Chapter 3

Kohaku told neither of her teammates about the attack or her meeting Hyuuga Neji. After all, no one came to discuss the incident with her, so Neji must've indeed told the truth. Rumors began to circulate throughout the village that the elders were looking for someone to become the fifth Hokage. It had been a bit of a surprise to the Sand ninjas that a new leader had not been chosen immediately. Even before they knew that Orochimaru had killed him, a new Kazekage had been appointed to oversee the peace treaty with Konoha and attempt to rebuild any sort of relation with the lord of the Wind Country. Still, it seemed that Konoha could function without a definitive leader for a little while, as everyone seemed to know their job. And Senjo's after-hours job had been to try and establish contact with Uzumaki Naruto. She found him deep in the woods, training hard with what seemed like an incredible amount of will and stamina. 'The way he trains, you'd think he was one of ours,' she thought as he finally took a break for a lunch of instant ramen. 'Now or never.' Dropping from the trees where she'd been watching, Senjo walked up to him, hand raised in greeting. "Hello."

"Eh? Oh, it's you," the blonde boy replied, frowning a bit. "I was hoping-"

"That I was that cute pink-haired girl?" His mouth dropped for a moment, and Senjo giggled in spite of herself. She was going to have fun with him. "I can read minds, you know. Your friend Sakura is busy in the village, anyway."

"I know, I just- Wait, you can read minds!" Naruto's jaw dropped slightly, but he quickly regained partial composure and turned away from her with a "Hmph. No one can read minds, not even old-man Hokage or Kakashi-sensei. Prove it."

"And how would you like me to do that?"

"Read my mind right now." He looked her square in the eyes and Senjo smiled. Even though he didn't understand, he'd just given her the keys to his mind, and she wanted to have a little fun before getting down to business. She moved closer, and Naruto continued staring, confidence shining in his eyes. "So what am I thinking?"

"That no matter what I say, you'll just say you weren't thinking that and have me assume you outsmarted me." Naruto's jaw dropped again, and this time his eyes widened. Senjo smiled brighter and chuckled. "After all, a person who will one day be Hokage must be able to defeat all types of opponents."

"I-How-What do you want?"

"I just want to talk. You seem to be a friendly person, despite your attitude towards my teammates and I. Why is that, exactly?"

"You're the mind-reader, aren't you?" He was staring at her now, and his eyes betrayed slight anger and resentment. Senjo tried not to pry into the thoughts of those around her when not in combat, but this time she needed to. He had no reason to hate her village as passionately as he seemed to, and yet… Moving faster than he registered, Senjo grabbed his hand and quickly established a deeper link.

"I won't harm you, but I need to know why you feel this way." Naruto froze, one hand already clutching a kunai. Locking eyes with the redhead, he saw that she had a softness about her that reminded him of Sakura and Hinata. She was a Chuunin of the Sand, yet some of her innocence had remained, and he could feel it like a warmth that seeped off her. Relaxing as much as he could, Naruto nodded to her. Senjo closed her eyes and formed a short succession of seals as she prepared to dive into his mind. The only downside to her power was that she needed to maintain either eye or body contact, and if she didn't have the target's full cooperation, it could put her at risk. When the last seal had been formed, she whispered "Ninpou: Oboe tansa." (Memory Probe Technique), and placed both hands on either side of his head. The results were instant and a little more than Senjo could bear: Pain, fear, determination, and even a hint of understanding were mixed all together in a bundle that followed the sights of Gaara in his half-possessed form. Senjo bit her lip and pressed forward, even though she was ready to bolt at just the sight of that demon child. Attempting to filter out all unnecessary feelings, she locked onto the understanding part she'd detected and followed it into the scene. There was Gaara, standing like a mad beast across from him, wanting a reason to exist. There was Sasuke lying on a tree branch, covered in what looked like black flame tattoos. And Sakura was standing in front of him, ready to take whatever Gaara threw at her. The feeling became mixed with fear as Naruto beheld what Gaara had become, and still that understanding persisted. So she went to the next layer, and grabbed the first surface thought she found.

'He's like me. I could've been that. If not for my friends, I would be like him.' Senjo pulled back then, blinking a few times to restore her actual sight. Naruto seemed dazed, but he shook his head and looked expectantly at her. "Well?"

"What do you mean, you'd be like him?" He frowned and furrowed his brow a moment, looking at the ground.

"Be like who?"

"Like Gaara." Naruto straightened up as his eyes widened again, and Senjo resisted the urge to read his surface thoughts. No, if she wanted to gain his true trust, she needed to do this the old-fashioned way. "You were thinking that when you saw him partially transformed into the Shukaku. How you would've been like him if not for your friends. Naruto, you are nothing like that creature." He stood and walked a few feet, hands behind his head.

"Don't be so sure," he told her, smiling a bit. It reminded her a little of Kurai's usual smile, and for a moment she was nervous that Naruto had the same type of darkness about him. But no, that wasn't this boy. He was upbeat and helpful, if a little on the idiotic side. He spoke his mind like a child would, but it seemed that he was the only one telling the truth in a world full of cover-ups and half-truths. So how could he even think he was like the twisted, murderous desert child?

"Naruto, regardless of how you identify with Gaara, can I ask how you defeated him? Everyone in our village was terrified of him, and he was supposed to be indestructible. What did your village do differently?"

"The village? They were busy fighting off the Sand and Sound ninjas who were invading. Sakura-chan and I followed Sasuke, who was tracking Gaara and the others. By the time we got there, he looked… Like a monster. When he attacked Sasuke and Sakura-chan, I stepped in to defend them."

"You beat him all by yourself!" Senjo was shocked and a little envious of him now. Not even her team or the former Kazekage's true children could control Gaara, let alone defeat him in battle.

"No, I had help. Gamabunta and I worked together to get him."

"Gamabunta? You can summon him!" Now it was Senjo's turn to have her jaw drop and eyes widen. Her team didn't work with summoned creatures, but they all knew about them. For a kid to call on the Frog Boss was unheard of. No wonder the Kazekage wanted to take Konoha down a peg or two. If all their Genins were half as powerful as Naruto, then they would've been able to conquer the other villages in short order. She sat there for a few moments, letting it all sink in and wondering how she was going to explain this to Kurai without him wanting to go off and challenge the whole village. Naruto sat down by her again and crossed his arms across his chest, furrowing his brows again. It looked like he was thinking about something.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Hm? Oh, sure."

"Were you and your team part of the attack on Konoha?"

"If I said no, would you believe me?"

"I can't be nice to anyone who killed friends and neighbors of mine. I need to know if you were here that day." Senjo nodded and patted his arm, causing him to look over and uncross his arms.

"My team was out on a mission for our village at the time. But had we been available, we probably would've been part of the invasion. If your Hokage ordered you to, wouldn't you invade another village?"

"Is that what being a ninja means to your people? That you need to prove that you're stronger and better than everyone through force?"

"Isn't that what all shinobi do? Prove that they're better than the enemy through a show of force? You can't kill someone with flowers and sunshine, you know."

"I don't want to kill at all." He narrowed his eyes a little and looked up into the trees, letting his mind drift back to Haku. Skilled and deadly though he was, he'd chosen to sacrifice his life for Zabusa and leave Sasuke wounded but alive. Wasn't there a way to always be like that, instead of killing everyone?

"You're going to have a very short life as a ninja then. Killing is part of what we do, like it or not. Some people are just better suited for it than others."

"Have you ever killed someone?" She laughed a little, following his gaze through the leaves as a slight breeze rustled them.

"I've wanted to, but I'm not suited for combat like that. There was once though, when I would've killed someone with my bare hands."

"Why?"

"He hurt my friend, and was trying to kill her. No one hurts my friends and gets away unharmed. That's my way of the ninja." Naruto smiled and nodded.

"That's a good way to be," he said softly. "I feel the same way."

"I know. You've said that to a few people and gotten them to change their views on things. We are what we make ourselves, but sometimes other people can bring things all into perspective." She stood to leave, brushing leaves off her clothes. "It was nice to talk to you, Uzumaki Naruto."

"You too, um…"

"Tanamari Senjo." They shook hands and then Senjo walked away, smiling slightly to herself. 'Well well, Naruto. Looks like you have a few secrets that need to be checked into. Kurai is going to flip out.'

"Are you certain of what you saw, Senjo?" Kohaku asked as they prepared dinner. Kurai had not yet returned from his daily tasks, and the two girls had thought it best to discuss their findings without him.

"As sure as I know that blowing sand stings. There's something about that Naruto boy that intrigues me. I'd almost like to have another chance to read his mind."

"Be careful, or Kurai will get jealous." They giggled for a moment, then became serious, contemplating their work.

"Gaara tried to kill him- all of them, but he failed. The Shukaku was supposed to be our village's ultimate weapon, and yet it was defeated by a mere child and a summoned frog. I don't understand. There was never any hesitation in killing on either the demon's or the demon child's part. And I still don't understand that part where he said he could've been like Gaara."

"This village hid many secrets, as did ours. Perhaps instead of having a psychotic killer as their main weapon, they chose a perky child and instilled him with great power. Who would you attack first? A homicidal maniac, or an idiot?"

"You know, as much as we hate him, must you call him all those names? You know Temari and Kankuro-"

"They're not here, now are they? And even if they were, so what? Self-righteous spoiled brats that thought the world should bow at their feet because they were children of the Kazekage. No one was good enough to stand with them, except their created little brother. And they were terrified of him, as was the rest of the village. We should've killed him when we had the chance," Kurai said as he walked in the door. Senjo pulled back a little as she gazed at his cold eyes.

"Kurai, you know we tried, but every assassination attempt failed. That damn sand protects him."

"It didn't protect him here. Something broke through his defenses and defeated him. If we can find out what it was, then we can learn it and end this charade once and for all." Kohaku looked at Senjo, who nodded.

"Actually, I learned how he was defeated, but you aren't going to like it."

"Why's that?"

"It was a combination of the Frog Boss Gamabunta, and Uzumaki Naruto." Kurai's jaw hit the floor straightaway, and he stayed staring at his teammates for a moment. There was no way that child- that idiot could've defeated Gaara with such a simple technique as a summoned frog, even if it was the most elite frog known.

"Senjo-chan, that isn't possible-"

"I saw it, Kurai-kun. Somehow, some way, Naruto managed to defeat the one person we all thought invincible."

"Are you sure it wasn't his team?"

"His team was incapacitated. Sasuke was drained of chakra, and Sakura was pinned to a tree by one of the Shukaku's arms. It was the fear for his friends that spurred Naruto to action."

"There's just no way-"

"Believe it, Kurai. That kid did what none of us could. Even we never managed to crack through Gaara's defense," Kohaku stated flatly.

"How?" Senjo stood and brushed her clothes off, walking past Kurai into the entryway of the apartment.

"I'll find out for you, Kurai-kun. After all, I wouldn't be a decent interrogator if I left some questions unanswered." She was gone a moment later, leaving the other two to shake their heads.

"See what you started?" Kohaku accused.

"What I started? It was your idea to find out more about these kids. Now that we've finally found something, Senjo is just following up."

"I don't think it's such a great idea to go poking around in Konoha's secrets. Someone might get suspicious."

"Let them. If we get answers to our questions, it'll be worth any sacrifice."

"That'd what I'm afraid of."

The streets were still teeming with a fair amount of people in the late twilight, and Senjo kept herself to the shadows at the edge of the groups. Mostly children and those returning home from a day's work were left, but a few ninja seemed to be on patrol, or just taking their time walking. As she passed by a ramen shop, she heard the unmistakable sound of Naruto loudly asking for seconds. He was seated next to a Chuunin who was asking how his day went and wondering what he was doing the next day. The way the man was talking made him sound like an older brother, or even… Maybe he was Naruto's father? They certainly didn't look alike from the glimpses she caught when the curtains moved, but then again she didn't know what his mother looked like either. Shrugging, she pushed back the curtain and waited a moment to be acknowledged. "Ah, a pretty customer! Come in, miss. What can I get you?" the man behind the counter asked.

"Miso ramen, please," she ordered, taking a seat on the other side of Naruto. "Hello again, Naruto." He turned and smiled at her, putting his bowl down for a moment.

"Hello, Senjo. You like ramen too?"

"I was in the mood for it tonight. So, is this your father?" She nodded her head at the older man, and was surprised when they both stared at her and started laughing.

"Iruka-sensei, my father? No, he was the one who gave me this," Naruto explained, readjusting his forehead protector. Senjo blushed a bit at her blunder, but smiled nonetheless. The older man -Iruka- was looking at her oddly, and she needed to act as naturally as possible. "I thought you were a great mind-reader?" Senjo paled, and she noticed both Iruka and the ramen-maker looking at her with raised eyebrows.

"I only do that when it's necessary," she quickly said, sighing inwardly when she was handed her ramen bowl. 'This isn't good. I need to get Naruto away from these two and talk to him more.'

"Read minds? And you're from the Sand village?" Iruka asked, staring at her and quickly assessing what he saw. He didn't have too much familiarity with the dress codes of the Hidden Village of Sand, but he was pretty sure this girl was still a Genin. He'd seen her and the other two around the village, and only the boy wore the Sand Chuunin vest. He needed to see if she'd taken the exam and what exactly she could do.

"We all have our specialties." Senjo focused on her ramen, and Naruto went back to his. Iruka waited a few moments, then stood up.

"Well Naruto, I have to get back to the academy and make sure it's all ready for the morning. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good night, Iruka-sensei!" When the elder ninja passed by her, Senjo could sense him staring at her. He would be watching from the shadows, so she wouldn't be able to find out anything tonight. Oh well, at least the ramen was good. She finished her bowl and quickly paid the owner, leaving Naruto alone at the counter. "Going already?"

"I have to get back and make sure my teammates haven't killed each other."

"That's like how Sakura acts with me and Sasuke. She's always trying to keep the peace, and he never acknowledges her. I try, but she ignores me."

"You'll find someone who won't ignore you, Naruto. Someone who loves you for who you truly are. I told you before, you're a good person."

"Thank you, Senjo." She smiled and walked away, looking around for the elder ninja when she was a few feet away.

"I know you're watching me," she said to the shadows around her. "And there's nothing you can learn by tailing me." He stepped out of a side street, staring intently at her with one hand one his weapon pouch. "Did you plan to kill me?"

"Of course not. But I want to know why you have an interest in Naruto."

"He defeated Gaara. Why wouldn't I have an interest in him? He did what no one in my village could even dream of."

"Why's that? Gaara is a Genin. I saw the paperwork myself."

"You never fought him." She went to turn, but he got in front of her, and Senjo feared he might try something. When he grabbed her arm, she already had a genjutsu ready just in case.

"Leave Naruto alone. He doesn't need to be caught up in some plot of the Sand."

"Even if we had the manpower to carry out any plots against Konoha, none of them would involve your student. He's too innocent."

"What's this, a lover's quarrel?" a new voice asked. Senjo and Iruka both turned to see a white-haired man in odd clothes walking down the street towards them. As he got closer, Senjo realized he was slightly drunk, and seemed to be staring at her.

"Jiraiya-sama?" Iruka said in surprise, letting go of her arm. "What are you doing here?" The other man smiled brightly, eyes never leaving Senjo.

"I came to check on Naruto, and to see if I could get some research done. Who are you? A new face around here is always good."

"I'm Senjo," she replied, mentally biting her tongue as she used her "happy, bright voice". "And you're Jiraiya?" He puffed up his chest and beamed at her. Iruka quickly made an exit, wanting to get back and look up the Sand girl at the academy.

"I am a famous writer and lover of women everywhere. I have studied the secrets of the mountain and learned the ways of the mighty frog. I am-"

"Perverted hermit," Naruto said, as he strolled up. Jiraiya fell over and stood up quickly, an annoyed look on his face.

"Naruto, I am trying to do research here. What did you want?"

"Senjo's not that type of girl," the blonde replied, walking away with hands behind his head. "Good night." Jiraiya shook his head and turned back to the girl- only to find that she seemed a lot older than he'd previously thought. What he'd first thought was a fourteen year-old was actually a twenty-something year-old

'Lucky,' he said to himself. "So, Senjo, was it? Would you like to help me with a bit of research and have a good time?"

"Sure," she replied, flipping her hair behind one ear. "I just love having a good time." Jiraiya's face went red as his jaw dropped, and he extended an arm to her, which she accepted. 'Kurai, you better appreciate this.'

The sun was just peeking over the horizon when both Kurai and Kohaku were woken out of a sound sleep by the door opening. Senjo stumbled in, her eyes bleary and cheeks showing the slight blush of too much drinking. "Senjo, are you all right?" Kohaku asked, rushing to steady her friend. Kurai quirked an eyebrow, but made no move to help.

"What happened to you?" he asked, leaning against the wall with his arms over his chest. Both girls stared at him as they made their way into the sleeping room.

"You owe me," Senjo replied as Kohaku kicked her sleeping mat open and got her down onto it.

"I'll ask again, what happened to you?"

"I was with a perverted hermit all night." Senjo flopped onto her side and felt the cool pillow beneath her head, wanting only to sleep. The events of the night were still a bit of a blur, and she was almost grateful. She'd deal with it once she was sober again. Kohaku's eyes widened, but Kurai just smirked.

"What were you doing with him, Senjo?" the brunette girl wondered.

"Gathering information, like I said I would."

"You were with a perverted hermit all night and I owe you? Sorry Senjo, I can't reflower you." He easily caught her hand when she went to hit him, and stared at her angry eyes from mere inches away.

"It wasn't like that, idiot. We just drank a lot, and talked about stupid things. But I got what we wanted to know." She sank back down onto her mat and grabbed at the blanket, pulling it over her head. "Now all I want to do is sleep."

"What did you learn?"

"Kurai, let her sleep. She's had a long night," Kohaku chided.

"And we need to know-"

"It can wait until later. Now go away and let me sleep," Senjo said, glaring up at him. Kurai frowned but left the room. Kohaku lingered a moment, staring at her friend's back and wondering if letting her go off alone had been wise.

"Nothing happened, Kohaku. It wasn't like that time with Kuro." The mention of that name sent shivers up both girls' spines.

"All right, I'll let you sleep then. We'll talk later." When she was alone, Senjo curled up into a ball, trying to get the image of a sneering, determined face out of her mind. Instead she thought of her talk with Naruto, but even that changed to an image of a red-faced demon, fangs bared in mindless anger.

"He's nothing like that. I've seen true demons. Naruto isn't one of them."