Sumire's POV

My escape from the island I called home for ten years had been grueling.

The clothes I wore were drenched with water, courtesy of the tenacious waves that splashed against my body as I've been running through the sea for quite a while now. The icy winds blowing harshly in the darkness of the night made the whole situation even more unpleasant, but I had to endure the bone-chilling cold to ensure I could escape the people who were persistently targeting me.

I felt helpless earlier when I saw the wave of people charging directly at me as I fled the island and left the three men to defeat my pursuers. I badly wanted to help in the fight earlier and stay with them, but I knew I would only worsen the situation since the probability of me being captured would be high if I remained there.

My heart was in agony as I left the silver-haired boy from my memories there at the shore. Our meeting was unexpected and it felt so surreal, there were no words to describe how I felt at that bittersweet moment. I wanted to say how much I missed him and tell him about my affections for him but the situation we found ourselves in wasn't really the right moment to do it so I settled with hugging him as tightly as I could.

My steps felt very heavy as I ran away from where he was, it's as if a magnetic force was pulling me towards him, making it harder for me to move farther from him. All I wanted was to be with him, but I found the courage and resolve to leave the place even though I felt very heartbroken to do so because I know I'll only be a liability to him, his teammate, and Kaito-sensei if I stayed there.

The least I could do was make sure I survive the encounter since they're putting their lives on the line for me.

I felt rhythmic pulses emanating from the necklace, each one like a whisper of energy against my body. My tensed muscles relaxed a little, I found solace knowing that my silver-haired boy was safe and sound at the moment even though he had sustained a stab wound during the intense confrontation earlier.

I was glad to know he was able to subdue the enemies that came to the island, alongside his companion and my sensei, and was able to communicate with me through the necklace again to let me know he was okay. I extended my hand toward the pendant and transmitted a series of chakra pulses back to him, to inform him that I am fine and safe at the moment.

The rest of my journey is a bit tolerable now, knowing that the group of shinobi who came for me had already been dealt with. I know I still have to be careful though, there is a possibility that there will be more people or groups coming after me so I cannot let my guard down.

I already asked my salamander summon to go back to their home for now. Dokubi seemed hesitant to leave me alone, but I assured the spirit animal that I would not hesitate to call for help when I needed any form of assistance from the salamanders. She finally agreed after a couple of reassurances from me, then disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The destination I had in mind was the Land of Tea, which I recalled was situated northeast of Umi no Kuni. It's one of the closest foreign territories to the island where our village is located, and I would decide where to go next once I arrived there. I knew my stay at that place would only be temporary since I needed to run a good distance away from the Land of Sea to ensure my pursuers wouldn't be able to track me down easily.

I could already see the shore from the horizon getting more visible as I continued my sprint onwards. It was almost approaching midnight, so there were only a handful of activities happening at the port with very few people seen outside.

I made the decision to alter my appearance with the Transformation Jutsu, this would minimize the chances of being recognized as I discreetly navigate my way to the town center. The henge I had on was very far from my normal appearance, my chosen disguise as an adult male with black hair and brown eyes would be less likely to be connected to my original look. However, even with the drastic change in my appearance, I still avoided being spotted by the local townspeople as much as possible.

A sign illuminated by a soft yellow light that read "Seaside Inn" drew my attention. I am tempted to treat myself for a night's stay at the inn, resting my body and changing into fresh clothes seemed like a really good idea, so I went inside to check-in for just one night.

It was also safer to stay inside an establishment than camp outside on my first night being alone. My mind is in a mess and my emotions haven't settled down yet so I needed some secure place where I could rest my body and clear my mind without having to worry about any potential danger sneaking up on me as I slept for the night.

The person in charge of the place didn't ask too many questions, he simply inquired about the duration of my stay and the number of people accompanying me so I answered as briefly as I could without giving any personal information about myself.

After settling my payment, he promptly handed me the key to my rented room for the night.

Despite the exhaustion from my escape earlier, I mustered the energy to take a shower and change into dry clothes. The fatigue and anxiety I felt at the moment was making my circumstance even more unpleasant and made it harder for me to cope with everything that was happening. The constant running was a completely new experience for me, it took me away from the comfort of the small village I grew up in and left me physically drained at the moment.

I allowed sleep to claim me, knowing I could face my problems when the morning came.

I had confidence that I could overcome the obstacles that I might encounter on my journey once my body recovered already. After getting a good night's rest, my mind would have the clarity to make choices about my future actions and decide on my next destination.

The first light of dawn soon casted a soft and gentle glow across the room, and I awoke involuntarily from my slumber. Despite wanting to close my eyes again and stay in bed longer, I had to prepare myself to leave and continue fleeing away from the danger that might follow me here. A sense of urgency swept over me as I gathered my clothes that I handwashed and left to dry in the bathroom last night, then dressed up appropriately for my journey.

I decided to board one of the passenger ships that would depart from the port this morning, the destination wouldn't matter as long as I got away from this area. I transformed back to the male disguise I had last night before leaving the warmth of the inn and headed towards the docks.

A crew member aboard the ship was preparing to set sail so I approached him without delay so I could get on before they departed. I inquired, "Excuse me, where's this ship headed to?"

"We're sailing to the Land of Noodles, are you coming up or not?", said the sailor impatiently.

I replied while fishing some of the coins I had in my pocket, "How much would the ride cost?"

"1000 ryo, pay up and get on quickly," the man said firmly while his hand signaled for me to hurry up. I handed the payment to him and took a seat away from most of the passengers.

After a while, the ship left the port and sailed onwards to its destination.

I breathed a sigh of relief as the boat took me farther away from the small town, leaving behind the threat of my pursuers that had driven me away from home. Despite the physical distance that now separates me from the recent danger I encountered, I am aware that I must be vigilant and be adaptable to the unforeseen situations I might encounter along the way. The experience of being ambushed during my youth and enduring a relentless pursuit yesterday had taught me that no matter where I might end up hiding or settling down, I was never really truly safe since trouble seemed to follow me everywhere I go.

I pushed back the unsettling thoughts to the back of my mind as the boat traversed the open sea with grace.

The winds and waves were calm and gentle throughout the journey so I was able to enjoy the trip despite the worries and fears that occasionally sneak into my mind. I sat in peaceful silence, taking in the beauty of the blue waters and the breathtaking horizon as the sun painted the sky with its morning hues.

My sudden escape from the Land of Sea brought me a mixture of emotions; excitement and worry washed over me as I thought about the unknown journey that I had before me. I feel anxious for the treacherous life I had to live, but an exhilarating sensation bubbled within me as well. The thrill of discovering new places and having new experiences filled me with excitement and anticipation for the days to come.

The boat finally docked at a port in the northern part of the Land of Noodles, it is the country's capital city so the place was buzzing with activity and the streets were full of people going about their day.

My stomach grumbled from hunger, it was already approaching evening and I still haven't eaten anything for the day. I saw several shops along the main streets and I was very tempted to just buy food from one of the stalls to appease my hunger, but I have to be frugal with my spending since I need to stretch out the money I have on hand as much as I can until I could find a source of income that would be able to sustain me for the long run.

The harsh reality I'm facing has finally taken root in my consciousness.

Mariko obaa-san and Kaito-sensei had always taken care of all my daily needs before, we aren't rich but never have I experienced hunger and I've always had a warm bed to sleep on. I was not burdened with finding where my next meal would come from or where to rest for the night, but now I must do everything for myself to ensure my survival out here in this unforgiving world.

I have confidence in myself that I am capable of doing so though, my expertise in our apothecary business and my talent as an artist would be able to help me thrive if I wish to live a life as a civilian. I could also use the valuable shinobi skills I learned from sensei, but I have no idea how to use my ninja abilities as a potential source of income without belonging to a village or organization, and I also lack the connections that could help me find clients who are willing to hire an aspiring shinobi without a reputation or enough experience.

Deciding not to wallow in self-pity from my current situation, I headed towards the outskirts of the city and forage for food in the forest around the area. Luckily, I've found several fruit bearing trees and bushes after almost an hour of wandering around the wilderness. I managed to gather a couple of crisp apples and pears as well as a handful of strawberries from the nearby bushes. My dinner was very simple, but it filled my stomach and alleviated the hunger I felt so I couldn't really complain.

Being resourceful and self-reliant is a skill that I'd definitely need to learn to be able to make it through on my own out here. I needed to learn to do a lot of things by myself now that I am alone if I wanted to survive, not to mention the need for me to always be prepared any time in case I got suddenly attacked.

Many thoughts ran through my mind as I wandered in the forest area looking for a safe and nice place to set up my camp for the night.

I decided not to think too far ahead and worry myself to death, dwelling too much on what might happen would only give me anxiety and stress, and being emotionally unstable is something I cannot afford at the moment.

I would resolve all the problems I'll face without letting it overwhelm me and just take each day as it comes.

After a while, I found a suitable location for a camping spot, so I retrieved my tent and blanket from my storage scroll and proceeded to arrange my makeshift shelter for the night.

My priority at the moment was to rest, recharge, and prepare myself to confront whatever challenges life had in store for me the next day.

Kakashi's POV

Jairaiya-sama sent out word to the sandaime about what happened to the mission at Orochimaru's hideout and the encounter with Sumire after we met up at Kaito-san's apothecary shop. The hokage sent a missive in response, and asked us to come back to the village as soon as possible. However, we couldn't leave immediately since a couple more groups of shinobi arrived at the island in pursuit of Sumire. We were able to capture a few alive and bring them back with us to the village for interrogation and eliminated the rest.

Team Ro along with the Toad Sage had just arrived back at the village, it had been three days since we were assigned the recent mission and we were about to give the detailed report to the hokage in his office.

Jiraiya-sama asked the sandaime impatiently, "Sensei, should I begin the mission report or Hound? Let's get this over with since I have to do research for my book afterwards." The white-haired sage was always casual with the old man because he had been one of the students of the hokage alongside Tsunade Senju and Orochimaru.

The hokage looked in my direction and instructed me to speak, "Hound, give me the complete report."

I narrated the entirety of what happened to the old hokage; discovering the male spy and how he sold the information of a mysterious girl's whereabouts to multiple parties, the blonde woman leading us to one of Orochimaru's base, the appalling humanoid experiments we fought at the snake sannin's hideout, Team Ro and Jiraiya-sama eliminating everyone at the hideout while Genma and I followed the woman to a town in Umi no Kuni, discovering the identity of the girl being targeted, the battle that happened at the shore as the girl escaped the island, the groups of shinobi continuously arriving at the small town that we had to eliminate before returning to Konoha, and the few we kept alive for interrogation.

I manage to leave out important details regarding the real identity of Sumire to the rest of my team though, like her name, appearance and identity.

They weren't at the scene like Genma was when I encountered Sumire, or like Jiraiya-sama who was already privy to the information about her. The hokage would need to give authorization to disclose this information since anything about her had been classified after the ambush happened ten years ago.

I added further, "I also have sensitive information regarding the girl's disappearance a decade ago, hokage-sama."

"You are all dismissed except for Hound and Jiraiya", the old leader ordered. My teammates bowed from the hokage and flickered out of the tower as soon as they were dismissed.

I continued talking afterwards, "The Senju were ambushed by a shinobi group from the village hidden in the rain. I met the man who took her in after the incident, he is Kaito of Amegakure…." I explained what I knew thoroughly, like how Sumire was saved by Kaito-san, the purple-eyed girl forgetting her memories, how she began the apothecary business, the girl remembering a bit about her past after turning twelve, and her training with Kaito-san. I ended it with how the girl escaped from Umi no Kuni, "My search for her is back to square one again, I don't know where to start looking after what happened."

The hokage looked very stressed while I informed him about the details regarding the Senju girl as he replied, "We still haven't found out who informed Amegakure about her, could it be Orochimaru since he began searching for the girl now?"

I respectfully asked for consent to speak my mind about the matter, "Permission to speak, hokage-sama."

The sandaime gave me the authorization to do so, "Speak freely, Kakashi."

I removed my Hound mask since I was addressed as my real name and not as an ANBU operative, this was a personal matter to me after all. I am glad the hokage gave enough consideration since he knew how important Sumire is to me.

"I realize now that even with her ANBU guards before, it's so easy to follow her around town and figure out where she goes home after class no matter how careful we tried to protect her. It would only take a couple of deductions to figure out her residence by the route she takes everyday, and which identical shade of silver hair similar to hers lives by the old clan grounds. Sumire joining the academy in the middle of the term while a newly appointed Senju clan head relocating back to the village was hard to ignore as well, she was second to my rank in class despite her late enrollment and it would be hard to miss a talented student like her if one is paying enough attention. Naturally, interested people would investigate the new girl in town and probably figure out the whole thing without difficulty." I explained my thoughts about the topic at hand, even adding up the realization I've come up with over time. "Orochimaru is a smart man, he might not be told directly about Sumire and Hideo oji-san familial ties, but he is clever and capable enough to figure it out on his own. He is brilliant enough to do so, like how Shikaku Nara's genius mind enabled him to know about it on his own, it's not just him and Shikaku-san though. In fact, anyone who has a critical thinking mind can do so without difficulty."

The toad sage nonchalantly spoke up, "No surprises there if Shikaku did, but how exactly did he figure it out?"

I explained to the two elder shinobi the encounter we had before, "One time my father, Sumire and I were at the barbecue place and met the Ino-Shika-Cho team there. It only took Shikaku-san one look at Sumire and father's brief introduction of her to the trio, the whole encounter was very short and didn't even last for five minutes. He was very casual all throughout their interaction, but I observed a hint of recognition in his expression and the subtle undertone of his words denoted that he knew, albeit he didn't say it directly."

"You have a point there, Kakashi. You are correct to assume that anyone with a sharp mind and high-level perception could figure it out easily." The hokage expressed his agreement with my observation.

Jiraiya-sama replied, "Yeah sensei, that person was definitely smart and cunning though, the whole ordeal was still unresolved after all these years."

"Yes, but now there are more pressing matters we should focus on than figuring out that unresolved mystery from a decade ago." The hokage puffed a smoke for his pipe a couple of times before he continued talking, "Sumire's current situation is more important, I would ask Inoichi to oversee the interrogation and keep you both updated." He looked at Jiraiya to address him directly as the elder man said his next words, "Be on the lookout for the girl once you set out on your travels. You are outside the village most of the time, so there is a higher chance of you encountering her than the rest of us."

I gave the Toad Sannin advice about the purple-eyed girl, "If you see a girl with a salamander with her, it could be Sumire since she was already signed as their summoner."

"A salamander summoning?" asked JIraiya-sama in disbelief then commented, "Kaito must have really considered the girl as his family, passing a summoning to another is really a big deal."

A bit of relief was shown on the sandaime's expression as he learned the new information, "It is a good thing he did though, we can somewhat be assured that Sumire would be protected by her summons even while she's out there on her own."

"She is also wearing a necklace like this." I reached out for the pendant behind my gray ANBU vest and showed it to Jiraiya-sama, "I got her a similar one before she disappeared a decade ago, our pendants are somewhat connected so we can send chakra pulses to each other." I demonstrated how it worked by channeling a bit of my chakra to it and waited for her response, the amethyst pendant glowed brightly as soon as I received her pulses, it looked very pleasing to the eyes as the faded blue chakra moved gracefully inside the stone. "That glow is the chakra pulse she just sent back to me. I told her not to trust anyone easily before she escaped, so be sure to mention you knew about the necklace if you happen to see her so she would believe you were really there to help her. This Is really important for both of us, and sharing it with you signifies the trust I have in you."

He briefly replied, "Alright, I will remember that." But, the man raised his eyebrows repeatedly afterwards in a very teasing manner while he interrogated me regarding Sumire. "Kakashi. you really do care for her after all these years. I still clearly remember the luncheon Hideo hosted before, you already liked her back then don't you?"

I remained silent all throughout his playful teasing, "You can keep quiet as much as you want, but it is very obvious." The man then fished out a notebook and a pen from his pocket and began scribbling, "This is a good storyline for my next Icha-icha book, from childhood friends to adulthood romance. It would probably be a bestseller, even the ladies would like this sort of thing."

The man giggled shamelessly with the new idea he had, his face lit up with the possibility of creating a new masterpiece within his grasp. He still continued talking about it while scribbling on his notepad, "There is also the bonded thing Minato told me you share with the girl," the man looked my way and flashed a big grin, "You are fast Kakashi, you managed to claim her as yours even at your young age."

I blushed at the man's words, this is really embarrassing for me.

However, the sage didn't stop there as he further talked about the idea of me being the basis of the character for his next book, " I hear you are quite the catch in the village, the female population really like you, don't they? I could definitely make you the lead character in the book, you have the traits that the readers would like to read about, especially the ladies. The gentlemen who read my books won't mind as long as I include good action there, you know what I mean." The man paused and giggled a bit, before adding, " I can already predict my books being sold-out once they had an inkling about who my male lead character was based on, this would make the ladies go crazy. Don't worry I'll change the name to still protect your privacy somehow."

Although I do admit to liking his literary works, knowing that it was inspired by Sumire and I might be a little too personal for me, not to mention the adult themes that the Sannin liked to incorporate in his books.

That thought alone made my face redden as ripe as a tomato.

There might be provocative scenarios that Jiraiya-sama might include in the book and knowing it was based on me and the girl I liked would be too much for me to handle.

The hokage seemed to notice my discomfort and embarrassed expression, so he stopped Jiraiya-sama from further delving into the idea of making me and Sumire as the basis for the sannin's next book. He put an end to the toad sage's non-stop blabbering about it by reminding the man about his female teammate, "Jiraiya, I don't think Tsunade would like it if she knew your new book is based on Sumire and Kakashi. You know how she hates your Icha-icha, you will probably be put into a coma longer than Hideo is at the moment if she happened to learn that her beloved cousin's story was the inspiration for your book." I was grateful that the hokage interjected before this new idea came to fruition.

The toad sage became speechless at that thought and his face became fearful at the reaction he would receive from Tsunade-sama.

I disencourage the man from turning his latest idea into reality further by subtly threatening him about Sumire's other family members, "I heard Hideo oji-san is getting better lately, there's a possibility that he might wake up from his coma too. You can double the trouble you're expecting if he learned about it, he surely wouldn't be happy if he learned his one and only daughter was an inspiration for a smut book." I gave the man an eye smile as I said the next words that probably made the biggest impact in making him abandon the new idea, "Not to mention the wrath of Sumire's grandfather. The daimyo would probably ban all your books in the Land of Fire, and that surely wouldn't be good for your career as an author."

"Okay! I wouldn't push through with this." The man almost had tears in his eyes as he tore the top page off his notepad, crumpling the piece of paper into a ball, before turning it into ash with a fire jutsu to show his commitment to abandoning the idea altogether.

The hokage chuckled lightly as he watched Jiraiya-sama's antics. He dismissed the man since he had already told his orders for him a while ago, "You can go now, Jiraiya."

"I almost had another masterpiece written under my name! Now, I have to go and do research to find material for my next book." The toad sage loudly exclaimed as he jumped through the window to head to his next agenda, which is probably the hot spring to peek at the women bathing there. He exclaimed loudly as he made his way to the bathhouse, "You know where to find me if you need me, sensei! I'll be in the village for two days before I head out again."

On the other hand, the sandaime hokage issued an order before dismissing me, "Remind your team to be discreet about this whole ordeal concerning the girl. I'll give Team Ro a two-day rest period, you are dismissed."

I bowed to the hokage and flickered to the ANBU headquarters afterwards, where I found my team patiently waiting for me at the locker area.

Without the need for words, my team followed as I headed into one of the smaller meeting rooms inside the base. Everyone made themselves comfortable in their seats and removed the porcelain masks covering their faces. We are already comfortable with each other and worked like a well-oiled machine, already knowing how to act and be a team whether it be in the field or not.

I passed on the hokage's order to them, "The sandaime instructed us to to keep quiet about the Umi no Kuni incident, particularly regarding the girl being pursued. Her life is still in danger and it would be best if lesser people knew about her, understood?"

The team collectively answered, "Hai, captain."

My eyes scanned each member of my team, lingering on Genma as my gaze settled upon him. I glanced sternly in his direction, attempting to communicate in silence that he should refrain from discussing any details related to Sumire upon our encounter with her at Umi no Kuni as well as my personal connection with her. It seemed that he understood my unspoken message since he gave me a resolute nod afterwards.

This is what I liked best about my team, we can easily understand each other and work effortlessly together as one unit.

"We're done for the day, the team was granted a rest period of two days, so I'll see you then." Everyone's faces lit up as soon as I mentioned the free days that we're gonna have, "Dismissed."

I took a shower as soon as I got home, washing away the dirt and grime I acquired during the last mission felt very satisfying and refreshing.

I tried to lay down on my bed to allow my injured body to heal and recuperate. However, I never liked being idle so I decided to immerse myself in a book to pass the time quickly, but no matter how hard I try to focus my mind on the literature I have at hand, I just couldn't fully enjoy the book in front of me.

My thoughts would constantly drift to Sumire, I felt very worried for her safety and kept wondering where she ended up this time.

I couldn't help but replay the recent encounter I had with her at Umi no Kuni. I truly appreciated the dojutsu that Obito had given me because the Sharingan was able to etch her image into my memory like a photograph, the vivid image of her in my mind is something I'll cherish whenever I miss her. Sumire looked very breathtaking, she's even more beautiful than what I imagined her to look like after not seeing her for a decade. Her pale purple eyes still resembled that of an amethyst, and I could probably get lost in those pools of lilac for days. Her hair was still the same shade of silver-blond, but it had grown longer and I think it suited her better.

All the negativity in my mind and body seemed to fade away when I was wrapped in the warmth and comfort of her embrace. Our reuniting moment was fleeting, but I was still very grateful since I was able to be with her even for a short while. We've already endured several years away from each other, so a few more days, weeks, or months of waiting would be bearable in comparison.

I would find her again and make sure she stays by my side when that time comes. I might not be with her at the moment, but knowing I was able to do something to keep her safe against her pursuers was a thought that consoled me despite losing her again.

I know she's out there on her own, but I trust in her abilities to protect herself. Sumire has always been talented and gifted in many ways, her sensei even mentioned her formidable skills so I believe she can make it through this.

Despite my worries and anxiousness about her safety, I couldn't let myself break down. I had to place my trust in her, maintain a positive outlook, and look forward to the day when we can reunite again.