Betaread by Skye

Lest you fade here all alone

Chapter 16

At 6 AM almost everyone from the group bound to Uzushio was standing at Konoha's main gates, ready to hit the early road. The only ones missing were Rei, Naruto, and Gaara. So, really, it was just Kakashi loitering around all alone for the past fifteen minutes.

After another fifteen minutes, he decided that the kids must be the reason for the delay, and he simply had to wait patiently here and let Rei do his thing. Kakashi himself knew absolutely nothing about children and their care.

A couple of chuunin at the entrance booth occasionally eyed him, but otherwise left him to his own devices.

Kakashi waited.

And waited.

And waited.

At half past six, Kakashi started to get antsy. Maybe he had got the time wrong? But he was pretty sure Rei said 6 AM sharp at Konoha's gates.

The chuunins were now whispering something between themselves, occasionally throwing him a glance and then giggling under their breaths.

Kakashi ignored them with grace and continued waiting.

And waited.

And waited.

When the clock neared 7 AM, he was ready to murder someone. Specifically, someone blond and extremely annoying.

One of the gate guards finally mustered enough courage to call out to Kakashi. "Hey, Hatake! What are you waiting here for?" A grin stretched across the man's face. "Get stood up by your date?" And then they both melted into fits of cackles.

Kakashi glared at the damn noisy chuunins and found a smidgen of satisfaction when they almost choked on their laughter. Slinging his travel backpack more securely over his shoulder, he turned and disappeared in a shunshin without a word.

He landed on the top of the house opposite Naruto's apartment complex and surveyed the windows of said apartment. His grip on the strap of his backpack tightened when he caught a flash of orange passing one of the windows.

So the bastard was still here. Kakashi was angry that Rei didn't show up on time, but at the same time felt relieved that the man didn't ditch him and left on his own.

Before Kakashi could decide on his next course of action, Naruto burst out through the balcony door, eyes darting along the roofs on the other side of the street. As he spotted the silver-haired jounin, his mouth stretched into a huge grin. "Old Man Kakashi!" he exclaimed, waving his arm in an exuberant greeting.

Kakashi's eyebrow twitched at the nickname. With a sigh, he jumped across the street and then hopped up up up till he reached the top floor. Landing smoothly on the balcony railing, he offered a two-finger salute to the boy and a cheery, "Yo!"

"You're just on time, 'ttebayo! Come on." Naruto grabbed the man by his hand and tugged at him. "Rei's about to finish making breakfast."

Kakashi allowed the boy to lead him inside, his mind whirring. Only now was Rei finishing breakfast for the kids. It meant that he had never intended to leave as early as six o'clock—the time he had specified.

Absent-mindedly, he took stock of his weaponry. He had decided to travel light, but definitely could still spare to lose a kunai or two.

Naruto led him through his bedroom, the entrance hallway, and into the kitchen. "I brought him here!" he announced as they entered.

Rei looked away from the soup he was pouring into bowls and beamed. "Oh, Kakashi! Good morning."

"Gaara, look, look!" Naruto called out, bouncing over to the red-haired boy. "This is Kakashi, the one I told you about!"

Kakashi offered a closed-eye smile and a small wave when a pair of curious teal eyes focused on him. He must be Suna's Jinchuuriki, the one the Hokage had warned him about. But no matter how Kakashi looked at him, he saw no signs of an unstable Jinchuuriki, just a young child who was wary of a stranger.

Gaara eyed the man up and down before turning back to his friend. "The one with the ninken?"

"Yep! They're so cool, 'ttebayo!" Naruto exclaimed, throwing his arms up as if he could show just how cool those ninkens were. "Ne, Old Man Kakashi, can you summon your ninken again?"

Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck, staring down at those bright blue puppy eyes.

"Pleeeeeease!"

"Stop bothering Kakashi, Naruto," Rei scolded, giving the boy a brief hair ruffle as he passed on his way to the table. "And you'd better go grab the fish."

To Kakashi's relief, the little blond instantly forgot about his ninken and had no qualms doing exactly that. He scurried to fulfill the task given to him with an eager, "Okay!"

"Careful, Gaara, those are hot," Rei cautioned the other boy.

Gaara nodded before proceeding to carefully pick two full soup bowls up.

Kakashi stood near the doorway, his irritation over the wasted time fading out as he observed the idyllic and domestic scene happening in front of his eyes. Naruto practically glowed with happiness, mouth moving between constant chatter and a wide variety of smiles. Suna's Jinchuuriki listened to him, serious and attentive, as if the world narrowed down to just the two of them and Naruto's opinion about some random weeds growing at the side of the street, no matter how impressive, was more important than anything else in the world.

"Where have you been, Kakashi?" Rei asked, placing the vegetable bowl in the middle of the table. "You were almost late for breakfast."

And, yeah, Kakashi hadn't missed the fact that four servings were prepared on the table—as if Rei had been expecting him to come. Regardless, he shot the blond a withering look, but it went unnoticed as the man ushered the kids to sit down. "You never invited me," he said in the end.

"Really?" Rei glanced at him with his eyebrow raised. "I thought it was a given."

"You also told me to wait for you all at the main gates at six am sharp," Kakashi bit out.

"No way! I'm sure I said nine am!" Rei refuted the accusation. "Do you really think I'd make you wait for three hours?" he added, stressing out the amount of time in sheer horror that Kakashi would believe him capable of doing such a thing. He also pressed his hand over his heart to convey his sincerity. "Is that what you think of me?" Yet, a minuscule curl at the corners of the man's lips trashed his virtuous image and betrayed a grin that threatened to break out.

The way Rei stared straight into his eyes and lied without any shame whatsoever made Kakashi twitch. Did the man harbor some kind of grudge against him? "Maa, how about you lend me one of your clones?" he asked, brushing his last thought away as nonsense. They hadn't known each other for long enough for grudges to be born, right?

Rei blinked. "Why do you need my clone?" He inquired as he took a seat at the table. Both kids were already seated.

Kakashi gave the blond an innocent eye-smile. "I have this new technique that I want to try."

"How harsh," Rei remarked with a chuckle. "Well, maybe later. Now, put your bag down and come sit." He patted a chair next to him.

"Reiw's fhood ish rewally ghood!" Naruto proclaimed around a mouthful of pickled vegetables.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Gaara reprimanded from beside him.

Naruto gulped a mouthful of soup directly from the bowl to wash down the food in his mouth and mumbled, "Sorry," as he wiped his lips with the back of his hand.

"Ah, I'm not hung—" Kakashi's stomach rumbled. He shifted awkwardly under the three unimpressed looks.

Rei patted the chair again.

Kakashi sighed, dropped his backpack on the floor, and padded over to sit at the table.

"This is so good! You're gonna love it, Old Man Kakashi," Naruto asserted, piling more vegetables into his plate before pushing it towards Kakashi. "I'm so gonna tell the Kyuubi about this. It must be so upsetting to be in that place with no food. Kur—"

"Naruto!" Rei suddenly interrupted, making the boy flinch. "What did I tell you about the Kyuubi's name?"

Naruto's eyes widened before he slapped a hand across his mouth. After a moment, he recited, "It's a secret between you, me, and him."

"That's right. So…" Rei trailed off as he pressed an index finger to his lips in a shushing gesture and smiled when the boy nodded.

Kakashi couldn't care less about the Kyuubi's name, but… "You talk with the Kyuubi?" he asked, barely able to keep growing terror out of his voice.

"Rei said that I should talk to him," Naruto explained happily. "Even though he can't answer me, he can hear me if I think about him while talking. Isn't that cool, 'ttebayo?!"

Only one-way communication. That… Kakashi felt the tension seeping out of his shoulders. That was alright.

"What do you talk about with him?" Gaara asked curiously.

"Everything. What I ate, what I did. About Rei, you, Kakashi. You should try talking with Shukaku too."

The other boy stayed silent for a few moments, a little pinch between his eyebrows as he considered the suggestion. "What should I tell him?"

"Tell him about ramen," Naruto stated in absolute seriousness. Then he beamed, his grin up in all its megawatt glaring glory. "I tell the Kyuubi about ramen every day!"

Rei choked on his food. After a little coughing fit, he muttered a tiny breathless, "Oh my god…" and pinched the bridge of his nose. "The Kyuubi is going to kill me once we meet face to face."

Honestly, Kakashi had no sympathy to offer. "You have that kind of effect." The disgruntled glare he received was so worth it.

"Just eat your breakfast, Old Man."

Being called that, however, wasn't.

"Goodbye, Teuchi-san! Ayame-neesan!" Naruto shouted as he waved both his arms while walking backward from the ramen restaurant.

The ramen chef and his daughter waved at him back. "Come back to visit us, Naruto!" Teuchi yelled.

"Bring some more new friends with you once you do!" Ayame added, grinning brightly.

Tears stung Naruto's eyes. He made his last wave, pushing all his energy into it, and with a determined, "I will! I promise, 'ttebayo!" finally turned on his heel and ran away to where Rei, Kakashi, and Gaara waited for him.

"You'll see them again eventually," Rei reassured, brushing his hand across the teary-eyed boy's head in a soothing gesture.

Naruto sniffled, hiding the unbidden tears behind his arm, and mumbled, "I know…"

Gaara hovered uncertainly at his side. After mustering the courage, he quietly asked, "Are you alright?"

Naruto rubbed his eyes. He couldn't cry now. Leaving Konoha was his request and his wish, so he shoved any lingering regret down with a resolute huff. Besides, he had to be tough. He had Kurama—the big brother of the family—sealed inside him, and big brothers had to be strong and protect their younger siblings. That's what Rei said when he had asked what it meant to be a big brother.

Naruto was going to be strong and protect Gaara.

"I'm fine," the boy replied, flashing a happy grin. "Come on, Gaara! Let's go!" Grabbing his backpack by its straps, he rushed forward through the streets.

He didn't even need the backpack. The one he carried was practically empty, all his meager belongings were with his uncle. But Naruto was adamant about carrying it, because he wanted to show the villagers who hated and despised him that he was leaving. Not because he got kicked out of Konoha, but because he now had a new place to call home. A place where he was wanted, where he had someone caring for him. Not one person, not two, but three of them!

"Naruto, don't run ahead all on your own!" Rei cautioned from behind.

Happiness bubbled inside Naruto's chest, spilling out as a burst of merry laughter. It filled the crowded street, and trailed beyond, echoing in the ears of confused villagers.

The boy sprinted along the street, darting around the passersby like wind. Today, he didn't feel the ever-following glares, didn't hear the harsh whispers trailing after him. Today was the day he was leaving! He couldn't wait!

Naruto skidded to a stop right in front of Konoha's main gates. Wide-eyed, he stared at the scenery beyond it. An empty road stretching as far as his eyes could see and surrounded by the tall, dark forest from either side suddenly felt intimidating. He had never been outside the village walls, didn't know anything else but Konoha.

A soft chuckle jolted him out of his shock. Naruto turned towards the sound and his face lit up upon seeing the old face of the Hokage. "Jiji!"

"Excited?" The Sandaime asked with a small smile perched on his lips.

"Yeah!" Naruto cheered, fist-pumping the air. "Rei said we're gonna visit the festival on our way to Uzushio! Never visited a festival with someone else before! I can't wait, 'ttebayo!"

"Make sure to have lots of fun," the Hokage said. "And don't get lost by running off on your own."

"Hehehe," Naruto laughed sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head. "I won't get lost! I promise!"

"Oh, really?"

Someone tousled his hair and Naruto winced. He looked up, meeting the bright blue eyes of his uncle.

Rei tilted his head curiously. "Did I just hear you promising not to get lost?"

"I won't!" Naruto shouted vehemently.

Rei smirked before looking to the side and asking, "Everyone heard that, right?"

"Yep," Kakashi answered.

"I did," Gaara confirmed.

Naruto huffed, feeling miffed. The others didn't trust his words at all! He was not going to get lost, 'ttebayo!

Rei chuckled. "Alright, enough pouting and let's get going," he ushered the kids to move out.

"I'm not pouting!"

"Uh-huh. Of course, you aren't, Naruto," Rei responded, a little distracted. He dipped his head in acknowledgment at the Sandaime with an amiable, "Old man," as he passed him.

Behind him, Kakashi also nodded at his leader, getting a nod in return.

"Have a safe trip!" the Hokage hollered after the group.

Naruto turned around to wave at him. "Bye, Jiji! We're off!"

"We have a tail."

Rei let out a noncommittal hum to acknowledge Kakashi's warning. He kept his eyes on the two boys a few hundred meters ahead, watching as Naruto suddenly turned and sprinted to the edge of the forest to pick something up.

"What are you going to do about them?" Kakashi asked after a moment of silence. With his hands in his pockets, he strolled forward seemingly without a care in the world.

"I wonder," Rei replied absent-mindedly.

Gaara flinched when Naruto shoved something in front of his face, causing the little blond to melt into a puddle of laughter.

"I guess Danzo didn't learn after I nabbed those two boys. And Sarutobi still sits on his ass regarding him," Rei mused. "Maybe I shouldn't have such a hands-off approach in this kind of situation. With Naruto out of Konoha, I can be a bit more proactive." He grinned. A wide, predatory sort of grin that gave Kakashi goosebumps. "I'll be back soon."

In a single blink, Rei was gone and a shadow clone stood in his stead. "Ah, don't worry," the clone waved dismissively at Kakashi's bewildered expression. "Boss will take care of things."

Kakashi shrugged. All the better for him when he could just laze his days away while keeping an eye on his sensei's kid.

"Hey, Rei! Kakashi!" Naruto yelled, barely managing to catch his breath through his laughter. "Gaara is scared of caterpillars!"

"Am not…" the redhead grumbled under his breath, glaring daggers at the white fluffy caterpillar sitting on Naruto's palm.

Naruto moved his hand closer to him and the other boy jerked away from it. The blond laughed again. "See? He's definitely—huh?" the kid cut himself off, blinking at the two adults. "Where's the real you, Rei?"

"Boss had some things to do," the clone answered, flashing the boy a reassuring smile. "He'll be back soon."

"Okay!"

"Wait," Kakashi said, looking back and forth between both Uzumaki. "You can tell this one's the shadow clone, Naruto?" He knew for a fact that Naruto didn't notice them switching places.

Naruto peered at Kakashi as if the latter was slow on the uptake. "Of course," he declared seriously. "Who wouldn't?"

Kakashi cleared his throat at that remark while Rei snickered beside him. "And, uh, how exactly do you do it?" he inquired, trying to sound nonchalant and not curious at all.

"It's easy, Old Man! You just have to look at—aaaah!" Naruto screamed when a sliver of sand swiped the caterpillar off his hand and carried it away into the forest. He instantly took off after it. "Gaara! No fair! Give it back!"

Kakashi stared after the boy, feeling miffed. Running after Naruto to ask how he knew would probably be a bit too obvious. He could physically feel Rei's amused gaze drilling into the side of his skull.

"Now you know how I feel," the man commented.

"About what?"

"About your mask."

Kakashi could help but smirk. "What about my mask?"

Rei rolled his eyes. "As if you don't know." They both started walking again. After a moment, Rei leaned forward to peer at Kakashi's face with a mischievous smile. "Hey, don't be upset. Not everyone gains wisdom at their old age."

Kakashi didn't deign that with a response. He simply whipped out his trusty book and buried his nose into it.

Rei laughed.

Well, until Gaara asked what the book was about.

Hiruzen frowned at the trade treaty with Iron country. The price of steel had increased again. He would have to make some adjustments to the village's budget to be able to fulfill the steel quota for this season.

What a headache.

Hiruzen had just put the document back on his desk and picked up the stamp to approve it when two round objects landed right on top of the document with heavy thumps. Caught off guard, he jerked back, his hidden Anbu flying into the room on high alert.

Two decapitated heads lay on his desk. An adult man and a woman without any identifying traits. Their features were ghostly pale, frozen into a rigid grimace of shock and fear. Thick blood still sluggishly dribbled from their cut necks and gathered underneath, soaking the white pages.

Fresh kills.

The Hokage glanced up, meeting icy blue eyes. Rei's usual carefree and cheerful demeanor was gone and he looked cold and fierce. Inhuman in a way that unsettled the hair on the back of Hiruzen's neck.

Rei stared at him as if expecting something, but the Sandaime couldn't quite figure out what exactly he was expecting. "This is?" he edged, indicating his bloody desk.

Instead of answering, Rei tossed something else on the desk. Two white porcelain masks without any markings clattered next to the two heads.

Root.

Of course, it had to be Root.

Hiruzen barely managed not to groan out loud. He had warned Danzo to stay away from Naruto and not cross Rei anymore. Obviously, the man didn't heed his words. Now, he had this unpredictable, chaotic, and not quite law-abiding powerful ninja on his hands to pacify.

It also appeared that Rei Uzumaki's mercy had a certain age limit.

Rei tilted his head slightly to the side, eyes still glued to the Hokage's face. It was a deep look, searching, judging. After a moment, his lips pulled into a hardly noticeable sneer. With a flick of his wrist, he threw something else, this time straight towards the Sandaime.

Hiruzen snatched the item from the air. A scroll?

"Come to the marked location in fifteen minutes," Rei said. "Bring your Anbu with you." The instant the last word came out of his mouth, he disappeared.

The Hokage looked at the scroll in his hand before unrolling it. It was a map of Konoha's outskirts with a bright red X at the base of the Hokage mountain.

"Your orders, Hokage-sama?" one of the ANBU asked.

"Gather two full teams and meet me on the roof in five minutes."

"Yes!"

The ninja vanished in a shunshin. Hiruzen glanced at the map one more time before rolling it back up. He had a bad feeling about this. He was about to stand up when the two decapitated heads caught his eyes again. He scowled. "Hare, get rid of these, please."

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

When Hare departed with the unexpected gift from their ghostly visitor, Hiruzen shook his head with a sigh. Danzo had done it this time. He just hoped Konoha as a whole wouldn't be pulled into this brewing conflict.

As Hiruzen left his office, he decided to push forward the plan of preparing all the evidence of Danzo's wrongdoings to the Daimyo and then set the plan to take his old friend down in motion. This matter couldn't wait any longer.

Rei stepped out of the forest and into the small meadow, shielding his eyes from the harsh light of the near midday sun. He blinked a few times, adjusting to the change of environment, and glanced from the left side of the meadow to its right.

There was a barrier here. An impressive one, all things considered.

Rei brushed his hand along the barrier's wall, feeling the flow and fluctuation of the chakra. Nothing out of the ordinary, until—

He froze upon coming across a highly distinct pattern in the chakra's movement. Others might have dismissed it as either a harmless fluke or simply part of the barrier's design, but he recognized it. He had learnt a lot from the notes of a Seal Master who was eccentric and innovative enough to leave his personal signature hidden inside his sealing projects.

This was an Uzumaki barrier.

Rei growled, a low, furious sound at the back of his throat. Angry now. Without warning, golden chakra poured out like a raging river, surging and bashing against the obstacle in its path as swift and unforgiving as a tsunami. The barrier shattered and fell, revealing a concealed area: instead of a forest lining a solid wall of brown rock, the meadow stretched all the way to the entrance into an underground base.

Two Root guards were startled as the barrier fell apart, revealing a blond man in orange clothes. In the next moment, hands grabbed both of their heads from behind and twisted. Rei's shadow clones caught the bodies before they could crumple to the ground and dragged them inside.

The real Rei strode in after them. Leaving the clones behind to watch the entrance, he went down the corridor sloping downwards. Darkness swallowed all the light the farther he got from the entrance and natural underground dampness clung to the walls and lingered in the air. He walked straight at the crossroad, at the next he turned right, then left…

This base was huge. He might have gotten himself lost. Focusing on his target in the distance, Rei pushed forward. He would end up at his goal one way or another.

Eventually, the corridor opened up into a wide cavern. The defending Root forces must have decided that this place was the best to stop an intruder and lay an ambush. They all swooped in at the moment Rei reached the center.

How convenient.

Rei glanced around. His blue eyes flicked through the crowd, from mask to mask, but then looked past them all, effortlessly deeming their existence unfit for his attention.

"This is not where you should be!" the nearest Root agent declared. "State your intent!"

"My intent?" Rei echoed as he turned to face the enemy with a single thought: get out of my sight. Reacting to his growing fury, his chakra bloomed, dense and dark and menacing. The air stilled, raw power sizzling and crackling, making everyone's skin rise in goosebumps and hair stand on end. He was here as an enemy, not a friend; there was no need to hold back. "What do you think?"

Not bothering with handseals this time, Rei lifted his hand, his chakra bending to his will as easily as controlling a limb. It flooded the entire cavern's floor, soaking the rock until it was all but humming for release. With a flick of his finger, Rei commanded it up. The ground shook beneath everyone's feet until it exploded, surging, rising in the form of hundreds of thin stone spikes.

The Root ninjas never had a chance to react. Some didn't even manage a scream before getting caught, spikes spearing them through like dango on bamboo skewers. Through their legs, arms, torso, necks. Impaling them from the bottom and coming out at the top or from one side to the other. The ones still alive - the unlucky ones - gurgled and moaned, despairing and helpless, unable to break free from their torment.

Rei moved, blood pooling beneath his feet with every step he took. He paused near one of the impaled men, glancing at the shaky hand that managed to point a tanto at him. With a soft scoff, he knocked the blade out of the ninja's hand, grabbed it himself, and in a motion as fast as it was fluid he brought it forward in an arc.

Rei was moving again when the man's head hit the floor. Eyes locked towards the bunch of shimmering chakra signatures, he drove the tanto through the throat of another Root ninja who was still barely alive as he passed and left it there.

After a few more turns and twists, Rei finally reached his destination. He stood at the entrance to a hallway with six metal doors on both sides.

Twelve rooms with two occupants in each.

Twenty four kids, all raised for the sole purpose of being brainwashed into mindless drones.

Rei made twelve shadow clones and they immediately scattered throughout the hallway to enter a different room. The original waited, ready to swap with one of them.

While he was here to rescue all the children, he planned to take only two under his direct care. Uzushio was still missing a few essentials to welcome new residents, but Rei had prepared a safehouse in a remote location in case he needed one. After everything they went through, the kids would need some time to get used to freedom and a changed environment before meeting new people.

The clones entered the rooms, talking in low voices to not scare the kids inside. Except one who looked at the original, nodded, and dispelled.

Rei found them.

He walked quickly, peering into the room as soon as he reached the open door. There he was—Sai. His good friend and faithful comrade. Just a small child now, not that much older than current Naruto, but Rei would recognize those big dark eyes and pale skin anywhere.

Rei's eyes flicked to the second boy, taking in his gray hair, sweeping around just below his chin. He was a bit older it seemed, standing in front of Sai, shielding him from the perceived dangerous stranger. This must have been Shin, the brother Sai had told him about.

Rei smiled and crouched down to not appear so intimidating. His expression softened even further when Shin pushed Sai closer to the wall, keeping him firmly behind himself. The boy's eyes told that he would rather go down fighting than allow harm to come to his brother.

"Hello there," Rei greeted, gentle and soothing. "I'm not going to hurt you. Neither of you."

Shin furrowed his brow, weariness letting up a little to make space for confusion. He didn't lower his guard though. Peeking from behind him, Sai only blinked owlishly.

"What're your names?"

Shin opened his mouth to answer, but in the next moment, closed it again. "D36 and D75," he replied finally in a voice that barely contained any emotion.

Rei bit down on a growl that threatened to tear out of his throat. Give it to Danzo to number his Root recruits like cattle! He held a vice-like grip on his sudden rage, forcing it back under control, smoothing over the sharpened, malevolent urges that bristled into existence at that thought.

No, there would be time for it later. Right now, he needed to gain these two's trust.

"I meant your real names," Rei said quietly.

"We don't have other names."

"I know you're lying."

Shin shifted, body tense. Sai's fingers curled into the fabric of the latter's t-shirt, gaze never straying from the blond man's face.

Rei heaved a sigh, raking his fingers through his hair. These two brothers were the only ones left here, the other children had already been transported outside. The Hokage was about to arrive as well. "I'm not with Danzo," he told the boys, pouring as much sincerity into his tone as possible. "In fact, I'm his enemy and I'm here to bring all the kids, including you two, out of here."

Shin's eyes narrowed and he stayed silent, studying the man. "You smell like blood," he murmured after a moment.

Rei couldn't quite help a small smirk that tugged at the corner of his lips. He liked this brave and smart boy. "This wasn't a friendly visit, but an attack."

"You fought against Danzo? Sama," the boy tacked the honorific at the end, a clear attempt at keeping up an image of respect.

"Not against him directly, but his soldiers, yeah."

Shin nodded, accepting it without questioning. He looked at Sai and they stared at each other for a few seconds. "My name's Shin," he finally revealed, even though rigid shoulders betrayed his uneasiness. "And he, um, he doesn't remember his name. I call him my b-brother."

Rei's chest swelled in compassion. Shin was clearly scared to confess such an intimate secret—feeling familial affection for his partner—but the boys extended that tiny, tentative trust towards Rei and he was not about to disappoint them.

"Names are important. Everyone needs a name. A real one," Rei stated. "If your brother doesn't remember his name, how about I give him one?"

Sai perked up at the offer. Shin glanced at him and his mouth twitched, expression brightening. It was obvious that the younger boy wanted to have a name of his own; perhaps more so than anything else. Perhaps more than even the possibility of freedom—in a sense, having his own name might very well mean freedom for him.

"Sai," Rei said with a tinge of reverence. "From now on, your name is Sai."

Sai's lips moved soundlessly as he tried his new name. "Sai…" he whispered before turning to his brother, eyes shining. "Did you hear, Niisan? My name's Sai."

This time Shin couldn't hold his smile back, "I did."

"Nice to meet you, Sai, Shin," Rei spoke again, "My name's Rei Uzumaki." He extended his hand, both boys staring at it wearily. "Would you like to leave this place with me?"

"Where do you want to bring us?" Shin asked.

"A safe place." Rei took note of their hesitant expressions. He was going to need to do better than vague words in order to convince them. "I'm building a place that hopefully will become a home for everyone who desperately needs one. However, it's not ready just yet, so for the time being I'm going to bring you to a safehouse I've prepared."

"A home?" Sai echoed, head tilted. "Can I and Shin live there together forever?"

Rei broke into a placid smile. "Of course." He truly meant it.

The boys traded looks once more. After Sai's nod of approval, Shin reached forward, taking Rei's hand. There was some hesitation in his grasp but soon it relaxed completely. It warmed Rei's heart to be given so much trust so quickly.

"The trip might be a bit disorienting," the man warned, reaching out to grasp lightly at Sai's shoulder. "But don't be afraid, you're safe now."

In the next moment, only an empty room remained.

As Hiruzen and two Anbu squads emerged from the forest into the meadow, the first thing they saw was a group of children. Around twenty of them, from as young as three to about ten years old, all sitting on the grass and either playing with blooming wildflowers, giggling at the wind ruffling their hair, or simply sunbathing with their heads thrown back to get as much sunshine on their pale faces as possible.

After taking in the sight, Hiruzen met Rei's glower. Arms crossed in front of his chest, the man stared at him once again as if expecting something. This time, the Hokage had a sinking feeling that he knew what exactly this was about.

"It shouldn't have happened," the Sandaime said quietly, gazing at the kids again. They looked at him too now, eyes wide and uncertain. Hiruzen's heart grew heavy. "Danzo wasn't allowed to take in new recruits for his Root program anymore." It sounded like an empty excuse even to his own ears, but he needed to voice it out loud to try and dissolve some of the festering guilt over his failures.

"Wow, it worked out perfectly as you can see," Rei mocked, motioning in the direction of the children. Then, his features hardened. "I removed the brainwashing seals placed on the older ones. Fortunately, the lunatic placed them only after a certain age, so the younger ones are all safe. But I'm not equipped to look after so many traumatized kids. I've taken two under my care - personal reasons - so make sure the rest get the care they need, Old Man."

"I will," Hiruzen promised.

Rei moved forward, stopping at the Hokage's side, their shoulders almost brushing against each other. As he leaned closer, mouth set into a sneer and eyes glowing scarlet, he growled, a shade deeper than what would have been normal for a human being, "Deal with Danzo, Sarutobi."

The Sandaime could almost taste the inhuman killing intent in the air. Almost. It was there, yet never crossed the line beyond vague, unsettling feeling. Rei had restrained himself this time. Because of the children Hiruzen surmised with sudden clarity.

"Or I will, but you won't like my method," Rei continued, his breath ghosting over the old Hokage's ear. "This is the last chance I'm willing to give you."

Then, the shadow clone dispelled himself.

A/N

Updates will come when they come. The content (plot, characters, grammar, etc) also is what it is. Leave me alone.