A/N: Howdy! Double update. Stay hydrated my friends xoxo

Chapter 25

Sasuke gritted his teeth together, fists clenching as he hid the lower portion of his body behind the six-foot-tall fence separating training grounds 8 from the dirt path.

He had suppressed his chakra as best he could, but he could tell that Charlie's new dark-haired friend had sensed him. He wondered if the girl had too. He wondered if she cared.

Because he had stopped by her apartment at least five times since they'd arrived back in the village, and she'd never answered the door. She had always been seemingly out, and according to Naruto, she was usually scarce in the evening times too. Was this why? Why was she training with this... random guy?

The Uchiha didn't recognize him, that was for damn sure, and there was no way he wouldn't have noticed a kid like that in the Academy. He wore dark, plain clothes, and he had minimal expression on his face as he sparred with the red-headed girl. He was quick, quicker than Sasuke, and precise too- Charlie was getting her ass handed to her, but she had that feral smile on her lips that she wore sometimes when she was having fun.

When had he begun to notice stuff like that?

She looked good. Genuinely good. Healthy, happy, and... determined, despite how uprooting her injury was. He knew she wasn't the time to give up, he just knew it, but then what was she training so hard for? Just to do D and C ranks?

Dark eyes narrowed. That didn't sound like her at all.

His inane jealousy turned to suspicion as he kept looking at her new, ghostly pale companion. He wanted to speak with him. He wanted to know why he was tearing his friend away from all of them, and where she'd met him.

Certainly not in the Genin Corps, with moves like that.

So as soon as their spar abated, Sasuke made his presence known by strolling nonchalantly into the clearing. He was pleased to see the small grin that rose on her freckled face as she greeted him with a wave. Her hazel gaze was as warm as usual. "Hey, Charlie," he said, the words coming easily. This wasn't the time to apologize for his words, and so it was just like every other time before.

"Hiya, Sasuke. Come to join us? Haven't seen you in a while," she said, putting her gloved hand on her hip. She nodded at the pale boy beside her. "This is Sai, we're training buddies. Say 'hi', Sai," she urged.

The kid turned and gave Sasuke the fakest smile he'd seen in his life. "Hello, Uchiha Sasuke," he greeted in a monotonous voice.

Sasuke repressed the urge to sneer. 'This is the guy she chooses to train with?' What the hell did he bring to the table? Certainly not a personality.

"Sasuke here was my training buddy before I lost my arm. They've been out of the village for a while and we haven't met up in a bit. Do you mind if he sticks around?"

Sai blinked blankly. "Your training, Charlie-san-"

"-Will be fine for a half hour. Besides, I've been chopping at the bit to spar with this kid again." Charlie waved a dismissive hand.

"I want to spar with Sai first," Sasuke blurted, surprising himself. The urge to hand this guy's ass to him was too strong to ignore, especially when Charlie's expression turned hesitant.

Sai merely shrugged. "Very well."

They faced off, Charlie leaning against a faraway tree with her eyes rolling every few minutes.

Sai pulled a tantou from the sheath at his back, Sasuke grabbed a kunai, and off they went. Sai was very fast- too fast- and his moves were almost elegant. He didn't seem to be holding back, but he didn't seem to be going too hard on him either. The question of his intentions disappeared as he drew first blood and a narrow cut appeared on Sasuke's upper arm.

The Uchiha scowled and jumped backwards, forcing chakra to his eyes and activating his Sharingan. It was still a new sort of feeling; it had been easier to activate after the Land of Waves mission, but it took longer than he wanted it to, and so he barely avoided the harsh kick Sai was leveling at his neck.

Charlie 'ooh'ed and clapped appropriately as Sasuke felt the boy's chilling chakra become visible to him. He wondered if she was genuinely surprised that he'd awoken his Sharingan, or if that was just another thing she already knew.

The two boys' battle sped up until Charlie stopped focusing on them and started plucking grass from the dirt. Sai was as slippery as an eel, but he wasn't that physically strong, and Sasuke was able to kick him into a nearby tree in a minute or two.

Sai righted himself in midair and landed against the tree feet-first, the blue hum of chakra buzzing beneath his soles. It annoyed him that the kid was already so used to using chakra like that, when he had only just learned. Just where did she find this guy, anyway?

Their blades met, sparks flying and crimson clashing with dead black. Sasuke pushed down the icy shudder that wanted to creep down his back; something was off with this guy, seriously. He pushed him back and faked left, before swiping his feet from under him. Sai lashed out with his sword, but Sasuke could see the exact place that would knock it from his hand, and kicked it. The blade went flying.

Sasuke was on the boy in an instant, his kunai at his throat as the boy simply stared at him. "I win," he proclaimed, pleased with himself.

"Interesting," Sai hummed, though he truly didn't look the least bit interested. "The Sharingan can best me in a taijutsu spar. I will remember this for the future."

Sasuke frowned, but shook off the ominous tone. Charlie approached with a mild grin, and he deactivated his eyes. "Sai, that makes it sound like you're going to try to fight him again. Just say, 'Congrats' and move on."

"Okay," Sai replied, but his dark gaze never left the Uchiha.

Sasuke got up off of him, and Charlie grinned as she slung her arm around his shoulders. "Still wanna fight, pal?" Her hazel eyes gleamed.

The boy smirked.

Danzou let a small hum of satisfaction out as he closed the manilla file. So far, things were going... better than expected. And this had to be the best news yet.

"Danzou-sama?" Mole said, standing still and waiting for the older man's next instructions.

The elder glanced back at the boy, pulled from his ruminations. "Your orders remain the same," he told him flatly. "Become her confidante, and find out as much as you can."

Mole knelt. "Yes, Danzou-sama." He disappeared in an eruption of leaves, and the old man took the opportunity to open the girl's file again.

He stared down at the medical records, at the small, 3x2 photo taken for her ninja ID card. That mild and unreadable smile. That red hair that was so difficult to explain. Now, it seemed, he had his answer. 'Hiruzen... have you been hiding this from me all along?' he wondered, pushing down the rising annoyance. He set the folder in his desk drawer and locked it, then stood, deciding to pay his old friend a much-needed visit.

Unlike his ever-energetic subordinates, here one moment and gone the next, Danzou took his sweet time in meandering towards the Hokage Tower. It wasn't too far of a walk, and at an age like his, one only expelled just enough effort as one needed to.

Not that he couldn't expel more effort, but he didn't feel he needed to. He had rightfully earned his place in the village's hierarchy, had fought and slaved for it. He felt no need to run when he could walk. Who would question his motives? Naturally, he wasn't quite satisfied just yet- his end goal had always been the hat, after all- but he was content with himself. Especially now that he was more in the know.

His war buddy was in his office, as was his won't. He had left the chuunin down below assign the missions for the day, and was staring rather introspectively off into the distance as Danzou stepped through the threshold. He knew better than to assume Hiruzen hadn't noticed his presence, and so inclined his head in a shallow show of fealty.

"Good morning, my friend," the man spoke, eyes flitting to the bandaged man with a goodnatured smile. The war hawk hated that; how could he give him such a well-meaning look, when he had kept him in the dark for so long?

"A fortuitous morning indeed," Danzou replied, closing the door behind him and waving a meaningful hand in the air.

The Hokage wasted no time in sending off his personal guard and setting off a silencing seal. He looked unruffled as Danzou strolled to the center of the room, trying to read his expression. To his surprise, Hiruzen was the one to speak first, barring no words. "You seem cross with me today," he noted evenly, "moreso than usual."

Danzou chuckled. "I suppose you could say that," he replied. "One tends to feel that way when their long-time friend withholds the truth from them."

Hiruzen's eyes narrowed sharply. He wasn't the only one keeping secrets, and they both knew it. "What do you believe I'm withholding from you?" he asked.

"The Shimizu girl. She's Uzumaki, is she not?" Danzou said, nails digging into his staff as he waited patiently for the other man's response.

To his infinite surprise, the Hokage merely raised an eyebrow. "An Uzumaki? Interesting," he hummed.

The war hawk controlled his expression. "You're trying to tell me you did not know," Danzou said flatly.

Hiruzen shrugged, leaning back in his chair. He dug around in his desk for a moment, procuring a pipe and a jar of tobacco the way he always did when he had something to think about. "I did not know," he confirmed. "I did not think to have her tested. You took her blood, didn't you? During the ANBU trial she went through?" Danzou inclined his head. His friend stuffed his pipe and lit the end with a long matchstick. "I suppose it isn't that surprising, given her hair color. And all of that chakra."

Danzou almost glared. Why was the man being so... casual about it? Did he really not care?

The importance of having an Uzumaki in their village was undeniable. Their prowess in fuuinjutsu, as well as the deep wells of their chakra, were assets. Their clan technique, the chakra chains, was also incredibly useful- especially should they need to suppress the jinchuuriki boy.

But how had she come to be? She was the same age as the Uzumaki boy, which meant she was born after the dissolution of the clan. It was exceedingly rare to find an Uzumaki so young- nigh impossible. And therein lied the reason Hiruzen hadn't told him about her. He'd always known that background had been fake, but it seemed like it was more problematic than expected.

The Hokage sighed, black smoke rising to circulate in the air. "You think I concealed her identity from you," he grunted. Danzou didn't reply. "Whether or not she is an Uzumaki is of little import. She herself didn't seem to know, given that she hadn't told me a surname when she arrived here. But I will gladly tell the child- I am sure she would be more than pleased to know her true origins."

It didn't pan out. He knew it didn't. There was something Hiruzen wasn't telling him. He had no doubt at all that he'd had the girl's blood tested. He'd had to have suspected her origins, given the vibrancy of her hair color and her strangely deep pools of chakra.

"Hiruzen," the elder began, "we cannot successfully keep this village safe if we are not all on the same page."

Hiruzen smiled thinly. "Does this truly change anything? If anything, this is a very fortunate thing to have happened. After all-" His dark eyes narrowed. "Well, anyway. I'll call her here immediately to inform her and to give her the scroll for her clan technique. I'm assuming you have no objections?"

'Hah! As if that would make a difference.' "I do not." Danzou turned his back, scowling only slightly. "I'll take my leave, then."

Sarutobi Hiruzen stood abruptly as his old friend left his office, and moved to the window. The skies were bright and clear, sun beaming. As his hidden ANBU flooded the room again, he said aloud, "Squirrel, summon Shimizu Charlie to my office immediately." The darkly clad woman knelt and nodded, before disappearing.

He put his pipe to his mouth again, thoughts swirling in his mind. 'How strange. I was sure...'

The girl of the hour knocked on his door around five minutes later. A small smile lifted his face; she'd gotten faster. She did need to learn to suppress that energetic chakra of hers more, though. "Come in," he called, turning around to face her.

Charlie bowed respectfully, despite her unwashed appearance. Her black training clothes were covered in dust, her skin was muddy, and that red hair of hers was tangled and greasy and hung in her eyes. "Good morning, Hokage-sama," she said in a composed manner. Ever the industrious girl.

With a slight move of his hand, he dismissed the ANBU in the room. It seemed he had to do that quite a lot in her presence, but it felt more and more like everything regarding her was a secret. Including this, though not a well-kept one.

"Good morning, Charlie-chan. Training going well?"

A small smile grew on her face, though by the way joy danced in her eyes he knew she was suppressing how happy she truly was. "It's easier to control this chakra of mine. And Sasuke is talking to me again." Her gaze flitted away. "I'm glad you're talking to me again, too."

Hiruzen sighed. "I should've expected you'd do something like that, Charlie-chan. It's been long forgiven. Though, I did call you here for a reason." She nodded, face morphing into expressionlessness.

He leaned down and ran his hand over the lower drawer of his desk. The seal unlocked, and he pulled it open, fumbling through its contents before procuring the rather lofty scroll he'd been keeping for who-knows-how long. "When you underwent your ANBU exam, they did a blood test on you. They discovered that you have Uzumaki blood in you."

She blinked several times. "...I... don't see how that is possible," she finally responded, no inflection in her tone. He seemed to have taken her completely by surprise.

The Hokage grimaced. "To tell you the truth, I have been trying to understand how it could happen as well."

He swallowed nervously as hazel hardened to amber, her dark pupils the insects caught inside. She truly looked fearsome like that, even as a child. He couldn't fathom how intimidating she'd be as a full adult. "Ah, that's right. You did a blood test on me when I first entered the village."

"Please understand, I did not mean to keep it from you forever. I just wanted to be able to give you the answers to the questions you no doubt have now. Unfortunately, telling you now was unavoidable." He held out the scroll, and she took it wordlessly. "Danzou now knows of your family origins. This scroll is for the Uzumaki clan's technique, Adamantine Chakra Chains. It is yours to do with what you will. And... there is one more thing."

Charlie met his gaze with a calculating one of her own. "He was not the one to send those headhunters after me."

"Exactly. Which means that there is someone else out there who knew of your identity before almost everyone else."

Her teeth grit. "It is becoming more and more obvious that I did not come here by chance."

Hiruzen inclined his head. There was an enemy somewhere out there that neither of them wanted to believe existed.

"I really don't get it," Charlie mumbled, lying starfish-style on the ground as she stared blankly upwards. For once, her engine of a brain had stuttered to an absolute stop.

"What don't you get?"

"SHIT!" The redhead bolted upright, neck snapping to glare at the person who had materialized behind her. It was Kakashi, giving her a mocking eye-smile and waving from his crouched position. "Kakashi-sensei?" she said questioningly.

Wow. Perhaps all of her friends had decided to forgive her at once.

As he leaped from the overhanging rock down to her level, he shoved his hands in his pockets. He didn't say anything, only stood there until she awkwardly got to her feet. "Well? You're really not one to talk to yourself," the silver-haired man remarked casually.

Charlie controlled her expression before she could grimace. She couldn't really say that she'd been talking to Minato just then. "I just... found out something that's surprising me, I guess," she grumbled, looking away.

They always seemed to meet here, on top of the monument. She couldn't deny that it was a great view- she'd sat here for hours, long enough to see the way the sun descended and painted the sky in red and purple. Long enough to watch the streetlights turn on, to hear the crowds slowly quiet.

"Something that surprised you?" Kakashi put a sarcastic emphasis on 'you'. "The all-knowing, all-powerful Shimizu Charlie?"

She really didn't have the motivation to rise to his teasing. "Uzumaki Charlie, apparently," Charlie replied in a mumble.

"Hah?"

She rolled her eyes. "You heard me."

"Huh." Kakashi shrugged, turning to look down on the village just as she did. He didn't seem all that phased by the news, until- "Wait-"

"Yeah."

"...Alright, then," he finally said. "So what you're thinking is-"

"Uh huh."

He breathed a deep sigh through his nose. "Trouble follows you everywhere." Then, to her surprise, he put one gloved hand on top of her head. She supposed it was his socially awkward way of comforting her, and smiled a little.

"Ain't that the damn truth."

"How's the training going?" he asked after a few beats of silence. Her smile turned to a grimace; now, how to circumvent the situation so he didn't end up angry at her all over again? "You look constipated."

She flushed, glaring upwards. "I am not- shut up!" she sputtered. "An-y-way, um, good I guess? I'm... learning how to fight with only one hand," she revealed nervously. "And how to balance my chakra better."

"Good. It shouldn't be too hard for you," Kakashi replied nonchalantly.

Her lips flattened. Was he kidding? It was incredibly hard!

"Anyway," she finally said, clearing her thoughts. "How's the team? Are they... y'know, working together?"

The man chuckled at her nervous lilt. "Sometimes," he replied. "Better than I expected. The boys even help each other." She turned to give him wide eyes. "Shocking, I know," he plowed ahead. "Sakura, though... Sakura still needs some work."

"She's very smart," the redhead commented.

"No one can deny that," Kakashi said, sounding a bit confused.

Charlie smirked at him. "Aaaand her chakra control is quite good."

He gave a longsuffering sigh. "If you're trying to get at something, just say it directly," he begged.

"I'm just saying that medical ninjutsu won't be out of her reach, is all," she said innocently.

He crossed his arms, not meeting her gaze as he stared off in thought. "We're meant to be a attack team, not a support team, Charlie-"

"I know that already," the girl rolled her eyes, "but medical ninjutsu doesn't automatically mean 'support team', does it? From what I've seen, she's got a good pair of fists on her too."

One dark gray eye narrowed. "So... you're saying I'm teaching the next Senju Tsunade."

"No, you're training Haruno Sakura. They just happen to share certain... proclivities. And anyway..." Charlie glanced over her shoulder, a mild smile rising on pale lips. "We're not alone anymore."

Kakashi sighed, throwing his hands in his pocket as he turned on his heels. Sasuke winced the whole way out of his hidden perch above the two, and gave the two of them an awkward wave as he leaped down. He'd only been there for a few seconds, but his chakra was rather sizeable for a kid his age. She was proud of herself for noticing him right away- it meant she was improving, hopefully.

"Hi," the sullen boy mumbled sheepishly.

"And on that note, I'm out of here. Tomorrow at 6, Sasuke-kun," Kakashi called cheerfully, before shunshinning away. Charlie rolled her eyes; did he think there was something between them or something? She turned back to the Uchiha, expecting him to be making the same expression- however, he seemed more serious than usual. His dark eyes seemed to gleam in the dim light.

"What's up, Sasuke?" she voiced casually, popping a squat right where she stood and crossing one leg over the other. He mimicked her after a moment, frowing thoughtfully.

"I came to apologize," he said eventually, and so quiet she almost couldn't hear him. Hazel eyes blew wide; what a development! She'd never heard him apologize before.

Charlie had to play it carefully, though. Sasuke was a sensitive creature, and one wrong move would cause a ripple effect. So she frowned a little and said, "Apologize for what?"

His gaze flickered to her, and then back down to his hands. "I... said something I didn't mean, back at the hospital. You didn't deserve it. I'm sorry."

The words were short and clipped, and yet she could feel his chakra wavering in his system as though it were her own. He was nervous. 'He's not gone off the rails yet. He's not lost in his hatred yet,' she reminded herself. 'He's still just a misled kid.'

A small smile curved her lips. "I know you didn't mean it, Sasuke," she told him gently, causing his head to snap up in surprise. "You're never one to panic and lose control of your mouth. You must've been really shocked, huh?"

"...Yes," he replied eventually, finally meeting her gaze.

"To be honest, I was too." She laughed, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. "But... bad stuff happens. I'm learning to deal with it. It means a lot to me that you were worried for me, that everyone worried for me."

"Hn." A small flush rose to the kid's face.

"There's something I've been thinking about, by the way, Sasuke," she added, leaning forward to emphasize the point. He blinked at her, furrowing his eyebrows. "Before I was in Konoha, I was living as... as a slave. I was all alone. Nobody talked to me, nobody asked me if I was okay or what I wanted for dinner. I'm not used to people caring about me, to having friends. But I'm happy that I'm here. I'm happy to have friends that worry about me. I'd rather have my other arm cut off than to go back to having nothing."

"Charlie-"

Her lips were trembling, and even if she was technically lying to him about her backstory, the rest of it, the truth, was coming out like a geyser. "I know you were all alone, and I know how you got that way. I know that you want to focus on your goal, and- if that is what makes you feel better, then I'll support you. But I can't stand the idea of you being all alone, like I was. You don't... you don't recognize it as pain, until you've had the love of others and realized just how crappy it was before that. So... I guess what I'm saying is, I know you want to go in all alone, and I know nobody could possibly understand what you've gone through... but it's much better to face bad things with friends than with yourself."

Sasuke looked away, face pinched like he was thinking very hard about something. "What... makes you say all that?" he wondered out loud.

Her smile looked like that of a child about to burst into tears. "I'm a genius," she told him. "How could I possibly not know what my friends are going through? Or what runs through their heads?"

"... Then, thank you," he said simply, and surprised her by reaching up and resting a hand on her head. She blinked at him. "I think... you're right." Her mouth opened to say something, but he took his hand away, flushing again.

They sat in silence for a while, just enjoying the night air, before the black-haired boy lifted his head up. "Charlie, I wanted to ask you something."

She cocked her head. "Fire away."

"All this training that you're doing... this new kid, Sai... what are you planning to do?"

' Ah, that, well...' She smiled ruefully. "I have a lot of plans, you know," she said. "I want to make Naruto Hokage, for one. I want to help you make things right, for another. I want people to face justice, and I want to establish peace and eradicate pain in this world. I can't really do any of that if I let a pesky arm get in the way, y'know?"

Dark eyes were wide. "What... are you saying that-"

Her gaze hardened over. "I will do whatever it takes for peace. My arm, my leg, my heart- they can have it. Hell, they can have all of me. But I'm just getting started. I'm going to crush the evil in this world, if it kills me. That's what I've decided."

Sasuke slowly nodded. "Then, I will support you too."

Charlie grinned. "Hey, I have an idea. Do you think Naruto and Sakura are busy right now?"

He frowned. "Don't know?"

"We're going out. Ichiraku's. I'll tell Naruto, you tell Sakura. Got it?"

"Do I really have to-"

"What are you, five? Go."

The Uchiha sighed and waved his hand as she got to her feet. "Whatever..." he grumbled.