Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

5

Measurement Error

All tests serve as a measurement of something. That something could be; knowledge, specific skills…. high blood pressure. However, tests sometimes do not measure what they were created to measure. This is called measurement error. It is a term used to represent all factors that contribute to a test measuring an unintended variable.


"Rion", Iruka-Sensei said carefully as he approached the desk I share with Sasuke and Naruto. He had just finished his instructions for today's morning assignment; a worksheet to help us learn how to decipher some basic codes. Now that we were supposed to be working quietly and independently, I suppose he felt it to be an appropriate time to ask the question I had watched building in his mind all morning. "Is everything alright?"

As if confused, I scrunched my nose and wrinkled my forehead. An action that had me wincing for my efforts. "Why wouldn't I be alright, Sensei?" A few weeks had passed since Iruka-Sensei gave me that new notebook. I became bored with the number four the following day. And apart from a few other annoying tactics I thought up, I mostly returned to normal. Well… as normal as I could be after my secret had been discovered. While I stopped being a nuisance in class, I hadn't completed an assignment or passed a quiz since being found out.

"Um…" Iruka-Sensei started as he raised a hand; gesturing to his right cheek. He was trying very hard to avoid certain words. "Rion, what happened?"

"What?" I played dumb. By this point, I could feel Naruto's eyes on me as well. A quick glance in his direction confirmed that his blue pupils were flickering on and away from my face. Like he understood that he shouldn't be staring, but was too curious to stop completely. Raising my own hand, I pressed it against my left cheek. "Is there something on my face?"

Identical cringes of secondhand pain morphed Naruto's and Iruka-Sensei's expressions. Their expressions alone almost made it worth the price I had to pay. And Sasuke, bless him, remained focused on the worksheet because he didn't care in the slightest. "Is this…" Iruka-Sensei started out slowly again; his own cheeks coloring a marvelous shade of red. "Is this because of yesterday?"

By yesterday, Iruka-Sensei meant the uninvited trip he took to my residence. And what an adventure that had been. He knocked on our door a little after we had finished our dinner. Anzu was the one who answered, thinking it was one of our neighbors needing help with….personal matters. Upon seeing that it was a man on the other side, her posture changed immediately. "Oh.. um.. I'm guessing Daichi-san sent you". Anzu glanced at me from over her shoulder; tucking some strands of red hair behind her ear as she did so. Her eyes were apologetic. My sign that I had to disappear. Standing up and turning on the camping light, I heard Anzu continue. "I don't usually work on Wednesday nights. So, it'll cost extra".

The next sound I heard was a man coughing. "Uh, no", he said quickly; making me freeze from where I had been attempting to locate my left sandal. I recognized that voice. "I'm not here for…that", he spoke awkwardly.

"He's not a client, Anzu", I told my sister as I joined her at the door; glaring at the fidgeting man who was struggling to look at either of us. "This is Iruka-Sensei".

Anzu's disposition did a complete turnaround. "Oh! You're Rion's teacher". With a smile that lit up her whole face, Anzu leaned over the doorway and grabbed Iruka-Sensei's hand. "Come in, come in", she said as she pulled on his hand to get him to do just that. Anzu dropped Iruka-Sensei's hand as soon as the door closed behind him. "We don't really have anything to serve except water". Anzu thought aloud as she glanced around the room. But I knew she had found a solution when her eyes sparkled. "Rion, go to the corner shop and get your teacher something to drink".

Before I could make any move to follow through with that request, Iruka-Sensei held up his hands so both of his palms were visible to us. "No. That's okay. I'm not here to impose. I just wanted to talk to you and Rion about what's being going on in class". He wouldn't dare.

Anzu's face lit up the same way it does when she gets her hands on coupons. "Rion never tells me anything about school", she expressed. Which wasn't true. Not too long ago I had told her about someone giving me a hard-boiled egg for lunch. "Please", Anzu said; gesturing for Iruka-Sensei to take the chair at the makeshift desk.

Once Seated, Iruka started by saying, "Your sister is a very bright student with a cunning intellect". Anzu beamed. "But recently, she hasn't been completing any work". And the smile slipped right off Anzu's face. I started inching towards the door; shoes forgotten. This was a low blow from Iruka-Sensei the snitch. "In fact, she has refused to participate in any of our class activities".

Anzu snapped her head in my direction. Resembling a boiling kettle, she focused in on me with murder in her eyes. "Rion!" She yelled loud enough to rattle the building. I was out the door before she finished saying my name.

So, back to the present. By Iruka-Sensei asking me if what he found so concerning was related to his visit, he was expressing a bit of guilt. Did he truly deserve this guilt? No, not in the slightest. What he was trying to subtly infer would never happen under any circumstances. But he didn't need to know that. So, I looked down and played with the corner of the worksheet. In a defeated tone, I said, "Sensei, I don't want to talk about yesterday".

"What happened yesterday?" Naruto broke in.

Iruka-Sensei took his time answering. When he did, the voice that came out sounded pained. "It's private, Naruto".

That wasn't an acceptable answer by Naruto's standards. "What did you do to Rion?" He asked at a louder volume.

I kept my head bent over the worksheet, so Iruka-Sensei couldn't see my victorious expression. That would teach him not to tattle to my sister.


This new game continued for the rest of the morning. The conversation between Iruka-Sensei, myself, and Naruto had drawn the attention of many of my classmates. A lot of them stared at me longer than they normally would as I answered questions (correctly this time) and genuinely participated in class. More so than I had ever done in the past. The more I acted like a model student, the more Iruka-Sensei's countenance became depressing.

It wasn't until lunch that someone finally worked up the nerve to ask me directly about what they've been staring at all day. "What happened to your face?" Shikamaru demanded to know as he studied me with narrowed eyes.

"My face?" I acted confused as I looked up from the lovely octopus-cut sausages Chouji's mom had provided me with for the day.

Shikamaru neither bought my act. Nor was he affected by it. "It's bruised".

I hummed absent-mindedly as Chouji shifted nervously in his crossed-legged position in the grass; his chopsticks stuck in his mouth. "I don't think it is". I said.

"It's purple", came Shikamaru's deadpanned response.

Chouji started to watch this whole exchange like it was a ping-pong match. "I must have gotten ink on my face". It was absurd, but I did my best to make it sound plausible.

"It's swollen", Shikamaru countered.

I didn't have a way to downplay that observation, so I took a bite of food and chewed slowly. Not because it hurt to chew, but because I was enjoying getting under Shikamaru's skin. Or so I told myself.

Shikamaru's left eyelid was quivering. But he allowed me two bites of food before he asked, "Who hit you?" His tone was irritable. More than usual.

Leading me to decide to give a little by at least acknowledging that my face was indeed purple and swollen. "I was careless. Last night I ran into a door". The lie came easily and I didn't feel anything as it fell from my lips.

Shikamaru clicked his teeth. "You ran into a door shaped like a handprint?" He pushed further. Good grief, he wasn't good at letting things go, was he?

"Rion", Chouji broke in before I could push the buttons of his best friend further. "If you need help…" Chouji trailed off as it became too difficult for him to look at me. "We can… um…"

"It's okay, Chouji", I interrupted when he paused; cutting off whatever he was about to suggest. Whatever he thought would help was more likely to do the opposite in my case. "It really was just an accident", I assured him. Or at least it had been an accident from my end. "So", I started slowly; ready to make an attempt to redirect this conversation. I turned my head to the side to allow my bruised cheek to be fully on display. "What do you think? Is purple a good color on me?"

Chouji started making choking noises as a bit of food went down the wrong way. While Shikamaru scowled at me. "I liked you better when you didn't talk to anyone", he expressed. I smiled widely in response. This was a good day.


The next day wasn't. Iruka-Sensei asked me to stay behind as the others were released at the end of the school day. As he waited for everyone to clear out, Iruka-Sensei slowly cleaned up his desk and wiped the blackboard of that afternoon's lesson on kunai trajectory. His movements were slow and tense. That should have been my first clue.

But I didn't give it much mind until the last of my classmates had left and Iruka-Sensei walked over to the door. Once he was there, he turned around to face me. "Rion, come with me". I think it was the lack of a please that really made me throw up my guard.

I eyed Iruka-Sensei before picking up my notebook and pencil case. With measured steps, I joined Iruka-Sensei without saying anything. Iruka-Sensei led the way. Out of the classroom. Out of the academy. When we arrived at the spot where the schoolyard met the street, I stopped. "I'll see you tomorrow, Sensei. Bye", I said as I waved; ready to make a break for it.

Iruka-sensei's eyes widened a little. "Rion, you need to come with me".

On one of the rare occasions that I was completely honest, I said, "I don't want to". Turning away from Iruka-Sensei, I took one step in the direction of the red district.

"This has to do with your sister", Iruka-Sensei shared.

I froze; my right foot hovering in the air. "What about my sister?"

Iruka-sensei's response didn't give me any answers. "Come with me".

So, I did. It wasn't a long walk. Just a little way up the street. And into the Hokage tower. Worry started to infect me at this point. I had only stepped foot in this building once before. It was during a field trip to learn about the importance administration played in the running of our village. On that trip, we never went higher than the second floor.

Iruka-Sensei led me up the stairs; nodding his head to a few shinobi who greeted him as we passed. On the second floor, he kept going up and my worry symptoms worsened. By the time we were standing in front of a pair of double doors made out of some sort of heavy oak, my hands were shaking and I breathing through my mouth.

Iruka-Sensei had his hand on the doorknob. Before he opened it, he paused and looked down at me. "Rion, everything will be okay. I promise". That was the first time Iruka-Sensei ever lied to my face.

Inside the Hokage's office were three people. The Hokage himself; sitting behind his desk with a hunched back as he smoked his pipe. A spiky-haired man wearing a trenchcoat and sunglasses; who turned to face Iruka-Sensei and me as soon as we had entered the room. And Anzu; sitting slumped in a chair and covering her face with her hands. Her shoulders were rising and falling with every breath. The only sounds in the room were that of Anzu's wet and slobby sobs.

"What the hell did you do?" I heatedly accused the Hokage as I rushed to Anzu's side. In the back of my mind, I was vaguely surprised that no one chewed me out for cursing at the Hokage.

I tried to rush to Anzu's side, but the spiky-haired man stepped in my path. "This is the child?" The Hokage asked as I skidded to a halt so I wouldn't run into the stranger. Immediately, I was suspicious of his intentions. I mean, what the hell dude?

"Yes, Lord Hokage", the man answered even though his back was turned to the higher up.

"And you're certain your claim is legitimate?" The Hokage asked a second question; Anzu's sobs acting as background music to their Q & A.

"Yes, Lord Hokage", the man repeated. His voice was flat. Apathetic. The kind of voice I used when I was trying to get others to pass me by. At his answer, Anzu let out a particularly louder sob. One that reminded everyone that she was here.

Myself included. No longer distracted by the trenchcoat-wearing obstacle that stepped in my path, I darted right in Anzu's direction.

As if the man knew I was going to move before I did, his arm lashed out before I had taken one step. His hand wrapped around my bicep and held me back.

With my face twisting into what I can only imagine was a truly ugly expression; I responded by pivoting on my left leg while my right aimed for the back of the stranger's knees. I knew he felt the impact because I sure did. The force of it shot up my femur. But the stranger endured with no visible reaction. Not a grunt of pain. Nor a quake in his knees. I adjusted my weight to try again.

Before I could, The Hokage interjected. "Shibi, let her go".

The man, Shibi, did after he took a moment to contemplate the order. Once loose, I took the steps I needed to reach Anzu's chair. Dropping to my knees, I reached up and grabbed Anzu's hands in each of my own; pulling them away from her face. She allowed it; clasping just as hard onto my hands as I was to hers. But she kept her head down, blocking her tears from view. My head snapped in the Hokage's direction. "What the hell is going on?" Again, I was subconsciously surprised that I had been permitted to swear in front of the Hokage for a second time.

The Hokage sighed and took some puffs from his pipe. When he removed it from his lips, his expression was tired. Although, that didn't prevent him from speaking steadily. "Early this morning it was brought to my attention that an esteemed jonin of our village had decided to initiate a paternal claim on a child who was born illegitimately and was living apart from him". Anzu's grip was tight enough that I was losing feeling in my fingertips. "This Jonin quickly filled out the necessary paperwork and pushed it through different departments before it found its way to my desk before lunch. Now, let me introduce-"

Despite the Hokage's very wordy explanation, I caught on fast enough. And even though my blood was chilled, I managed to interrupt. "I don't have a father".

Anzu's hands were shaking under my own as the Hokage fell silent, and this Shibi person stared at my sister and me through his sunglasses. He reminded me of someone…. Had he been in the story I remembered?

In the background, Iruka-Sensei awkwardly coughed; reminding everyone that he was still there. "Everyone has a father, Rion".

I rolled my eyes. Yes. Yes. In a biological sense, everyone had someone who contributed sperm as a part of their creation. At least, until this world learned about all of Orochimaru's crazy experiments. "Fine", I said a bit aggressively. "But my mom got around". Anzu visibly flinched in her chair and I felt a tremor run through her whole body. "I could be anyone's bastard. A chunin on medical leave, a merchant with too much time on his hands…. The guy who sells produce in the market. The list goes on".

Shibi adjusted his glasses; the only sign that he was uncomfortable. I didn't have to look behind me to know that Iruka-Sensei was most likely blushing again.

The only one who seemed unaffected by my crude argument was the Hokage. "Aburame, Shibi. Would you like to address your daughter?" The Hokage asked, gesturing with a hand in trenchcoat's direction.

Aburame? From Shino's clan? Looking at Shibi, I waited for him to say something. Not because I was willing to put up with this nonsense, but because I needed all the facts so I could refute every single one of them. "I've been aware of your existence since your birth". I wrinkled my nose at the comment. Mostly, because I didn't believe it. Also, if he had always known why was he just now making himself known? "Why? Because my nest recognized the chakra of an Aburame child".

The obvious retort was to point out that I didn't have any bugs living inside of me…. That I know of. At any rate, I didn't have any bugs inside of me that I could weaponize. But I didn't go with the obvious retort. I choose the one I thought would allow me to manipulate the situation the most. "So, you're openly admitting that you hired the services of a-"

"Yes", Shibi cut me off before I could utter the word. Killjoy.

This was a lot. It was information that created more questions than answers. Ones that I wasn't ready to tackle or even acknowledge. So, I stood up; tugging on Anzu's hands to get her to do the same. But she didn't move. "Well, it was nice to learn you exist", I grumbled. "We'll be leaving now". I declared, even though Anzu still hadn't budged.

"You will not", Shibi said in the same monotone.

Before I could argue, the Hokage explained; his way of speaking much clearer than Shibi's. "The matter we're discussing concerns who has the right of custody. It's been reported that your living situation is unsuitable for a child".

"No, it's not", I disagreed immediately. Even though… it was. Though, not just for the underaged. For everyone, really.

The Hokage continued as if I hadn't said anything with Anzu still crying, Shibi still staring, and Iruka-Sensei just being there. "That you live in the neighborhood commonly referred to as the red district".

"So, it's a crime to be poor now, is it?" Even though poverty wasn't exactly what the Hokage had meant when he had mentioned the red district.

I was ignored. "Your marks have been dropping in school".

"Ask Iruka-Sensei", I demanded. "I was failing on purpose to piss him off".

"And as a result, suspicions of abuse were raised". The Hokage finished.

Looking over my shoulder, my eyes flashed at Iruka-Sensei. Did he…. But his expression didn't fit. If not him, then who? Not that it mattered at that moment. I was too busy putting out the fire in front of me to worry about who had misread the situation (That I totally hadn't misled anyone about). Turning back to the Hokage, I said very loudly and very clearly, "Anzu has never hit me. She yelled at me for not taking school seriously, but that was it. Iruka-Sensei yells louder at Naruto than she yelled at me". The three men in the room appeared unmoved by my words. So, I continued. "Anzu's the only reason I go to school at all. She makes sure I go to bed on time and… and that I eat. Even if that means she goes without!"

The Hokage inhaled some more smoke and tobacco from his pipe. Letting it all out in one long exhale, he asked, "If not your sister, who did leave that mark on your cheek?"

Recognizing that only the truth would help in this situation, I answered honestly. Even though it was hard. "Our landlord". And then, quickly, I explained further before any of them could point out that a violent landlord also made for a bad environment. "I deserved it. I was running in the halls and disturbing others". I mean, come on! They were ninja. Weren't they used to hitting things to get their point across?

Still, the Hokage remained calm and collected. "Regardless of your sister's innocence, Shibi has a paternal right to claim his progeny".

I sputtered as I fought to find the right words. This wasn't right. Even if this man was my father, he shouldn't be allowed to take over my life when he had never been a part of it. "This patriarchal bullshit!"

Anzu sniffled. "Rion", she said meekly; her voice cracking.

"Why now?" I asked. This time directly addressing Shibi. "Why now? If you did care about your paternal right, why not when I had been born? You don't just get to come in when it's convenient for you and uproot my life!"

"Rion", Anzu tried again. She was barely audible.

"I… I…. I want a blood test!' I demanded as a last-ditch effort to make all of this go away.

"Rion", Anzu said; pulling her hands from mine. It was the loss of contact that finally drew my attention to her. "It's okay", she said. Anzu wasn't looking at me. She had turned her head away from everyone in the room; staring at a wall. My arms fell limply to my sides. What? "I think it's for the best".

I can't believe what I'm hearing. "Anzu?" I questioned. My voice was softer than it had been since being brought before the Hokage.

Anzu's next words were strained. "I want you to go". They were words that hurt more than a handprint-shaped bruise.

My knees felt weak as I numbly stood in the Hokage's office staring at the back of my sister's head. What? I don't understand. Anzu did everything for me and I did everything for her. We were a team. A family.

Seconds passed and I slowly regained awareness that there were people currently watching my heart crumble. To save face, I spun around to fully face Shibi. "I'm not going to live with you". Water was building up in my tear ducts, but I refused their release. "If I can't stay with Anzu, I'll live on the streets in a cardboard box. Or… I'll leave the village and build a reputation as the evil witch who haunts the forest".

Shibi bowed to the Hokage. "Thank you for your assistance in this delicate matter".

"I'll befriend a pack of wild dogs and together we'll attack and rob caravans to survive". I kept ranting; on a complete tirade by this point.

Shibi bowed to Iruka-Sensei. "Thank you for all you've done for my children". Shibi turned towards me and stalked forward.

"I'll…" I was starting to run out of ideas. "I'll become an urban legend and give children nightmares". Shibi reached out to me with one arm. "I'll-" My air was cut off when Shibi's arm wrapped around my middle and I found myself being lifted and placed over his shoulder. "Put me down!" I yelled; kicking at his front and pounding his back with my fists.

Anzu still wasn't looking at me or anyone as Shibi walked out of the office. Even though I was screaming bloody murder, she didn't react. No one was. Especially Shibi, who just kept walking like he didn't have a kid who was throwing a tantrum draped over his shoulder.