The Archangel of the Hidden Leaf

Chapter 11:

New Assignment

It was hard to believe that a monster could turn out to be so reserved and innocent-looking. Kakashi held onto the rope that was tied to her cuffs with a tight grip. They were passing through the village to return to the training ground Naruto and Yamato were at. He did not want to risk anyone getting injured by her, but at the same time, she truly seemed harmless now. She walked behind him with her gaze low and not a sound made. Even her footsteps were hushed each time the rubber sole touched the dirt ground. Sometimes it felt like she was not there at all, but he continued as if he had a quiet shadow.

Villagers stared at them. It was not often that a prisoner was being escorted somewhere, but Dolia had traveled a lot today. First to the intelligence headquarters, then to the Hyuga Clan district and the home of Kata's parents, and now to a place that was unknown to her. Each route had people turning their attention to her briefly. She had never been surrounded by so many humans in her life, and she was not sure if she liked it or not. The expressions given to her were not like the genial ones Sakura gave her.

The white-haired man guiding her was hard to read when she was given to him. His one eye had looked her over, she knew that much, but it did not make her uncomfortable. But still, she did not want to walk beside him. He was a stranger. Although, something about him seemed familiar, vaguely. Oddly enough, Kakashi felt the same way about her since she did not have her black eyes and murderous teeth present.

The people around them soon revealed a couple of familiar faces. Kakashi noticed Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Abarame from Team 8 among them. Kiba's red fang-shaped markings on his face made him stand out, but Shino's hood covering his head and dark glasses indicated his lineage with his clan of insect wielders. Kakashi was not planning on greeting them since he knew Naruto was more than ready to continue his training, but Kiba saw him. "Hey, Kakashi Sensei!" Kiba called with a friendly wave of his arm. Shino turned his head to see.

Kakashi stopped walking, so Dolia did as well. She looked at who was speaking and saw they were coming over. "Hey, guys," Kakashi replied. "I can't talk long–"

A white furry animal emerged from the crowd in front of Kiba and Shino. It was tall enough to reach the waistline of Kakashi and had floppy ears with brown edges and a wet black nose. A pink tongue lolled out of its lax jaws full of unevenly jagged teeth. The instant Dolia laid eyes on it, she squeaked in fright and pressed herself to Kakashi's back. The blonde woman said back in the intelligence building that he was supposed to protect her for a while, and she could not protect herself with the muzzle covering her mouth. Kakashi could feel her fright as Akamaru trotted toward them and sniffed as a greeting. He knew Kiba's canine companion would be with him but did not expect Dolia to be scared of him. If anything, he was tense that she would attack him, but no. The closer Akamaru got with his nostrils flaring, the more she pressed herself to Kakashi and shifted to his side.

Kiba noticed the reaction and called Akamaru back to him. "Whoa, it's okay," he calmed, kneeling to scratch him behind the ears. "Akamaru doesn't bite."

Dolia peered around Kakashi, untrusting. She did not know what Akamaru was. All she knew was that it was some kind of predator. Seeing Kiba interact with it gave her mixed signals. Animals were food from her experience. A relationship with an animal was a brand-new concept for her and left her confused.

Shino studied Kakashi silently and how he held the rope. He understood that he and Kiba were interrupting a job he was undertaking. But when he focused his attention on the girl connected to the rope, he was taken aback. Where were her eyes? Kiba must have noticed it, too, because he fell silent and stared. Kakashi saw them become part of the crowd. Their expressions matched everyone else's: An unsettled gaze with a longing to say something judgmental about the hideous creature that should not be inside the safety of the village. Their faces may betray their thinking, but Kakashi did not have the time to figure it out.

"Um, I'll talk to you guys another time," he said, scratching his temple awkwardly before switching the rope to his other hand. "Let's go."

Dolia, who was still stuck to his side like glue, felt him peel himself away to keep walking. Before the rope could tug on her cuffs, she followed suit, but this time instead of trailing him, she walked beside him. There was no telling what other animals would jump out at her.

Yamato stayed laying on the ground with his fingers interlocked over his stomach. He had not moved since Kakashi left with Shizune. The blades of grass underneath him was a collection soft enough to act as a bed. The sun cast beams warm enough to slowly toast his skin, but a gust of wind would blow by and cool him down immediately. If he was being honest enough, he dozed off a couple of times. It was just so relaxing to be surrounded by the sounds of nature and natural warmth. Plus, his back felt much better this way instead of sitting.

Naruto sat on the wooden couch Kakashi Sensei had been laying on while he was training. He put his jacket back on but kept it unzipped, and pressed between his palms was a leaf that had fallen from the tree hanging over his head. He focused his chakra to his palms and used it to tap into its wind-affiliated nature. Quicker than last time, he felt the leaf split in half. He mastered cutting leaves a few days ago with the help of many shadow clones, so doing it with just himself was simple now. He wanted the same thing to happen with cutting the waterfall in half, but it was harder than he was anticipating. It bothered him deep down because he kept thinking about Sasuke's gain in power. This was supposed to help him catch up to him, but at this rate, he would be too far gone in comparison.

When looking up to pluck another leaf from a low-hanging branch, he laid eyes on his white-haired sensei approaching in the distance. Relief made his retrieval of a fresh leaf a more pleasant experience. He grabbed one by the stem and pulled firm enough to separate it from the branch with ease instead of having to tug at it a few times. He held it between his palms and squeezed it with chakra, splitting it perfectly down the center. Cutting solid objects was nothing like the fluidity of the waterfall. That was something he learned rather quickly throughout the past week. Now that Kakashi was back, he could get back to figuring out how to get a hold of the water before it dashed away from his palms.

"Hey, Captain Yamato," Naruto alerted, dropping the remains of the leaf on the ground, "he's back."

"Greeeaaat," Yamato breathed, sitting up. He was hoping Kakashi would have taken his sweet time for the errand so he could rest for as long as possible.

Naruto stood up and slipped his jacket back off, but before he could return to the waterfall, he realized that someone was walking with Kakashi. It was a girl with brown curls draped behind her thin frame. Her skin was so pale that it reflected sunlight like a diamond, and the absent irises in her eyes sent him right back to Ichiraku Ramen yesterday, teaching a girl how to use chopsticks and eat ramen properly. "Hey!" he suddenly blurted out. "It's you!"

The sound of Naruto's voice perked up Dolia. It was a little scratchy, which made it very distinct to the ears. She took a few fast steps ahead of Kakashi, momentarily forgetting about the rope. "Naruto," she voiced under the muzzle.

Kakashi heard the two of them with confusion welling up in him. The rope tugged in his fist, so he gently pulled her back so she could not escape. "Easy," he warned.

Naruto jogged over to meet them. Words were caught in his throat. He suddenly remembered that she had no name, so he was not sure how to address her. But at the same time, he was happy to see again. Sakura had taken her back to the hospital and he did not know what happened to her after that. Never in his life did he expect to see her again. "What are you doing here?" he excitedly asked her as if she had no muzzle.

"Lady Tsunade has assigned her to me to watch over," Kakashi answered. "But, Naruto, how do you already know her?"

"I took her to Ichiraku Ramen yesterday."

"Huh?" Kakashi sounded, even more confused.

But Naruto ignored him and looked back to Dolia. "How long are you staying with Kakashi Sensei?"

She shrugged her shoulders in response.

"That's for the Hokage to decide," Kakashi replied. "Go continue training."

"Oh, right…" Naruto trailed, stepping away to bound up the wall of earth and perch himself back on the tree branch Yamato made. He forgot that his main priority was to develop his own jutsu as much as he hated to admit it.

Dolia watched him ascend the earth wall without trouble, mesmerized by how it was possible. But then she saw the massive torrent of water in front of him and how puffs of smoke appeared along the branch he stood on. Many bodies stood in the place of smoke puffs when they dissipated, and they all looked like exact copies of Naruto. Intrigued by the new sights, she stared in awe. What was all that water, and why were there so many Narutos?

Kakashi tugged her cuffs, taking her attention away. "Come on. We have to hide you," he insisted, walking around Yamato's totems.

Yamato watched the two from inside his circle. "Is this a mission?" he asked.

"More like an assignment," Kakashi answered, stopping under the tree and looking up. "Don't worry. Naruto's training is still what's most important right now." Dolia stood still as Kakashi removed her cuffs and her muzzle. He was wondering if the absence of her black eyes meant her teeth were gone as well. Slipping it away revealed a subtle line of her lips only. "Let's try hiding you here," he shared, scooping her up into his arms.

He was not sure if it would actually work, though. She had little muscle mass and fat deposits on her body. Being in a tree might be too uncomfortable for her, and he was not going to force her to endure the pain.

With a leap, he landed on a steady branch and rested her in a nook that had plenty of green leaves surrounding her. It was hard to see outside the cover, so he was confident she could be concealed enough. "How's that?" he asked, letting her settle herself.

She nodded, indicating it was good.

"Alright. You can come down tonight to sleep, but during the day, you have to hide."

She nodded again in understanding. It was a similar situation to when she lived in the ground – stay quiet and out of sight. Although she hoped to finally be free from those rules, she knew she had to comply. Besides, she had caused enough trouble.

Kakashi turned to drop from the tree but paused. "By the way, do you have a name?" he questioned her.

She sat in surprise for a second. Naruto did not know that she had a name now. She would have to tell him tonight when she was allowed to leave the tree, but this man, Kakashi, could know before him. "Dolia," she lightly answered.