Chapter Three: Home

Kakashi was on the alert the moment the fog appeared, he heard Zabuza before he saw him. "I think Son of the white fang that I have something of yours. Zabuza appeared holding Hakari a few feet in front of Kakashi. "She's not mine, I was sent to return her to the village." Kakashi sighed. "Then we'll trade, I'll give you back the girl, and you give me the bridge builder." Zabuza chuckled. "No." Kakashi said firmly. Zabuza's eye opened wide in surprise. "Then I'll kill the girl." Zabuza said raising a kunai in his free hand. "Sensei?" Sakura yelled. "Go ahead, you'll just make my mission easier." Kakashi tried. "Carrying a struggling kunoichi back will be a pain, but a dead one will be simple." Zabuza considered his words as he thought about Hakari who was hidden in the trees not so far away. "Why do you hesitate Momochi? Do you need help?" Kakashi growled as he tossed a kunai hitting Hakari in the chest. Sakura and Sasuke gasped having not expected their sensei to kill the woman. Zabuza laughed as the Hakari in his arm turned to water and the kunai Kakashi had thrown fell to the floor in the puddle of the clone. "Very good Hatake, you saw right through it. How?" Zabuza asked. "She was too still in your arms to be real; I know Hakari-Chan and she hates being restrained." Kakashi said. "Oh, I assure you Hatake she was quite well behaved for me." Zabuza chuckled before rushing his opponent. "I'm sure you threatened her to comply." Kakashi grunted as he parried Zabuza's blade with two kunai. "Only in the beginning, once I return to her, I'm certain she'll follow Haku and I." Zabuza chuckled. "You will not return to her Momochi, I will be taking her home." Kakashi growled. It was at that point the battle began, with Naruto appearing just in time to save Sasuke from Haku. Once Haku was down and Gato appeared Zabuza switched sides, "Your kunoichi is in the last line of trees, ready and waiting for your delivery. Tell Hakari-kun that this morning was more then I let on." Zabuza informed Kakashi before running through Gato's men with Kunai in mouth slaughtering them all.

After the battle Kakashi took off to the trees locating a very annoyed looking Hakari, who once she saw Kakashi began struggling and yelling through the gag at him. "There, there Hakari-chan I'll take you from here." Kakashi chuckled as he picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder. Kakashi met back up with his genin and Tazuna. Naruto and Sakura had instantly gone to Hakari's face when Kakashi appeared. "If either one of you removes that gag, you'll be wishing I used thousand years of death on you." Kakashi warned over his shoulder effectively stopping his genin's hands. Once back at Tazuna's Kakashi placed the still bound and gagged Hakari to the ground and removed the gag. "Hatake, you bastard, untie me now!" Hakari demanded. "First, you'll answer some questions." Kakashi said seriously. Hakari glared up at Kakashi but remained quiet. "Now, will you return willingly with us home?" Kakashi asked. "There's nothing left there for me." Hakari grumbled and turned her head away. "So be it." Kakashi sighed before slipping the gag back on her. This caused a muffled outrage to slip from her, "If anyone releases her, you'll be sorry." Kakashi warned looking over Naruto, Sakura, and Tsunami. "I'll be back Sasuke you're in charge until I get back." Kakashi said before disappearing. He returned an hour later with a bag tossing it down beside Hakari he turned to his genin. "We head back home tomorrow; Tazuna, Tsunami thank you for allowing us to stay here. Next time you need help try to be a little more truthful though." Kakashi said. "Thank you all for your help, with Gato gone I should be able to finish the bridge no problem." Tazuna smiled. "Will Hakari be all right?" Tsunami asked looking at the woman in question. "I'm sure she will be." Kakashi said. That night Hatake carried Hakari up to his room and laid her down. "Before Zabuza died he asked me to tell you something." Kakashi said with his back to her as he prepared his self for bed. "He wanted me to tell you that this morning was more then he let on." Kakashi turned his head looking down at her over his shoulder. "What did he mean?" At Kakashi's words and question her anger eased and she took on a contemplated look.

The next morning, they woke early and left Kakashi carrying Hakari over his shoulder as Naruto carried her bag. They stopped around lunch time to rest and eat before taking back off. They should reach the village in a couple's days only stopping for quick breaks and to sleep at night. When they saw the village gates each one smiled except for Hakari she frowned even more under the gag. "Naruto, I'll take her bag now. You all go rest, I will report in." Kakashi said stopping inside the gates. Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki were on gate duty looked over the team smiling. "Hey Kakashi, I didn't expect you to act like a cave man." Kotetsu laughed. Kakashi blanched not thinking how the image of him carrying a bound and gagged Hakari would look like. "Wait, Kotetsu isn't that." Izumo began before Kakashi disappeared in a small cloud of smoke. He arrived quickly at the Hokage's office for once not dallying in the village. He did not need rumors to start about him treating women so rudely. Kakashi lowered her off his shoulder receiving a head butt as he did so. On habit he released her, and his hands flew to his head, she fell backwards onto the floor. Iruka Umino quickly left his seat to tend to the Hokage's granddaughter. "Kakashi, how could you treat the honorable- granddaughter in such a way." Iruka growled undoing the gag from around her mouth. She did not speak right away as Iruka began cutting away the ropes around her arms and legs. "Iruka, I wouldn't untie her if I were you." Kakashi warned. Iruka ignored him and finished untying her ankles which was the last part of her bound. Immediately her foot came up hitting him square in the nose sending him backwards before on shaking legs she jumped up and made a run for the window. She fell flat on her face as the wood around her feet reached up and captured her feet. She glared up at the wood user Anbu, who was standing directly behind her grandfather. The Hokage was sitting there laughing, watching his granddaughter struggle to remove her feet from the wood floor.

"You haven't change Hakari-kun." He chuckled. "I can't help but wonder though why you refuse to come home." Hakari sat back on her captured feet and crossed her arms over her chest. "There is nothing here for me to call home; besides, I was bound and gagged for four days." She refused to look at the man that was her grandfather. "You have family here, that is reason enough." The Hokage growled not happy with her reasoning and choosing to save the issue of her bindings for a more private conversation. "Family, family who ordered my boyfriend to murder his whole clan." Hakari yelled looking up at Hiruzen Sarutobi finally. "You know that is not true and that as Hokage it is impossible for me to order such a thing." Hiruzen sighed. "Face the truth Hakari, What Itachi Uchiha did was what he did." Hiruzen sighed. "No, Itachi would never, he wouldn't." Hakari cried curling in on herself. "Let your family help you, stay home for a little while recover and gain back your strength." Kakashi said to her. "I saw your battle with Zabuza Momochi, it was sloppy, and any trained eye can tell you were unconfident in your strategy which led you into being caught." Hakari sniffled she knew Kakashi was speaking the truth, she had lost confidence in herself, and she could have easily avoided capture if she hadn't allowed herself to second guess herself. "You faced the demon of the mists?" Hiruzen said rising to his feet moving to inspect his granddaughter. "How do you not have a scratch on you?" Hiruzen asked. "He didn't mean her any harm, he captured her to use against me. He was the one to bind and gagged her." Kakashi informed the Hokage. "Is there something betwixt you I should know about?" Hiruzen asked a strange gleam in his eye as he looked to Kakashi. "Uh… No, Lord Hokage nothing at all like that." Kakashi waved his hands before him anxiously trying to think of a way to explain. "He kissed me; he stole a kiss from me. I've only ever kissed Itachi, yet he did so without remorse while I was bound to his bed. I think, he planned to keep me." Hakari whispered softly. At first the Hokage was glaring at Kakashi who was getting whiter with each word he strained to hear along with the rest of the room.

"Zabuza Momochi, is not like we thought. He and Haku they cared for each other, and they felt the same loneliness in me." Hakari explained. "Momochi is?" the Hokage looked to Kakashi for his answer. "Dead, he killed himself along with about a hundred layman who were hired to kill Tazuna." Kakashi explained. The Hokage nodded, he did not need his granddaughter hung up on another criminal. "Tenzo, take her home send a medic to look after her." Hiruzen said looking to his most trusted Anbu member. "Thank you Hatake, you may go." Hiruzen said as he handed off his oldest grandchild to the Anbu member. Tenzo did as ordered and carried the young woman off to her house and room which had remained unchanged since she left 4 years ago. Tenzo lowered her to her bed and called for a medic to come to the house. Two medics appeared in no time, tending to the rope bites as well as slipping her something to help her sleep. Once they were done, they left, Tenzo did some hand signs and small but thick wooden beams came out of the bed wrapping around Hakari's wrist and ankles as well as waist. He covered her with a blanket and stood watch until the next Anbu member came to relieve him.

*Flashback*

Itachi stood over Sasuke glaring down upon him, Itachi stood covered in his clans' blood. Blood, he spilt; his family's blood now there was only him and Sasuke. Itachi stood there demeaning his little brother telling him to get angry and that when Sasuke was strong enough, he would then kill him as well. Itachi and Sasuke were so focused on each other they didn't notice the young woman standing in the doorway. She ran into the room and threw her arms around Itachi's torso, crying into his back. "No, Itachi…" She wailed squeezing him. "Please say it wasn't you; please tell me you were forced to do this." She pleaded. "Hakari, what was done here was by my hand and my hand alone." Itachi said as he un-wrapped her arms from about him. "Itachi…" She sighed and watched as he stalked away into the night as the rest of the villagers gathered. Upon arriving on the scene, the Hokage found a distraught granddaughter as well as a traumatized nine-year-old Sasuke Uchiha. "Hakari…" The Hokage sighed while placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You did this!" She growled pulling away from her grandfather. Lord Sarutobi stood unfazed staring at her. "You ordered him to kill his family, didn't you?" She asked. "Hakari, as Hokage I cannot order the slaughter of a clan. Especially not a clan of such promise and value, Itachi and Itachi alone is responsible for this massacre." Hiruzen said calmly. Hakari shook her head in disbelief and ran away.

*End of Flashback*

Hakari woke with a start, when she tried to move and found she could not she groaned, "not again." She knew this time was different as it wasn't chakra sealing cuffs on her simply wooden beams infused with Chakra, Tenzo's chakra. She saw the man in question at her side staring at her through his Anbu cat mask, "Good Morning Honorable granddaughter." He greeted stiffly. "Release me this instance." She ordered him. "You know I cannot, not until a full evaluation and investigation is complete." He told her turning his head from her. "I have to go to the bathroom." Hakari growled. "One moment." Tenzo said as he did some hand signs and all the windows were sealed by wooden bars, her bedroom door, ate the doorknob, the only thing she could do was use the bathroom door. The beams around her receded back into the bed. Hakari sat up rubbing her wrist grumbling under her breath. Tenzo watched her ready to strike if she tried to do anything, but what she said she had to do. She stood and gathered clothes from her closet, then a towel. "Don't you dare try to take a peek in here while I'm showering." Hakari growled. She entered the bathroom and used the toilet before washing her hands and turning on the water making it nice and hot. She went over to her medicine cabinet and pulled out a box of tampons, opening the box of tampons she found her hidden kunai still there. "What are you doing?" A voice asked in her ear, she jumped dropping the kunai into the sink. She turned her head to see Tenzo's face in wood coming from the bars of the window staring at her. "I, Uh… you pervert." Hakari stammered. The door to the bathroom opened and the real Tenzo walked in. "We knew about your hidden kunai; this was a test that you failed." He said picking up the kunai from the sink and his wooden face returned to the bar and it became normal.

"Now, I suggest you stop trying to run away and enjoy your home." Tenzo said turning his back to her and leaving the bathroom, leaving the door open a crack. "There are some who think you're his accomplice." Tenzo muttered. Of course, he knew better, he had been tailing her with Kakashi before the incident occurred and they had been called away. She had heard the call though and had ran to the Uchiha compound to look for him.

*Flashback*

"Hakari…" The Hokage sighed while placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You did this!" She growled pulling away from her grandfather. Lord Sarutobi stood unfazed staring at her. "You ordered him to kill his family, didn't you?" She asked. "Hakari, as Hokage I cannot order the slaughter of a clan. Especially not a clan of such promise and value, Itachi and Itachi alone is responsible for this massacre." Hiruzen said calmly. Hakari shook her head in disbelief and ran away. Hiruzen did not even call after her; he simply sighed and continued towards Sasuke. "Lord Hokage, should we send someone after Hakari?" Tenzo, one of the Anbu ninjas asked. "No, she needs time to let it sink in." Hiruzen informed him.

*end of Flashback*

"She's as dense as the wood I make." Tenzo sighed. "It's a family trait." A deep voice laughed. "Asuma, I'm sorry if I offended you." Tenzo said quickly. "You are fine Tenzo, Hakari is like I was when I was her age. I did not want to hear the old man out about anything, I always felt he was hiding something from me, keeping me from something greater." Asuma told the masked man. "What made you change your mind?" Tenzo asked him. "You see a lot when your part of the twelve guardians." Asuma laughed. "You can't push her, Tenzo she'll come around on her own." Asuma sighed walking to the now barred window. "Is everything all right, Asuma?" Tenzo asked after a silence had fallen over them for several minutes. "My father asked me to come and escort her." Asuma grumbled. "He's really going to do it then?" Tenzo asked slightly shocked. "The rules are the rules." Asuma nodded. The shower stopped, and it was a few seconds before Hakari stepped out of the bathroom fully dressed and drying her hair with her towel. "Uncle Asuma, to what do I owe this visit?" Hakari asked. "I missed my favorite niece, is that not, reason enough?" Asuma smiled as he hugged his niece. "Not when your father is the Hokage." Hakari said giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "Ha, ha I suppose you're right." Asuma laughed loudly. "You know where we have to go." Asuma said not asking just stating what all three in the room knew. "The old bastard isn't wasting any time is he." Hakari sneered. "Be respectful not only is he your grandfather, but he is your Hokage as well." Asuma warned seeing Tenzo tense at her statement. "Both are not my choice." Hakari growled crossing her arms over her chest. Asuma sighed and shook his head, before motioning her to follow him. They walked through the streets of Konoha side by side stopping occasionally to be greeted by the villagers.