Hiruzen stepped outside and took in a long breath of the morning air. A small gurgling coo echoed in the courtyard and he turned to walk toward it. A Sarutobi clanswoman was playing with the baby in the grass, and he was making noises as he crawled around, trying to follow a butterfly. The woman saw Hiruzen from the corner of her eyes and turned to him and bowed. He raised a hand and smiled at her and approached.

"Good morning, Lord Third."

"Morning, Ena." He watched the baby for a moment as he grasped the grass in his hands and giggled as he ripped it up. "I see that he's improved much just from last night."

Ena nodded and smiled faintly as the boy. "It didn't take him long for him to become comfortable with me. He had a difficult time sleeping last night, but he's had a healthy appetite and his mood is good." She reached out to stop the boy as he tried to stuff the handfuls of grass in his mouth, who frowned and fussed at her interference. "And, as you can see, he has quite a bit of energy now."

"That's good to see." Hiruzen turned to look at the girl, who sat in the corner of the courtyard with a faraway look and her legs drawn in close to her. "And, the girl?"

Ena glanced over to Kanna, and then let out a small breath. "She is as well as you could expect. She hasn't been speaking much, though she has been very attentive of her brother and will hardly let him out of her sight. She doesn't yet completely trust me, but she did take a step back and allowed me to care for the baby last night so that she could rest. She is a sweet and very devoted girl. It's terrible that she's had to experience something so awful as losing her family... but I do think that she will make a recovery."

He nodded and looked around, spotting the four ANBU guards' invisible silhouettes around the area, and then back to the girl. He walked slowly toward her and she blinked and glanced up at him with a blank expression.

"Good morning, Kanna. Did you sleep well?"

Kanna pressed her lips together and drew her legs closer and turned away. "I-I had a lot of nightmares... It was hurting really badly..." She reached up to the back of her neck to cover the mark. "And when I woke up... I forgot that my mom and dad were gone, almost..." She looked down and sniffed, wiping her face with her arm. "...I miss them... I wish..." She shook her head and tears streaked her cheeks as she wiped her face again. "It's not fair..."

Hiruzen frowned slightly and exhaled. "I am sorry there was nothing that we could do for your parents. I will do everything in my power to keep you and your brother safe and well-cared for." He glanced toward Ena as she picked up the boy and wiped the grass and dirt from his hands. "What do you think of Ena?"

Kanna sniffed again and wiped her eyes, then slowly looked over at the woman to watch her play with the baby. "Koji likes her, so... I guess she's okay." She looked down and she swallowed the lump in her throat, trying to hold back another wave of tears. "He hasn't asked for mom at all today... what if... he forgets her? Or our dad?"

He opened his mouth to speak, but another clansman approached him and bowed his head.

"Lord Third, Anko Mitarashi is here to see you."

Hiruzen looked at him and nodded his head. "Bring her here, then."

The man nodded and walked away, and Hiruzen turned to Kanna again.

"There is someone that I would like you to meet. I think it will be beneficial for you both."

"W-Who?" Kanna bit her lip and the man returned a moment later, followed by Anko.

"Lord Hokage." Anko looked at the old man, and then she looked at the girl sitting in the grass. "Is this her?"

Kanna pulled her legs closer, and Hiruzen held out his hand to her. "It's alright; you don't have to be wary of her." He lowered his tone slightly. "She has a mark, just as you do."

Kanna's eyes widened and she hesitantly took his hand and stood and looked up at Anko. "...Y-You have one, too?"

Hiruzen glanced over his shoulder at Ena. "Perhaps we should take this inside."

"Right." Anko nodded and he motioned for them to follow.

Kanna turned to look at the baby and clutched the hem of her shirt. "But..."

"Your brother will be in good hands with Ena. We'll only be gone for a few minutes."

"O-Okay..." Kanna followed him reluctantly inside and the three sat on cushions around a low table. There was a long pause, and then Hiruzen looked at the girl.

"Kanna, this is Anko Mitarashi. As I said before, she has a mark the same as you do."

Kanna craned her head slightly to the woman's neck, and Anko turned and shifted the collar of her jacket enough for her to see. Her eyes widened and she stared at the woman.

"Y-You... yours is different... but you have one, too." Kanna looked at the old man. "...How?"

"It was placed on her by the same man that gave you yours, when she was young." Hiruzen answered.

Kanna pressed her lips together and touched her neck, moving her shirt so that Anko could see. Anko narrowed her eyes slightly at the mark, leaning forward to examine it.

"I... don't recognize the design." Anko turned to Hiruzen. "It must be a new one he's been working on."

"Hm..." He touched his chin. "That's not unexpected, though we can't be sure of how powerful of a mark it is, in that case."

"W-What is it?" Kanna looked between them. "What does it mean? What does it do?"

"It's called a Curse Mark, or a Cursed Seal." Anko crossed her arms. "They were created to make the bearer more powerful. The survival rate after receiving the mark is very low. You were lucky."

"Lucky?" Kanna repeated quietly under her breath. "...I... don't feel very lucky."

"Well, don't make the mistake of thinking that it's a gift; that mark is nothing but trouble." Anko let out a sigh and shrugged. "If you get too riled up, you could lose control and hurt yourself or other people."

Kanna's eyes widened. "H-Hurt people?" She bit her lip and looked behind her, in the direction of the courtyard, then back down at her hands in her lap as her eyes watered and almost spilled over. "Then... Will I... hurt Koji?"

"The mark and its powers can be suppressed." Hiruzen met the girl's eyes. "Which is why I want you to train under Anko. She has successfully suppressed her own mark in the past, so she will train you to do the same."

Kanna looked at Anko, her hands fidgeting in her lap. "...So, if you teach me... I won't hurt anyone?"

Anko nodded shortly. "Yep." She paused and studied the girl's expression, and clenched her fist in her lap under the table. "It wouldn't do any good to tell her that they can become reactivated... that'll have to be a lesson for another time." She glanced at the Hokage. "He really expects me to be her guardian, though? She's emotionally fragile and probably pathetically weak. I'm not the right one to look after her at all."

"As of right now, Anko is busy with her duties as an exam proctor." Hiruzen looked at Anko, and then to the girl. "However, once the second phase is complete, you will be officially under her care. She will be your teacher and your guardian."

"Guardian?" Kanna stared down at her hands again and Anko rubbed her head.

"Uh... well, it'll be a few days before you really have to worry about that, kid."

"Do you have any questions about this arrangement?" Hirzuen kept his eyes on Kanna, who shook her head after a moment, but spoke anyway.

"Will she be taking care of Koji, too?"

"E-Eh?" Anko held up her hands. "I-I'm not great with kids as-is. I definitely should not be handed a baby."

"Your brother would stay here in Ena's care, though you are more than welcome to come see him any time you like."

"...Oh." Kanna's lip quivered and she bit it. "W-We've always been together... I don't want to be away from him."

"I understand." Hiruzen nodded slightly. "However, your brother will be safest at the Sarutobi estate with Ena, especially during your training period. It's vital that you learn to suppress the mark as quickly as possible, so that your brother or yourself are not endangered."

"I..." Her eyes watered. "But..."

"You have my word that you will be able to visit him as often as you like." He paused. "If you were older, you would be able to live on your own and maintain custody of your brother. But seeing as you are still so young yourself..."

"I-If I learn how to control it, then..." Kanna looked up at him. "Could... I live here with Koji again?"

He pressed his lips together for a moment and let out a short sigh. "I suppose we can consider that option, once your mark has been suppressed. However, you must diligently focus on your training with Anko in the meantime."

"...O-Okay." Kanna nodded slowly and turned to Anko. "I... I promise that I'll work really hard."

"I also would like for you to enroll at the Academy, once you have settled in here at the Leaf." The Hokage spoke again and Kanna looked at him.

"The Academy?" She blinked and her eyes widened. "I... I get to go to school, too?"

"Once Anko feels that you have learned enough to pass the entrance exam." Hiruzen nodded and looked briefly over at the Kunoichi. "Since you have not been raised as a Shinobi, there will be much for you to learn."

"I..." Kanna swallowed. "I'll... do my best."

Anko blinked and crossed her arms, looking over at the Hokage from the corner of her eyes as she made a face. "Lord Hokage really wants me to play house with this kid for real, huh?" She closed her eyes briefly, then turned her attention back to Kanna. "Although, there's no one else who's familiar with Orochimaru or the Curse Marks the way I am..." She let out a quiet sigh. "It'll be a pain, but this is something that I couldn't entrust to anyone else. I'll have to see this through and make sure it's done properly."

"Um..." Kanna met Anko's eyes. "I-I'll be a good student. I promise I won't make any trouble for you."

"Don't worry about that." Anko rubbed her head. "It's not a problem." She lowered her hand again to rest it on her leg. "I say that, but I don't really know the first thing of how to take care of a kid or where I should even start her training."

"You two will have more time to become better acquainted." Hiruzen nodded to himself. "For now, I believe Anko has to return to the exam."

"Ah... right." She chuckled and scratched her head. "I should get to the tower right away. I'm sure the first teams are already there now."

The Hokage nodded again and turned to Kanna.

"You may return to your brother now. That covers all that we needed to discuss-"

Before he could finish, Kanna excitedly stood and rushed out of the room. The man chuckled and looked to Anko.

"What do you think of her?"

"Eh..." Anko crossed her arms and sighed. "Starting from square one of her training is going to be a pain in the ass, but if she's determined to really focus, then it won't be much of an issue. I'm just not sure about her emotional state right now."

"The loss of her parents and the life she knew is fresh. In time, she will recover from it, but it will not be an easy process for her." He stroked his beard, and then looked back at her. "For now, we must try to learn as much as we can about Orochimaru's plans and put a stop to them, or else there might not be much of a future for that girl to begin with."