:Prologue:

-Fifteen Years Ago-

The wind blew softly through the trees as two figures looked down at the body on the ground, the dead ninja's hidden rain headband reflecting in the setting sun. The mission was complete, however neither felt as though they had accomplished much of anything. The man on her left turned quickly as she finished writing on the scroll. Even though his lizard mask hid his face she could read those emotions anywhere.

"All that wasted effort," He sighed looking to the sky. "How did this guy even make the interrogation list? He was the least informative body we've come across."

The female, whose red hair was tied back neatly into a high ponytail, rolled her eyes under her fox mask. Likely the Hokage would be disappointed, however it was not their fault the shinobi was unwilling to part with information. It's not like they went easy on him. "Well there's nothing we can do about it now." She attached the scroll to a messenger hawk making sure to lock the scroll with chakra.

Although the shinobi war had ended, it seemed like that hadn't stopped the animosity dragging on between the hidden villages. The Hidden Stone village had been putting up quite the fight and had become nothing of a nuisance to the Leaf village. The goal was to gather as much information as possible regarding rumor's of a masked man on a killing spree, and because of the location of the village hidden in the rain, it made the shinobi that lived there important targets. As ANBU Black Ops members, she couldn't remember a time she wasn't on a mission, and it felt as though the war the third Hokage had tried so hard to end, was on the brink of starting up again.

"Let's head back to the Leaf, if we hurry, we may even make it back before nightfall."

The fox nodded to the lizard as they quickly entered the trees. Neither of the two shinobi had exhausted much of their chakra hunting down the rain ninja. They were one of the best teams for capture and interrogation that the ANBU had, so that kept the two busy and their skills fresh. The sun slowly began to disappear and the half moon rose in its place. The ANBU in the lizard mask was caught off guard by his partner stopping abruptly, causing the branch she was on to crack under the pressure. She hopped to the next one gracefully, a shiver rocking her body as the cool air caused the goose bumps to rise on her skin.

"What is it?" her partner questioned, curious as to why she suddenly stopped.

"Don't you feel that?" She urged attempting to shake off the feeling creeping up her spine. "There is something ominous in the air. Something sinister…"

He knew his partner well enough to know that nothing phased the kunoichi. The war had certainly hardened them both, but she had scars that he would never quite understand. So for her to present so out of character seemed like something worth noting.

"Let's move then."

If anyone had managed to spot them, the average citizen would've simply watched the two shinobi vanish into thin air, as they moved at a speed invisible to the untrained eye.

She was never happy to approach the Hokage with a lack of information, especially in this case. In war, the ones that win are the ones that held the most information, and although the war was over, and the work of the ANBU was back to more than just protecting Konoha, she felt as though she was failing. She appeared in his office as stealthily as what was required of an ANBU member, almost startling the Hokage sitting at the desk.

"I received your messenger hawk Arisa. It is a problem that we were unable to get any information, seems like the shinobi are growing more tight lipped as the body count climbs. I am not overly surprised, if the massacres are being carried out by one person, than the risk to those that have come into contact with this shinobi is awfully high." Minato Namikaze sighed, running a hand through his straw colored hair, blue eyes locked onto the ANBU member in front of him. They had been after this elusive masked ninja for the last two months, and there had been no leads from any of the ANBU teams. The shinobi known as Arisa couldn't help but see the uncertainty in the fourth Hokage's eyes. He only referred to her by her first name when she was alone with him, and it was nice to hear her name after a long mission. "But it cannot be helped at this time."

"Hopefully we will be able to get information soon Sir. We have heard rumors about a masked man stirring up trouble in the Land of Fire, near the northeastern border, however no concrete evidence as to who it is or what they want. The source itself was not one we could consider reliable." Her voice was soft as the Hokage let out a sigh.

"Well, we will deal with the threats as they come," his authoritative tone shifted to one of embarrassment, "but you know you don't have to call me Sir." He rubbed the back of his head, his eyes closing as a smile covered his face. He had always felt awkward with the formalities.

"Sorry Minato, its been drilled into me forever, so I guess it's just become a habit," She laughed nervously, although agreed with him. Their relationship was definitely different than that of the third Hokage.

"It's not a problem at all Ari. Just makes me feel a lot older than I am." Minato often joked about how taking the position of Hokage had aged him. "I suppose if this debrief is over we both should be getting out of here for the night," Minato smiled and Ari nodded. "Besides, your sister would kill me if I kept her waiting any longer."

She smirked at the anxious tone in the Hokage's voice. Her sister was well known for her temper, something that had only gotten worse as the months went by in her pregnancy. "Well you best get home then. Tell Kushina I say hello! And to not be too hard on you!"

"Will do Ari, head home for the night and relax. I am sure you will be called for a mission in no time."

Her amethyst eyes showed her exhaustion. At thirteen she was a young ANBU member and a skilled shinobi, but the missions did take a lot out of her. The Hokage knew she needed the rest when she could find it.

The ominous feeling that had followed her home remained as the moon lit up the sky in the Hidden Leaf village. She walked slowly through the empty streets of Konoha. Her grey ANBU uniform lit up under the light, as the mask of the fox remained on her face She quickly approached her apartment and changed her attire into something more appropriate. ANBU members were to be as secret as possible so she did not like to wander in it throughout the village unless the citizens were tucked away, asleep in their beds. Wrapping herself into a lavender colored kimono that stopped above her ankles and finishing it with a white obi, she headed back out to the dango shop, or what had become to be known as 'their' meeting spot. Funnily enough, she had never entered the shop when it was open, but found herself becoming a more frequent night time patron. She noticed his icy chakra first, a toothy smile appeared on her face and her eyes lit up. "You're back!"

As she turned to look at him, she couldn't help but smirk. He always had this lazy look on his face, even when almost the entirety of it was covered under a mask. The lazy look was something she enjoyed, because she had been on the receiving end of the fearful and hate filled looks and would never wish that on a single shinobi. "Never thought you'd be so enthusiastic about it Ari."

She rolled her eyes in the most dramatic fashion she could muster. "And why wouldn't I be so excited to have my best friend back for a visit? It seems more and more often we are both out on missions. It's becoming harder and harder to do this together lately."

It was true, regardless weather the ninja was ANBU or any rank, the missions were becoming longer and longer. The two shinobi, although both young had seen more death and destruction than many seasoned shinobi in the village. Arisa remembered how Kakashi had lost both of his team mates and knew the nickname 'friend killer' still made its way through the rumor mill, especially in the ANBU. She remembered how difficult it was for her to finally find out his truth, and that only caused the searing anger towards anyone voicing those rumors to grow. Most of the ANBU knew better than to open their mouths around Arisa, fearing what awaited them. Arisa had her own darkness, and knew that if people actually got to know the silver haired jounin they would see the love he had for his teammates and that not everything is always how it appears.

Upon entering the graveyard, they separated to their perspective gravestones. Kakashi made his way to the graves of his fallen comrades located on the far east, while Arisa walked to the west towards a large tree monument beautifully carved out of stone. Both shinobi were the only surviving members of their genin teams, something that was not common, even during the hard times. They made a point that each time they returned from a mission, regardless how long the mission was, they would meet in the middle of the night at the dango shop, before walking towards the graveyard to pay their respects. The whole thing had started out as a coincidence, after a particularly hard ANBU mission. She had found the jounin sitting in front of two graves, his face emotionless, yet somehow she could see the eternal dread that lingered there.

"Hey Hatake," Her voice was soft, "Never thought you'd be one to visit here? Hard to think someone with the nickname 'friend killer' would be coming to pay respects to his comrades.'

She caught the kunai that was about to pierce her forehead and twirled it in her fingers. His face had shifted from anger to expressionless so fast she wasn't one hundred percent sure she had seen it, but the kunai confirmed her suspicion. 'A stupid nickname really. Idiotic people should not talk about what they do not know. Honestly if that's what they decided to call you, mine should be way worse.'

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. Was he annoyed at the girl in front of him? Did she drive him absolutely crazy? The answer was yes, but the way she scoffed at the nickname as if it didn't bother her at all was a new feeling for him. 'Shut up Uzumaki.' He did not move as the red head sat beside him, neither one saying anything, but somehow that felt right in the moment.

Arisa let a single tear fall as she placed her hands on the two graves in front of her, their names carved into the branches of the stone tree.

'Ryuichi and Sakima. I still cannot believe I am here without you. It was supposed to be team three till the end.' She sat talking to the two as if her comrades were there in front of her. Somehow talking with the dead, was a lot easier than talking with the living.

"Kakashi?"

He turned his head to the red headed kunoichi who had made it back towards him without him noticing. She was a slender little thing, practically swimming in her kimono, and appeared to be the least bit threatening. He knew that to be false however, after being told he had no option but to have her join his ANBU team. He had graduated the year before her from the academy, so they rarely had interaction at that time. The two shinobi competed in the chunin and jounin exams at separate times, and neither one knew that they had watched and studied the other during their exams. Although they had never gone up against each other, he knew the skills she had and immediately respected her talents, even if he didn't want to admit it. He smirked under his mask as he thought back to the days on team Minato. His team seven and Arisa's team three almost never met up with each other, they had become rivals as sort as their ranks in Konoha often shifted quickly between one holding first place before the other came along and snatched it. Minato didn't speak much about Arisa, but when he did, Kakashi hated when he would compare certain skills of theirs to hers. Yet the red head caught his eye at every limited encounter. She had become a soft beacon of light in the darkness that threatened to engulf him.

"How is my sister?" She asked quietly shifting from foot to foot, keeping her gaze forward to hide the nervousness on her face, something she had difficulty shaking in front of him. She had pleaded with her brother-in-law to help save her silver haired friend. 'Well, who would've ever thought I would think of Hatake as a friend.' She could see darkness spreading through him, he needed greater purpose then leading suicide mission after suicide mission. Knowing that Minato was his sensei, she hoped he would be able to help him, before he went the way of his father. Minato had agreed -having also noticed the self destruction- and gave Kakashi the most important mission he could think of, guarding his pregnant wife.

"She's been doing well. I do however feel bad for Minato sensei. Her temper has certainly become unreasonable at times." Kakashi slowly rose from Obito Uchiha's grave. Ari stood almost a whole head shorter than Kakashi as she placed her body close to his. She could feel the sadness radiating from Kakashi as he placed an arm over her shoulder, something he had done entirely subconsciously.

"I wish I could've met them. I heard some amazing things about both Obito and Rin." Arisa stated a soft smile appearing on her face. "Minato always spoke highly of all of you."

He didn't answer her, and she was okay with that. Having someone bring up fallen comrades, even in a nice way was extremely difficult.

"Ari," He looked down, shifting his gaze to meet her purple eyes. He wasn't sure what the feeling was that made him want to be close to her, but he needed to nip it in the bud. Relationships never ended well for shinobi. "I-I need to head back." He pulled his arm away quickly, as Arisa clued in to what was going on.

"Oh!" She spoke sharply stepping back from his warm embrace. "I guess you're right. Well, take care of them for me okay Hatake?"

"Of course, Uzumaki."

She barely had the time to blink before Kakashi vanished. She looked down one more time at Obito's grave, her hand reaching to touch the imprint of the Uchiha's name. "You have no idea how much he misses you."

The wind blew through the grave, and she couldn't shake that dark feeling coming from the cold air. Crossing her arms over her chest she looked up into the sky at the full moon. 'One day at a time.'

-Seven months later-

"What do you mean we're stuck here?" Ari's growl was feral, her fists so tight, her nails were cutting into her palms. She ran towards Hokage tower flanked by Kurenai, a fellow shinobi and one of her best friends. Arisa's hospital gown flapped in the wind the mint green clashed against the night sky. She had been startled awake by the deafening growl of a beast she was far too familiar with. Initially when she began ripping IV lines out, she was worried someone was going to stop her, so when Kurenai arrived and supported her medical AWOL, she knew that the worst was happening.

"We are all sealed in the barrier, the Hokage isn't letting any of us out." Kurenai stated watching her friend with wide eyes. She couldn't ever remember seeing Arisa like this, as far as she knew the kunoichi was always calm and collected, she was the analyzing and tactical type, never jumping in carelessly, and Kurenai had to admit that frightened her. Having spent yesterday in the hospital with her she was surprised that Arisa had the gumption to push on, but then remembered that her chakra was on a very different level than her own.

A crash against the barrier caused the ground to shake, and the shriek from the forest was frightening. Arisa almost lost her footing. "It can't be…." She recognized that barrier immediately and her heart sank to her stomach. She could barely make out the faint yellow blur in the distance, but the chakra left no mystery. 'Minato hold on! I'm coming Shina!'

Reaching the edge of the barrier, they were met with many of their fellow shinobi from all different levels. In front of them stood some of the more elite or seasoned jounin including her very own sensei and her best friends father. She caught a glimpse of the silver hair standing amongst the crowd, and although she wanted to ask why he wasn't out there assisting his sensei and protecting her sister, she chose to pick her fight with the prior Hokage. "You have to let me out!"

The young girls voice was menacing, however the elder Hokage remained unfazed. Her red hair was disheveled, reaching out in all varying directions. The dark purple circles under her eyes added to the darkness of her purple iris'. "We must protect the village Arisa, as shinobi that comes first and foremost. There are already ninja teams out there supporting the fourth in his attempt to take down the nine-tails." Her sensei's voice interrupted the icy glare she was spitting at the Hokage as she rapidly shook her head, as if to coax herself out of a bad dream.

Looking around she noticed the lack of bodies inside the barrier, but that didn't stop her from bargaining.

"You don't understand Sensei! I am the only one who can help them!" She was begging him to understand. This was what she was chosen for. Kurama's cries continued as the crashes against the barrier increased in intensity. 'Shina, what the fuck is happening?'

Kakashi watched from the background as Arisa attempted a verbal duel with the Hokage and Shinku to let her out. If only she knew that he had made the same demands but had gotten nowhere. He was supposed to be there, that was the duty assigned to him. Minato had given him the night off as a chance to go visit Arisa in the hospital. He had been okay with it, knowing that Genma and the others were with both him and Lady Kushina. He never did make to the infirmary and the guilt of leaving his post was eating the jounin from the inside.

"If you leave and you all die, who then will protect the village?!" Arisa stepped back at the tone in the Hokage's voice. "The fourth had put this place to protect everyone." Yet another crash rang against the barrier and the young shinobi watched as a yellow blur attacked the tailed beast. 'That's not Minato's barrier though, that's Shina!'

"Please I need to get to them!" She made a run for it, catching only a glimpse of the lizard mask in her peripherals before the world went black.

She shot up in bed, cold sweat dripping from her brow. Immediately, her mind began to replay what had happened that night and as soon as she remembered, her breath caught in her throat. It all had to be a bad dream, there was absolutely no way the nine tails was released. Ever since becoming pregnant every precaution was taken to stop that from happening, Arisa herself had even helped with the seals. She wanted to believe that Kushina and Minato were both fine with her new niece or nephew. None of that fighting with Kurama could be real, could it? Her mind was running a mile a minute, so distracted in fact, that she didn't even sense him in the room.

"You need to come with me Arisa."

The ultimate sadness in his voice was the only confirmation she needed. His onyx eye was usually so unreadable, but it hid nothing of the events that occurred. Slowly she stood realizing she was in one of the rooms of the Hokage tower, typically recovery rooms for ANBU members. She was trying to remember what had happened before she blacked out and who had been brazen enough to even do it. Her steps were slow and unsteady as she followed Kakashi to the office of the Hokage, brushing away his hand that was offering to assist her. How long had she been out for?

"Kakashi what-."

He remained focused on the door to the office his hand planted firmly on the wood, as he pushed it open, interrupting her chance to ask the question burning at her lips. There stood Hiruzen Sarutobi holding a bundle tightly in his arms. A sharp cry quickly rang out around the room and Arisa's heart broke. She could feel the emptiness in the cries, like a baby bird who's mother was no longer in the nest. She gulped, shuffling towards the Hokage attempting to will the tears in her eyes away. ANBU members were taught to hide their emotions and she had admitted from the beginning that was something she was not good at. 'Emotions run high in us Uzumaki's.'

"Does this mean Minato and Kushina are…" She couldn't bring herself to say the words, if she said it out loud that made it real. She reached towards the bundle, uncovering his head, and as soon as her soft hand touched his cheek the crying stopped and Kakashi watched fascinated along with the third Hokage. Arisa didn't know that the child had been crying since birth, unable to be consoled, until now. He was the splitting image of his father. That straw colored hair and those blue eyes took her breath away. 'You're beautiful.' She took the child from the arms of Hiruzen, and the baby seemed to watch her with the same excitement in his eyes that she held for him. She could feel the chakra inside the boy, not the entirety of the nine tails but definitely the yang part of the chakra. It was chaotic burning through his tiny system, her hands were a faint green as she did what she knew to calm the fire inside this child. She shook the tears from her eyes and peaked under the blanket, seeing the sealing jutsu that her clan had developed years ago, instead of eight stood 16 locks meaning that it was a combined effort by both Minato and Kushina. 'I am sorry little one, this burden was supposed to be mine to bear.'

"They both sacrificed their lives protecting Konoha." Hiruzen could not even begin to understand the emotions going through the young girls' mind. "We are all deeply saddened, we lost two amazing shinobi and human souls. Word is there was an ambush and that a kidnapping took place. We are trying to gather information but-"

"Enough." Her words were fire and Kakashi flinched. She couldn't hold back her anger, her entire body seethed and if she hadn't been holding a newborn, she may not have been able to stop the actions she wanted to take next. If they had just listened to her maybe they wouldn't be standing in the Hokage tower, holding her orphan nephew, discussing probable causes of the attack. Perhaps, none of this would've happened and maybe her sister and the fourth Hokage would be alive, living to watch their son grow. "Why weren't you there with them?"

Her accusation was unfair, she knew the moment she said it. She just needed someone to help her understand. Still she spat it like venom towards the masked shinobi. She knew that he would never have abandoned his post without permission, but the whole situation was so surreal.

"I am sorry Ari."

Defeated Kakashi sighed holding back his own emotions. Did she not understand that it was his sensei, his mentor that had sacrificed himself to save the village? He was surrounded by darkness, causing every one around him to die. Three days ago, the world took not only his sensei, but one of his best friends. His ears could barely pick up her soft words but he heard a small apology escape her lips.

"Well what is my nephew's name?" Arisa asked rocking the bundle in her arms.

"Naruto."

-Three years later-

"Are you trying to kill yourself Hatake?" Arisa whispered harshly; her hands aglow with chakra as she tended to the ANBU's wounds. This was definitely the worst she had seem him return. Blood and deep slashes covered his pale body as he stumbled into her apartment at two o'clock in the morning barely conscious. While she had made the choice to leave the ANBU Black Ops to care for her nephew, Kakashi had dove in full force,and if Arisa knew him as well as she did, she could bet he was hoping someone else would do the job of ending his life.

She knew he had been recruited by Danzo's root faction, a group Hiruzen had warned her about when she was initially recruited many years ago. If the ANBU was a dark place, Root took that to a whole other level. It was so secretive that once a shinobi joined, their tongue was covered in a seal, so that they would not be able to utter a word about the group. Arisa felt as though Danzo prayed on those that had seen hardships unlike any other, and used them to do his dirty work. She had never liked the man, especially after he backed Orochimaru to replace Hiruzen as the fourth Hokage. Yet no matter how much she tried to change Kakashi's mind he wouldn't listen to her, so instead, she was there to bandage him up and take care of his wounds, because she needed him, even if he couldn't see that.

Taking out a roll of bandages she began to wrap the visible wounds. "Okay Kakashi shirt off, we need to make sure the rest of you is intact." She held back her blush as he removed his shirt, showing his scarred but chiseled chest. Her chakra began to run into his body searching for any internal injuries. "Well they didn't hit anything vital, you're lucky. Next time be more careful."

"Almost sounds like you would miss me Nurse." He laughed which quickly turned to a groan.

Arisa had twisted the chakra causing Kakashi to wince in pain. "You're an idiot if you think I wouldn't miss you, I don't just let any shinobi through my window at this time in the morning." She continued to mend the cuts and stop the bleeding. "Honestly, as much as I would love to hit you through the wall, Naruto is asleep next door."

"You're nephew does sleep through anything though," Kakashi smirked bringing a finger under his chin, which resulted in a smack to the head.

"Keep that up, and next time you can go to the hospital."

"I want a new nurse."

-Five years later-

"Can you believe it?"

Arisa couldn't help but laugh as her hot-blooded nephew strolled down the streets of Konoha, head held high as they made their way to Ichiraku Ramen Hut. The sun reflected off the goggles on his head, a fashion choice Arisa never quite understood. Over the years she had watched as the villagers stood back in fear from Naruto or bullied him, without being able to step in. Not one understood the important role he played in saving the village, and that he was still the son of the fourth Hokage. The small amount of shinobi who knew were sworn to secrecy, and the rest treated him as an outcast. They weren't supposed to talk of Naruto's parent's and Arisa knew that was the way that Hiruzen decided to protect him.

"I am going to graduate the academy as fast as I can, then I will be the next Hokage!" She knew that he was the splitting image of her brother in law, but his personality was certainly his mothers. She smiled softly as those memories came back. "Hey Auntie, what kind of ramen are you going to get?"

"Pork, obviously." She stated hiding the drool making its way to the corner of her mouth, deciding to change the topic to something more important. "Now that you're enrolled at the academy Naruto maybe we should think about easing up on the pranks? I am pretty sure the Hokage is going to have a heart attack one of these days." They each sat on a stool as Teuchi – the shop owner- welcomed his best customers.

"I think secretly the Hokage enjoys my art," Naruto laughed waiting for the steaming bowl of noodles to be placed in front of him. "This way they notice me! The Hokage will never be able to forget the name Naruto Uzumaki!"

The ramen was some of the best Arisa had ever had, even traveling to the other nations. Ironic that her nephew happened to be named after a hero, who was named after ramen. 'Master Jiraiya has a weird sense of humor.'

Leaving the hut, Arisa couldn't help but feel an intense amount of joy when near Naruto. He never seemed phased by anything. He was the most persistent kid she had ever met, and his heart was pure gold. He seemed untainted by the attitudes of those around him and she wished she had his confidence. It's not like anyone would even know he was the jinchuriki host to Kurama, a discussion she wanted to have with him when he was older.

"Naruto?" The yellow haired boy turned to her, his blue eyes wide, "Just remember that you're amazing okay?"

"Well of course Riri! Only amazing shinobi can be Hokage."

They walked slowly back to their apartment. Arisa wore a purple kimono that went down to her ankles and was tied back with an obi covered in white lilies. Her red hair had grown over the years making its way to her mid back as it flew freely in the breeze. Her amethyst eyes always watching over her nephew. He was a handful, and some days she wondered if she was even up to the task, but he filled the void that Kushina and Minato had left. He was someone she could come home to, and she knew he loved her. He was her responsibility, after all, his parents died for the village.

"Hey Auntie Riri, what's that?" as they entered the apartment Naruto pointed towards the messenger hawk that was sitting calmly on the table. "Oh, I bet it's a mission from the Hokage."

Ari rolled her eyes at his excitement as she shooed him towards the dining room and took the scroll from the hawks' leg. Her brow furrowed before she destroyed the scroll in a flash of fire and joined Naruto in the dining room.

"Well what was it? A super secret mission?" Naruto beamed and Arisa sighed. "I am sure it's going to be an amazing. I can't wait to become a shinobi!"

"It's certainly going to be something Naruto. It seems like it's going to be a long one."

She wasn't sure she could agree with the word amazing. The note itself was secretive, which usually meant something bigger than her normal D rank mission she had been taking. She took the odd mission here and there to keep her skills fresh, but it felt wrong to leave Naruto for extended periods. She always had her old ANBU members watch over him, and knew the Hokage had a soft spot for him as well. She had taught him to be as a self sufficient as she could, but he was still young. 'An eight year old should not be left alone.'

"Well Auntie! I'll be waiting for you here! Believe it!"

Nightfall seemed to take forever, but as soon as she could hear his light snoring, she quietly left the apartment -sneaking a note under his pillow- and headed east through Konoha. She arrived at the apartment building that was close to Hokage tower, covering her chakra as she climbed through the window.

"Well isn't this a little inappropriate Ari?" She blushed, almost catching her leg on the windowsill and meeting the floor of the copy-ninja's bedroom, as his mouth twisted with amusement. "I am always here for a booty call but…"

She didn't let him finish the sentence as she pulled down his mask with record speed, covering his lips with hers. He had been on a mission for the last few weeks and she didn't want their time to go to waste. She deepened the kiss falling into chest as his groin moved to meet hers. "Pervert." He did not let her lips leave his as she got the word out.

Her lips were fire against his as they fought for dominance. He pulled up his mask as they broke the kiss -simply out of habit- and he rolled his one charcoal eye at her. "I am not the one who practically threw herself on me." Her bell like giggle filled the room as she rolled to the side, fitting perfectly along side him. She noticed the jounin uniform hanging on the chair, glad the third Hokage was finally able to convince him to leave Root. She curled into his warm body and sighed with content. Their schedules lately had been putting a damper on their very secret relationship. Kakashi was busy completing S rank missions as though they were going out of style, which meant long hours and days, sometimes weeks away from the village. Then when he returned she was either busy at the hospital, or busy with Naruto.

"Not that I am complaining, but why the midnight rendezvous? I have at least the next three days off." He felt her body tense and her eyes became focused on the ridges of his abdominal muscles.

"I am going on a reconnaissance mission tomorrow. Apparently, they've been able to find a trail that could possibly lead to Orochimaru. They need my, "she gulped, "expertise."

Kakashi knew there was history there, but Arisa had never once been able to tell him what exactly that history was. Her right arm had a scar encircling the entire bicep. He knew that it looked as though it was removed and sewn back on, but that was years ago. He watched as she subconsciously rubbed her arm and placed a kiss on her hair through his mask. "How long?"

"Until its finished," she whispered. She did not want to leave Naruto, especially in the village that was so toxic to him, not for the extended length of this mission. Yet, she also knew that as a ninja she had to take the mission, it was part of the ninja code. "I just want Naruto to be safe and happy."

Kakashi knew she loved that child as though he was her own. He knew that there was no one better than her for Naruto. "He knows you love him, and that you have duties to the leaf."

She nodded squeezing even closer to Kakashi as he placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head. "Will you watch out for him? I have no idea when I'll be back. I know that Iruka has a soft spot for him, but it can't hurt to have Kakashi of the Sharingan also keeping a look out."

He nodded smiling under his mask. She rarely brought up that horrendous nickname of his. "When do you leave Ari?"

She slowly pushed herself up off of the shinobi and her legs dangled over the edge of the bed, facing away from him. "I am to go to Hokage tower in one hour for the debriefing then I'll be off."

"Guess we need to make the most of our time then." He quickly grabbed the kunoichi from behind as she let out a startled shriek. 'Let's see what other noises I can make come out of you...'

"You think he's with the Akatsuki?" Arisa shook her head in confusion. 'Why on earth would Orochimaru join a rouge ninja group?'

"We don't have a lot of intelligence on the group, but a source has confirmed that Orochimaru is likely among the Akatsuki. You are to gather as much intelligence as you can on what they are after and why Orochimaru suddenly has an interest in the group. Arisa you will be leading the team as you have the most information on Orochimaru." Hiruzen Sarutobi had aged. The lines around his eyes were tired and Arisa couldn't help but notice how his chakra was changing. "These shinobi carry a reputation of being formidable foes, so you are not to engage them in battle."

"Yes Hokage." Arisa stated turning towards her fellow team members, hoping the three ANBU knew what they were getting themselves into. "You heard the Hokage, let's move out."

The ninjas slowly vanished before the Hokage's eyes and Arisa tightened the leaf headband around her left ankle. She wore a shorter purple kimono and a mesh top. She had multiple scrolls on her waist as well as her first aid kit. She looked one last time at the Hokage before forming the single hand sign to vanish from his office.

'I'll be back Naruto.'