Hachi hated running.

Sweat dripped down to his mouth and all he could taste was the saltiness of his own perspiration. His wet hair stuck to his forehead and the back of his neck. He would kill for a shower, but he soon shook that thought out of his mind. As he forced his legs to go into overdrive, his lungs rattled uncomfortably.

With each step, Hachi's skin tore from the branches and thorns scattered about the forest floor. He didn't want to look down and see the impressive needlework of some stupid branches. He convinced himself that looking down would only make the pain more real and slow him down, something that he didn't want.

Come on… Come on… Hachi chanted in his mind. Maybe if he kept saying meaningless words, his brain would finally just give in and let the body go to the extremes. He had been running for a long time. Too long in his opinion, but if it meant getting away from the doctor, he'd risk anything.

His entire body groaned every time his feet touched the ground. Another warning for him to stop. Once again—though—Hachi ignored it. His body was now screeching for him to stop, but it only fell on deaf's ears.

He continued torturing himself. At times, the devil's advocate perched itself on Hachi's shoulder and whispered sweet desires. It almost worked, but he quickly snapped out of his slowed down pace and sped up again. He didn't know how long he was running for, but he knew that it wasn't enough.

It was only when his body couldn't physically move did Hachi collapse to the ground. Waves of pain pulsated throughout his legs. Knowing the dangerous situation, he tried to get up but was quickly shut down by the waterpark raging in his head. Black splotches splattered around his vision and Hachi couldn't help but curse silently for going overboard.

Hachi grabbed onto a tree to steady himself and wait out the dizziness while also catching his breath. Hachi felt the afternoon sun slowly dissipate past the trees which served as a signal for nightfall and Hachi's foolishness. He shouldn't have waited this long. Now, the doctor will find him for sure. The only thing to do now was to find a place to sleep.

Hachi looked up at the tree that he was holding onto. There were thick branches and bushes of leaves that were enough for Hachi to sleep and not get caught in, making Hachi sigh in relief as he didn't have to venture far. He grabbed onto the bark of the tree, hoisting himself up with futile attempts. Hachi was halfway up when his breathing became abnormal and ping pong balls bounced from inside his head.

Fuck… what the hell is wrong with me? Was I really this out of shape? Hachi thought, not even bothering to ponder on the fact that he just ran through a forest since morning. Hachi shook those thoughts from his head and continued to climb the tree.

When Hachi reached his destination, he couldn't help but sigh in frustration. Whether it was at his bleeding palms or the pain in his head or even the burning sensation that he had in his lungs, he didn't have time to let out his anger into the world. Hachi messed with the bundle of leaves, trying to cover himself from sight. The leaves tickled at his sides while the bark scratched away at his back. Hachi tried to disregard them and fall asleep. He needed rest for the morning. The second sunlight peaks insight of Hachi, he planned on bolting.

Hachi couldn't tell if it was the headache that he had or the crawling sensation of bugs on his back that kept him awake. He squirmed, tossing and turning, trying to find at least a bearable amount of comfort for him to rest.

The discomfort was the least of his worries and if he closed his eyes for longer than a moment, the nightmares would start pouring in. In the back of Hachi's mind, he knew that discomfort was just an excuse for him to avoid the unavoidable. Exhaustion was knocking at his doorstep, but as the eyebags set in, sleep was denied.

Hours flew by, and all Hachi could do was lay on the branch of a tree with more than the weight of his body setting him in place. Burden? Perhaps, but he wasn't ready to think about it. If life goes on as Hachi knew it, he knows that regardless of his thoughts of the weight on his shoulder, it will catch up to him soon enough. Just like everything else had. Sleep came sooner than he thought and the only thought that crossed his mind during his last moments of consciousness was fuck it .

Right as the final thread of attentiveness snapped, Hachi was falling—spiraling out of control. He couldn't see anything as darkness took over his surroundings, but he felt it. The hands grabbed at his skin hungrily, and he couldn't help but feel helpless against them.

What can he even do against something that he can feel, but can't see?

With each touch, Hachi's skin burned and tears stung his eyes. More and more fingers seized him. Twenty—no—more than twenty… What felt closer to a hundred hands were caressing Hachi's body. He wanted to cry. He wanted to thrash out. But Hachi's body was no longer his to control. He knew that there was nothing to get rid of these hands. This feeling of violation was something he'll never get rid of. It was a mark. A mark that differentiated him from everyone else. A mark that was a barrier from everyone else.

Soon enough, it seemed that exterior harassment was not enough for Hachi's brain. The rough fingers worked their way down: farther down than wanted. Hachi could only respond with a shudder as he realized what was about to happen. This treatment was something that shook Hachi to his core and the sole reason he had nightmares to this day.

"Stop! Please, stop… please." Hachi sobbed, crying out to the vast emptiness. Each cry rippled through his body as if it would be enough to shed himself of the dirty hands, but they continued without any hesitation. Hachi was paralyzed while still falling into nothingness. He couldn't do anything to stop the fingers that violated him. Tears streamed down the sides of Hachi's cheek and not even a whimper escaped his lips.

There was no freedom from this: a thought that Hachi had come to accept silently. Hachi was obedient to his destiny.

Time was relative. Especially in this nightmare that Hachi created. He wondered how long this treatment would last. How long that he had to endure to make it all go away. With these thoughts clawing at Hachi's mind, he saw the light..

Hachi's whole body jolted awake. He panicked as he felt gravity soon take course and he was scrambling to take hold onto anything within his grasp. Alas, the only thing that he could hold onto was a few twinges of branches, which did not help his 25 feet fall. Hachi was falling face-first to the ground below. The only thing he could manage to do was divert the natural flow chakra into his arms and hands to soften the blow.

When he landed, only a harsh groan came out of Hachi's mouth due to the wind that was knocked out of his lungs.

"Ah, fuck." Hachi barely whispered.

"Now that's not very nice to say." A voice said sternly, causing Hachi's head to whip around to face the source. Hachi immediately reached for his rusted kunai from the small bag that he had stolen from the doctor. A man that looked to be in his late twenties faced Hachi, although he wasn't really sure how old he was because of the mask that covered more than half his face. Hachi was tense as he brought the kunai closer to his face for more security.

"Who are you?" Hachi all but growled. Venom was laced in his tone making the man raise an eyebrow. He wasn't fazed by Hachi's threatening pose, which meant that he was highly skilled, to say the least.

This made Hachi a little hesitant. This man slipped past his defense and only made himself known when he wanted to. He was dangerous. A fight between the two would surely end with Hachi's loss, and in the worst-case scenario, death.

Hachi grit his teeth at the thought, but the man surprised him; he put his hands up in surrender. The gesture brought Hachi's guard down for a second, which would have been a mistake in a real-life fight. He quickly put his fists towards his face with his kunai in his right hand, facing away from him.

While his training with his mom wasn't complete, Hachi still knew the basics, which included Buki Jutsu and chakra control. If anything happens, he would use his chakra-enhanced strength as a diversion and run away with his enhanced speed.

"My name is Kakashi Hatake." The man started with his hands still up in the air. "Who are you?"

Hachi grimaced in reluctance at the inquiry of his name. He glanced at his feet. Hachi quickly made eye contact with the man, "Hachi Kobayashi."

The man named Kakashi hummed in a bored tone, making Hachi a little irritated. "Now… Hachi Kobayashi, what are you doing near the borders of Konohagakure?"

"What?" The question flew out of Hachi's mouth unprompted, immediately causing him to bite his bottom lip. He made an uncertain expression, which was swiftly picked up by Kakashi.

"I'll ask again. What are you doing near the borders of Konohagakure?"

"I… I don't know…" Hachi replied honestly. He dropped his guard completely, a very dangerous mistake, but Hachi didn't really care at this point. He was just confused. He stood stiff as a board, trying to come up with an explanation. Had I really traveled that far? Hachi thought.

"I was coming from the very edge of Tsuchi no Kuni. I didn't think I made it this far in 2 days." With the new information, Kakashi's eyes widened by a fraction before taking on a more serious look.

"I'm going to need to bring you to the Hokage. If you are perceived as a threat at any point, I will personally terminate you." Kakashi finished with a smile which only made the pit in Hachi's stomach drop below the ground. He knew that he wasn't really a threat and that he hadn't done anything wrong, but the idea of 'termination' made Hachi swallow hard. Anxiety began to crawl up Hachi's spine.

Kakashi was not weak or stupid and Hachi knew that getting rid of a small 12 year old would not even be a warm-up to him.

Kakashi stepped forward in an unfamiliar direction—which, to be honest, is every direction to Hachi since he didn't know where he was going—gesturing with a flick of hand for Hachi to follow. With reluctance still having a strong grasp on Hachi, he started walking behind him. Kakashi took a familiar orange book and started reading while walking. While Kakashi looked like he had his guard down, Hachi knew that any sign of running away would result in his existence being wiped out.

Hachi twiddled with his thumbs, looking at the ground with only the slight sliver of Kakashi's heels to provide him guidance through the forest. After about twenty minutes, Kakashi suddenly stopped, almost making Hachi run into his torso.

"We're here," Kakashi stated.

Hachi looked up begrudgingly but was surprised by the large gate that stood in front of him. The anxiety that was at the back of Hachi's mind was suddenly sending red alarms as the massive gate said 'retreat', probably foreshadowing how Konohagakure treats strangers. Kakashi looked down at Hachi and chuckled. While Kakashi only tried to ease the tension forming in the air, Hachi couldn't help but think it was a retort-like response to his intimidated self.

"Kotetsu, Izumo." Kakashi greeted two men that hid in a small booth. They seemed to have just woken up from a nap. They gave a small lazy wave to Kakashi in response.

"Wow… sleeping on the job." Hachi thought but wasn't aware that he spoke aloud. As a result, a painful fist landed on his head by Kakashi.

"Show some respect." Kakashi scolded, making Hachi stick out his tongue. The two gatekeepers seemed to have steam coming out of their ears as they tried to explain their position, saying 'guarding the gate is a hard job' or that 'it's tiring'. All the excuses fell on deaf ears.

"You literally read a porno while leading me here old man, I don't think I'm respecting anyone." It was now Kakashi's turn to blow a fuse. Upon hearing Hachi, Kotetsu and Izumo both let out a hearty laugh.

"Old man, he said." The man with a bandage over his nose cried out.

"Haha, good one kid." The other man said, wiping a small tear that escaped his eye.

Kakashi looked pissed, "I am not old."

"But you have old graying hair like my dead grandma." Hachi retorted, not missing a single beat and looking as uninterested as possible by glancing at his fingernails. "Oh don't tell me you're gonna die of old age soon," Hachi said while faking sympathy. Tears glistened in Hachi's eyes and he wiped it away with Kakashi's own sleeve.

Izumo and Kotetsu were dying on their own as Hachi continued his little one-man show. Hachi loved getting people riled up. Kakashi's fist shook with fury. Hachi could see from a mile away that he was only one second away from a punch to his head, to which he simply side-stepped.

"Now, now, Hatake-san. Moving your body like that is gonna exert you. Can't afford to tear a muscle now, can you?" Hachi chided in which he heard an unearthly growl in response. Hachi fucked up. He could feel it, so he did the only thing he thought he was good at: he ran.

Hachi ran without looking back, heading towards the monstrously big gates that seemed to scream for him to turn away, but he knew that if he did, there were other terrors waiting for him. Whatever's in the village couldn't possibly be worse than what's out there… right?

Hachi forced chakra into his legs to increase his speed, racing throughout the village. Kakashi and the gatekeepers were probably hot on Hachi's heels. He did sort of trespass into their village. Hachi knew of the consequences, but he didn't have time to think about that. He probably should have escaped away from the village, but that hardly mattered now as Hachi was well through the middle of the markets.

Speed was something Hachi was good at maintaining. The hours of training with his mother paid off. He didn't think he'd have to use these skills so soon… His mother trained him to use minimal chakra to maintain maximum speed. It was a strength in Hachi's set of skills. He can run away from at least chunin level ninja and lose them in seconds. While he wasn't so sure about the two gatekeepers, he was sure that Kakashi was just as fast, if not faster than him, so it surprised Hachi that he didn't immediately get caught by him.

Maybe it was a test? Hachi shook his head. He really hoped that wasn't the case.

The worry and anxiety that started to cloud Hachi's mind immediately dissipated as he was in full view of the village's bustling infrastructure. There were children littering the streets, adults joyously working from their market stands, and occasional stray animals that stole an assortment of food. People were anything but unhappy.

Hachi's pace slowed down in wonder. He hasn't seen anything like this in years…

Hachi's eyes stung in remembrance of his own village. He would often ask his older brother to help him with his training or play ninja with him. He would ask his mother to tell him stories of her time on the battlefield or help her cook dinner. There were too many experiences that ended too shortly.

His village was just as, if not more, lively than Konohagakure. It was filled with laughter and cheer: nothing short of a festival every day. As Konohagakure flourished, Hachi could only think bitterly about his situation.

He, of course, didn't blame the village for his depressing thoughts. It wasn't their fault to begin with. He was rather thankful for being shown a bustling village, as it brought up forgotten memories, ones Hachi thought were long lost.

As the children were running around, they soon found their way to Hachi.

"Do you want to play tag with us?" One of the children asked. This surprised Hachi. These children had no sense of danger and asked a completely random stranger to play with them.

"But you don't even know me…" Hachi said. He was confused by their actions.

"That's okay, we can get to know you when you play with us." The child answered with a toothy grin.

"Uh… okay."

With that, the child let out another smile and immediately slapped Hachi's shoulder, "Tag! You're it."

Hachi stood, stunned in silence before he gathered his bearings and started running for the other kids who were quickly spreading themselves apart. Hachi let out a laugh immediately as he tagged someone else and started sprinting in the other direction.

The children all tried to tag Hachi, but he was too fast. Using his speed to his advantage, Hachi zipped around the children just in time not to be tagged, causing both thrill and irritation from them.

After about an hour or so, the children collapsed in exhaustion.

"How are you so fast?" A kid—Hotaru (as Hachi soon figured)—gasped out.

Hachi laughed in reply, "I just had more training, that's all."

"When I graduate from the academy, I wanna be even faster than you!" Another kid named Mako shouted.

Hachi smirked, "I'd like to see you try." His comment riled Mako up even more.

The children were a group of eight to nine-year-olds that hung out after the academy was over for the day. Hachi played with the children till sundown, unaware of the silver-haired jounin that was closely observing the scenery.

Kakashi needed to make sure that Hachi, himself, was not a threat to the village. It might have been dangerous to leave him wandering around the village unattended, but Hachi seemed more mischievous than dangerous.

After having their fill of fun, everyone left to go home. Hachi sighed in longing, watching the kids run back to their parents with a blazing smile. Kakashi thought that maybe it was time, he revealed himself.

"Found you." Hachi's blood froze. He had forgotten how threats can come from everywhere and anywhere. The amount of anxiety he felt was unmatched. If he turned around, who would he see? There were too many people looking for him right now.

A hand fell upon his shoulder, making him jump. Hachi turned and was almost immediately relieved to see Kakashi. He let out a sigh in which Kakashi raised an eyebrow in response.

"You're still in trouble, you know." Kakashi scolded and Hachi nodded in response. "You seemed to be relieved to see me and not someone else."

"Yeah, well, you're not the scariest person looking for me right now." Kakashi's eyes narrowed at the news. If someone like Kakashi doesn't even scare this kid , who does? He doesn't want to toot his own whistle, but Kakashi was a highly-skilled jounin, that was even a part of the ANBU. Was there someone even more dangerous and skilled than himself chasing after this young boy? If this was true, he needed to get to the Hokage ASAP.

"Let's just get you to the Hokage, alright?"

"Fine, whatever."

The walk to the Hokage's tower was mostly silent and the exact same situation as before: Kakashi taking the lead and Hachi trailing behind. Hachi was timid at the thought of meeting the village leader and strongest ninja in the Hi no Kuni.

Once they arrived in front of the Hokage's office, Kakashi knocked softly against the door. A small 'come in' responded from the other side.

"Wait here," Kakashi ordered. Hachi nodded and leaned against the wall as Kakashi went into the room, leaving Hachi alone. After a couple of minutes, Kakashi opened the door to tell Hachi to come in. Dread filled Hachi's stomach with those words.

Hachi stepped into the office with his head bowed down. He was not used to being in the presence of such an important person. He glanced at the Hokage and realized that he was only an old man with a cigarette. Hachi scrunched up his eyebrows. This was the Hokage? He quickly shook his head, underestimating an enemy is one's biggest downfall. There is a reason that the old man became Hokage, a very dangerous reason.

"I heard from Kakashi that you were wandering near the village borders." The Hokage's raspy voice broke the silence. Hachi could only nod in response, worried that his voice would give out if he spoke too suddenly.

"Your name is Hachi Kobayashi. Am I right?" Hachi nodded once more. "You're a long way from home, Kobayashi-kun."

Hachi bit his lip at the thought of his home. He's used to being away from home. It has been nearly three years, but no matter how long it has been, he can't return. It would put everyone that he loves in danger. He can never go back to his family or friends on that tiny island he called home. Maybe temporary refuge in Konohagakure would be good. He probably can't stay long anyway.

"Please let me stay here for a short while, Lord Hokage," Hachi asked earnestly with a 90-degree bow. The Hokage and Kakashi widened their eyes and glanced at each other.

"Now, now, raise your head." The Hokage spoke hastily. This well-mannered child that has been presented in front of him was not the same child that Kakashi described just a couple of minutes ago. "Why do you want to stay in the village?"

"I have nowhere else to go," Hachi spoke bluntly. It was true, but there was more to the story than that, and the Hokage could tell that Hachi was hiding something.

"Kakashi, you may go out. I wish to speak with Kobayashi-kun alone." Kakashi looked a bit hesitant, but let himself out with a bow. "Now that we're alone, you can speak more comfortably."

"I have nothing more to say, Lord Hokage…" Hachi said.

"You're hiding something." Hachi's head shot up. "It's easy to tell. If you can't tell me your entire situation, I can't let you stay in the village. You might be a threat."

Hachi grimaced at the Hokage's response. He was right. If Hachi were in the Hokage's position, he would also be doubtful of helping out such a character like him. He was too suspicious.

"I-..." Hachi's voice was stuck in his throat. He's never had to talk about his situation to anyone before. "I'm running away from someone."

"Go on…" The Hokage urged, awaiting a proper response.

"He wants me for my clan's kekkei genkai. I can't be caught by him, nor can I go back to my village. He'll just follow me there and gather more test subjects."

"Sounds like this man is very dangerous, Kobayashi-kun. If this man were to get into the village, the village would be in jeopardy…"

Hachi's breath hitched. The way this conversation is going, Hachi wouldn't be able to stay. He clenched his fists. Once again that man is nothing but trouble for him.

"I'm sorry for being selfish. I just need to stay a short while. I'll be out of everyone's hair after and you wouldn't have to worry about me anymore. I know that me staying here would potentially threaten the village, but even then…" Hachi trailed off. He couldn't list off any more excuses.

Hachi visibly looked anxious as he fidgeted with his fingers. The Hokage stared at Hachi with a sympathetic expression and a sigh escaped the Hokage's lips.

"You can stay." Hachi's head shot up in an instant.

"Are you sure?" Hachi exclaimed. They were going to accept him just like that?

The Hokage let out a small chuckle, "of course."

"I-I don't know what to say… thank you." Hachi said breathlessly, bowing rapidly towards the Hokage. "Thank you very much, I promise I won't cause any trouble and I'll be off in a couple of months."

"No. You can stay as a permanent resident." Hachi stopped moving at the news.

"What? B-but I'm a threat to the village! I can't stay here." Hachi blurted out.

"You're not a threat to the village, the person who is chasing you is the threat—"

"Exactly! If I stay here, eventually he'll find me here and cause chaos." Hachi cut the Hokage off rudely, but this wasn't the time to think about manners.

"If we can't even handle a single threat, we wouldn't be the Konohagakure that we are today. Don't underestimate us, Kobayashi-kun." The Hokage reasoned sternly. Hachi was at a loss for words. Undoubtedly, he was excited at the news that he could stay here, but the weight of guilt largely outmatched his excitement. "Of course, you will not be staying here all by yourself. To get you familiar with the village and to keep you under surveillance, we'll have a guardian assigned to you." The Hokage continued, breaking Hachi's thought process.

"Who's gonna be my guardian?"

"Why, someone you got to know on your way here."

Hachi's face fell with those words, don't tell me…

"Kakashi Hatake, of course."