Almost five years later...
Kotori stood overlooking her family's gravestone. The wind ruffled through her hair as she let out a sigh and knelt down. She began the process of cleaning it with water and then checking for any weeds that may have sprouted since her last visit. Once satisfied with her work, she placed the white calla lilies as an offering. They had been her mother's favourite in life. She then lit the incense she had brought and sat cross legged in front of the stone.
"I'm sorry it's been a while. I've been - "
Busy was a lie. Perhaps preoccupied? It was a weak excuse. In the weeks and months that followed the nine-tailed fox attack she would spend every day crying in the cemetery. Her sensei would dutifully drag her from the cemetery to his house every evening to ensure she ate something before passing out. Then as time went on she came less and less, sometimes going weeks or months before paying her respects. Life would start to move forward and she would spend less time thinking of the past. Then something would happen that would rip open the fresh wound once more and she'd find herself back day after day. Some days guilt would creep up that she wasn't a dutiful sister or daughter and hadn't spent enough time mourning. Other times she felt exhausted, as if that's all she ever did.
Grief was an odd thing.
Her mind had been on her brothers more and more lately. Especially as today was her birthday. Hayato and Hibari had always seemed bigger and stronger to her. She had always been the little sister trying to keep up. She would force them to let her play with them and then later train with them. Now at seventeen, she was older than either of them had ever gotten to be. It seemed wrong. They were her older brothers, but they would never grow older than she was in this moment.
Few Sorano escaped that night. Only a handful of civilian cousins and their children remained. Mostly those who had married into other clans or had moved away from the village. She was the lone shinobi survivor. The last trained in her clan techniques.
After she finished chatting with her mother and brothers, she pinched the incense and tidied it up before making her way to the memorial stone where her father's name was inscribed. It seemed she was not alone today. Her eyes glanced to the silver haired shinobi already standing at the memorial stone. His hands were shoved in his pockets and he seemed deep in thought. She noticed the forehead protector was pulled down, covering his left eye.
The infamous copy ninja, Hatake Kakashi.
The staff at the hospital told her that he and another shinobi had rescued her and brought her in. If it wasn't for him, she would be buried in this cemetery with the rest of her clan. Thanking him proved to be an impossible task. She had tried to find him after she was released, but he never seemed to be in the village. Or if he was, he managed to avoid most of the population. He probably didn't even remember her now.
She adverted her eyes so she wouldn't be caught staring. Not that he seemed to be paying her any attention. Her eyes then shifted to her father's name on the memorial name and she traced her hand along the engraved inscription.
How could you mourn someone you don't even remember? She had been three when he died during the war. She had grown up missing the idea of a father more than the man himself. If she tried hard enough, she could remember the sound of a man's laughter and airy melody of a flute.
Chika dee dee dee
That stirred her from her thoughts. It also seemed to startle Kakashi from his as well. A single, lazy eye glanced between her and the chakra bird.
"Sorry," she sheepishly said. "That was my warning, I seem to be late for training."
She barely noticed the slow two finger wave he gave her as she rushed off.
"You're late," her ninja hawk, Raiden, accused. He had somehow managed to cross his wings across his chest. The forehead protector he wrapped around his feathered head gleamed in the morning sun. "You were supposed to be here when the sun reached the tree line, it's now over it!"
Teaching her ninja hawk to gage time by the sun had clearly been a mistake.
"Sorry, sorry! It won't happen again!" She promised, crossing her fingers behind her back. Raiden made a little hmph noise in response. "I'll make it up to you."
That had Raiden's attention. "How?"
"I'll get you more of those sweet mice you like from the market."
"I suppose that'll do."
Forgiveness was easily bought with the promise of treats and Raiden gave an exaggerated bow as he let her climb onto his back. Kotori let out a delighted whoop as they flew above the tree line. She raised her arms in imitation of a bird's wings as she concentrated her chakra into her shins, allowing her to stick to Raiden's back while kneeling down.
The wind rippled through her hair and she could hear the ends of her forehead protector flapping behind her. Kotori closed her eyes and tilted her face up towards the sun. She felt completely at home in the sky, her spirits lifted with each beat of Raiden's wings. Her earlier troubles seemed far beyond her.
"Aren't we supposed to be training?" Raiden asked, his voice carrying over the wind. She could hear the amusement in his tone.
"Isn't team bonding an essential part of training?" Kotori teased.
"But I'm already bonded to you for life," Raiden replied. He sharply turned so that he was perpendicular to the ground. "And it will be a short life if you lose your balance!"
Raiden suddenly dropped through the tree line and was rapidly approaching the clearing in the training field Kotori had booked. He darted around trees as well as under and over branches to avoid being hit. She ducked and angled her body in sync with her summon. They had been together since she was an academy student and Raiden just a hatchling, and had learned to react as one.
Kotori's mind wandered to the jonin interview she had had two days before. Her former jonin sensei had been the one to nominate her for the position. Ever since the nine tails attack, she had been pushing herself with her training. Determined to never let something so horrible happen to her loved ones again.
The nomination had caught her completely by surprise. She had never considered trying for jonin before.
The panel had been made up of the Hokage, the Jonin Commander and three other experienced jonin in the village. The skills portion was the easiest for her. Jonin needed to have at least two chakra natures and some sort of speciality. They needed to be adaptable to different mission types. Kotori had lightning and wind chakra natures user as well as her clan technique that made reconnaissance her speciality. However she was also regularly used on tracking missions and was classified as a long-range fighter. It was the aptitude portion of the interview that gave her pause. The panel had reviewed her mission record, paying careful attention to any C or B Ranks that she had led. They had questioned her decisions on the missions and gave her scenarios. The intense, rapid-fire style of questions had been designed to make her crack under pressure and after an hour her nerves were making her second guess her answers.
Finally there was a spar with the Hokage.
Kotori had lost. Although she had managed to last a full twelve minutes which she thought was impressive considering it was the Hokage. Lord Third had laughed and said no one had bested him yet, however it was good for him to see what potential jonin could do.
Now she had to wait. And wonder.
More than once, Raiden twisted himself sideways to get out of a tight spot. Once they were in the clearing, he shot upwards in a burst of speed before suddenly diving at a sharp angle towards the ground. It took all of Kotori's chakra control to remain on his back.
Kotori took her bow off of her back and aimed three arrows at the targets below. As Raiden looped around the training field, she practiced shooting arrows from different angles, getting the hang of channelling lightning through the wood and metal. Before he had died, her uncle had taught her his own jutsu, shooting arrow, which she preferred to use during missions. The next step would be to do a change of chakra nature and add her lightning affinity to it. The final step that her uncle had never completed.
She hit the centre of nineteen of the twenty targets she had set up. For the final target, she set the bow aside and did the hand seals for shooting arrow, letting the lightning flow from her arm into her fingertips as it with with the bow, and aimed for the final target.
Only for Raiden to flap his wings, hurling two gusts of wind that sliced through it. "Can't let you have all the fun," he taunted. "Chakra birds next?"
Kotori was already forming the seals, releasing twenty birds into the surrounding area. They hunted down each of the birds, little explosions of chakra as her arrows or Raiden's gusts huddled into them. Two more remained when Raiden did an aileron roll close to the tree line while Kotori focused on staying on. Only for the pair of them to be caught upside down.
"I can't move!" Raiden squawked.
Kotori glanced down at the ground to see a thin shadow connected to Raiden's from beneath the trees.
"Ensui-sensei," she growled.
Her sensei chuckled as he approached from where he was hiding in the shadows. His hands remained in the rat seal. "Well, well, well, what have I caught here?"
She could feel the blood rush to her head as he held her upside down. If she didn't act soon, they could pass out. Kotori's mind connected with two of her nearby chakra birds. She called them towards her, intending to use them as explosions to distract Ensui.
"I don't think so," Ensui said, as two thin shadows whipped out from behind him to catch the shadows of her chakra birds. They exploded from a safe distance away. "As much as I would like to see how you get out of this one, we've received a summons to the Hokage's office."
His shadow broke connection with Raiden's and snapped back in place. Kotori and Raiden dropped into a heap on the ground.
Raiden gave an indignant squawk as he smoothed out his ruffled feathers. Kotori hopped to her feet and brushed the dirt off her black pants and the Konoha standard issued flak jacket before finger combing her windswept hair. She purposely kept her wavy, brown hair shoulder length so that it was easier to maintain. It got tangled easily whenever she flew. She should appear respectable if she was being summoned to the Hokage's office.
"How do I look?" She asked.
Ensui sighed as he turned around, not even sparing a glance. "You'll do."
Kotori rolled her eyes as she dismissed her summon and followed her sensei to the Hokage Tower. He could have at least pretended to glance at her. They met up with the rest of their team in the corridor outside of the Hokage's office.
Yamanaka Aimi enthusiastically waved at them. She had her long, blonde hair in a messy bun with a pair of senbon criss-crossing in the back, holding it in place. A few tresses fell out in front of her face. While she was a chunin, Aimi avoided wearing the Konoha uniform with a passion and opted today for light blue pants and a white kimono style shirt. "Ensui-sensei! Kotori-chan! Are we getting a mission?"
Uchiha Sayuri was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. Her bluish-black hair was pulled in a high top ponytail and swished behind her when she moved. Like most of her clan, she had the Uchiha fan on the back of her flak jacket rather than the Uzushio spiral. "It's about time you showed up. Did you not notice the summons? I thought you of all people spoke bird."
"I don't speak bird - " Kotori retorted through clenched teeth.
"Enough," Ensui gruffly told them. "You're about to see the Hokage."
The pair of ANBU outside of the doors quietly opened them, admitting the three chunin and their jonin sensei before the Hokage. The team knelt and respectfully bowed their heads to the third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, like they had so many times before.
"Team Ensui," Lord Third greeted them. He had the ever present pipe in his mouth, smoke curling up from it. "When you graduated from the academy, I faced much resistance at breaking tradition and putting together a team of kunoichi. You have exceeded my expectations and I'm sure your sensei has become proud of the women you have become."
From the corner of her eye, she could see Ensui scratch the bridge of his nose, a sign that he was uncomfortable. Kotori was sure he was proud of them, but it was buried in the deepest, darkest crevice of his heart. They had accepted long ago that their sensei was allergic to feelings.
"You have journeyed together on the path from genin to chunin. However, this next stage in your journey finds you embarking on different paths."
The three girls looked at each other. She found the same surprise reflected in Aimi's bright blue eyes and the same trepidation in Sayuri's black ones. This team was her family, they were all she had left. Aimi and Sayuri were the sisters she had been denied by blood, but given anyway through circumstance. Ensui was something of a reluctant team dad. How could the Hokage just break them up? Only Ensui looked unsurprised and Kotori realized that either he knew or suspected that this would happen.
"Aimi-san, you will now be reporting to Inoichi-san in the Intelligence Division."
Aimi bowed her head as she graciously accepted. It was where most shinobi of her clan ended up. Aimi's skills as a chunin were average at best, but she could uncover secrets with ease.
"Sayuri-san, I would like for you to join the Konoha Military Police Force. You will be reporting to Fugaku-san tomorrow for your orientation."
Sayuri's shoulders tensed before she politely bowed her head. Kotori knew that her teammate had hoped for a different path than the Konoha Military Police Force. She had dreamt of becoming an ANBU ever since they were children and worked hard at improving herself. Unfortunately, she was met with much resistance among the elders of her clan.
"Kotori-san, I would like to promote you to the rank of jonin and for you to continue with the regular shinobi forces. You will report to Shikaku-san."
Kotori sucked in a breath before she quickly bowed her head. Her heart hammering in her chest.
She had done it!
"Well, that is all. Please, enjoy the day. It is quite lovely for spring. Kotori-san and Ensui-san, if you may stay for a moment? I have one last mission for the pair of you."
Aimi and Sayuri rose, leaving the three of them behind. Kotori curiously glanced between her sensei and the Hokage.
Lord Third regarded her for a long moment before blowing out a puff of smoke. "In truth, I would like for you to join the ANBU. You will be reporting to Captain Hound. Joining the regular jonin forces will be your cover story."
"I - " she glanced between Ensui and the Hokage. "Me? An ANBU?"
Ensui gave a small nod although the expression on his face was carefully blank.
"While you are, no doubt, a talented kunoichi, it is your clan technique that I am interested in," Lord Third said. "The Sorano chakra bird networks extended throughout the land giving us valuable intel. Many have been among ANBU's ranks, including your father. I had hoped to make use of your skill once more."
Her chakra bird network stretched through Konoha and the Land of Fire as she left her birds with every new location. The past few years, Ensui had been leading the team to further and further locations outside of their country. They rarely visited the same places twice. She wondered if he was helping her lay the groundwork.
"I would be honoured to accept," she said.
The Hokage passed her a bird-like mask that had had a triangular beck where her nose should be. The eye holes were outlined with blue, the line lifting in the outer corners giving them a cat eye appearance. There were a matching pair of blue chevrons on the cheeks. She sealed it into one of her storage scrolls along with the bag containing her new uniform. She then delicately placed them into one of the flak jacket's many pockets.
"Welcome to the Black Ops, Hawk. You will be expected to balance your duties with regular missions. I find when shinobi disappear entirely off the books, everyone suddenly knows they're ANBU. This should help protect your identity. Captain Panda will find you for boot camp in the coming days. After that, you will be introduced to your new team. That will be all," Lord Third said, dismissing the pair of them.
Kotori followed Ensui out of the room, only for him to suddenly stop her. He lightly grabbed her by the forearm.
"Wha- " she said, startled as he pulled her into one of the conference rooms. The shadows that fell across his face gave him a guarded look. She and Sayuri had a theory that he did that on purpose to make himself look intimidating.
"I have one last piece of advice before I hand you over to ANBU," Ensui said. He looked weary. "Do not operate in the shadows so long that you forget the warmth of the sun."
"Ensui - " she said. Her brows knitted together.
"So many ANBU lose themselves to the shadows, becoming nothing but an emotionless mask. The day you find it easier to exist as Hawk is the day you need to give up the mask."
"Of course," she promised.
"Good. You have friends in this village. Always remember that."
Overcome with affection, Kotori threw her arms around Ensui and hugged him.
When she woke up in the hospital after the nine-tails attack, Ensui had been sitting in the plastic chair by her bedside. His eyes had dark bags under them as if he had been awake for hours and the rims of his eyes looked a little red. It had been the moment that Kotori realized that perhaps her gruff sensei cared for them after all. They were more than the nuisance that he proclaimed them to be. The trio of ten year old girls he had been given in the midst of a war with the instructions to keep them alive as well as train them to kill.
She was orphaned, homeless and completely lost when Ensui discharged her from the hospital and took her home with him and his newlywed wife. He had become her rock in the aftermath, supporting her recovery both physically and emotionally.
Ensui stiffened as he instinctively caught her, before awkwardly patting her head. "There, there. Now, I've made a reservation at Yakiniku Q for the four of us. My sources say that one of my students has a birthday."
"Aw, you remembered!"
He scratched at the bridge of his nose as he escorted her out of the conference room.
"So this is it," Kotori said as the pair of them stepped outside of the Hokage Tower. Aimi and Sayuri waved at them from where they were waiting underneath a tree. "The end of Team Ensui."
"Every ending is just a new beginning," Ensui said. He glanced skyward at the clouds above. "What happens next is what you make of it."
"I suppose even when though we're no longer doing missions we can still be a team."
He gave a rare, genuine smile. "Something tells me I'll be stuck with you three until I'm old and grey."