Blaze 12
"Absolutely, I think every day is a new day, every day is a new opportunity, and every day is a new chance."
- Jennifer Winget Some warnings: mentions of abuse and death.
X
One would think training with a man who had no eyes would be easy. However, one also would have thought he wasn't capable of bounding through tree tops at high speeds. Within the span of a night Tami found out how wrong she was. The hours worth of reprieve did very little for her. Pakkun did little more than stare at her in worry. Shisui was stretching the next time she saw him, the cunning grin still on his lips.
"So from what I can tell, you're not fast enough. And your strength is a little off." Shisui said easily.
"Have any more stunning revelations?" Tami asked dryly.
"Yeah. Hatake's been soft on you. You still let your emotions cloud your reactions." He said bluntly.
She raised her eyebrows. Well then.
"When this Owl attacked, you all but froze. But Itachi said when he faced you, you wouldn't shut up. All I can think is that betrayal bothers you a lot more than a serious threat to your person." He said.
Tami glared at him, but then realized - he couldn't see it.
"And what would you suggest, Shisui?" She asked lightly, with a little warning in her tone.
His grin widened. "I think we can do better, don't you? I'm glad I got this chance. From what I hear, you understand sound better than most. I think you'll be able to help. And in turn, I can help you."
And that was how it began; her locked into a spar with a blind man. She mostly tried not to attack him head on. Mostly sticking to defense. His movements were precise but lagging behind by the barest second. He was clearly better trained than herself, even if he potentially hadn't fought in years.
"I think Itachi's eyes have to be worse than I thought." Shisui snarked, "he told me you were a pain in the neck. All you're doing now is avoiding me."
"Forgive me, but you're blind and that's a vastly different situation."
"How?"
"For one, lives were potentially on the line."
Shisui hummed in agreement, "okay. I get that. I guess we're gonna have to change that."
Change? She wondered. She didn't wonder for long. The very air around them shifted. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. Even the expression on Shisui's face changed. Malice clearly expressed across his face and a focus she hadn't quite seen before. Ah. Killing intent. Again.
Tami forced herself to push on, ducking a well timed punch - only to be nailed in the side with the other fist.
She gasped and went down.
"Yeah, I think this'll work. Why don't you rest up? I'm sure you'll need it. We'll start again tomorrow morning." Shisui told her as she gathered what little of her dignity was left.
She went over to her little hut where Pakkun was. He winced when he saw her.
"When you relay this to your boss, would you mind leaving this out of the report?" She asked. She was sure he wouldn't. After all, he had a job to do. However the Pug gave her a lopsided smile.
"I'll see what I can do." He offered and then came over to her. She sat down heavily and sprawled out on the deck. Pakkun rested his head on her side.
"You can touch my toe beans if it'll make you feel better." He offered.
Tami wheezed a laugh, exhaustion hitting her like a runaway train. She didn't know what to say. Her eyes closed and the world went silent.
X
Maya stood before the hospital. Nerves were eating away at her. It felt like the first day of school all over again. Would people like her? Would she make friends? Or would she - or would she be an outsider all over again?
She felt like she had little hope. Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself. It would be fine. Just fine. Stepping in, she went to find Senju Saeko. She still couldn't believe it. A Senju clan member! She hadn't even thought they still were around! No one did! It wasn't even official, but it was all but implied. She found her office easy enough and rapt on the door.
"Hello?" She asked, peeking in.
Saeko looked up from over her glasses and stood in a single movement.
"You're here. Come. I'll show you to your post." She said, and walked out easily.
She didn't move like a ninja did, not like how Tsunade did either. But she was elegant; at least that's what Maya thought.
The younger woman followed her out, clasping her hands in front of her.
"Tsunade-sama told me I was accepted." She said uneasily.
"She said she would. My cousin wanted to ensure that the daughter of a Sanin would be safe." Saeko said softly, as to not draw attention to themselves as they carried down the hall.
"Oh. Yeah."
"I always did wonder about that… Jiraiya. But I suppose my cousin sees something in-" Saeko stopped, glancing at Maya from the corner of her eye. "Forgive me. That might have been a little too far."
"Oh. Uhm. Yeah, my, erm, my Oto-san is a little out there." Maya said weakly. She guessed that as far as father's went, Jiraiya wasn't the worst. At least it wasn't Sarutobi Hiruzen. Poor Asuma.
Saeko didn't add anything. She just smirked and opened the kitchen door.
"Good morning, ladies. I have a new volunteer here. Please make her feel welcome. Her name is Maya." She said as Maya stepped in beside her.
The cook stood at the other end of the kitchen. She was an older woman with a gracious smile. The other two who had trays in their hands. They seemed nice. Relief slowly sank in.
"Hello! It's good to meet you." She said.
The smiles she earned back; it was nice. Saeko excused herself and left Maya in the hands of the workers.
"Hi! I'm Mio!" One of the girls with the trays said.
"I'm Hana! You're the one who came with the Hokage, right?" Hana asked.
"Oh! Hi! Uhh.. yeah! Yeah, I did."
"That must have been really cool. But you did also come with…" Hana paused and shared a look with Mio. Naruto. She came with Naruto. Maya had forgotten that he was still looked down on by most in his village. 'Of course they do,' she thought sadly.
"Oh, you mean Naruto-kun? He was actually really nice. He saved me from a bad man. That's how the Hokage found me." Maya explained.
"He did?" Hana asked, her jaw dropping.
"He used to paint my parents store bright red." Mio murmured.
Maya also forgot he used to do that.
"Oh… well, I'm sure he stopped now."
"He did. Eventually." Mio sighed.
"Come on, we have work to do. Why don't you show Maya the ropes. I'll have lunch out soon enough." Kotoko said gently. She was older, maybe in her forties. She had a worn but sweet smile.
Mio and Hana bobbed their heads, set their trays down and dragged Maya away.
"Come on!" Mio said.
"We'll show you around!" Hana continued.
Maya was quickly introduced to various nurses and other assistants and volunteers. There were a few Hyuuga doctors, a Hyuuga nurse and one Hyuuga administrator in the records office. They were nice but distant.
The trio stopped at the nurses station to talk. The two girls giddily chatting along.
"Those Clan elitists!" Mio sighed, "they're nice but they don't want to do anything with us. It's kinda sad."
"Yeah. But some of the nurses are nice." Hana said.
"Reina is great. She's an Inuzuka. She's out today. Oh! Yua is great too, as long as we don't mention a certain someone. And Hitomi is the sweetest! Just remember to avoid Doctor Junichiro. He's not very friendly." Mio explained.
Maya nodded. Of course, it made sense.
"So what about you? What brought you here?" Hana asked
"I just… I wanted to do something. You know, help out." Maya said. "Who… who can't you mention to Yua?"
"Hatake Kakashi."
'Oh dear.' Maya realized.
"Wait, why?" She asked, wondering what Kakashi had done.
"Do you know him?" Hana asked.
"Oh, Yua is going to be so jealous!" Mio added.
"He's just a friend. Why? What's wrong?" She asked, "did he do something?"
"I mean, well…." Hana and Mio shared a look.
A nurse with long pale brown hair walked up.
"What's going on?" She asked.
"Hey Hitomi. She asked about what Hatake Kakashi did wrong." Hana said with a grin.
Hitomi sighed longingly, "he has the best arms…. If only he wasn't such a pain. One of the nurses swears he's dating now. Some blonde lady."
Maya shifted nervously. The two girls giggled.
"Ever since Yua heard she's been hoping to see him. She thought he wasn't interested in women." Hitomi said with a sigh.
"He does have a cute butt." Mio murmured.
It was then Maya wished to be far, far, away. She had to overhear not only Kakashi's assets, but Genma, Eiji, Jun Pei and, oddly enough, Tenzo. She felt so uncomfortable! She had to be around two of them. And Tenzo might still be following her! What if he heard? She turned bright red.
x
The plan had been to put the potential police officers through testing. Genma and him sat there like pigeons just watching these ninja take a test. It was the craziest thing he'd ever seen. All of them were in the middle of the test, scribbling away. When one of them stepped up, he zeroed right in on Oliver to return his test.
"I'm in the Chunin final exams next week. If I pass, can I become a detective? I always wanted to be one." The kid said excitedly. He barely looked old enough to be fourteen. Probably still wet behind the ears.
"Why? You ready to see the worst in people?" Oliver asked. The boy faltered, the smile on his face falling.
"We'll see. Right now Genin are only in office positions." Genma said with a smile past his senbon.
The boy nodded and turned away to go. Genma shot Oliver a look and came over to him.
"You're going to scare away everyone. You nearly scared me away."
"That's the point. If they fall away that easy, they're not right for the role." Oliver huffed.
"Ever get tired of that grizzled detective attitude?"
"Ever get tired of that senbon?"
Genma rolled his eyes.
Another boy stepped up. Oliver watched him like a hawk. He carried his papers carefully to the front, moving like a dead man. The kid had no life in his eyes; no joy, pain, sorrow - nothing. He had the movements of a professional martial artist, but the kid seemed dead behind his eyes. The kid put his test down, and stood there like he was owed something.
Oliver slid the paper towards himself, humming. The brat got every question right. Even the trick questions.
Interesting.
He saw the name on the top of the page and frowned.
"So, Sai - you got a family name?"
"No."
"Oh? Nothing?"
"I was an orphan."
"Was?" Oliver asked
Sai took a moment to process the question and restated, "I am."
Genma pulled the quiz sheet over, and looked through it.
"You did pretty good, here. We'll talk to you soon."
The boy bowed his head and turned around to leave.
"Wait, before you go - I have something I want you to see." Oliver said and pulled a picture. He didn't think he'd need them, but this kid was all but a flashing light of danger.
He was off. Half the village was, of course, but this kid wasn't like the others. He was worse than most Oliver had seen.
He set the picture down. The figure had a Kubrick stare with a wide smile. It would unsettle most. Out of the ninja he'd met, most understood it wasn't a safe person to be around if they had that look.
"Okay, what expression is this?" Oliver asked.
Sai studied the photo. His brow lowered as he tried to figure it out.
"This isn't necessary." Genma grumbled.
Sai turned to Oliver and said, "happy."
Oliver heard the clattering of a senbon behind him.
"Yeah. That smile sure does look happy." Oliver hummed, and glanced back at Genma who was pulling himself back together.
"We'll talk to you later, Sai. Thank you."
The boy bowed and left.
Genma and Oliver shared a look.
After the test was complete and all applicants gone, Genma and Oliver went through the stack.
"I'm still choosing Sai. He's a good candidate. He's intelligent and knows his stuff."
"He can't even name an emotion children could register as creepy. He thought it was a smile." Oliver tried to reason.
"So? It's a little weird, but we can work around it." Genma carried on. He finally got a clean senbon to stick in his mouth again.
"How? No matter where you put him, he's working with the public." The detective said.
"He's good at art. We could set him up as a sketch artist. File papers, overlook other stuff. He's a skilled kid. Looks like he only wants to be here part time anyways." Genma continued.
Oliver crossed his arms and sighed. Of course.
"Fine. But that kid is a ticking time bomb. Don't let him interact with the general public."
"He's made it this far. I'm sure it's fine." Genma said.
The grizzled and grumpy Detective sighed. Well, for however long he would be here he'd keep an eye on the kid.
X
Tami awoke the next day in a lazy haze. Her body ached. Getting up once she felt ready, she could see a blanket over her form and Pakkun curled up next to her. He opened an eye.
"Was this you?" She asked.
"Boss would hate it if you got sick." He said.
"Thanks." She said as she looked out over the landscape. She hadn't gotten a good look at the farm before. It was rather cozy. The buildings were small, but the farm spread out an impressive distance. To think Shisui did it on his own impressed her. Pakkun settled beside her and placed his head on her lap. Without even thinking, she went to scratch his head and froze.
"You don't mind do you?" She asked. In situations like this, she wasn't sure what to do.
"You're so weird. Yeah, I'm fine. Just get the underside of my ear, humans forget about it." Pakkun sighed, climbed into her lap and stretched out. She scratched his ears, a grin pulling at her lips.
"This is the life. Don't tell the Boss, okay? I have an image to uphold."
Tami couldn't help but laugh. She didn't have much time before Shisui forced her to start her day. She had the unfortunate pleasure of finding out that while the bathroom had running water, there was no water heater.
She sighed. At least she could get clean. And be awake.
With Shisui, she helped him work the plot of land. After all, she was staying there. She might as well.
"So, oh great leader- what torture do you have planned today?"
"Torture? I thought you were part of the T&I."
"I am a glorified desk jockey." Tami said.
"That's not what I heard."
"Yes, well. Greatly exaggerated, I assure you."
He just laughed.
Shisui seemed to believe that farm work was a warm up. While she didn't like it, she saw the potential for bettering her skill. If she wanted to stand by Kakashi and the others, she'd have to catch up. She couldn't afford to be a distraction in battle for him, even if they weren't working together. He'd worry. He was probably worrying now.
"Tell me, will we work on speed? Strength? Been told I need to change it up." She said.
When she mentioned speed, his grin grew.
"Yeah. Yeah, we can. You have a ways to go."
Grand.
She wasn't looking forward to it. But it was necessary.
For the rest of the day he had practically run her ragged. The two stopped for lunch, and immediately after the training begun. He started her out on running laps while he sat and meditated. He stopped her after few hours to ask, "who is Daredevil?"
She nearly fell on her face.
"What? What do you mean?"
"Itachi's fan said you had been inspired by a Daredevil. Who is he?"
She stared, her arms limp at her side. She had to explain to an ex Anbu agent was a comic book character was!
"He's just from some book. He's blind, uses vibration to be able to kind of see his environment. Well, depending on the version. It increased his other senses too…." She explained, "and what of you, ah? You fought rather well."
"Yeah, well… I've been using my memory to get around. And I can sense some things, hear the vibration for others. It's easier when it's close by. It's like…. It's like I'm holding a candle in a dark room. I can only understand so much. The rest is just noise."
Tami hummed, "so distance is rather hard."
"Yeah. Kinda."
"You did rather well for the run here. With all the back tracking." She continued.
He didn't say anything, but his smile stretched thin.
Oh.
Oh.
He hadn't.
Poor man probably had gotten lost a few times. Torn between laughing nervously and just staring at the man, she chose another topic entirely.
"So, training."
"Yeah. Uh. Training. So, I noticed from Itachi you don't use your chakra nature? Or do you?" He asked, also trying to shift their conversation away.
"My chakra nature?" She asked. She remembered reading about it in a few books, but they mentioned it very briefly. Sort of like they expected the reader to know about it.
"You mean Kakashi-senpai didn't show you by now? What's he been teaching you?" Shisui asked.
"He, ah, hasn't."
"Yeah, but you think he would. It'd help you a whole lot in training."
It was then Tami wondered if Kakashi wanted her to be weaker? If this nature business made her training easier, maybe then she'd get stronger?
Then again, knowing her Darling and his history maybe he struggled training women? When they sparred he refused to punch her, usually trying to tire her out and knock her down. He also didn't trust himself much. Suddenly she remembered Rin. He still blamed himself - maybe that was why?
"Oh. Well, then." She began, "what would this nature ordeal entail?"
"I'll have to get papers for you so we know your nature. In the meantime, we'll work on that speed."
"And your dark room, ah?"
"Yeah. It'll be nice to see again, at least a little bit. We'll get lunch and then continue." Shisui said. Tami followed his lead. Lunch was nothing special; just rice and some veggies. Training continued and she fought. She counted her blessings when she was able to return to her tatami mat later that night after a very brisk bath. Without even much of a thought, she lay down and pulled Pakkun in to cuddle. He stiffened.
"Uh, you okay?" He asked
"Mm…" she hummed.
He set his paw on her shoulder, and she closed her eyes. She snuggled the pup who sighed. He said something but she didn't catch it.
Her first day of training.
Maybe she could catch up to Kakashi somehow.
X
It hadn't even been two days since Tami had left and Kakashi was bored. He managed a few smaller missions before retiring himself to a tree and trying to read.
Trying to read; it wasn't working out for him. Anytime he got to his favorite parts he was reminded that his Sunshine was gone from Konoha. He grumbled to himself, closed his book and stuffed it in his back pocket. He'd get nothing done. Not like this.
Kakashi stood up and left his favorite tree. He should go and learn more English. And there was something else that was bothering him. He had a question for her. He leapt down to the road below and started down the oad. road. When he arrived at Jiraiya's house, he found Maya to be gone. He checked the grocery store, as well as the few places he knew her to be.
No where.
He then figured he might as well check the hospital. She might have gone there to talk with Tsunade.
He went on to find Maya with a tray of rice, miso soup and glaring at him.
"What do you want? I'm working." Maya said.
"Oh… when did you start this?" He asked.
"This week. Go away. The last thing I want is the nurses-" Maya began, glancing behind Kakashi she grimaced.
"Oh, Maya-chan! How good you've been working! Oh, is this your friend, Kakashi-san. We had no idea." A nurse said behind Kakashi. He carefully turned around.
It was that nurse. He hadn't seen her in years. Not since he bribed a doctor to keep her away from him.
Maya glared at him.
"I didn't know you were friends." The nurse carried on. Maya's glare turned harder. Apparently the nurse still had a thing for him. Great. He could only imagine what Maya had heard about him.
Suddenly he felt a twinge of guilt; Maya had been kind to him. To deal with that nurse, he could only imagine what she dealt with.
"We were just talking about him earlier, Yua-san. When you mentioned-" Maya was swiftly interrupted by a nurse.
"Oh, Maya-chan! You're so funny!" She giggled.
"I was just here to talk to my friend, right Maya-chan?" He said sweetly.
"Oh! Am I interrupting? I'm so sorry!" Yua giggled and left.
Maya stared at Kakashi as Yua left, still laughing to herself.
"Do you know how much I've heard about you in the last day? Just in the last day?" She complained.
"Oh, uh .. sorry Maya-chan." He scratched the back of his head nervously.
"I mean REALLY! There's only so much I can tolerate! I don't want to hear about your butt and arms! Or anyone else's!" She cried out. "I mean they talk about the others, but the second they know I know you that's all they want to talk about!"
"I'm sorry, Maya-chan." Just hearing about it creeped him out. He had thought Yua had lost interest years ago.
"She stopped. I didn't know she was still…."
"She thought you and Gai were a thing." Maya said flatly.
"What?" Him and Gai? They were friends, sure! But why Gai?
"Well, her and half the fanbase." Maya muttered, and Kakashi followed quietly behind.
Wait. fanbase?
"What fanbase?" He asked.
Maya turned to him and stared at him hard. Oh. Well….
"What did you want?" She asked finally with a sigh.
"I wanted to learn more English." He said.
She sighed, "I can't right now. Is there anything else?"
He fell quiet, knowing she wasn't in the best mood. He glanced around. There was no one close by to hear them. Just in case he tried his hand in English.
"Tami-chan angry Naruto parent get?" He tried.
She just stared at him
"We need another lesson." She said, "I'll help you after work if you want."
Kakashi frowned. He had thought he was doing well!
"Well?" He prompted. She had to at least understand him somewhat.
"Tami really cares about that kinda stuff. I can't imagine her not being angry."
"Nothing happens to Naruto?"
"Nothing. He does… ugh… he, uhm. IT doesn't stay a secret from him." Maya stuttered.
Kakashi scratched the back of his head. Maybe he should tell Naruto? He couldn't hide it from Tami forever. If she saw Minato's photo, he was sure she'd catch on immediately! He couldn't just hide all of his photos with Minato in them if they moved in together. He remembered the outburst from before when she found out about him being the Jinchuuriki.
"Why didn't you tell me? You knew this entire time and didn't…." Tami had told him back then. The betrayal she had on her face had unsettled him. "You know, don't you? You know who his parents are. He has a right to know, Kakashi!"
It had taken him a while to get back into her good graces. Even then she was distant. Maybe it might be worth it. Naruto would know his parents. He was gone with Jiraiya. At least Naruto would have time to get used to the idea.
Kakashi sighed.
"Thank you Maya-chan." He said finally. He'd have to come to terms with what he was about to do.
"See you at four?" She asked.
He just gave her a smile and shook his head. He left quietly.
Before long Kakashi found himself in front of the memorial stone, staring at the names as if he could inscribe them in his own mind.
What would Minato have wanted? He would have wanted his son safe but - would he have wanted Naruto to know if there was a strong possibility he would be safe? He knew without a question what Kushina would have wanted. Kakashi winced- she would have yelled at him years ago. He rubbed the back of his neck, thinking about the second family he lost. Kushina doted on him and Obito. Minato was there to oversee him like a family.
He would do anything to keep his new family safe.
Minato would have wanted Naruto to know. Sarutobi thought it would mean Naruto's death, but - but if Naruto knew and wouldn't say anything Kakashi didn't see the harm. He let out a long sigh, rubbed the back of his head
Maa.
He left the stone quietly. He had to go and tell Tsunade he would be busy for a little while. He made his way to her office.
X
"Did you see him?" A nurse giggled.
"He came in to talk to the new girl in the kitchens, Maya-chan."
The two nurses giggled. Maya felt queasy.
She ducked her head and ignored the whispers.
Oh dear.
She returned to the kitchens to find Mio and Hana.
"Oh! We heard about-"
"Nope! No! I don't want to hear about butts or arms or sexy calves or what else can he do with that senbon!" Maya interrupted.
Mio and Hana just stopped and stared at her.
"I'm sorry! It's just, we're friends and I don't want to hear about his butt or anyone's." She continued on.
Hana stifled a smile and Mio moved to her side and pulled Maya into a hug.
"I'm sorry. We went a little overboard!" Mio said.
"I wondered… I thought you looked a little uncomfortable. I should have stopped." Hana said.
Relief hit Maya and her shoulders sagged. Oh how nice! They didn't hate her for not wanting to hear it.
"We'll try to be more mindful." The two said. Maya instantly felt better. She thanked her new friend and carried on with her day. It seemed to be looking better until she ran into a doctor.
She had been picking up a tray that a patient was done with and turned around right into a doctor. The cup on the tray slipped off and spilled right down his lab coat and slacks. Maya stared helplessly at the spill.
"Oh. I'm so sorry." She whimpered.
"Do they only hire incompetent idiots in the kitchen?" The Doctor snapped, looking down at the spill.
Maya's jaw tried to work.
"Well?! Do something! You made the mess!" He shouted.
She scrambled to find anything to clean the mess. It was just water. Wasn't it just water? If she didn't get moving, beer bottles would start-.
"What do you think you're doing?!" A woman's voice seethed through
Maya froze, unable to move.
"Doctor Junichiro, wasn't that just a water cup? Are you allergic now?" A woman came over quickly and pulled Maya away. It was then the younger girl could see the other - a nurse she hadn't met before. She had the Inuzuka markings on her face, deep auburn hair with a skunk streak right through. Her brown eyes blazed amber under her rage.
"You again? Keep your nose in your own business!" The doctor spat.
"Maybe if you actually treated the staff like people I would." The Nurse retorted. She pulled Maya over to her and took the tray.
She was ushered out by the Nurse.
"Hey! I'm going to write you up!"
"And I'll tell the Hokage you went after Jiraiya-sama's daughter!" The nurse growled. The Doctor's face paled and his jaw dropped open.
"That? That's his daughter?! The Village's madness has a daughter?!" He demanded to know.
"I wouldn't let Tsunade-sama hear you say that." The Nurse said slyly.
She pushed Maya away, muttering under her breath.
"I cannot believe him." She muttered, "are you okay?"
"O-oh… okay." Maya said hesitantly.
"Ugh! That doctor is horrible!" The nurse continued, "Anyway, I'm Inuzuka Reina. It's nice to finally meet you."
"Oh. Uhm. I'm Maya. You-you know about my, erm…. About Jiraiya?" Maya asked quietly.
"Some of us do. I was here when you all arrived." Reina said.
Maya fell quiet.
"I guess I thought no one noticed."
"It's no big deal sweetie. He's a weird guy to have as a dad, but…. No one will look down on you." Reina told her.
"Yeah, uhm. I guess. Thank you so much though." Maya said, "everyone else has been really sweet except the… uhm… never mind."
"What?"
"Well, I met Yua, and she kept going on…."
Reina groaned, "I can only imagine."
"All she did was talk about him, and, uhm…"
"Yeah. I don't understand why. He's so boring." Reina sighed.
Even though Kakashi was one of her favorite characters, Maya giggled.
"He is a great guy though. Sometimes."
"Any time I go to take his vitals, he tries to get away. It's horrible." Reina complained.
Maya tried to not giggle. It sounded like Kakashi.
"I'm sure he does. It sounds like him."
The two shared a few laughs. Reina was a nice lady. She hoped they became better friends.
X
Tenzo took his job seriously. Lives were on the line and his village as well. He did his best. In part, he enjoyed the recognition, and just knowing he did well. Because of that he had the highest completed jobs done on the current Anbu roster.
Of course, this didn't include Kakashi-senpai.
He had gotten Yugao to follow Maya. It was the only Anbu agent he trusted with the young woman. It helped Yugao, too, as she was planning to retire soon. It kept her closer to home. So that brought him to his search for Owl. His real name was Haruto.
His search started at the home itself; a thick layer of dust showed no one had been there in years, much less days.
Now that he thought about it, it had been a long time since he saw Haruto in person. He had just thought they might have passed him by, or left.
His search lead to the Anbu headquarters. He found nothing. Haruto's old locker was empty.
Jun Pei came over to him.
"Tenzo-senpai!" He whined, "I haven't seen Eiji-kun in a while. Have you?"
Another missing Shinobi?
Root. It had to be Root. He fought the urge to frown. They were fools to think Danzo just stopped operating.
"No, I haven't seen him. If you do, let me know." Tenzo said.
"Ooo," Jun Pei cooed, "he's in trou-ble! I'll try to find him."
The younger Shinobi left, a pep in his step.
Tenzo watched him go and sighed. His search continued on, trying to find Haruto. He had to be somewhere. Of course, that meant he probably had to go to the old Root headquarters. He wasn't looking forward to it. However he was stronger now. He was a better ninja.
Tenzo bowed his head and gathered his courage. It was time to revisit his past.
Getting back to the headquarters, he made sure to hide his chakra signature as best as he could. He climbed through, hiding behind the pipes.
There, beyond, in the clearing stood Danzo. He must have returned. On the ground before him lay a body.
Haruto? No. No it wasn't.
"You alerted the outsider." Danzo growled. "You told your fellow Root brethren that if you spoke with her and Hatake, knowing his stance on what we do, she'd back down and turn to us. You manipulated your fellow Root members and now the Hokage knows we're in operation."
The man paused, looking over the members he had there.
If Tenzo looked closer, he could see it was - Eiji. Eiji lay before Danzo. His face had blood streaming down the side, and his body broken.
"No one can find the outsider and if Hatake knows, the Hokage knows." Danzo said coldly. "You betrayed us."
"T-the Hokage will u-understand." Eiji stuttered, but his protests sounded weak even to his ears.
Danzo looked down his nose at Eiji.
"You will die soon enough on your own. You aren't worth the effort." Danzo was the first to leave.
Slowly the others left behind him.
Tenzo waited for a long minute before he dropped down to see Eiji. He was minutes from death. He didn't have the ability to heal him.
"Eiji?" Tenzo asked. His fellow Anbu coworker tried to move. Tenzo pressed his hand to his shoulder.
"You don't have long."
"L-leave me. They'd know someone was here."
"Eiji, where's Haruto-kun? Why are you-?"
"Ha-Haruto was k-killed years ago. I-I replaced him."
So Eiji was pretending to be two Anbu. His regular position as Wolf, and his stolen position as Owl. That would be why Owl suddenly disappeared but still completed his duties. He wondered if the other Root members helped him manage the job duties.
"How long ago?"
"After… after he returned… with her." Eiji said weakly. His death rattle was beginning.
"So you? Were you Owl?" Tenzo asked.
All Eiji could manage was a small smile. He didn't last for much longer. Tenzo stayed as long as he could. With a heavy heart he returned to the Hokage to report his findings. Eiji had been a good friend for some time. His distaste for Kakashi had rubbed him the wrong way in the beginning but he never would have thought he was Root.
X
Oliver had been relaxing. From what Tsunade had told him, he would be going home soon. From the sounds of things, Maya wasn't coming. He'd have to figure out what to do. If he went back home he'd be under scrutiny. He was the one who had last seen Maya. They were at her apartment. No cameras to show he vanished into thin air with her. It would be suspicious if he just showed up without her. He would be the only suspect. It was a troublesome position to be in. He stretched out on the bench in the park, just watching as people walked by. It was one of his favorite pastimes. Simple. Calming. He used it often enough to just think and reflect on his life and the world. His wife had been the one to start him on it, and he continued it. He missed her more than he could say. One day they'd reunite. But, he hoped it wouldn't be for awhile. His son still needed him. Tami - Tami was fine. She had grown up while in Konoha. She was stronger than he could have hoped for. He feared he wouldn't be able to see her before he left, but - maybe it was for the best? He was terrible at goodbyes.
Sitting there, he watched as a trio of children, a dog, and a young man headed his way. The one boy with the dog had no eyebrows and shaggy red hair. The girl beside him had a frown on her face and the other boy seemed to have war paint on his. The dog was a husky, briskly waking bedside the boy without eyebrows. Weird. The young man behind them clearly was a ninja; he looked incredibly strange with fabric over half his face and Oliver was pretty sure it was a prerequisite for the job. His niece included.
"Are you Walker Oliver?" The boy without eyebrows asked.
"Who's asking?" Oliver countered.
"The Kazekage of Suna." The young man said.
"Oh. You're the Kazekage?" Oliver asked the young man. The ninja frowned and his gaze darted to the boy with no eyebrows.
Of course.
It had to be the nonsensical option.
"I am the Kazekage, Gaara." The boy stated.
Oliver grunted, "my mistake. What can I do you for?"
"I wanted to meet you. Tami-chan said I could." He said.
"That so? And you all are?"
"This is Temari, my sister. Kankuro, my brother. Baki is the other." He said assuredly.
"Well, nice to meet you. Tams isn't around right now. I'm sure the Pirate is around somewhere if you want to leave a message with her." Oliver grumbled.
"I know." Gaara stated.
"This is stupid." Kankuro muttered.
Temari shot him a look.
"I believe Gaara-sama wanted to see you because Tami-san made an impression on him, and she spoke highly of you." Baki said.
Oliver grunted and scratched his neck in thought. These ninja kids were rough. He could see the disfunction right on Gaara's face. The kid probably had a rough go at things. Probably didn't understand his own emotions, like Sai from before.
"What about?"
"She spoke about you telling her different life lessons."
Ah. The kid was looking for direction in his life.
"Well, take a load off. I'm here all day." Oliver said. When Gaara gave him a funny look, he explained, "it means, sit down. We'll chat."
Gaara nodded and went to sit down.
"Baki, go ahead and go. I'll be fine." Gaara said. Baki sent him a look but complied.
"I'm not leaving, but I'm not staying here to listen to feel good Konoha crap." Kankuro muttered.
"I'll let you know when I start talking that way, kid." Oliver replied back. The boy shot him a glare while his sister ushered him away.
"Stop picking fights." She told him.
Oliver watched them go to the other side of the park. The pup with Gaara sat by his side.
The boy looked up expectantly to Oliver. Out of all the strays Tami collected, this one was probably his favorite. He didn't mouth off, he was straight to the point, and he was thoughtful. And, best of all, he didn't dress like a pirate. Except the kid had some strange ideas about pets, battle and friendship - Oliver guessed being raised as a weapon kind of did that to him. Over all, he was a good kid.
"You ever want to come around, come on by. You're welcome." Oliver told the boy after they parted. Gaara nodded and he and his dog left quietly.
X
Days training were beginning to blur together. She woke up Pakkun still in her arms. Before she got ready for her day, she idly scratched Pakkun's head.
"Is… do you think Kakashi is okay?" She asked.
"He's fine."
"Can you check? Ask the others?" She continued on.
"Boss doesn't like us doing that." Pakkun answered.
"Oh?" She hummed; it made sense.
"Boss only lets you." Pakkun said, giving her a look. "He doesn't like being doted by anyone else."
"I see…" she murmured. On some level she knew it. "Thank you, though. I'm glad you are all there, anyways."
She pressed a kiss to his forehead. Pakkun blushed, bowing his head. Tami smiled at him and carried on with her morning. She met Shisui over at his hut - a little larger than the small one she had.
He at least had a kitchen so she'd get breakfast. He was already there, getting breakfast ready.
"Well, I got the paper we need to test what chakra nature you have." Shisui told her, "it's on the table. Just use some of your chakra to charge the paper. Tell me what happens."
The table was a traditional one. She got down on her knees and picked up one of the papers. With a bit of focus, she used her chakra and -.
The paper tore to the center and on the other half was wet.
"Uh.. it… it, uh… tore and it's wet. I'm not quite sure what it means." Tami said.
"Oh. You have two nature's. It's not unheard of. Wind and water from the sounds of it." Shisui told her.
"I was hoping for fire." Tami sighed, "Konoha already knows I'm an outsider. It would have been nice to have something."
"Are you accepted by your friends? The people closest to you? The Hokage?" Shisui asked.
"Of course. But I'd like to not stick out."
"That's all that matters. Those three groups." Shisui said.
"Said the man who was betrayed by a council member." Tami countered.
"Ohh, low blow Tami-chan. I'll remember this in training." He said with a grin, "but you know I'm right."
"Mmm. Probably." She agreed. "So - what does it mean for me?"
"Well, you'll train with those elements around you. We'll start with water today. Wind is easy. It's everywhere." Shisui told her.
Tami nodded. It made sense. She hoped it really did mean training would be easier. She really didn't use any elemental jutsus in her attacks. She just used her own cunning. Back then, she had a delay to work around. Now? Well. The delay was gone and she could step up. Her only other problem was transferring her knowledge from reading enemies in simple conversations to higher stakes full blown battle. Kurenai had told her once she thought Tami was just scared of what she could really do. The blonde couldn't disagree. Now on the edge of what she knew and going into new jutsus and strength - she was both cautious and intrigued. It would be a strange day indeed.
"Come on. Finish breakfast and we'll get started." Shisui said, setting a simple meal before her.
She ate it, and they went through their morning routine. Farming, running, come sparring - and then he pulled her to the side.
"Follow me. We'll get started on that water jutsu of yours." Shisui told her. He started out and Tami followed him close behind. She could hear rushing water up ahead. There, beyond the shrubbery and greenery was a waterfall.
Shisui turned to her with a smile, "stop the water with only your chakra control."
Her jaw nearly dropped.
"I beg your pardon, but what?" She asked.
"You heard me. Stop the water flow with your chakra."
"Is this about my comment from before?" She asked.
"No. Not at all." He replied easily.
She shot him a look, and carried out into the water. The moment she touched it, she recoiled. The water was freezing!
"That is for your comment before." Shisui said slyly.
"Noted." Tami replied, gingerly stepping in. It was so cold!
"Well, I'll leave you to it. Start with chakra molding. You'll get it." He said and left.
Tami stared down at the chilling water below her. Grand.
She did what she always chose to do. Start small. She knelt down, wincing as she did. She cupped her hands and started trying to work with the water. And… nothing. This was going to be a process.
X
Kakashi quietly left Konoha early the next morning after his talk with Maya. He used his summoning jutsu to call for his ninken, Uhei. He had snuck into Naruto's home and snatched a sock for his hound to catch the sent from. He was sure they could get close and Jiraiya would meet him.
"I need to find Naruto." Kakashi said, letting his hound smell the sock.
"Where's Pakkun?" Uhei asked after sniffing (and grimacing) at the sock.
"He's on another mission." Kakashi said, and the two started running. Uhei raced through the grassy landscape of Konoha, into unknown rocky terrain. Uhei suddenly stopped and Kakashi caught up.
"The scent ends here." Uhei murmured.
"Yeah?" Kakashi murmured. That meant Jiraiya had to be around. He just waited. The Toad sage would arrive in time.
It took almost ten minutes before the Sage arrived.
Jiraiya walked up with heavy footsteps. He squinted at Kakashi.
"What are you doing here?" He asked, crossing his arm.
"We need to tell Naruto-kun." Kakashi said.
"Tell him what exactly." Jiraiya grumbled, crossing his arms. Kakashi just waited for the Sage to understand. It took only a moment. Jiraiya groaned. "Don't tell me, she got to you."
Kakashi just waited.
"You're whipped you know that." Jiraiya said flatly.
"Tami-chan doesn't know. She doesn't even know I'm here. It's time he knew." Kakashi replied.
Jiraiya groaned, rubbing his face tiredly. "Fine. Fine. We can. But he's going to be ridiculous after this. Stay here. I'll bring him out."
Kakashi sat down with Uhei waiting beside him.
"Boss?" Uhei murmured, his brow knit together.
"It's fine." Kakashi said.
Uhei fell quiet, and placed his head on his paws.
Naruto came out finally. He rubbed his wrist against his forehead.
"Kakashi-sensei? What were you doing here?" Naruto asked.
The time had come. Kakashi scratched the back of his head. He didn't know what to say. He didn't even know how to begin.
"He said he wanted to talk to you. Tell you something." Jiraiya said from behind. His arms were still crossed against his chest. He shot Kakashi a look; start now or we're leaving.
"I knew your father." He said simply.
Naruto froze.
"You - you knew my dad?" He asked.
Kakashi sighed and patted the spot beside him. Naruto came by and sat down.
"How'd you know my dad?! 'ttebayo! You gotta tell me!" He cried out.
"He was my sensei." Kakashi said. Naruto's jaw fell open. "His name was Namikaze Minato."
Naruto's jaw fell down, and he murmured the name under his breath to test it out.
"Wait! Isn't that the name of -"
"Of the fourth Hokage." Jiraiya said, shooting Kakashi a look. Almost as if to say you better know what you're doing.
"My dad was the fourth Hokage?!" Naruto gasped. He stood right up, shock clearly on his face. "No way! 'ttebayo! My dad is the fourth Hokage! What about my mom?!"
"Uzumaki Kushina. You have her verbal tick." Jiraiya answered.
"She and Minato-sensei were a lovely couple. She was the Jinchuuriki before you." Kakashi said.
"She was pretty loud. And violent." Jiraiya added, "but your father liked her. He was a calm man."
"He was known as Konoha's yellow flash." Kakashi added. At this point he didn't know why he continued. He told Naruto what he wanted to. It was done. But it was nice to talk about his sensei after so long.
It didn't take much for Naruto to be reduced to tears. Jiraiya put a hand on his back.
"I can tell you more stories later. After you train more." Jiraiya said.
"Y-yeah. Okay." Naruto stuttered.
Kakashi managed a smile, patting the boy in the shoulder.
"You have big shoes to fill. Minato-sensei was a flee on sight Shinobi." He said. Naruto sobbed and nodded.
"Yeah. Yeah, 'ttebayo." Naruto said, and began to sober up. Kakashi stood up, getting ready to return to Konoha.
"Wait. Kakashi-sensei, why are you telling me this?" Naruto asked shrewdly.
The silver haired Jounin turned to see his student glaring up at him.
"You're trying to get brownie points with Tami-chan, aren't you?!" He accused.
Kakashi blinked. Was he? Really? Well, she might have been the reason he was there, but-.
"What did you do? Did you hurt Tami-chan? Or are you trying to do something?" Naruto continued on. He huffed and crossed his arms. "'Ttebayo! I ain't telling Tami-chan about this one bit! You ain't gonna use me!"
Kakashi just sighed. He didn't have to use Naruto for anything. Just when they had a moment, his student had to be…. Like this.
'Minato-sensei, do you see this? I was never this unruly.' He complained. Then again, it did take him a while to warm up to Kushina….
"I hope she wises up to you and finally goes out with Iruka-sensei! It would have worked too, if you didn't interrupt!"
Kakashi managed a long suffering sigh, as Jiraiya struggled to not laugh.
"You set Tami-chan up with Iruka-kun?" Jiraiya asked, humor coloring his voice.
"Yeah! 'ttebayo, they woulda worked out if Kakashi didn't stop the date!" Naruto continued.
The date-intruder just shared a shrug with Jiraiya and turned away to leave. As he left with Uhei, he heard Naruto call after him.
"Don't worry Kakashi-sensei! I'll get strong like my dad! And stay away from Tami-chan, okay?" Naruto called out.
Kakashi shook his head, entertained by the boy's antics. He would be a handful. He hoped Jiraiya didn't hate him for what he did.
End Chapter
An:/ tada! I hoped you liked this chapter. I still feel like last chapter may need some tweaking, but… I guess it is what it is.
So - dual affinities. I didn't know there was an argument about them until I did this chapter. My understanding was that a handful of Shinobi do have dual affinities otherwise they have a single affinity. I was under the impression Sasuke, Sakura, Yamato, and a few others had dual affinities. It makes sense for their characters (at least to me). Well, I found a forum from the big ol' 2007 and let me tell you - not everyone is under this impression! So, in case it's something you don't ascribe to, this is my interpretation. It's kind of hazy like most stuff in Naruto and up to the interpretation of the viewer.
Also, for those of you on TikTok - if you ever want to see someone who looks like a young Oliver Walker, check out Voicemonsteredits. I found him and he just makes me think of a happy, light hearted Oliver EVERY TIME.
Thank you to everyone who is following, favoriting and reviewing! I hope you're enjoying the story.
In other news; a friend of mine is writing a story focused on Sakura. It's a take on "what if everything in Naruto worked out better". So, Kakashi's parents are still alive, so is Obito and Rin. And, of course, the Uchiha and Naruto's parents are still around. She came to a problem I have. I love Kakashi and Tami so much that is hard to see them with anyone else (I'm biased and I'll admit it. I'm sure other authors feel the same about their oc and Kakashi). So Tami will be making an appearance in an upcoming chapter, but her version of Tami who was born in the world of Naruto!
Check it out when you have time. It's A Will Made Of Iron by Yasumin J.