.: Hello! It has been a few months since I last posted. I'll just say that school sucks and takes most of my attention this time of year. But things are starting to settle down and I was able to get something done that I wanted to do. In actuality, I wrote most of this chapter throughout September and October, but I was not satisfied with everything, so I left it alone to come back to it later. Getting it done today makes me feel like I'm just lazy and didn't want to work on it, but oh well. I hope to get more done in the next few weeks. Now THOMAS (I hope you haven't lost interest in this story lol) I will answer your question by saying Deidara is definitely not related to Dolia, but he is technically the cousin of her deceased children since Akuma is their father. I hope that gets you excited for what's coming soon, though ;) :.

The Archangel of the Hidden Leaf

Chapter 29:

Taking Next Steps

Her demeanor changed from before. Returning home to prepare for Naruto's training to continue, Kakashi walked with Dolia by his side again. But her head hung, and she kept her distance. No amount of coaxing could get her to cling to him again, so the platinum-haired jonin opted to just rest a hand on her shoulder to ensure she was staying close. With only the ground and their feet in her view, he had to direct her somehow.

The feeling of his touch did not faze her as she remained jaded. Neji's angry remarks not only reminded her of how different she was from everyone else in this village, but they also exposed who she was. Whether or not it meant she would face imprisonment earlier than expected, Dolia knew that the outcome from this utter failure of keeping her identity a secret was not going to be good. Kakashi might lose his assignment, and she would never see her new friends again. A fate of living in a cold, damp, and dark place was all she had; there was no escape.

Kakashi was unaware of the thoughts going through her head. The only thing he knew was that what Neji had to say was lingering with her.

Opening the front door back into his home, Kakashi let Dolia be by herself so he could change into his shinobi attire. It would only take a few minutes to repack his bag full of the things he let dry out during the night from the torrential downpour they endured. So, she could enjoy the pleasure of being in a sheltered environment for just a little while longer before they went back to camping out on the training grounds.

By the time he came back, he found Dolia right where he left her: standing in the middle of the studio with her gaze low and hood over her head. He suppressed a sigh but walked over to her anyway. When he squatted to find her gaze, he found the faceless girl with lines of tears running down her gaunt, sharp cheekbones. For a brief moment, she locked eyes with Kakashi, only to quickly avert out of guilt. Was there really a reason for her to be this emotional about the truth?

"What's wrong?" he asked, noticing movement in her face. Seeing her like this struck a familiar chord with him; there were times in the past when Sakura, back when she was a genin, had emotional moments in front of him just like this. Kakashi was good at easing her swiftly since she was so young. Dolia was older, but a rough life left her with mannerisms similar to that of a child.

Instead of answering him, she just shied away from him more. Guilt made her cheeks feel hot.

Not going to talk about your feelings, huh? he thought. But honestly, who could blame her? Living in solitude for her entire life up until now did nothing beneficial to her social skills. Granted, she was getting better the more she was around people. Now was not the time to be withdrawing back into that state.

"Listen," Kakashi began, "I know what Neji said hurt, but he's just angry. You're not a monster, Dolia."

To contradict his statement, she tried to transform her face, but his hand shifting to rest back on her shoulder stopped her.

"That's just what's on the outside," he declared. "What really matters is what's on the inside." His fingertips moved to the center of her chest where her protruding clavicles met each other. "I'm still getting to know you, but I can tell anyone who asks about what a nice person you are. Don't let the sins of your past define your present."

She blinked, forcing warm tears to recreate another set of lines down her cheeks. "But they want me dead," she reminded him, her quiet voice mingling with woe.

At first, he wanted to think she meant all of the people inside the Hidden Leaf, but upon second thought, he believed she meant Neji and the rest of the Hyuga Clan. There was a high chance that Neji would tell Hiashi about Dolia's whereabouts.

"And?" he continued. "What they think doesn't matter. The Hokage put me in charge of you for a reason. Complaining won't change her mind easily. So that means you'll be with people who want you alive. Naruto, Yamato, Sakura, me. We like being around you. I'm sure the more people you meet, the bigger that number will grow."

When she did not respond, he reached to wipe the tears off her skin. It was okay if she had to let the knowledge settle in. But they could not lull around. There was work to be done today.

"Pick your head up," he added. "We'll be by ourselves on the training grounds again. No need to worry about things outside of Naruto's training."

She subtly nodded, feeling the hand retract from her face. Kakashi was smarter than she would ever be, so she trusted his judgment. It was mostly the inner guilt of putting him in a tough spot that was bothering her.

Naruto had said he would meet Kakashi at the beginning of the forest trail, so Yamato decided that he should be there as well. Whether he was first or not did not matter since he knew where to go. But although he wanted to get there quickly, his pace did not match his thought process. The way Dolia had tucked herself away under the cover of her hood kept repeating in his head.

The girl just could not catch a break, could she? There was always happening to her. Perhaps returning her to the stable environment of the training grounds was best for her. Get her away from the judging nature of the Leaf, surround her with people she is comfortable with, and show her as much kindness as possible.

Suddenly he stopped walking, looking around at the shops on both sides of the road. That was right; Dolia was staying outside with them again. Naruto lent her a blanket to sleep with since her company was unexpected. Well, now she was expected, so he found a shop that had what he was thinking about and went inside.

Still fuming from his confrontation with Neji, Naruto made his way toward the spot where he said he would meet Kakashi Sensei. All funeral attire was gone and instead was his orange and black jumpsuit. The overcast sky released a few droplets of rain, but it quickly ceased right after. He barely noticed, though, since he had a preoccupied mindset.

The audacity his friend had in judging Dolia the way he did. He had a reason to be angry, but to disregard how he lived his life now? Ridiculous.

Kakashi Sensei was more than likely taking her back home by now. Was she crying? Was she quiet? He could only imagine what was going on. The personality of his newest friend was still mostly a mystery to him. She hid away her emotions most of the time, but after a lifetime of living by herself underground, who could blame her? She was starting to come around, too. He guessed that was gone now.

Naruto had to take a breath. Neji was gone. There was no telling when he would see the busy jonin again. With that being said, Dolia should not have any more problems today. But he hated the thought of her entire day being in a fog just from a single interaction.

On the bright side, she would be around him, Kakashi, and Captain Yamato for the rest of the day. Surely that would help boost her mood, and if it did not, then he would have to figure out a way to make it possible. Just as he reached the end of the road where buildings were no longer standing, Naruto spotted a convenience store and immediately tasted the cold sweetness of the blue popsicle he and Pervy Sage shared on occasion. Without thinking, his feet directed him right to it. Rather than waiting for Dolia to perk up on her own, he decided he should be the first to make an effort.

With the exact popsicle he was thinking about in his hand, he exited and stuffed his frog wallet back in his pocket. This treat would be the last thing he purchased for a few days, but he did not care. He could not wait to see the look on her face when she was surprised by it.

"Seriously? I think you need an actual meal before training," Captain Yamato commented, startling Naruto.

"Ah!" he yelped, squeezing the crinkling plastic. "What is it with you scaring me all the time?!"

"Sorry," he chuckled, one hand dangling with a hefty-looking bag at his side. "But seriously, you need to eat healthier. Between all the ramen you eat and the other junk, you'll start feeling it when you're my age."

"I'm not eating the whole thing! Half is for Dolia. See?" He held up the popsicle to show off the two sticks protruding from the bottom. It was meant to be split down the center so that each person had just one stick to hold while she snacked.

"I see," Yamato acknowledged, lifting his shopping bag. "Looks like we had similar ideas."

"What's that?"

"I got Dolia a futon. That way you won't have to give away your blanket again."

Naruto blinked. The last time Captain Yamato dropped a lot of money was when Sakura, Sai, Yamato, and himself went on a mission to retrieve Sasuke from Orochimaru. They had stopped at a hot spring to stay for a night and were surprised by a big dinner, complementary of their team captain. Food was one thing, but an entire bedding set that might only be used for a few days? That seemed a little excessive.

"Speaking of which…" he trailed, casting a glance the other way.

The sight of Kakashi making his way over with Dolia hiding under her black cloak made Naruto lower the popsicle out of sight. "That was fast," he pointed out, adjusting the strap of his backpack against his shoulder.

The sound of Naruto's voice had Dolia lift her gaze. Upon finding him, he knew their eyes met. So he pulled out the popsicle and waved it toward her with a friendly grin. She saw sunlight reflect off its blue color, but she had no clue what it was.

"Long time, no see!" he joked as they got closer. "I got you something."

She halted in front of him, not saying anything, but eyeing the popsicle with curiosity.

He went ahead of ripped open the plastic covering and then gripped the sticks to neatly split it up the center just as it was supposed to. "Here. It's sweet," he said as he offered one half to her.

Upon taking it from him, she knew that it was food, but its odd appearance was putting her off. The ice was melting already and so a drop of the blue syrup drained down her fingers, leaving a sticky residue on her flesh.

Naruto stuck the tip of his half between his lips and then swung an arm around her shoulders to begin their trip down the trail through the forest. Surprised by the gesture, she fumbled her footing for a brief second but quickly caught herself. The feeling of being pressed against his side was different from when she did it with Kakashi. It was more of an older sibling sensation whereas Kakashi was more of a parental sensation. Looking at Naruto, she saw how unfazed he was as he bit off a piece of his popsicle. But then he leaned his head toward her and tightened his hold on her to bring her closer. "I need to ask," he commenced, his voice more hushed than usual. "Did you see it?"

His tone alerted her. As the protection of the forest shrouded the group of four, Dolia suddenly felt as if Naruto was doing this just to separate her from some kind of danger. Was whoever was looking for her here? "See what?" she whispered.

"You know…his face."

The fear she was feeling at that moment dissipated instantly. There was no danger. A pang of annoyance for making her nervous left her mind, too. It tickled her that it did not take much to know what he was talking about. "No," she confirmed, feeling her popsicle drip again.

"Dang it," he muttered, relaxing his hold on her. He thought that surely if Kakashi Sensei took her home, he would show himself maybe by accident.

"Why?" she asked, tasting the popsicle before biting a small piece off.

"I thought there was a chance. Don't worry about it."

After swallowing her mouthful, fighting through the pain of the coldness seeping into her teeth nerves, she voiced her thoughts: "Have you never seen his face?"

"Never–"

"What are you two whispering about?"

Both Naruto and Dolia's heads jerked in the direction of a tree they were just about to pass. The sight of the trunk having a creepy face embedded in the bark made the jinchuriki yelp in fright and push Dolia away to shield her. But just as quickly as he did, he realized after his reaction that the creepy face staring at them was that of Yamato's. "Ugh! Why?!" Naruto complained, turning to look at the laughing jonin.

Dolia watched the face in the tree trunk vanish from sight as Yamato lowered his hand sign. The expression of being satisfied with his prank as he laughed transferred to her; she felt her lips curve upward and small convulsions rise up in her chest.

"All you do is mess with me!" Naruto berated, not even looking at the girl who he was still holding against his side.

Kakashi, humored by the event, saw the faceless girl silently giggling. It was amazing to see a complete change in temperament in a matter of a few minutes. Pranking Naruto may annoy him, but as long as Dolia was enjoying her time during it, he was ready to have Yamato do more against Naruto's will.

Sasuke sat rigid in the small wooden boat as it rocked with the choppy tide. A storm was brewing far off the coast, causing the current underneath to speed up and grow harsh in force. The surface of the sea showed evidence of these things by wanting to toss around Sasuke and the others as they traveled to the Southern Hideout. The reason why it was named the Land of Waves was making itself known.

Akuma and Kyojin both used paddles to fight the waves toward their destination. Though taxing, their pace was steady and successful in traversing against the current. There were many moments when Akuma desired to abandon the boat in exchange for taking flight, but he resisted bringing it up to the other two. With what he had in mind, he would need it to return to the mainland. Abandoning it now would only make things harder for them.

Glancing up at the sky, he found it being shrouded by storm clouds in the distance. It would not be long until the storm met the continent. With the throbbing wound on his back, he was reminded that aerial travel was now not permittable during storms. Luckily Yume would be able to help heal him, but even so, this was slowing them all down.

Returning his eyes to the horizon, his sight caught that of an island with nothing but jagged rocks jutting upward in a misshapen fashion. To the unsuspecting eye, it was a lifeless piece of terrain, but those in the ranks of Orochimaru knew it was much more than that. Akuma and Kyojin kept their aim for it as they paddled, feet full of chakra as they stood on the curved wooden planks.

Sasuke stood up as they drew close enough to touch the shore underneath the water. When he stepped out with a small splash, he felt the cool water soak the bottom of his garments around his calves and the exposed skin around his blue sandals. The three men pulled the boat onto the shore, hearing the bottom scrape unpleasantly against the unforgiving terrain. Kyojin did not bother to tie it up since it was nearly out of reach of the tide anyway, so he tossed the rope inside.

"Have you been here before, Sasuke?" Akuma asked the Uchiha.

"Yes," he simply responded. Being the fledgling of Orochimaru meant that he accompanied him in his work and did tasks for him. That meant he got to know others who worked under the Snake Sage at all of his secret locations. One of those people resided here at the Southern Hideout.

As if she was reading his mind, he gazed up the shoreline to see a teenage girl very close to his age. Her hair burned a bright red along with the matching red irises surrounding her pupils as they gazed through the lens of her glasses. Before the boat touched the island, she had sensed chakras approaching and went to investigate. One particular chakra roused her the most from its familiarity. The amount of jovial excitement she felt as a result was hard to contain. Sasuke was here!

"Karin," he spoke, not feeling much emotion toward her presence.

"Sasuke!" she said happily. "I never expected you would come to visit me."

"I didn't."

"Sorry," Akuma interjected. "We're here for Yume. I heard she's a newer warden here."

Karin adjusted her glasses on the bridge of her nose so that sunlight would stop reflecting off them. She did not recognize the two men with Sasuke. It was strange that they would know the other woman who was working with her here. The only tie she could take from it was that they were associated with Orochimaru. After all, Yume revealed that she was part of a previous project under him. Projects are not usually done alone, either.

"Yeah? What of it?" she flouted.

"Take us to her," Sasuke insisted with no hint of impatience in his voice.

Before she could probe more into it, the three of them began to come toward her. Their sandals shifted the smaller rocks to make crunching sounds that got louder the closer they got. It indicated that they would refuse to leave as long as a conversation with Yume was deferred. Karin sighed and turned around. "Fine. Follow me."

Kyojin glanced at Akuma with a content expression. He expected an encounter like this to require more convincing. It was not like any of Orochimaru's subordinates could drag others away from their assigned posts. Akuma had permission from Orochimaru to collect his former team, so he was allowed to do this, but neither of them was well-known enough to make it easier. Fortunately, Sasuke pulled this string for them.

Entering a cave, the group came across a set of metallic doors that kept the inside of the hideout locked away. Karin opened them with a key, sending a beam of sunlight down the dark corridor. Metal bars from jail cells held back the prisoners as they wrapped their fingers around and pulled their faces close to see what was happening. Akuma did not know what Orochimaru was using them for, but he was surprised that the known wardens of this place would be women. There must be something special about Karin, and Yume, he could understand why she would be sent here.

As the jail cells disappeared behind them, stone walls replaced the walls. Karin halted when a figure came into view ahead of them. "Oh, I was about to come get you," she communicated.

"What for?" Yume asked, stepping into the light to reveal her long brown hair and oval-shaped face. Kyojin could feel his heartbeat skip as old memories flew past his retinas. She was just as beautiful as the last day he saw her, nearly half a year ago. From the slight curve of her cheekbones to how she always parted her lips, it was all the same. He did not forget a single detail.

She locked eyes with him and almost gasped. Akuma was there as well, but Kemono was not. Instead, there was a teenage boy she was unfamiliar with. Being banded together again was something she pushed to the back of her mind. Project Archangel was finished. It was a failure when the last archangel girl could not produce vital offspring. After that, Orochimaru sent everyone working together away to different locations. Her last task was to have someone transport the girl somewhere more useful. "Has something happened?" she questioned them.

"The girl was never transported," Akuma revealed.

"What?" Yume responded in disbelief. "But…But I was sure–"

"Nobody knows what happened, but she was abandoned. And now the Hidden Leaf has her."

She shook her head. The girl was her responsibility for the most part, so much so that she was referred to as "mother" and brought her food every day. If she was abandoned, that meant she was starved. Disgusted with herself, she could only imagine what condition she was in now. Yume never hated the girl. She never wished something so careless to happen.

"Lord Orochimaru permitted me to go retrieve her, but I can't do it without my old friends. Will you come with us?" Akuma inquired.

"Of course, I will. This is my fault."

Karin looked to Sasuke, unsure what they were talking about. The only question she had was why he was journeying with them.