The two did not stop running, for more than a moment at a time, till they were well, and truly, past Shimo no Kuni's borders.

Once they crossed the border into Yu no Kuni, Reiko and Tokuma were able to rest for longer without fear of an immediate ambush.

That was not to say that they were any less paranoid.

After all, as far as things went, Tokuma was a foreign ninja in enemy territory and nobody would give a damn that the twelve year old was simply dragged into this mess.

So the pair of them did their best to conceal any evidence of their presence. Continuing south, towards Tokuma's village.

"Once we reach Hi no Kuni, I can get in contact with one of our outpost and we can finally relax," Tokuma kept telling Reiko as they traveled.

Needless to say, Reiko was more than a little irritated by the current turn of events. 'I should have left him for the animals,' she though on more than one occasion, as a bout of anger and anxiety passed through her.

Reiko had no desire to go to Hi no Kuni, and she sure as hell didn't want to go to Konoha. But what was she to do?

Returning or passing through Shimo was out of the question, the girl not quite willing to test the Kami's benevolence.

Running away was an option of course; but run where? There was a war in full swing happening across the hole damn continent and further, making travelling —especially by herself— a very dangerous endeavour, best left for the brave and foolish.

The girl also had limited experience with ninja, and, while some, it seemed, would call he a prodigy (as Tokuma claimed after grilling her about her skills) she was no where near narcissistic enough to think that nobody could take her on. 'That's how fools get themselves killed,' and Reiko personally though that it was only due to blind luck that she evaded death for so long.

'And luck runs out eventually.'

All she really wanted was a peaceful existence. And to stay as far away as humanly possible from conflict.

A ridiculous wish.

One, that as fate would have it, was not how Reiko's life was meant to be.

The closer they got to the border of Hi no Kuni the more anxious she became.

Could anyone blame her?

What reason did Konoha have to help her? She was a nobody, whose clearing one of their injured ninja just so happened to stumble upon.

What if they though her a spy? An infiltrator?

They would kill her on the spot. Or worse, if they found out whose blood ran through her veins…

Best case scenario, she ended up like her mother and grandmother.

Dead.

As which each case where her mind wandered into dark territory, Tokuma —as if sensing it— would bring her out of it. Reassuring her each time that things will be alright.

'Does he really have the right to promise me that?'

—.—.—.—

The two were resting my a river in Hi no Kuni, cooking the fish they caught over a small fire. They crossed the border into fire country the previous day, so they could afford such luxuries as a warm meal.

Reiko said nothing as Tokuma chatted on, mainly to himself, about his comrade's reactions to his return:

"Man, Seichiro is going to punch me first, before bawling like a little girl. He's a tsundere like that. Ah! But don't tell him I said that," Tokuma quickly added as an afterthought. Attempting to cheer up the sulky child, and draw her out of whatever dark corner her mind wandered in this time.

Unfortunately for him, Reiko was far too lost in her thoughts, her eyes seemingly staring intently at the cooking fish. A closer look however, revealed that her red eyes were not really seeing the world around her.

She sat leaning agains the trunk of a tree, her knees pulled close to her chest and her arms encircling them. Her dark blue kimono was dirty and ripped in places from their travels. And, due to the pace they were trying to maintain —and the fact that they were in enemy territory— none of them could afford to stop and change. Washing was out of the question.

Her light grey hair was greasy, full of knots and pulled tight in a high ponytail, ensuring that no hair would obstruct her vision. Her pupil-less red eyes blinked in surprise. Reiko's surrounding coming into focus as she came out of her thought after Tokuma's last comment:

"Mou~ Reiko-chan, how do you expect to get a man when you're such a worry war—aah!" Poor, poor Tokuma. How unfortunate for him that working on her accuracy was something Reiko was able to train on through the years.

And she was good at it.

—.—.—.—

They ran into a patrol sooner than Reiko would have liked. Tokuma wasting no time in identifying himself and stating the reason for his long absence.

However, Konoha's military was great and there was almost no way for everyone to know everyone. And even if there was, this is wartime, and one did not take chances during such times.

Fortunately, Konoha was no Kiri, thus they weren't killed on the spot or any other similar occurrence. Instead they were taken into custody, their chakra sealed, and any weapons they had confiscated, awaiting further instructions.

In Reiko's case, the extent of her confiscated items was limited to her pouch, counting the two scrolls she always carried with her.

One, for the weapons she had accumulated through the years, (Nothing grand, a couple kunai she found scattered in an abandoned battle ground years ago, which she kept in good condition for training purposes. Some ninja wire purchased long ago and her gunbai, bough from Tetsu no Kuni on a whim.) and the other containing the necessities she needed for travel; spare clothes and such. The years of travelling have left their mark.

Luckily, they didn't notice, or didn't care about the storage seal on her thigh. (Personally Reiko was inclined to believe the former option) The one her grandmother placed on her so long ago.

—.—.—.—

Three days. That was how long it took for someone who knew, and could confirm Tokuma's identity, could arrive. The famous Seichiro as it turned out.

Thankfully, through these three days the two were allowed to bathe, —supervised of course— and, after Reiko requested one of the spare kimono she had, change. Oh the beauty of being clean and not stinky. People seriously do not appreciate baths enough.

Although, Reiko never knew what awkward really meant till she had to bathe and change before an older man.

There were no females currently stationed at this outpost.

Once Seichiro confirmed Tokuma's identity, the two had their chakra suppressor seals removed and belongings returned with a quick apology. Seichiro was a bit skeptical about Reiko's presence but seemed willing to trust Tokuma's story and decisions, so the male did not press the issue of Reiko's presence.

The guys at the outpost grilled her enough as it was. 'I really don't like ninjas.'

Seichiro did however thank Reiko for saving Tokuma's life and that was that.

Life carried on.

—.—.—.—

A day and a half later Reiko laid eyes for the first time on Konohagakure's walls. Once inside the village the girl shamelessly stared at her surroundings, admiring what she saw.

Despite the carnage that was taking place beyond these walls, the people inside seemed cheerful enough. Children were running around, adults were minding their own business, stopping every now and them to speak with a friend or acquaintance. It was… peaceful.

Looking up, unfortunately, Reiko was hit by a wave of bitterness.

There, carved into the very mountain, were three faces.

'The Hokage,' she recalled. Memories of time spent with her grandmother, listening to stories about her great, grandfather.

Her pupil-less eyes were staring pointedly at the middle visage, noting all the features the sculptor was able to carve in the rock. The face of the man she knew so much about…but whom she never even once met.

"He abandoned us!" Reiko remembered Shōrai shouting at Ume. "He chose them over us and that's all there is to it! Stop putting him on a fucking pedestal…he sure as hell didn't put us on one."

That was the first time Reiko witnessed her mother cry.

'And it was all because of you,' she thought, narrowing her slanted eyes at the Nidaime Hokage's monument.

Reiko could see why the man died for this village. She has barely been in it for less than an hour but she could understand.

This was the village he helped build. The first place in his entire life which likely allowed children to be children and people of different bloodlines mingle with each other peacefully.

The will of fire. Ume told her about it. Told her how fiercely the man believed in it.

So she could understand dying for the village you loved so much.

What Reiko couldn't understand. What she never understood, no matter what her grandmother said, was why did he abandon his wife and child.

If he loved them the way her grandmother claimed, why did he never share with the world that he was married? That he had a child. Sure, don't spread the news to the hole damn world, but unless you were embarrassed, you would at least share this important bit of information with your family, right?

What he had enemies? Reiko was willing to bet her right hand that his brother had them too. Probably more. Didn't stop him from getting married, having a child and keeping them by his side. Protecting them.

Yet despite all the angry emotions whirling inside Reiko, the girl kept a tight lid on them. Refusing to allow even a hint of her anger from showing.

And if the result was her looking even more anxious, which she sure was anyway, then so be it. That would be easier to explain to anyone asking than telling them that she wished she could maul their second hokage's face.

Tokuma was also too preoccupied to really pay attention to Reiko so he easily misinterpreted her emotions. He placed a warm, calloused hand reassuringly on the crown of her head. A gesture meant to calm her down. It worked to an extent, and Reiko was able to unclench her jaw at least. Her teeth weren't very happy with the way they have been treated recently.

Blinking her red eyes at the man, Reiko attempted to force a reassuring smile on her face. The result wasn't great, but nobody cared once the voice of the current Kage beckoned them inside his office.

A/N: Not abandoning this story. Have made far too many intensive notes on the plot to do so. With that said, updates are bound to be slow as exams are rolling around, I'm procrastinating a lot and am focused on my other story Uzushiogakure Reborn.

However, for all of you who have read and enjoyed this story, first off: You guys are amazing and I love you a lot. Second: You guys are just plain great and Third: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It is on the short side but I though it fitting to end it where I did.

I hope I was able to give more hints at the kind of person Reiko is. If she seemed over the top at certain points, as in she was imagining ridiculous scenarios, that was on purpose. I want to remind people that till Tokuma rolled around Reiko has been alone for years.

As mentioned her family is dead and she has been alone ever since. Is she mature for a child her age? Yes. But she has always been a rather secluded child, not interacting with people much even in her youth. So finding herself in such a situation would be, I reckon, extremely stressing. And this is just one of her way of coping with it.

Anyway I rambled for far too long. I shall see you guys next time, leave a review to tell me what you think thus far of the plot if you so wish.

Till next time!