While Kakashi and Jiraiya looked incredulous, the old man seemed skeptical. His head was tilted backward, his eyes dark with some unfathomable emotion as he peered down at Naruko. Down. Did he not believe that she was capable of this endeavor? Was the entirety of his faith already placed in the hands of the TI? Did she even stand a chance? She pushed those questions aside and she stuck her chin up, standing taller. Sure, she wasn't as shrewd and meticulous as an Investigator or Sheriff, and she wasn't as silent and secretive as a Lookout or Spy, but she knew she could help. After all, her determination was a brilliant flame that would never die - and she wasn't sure if she could say the same for everybody else.

So don't underestimate me, old man.

She's received that cold, iffy stare more than enough.

With blatant surprise, she watched his lips stretch into a smirk as challenge sparked in his eyes. She wondered for a moment if what she thought had been said aloud unbeknownst to her, but that didn't seem to be the case. Not as he stepped forward and regarded her with a look akin to respect.

Respect. That was new.

"Tazuna," he stated, his voice gruff, low in his throat. "And you?"

She blankly stared at him, left shocked by the sudden action. She found herself capable of just a strange croak that sounded at the back of her throat as she lost her voice.

He raised an eyebrow. "Are you gonna tell me your name, kid? Or am I just gonna hafta come up with one?" He seemed slightly agitated when he spoke this time, and it was enough to reel her from her thoughts. She stood upright, her lips curled into a confident smirk.

"You can call me Naruko Uzumaki! Your name's Tazuna, old man?"

Tazuna nodded, and she was met with a faint smirk. "If you're really gonna help me, we ought to at least know each other's names." He said as he turned his back to her. "See ya 'round, kid."

"Hey - I'm not a kid, old man!" She protested, but her words fell on deaf ears when Tazuna left without another word. She watched, in a daze, as he disappeared around a corner. Tazuna, huh? Her fists clenched in firm resolve. I'll definitely find the Serial Killer for you. Not just to prove herself, but for him. She couldn't bear the thought of the Serial Killer's success in Tazuna's assassination. It would be yet another corpse, skin sickly pale and clammy, eyes somber and lifeless. It would be yet another painful goodbye-

This time, it was Jiraiya who spoke and saved her from her thoughts. "You shouldn't go around and make decisions on your own like that, Naruko."

"Well, it didn't look like you were gonna help him out." She snorted. "You don't need to worry about me anymore. I'm not a kid, ya know."

Jiraiya simply shook his head, and she watched as he kneaded his temples with his thumbs. "I know you're not a kid, Naruko - it's… It's not about that." The concern swimming in pools of brown was all released in one heavy, long sigh, but something other than concern - something she couldn't clearly depict - remained in his eyes as he returned his attention to her. She shuddered. "You can't do this alone, Naruko. Finding a Serial Killer alone is one of the most dangerous things someone can do. Not to mention, you know that whenever somebody accuses another person, they have to provide their Role for credibility. That means-"

"Yeah, yeah. I know…" She admitted sheepishly, her gaze falling to her feet. If someone revealed their Role, depending on its importance, surviving the night would be far-fetched.

As if sensing the disappointment on her face, Jiraiya stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. His hand was warm, but she didn't feel comforted at all. As much as she hated to admit it, she needed help. She needed an Investigator - maybe a Sheriff - brave enough to put their life on the line to collect information and reveal their information to everyone.

Jiraiya's next words mirrored her own thoughts. "The trials have just started, Naruko. I doubt anybody would reveal their role so early-"

"That's where you're wrong, Jiraiya." Kakashi suddenly spoke, and Naruko was so startled she nearly jumped three feet in the air. He'd been so quiet she almost forgot he existed, and by the baffled look on Jiraiya's face it was the same for him.

Kakashi's brow raised. "Did I startle you?" He chuckled, and bent forward slightly as he adjusted his hat to cover even more of his face. It was blatantly obvious the question was rhetorical, as he continued to speak while he sauntered toward them. "Anyways… Naruko, I called you out here for a reason."

"I would've never guessed." She snickered sarcastically, earning a sharp jab to the side from Jiraiya. "Ow, you didn't need to do that!" She whisper-yelled, rubbing the sore area while Kakashi continued as if she never had interrupted him.

"I have an offer, but before I say it you have to answer me this one question with complete honesty."

"Yeah… Uh, what's up?"

There was a protracted pause of tense silence before he recommenced. "Do you want to find the Serial Killer and help town, no matter the cost?"

She snorted. "Duh. I don't make promises for shits and giggles, ya know." Kakashi's question seemed stupid and she answered it without a second thought (she wasn't sure if she even thought before she answered), but she had a hunch that his question held a lot more weight than she knew.

Something told her she was just about to find out what all he was actually asking.

"You seem determined enough." He said with a blase attitude, and she couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Anyways, Naruko. I know what you are, and soon enough, I'll tell you what I am, too. But first, I'll get right to the point."

Finally. The only thing that stopped her from verbalizing her appreciation was another jab from Jiraiya - which would have been delivered mercilessly to her already sore side.

"I've formed a group with two people - one of them is a Doctor. Together, we can help you find the Serial Killer, but on one condition…"

Condition? Her heart dropped.

"You have to work with us until at least half of the Mafia is gone. Then, whether or not you want to stay with us or work on your own is up to you."

"Kakashi," Jiraiya spoke before she could even think. "Do you mean… Them? "

It seemed that Jiraiya knew more than she did. He also appeared familiar with Kakashi, just like Hiruzen, but she was too engrossed in her thoughts to question their acquaintance, and the evident dread that had dripped from every word when Jiraiya spoke.

"Yeah, but like I said, Jiraiya… There's no need to worry."

"That Uchiha hates everyone who makes eye contact with him, Kakashi. He'll never get along with her."

"He's a special case, Jiraiya. Do you not trust me?"

Jiraiya fell silent just as Naruko found the courage to push aside her muddled thoughts and questions and speak.

"You said you know my Role?"

He answered with a curt nod.

"If you know my Role, that means you're part of TI, right? And you said one of them's a Doctor, so… What's the Role of the third one?"

She was met with a blank stare, and a small voice in the back of her mind told her that her question was one he didn't want to answer; nonetheless, his response was quick, immaculate, and was voiced with the same nonchalance as before. "He's a skilled Investigator. I'm a Sheriff."

She pursed her lips in thought. If Kakashi had two TI and one TP with him, why would he need her help? Not to mention, out of all the TK available her Role was disliked by TI and all Roles alike the most.

She was a Vigilante - or as they saw it, a girl with a shotgun, a few bullets, and a fate stained in her own blood.

Nobody wanted to be involved with a Vigilante. It didn't matter how kind the Vigilante may be - all of them were seen as maniacs who shot whoever they wanted, and then themselves. There were claims in the past that some were controlled by Witches, but there wasn't enough evidence to prove the existence of them and the case was dropped.

Only one Vigilante has managed to earn Leaf Town's respect. Kushina Uzumaki - her mother - was a famous Vigilante renowned for her faith in her intuition, and her and Minato Namikaze (Leaf Town's former Mayor and most skilled Investigator) were unstoppable together. Back then, the Mafia wasn't as much of a threat and Leaf Town had a semblance of peace. Vigilante's had a sliver of respect back then, too. But all of that ended one fateful night.

The night she was born.

A chill crawled up and down her spine as she ran her fingers over the three lines that fanned out on her cheeks. All respect for Vigilante's had died with her parents that night, and things haven't been the same ever since. That's why Kakashi's offer left her so utterly confused. It's not that she didn't want to help - she just didn't know how she'd help. Her confidence had deflated like a balloon.

"Naruko, you don't have to have an important Role to be able to help town." Kakashi started, as if he had read her thoughts. She felt like an open book. He continued just as she opened her mouth to question him. "I won't go into details, but… I asked you because I knew you could help us, so - what do you say? Are you in, or not?"

She slowly lifted her head to face Kakashi, and her eyes narrowed inquisitively. He was telling the truth, she could feel it. If she denied his offer, would she ever come across another in the future? Should she ignore her gut's pleas to accept? Not once has she doubted her intuition - it's never been wrong, so what made this situation any different?

"Alright, Kakashi." She beamed as a wave of newfound determination washed over her. "I'll do it."

Kakashi put on a look of satisfaction. "Glad to hear." He glanced at the building over his shoulder, and Naruko followed his gaze to see that it was a rather voluminous, two-story tavern. It had multiple windows along the front with black shutters, with wood that looked as if it had received a recent fresh coat of white paint. Located in the center was an enormous, well furnished oak door that looked impossible to open. She wondered if it was new. "Come here tomorrow after the trials, and I'll introduce you to them. Now that that's out of the way, we should really get going."

She shot one last look at the tavern so she wouldn't forget, and followed Kakashi as he headed back toward the center of town. A hand suddenly clamped on her shoulder, and she stopped and whirled around to face Jiraiya with surprise. "What's up?"

"Don't call me that," he mumbled as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Naruko-"

"Don't try to stop me," she interrupted warningly. "I know I'm probably not gonna get along with everybody right off the bat, but…"

"I know I won't be able to stop you, Naruko." Much to her surprise, Jiraiya didn't look irritated as he cut her off - in fact, she was met with a warm smile that spelled encouragement. "I just wanted to remind you that, well… You always have a TI and TP who'll help you out, alright?"

She returned his smile with one of her own. Images of long, blonde hair and fierce brown eyes flashed in her mind.

"Yeah. I know, Pervy-Investigator."

The trio returned to the center of town in silence, and she found upon arrival that there were still no leads.

But she saw two figures - one in particular - that wreaked menace. One was a tall, lean and muscular man with most of his face wrapped in bandages. He was dressed completely in black, and spiked brown hair fell to shadow a pair of dark, daunting eyes. The figure next to him had a more feminine appearance, with long hair that complimented chocolate brown eyes and framed a pale, oval face. She wore a moss green tunic and a pair of brown trousers, with a belt tied around her waist that carried some unidentifiable object in the pouch attached to it. The pair looked normal enough, but she couldn't help the sense of dread that swelled in her stomach. As soon as she spotted them it was like a bucket of ice had been dumped over her head, and she was left trembling.

They were gone in the blink of an eye, and she was left to question her own intuition, and to decide whether or not she should reveal her suspicions to Kakashi and the others tomorrow.