Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Chapter 3: Taking Inventory

The sun was warm on her face. She saw a shade of red behind her closed eyelids. While the mint green sheer curtains that she had picked out looked great, they did not excel at what curtains were designed to do. Sakura let out a small groan and flipped over to her other side. She stubbornly kept her eyes shut. He was awake and judging from the way her skin was prickling he was watching her.

"Stop being creepy, Porky." She grumbled with more irritation than she felt.

He grinned. Her voice was still heavy from sleep. "Can't help myself." He gently moved some wayward strands that had escaped her braid from her face.

She sighed exasperatedly. "So what, you're just going to stare at me all morning now?"

"Maybe." He really could stare at her all day. Not that she would let him and neither would his responsibilities. Her eyes were still closed. Her left cheek was red and had lines from her pillow. The way the light hit her hair it looked like she was surrounded by a pink halo. The lilac and viridian seals glistened almost like jewelry against the skin of her forehead. Every morning he woke up next to her, he was reminded just how lucky he was.

Her eyes fluttered open. The playful jab she had about how nice it must be to have time to do nothing died in her throat. The way he was looking at her killed just about all brain functions associated with coherence. She had been stabbed, cut open, and bleeding out. Many had tried to kill her from the outside in. But none had come remotely close to what her husband could do to her with a single look. He was killing her from the inside out.

His cobalt eyes struck her at her core, her soul. He made it damn near impossible to breathe much less do anything else. She was completely a goner when it came to that head of yellow hair, sharp features, and those blue eyes. The damn eyes. She was no different than a simple-minded moth. One dancing around the very source of its ultimate demise. She let herself stare deeper. She did not care if she caught fire. The sensation was worth the cost. She wanted to be one with the flame that burned her.

They lost track of time. Sakura could not even remember the last time they had done this. Forgetting everything going around them and just holding each other's gaze. It had to be before Naruto was born. When they both had more time. When their attention was not demanded by a needy newborn, bored baby, troublemaking toddler, or something or the other. Right now, nothing was wrong. Nothing needed their immediate attention. Everything could wait.

Maybe not. She saw the shift in him. As if he suddenly remembered that a world existed outside of those green orbs. The way he looked at her was no longer holding her completely captive.

"Good morning," he said in his calm gentle voice.

"Good morning," she managed to say back.

"I dreamed of you last night," he did not once break eye contact with her even as he cupped the side of her face.

"Was it a good dream?" She was more enthralled with observing him than actually holding a conversation.

"It's always a good dream when you're in it." The way his eyes softened along with his voice were too much for her.

Sakura moved closer until their noses were touching. She stared at his lips as she bit hers. "What was the dream about?"

His smile was now slightly less innocent. "I could tell you," he ran his thumb along her bottom lip. "Or we could pick up where we left off."

"Where did we leave off?" Her voice was slightly heavier than it had been just moments ago. The butterflies in her stomach were almost rabid.

"We," he tilted his head down, "let off somewhere here." He closed the gap, comprised of centimeters, between them.

Her eyelids slid closed as she kissed him back. Her lips pulled into a pout as he pulled back much too soon. The only consolation was that he did not seem too happy about it either.

"We should probably get up before -"

"Too late." Sakura smiled and if on cue, the doorknob rattled, and seconds later a flash of yellow hurled at them. Minato caught him just in time to prevent him from landing on top of Sakura.

"He gets that from you." They said in unison as they exchanged playful looks.

Sakura swung her legs over the bed and got up onto her feet. She reached her arms over her head and stretched. A content sound made its way through her throat as she popped a couple of her vertebrae.

"Eagle, eagle, eagle!" Naruto looked at his father expectantly. Minato swung Naruto back and forth in his arms as the child held out his arms as wide as they would go. He pulled back and threw him onto the bed.

Naruto's giggles filled the room. "Again, again, again!" The boy demanded holding his arms up. Minato lifted him and began to rock him back and forth. He landed on the bed with exuberant joy.

"I'll have breakfast ready by the time you're done here." Sakura half turned in the doorway as she pulled her robe on.

"Mama, do you want a turn?" Naruto got up on his knees and asked her.

"Maybe Mama will play with Dada later, Naruto." She winked at Minato before making her way to the kitchen. Maybe she could find a different way to get information out of her dear husband. She could be creative.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders, nonplussed by his mother's word choice, unlike his father.

"Dada!" Naruto tugged at Minato's pajama pants.

Minato blinked and looked down at his son. "Yes?"

Naruto held out his arms. "Again!"

Minato grinned. "Yes, sir!"

Ino held onto her father's hand and they made their way through the streets of their village. It was loud. There were many people out and about trying to make their way to work, the academy, or the training fields. She had seen them walk past the flower shop not too long ago, the sign in the window said closed. She knew because it started with a 'C' and not an 'O'.

"Where are we going, Otosan?" She remembered hearing her father say he was taking her to work but she did not know where 'work' was.

Inoichi squeezed her hand. "We'll be there soon, Ino."

"Will Shika and Choji be there?"

Inoichi shook his head. "There will be no children. So that's why I need you to behave while you're there. You think you can do that?"

Ino nodded. She could pretend to be like a grownup. It was not hard. Most of them just complained about how tired they were and about something called 'taxes'. Grownups loved to complain about taxes. She squared her shoulders and held her head high. She would be good. She was mature for her age. Everyone kept telling her that.

They came to a stop at an old white building with a blue roof. Ino stared at the brown sign in front of the building. She knew some words of the alphabet. She tried to sound out what she recognized under her breath. Inoichi pulled her along before she could even make it a third of the way through the first word.

"Where are we, Otosan?" She asked.

"Work." He sat flatly.

Her blue eyes were wide as she took in her new surroundings. It was dark but also bright. The walls, floors were all very dark but the lights that hung overhead were very bright. The ceilings were very, very tall. Much taller than the ones in her house. She felt cold. It was nice outside but much colder in this place. There were many, many desks. At least five. Or maybe it was seven? Her father was moving again before she had a chance to count each one. People were sitting up straighter when they noticed her father. 'Otosan must be important.' She knew because her father did the same thing when her mother was mad at him.

Her purple and white sandals with butterflies on them squeaked against the floors as they walked. As usual, her father made no sounds as he moved. It was because he was a shinobi. A really strong one. One day she too would be just like him. She could not wait to start the pre-academy in six months.

She was not paying attention so she tried to keep walking even though her father had stopped. She took a step back to stand next to him. Her blue eyes widened as she processed the man they were standing in front of. He was very tall and he was different from any adult she had seen before.

"Morino-san, just the man I wanted to see." Inoichi smiled easily at him.

The man did not return the gesture. Ino felt his eyes on her. She met his gaze.

"Cute kid," Ibiki grunted, the disapproval was not subtle.

Inoichi rubbed the back of his neck. "Wife came down with something last night so I'm now on kid duty today. This is my daughter Ino. Ino, say hello to Morino-san."

"Hello," she said in a pleasant enough voice. Her eyes darted to his head covering before coming back down to his eyes. "What happened to your face?" She asked him with clear curiosity. She wondered if it was a cat. A big cat.

Before Inoichi could reprimand her and remind her that it was rude to ask people questions about their bodies, Ibiki crouched down so that he was closer to eye level with Ino. Inoichi's face fell.

"I met a bad guy who asked me about my face." Ibiki narrowed his eyes and lowered his voice.

Ino blinked as she processed the new information. "Cool." She grinned at him.

Ikibi threw his head back and barked out a laugh before he rose to his feet. "I like her." He turned his attention to Inoichi. "What do you need?"

"The autopsy reports." The Yamanaka said solemnly.

Ibiki nodded. "Suzuki!" A brunette head popped up from a cubicle. Ibiki beckoned him to join them.

"Yamanaka-san." The man dipped his head in greeting.

"Suzuki-san." Inoichi greeted him back. "This is my daughter Ino. Mind watching her while I grab some files? It will only take a minute. Thank you!"

Inoichi did not even give him a chance to process the words. Before he knew it, he was being handed a tiny hand and Morino and Yamanaka were gone.

"Uh…" Masaki looked down at the blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl. His brain was not computing. This was the last place a child should be in. He looked around. Maybe the walls of his cubicle were high enough to keep her from seeing anything too traumatic. It was not uncommon place to see people with broken bodies and minds being dragged down the hall. It was nightmare fuel central where he worked. Not too long ago they had to mop up blood from the floors thanks to an interrogation led by Ibiki going sideways.

"Let's go back to my desk." Masaki turned Ino around by the shoulders and led her back to where he came from.

The little girl climbed into his black, clothed chair and looked at him expectantly. "Hi." She smiled at him. Masaki felt himself relax a little. She seemed sweet enough. Maybe it would not be so bad.

"Hi." He smiled back.

"Are you married?" She asked him innocently as swung her legs back and forth in the air.

Masaki cleared his throat, buying himself time. The question caught him off guard. "No."

"Special friend?" Her baby blue eyes pinned him in place.

"No." He draped an arm over the top of the cube. "I don't have a girlfriend."

"Why not? What's wrong with you?" She asked flippantly.

Masaki looked at her dumbfounded. His hand went from his side to his hip. "Why are you asking if there's anything wrong with me?" He did not care for how defensive he sounded. In one question she had found a nerve.

Ino crossed her arms. Masaki got the impression that she was losing patience with him. As outrageous as it was. "Because duh," she supplied.

"Because duh what?" He leaned forward and pinned her with his best I'm-the-grownup-so-you-will-answer-the-question look. He was not a master interrogator for nothing.

"Tsume-san says if an old man does not have a wife or girlfriend something is wrong with him. Everybody knows that." She said matter-of-factly. Ino looked at the chipped pink nail polish on her left hand in a bored manner.

Masaki felt personally attacked. He glared at the source of the quiet snickers. Ino was managing to undo years of his hard work and completely undermine his reputation.

"Listen up, kid. There is nothing wrong with me. Didn't your parents teach you any manners?" He asked her in a less-than-level tone.

"Didn't your parents teach you how to be nice?" She shot back at him.

Masaki gawked at her. "Nice? I have been nice!" He felt his annoyance go up a level.

Ino stuck her tongue out at him. "You're mean. I don't like you."

"Yeah well, I don't like you all that much either." He said before he could stop himself.

Ino rolled her eyes at him and turned her head to the side. He saw the hurt expression on her face. He took a deep breath and reminded himself that he was arguing with a child. A child too young to even go to school yet.

"Sorry if I lost my temper. I did not mean what I said. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

Ino shrugged, unfazed. "It's okay."

Masaki sighed and leaned back. He stared at the clock. Hopefully, they would be back soon. The sooner they got back the sooner Inoichi would take his offspring far away from here. He felt her eyes on him.

"Do you like paying taxes?" She asked him solemnly.

It took a lot of self-control for him not to bang his head against the cubicle wall.

"I'll try to be quick," Inoichi said as he scanned the first of the four manilla folders.

"The kid will be fine. Suzuki is a natural." Ibiki responded gruffly.

The corner of Inoichi's mouth twitched. "Ino's not the one I'm worried about."

Ibiki's eyes gleamed with understanding.

Inoichi held the file open. "Who's T.R.?" He pointed to the box in the top right corner where the initials of the coroner were.

"Takana, Ryo. Field medic."

His blond brows furrowed. "That's not the usual coroner."

Ibiki shrugged. "Hokage's orders. He showed me the correct credentials so I stopped asking questions."

Inoichi nodded faintly. It made sense to him. Minato wanted to keep the circle small. The field medic healed his injuries and he was already familiar with the enemies. Any medic that could stitch together the Hokage could certainly slice open some cadavers.

"Nothing really stands out." He said more to himself than Ibiki. He scanned the other three files before shuffling them on the table over to Ibiki. "Thanks. I think that will be all for now."

"Find what you were looking for?" Asking questions was an Occupational Hazard for Ibiki.

The Yamanaka shook his head. "Not quite sure what I'm looking for. Let me know if anyone asks to see the reports?"

Ibiki nodded his head.

He leaned closer to inspect the leaves and stem of the plant with a critical eye. He tilted his head to the side and regarded the pale yellow flowers. He moved the brown crumpled-up sheet so that it was right next to the plant. His eyes darted from the drawing of the plant to the actual plant. He nodded his head satisfied that they were one and the same. He reached over to pluck it from the stem. A hand stopped him. He looked up from his crouched position to see Rin shaking her head softly at him. Her other hand was on her knee as she leaned forward. "They're not the same Obito. Move on."

"Really? They look the same to me." He was not convinced.

"Yellow is not the same as white. We want white." She moved up the hillside some. He watched as she collected more plants and tied them with green twine. She placed them in the basket.

"White, we want white. White, we want white. White…" He muttered to himself as he moved to a patch of flowers growing in the shade. "Yatta! I got you now." He exclaimed in excitement. He was being useful. He was helping Rin. He could not think of a better way to start his day.

The leaves were shiny like they had been dipped in oil. The white flowers were clustered together in bunches. They were small and delicate. They looked like the picture he held in his hands. He was sure of it.

"Obito stop!" His hand froze mere centimeters from the leaves. "Back away. Don't touch anything." He took three steps back. He held up his hands. Rin was standing next to him with her hands on her hips. "That's poison oak." She said it in a manner that made it clear that it should mean something to him. It did not not.

"I'm guessing we don't want that." He chuckled sheepishly, rubbing his nose.

Rin shook her head. "We definitely don't want that." She sighed. Maybe this was too much for Obito. Attention to detail was never his strong suit. "Here," she handed him the brown woven basket. "You can hold the basket."

Obito grinned. "That I can do." He followed after her as she climbed up the hill once again to grab a few more plants. He looked over his shoulder at Hokage Monument. "What's all this for anyway?"

Rin reached for some plants with bright purple flowers. "It's Restock Day at the hospital." She tied them together and placed them in the basket Obito was holding. "I figured since we'd already be doing the work that there was no harm in grabbing some additional plants and herbs to help with inflammation, nausea, bloat, heartburn, and the like."

"You're amazing, Rin." His words were colored with awe.

"Obito, I'm just pulling plants out of the ground. Hardly worthy of praise. Anyone can do it," she turned her head as her eyes scanned him. "Well, just about anyone." She teased him lightly before she climbed up higher on the hillside.

"You remember which ones to grab and what they do! You don't even need the reference papers! That's like so cool. You're so smart." He gushed.

Rin smiled. "Sakura-sensei taught me well. Speaking of which. I don't know what you did but stay away from her for a bit, okay?"

He scrunched his face. "She's mad again? How does sensei put up with her crazy mood swings?"

Rin chuckled. He did not know half of it. Things were about to get a whole lot worse for Obito if he thought that was bad. She planted her foot firmly on a rock about ten feet from the ground. She reached upwards towards the flowers at the edge of the cliff.

"I'm going to marry you, Rin." Obito grinned at her openly. Her footing stumbled. She grabbed hold of a rock to regain it. Some dirt fell down the hill.

"Obito-baka. I know that. Hold the basket straight!" She yelled down at him. More plants rained down into the basket. He moved it as needed to catch them all.

He looked up. He tilted his head. He did not mind the view he was getting from his vantage point. A goofy grin pulled across his face as he admired the um scenery.

Rin tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She was beginning to think she should have put her hair up before she climbed up the cliffside; the wind was causing it to whip up around her face. She did her best to ignore it as she reached for more of the purple flowers that were littering along tiny plateaus that were barely wide enough for her to grip.

The rays of the sun were also hitting her at an unpleasant angle. Her eyes were beginning to water as she kept them open in the bright light. Rin moved her foot but when she put it down on what she thought was a solid spot, the rock gave way. Rin let out an exclamation of surprise as she lost her balance and fell backward.

Her stomach dropped along with her. "Ouch." She rubbed the sore spot. She had landed on something hard. "Obito!" She covered her mouth with her hand and scrambled to her feet. "Are you okay?" She asked as she hovered over him.

She blinked when a cluster of flowers that had come to obscured her vision. "Baby's breath?" She followed the hand that was holding it all the way to the goofy face it was attached to.

"You said white right?" He sat up just enough so that he could put the flowers behind her ear.

Rin shook her head. "You're an idiot."

She let out a surprised squeak when she felt herself being pulled down onto him. They were a mess of limbs as they rolled down the grassy hill. She pushed off his chest when they finally stopped moving.

"What was that for?" She asked him. Her face was filled with both surprise and fluster.

"I just felt like it." He grinned. In an instant, he switched their position so that now he was the one straddling her.

"Obito, the basket." Rin looked to her left trying to see it from her vantage point.

"Forget the basket, Rin-chan!" He nibbled on her ear. Her protests left her, taking her sanity with them.

"But Restock Day." She muttered. The hospital and all the patients were counting on her. His lips had moved to her neck now.

"The basket isn't going anywhere." His teeth pulled at the skin above her collarbone.

She closed her eyes. "It's not going anywhere." She repeated breathily.

"Good morning, Wolf-san." She smiled easily at the ANBU. Her feet came to a stop a yard away from him.

"Good morning, Shizune-san." He greeted her. His arms hung loosely behind his back. The ANBU tattoo was clearly visible.

"Busy keeping Konoha safe?" She tilted her head to the side as she rearranged the basket in her arms.

"Something like that." He gestured to the basket. "Restock Day?"

Shizune nodded. "I'm on my way to the Nara compound for the antlers."

He knew that. The day came every first Monday of the month. That was why he was standing there in the first place. But he would never cop to it of course.

"We weren't able to get too many last time. Kento-san did say that this time there should be more than enough." Shizune said in a light tone.

"Kento is trouble. Avoid him." Wolf said in a detached manner.

"Really? He's always been really nice to me. Super helpful. Very eager." Shizune brought a hand to her face in contemplation.

"Just trust me." This time there was a slight strained edge to his voice.

"If the official guard of Hokage is telling me that, then who am I to disagree? Thank you for the advice." The giddiness inside of her grew at the grunt she received in response.

Both turned to look to see Sakura and Naruto headed toward them. "Shizune-chan, Wolf, what a surprise." Sakura smiled broadly at them.

"Zune-oneechan!" Naruto hugged the medic's legs. Shizune wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

"Sakura-sensei. Naruto-kun it's good to see you." She giggled at the glare that Naruto was giving Wolf. Their relationship was pretty touch and go. Naruto's primary goal in life was to find trouble and Wolf's was to protect the boy from trouble. Wolf was to be a shadow to not interact with the boy. And Naruto did not understand why Wolf refused to play with him. They were the bane of each other's existence. At least Naruto acted like it.

Shizune and Sakura exchanged a look. "Ne, Naruto-kun why don't we go look at some deer? Doesn't that sound fun?"

Naruto nodded his head. "I want to see deer! Can I Mama?"

"Only if you promise to be good for Shizune-oneechan." Sakura helped him into his backpack. "Shizune-oneechan will bring you to the daycare at the hospital, okay?"

"I will!" He beamed at her.

She kissed his forehead. "Good. Have fun. I'll see you later. I love you."

Shizune held out her hand for Naruto to grab. Sakura and Wolf watched as Naruto and Shizune waved goodbye to them before they walked out of the line of sight.

"You did that on purpose."

Sakura turned to Wolf. "I have no idea what you're talking about. It was completely coincidental that I walked by the place where you and Shizune see each other every first Monday."

"Tch, whatever." He knew better than to argue with Sakura. She had more patience for it. She said words like fish drank water. "What do you want?"

Sakura brought her hands to her hip. "Kakashi, did it ever occur to you that maybe I just wanted to see how my favorite former student was doing?"

"Sakura-sensei, what's the point of the mask if you're just going to blow my cover?"

"Right, sorry, Wolf." If Kakashi really wanted anonymity he should really do something about hiding his white hair. It was a dead giveaway. "Let me make it up to you." Sakura rooted through the white tote slung on her shoulders. "I brought you something." She pulled out a large storage container. "We made cookies last night and thought that you could maybe share some with the rest of the guard. Or at the very least give some to Bat. I know he has a sweet tooth." She held out the container for him expectantly.

"And how am I supposed to do that?" He blinked behind the mask.

"Isn't there an ANBU break room or something that you could leave them at? It's just cookies Ka-Wolf. They don't bite." She pressed the box to his chest forcing him to take it. "It's a thank you for keeping everyone safe during the attack."

"We were just doing our job."

"And I just made too many cookies." She smiled at him. She could practically see the eye roll he was giving her. "Can I ask you something?"

Wolf fought back a sigh. He nodded his head. He knew he was going to regret it.

"Did the ANBU guard change recently?" She asked him in a low voice.

He was not expecting this line of questioning. Sakura was familiar with him and Bat. They were the guards that revealed themselves. They specialized in combat. And while they were not encouraged to engage with each other, Sakura felt like she knew them well enough, Wolf for obvious reasons, and Bat for the service he did for her family over the years. The other two were more of a mystery. They stuck to the shadows.

"Depends on your definition of recent," Wolf said blandly.

"That's not an answer, Wolf." She pressed. She knew a deflection when she saw one.

Wolf rolled his shoulders. "No, there has not been any recent change to the guard."

Sakura rubbed her forehead. "What can you tell me about Spider?"

Wolf paused. His brow furrowed. "There is not much to say. Spider is solid. Does good work."

She sighed. She knew asking Kakashi for information on ANBU was a long shot. He was tight-lipped enough before but since joining the Black Ops he was on a different level now. His training would not allow it. No matter how he felt about the person asking.

"Do you trust her?" She asked him solemnly.

Several moments passed before Wolf spoke. "As much as I trust the others." His answer seemed to satisfy her. She nodded her head. "Why do you ask?"

A carefully crafted mask slipped on Sakura's face. She smiled at him. "No reason." She paused. "Have you heard anything about Kohana?"

Wolf shook his head. "No. The lead I had was a dead end. No one in the border town knew who she was, much less where she could be."

He could see the disappointment on his former sensei's face. "Oh. Keep me updated if anything changes?"

Wolf nodded. "Why not tell Hokage-sama? He can allocate a resource on this full-time." That way Sakura would not have to rely on either him or Kushina being assigned a mission that may be near Kohana's last known. There were too many conditions at play the way they were going about it now. And if Sakura's hunch was right, it was better to find Kohana sooner rather than later.

"I can't justify utilizing village resources full-time based on a feeling. But once we know something concrete I'll tell him. He has enough on his plate right now to add a whole goose chase to it."

"So utilizing resources behind his back and hiding things from him is the better solution?" Wolf knew he was pushing it. He knew the limits well.

Sakura scoffed. "I'm not hiding things. It's called compartmentalizing. Once we have something, I'll tell him and everything will be on the up and up." Sakura's face pinched together. "Why were you at a border town?"

"Sorry, I do not have the liberty to say. Maybe Hokage-sama is compartmentalizing as well." She could hear the smirk in his words. His smugness really annoyed her.

"I liked you better when you were short." Before Wolf could retort back with a witty response, Sakura was back looking through her bag. "Before I forget," she placed another smaller container in his hand. "I made you some soldier pills, just for you. Don't work too hard."

"Thanks." A warmth spread through him.

The gravel below his sandals crunched as he walked. It had been years since his feet led him down this road. Despite that fact, the onslaught of memories that were flooding him was as vivid as can be. The sights, sounds, and smells of Oto triggered them.

Everything about this pace was different. From the birds to the way, the wind moved through the trees to the colors of the foliage. Even the air tasted different. It was heavy, it was thick. Here he had to take two, maybe three breaths to fill his lungs where he only needed one back home. Everything was wrapped in some form of struggle. There was no vibrancy. Not in nature, not in the people, not in the air. Oto was nothing like its namesake would suggest.

Maybe it was one of those places that were ironically named. Sure the jutsu they used here were some of the most unique, and relied on sound waves but they inspired sounds of pain, sounds of torture, and sounds of death. Nothing positive. In fact, he could not bring himself to find one positive about it. And that was really saying something.

He continued his trek towards the nondescript formation of rock. His hands moved along the side until he felt a section of the rock shift beneath his fingers. A faint clicking sound registered in his ears. He jumped onto the side of the rock watching as the ground he previously stood on lowered, leaving a gaping black square in its place. He took one look up at the muted blue sky and jumped into the opening. He landed on his feet using his chakra to sustain the brunt of the impact. His joints were not what they used to be.

He snapped his fingers to ignite a ball of fire in his palm. He remained close to the left wall. His former teammate has a thing for mazes. If he was not methodical in movements he could wind up spending more time down here than he anticipated. He did not have much time to burn. The mission was still ahead of him.

The mission did present an opportunity for him. A chance to revisit Orochimaru's former stomping grounds to assure himself that no one else had taken up the snake Sannin's mission. His footsteps sounded unbelievably loud to his ears as the sound waves bounced off the corridor walls. It was done this way to make it near impossible for anyone to sneak into this hideout undetected.

He made a left. His stomach churned. He swallowed back the bile in his throat. He could not afford to give in to his body's reactions. It was remembering what he saw when he walked down this very room all those years ago. The glass containers were filled with specimens from both species he knew and bastardized hybrids that would not be viable to survive out in the open. Combinations that only a twisted mind could put together like some morbid jigsaw that only made sense to a madman. The last time had left him shaken and gutted to his core. It made him question how a human could be responsible for any of this.

This time he was frozen in place for another reason. The room was empty. Everything has been cleaned out. All that remained was dust and cobwebs.

He had a feeling that the pressure he was experiencing right behind his eyes was something that would be accompanying him for a while. Fugaku looked over the reports in front of him. It had been a quiet week speaking strictly crime-wise. There had been no arrests and most of his officers were dispatched with general welfare calls rather than emergency ones. It did not mean that crime was not being committed, it just meant most preferred to not call them in at all and handle things themselves.

Police-civilian relations were not at their best. The Yamanaka was right. And that was precisely what was fueling Fugaku's dour mood. He had worked with Inoichi over the years, many times. Inoichi was head of the Intelligence wing in the I&T Department and he was active in the children's mental health clinic so their paths crossed often. It bothered him more than he would ever admit that Inoichi harbored the same opinions of those who did not know him or his clan well.

Fugaku took pride in how he ran the police department even though this was ultimately not the path he wanted for himself. He made the most of it. It was his contribution to the village. He vetted and trained his officers himself. Every four years he insisted on holding a vote on who would be Police Chief and Assistant Police Chief. There were policies in place that demanded excellence and accountability. The truth could not be further from the comment the Yamanaka made. He was working very hard to shed the negative image of his department that some of the public had in their minds.

Fugaku grabbed his mug and walked towards the break room with measured steps. The three round tables with four chairs each were all vacant. He walked straight to the counter. He pulled the coffee pot from its base and poured himself a cup. He opened the white refrigerator that was littered with magnets and pictures of the officers and pulled out a carton of milk. He added a splash to his coffee. He stirred it with a wooden stir stick. His dark eyes looked past the empty stainless steel sink in front of him.

If Inoichi, someone who knew him, who knew the Hokage trusted him, had the same opinion that the masses did, what hope did Fugaku have? He was torn between two extremes, the views of some of the elders in his clan and those of the more bigoted civilians. The middle ground seemed to be shrinking fast. There were equal amounts of ugly vitriol on both sides.

"Excuse me, Chief," a voice called out from behind him.

Fugaku was pulled from his thoughts. He turned his head to look over his shoulder. A thickset man with a topknot held a bowl in his hands and looked at him blankly. "Sorry, Uito," Fugaku muttered as he moved from the sink.

"No worries, Chief. You look like you have a lot on your mind." Uito said in a conversational tone.

"I do," Fugaku pressed his lips firmly together. He took a sip of the coffee. The pressure eased up some.

"Anything I can help with?" Uito turned to look at Fugaku. He had just finished washing his bowl.

Fugaku shook his head. "No. Keep focused on your job." He turned on his heel rather abruptly.

"Yes, sir," Uito went as far as giving Fugaku a mock salute but he was long gone. The man frowned as he too talked out of the breakroom. He looked eyes with the Assistant Chief through the glass door of his office as he walked back to his cubicle.

Thoughts and scenarios continued to plague him as left the barrenness behind him and moved about the bustling town. He ducked behind the curtain of a bar. He carried his long frame to the counter. He gestured for the barkeep to bring him two cups and a bottle of whatever was on the middle shelf. He briefly turned his head to the side to scan the room lazily. The place was seedy. Just want what he was banking on.

The stench of stale perfume, cigarettes and alcohol was oddly comforting. No matter how different shinobi and villages and the lands were, they more or less had that cocktail of smells in common. It was like coming home almost. He was in his element, something that he did not practically care to further reflect on.

He poured himself a shot. Just as he was about to bring the cup to his lips, a hand with long cherry red nails wrapped around his bicep.

"You got two cups there, sugar. Why don't you pour me one?" She let go of his arm and pressed up against the bar. Putting herself on full display. Her eyelashes protruded out from her face more than her nose did. It was a marvel how she managed to keep her eyes open at all. Her neon green hair was styled in pig-tails and her lips were as red as her nails. Her eyes were brown once he got past the ridiculousness of her eyelashes. He just did not get that trend.

"Look it here, this one can count." He did not even give her the decency of eye contact as he insulted her. He threw the drink back. He closed his eyes as the sake made its way down his throat.

She scoffed. "You could have just said no, asshole." She bumped into him as she walked away. He grabbed her wrist. "You change your mind?" She asked him haughty.

"Leave the cash," he did not open his eyes.

The woman's face fell. He heard the sound of notes dropping on the counter. He let go of her wrist. Her heels clacked as she scurried away. He sighed deeply as he poured himself another drink. He raised the glass.

"That wasn't very nice."

He turned his head. His dark eyes came to meet a pair of vibrant green eyes. Her pink hair was kept in a bubble side ponytail. It fell to her knees. He could not believe his luck. Who would have thought that Oto had a Sakura doppelganger? His eyes scanned her. He stood corrected. The woman had the eyes and hair of Sakura but was built like Tsunade. Maybe he did find that one positive thing about Oto after all.

"Maybe someone can give me a reason to be." He put his elbow on the bar as he half-turned to face her full-on. She had a sly smile pulled on her lips. He watched as she brought her full pink lips to the cup he was holding and drank from it. All without breaking eye contact once.

"Maybe that someone can be me." She looked at him from under her lashes, her voice was husky.

He did not need to be told twice. He moved the bills for the drinks closer to the bartender and put the rest back in his wallet. The woman hooked her arm in his and let herself be led out of the bar.

The walk to the motel was quiet. The woman huddled close to him in the cool air as her outfit was not the most practical thing for the elements. He supposed that was entirely the point. The walk up the creaky wooden stairs was slow. Her heel kept getting caught in the grooves of the wood.

They came to a stop in front of room 213. The faded red and yellow carpet of the hallway was worn from the foot traffic the motel saw. Everything looked grimy and dirty in the faint yellow glow of the light. Jiraiya unlocked the door to his room and gestured for her to enter first. She sat at the foot of the bed with her legs crossed and leaned back on her hands. She stood out against the expanse of red. Red sheet, red carpet, red wallpaper. She did not seem to be surprised or bothered by the fact that the ceiling was covered in mirrors. He closed the door behind them.

"If you want it rough you have to be upfront and it's going to cost you extra." She said in a flat tone as she began to reach for the zipper in the front of her black tube top.

Jiraiya held up his hands. "Whoa, slow down. That's not why I brought you in here." She froze. He recognized the panic in her eyes. He cursed word choice. "Calm down. I won't hurt you."

His words had the opposite effect of his intentions. She recoiled. Covering herself with her hands as if waiting for him to strike her. "Stay back. You don't want to mess with my people. They'll kill you."

Jiraiya did not move. He stood there with his hands up. "I only want to talk." He told her in a calm and even voice.

She eyed him uneasily. Jiraiya found himself thinking that maybe it was not such a good idea to go with someone that resembled someone he knew. It was making him feel extra guilty for the scared look on her face.

"Why should I believe you?" She asked him apprehensively.

"How much do you make on a night?" He asked her in the same calm tone and low volume.

She furrowed her dark brows. "What?"

"How much do you make on a night?" He repeated evenly. Hands still up where she could see them. He could kill her before she even could let out a scream but she did not need to know that.

"Um, 200, 350 on a good night." She was too bewildered to think of a lie.

"I'm going to reach into my shirt and pull out money. Don't freak out. I'm going to do it slowly. Okay?"

She nodded. Jiraiya, as he promised, slowly reached into his green shirt and pulled out a handful of bills. He showed her as he counted. "I'm putting 500 on the table." He did so. "You can take it now if you don't believe me and I won't stop you."

He could see the distrust in her green eyes still present. But at least she was no longer waiting for him to hurt her. It was progress. She was sitting up straight now. "What do you want?" She asked him. Her voice was closer to what he heard in the bar than moments ago.

"I just want to ask you some questions." He saw her eyes dart from the money to the door behind him. His stomach sank. Maybe his intuition had been wrong. He waited for what felt like an eternity for her to answer.

"Fine. I do not know how much help I will be, if any." She straightened her hair.

"The money is yours either way," Jiraiya assured her. He slowly sat down on the chair that was next to the table.

"First, what is your name?" He figured they would start off easy. Ease her into it.

She smirked. Her eyes were flat. "Do you want my real name or stage name?"

"What do you want me to call you?"

She looked at her hands. He watched the visible torment the question his question caused her. "The last person to call me by my real name was my dad, and since you're about his age I guess you can call me by it too, Mika." She touched her lips as she was surprised that they were still able to form the sound of her own name.

"Okay, Mika. How old are you?"

She did not mask the surprise on her face.

"I'm just trying to make you more comfortable."

Her surprise grew. It was not something she was used to in her line of work. "Seventeen."

The makeup she wore made her look older than that. Underneath it all she was barely out of being a kid.

"The world is cruel to girls without parents." There was a great bitterness in the words she spoke. Bitterness beyond her years. She had been forced to leave her childhood long ago. "Now ask me what you really want to know. I just want to get it over with please."

He regarded her. The past was a touchy topic for her not that it should have come as a surprise to him. "I'm going to show you some photos." He reached into his shirt pocket once again and pulled out four pictures. He laid them out one by one on the table next to the money. "Do you recognize any of these men?"

She got up and walked over to the table. Her movements were less tentative than before. She chewed on the nail of her index finger as her eyes moved from photo to photo. "Why are their eyes closed?" She looked to see the grim line on Jiraiya's face. "Oh." She said softly. The fear was back in her eyes.

"Take your time." He encouraged her gently as he crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. The front legs of the chair lifted off the ground.

"Um." She took a picture off the table. She flipped it over to show Jiraiya. The man's eyes moved from the photograph of the cadaver with jet-black hair in a bun, and white wavy bangs framing the sides of his face. "I remember him. He was in here a week - a week and a half ago. He was loud. Made a mess." She frowned at the memory.

"Good. That's good. Did you see any of the others?"

She put the photo down. "Maybe him?" She showed him the picture of the man who had a scar stretching from his eyebrow to the corner of his lip on the right side of his face. "Yeah. He was with him. Telling him to shut up."

The chair creaked as the front legs made contact with the floor. Jiraiya leaned forward on his knees. His expression was stony. "What was the loud one saying?"

He could see the hesitation on her face. She was weighing the pros and cons of telling him. She was scared of getting dragged into whatever this was. "This won't blow back on you. No one will know your involvement. You have my word." He could tell that his words did not put her at ease in the slightest. "If you're worried about your people, I can help. I can help you get out if you want."

Her eyes met his. "You think they are just going to let me go?"

"They can try to stop you." His grin was akin to menacing.

She shuffled on her feet as she turned the photo in her hands. "Why? Why did you say yes to me?"

He scratched his cheek. "You remind me of someone I know. The hair."

She touched her braid. "I dye it. I get more attention - more money - with the pink. My original hair color is black."

He said nothing. He knew. He could see her roots growing in, not to mention her eyebrows.

"Is that really it? Just the hair color?" Her eyes were searching for something. Something that went beyond a superficial choice.

He signed. This day turned out to be more emotionally draining than he bargained for. "Your eyes. You still have light in them. You haven't given up like the first girl. You still see a life beyond this."

She stared at him stunned. When she saw him walk in his tall stature caught her attention. It was impossible to miss. But there was something else that told her to take the chance. Maybe it was the fact that he was not a showboat like the majority of shinobi that showed up at the bar. The usual shinobi clientele was quick to embellish. They used their mouths to make up for the lack of skill. He was different. She could tell he was genuine. It was not much but it was something.

"You'll really help me?" She asked him after clearing her throat, her mind already made up.

He nodded. His expression was as solemn as his stance.

"The loud one was bragging. He kept going on about how they were going to kill the Yellow Flash. No one paid him any mind. He was really drunk." She picked at her nails as she shared what she recalled.

Jiraiya sat up straight. It felt like he had been sucker punched in the gut. He licked his lips. His mouth was suddenly dry. "Are you sure that is what he said? Are you positive, Mika?"

She nodded her head. "He said they were going to kill the Yellow Flash."

His mind was racing thanks to the new information. In all the scenarios he had imagined this was at the bottom of the list. The Kyuubi, the light release, were the sources of power he was certain other villages and rogues would go after. He had completely forgotten the oldest motivation for destabilizing a village - killing the Kage. It was bold. It was foolish. It guaranteed all-out war. But it also guaranteed infamy. Those names would be remembered forever.

This changed everything. He would still continue on his path to Yukigakure to learn what he could. As well as ask around about rumblings of Akatsuki or whatever was left. But maybe they were going about it wrong. Maybe it was as simple as outlaws wanting their names forever linked with the Yellow Flash's. So that one could not be uttered without the other. But that then opened the door to the other equally horrible possibility: someone in Konoha aided and abetted the assassination attempt of the Hokage.

Jiraiya looked at Mika. "One last question: did you happen to see where they came from?"

Mika nodded. "The East."

Jiraiya stood up. Mika jumped a little, startled by how quickly he moved for someone of his size. He dropped a stack of bills on the table. Her eyes widened. "The room's yours. Starting tomorrow you'll be free to make your life what you want. Not everyone gets a second chance. Don't waste it."

Without another word, he was gone. It all happened so fast that she did not even get a chance to ask him his name. Or even ask how he planned on delivering on his words. All she knew was when she woke up the next day her pimps wanted nothing to do with her. And just like he promised no one stopped her when she left Oto for good.

Sakura looked at the pitiful sight in front of her. Her prize pupil was unable to look her in the eyes. She was sporting a red, angry, blistering rash on her face, neck, arms, and legs. And that was just the parts she could visibly see without even needing an exam. "Don't scratch, Rin."

"It itches," Rin whined, utterly defeated.

"Tell me again how you ended up rolling in a patch of poison oak." She crossed her arms.

Rin all but whimpered. "I lost my balance when I was climbing the side of the hill near Hokage Monument. I fell, landed on Obito and we rolled into the poison oak." She scanned her former mentor's face looking for traces of mercy. She found none.

"Remind me again how you forgot you could use chakra to walk up a cliff, which would forgo the climbing and eventual rolling around in the oak?" Sakura asked in a deadpan. "Don't scratch."

Rin held her head in her hands. "I forgot. I got distracted."

Sakura sighed. She brought a gloved hand to rub some lotion on the rash on her neck. There was redness but not all of it was because of the rash. Rin sighed in relief, it was a respite.

"That boy makes you dumb, Rin."

Rin said nothing. What could she say? Sakura was right and all the evidence she needed was right in front of her.

"At this point, it might just be better to go sit in a bathtub full of oatmeal." She had healed the worst of it but it was something that was best left to heal on its own. It was not like a cut or, even a burn, it was too spread out. It would require more chakra than she could safely use to get under control. Besides, it would be a good teaching moment. "How's Obito?"

Rin resisted the urge to scratch her face off. "He's never had an interaction with it before."

"Guess that poor bastard will know in a couple of weeks what he's missing out on huh?" Sakura pulled her gloves off and tossed them in the open trash can. The lid closed as she lifted her foot. "I'm giving you the rest of the jar. Go home. If it gets more unbearable take that oatmeal bath. I'm sure Obito can help you with the application."

Rin hung her head in mortification.

"Rin?" She looked up to see Sakura's amused expression. "Next time use a bed, or at the very least make sure you're indoors."

Rin's soul left her body.