:Prologue:

-Fourteen 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 woman on her left turned quickly as she finished writing on the scroll, updating the Hokage on their return. Even though her partner wore the fox mask, she could read those emotions anywhere, watching as she sealed the dead body into a scroll herself.

"All that wasted effort," She sighed looking to the sky, her deep violet hair blowing in the wind. "How did this guy even make the interrogation list? He was the least informative body we've come across."

The kunoichi to her left, whose red hair was tied back neatly into a high ponytail, rolled her eyes under her fox mask. Her partner had a point, the Hokage would likely 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, as evidenced by the fearful look on his face as death overcame him.

"Well there's nothing we can do about it now." The Lizard attached the scroll to a messenger hawk making sure to lock the scroll with chakra.

Although the shinobi war had ended, that hadn't stopped the animosity dragging on between the hidden villages. The Hidden Stone was becoming nothing but a nuisance to the Leaf Village, causing wasted energy and resources to be used for their phony attacks. However the two ANBU had found themselves being used for an entirely different purpose. 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 found herself unable 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 her partner stopping abruptly. the force in which she had stopped, caused the branch the fire haired ANBU 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…"

She knew her partner well enough to know that nothing phased the kunoichi. The war had certainly hardened them both, but the Fox had scars that the Lizard 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, she had quickly learned that information was gold, and that had led to Konoha emerging victorious. 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 at her duty. Appearing using the stealth of an ANBU member, she was impressed she had startled the Hokage sitting at the desk.

"I received your messenger hawk Arisa." He sighed interlocking his fingers, his brow furrowed with frustration "It seems like the shinobi are growing more tight lipped as the body count climbs. I am not overly surprised," He shook his head slowly as if attempting to process what that meant. "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 was restless, the ANBU watched curiously as she wasn't sure the last time she had seem him so unsettled. 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 I suppose it cannot be helped."

"We will be able to get information soon Sir," She stated matter-of-factually. "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." It wasn't what she wanted to tell him, but at least maybe it would lead to more answers. "The source itself was not one we could consider reliable." Her voice was soft as the Hokage nodded. "I have already taken the body to evidence, maybe they will be able to extract more information."

"Well, we can hope. In the meantime, Konoha will take on the threats as they arise," 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, I guess it's just become a habit," She laughed nervously, although Arisa 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, but she could think of no one better for the position. "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, which unfortunately for Minato she was only a few months in. "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 heard them talking today, and they already have another 'S' rank mission for you to complete."

Her amethyst eyes showed her exhaustion briefly before hiding it away. She didn't want Minato telling Kushina that she was not taking care of herself. At thirteen, she was one of the youngest ANBU members to be allowed to join. She was placed on a team to perfect her skills before she was chosen to lead her own team, a two man sensory ninja squad. Of course, this did not change the fact that she was still expected to pick up in other areas of ANBU and fill in where needed. Honestly, the missions did take a lot out of her, but she'd be damned if she let anyone know that. "No problem Sir." She watched the Hokage flinch and inwardly giggled, now that she really knew how much it bugged him, she was certainly going to remember to use it when she could.


The ominous feeling that had followed her home did not let up, and she could not be distracted as the walkways and streets were bathed in the full moon light. She walked briskly 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 an elusive group of shinobi and their secrets were to be maintained, so she could walk throughout the village in her uniform so long as she also was wearing her mask, otherwise it was expected that the person change. Wrapping herself into a lavender colored kimono that stopped above her ankles and finishing it with a white obi, her wooden sandals clacked against the cobblestone as she headed down the steps outside her apartment. Feeling his icy chakra when she returned to Konoha made her heart swell. 'I wish he liked ramen instead of these stupid sweets though.'

As she turned the corner to the Dango shop, she couldn't help but smirk. Lately, 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 his fearful and hate filled looks in the past and would never wish that on a single shinobi. "Never thought you'd be so enthusiastic for Dango Ari."

She rolled her eyes in the most dramatic fashion she could muster as her pace slowed, stopping at the closed door to the shop. "You know that crap will rot your teeth right?" Her blood red hair swayed in the light breeze as she looked up at him. 'Why is he always getting taller!'

"I can promise you, I haven't lost a tooth yet," He winked noticing the slightest hint of pink rise to the kunoichi's cheeks. "It's been a while since we have been able to do this."

The brief playful moment was lost as he ran a hand through his silver locks. Arisa nodded slowly, "Too long."

It was true, regardless weather the shinobi was ANBU or not, the missions were becoming longer and harder. The two shinobi, although both young had seen more death and destruction than the majority of their seniors. They had lost too much to not be a little cynical or scarred because of it. Arisa remembered how Kakashi had lost both of his team mates, the first one occurring during her Jounin exam. Her heart burned, remembering the day that she became the only surviving member of her own genin squad. The red head frowned, the nickname 'friend killer' still made its way through the rumor mill, especially in the ANBU. 'Bunch of gossiping assholes.' She remembered how difficult it was for her to finally find out his truth, something that had occurred during a shared mission between the two. 'He only ended up breaking because he owed me.' Most of the ANBU knew better than to open their mouths around Arisa, fearing what awaited them when the red head lost her temper. Arisa would laugh at that, her temper was not her worst quality, she had her own darkness that was far worse. All the red head wished was that people would at least attempt to get to know the guy before rattling off something they knew nothing about.

Upon entering the graveyard the 'Killed in Action' monument stood tall, and while this was Kakashi's stop, Arisa walked towards the large tree statue beautifully carved out of stone, something the Senju clan had made to honor the wood release shinobi in all their rarity. Both shinobi were the only surviving members of their genin teams, something that was not common, even during the hard times of war. 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 the monument, statuesque, and wondered how long he had been there.

"Hey Hatake," Her voice was soft, but his gaze never moved from the monument. Arisa knew about his teammates as she knew their Jounin leader, and wished she could take a picture to show all the loudmouths back in ANBU that the guy did care about his comrades, as evidenced by him sitting here, and by the bandages currently wrapped around his abdomen. "Are you even allowed to be out here yet? Unless you left against medical advice?" She raised a sharp red brow at him, as his fingers moved slightly. 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. 'Well maybe he's trying to add validity to the whole friend killer thing.'

Kakashi was impressed, he had barely twitched and she realized what he was doing. 'Why did I do it in the first place?' Was he annoyed at the girl in front of him? Did she drive him absolutely crazy? The answer was yes, but the way she she stood up for him, the way she always seemed to look at the good qualities of other's was admirable. '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. "Why are you here anyways?" He immediately regretted his words watching as sadness overtook her.

"Just visiting my friends."

Arisa let a single tear fall as she placed her hands on the branches of the stone tree, feeling the carved letters of their names underneath her fingers.

'Ryuichi and Sakima. I still cannot believe I am here without you. It was supposed to be team three till the end.' She brushed the tears away quickly, picturing her teammates giving her trouble because of them. Soon her lips parted and she sat talking to the two as if her comrades were there in front of her. She always found the conversations easy, in fact it was a lot easier than talking with the living. She placed a hand on the base of the statue for one last moment before standing, brushing the grass off of her kimono. She made her way back to the KIA tower to see Kakashi standing, eyes focused on the two names that drew him here.

"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 she was a full head shorter than him. At first glance Arisa likely looked as if she would not be a threat, 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, and they had no interaction at that time. The two shinobi competed in the chunin and jounin exams a year apart, and neither one knew that they had watched and studied the other during their exams. Although they had never gone up against each other, Kakashi knew the skills she possessed and immediately respected her talents, but that didn't mean he wasn't frustrated when she was placed on his ANBU squad. 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 unspoken rivals 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. That feeling of annoyance had been replaced with trust and camaraderie.

"How is my sister?" She asked quietly shifting from foot to foot her sandals silent against the grass. Keeping her gaze forward to hide the nervousness on her face something she had difficulty shaking in front of him, she evaluated his answer . She had pleaded with her brother-in-law to help save her silver haired friend. 'Well, who would've thought you'd be asking me to help Kakashi.' Minato's words were playful at the time, but he quickly realized she was serious. 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 had turned to look at Arisa who was suddenly much closer than he realized. She could feel the sadness radiating from Kakashi and was at a loss of what to do to help, she held back a yelp 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 up one more time at Obito's name, carved elegantly into the monument. "You have no idea how much he misses you."

The wind blew through the grave, and the small hairs on the back of her neck rose. 'Why can't I shake this...' 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. Immediately she sprung out of bed ripping the IV lines from her arm, moving quickly so the staff did not stop her. Surprisingly Kurenai had shown up, and instead of stopping her, assisted in her AWOL.

"We are all sealed in the barrier, My dad isn't letting any of us out as per orders from the Third." 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. She could tell Arisa was not at baseline, her chakra felt weak, her skin was pale and she looked frail. Yet somehow here she was moving at a speed that Kurenai was having difficulty matching.

A crash against the barrier caused the ground to shake, and the shriek from the forest was frightening. Arisa lost her footing, her knees slamming down onto the cobblestone. "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!' Kurenai helped her friend to stand, and again the kunoichi took off, Arisa ignoring the blood running down her legs from her fresh wounds to her knees. She watched as Kurama spat another chakra ball towards the village, the barrier stopping it from hitting the village.

Reaching the edge of the barrier, they were met with many of their fellow shinobi. She knew that Minato was out there with some of the strongest jounin in the village. He had made everyone stay close with Kushina being nine month's pregnant. In front of the kunoichi stood some of the more seasoned jounin or ex ANBU 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. She could feel Kurama's chakra, it was disorganized and painful, as if on fire. '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 it 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 stood her ground,the Hokage was furious. "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!'

"I. Want. Out." Her voice sharp and menacing again did not make the Third budge. 'You're going on my shit list Hiruzen.'

"Arisa, it is under control," Hiruzen stated.

"Under control? There's no way Minato would've left Shina. Something doesn't make sense. Please I need to get to them!" She made a run for it knowing she only had to meet the barrier and she could get to them. Unfortunately she caught 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 her memories like a film. Her arm was bruised where she had removed the IV, she felt weak and nausea filled her stomach.'No way. I won't believe it. Shina and Minato are fine!' The lie was empty as the girl quickly realized she was unable to sense either chakra in the village. 'Maybe they're on the outskirts of Konoha or something...' It all had to be a bad dream right? There was absolutely no way the nine tails was released. Ever since becoming pregnant Shina, Minato and Arisa made sure that every precaution was taken to stop that from happening. Arisa herself had even helped with the seals reinforcing them, but that was not good enough. She wanted to believe that Kushina and Minato were both fine with her new niece or nephew. 'You know deep down that they are gone.' She wondered about her nephew, and what had happened with the fox, but the clearing of a voice from the darkness across the room, did not allow her time to think.

"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, still wearing that stupid hospital gown. She had spent plenty if time in these rooms over the last two years, typically recovery rooms for ANBU, and she fought the urge to fall over as the world spun. 'I want to puke.' Getting her bearings she placed a finger between on the bridge of her nose. She was trying to remember what had happened right before she blacked out and who had been brazen enough to even do it. 'Pay attention Ari, he's waiting for you.' 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.

Neither shinobi said anything, a pregnant silence filling the void.

He remained focused on the door to the office his hand planted firmly on the wood, as he pushed it open. There stood Hiruzen Sarutobi, who appeared much older than the man she spoke with during the attack. It did not take long for the kunoichi to notice the bundle held tightly in his arms. A sharp cry quickly rang out around the room and Arisa's heart broke. The cries sounded hollow, 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. The cries continued and Arisa could no longer hide behind her fantasy scenarios that made her sister and brother-in-law alive.

"They're gone." It wasn't a question but a statement. She reached towards the bundle, uncovering his head, and as soon as her soft hand touched his cheek the crying stopped as if she was the cure. Kakashi watched fascinated along with the third Hokage, Hiruzen had heard the rumors, about the young shinobi, but he didn't believe it. Arisa didn't know that the child had been crying since birth, unable to be consoled, until now. She could feel the menacing chakra as it swirled through him. It was hot and uncomfortable and she couldn't begin to understand how painful it must be for the newborn.

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 his tiny body, recognizing that part of the Nine-Tails was missing but the part that remained was tearing him up inside. 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, it should be your parent's here with you. I am sorry my seal failed.' She knew the visual of the seal would eventually disappear, but seeing how much of it covered his abdomen made her realize just how difficult the transfer had been.

"They both sacrificed their lives protecting Konoha." Hiruzen could not even begin to understand the emotions going through the young girls' mind her eyes fluttering as if to process everything she had learned. "The village is deeply saddened, we lost two amazing shinobi and human souls." Arisa shot the Hokage a glare. 'If I could've gone, maybe his parents, those amazing shinobi would be here.' The Hokage did flinch at her glare, but recovered quickly clearing his throat. "Word is there was an ambush and that a kidnapping took place. We are trying to gather information but-"

"Everything is under control." She mocked what had been said to her. "That's what you told me, keeping me behind the barrier, having me sedated." 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 voice came out with much less anger as she looked towards Kakashi. She knew him well enough to know that he would never have abandoned his post without permission.

"I am sorry Ari," it dripped with guilt. "I was giving the evening off by Minato Sensei, I wanted to see you in the hospital." Her heart ripped in two, realizing the reason he had been given time off. 'If I wasn't in the infirmary, you would have been there.'

Kakashi sighed, refusing to show any emotion on his masked face. 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.

"I am sorry Hatake," her voice was soft and she wished she could take back what she said her violet iris' glanced back down looking into her nephews sky blue ones. 'Minato and Shina, they loved you little one.' The kunoichi realized that with Minato and Shina gone, there were no family members left for him besides herself. If she had to guess, Jiraiya was likely halfway through Earth Country, and she could not see the perverted sannin wanting a baby to care for. That left her as the only option, and she was going to give him enough love to make up for his lost parents. 'A child raising a child...that's not ideal. But I know you'd kick my ass if I didn't Shina.' She shook her head. Arisa rocked the child in her arms, happy that his cries had remained at bay, glancing up at the Hokage, he answered the final question.

"Naruto."


-Three years later-

"Are you trying to kill yourself Hatake?" Arisa whispered venomously; her hands aglow with chakra as she tended to the ANBU's wounds. He was in the worst shape that he had ever returned in. Blood and deep slashes covered his pale body as he stumbled into her apartment at two o'clock in the morning barely conscious, his chakra dangerously low. Blood coated his body, and she only hoped not all of it was his. She was proven wrong as her eyes latched onto two particularly deep wounds one to his abdomen and one to his upper left chest. 'I swear if you bleed on my new couch...' She immediately went into medical mode, her hands a glow, focused on what she needed to do to save his life. While she had made the choice to leave the ANBU Black Ops to care for her nephew following the nine tails attack, Kakashi had done the opposite. 'I wish he would realize he doesn't need to punish himself for three years ago.' Arisa had attempted multiple times to have the conversation with the copy-nin, but it always ended up in him changing the subject or distracting her. 'I swear if you die on me too...' Her thoughts trailed off, shaking her head she returned to the task at hand.

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. Even Ibiki had nothing kind to say about the group, and he was one of the scariest shinobi she had ever met. 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.'Unless you're clever enough to remove his kindergarten level seal.' She had done that for one of her dear friends, someone she and Kakashi had helped years ago. Arisa felt as though Danzo prayed on those that had seen hardships unlike any other, and used them to do his dirty work. And now he's got his claws in you Hatake.' 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. She finished healing the worst of the wounds, happy to see the bleeding had switched from heavy to minimal. The copy-nin remained pale, his level of consciousness fluctuating. 'Probably would benefit from a transfusion, but he's too fucking stubborn to go to the infirmary.'

She covered the two large wounds in bandages, praying that they didn't get infected. She caught his eye staring at her, sparking a weird feeling in her chest. "Okay Hatake shirt off, we need to make sure the rest of you is intact." 'She only calls me Hatake when she's really pissed.' He was right, his surname used to be said in a playful way by the red headed kunoichi, but the last few months that had changed, and he'd be lying if he said it didn't bother him.

Arisa 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. Her eyes stopping briefly to look at the old scar that covered his flank, the deep purple beginning to fade to white. "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, not recognizing how much that laughter would hurt. 'Glad your sense of humor is intact.'

Arisa swatted a particularly sore looking area 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 to bleed all over my apartment." She pointed to the red substance currently in pools on the floor, and he felt a little guilty that he had made such a mess. She continued to mend the cuts the remaining ones much smaller and less of a concern, but she figured if she was doing it, she might as well do it right. Her eyes remained trained on the wound as she did not trust herself to stop the tears threatening to come to her eyeballs if she were to look anywhere else."You don't need to keep doing this Kakashi. What happened was beyond our control..." her voice was pleading. "I can't imagine you not being here too. I have done what I can to remind you that people do give a shit about you. You're too hell bent on wanting to die. Well I will not let that happen." Her voice was passionate as she ranted and she knew he was unlikely to remember any of the conversation, given the drunken half lidded stare he was currently rocking. "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, a pale hand reaching out to smack his head.

"Keep that up, and next time you can go to the hospital." She almost smiled at his childish reply-

"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, she would send them all knowing stares, attempting to remind them just whose son they were treating like garbage. However, without actually being able to speak about it, it just continued on. Not one civilian understood the important role he played in saving the village, and that he was still the son of the fourth Hokage. she was grateful for parent's like Shikaku Nara, his son Shikamaru was the only friend that Naruto had and Arisa had to admit she appreciated the young boy. 'He has a lot to learn about shogi though...' The small amount of shinobi who knew about Naruto's jinchuriki status were sworn to secrecy and she knew that when they looked at him, they saw Minato. They weren't supposed to talk of Naruto's parent's and Arisa knew that was the way that Hiruzen decided to protect him. 'Minato made a lot of enemies.'

"I am going to graduate the academy as fast as I can, then I will be the next Hokage! Believe it!" She knew that he was the splitting image of her brother in law, but his personality was certainly his mothers. He had no issues making his dreams known, and she was pretty certain his first spoken word was 'Hokage'. She smiled softly as those memories came back, 'Just like you Shina.' "Hey Auntie, what kind of ramen are you going to get?" She laughed at Naruto's one track mind.

"Pork, obviously." She stated hiding the drool making its way to the corner of her mouth, deciding to change the topic to something more serious as they finally rounded the last corner. "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." Karma is a bitch though.' She had forgiven the Hokage years back for what happened with Minato and Kushina, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to screw with him as much as possible. The two Uzumaki's each sat on a stool as Teuchi – the shop owner- welcomed his best customers.

"I think secretly the Hokage enjoys my art," Naruto spoke through a mouth full of ramen. "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.' She had wondered where the sannin had ended up these days, and if he ever planned on meeting his godson.

Arisa couldn't help but feel an intense amount of joy when near Naruto. He never seemed phased by anything, he was always positive. He was also 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, "You're going to be a great Hokage."

"Well of course Auntie Ari," He rolled his eyes at the older Uzumaki.

They walked slowly back to their apartment enjoying the fresh air. 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 and surveying the people around him. 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 he would never understand how grateful she was for it.

"Hey Auntie Ari, 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 blinked as her eyebrow rose, questioning why the hawk was at her window. Normally her missions were given to her verbally since they were few and far between. Once Naruto was born she chose to work at the hospital improving her medical ninjutsu. It offered a regular schedule, and she didn't have to worry about being away from Naruto, or dying on the job. However she did stay on the ANBU reserves after pleading by Ibiki, he had claimed her skill set was always needed. She would be lying if she said the Hawk didn't make her wary of the information in the scroll. She wished her eyes could match his excitement as she shooed him towards the dining room and took the scroll from the hawks' leg. Her brow furrowed, reading the cryptic message before destroying the scroll in a flash of fire.

When she entered the living area, Naruto immediately began his questions.

"Well what was it? A super secret mission?" Naruto beamed and Arisa sighed. "Do you get to go heal a warlord or something?" As far as her nephew knew, she was a solely a medic-nin, she wanted to keep her shinobi days far away from his mind.

"It could be a long one Naru." She stated, battling internally about whether or not she should go. '99% of the village hates Naruto. If you leave who will protect him? He's eight.' The wording was intentionally vague, and she hated that.

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 to watch over him, but Naruto had no idea who any of them were. Knowing the Hokage had a soft spot for him, she planned to bargain for the Third to watch over him. She had taught Naruto to be as a self sufficient as she could, but he was still young and immature. 'An eight year old should not be left alone.'

"I can't leave you for that long Naruto." She thought about her sister and how she would kick her ass. She sent him a soft smile and the blonde kid huffed.

"Auntie? You want to protect Konoha right?" Arisa raised an eyebrow. "You always say how important it is here. You get sad when you talk about your home village." Arisa was surprised at her observant nephew. "Then you have to do it. No matter how long it takes. I'll be here waiting, heck maybe I'll even be Hokage by then." While she appreciated him attempting to comfort her, the last thing she wanted was to miss out on that much of his life.

"Of course I want to protect Konoha," She stated, "Because that protects you."

"Then you need to go," She raised her read eyebrow wondering why she was sitting here taking advice from an eight year old. "I will be okay. I will wait for you to come back. Protecting the village is your ninja way."


Nightfall took forever, like waiting for water to boil. She could hear his light snoring from across the hall the letter clenched tightly in her hand. 'Glad you sleep Naruto.' She placed the letter on his bed, knowing it would be the first thing he'd see in the morning. She shut his door and quietly left the apartment guilt seeping out of her pores. 'Protecting the village is your ninja way.' Naruto's voice rang in her mind, and she chose to focus on that one sentence of encouragement. 'Otherwise I'd be turning back right now.' The destination she intended on reaching was on the opposite end of town, close to Hokage Tower. She had hid her chakra before leaving her apartment wanting to surprise him. She had felt his return earlier in the day and had been waiting to see him. Landing softly on his balcony, she shimmied open the window placing one foot through before his voice caught her off guard.

"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. She recovered quickly the annoyed look painting her face. "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 her own. She hated his mask, but deep down it made her excited that she was one of the few who knew what he looked like. His eyes had looked tired, understandable since he had been on a mission for the last two weeks. She deepened the kiss, falling into his 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 their tongues fought for control. He pulled up his mask as they broke the kiss -simply out of habit- earning a soft glare from the kunoichi 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 her finger drawing designs on his skin.

"I am going on a reconnaissance mission tomorrow. I doubt it will be a quick one." She wanted to tell him more, but the information was marked confidential for a reason. Plus, telling him would likely lead to him attempting to stop her.

Kakashi knew she wasn't sharing the entire truth but he understood the rules around confidential missions. As her fingers continued to softly rake against his chest, his eyes wandered to her right arm, the scar encircling the entire bicep. He knew that it looked as though it was removed and sewn back on, but that was years ago, even before ANBU. When he'd ask her about it, she would try to answer, before just stopping and moving on to a different discussion. He watched as she subconsciously rubbed her arm and placed a kiss on her hair through his mask. "Does Naruto know?"

"Damn brat encouraged it," 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, you know what the villagers are like. It's like none of them even remember Minato." Her eyes widened, "What would Minato and Shina say..." She trailed off beginning the battle in her mind.

Kakashi knew she loved that child as though he was her own. He had watched her sacrifice parts of herself to give Naruto a life full of love. 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. I am not surprised he encouraged you, the kids been wanting to be a shinobi since he could talk." Kakashi had been around Naruto throughout a lot of his childhood, at first it was painful looking into his face, a face that mirrored his sensei's. However he worked through the pain, 'Because if Ari could do it, then so could I.'

She nodded squeezing even closer to Kakashi, wrapping her arms around him, forcing him to face her as they laid on their sides facing each other. He placed a gentle kiss on her lips, her hand pushing against his chest, ending it before it could go deeper, to his disappointment. "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." Her tone was pleading, and he wanted to know what had her so worried. He pulled down his mask once more, peppering her neck with feather light kisses as she groaned. "You're distracting me from my thoughts Hatake."

"That's the plan Uzumaki," He nodded smiling as he continued his assault on her neck, pausing briefly to nip at her earlobe answering her prior question. "I will watch him. I may not have been there for Minato, but I will protect his son." The blush instantly covered her face, but she was relieved that he was okay to watch over Naruto. 'Thank you.' Her eyes spoke the words to him as her lips caught his yet again, he could feel her heat as her hips found his. 'Now who's the pervert.' Knowing they had limited time she unraveled her arms from around the jounin, breaking their kiss and rolled to the side, her legs moving out of the bed so she was sitting on the edge. Her mind fell right back into the whirlwind of negative thoughts and she felt his chest press into her back, his mouth once again distracting her as he nipped at her neck."When do you leave Ari?"

"I go for my debrief in one hour."

"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 Itachi is with the Akatsuki?" Arisa shook her head in confusion. 'Of course that's where the elder Uchiha had decided to go. Nothing like a welcoming party of seasoned criminals.' Hiruzen nodded and Arisa sighed, "If that's true, then Orochimaru is most likely around there as well." A previous mission had led to Konoha learning that Orochimaru had planned to steal the Sharingan from any Uchiha he could get his hands on, just like he had stolen Hashirama's cells to make himself stronger.

"We don't have a lot of intelligence on the group, but a source has confirmed that Orochimaru has been seen among the Akatsuki. Gather as much intelligence as you can, I only hope he has not succeeded in gaining what he is after." Arisa smirked internally, Itachi may have been a traitor and murderer -something she still did not understand- but she knew the Uchiha would hold his own against the traitor sannin. "Arisa you will be leading the team as you have the most information on Orochimaru and your history with Itachi could be beneficial." Hiruzen Sarutobi had aged considerably over the last 8 years, the lines around his eyes were tired and Arisa couldn't help but notice how his chakra was changing, the same way Lady Mito's had. "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. This was strictly a reconnaissance mission, if the team found themselves in combat, well she knew that meant death. "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 purple crop top mesh covering her cleavage. Her black spandex shorts were her favorite to move in, her belt held multiple scrolls, the kunai and shuriken were in a holster on her leg. She wasn't doing this mission as ANBU or a jounin, she was doing it as Arisa. In one hand sign smoke filled the Hokage's office, the shinobi had disappeared and he was certain he heard the red head state,

"I'll be back soon Naruto."