A/N: Just watched a video analysis of Ekko in Arcane and I wanted to write a story based on this concept. Neither the hero who fights the bad guys and wins or gets back on their feet after losing, nor the bad guys or the hero who turned bad. No. The story of the one who didn't fight. The story of the one who avoided the fight, who did the most obvious thing, not raising against an enemy too strong for them. Of the one who didn't get crushed by this fight, by the events they couldn't deal with because they weren't fit to deal with them.

Instead of headbutting through the difficulties, they find a way around them. They are like the wind, elusive, intangible. They are like water, they adapt. The world around them changes constantly, but instead of facing it head on, they just find how to include these changes and make the best out of them. They don't try to beat up the bad guys, they don't try to discourage the heroes. All they do is making the present better by doing all they can, at any time, to help themselves and those around them.

Neutral, on the sidelines of the events, they seize every opportunity to make the world better. Not in twenty years when they'll be the leaders of their village, not stuck in the past either. Just living here and now and doing what's best for the present.

Canon events will be altered as a result of this third party's actions as well as a few differences in the way the events go, with a butterfly effect that will change the story more and more as the changes add up.

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Chapter 1

Sasuke was running. Itachi was so close! He had to see him, to try and kill him! He felt a strong chakra signature nearby and ran towards it. It must be Itachi!

Suddenly, at the corner of a street, he bumped into someone. Surprisingly, he fell on his butt. Who was it? How could that person be so grounded that they didn't move a bit despite him running into them at full speed?

As Sasuke lifted his head to take a look at the obstacle between him and his brother, he saw a girl a few years older than him with relatively short and wild light purple hair with a long and unruled low ponytail. Her skin was gray and thick like a rhino's, but when she looked at him it changed to a light brown human skin. She was wearing a short hooded black jacket with just a bikini top underneath and an animal fur around the waist with skin-tight shorts like Sakura's. She was bare-footed. But the strangest part of her looks was the armguards and gloves made of animal bones and claws. She looked like a druid with a Rock n' Roll jacket.

"I know I'm good-looking, but could ya please stop staring at me?" she said, snapping him back into reality.

"Sorry…" he replied without thinking.

Then he remembered why he was running in the first place and stood up to resume what he was doing, only for a hand to grab him by the collar and lift him up.

"Where are ya runnin' so carelessly, boy?" she asked.

"That's not your problem."

"Usually, genin run away from danger, not towards it."

"Let me go or I'll have to make you! I don't have time for your game!"

She turned her hand into a gorilla's and grabbed him by the neck.

"Sure, try. Let's see how ya escape from my grasp."

Sasuke tried to free himself, but the girl's grasp was too strong for him.

"See? Ya can't even make me let go, what are you going to do against the monstrous chakra I can sense from here? Ya just gonna get yourself killed, boy."

"I have to go! Let me go!"

He struggled again but to no avail. She had a titanic grip.

"Let's go grab somethin' to eat and you'll tell me yer story. Then I'll decide if I let ya go or not."

"But he'll get away!"

"Who?"

"Mind your own business!"

"Don' wanna."

He was furious but he could do nothing to free himself. All he could do was play along or be stuck there in her iron grip until Itachi left this town. The girl was already dragging him to a food stall and he felt despair take a hold of him. He would definitely miss the man who killed his family…

"Hey old man! Two bowls of yer best vegetable dish!" she exclaimed shamelessly.

"Comin' right now!" replied the chef.

"Ya look like ya could use some vitamins, boy," she told him. "You're as skinny as a street kid."

"All I want is for you to let me go. I don't need vitamins, I need to find someone."

"And I'll free ya when ya've eaten something. Don' ya see how exhausted you are? A civilian could beat you."

He was angry, but he heard his stomach growl and realized that she was right, he was exhausted and hungry and he would get bodied by Itachi in that state. He wouldn't even be able to get near him.

"I don't have money on me."

"I'm invitin' ya, shrimp."

"…Thank you…"

"Of course if you're gonna run towards that dangerous chakra signature, I'll go with ya. Can't leave a boy so young alone near such a monsta."

"But…"

"Shaddap, will ya? Who's gonna carry yer sorry ass to safety if you go there alone and come face to face with that freak? Anyway, tell me a little bit 'bout yerself, like why ya wanna die so hard. Who's the person you're after? Someone you like or someone you wanna hurt?"

"…Why should I tell you?"

"Cuz' I can help ya. I'm stronger than ya and I'm not a ninja, I'm free and no one ain't gonna lock me up anytime soon. No village politics, no clan affairs, nothin'. I don' exist."

"…How can you not exist?"

"I was born in a small village. Missing nin mom, no dad. One day, hunter nins came. She told me to run. I ran, but I turned back. The village was burning. I hid into the woods, lived there for months before going back. No tombs, nothin', just the leftovers of the villagers that the wild animals didn't like. All that was left o' my mom was a burned skeleton.

"I left the village and never went back there. I trained to become powerful enough to survive by myself. At some point, I ran into people with problems. Thought of leaving them deal with it. The first time, that person died. Could've helped him, but I left him alone and he died because I didn't help. Decided to help people whenever I could since that day. Being a nobody helps me, no one ever looks for me or knows about me."

"…"

"Now, tell me yer story, boy."

"My clan was killed when I was six. I saw the killer and he showed me the massacre inside a genjutsu. Over and over for seventy-two hours. Then he told me to become powerful and go after him to avenge them."

"Didn't ya ever think of showing him the middle finger and just living yer own life?"

"How could I live my own life? He killed my clan once, he could come back and kill my family if I decided to make one…"

"You're stronger when ya have someone to protect. If ya wanna get revenge, dig two graves. One for yer enemy and the other one for ya. I dunno who said that, but that's true."

"Then I'll die killing him."

"And yer clan? What d'ya think they'd expect from ya? To avenge them or to rebuild yer clan? D'ya think yer mom would want ya to avenge the dead or to live your life? D'ya think killin' that guy would make her proud of ya? D'ya think wastin' your life would make her proud of ya? Yer mom would probably want ya to live, to become yerself. She'd want to have grandchildren or at least she'd want you to love and be loved. Gettin' killed won't make you happy. Revenge doesn't make you happy. When you've achieved it, all that's left is emptiness."

"How would you know? You told me you fled and left your mother and village to die…"

"I know because everyone who seeks revenge just ends up bitter, sad and angry. I've seen lots of people lookin' for revenge, they can't even enjoy the good moments in life. What's life if you can't take pleasure? What d'ya leave behind ya if ya don' help anyone, if ya don' like anyone? No one's gonna remember yer existence. Ya'll just be forgotten and yer clan will stay dead. Is that what ya want? To end yer clan? Don't ya wanna have a family and be happy?"

"How can I be happy if the one who killed my family is walking around freely, unpunished?"

"He'll have to live with the memories and regrets of his actions. At some point, he's gonna regret it. And if he doesn't, then he'll just die anyway. Everyone dies. But at least ya'll get to be happy, while he won't. While he expect ya to go after him, ya'll be enjoying yer life, spending time with yer friends, loving someone. There will be people who remember ya after yer death. He'll just be forgotten or remember as the one who killed yer clan. Ya'll be remembered as the person who was strong enough to get back on yer feet and be happy despite the tragedy of yer childhood. You're gonna become a role model, he's just gonna remain a criminal forever. D'ya wanna be just as bad as him? Or d'ya wanna live yer life and show everyone you're stronger than him cuz' you stood up and walked forward?

"The past is the past. Ya can't change it. The future is far away. Ya can't know what's gonna happen. All ya can affect is the present. Ya can decide what to do now. Ya can look after that criminal, or ya can help people who've been hurt like you get back up and live their lives. You're not the only orphan out there. Ya can help more people than ya think if ya just decide to stop chasing after a ghost. Or ya can just live yer life, but ya can do that while helping others and it feels better. Ya could work in an orphanage and take care of the ones whose lives started badly, like yours. No matter what, don't waste yer life on things you can't change. You're just gonna become what you hate."

Sasuke was left unable to speak. His mind was in overdrive, trying to process what she had told him. Suddenly, a hand touched his shoulder and brought him back to reality. He turned to its' owner, expecting to look at the druid girl, but instead his eyes met with Kakashi's.

"Sasuke, is everything fine?" asked the jounin, trying to look uninterested but failing.

"…I don't know…"

"Did you see him?"

"…No…some stranger blocked my way and forced me to eat before doing anything. Then she told me about her life, asked about mine and told me that revenge is useless…that living my life would make my mother prouder than chasing after the killer…and she told me to help the people around me while I'm at it…"

"That reminds me of someone…" Kakashi trailed off, memories coming to his mind.

Sasuke looked at his plate in silence and ate. He finally noticed the money on the counter near the empty plate of the girl, who had disappeared between her last words and Kakashi's arrival.

They walked away, back to Konoha. The jounin was confident in his rival's ability to help Naruto and Jiraya deal with Itachi and his partner. At least to keep the blond boy safe. Sasuke was his priority, taking him away from Itachi was important for his future.

As they left the town, Kakashi walked on Sasuke's left. That's when he noticed something strange.

"Sasuke, did that person touch your neck or shoulder?"

"Why?" asked the boy, back to reality.

"Your cursed mark. It disappeared."

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A/N: Who's that mysterious druid girl? Did she remove the cursed mark? How will this small event affect Sasuke's story? How will this affect the story as a whole?