Chapter 3

300 years ago

I awoke in a forest, not knowing where I was, nor how I got there. Then, in a rush, everything returned to me. All that I knew from before, in my past lives. A thought occurred after I had gone through my memories, 'Why always in a forest? I always seem to appear in a forest, no matter how many times this happens.' I went off in a mental soliloquy along those lines for a while, before I began to truly take in my surroundings.

To the left, there was a small stream. To the right, and pretty much everywhere else, trees. The only thing that wasn't a tree nearby was a bush with some beautiful pink flowers on it next to the stream.

Standing, I realized that there was something… different about myself. Looking down at myself, I saw that I was covered in black and white fur, and only about two feet tall. On the back of my… paws, I think… there were strange metallic looking protrusions, and my ears must have been hanging at least halfway down my head. I walked over to the bush, wondering why it was the only non-tree vegetation in the area. I reached out to—

Three weeks ago

I sat bolt upright in my bed, ears twitching to locate the danger I had sensed that brought me out of my sleep. Extending my senses, I found that someone had been tracking along the path that I took to my new home. I assumed that they were from the vast cityscape I had seen before and that they were here for the boy. A soft growl escaped my lips; I would not allow that to happen, ever.

I ran downstairs to the door, reaching out to it to seal the outside with bark again. Then, I sat in a chair across from the door, waiting for the worst.

Eventually, I realized that I was in the form that I had worn those many years ago, probably due to the dream, and switched back before anyone (well, the boy, in any case) could see me.

Nonetheless, my wait was not long, for the person appeared outside the door to my home, just as I expected. I was surprised, however, when they began to hold their hands against my concealed door and, to my utter dismay, caused the bark that I had just grown to… un-grow, for lack of a better word. Then, they carefully opened the door, obviously wary of any traps I might have set.

Finally, they noticed me, sitting across from them in the dark chamber. Well, in all honesty, he probably noticed my eyes, since their pale blue glow was the main source of light in the room. We stayed there for a moment, watching each other warily, before I spoke.

"So, what brings you to my humble abode?" A blank stare was all I got in reply, however, before I realized that I must have been speaking the wrong language. I tried my limited Japanese next, asking the same question. I received an extremely quick fluid reply, but I simply couldn't understand enough of it. The bits I did catch, however, were "search" and "boy." After the man finished talking, I said the two simple words that (unknown to me at the time) would probably change the life of everyone in the village.

"Get out."

I held my hand in front of me, and then focused my energy into the wood around me, causing it to push the unknown man out of my house.

"Tenzo! Report!"

"I was unsuccessful in finding the boy, Lord Hokage. However, I did find a most interesting figure during my search."

"Continue."

"They were hidden inside one of the trees in the forest. I wouldn't have known they were there if it weren't for the fact that the trail ended there. They seem to have some level of control over something like the Mokuton, as they had grown bark over the door that they had made into the tree, and also caused the tree to force me out after I had explained what I was doing."

"Describe them."

"The person was about six feet tall, wearing a white robe. They had relatively pale skin and long white hair, in a braid behind them, and the most striking eyes. They were pale blue, but they actually glowed from within, sir."

"No… It can't be…" the Hokage murmured to himself. "Tenzo, leave me."

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen Sarutobi pulled open a drawer on his desk, before removing a relatively thin file, yellowing and coated with dust from neglect. He opened the folder, pulling out a single picture. The pencil lines and colors were faded with age, but the figure matched Tenzo's description perfectly.

"So… It is as you told us… you have returned…"