"Thanks," muttered Tashiro, waving at them. They had finally finished the mission, getting the three boys to the Hidden Stone without detection. They had only encountered two other enemies and had dealt with them easily, silencing them.
Izumi had grown edgier in the last two days, it had been five days since they had left the Hidden Mist and it was a three-day journey back to Konoha. They broke away from the other groups of gennin and went their separate ways, each heading back to their own village.
"Do you want to rest for awhile?" asked Daisuke.
"No, let's get back to Konoha," she said quickly, taking a step forwards. She had only two days until... If they hurried, they could make it, but it didn't look like the rest of the group wanted to hurry as much as she did.
"Relax for awhile, Izumi," muttered Raiko, stretching as he walked along. She closed her eyes to calm herself for a moment.
"I want to get back quickly," she said.
"And we want to relax," said Raiko. She sighed in exasperation, grinding her teeth and speed walking. The others were forced to mave at the same pace as her or be left behind, which was fine for her.
Before she went to bed that night, she glanced nervously at the sky, almost crying out in shock. There was only a very thin sliver of the moon left in the sky, hanging dimly among the bright stars. She swallowed hard and rolled over, closing her eyes.
She woke early the next morning, waking up the others as well. The sun had not yet risen, and they weren't even half way back to Konoha. After some arguing and complaining, Daisuke finally set off again, this time dashing through the trees as she forced them to do. There was little time left.
As the sun began to set again, she finally paused, breathing heavily. They had been running all day, and she was exaughsted, but if she stopped things would get worse.
"How far is it to Konoha?" she asked quickly.
"About five or six more hours, if we keep going like this we'll reach it early tomorrow morning. But I'm tired, we should set up camp soon...."
She zoned out, her heart almost stopping in fear. Five or six hours? The words hit her slowly, numbing her mind with fear. That means...
She looked up at the sky as stars began to appear and the rest of the group relaxed for awhile. There was no small sliver of a moon visible, nothing but endless waves of stars and fading light... fading light.... fading....
Her mind snapped back to reality as the sun began sinking below the horizon, her heart beating faster than it had ever done before. She began pannicking, her breaths coming in short gasps and her hands shaking violently. She dug into her bag and pulled out her rope she had brough with her, turning to her team.
"Do you have any rope?" she asked, her voice shaky.
"...Yeah, why?" asked Shike, eyeing her suspiciously.
"Give it to me right now," she ordered. She swallowed hard, on the verge of tears. This could not possibly be happening, not now, not here, not near these people... She almost cried out in anger and frustration, refusing to believe this was happening. It was just a bad dream, she would be waking up any moment. The sun sank deeper- she knew this was reality.
She grabbed the rope from her team mates and sensei, all of whom were eyeing her oddly. If they thought she was acting odd now, then what came next would hit them even harder.
"Tie me to the trees," she said urgently.
"What!?"
"Do it!"
"What has gotten into you, Izumi?" hissed Daisuke.
"I said do it! If you don't, you won't live to see the morning!"
"No, we can't tie you to a tree!" said Raiko. They were all confused. The sun dropped further, and she felt something stir deep inside of her.
"Sensei! Just do this one thing for me! Please!" she pleaded. Her sensei bore a look of utter confusion on his face, but he stood.
"I don't know what you're trying to do... but I guess I can tie you to a tree if you want..." he said slowly, looking at her strangely. More light faded.
"Hurry!"
He motioned for the other two to help him tie her to a few strong trees, which she knew wouldn't be enough, but she didn't care anymore. She ordered them around, telling them where and how to tie it. When they were done, she had rope around her ankles, wrists, neck, arms and knees, tied securely to several trees and holding her back. The sun had almost completely vanished, only a sliver remaining above the horizon.
"What are you doing, Izumi?" asked Shike. They were all standing around her.
"Get away," she hissed, something inside of her waking up. "Don't come near me."
The tone she took with her last few words disturbed the three shinobi. It was not her voice, it was raspy, low and dangerous, as if she viewed them as more of a dinner than as her own team. She stood perfectly still, looking up at the sun and shaking terribly, fear washing over her and causing her to feel sick. The sun hovered above the horizon for a moment, before it gave out, slipping down and causing more colour to leak form the sky.
"Izumi, what are you trying to do?" asked Raiko, reaching forwards.
"Don't come near me! I can't... I will... Just don't!"
More light leaked from the sky and the world darkened. She shivered violently and fell over, the ropes preventing her from hitting the ground. Her body convulsed as she tried to hold it in, but she knew it was useless. Blood flew from her mouth as her eyes lit up, glowing red, her pupils elongating into reptilian slits as they glared out at her team.
"...Izumi?" said Shike, stepping back.
Daisuke guessed what was happening and suddenly pulled the other two gennin away from her, stepping in front of him and holding up his hands. "Stay back! Izumi, why didn't you say anything!? What happens if you lose control!?"
Izumi mustered up the last of her willpower to repond as sanely as possible. "I didn't want to be viewed like this. I'm sorry, sensei. If anything happens, please kill me without hesitation..."
"What? What are you talking about? Sensei would never hurt you, Izumi!" shouted Raiko.
"I will be forced to if she loses control," he muttered, forcing them back further. They went into shock at his words, freezing as all colour drained from their faces. Izumi looked out at them with her unnnatural eyes for a moment longer before convulsing again.
She tilted her head back, her mind slipping away as she started laughing insanely, her small frame shaking with a voice that was too big for her. When the laughing stopped, she went deathly silent, slumping forwards and becoming still.
"...Izumi?" said her sensei, trying to reach her. But she was gone. When she lifted her head, it was not her own eyes that saw him, but a demons. Her head and body bent backwards as an unearthly shriek tore from her throat, shattering the night as more blood flew from her mouth.
It had begun again. Her hands grew larger, black scales crawling over her skin and clothing, long, sharp, black dagger-like claws stretching from the end of each finger.Her head grew longer, becoming hard and scaled, long, dripping black fangs stretching from within her mouth. Two long, straight horns broke through the skin behind her fading ears, reaching up into the sky like twin, ebony towers.
Her dark red hair spread, running down her neck into a mane of firey fur and a long, whip-like tail grew out from behind her, long black spines running along it. At the end, a long, bone-like, black blade materialized, as sharp as her daggers. But she was not done. The skin on her now scaley shoulders bulged for a moment before two, leathery black wings stretched out of her, too large for the small clearing as they crumpled up against the trees in the small space. The demon before them was perfectly still as it completed the transformation, Izumi's blood leaking from it's mouth.
"Oh god... Izumi...?' whispered Daisuke, his skin pale. The demon responded by lifting its head.
"Izumi!" cried out Shike frantically, taking a step forwards. The dragon's tongue licked out, taking in the rest of Izumi's blood delightfully, its red eyes gleaming.
"This is no longer Izumi," said their sensei, pushing them further back. The dragon was quite large, towering over them, and its wingspan was over twenty feet long, each wing lined with small spikes creating a serrated edge. The only things left to remind them of Izumi were the red eyes and her dark red hair, which was now a fiery mane on the demon's neck. The dragon opened its mouth and shook with deep laughter, its teeth dripping with saliva.
"I-zu-mi?" it said slowly, it's voice dripping with sarcasm. "Izumi? Me? Izumi!?" It burst out laughing in a deep growl, it's long, sharp claws digging into the soil and ripping it to shreds easily.
"Izumi is away right now, may I take a message?" it laughed, its tongue running over its sharp fangs. It was staring at them as if they were dinner.
"What the hell are you?" hissed Daisuke. It laughed again.
"Your worst nightmare, hahaha... No, really," it said, its laughing stopping abruptly. "Is this all you've got?" it asked, holding up a scaled hand. It pulled suddenly, snapping the two ropes as if they were thread. Daisuke swallowed hard, frozen to the spot.
"I'm afraid you'll have to try harder than that to restrain me. This is my playday, It only comes around every twenty-nine days or so. When the moon disappears and plunges the world into complete darkness. But soon, any month now.... Izumi's will is faltering, making it easier for me to take control. Her mind is slowly slipping away into oblivion!" It broke off here, laughing in its deep growl for a fe moments before continuing.
"Once her will falters, I can eat away another peice of her soul, slowly taking her life away. The only way to escape is to kill her and kill myself, or to break her soul and steal her mind away. The second way is more fun for me. It causes her great pain and suffering, mental torture and other fun things like that, and it will eventually cause her to trade positions with me. Once I break her soul into little tiny peices, I can finally fly freely again!"
"This is what you do for fun?" asked Daisuke shakily.
"Yes, I'm sooo evil, ne?" it grinned widely, showing its black, sharp fangs. "A monster, a demon, one of the legendary Youkai. One of the strongest too, and proud of it. The Kyubi has the most Chakra, the Raicho the most speed and cunning, but I'm th most dangerous. The most powerful. The strongest. To fear me is wise, because it is the same as fearing fear itself. I am Koiryuu, the God of Demons, the ruler of all ten Youkai!"
It stepped forwards, more ropes groaning and breaking. The rope around it's neck was stronger, but the tree bent, groaning in protest before it's roots were wrenched from the earth itself. Daisuke remained frozen for a few more moments, before acting quickly.
"I won't let you! Get BACK!" His hands flew into a long, fast and complicated series of seals. "Kinkusari Shibaru no Jutsu!"
Golden chains flew our of nowhere, wrapping around the demon and burning as they did so, pulling it back violently and chaining it to the ground tightly. It struggled for a moment before falling still again.
"You're really annoying," it muttered through a mouthful of dirt and chain. Red chakra exploded from it, blowing away the chains as if they were nothing but an illusion. It darted towards Daisuke with amazing speed, but he had already began forming more seals.
"Ichiji Kakuheki no Jutsu!"
Red, slightly transparent walls rose around the dragon as more chains wrapped around it. It roared angrily, snapping around as its wings battered uselessly against the barrier. Daisuke's forehead was beaded with sweat as he struggled to hold it, running large amounts of chakra through it.
The dragon continued thrashing until it began injuring itself, its tail splitting open in several places and its wings rubbing against the chakra barrier, the scales eventually rubbing away and more blood flooding onto the gashes.
The stars above revolved slowly as the raw struggle occured beneath them, Daisuke somehow managing to hold the barrier, the demon Koiryuu struggling against it, and Raiko and Shike hiding behind him in fear.
The sky slowly began to lighten, but Daisuke could hold the barrier no longer. He grabbed Shike and Raiko, releasing the barrier and backing away at the same time. The chains broke one by one and the dragon roared angrily, spreading its wings and taking flight, sending entire branches flying through the air as it created a small whirlwind, flying higher and circling.
It flew higher before spotting Daisuke again and banking sharply, but something happened it did not expect. The sun cracked over the horizon, flooding the forest with light and finally reaching the demon. It let out a frustrated screech before crumpling up and shrinking down, travelling forwards for a few seconds before plunging earthwards.
Instead of the dragon, Izumi was the one falling, her body limp as if she were a small ragdoll thrown by a large dog. Daisuke saw the change, and raised his hands to try to stop her fall, but he had no chakra left, and she continued falling, picking up speed. Something inside of Shike twinged and he darted forwards, his limbs finding their feeling again and moving him forwards.
He raised his own hands and wind swirled around her helpless form, curling around it gently and slowing her fall considerably. She drifted to the ground at a slower rate before she regained conciousness and saw the ground approaching. She curled up, covering her bloodstained face and breathing in sharp gasps. Shike lowered his hands and caught her, his knees buckling with the added weight as they sunk to the ground. Daisuke and Raiko ran over, forcing their tired limbs to move them as they kneeled beside her. Daisuke grabbed her away from Shike roughly and her arms dropped away.
She looked unnaturally pale and had numerous cuts on her arms and legs, a small trickle of blood leaking from her mouth, but other than that she was fine. Her pupils remained slitted for a moment, before they dulled and shrunk, returning to their normal shape. She suddenly convulsed, sitting up and hunching forwards, blood leaking from her mouth as she struggled to control the anger of the demon within her. She remained like that for a moment before her body relaxed and she lifted her head.
Daisuke was about to yell at her for not telling them and for putting their lives into danger, but when he saw her face, he faltered. Tears were running freely down her cheeks, taking the blood with them as they driped off her chin and into the dirt, making a small muddy puddle. She brought up her hands and buried her face in them, tears running through her fingers and down her arms, stinging as they entered the cuts.
"Izumi..." said Daisuke, not sure of what to do.
"I'm sorry.... I'm so sorry... I should have told you before, but-but... I just couldn't live with that... I'm sorry..."
Daisuke's instincts finally kicked in and he removed his black jacket, wrapping her small frame up and lifting her from the ground, standing.
"You two, we're heading back to Konoha right away. Let's go," he said quickly. The two other gennin nodded silently, taking off towards the village. Daisuke remained for a moment, looking back at the destroyed forest and then dropping his eyes towards Izumi. She reminded him of Kairi in so many ways it was uncanny.
Travelling at their current speed, they easily made it back to Konoha in an hour and a half, dashing quickly through the gates. Daisuke ordered the other two to report their mission, and he dashed off towards the Hokage's quarters. Izumi had passed out from blood loss, but she was awake now, her eyelids cracking open again. She coughed lightly and looked up into Daisuke's face. It was strained and troubled, plastered with concern for his gennin.
He burst through the doors of Shinobi central before finally slowing down. He carried her towards a door and knocked lightly, waiting patiently and shifting his grip on Izumi. The door opened, a Jounin letting them in. He said something quietly to Daisuke before closing the door and leading him into another room, where they found themselves before the Hokage.
"What's going on here?" asked the Hokage, looking up from his papers. Daisuke gently shook Izumi to wake her, but found she was already awake. She slid down to the ground, using him as support for a moment before standing on her own, her eyes half closed.
Daisuke stepped forwards and leaned over the desk, muttering quietly to the Hokage. Izumi watched, biting her lip as the Hokage's face slowly changed from confused to serious or possibly angry.
"Which type is it then?" she heard him ask Daisuke.
"I have no clue. It doesn't fit any of them," he replied, glancing at Izumi. She caught onto what they were talking about.
"It's a modified form of Hyoui no Jutsu," she muttered, recalling the words that had been repeated over and over around her as a child. "Using the mother's body as nourishment for a demon or spirit sealed within a child at birth."
Daisuke was looking at her in silence along with the Hokage. "Hyoui no Jutsu? That jutsu is forbidden in all of the shinobi countries... What do you mean, modified?" asked the Hokage.
For some reason, she had always retained the information about the Koiryuu. "The normal Hyoui no Jutsu is a jutsu that allows an unborn child to be possesed by a ghost or spirit. The mother in this process loses her life and her body is used up as nourishment for the jutsu. If, once the child is born, should it fall into a deep enough sleep, the spirit or ghost will fully take control over the body. The mother's spirit lives on inside the child and will protect the child when in danger.
"The modified version that was used on me is very different. The mother still loses her life in the process as nourishment, but the results are different. The spirit or ghost posessing the child reacts to changes in the mind and the lunar cycle. Depending on the night the jutsu was performed, that will be the time when the spirit is allowed to take control. The spirit can also be released at will, but if the childs will is to falter, the spirit will take the chance to completely take over."
Daisuke gasped, faltering at her last words. "The same..." he turned back to the Hokage and whispered to him again quickly. The Hokage's expression changed again, and he nodded a few times.
"Get her cleaned up then. She will be staying with you until I decide on what to do next," he said, pulling out another blank sheet of paper. She saw Daisuke cast his eyes down for a moment, but he nodded and bowed slightly, turning back to her and walking out of the room. She followed him in silence through the busy streets towards his house, entering as he closed the door behind them.
He led her in silence upstairs into his bedroom. "You should get some sleep. I need to file some things and find Raiko and Shike."
He turned to leave, but she spoke before he closed the door. "What's going to happen to me now, sensei?"
The words seemed to have a strange affect on him, and he tensed, but relaxed, shaking his head tiredly. "I'm not sure," he said, closing the door. Izumi looked around the empty room with interest. There was a small picture sitting on the bedside table and she picked it up, looking over it. It was a picture of Daisuke when he had been younger, a girl sitting beside him and another boy behind him.
She smiled as she looked over it. Daisuke looked alot cheerier in the picture. His raven black hair was shorter and didn't hang in his grey eyes, His hawk was perched on his shoulder in its usual place, its feathers ruffled comfortably. He was smiling with his arm around a girl's shoulder who she guessed to be his sister, Kairi. Kairi was around four in the picture, and had the same raven black hair that rached past her chin, curling neatly under. She was grinning widely, her grey eyes shining happily. The boy behind them was around the same age as Daisuke in the picture, around seventeen, maybe older at eighteen or nineteen. He was grinning as well, one hand resting on Daisuke's head and the other on Kairi's shoulder. His black hair tied back in a loose ponytail and his grey eyes had a slightly sad, faroff look to them.
Looking at Daisuke in this picture made her wonder how bad something must have been to turn him into what he was now- a dark, pessimistic, child-hating young man. His eyes were completely different from the picture, they were hard and cold, or angry most of the time, the complete opposite from the ones he was showing in the picture. The ones he had now were full of pain and suffering, like hers.
She put the picture back on the table and flicked off her shoes, curling up on top of the covers and passing out almost immediately from exaughstion.
'What's going to happen to me now, Daisuke-chan?' Daisuke sat alone in a small cafe, cradling a cup of coffee as his mind wandered. Those were the exact same words Kairi had asked before she was sent into battle for the Raikage. His hands tightened as he thought of his father.
He's trying to make another monster, but he needs me to do that. My brother is dead, Kairi is dead, I'm the last one left. No matter what happens, I will never give up that information. No child deserves to suffer like that. His mind wandered further as he thought of Izumi.
She reminds me so much of Kairi, at least when she's not angry about something. That time in the forest... She had said something that had sounded so... so KairiShe had never questioned the fact she had been born as a monster, hated by everyone, feared by everyone, seen only as a tool for the Raikage. She had told him once that she managed to get by so easily because she had him to look out for her, and that had made him try even harder to protect her. But when it had mattered most, he had not been able to save her.
He bit his lip, taking another sip of his coffee and looking out the window. Things were beginning to fall apart again. When he had first come here years ago, he had adjusted quickly and earned the trust of the Hokage by flawlessly completing a series of difficult missions. He had come here at the age of fifteen and at a Jounin level, and he was now twenty and a Jounin sensei.
He had fought with the Cloud in the war at fifteen as well, when Kairi had been eight, and when she was killed, he had gotten into a fight with his father, ending up abandoning the village and heading to the Leaf. Now, the Cloud hunter-nin were catching up with him, and he wondered how long it would be before he was captured.
Daisuke sighed and quickly drank the rest of his coffee, throwing some money on the table and heading out into the afternoon. He had forgot to mention that to the Hokage, that the Cloud-nin had begun looking for him. He flicked his raven black hair from his eyes before heading down the street slowly, weaving between throngs of people. When he reached the Hokage's headquarters again and raised his hand to knock, he was joined by a few other shinobi; Gekkou Hayate, Shiranui Genma, and the other Jounin Sensei behind them, along with a number of chuunin.
The door opened and he was pushed in by the other shinobi until he stood before the Hokage along with them, wondering what was going on. The Hokage noticed him, but said nothing, so he played along as if he knew what was happening. The room went silent as the Hokage raised his hand.
"I have called you here to announce an upcoming Chuunin exam that will be held in Konoha. Today, I was going to take down the teams who are to participate and the examiners for the three parts. But first, which Jounin sensei's would like to enter their teams?"
"Team Seven's Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki and Haruno Sakura under the name of Hatake Kakashi," said Kakashi, stepping forwards from the group of Leaf-nin.
"Team Ten's Nara Shikamaru, Akamichi Chouji and Yamanaka Ino under the name of Sarutobi Asuma," said Asuma, stepping forwards as well.
"Team Eight's Hyuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba and Aburame Shino under the name of Yuuhi Kurenai," said Kurenai. Daisuke stepped forwards.
"Hokage-sama, what about my team? I would enter them, but-"
"No, you will not be entering your team this time, Daisuke. It is too dangerous," said the Hokage. The other Jounin didn't seem to know what they were talking about. Daisuke felt a pang of guilt, he had promised Shike and Raiko he would enter them in the next exam.
"But-"
"No, it is too dangerous."
"At least give the other two a chance. They've been waiting for a long time. Can't I take another gennin onto my team for the exam?"
"We cannot allow that. You're whole team needs to be able to take part, and if Izumi cannot participate, then it is useless entering."
Daisuke bit back his tongue as he fell back into line, the eyes of the other Jounin turning back to the Hokage. He cleared his throat, before continuing.
"You all know the meaning of this exam, to strengthen bonds between the Shinobi Countries and act as a replacement for war. All of our allied countries will be participating along with Konoha-gakure. Suna-gakure, Ame-gakure, Taki-gakure, Kusa-gakure, Iwa-gakure, Kumo-gakure, Kiri-gakure and the recently established Oto-gakure."
"Kumo-gakure?" asked Daisuke, his face paling. Just what he needed.
"Yes, Kumo-gakure."
"That's my old village," he stated blandly.
"They can't possibly recognize you, you've grown since you arrived here five years ago."
"They will, there's something I forgot to mention..." he muttered, trailing off. He had forgotten that when he arrived, he had not told the Hokage he was the only remining child of the Raikage.
"And what's that?" asked the Hokage, his pipe cocking up in intrest.
"I'll tell you after."
There was a short silence, before the Hokage shifted. "Anything that you have to say to me can be said now, especially if it will affect the village or the outcome of the Chuunin Exam. The other Jounin have the right to know as well."
Daisuke swallowed hard, feeling the eyes of everyone on him again. He swallowed hard and stepped forwards, his head dropping slightly so that his face was partially hidden by his raven hair. He opened his mouth, then closed it before opening it again.
"When I came here five years ago, I felt unsure of what to share with you, Hokage-sama. I didn't know who I could trust, and I never thought it would be a factor, but..."
There was a moment of silence before he went on, drawing in a deep breath shakily. "The Raikage... I'm his son."
The silence that followed the words was suffocating, and he closed his eyes, biting his lip and waiting for someone to say something.
"You... Lied to the Hokage-sama?" hissed one of the Jounins.
"Raikage's son?"
The Hokage closed his eyes before standing from his desk and looking down at Daisuke, who seemed to shrink under his gaze. One wrong move and he knew the Hokage would no longer trust him and possibly kill or banish him. He swallowed hard.
"Why didn't you tell me this before?" hissed the Hokage, his pipe still as he glared down at him. His hands were resting on the desk, but his knuckles were white because they were balled into fists.
"I'm sorry, Hokage-sama. I didn't know who to trust," he replied quietly.
"What happens if the Raikage comes looking for you?" he asked, still glaring down at him.
"That's the other thing," he said quietly. The Hokage's glare deepened. "On the last mission we met up with a group of Cloud-nin and I knew their leader. Luckily Izumi dealt with him, but before he died, she told me what he said. Apperently... Apperently, the Raikage is looking for me, sending out Hunter-nin. He wants to know how to... nevermind."
"Tell me what he wants. This is more serious than you think, keeping anything more from me will only get you into more trouble."
Daisuke, however, was reluctant to give away anything about his past in the Hidden Cloud. He lowered his head further, biting the inside of his cheek and looking down at the floor. Why did he have to do this in front of all the other Jounin? Why was the Hokage-sama making him embarass himself?
"..." he sighed and finally lifted his head, his eyes meeting the Hokage's. "I was entrusted with the information about the Hyoui no Jutsu used on my younger sister Kairi. Since she and my brother are dead, the only one left with the proper information is myself."
That was hardly the half of it, and the Hokage knew it. Daisuke's fists were clenched at his sides as he glared up at the Hokage fearlessly, some of his former self returning and glaring out through his eyes.
"...I will speak with you after. Please wait outside, Daisuke."
Daisuke shot a look at the other jounin as he walked from the room, closing the door behind him and leaning against the wall beside it. He listened to the voices speaking inside for a few more minutes before the door opened and Jounins began pouring out, muttering among themselves. A few cast glances towards him, and one stopped to speak to him.
"You'd better watch out in there, Daisuke. The Hokage-sama is pretty angry with you," muttered Genma as he passed by. Daisuke snorted halfheartedly, waiting until every Jounin had left before entering again. The hokage was sitting with his hands together on the desk in front of him.
"Come here," he ordered. Daisuke obeyed, stepping before him and facing him properly.
"I know you were hiding the rest of your story, and I'm not asking you to tell me it. That's your personal life and it's none of my business, but there are some things I want to ask of you. First off, although the Raikage himself isn't attending the exam, many highly ranked persons will be. Therefore I will have to ask you to go on patrol as an Anbu for the length of the exam. And the other thing I wanted to speak with you about is Izumi.
"Since you acted as the guardian over Kairi, you know the jutsus required to restrain a demon of that ranking and power. Until further notice, I want Izumi to go everywhere with you. If her will falters, the only people able to stop it would be either you or myself, and it is impossible for myself to be running around after a thirteen year-old girl. These are orders directly from me, you are to watch over the girl twenty-four seven and moniter her every move."
"...Yes Hokage-sama," he muttered.
"And I want you to know that I still fully trust you, Daisuke," he said, his voice softening slightly.
"What? Why?"
"You proved yourself loyal to the Leaf more than once. And when you first came here, you exceeded the expectations when completing the entrance missions for me. You exceeded the other shinobi, entering first Jounin, then Anbu and eventually a Jounin Sensei rank. Your jutsu are more advanced than almost every shinobi in this village, and are far above what you should be able to do. You are a very talented shinobi, a Leaf shinobi, and I know you would fight for me until the end if need be. That's why I trust you. Can you do this for me then?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama," he replied again. The Hokage smiled and let out a puff of smoke.
"You are dismissed."