I own nothing but Aurora. Enjoy!

Kakashi's View:

The new technique I developed had a terrible downside. I had expected that, but I discovered I can use it more than I thought. After using it three times though, I was left too exhausted to move. Gai was helping me walk back, but I was slow, frustrating him.

"Sorry about this, Gai…" I apologized, but he just grit his teeth.

I wish TenTen would stop telling us to hurry up, it was pissing Gai off even more and I worried what he was going to do to me. He suddenly threw me, making sure I landed on his back. The younger ninja thought it odd, seeing as Gai chose to carry me on his back like a child...There was nothing I could do in protest, so I let him carry me. At the speed he was going, we'd be there in record time. However, Gai seemed to forget I couldn't really hold on with my arms, so more often than not he was basically dragging me.

I know I passed out at some point due to chakra exhaustion, because before I knew it we were at the village gate. If he hadn't stopped so suddenly, I know I wouldn't have a small concussion on top of it all. I remember Gai wanting to report in, but someone said I wasn't looking so good just before I passed out again.

I awoke in a hospital bed, stripped of my mask, but thankfully the nurse had pulled up the sheet. I wondered who they had been, to know I liked to keep some secrets about myself it had to be someone I knew. I bet it was Tsunade.

"Maa...Here again…" I sighed, wondering when the blonde woman would come back and demand me to recount what happened. She knew I couldn't move and I know she'd use that to her advantage.

"You're awake?" I looked over, seeing the person I really wanted to see. Iruka had poked his head in to make sure I was before letting our rambunctious little girl in.

"Father!" I was helpless and couldn't brace for her jumping on me. I was grateful she had gotten better aim, gone were the days when she'd knee me in my 'no spot.' She landed next to me, but she did lay across my chest while wrapping her arms around my neck. "You're ok."

"Yeah…" Just really tired. "Sweetie, I can't breathe…" She stopped hugging me and sat up, allowing me to breathe again.

"Sorry, she really wanted to see you." Iruka took a seat in the chair by me. "Be gentle, Aurora."

"She's fine…" I was happy to have them here, even if I couldn't move to greet them. "Caterpillar, before anyone comes in, could you fix the sheet so it covers daddy's face again?" She did, but Iruka gave me a look that said I needed to never say that again.

"Can you say what happened?" Iruka composed himself.

"I used the Mangekyo Sharingan too many times…" I could feel my legs again at least. "I'll be alright…" I couldn't say more without Aurora over hearing. I didn't want her to hear all the details, but I would eventually tell her of the Akatsuki.

Iruka had brought over some books and a new shirt with a mask attached. With my legs no longer numb, I was able to move enough for him to help me get the shirt on.

"Strange for you to be dressing me…"

"I promised to never hit someone who is already injured…" Luckily our banter was over Aurora's head. Iruka had no idea how appreciated it all was, I just couldn't pass a chance to tease him.

"Hate to break up the party…" Tsunade had come in during this, neither of us had heard her enter. "I need to talk with him." Aurora pouted, but left the room with Iruka. They would be allowed back in later.

"Three of them? There were only two reported." Tsunade was looking out the window.

"I can see why, it seems there's a set of twins on the team…" The blonde girl didn't seem as eager to hurt us though. In fact, she held back many times when she could have taken me out and taken Naruto. "The female though, she was trying her best not to hurt us."

"Tsh...don't tell me you've gone soft. I'm sure it was a ploy…" It hadn't felt like one though. "Anything else?" I tried my best to shake my head, but it was useless right now. "Right...get some rest. You should be able to get up by later tonight."

Later that night, long after Aurora and Iruka left to find Naruto, Tenzōu came to my room. Tsunade had been right and I was able to sit up, reading when he came in.

"Something wrong?" I asked, turning my head to look at him. That's when Tsunade and Jiraiya came in. "Ah...that bad…"

"Heh...well..it seems I'm your team's leader, senpai." I was surprised, but glad it was him that was taking over.

Jiraiya explained to us what happened during Naruto's training. He had lost control of the Kyuubi inside of him.

"Exactly how many tails did you witness, Jiraiya-sama?" I wanted to know if anyone was in danger.

"There've been two times in my life I almost died…" He explained he had been spying on the women's bath and Tsunade nearly killed him as he started removing his top. "The second time, was when I was training with Naruto...this was after witnessing the fourth tail." The scar on his chest was huge…He went to explain that rage was the trigger and once he reached the fourth tail he lost himself. He would go wild like the nine tails its self.

"Even Yondaime's seal…"

"It would seem the seal is starting to weaken…" I took it all in, listening to him say that it was shortening his young life every time he changed this way.

"And that is why we need you, Yamato." I looked to Tenzōu, now Yamato, wondering why he didn't say that first. Of course...his wood style technique was the result of an experiment with Hashirama-sama's cells. It would allow him to quickly suppress the outbursts, sealing the Kyuubi's chakra back inside.

"We're counting on you." Tsunade left with that, a heavy burden was placed on his shoulders now. After Jiraiya left, Yamato was finally able to talk to me.

"Danzō has set one of his own on the team as well."

"What?"

"I think it's to get close to Naruto, using him as a way to get what he wants. He could also be placing him there to get close to you too…" Both of us were at least on the same page.

"Can you handle all of this?" I asked him, hoping he could both watch Naruto and this new member at the same time. He crossed his arms at my playful insult.

"Piece of cake." He smiled.

"By the way...who came up with the name Yamato?" That got him to glare at me.

Iruka's view:

Kakashi was settled in for the night at least, but I knew he wouldn't sleep there. He hated hospitals, there were too clean in his opinion and smelled funny. I think he was just a big baby and didn't like being forced to take medication.

Aurora had been happy to see him again, of course, but I didn't have time to talk to Kakashi about her. She had been edge for the two weeks he was gone, not once settling down until she heard he was home. He had said he was similar to her, so maybe he understood why better than I did.

For now, I settled for letting her help me find Naruto. We owed him ramen, seeing as she had run off on me last time, ruining our chance to catch up.

"Over there!" She pointed, finding the blonde boy with Choji and Shikamaru. They seemed troubled by something.

"Huh? Iruka-Sensei!" He spotted us and sprinted over. "Did you see a guy with a weird scroll and pen come this way?"

"Er...no?" He seemed upset by this, but let it go. "Aurora and I wanted to invite you to ramen with us, unless you're busy?"

"Really?! That sounds great! I'll see you guys later!" I heard them yelling back at him about finding the guy he was talking about. It seemed I had distracted him.

"So, Naruto, who was the guy you were talking about?" I asked as we sat down at the counter of the ramen shop.

"Oh...well, there was this guy on the roof that attacked us with these ink drawings...but then he just ran off."

"How do you do that?" Aurora asked, finally her mask was down again. I wish she'd show her face more, she had a beautiful smile.

"Er…" Naruto was at a loss.

"I would say that's his special ability." I said as the ramen was served to us. Tenchi always knew what we wanted without even having to ask anymore. I thanked him as we started eating.

"Like a Kekkei Genkei?" At least she was getting it, Naruto on the other hand did not.

"Did you pay any attention in my class?" I scolded him, earning a teasing jab to his arm from Aurora.

"Of course I did!" He pouted, turning to the red head and poking her back. This ignited a poking battle between them, but it wasn't in a mean way. Aurora even laughed when Naruto gave up and tickled her instead. There looked like siblings, which made me think...maybe what Aurora really needed was someone she could rely on that wasn't Kakashi or me. And...Naruto was kind of a part of the family anyway.

"Hey, Iruka-sensei, what's that look for?" Naruto back to me after he captured Aurora and held her in his lap. "You sick?" I felt my cheeks turn a little red.

"No...no." I scratched the scar across my nose. "You two...are just cute is all." The look Aurora gave me was pretty funny.

"Eww! No!" She pushed away. "I don't like Naruto like that!"

"Eh?!" Naruto was shocked.

"Ugh...no that's not what I meant." I sighed, but they were grossed out by it and refused to talk to me for a while. They even went so far as to whisper about what was wrong with me. Aurora learned a new word, pervert, and what it meant. Oh was this going to go well back at home…I could not wait until Kakashi came home.

I did invite Naruto to stay with us if he wanted to, but he said he had another mission to go on. He ran off to get ready and I saw Aurora instantly get sad again. That's when it clicked, she remembered Sasuke. The thing she was missing and could not explain was the raven haired boy. Naruto cheered her up because she remembered the two of them usually being together.

"He'll be back. Don't worry, he's…"

"Naruto." She smiled up at me. "I know, but are there bad people after him?" How she found out, I'm not sure.

"Well...yes. It's because of what is inside of him. He..holds the Kyuubi in him." This realization brought up questions that I know she wanted to ask, but I didn't want to answer.

"The nine tails? But...I thought that it attacked the village and the Fourth Hokage killed it."

"Not exactly…" I explained that the Fourth had sealed the nine tails into Naruto when he was a baby. Now she knew what happened, but she had questions I didn't know the answer to.

"How did he do that? Why was Naruto there?" I hadn't really thought of that, but I knew who would. Kakashi had been the Fourth's student, I'm sure he knew.

"Let's ask you father that..."

Aurora's View:

Father refused to tell me anything about Naruto and the Fourth being connected. I had school off today and went to visit him while dad did some paperwork at the academy. Father seemed to be irritated that I saw through his lies again.

"Then how was the nine tails sealed into him?"

"Maa...Aurora, sometimes you're too smart for your own good..." He sighed, finally putting the book down. He glanced around the room, making sure the rest of the beds were empty before he motioned me closer. "I'll tell you, but you cannot tell anyone, got it?" I nodded, wanting him to just tell me already.

"The Fourth and Naruto are connected, it's true, but the story is far more complicated…" The look he gave me told me he really didn't want to think about it. "All I can really tell you without both of us getting in trouble is this; the truth of it all has been in front of you all along." I frowned, he tricked me again. "You'll understand one day." He gave me an eye smiled like it explained everything.

I was growing bored with school. I'd learned all of this before, passed almost every test and could throw shuriken and kunai better than the rest of the class. Sora was the only one who could keep up. The only problem was this seal on my arm. My chakra was maybe a fourth of what is should be, which didn't allow me to make shadow clones. That was what was holding me back, and I needed to find out how to remove it. Father said to just wait, once he was out of the hospital he'd look into it again, but I couldn't wait that long.

After school, I went to the library to find more information, but seals were complicated. I didn't have the chakra level to do them, but I could still study them. So far, I learned it was a binding seal mixed with what was known as a curse mark. The only way to really break it was to kill the person who cast it, or a legendary sword no one has seen in a hundred years.

I sighed, rolling the scrolls back up when I felt someone come up behind me. I turned and saw a pale boy with short black hair. He had a strange smile on his face, which didn't seem to match his demeanor. He also held a book about how smiling can affect people.

"Hello, I'm Sai."

"Hi." I tried to sidestep him but he blocked me. "Um...I need to go that way."

"Oh, I'm sorry." He seemed to be waiting for me to introduce myself still, but he creeped me out. "What are you researching?"

"Seals."

"Seals...I see. Someone like you shouldn't be looking into those." I glared, trying to figure out what he meant by that. "You're too weak."

"How would you know?" I was glad that I was allowed to wear the mask all day today, I didn't want to give away how much that hurt. I wasn't weak...it was the seal.

"You're still a child. You'll only get into trouble if you do…" He was being weird so I decided to leave. "See you, Aurora." I heard him say, making me run out the door.

How did he know my name? Who was that guy? His chakra felt dark too, similar to the old man way back then...I looked down at the water. I ran all the way to the lake near the old Uchiha compound, finally stopping there to catch my breath. I was supposed to find dad again, but I had questions I needed answers to that he couldn't give me. The most pressing was who that guy was and what he wanted. Why did he care I was looking up seals?

"Aurora? What are you doing here?" It was Shikamaru.

"Nothing…" I said, standing up on the rail to get a better look at the water. I rested my head on the railing and watched him in the reflection of the water. "What are you doing here?"

"Going home. The Chunin exams are coming up again, I've got a few things left to get set up. Shouldn't you be going home too?" He leaned his back on the rail, looking up to the sky. "I'm sure Iruka-sensei is worried about you."

"Yeah…" But I didn't want to go home yet. "Shika-kun, do you know anything about seals?"

"Seals? Huh..I'm not an expert on them, but I know about them. Why?" He turned his head to look at me. I pulled up my sleeve, revealing the mark to him, I wasn't supposed to, but I could trust Shikamaru. "Never seen anything like that…who gave it to you?" I pulled my sleeve back down as it turned orange, warning me not to say anything else.

"I can't…"' tell you' was caught in my throat, the mark burning now.

"Right...a binding mark. It burns when you talk about it and some can even go so far as to knock you out. Whoever did that to you, they're the only ones that can get rid of it." He pushed himself off the rail. "Don't go looking for trouble now. Kakashi would kill me if that happened." He was about to walk away but stopped. "You coming? I'll cover you, this time." I was surprised he wanted to walk me home, but took his hand anyway. "You owe me." He smiled down at me.

"Eh, it was nothing." Shikamaru was trying to get dad to stop thanking him for walking me home. It wasn't that late, the sun was still over the horizon. "Really, it's on my way."

"I still owe you something." Dad promised him, but Shika-kun just waved him off before leaving. As soon as the door shut, I knew I was in trouble.

"Aurora...I don't know why you insist on breaking curfew. Have I done something to make you not want to come home?" Dad looked hurt when he turned back around. "What is going on?"

"You won't tell me anything…." I let out, having had enough of it. "Both you and father hide things from me, why?"

"Is this about Nartuo?" I nodded, he was half right. At least he had been actually listening, unlike father. "Sweetheart, I told you all I know. Did you father say anything?"

"He said the truth was in front of me all along. What does that mean?" Dad looked just as confused as I was.

"Knowing you're father, it's obvious to him but not to us." Dad admitted. "I'm guessing you went to see him after sneaking off again?" He couldn't see me biting my lip, but he probably knew I was.

"Yes." I was supposed to wait...but I couldn't. "I tried to wait."

"I know...there was more to do after class than I thought, but that's no reason to sneak off on me." I know they both still worried about me getting kidnapped, but I was stronger now. I could fight off an attacker if needed.

"I know…" I'd been told at least a hundred time already. He just didn't get my need for some freedom and my need to know more about the world around me. Father did, but he wasn't here at home.

Naruto was back from their long back to back missions, I really wanted to see him but class was dragging on. Class today was on chakra control, which I'd known about since I was two. This is why I chose the window seat, so I could daydream and listen at the same time, but today I was really distracted. I felt Sora jab me with his pencil, alerting me to the fact that Iruka-sensei had spoken to me. I had to remind myself to call him that at school…

"Are you even listening?" I saw he was mad at me, but I didn't register that he had been talking to me for a while. He sighed. "See me after class…" Now I really knew I was in for it…

"I get you're excited to have Naruto back in town, but you need to focus in class." I was now sitting in the front row while dad talked to me. Class was out and everyone rushed out. He could sit on the front row of desks this way to talk to me. "As punishment, I want you to write me an essay on how chakra is controlled."

"What!? No…"

"Due tomorrow." He said sternly, giving me no choice. He knew I knew about this stuff, so why was he forcing this on me? "You may go. I'll see you at the hospital."

When I got there, I was surprised to see Naruto and Sakura there. As I opened the door further, I saw that the weird guy was also there.

"You again?" This alerted everyone to me, father wasn't happy I interrupted.

"Oh, hello." I was starting to hate that smile. "I didn't think I'd see you here."

"How do you know her?" Naruto glared.

"We met at the library. Aurora, right?" The odd boy said.

"I never told you my name…" This got father to give him a dark look.

"Oh...that...I suppose you caught me. I read a file on you is all."

"Let me guess, Danzō wants you to watch her as well?" It was a threat.

"Yes. But I have changed my mind. I won't turn you over to him. You see...Danzō likes to...collect people with unique abilities. He wants you to join."

"Sai...you…" Naruto wasn't pleased to hear this.

"Like I said, I changed my mind…" He gave that smile again..

"You had the chance to grab her at the library, didn't you? What made you change your mind?" Father asked, I absentmindedly grabbed my arm with the mark.

"I can't say." Sai looked back to me. "But it has to do with her arm, that's why you were looking at seal scrolls, right?"

"Sealing scrolls?" Sakura was the one about to scold me. I looked to my father, he looked worried, and tired, but gave me a nod.

"Go ahead…" He closed his one eye, waiting for me. I lifted my sleeve, Sai's expression never changed, but Sakura looked shocked and Naruto looked angry.

"Danzō did that? But why?" Naruto was asking father, but never taking his eyes off me.

"Maa...have I neglected to tell you? You have been gone for awhile..I forget who I told." He was stalling. "Aurora here is quite special as well. It's true, Danzō has been after her since I found her...though it wasn't known to me until he made his big move. Her ability is controlling ice. Do you two remember Haku?" Sai looked confused, but the other two knew who he was talking about. I recognized the name, but I didn't know who he was. "She's from the same clan as him, as well as abilities from the Hozuki clan. He sealed all but a fourth of her chakra."

"Why?" The pink haired girl asked.

"Not sure, but knowing Danzō, he saw her as a threat."

"What did I do?" I asked, wondering why I was sealed in the first place.

"You were simply born." Sai sounded sad, but his face had really yet to change since I came in.

Kakashi's View:

Having Aurora here complicated things, but I decided I was tired of trying to hide anything from her. She was determined to find things out anyway, so I let my team go on with what they had come here for. Learning Sai was targeting her at one point made me wonder which side he was really on.

"Right! About our mission." Naruto started.

"I already heard everything from Yamato, he told me about Sasuke as well." Aurora perked up at the name. So she remembers him after all.

"We're out of time...at the rate we're at...we aren't strong enough to bring him back. He's gotten too strong." Naruto admitted. I looked back to my book.

"Well, you only need to become stronger than him, right?" Naruto was shocked by my words. Sakura filled me in on the fact that Sasuke's improvement wasn't normal, he'd been using the curse seal. That's why I wanted Aurora here, to hear what the mark would do if she tried to use it. The power came with a cost.

"You'll just have to get stronger at a faster rate."

"Yeah, but how?" Sakura asked.

"You don't think I've been sitting here just reading do you? I've been thinking this whole time, and I've come up with something. This kind of training might be best for Naruto, or should I say only something he can do. With this training, you might even surpass me." This got all four of them to listen intently. "I'll be with you during this training. It's going to be quite different than before."

Before I could really finish anything, Team Asuma showed up. The crowd was a little much, making Aurora come to me and sit by me. Each member seemed to be muttering about different things to each other. Ino liked Sai and Shikamaru promised to help Naruto with Sasuke. They didn't think I heard, but I did.

"You all can go ahead to Yanikiku Q." Asume told them. "Team Kakashi can come along too. I need to talk to Kakashi alone."

"Hey! Wait, Kakashi-sensei, what about the training?" Naruto tried to break up the party, but it wasn't the time.

"Oh...right, we'll talk later." That upset him but he left. "Aurora, why don't you join them?" She didn't want to, I couldn't blame her, Sai was going with them.

"Na, she can stay…" Asuma assured me. After the kids left, Asume sat by my legs, making Aurora curl into my lap.

"So, what'd you want to talk about?" I asked him as someone else knocked on the door.

"There you are."

"Oh, Kurenai. Do you need something?" It wasn't rare that they were together, but Asuma suddenly stiffened.

"Well, I heard Asuma was here, so.."

"Right, Asuma, you had something you wanted to say?" The older man stood stiffly, I saw sweat on his forehead.

"Oh, nothing. I'll catch you when you have time." He was quick to leave with the red eyed woman. But...now I really want to know...