lostmoonchild: Hello! Thanks for the review! Yes, I am supposed to be at work but boss lady got put on call so when that happens, lostmoonchild is on call which means chapters can get updated and I can watch Naruto Shippuuden Movie 4: The Lost Tower. I'd like to thank (if I've already thanked this person once before then I'm thanking you again) Victoriousvillian for giving me Hisoka's mother's name... even if it was done in a case of spelling check typos.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Chapter Fifteen

Anko's hands trembled as she stared at the yellowed pages, her eyes holding shock and fear at the contents of the pages. Those children had been meant to survive no matter what while only one child was meant to have died. Somehow though, the one meant to die had lived while the others had died.

Everything that would be required was tucked safely into nine folders. Names, birth dates, names of their parents…even the Bijuu the child was meant to control. She had no interest in the deceased children though she wondered how anybody that wasn't as messed up as Orochimaru could even dream of putting an innocent baby into such a state.

The one that survived hadn't even been considered for this experiment or whatever it was. According to the notes, the child's mother had begged (although she was fairly certain threatened was a better term) until her request was granted. The child's name had been blurred by a leak as well as the father's first name. The last name of the father, however, was one she couldn't ignore for the life of her. Tucking the reports safely into a bag, Anko turned to the other ANBU members. "Let's go. Destroy everything so if Uchiha Sasuke gets any bright ideas to attempt to copy this nightmare, he'll be rendered useless." Anko ordered.

As she ventured up the stairs, she ignored the sound of flames roaring and shattering glass. Ten children whose parents had all chosen to put them into a comatose state until the few who could manipulate their talents had all lost their true futures. Out of the ten, only one survived and now faced a fate possibly worse than death.

(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)

He knew that they were being watched and it was beginning to annoy him. "Hisoka, hold still. I don't want your hair to get tangled up again when you go play with the Nara kids." Naruto scolded softly.

"W-A-T-C-H-I-N-G." Hisoka spelled as she squirmed again.

"Yes, I know people are watching and it's making you uncomfortable. Just let me tie your hair back and then we can be on our way."

Forcing herself to stand still, Hisoka felt Naruto pulling gently on her hair as he tied it back into a simple ponytail. "Turn around a minute." Naruto told her.

Hisoka turned and grinned brightly at Naruto as he fussed over her bangs, moving them so they were gently framing her face. He knew most guys probably didn't care much about hair and that his guy friends would give him crap over even fussing so much but he couldn't deny that his girl friends all thought it was sweet that he was even learning different hairstyles that extended past a ponytail and pigtails. "Done?" Hisoka questioned.

"Yep, we're done. Let's get going."

Jumping around in circles, Hisoka darted over to the door only to fall down and blink in surprise. "Don't make yourself so dizzy then." Naruto laughed as he pulled her to her feet. "Shoes on."

As soon as they had their shoes on, the two left the apartment with Naruto laughing when Hisoka would start spinning around. "She seems extra excited today." Shikamaru sighed before taking a drag of his cigarette. "Yukimaru's been waiting impatiently."

Hisoka wrinkled her nose at the smell before grinning brightly at the boy that stood near the older shinobi. "Good morning, Yuki-kun." Hisoka said brightly, pressing the boy's fingers gently against her lips.

"Good morning, Hisoka-chan." Yukimaru replied pleasantly.

Neither one could really understand how exactly Yukimaru could read Hisoka's lips simply by using his fingers but it was a system that worked for the two. They knew the boy knew how to finger spell thanks to Shikamaru actually taking the time to show the boy but for some reason the two just preferred having Yukimaru's fingers against Hisoka's lips. "Okay, go play." Naruto told the two. "Just stay where we can see you."

Without any complaints, the two children grabbed the other's hand before running to play on the swings. "The ANBU that were dispatched to the former Whirlpool Country just got back early this morning." Shikamaru commented as they watched Hisoka push Yukimaru on the swings.

"And?"

"So far they've got the first name of her mother. Mishima Kairi. I asked Yuki's father and he actually remembers her well enough to say that she was pretty hardheaded when it came to doing stuff." The teenager breathed in the soothing smoke. "From the records surrounding Mishima, it's safe to say that she was a bit like Hinata."

"Weird?"

Shikamaru gave Naruto an exasperated look before answering as he dropped the cigarette and put it out, "Low self confidence, you idiot. Every time that Mishima fought for something that was right, her entire clan would shun her for days. When she got pregnant with Hisoka, which was the final straw. The clan essentially kicked her out and the one person she could have gone to had been brought to Konoha."

"So if her mother had been kicked out, why would they put Hisoka in that damn tube?"

"The woman was ingenious scary and they felt that rather than make her mad at them, they'd go along with preserving the clan even if the one being put in stasis was the daughter of the exiled Kairi. They all thought that Hisoka would die."

Naruto's eyes reflected his feelings towards the subject as he watched Hisoka and Yukimaru start wrestling, their eyes dancing with excitement. "What about her father? Do they know who he was?"

"They don't know his first name. They just know his last."

"What was it?"

"I don't know. That troublesome woman caught me and threatened to blow me halfway across the village if I didn't get going."

While Naruto knew that he could take the comment and turn it into something perverted, his heart just wasn't in it. A mother shunned for becoming pregnant with a child that was already so special, a child put in stasis for the sole reason of preserving the clan. "Hold on a minute." Naruto said with a small frown. "I thought that if you were put in stasis, everything froze and you didn't grow or anything?"

"Apparently sometime after they were all put in stasis, something went wrong and all ten began to grow again."

"So assuming that she was put in the tube when she was a baby, it happened about five years ago?"

Sometimes Shikamaru wondered if Naruto understood more than what they were giving him credit for and as they continued their discussion, the Nara found himself wondering more and more about the blonde's true mental strengths. Did he truly understand everything but his brain functions were moving too fast for him to actually make connections? The Naruto he had known before would have just made a face and acted like he understood it before telling the person to explain it to somebody else. Was this the real Naruto and the other one was just someone that was made to throw everybody else off?

Deciding it'd be too troublesome to even bother with, Shikamaru lit up another cigarette before turning his attention back to his cousin and Hisoka. They belonged with each other; it seemed, with Hisoka's muteness and Yukimaru's blindness. Their worlds were defined by what they couldn't do but together, their worlds became one and they were able to take a glimpse of the world that they longed for.

"Uzumaki!"

Naruto turned around and made a face when he saw one of the ANBU members. "What? Hisoka's not doing anything other than playing with Yukimaru." Naruto told the ANBU member.

"Your presence is immediately requested in Lady Hokage's office."

Oh cripes. What'd he do this time? Naruto sighed a little before calling Hisoka over. "I gotta go see Granny Tsunade about something." Naruto told her. "You stay here with Shika and I'll catch up later."

"Are you in trouble?"

"I don't know, sweetheart." Naruto replied softly. "Don't worry, I'll catch up with you guys later."

There was worry in her eyes and Naruto sighed softly as he felt the familiar pull then push of Kyuubi's chakra as he and the ANBU member retreated to Tsunade's office. "Hisoka-chan, it'll be okay." Shikamaru stated calmly. "You know that Naruto's a good shinobi."

Opening her mouth slightly, Hisoka slipped her thumb into her mouth and sucked softly on the digit. Naruto would be okay. She didn't know anybody else whose chakra alone could practically scream his displeasure across the village. The first time that had happened, the second family she had been placed with had thrown her back into Tsunade's office that night saying that she had destroyed their house, which was a complete lie.

She had only destroyed the living room and half the kitchen after the full force of Naruto's angry chakra had reached her.

Looking at Yukimaru with a look of surprise etched onto her features when he grasped her hand, Hisoka smiled brightly. She'd just keep an eye on that red chakra she'd get from Naruto and even keep tabs on those other two people. If she could do that then she was absolutely certain that they'd see she was worth keeping around until the day they decided she was no longer useful.

After all, the one thing she had learned very well while being Orochimaru's prisoner was that useless things were destroyed and the best way to continue on was to remain useful one way or another.

lostmoonchild: Okay, and that's a wrap for this week! I don't remember if I have to work next Friday (forgot to write my schedule down in my book) so the next update will be as soon as possible. So read and review and we will all see what the name was that Anko cannot ignore and the reason why Tsunade wants to see Naruto. Ja ne!