Nenshō grabbed his daughter by the waist and picked her up. Eri giggled as he lifted her up off the snowy ground and hugged her to him taking her completely by surprise. The park outside of Tenten's apartment was covered in a fresh layer of snow. She had wanted to play hide and go seek while her mother worked on cooking her dinner. The light outside was started to dull under the grey. The days were becoming shorter and shorter as fall turned to winter. Tenten was reluctant to allow her daughter outside while the sun was setting; it was only after he assured her he would keep her safe that she agreed to let her out to play despite the setting sun. And with Kakashi watching him two hundred meters away likes a hawk. If he couldn't protect his daughter then the Copy Cat Ninja surely could handle anything that would be sent there way.

Nenshō spun his daughter around causing her to laugh uncontrollably; she held her hands out and pretended she was flying through the air like a bird as he increased his speed. He smiled to himself as he slowed down for her realizing just how much pleasure he was getting from his simple rather domestic experience. He of course had seen parents play with their children. And truthfully he had never really thought anything of it; in fact he had never really liked kids. They always seemed like a challenge he didn't want to undertake, he didn't feel he had the patience to deal with the time and responsibility to create a decent human being. And now that he thought about it he still didn't like kids. But Eri wasn't a kid, not to him, she was his daughter. And he was willing to be as patent as he needed to be for her.

"What are you smiling about daddy?" She asked seeing him deep in thought with that blissful smile still plastered on his face.

He reached down and ruffled his daughters red hair making her giggle even more. "Nothing sweetie." He said. "Just happy to be here playing with you."

"Having fun?" Nenshō turned to see Kumo approaching them from behind hands stuffed in his pockets and pipe clutched in his mouth smoking about.

"Uncle Kumo!" Eri cheered running up to greet his old friend. Kumo smiled at her and picked her up in greeting. "How's it going kid?" he asked her casually.

"Good" she answered him. "I've been playing hide and seek with my daddy. Do you know my daddy?"

Kumo smiled at her. "Yes I do know your daddy, very well in fact. I've known him for many years and he's my best friend."

"Really?" she asked turning back to her farther. "You know uncle Kumo daddy?"

Nenshō chuckled and nodded to his daughter, "its true sweetie, known him for most of my life now."

"Hey you three," Came Tenten's voice as she approached them making tracks in the snow alongside theirs. "How'd the Genin test go Kumo?" she asked smiling at him.

Kumo sighed in defeat, "Well they passed," he conceded, "against both my expirations and desires they got through every plot and plan I had made for them."

"So you're a teacher now?" she asked.

"That's right," he said feeling rather defeated about the situation, "I kept my word and have agreed to train them."

"You don't sound very happy about it." Said Nenshō walking over to take Eri out of his arms.

"I'm not," He said rubbing the back of his head mournfully.

"The Hokage will let you return to intelligence once you're done with them," she said consolingly, "but as long as you're miserable why don't you join us for dinner?"

Kumo gave her a wry smile, "Sure dinner sounds nice right now."

Kumo broke his chop sticks and dug into the bowl of ramen in front of him picking out a slice of beef and ate it. He grabbed savored the taste of Tenten's home cooking and smiled.

"If you keep cooking like this honey you'll be rivaling Ichiraku." Nenshō said digging into his own bowl while Eri enjoyed some dumplings.

"I'd hope so," she said enjoying how simply domestic everything was at the moment "It's his recipe after all." Kumo decided to hold his questions until dinner was over and Eri was being put in bed.

"I should get this recipe from you then." Kumo said picking up some noodles. "It would be good to be able to have the best ramen chef's secrets in my possession when I get married."

"When's the wedding exactly?" she asked him casually reaching for her cup of hot tea.

"A few months from now," he said pouring himself his own cup of hot tea, "Ino wants a spring wedding so that's what we're going with."

"What about what you want?" she asked him setting her cup down.

"I don't mind," he said honestly, "I never really thought I'd ever meet a girl to settle down with, let alone get married."

Nenshō sighed to himself, "Tell me about." It had been true in both their cases, aiding Zabuza in his mission to take the Hidden Mist made attachments impossible, personal possessions were forbidden and people… people were out of the question. And once Zabuza died and they were sent to that prison they didn't have much future beyond those walls, and after they had escaped they weren't expecting to live very long.

A little while later Eri finished her dinner and Tenten took her to her bedroom to be put to sleep leaving Kumo and Nenshō alone sitting at the kitchen table. "During my exam," Kumo began slowly, "I had a visit from a masked friend of ours."

Nenshō raised a single eyebrow, "The ANBU?" he asked lowering his voice, the last thing he wanted to do was to have Tenten worry while enemies still roamed the shadows of their own home. "Did they attack you?" he asked tone deathly serious.

Kumo shook his head, "No, they just wanted to talk."

"That's why you're here?" he asked.

Kumo nodded, "Nenshō… Is my mother still alive?"

Nenshō looked up meeting his friends eyes knowing he was staring back through he thick tinted glass. "Yes, she's alive and I'm going to help you get her back."