Irukashi
Chapter Two
Irukashi took a deep breath of fresh air, letting out a happy breath as she recognized some of the familiar scents from when she lived here with Sarutobi-sama. She and Iruka lived on the outskirts of town in a building where shinobi were in and out all the time. Iruka once said he picked there because people were less likely to pay attention when all they wanted to do was sleep after a long mission. But none of the huge population smells reached them way out there and she could smell practically everything. Her head was buzzing with the knowledge of all the people around her and her nerves were hyper-active. She trembled once and gripped on to Iruka's hand a little tighter. He looked down at her and smiled softly, gripping her hand back.
"Are you excited, Irukashi?" he asked in amusement, trying to hide his growing apprehension as they climbed the long flight of stairs leading up to the hokage's office. Irukashi nodded rapidly, a stunning smile gracing her lips. Iruka's smile couldn't help but grow at the sight and even Kakashi, walking slightly in front of them, couldn't help but chuckle at the young teen's enthusiasm.
As they got closer and closer to the hokage's office, however, doubt started prickling at the back of Irukashi's brain. She suddenly noticed the worry in Iruka's eyes and the tense set of Kakashi's shoulders as he walked in front of them. All of the excitement she had been feeling was immediately replaced by anxiety and she pressed herself into Iruka's side, hiding her face in his shoulder.
"What if Tsunade-sama doesn't like me, Iruka-papa? What if she's upset with me for hiding and tries to take me away? What will we do?" the panicked tone in her voice made Iruka's eyes widen and he looked over to Kakashi in his own panic. Kakashi was worried at the sudden change in the young girl's mood and he smiled softly at her. He rubbed the trembling girl's back gently, trying to calm her down.
"Don't be silly, Iru-chan! What's not to like about you?" Irukashi looked up at him from Iruka's shoulder, her wide brown eyes swimming with tears. "Goodness, the both of you will look like the elders by the time you're forty." Kakashi laughed nervously as he was hit with a glare by two sets of the same brown eyes. He stopped in front of a large door and turned back to look at both of them.
"Now, I'm going to go in and see if Tsunade is busy, all right?" he asked in a soothing voice. Irukashi watched him with nervous eyes. "And I'll have to explain a few things, seeing as how we're just up and springing a new citizen on the hokage. Irukashi slowly swallowed and nodded in agreement.
"All right, Kakashi-sensei. If you think that's best." Irukashi's voice was soft and nervous, completely unlike her, and she was paler than normal. Iruka shot Kakashi a worried look as Kakashi opened the door to the hokage's office and stepped inside, closing it behind him. He could barely see Tsunade over all the paperwork she had stacked all across her desk. She looked up as she heard her door close and her mouth spread into a grimace.
"Hatake. Wonderful. And what exactly is it that you want today?" Any other day, her world-weary voice would have made him secretly smile, but as anxious as he was today, it would take much more than that. He let out a soft sigh, preparing himself.
"I don't want to have to repeat myself, Tsunade-sama, so please try not to interrupt. Please believe me when I say that this is a matter of utmost importance to me." Tsunade's eyes widened at the tone of his usually cool, calm voice and pushed her paperwork aside.
"Go ahead, Kakashi." She clasped her fingers together and laid her lips on them. Her eyes widened and she added "Wait, you didn't go and get anyone pregnant or anything like that did you? Because that is one drama I'd rather not be a part of." Kakashi grimaced and shook his head slightly.
"No, Tsunade-sama. But I do need to tell you about my daughter." Tsunade's eyebrows furrowed in confusion and suspicion and she opened her mouth to ask questions but Kakashi held up his hand, stopping the words in their tracks. "I answered your question truthfully, Tsunade-sama. I got no one pregnant but yes, I have a daughter. But before I get to her, I have to tell you the story behind her birth." Kakashi sighed. Tsunade was practically twitching with the want to ask questions, but she was restraining herself, figuring Kakashi wouldn't answer them anyway. Kakashi took a deep breath and continued softly.
"Years ago, when Orochimaru still lived in the village," Tsunade's eyes widened at the mention of her old teammate, "he performed a countless number of experiments on the children of Konoha. Captain Yamato of the ANBU is an example of a survivor of one such experiment. At the same time the experiment being performed on him was taking place, Orochimaru started another experiment using only the DNA of some of the children of Konoha. Maybe he thought something could come out of it or maybe he just wanted something to do. I don't know and I'm not sure we ever will. However, before he could finish the experiment, the Third drove him out of the village.
"Three years later, the Third began extensively reading Orochimaru's notes, trying to find the reasons behind his madness. He was trying to see where he went wrong in his teachings to prevent such a thing from ever happening again. The Third happened upon the notes detailing the specifics of what he wanted to do with the DNA of Konoha's children and the notes he took detailing what was happening during his experiments. When reading this experiment, he rushed to Orochimaru's labs himself. There he found a newborn girl, who, instead of the regular nine-month gestation period, had been growing and developing for a total of nine years. He thought about destroying the child, but then he wondered why she should have been punished for merely being born. So, he took her and, in secret, began teaching her the shinobi ways until her parents, whose names he found in Orochimaru's notes, grew old enough to know the truth.
"The child in question, my daughter, is now fifteen years of age. I found out that she existed five years ago, along with her other parent, Umino Iruka. The Third named her Irukashi and she is one of the most loving, sweetest girls that I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. And I'm not saying that just because I have a fatherly bias." Kakashi finished with a small chuckle, smiling behind his mask at the memories that retelling the story brought up. Tsunade's eyes were wide and she was leaning forward, nearly on top of her desk.
"W-w," Tsunade cleared her dry throat and tried again. "Why haven't I been informed of this child sooner?" Shock covered every inch of Tsunade's voice. Kakashi didn't think he'd ever hear her sound like that before. He was starting to worry about her health, pale as she was. "Some…experiment…of Orochimaru's –"
"She's not Orochimaru's," Kakashi interrupted venomously, any semblance of worry for his hokage gone in that instant, "she is her own person and no one else's. She was very nervous about meeting you and very excited but if you're going to look at my daughter and see only Orochimaru, then there is no chance in hell that you're seeing her. And if you even think of sending the ANBU after her, I'll –"
"Kakashi, Kakashi calm down." Tsunade shook her head as Kakashi continued to glare at her. He must really be attached to this child for him to have reacted as such. Tsunade held up her hands in surrender. "I'm not judging her or anything of the sort, Kakashi. I'm just shocked that anything of Orochimaru's, experiment or otherwise, made it past the ANBU or even the general populace." Kakashi nodded tersely, still not trusting her with his daughter.
"The Third kept her away from the ANBU, making sure her existence was kept a secret from them, and she's learned to stay inside almost all of the time in order to stay away from the public, but she's never understood why. No one has ever told her of her birth or where she came from. She's been taught how to use shinobi techniques, such as henge, so that she can go outside when there are people around, though even then she knows not to talk to them." Tsunade nodded slowly, putting the pieces together in her head.
"And why did you decide to bring her to see me now of all times?" Kakashi let out a soft sigh.
"Because she made a good point in an argument she had with Iruka last night. Iruka and I figured that we shouldn't keep her away from people anymore, now that she's old enough to take care of herself. With your permission, I'd like to take her on a mission with my team later today." Tsunade nodded, grabbing and opening the mission book she had sitting on her desk, looking through it.
"Yes, yes of course. Ah, there's a good C-rank here that's not too hard that I can give you. I suppose I'll have to administer a genin test on her, though with the both of you, plus Sarutobi-sama, training her, I doubt it's really necessary." Tsunade made a note in the book and put it away, looking back up at Kakashi. "So, when am I going to be able to meet her?" Kakashi examined her face for a moment. He saw no malice or hidden intent there, just open curiosity. Tsunade noticed his examinations and frowned slightly. "Do you really think me capable of harming a child, Hatake?"
"When Orochimaru is involved, I'm not sure what to expect from you, Tsunade-sama." Kakashi shot back. Tsunade sighed in exasperation and gave him a look, causing him to stiffen slightly.
"While I am upset with both you and Umino Iruka for keeping this child a secret from me for so long, I am not upset with the child in any way shape or form. Please, Kakashi, now you've gotten me curious about the child." Kakashi hesitated visibly. "I could make that an order, Hatake." Kakashi let out a sigh and went to the door, opening it. He saw Iruka sitting on a bench opposite the door with an arm around a slowly panicking Irukashi.
"Iru-chan, come on now. Tsunade's not busy after all! She'd love to see you! See, what did I tell you?" Kakashi's voice adopted a light, teasing tone. Irukashi's eye's trailed up to him and they widened. With a squeak she shot to her feet, smoothing her hair back and trying to smooth the wrinkles out of her clothes. She walked slowly into the office, her shoulders back and her head high but clutching Iruka's hand nervously. Tsunade pushed her paperwork aside and watched her as she came in. She definitely had the combined appearances of both of her "fathers". A bright red blush adorned Irukashi's face as she noticed Tsunade's examinations. She took a step behind Iruka, nervously trying to avoid Tsunade's scrutiny.
"Don't be shy, Irukashi. Introduce yourself and show a little respect. She's your hokage, remember?" Irukashi looked up at Iruka's teasing grin and took a shaky breath to steady herself. She stepped out from behind her tan father and bowed, keeping her eyes on the floor.
"G-Good morning, Tsunade-s-sama. My name is I-Iruk-kashi. I-It's w-wonderful to finally meet you." Tsunade gave a comforting smile to the trembling girl and stood up, walking around her desk so that she stood in front of it.
"It's very wonderful to meet you as well, Irukashi. Thank you for convincing Iruka and Kakashi to let me meet you." Irukashi slowly stood, still blushing, and Iruka put an arm around her shoulders, squeezing gently in silent pride. Tsunade shot a glance at Iruka and Kakashi and her nose wrinkled slightly as a thought came to mind.
"Hatake…Umino…the both of you have been raising Irukashi together, correct? Are you, well…together?" Kakashi and Iruka both gaped at their hokage, wide-eyed, before protesting so quickly and loudly that their voices overlapped each other and it was nearly impossible to make out single words. Tsunade met Irukashi's wide-eyed gaze and rolled her eyes, causing the young woman to smile slightly. At a louder volume, she said "I was only asking to try and find out whose surname she takes." They stopped protesting and looked at each other.
"Well, the subject has never come up before, I suppose. We've never discussed it before, at least," Iruka said slowly. Irukashi took another step forward and clasped her hands behind her back nervously.
"Tsunade-sama? I live with my Iruka-papa and I call him 'papa' and I get taught mostly by Kakashi-sensei so I call him 'sensei' even though he's my father too," she supplied softly. "Does that help?" Tsunade smiled at her.
"Yes it does, Irukashi. Thank you." She looked back over at Iruka and Kakashi. "I suggest that if you are going to introduce her to other people, she should take the Umino name." Iruka nodded in approval, smiling, as did Kakashi, who ruffled Irukashi's hair gently. Tsunade looked back over at Irukashi with a smile. "See? Now you can introduce yourself as Umino Irukashi. Catchy, ne?" Irukashi's face lit up with a smile and she turned to Kakashi, a skeptical expression on her face.
"Kakashi-sensei? I thought you said that Tsunade had a temper much worse than Iruka-papa's!" she accused, pouting slightly. Kakashi stiffened, a bead of sweat dripping down the back of his neck as Tsunade turned to glare at him. "She seems way too nice to have a temper as bad as that!"
"You just wait until Naruto or Jiraiya do something that causes her to have a new stack of paperwork. Then you'll see her temper." Iruka smiled at Irukashi, winking playfully. Irukashi's eyes lit up and all the excitement she had been feeling before bubbled back up in her chest.
"Naruto? Uzumaki Naruto? I get to meet him too, right? And Haruno Sakura and Sai-san?" Her bright eyes shot up to Kakashi. "Isn't that what you said, Kakashi-sensei?" Kakashi lovingly ruffled her hair, nodding his head.
"Of course, Iru-chan. But you're going to have to ask Tsunade to make you a shinobi before you can go on any missions. Regardless of what she says, I'll take you to meet everyone, but in order to go on a mission –"
"You must be a shinobi!" Irukashi finished with a smile. Turning to Tsunade, she asked "Tsunade-sama, would you please administer the genin test to me? Iruka-papa and Sarutobi-sama didn't want me to have to go through the genin academy, but even without a formal education, I still know all of the basic jutsu. I promise I'll be able to take whatever you throw at me." Tsunade smiled at the teen's determination.
"As you wish. I will give you the same genin test that Uzumaki Naruto received. Umino, make three clones using the bunshin no jutsu." Irukashi nodded, forming the hand seals and almost immediately three exact replicas of herself appeared around her. Tsunade nodded. "Good job, you pass." Irukashi and her clones all widened their eyes at the same time and the clones disappeared in small plumes of smoke.
"That's it? That's the whole test? I pass?" Tsunade nodded, a grin on her face. Irukashi's face split into a large smile and she did a small spin where she stood. "I pass!" she laughed happily. Iruka hugged her, smiling at her laugh.
"Great job, Irukashi! I knew you could do it!" Irukashi giggled and hugged him tightly Kakashi ruffled her hair, proud and she smiled up at him. Tsunade cleared her throat. Irukashi looked over at her, the smile on her face dying as she looked at the hokage's expression.
"You forgot something, Umino Irukashi." Irukashi tensed, confused. Tsunade reached over her desk and rummaged through a drawer until she found a small object. The moment Irukashi blinked, Tsunade threw the object at her. On instinct, she reached up and caught it when it was mere inches away from her face. She pulled her palm down to look at the object clasped there and her eyes widened. She let out a happy, shocked gasp and her eyes shot to Tsunade at the sight of her very own hitai-ate.
"Thank you, Tsunade-sama. Thank you so much!" Kakashi chuckled, ruffling her hair again playfully.
"C'mon, Irukashi. The others will need to know of our mission. You did ask to go on a mission, did you not?" Irukashi smiled brightly while Iruka frowned. He pulled the teen into a tight hug and kissed her forehead fiercely.
"Be safe," he whispered desperately. Irukashi leaned up and kissed him on the cheek before leaning down and meeting his gaze strongly.
"I will, Iruka-papa. I'm ready for this." Iruka smiled weakly and slowly let her go. Irukashi smiled and hurried over to Kakashi, tying her hitai-ate around her neck as she went. Kakashi smiled at her and took off running, Irukashi right on his heels. Iruka sighed and Tsunade came over and put her hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry. Kakashi will take care of her." Iruka nodded despondently and began walking out the door.
"I know. I trust him. But I've got a very bad feeling about this."