a lamp on it.

"It's just the basic stuff you need. If you need anything else just let me know. There's an envelope on the nightstand with some money in it to pay for new clothes and shoes."

The Hokage then walked out of her apartment and motioned for her to follow. He knocked on a door a few doors away. Her neighbor's door opened revealing Sasuke on the other side. He looked surprised to see them, his black orbs met Ko's red ones then looked back at the Hokage.

"Ah Sasuke I'm glad you're home. Are you going out to train?"

"Yeah," Sasuke replied with a monotoned voice. He crossed his arms to get impatient with the visit wanting to just train.

"Well, I just wanted to let you know that Ko will be your new neighbor so if she needs anything, she can ask you for help. Just walk her to school a few times so she knows the way and since you're already on your way out, can you show her where she can buy clothes?"

Sasuke looked over at Ko whose posture was slacked mirroring his. Her expression looked apathetic unlike the rest of the girls in his class who would be fawning over him at this moment. He then looked back at the Hokage and nodded.

"Good, I have to go now. Have paperwork to fill out; good luck Ko." He said disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

Without a word Sasuke started walking away so Ko followed him eventually walking beside him. They both walked in silence, but Ko was trying to think of something to say to him. She needed to become at least acquaintances with the Uchiha if her mission was going to be successful.

"Sasuke," Ko said breaking the silence. Sasuke didn't reply but glanced at her then looked back towards the road. "What was with the girls in our class squealing over you? It was utterly annoying of them and unnecessary." She said in disgust.

Sasuke looked over at her again seeing the irritated look on her face. "They think I'm cute and bother me with their affection." He answered.

"Can't they take a hint? Even I can tell that you're not and won't ever be interested."

Sasuke wasn't expecting Ko to say that. He was surprised that she wasn't fawning over him like all the other girls. There was something about her that was different. She looked different than everyone else in the village and there was something about how she carried herself. Her posture and the way she walked made her look confident and powerful just like Itachi which was the opposite from her personality. From what he noticed, she seemed extremely shy and unsure. Her chakra level was very low and probably couldn't access much but she looked as if she could take on an army.

He took in her appearance. Her skin was deathly pale almost snow white while her hair was black as night and her eyes red like blood. His eyes stopped at her necklace but didn't give it a second thought. Her arms were exposed, since she wore a short sleeved top, and he could tell that she had a little muscle tone to her arms like she has been training. He noticed the bruises all over her arms and a bandage on her wrist and she walked with a limp. From the way she was walking you could see a bandage on her back most likely wrapping around her body. Her eyes are what intrigued him. When she was looking at him during recess, he noticed that her eyes didn't match her facial expressions. They held experience, knowledge, and power.

"There's something about this girl. She's not who she says to be." Sasuke thought.

"What time does class start?" Ko asked snapping Sasuke out of his thoughts.

"Eight," he answered.

"Okay, uh how much further until the store?"

"Just another block; what happened to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"The bruises, you're limping, and the bandages."

"I was attacked by bandits. The shinobi from this village found me and brought me back here."

"What happened to your parents?" He didn't care if it could be a sensitive subject.

"They died a long time ago; I don't know where they went but they never came back. Ever since they died, I was on my own. I left my depressing village to travel but it was so hard fending for myself. Usually, I went days without eating so when I found a camp or village, I would steal food. I got caught last time and I ended up in the hospital."

"All I need is him to trust me a little bit by telling him my fake story. Since he's talking to me, I guess he is interested in me which is good." Ko thought.

"So what about you?"

Sasuke glared refusing to answer. Ko rolled her eyes at his reluctance seeing it wasn't fair that he could ask about her past, but she couldn't.

"Sorry I guess it's sensitive. Tell me simple things like what's your favorite color."

"Blue," he answered rolling his eyes at the unnecessary question.

"Mine's red," she answered honestly not knowing the true answer; she had never thought about it before.

"We're at the store." Sasuke said stopping in front of the door.

"Thank you Sasuke. I'll see you tomorrow!" Ko said with a closed eyed smile as she walked into the store waving.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her knowing there was so much more to Ko than what she's showing. She's hiding something and he knows it.