Chapter 6 - 求道 (Path to Enlightenment)

Kakashi was never the one to feel homesick after a mission. To him, there were only two outcomes - he either lived to return to Konoha or he didn't. In both cases, the longing for a home - filled with warmth, liveliness, and family that the older shinobi spoke of often - seemed redundant and foreign.

But something crept up on Kakashi when he approached Konoha's gate. It stirred up his calm heartbeats and stung his muscles with both an ache and a sense of urgency.

Kakashi could smell a familiar scent just on the other side of the village gate, merely a wall away. It brought a lot of questions and pushed him to walk faster, all to seek the answer that promised to quench his worry.

Thankfully, what his nose couldn't answer was completed by his eyes.

Rin perked up when she noticed Kakashi through the observation window. She gave him a wave to catch his attention before disappearing behind the walls. The gates opened slowly, revealing the girl that waited eagerly at the edge of the village boundary.

Rin raised her feet, but something made her pause before she retracted her step. Kakashi couldn't help but let out a frown, but Rin merely yelled from the distance, "Kakashi, welcome back to Konoha!"

It was a little embarrassing for Kakashi to admit that for a moment, he almost forgot about the team of shinobi and the two questionable civilians he brought along with him and ignored the Aburame Clan Head that stood vigilant near Rin.

All he thought about was that perhaps, he had a home to feel homesick towards that wasn't just an empty house with no warmth, no lively chatters, and no family.

But the tapping of horse hooves against the ground and the stern look on the Anbu Captain's face pulled him out of that state of complacency. Kakashi looked back and saw the one who called herself Sumie dismounting from the horse with a movement that spoke of experience, before helping the other civilian down as well.

Perhaps the speculations his fellow shinobi gossiped on the way back were not unfound. Kakashi thought she might have been a shinobi of a hidden heritage, but shinobi had no need for horses as a form of transportation when they could travel much faster in stealth. In that sense, a heritage in the Land of Samurai seemed plausible.

But only on the surface, if Kakashi could forget about the resurrection from fatal wounds.

Everything after meeting that woman felt like a dream to Kakashi, so much so that he didn't know exactly how he should have acted when the guards at the gate approached the two civilians for screening.

So Kakashi pressed his mouth together and left it at that. Compared to the rudimentary examination by the Sharingan, Konoha had a much more precise protocol for making sure that a suspicious civilian aiming to enter the village was truly a civilian and not just a shinobi in disguise. Perhaps they'd be able to enlighten Kakashi.

"Rin, are you okay?" Kakashi asked as he flickered to his teammate waiting inside the village. "Did they return your freedom? Did they give you any trouble?"

Kakashi's gaze must have been piercing as he examined Rin down to every detail, making sure that there were no atrocious things like chakra-restricting devices cladded on her. To that, Rin merely returned a comforting smile as she replied, "I'm fine, Kakashi."

"I only woke up yesterday, but Minato-sense vouched for the strength of his seal and my control in front of the Hokage and his Council," Rin explained with a pause. "I was released just earlier today, although, I'm not allowed to leave the village perimeter."

Kakashi turned his head towards Aburame Shibi and the Anbu confirmed with a nod. "Her chakra fluctuated a few times during the coma, but there was no sign of an outburst, so that convinced the Hokage of the success of the sealing. Unfortunately, Nohara-kun won't be allowed to leave the village, let alone go on missions as a shinobi, until she learns to protect herself as a Jinchuuriki."

There was a certain amount of calmness in the way Aburame-san disclosed all of this, and this calmness was reflected in Rin's acceptance of something that completely changed her life. This told Kakashi that this wasn't the first time such realization sunk in for Rin, but it was the first time that it was spelt so clearly for Kakashi.

After a slight pause, Aburame-san added with a lower voice, "Elder Shimura didn't raise any arguments this time, but having Root agents act as surveillance was one thing he won't budge."

To translate, there were Root agents hiding in the shadow, their eyes trained on Rin like they would for an object of danger. Just the thought of that made Kakashi's body tense up in discomfort.

"How? It doesn't make any sense …" "... just try it again." The sudden commotion outside of the village gate drew all their attention. Kakashi turned and saw the sensor stationed at the gate - a Hyūga - shaking his head in disbelief while the veins bulged under his Byakugan,

The other guard gripped Sumie tighter on the shoulder in caution, but she didn't resist when he injected another syringe of chakra-stimulating drug - or liquid soldier pills, as some called them - into her arm.

Once again, the Hyūga sensor widened his pearly eyes in disbelief and immediately, Kakashi could relate. A vial of chakra-stimulating drug was a temporary boost to the chakra system. It could help a shinobi in clutch time, but it could also mess up any effort in chakra suppression when injected at such concentration.

For a normal civilian, their chakra system would temporarily flux brighter before receding back to the dim, impoverished state, causing nothing more than a few moments of discomfort. But to a shinobi attempting to hide their chakra signature, their developed chakra system would flare up like a lighthouse, destroying any effort of deception.

But the Hyūga, like Kakashi, must have seen the impossible, where there was no change in Sumie's chakra signature. It was a lifeless void from the beginning and it remained one even after the stimulation.

It was almost as if she had no chakra at all.

The guards looked at each other, uncertain of what to make of the anomaly. This woman in front of them wasn't a shinobi, but she also wasn't a civilian either. There was no protocol that could account for this.

"Watch her, I need to report this to the Hokage," the Hyūga concluded, his Byakugan was still activated in an attempt to dispel any illusions that might have screwed with his reality. His teammate nodded, but before the shinobi could head out, a few shadows flickered in front of him and blocked his path.

"We'll take the case from here," one of the figures said from behind his blank mask. His words were directed towards the guards, but his attention was no doubt on Sumie. "The guards shouldn't abandon their assignments."

The guards didn't hesitate to concede Sumie's custody to the Root agents - the ones that were made to watch Rin, as Kakashi later realized. Anbu and Roots were ranked higher than the normal shinobi force because they were supposed to work directly for the Hokage.

Now, sometimes Kakashi wondered if that was entirely true.

"Jonin Hatake, you brought her back from the mission. Do you have anything to add?" the Root agent asked as his sharp gaze landed on Kakashi.

"It's as I wrote in the mission debrief I sent back with my summon, I found her as one of the survivors in the civilian village being attacked. I assess her to have no chakra, not even the level of a civilian, but she exhibited superior physique that's … difficult to comprehend without chakra enhancement."

Kakashi paused there, feeling his fingernails digging into the softer flesh of his palm as he arrived at the crossroad. Those were information already reported back to Konoha, but not the part on the resurrection. Kakashi could have written more in the scroll that Pakkun carried back, detailing her appearance in the bloody skirmish that made Rin a Jinchuuriki as well as her unbelievable return from the dead.

But he didn't. So now, that secret remained with him.

Sumie was looking at him as well. Her gaze was calm and such a contrast to the pressure emitted by the Root Agent. Kakashi didn't want to think about it, but nevertheless, their short little conversation during the trip back to Konoha resurfaced in my mind.

Kakashi realized that what he revealed to the wrong audience would change a person's life forever. He had always known that rights were a fickle thing in a shinobi village, but it was never more apparent when he saw Rin again.

People fear what they couldn't understand and what they couldn't control. So those entities were classified into the realm of weapons or threats, even if they were a sentient human. That was a part of the rules. But now more so than ever, Kakashi found that to be not good enough.

"That's all I can conclude. As for the rest, I'm as confused as you are." Kakashi pushed the final words out of his mouth. The Root agent stared at him for a moment, before he nodded in courtesy and took hold of the woman.

The other villager, Haru, looked worried. Even to an outsider, Root looked much more menacing and foreboding than the normal shinobi. But Haru stayed silent and didn't cause any trouble, having already been warned by Sumie that the questions were inevitable and were something that she must handle by herself.

"Kakashi?" Rin's voice pulled Kakashi's attention back and he retracted his gaze from the direction where the Root agents left with Sumie.

"You look troubled," Rin whispered just within Kakashi's earshot. Really? I thought I'm pretty composed. Kakashi hoped that it wasn't that obvious to the Root agents. Aburame-san had left already, clearly just here to warn Kakashi as a favour to Minato-sensei. He couldn't stick around when he wasn't assigned to Rin's surveillance.

Kakashi was troubled. What if his decision - one that clearly deviated from the rules - lead to something irreparable to Konoha, to those that he cared about?

… What if it ends up like Father's choice?

Kakashi shook his head, both as a response to Rin and an attempt to shake off the fear associated with that memory. Between subpar rules and regretful decisions, Kakashi wanted neither - he wanted something better. As Obito had reminded him, rules were dead, but humans acting on them - making them - were not. If he could, he didn't want to settle for rules that weren't good enough.

"Rin, is Minato-sensei in the village?" Kakashi asked instead and Rin nodded.

"Sensei is at the Hokage Tower the last I saw him." Rin paused for a moment, already caught on to the fact that Kakashi had things to say to Minato-sensei that were not for the outsider's ears. "You should go visit Sensei and Kushina-san after a long mission. Come on, let's go to their house."

That was what Kakashi wanted to suggest as well. Minato-sensei's house was warded with a large variety of seals. Root wouldn't be able to do anything other than waiting outside of the property.

In fact, when Kushina-san opened the door and ushered them in with a smile, she might have glared into the distance, clearly finding the Root surveillance to be disagreeable as well.

"Kakashi-kun, Rin-chan, you came at the right time," Kushina-san said as she pointed at the boiling pot on the stove. "I made too much of the stew, so I'm counting on your stomach to help me finish it."

Rin let out a giggle at that. "Knowing how good your cooking is, I'm sure Minato-sensei can finish it all by himself." That made Kushina-san laugh as she patted Rin's back fondly.

Kakashi thought that he'd have to wait a bit longer before Minato-sensei came home. Perhaps it really was the power of Kushina-san's cooking - but more likely, Sensei probably sensed the location of his Hiraishin kunai aggregating in his house - in the span of a breeze, the Yellow Flash appeared next to the kitchen counter. Kushina-san wasn't even surprised.

"Oh, that smell is heavenly. Thank you so much for making the dinner," Minato-sensei exclaimed as he hugged Kushina-san with affection. Kakashi felt bad, really, because what he was about to tell his teacher was so outlandish and disconcerting that it might ruin his appetite - all of their appetites.

"Kakashi, you saw Rin already? That's great. How's your mission … and why do you look like you have some bad news to tell me?" Minato-sensei's voice took a turn at the prolonged 'and', switching from a lighthearted tone to one that showed his concern.

"Sensei." Kakashi had to take a deep breath before he could continue. "It's going to sound crazy, but I witnessed something impossible."

-o-o-o-

It was hard to say who was more confused, Sumie or the shinobi who placed a hand on her forehead, clearly in an attempt to do something, if the way he closed his eyes in concentration was any indication.

But Sumie felt nothing. If there was a point in his action, she was not seeing it.

The blonde-haired shinobi opened his eyes in a frown before he met Sumie's gaze. The confusion in her eyes might have insulted him or creeped him out. Either way, he retracted his hand as if her skin seared him.

Just then, the door creaked open as an older man walked in with his cane. "Still no luck, Jonin Yamanaka?" he asked the shinobi and the latter shook his head. A quiet pause, before the old man asked again, "Perhaps we should try the Amplifying Orb."

That seemed to make the blonde-haired shinobi shake his head even more. "With all due respect, Elder Shimura, it's not my skill that's the issue. The Mind-body technique requires one to connect with the chakra network of another mind, but there's simply no chakra here to be the target."

The shinobi even cast another glance at Sumie. Disbelief was evident in his eyes, but he still stood by his conclusion. "Whoever she is, it seems I can be no help. In that case, I should get back to my assignment."

Despite the apparent hierarchy between the Elder and the Jonin, Sumie sensed hidden animosity. More obvious from the Jonin's side, if she was to be specific. The blonde shinobi left soon after that and the door clicked close behind him.

Now, Sumie figured, was where the real deal began.

"Young lady, have you heard of genjutsu?" The Elder asked out of nowhere as he moved into the chair facing Sumie - the one that didn't have the shackles built into the armrest. There was no table between them, meaning that every twitch in Sumie's muscle would be exposed to scrutiny.

Sumie shook her head with no more than a frown of confusion. 'Genjutsu' could spell a few different things depending on the time period. But in this world, consider her clueless.

"It's a type of ninjutsu that relies on the infiltration of the chakra networks in the brain. It creates illusions, makes the victim see an alternative reality," the man explained as he rested his hands on top of his cane. "It's a common tactic used in interrogation, along with what Jonin Yamanaka had tried earlier."

"If you're smart, you've probably realized that my subordinate's genjutsu also did not work on you. There's no chakra circuit - no target - to be interfered with." The Elder paused a little to let the words sink in before he finished his speech. "You, my girl, are immune to the likes of genjutsu because your chakra network cannot be detected. I cannot ensure that you're telling the truth in an interrogation, at least by the means of ninjutsu."

Not by the means of ninjutsu, you say? Now it made sense. What the blond shinobi had tried earlier with her was likely something similar to a mind probe. But now that method of doing the interrogation had failed, Sumie wondered if they would move on to the harsher, less humane methods.

Sumie could deal with the torture - nothing could hurt quite like the rage of Heavan - but it was the possibility of exposing her regenerative ability that made the warning alarm in her brain go off.

"What will you do to me then?" Sumie said the first words since the initial stage of questioning. There was a healthy amount of fear and uncertainty that leaked out of her voice. Right now, she was not trying to be an ancient creature that had seen the rise and fall of civilizations; she was trying to be someone that had lost her memory all the while feeling suffocated by the stress of being abnormal.

It was very fleeting, but Sumie did notice that how small and helpless she felt in this interrogation pleased the Elder.

"If you're an enemy, I'd order your execution immediately. An enemy that can't be made to confess the truth and be detected by our sensors cannot be left alive in the village." The pressure in the Elder's voice increased, making Sumie feel the grasp of imminent death.

However, death did not come. What was offered instead was a spider thread. "But if that talent belongs to Konoha, that's a different story."

See, the rules for soldiers and the rules for leaders were different. The soldiers were taught to focus on the threat in order to minimize any mistakes. But for the leaders, particularly those that schemed to win in a conflict, they must be adept at finding weapons out of dangerous opportunities.

The Elder didn't leave time for Sumie to express her opinion, not that she planned to. Even if she declared her loyalty now, it would be met with suspicions.

"It's rare, but those that appeared to have no chakra network had been observed in history. Although, they're usually civilians with feeble bodies. Even if they're recruited as spies to infiltrate the enemy stronghold, their subpar physique dictated that they couldn't get far. They are invisible to sensors, but not invisible in the physical realm."

Elder Shimura was a good speaker. He spoke with logic and drew one in with his words, forcing one to think along the path that he had dictated. As he explained the usage of Sumie's abnormality, he was, no doubt, also observing Sumie, trying to catch any signs of a slip-up to suggest that this was not the first time she had learned of these facts - from her true allegiance, for example.

"Our shinobi identified the bodies of three attackers near your village. One was eliminated by the boy that brought you back, so care to enlighten me on the other two?" Elder Shimura prompted and Sumie knew that her decision - what she decided to tell and how that spoke of her - was being grilled on fire.

"I pulled one of them down the ravine when she was distracted by your shinobi. I was lucky to survive when I got washed up to the bank and she wasn't," Sumie answered. There were plenty of ways to check for the truth in her words, whether from the Konoha shinobi or from Haru, so she couldn't lie in gross details.

But the finer ones - for example, the part where she got stabbed first - were something she had to take a gamble with. Haru couldn't have seen it clearly because she was behind Sumie. As for the shinobi, she was counting on the fact that the night was too dim to mark out the details when she was already soaked in blood to start with.

The Elder merely looked at her, waiting for her to continue, so she did. "The first shinobi that we encountered, he attacked us first. But he let his guard down, so when he wasn't looking, I snuck up behind him and … killed him."

Upon hearing that, Elder Shimura let out a nod - an approval, a reassurance, a reward. Although, it was unclear if he was pleased by her honesty or her act of violence.

"Even if the shinobi is distracted, to be able to sneak up on one is no small feat. That's talent." Really, that almost sounded like a compliment, "Konoha and I believe in those potentials. I look at your future, not your past. Swear your loyalty to me, and no matter who you are before you lose your memory - the result of human experimentation, an outcast from a hidden clan, even a fugitive - you can be reborn under my guidance."

It was tempting to say yes, not because of how convincing Elder Shimura's speech was, but because Sumie had no other option. She mustn't give him any reason to resort to the methods of torture or even execution. So the next best thing would be to bid her time and wait for her power to return. Maybe eventually, she'd be able to run away and never come back.

But for how long? And what would she have to do in the meantime? After all, she wasn't being recruited as a prisoner, but as a weapon to be trained and used in wars.

Thousands of years ago, she had inked a boundary in her heart, to never allow her power to be used for things she didn't believe in; to never let her power touch those that she didn't find to be deserving. The consequences of breaking such boundaries were devastating.

To put it cruelly, Sumie didn't care for these shinobi wars. They could slaughter each other for all they wanted, that was the natural progression occurring in this world. She didn't believe in one side of the conflict - be it Konoha or their enemies - over the other, so she refused to fight for one side against the other.

"I am no shinobi, Elder … Shimura." Sumie hesitated a little as if she was uncertain of what she heard in the passing. "I don't know if I can achieve your expectations."

"I merely see the talent, but you're correct that the realization of any potential is a gamble. Except …" Elder Shimura paused a little in suspense as the suffocating pressure returned in his voice, "I'm gambling with my investment, and you, with your life."

That was an ultimatum. If Sumie was smart - she should be, if she were to have any use for Elder Shimura - she'd realize that there was only one way she could walk, bar the option of death.

It seemed that Sumie was just teleported from one path of doom to another that was equally treacherous. But at least, she comforted herself, it was walkable.

If the door to the interrogation room had opened a second too late, then Sumie might have already agreed to Elder Shimura's solicitation. But just as the syllable was starting to form in her larynx, the door was pried open with an unstoppable force.

"Parden me, Elder Shimura, but before you finalize any decisions, I'd like to discuss the custody of the person that Kakashi brought back to the village." Sumie turned her head to see the origin of that voice and she saw the man with bright blonde hair and a polite smile. "I believe it's a little brash to put her on the track to Root, given how sensitive the things they have to deal with. Don't you agree?"

In her peripheral vision, Sumie could see the familiar mob of silver hair that followed behind the intruder. As for the focus of her vision, she was no doubt staring quite rudely.

A stream of energy flowed in her body like a river being awakened from the winter, unbeknownst to everyone else in this room. She needed to check something and the pull from the energy indeed confirmed for her.

The shinobi in this world could gather the energy known as chakra to perform feats skin to miracles, but Sumie realized that they were using a different system of energy than her, and consequently, different than the system in her old world. So rather than something familiar, they were more like foreign introductions.

But this man in front of Sumie was truly a call back to her memory. In fact, he had a trait that should have been erased by Heaven a long time ago - a trait where one had been touched by the essence floating between Heaven and Earth.

He was an Enlightened One*.

-o-o-o-

Minato wondered if the poisonous ink from the Eight-Tail might cause the slow-acting effects of delusion. He remembered how Killer B blew out a stream of pitch-black ink at him as the active battle came to a halt. Rather than an effective assault, it was more like the Jinchuuriki throwing a temper tantrum at having been bested.

Any score would have to be settled when the next bout of the battle started, but maybe Minato was being sabotaged in the meantime. Otherwise, it was hard to explain why he was hearing the most outlandish story from his most logical student - one where a supposedly dead corpse came back as a living being, right here in Konoha.

But Minato dealt with Fuinjutsu, where imagination was a key part of any creation. The suspension of beliefs came a little easier for him than most.

So, when he got over the shock and decided to take Kakashi's words at face value, he was quite glad to hear his student conclude, "Sensei, I want to protect Konoha and the people in it, but not like this."

As soon as Kakashi finished his request, he was about to lower himself to his knees, to apologize for both his impulsive desires and what he was asking Minato to risk. But Minato was a step faster. He caught his student by the arm and pulled him up with indisputable force.

"There's no need for that. You've come to me with a request, supported by a belief that you hold strongly. Moreover, to believe in a certain path means to take responsibility for the consequences of your actions." Minato paused just as Kakashi lowered his head in shame. Then, Minato let out a chuckle and rubbed the mod of silver hair at his chest height. "But you don't have to take that responsibility alone, Kakashi, for I do, share what you believe."

Minato, too, thought that there were many things - norms, rules, traditions - in the shinobi world that were not good enough. They were shaped by the unfavourable circumstances of wars around them, taught to children who had little time to understand their own ideologies.

Exceptional soldiers might win the war, but it was those who knew what they believed in that would mend the aftermath from its wounds and build something better.

"What would you like to do, Kakashi-kun? What outcome do you want?" Kushina asked with a softer voice. By this point, both Rin and Kushina had finally gotten over the initial disbelief. It was time to move on from the facts to the plan.

"I … I think that woman should be watched, especially if she had to stay in Konoha for the time being. In future observations, her lies and intentions might be revealed, or we will gain confidence that she spoke the truth." There was a slight pause as Kakashi glanced at Rin, then he continued.

"If it's the latter, then those that don't belong in the shinobi conflict shouldn't be brought into it. No one should be executed or imprisoned just because they have an unusual power."

Rin's breath halted a little when she heard that. Lightly, she bit into her lips and nodded in agreement. Rin was a gentle and kind kunoichi, one who would accept her sacrifice to protect those she loved, be it her teammates or her village.

Rin wouldn't complain, and that was why Minato thought that the rules were not good enough.

"Well, if you only reported on the abnormality of her chakra and her physique, then what Root wanted with her was probably not execution," Minato said while his students listened with attention. "Knowing how Elder Shimura thinks, he'll first try to weaponize her abilities. You can't fear what you can control and Root is completely within his grasp. Only when that fails, be it a lack of loyalty or a lack of value, will he move to eliminate the threat."

"But if Elder Shimura learns of her regeneration and resurrection, then that changes things." Minato thought that the woman's fear - Sumie, her name was, according to Kakashi - was not unfound. While human experimentation was strictly forbidden in Konoha, the definition of human blurred when too many things deviated from what was comprehensible.

Regeneration and resurrection from death, that was beyond even the realm of a Jinchuuriki. To put it simply, Sumie leaned closer to what the shinobi knew of a Tailed-Beast.

Therefore, Minato concluded, "it seems that time is of the essence. If she ever were to have a chance to be freed from the shinobi conflict, then she cannot be under the control of Root."

"So we have to snatch away what Danzō had set his eyes on. That old man does not let go easily," Kushina commented, not at all hiding her less-than-positive opinion of Elder Shimura. She never liked him much before with the outdated opinion that Elder Shimura had of the Jinchuuriki. And with Rin's recent treatment, she was even more pissed at the Elder.

"No, he'll make his case very convincing for the Hokage, after he had done the deed." In fact, Minato thought they'd only have a chance at uprooting Danzō's control if they do it before the deed was settled. "So, we'll take Elder Shimura's idea and make it even more convincing."

It seemed that they had made it on time when Danzō widened his eyes in shock at Minato's entrance.

"Namikaze-kun, no matter how popular you are with Hiruzen, it's unacceptable for you to barge into my interrogation." The Elder was fuming. His voice reverberated in the cell, held back from shouting by a sheer sense of dignity.

"It's urgent, Elder Shimura," Minato replied, his polite smile fading as he glanced at the person who was the cause of Kakashi's trouble. The young woman had moved her eyes away, but Minato had definitely felt her staring.

Things felt … calmer than what Minato had expected. If it weren't for the chair that was designed to restrain the subject of interrogation, he'd almost mistake the atmosphere for a simple chat.

"What do you want?" Elder Shimura composed himself, but the way he clenched his cane said that his anger was far from doused.

"Sumie-san, if I got the name correct, is brought back by Kakashi. Therefore, I think it's fair for her to be Kakashi's responsibility until her … unusual circumstances can be sorted out," Minato said and the Elder let out a laugh with mockery.

"Her circumstances are not just unusual, it's suspicious. And you think your little prodigy boy should be put in charge of controlling her when he's the one that brought her back despite the potential for a threat?" Danzō leaned back a little. The underlying implication was that Kakashi should have eliminated her on the spot.

"Then why is she still alive, Elder Shimura? If you fear so much for a person that has not acted against Konoha's favour?" Minato shot back.

"I thought a Jonin like you would know that we should extract information whenever we can," Danzō replied. "Rest assured, Namikaze-kun, Root is handling it appropriately."

"Oh, I don't doubt that Root is a highly capable - and selective - unit, born out of gruelling training." Minato didn't want to waste more time with insults, so he cut through the facade and went straight for what the Elder didn't want to admit.

"I'm not disagreeing with you on your goal of making her a weapon that can be used by Konoha, Elder Shimura. But there are other placements that might serve that goal better, both for Konoha and for the full utility of ... an asset."

Minato didn't want to say those words, at least not in front of the woman. But to make a case more convincing than Danzō, an appeal to morality and human rights wasn't going to work well at this stage.

"Ah, it seems that Hokage-sama has just answered," Minato said as he felt the shadow clone he sent to the Hokage office returning.

"You—" The look in Danzō's eyes was a mixture of disbelief and fury. It seemed that Minato was just getting in his way more and more these days. It was not intentional, but Minato sort of figured that a clash of ideologies this big was bound to crack further as time passed.

"Hokage-sama agreed with me, Elder Shimura. Recruiting someone of Sumie-san's circumstances into Root is way too radical." Minato passed to Danzō what the Hokage commented. "I will put a seal on her that will enact punishment should she act in harm to Konoha. Both Kakashi and I will be responsible for evaluating how trustworthy she might be and how to best utilize her abilities."

Just for the sake of it, Minato extended a step for Danzō to come down, even if it might contribute to the opposite. "If she is best utilized in Root, then that shall be where she belongs."

Although, Minato's definition of the 'best placement' likely weighed a lot more on the component of individual consent than that of Danzō.

Elder Shimura let out a slow breath as he adjusted the grip on his cane. He set his exposed eye on Minato, asking, "First, you vouch your life on the sanity of that Nohara girl, and now, for a suspicious stranger. I certainly hope you have enough lives to spare around, metaphorically speaking."

Minato heard Kakashi letting a hiss in anger as the boy stepped forward in response to the words laced with ill will. But the boy caught himself before he could lash out, remembering that they were so close to their goal. So, he calmed his rage by digging his fingernails into his palm.

Knowing that he couldn't go against the Hokage's decision, Danzō switched his attention from Minato to the woman sitting on the interrogation chair, listening to their arguments in silence.

"Sumie, I see your potential and I meant what I said. We'll meet again." The Elder told the young woman as he motioned his agent towards her. "Release her and see them out."

With two clicking of the keys, the woman stood up from her seat and rubbed the markings left on her forearms. Things were slightly awkward when she followed Minato and Kakashi out into the hallways, making no attempt to say anything.

Minato wondered if he would cause any panic attacks if he just grabbed everyone and teleported them out. But no matter what, he figured that a warning was warranted.

"Danzō, I heard that you found someone with no detectable chakra system who isn't sickly like a twig." Minato's warning never made it out of his mouth because it was interrupted by a third party that joined the chaos.

"Orochimaru-san," Minato greeted as the pale-skinned man approached them from across the hall. The Sannin gave him a coy smile, but his eyes were already glued to Sumie, dissecting her with his gaze in order to delineate the rare parts.

"Well, aren't you an unusual thing?" Orochimaru commented just as Danzō walked out of the interrogation room to deal with yet another uninvited guest. "Danzō, were you planning to hide her away in Root so selfishly?"

"I only act for the well-being of Konoha. Besides, she is no longer my problem." The Elder left it at that as he walked away in the opposite direction.

Orochimaru wasn't bothered by the unwelcoming attitude. He merely returned his attention to Sumie and said, "If you ever want to learn more about your unusual composition, I'll gladly help for the chance to learn more about the unknown."

Okay, that's enough before things start to get out of hand.

"Participation in research is voluntary, just saying." Minato made sure to point that out first, before he warned the woman, "I'm going to teleport us out of here. It might feel a little uncomfortable."

There was the hint of a nod telling Minato that she was more than fine with being whooshed out of the interrogation unit. So Minato grabbed onto the two shoulders next to him and in the blink of an eye, the dark hallways were replaced by his dining room.

The landing always took some time to get used to. Sumie pressed her fingers on her temple as she steadied herself in the new environment.

"Is that a ninjutsu … actually, that's not important." Just like that, Minato opened and closed his mouth without saying a word. Sumie looked at Kakashi, then at Kushina and Rin that were sitting next to the dining table, before her attention landed on Minato again. "You must be the teacher."

"Oh, Kakashi mentioned me?" Minato asked and the woman answered with a nod. He waited for her to offer more information or ask any more questions. She didn't, and the awkwardness grew exponentially more overbearing.

"You must be feeling confused. You've only just arrived at Konoha, but you're a person that is already sought after by many," Minato joked in an attempt to break the ice. It probably wasn't a good idea.

"Hmm, a person, or an object?" The woman asked. There was none of the animosity in her voice, but the calm acceptance seemed to make the sarcasm more apparent.

"Hey, Sensei is trying to help you, even though he has no reason to. If you stayed with Elder Shimura, then that's the life of an object," Kakashi interjected while rolling his eyes. Knowing the boy, he was ready to fight another battle defending Minato's honour when he couldn't do so in front of Danzō. Fortunately, the woman wasn't planning to give him a battle.

"I am thankful." The easy admittance by Sumie made Kakashi unsure of what to argue against next. "And I supposed that I should thank you too for being selective about my secret."

Upon hearing that, Kakashi let out a snort of annoyance. But he nevertheless turned his face to the side while he said, only a bit louder than a whisper, "Your immortality means nothing to me so long as you're not Konoha's enemy. Don't think too hard about it, it's detrimental to Konoha if the rumours of your regeneration get out to the other villages."

That's not the reason which you told me before. The dishonesty that stemmed from pride and embarrassment in his student made Minato want to laugh and sigh at the same time.

"I apologize for saying that you're an asset to be used. It's the safest way to move you under my custody. Unfortunately, I would have to make what I proposed true, including the security seal," Minato told Sumie. He wasn't about to sugarcoat his words or the future reality.

"Please understand that I also don't trust you completely simply because I don't know who you are. But if you have no ill intention as you've said to Kakashi, then we'll find a way to return your life and freedom to you." Minato wasn't a saint. The duality of being a shinobi trained to protect Konoha - using violence - and being a dreamer existed within him.

There was a moment of silence as Sumie processed his words. Then, out of nowhere, she asked, "Were you the one who taught the boy that the war doesn't excuse everything?"

Minato thought she'd care more about her immediate future, so he was a little taken aback. But yes, he did recall repeating that phrase to his students. "Yes, I've said that before." The conversation died right there, but Minato was sure that the woman was judging, evaluating, even if the weight of her gaze was as light as a feather and had none of the pressure.

"Don't try anything funny," Kakashi eyed Sumie with suspicion when the extended silence had gotten too uncomfortable.

"What makes you say that?" Sumie turned to the young boy and asked with a hint of amusement, "Because I stared at your teacher?"

Sumie's directness exposed Kakashi's inexperience in dealing with people. With disbelief towards how thick-skinned someone could be, Kakashi could think of nothing better to shoot back other than, "He's married!"

"I can see that," Sumie replied, nodding toward the photo of Minato and Kushina hanging on the wall. But it seemed that she was done making Kakashi explode as her attention went back to Minato.

"No offense, Namikaze-san, is it?" Minato nodded and the woman continued. "To me, you felt different, from him," she nodded at Kakashi, "from them," then at Kushina and Rin, "and from all the other shinobi in that interrogation room."

"As I've gathered so far, I cannot feel chakra just as I'm invisible to your chakra detection. But you have something different from their chakra, it's an energy that I can sense. As you may know, I'm a little lost as to who and what I am. I was hoping you might enlighten me." She laughed a little when she said that, but Minato could feel the frustration in her voice.

"That's a little vague to pinpoint." Minato would like to help out - would like to learn more to assess her - but as he said, nothing really came to mind when she put it so vaguely like that.

Sumie nodded, finding that to be reasonable. She thought about it and added a moment later, "I imagined that something other than chakra is powering my regeneration, so would you try identifying it for me while this mysterious form of energy is theoretically in action?"

It was a plausible plan, so long as Sumie didn't mind inflicting harm to herself, which by the looks of it, she didn't. Minato handed her a kunai while he prepared himself to act in case the woman tried anything with the weapon.

It took Sumie three tries to find the appropriate grip on the kunai, suggesting to Minato that she was either a very good actor or she had indeed never used a kunai before. With little to no hesitation, Sumie pressed the sharp edge against the skin on her forearm and sliced down.

A bloody gush opened as red seeped out of the wound like watercolour. But Minato's breath hitched not because of the fact that the wound was already trying to close, but because he had indeed felt the convergence of something towards the site of regeneration. The answer came to him shortly after.

"Unbelievable. It's Natural Energy. Pure Natural Energy," Minato exclaimed. Now it made sense why Kakashi couldn't identify the source of Sumie's power with his Sharingan even if there was clearly something at work.

"Natural … energy," Sumie repeated with a frown. Her unfamiliarity with the concept was evident.

"It's very rare for humans to be able to feel, let alone use Natural Energy. Even for my lineage of practitioners, we can only use Natural Energy by blending it with our chakra in a certain ratio, therefore producing what we called Senjutsu," Minato explained as Sumie listened. "For a normal human to absorb Natural Energy in that purity without the chakra component, they would turn to stone. Return to Nature, as my teacher called it."

Surprisingly, to a highly trained Jonin like Minato, he wasn't able to read Sumie all that easily. But at that moment, he could see the thoughts that flashed through her face as she closed her eyes, something along the lines of 'Perfect, something that removed me further from the realm of humans.'

But that revelation actually brought an unexplainable peace of mind to Minato. Jiraiya-sensei and the Sage Toads at Mt. Myōboku always reminded Minato that the Natural Energy was only lent to humans as a blessing; it never belonged to humans.

Perhaps it was Minato's instinct telling him that humans cannot control Nature, making it less likely that Sumie was a product of scheming by any human faction. But then again, that was subjective and hardly the basis for unconditional trust.

"I appreciate the information; would appreciate it more if you'd keep that piece of news to yourself," Sumie said after a period of dead silence. She didn't wait for any answer or solicit any promise from them before she continued. "Back to what you said earlier, it's reasonable, so I don't have any objection."

It seemed like a rollercoaster ride, to recover from that impossible revelation and think back to what they were discussing before - Sumie's immediate future in Konoha. Minato turned to Kushina, the request left unspoken in his eyes. Kushina gave him a sign that said 'ok' before she grabbed the satchel of sealing supplies on the counter.

"Great, it'll just be a moment, Sumie-san, please follow me." Kushina waved Sumie along as they walked towards the bathroom. Just before Kushina closed the door, she left him a sentence. "Heat up the stew in the meantime, will you, Minato?"

So, two hours past dinner time, Minato moved the pot from the oven to the stove and turned the heat on. He had some ideas as to what to do with Sumie, starting with finding out when Jiraiya-sensei will be back in the village. But he figured that everyone could use some food right now.

He opened the lid and let the steam rise to the ceiling, before turning to see his students - Rin had sat through the entire conversation with confusion while Kakashi looked exhausted by all the suspension of beliefs he had to do.

With a comforting smile, Minato asked, "Alright, it's been an absolutely wild day. Who wants some stew?"

-o-o-o-

Stupid kids these days have so much energy.

The concept of fatigue should never apply to Black Zetsu, but dealing with Uchiha Obito nevertheless was very tiring.

The young Uchiha boy had finally given in to exhaustion after resisting Black Zetsu's control for two days. Even then, it had no doubt that the moment it tried to do something with the boy's body, the boy's mind would reawaken again to fight back.

Using White Zetsu's words, if it had heard the screams of 'Rin' and 'Kakashi' one more time, Black Zetsu would barf even if it was physically impossible for it to do so. Unfortunately, it was exactly those names that fueled the boy's relentless determination.

A head morphed out of the wall, revealing the curious gaze of a white Zetsu - the one who had named himself Tobi - as it stared at the boy half covered in a sheet of corrupting darkness.

"What did you find out?" Black Zetsu's cold voice broke the white creature out of its trance. The spiral on its face twisted, as if disappointed by the fact that it wasn't the goofy boy. Honestly, what did Black Zetsu expect of the trash spat out by the God Tree?

"She survived! Can you believe that, after a stab to the heart? I thought humans can't do that!" Tobi shouted and Black Zetsu winced at how loud it was as if Madara couldn't be awakened fast enough from his slumber. But as stupid as the white creature was, it was right about one thing - humans couldn't do that.

Humans were predictable in the eyes of Black Zetsu. Their hopes, their wishful thinking, their desires … Black Zetsu had observed plenty of them in the eons of its existence. Humans were fragile in their bodies and even more so in their minds,

Madara's plan - Black Zetsu's plan - should have been perfect. He laid the foundation with his Rinnegan and Uchiha Obito would come to carry the wills and keep the plan going. Everything on the stage was set up perfectly, an act waiting to be performed. But it was all ruined at the last moment by an uninvited actor.

"And? It's been more than a week, but I don't see her with you, dead or alive." Black Zetsu said just as a second White Zetsu appeared through the walls as well.

"We want to, but it's scary!" White Zetsu complained as Tobi nodded in agreement. "The aura around her feels really strange. We want to get closer to her too, but my intuition - hah, poop boy there taught me the word - tells me that if I get any closer, I might go poof!"

Black Zetsu let out a hiss of annoyance. As usual, White Zetsu's intelligence and hence its reports left much to be desired for. But it sounded like that woman was both appetizing and poisonous to White Zetsu, like fire to a moth.

It was too bad that Black Zetsu couldn't go out and investigate in White Zetsu's stead. It wasn't done with Uchiha Obito, and it had to continue to act as the manifestation of Madara's will, meaning that there was a limit to how much autonomy it could exhibit.

"Where is she now?" Black Zetsu asked.

"The last time I checked, Poop boy's teammate, Bakashi, took her with him in Konoha's direction," Tobi answered.

"Then go observe Konoha, as per Madara's order," Black Zetsu concluded and the two White Zetsu melted back into the walls with visible disappointment on their faces.

It took Black Zetsu hundreds of years to find someone as ambitious and dauntless as Uchiha Madara. Black Zetsu wasn't about to let the plan die along with Madara's failing lifespan, so it could either find a way to extend Madara's life or it must make Obito its successor.

That woman with unusual regeneration and vitality might offer some insight into the former - Black Zetsu wouldn't count on it when Madara was already stretched to its limit by the God Tree - but it was Konoha that could help Black Zetsu achieve the latter.

The Uchiha, like their ancestor Indra, were emotional, stubborn, but so easily stained. Uchiha Obito, in particular, was as spotless as a sheet of white paper. Even without the stage set up by Kirigakure, all it would take was a trauma - a cruel demonstration by fate - to make the boy realize that he was not the hero in his dreams, but a sinner who shattered his own dreams.

Those names that gave Uchiha Obito strength would soon drag him into the abyss. Black Zetsu just needed to bid his time for the next act - one that would inevitably come so long as Konoha continued to fight, whether against outside enemies or amongst themselves.

Enlightened One*: The exact wording I was looking for was '得道者', meaning 'those who had found the Path'. The 'Path' can be the path to enlightenment, sublimation, or truths of the world. It's related to the chapter title, '求道', which technically means the process of searching for the Path. Maybe I should read more translated Xianxia novels to figure out how to translate stuff ahhh.

Anyway, I've always found the duality and complementation of chakra and Natural Energy to be very interesting, seeing that Natural Energy was in Narutoverse before the arrival of Chakra (in the form of God Tree the invasive species, no less) and exist as a different system of energy than the much more prevalent chakra. Natural Energy to me just speaks of an all-encompassing feeling of acceptance, so I think it's fitting that it's the key to anchoring our MC to this world when she clearly feels out of place.