Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them as much.

~Oscar Wilde

\( - _ -)/

The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Ninja. The Great Toad Sage, Jiraiya's first novel. He has worked on it ever since he started training the three orphans at Amegakure. When he finished Nagato and Takeshi were the first to read it.

~"It's really good... But if you're planning on publishing it I don't think now is the best time. When the war ends you would have a better chance of selling this. War time is not the time to sit down and read books after all."~

Instead of giving a short review on the story the kid actually gave him an idea.

Should I publish it? Maybe, it wouldn't hurt to try. Maybe kids aren't as clueless as I thought they were.

I hope it gets famous then I'd schedule a book signing. But if it's not a hit then I'll just write a different book.

The Hokage ordered Jiraiya to keep an eye on Takeshi just to make sure he won't get captured again.

~"Where have you been?"

"I lived in the forest until Konan-nee-chan, Yahiko-nii-san, and Nagato-nii found me and brought me to Amegakure then Jiraiya-san trained us."

"How did you survive before they found you?"

"I unlocked my kekkei genkai and I ate fruits and berries that I found," a sigh. "Thankfully none of them were poisonous."

"Kekkei genkai? You have one?"

"Leaves, but isn't that the same jutsu that took you away?"

"I think they did some sort of transportation technique but failed to finish it when they died so that's why I ended up in the middle of the forest."

"Maybe..." Kakashi looked around then grabbed my wrist and pulled the Kinju back inside the house.

Once inside Kakashi quickly locked the door, looked out the windows and closed the curtains.~

The Kinju intrigued Jiraiya. He was not like other children. He was able to unlock his kekkei genkai at a young age, he was able to control the leaves with no problem and he even learned a few basic water techniques. He got along well with the three, especially Nagato, he has a positive effect on the kid.

~"Kakashi will be dismissed earlier... I hope you understand, Shikaku-san." Jiraiya said with a hint in his voice. Shikaku kept his laid back aura as he nodded lazily.~

Nara Shikaku was assigned to teach Kakashi's class to keep an eye on the boy, a last request by Sakumo to the Hokage before he committed suicide.

The Toad Sage couldn't understand how Takeshi came up with the conclusion, ~"I think they did some sort of transportation technique but failed to finish it when they died so that's why I ended up in the middle of the forest."~

He held a scroll on one hand and a bottle of ink on the other. Could it be? Do the scrolls his father left him led him to the conclusion? Or is it... no I shouldn't doubt him he is still a child.

He argued to his conscience who was screaming: He's obviously keeping something, interrogate him! No kid can unlock his or her kekkei genkai alone, at a young age. Think about it you nitwit!

~(Hatake Residence)~

When Takeshi woke up it was still night-time, he felt tired but forced himself to walk to the bathroom. I need time to think alone.

Takeshi carefully slipped out of Kakashi's grasp then placed a pillow beside him. Kakashi stirred a bit, but didn't wake up. Thank goodness he's not paranoid, though I'm assuming he will be.

Takeshi walked to the bathroom then turned on the sink and splashed his face with cold water. He kept his head down and held the side of the sink as he thought to himself.

If Madara lied about Sakumo then what about Ena? Was she a lie too? Is she just someone who Madara created to get me to join his side? Why would he even need me? Whose side am I on, anyway?

I don't want to help Madara but he's the one training me to get stronger and my clone is stuck with him. If I release the clone then Madara will track me down. He probably made Zetsu put some sort of tracking device on me while I was sleeping.

I don't want to help everyone else either but they're the ones that give me protection, or should I say, they provide me with my secret base of operations.

I know that I simply don't care what happens to anyone in this world, with the exception of Kakashi. So what exactly am I doing here?! Something suddenly clicked in his mind.

I can do absolutely nothing. This world was already designed to make every person suffer. So why bother trying to change anything? Their future is already planned.

Madara tried to give them the peace they all wanted but they flamboyantly refused it and fought against him. But...

Once they defeat Madara, what happens next? What would they do? Would they make an alliance or something? If they do, then who's to say that in the future no one would go against it? If there are protagonists there will always be antagonists.

What about the large number of casualties that will die because of the war? What are they going to do about those people? Honor them by carving their names on a piece of rock?

Putting names on rocks won't bring anyone back. Why do they even bother? No one really remembers every single person on that stone. They call those people heroes... But no one will ever remember each one of them, so what was the point of having their name carved on a rock?

People are idiots. They were offered peace and happiness but they refused it and decided to continue the never-ending war. People tend to accidentally punish themselves all the time.

How convenient. In order to make everyone's life miserable all I have to do is sit and watch... Although, maybe a little tweak in the events won't change too much.

Takeshi grinned to himself and decided to end his train of thought for now and looked up to face the mirror. He froze. W-what?! N-no. This cannot be true. I refuse to believe this.

He shook his head, then stared back at the mirror. He sighed in relief. Thank goodness it's gone... but was it really there in the first place?

Takeshi paid the man for the goggles, which looked slightly similar to what Shino wore during Shippuden, thanked him and walked out the store with Kakashi in tow.

"What was it that you wanted to find again?"

"I don't really know what it's called, but I'm sure that I'll know it when I see it."

He was looking for a one-way mirror. They have been to several shops but none of them have it. He was starting to think that it didn't even exist until they went into a mirror shop and found one.

It was expensive. But luckily the chest Yukimaru left for him, had money in it.

He was able to buy it and even asked the man if he could replace the current plastic on the goggles that Takeshi bought earlier with the mirror.

The salesman raised a brow but didn't question when Takeshi presented him with money. He told the boy to come back after a few hours and pushed both of them out the door.

"What exactly are you trying to do?" Kakashi asked demanding an answer.

"It's something that can help me if ever I needed to go on missions to certain lands."

He raised a brow. "You're already thinking about that?"

"In the future it might cost a lot more than it does now so it's better to gather supplies early," Takeshi reasoned. "Er... Kashi-nii, can I ask you a favor?"

"What is it?" Kakashi asked as he narrowed his eyes, cautiously.

"Can I attend the academy with you?"

"Sure... but I'm not leaving you alone if you're joining the first year class then so am I."

Takeshi gapped at him. "But weren't you accelerated? You shouldn't do that. Stay in your class, please. I can handle myself," he tried to convince the young and persistent Hatake.

"No," Kakashi said with a tone that said 'don't argue with me'.

Takeshi sighed. "Then there's only one thing to do."

"I'm afraid I cannot allow that Takeshi-kun," The Hokage replied. I'm getting desperate now.

"Please, Hokage-sama. I know that I will graduate a year later than my age group if I fail, but it's a risk I'm willing to make. Sakumo-san told me to watch over Kakashi and I'm planning on fulfilling his last request. I trained under Jiraiya-san so my knowledge should be fine. If you don't want to do it for Kakashi at least do it for Sakumo-san." Takeshi said with a monotone.

Hiruzen's eyes widened. He doesn't know, does he? He thought. "Why should I do it for him?" Hiruzen asked cautiously.

It took Takeshi a while to realize what he just said. So in return he gave the Hokage an unimpressed look.

"Why? He's one of your most trusted ninja. He would do anything for the village to ensure its safety especially the safety of his comrades that he fights with. He grows connections with them, he cares for them. He is the only person that I know to this day that truly has the Will of Fire, as the first Hokage called it. He wants to protect the village and his friends. Don't you think that's something to look up to? Whoever worked with him in the past should honor him not be embarrassed just because he took away his own life. What is the real reason behind it anyway? I'm starting to think that you're all feeding me with false information." His face remained emotionless as he said all of it.

Ha! I'm using the Will of Fire card on the Hokage. He thought, victoriously.

Suddenly chakra flared inside the room and Takeshi found himself staring at 3 Anbu-Root members and Danzo. Shit! I took it too far.

"You are in no position to accuse the Hokage," One of the ANBU stated in monotone.

"Exactly and so are you," he retorted raising an eyebrow. He knew full well what the consequences of his words might do, but quite frankly he doesn't seem to remember what exactly the consequences are.

"Hiruzen," Danzo said as if waiting for an order. Charmingly, he didn't have a single bandage in his face. No sharingan yet?

The Hokage shook his head no. "No. The child is mentally traumatized by the earlier events that happened for the past 9 months. There is no need for any assistance," He simply said.

Mentally traumatized? Good thinking Lord Bath robe! Takeshi thought, mentally noting Hiruzen's words.

The Anbu-Root shinobi and Danzo positioned themselves behind Hiruzen and watched. Creeps.

Hiruzen let out a deep sigh. "All right, I will allow you to attend the same class as Kakashi," And the Power of Guilt strikes again! Takeshi inwardly cheered.

"You will start tomorrow." He said with a grand-fatherly smile. I kept my face blank as I nodded.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama. I knew you weren't just an old man wearing a bath robe." Right after Takeshi finished his sentence, chakra flared outside. Laughter emitted from outside the window.

Takeshi made his way over to the window and opened it to see Jiraiya almost falling off the roof. "Jiraiya-san, were you spying on us?" He asked as if it were a natural occurrence.

Before he could answer a knock was heard.

"Takeshi-kun you are dismissed." Takeshi bowed, then opened the door with a smile.

"What did Hokage-sama say?" Kakashi asked.

"He said yes. I'll be in the same class as you tomorrow," Takeshi answered happily.

"That's great then," Kakashi said as he gave the Kinju a close-eyed smile.

The door closed in a second. "Jiraiya, you know what to do," Hiruzen said. Jiraiya nodded and jumped away.

The Third sighed and slumped on his chair. The child deserves to know but... the village. He sighed once more. It happens more often these days...

"Hiruzen, was that Kinju Takeshi?" Shimura Danzo asked, interest clear in his voice.

"Yes... are you planning on recruiting him to Root when he's older?" Hiruzen asked knowing full well that the answer would be yes.

"No," the Hokage's eyes widened. Or I could be wrong. He thought.

"Really? What is the reason this time?" He asked. His friend, Danzo tends to have strange answers.

"No... Not when he's older," Danzo paused for a while before continuing. "If he does manage to graduate, I want to train him early. He has potential... and he knows how to manage his 'emotions'." He answered.

Hiruzen narrowed my eyes at him. "This early, what are you planning?" He asked suspiciously.

"If he was trained well he could become a very successful shinobi, who would protect the village at any cost." The Hokage sighed at Danzo's answer. He has a very unique way of protecting the village.

"Very well... but I'm not the one that you need to convince." The Hokage warned him.

"I know," Danzo smirked. "The child is a perfect candidate."

Hiruzen then, mentally reminded himself to keep an eye on the Root leader. A smirking Shimura is not something you see every day.

When the two "brothers" reached the bottom of the building, Takeshi asked. "Kaka-nii-san, can I go to the Memorial Stone... alone?"

Kakashi flinched, his eyes visually saddened. The younger boy noticed but waved it off as 'training'.

Kakashi smiled, giving him a playful pat on the head. "Sure... don't take too long."

"Ok," Takeshi grinned then ran off to training ground 3.

When he was out of sight, Jiraiya jumped down from the roof and landed gracefully next to the young Hatake.

"You really care about him, don't you?" Jiraiya stated, giving him a meaningful glance.

"Are you the person from yesterday?" Kakashi asked.

"Yes, Hokage-sama told me to keep an eye on him, so if something is to happen again you two will be safe," the Toad Sage explained.

"What are you waiting for then, Jiraiya-san?" Kakashi asked not looking at him.

Jiraiya chuckled and gave him a grin. "I'm assuming that he has already mentioned me."

Kakashi nodded. "Yes... you and three other people,"

Takeshi is mentally growing up too fast... he's changing because of the earlier events. Kakashi's afraid that he might not be needed anymore. No wonder he looked like he got punched in the gut when Takeshi addressed him differently. Jiraiya thought. But, that was only as far as the Toad Sage could comprehend.

He ruffled Kakashi's hair, which caused the boy to stiffen in contact. "Don't worry he will always need you," Jiraiya reminded him.

He conjured the ram hand seal and used the Body Flicker Technique to disappear from his sight.

~(Memorial Stone "KIA")~

"This is sick. It's as if the village is implying that you get more acknowledgment once you die. Stupid," Takeshi said.

"Really, is that what you think?" A familiar voice asked him.

As he turned to look at the person, he almost cursed. The person was a tall man with extremely pale skin and waist-length black hair, golden eyes with slits in his pupils and purple markings around his eyes. He wore a dark kimono shirt with violet lining over a mesh shirt, bandages that he uses as a sash, dark pants, and armour around his hips. He saw none other than Orochimaru himself.

Shit! Does he know about me and my kekkei genkai? He mentally punched himself. Of course he does he's one of the Three Legendary Ninja. This is bad what if he wants to use me for experiments. More importantly, what if he wants my body as his vessel, I hope he's not doing experiments yet.

Orochimaru chuckled at his flabbergasted state. "What's wrong, boy? You look like you've seen a ghost." He said.

As the snake Sannin walked forward Takeshi panicked, his mind scrambled for an answer. When Orochimaru was right in front of him, he changed his expression and pouted for a while, before grinning.

"You're one of the Hokage's students, right Orochimaru-san? That's so cool! And you have gold eyes too! I thought I was the only one." Okay, good enough.

Orochimaru smirked, he knelt down and got ready to ask the kid questions.

Jiraiya, however landed near a tree and noticed the duo. He jumped down and landed beside them.

"Takeshi, maybe you should go back to your brother." Jiraiya suggested with a smile.

At first, Takeshi was confused but then he realized: Oh right... they're still 'friends'.

"Jiraiya I see you have returned. Did you give up on training those children? Or did you follow my suggestion?" Orochimaru asked slyly, which made the hairs on the back of the Kinju's neck stand. Jiraiya scoffed at Orochimaru.

Geez! This guy is a master when it comes to creeping the hell out of people. No wonder his village was called Otogakure. It sounds creepy and kind of disturbing. Takeshi panicked.

"Well, it was nice meeting you, Orochimaru-san." He said as he ran away from them and headed to the direction of the mirror shop.

What was Orochimaru doing there? Did Danzo tell him to spy on me? What was Jiraiya doing there? Is Orochimaru part of Root already?

Once he picked up the item he needed, he placed it around my neck and quickly returned to the Hatake residence.

"Did you hear? I've heard that the White Fang committed suicide."

Takeshi comically froze mid-step before jumping aside as he hid his chakra.

The other one scoffed. "Well I don't care what happens to him. He's the reason we're going to be at war again. He should have just completed his damn mission. He's a coward, thinking that dying is the best solution."

"You have a point there... his act was also selfish didn't he think about his son."

"Exactly and he's crazy, thinking the Kinju kid would come back. The kid's been gone for 10 months. The brat would most likely be dead by now."

"Yeah, and who cares about anyone from the Kinju anyway? Didn't one of them help Madara in his attempt to defeat Shodaime?"

His blood boiled at every word that they said. So Ena wasn't a lie after all... well, that's one lie down. The leaves around him separated from its tree as the wind got colder.

One of the men shuddered. "Sheesh! I'm getting goose bumps maybe we should stop talking."

"Agreed," his companion said.

How dare they say those things about Sakumo?! These people are scum!

Anger was rising inside him, his vision turned red. Breathe and jump away. Breathe and jump away. He chanted to himself as he continued his way back to Kakashi.

When his emotions were finally intact he started to run faster. Just forget these people, they are not important.

He saw Kakashi standing outside the house waiting for him, arms crossed. What did I do this time?

"Hi, Kaka-nii-san, did I take too long?" He asked.

"1 hour," he answered somewhat annoyed.

"Sorry... hey, look on the bright side! I'm going to join your class tomorrow!" Takeshi reminded him enthusiastically.

Kakashi's gaze softened and quickly gave him a smile. "Come on, let's go inside. I have some left over rice balls we can eat."

"Ok," he agreed. How did he deal with all this hatred? No wonder Sakumo killed himself... Konoha you currently have two strikes, one more and you're out.

~(Madara's Cave)~

"I am so bored."

Ever since they took the original Takeshi outside the clone has learned a handful of water techniques that Madara knows, which were all, high level techniques.

He hasn't perfected any of them yet but he gets the idea on how to do most of them. He just needed more practice, chakra control and time, lots of time.

Zetsu wasn't much of any help aside from throwing rocks at him during substitution-jutsu-on-the-ceiling practice.

"Takeshi, I want you to send a message to the real version," Madara said.

"What is it, Uchiha-sama?" Finally, even though it's just a message, it's still something to do.

"I want you to tell him to release you and to meet Zetsu. Ask him for the place then report it to me before you get released." He ordered. Release the jutsu? It seems that Madara had a change in plans.

"Yes, Uchiha-sama," he closed his eye then concentrated until he was in a "white room". Perfect... real version is sleeping.

Seconds later he saw himself. "Madara wants you to release the clone jutsu and meet up with Zetsu."

"Change in plans?"

"He didn't say anything about the new plan but Zetsu would probably tell you."

"Oh, I see... so where's the place?"

"He wants you to think of a place. None of us is entirely sure of your schedule so he wants to play it safe and make you decide."

"All right then, tell Zetsu to meet me near the academy by the trees around noon."

"I see what you're trying to do."

They had a long awkward pause until the real Takeshi decided to break it.

"You know, even though you're my clone it feels like I'm talking to a different person when I have a conversation with you." He said.

"Yeah I know. So release the jutsu 10 minutes after you wake up, ok? I still need to report to Madara."

"Sure. I'll wait 10 minutes before I intentionally give myself a head ache," the clone grinned at him then cut the conversation.

When he opened his eyes, he was back in the cave.

"Uchiha-sama, he told me that he will meet Zetsu near the academy at noon. He's planning on playing ninja with the kids and use the trees nearby as a 'hiding spot'."

"Very well... Zetsu-"

"Yes, Madara-sama," He complied with a wide grin.

~(Hatake Residence)~

"You can do this, you can do this, Robi-er, Takeshi. It's just pain, a small head ache; it won't kill you." Takeshi said to himself. Well this is the first time I'll ever hurt myself on purpose.

He already woke up and almost 10 minutes have passed. He was in the bathroom again trying to calm myself and preparing for the worst. His clone had been with Madara for a month, so most likely the clone has trained and absorbed knowledge like crazy.

Takeshi was not a big fan of pain, his brain might overload with information once he releases the clone. But if I don't do it sooner more memories would pile up which would lead to more pain. He groaned in annoyance. I guess I don't have much of a choice.

He turned to look at the clock. It's past 10 minutes. He took a deep breath then did the ram hand seal. Release!

At first, he only felt a sudden jolt in his system all the chakra that his clone had came back to him. Then nothing, he stood staring at the mirror, dumbfounded.

Ok... I guess it's not that bad after all. He thought as he walked out the door and closed it. I can't believe I freaked for nothing. He let out a small, nervous laugh.

As he walked over to Kakashi, he suddenly felt his head throb painfully. He gasped in pain and fell on his knees with a thud.

His head was overloading. Information after information flooded his brain. A wave of water techniques went into his mind as he hyperventilated. His chakra went haywire and the pain in his head didn't stop.

Seconds later, he felt something wrap around him and footsteps coming closer.

"What's happening?" Jiraiya?

"I don't know. I woke up when I felt his chakra jump all over the place. Help him!" I heard panic in his voice. Kakashi? I feel bad for waking him up. Wait... that's what I was supposed to do.

He felt chakra over his head, it was green and it was helping him calm down. Medical Ninjutsu?

His head slowly returned to normal after a few minutes. He managed to even out his breathing as he kept his head down and loosened the grip he had on his head. His vision blurred and he blacked out. His hands separated from clutching his head.

Kakashi was scared. Those screams sounded so real, so much pain. He didn't even realize what was happening until he woke up because of the same scream. But this scream wasn't of terror nor was it in any relation to horror, it was pain, all pain.

What happened to him? He's been acting strange ever since he returned... maybe it's my fault. He thought cradling the limp body in his arms.

"It's not your fault." The Jiraiya-san said as if reading his thoughts.

Jiraiya retracted his hands from Takeshi's head and the green glow disappeared.

"What happened?" Kakashi asked with concern.

Jiraiya sighed and paused before answering the question. "I honestly don't know either. Not a lot is known about the Kinju clan. Even the Uzumaki who were allied with them did not have very much information about their kekkei genkai; they are a very secretive clan. We can only assume that this is something that happens through their growth; or it could be something else." He explained and gave a deep sigh.

"Only someone from his clan would know. But unfortunately he is the only one left. Well, at least the only one we know, we haven't seen any other people with the same abilities. But we are looking for them, they are our allies, much like the Uzumaki."

Kakashi looked down at his self-proclaimed little brother and adjusted him in his arms. That means I'm the only person left that he considers as "family".

Jiraiya started to walk out the door but before he left he said, "Take care of the boy. I'm not going to be staying in the village for very long. Remember, he will always need you." Jiraiya again used the Body Flicker Technique to flee.

Kakashi felt Takeshi move then stir in his arms. The boy stared at him in confusion.

"Kaka-nii-san, what happened? Why do you look-"

Kakashi smiled and cut him off. "Don't worry about it. We need to get ready for the academy. Classes start at 8, it's already 6 we still need to eat and we live kind of far from it. Go take a bath," he said with ease.

Takeshi continued to give me a calculating gaze but stopped and smiled. "Ok! But if something is wrong tell me; I'm a good listener." He said as he stood up and went to the bathroom.

Something during his time in the forest happened, aside from him unlocking his kekkei genkai... what is it?

Kakashi sighed then made his way to the kitchen to get some left over rice balls. We seem to have a lot of those.

He took a small pot and filled it halfway with water and turned on the stove boil. He took two rice balls then placed them on top of a strainer, placed on top of the boiling water, to steam it.

Whatever it is I'll help him if he decides to discuss it with me. Kakashi glared at the pot. Secrets act like a barrier, they are a hindrance.