Nobody expected the calamity that would happen that day. It was a hit after another. It all first started the evening before.

It was a rather uneventful evening- Kaiya cooked herself something for dinner, and she killed time with a book she borrowed from ANBU's private library. After she found the man's identity, Kaiya went into an obsessive attempt to find as much as she could about Fugaku Uchiha.

'I have to admit, this man's career is really worth writing about.' Kaiya said aloud, as the ghost's presence lingered quietly through the room. 'I think we're close to locating-'

Kaiya stopped, a knife pressing sharply onto her neck. The room's temperature felt like it cooled off to a near-freezing state, draining the lights in the room from any warmth, as the sharp, trembling end of the kunai pressed against Kaiya's neck. Suddenly, the ghost's presence tensed intensely, hardening the atmosphere even more.

'I-I...' A shaky voice stuttered behind her.

The ANBU shook his head. No, don't speak., he thought, Don't make things harder than they are.

'Tora,' Kaiya quietly, fighting to keep calm, 'what are you doing?'

'I... I...'

The kunai trembled even harder.

'Gah!' The boy puffed, as he broke down to sobs. 'I can't do it!'

Kaiya relaxed along with the ghost as the kunai fell to the ground. The boy took the mask off his face and planted it onto Kaiya's shoulder, his sobs showing no signs of stopping anytime soon.

'I'm, I'm sorry, Kaiya...' Tora said, quietly. 'I should've not done it. I should've not accepted it. I'm so stupid!'

Putting her hand through Tora's hair, Kaiya remained silent for a few moments, thinking about what just happened.

'Tora,' she whispered, 'please sit down and tell me who made you do this.'

He wouldn't do that because of his own judgement, Kaiya was sure. Without any further comments, Tora sat on the chair next to Kaiya. He searched for his words and slowly, he began talking. When he found the story's string, he didn't hold back a single second. He told her everything. How Danzo gave him no real option, as she would die either way. The way he could've not close a single eye the night before, tormented by thoughts and how at some point wished he just didn't have a heart.

'Kaiya,' he said, quietly, 'I thought about this alot. You're not safe with me. We're in the ANBU, for God's sake. We're never really safe on our own, with this position. Let alone being in a couple with someone.'

'What are you suggesting?' Kaiya asked, a hole planting itself in her heart.

Tora bit his lip. 'I want to break up. I don't want to risk hurting you like this anymore.'

Kaiya's eyebrows furrowed, her chest feeling hollow as she processed the information. Break up. He wanted to break up. His words felt like a storm that came with an unimaginable speed before anyone would be able to foresee it. She felt her face heating up and how her fingers couldn't stand still anymore. Her heart dropped as a fueling anger grew inside her. All towards no one but the old man behind this. She never did anything to him or the village, yet, she was treated no better than a traitor.

In his eyes, she realised, she was no better than an Uchiha. Revenge, she thought, It's time the man pays back for all his deeds. Oh, if it was only her that he mistreated. She couldn't help but snort in amusement. She was just one person out of God knows how many during the man's reign. Anyone who wasn't willing to serve the way he wished, the man would look into creating nothing but havoc and hell in their life.

'Tomorrow,' she told Tora, 'I'll bring justice.'

'Lady Hokage, I need to talk to you.'

It was a quiet morning of November. At just seven-thirty in the morning, Kaiya was one of the very few who dared to make a path outside through the coldness of the morning. The temperature didn't bother Kaiya much- she suffered through much worse temperatures during winter.

'What is it, Kaiya?' Tsunade sighed, putting her pen down as she looked up to the girl.

'I'd like to make a complaint regarding Danzo Shimura.'

Tsunade's eyebrows furrowed. She knew for a record that the girl wasn't one for jokes or useless talk, so it felt weird when she came to make a complaint. 'What did he do?'

'He ordered my assassination.'

Tsunade felt how she choked on air.

'He what?'

Kaiya explained everything in detail, without holding back. Tsunade nodded, with occasional nods and hums of approval. By the time the girl was done, Tsunade's right hand was trembling terribly due to nerves, as one of her eyes twitched a little.

'Shizune,' Tsunade ordered, her voice shaky, 'bring that old man here. Tell him it's an emergency.'

'Ah, yes, Tsunade-sama!' Shizune said obediently before hurrying out of the room. She never liked the woman when she was in this state- she knew for a fact that she was dangerous, and the fact that she mixed her dark coffee with whiskey that morning for extra energy, as she named it, didn't bring Shizune rest, either.

Within five minutes, the young woman was back in the office, with Danzo following her, quietly. At Kaiya's sight, Danzo took a strong grip on his wooden staff as the girl shot him an ice-cold stare. Kaiya hardly kept her control- she wasn't a fool. She knew exactly what he was thinking now. She should've been dead by now.

'What the hell was that all about, Danzo?' Tsunade snapped, breaking the furious stare Kaiya shot Danzo.

'What, exactly, Tsunade-san?' Danzo asked, carefully. If he played his cards carefully, then maybe, just maybe, he could make it out of there completely white-handed.

Kaiya bit her tongue as Shizune watched the conversation tense, Tonton in her arms.

'I think you know very well what I'm talking about,' Tsunade sighed, putting her hands together before her face. 'Kaiya informed me about how you may or may not have been implied in an assassination attempt directed at her after she refused an offer in the Root, made by you.'

Danzo smirked.

'So you're saying that I send someone to assassinate her just because she refused an offer in the Root?' Danzo laughed. 'Tsunade-hime, that's foolish, even for me.'

'Then you're no better than a fool.' Kaiya said quietly, looking at Danzo dead in the eye. 'I know what you did, Danzo-sama. All your life, you did the same thing, over and over and over again, without learning. You took the outstanding out, fearing they'd take you off that throne of lies you made yourself, thinking they'd take your power and control. The thing is, Danzo-sama, what you have isn't power. Your sole weapon in this world is sharp jealousy and insecurity that lingers in your soul, putting its roots in other people. You're no better than a blind fool with dreams too big for him.'

'A blind fool with dreams, maybe, but a blind fool is determined to do so much more than a hopeless genius. Unlike your family.' The man hissed, quietly.

'A hopeless genius is so much more aware of their surroundings. They learn to enjoy life through the smallest things. They wouldn't sacrifice anything reckless for the sake of their dreams. They... They care about life and purity so much more, much more than their dreams.'

Kaiya turned her head around back to Tsunade slowly, who watched the conversation with awe. The man ordered for the girl to die by the hands of one of the closest people she had in Konoha. Yet, the girl found a way to put her poisoned feelings hidden under wise words. Tsunade sighed.

'What exactly is your request, Kaiya? What do you want from him?' She asked.

For a moment, Kaiya's mind flickered to the memory of Hamura Hinata's assassination and his words.

'Justice,' Kaiya answered, 'Don't kill him. Not yet. I wouldn't be no better than a blind fool, then. Let him live with his memory stained by all the blood he spilt until he'll fall in the agony he caused for so long. Then, he'll fully understand the chaos his unjustified revenge caused. Now, if you'll excuse me, ma'am, I don't want to be late to the ANBU meeting.'

Turning around, Kaiya exited the room without making a sound, heading to the roof of the building, where she'd meet the other ANBU. Soon enough, the old man left as well, allowing Tsunade to put her face in her palms along with a deep sigh.

'Why are they all so smart?' she asked.

'Hm?' Shizune hummed.

'All of 'em! First, I think it was Sakumo-san, hell, maybe even before him, but that man knew what he did and he knew how to leave an impression. He was the first to leave a mark. Then, there was Kakashi, a genius in a way or another, and now there's this kid. She never met that man once in her life -not that she could've, anyway- and somehow, she has the same ideals as Sakumo-san. It's like she's a second White Fang!'

Shizune looked at the woman, thoughtfully.

'Well, Tsunade-sama, 'the Hatake weren't respected for nothing. We're talking about a prodigy clan, after all.'

'I guess you're right.' Tsunade said, getting up from her chair. 'Where they want it or not, they're hopelessly caught into a looping cage of thoughts and worries that seem absurd to the ordinary being, yet logical and troublesome to the upper minds. In a way or another, they're all hopeless upper minds that must suffer the same punishment as a blind fool that can't see the end of their nose. They suffer for nothing but the uniqueness of their thoughts.'

Shizune watched how Tsunade shook her head along with a sigh before taking a deep sip of her whiskey-tinted coffee.

'I should go to that stupid ANBU meeting. They're all probably waiting for me.'

Outside the Office's window, sitting on the roof, Kakashi stood frozen as he listened to the conversation closely. His child, just like his father.

He heard her talk. He heard her judgement. There was no doubt in her similarities with his father, but Kakashi couldn't help but fear for the girl. What if she fell into the same pit of darkness as his father? No, he couldn't lose anyone else now. He wouldn't let the girl fall into the pit. If it were to happen, he'd be there for her.

Meanwhile, on the top roof, quiet echoes could be heard, as a group of masked people sat kneeled, waiting for the Hokage to arrive.

'Hey Wolf,' an ANBU with a fox mask addressed, 'I heard half your teammates died on your last mission.'

Kaiya bit her lip, as she recalled her last mission. There weren't nice thoughts. Only horror splattered in blood everywhere.

'That's not something the White Fang would do.' An ANBU next to Kaiya said, shaking his head. 'Ntsk, Ntsk. Kind of a disappointment, you know?'

'Don't tell me you suddenly care.' Kaiya snapped. The man who made the comment was a man in his fifties, just a step or two before retiring. He never really make a point in talking about who he was, but Kaiya knew better. He was a friend of the White Fang, or so he called himself. The man was the complete opposite of Hamura Hinata, though. While one realised their mistake and regretted it for years to come until their death, the other one lived in bliss, flattering himself with the name of the dead.

The man, Haruko, paused and blinked a few times. 'My dear, I never cared about anything except for my family and my job. As an ANBU, my surroundings are often part of my job. You, I'm afraid, are part of my surroundings.'

'He has a point, you know?' An ANBU in front of them said, quietly. 'Now be quiet, you two. Lady Hokage is here.'

'He has a point. He has a point just like when he had a point when murdering my grandfather!' Kaiya exclaimed, not paying attention to the volume of her voice or tone anymore.

Suddenly, everyone was paying close attention to their conversation. Tsunade pursed her lips. Now what?

'I didn't murder your grandfather.' Haruko shot back, indignated. 'He was simply incompetent.'

'You're incompetent! Incompetent enough to not understand and respect a choice the man was brave enough to make to keep you alive when none of you would've been brave enough to!'

That was enough to trigger Haruko, who now threw himself at Kaiya, tackling herself to the ground, with a kunai pressed against her neck.

'What kind of bullshit are you bluffing, you filthy-'

'He died for you to live, and he died for his beliefs. If necessary, I would do so, too.'

Preparing for a mortal attack, Haruko raised his kunai in the air, gritting his teeth. 'Then it is time-'

Suddenly, a dozen vines twirled around Haruko's raised hand into a tight, inescapable grip that eventually forced Haruko to drop his kunai to the ground.

'Eagle, your rebellious, murderous even, behaviour towards your comrades is unacceptable,' Tsunade said, in cold anger. 'Please wait for me in my office.'

Haruko mumbled something that was clearly not kind as he got off Kaiya, before disappearing. Relaxing a little, Tsunade turned to Kaiya, who was slowly getting up.

'Wolf, how do you feel?'

Kaiya paused for a few moments, meditating on some dots that were connecting in her mind. This wasn't right.

'I'm fine, thank you, Lady Hokage,' she said slowly, putting her wolf ANBU mask. 'But I'd like to quit the ANBU.'

Tsunade frowned. 'What?'

'This isn't the place where I'm meant to be. You just saw it- he was one of the people who put me under the same judgement of someone I'm not. Please forgive my sudden outburst. I will gladly accept a lower rank than ANBU, as you judge best.'

Mumbles were raised as Kaiya stood up and left the roof. Somehow, Tsunade knew it all along- ANBU was never meant for the girl. It was merely an ambition of hers that would've eventually crumble under the pressure of reality and her needs. She felt relieved the girl came to the realisation, but in another light, she hoped that she wouldn't come to it so roughly.

Kaiya left the main building and walked away with hard steps. In the span of twenty-four hours, she was about to get killed twice, both with a root in her family's history. What her family did to trigger an odd feeling in leaders and population, she understood. What she did to deserve the death threats, she understood it only halfway.

All she wanted now was for the day to come to an end, so she could get some rest and can start to finally move on with life. Sadly for her, that day still had a few errands to do for her. Within a few minutes, 3 loud explosions could be heard from various places around the entrance of Konoha, turning Kaiya's and many other's attention in that area. Tightening the headband around her forehead, Kaiya cleared her mind, jumped on a nearby rooftop and headed towards one of the rising clouds of dust. There, a large, red centipede stood tall, ready to attack a small girl that fell on the ground. Quickly. Kaiya drew out two sharp kunais and throwed herself at the centipede's back as someone yelled Shannaro!, followed by a powerful hit in the centipede's stomach. The two hits took their toll on the centipede, as it fell down to the ground dead, immediately. Landing on the ground, Kaiya looked at Sakura, who now healed the little girl.

'Sakura-san, who's attacking?' She asked.

'I... I don't know, Kaiya. I'm sorry.' The pinkette paused, as she looked at a man on the street. 'Iruka-sensei!'

The man responded to the girl's call immediately, as he spun around and rushed to where the girl was.

'Sakura-chan!' he exclaimed, 'are you alright?'

'I'm fine, thank you. What's happening, though?'

'There's some enemy attack, but I wouldn't be able to tell you who exactly.'

'Whoever they are, they must be pretty strong. I mean, look! ' Kaiya said, as they managed to destroy a few parts in Konoha and get a few injured victims within minutes, if not seconds.'

'I...' Iruka squinted his eyes, trying to recognise the girl. He was absolutely sure he's seen her before in Konoha. If he could just remember...

'Kaiya. Kaiya Kobaiyashi.' Kaiya answered with a smile, aware of the man's slight confusion.

Iruka gasped a little, in recognition. 'Oh yeah, you're the girl on Lee's team from the Chuunin Exams! Kakashi's... daughter?'

'Yup.' Kaiya nodded, 'That's me.'

Silence fell, nobody really saying anything. At first, Iruka didn't really see any similarities between the girl and Kakashi- she had brown hair, native features, and well, a warmer personality overall. That until he took a closer look, as some memories began to clear up. The girl and her father had the same eyes, similar relaxed positions when standing, and a good motivation when it came to skills and being a shinobi. He heard many things about her, especially from Guy. Eventually, Kaiya turned around to face Sakura and Iruka.

'I should probably head out and see where I can help my teammates,' she said. 'Will you guys be able to handle stuff here?'

'Oh, yes, of course.' Iruka said, gaining composure as he returned his focus on what was happening now.

'Then I'll go. See y'all later!'

Kaiya sprinted from a roof to another, trying to find any sense through the mass of cries, ground holes and mountains of stones. Until something made Kaiya freeze in her tracks.

An orange-haired man with heavy piercings all over his face, wearing a back cloak with red clouds send a sword through a familiar man's body, before dropping him to the ground. Kaiya looked at the two with horror. No, not her father. This couldn't be.

Suddenly, Kaiya's body was shot with pain. Every bone and piece of muscle hurt, making her drop to the ground. She closed her eyes hard, in an attempt to bear the pain better. Her father. Dead. By the Akatsuki. The pain was indescribable- worse than any torture, like someone forcefully stretched your muscles to their near breaking point and then stabbed you through every inch of your body.

It all took but a few minutes for the pain to pass, yet it felt ao much longer. Opening her eyes, Kaiya slowly came into feeling back again. Her body didn't feel the same. It felt... it felt smaller, and covered in something that felt like fur. Looking at her body, Kaiya's mind almost couldn't process what was happening. She was in no human body. It didn't take long for her to connect what was happening- the heritage she once refused to use, came into her possession without her consent. She was in no human form anymore, she was a wolf now.

It was a rather strange, almost eerie feeling took over Kaiya as she came to the realisation. She slowly got up through stumbles as her body was shaking. Her senses were sharper, allowing her to now notice and feel every detail around her. In a way, she almost felt naked.

It didn't take long for her thoughts returned to her father and the man who killed him. She needed to get to her father. Through another series of stumbles, Kaiya hurried as she tried to find her way to the white-haired shinobi.

Turning towards her, the Akatsuki member raised one of his hands, a large shuriken beginning to float behind him. Just in time, Kaiya made it next to her father. She opened her mouth and let out an odd mix between a wail and a bark, that was meant to gain any sort of reaction from the man, in the hope of an answer that would've proved that the man was still alive and, hopefully, conscious. No answer came.

Turning her head around, Kaiya's eyes locked on the floating shuriken. She didn't need anyone or anything to know what was about to come. With just a flick of his finger, the shuriken was hurled in her direction at an amazing speed.

Kaiya didn't get the chance to move. Before she knew it, she was laying on the ground, face-up, as two arms were planted onto the ground on each side. Kaiya looked up horrified, to see a very familiar face twisting in pained tears. She felt her body relax for a moment or two as it changed back into her human form.

'L... Lee.' She murmured, the sound barely escaping her mouth.

'I'm- I'm sorry,' Lee stuttered, 'I didn't come earlier.'

One of Kaiya's eyes twitched to the right, as drops of blood dripped and mixed with the dusty ground. Looking back up, it was then Kaiya noticed how a large shuriken was planted into Lee's back, soaking his jacket heavily in red.

Kaiya felt how her breathing began to stutter as she tried to gasp for air, pain spread in her body once again like fire on gasoline.

She crawled her way from under the boy and fled, without looking back. She didn't know why she did it. It was, perhaps, too many things at once. A breakdown that eventually cracked and requested a breakthrough. For some reason, Kaiya chose to flee into the place she once called home. Perhaps, just perhaps, the shelter she found there would bring some peace of mind.

A/N

Hello, everyone! How's everyone?

So, Avery did it again! I've been wanting to write this chapter for oh. My. god. I wanted to write this chapter for months, dude! Ever since like, volume one (The Nomad), around the Chuunin Exams arc? And those chapters were written in like, beggining of January. Dude, that's like, 10 months ago. Cheezus.

Moving on, I still have so much t e a to spill to y'all in the upcoming chapters, lots of character development, and some really cool Kobayashi appearances, who expected that, hm?

Anyhow, I'll have to stop here before I accidentally give y'all any spoilers. (Cuz that's what I always do lmaoo)

See y'all in the next chapter!
-Avery