A/N: Happy Leap Year! I hope you enjoy more speculation.


Chapter 32: Something About Her


Something about Shien was... peculiar, to say the least.

Fugaku had his suspicions of the candy-haired young lady, and it wasn't just because of how paranoid she looked when she thought no one was watching her. Every so often, her mask would crack, and she would look afraid - but of what, he wasn't quite sure. Most of the time, she had this sullen look about her, as if she were in constant pain.

He was somewhat intrigued. He knew he'd seen her face somewhere before, but he just couldn't recall where. Sometimes in the right lighting he could swear he was seeing Sasuke's deceased childhood friend, Sakura - but just as quickly as he'd swear it was her face, Shien's own would appear and dismiss his speculation. He had asked one of his chief recordkeepers for information about her home, and still it lead him nowhere. Her picture was that of six or seven years prior, and in the photo, her hair was that same baby pink, pulled back into a bun, but her doe eyes appeared turquoise. Most peculiar indeed. Her face was thin with an almost sickly-looking pallor about her, but her gaze seemed kind. Her nose was sharper than it appeared now; actually, her entire countenance seemed to be altered in small ways. Eyes. Nose. Lips. Her eyebrows were notably thicker than the way they looked now, but he excused it as a young girl growing up. A lot could change in several years; he knew it all too well with Sasuke's upbringing.

He continued to look through the file, finding where it mentioned that she was to be married to a young soldier, but he was tragically killed in a clash with Riot only a month before the wedding. Suspiciously, the file ended there - no information more of the girl. It was as if she'd went into hiding... or perhaps she had died. When he asked of the whereabouts of her mother, the recordkeeper replied that her family was in good health, and that as far as he knew, the girl was alive and well - and hadn't she come to the castle in search of work?

Still, something seemed off about her. Was it the way she moved about with the kind of demeanor of someone who'd stared Death in its face? Or the way she seemed to gaze at his son with a kind of sorrow when he was turned away, like she'd done something unspeakable to upset him and didn't dare let him find out?

Once or twice, he'd activated his eyes and watched her, but either she carried the Sharingan herself or she was a master of deflecting its effects - or perhaps she really did just hold an uncanny resemblance to Sasuke's deceased friend. He could find nothing on her, and after two times he didn't bother to look again.

Still puzzled, he decided to speak to his son about it. He'd noticed that she spent most of her time with him nowadays, and he didn't even want to think about what kind of trick Naruto must have been cooking up that morning (the boy had been giggling madly to himself at breakfast, a sure sign of shenanigans to come). For the sake of the laundry maids, he wanted to avoid that fiasco when it inevitably happened. Shenanigans indeed.

He walked through the halls of the castle until he found Sasuke standing at one of the floor-length windows overlooking the forest with a troubled face, as always. Few could read into Sasuke's true emotions much like his own family could; his stance appeared cool enough, but his eyes were endless black storm clouds, bubbling over with a sullen rain as they stared at the green treetops in the valley below.

He used to crave Fugaku's attention like one's favorite dessert when he was a sweet, adorable child... but ever since he turned fourteen, they'd been growing apart. He'd long excused it as that omnipresent sense of teenage rebellion, but the boy was almost nineteen and only sought solace in either Naruto or his mother. Perhaps he thought that his father was a cowardly sockpuppet too, a snide voice in Fugaku's mind whispered to him. No doubt Itachi felt the same of you. Why else would he have double-crossed you in that way?

"He has been far too stressed," the king sighed to himself. "Maybe I am wrong to push him so harshly."

"Sasuke," he greeted as he stood beside him.

"Father," Sasuke replied, glancing up at him. "What brings you here?"

"Something that has been troubling me for quite some time now," Fugaku said before turning fully to face his son. "What do you know of your handmaiden, Hayashi?"

Sasuke startled for a moment before looking away, a deeper frown on his face.

"I..." He hesitated. "I know only of what she has told Naruto."

"So she does not trust even you?" Fugaku asked, eyebrows raised.

"It's a sensitive topic," the boy explained with a light sigh. "She has not felt it appropriate to tell me yet, as it seems."

"I see." The brunet nodded. "Would you mind telling me a little?"

"Why don't you bring it up with her?" The teenager retorted. "What if she doesn't want just anyone knowing her past?"

"Sasuke." Fugaku snapped before he could help himself. He sighed heavily, rubbing his temples. "Please."

"I'll only tell you that she's an orphan and that she's adopted by Hayashi Chiasa," Sasuke hissed, folding his arms across his chest. "She's had a rough time of it. Is that it?"

"I already knew that part of it, son," the king answered tiredly.

"Well I'm not going to say any more." Sasuke squinted at him. "Ask her yourself if you want to know so badly. I'm not her keeper."

He turned on his heel, not even giving his father a second glance. "I need to bathe. Please excuse me."

The king watched him go, frowning. Sasuke was much more temperamental these days.

He finally sighed, turning to leave. "Perhaps I should give him a weekend at that hot-spring town..."


"I'm here," Rin whispered as she walked up to Kakashi. They were more daring now, meeting at dusk, but she had convinced him that meeting with her leader was needed for both of them. If not for trust's sake, perhaps it would settle their nerves. Although the whole adrenaline rush that came from meeting secretly like two young lovers felt energizing the first time, it had quickly lost its luster.

"Any news?" She asked after taking off her hood.

"No, nothing," he answered with a shake of his head. "The king hasn't made a decision yet as to where we should go next."

"Good." She sighed heavily, leaning against his side. "Iris-sama should be here any second."

He nodded, closing his eyes momentarily as he pulled her closer.

After a few moments, their peaceful silence was interrupted. "Look at you two. Not even a week together and you're already getting on famously."

Rin looked up with a smile. "Iris," she greeted.

"Hatake Kakashi." Iris greeted, though she didn't take off her hood. She looked him up and down with a chuckle. "Time has flown. I remember when you were just a boy. Minato's pupil."

"It has been long," he agreed, trying to force away the anguish he felt at the mention of his former teacher's name. "I was told you needed me to investigate something for you?"

"Yes." The blonde woman grew serious, pacing about. "I have reason to believe that the king isn't acting for himself or his family. His actions for the past seven years don't line up with how he acted before."

"Indeed, he was a more benevolent ruler before my..." Rin trailed off, and Kakashi gave her hand a squeeze.

"Yes." Iris gave her a sympathetic nod before continuing. "I believe the Uchihas are being controlled. Someone who no one would suspect, someone who has intimate knowledge of them."

She stopped and pointed at the silver-haired man. "I need you to do some work to uncover who it might be. I don't care about their history, I just need a name."

"Whatever I can do to help R- to help you," he stumbled for a moment before he caught himself, much to the two women's amusement, "I'll do it. Just give me a few days or so, and hopefully I'll have gotten word of something."

"Excellent," Iris replied, pleased. She paused before mentioning, "When you do go back to the capital... check up on Naruto Namikaze for me. Is he okay? Is he safe?"

"He is healthy and still pulling pranks on the staff," he deadpanned with an exhausted look.

Iris let out a bark of laughter before she could stop herself. When at last she regained her composure, she said in reply, "Ah, still Kushina's son, even after all these years."


A/N: I'm getting so excited for the reveal. If any of you have already guessed it, please don't spoil it yet!

Tell me what you thought. See you next week!