[Akane's p.o.v.]

Two days had passed since I'd last seen the Hokage, or anyone, for that matter. Whenever I wasn't eating or reading one of Kakashi's perverted books, I sat by a window, looking out in a daze. I was afraid to sleep because of the nightmares.

I didn't really know where to go from here. The Hokage's advice made some sense initially, but it seemed a bit far-fetched to me now. I had no desire to put on a tattered dress that was crusty with blood and wander around in the forest until I remembered something. I paced Kakashi's living room with my thumb nail in my mouth as I thought. Shit. I was stuck.

Another day passed before I decided to venture out into the village again. I needed new clothes before Kakashi kicked me out for using all of his.

As I walked, I observed. Konoha was really quite a nice village. Kids were out running and playing. Young ninjas in training were laughing and throwing sharp weapons as they sparred. Everyone went about their business. I was still receiving a couple of curious stares, but no one seemed hostile towards me. 'Except Neji', I thought wryly, rolling my eyes.

I made my way into a clothing store, ignoring the curious stares from other girls. I hurried through the racks, picking up the basics – underwear, tank tops and cotton t-shirts, comfortable pants, and a couple of pairs of ninja sandals. At the last minute, I also picked up some cotton bandages to bind my breasts with. Bras would be out of the question once I started training with Kakashi and his team. The things were damned uncomfortable anyway.

As I waited in line, I noticed two girls whispering back and forth and glancing at me. One was Ten-Ten, the girl from Neji's group, and the other was a bitchy looking blonde with baby blue eyes. I shrugged it off and paid for my things, and exited the store.

"Wait!" I heard someone call. I turned to see who was calling me. It was the blonde.

"Hey, are you the girl who showed up here who can't remember anything? And who fought Neji?" she asked bluntly. My eyebrows raised in amusement. How this girl knew all that was beyond me.

"I suppose that would be me. Is it safe to assume that I'm the talk of the town right now?"

The girl shrugged, assessing me coolly with her pretty blue eyes.

"You could say that. You're really pretty. Plus it's not every day that a stranger wanders into Konoha and the Hokage lets them stay. On top of that, Neji's really strong, so it's impressive that you held your own against him."

I snorted. "Whatever. What's your name, anyway?"

"Ino. And you?"

"Akane."

Ino giggled, glancing at my hair. "How fitting."

I was getting tired of chatting with this air-headed girl. I turned my back.

"Well, nice meeting you. See you around."

"Wait! I think I could help you with your memory."

I whipped around, staring at the girl.

"What?"

Ino elaborated.

"My father, Inoichi, works with the Konoha Interrogation Squad. He looks into the minds of criminals for intel. He can unlock barriers that may have been placed on someone's mind. Maybe he could help you."

My heart started rushing. That was a wonderful idea.

"Where can I find him?"

Ino pointed out the building. I thanked her about ten times before running to Kakashi's home to drop off my things. Changing clothes, I rushed back out and went to search for Inoichi.

"What the hell do you mean I can't see him?" I snapped at the secretary. The stuck-up bitch simply studied her manicure, refusing to look at me.

"Exactly that. I can't let you through. Inoichi is a busy man. And on top of that, you don't even know his full name. And you're not from this village. You can't be trusted."

I slowly slid into a chair and placed my elbows on the secretary's desk, lowering my eyelids and piercing her with my gaze. She leaned back and blinked at me in alarm.

"Listen, miss. I'm not a very patient person. I'm looking for Inoichi for a very important reason." I lowered my voice until it was seductive and husky, running a long fingernail over the desk.

"Now… Are you going to let me through, or am I going to have to take your computer and shove it down your fucking throat?"

From the feral gleam in my eye, the secretary could tell my threat wasn't empty. I didn't think it was anatomically possible to put a computer down someone's throat, but I was damn well going to try.

The secretary gulped, handing me a pass.

"Third floor. Fifth door on the left."

I snatched the pass from her hand and sauntered away with a smirk. However, I was no fool. I wasn't surprised in the least to find ten ANBU men waiting for me when I reached the third floor. A man with long blonde hair and strong facial features was among them.

"Are you Inoichi?" I asked the blonde man. He nodded.

"How may I help you? The secretary downstairs said you were causing a disturbance."

I rolled my eyes. These people had no idea what disturbance I could really cause.

"Your daughter, Ino said you might be able to help me. My name is Akane, I'm the mystery girl with no memory that everyone is talking about."

Inoichi's baby blue eyes widened in recognition.

"Ah, I see. Yes, I have heard of you. So, you want me to see if I can help you remember anything?"

I nodded. I noticed the ANBU men backing off when they realized I wasn't a threat.

"I'll see what I can do," Inoichi said with a friendly smile, beckoning for me to follow him.

Inoichi studied the seal on my back with a frown.

"There have been whispers of a jutsu that was being created to cause permanent amnesia. Its intended use was to prevent intel from being leaked to enemies. It is now a forbidden jutsu because so many people have died."

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Inoichi elaborated.

"It is incompatible with the chakra of many. Many people end up rejecting the seal eventually, and their memories rush back too quickly for the mind to process it. This leads to overflow of chakra in the circulatory system because your chakra is trying to stop the immense rush of blood to your brain. The end results are brain hemorrhages, heart attacks, or grievous and irreversible brain damage. The hemorrhages and heart attacks are severe enough to die from."

My mouth was dry. As the implications settled in, my palms got clammy. Inoichi studied my ashen face with his mouth in a grim line.

"If you wish for me to try to help, you must realize the risks. It is a good sign that you haven't reacted badly to the seal, but that may have to do with the fact that your power has been curtailed. If I can remove the barriers and free your power, your body may react badly if you end up breaking the seal. Do you understand?"

I nodded numbly.

"Do it."

Inoichi nodded, and motioned for me to step into some strange machine. Once I was inside, only my head was sticking out. Inoichi placed his hand on my head and closed his eyes.

"I am going to look into your mind now. Please relax."

I let out a breath and closed my eyes. Seconds later, I fell into darkness.

Author's Note: so sorry for the late update! i've been very busy, and i've had writer's block lol -_- i have an idea of how i want this story to go, but these chapters that introduce the beginning of akane's life in konoha are tedious to write. but i hope you enjoy! xoxox