Chapter 18: Family

I could hardly believe it, and yet here we were standing in the Hokage's office as he flipped through the mission report. It was difficult to quantify the screaming, to put words to the blood and pain and fear, to describe in medical terms how for one brief minute, I'd wondered if Sasuke was really dead. But Kakashi had written it with practiced ease, wrapping it all up in a tidy little document that contained everything and nothing all at once.

I cast a sidelong glance at Haku, but he was merely waiting with a perfectly calm and pleasant expression. Beside him, Sasuke was bored and Naruto was impatient. Kakashi stood on my other side, unbothered as always.

I swallowed my nerves and clasped my hands behind my back as we waited for the Hokage to finish reading. What was taking him so long? After the sake ceremony, Kakashi sent a message to the Hokage detailing our situation and Haku's new status as an Uchiha vassal. We included a petition for citizenship, so he must have had a chance to review it already. At the time, my hopes weren't very high, and yet three days later, a hawk arrived with Haku's papers. It was easy, almost too easy, so I spent the next three weeks silently fretting while Tazuna finished the bridge.

Thankfully I had plenty of patients to keep me occupied. During the day, Haku and I ran a small field clinic out of Tazuna's house. Haku was a wealth of information on herbal remedies, and he was able to glean a surprising amount of information from even brief conversations with patients. He also lent me several medical scrolls, and I wasted no time in memorizing all of them. I also taught him a basic diagnostic jutsu, which he picked up right away.

We were a pretty good team, with my academic knowledge and Haku's practical experience coming together to solve problems that we couldn't manage on our own. But soon enough our time in Wave came to an end and we headed back to Konoha.

Upon arrival, we found Ibiki waiting for us. It was enough to make my heart stop before Kakashi assured us that they simply wanted to talk with Haku before making a final decision.

It was perfectly reasonable.

Expected, even.

And yet I couldn't dispel a sense of dread at the thought of leaving Haku alone with the head of Konoha's Torture and Interrogation Division. Kakashi seemed to sense my worry and assured me that he would be there to oversee the interview. That mollified me a bit, but I was still a nervous wreck as we waited for them to return.

It wasn't a long interrogation, all things considered, but it still took several hours. Eventually Kakashi returned with Haku, and we were all summoned to the Hokage's office where we now stood.

Waiting.

"Well now, it seems that Ibiki is satisfied with your responses," said the Hokage, puffing on his pipe as he flipped to the last page of the report. "You have no standing ties that would put you in conflict with Konoha, correct?"

At the bridge opening ceremony, Haku and I were given bouquets of flowers as thanks for our healing. Before leaving, we both placed them on Zabuza's grave, marked with his giant sword. As we stood for a moment of silence, a sea breeze swept over the cliffs and plucked a single flower from the memorial. I caught it easily, and on a whim, I tucked it behind Haku's ear.

"I think he's saying that this one is for you," I said.

Haku reached up to brush his fingertips over the flower with a small, bittersweet smile.

"That is correct," said Haku. "My only allegiance now is to the Uchiha clan."

"Hmm," hummed the Hokage, breathing out a long puff of smoke. He was a difficult man to read. His chakra was perpetually calm. That wasn't too surprising. He was the Hokage, but it felt like a mask when I was accustomed to reading moods through chakra. "And what are your intentions if you are granted residency in Konoha?"

"My only desire is to be of use to Sasuke-sama and Kiyo-sama," said Haku evenly. "I am a tool to be used as they wish."

I winced inwardly. We'd have to work on the whole 'tool' concept, though I should have known that it would take more than one heartfelt conversation to completely reshape the foundations of his existence. I was just about to object, but I was interrupted.

"And a tool for the Uchiha clan is a tool for Konoha."

My heart leaped into my throat as I whirled around. We'd only met once, but I could never forget Danzo's chakra. He stood in the doorway flanked by two masked ANBU, unnervingly invisible to my senses. I hadn't noticed his approach at first, too focused on the Hokage to take note of anyone else.

But why was he here?

"If Kakashi's report is to be believed, it is obvious where the boy belongs," Danzo continued, and his purpose was suddenly clear.

ANBU.

Root.

Oh hell no.

"Haku is not a ninja," I said sharply.

"He was trained by Momochi Zabuza, the Demon of the Hidden Mist," said Danzo, not even looking at me. Instead, he spoke directly to the Hokage, as if my words did not matter. As if I wasn't even there.

"Haku has an interest in medicine and a talent for medical ninjutsu," I said, perhaps a little too quickly. But I had to say something. I couldn't let Danzo take Haku away. Zabuza only pretended to be a heartless demon. Danzo was the real thing. "We've learned so much from each other in just a few weeks, and I—"

"Give him to me, and he will be a worthy addition to Konoha," said Danzo speaking over my hurried babbling. "It is the obvious choice."

And the terrible reality was that it was the obvious choice. With everything I knew about the massacre, the Hokage would be wary of any attempt for me to strengthen my clan's position. And Haku was a powerful ally. If he was placed into Root, Haku would belong to Danzo instead. Was this was why the Hokage was willing to entertain Haku's bid for citizenship? To take him away from us?

"Haku doesn't want to hurt anyone!" I shouted, looking between Danzo and the Hokage, not quite sure of who exactly I needed to convince.

For the first time, Danzo turned his uncovered eye to me.

"That can be changed," he said coldly.

No.

Nonono…

But what could I say? I was just a genin. I had no power to influence this decision. I looked to Kakashi for help.

"Haku is applying for residency, not enlistment," Kakashi pointed out mildly. "There is no need to give him to anyone."

Thank you, sensei!

"A foreign ninja cannot be allowed to wander freely through the village," said Danzo, turning back to the Hokage. "You know what needs to be done."

The Hokage puffed his pipe.

"This boy cannot remain unsupervised, though I have a proposal," he said, fixing Haku with a serious stare. "If you enlist as a Konoha shinobi, you will be given the rank of genin and assigned to a sensei. You will be granted the rights and protections of the village including residency. However, if you betray the village, you will be labeled as a missing ninja and dealt with accordingly. As a vassal of the Uchiha clan, your enlistment is contingent on the approval of the Uchiha clan head and can be withdrawn at any time. With that in mind, I will not authorize your assignment to any divisions or missions that would require you to enter lethal combat. Does this suffice?"

"Assigning him to the general ranks is a waste," Danzo objected. "He will be of no use to the village there."

"I'm sure he will find a calling that matches his talents and temperament," said the Hokage with a benevolent smile. "A medical ninja, perhaps?"

Oh.

Oh, that was clever.

By enlisting Haku as a genin and giving him to a sensei, the Hokage could keep him under constant observation and put him to use for the village. It also put Haku directly under the Hokage's authority, undermining some of the influence Sasuke and I had over him. It even added consequences for betrayal since missing ninja had to worry about hunter-nins. But despite that, it wasn't a bad offer. Safety, security, and a livable income were all good things. Especially since Danzo had expressed interest in recruiting him. If we rejected the Hokage's offer and tried to settle outside the village, Danzo would kidnap him at the first opportunity. Of that, I was certain.

"Well, what is your decision?" the Hokage asked.

What choice did we have?

I glanced at Sasuke, who was watching Danzo with narrowed eyes, and at Haku, who was looking at me expectantly.

Why was he…?

Oh, right. As a 'tool' of the Uchiha clan, he was waiting for us to decide his fate. Sasuke obviously didn't care either way, so it was left up to me.

"What do you want, Haku?" I asked.

"I wish to be of use to you," he said readily.

And the only way to do that would be to remain in the village as a Konoha shinobi.

I nodded.

"Then you should accept the offer," I said, swallowing my doubts. "But I only want you to do things you're comfortable with. If anyone tries to make you do something bad, just tell us right away, and we'll go from there."

I couldn't be sure of what the Hokage was thinking, but if I had to choose between him and Danzo, the choice was already made. I wanted to protect Haku, but I just hoped I wasn't putting him in greater danger instead.

"With your permission, Sasuke-sama," said Haku.

Sasuke nodded, and Haku bowed deeply to the Hokage.

"I would be honored to join your ranks," he said. "Though if I am permitted, I wish to make one selfish request. Please allow me to stay beside Sasuke-sama and Kiyo-sama. I wish to join Team 7."

The Hokage puffed his pipe.

"Perhaps in time you will be allowed to take missions with them," he said. "But first you will require more direct attention from your sensei."

Yeah, even if Haku was technically a Konoha genin, he still needed to be under constant supervision, and while Kakashi took his missions seriously, I doubted that he was the Hokage's first choice of chaperone.

"I have several suggestions for potential candidates," said Danzo, which made my heart drop.

"There's no need for that," said the Hokage. "I already have someone in mind. He should be waiting outside now."

At a gesture from the Hokage, one of the ANBU guards opened the door, and in walked…Ebisu?

Well, that made sense, I supposed. He was an elite tutor who personally trained Konohamaru. Of course, the fact that he was waiting meant that the Hokage had made his decision before we'd even arrived. All our arguments and proposals were meaningless distractions meant to give us the illusion that we had any choice at all.

He really was the God of Shinobi.

"Hey, you're that closet pervert!" Naruto shouted.

I blinked at the sudden outburst. Naruto had been so quiet that I'd almost forgotten that he was here. But what his comments lacked in quantity, they made up for in volume.

"Why the hell does Haku's sensei have to be him?" Naruto asked. "This guy's weaker than me! With my harem no jutsu, I—"

With surprising speed, Ebisu caught Naruto in a headlock and muttered something quietly into his ear until Naruto settled down.

"Harem no jutsu?" Kakashi echoed incredulously.

"Ebisu will begin by assessing Haku's abilities," said the Hokage blandly, opting to ignore the interruption. Probably for the best. "Welcome to Konoha, Haku."

"Okay, that's the last of it," I said as I plugged in a snowflake-patterned lamp and turned it on. "You are now officially moved in."

Getting Haku settled was straightforward enough. He lived out of a backpack already, so moving in was just a matter of walking through our front door. After that, we spent a week cleaning out the spare bedroom and shopping for furniture. Haku gave a token objection at first, saying that he would be perfectly fine on the couch or even the floor. I was sure that he would be since he likely slept rough more often than not while travelling with Zabuza, but I insisted on an actual room with an actual bed.

Furniture shopping quickly ballooned into décor shopping too as we picked out bedspreads, curtains, wall-hangings, and anything else that caught Haku's eye. We'd only just finished setting everything up, and Haku was looking around his room with a slightly bemused expression.

"Is something wrong?" I asked, scanning the room with a critical eye. "Did we forget anything?"

Haku shook his head.

"No," he said, smiling softly. "It feels like home."

He spoke the final word like a prayer.

"It is home," I said. "For as long as you want it to be. You're a part of our family now."

Haku nodded.

"Thank you, Kiyo-sama," he said reverently, bowing deeply.

"Oh, um, well…" I trailed off awkwardly.

"Hey, are you two finished in here?" Naruto asked, barging into the room and sparing me from coming up with a response. Behind him, Sasuke peered into the newly redecorated room with mild interest. "I'm starving! Hey, hey! Let's go get some Ichiraku's, dattebayo! Haku'll love it!"

And that was how we found ourselves seated at Ichiraku's fifteen minutes later.

I only half-listened as Naruto gave Haku a dissertation on all the best ramen flavors and toppings. Instead I focused on stretching out my chakra sense. Being able to detect chakra came in handy during our mission to Wave, and I expected that it would be useful during the invasion too. But I still had room for improvement, as Danzo proved when he inadvertently snuck up on me in the Hokage's office. I didn't want to risk an oversight like that again, not with how many dangerous ninjas were due to arrive for the Chunin Exams any day now.

I wasn't worried about the exams themselves since there was no way I would allow my team to participate. Between Orochimaru, Kabuto, and Gaara, the exams were insanely dangerous. And we had nothing to gain by taking part. I just needed to figure out a way to get Kakashi to teach Sasuke Chidori and Jiraiya to teach Naruto the toad summoning. That might be tricky, but I thought that I might be able to manage it.

It was better than fighting with Orochimaru in the Forest of Death, at least. Even if Orochimaru decided to go after Sasuke outside of the exams, I'd be able to get Sasuke to a hospital right away rather than letting the Curse Mark eat away at him for five days.

No matter what, my first priority was keeping everyone safe, and to that end we'd just have to avoid anyone strong. No sooner had that thought crossed my mind than a massive chakra signature passed within my range, slowly approaching. I froze. Beside me, Sasuke twitched, seeming to notice my sudden interest as I casually leaned back and peered down the street. I blinked and frowned.

"Kiyo-sama?" Haku asked quietly, a sharp edge to his chakra as he tracked my gaze to the redheaded young girl.

"It's okay," I said, sliding off of my chair as she passed. I raised my voice. "Excuse me!"

The girl jumped and looked down at me. She was about my age and wore glasses along with a Hidden Grass forehead protector.

"Y-yes?" she asked. Then she spotted my forehead protector and jumped again. "Oh! You probably need to see my passport, right? Because I'm from another village. I-I'm here for the exam…"

She fumbled in her pocket for a moment and produced a passport.

"Oh, Uzumaki Karin!" I said as I took it and read the name. "I thought so."

"What?" Karin asked, looking utterly terrified. "Do I know you?"

Everyone else was watching me too.

Uh…right, I had no reason to care about a random girl from another village. She hadn't actually teamed up with Sasuke and saved his life yet. So what reason could I give for stopping her?

"No, it's nothing like that," I assured her quickly, thinking fast. "It's just so rare to see another Uzumaki. But I knew you were one right away because of your chakra and your hair. My birth mother had red hair just like yours."

Karin blinked at me.

"You're an Uzumaki?" she asked.

"I'm an Uchiha, though my birth mother was an Uzumaki," I clarified. "So is my teammate Naruto. C'mon, you should come meet him."

I headed back to Ichiraku's, and Karin had no choice but to reluctantly follow since I was still holding her passport. Sasuke scooted one seat over and I sat beside him so that Karin could sit between me and Naruto. But she hesitated.

"I really should get going…" she said.

"You should have dinner with us," I said, patting the open seat. "My treat. There aren't many Uzumakis left, so I'd really like to ask you some questions if that's alright?"

Karin bit her lip, glancing at all of us. She blushed when she saw Sasuke, and took her seat, folding her hands in her lap.

"Is it weird to find an Uzumaki?" Naruto asked, looking at Karin curiously. I was hoping that they'd bond over their shared lineage, but they didn't seem to know what to make of each other.

Well, Naruto and Karin weren't exactly accustomed to being accepted by others, so maybe it was a little naïve to hope for a family bonding moment.

"Oh yes," I said as I handed Karin a menu. Maybe some family history might help? "The Uzumakis were once a great and powerful clan known for their immense chakra, long lifespans, and talent for fuinjutsu. They lived in a village called Uzushiogakure, but it was destroyed about 30 years ago, and the Uzumaki clan was scattered. A few, like my mother, settled here, which makes sense because Konoha and Uzushio were close allies. That's why you see the Uzumaki crest on Konoha's flak jackets. But other members of the clan spread out far and wide, and I was hoping to find out more about them."

I turned back to Karin, who was watching me from the corner of her eye. The longing in her gaze was impossible to ignore, but it was still masked by wariness. Understandable.

"Try the pork ramen," I said. "It's Naruto's favorite."

"Yeah, yeah!" said Naruto. "Make sure to get an extra egg too! But not the menma…"

And Naruto was off again giving his detailed opinion on all things ramen. Eventually we all ordered and received our food. In a brief moment of silence as Naruto slurped his noodles, I broached the topic at hand.

"I was wondering if you could tell me a bit about yourself and your family," I said.

"I-I'm not going to help you against my team or my village if that's what you're after," said Karin, her face a picture of distrust.

"That's okay," I assured her. "I just want to know about you. My mother died giving birth to me, and Naruto is an orphan, so I never really knew anything about that side of my family. Do you have any siblings or cousins? What are they like?"

That was a cruel barb, but I wanted her to open up about her home situation or lack thereof. Karin looked down.

"I…I don't have a family," she said. "I just had Kaa-san, and I lost her…"

Karin gripped her forearm in one hand, and only then did I notice the faint scars.

"…Oh," I said. "I'm so sorry. Your arms…"

"It's nothing," she said.

"Huh, what happened?" Naruto asked, also noticing the scars. "Are those bite marks?"

Karin hunched forward as if to hide them and looked away.

"Uzumakis are known for having a strong life force that sometimes manifests as powerful natural healing chakra," I explained. My Uzumaki heritage was likely the reason I'd been able to reach 100% pure medical chakra at such a young age. Karin had likely been born with it. "It can heal others, but the extraction process…"

I trailed off, and Karin seemed to shrink in on herself even more.

"What, no way…" said Naruto, his eyes going wide with horror. "Your own village did that to you?"

"They took in an outsider like me, so I have to prove my loyalty," Karin mumbled.

"What?!" Naruto shouted, making Karin jump. "You have to prove your loyalty by letting them hurt you? Anyone who hurts someone like that doesn't deserve loyalty!"

How many times would Naruto risk his life for the sake of the village? All for the distant hope that one day Konoha might come to truly accept him. And yet Naruto would remain a loyal ninja until the very end. Whether the village deserved his loyalty or not.

Karin remained silent.

"May I?" I asked, my hands glowing green with healing chakra. "Please?"

Karin looked at me through the fringes of her hair for a long moment before slowly holding out her arm. I'd never worked with scar tissue before, but I thought that if I combined healing chakra with my physical transformation, I might be able to make it work.

As I expected, Karin's scars vanished, leaving behind only soft, unblemished skin. I cycled healing chakra through her whole body. There were so many marks. Dozens. Hundreds.

When I was done, I carefully pulled away, and Karin regarded her unmarked arms with disbelief.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" she asked.

I blinked. It was just a bowl of ramen and a bit of healing chakra. But she was looking at me like I'd given her the sun and the moon.

"Well, you are family," I said. "Distant, maybe, but still family."

Karin's eyes filled with tears.

"Family?" she asked, her voice cracking.

I looked to Naruto for help.

"Yeah!" said Naruto, throwing his arm around her. "Just call me Naruto-Nii-chan, okay?"

"Actually, she's a few months older than us," I said, having gleaned the information from her passport. "So it's Karin-Nee-chan."

"Karin-Nee-chan," Naruto agreed easily.

A tear ran down Karin's cheek, and she hung her head.

"Well, you've told us a bit about yourself, so we should do the same," I said to fill the pained silence. "Naruto and I have known each other since we were little kids. We met at a park, and he rescued me…"

We ate our ramen as I told Karin my story, and Naruto added bits and pieces of his childhood as well. Hearing Naruto talk about his past reminded me of our meeting after the massacre, where I felt his heart connect to mine. Karin must have felt it too, her eyes wide and filled with wonder at Naruto's light. Naruto even told her about our recent mission to Wave, and Karin regarded Haku with shy curiosity.

"A vassal of the Uchiha clan?" she asked. "H-how does someone become a vassal?"

"Haku exchanged sake with Nii-chan and swore a vow to uphold the will of the Uchiha clan," I explained.

"Just sake and a vow?" she asked, glancing between me and Sasuke. "That's all? And he was allowed to stay?"

I caught her meaning and looked away.

"Haku was a special case," I said as gently as I could. "He was not bound to any village and had proven that he was a kind person when he spared Naruto and Nii-chan in battle."

In other words, it was unlikely that Karin would be able to do the same. There would be political ramifications for poaching a genin from another village during the Chunin Exams. The Hokage would never allow it.

"Oh…" she said, seeming to deflate. She stared at her empty ramen bowl for a long moment. "I should probably get back to my team."

Karin put on a brave face, but I didn't need to be a Yamanaka to see the heartache just beneath the surface.

"Come back sometime," I said, finally returning her passport. "We'll go out to eat again."

"Yeah, yeah!" Naruto shouted. "Ichiraku's is the best, dattebayo!"

Karin took her passport reluctantly, almost as if she didn't really want it back.

"Yeah…the best," said Karin, her eyes suspiciously bright.

She stood up.

There had to be something I could do.

"Here, I want to give you this," I said impulsively, handing her my medical kit. I'd just restocked it, so it was filled with everything she could possibly need. "You're the medic for your team, right? If you use these, then your team might not have to…you know…"

It wasn't much, but it was all I could do for her.

Karin blinked and opened the pack, her eyes going wide.

"You're just giving me this?" she asked, baffled. "There's so much here. It must be so expensive."

"Not really," I said. "I made all of the medicines myself."

And everything else came from the Uchiha clinic. I had more medical supplies than I would ever need, so it wasn't a burden to give them away.

Karin just stared at the pack for a long minute as tears ran down her cheeks.

"...Thank you," she mumbled.

She looked terribly lonely as she walked away.

"Her eyes…they're like mine were before I met Zabuza-san," said Haku quietly.

"Yeah…" I murmured as Karin retreated.

"You can't save everyone," said Sasuke, watching me carefully.

True.

But that didn't mean I couldn't try.

...

AN: Things are still a bit busy right now, but I managed to put this together. My schedule might be a bit spotty going forward, but I'll try to update when I can.