Ibiki had been able to get the girl talking to him. That was already a huge milestone in Inoichi's eyes. She wasn't terrified of the large interrogator and slowly seemed to begin to warm up to his presence.

In all honesty, this did not surprise Inoichi too much. Even with the way the man looked and seemed to act, Ibiki was a natural born sweetheart. Life had gotten in the way of letting others see the beauty within him, unfortunately. But it had done a bad job of destroying the kindness within his heart. It had come close to such an objective; but it had failed.

Much like Genma, Ibiki had a way with kids. But he was never sent in to deal with anyone young; most kids were terrified of him just because of the way he looked. And his height. Boy, was that man tall.

"She certainly isn't saying much about the pack." Chouza murmured after a few minutes of watching Ibiki work in absolute silence. Inoichi sighed, but didn't say anything. He had noticed the same. "Although she doesn't seem to shy away from telling Ibiki about her life in Taki."

At the moment, the young girl was telling the interrogator about the only friend she had ever had before arriving in Konoha: the leader of the small Village, Shibuki. Apparently, she missed the young leader and was wondering how he was; even though she had made it more than clear that she would not be returning to Takigakure if she had anything to say about the situation.

"My place is here, after all." she nodded to herself after Ibiki had asked why she was so adamant about staying in Konoha. "Kiba, Chouji, Akamaru, and Sakura are here. And where they are, I'm supposed to be."

Ah, the simplicity of childhood.

But Inoichi knew that this was a dangerous thing for this girl to be thinking. Specifically because they still did not know just what connected these children.

"It doesn't make any sense. How does someone like her end up finding her way to their pack?" he murmured softly as he crossed his arms and closed his eyes to truly contemplate the questions he was voicing out loud. "How does she manage to sneak out of Takigakure without raising any alarms within the first few hours of leaving? How does she managed to sneak into Konoha without causing any stir?"

This girl had no clan history, like the Inuzuka, so there was no explanation for her managing to remain under the radar for so long. From what information they had on her, her talents lay in ninjutsu and taijutsu. And, being a Jinchūriki, it was important to note the inhuman power she kept locked within her small frame. But none of those skills were directed towards espionage and remaining undetected- necessary skills to undertake the trip she had managed to successfully make.

"She had someone helping her." Chouza offered after a few tense minutes spent in mostly silence. The only noise that went on between them were Ibiki's soft questions and Fū's sometimes eager, sometimes guarded, answers. "Someone grabbed her from Takigakure and moved her here. Possibly, someone with ties to the pack that decided to leave her with them."

It was a farfetched idea. But it was the only logical conclusion they could land on; aside from beginning to think that this young girl's prowess in ninja arts were jounin level. And that was more than just unlikely; it was impossible. Takigakure kept their Jinchūriki locked up and docile- while they could always rely on the chakra monster housed within her, they did not want the host becoming so strong she could pose a threat to the Village's safety and status quo. Most ninja villages worked like that.

Inoichi's frown soured as he thought about the unfair treatment of Jinchūriki all around the world. But he soon forced himself away from such thoughts; there was a problem they needed to sort out now. There was no time to spend on matters he could not readily change.

Ibiki stood up and made his way outside of the interrogation room. Fū watched him go with wide eyes. Undoubtedly, the last thing he had told her had struck her. Unfortunately, Inoichi had missed what he may have said, he had been too caught up within his own head.

Once the door had closed behind the younger man's large frame, Inoichi asked him what was wrong. His expression was troubled and his eyes were clouded with worry.

Ibiki didn't answer immediately. Instead he began to walk down the hallway that led into the interrogation rooms; he was going in the direction of the entrance and the upper levels of T&I.

"You have my permission to enter her room, Inoichi, in the event that she begins to become worried. But if she seems fine, I would rather you wait until I come back. I don't want anyone crying about your interference in this complicated matter." The large man breathed out before he disappeared into T&I and Inoichi immediately knew he was up to something that was more than likely dangerous for his career.

Oh Ibiki... such a big heart... what in the world was he up to this time?


Sakura didn't really like the idea of giving away the biggest secret they shared. But she understood why they would need to explain to the adults around them about who this man was and why he was so important to them. That information would be crucial for them to understand why two of her packmates had been attacked; and it would undoubtedly lead to the arrest of their attackers.

But... Kuzu was the person that had brought them together. And having him as a secret... it had been something that only her pack shared. No one else knew about him.

She was worried now that they would finally be telling others about their secret... that they would lose the central thing that had kept them together during these past years. It was childish, she was aware, to worry over something so farfetched... but... Kuzu was the one thing that had first united them. He was what kept them together. Wouldn't telling others about him destroy the magic that had built around him?

Once Kiba had finished relating the most important facts about the old man they had known for the most important part of their lives now, Sakura expected the shinobi in front of them to scold them over joking around at such a horrible time.

Why would they believe them, after all? Iruka-sensei hadn't believed the first and only story they had ever told anyone about their most treasured find. He had absolutely believed that they had created a fictional super human within their imagination because someone so powerful could not possibly exist. What was to stop Kakashi and Genma from calling them liars? Worse yet, what was to stop them from thinking they were obstructing an investigation with this story?

It was a risk and Sakura didn't like it. She understood why they needed to tell them the truth, of course. But understanding wasn't a synonym for liking in this situation.

Kiba didn't tell them everything about the old man, just the bits of information that would give them a good understanding of who this guy was- not just as a person, but also what his connections were to all of them and how he had come to matter so much in their lives. But when it came to happenings that would undoubtedly get all of them in trouble- like admitting to all of their excursions outside of the Village and the thievery training they so enjoyed-, Kiba didn't even allude to them.

Honestly, it was somewhat comforting to know that they would still keep some secrets just to themselves. It was something small... but it was reassuring.

By the time Kiba finished explaining that Kuzu was their final pack member's grand uncle, Sakura's eyes were drooping heavily. And even though she hated herself for being so tired at such a crucial time, she knew that she was only human. And after everything they had experienced and all the sleep they had lost out on, it was only a matter of time before all of them crashed.

Kiba yawned just as he finished his last sentence, all the while Chouji shook his head and blinked his eyes to try and keep himself awake.

"Tired, huh?" Genma Shiranui asked with a sort of fondness dusting his voice that lulled Sakura further into relaxation.

They were safe. Her pack was safe. These two would be catching the monsters that had attacked her pack. And in a few months, Kuzu would come back and everything would be alright again.

Everything would be fine again.

A yawn escaped her just as Chouji murmured a slurred, "Yeah."

Her eyes blurred shut, but when she forced them open, it was to find Kakashi looking at Genma with his only eye narrowed in visible discontent. Maybe he had wanted to continue to ask them about the old man before letting them sleep and his partner was clearly interrupting those plans.

"One last question, pups."

Huh... pups.

Maybe Kakashi wasn't completely heartless. Even though he didn't really look like a typical Inuzuka, he was clearly comfortable with using a term only they used.

"Any distinguishing characteristics about this guy?"

Of course he would want to know such a thing. And... well... she really liked Kakuzu's eyes.

Honestly, if she hadn't been so tired, she was sure she wouldn't have been the one to answer the question. She had been against telling anyone about Kuzu, after all. So she wasn't about to take part in destroying the secret they had guarded so well. But she was so tired and Kuzu's eyes were so wonderful that she just... she just spoke.

"He has the prettiest eyes." she found herself yawning as she answered, then smacked her lips together. Kiba's bed was looking incredibly enticing right now; maybe she would be able to fit her head on the side... "They're green."

"The whites- they're not white. They're red." Chouji continued for her, then she heard him sigh heavily.

When she looked over at him, it was to find the Akimichi's head swathed in white- he had done just as she had thought of doing only a few seconds ago.

Her eyes were getting incredibly heavy now. Maybe she should just lay her head for a bit; rest her eyes just a little.

The last thing she heard before she was pulled completely into the land of dreams was Kiba adding, "He wears a mask that covers half his face- like Hatake's."


When they left Kiba Inuzuka's hospital room, Genma could tell that Kakashi was deep in thought over the information they had been given about the old man these three had met when they were younger- an old man named Kuzu that had been the main reason as to why they had been able to learn so much about ninja skills even at such a young age.

Kuzu... the name, Genma doubted to be his actual one. But for some reason, it struck a chord within his memory that he couldn't quite place. The name sounded familiar, but he couldn't accurately remember why.

They walked out in silence from the hospital. They had left the children in Kiba's room and Genma knew that he would be back in a few hours with breakfast for the two that weren't currently hospitalized and a fresh change of clothes. Chouza had already told him that he could come pick up some supplies from his house that he could take to the children.

Genma wasn't exactly sure how the Hokage would be dealing with this issue, but he knew with certainty that this investigation was not public. The circumstances of everything meant that their leader was now suspended on a tightrope and one false move could destroy the peace within Konoha in a way that, if the worst case scenario played out, could potentially lead to a civil war.

These kids... they didn't even know that kind of man they idolized. Without a doubt, some sort of brainwashing had gone on among them. However light, it had probably happened. There was no way it hadn't happened... not with these kids' ages. Not with a figure as sinister as what he imagined this Kuzu to form.

This... was not going to be an easy mission, was it?

"Here. I think I found the guy- Kakuzu."

Genma looked over at Kakashi to find the younger male handing over his copy of the Bingo Book. He blinked at the severity of the male's tone, but soon shrugged it off and took a hold of what was offered to him. Under the bright lighting of the hospital, it was almost impossible to miss the similarities to the few tired descriptions the children had given them and the picture right in front of him.

"This doesn't look like the kind of guy that would ever give children the time of day." he commented about the harsh glare decorating the masked ninja's eyes. Much like Sakura and Chouji had commented, the pair of eyes on this man was hard to miss- bright green irises and blood red sclera. "He looks like the kind of ninja that wouldn't hesitate..."

He didn't have to finish his comment. Kakashi knew what he meant.

This kind of ninja were a ryo a dozen in the world- violent, heartless, and driven by pure selfishness. From the description the Book offered on him, there was little to doubt about such a nature- he was a known bounty hunter with hundreds, possibly thousands, completed jobs under his belt. He had forsaken his Village and murdered his family to become a missing nin. And no one, to this date, had ever been able to give him a difficult fight, much less capture him.

This wasn't the kind of guy that they wanted entering and exiting Konoha without ever getting caught.

"Daichi... before he died, he met this guy." Kakashi's voice was tight, but Genma didn't comment on this fact. He didn't know much about the Inuzuka clan, but he did know one thing: The Inuzuka clan had been there for the last Hatake. And Daichi... he had been a good man and a great shinobi. "He was already terminal when he did, so he couldn't smell the guy. And his eyesight had faded- the only description he could give us was that he wore a long dark cloak and covered the lower half of his face."

When they exited through the doors of the hospital, it was to be met by a warm breeze. After having been in the frigid hospital, Genma welcomed the abrupt change in temperature.

The night was fading now, sunset was slowly making its way towards them. And they had yet to get a wink of sleep. Hell, Genma doubted they'd be getting any sleep any time soon. Not after what they had just found out from the kids.

"Well at least now we know how the girl came to Konoha. And why the kids are so protective of her. This Kakuzu guy was smart- whatever he's planning, he found a group of loyal kids to help him out without question." he commented with a small sigh. "It's a shame scum like this exists."

"Yeah." even though he had agreed to his words and his body was keeping pace with Genma's own stride, Kakashi sounded far away. After a few moments spent walking in silence, Genma was allowed to know why he sounded like this. "It doesn't add up. Daichi was terminal and civilian when he met the guy, but he insisted that this Old Man character was harmless..."

Civilian. That was the word Kakashi and the Inuzuka used to describe people that didn't have their enhanced senses. Even shinobi could be considered civilian in the scope of tracking by the clan. Very few non-Inuzuka were ever taken seriously by them, actually, because of the importance they placed on scent in their craft.

"Hell. He even thought that the guy was nice."

"You said it yourself, Kakashi. He was civilian and on his last days; maybe his judge of character was skewed." with a shrug, he then reminded his partner, "We should get back to the Hokage with all of this new information. I'm sure he's eager to understand why in the world Taki's Jinchūriki was hidden right underneath his nose."

Once more, Kakashi's words of agreement sounded unfocused to Genma's ears. But this wasn't the time to worry about Kakashi's mental state; it was the time to find a solution for a problem that may cause more than just one war.


Ibiki didn't have too hard a time forcing his way into the Hokage's office. But he did have a hard time convincing the aged Kage of what he wished to do with the Takigakure native currently held up in an interrogation room that was certainly no appropriate place to leave a child.

"You wish to- in essence- adopt this girl?"

Ibiki stared back emotionlessly at the Hokage's more than visibly aghast face. With a tense nod, he gave his silent answer.

"Your reasoning?"

There were many reasons. But Ibiki wasn't about to go into every single one in depth. No, he was only going to lay out the first two he knew would immediately cause the Hokage to understand his insistence.

"We cannot return her to Takigakure and we cannot have her running loose around the village. I am one of the few shinobi within Konohagakure that has clearance on this delicate issue and the availability and resources to suddenly take in a child. It's either this or keep her locked away from the world until you manage to come up with a better solution- which I doubt will not include shipping her off on her own to fend for herself outside of this village's gates and denying any involvement with her."

Sitting before him, the Third Hokage looked old; older than Ibiki cared to admit he was. It seemed that no matter what the man tried, he never could catch a break from the hardships of his life. If Ibiki's life was a tragedy that had finally seemed to stop unfolding, the Third Hokage's was one that never seemed to end. Tonight was yet another terrible occurrence to hit him in the worst of times.

Even though Ibiki was not privy to information that was even more sensitive than tonight's issues, he knew that they existed. And he knew that they were the kind of issues that kept the Hokage awake at night; stopped him from willingly stepping down from this horrible position of leadership.

With a heavy sigh, the older male closed his eyes. And for the first time since Ibiki had known him, Lord Third did not give him a cryptic question or confusing answer. Instead, the man's next words were straightforward, honest, and tired. "I was contemplating on leaving the girl with one of my more trusted shinobi until I could think up of something more permanent. But I couldn't think of anyone that would willingly take in a host of a chakra monster... I must ask, Ibiki. Why are you willing?"

Much like with the reasons to take in the girl, there were many reasons as to why he did not fear hosts of chakra monsters as much as his compatriots did. He had been there on the night the Nine Tails had been unleashed- he knew of the dangers of such beasts. But he also knew of the strength of their hosts. And he knew of the alienation these humans were subjected to on the childish basis of being different.

"My mother." he answered simply.

The Third Hokage cracked one eye open, looked at him through the narrowed slight, and soon closed it once more and hummed. Finally, he nodded to himself and offered, "The mystic values of the nature of chakra. Not many speak of such values in this modern age."

His mother had believed that there were more mystical aspects to chakra than natural- which was different from what most people believed even in her younger days. She saw chakra as a lifeforce that served and controlled every single part of the world around them- both physical and intangible. And she insisted that those that were most in tune with their chakra were the ones that were in most need to be understood and helped for they were considered beastly and inhuman by their peers. His mother had been one of the few people that saw a chakra monster's host as something holy and inspiring, rather than dangerous.

"This girl hasn't been given much of a chance at life. And I know if someone doesn't step up now, her odds won't improve." now he crossed his arms over his chest, aware that what he was going to say now would hurt him. But, even though it hurt, he knew this was something that he had to say. "We Morino... we have a reputation for rowdiness. With the right disguise, the girl can pass off as my daughter. By the year she was born, I would have still been an active field ninja. Few questions would be asked if another Morino bastard popped up."

He didn't like saying this. Who would ever like admitting to the horrible reputation their family had acquired over years of misunderstandings and bad decision making? But... he knew that, in this case, his family's reputation was precisely perfect for the plan he was proposing. Years ago, when his family had still been alive and successful, they had always lived under the shadow of their blood. Now that it was only him, few even bothered to remember such a history; but it was not a history he would ever escape. He may as well use it to his advantage.

The Hokage was now frowning at him. When he opened both of his eyes, Ibiki was able to see that part of the frown came from the dissatisfaction he undoubtedly felt upon hearing the term 'Morino bastard'. The Hokage was a good man, after all, and he had never been much a fan of social prejudice.

"I cannot ask you to take on such a burden, Ibiki."

The interrogator nodded sternly, "It's a good thing I'm not asking anything of you. I'm telling you that I will be doing this."

There was a moment of silence that passed between them. Without a doubt, the Hokage was looking into his eyes, trying to determine if the bravado he was showing now was one he could trust. That's what Ibiki would be doing at this point if he was in the other man's position. Or he would threatening this upstart shinobi demanding things of his Hokage with chunin work. One or the other.

After a few seconds, the Hokage nodded and asked, "She looks nothing like you."

Ibiki smirked, "At that age, few can be too sure. Besides, she will take after her mother."


When he woke up, it was because his father was slowly shaking him awake by his shoulder.

Kiba's room was completely bathed in darkness now. But after he had blinked a couple of times, the Akimichi was able to accommodate his sight to the darkness. And soon he was able to see that he had fallen asleep with his head rested against the edge of Kiba's bed and his father was crouching to his left, smiling over at him to get him to wake up.

With a yawn, the young boy closed his eyes once more. "Five more minutes."

He was sure he heard his father chuckle softly, but he couldn't say such a thing with complete certainty. He had fallen asleep once more before he could make sure that he truly had heard such a noise.

~/~

The next time he woke up, he had to stay awake and face the day.

This time, though, he awoke in his own bedroom, Sakura, Kiba, and Akamaru nowhere in sight.

Immediately shocked by the absence of his friends, Chouji threw the covers of his bed off of his body. He then jumped out of bed and began to run to his closet, so he could get changed and search for his friends, but stopped for a moment when he noticed that he was dressed in pijamas. He stared down at himself for a few seconds, at a complete loss as to why his clothes had changed.

His father opened his room's door just as he began to make his way to change out of the pijamas that had mysteriously appeared on his body.

"At least tell me you'll be allowing Sakura to eat some breakfast before you drag her back to the hospital."

His feet froze in place as soon as the words registered within his brain. And he glanced over at his father, only to find the man pointing at the floor before his bed- in the direction where he had mindlessly thrown his sheets only a few minutes earlier. With pursed lips pursed in confusion, the young Akimichi stalked towards the spot that was being signaled out and let out a breath of relief when he found pink tufts of hair jutting out from his sheets.

"You know Kiba won't be discharged from the hospital for some time- Akamaru and he will be there for some time." his father walked up to him so he could place a heavy hand on his shoulder, making Chouji glance up at him. His father smiled softly down at him. "Sakura and you needed to get some rest in a proper bed. So I picked you up from the hospital and brought you back home."

Well... that explained the change in scenery. And the change in his attire.

But soon Chouji was thinking about Kiba and Akamaru and how cold the hospital was... and how much they had given away about the Old man because of everything that had happened... and everything that had happened last night...

"When can we go back?"

Chouza sighed, but soon answered with a steady, "After you and Sakura have had a proper breakfast. Now, start getting ready. You'll want to be around when Sakura wakes up- I think this would be the first time you guys have slept here, now that I think about it. You usually stay over at her house."

That was because the Old Man had begun that tradition for them... Kiba guessed that Kuzu didn't want to try sneaking through the Akimichi or Inuzuka clan compounds to drop them off after they had fallen asleep on him, which was the reason why he always left them at Sakura's house. And they had just continued these sleepovers at her house, even without Kuzu, because... well, they had just felt right.

There were also the few sleepovers in the Forest of Death they had done... that they wouldn't be able to do ever again. Not now that their treehouse was destroyed.

The memory of last night crashed into Chouji at full force, leaving him feeling lethargic and empty. He didn't even bother with answering his father as he began to walk away from him and towards his closet- he was too busy remembering how they had almost lost their pack last night to an enemy league's above them.

But... they had told Kakashi and Genma about the Old Man and Fū- the reason she was there with them and the reason why he had left his grandniece in their care. And now that they understood why she had been there, and they now had a lead because of Bull- that had been the dog's name, right? The dog they had thought was a stray but actually turned out to belong to Kakashi Hatake?

Everything was going to be fine, he tried to reassure himself as he picked out a set of clothes for the day. Kiba and Fū had been saved, Konoha had a lead, and eventually, Kuzu was going to come back to them. And then everything would go back to being the way it was. It just... It had to go back.


When they reported back to the Hokage about the possible identity of the Old Man/Kuzu character the children had told them about, the aged leader seemed ready to keel over from the lack of sleep.

"An S-Ranked traitor was the one to befriend this small group of children?" his voice was hollow with lack of surprise. Somehow, it didn't even move Kakashi to hear such a thing. If Kakuzu truly was the man that had been teaching these children everything they knew, then a lot of things they had not been able to understand before actually made a lot of sense. If it truly was Kakuzu, then a lot of things they had previously been confused by now actually made sense.

"Seems like it. There are few shinobi in the world that match the physical description given by the children." Genma explained with a shrug of his shoulders. "No one else in the Bingo Book even comes close to Kakuzu. And... well, the alias he gave the kids was kind of on the nose."

The Hokage leaned forward in his seat and sighed heavily, rubbing at his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. "Kuzu is only a syllable away from being Kakuzu."

There had been no need to say it out loud, but when the Hokage stated it so simply, Kakashi was further confused by everything he had learned in the last few hours.

Kakuzu was supposed to be a cold blooded killer. He had massacred his clan before he had betrayed his village. He was currently on the run with a hefty reward looming over the capture of his head. Out of many of the shinobi within the Bingo Book, he was one of the few that Kakashi would think twice about before challenging to a fight; all of his years of experience undoubtedly played a large part in his continued success.

But Kuzu had a kind heart. Kuzu was an old man that had given those three misfit children the time of day when they had been at their most annoying years. He had continued to visit them as time had passed. He was now even custodian of Daichi's last gifts for the three human members of the pack. Daichi had trusted him.

Even though the Inuzuka had been in a sorry state during his last days within the land of the living... Kakashi doubted his excellent judge of character had eroded so painfully.

"Well, now that we understand how the girl snuck into our territory, what have you figured out about those who attacked her?" with these words, the Hokage sat back and turned his sight onto him.

Kakashi frowned softly, but soon began to explain the most recent theory he had managed to come up with that seemed logical with the information they now had.

"Two Konoha-born assailants attacked the girl because of the chakra beast housed within her. It could have been because they wanted to harness the beast's power or because they wanted to entrap her and eliminate the possibility of her losing control." after he finished saying this, he sighed. "I've got Pakkun and Bisuke sniffing out the trail they left behind. As soon as they find any useful information, Pakkun will come back to me. Bisuke's been instructed to keep his distance, but to continue tailing the targets."

The Hokage nodded and closed his eyes.

Genma shifted beside him, then cleared his throat, "Anything else, Lord Third? If not, I would like to head back to the hospital."

"Why?"

"Chouji and Sakura fell asleep in Kiba's room. I'm going to go ahead and take them a change of clothes and some breakfast. I was already okayed by Lord Chouza." Shiranui and his bleeding heart... so annoying.

The Hokage didn't open his eyes. He just raised his hand and waved Genma off halfheartedly, "There'll be no need for that. Lord Chouza picked up those two and brought them back to the Akimichi Compound. It was decided that until tonight's attackers had been caught, it would be safest for experienced shinobi to stay with each of those kids. They were not the main targets this time. That's not to say they won't be targeted after Kiba succeeded in spoiling their plans."

When Kakashi looked at Genma from the corner of his eye, it was to find the man rolling the senbon between his teeth with some tension to his jaw. But soon enough the guy nodded, "That would be for the best. What about Kiba?"

"Inoichi is currently with him." the Hokage murmured as he moved his hands to rest at the edge of his desk. Then he grunted when he pushed his chair back and began to rise up. "For the next week, the three children will be in the Akimichi clan's custody. Sakura Haruno's parents have already agreed to these measures."

Both men nodded at the information as they watched the Hokage begin to make his way towards them.

"We have made all of the decisions we can make for now. All future decisions depend on your success."


The first thing Kiba noticed when he woke up was that there was a rather heavy weight on top of him.

At first, with his eyes still closed because of how tired he was, Kiba assumed the weight to belong to Akamaru. But as tiredness began to disappear from his eyes and his mind was able to catch up with reality, he noticed that Akamaru was incredibly light at this age. There was no way this weight could be the pup.

And as soon as he figured this out, Kiba began to fear for his life.

Had their attackers broken into his hospital room? Had they already managed to shake off Konoha's pursuit? Were they ready to finally end his life and have easy access to the rest of his pack?

He was lucky.

A small hand; around the size of his own; landed on his cheek just as he was about to kick his legs out at the thing on top of him in an attempt to push it off. And that hand was too small to belong to either of the men that had attacked him.

It was around this time that his nose decided to notice the familiarity of the scent in the room; and immediately the Inuzuka wanted to cheer.

When he opened his eyes, it was to find Fū seated on his stomach for some reason beyond him. But he didn't bother to think about why the girl was on top of him. All he could think about was how happy he was to see that she was alive and well.

"You're awake!"

"You're alive!"

The embrace was awkward because of his injured arm and the layers of blankets piled on top of Kiba. But they managed to make a one-armed, awkwardly positioned hug work for them.

"I was so worried about you guys. No one wanted to tell me anything for the longest time! I was scared I'd be forced to stay away from you guys..."

"Never." Kiba found himself growling even though he honestly wanted to keep a lid on his emotions. "No one will keep my pack from me!"

Fū giggled a little before letting him go. And she shifted off of his stomach so she was instead sitting by the edge of the cot. "You don't have to worry about that. Ibiki's got everything figured out."

Ibiki?

Kiba's lips pursed in tandem with his eyes narrowing.

That name wasn't one Kiba really thought about often. He barely even knew the man the name belonged to. But he knew that Ibiki Morino was Ino Yamanaka's glorified bodyguard. And he knew that the guy was the Head of T&I. Just like he knew there were hundreds of rumors floating around the village about how much of a sadist he was; even though he didn't listen to those rumors. Rumors were stupid, after all.

"What do you mean?"

At that moment, the door into his room opened. And Kiba's nose was consumed by the smell of leather and blood that made up most of the natural scent of one Ibiki Morino.

"Please tell me you didn't wake him up."

"I didn't! I promise, dad!"

Dad?

Kiba's eyebrows furrowed in absolute confusion.

With a small sigh, Ibiki stepped into his room and closed the door shut behind him. Then he scanned over the room, frowning when his eyes fell on a spot to Kiba's right.

"The wig's necessary to keep up the illusion we are trying to establish." he just about scolded as he made his way towards the spot, then waved a pale gray wig in front of the girl. "The deceit we are attempting can fail incredibly easy. I already explained this to you."

What?

"What's going on?"

He was ignored.

Fū jumped off of his bed and walked towards the man. She then bent her head and murmured a quiet apology. Morino didn't say anything else as he placed the wig over her hair and straightened it up. When Fū finally looked back at Kiba, it was for her face to be rimmed by gray waves that seemed incredibly off on her.

"Ibiki's my dad." she stated simply, as if that was the one sentence that would put everything into perspective for the Inuzuka.

Kiba kind of wanted to smack her for being so vague. But... well... at least he could see that Kuzu's vague way of answering some questions had rubbed off on his supposed grandniece.


Around three weeks had passed since he had left Fū with the pack.

During that time, he had been perfecting the plan he had set out on. He knew that he was going to be doing was incredibly dangerous and he knew that he was going to be acquiring new, incredibly dangerous enemies. But he knew that if he bided his time appropriately, he would be able to train the children enough for them to be able to protect themselves. And eventually, he would be able to be around them and protect them from any threats they could not face on their own.

Aside from so much planning, he had also been completing all of the missions the Akatsuki sent him out on. Most of them were bounties, which were easy and simple to take care of by himself. Although it was rather odd that Hidan hadn't appeared during that time- he had always enjoyed the bounties that took them to isolated towns.

When Hidan finally met up with him, he was two days late and their target was one day's travel away from them. Kakuzu didn't bother talking to him about anything other than the mission they had been assigned... but Hidan didn't really waste too much time getting straight to the topic of conversation that intrigued him the most.

"So, will you finally tell me where it is that you disappear to whenever we finish a mission?"

Kakuzu grunted as he walked past the annoyance, setting down the path they would have to take to reach the remote town in the Land of Lightning. He didn't feel like sharing any conversation with the Jashinist. And the only reason he had even waited for the man was because of the leader's express order for them to work together, rather than alone as they had been doing for the past month.

Akatsuki were supposed to travel in pairs, after all. And they were breaking one of the Akatsuki's most important rules by going off on their own.

"Do the Inuzuka or Akimichi clans strike any chord within your shriveled, useless hearts?" Hidan called and Kakuzu's wariness was perked. But he didn't react physically to the goading. He continued to walk away.

Hidan began to jog after him, and even though his back was turned to the insane jackass, Kakuzu could just imagine the smirk that was painted on his face.

He didn't know why Hidan knew those names would matter to him. But he couldn't react. If he reacted, then he would give himself away. And for all he knew, all Hidan knew was that he observed those clans. There was no proof he knew about the children. There was only proof that he knew about some of his habits.

A few seconds of blessed silence passed between them.

Then, much to Kakuzu's chagrin, Hidan began to speak once more. Before he spoke, though, he scoffed. And when he did speak, his words were tinged in annoyance. "You know, you're really lucky I didn't go straight to the organization about how you were the one to move Taki's container."

Kakuzu froze.

How did Hidan know that?

He didn't turn around. But he did hear Hidan get closer to him with every passing second. And when they were only a few footsteps away, Hidan's newest words were painted with delight.

"You can at least show some ounce of gratitude-"

He didn't get to say much more.

Kakuzu's hand around his throat cut off any air into his lungs, after all.

With a growl fueled by an emotion Kakuzu didn't waste time trying to understand, the masked man asked the crazed Jashinist, "What do you know?"

Hidan had the gall to smile, even as his face began to redden from the lack of oxygen. "Everything I need to know."

~..~..~

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