Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto! All rights belong to Masashi Kishimoto. This is merely my own personal twist on the story. I can only claim this story and my OCs.

Author's Note [EDITED]: So this is my first attempt at a full-fledged Naruto fanfic. I wrote a one-shot a looooong time ago but ended up deleting it. I've had this idea in my head for a while but never got around to doing anything with it. Got caught up in some nostalgia and decided to pull this baby out. XD This is also my very first time in a long time where I have an OC as the main character. I typically don't do this, but this particular story is one of my very few exceptions. This story is actually mostly written. I just have a few kinks to work with and should be able to post this on a set schedule. *fingers crossed*

Please don't be too harsh on me… I wasn't sure if I'd ever attempt this again, so be easy on me, please? ^^;;

As mentioned in the summary, the story is set in a somewhat AU Konoha. The main differences are age-related (1), time-frame adjustments (2), a few jutsus (3), non-canon pairings (4), missing characters (5), very little character death (6), and missing/re-arranged timeline and events (7).

I won't go into too much detail, or I might spoil things. ;3 But I want to quickly cover the bases to avoid any misunderstandings.

(1) The kids (aka Naruto and friends) ages are bumped up. They are roughly 14-15 years old. I prefer them at this age, and I felt that their younger age didn't quite mesh with my plans. The differences in age among the kids have also been adjusted. ^^;; Heheheh… I also bumped Kakashi's age down by two years, so he's 24 at the start of this story.

(2) The story starts roughly a week or so after the kids have been assigned their teams and after the Wave Mission. However, it is not strictly following the main plot of Naruto. Also, I have Tsunade as Hokage. Yes, I know she doesn't become Hokage until much later, but I just love her as Hokage (and again, she fit better with my plot). And well, since this is fanfic, there will be slight deviations from the original story/plotline. Teehee?

(3) There will be a few jutsus used that are technically forbidden or way too high for lower level shinobi and kunoichi to be using. Since this is an AU *insert evil laughter* I have taken liberties to use a few jutsus as I saw fit. (Please don't hurt me!)

(4) This one shouldn't be too surprising, but I'm not overly fond of some of the canon pairings in Naruto. And this is fanfiction after all. ^^;;

(5) There will be a few characters that will not be appearing. Which sort of relates to the above point. XD Also, a few might not appear because they just don't come into the story. They may have honorable mentions! (I'll let you guys guess which characters won't make an appearance…)

(6) Character deaths! Yes, I won't go into detail, but I will mention that this story is not a tragedy. ;3

(7) This is mentioned in an A/N in a later chapter, but I wanted to address it here as well for new readers. ;) Again, because this story is somewhat of an AU, certain events in the Naruto anime/manage may or may not happen in the same timeline.

I think I covered all the bases? And well, I hope you guys can enjoy this story! It was a lot of fun finally writing this out after it haunted me for years… again, enjoy!

Uchiha Emiko. Age 18. Height 5'5." Hair color brown. Eye color brown. Birthdate unknown. Birthplace unknown. Parents assumed dead/unknown.

The teenage girl frowned at her reflection. This person... Uchiha Emiko. Who was she really?

She sighed softly as she began fixing her hair, adjusting her bangs this way and that. It was all just part of the usual morning ritual. Get up, stare at the mirror, question life, then actually start getting ready for the day. Not that the day was anything to look forward to. It wasn't terrible or anything, but Emiko always wondered what it could be like…

To have a family, instead of living in the orphanage of a small Japanese village in the middle of nowhere. To live somewhere other than this village. To find meaning in her otherwise dull life.

Well, she knew could have left when she had turned eighteen that year… but where would she go? Where could she go?

It was better to just stay right here. While there wasn't much of a future here, at least it was familiar. And well… she could be useful here, helping run the orphanage. There was nothing out there for her. She was stuck here forever.

She found herself sighing again as she finished putting up her hair in a simple ponytail. There all set. She glanced at her reflection one last time.

"Emiko. Who am I?"

Chapter One: Welcome Back Home?

It was getting a bit late into the day. Early evening by his judgement. Rather late, well, for training anyways. A soft hum left his lips. His three students were probably fuming right now. Not that he blamed them. He had wasted over half the day… again.

His eye crinkled mischievously. Which excuse should he use this time? Lost on the road of life? Helping a cat out of a tree? Maybe the old lady one? Not like they would buy any of those. No one did actually.

But he really should get going, he couldn't shirk this responsibility forever. And… as much as he hated to admit, he was already getting a bit (very little bit, mind you) fond of his trio. They reminded him of his old team. And painfully so… but at the same time, there was a glimmer of hope there. Maybe this was the team that had the possibility of making it. They did show a little promise unlike the previous genin that had he had failed again and again in the past.

"Maaa… Only time will tell if they actually have what it takes."

He might sound like a skeptic, but that was how he kept himself from expecting too much (or rather hoping too much). Right now, he just needed to take things one step at a time. These kids were nothing like the genin of his day. This was a different time and almost a different era altogether from the one he had grown up in. It was his duty as their jōnin-sensei to make sure they were prepared for whatever the future threw at them.

Part of him wished that he had paid more attention to how his own sensei had taught. Even though he had known that most jōnin would have their own genin team eventually, he hadn't really thought about it seriously when he was younger (he had always been used to be on working on his own). Well, then he had joined the ANBU, so there really hadn't been time to consider what teaching methods he would use on a future genin team (again, he had been soloing in the ANBU, no need to think about little genin). In a way, he was just winging it right now, but it was due time to be a little more serious with this team (the Chūnin Exams would be here before they knew it).

While it was true that they had shown potential teamwork, time would show if it would grow into anything real (which he deeply hoped beyond hope was the case…). Not to mention, he really couldn't fail this team like all the other teams. He was the only one that could train an Uchiha on how to use their sharingan. He was the only one who actually had some sort of tie to the Uzumaki (that and he felt responsible for taking care of his sensei's child). Then there was the Haruno… she was from a civilian family. Parents hadn't gotten very far in the Academy. She was a smart one and had good chakra control, but would she get any farther than her parents? He wasn't quite sure how to handle her (he refused to think about Rin), but one thing for sure, he would make sure she understood the seriousness of becoming a kunoichi. From there, she could—

"Kakashi-sensei! You're late!" a rather loud voice pulled him out of his musings.

"Hmm?" He looked down at the irritated blonde with a blank expression that he knew annoyed his students greatly. "Is it really that late?"

"You said to meet you at the training grounds at 8 o'clock in the morning," Sakura reminded him as crossly as she dared. While she was probably equally annoyed as Naruto, she was doing her best to respect their teacher (even if she despised his tardiness).

"Ah, I did, didn't I? Wari, wari. You see, I was helping—"

"That's a lie!" the three accused in unison.

Well, they definitely showed great teamwork when it came to voicing their thoughts about him. His eye crinkled in a smile at the thought which only served to annoy his students more than they already were.

"Shouldn't we get started?" Sasuke asked dryly. "While there's still light?"

"As observant as always," Kakashi noted cheerfully, tussling the Uchiha's hair. "But I'm afraid with this light we won't have enough time to do much training."

It was his fault, but it was all part of testing his team. He wasn't being completely irresponsible contrary to popular belief! There was a 'method to his madness' so to speak.

His three students obviously weren't too pleased with this answer. Choruses of "Kakashi-sensei!" and "not fair!" were thrown at him.

After all, he had been doing this almost twice a week for the past month after the Wave Mission—their one and only mission thus far as genin. He knew they would all catch on to it eventually (well, he had been hoping Naruto would have caught on a little sooner…). However, they had yet to see the significance.

Perhaps another week, and they'd crack it? He knew he probably shouldn't hope for that much from them.

"Tomorrow morning at 8 o'clock." He smiled down at irritated expressions of his students and added a quick "don't be late" just to annoy them further before disappearing with a quick poof.

He couldn't help but chuckle inwardly as he could hear the fading voices of his students.

"That Kakashi-sensei! Of all things… to tell us not to be late!"

It was all amusing really, but this 'game' did need to end soon. The three really did need to be focusing on more serious training. He sighed softly. Another week tops, he decided. Then, then he'd get more serious even if they didn't figure things out. There wasn't a lot of time left.

For now, he needed to take his mind off of his genin team. A walk sounded nice. He stuffed his hand in his pocket, feeling around for his Icha Icha. Maybe he'd also stop by the Memorial Stone on the way home.

Trips to get groceries were never fun, but as the eldest orphan, it was her duty. The adults had their hands full with other responsibilities, so Emiko was almost always chosen to take this weekly chore. It wasn't fun (those bags were heavy!), but it got her outside for a bit and away from the stuffiness of the orphanage. So, it wasn't all bad. Still… the trip back was always such a pain, especially with eight very full bags of groceries in tow.

"Wonder if they ever considered having two people get groceries?" she wondered drily as she looked at the long path before her.

Of course, the orphanage had to be on the other side of the village. She sighed, but sighing wasn't going to make these bags of groceries any lighter or the trip any shorter. It was time to get a move on.

She adjusted the bags on her arms. Why did they feel heavier… Maybe she should redistribute the weight?

She set a few bags down, picking out which ones were lighter. So far, she had narrowed down the two lightest ones and placed one on each arm. Hopefully, this would help make the groceries feel a little less heavy. She had just picked up a third bag when she felt a sharp tugging feeling around her chest. Maybe eight bags really had been overdoing it… She knew should have just taken the offer from the manager to do two round trips.

And now the world was spinning. Yep, she really shouldn't have pushed herself. She could almost feel her insides swirling and shrinking then expanding the swirling over and over again… Never, never again would she attempt a one attempt grocery trip. She learned her lesson, but it didn't seem like this feeling of spinning was going to be ending any time soon. Her eyes clenched shut in an attempt to ignore the pain. Again, no good. And weirdly enough, she felt like she was… floating? No, falling?! Whatever this was, she knew she would never ever attempt doing this with groceries ever again. For real. She swore she wouldn't, gritting her teeth as she suddenly stumbled forward.

"Oi... you all right there?"

Emiko slowly opened her eyes. It seemed like it was all over now (whatever that was…). "H-huh?"

And the pain… was gone? Disappearing as suddenly as it had come.

"Ah, good. You don't seem to be too badly damaged."

Emiko straightened and rubbed her head. What on earth had happened? She remembered going to the store to buy groceries for dinner then she was pulled then was flung… flung-ed (flung-ed? was that even a word?) forward. Or had that all been just her imagination?

"You all right there, young lady?"

Emiko blinked in surprise. Young lady? No one in the village had ever called her that (everyone knew her as the strange Uchiha orphan). This must be a stranger. She turned to face the man.

"WAH?!" she scurried back, somewhat unbalanced by the grocery bags on her arms that she had temporarily forgotten.

The stranger raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Is my masked face that scary?"

"That's not it! You-you!" she pointed her finger at his hair. "You have spiky silver hair!"

The man cocked his head to the side. "Ah... is that what's bothering you?"

"Your hair... it's spiky!" She found herself pointing at his hair once again. "How much gel do you use?!"

The man cocked his head once again with a puzzled expression. "Gel?"

"Like... hair gel?" Emiko took another look at the man.

Well, maybe she should call him a young man? He seemed to be only just a few years or so older than her. Although, she couldn't be sure since a mask covered his face and his head-protector thingy covered his left eye. Something was strangely familiar about it... She subconsciously fingered the similar looking forehead protector sitting in the one of the pockets of her cargo pants.

"Um... who are you?" she asked, trying to be polite. Seriously… she had learned manners at the orphanage. She should apply them!

"Hatake Kakashi."

She stood up and gave the man as respectful of a bow as she could with her grocery bags still hanging off her arms. "Ah... a pleasure to meet you, sir. I'm Uchiha Emiko."

The man narrowed his lone gray eye at her. "Did you say 'Uchiha'?"

Emiko nodded, biting her lip some. "Yes."

Kakashi seemed rather shocked as he held his chin thoughtfully. "But how?" he murmured softly, more to himself than her.

Emiko raised an eyebrow, curious to why her last name seemed to have sparked interest. Ah, but she had no time for this. She really ought to be taking the groceries back to the orphanage.

"Ah, it was nice meeting you, Hatake-san." She bowed to him again, more gracefully this time to her relief. "I really must be getting home."

Kakashi hummed softly. "Where do you live?"

Emiko blinked. "Ah... at the orphanage."

"Orphanage?"

"Yes."

He cocked his head once again. "Since when?"

Emiko pursed her lips. This man was rather forward, wasn't he?

"Since I was four."

Kakashi's eye widened in surprise. "In this village?"

Emiko slowly nodded. Where were all these questions leading too? "Yes..."

Kakashi furrowed his brow some. "But how?"

Emiko frowned, getting irritated with the man's strange behavior. "If you'll excuse me."

She didn't get very far though. It had nothing to do with the stranger this time (or her bags of groceries).

Spread out before her was the village of Konoha. Something she had never seen before and most definitely had not been expecting. This was not the village she had grown up in… She must have taken a wrong turn or something and headed to the neighboring village (she had never been there after all… how far was it again?).

She tried to school her expression to hide her shock as the stranger stood beside her, holding the third grocery bag that she must have dropped when she had greeted the man. She was master of herself. She would figure out how to get back home on her own. Well… she thought she was master of herself until she spotted the most craziest thing (at least for her).

"Wah! She has pink hair!" Emiko was barely able to hold back the shriek in her voice as she pointed in the direction of a very distant Sakura (there was no mistaking the pink-haired kunoichi).

Kakashi raised his eyebrow, making a humming noise in amusement. "But Emiko-chan, you have purple hair. What's so unusual about pink hair? Lots of people have pink hair."

"Nani?!" Emiko's hands went straight to her hair, dropping the other grocery bags on her arms in the process. "Th-that's not possible! I... I have brown hair! Brown hair!"

Kakashi let out another amused hum. "It's definitely purple. Dark purple to be exact, possibly a little close to being classified as black."

Emiko's hands were shaking slightly as she pulled her hair out of its ponytail holder and stared at the deep dark purple strands in her hand in shock. How could this be? How did she suddenly have purple hair?!

Then a horrible thought struck her mind.

"My eyes! What about my eyes?!" Emiko whirled around to look up at Kakashi. "What color are they?!"

His eye crinkled into a mischievous smile. "What color do you think they are?"

"Just tell me they're brown, Hatake-san!" Emiko begged. "They can't be some weird color like my hair!"

"They're red."

Emiko couldn't hold back a scream of horror.

Kakashi let out a chuckle and patted Emiko on the head. "Jodan, jodan. They're just dark blue."

"Dark blue?!"

That couldn't be possible. Something wasn't right. This was all just a dream. That was it! A dream… there was no way people could have pink hair or purple hair. Or crazy silver spiky hair! She was still dreaming. This place was something straight from a dream. In a few minutes, her alarm would go off, and this weird dream would be over.

"Oi… you still here?"

Emiko blinked.

But everything was… still the same?!

There was no alarm ringing. No voices screaming that breakfast was ready. Nothing remotely similar to the usual morning routine could be heard. She pinched herself, wincing at the pain. Evidently… this was all real and no dream.

"Where in the world am I…"

Emiko wasn't sure how she felt about all this. It was still hard to wrap her head around the fact that she was in a whole different world. When it had just been her and the stranger, she could deny it, but upon seeing/reaching the central part of the village (or should it be city? It was much bigger than the village she had lived in…), she could no longer deny it (but then again, she probably should have noticed something was fishy considering she only had three bags of groceries not her original eight). This was most definitely not the place she knew as home.

She had numbly let Kakashi her further into the village after he had gently explained where she was. He then seemed to be saying something to her about taking her to see someone first, but she wasn't sure. She was still trying to take in everything. This village was so big and different than anything she had ever seen (it was called 'Konoha' if she heard him correctly). And… there seemed to be quite a few people wearing that forehead protector thingy. Was it some sort of fashion statement? After all, not everyone wore it around their head. Some had it on their arm while others wore it like a belt or even around their leg! She couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. She had… well, to be honest, she thought it had some sort of special meaning. It was the only item that she knew belonged to her family.

Her memories of her family had always been extremely fuzzy. But that forehead protector… or whatever it was (she had never been sure of what it was supposed to be called) had been something she distinctly remembered as belonging to her family. It was her only clear memory… and well, it seemed like it wasn't really anything special at all.

She sighed, still absentmindedly following her guide. What else was there to call him? He was from this village and appeared to know something about what connected her to this village. After all, he had a very different reaction to her family name than she had been used to be getting. She hoped he was taking her somewhere that could possibly answer all the questions she had ever had about her family. At least, that was what she was hoping her questions could be answered.

And now, she was standing in some sort of office room where Kakashi (she remembered his name now) was talking to a blonde-haired woman sitting behind the desk (she was called Hokage). They were discussing her. At least, she thought heard them mention her name once or twice. She wasn't really paying attention.

She knew she probably should be paying attention. After all, here was a place where she could finally know things about her family. Maybe she had relatives that were still living who knew her and her parents! But she just felt so numb to it all. Like she was in a dream… and alas, it wasn't a dream. This was all real which made it all the sadder. Here she was in front of the very thing she had wished for all her life… and what was she doing?

Nothing. She was just standing there as the two adults (because technically she wasn't quite an adult yet…) discuss her life. Somehow, this felt all too familiar. It was kind of like this back at the orphanage. Adults trying to decide what should be done with her since she was never adopted. She had always been the odd one out. No one had wanted to adopt her since no one really knew anything about who she was or where she was from. The family name was foreign and unusual.

It wasn't like she could really do anything. The adults were the ones in charge. Not that she was upset with them or anything. She knew they were older and wiser. She just wished… well, wished they would stop treating her like a child and just tell her things upfront.

And here was her chance. The two adults seemed to be looking at her for a response.

But all she could do was blink. After all, she hadn't really been listening, and it wasn't like she was really going to talk back to these two adults. In her mind, maybe, but in real life? Absolutely not!

"Umm, yes?" She glanced between both hesitantly, trying to gauge their reactions and expressions to get an idea of what she might have missed. Unfortunately, these two seemed to be excellent at schooling their expressions (though Kakashi probably had the advantage of that mask he wore).

The lady cleared her throat. "For the time being, you will be staying with Kakashi. There are still a few things I would like to discuss with you, but I don't want to overwhelm you on your first day here." She gave Emiko a small smile. "I hope these arrangements won't be too much for you?"

Emiko managed to nod, not like she could really argue. At least this lady seemed nice enough. Perhaps she would have the courage to ask her more questions on another day. Like she had said, it had been a bit overwhelming. It wasn't every day that you were thrown into a totally different world that seemed to be the world that you were actually from. At least, this was all based on the reaction to her family name. The people here seemed strangely familiar with it. Though, she could be totally wrong and jumping to conclusions here… her imagination was one that constantly ran wild.

The lady, however, seemed pleased with her response nonetheless and motioned that they could leave. She might have whispered something to Kakashi before they left, but Emiko wasn't sure. She was still a little lost in her own thoughts.

Kakashi was silent as the two left the Hokage (whatever that was supposed to mean…). Emiko didn't really feel like having a conversation herself, so she just let the silence take over. She didn't blame the guy for not wanting to talk. After all, why would this Kakashi guy want to have a random teenage girl stay at his place? It would only temporary, judging from what the Hokage lady had said, but still, Emiko didn't really think Kakashi really wanted to have a guest at his place. After all, they had barely known each other for a couple of hours. Then again… she really wouldn't want to be staying with a complete stranger.

Still… she felt bad. Was she just a burden? Ugh, her thoughts were going haywire. Was this what traveling to a different world like? She felt like her imagination was going on overdrive, coming up with all sort of crazy scenarios of what could happen… They seriously did not cover this sort of situation in any of the books she had read.

This day certainly had taken quite the unexpected turn. He wasn't sure how things would work out, but he'd manage (after all, he was good at improvising and adjusting to whatever life threw at him). Though, he was still a bit miffed at Tsunade (it was difficult to think of her as Hokage when not strictly on duty). He knew it couldn't be helped, but really? Having the girl stay with him? Not the best idea.

Even if this girl was supposedly an Uchiha, her overall look and feel screamed civilian. Putting her in the same apartment as him just didn't seem like the most brilliant idea. But who was he to argue with the almighty Hokage?

He snorted softly. Even Tsunade could make mistakes… but deep down, he knew this wasn't a total mistake. The girl seemed genuine enough. His ANBU training made sure of that. There were no signs of any henge or genjutsu (he still had to figure out how she had just appeared out of thin air… some sort of jutsu maybe? He was doubtful on that one.). But one could never be absolutely sure, probably why Tsunade wanted Emiko to stay with him. He could keep an eye on her this way and make the girl feel somewhat at ease. If she was really as civilian as she appeared, assigning someone else to her might make her uncomfortable.

He sighed inwardly. This was going to be an interesting couple of days… He absentmindedly wondered how his genin team would adapt to this. Tsunade had hinted letting her join their training session the next day. Not to actual train of course. It was just a way to test the girl. That or Tsunade had other plans and wanted to torture him. He wouldn't put it past the slug princess…

But now wasn't time to get distracted by such thoughts. They were at his apartment now. Emiko seemed a little unsure about entering, but a gentle nudge from him seemed to be all the encouragement she needed.

"Maaa… it's not much, but please make yourself comfortable." He flicked on the lights revealing his tidy but rather empty feeling apartment. "The spare room is yours. It's the first door on the left. Bathroom is the second door on the left."

He glanced over his shoulder at the young lady. She seemed out of place in his apartment. After all, he rarely—correction, never—had guests over. And Emiko had spaced out or just hadn't heard him. She was obviously rather distracted. He would leave her alone to her own thoughts for the time being.

"Just call me if you need me," he offered as he guided her to the spare room.

Emiko managed to nod, barely comprehending what he said as she entered the room. She hadn't even noticed that he left until five minutes later. After glancing around the room and taking in her surroundings, she gingerly sat down on the bed, unsure of what to do. She didn't have anything with her (minus those groceries… it seemed like Kakashi had somehow taken care of those). All she had were the clothes on her back. Well, that and the forehead thingy in her pocket. She wished she had the right name for it at least, even if it was just a fashion statement piece.

She sighed for what was probably the hundredth or so time today as she pulled the object out of her pocket. The fabric was quite worn and faded… but the metal piece was still as shiny as ever. She had always taken care to polish it well. It was so well polished that she could, for the first time, see what she looked like now.

Those dark blue eyes and also the very dark purple hair… she felt like she was looking at someone she didn't know. Not that she had ever felt like she knew herself before. The change of her appearance just really seemed to be showing how little she really knew about her own self.

She frowned at her reflection. "Who am I really?"

She didn't know how long she had been sitting there, staring at her reflection when she was brought out of her thoughts by a soft knock on the door.

"Emiko-chan?"

"You can come in," she answered quietly.

Kakashi poked his head in. "I have dinner ready if you're hungry."

"Oh… um thank you." She hadn't realized how late it had gotten (or how hungry she actually was).

"Hatake-san…" She hesitated a moment. This might not be the best time, but she wanted to know. "Please, wait a moment… I want to ask you something. I mean, if you don't mind."

Kakashi looked back at her, eyebrow raised.

"Umm… do you know what this is called?" She held up the forehead protector thingy towards him. "I know you have one, and other people around here have it."

"You have a Hidden Leaf hitai-ate?" Kakashi sounded a bit surprised.

"Um… yeah. That's what it's called?" She looked down at the hitai-ate in her hand. It felt oddly satisfying to finally know what it was called.

Kakashi just nodded in affirmation. Though, he was a little concerned. How did she have that hitai-ate? She wasn't a genin (or a chūnin). He would know, and so would Tsunade. Pretty much the whole village would know. She called herself an Uchiha after all… he would have to keep a close eye on her. Maybe she wasn't as civilian as he had initially thought.

Emiko rubbed the metal piece, tracing the strange but familiar etched design. "It belonged to my family. At least, that's all I can really remember," she admitted before placing the hitai-ate carefully back into her pocket. "Those memories have always been fuzzy…"

She gave him the best bright smile that she could muster with all the strange emotions stirring deep within her soul. Pushing back tears that threatened to pool out of her eyes, she softly said with strong feeling, "Thank you."

Kakashi blinked, a bit caught off guard by the heartfelt gratitude from his guest. "Maaa… I didn't do anything."

She shook her head with a smaller smile. "How about that dinner then?"

Dinner had been a quiet affair. Neither were much of a talker (okay, that was a partial lie… Emiko could be quite the talker when she wanted to be which she was not feeling at this moment). Though, she would admit she was very curious how he ate while still wearing a mask. She didn't dare ask, afraid of being too forward. Instead, she just focused on her own plate and quietly excused herself when she had finished.

Kakashi couldn't deny that he was relieved when she headed back to the guest room. The air had been a little tense during dinner (Emiko apparently hadn't noticed…). His brows furrowed as he started clearing the table.

"How could she not notice?" he wondered.

Her chakra signature… it had been crackling and popping like it was about to explode all throughout dinner. It was a good thing it wasn't a serious chakra flare up (it certainly felt like it though), or there would be a bunch of ANBU at his place. And Emiko? She seemed completely oblivious to it. Either that or she was really good at acting.

Not that he fully trusted her or anything, but he didn't think it was all a front. The way she spoke of her family and that hitai-ate…

He shook his head, forcing himself to focus on washing the dishes. This was no time to get sentimental. Even if there was something about her that felt familiar—calming—real… He couldn't let his guard down. Until it could be clearly confirmed, he could not take any chances. She was under his surveillance until she could prove that she was not a threat to Konoha and was truly who she claimed to be.