AN: Chapter title: Something New.

It was still strange. All of this. The fact that she had family, the fact that he had done so much for someone he didn't even know.

To know someone cared for her again since her mother, that someone wanted her happy instead of just there, instead of being a tool, wasn't something she was used to.

Even now.

She expected it to be a dream, to wake up in her living nightmare once again.

To be bitten again, to have a new mark added to all the others on her skin.

"Naruto." He was the one who had saved her, who had stopped Shigeri and Renji from biting her after they had antagonized that Ramen shop owner into throwing them out, had stopped Zosui from taking her with him.

Someone had finally saved her, had protected her, had wanted her.

He had stopped her from having to go back, from having to listen to whatever Zosui or the others said said because she had to "earn her keep", because it was "her duty", because it was "the only thing you're good for". Naruto didn't make her feel like that, didn't make her dread seeing him.

Even if he was gone now, had no choice but to leave, he hadn't forgotten about her, hadn't abandoned her. He had left so many to guard her, to keep her safe in his place.

And he had even given her something so precious as a piece of himself before he had left, had promised her she would be safe when he had done such a thing. He had even told her to call on him whenever she needed him, that he would answer no matter what.

Like was the norm for the past few days, in the week since Naruto had gone away, her hand fell over her sleeve. She was tempted to pull it up, to look at the proof of Naruto's promise to her but she didn't. For now, just knowing it was there, feeling the warmth that was simply Naruto through it, was enough.

"It's different from mine, from Sasuke's. It won't show unless you want it too. And, unlike the others, it'll call to me first. No matter the time, no matter the place, call for me if you feel you need to. I will answer. I swear to you, I will answer."

His words echoed in her mind and, even now, it could bring a smile to her face as her hand touched her sleeve, laid over Naruto's gift to her.

To know she was loved.

To know she was safe.

To know he would protect her.

To know that she didn't have to be so afraid anymore.

It was enough to make her burn with joy every time she thought about it.

Red eyes took in the room around her, the space she was free to decorate as she wished whenever she wished.

It was the first room she had to herself, the first room she was told she could freely change into whatever she wanted it to be. Before, she was prohibited from doing anything, had been told to be grateful with what she had. Zosui had been the one to tell her that, had been the one to throw her into the room after her body had been exhausted healing the Hidden Grass's Shinobi.

A knock came from the door to her room.

She nearly jumped off her bed, a familiar spike of fear running through her. Zosui was here. He was upset with her. She hadn't reported to him, had failed to do one thing or another that had upset him. She shouldn't have taken so long. She didn't even deserve a room. He'd take it away again. She wo-

"Hey Karin, you in here?" It was a voice she was familiar with, made the dog resting his head in her lap perk up. He let out a bark as he shook off the clinging grasp of sleep, didn't jump off the bed yet as he looked to Karin. He barked again, his tail beginning to wag behind him as he sniffed the air and caught the familiar scent.

"Y-Yes. Just give me a moment." Akamaru leapt into her arms with a bark, she could feel his tail lightly hitting her arm as it swung back and forth from the ninken's excitement at hearing Kiba's voice, likely smelling him as well. She walked over to the door and, despite the comforting presence of Akamaru, found herself hesitating to open the door in front of her.

She still expected Zosui to be on the other side. For this to be nothing but a dream, a childish fantasy of a hero saving her born from all her suffering, from her exhaustion.

The smiling face of Kiba Inuzuka waited for her on the other side of the door. Akamaru happily barked at his appearance but didn't leap from Karin's arms to his partner, seemed content to remain with Karin for now.

She managed to smile back at one of the Shinobi she had come to know.

"Wanna hang out with us tonight?" Kiba pointed down the hall, where the others likely waited. Either that or they were already on their way to meet with the Legate of the Orange Legion. "We've got to have that meeting with Sasuke still but we can head out after. That fine with you?"

She wanted to say yes, hadn't left the tower since Naruto had brought her to it. A part of her wanted to spend time with Kiba.

Another, far larger, part of her wanted to wait for Naruto to come back, wanted to stay here until he was back. The tower was safe, the tower was under guard, and she was away from Zosui and the rest, didn't need to look over her shoulder, didn't have to worry about any of them coming for her.

"I'm sorry but I don't think I'm up to it tonight." Karin tried to smile but the look on Kiba's face, the earnest disappointment that she wouldn't be coming with him, made it hard to do. She didn't like seeing him upset, had liked the time she had spent with him since he had started coming to Naruto's tower every day, had enjoyed the time he let her spend with Akamaru day after day.

He didn't remind her of any of her time in Kusagakure.

His Chakra, the way it made her feel, was almost as warm as Naruto's own. It wasn't as vast as Naruto's but it was warm nonetheless, was a stark difference to the Chakra she had known in Kusagakure. It was comforting to sense him, was even more comforting to see him.

While Naruto was gone, he was one of the brightest parts of her day.

She didn't want to upset him but the thought of leaving the tower, of leaving its protection, terrified her more than almost anything else. Only the idea of losing Naruto, that he would never come back, could scare her even more than the idea of leaving.

She didn't know how safe she would be in the rest of the village, didn't know if Konohagakure would want the same as Kusagakure had from her, if they were merely waiting for her to leave to take her and treat her just like they had.

"That's cool." Kiba bounced back rather quickly, his smile returning. "How about we hang out tomorrow then?" He reached out and rubbed Akamaru's head, earned an excited bark from the ninken as he pushed against his hand. "I'm sure Akamaru's been good, right? He likes spending time with you, you know? I normally can't keep him from catching a ride in my jacket but he must like you holding him more."

The dog barked again, shifting a bit as he settled deeper into Karin's hold.

The Uzumaki didn't know what to say for a moment, could only feel her face stretch as her smile returned. It wasn't hard to do in that moment, was easier than it had ever been.

She made her choice.

"…Actually." She stepped out the room, her hold on Akamaru tightening but the ninken didn't seem to mind the added pressure. "I-I think I'm up for tonight."

"Awesome!" Kiba's excitement helped ease the worry she was feeling. "I've got so many places to show you! We can-" She didn't mean to but she tuned him out, missed what he was saying. Her thoughts were preoccupied with her own reassurances to herself.

It would be fine.

She had to remember that this wasn't the Hidden Grass.

Naruto would be there for her if she needed him.

She didn't need to be afraid, not now.

She followed Kiba as he headed down the hall, headed to the Legate's office in the tower. They would need to go up more than one guarded flight of stairs but would get there in time for the meeting Kiba would need to be a part of.

"Um, Kiba."

"Yeah?"

"Will…will that blonde girl be with us tonight?"

"You mean Ino?" At Karin's nod, Kiba continued. "I really don't know. She usually hangs out with either her dad or with the rest of her team, Shikamaru and Choji, do you know them?" She nodded. "Yeah, she usually hangs out with either them or with Sakura now. That's pretty weird to see after they stopped hanging out in the Academy. I guess they patched things up pretty quick once they graduated. Wonder what they were fighting over…"

"Will Sakura be there? Or Hinata?" Karin could place those two primarily from their striking features, Sakura with her pink hair and emerald eyes and Hinata with the telltale eyes of the Hyuga Clan and their Byakugan. It helped that she liked the two more.

After Ino had all but interrogated her a few days ago, after the girl had pushed question after question on her and wanted answers to all of them, Sakura had apologized more than once over it all. She had even come to see her in the past few days as well more than once, whenever she could make the time. For as much as Naruto's Praetorians and Legionnaires didn't seem to like her, Karin had no problems with her.

Hinata was strange when she first met her but, after a few days, the girl had seemingly warmed up to her and had made a habit out of sharing her meals with the Uzumaki. She wanted to call her a friend but didn't know if the Hyuga would agree, didn't bring it up out of fear of being rejected outright by her.

And, of course, there was the girl in the wheelchair the Praetorians liked spending time with, the Genin that had been injured during the Second Stage of the Chunin Exams. She hadn't seen the injury but it was severe enough to threaten her career as a Shinobi. Karin hadn't spent much time with her, barely knew her name to be Tenten, but Naruto wanted to help her.

His promise to her was part of the reason he had to leave.

Kiba could only shrug as an answer to her question. "I don't really know about those two. Sakura usually does her own thing with either Ino or she spends a lot of time with her sensei, Kakashi." At the questioning look from Karin at the name, Kiba elaborated. "He's the guy with the silver hair, wears that half-mask all the time, and has his headband like this." Kiba took a moment to move his own Forehead Protector over one of his eyes, turn to Karin. "Ringing any bells?"

"A little." She had seen him during the dinner Naruto had taken her to, hadn't spoken to him much if at all. "I know I've seen him before but I don't think we talked."

"Well, he's pretty cool I guess." Kiba fixed his Forehead Protector before he ended up running into the wall or something like that. "Not as cool as Kurenai-sensei but he's cool."

Karin did have something to say about that, remembered more of the dinner and the few times she had met the woman who taught Kiba over the past near week. And the man who had been with her all of those times, the way the two had looked at each other.

"Is she dating that guy with the beard?" In lieu of not knowing (or remembering) his name, she could only go with describing the man she had seen.

"What? Kurenai-sensei and Asuma? There's no way that could happen."

"Are you sure?" Karin remembered the way the two sat together when she first met them, the way that their Chakra seemed to be connected to one another. She knew she wasn't misremembering what she had seen using Mind's Eye of the Kagura, that the emotions she could feel coming from their Chakra fit with what she knew about couples.

Couples deeply in love at that.

"Yeah. Trust me. I thought there could be something going on with those two a while ago too but it just doesn't match up. Kurenai-sensei is way out of that guy's league."

"If you think so…" Karin looked to the dog in her arms as he shifted around. He was looking between her and Kiba. She swore Akamaru just rolled his eyes at the Inuzuka he was partnered with.

Even on the face of a dog, the look of utter disbelief at what Kiba had said was clear.

Karin was starting to get the feeling that Kiba may not know as much as he thought about his teacher.

Sasuke had met them in the hall, had been returning from his time with the Daimyo while they had been heading up. He unzipped his Flak Jacket as he entered the room, tossed the body armor to the floor as he stepped into the office. The belt holding his sword was undone, the weapon laid on his desk. He rubbed at his eyes, the Sharingan absent for a moment as he did so. It returned by the time he drew his hand away and finally turned to face the Tribunes he had brought into the Legion.

He took note that the Inuzuka wasn't here. As annoyed as he should be, he couldn't offer much care about his absence tonight.

A mixture of being tired and having exhausted all his annoyance with the time he spent 'guarding' the Daimyo.

"This will be short. I've got work to catch up on." The Legate was doing well to hide it but he was tired from yet another day wasted with the Daimyo, it serving as yet another exercise in his patience. Still, he had made time for this meeting like he had every night but one so far, a night he had spent speaking with Kakashi after Sakura had met with Kakashi and the Jonin had told her.

He didn't sit down at his desk, leaned back against it. He reached into his equipment pouch and drew out a notepad, had taken notes from the scattered reports he had received today.

"The Praetorians have told me nothing but good things from the training their undertaking with you Tribune Akimichi." The Uchiha was still surprised that, from all the tasks he had listed, the Akimichi had chosen to personally train the Praetorians of Caesar's Legion. He was even more surprised to see that they accepted him. "I was skeptical at first but they haven't disappointed me yet. Whatever you're teaching them, keep it up. I'm almost tempted to take part in one of your lessons." He looked over the Genin, the bruises and scraps from a day of hard training that covered him.

While not as all-encompassing as the Byakugan of Caesar's pet project, he could tell that the Akimichi was all but dead on his feet.

"I would suggest you take tomorrow off. I'll find something to occupy the Praetorians." He didn't need the Tribune actually passing out in front of the Praetorians. He didn't exactly know what they would do if such a thing happened. His order given, and Choji giving a tired nod, the Legate made a note to himself to think of something. He wasn't exactly what he could do to occupy the Praetorians but would need to think of something.

He moved on in his notes.

"Tribune Aburame, you've been speaking with the two prisoners from the Hidden Sand. Why?" Of all the things it could be, the Legate was fairly certain that it wasn't something like planning an escape attempt with the two. It didn't fit the Aburame's character, whatever pity he held for them wasn't enough to turn him into a traitor to Konohagakure. There was something else he was after.

"I've been observing them while you've been gone. Even if they lack weapons, they could still be a threat if they believe they're not being watched. I've also planted some of my kikaichu on them just as a precaution if they try to escape. With their short lifespans, I have no choice but to regularly visit their room to plant more." Shino said what he had to say, the Uchiha's red and black eyes meeting his own, his gaze piercing through the sunglasses he wore.

He made no use of the infamous Dojutsu of his clan, merely took another set of notes.

"…Keep doing it if you want. If you overstep, the guards posted there will deal with you." The Uchiha moved on to the next item. "Tribune Hyuga, how is the project going?"

Hinata smiled at the question.

"They'll be ready by tomorrow." She spoke her words with certainty, the Uchiha's gaze searching her for any hint of deception.

He found none.

"Very well." He nodded. He made a note of it. He thought the three dogs would need another day or two of Hinata's work but it seemed the Hyuga was more thorough than he thought. He hadn't been to their cells in the past few days, since he had spoken with Hinata after one of her sessions with the three.

He would need to see her progress for himself, both physically and mentally. With the Sharingan, it wouldn't take much to tear into the mind of any of three, allow him to see if they were only putting on an act or truly had been broken down by their long isolation, by Hinata's savage application of the Gentle Fist.

"Caesar will want to know such information when he returns." The Legate would need to prepare a message, a precaution if he would be gone with the Daimyo by the time Caesar returned to the village. "We'll discuss the specifics of the message to Caesar later. Let's move on." He checked his notes.

"Tribune Nara…" The Uchiha trailed off. His eyes lifted from the notepad to the dark haired Genin. "You've spent time with the Praefectus Castrorum, with Gaara, and a fair number of Praetorians but I've received no reports concerning you, good or bad. What do you do here?"

Shikamaru thought about it for a moment before shrugging. "I play games."

The Legate chose not to comment on it. He flipped to the next page.

"Great. The two of you are next." He set the notebook down next to him, turned to the most irksome part of these meetings. "Tribune Yamanaka, Tribune Haruno, I was expecting a message from Vicarius Kaiza. I know it arrived but it was never delivered to me today." He didn't say exactly what he thought happened to the message but the way he was looking at them was a good enough of a tell of what he was thinking. "As long as I see it when I check tomorrow morning, I'll consider it no problem."

Sakura said nothing. She didn't exactly hide the message when it had arrived tied to a messenger bird.

Ino had been the one to make that trail of bird seed, draw the bird away. Ino had been the one to come back with a few feathers stuck to her clothes, with a paper she definitely didn't see her tuck away into her pocket.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Ino met the Uchiha's look with her own glare. "I have never done anything wrong while I've been here." She spoke her words with utter certainty. She ignored the stares from the others in the room with her, evenly met the gaze of the Uchiha.

Even Sakura had to look at her in something approaching disbelief.

"That's a lie and you know it." Sasuke didn't push any further. While he didn't have the report from Kaiza, he did have Momoichi's rough field report and the update his apprentice, Haku, had sent to him today. He knew where the Daimyo was being held at least.

The location was being kept hidden, Kaiza's message certainly lacked such a thing. The man would've likely pushed not to know where the man was being held, keep such a temptation from himself. The Vicarius hated the men for allowing Gato to all but destroy the Land of Waves in exchange for a cut of the man's blood-soaked profits.

From the reports of the Third Cohort, Kaiza's previously held animosity towards the Daimyo had been taken into account before the man's army had been wiped out.

"Regardless, I expect all other messages directed to me to be left alone. If this continues, I'll place you all under escort by Caesar's Legionnaires for the rest of your time as Tribunes of Caesar's Legion. It'll be for your own safety of course. There is obviously an unknown infiltrator within Caesar's tower." Sasuke laid out his ultimatum over the missing message, far from the first one to go missing since he had brought the Tribunes into the tower.

While not important in the grand scheme of things, a duplicate easy to request from the Centurions of Caesar's Third Cohort or the Vicarius of Nami no Kuni himself, it was something closer to the principle of it all. Requesting a new message would simply be time consuming but insubordination, even in a role as pointless as the Tribunes, couldn't be allowed.

It reflected poorly on the Legate for choosing the lot of them.

If word of their actions spread, it would reflect poorly on Caesar and his Legion.

"Before I dismiss you, and go find Inuzuka, there's one last thing you should know: Your authority. I informed you of your limits the first day but, from the reports I've been given, my words didn't stick. Or some of you are intentionally testing my patience." Sasuke pushed off of the desk, any sign of exhaustion or irritation gone in the blink of an eye. "I allow the seven of you the liberties you have here because you are no threat to Caesar. As Legate, you all fall under my responsibility until I dismiss you from your service as my Tribunes. You possess the power you do now because I have ordered those of Caesar's Legion within the Land of Fire to follow your instructions as if they were my own."

"Your authority does not extend a step beyond those borders. I don't care what you believe or the necessity you think it is for you to take command, that is the nature of the orders that empower you. Neither the Land of Waves nor the Land of Whirlpools fall within your authority. The only Cohorts that you should ever message are Caesar's First or Sixth. You are not able to command the Praetorians. That authority extends from Caesar to myself alone. The Fifth Cohort should be considered beyond the reach of all of you, just like the rest of Caesar's Legion. If I learn that one of you have tried to exercise your authority over any Legionary outside those two Cohorts again, if you attempt to command any of Caesar's Legion outside of the Land of Fire again, you'll be stripped of your position as one of my Tribunes and be marked as a traitor to the Orange Legion."

While he lacked the power of Caesar to flood the room with the weight of his Chakra, there were a number of other ways to ensure that the Tribunes understood his intent.

"If necessary, I'll make effort to end you if I believe you threatened Caesar's life." He added such a thing as almost an afterthought, considered the conversation over with that. "That's all I have to say. The six of you are dismissed for the night."

AN: Within the 1-2 weeks timeline but...issues with this chapter exist. Still not exactly satisfied with it but the pursuit of perfection is inherently flawed. Or something like that. I was going to delay this chapter (again, going on the third or fourth time) and continue on with the interruption to Jiraiya and Naruto's search for Tsunade but decided against it. Also, probably overblew how Karin was treated in canon but I'm sticking with my version.

She may or may not be important to the story later on. I don't know her role exactly yet but I'm pretty sure she's not joining the Legion. Maybe...

If it isn't clear, I'm still very much winging this thing.

Review/PM if you want.

Peace.