In the fire temple, Takamitsu's hand was stented, stitched, and surgically repaired to the best of the medical staff's ability. His mobility would return in the proceeding months, but this left him out of performing proper hand-signs with his ninjutsu. He overheard the staff talking with Tenten a hallway down.

"So Takamitsu and I were ambushed near the river by the practice grounds. He and I were sparring when a genjutsu started to take place. I managed to get out of it, and was having to fend off while he wasn't able to fight half the time. After a while, he had gained consciousness and had these glowing eyes that bled chakra, and he was moving at least twice as fast as lee with his weights." said Tenten.

"And it looks like both him and Shigeko poised a fighting style from the Land of Lightning… The bruised neck, the torqued elbow after being dislocated… and she's a sword fighter too. So, having the autopsy read that this isn't her leaves me quite concerned for what is going on... "

"That's not what I remember the story being…" Takamitsu thought.

"Good, you're awake. Takamitsu, we're just going to ask some general questions on what happened the other day. You're not in trouble, we just need to depict what sort of genjutsu this ninja had between you two."

"Well, it all started when I was born-"

"Save the jokes for later kid."

0-0-0-0-0

"The goal was to rid of the Tadashi clan, and well, we have one family member among our political staff, followed by his brother being held with immunity in prison, and his son, who we don't have any form of tracking on. Our only lead on the missing kid was shut down after capturing the family members… But then the squad was ambushed and that fell to the bottom of a river."

"But isn't that good we'll have only one to capture now?"

"What we needed was bait. And now we don't have any way to encourage him to come back."

"What about if he knew we did it?"

"Oh there's no doubt he'll find out. The problem is we don't want to expose the proof to anyone else. Especially since he's in the gun-ho Leaf Village."

"Lord Kazekage, I have received news that one of our Jonin has been slain near the fire temple." A messenger burst through the door to reveal yet another council meeting in the cloud village political office.

"Can any of these village idiots figure out how to capture a god damn boy!? He's not even a chunin for f—ks sake!"

"Sir, might I interject that it seems he is being guarded by The Legendary Copy Ninja, the Green Beast of the Leaf, and a select few Leaf Anbu."

"Oh no wonder we're having so much trouble. The damn leaf knew about this the whole time! These motherf-kers are probably in the Ninja equivalent of South Carolina by now!"

"Uhh sir? Where would this South Carolina be?"

"Covered up by slang in the middle of nowhere!"

"Oh, so the land of Sound-"

"I was making a Metaphor!"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Kakashi and Guy returned to the fire temple to realize Takamitsu had wandered off again. Kakashi ordered Guy to watch over Lee and Tenten while he searched. Takamitsu had traveled the nearby forest up and down, recalling scenarios he went through. He thought hard about what was and wasn't real in his situation, but couldn't find where the line was drawn. Unfortunately, he stumbled on the remains of Shigeko under some foilage, and a line appeared across her neck, presented from what looked like a kunai.

Takamitsu was mortified to see that this wasn't the way she died that he remembered. Moreover, he saw the sword she originally wielded on her back… "So, the person I fought must have not been Shigeko to begin with!?"

He fumbled a bit with one arm to unholster the sword from the deceased being.

"I'm sorry friend. You deserved better than this." Takamitsu begun choking up with minimal tears. "I wish we'd have never met. For I feel responsible that you have fallen."

He took two fingers to close her greyed out eyes. And he begun walking back to the temple. He felt that his presence would put his squad in danger. Perhaps even his family, but he knew they too had a target on their backs. Kakashi and Paku appeared from thin air in front of him.

"Why are you out here alone?" Kakashi said coldly.

"Because I can't trust anyone." Takamitsu was quick to answer.

"Why, is it because it's that easy for you to lie, and so everyone else can do the same to you?" Kakashi said, and Takamitsu's eyes widened in shock.

"That's right. I know exactly what's going on." Kakashi paused. "Well, I think I know enough to make ends meet with this situation. You either have a keen sense of adventure, or you're trying to keep away form others so that you don't get them caught up in your beef. I hate to tell you, but we're all in this, wether you like it or not."

"But Kakashi sensei, why can't I face this myself and leave others out of it?"

"Because you aren't the end goal for whomever is after you." Kakashi said. "You are on a list like other clans to be either controlled as a weapon, or wiped so it is not used against them."

"So, will the leaf village use me to fight against the cloud?"

"No-"

"So does this mean I need to be eliminated?"

"Also, no."

"Then what am I at this point?"

"A human being with rights other human beings have."

"Then why did you hunt me down?"

"Because I'm tired of playing the scrambled goose game between the entirety of Team Guy. And you have a bounty on your head from the Cloud Village."

"So you also know that I'm-"

"Mashua Tadashi." And with those words from Kakashi, a shiver encased Takamitsu's spine. It was a torsion of relief that he understood, but also a concern that he had the information almost no one else knew.

"Does this mean I have to change my name back?"

"Considering your current circumstances, I think it's best we keep this under wraps, but don't be surprised if the Hokage now refers to you as your real name. I wouldn't tell Guy. He's bad enough when it comes to remembering names."

After that, Kakashi eye smiled and brought Team Guy back together once again. They had departed for the leaf village, and Takamitsu kept himself distracted with Shigeko's sword. He seemed to have already killed the individual responsible for her death, but he didn't have the satisfaction of avenging her properly. This would be something that dug at him for a long while.

0-0-0-0

"Classified information- a staged ambush. Your family has been relocated to safer grounds." The Hokage muffled with his tobacco pipe in his mouth. "You will remain assigned with Team Guy. There's a lot of complications to arise with this manner, but, from word of the grape vine, they say that you can almost handle yourself out there. Not many genin can say they could engage in combat with an A rank criminal. And by word of your comrade, you were the one who saved them and the fire temple from a common enemy who has taken the lives of many in the past. Your name will be kept under wraps, and to the public, you will remain in the land of fire as Takamitsu Montonobu. You will be assigned to free residence in the village so long as you work under team Guy. Dismissed."

Soon after, Takamitsu had received directions after being paid a hefty amount for the mission they performed. He found his Studio apartment near a practice field and first mounted Shigeko's Broadsword on the wall between the bedroom and kitchen. There was no door between the two, and there was a foldable door for the bathroom. A small tub shower, gas stove, and a full sized bed seemed a luxury for the place being free. The bed lights did not turn on, but there was sufficient light from the open window facing the fields. And of course, team Guy was outside with Lee and Tenten sparring. He took some chairs from the hallway and put them beside his small table. He wanted to have them come over tonight in a form of celebration that no one in the squad died from the mission. And it would help him detox from the stress of earlier.