"His sadness seemed complete. It had left him nothing, no proper enjoyment, no Saturday mornings. Sadness wore him like a tailored suit."

Leif Enger

The sun was setting.

She watched the shadows come upon the emptying streets of Konohas. The villagers were closing shop, children running off to their parents calls, alleyway troublemakers were unnecessarily loitering around while the shinobi utilised the rooftops to get around. The skies burned behind them with an eerie sense of peace that she almost gave into the false feeling. They say there's always a calm before the storm, and she could not shake away this sense of foreboding.

"Are you sure about this?"

Tsunade let out a deep sigh.

The last few weeks were taxing. Stress couldn't even describe the unsettling agony brewing inside her. Konoha had once been deemed as the most peaceful village with its people, its shinobi, and other villages in trade. They prided themselves with their symbol and humility, and yet, some of the worst enemies they've ever faced were birthed in her village.

And another to come if something isn't done, Tsunade thought distastefully.

She turned to face the jounin who had made it a habit to sneak in and out of the Hokage's office at his leisure. His posture and expression showed boredom, but his dark hues were cunning. He looked at her with unmistaken scrutiny.

"Honestly?" Tsunade asked rhetorically. "I wouldn't have a clue. Right now, I'm following a gut feeling."

"She's just a civilian."

"She looks so much like the Kagome I met…I was so sure it was her."

"Can you confirm her story?"

"Way ahead of you." Gesturing Kakashi over, Tsunade pulled out a piece of paper. Upon closer inspection, Kakashi concluded it was a letter. He raised a brow.

"It's to Jiraiya." That piece of information meant nothing to him. Kakashi had heard from Shizune how Tsunade has the tendency to hold back on details. What little information she offered was a miracle in itself, the rest were meant for elaborate investigation on the other parties' expense. Fortunately for Kakashi, he didn't need to endure the torture Shizune seemed to experience on a daily basis.

"I was unconscious for a number of days, but I trust Jiraiya would have pulled some information out of her. All he does is take notes in that perverted book of his, he's bound to have something useful. I'm willing to sacrifice one of my ANBU's for a bit more information." Tsunade explained. "Also, she will be moved to temporary housing nearby. Itachi is in a secured location under personal surveillance so if she proved to be not who she is, we will not fail to counterattack."

Kakashi wasn't convinced. From Shizune's report, neither was she.

There were times where Kakashi would question Tsunade's actions. Lately they had been rather erratic. Managing a hidden village was a responsibility he would not wish upon himself. Managing an unstable hidden village on the verge of a coup thanks to a power-hungry clan was something beyond his imagination all together.

"Speaking of Jiraiya," Kakashi changed the subject "When is Naruto returning? Konohamaru has been in a foul mood."

Tsunade let out a little laugh. "Naruto must has missed his graduation. He's been wanting to show off a little." Suddenly, Tsunade felt guilty. "He's going to be a lot worse since I took him off his first job too."

Before Kakashi could comment further, ANBU appeared through the open window. Without a word Tsunade folded her letter with extra care and slipped it into a leather pouch. With soft, but stern, instructions, she passed them onto the ANBU.

Night had fallen by then.

~o0o~

It took about a week for Kagome's temporary visa to be fast tracked for approval and moved swiftly into temporary housing. The special interview she never got a chance to partake in was overlooked and the necessary documents that required the Hokage's attention was well underway by the second day, but Shizune had quickly intercepted and made sure said documents were accurately completed and filed for the next step. Some might argue the delay was because they didn't do their due diligence, but others knew of her skepticism. When Tsunade got wind of this, Shizune was forced to step down.

This had almost become routine between the two. But that didn't change the fact Kagome was meeting Itachi that night.

The glorified civilian had been prepared vigorously for the first meeting. The lack of paper trail on the specific situation told her this was top secret, and obviously dangerous. So far, Kagome was only aware of Tsunade, Shizune and Ibiki. Apparently, there were two others who had contributed towards the secrecy.

Walking down the dimmed hallway, Kagome had begun to appreciate the comfortable townhouse she was provided. It wasn't large or extraordinary. There were no fancy gardens, decorative pieces of art, or grand structures. Rather it was cramped between two other townhouses which she assumed were currently housing covert shinobis. Whether it was to monitor her, or the injured man they were trying to save, Kagome figured it'd be a discovery for another day. Right now, she was patiently waiting for Shizune to arrive.

Right on time, two knocks sounded at the door. There was pause before it was followed by three more knocks.

That was her cue to answer the door.

Without a word, Shizune had quickly blindfolded Kagome, threw her over her shoulder and jumped off into the night, disappearing out of sight.

Of course, Kagome was well prepared for this. Obviously, it was Shizune's idea to maintain caution. Kakashi backing her up was unexpected, but she later understood his underlying reasons.

"You will assess him only tonight. After your assessment we will conduct a plan, including how often you will need see him. Keep in mind this isn't going to be a regular visit. To minimise any suspicion, your visits will be limited to once or twice per week, if possible, a fortnight." Shizune reminded Kagome as she moved in the shadows.

Vision darkened; Kagome relaxed her body slightly. She focused on little shifts of sounds around her to gauge some sense of awareness. Her breath would hitch often to ensure Shizune heard the inexperience of the speed.

"That is if I can offer any assistance at all." Kagome shot back with a gasp.

Not feeling the need to humour her further, Shizune hoisted them higher. The ground creaked slightly with every step Shizune took followed by a soft rustle.

Kagome concluded they had now entered a forest.

The journey to Itachi was a good half hour of stealthy running. By the time Shizune had put her down and took off the blindfold, she was inside a cave lined with candles and hanging lamps. The chakra that acted as a barrier, most likely an illusion, was powerful, but Kagome did her best to not notice.

At Shizune's behest, she moved further into the cave.

Releasing a tiny bit of her aura to run ahead off her, Kagome's eyes shifted to Shizune from her peripheral. The loyal assistant had not reacted. Growing a little more confident, Kagome urged a brush of energy against Shizune, who was once again oblivious to her experiment. Instead, all she gathered was hesitance and doubt. But Kagome didn't need her unique abilities to figure that out. Pushing more of her aura out, she charged it with a sense of calmness.

"I will try my best." Kagome spoke up, breaking their silence. "I don't know what's going on, but I'm not stupid either."

Shizune scoffed. "This is beyond a civilian."

Kagome chuckled in return, "Yes, well, I really do need a roof over my head and some herbs to continue my research." She joked.

It didn't take long before Kagome was facing a slab of rock and dirt decorated with a piece of cloth mattered in dust. On top of it lay a man, bloodied, and bandaged. He was still, almost like a dead body ready for its burial.

"That's Uchiha Itachi." Shizune softly introduced.

Nodding, Kagome moved closer, absently noticing the irregular rise and fall of his chest. It barely rose, she silently noted. His skin was pale against the bruises that covered his neck. There was a dark shadow below his eyes as dried-up blood flaked down the side of his face. One look at Shizune and Kagome discerned the man was deteriorating faster than they had imagined.

Slowly, Kagome hovered her palm over his chest. Before she even made contact, she could feel the tremors of his soft laboured breath. A frown stitched itself onto her lips.

Taking in a deep breath, she closed her eyes and place her hands firmly on his chest. Suddenly the world slowed down. The sounds emitting from inside the cave slowly drained away, the watchful eyes of Shizune faded off her; her mind was becoming barren, preparing itself to explore the man that laid vulnerable before her.

As she forced her energy to pulse through him, Kagome bit back on a gasp.

"He's barely holding on." She thought to herself. Grateful that she had learnt to adapt her miko powers to take on a transparent look, Kagome gently shifted her hands along Itachi's body continuing to pump the energy through him.

I can feel your pain, your sadness…what could have caused all of this?

Conflicted, Kagome wondered if death would be a better end for Itachi rather than survival. Though it would put her at an disadvantage in securing a visa within Konoha, she argued she would feel some sense of peace within her twisted morals if she saved a man from continuing a life that had forsaken him. But then she grimaced at the thought. The responsibility that came with that decision was too heavy for someone like her to take on.

She could barely save herself.

With her mind made up, Kagome began to heal Itachi, just enough so that he was no longer hanging off the verge of death. Mindful not to overdo it, she focused mainly on the internal bleeding and raptured veins that were currently struggling to hold together by Tsunade's ninjutsu.

Feeling she had already taken too much time assessing the frail male, Kagome released a breath and stepped back. Shizune took the opportunity to interrupt.

"How is he?"

"He's definitely a fighter. There are a few concerns, but once I stock up on the right herbs, we'll be good to go."

"A full report will need to be made to the Hokage."

"Happy to elaborate once we're out of here. I understand being here too long is a risk."

Unsure, but grateful, for Kagome's co-operation, Shizune nodded in agreement. They did need to leave.

Feet pivoting, ready to make way towards the cave entrance, they stopped when they heard a shuffle behind them.

Kagome looked back and her widened eyes locked with red.

Hello!

Thank you once again for the reviews! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please don't mind any grammatical errors. I am open to any criticism in order to improve my writing :)

Thank you!

BlossomBlues :P