Here's the next chapter, everybody!

not much happening action-wise, but still an important chapter!

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Chapter 16

Not half an hour later, I stood before the Hokage of Konohagakure, the two children beside me as the leader before me filed through our papers with a grimace, her long blonde hair tied into two loose ponytails and her golden-brown eyes closing with a soft groan. It was strange, because I knew for a fact that even though legal stuff wasn't interesting, it sure wasn't grimace worthy.

But then I saw the empty sake bottle in the bin beside the desk, and the steaming cup of tea in on the desk, untouched – her free hand was too busy massaging her head tenderly – and slowly releasing swirls of steam.

I knew in an instant that this woman – the Hokage of Konoha – was having a killer hangover. The realization made me smile, and I immediately regretted it, for it drew the attention of the blonde haired Hokage. Her eyes snapped and flared as she glared at me, and her low voice barked.

"You got something to say, kid? Cuz I am definitely not in the mood today…"

I quickly wiped the smile from my face, but the Hokage continued to look at me, the strangest expression on her face. Her eyes lingered on my hair and my eyes, and she asked a second later.

"Have we met?"

The question was sudden, and it took me a few moments to answer, and I bowed politely as I answered.

"I am flattered, Lady Hokage…but I assure you that we haven't met. My name is Hikari."

The Hokage snorted at my words, and Kiba, who was beside me, nudged me playfully.

"Wow…where did you say you were from again?"

"From the town of Takamoto." I muttered, and the Hokage's eyes snapped up to my face.

"That's in Sound, if I'm not mistaken."

I let my eyes meet her gaze without hesitation. "Yes. These children were being abused by the ninja there, and a good friend of mine asked me to take her children to her sister here in Konohagakure. So, here they are."

The Hokage glanced at the papers, and then back at the two children who gulped nervously under her intense stare. I put my hands lightly on their shoulders, almost as if to shield them from her glare.

Shino spoke up. "They say that they are the niece and nephew of Shizune, Lady Tsunade."

Tsunade waved a hand at him. "I have no doubt of that, Shino…just look at them. That girl could be Shizune's double…and the boy could very well be her twin."

Hoshiko blushed and hid her face in my side, and Sora blushed too, but I think it was more out of confusion that out of real embarrassment. He asked boldly.

"That's a good thing, right?"

Tsunade smiled slightly at the boy. "Yes, it is."

"Alright, then…" Sora mumbled, and Hinata let out a small laugh as he awkwardly stepped backward once more. Tsunade sighed, and spoke softly to Hinata and Shino.

"Take these children to Shizune's home, you know where it is, don't you? Tell her what's going on, and then come back here. Alright? Kiba, you go down to the lobby and wait for further instruction."

They all nodded – Kiba gazing at me with a ridiculous smile on his face before closing the door – and I made to follow them, but Tsunade waved me back. "Wait a moment, girl, I want to have a little chat with you."

I nodded, and quietly sat in the chair that fell opposite the large mahogany desk. It took me back to those days when I accidentally pushed a person too hard on the playground, and that feeling was intensified when the Hokage leaned forward to stare at me with her fingers pressed together, her eyes calm and calculating.

I had the strangest urge to say I didn't do it, the moment she opened her mouth. But I restrained myself, and listened silently as the Hokage stared me down.

"You're a kunoichi. A high ranked one at that. What are you doing hanging around a small, useless village like Takamoto?"

I blushed. She thought I was high ranked? Score! I mean, sure, I knew I was good. But not good enough to catch the eye of the Hokage for God's sake!

But her question made me kind of angry. "Pardon me, Lady Hokage, but I for one believe that the village is the farthest thing from useless. The village proclaims itself useless only if all the citizens have lost hope, and the people of Takamoto definitely haven't."

Tsunade smirked at the slightly irritated tone in my voice, and she leaned back, cupping her tea in her carefully manicured hands, her crimson painted nails glinting in the light that reflected off of the snow outside.

"I see. Well, anyway, I would like to extend an offer to you, Hikari."

I tensed. "What kind of offer?"

"Leave Sound. Join our ranks here in Konoha."

"Excuse me?" Panic filled me, and I made to stand. I should've known that something like this would happen, of course…I was an enemy here. I assumed that all ninja villages were already super-secretive, but I had never been in any other place other than Sound, so I had no idea how to react.

"Don't play dumb. You think I became Hokage because of my good looks? I can sense the chakra taint of Sound on you, and I can also see that that taint is very slightly visible on you. You managed to get past the guards and fool Kiba and his partner Akamaru, who have the best noses in Konohagakure. Though I personally think that Kiba is too goddamn smitten with you to really put his mind to the task. That's a compliment, girl…because Kiba's a hard one to please."

I felt brave enough to speak. "On the contrary, Kiba strikes me as the type to flirt with anything that has legs and an attitude…"

Tsunade chuckled, and smiled at me for a moment, her eyes flickering towards a photograph propped up on her table. "Yes, he does seem the type…but boy's in general are known for thinking one way and acting the other."

I rolled my eyes, and couldn't help but smile at the thought. Tsunade smirked more widely, and rustled in her drawer for something.

"And that smile…you better watch out, Hikari…because if you go showing off that smile of yours you might even have Neji Hyuuga crawling after you."

I was getting to be a bit uncomfortable with this constant stream of compliments, even though I could tell most of it was teasing – and who was Neji Hyuuga? – and cleared my throat, flipping my hair over my shoulder as I leaned back in the chair.

Tsunade reached out of her shelf with a small armband that had a faint Konohagakure symbol stitched on it. She laid it on the table in front of me, and I stared at it.

"You don't have to make a decision now, Hikari, but consider my offer very, very carefully. How about we give it a week or two? You stay here in the village, and meet the people and get to know the way things work around here. And then, when the two weeks are over, you choose whether to stay or to go. I wont stop you if you choose to go."

I frowned, and stared at the armband as Tsunade explained. "This armband proclaims you as my personal guest, and while wearing no one can question you, not even the elite guard."

I laughed, and smiled slowly at the Hokage. How stupid did she think I was, anyway? There was always a catch…no one was this generous without having an alternative motive.

"That all sounds dandy…but what's the catch?"

Tsunade smirked, and leaned forward. "You're not one to be fooled, are you?"

"Nope."

"Well, to tell you the truth, I know that you came from Takamoto, which is the closest village to the main base of Orochimaru. I have something in that base very precious to me, and I wonder if you've seen it. It is supposed to be very well hidden, but I don't know whether you've already figured out what it is."

"Wait, what are you talking about?"

"I sent a ninja, undercover, to that base."

I was shocked at the Hokage's forwardness. "Who says that I wont skip back to Orochimaru and tell him all this? I'm sure he'd be pleased to know that Konohagakure is plotting against him."

"Orochimaru is evil, Hikari, as I'm sure you've already found out. I know that you're a better person than that, you aren't completely consumed by the dark evil…like that boy."

"Boy?"

Tsunade leaned back, and stared at me for a long time before answering. "Yes…the boy who betrayed this village. You don't know what happened?"

"What are you talking about?" I was extremely confused, and felt an almost kind of relief when she let it go, waving her hand dismissively.

"Ah, I'm too tired to tell you the entire story. I'll just cut to the chase. I need you to tell me if the names "Tsunami", "Kyoto" or "Hana" mean anything to you."

The sky was pale and dusted with clouds that stretched across like swaths of silver silk…the snow powdery soft and malleable, and Hana's black hair was strikingly vibrant against the pale whiteness of everything.

Hana smiled. "Yes…I think I know how that feels."

My hands tightened around the fabric of my sleeves, and I stared back at the Hokage.

"No…none of those are familiar, sorry."

Oh, more untrue words couldn't have been spoken in that moment.

"I see. Hana was also given to me, but I didn't like it much. I preferred my real one." I blinked, and my head snapped up to stare at her. Her green eyes were staring deep into mine.

Tsunade stared at me unblinkingly. "Are you sure?"

Hana stood up, and winked. "Since we both have secrets, why not keep it just between us?"

She turned to leave, and I watched her leave, staring at the small white pill in my hand. Her emerald eyes glanced back once at me, and I saw something flash in them, a deep sadness, before the door shut behind her.

I blinked, and stared back at the Hokage. "Yes…I'm sure, Lady Hokage."

Hana was a Konoha kunoichi…a spy.

Tsunade stared at me for a moment, and then a deep sigh escaped her chest as she lifted the teacup to her red lips, blowing at the liquid before taking a shallow sip. Her golden-brown eyes stared out the window as we sat there in silence.

The woman's voice was soft. "This thing in the base…it's very important to me and to many people here. I wouldn't confide in you unless I knew for certain that you wouldn't betray my trust. You're not a Sound ninja, Hikari. I can see this as well as you can."

I hated the way that this woman assumed that she knew what I was thinking. For a second, I was tempted to throw the armband in her face and stomp out of the office. How dare she! As if she knew about anything I'd been through, as if she knew me at all.

I was about to tell her my response, but I happened to catch sight of the cheerful streets of Konoha once more, and saw children laughing and pushing each other into the snow. I hadn't seen such happiness in a long time…

"A week." I muttered, and grabbed the armband, slipping it around my wrist as I made to leave the office.

Tsunade called out before I reached the door. "Oh, and just for safety measures, I'm going to assign Kiba to you as your escort and guard. Be sure to let him know. I'll also have you supervised secretly by Anbu elite, so don't get any funny ideas."

I nodded curtly, and stared at the woman, and the picture on the desk was suddenly visible to me.

It was a picture of a young girl about my age, with a beautiful smile and the purest calm in the way she looked up from her file of papers. But that wasn't what caught my attention. It was the fact that she had pink hair.

A girl was standing in front of me, and she was shouldering a large pack, her pink hair going in choppy layers to just above her shoulders. She was obviously a ninja, her movements showing a strength and grace unknown to regular citizens, and a shuriken and kunai case strapped to her thigh. Her back was facing me, so I couldn't see her face, but that problem was solved a moment later when she tuned to smile at me.

Her emerald eyes were sad…

This girl had the same face, but in this picture, those emerald eyes were bright and warm and happy…such life lay in those eyes…so much love.

"Who is that girl? Your daughter?" I asked, my throat dry as I swallowed.

Tsunade glanced at the picture. "No, she's my apprentice. Her name is Sakura Haruno."

"Oh. I see." I couldn't help but scoff internally at the poor attempt at a dismissive tone that filled her voice a she gazed at the picture, and I heaved a great sigh of exasperation.

I mean, seriously, these ninja were just asking to be taken advantage of. If you loved something as a ninja, the best way to protect them from harm is to ignore them…don't acknowledge their existence…so that enemies don't think to take it hostage or kill it out of spite.

Those emerald eyes were so trusting and kind, almost sickeningly so…those familiar eyes…

Hana's face flashed in my thoughts once more, and I caught the sight of something outside the window. It was a tree, barren and cold in the middle of a small garden, and I felt my throat tighten at the sight.

I gripped the metal handle for a moment, and was about to turn and speak. But then my nerve dwindled into nothing as I caught sight of her golden-brown eyes, and with a shake of my head I exited the office, closing the door behind me.

I couldn't do what she expected me to do. I couldn't always be the good guy. It made me angry that Tsunade dared to even try and manipulate me into being her little pet of a ninja, spilling the beans about Sound and Orochimaru. Even though I hated Orochimaru, I also felt a bit indebted to him at the same time.

It was him who allowed me to be who I truly was…if I hadn't been taken in, I wouldn't have met Sasuke. There would be no early morning races, no silent patience as he listened to my rambling, no smirks when I got frustrated. If I hadn't fallen from the sky in that exact spot, at that exact time…I wouldn't have met him.

I wouldn't have met Sasuke.

The thought sent a pang of pain in my stomach, and I lifted the edges of my shirt to stare at the silvery scar that stretched up my abdomen. I let the fabric cover it once more, and leaned against the wall, staring at the band that fit snugly around my wrist.

Sasuke…I wonder if he's noticed. Will he even bother to look for me? Or is there a chance that he followed me?

No…I dismissed that thought immediately. There was no way, no possible way…

I looked up as Kiba bounced up, his eyes alight as he saw the armband on my wrist.

"Oh, so the old lady gave you a pass, huh?"

"Yeah, you're supposedly my escort for the week. Wait…old lady?"

Kiba smirked, and whispered. "Lady Tsunade is actually about fifty years old…she makes herself look young with a medical jutsu."

"Oh, that explains why she's so cranky." I murmured, and we heard something slamming against the wall in the office behind us.

A muffled shout was heard.

"I heard that, punks!"

Kiba blanched. "Ah! I forgot, she's got the ears of a fox!"

Before I could blink, his fingers were around my wrist and he was racing towards the nearest window. We were on the top floor, and the nurse, who was walking by, saw Kiba running towards the window, and hurried to open it as wide as it could go.

Kiba let go of my hand, and lightly hopped out of the window, falling down into empty space. I yelled, and poked my upper body out to see him fall to his death. Was he suicidal?

Only to find that Kiba was standing on a small platform fitted ten feet or so under the window. My expression must've been pretty hilarious, because Kiba started cracking up.

"What, you think that I didn't know that this thing was here?"

I sighed, and slowly climbed out of the window, and pushed off to fall onto the platform beside him.

"Whatever." I muttered, and peered over the edge of the platform to see that the round red rooftop was nearly hundred feet below us. I glanced over at Kiba, who was staring at me.

I didn't even bother asking, but just grinned widely at him and threw myself off of the platform, falling feet first towards the rooftop. I felt my hair whipping behind me, and the exhilaration of freefalling lasted only for a few seconds before I had to land with almost no sound on the roof, using chakra on the soles of my feet to keep from slipping.

I looked back up at Kiba, and found that he was right behind me, his dark eyes dancing.

"This is going to be fun!"

I snorted. "Yeah, whatever. I just gotta wait a week, then I'm out of here."

Kiba rolled his eyes, nudging my shoulder playfully. "This place might not seem like much, Hikari, but it'll grow on you."

"I highly doubt it."

Kiba laughed loudly, and waited until I looked at him to respond.

"I used to think that, and have even thought about leaving a few times."

I frowned. "Why don't you?"

Kiba put his hands on his hips, and stared out at the town, his slanted eyes peaceful as they darted around the individual citizens that were scattered among the streets.

"It's my home. It's something important to me, something that I have to protect. When I fight, I think of this place…I know that these people are depending on us to protect them; they're just as much my family as my own clan. Even the ones I hate, I would still die for any one of them."

I stared out at the village, and smiled slightly.

"That's so stupid. To be willing to put everything you have on one thing…what if that thing is the one thing that is destroyed? What then?"

Kiba frowned, and turned to stare at me. I looked away, and he didn't speak for a time.

"Konoha can never be destroyed. As long as there are people fighting, as long as there is hope…this village can never die. It can fall, yes, it can suffer. But die? No…it's not possible. That's the truth with anything you care about, I think As long as you have hope…nothing is ever truly lost, or destroyed."

Kiba smiled at me, and without another word the two of us jumped down the roofs until we reached the streets, and Kiba pulled me thought the traffic of villagers, saying that he had to introduce me to everyone.

You know, I would come to understand many things about Kiba, the good and the bad. I would come to understand so many things about this place, and about the people.

But that statement Kiba offered me the first day of my time in Konohagakure has never left me, and would continue to haunt my thoughts in the times to come.