A/N: This isn't another update for those who have read chapter 1. I just felt like it should be cut into two pieces, because it's too long. Separating them is the best option. I tried to cut the 15k chapter in the most appropriate place. I hope this minor problem won't happen again... I'll now have this word amount limit from now on. So that my chapters won't extend into monstrous chunks that might fry your eyes (not literally).

This chapter goes to McDiggin'It, another awesome author! Seriously, her works (the ones I've read) are hysterical. XD

Sorry for any mistakes

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Chapter 2: Shrouded Past

"What do you mean you gave it?!" Hiruzen snapped, rising from his chair, unable to refrain himself.

Ruka remained firm against the Hokage's stern glare. "Tsunade-chan needed it - you told me to assist her."

"But those files are confidential!"

"So is Tsunade-chan's mission. If this is about Kakashi Hatake, then it's best she gets every single bit of information about him - he's dangerous!"

"I know he is."

"Then why are you opposing my decision with this, Hokage-sama?"

"Because those files.. they have-just retrieve the box back by dawn tomorrow. Understood?"

"H-Hai!"

~O~O~

As Tsunade made her way back to the Senju residence, she was met by Gray who happened to walk in the same direction as her. They engaged in a telepathic conversation with their eyes before they broke down with sweet smiles at each other. Gray hopped to her side and took the box off her possession, freeing her from the heavy burden.

"What's with this box, Tsunade?" he asked, tracing his index finger on the red painted words. "Top Secret, huh?"

"Yeah, and that's why I can't tell you." she drawled sarcastically, rolling her eyes back, stating the obvious.

"Fair enough." Gray replied, glancing back at his petite companion who remained quiet despite his presence. "This isn't the way to your apartment. Have you moved back into the Senju residence?"

"Temporarily. Just for a couple of months, so I can be with Nawaki before I disappear and get called out again."

"I see. Well then, I'll walk you there."

"No-No, you don't have to!" she shrieked, clutching onto his arm. "Your house is up ahead, don't waste your time walking with me."

Gray chuckled and took Tsunade's hand off his jounin sleeve. "Talking to you is barely a waste of time. Besides, we haven't seen each other for quite some time."

"Since the masquerade."

"Yes, and that is why I want to catch up with you." he continued, holding her hand, as he led her towards the Senju residence. "Speaking of the masquerade: did you know the Kazekage hid in the East because he didn't trust the Hokage?"

Tsunade nodded, "Kakashi's team managed to track the Kazekage down."

"I don't trust that man." Gray lowly said, eyes stone cold. "Have engaged contact with him?"

"We occasionally have a conversation or two, but that's because he's the guard in our residence."

"Don't grow comfortable around him."

"I know," Tsunade replied, freeing her hand from his clasp. "You don't have to remind me."

Before they could extend their conversation, their eyes were met by the Senju district and its wooden pillars with the crest of the Senju carved into it. Small shops occupied the vast space between the entrance and the Main Branch's home. Left and right had shops lively blooming with new items on sale, keeping the blithesome atmosphere alive.

Both Gray and Tsunade walked through the stone paved path, silently appreciating the mood that wrapped and welcomed them. Though the Senju district's area wasn't as vast as the Uchiha's, due to their clan's rapid number decrease in the past, it was just as occupied as its rival.

One Senju member walked over to Tsunade and bowed respectively. "Tsunade-hime, your father wants to talk to you."

"I'm on my way there." Tsunade replied; "Thanks."

Gray cleared his throat to catch her attention. "I take it you still haven't had a proper conversation with your father?"

"Since he nearly got Nawaki killed in training? No, I haven't." she coldly answered, pacing towards their residence.

"It's an obligation for the Main Branch's family to have a powerful heir! It's mandatory, Tsunade." Gray paused to recollect his thoughts, "You can't blame your father for trying to fulfill his duty."

"It's also his responsibility to take care of his son!" she shot back bitterly, "Nawaki will improve in his own time. I don't appreciate you taking my father's side, Gray."

"I'm sorry, but sooner of later you will have to forgive your father. Nawaki has."

"Nawaki is naive and his endless hopes to impress father has blinded him."

"Listen-"

"I'd like it if we dropped this now, Gray." she insisted.

"Alright. I'm sorry."

Situated closely to the Senju shrine was the Main Branch's home. In the distance, away from the ruckus of the shops near the entrance of their district, the residence of Tsunade's family became a clear view. Its front surrounding bare from trees, only short grass paved away by the neatly aligned stone pathway occupied the spacious area.

The large two story traditional Japanese house of the Senju showed clearly with walls, framing around its area, creating a large square shape to accommodate their private training grounds and other essentials for leisure.

Tsunade pushed the wooden door open and walked towards her house, dragging her feet with each motion. She stepped up the wooden steps that led to two large sliding doors made out of paper squares glued on a wooden lattice.

Upon reaching the front porch of her home, Tsunade decided not to enter through the front door and resumed to walk down the wooden platform which was elevated from the ground by erecting columns from flat ground, and reinforced with banisters to make it more prominent.

She slid the door open and left her shoes outside before she stepped in on the mats, made out of woven rush grass, that had dominated the Senju's private sitting area. Before she could motion for her companion to quietly follow her in, the door from the inside opened in front of her.

"Father," she began, bitterly. "I thought you were with clients today."

Raiko, despite feeling raw rage from his very own daughter, smiled genuinely. "Already dealt with, dear." he replied, pecking her cheek with a soft kiss before his attention drew to Gray who was still stood outside. "Gray Teishu, in the flesh, welcome."

"I just helped, Tsunade, on her way here. I don't mean to intrude."

"Nonesense. Come in." Raiko welcomed, glancing back at his daughter who kept her glare, that could potentially set him go stone, away. He drew closer, grabbing her arm with tenderness. "We have to stop this, Tsunade." he whispered to her ear.

"Then I advise you to stop treating Nawaki like a toy for entertainment." she bit back, low and hush.

Raiko flinched in the most minuscule detail. He sighed, giving his daughter a rueful smile. Although he held an exterior of a man defined by raw power and dominance, he held sympathy for his family - particularly his beloved children. He has taken great pride in their accomplishments over the years, although some were trivial, he took pleasure in them. However, as Nawaki began to grow older, the responsibility of shaping him into the Clan Head became imminent.

In order to achieve this, Raiko needed to be relentless with his training with his son. Of course, he was still thirteen years old, but that didn't excuse him from being pushed to his limit. But since he has a protective sister; it was only natural for her to harbor potent hate against her own father after she witnessed their ruthless training together. Nawaki bled, cried but persisted during battle - a true soldier - but Tsunade couldn't stomach such a grotesque sight. She loved her brother too much to allow him to continue to hurdle through a suicidal course.

Gray entered the premise, barefooted. "Tsunade, where shall I put this?"

"Upstairs. Let's go." she slipped out of her father's grip and led the way to the second floor, until she was stopped by another Senju member.

"Nee-chan!" Nawaki exclaimed, wrapping his arms around her waist with his face nuzzled in her stomach.

"Nawaki!" Tsunade smiled, ruffling his chocolate hair as she knelt down to meet his gaze. "How have you been?"

"Awesome!" he replied cheerfully, with a matching grin to prove it. "I've gotten stronger!"

"That's good." she grinned, feigning ignorance of his bandaged hands and bruised cheek. Lovingly she caressed his cheek, drawing him in so she could kiss him on the forehead. The Senju heir's face immediately reddened, streaks of red sprayed across his face, completely embarrassed.

Gray watched and examined the Senju heir who was garbed in a dark teal poncho top and light green pants. He felt his own lips slowly shred a smile as he watched Nawaki's distinct permanent blushes deepen with each compliment and smiles his sister gave.

"Listen, Nawaki, Nee-chan is busy at the moment. But," she managed to add to stop Nawaki from pouting. "I'll be here to watch you train with your Kakashi-senpai."

"Okay! I can show you and Kakashi-nii just how good I am!" Nawaki cheekily smiled at his sister who ruffled his hair messily. His interest then piqued when he saw Gray standing in front of him next to his father. "Gray-san! Hello!"

"All grown up now, aren't we, Nawaki?" Gray walked over and sincerely smiled before he brushed his way passed the child. "See you later, Nawaki."

"Yup!"

Once they had climbed the stairs, Tsunade walked through the spacious corridor and opened the door for Gray to drop the box in her room. To Gray's surprise Tsunade's room only consisted of a king sized bed, few drawers, one wardrobe and one bedside table. Very little amount of furniture to accommodate her extremely hollow room.

"This is quite... empty." he commented, dropping the box on the bed.

"Well, I just moved back in. And I'm only living here temporarily, so I don't have to fill my room up again." Tsunade replied, walking to Gray's side before she placed her hand on his bicep. "Thanks for helping me."

"Always a pleasure." he smiled, fully turning to meet her gaze. "Come and have lunch with me." his hands delicately took hers as a kind gesture.

"..I-I can't." she stuttered, eyes tracing back to the box. "As you can see I have work to do."

Gray spaced himself from the blonde Senju, "That's alright." he shoved his sweating palms in his pockets, face downcast with a forlorn expression. "Well, so do I actually."

"Oh?"

"Dan went missing two weeks ago, didn't he?" he stopped abruptly when Tsunade's gaze failed to meet his. "I'm looking into further reports to see whether he's KIA or MIA. We have already dispatched several units to look for him."

"What will you do?"

"Tsunade, truthfully, the search has been ongoing for a week now. This will be the day that will decide whether he's KIA or still MIA. If he's ruled as MIA then the search will continue for two more weeks."

He clutched onto Tsunade's shoulder to give silent comfort before he left the room. "I'll do what I can."

"Thank you."

~O~O~

In the Uchiha Residence...

In the Main Branch's quarters Shisui was left to babysit Itachi's little brother who grew to be a handful. They were sat in the front porch with Sasuke's toys overwhelming the space, leaving only the steps for Shisui to sit on.

"Shisui-nii!" Sasuke happily wailed when the older Uchiha picked him up from the ground to place him prominently on his sturdy shoulders. "Woooww!" the child was awestruck with his new found perspective on high ground. Innocent beady eyes feasted in the beauty of his clan's district, oblivious to the ugly truth which lurked in the darkness.

"Now, let's get some dango!" Shisui said and Sasuke happily backed him up by pointing forward to the local shops. "How many would you want, Sasuke-kun?"

The cheery adolescent raised two fingers up and shouted, "Six!"

"Sasuke-kun, that's two." he corrected and the new member of the Uchiha clan grumbled and grabbed a fistful of his hair. He winced at the pain but his hands didn't leave Sasuke's ankles. "And that hurts," he grunted.

"Mean, Shisui-nii!"

"I'm mean? Wha-"

"Who wants dango?" another voice interrupted, drawing Sasuke's full attention. "Oh, I see you're the babysitter now, Shisui." he deadpanned.

Itachi was no longer appareled in the standard ANBU uniform, but in his normal black, tall collared shirt and plain pants. His eyes stared at them blankly, blinking several times with a plain expression. Shisui silently screwed a scrutinizing glare at him, seeing the unseen. Although, the younger Uchiha was wearing a passive expression then, Shisui gave a look of empathy as if he could see through his facade. That man, as tough as he acts, really does harbor emotions. By the slight redness in his eyes, he could tell, he had been crying.

"That's because you're late!" Shisui finally scowled, keeping up the charade. He rolled his eyes before Sasuke meticulously began to break free from his loosened grip, eager to run up to his brother.

"Nii-chan! Nii-chan!" Sasuke grew impatient and irrational with his movements that Shisui had no choice but to bring him back on the ground.

Itachi knelt and welcomed Sasuke in his arms before it protectively wrapped around his body. "Now, Sasuke, were you a good boy?" he soothingly asked, patting his head.

The child nodded, round eyes twinkling with innocence. "Yup!"

"If you don't count - the fact - that he nearly tore off my hair." the other Uchiha stated, gaining a glare from Sasuke that only made him chuckle. He still has so many years to go to perfect a menacing glare, because as of now it was cute and innocent.

"Shisui.." Itachi spoke, standing back up. "Dango?" he raised the white plastic bag filled with dango boxes.

"Hey, don't you think you went overboard with your purchases?"

"You can never go overboard with dangos."

A suspicious twinkle in his eyes appeared.

By the time Itachi had subtly manipulated Sasuke back into his own room with his toys to occupy his hollow feeling; Shisui had already ravished two full boxes of dango.

Itachi had caught his own friend slapping and swallowing the dangos into his mouth with quick succession. Yet, he remained quiet and sat down next to him on the wooden steps, and offered a new box for them to eat. They both shared a smirk.

Their friendship couldn't be any simpler. Food - preferably dango - can do so much for them.

"What happened in the mission?" Shisui asked, tossing the final stick of dango into the empty box.

Itachi opened the last box and placed it between them. His lips pursed slightly as his eyes narrowed dangerously at the thought of his heinous deed. The fact that the choice was forced upon him didn't excuse him from such an abhorrent event. "Our search and rescue mission turned into a bloodbath; orchestrated by Aoi Daiki. We did manage to salvage one innocent life - Shizune Kato.

"That repulsive bastard!"

"They planned on killing her, too." Itachi added, taking another stick of dango. "After they have their way with her, of course."

Shisui felt a cold shudder down his spine and his face became pale. "Are you serious?"

"They kill, torture, and rape for their own pleasure."

"But isn't Shizune Dan's niece?!" he received a nod with blunt obsidian eyes softly glancing his way. "So why?!"

"That's exactly why," Itachi's face grew serious, "Dan single-handedly took down Aoi and his team, remember? He burned their reputation to the ground when he defeated them."

"What's Kakashi-senpai going to say about this?" Shisui asked, "We know he hates this kind of way of killing targets. He may be dark but he still has the heart to spare them from further pain!"

Itachi paused momentarily and closed his eyes before he slowly shook his head. "I don't know."

"This is going to make the HQ a potential battle ground for Kakashi and Aoi tomorrow." Shisui deeply sighed as he massaged his temple, "This is where I wish Dan-san was here, he can easily tame both Kakashi and Aoi."

"I can't grant that wish," Itachi deadpanned, blankly. "All I can say is: brace yourself, because neither of them are going to back down."

~O~O~

In the Senju's private training ground behind their residence...

Raiko's eyes were fixated on Nawaki when he got into his fighting stance against Kakashi who stood calmly with his hands in his pockets. It wasn't long till he was joined by his daughter whose interest had piqued when she saw Nawaki training through the window.

"Nawaki has grown up..." she smiled, gripping the wooden railings. "I just wish that you would take into account that he's still a child."

"But he's still weak and timid. He's my only heir, and he can't take all the responsibility if he's weak, Tsunade." her father bit back, wrapping his arm around her body to draw her closer to him. "A weak heir will fall prey to other clans."

Tsunade remained silent and her attention drew to Kakashi. "He seems keen on Nawaki."

"And you seem interested in him. Those late night talks you would have with him in the front porch can't go unnoticed."

"None of those conversations revolve around either of us," Tsunade sternly spoke, "Nawaki is always our topic. He tells me what he has taught Nawaki and how he could improve. I have missed a lot of days with Nawaki, and he simply fills in the gaps for me."

Raiko withdrew his arm from Tsunade and cleared his throat. "Well now, the least you can do is watch Nawaki train under Kakashi."

Kakashi's sharingan closed shut and his remaining eye tightened with anticipation. "Remember what I told you, Nawaki?"

"Yes!" he replied, moving his feet, ready to spur head on. "Overpower the enemy before they overpower you."

"Show me what you've learnt." he taunted, gesturing from him to attack.

Nawaki's eyes began to burn with determination as he tightened his forehead protector. His feet turned in the slightest, gaining him enough momentum to spur towards Kakashi - full throttle. "Here I go!" he vociferated, curling his hand into a fist.

With little effort Kakashi intercepted Nawaki's punch with his black gloved hand. His own fingers gripped around Nawaki's hand, threatening to tighten further. "Reinforce your hand with power from your arm. Gather your chakra and divide it equally with your lower torso, arms and hands. Understood?"

"Hai!" Nawaki responded, jumping back to gain enough distance to get into his fighting stance. "Here I go!"

The silver-haired ANBU officer silently nodded before he evaded Nawaki's incoming attack. "Faster! Use your legs, surge it with chakra!" he strongly commanded, slapping away his punches. "More power! Come on!"

At the end, Kakashi grew tired of the lack of understanding of his apprentice, his punches were far too lackluster for his liking. So he took Nawaki's hand and pushed against his pronator treres to make it automatically bend from its straight form. He then changed his weak form by making his knees bend in deeper, with his feet turning outward to gain more balance.

"Can you feel the difference?" he asked, gaining another silent nod, "Now, run to me faster and hit me harder."

Tsunade sensed her father smirk at Kakashi. Quick evaluations, faster judgement resulted to an outcome better than they'd expected. Kakashi, even without the use of his Sharingan, was able to identify the weakness of Nawaki's form, and he was able to fix it with a few adjustments. Tsunade could finally understand why her father chose him to train the Senju heir at frequent times. To show agreement with her father, she mirrored his smirk.

"And that's why I chose Kakashi." he spoke. "He can see errors in one's fighting form immediately."

"Let's do this!" Nawaki roared, fueling his feet and legs with chakra, running faster than he had anticipated. "Nnngraahh!" his eyes widened as his fist curled with erratic, blue flames coating around his hand.

Kakashi smiled before he dodged it, barely. "Punch again! Use both left and right hands!"

"Yes!" the boy exchanged with both left and right, meeting and inflicting damage on Kakashi's gloved hands.

"Knees, feet: use them!" he threw his fist away, jumped back and prepared for the next wave. "Naw-" he abruptly stopped his sentence when he had to duck down from Nawaki's kicksweep in midair.

Nawaki punched. Kicked. Kneed. Grabbed then punched.

Sporadic movements and sequences fueled with deadly chakra made Kakashi become more wary. However, it was obvious his apprentice's chakra had begun to steam him out, making his stance poor and open to a counterattack.

"Time to defend." his teacher announced. "Are you ready?"

Nawaki wiped his gleaming sweat from his forehead and nodded. "Y-Yes, Sensei!"

Kakashi slid down, away from Nawaki's peripheral view, and kicked his chin from below. He jumped, grabbed his shirt, and tossed him back on the ground, expecting him to jumped back on his feet. His expectations were not met.

Tsunade attempted to run to Nawaki's side, but her body was locked by two calloused hands. She glared at Raiko but his grip refused to withdraw. "Your son still hasn't fully recovered from his wounds - that you inflicted - he cannot withstand that kind of force!"

Raiko's eyes flared angrily. "This is his training to become the Clan Head, Tsunade. Whether you like it or not, your will not interfere with this training!"

Still in shock from the collision back into the ground, Nawaki's vision was blurred and his body no longer seemed his. His orbs became dull with every intention to roll back as his consciousness gave in. Several feet away from his body was his teacher, waiting for him to stand back up with pride.

"Stand up, Nawaki. Remember what I taught you."

"...Y-Yes, Kakashi-nii," he grumbled, lips grinding against the rough surface. Slowly, his fingernails dug into the ground and his feet curled to assist his comeback. Once he had stood back up he wiped his tears away and glared back at Kakashi.

"Again!" the older ninja declared, reappearing below him once more. "Cross your arms and try to withstand the force!"

As ordered Nawaki crossed his arms and took the overwhelming power of Kakashi's kick. Much to his dismay his feet still left the ground and he floated in the air once more.

"Don't waver!" Kakashi shouted, jumping up to meet him. "Block. Deflect. Spin backwards and land on your feet."

His teacher punched. He blocked.

"Good!"

Kakashi kicked. Nawaki deflected it with his arm coated with chakra.

"Now land on your feet!"

Nawaki flipped backwards and his feet met the ground once more. Suddenly, fast paced footsteps echoed in his ear, alerting and igniting his innate senses back to life.

"Block and counter now!" His shin was met by Nawaki's arm before it was grappled by his hands. "Good!" he smiled when he was thrown away. "Now, attack!"

His apprentice managed to pent up enough chakra to project him to his body in an instant. In a lithe motion, Kakashi evaded his destructive attack then clasped him by the wrist with quick succession. "And that concludes today's lesson." his grip loosened. "You've done well today, Nawaki."

"Really, Kakashi-nii?!" he gasped, tainted cheeks became redder and his eyes gleamed with appreciation. "Yusha!" he turned to his sister who watched from afar with worried eyes. "Nee-chan, did you see me?" he grinned, placing his hands firmly on his hips as he chuckled.

Tsunade hurriedly came to her little brother to lock him into a tight embrace, with her lips edging a soft smile. "Yes I did, gaki."

Later that evening...

After the night had settled in with the moon masked with shrouds of clouds, a halcyon atmosphere cloaked around the Hidden Leaf. Everything was calmer, even the shops' ruckus had ceased. Peaceful aura resonated and reassured the wildlife's safety to appear and stay hidden within the long strands of uncut grass.

Kakashi climbed up the stairs and checked into Nawaki's room. The Senju heir was already deep in his idyllic slumber, oblivious of the world which continued to unravel even in his sleep. Softly, he closed the door after he had ensured Nawaki's safety.

Before he entered Tsunade's room he noticed the door, which led to the balcony at the end of the hall, was open. Kakashi frowned when he saw Gray and Tsunade together, engaging in, what looked like, an intense conversation. If his study with body languages has served him right over the years, then he would class Tsunade as emotional.

With Gray and Tsunade...

"So, what's your final ruling?" Tsunade asked, craning her neck to lock eyes with his teal orbs.

Gray sighed, ruffled his hair then shook his head slowly. "...I'm sorry." he whispered. "The search is over, Tsunade. Dan has been ruled KIA."

In that moment Tsunade felt as if the world stood still, and her heart racing in hard beats, running and echoing in her ears were the only noises that existed. The rest seemed nonexistent, and just a figment of another nightmare yet to cause insomnia when she breaks free from this world made of lies.

There's no way Dan could be ruled as dead. He's a top class shinobi, one who's harbored secrets of the Leaf, enough to expose their weakness. Having valuable information leaked to other villages would be fatal. Most of all, he promised that he would return back after the mission.

"No-No, you must dispatch another celled team; he may be still alive!" she urged, griping onto his jounin top. "Gray, please do something!" she pleaded, shaking her head in disbelief, refusing to let her tears stream down. "Please don't let it end like this!"

"I've done everything!" he fought back, grabbing her by her arms. "Dan is also my comrade and friend. It's hard for me to deal with this!"

Tsunade's lips pursed tightly, refusing to utter another word. Gray stroked her golden tresses away from her eyes, revealing her tears which had began to stream down her rosy cheeks. Lovingly, his thumb wiped her tears away, drawing her full attention.

She was breaking, hurting. And she was vulnerable, in need of comfort.

Slowly, Gray entangled his arms around her as a sign of comfort, despite her constant refusal of being hugged. His fingers weaved through her silky strands from her high ponytail whilst his spare hand remained on her back for reassurance. "..Stop trying to push yourself from others, Tsunade." he whispered against the crown of her head.

Tsunade's face remained burrowed in his chest with her hands balling around his jounin top, desperate to push him away from her. Strong smell of alcohol, masculinity and strong cologne assaulted her scenses, forcing her to indulge in his scent. "G-Gray, let me go." she cried softly as her hands tried to push his arms away from her. "Gray...!"

Languidly, Gray raised her face by her chin. "Stop pushing me away..." he whispered, drawing closer to her parted, nude lips. From the small distance between him and her, he could taste her shaken aura filled with dismay and a colossal amount of emotion overwhelming her façade. "You can't do more of these charades."

"...Gray." her left hand found itself prominently resting on his bicep whilst her right remained on his chest with a fistful of fabric still within its clasp. Finally, as a sign of defeat, Tsunade buried her face in the crook of his shoulder and quietly wept as her hands eventually snaked around to his back to reciprocate to his loving embrace.

Underneath the starry night their limbs remained intertwined with each other in peace. They listened to each other's breathing and the occasional rustles from the trees near them, creating a chilly breeze. Contented, they remained still as they basked into each other's ambiance and body heat.

Lightly, like feather, he pushed himself away from the embrace in order to create quite a distance between himself and the blonde. Delicately, he caressed the supple of her cheek as his spare hand raised her face by her chin, before their noses slightly made contact when he titled his head.

His lips harshly pressed against hers with enough force and tenderness to make her gasp out in surprise; whilst his arms locked and pulled her body closer to his own.

"G-Gr-Gray..." her sentence faltered once her lips became devoured by his, again.

Her hands fumbled with his clothing as she stared at him with horror from his drastic move of intimacy. Before he could attempt to open her mouth with his own, she ripped her lips from his with disgust, and drew her dominant up in the air.

Slap!

Gray's face was forced to the side with a red hand print stinging on his left cheek. "Ts-Tsuna-" his eyes gaped open at the sight of the blonde Sannin wiping her lips dry from their kiss with her hand. A sign of repulsion, disgust, twisting on the lines of her face.

The Senju princess pushed his body away at arms length. "We're friends - understand that, Gray." she interrupted, wiping the remaining tears. "..That's all I ask from you."

"O-Of course! I'm sorry." his face hung down with embarrassment. "I thought I could confide in you, but my thinking was too rash." he reasoned, running the back of his hand against his lips, brushing the stinging sensation from their kiss. "I'm sorry."

"Th-Thank you for trying... to find Dan." her hand rested on his chest but her face was shadowed. "Now, get some rest, Gray. You've earned it."

"Are you alright to-"

"Please, just go home."

With Kakashi...

He peered inside Tsunade's room after his senses were aroused by light footsteps. Kakashi saw the lights burning away, with one window opened widely for anyone to enter. Soft rustles of papers soon hit Kakashi's left ear. Quickly, a kunai came in his possession before he launched himself at the intruder.

His eyes preyed on the masked-fully-clad female ANBU. "Who sent you?!" he growled, pressing the kunai on the skin of her neck.

"You're not my concern." she replied, dropping a smoke bomb on the floor to divert Kakashi's attention away from her.

In the thick smoke they engaged in combat: exchanging fists and clashing with kunais and blades. Kakashi was pushed against the wall and the masked female ANBU lunged forward with the tip of her weapon confidently thrusting forward. At the last second, he evaded the tip and watched it bury into the wall.

He elbowed down to the sword to shatter it into two pieces before he rammed his forearm against her throat, violently pushing her to the other side. She attempted to fight back, to break free, but he was significantly stronger.

"What's your objective?" he snarled, creating greater pressure against her neck, depriving her from oxygen. "Answer me!"

As expected she refused to answer. She struggled helplessly against the wall, grunting and groaning softly.

"Pity, but I guess I could remove your mask." she grew more violent as his hand inched closer to the mask, but in the end he had prevailed and had her identity shown.

Ruka closed her eyes and waited for Kakashi to acknowledge her.

"Who are you?" he questioned, eyes screwing into a glare. "No, it doesn't even matter... This is the end for yo-"

"Kakashi what are you doing?!" Tsunade screamed, pushing him away from Ruka who immediately gasped for air. "She works for the Hokage."

"What is she doing here.. unannounced?"

"Tsunade-chan, the Hokage has ordered me to retrieve the box you have borrowed earlier this morning." Ruka answered weakly, running her hand on the expanse of her neck as she sighed. Despite the pressure no longer ramming against her throat, her fingers trembled over the bruised patch of skin which contained a stinging sensation. If Tsunade hadn't interfered at the right moment, she knew she would have been killed.

"Why? I thought I had the right to access those documents." she frowned, pulling the box from underneath her bed.

"I'm sorry, but the Hokage made it clear that he wanted it back by sunrise."

Tsunade silently nodded and gave the box back to Ruka's hands. "Well, thank you for letting me get my hands on it - short as it may be."

"I should be on my way now, Tsunade-chan. Thank you for being so cooperative." she turned to Kakashi who glared at her coldly, "I-I'm sorry."
she waited for a reply but he continued to examine her with a scrutinizing glare through the scopes of his mismatched eyes. "I should go. Goodnight." Ruka raised two of her fingers and disappeared in thin air.

Tsunade folded her arms and raised her brow at her companion who only stared at her, befuddled. "You attacked a fellow ninja."

"She refused to identify herself." he retaliated, casually walking out of her room. "She could have been anybody."

~O~O~

Back in the Hokage Tower...

Ruka appeared in the center of the office, knelt down with the box in her possession. "Mission success, Hokage-sama." she announced, standing back up on her feet.

"I trust no one seen you." Hiruzen smiled as his maskless ANBU recruit placed the cardboard box on his desk. "After all you're one of the best stealth ninjas I have."

She shook her head slowly. "I was detected," she began, pushing her hair back to show two purple bruises on her pale neck. "I was nearly killed. If it weren't for Tsunade-chan... I wouldn't have-"

"Who did this?!"

"K-Kakashi-kun.." the response was shaken, filled with stutters. "He doesn't remember me. It has been two years since that incident... I was the one who-"

"Saw everything." the Hokage finished, onyx orbs softening at the sight of her vulnerability. "And I'm sorry for dispatching you.. alone back then. You didn't have to see that. After all, you admire him greatly. No one deserves to see their comrade like that."

Ruka lowered her face, hiding her pursed lips and angered eyes fueled with translucent tears. "Did she have to die? No, the question should be why did she die?"

"You mean-"

"Yes, her. Her death, it was all too abrupt!"

Hiruzen raised the lid of the box to reveal the documents. "...Fate has its way." he whispered, tracing his fingers on the documents that had been sealed off for two years, since Phantom Four's disbandment. Carefully he lifted Kakashi's file from the box, and meticulously examined his profile. "He was a good ninja."

"Do you think Tsunade-chan will be safe?" she asked to draw his attention.

The Hokage placed the file down and closed his eyes momentarily before he nodded. "Yes. I didn't pick Tsunade for the mission on a whim. I picked her over more skilled ninjas at stealth, because I know Kakashi will never hurt her."

"How can you be so sure?"

Hiruzen raised Kakashi's file up and pointed at an old picture stapled on the right-hand corner of his profile. He watched as Ruka's eyes widened at their own accord when she had come to her realization of who the woman was in the picture clad in an ANBU uniform.

"It's been so long since I've seen her face," she gasped; "She.. she was..."

"Tsunade's personality is a vague resemblance of that woman. This spitting image will cloud Kakashi's instincts to not trust anyone. Subconsciously, he'll start trusting her and soon enough he'll let his guard down."

~O~O~

Behind the Main Branch's residence was an indoor training hall where Kakashi had unleashed his power and stress. As his bandaged hands punched the worn out punching bag that hung from the ceiling, his teeth clenched together to suppress his grunts of pain.

Tsunade had entered in the premise quietly to not avert his concentrated attention to herself, since she had come in the hall with the intention to vent her own anger out without any casualties. From afar she watched Kakashi throw relentless punches whilst silver drops of sweat began to pool and drip from his forehead.

He was so rapt in his personal training that the blonde Sannin's presence wasn't as easily detectable as it should be. Silver light with a mixture of ember from the moon and candles highlighted his toned triceps per strike he shot with immense power. Between the strands of his hair Tsunade could see his onyx orb tightening as his teeth clamped onto each other in order to negate the recoil from his punch.

"Did you come here to just watch?" he asked between his punches. "Or do you want a brief on Nawaki's progression?"

"I came here to vent, but I guess I got here too late."

Kakashi threw a spur of powerful punches as a finish before he ceased to catch his breath. After he had grabbed a towel to cover the bottom-half of his face he peered over his shoulder to look at Tsunade who remained stood by the entrance. Discretely, he smirked underneath the cloth of the towel before he turned his back to her again. As he dried his wet silver strands, the muscles of his back became vexed as his remaining sweat trickled over each chiseled edges that had become accentuated.

Tsunade kept her eyes locked on the ANBU officer. His flexed muscles clearly showed underneath the thin fabricated fishnet shirt which did very little to cover his upper torso. "Do you come here often?" she asked, engaging on a new topic.

"Before I leave your residence - it's become a habit." he replied, discarding his fishnet shirt to reveal his body. "It's the first time I've seen you here late at night. Normally, you'd come here early in the morning." his deft hands patted the soft towel against his perspiring body.

"Have you been stalking me, Kakashi?" one eyebrow raised when she heard him softly chuckle. "Although I haven't been well informed about your business here, I'm pretty sure I'm not part of your chores."

Kakashi covered his half naked body with another black, sleeveless shirt that clenched firmly on his body, accentuating his light masculine form. Before he turned around to meet the Senju's eyes he pulled his mask up to conceal his lower face.

"Patrolling the area is. I just happen to see you every morning, training. Accidentally running into you doesn't imply stalking. I know you don't trust me, Tsunade, but don't get paranoid about me."

"I'm not paranoid. If anything, I couldn't care less about you." she replied, walking towards him. "So don't flatter yourself." her hand touched his chest lightly, and brushed off as she motioned past him. "Close the door on your way out."

"Who said I was leaving yet?" he asked.

"Haven't you finished training?"

"Yes, but you haven't finished venting. Although you're not in my job description I'm willing to help you just this once." Kakashi turned around and met with her steely, hazel eyes. "I heard about Dan's situation, and I'm very much aware that you're his paramour."

"So, now you eavesdrop?" Tsunade folded her arms, "What are your other qualities, Kakashi?"

"Dan-senpai's situation isn't exactly a secret. I've known it since the day he went missing." the silver-haired man took several steps back to the large fighting mat that's positioned in the center of the hall. "Now, your anger mixed with emotions because of the appalling work the Hokage has done isn't a secret either, Tsunade."

"What do you gain from this favor?"

"A sparring partner for the night?"

Tsunade stepped forward on the fighting mat whilst she rolled her eyes and folded her arms. "Alright then."

"No usage of chakra, just plain taijutsu." Kakashi announced before he got into his fighting stance. "That way we can ensure my safety and your father's indoor training hall's safety, as well."

"Whoever hits the floor first is the loser."

"Fair enough."

"Ready," Tsunade braced herself as her fists tightly clenched together, "Spar!"

Fast paced footsteps on the mat echoed across the hall. Then the exchange of fists. The struggled grunts in the middle of their exchange.

Tsunade punched. Kakashi dodged, deflected then kicked. She crossed her arms to block his attack before she spun around to roundkick him to the floor. He ducked away from her sweep and threw an uppercut. An inch away from his punch Tsunade jumped backwards to gain enough space between them.

In the moment of silence they both smirked at each other with their hearts rapidly pulsing. However, before they could both speak, their bodies pushed towards each other with the determination to win.

Tsunade was first to attack with several punches on Kakashi's arms as he blocked them away. Seeing an opening in his defense she struck with another hand to draw his attention but then threw her dominant hand in to crash through his opening.

Kakashi felt her knuckles burrow deep in his chest, the strength of her non-coated-chakra hand was even enough to make him take several steps back. He saw her attacks again, both quick and strong, but with the right timing of his dodge and anticipation he brought his knee up to her stomach.

She drew away, hand on her stomach, greatly winded from the impact of his knee. The blow was far too great for her to deflect his kick so she shied away from his foot, barely.

"You're beginning to falter, Tsunade." he reminded, throwing another punch that threatened to bring her back on the ground. "Isn't the ruling of Dan-senpai enough to make you want to break the closest person?"

"...What?" she heaved, jumping away from his punch with her hand still firmly on her stomach.

"Why won't you release that anger of yours?" Kakashi asked, hand on hip. "Gather all of your frustration and put them into your attacks."

"I don't need you to tell me."

His eyebrows knitted together at the sight of her rising back into a prominent form. To gain her full attention he taunted her with his left hand, silently telling her to come right at him. "Come on, show me the power of a Sannin."

With an unexpected speed she dashed towards him before she ducked down to sweep his feet off the ground. Kakashi flipped backwards on his hands and withdrew from his opponent. Tsunade had already predicted his moves and before he even had his defense up, she threw in a monstrous punch.

"Damn it!" she yelled in frustration, tears clouding her peripherals. Nevertheless she resumed throwing in punches and kicks in a sporadic manner that even Kakashi couldn't figure out. "He wasn't-He-Dan wasn't suppose to..."

Despite his constant training with his defense, her offense which had made his arms wither, had surpassed his raw expectations. He could feel his forearms become numb and his palms became sore with each deflect he made.

The winner of the match soon became inevitable when Tsunade's punch became weaker. Her knuckles were met by his warm palm before it his grip transferred onto her wrist.

"Let's resume this match some other time" he said with his eyes tightened at the sight of her tears caressing her contours. Softly he released her wrist before he placed his hand firmly on her shoulder, giving her reassurance. "Someone will find him."

She wiped her tears away, raised her head up to meet his stony gaze. "All of the search and rescue platoons have been called back. I doubt that he'll show up."

"It doesn't have to be necessarily be the platoons who work under the Hokage." he replied, drawing away from Tsunade. "My platoon can do it."

With a light scoff she met his mistmatched orbs again, she saw his sincerity which only raised questions in her mind, "Why are you willing to do this? Especially for someone you loathe." their eye contact was broken when Kakashi turned around to walk out of the hall. Determined to have her question answered she grabbed his heavily bruised forearm with both of her hands. "Answer me, Kakashi."

He winced at the pain before he violently released his arm from her hands. Once he became free from her restrictions that bound him from leaving, he turned on his heels back to face her again. "Don't rush into conclusions on what I think about you." he began, lifting her face up by her chin with his index finger. "I am, however, debating whether I find you intriguing or - like you said - loathsome."

"Why won't you decide now?"

Kakashi's mask shifted and molded harshly on his lips, showing Tsunade he was smirking. "I'm very cautious with my decisions, because once I have made up my mind it will never change." his thumb slowly ran on her lower lip, burning fear inside her as it soon wondered on the expanse of her wet cheek.

'Though I will never say it - you remind me of someone. Someone precious to me. Which only makes me more suspicious of you.'

Tsunade stood on her spot, completely frozen. She watched him saunter to the double, wooden doors, yet she didn't utter another word. Moreover she couldn't. The way his malicious chakra poisoned the calm atmosphere had left her more than speechless, she was on the verge of fearing for her life.

His hand clasped on the handle of the door, opening it slightly to welcome the silver light of the moon. He looked over his shoulder and spoke: "As for Dan-senpai's situation, I'll handle it with my own terms."

"Why-"

"After all," his voice became drenched with a deathly tone. "I have my own reasons of why I need him back alive."

A/N: A lot of things have happened in this chapter. Don't worry, it will all be answered in the future chapters, just not now. This story may go on hiatus for a while because, here in the UK, school is starting. My University opens this September and I have to get a move on in RL. I hope I can update some other time, or that the second author can.. somehow.

Anyway, I hope these chapters is still capturing your interest. And I hope to up the ante with my next update - which I'm sure you'll love. I already have planned and.. if I have time... I'll try and write it for you guys. :)

Oh, since I'm going to gone for quite some time here's some recommendations to keep you occupied (they're mostly romance fics. Keeping the theme, ya' know?):

An Indispensable Assistant by TayMor (they're an awesome author!):

Professional. Intelligent. Intuitive. Haruno Sakura is the assistant every boss wants. She is smart, she is capable, and she is experienced. Operating with her own hard and fast rules, Sakura has one, very important personal rule. Never fall in love with your boss. However, being indispensable to Uchiha Itachi will put that rule under heavy duress. AU.

An Unlikely Seduction by Mihkail

Sakura swallows her pride and pays Sasuke a visit to apologize for something she had done the previous day, only for fate to throw her face-to-face and alone with his infamous older brother, Itachi Uchiha. Pleasantries unravel into a heated debate, and the mounting tension climaxes into the unfathomable. ItaSaku. Non-Mass. Warning inside.

Christ they're all SakuIta. Alright... umm oh! These stories may pique your interest!

Prisoner by McDiggin'It (cool author who has a lot of potential!)

Tsunade was fed up with Kakashi's utter bullshit about getting lost on the road of life and all that nonsense. So as punishment, she ties him to one of the chairs in her office every morning, for one whole week. This way, he won't have any excuses for being late when she needs him for missions. But What happens when things get out of hand?

That story is quite hilarious! Also, persuade her to update. Like please, c'mon!

Underneath things by Jest'lyn Tal

A delicate mission requires both a shinobi of the highest talent and a medical-nin capable of creating antidotes on the fly. Unfortunately, there's only a few medical-nin capable of filling that role - and only one that's available... Kakashi/Tsunade

I feel like I should give Underneath Things a big thank you. O.o If it weren't for that story... this story would have never been written! Like. Ever.

Romance fics are awesome, but I'm not really into the genre. However, some just make the exception! Those stories up there are well-written and it's original. :)

I hope to update soon!

Ja Ne

Exciled3