WhIP

by footfungus

nederlands verhalen over mijn otp

160. Chapter 160

I watched her in the kitchen as she continually babbled to me about nothing and everything. She had started to make dinner for them, and I listened intently, watching her graceful movements. The week prior I had started to attempt to play with sounds, but never getting anything more than strange garbles. I realised I needed to listen for specific pitches and then develop, but it was frustrating. I was not cut out to be a mute.

"Look at you little Erena! You always watch your Okaa-san so carefully. I worry for the day you find your feet! I fear it will be soon!"

"Ka-sn!" I garbled, upset with my lack of success, again. I had decided that my first words around my parents would be 'mother' and 'father'...wasn't that tradition?

She blinked as she looked at me strangely. "Did you just try and say 'okaa-san'?"

"Aka-sn!" I tried again, still failing. She blinked and kneeled on the floor.

"Can you say 'Oh'?" She asked. I responded with an immediate 'Oh' sound. I was a baby, of course I could manage that.

She regarded me again, blinking several times. There was the slightest vestige of shock on her face, but her smile was blinding.

"And say 'Ka'?"

"Ka!"

"And put them together- and say 'O-Kaa'?"

"Oh-kaah-sn!"

"Almost! Try saying 'Sah'!"

"Sah!"

"Now, 'Sah' but end it with the 'n'"

"Sah-N...saan... San! Sansansan!"

"And put it together?" She looked at me intently, a grin on her face.

"O-kaa-san!"

"Yes!" She clapped excitedly. "And who is Okaa-san?"

I blinked. Was this a trick question? "Okaa-san! You!" And raised a pudgy arm towards her, toppling to the ground, off balance, in the process.

She quickly caught me before my head reached the ground in sat me back up.

"Oh wow." She whispered. "I think we have a little prodigy on our hands." She looked dumbfounded, if not slightly worried. I was an overly developed child, but was this something to be of concern? I could not think of the negative aspects of intelligence. Before I let my thoughts run away, I noticed something behind my mother.

"Okaasan!" She snapped out of her reverie and looked at me immediately. Oh, I was going to use this to my advantage so very much. But first.

"Okaasan, nnn!" and attempted to point behind her-my verbal vocabulary was still limited.

"Oh my god! It's burning!" She leapt up to the smoking frying pan and quickly dumped it in the sink, before pouring water on it. The room immediately filled with smoke and I started coughing, eyes watering. She bundled me up and fled to the smokeless bedroom, before lowering me to the bed.

"Are you okay? I'm so sorry, you distracted me. Your Otou-san will be home soon, and he can deal with the mess then. And get take out." She sighed, sounding exasperated and ran her fingers through her hair. "And now, my little genius, we need to figure out what to do with you? I've never understood cousins overuse of the word 'troublesome', but I think I'm about to! You are going to be a little menace, aren't you?" She laughed, tickling my stomach. I giggled in return.

We spent the next hour practicing sounds and putting them together. It was a difficult start, but I managed some simple words, although my speech was slow. I knew then my mother was special- not only had she taken my communication leap in her stride, but she quickly realised my problem with pronunciation and sought to help.

"Yui! Erena! Why does it smell like a bonfire? Are you alright?" The bedroom door smashed open, to the worried face of my father. His face softened as she checked us over, no doubt for injuries.

"Otou-san!" I exclaimed, showing off my new skill. My mother grinned at me.

"What the f-!" My father shouted, before my mum smacked him over the head.

"No bad words! I will strangle you if she says a swear before she's one!"

I giggled. This was going to be fun.

Chapter 2: Chakra arc: part 1

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Magic was real.

Okay, so maybe not magic but almost.

The realisation came to me not long after my first birthday. I was a very intuitive learner, and after my first words with my mother, when I was just over four months old, I started learning and improving like a sponge. First my vocabulary expanded, and I worked on my pronunciation, then I was able to form full sentences and communicate well by the time I was ten months old, and could communicate like an adult by the time I was one year- even if my father did not take me seriously and ridiculed my childish voice.

My mother was very careful, and made it clear to me that this was not considered normal, and that if my progress became common knowledge, I may be taken away form her. Here was also when I realised that there was something wrong with my new reality- that no mother should fear that their child would be removed for being a prodigy.

I loved and trusted my mother, and took her warnings seriously. She had taught me much, and love and cared for me. She was perceptive and never asked for anything, and let me set my own pace. She was the full definition of a matriarch, and was quick to scold if I pushed myself too hard, especially physically. While my mind was advanced, my body was slow to catch up-I was slightly ahead of where a baby should progress but not by much. I was still nine months old before I could walk with confidence, even if I was clumsy.

Unbeknownst to me, my mother and father agreed to not use chakra around me until I was older. As I learned quickly, they knew I would try and mimic anything I saw, and chakra exhaustion was a very real risk. I could feel chakra in my system, as my coils formed, and I asked them about the sensation one day. As they explained, my father was a Jounin, a highly skilled soldier for the village, who could manipulate chakra for certain skills. They promised they would show me how to mould it in future, but I could risk damaging my pathways, and even death, if I tried too soon. As they did not restrict me with anything else, I had no reason but to trust their judgement.

When I was one year old, my mother took me to a park to explore. We settled at a lake for a picnic. As my mother set things up, I sat by the water throwing rocks in, watching the ripples.

Suddenly I heard a big splash, and looked up to find a boy in the water in the middle of the lake. Next to him I saw another three people on the lake. Not in a boat on the lake, but walking on the surface of the lake, as though it were a pavement. There was a man with the same uniform as father, and a boy and a girl. All were laughing at the boy in the water, acting as though breaking the laws of physics was just a normal daily occurrence.

Because of course. Reincarnation cannot be scientifically explained, so let's add in a whole other dimension of this ridiculousness. What even is my (second) life.

I ran back to my mother, tugged at her dress and pointed to the people on the water (I was reluctant to talk in public, for fear I said something wrong).

"What? Oh!" She said, following my gaze and smiled. "They are water-walking."

"How?!" Everything else I had encountered had not been overly new, but this was revolutionary. I'm sure I hadn't encountered this before.

"Chakra, darling. But that's for later, remember?" She gave me a pointed look as a warning, but I felt like a fire has been lit beneath me. From the look on my face, my mother knew it too. "We'll discuss this later, when your dad gets home. That's his department. For now, it's time for food and to enjoy the day."

For the rest of our time out, I stared at the group. The other man appeared to be training the children, with varying degrees of success. I couldn't hear what was being said, but I could see the joy on their face as they started running and jumping on the water, followed by a very messy water fight. As my mother carried me home, I was in a sort of daze as I tried to get some kind of understanding of how a spiritual energy could effect the physical...every understanding of the natural world was going to have to change.

My father returned home as his normal time, in a good mood. If there was one thing about my father, it was that he was a joyful character. He loved to play practical jokes on my mother, and acted silly to annoy her (and entertain me). Where my mother was stern, he was the opposite. When it was explained he was some kind of elite soldier, and I asked him if he had ever killed, I could not wrap the idea of this clown taking someone's life.

As usual, he forgot to remove his shoes at the door (another thing I swear he did not purpose to rile up mother), and came over to pick be up and throw me in the air.

"So, how did my little genius enjoy the park today?"

"Otou-san!" I giggled. "It was amazing! I saw people training and they were walking on waters and then one boy fell in and Okaa-san said you have to teach me!" I rambled in one breath. I was practically bouncing.

"I said no such thing, and you know it!" Mother shouted from the kitchen. "Truths, please!" Sometimes I had a slight habit of over exaggerating to get my way. It rarely worked with mother, but father was like putty in my hands.

"Well, she said you would explain chakra to me, but that's the same thing, no?" I blinked innocently.

Father sighed, in a fond way. "Only where you're concerned. Alright, you pest. I'll get started, but your mother will be better at the big picture."

And so he sat down and explained chakra, chakra pathways, ninja, jutsu, hand seals...I had so many questions. I understood why they had waited to explain (because of course I was going to start playing!), but now I was like a moth to the flame. I wanted to understand everything about it. It was new and special and magic. I could have magic powers.

Right then I decided I needed to increase my knowledge. My father answered my immediate questions, but I already had more. My mother made me promise not to try and manipulate my chakra yet, and I agreed. But I wanted books to research. But I needed to learn to read properly. I had only just started an understanding of reading and writing in my new language, but it was not sufficient for my needs.

Over the next month my mother taught me reading and writing. While I promised I wouldn't attempt to manipulate chakra, I became more aware of it-in my body, my parents, other people. It was hard not to take then sensation and play with it, but I kept my word. It would upset and disappoint my parents, and I couldn't betray them, even if I wanted to. My parents ensured I did not become too obsessed with my need for knowledge, and made sure I still played and explored the village. They tried to get me to interact with children my own age, but it was strained-I could not converse with the children, even if I did try. I quickly became exasperated and bored.

When I was around two years old, I started to digest every book on chakra I could get my chubby hands on. By three, I understood the theory to the point that I started to unconsciously channel chakra to my hands without realising it.

I was reading about tenketsu points, turning the page when my mother shouted at me, running to me and grabbed my hands.

"Erena! Stop what you are doing right now! I warned you!"

I stopped, confused and looked at my hand. I was mid page turn, with the page on my fingers. Held by chakra. I hadn't even felt the tingling sensation, and had send the chakra to my finger tips. I wondered how often I had done that in the past.

"Um, oops?"

"Oops? Oops?! Don't you know how dangerous that could be? You're too young!"

"I'm sorry Okaa-san. I swear I didn't realise. I think I must have really good control? I'll be careful. I promise!"

"Careful won't be enough! What if one day you accidentally use to much? What if someone sees!"

"I'm sorry, I'll really really try!" I meant it.

Mother sighed. She knew she had lost whatever battle she was having.

"There's no way I can stop you now, is there?" She sounded defeated. I shrugged.

"If I makes you feel better, I could have done this months ago. I can be patient sometimes!"

"Erena, patient is not a word I would ever use to describe you. If I didn't have eyes on the back of my head, I swear you'd be crawling up the walls by now."

"...so, does that mean I can try?" My mother didn't bother to answer me.

Father was away on a long mission, which meant she couldn't throw me under his direction for once. While my mother may have been a homemaker, she was a chuunin from the Nara clan before she married my father. She understood chakra well enough, but admitted she held no joy for ninjutsu (blasphemy) or missions, and so had a desk job before retiring to take care of me. My father had wanted a way to bond with me, so left that part of my learning to him.

After a few days if thinking, my mother came up with a compromise.

"No ninjutsu, channeling chakra only. I will explain the leaf exercise, and if you become slightly tired, you will tell me. If I see you yawn even once, you will stop. Do you hear me?"

I mastered the leaf exercise within ten minutes.

By the time my father returned in two days, I was using my fingertips to stick to the livingroom ceiling. I waved at him as he entered, one hand still attached.

"What the f-"

"Seiji, language!"

My father groaned.

Notes:

And here goes my first fanfiction.

Bear with me while we set Erena up- plot won't happen until we reach the Genin arc...the pace will be fairly quick until then. I won't give much away, but she is a smart little troll, who will have more difficulties than it may initially seem.

I will try and post at least once a week, but can't give any specific schedule. Any feedback would be appreciated!

Chapter 3: Chakra arc: part 2

Chapter Text

I loved chakra. Like, really loved it.

It made no sense, but then everything about it made sense.

I must have been really good in my previous life because this was amazing. I could do the impossible...or, in future I will do the impossible. At the moment I was under strict guidance from a strict mother.

If left to my own devices, I'm pretty sure I would have either mastered some really cool water jutsu, or died of chakra exhaustion. Or both (but I'm sure it would have been worth it).

In two years I had mastered the academy basics, could have been an expert on chakra theory (if I was allowed to make my skills public, the woes of being a secret genius), and was on my way to mastering every C and D ranked ninjutsu I was allowed to practice. My chakra affinity was tested, and I had both water and earth, and so concentrated on those. I managed low ranking fire jutsu, but found those tired me quicker. I could have done more, but my practice was limited to the household, and later, deep within the Nara woods, away from prying eyes (my mother was a close cousin of the clan leader, Nara Shikaku, and he allowed her access without hesitation. Despite not technically being a Nara anymore, all he said was "like I have any say in what the women in my life want." Smart man.)

My father had tried to push for me to enter the Ninja Academy, but my mother had put her foot down. Despite not working a desk job, she still had contacts in the Hokage tower, and if there was one thing desk ninja liked to do, it was gossip.

According to them, the skirmishes along the borders were getting more intense. More casualties. While there wasn't a defined whisper of war yet, they had noticed enough discord to make the higher ups tense. Mother was loathe for me to join the Academy, knowing I would probably graduate in a week, and be a baby soldier right when there was the highest likelihood of intense battles.

My father said he would be a fool to argue against a Naras logic, even if he knew I could be an asset to the village.

So instead, I exhausted my parents teaching skills. Soon after, my dad and I would go to the library, and he would check out scrolls on appropriate jutsu for me to read-as my mum was retired, she didn't have access to any ninja scrolls, even academy level ones.

I became more interested in history, especially that of the village and the shinobi wars. While I loved chakra, and thought it was beautiful, I had been blinded to the brutality of it. It was a gift, but also a weapon. The ninjutsu I loved to wield were also used to kill. There was no doubt to me that wars had escalated because of mans ability to wield it. I also realised that the Academy was a place to train child soldiers, and twist them to the villages needs. Infuse with false loyalty. The Hidden Villages were military dictatorships, and not every decision made was necessarily for the benefit of the people.

It was a hard concept to realise, and heartbreaking. I knew I couldn't bring it up to my father-while he was loving and doting and the silliest man I had encountered in both lives, he was fiercely loyal and loved the village. He loved his job and was proud of his accomplishments. He had killed enemies, and seen it as an unfortunate necessity.

I could only see it as a tragedy.

I knew I was destined to be a ninja, but what was the point in my reincarnation, my intelligence and my self awareness if I couldn't do it my own way? I could be a formidable weapon, or I could change things. I wasn't a god, but I knew people. I loved chakra. I loved life. I wanted to respect them both.

But I needed a plan.

I would never get the respect to influence change without power, but I needed to get power without compromising my ideals. In Konoha, you couldn't be a leader or a politician without being a ninja. It was impossible.

I could be a ninja, and use my skills defensively-that was easy enough. All elements had both offensive and defensive aspects. The trick was to change the offence to defence...but I had no doubt I could accomplish that in the field. But that still meant senseless fighting.

What I needed was a technique that was unexpected and easily manipulated to incapacitate an opponent, quickly with no damage. Avoid fighting completely. That was more difficult.

While I concentrated on defensive taijutsu and genjutsu (which was difficult but worth it. I could only manage D ranks, but it was a start), I tried to come up with another path.

When finally, in a story book no less, I had an epiphany.

"Otou-san..."

"Yes, my little mochi ball?" I screwed my face up, he was so cringey.

"What is fuuinjutsu?"

My dad blinked at me once then laughed, a hearty full belly laugh. Considering we were sitting on a desk in the middle of the library, he didn't even bother to restrain himself. Soon, there was a quick and sudden 'shhhh!', to which he shut up, but couldn't stop the tears from running down his face.

I didn't get the joke.

"Dear, fuuinjutsu is a very special technique only the cleverest of shinobi can accomplish," he said, looking at me dead pan, the streaks of tears still visible on his cheeks.

"So what, like it's hard?"

"Yes, dear. Very hard. It requires a lot of time and patience to learn. Years of learning."

"I fail to see the punchline."

"That's because you don't understand how ridiculous you are, sweetpea. You'll crack it in a week." He grinned widely. "Come on, let's go!" He abandoned the scroll he was reading on the table, walked over and picked me up. I swear-I was five years old, and had fully functioning legs.

"Otou-san, I am not a doll. I can walk, you know?" I hissed.

"Shut up and let me enjoy you being this small." Considering he never got normal child interactions, I let him win this time. I still pouted.

He took me to the area on chuunin level scrolls, glancing around for the right section. Very quickly, he stopped and moved to a farther section, the jounin level scrolls. I had never had access to this area before (even for theory, mother had rules), so I tried to peek at the sub-section titles-there was everything from interrogation techniques (nope), to S-rank lightning ninjutsu. Goldmine.

"Hmmm here we go. Theory only, but we'll go from there, hmm?" He grabbed two scrolls from the shelf, and started to make our way back to the table.

"Seiji! Back from Suna? Where's your tan?" A jovial voice called to my father. He turned us around, to see a tall blonde haired jounin, with a grin that could rival my dads. I liked him immediately. "And who is this? Did you take a genin team without telling me?" He winked at me. Oh, I thought hormones didn't happen until puberty. There go my red cheeks and an immediate crush.

"Minato! Stop flirting with my daughter. I didn't realise you were a pervert like Jiraiya-sama! Apple didn't fall far from the tree after all, hmm?"

"Ah, the elusive Erena-chan! You know, we've asked your otou-san for an introduction for ages. I think he's embarrassed of us."

"Nah nah," I replied, trying to forget about my reddened cheeks, "he's plenty embarrassing on his own. You can't be any worse."

Minato looked at me for a second before bursting out laughing. Our second 'shhhh!' sounded in the distance. It was clear why these two were friends.

"You know, this is the kind of cheek I expect from your mother. Betrayed by my own daughter!"

"I learned from the best!" I stated proudly, pinching his cheek like he occasionally did with mine.

Minato continued to chortle. "Oh, she is Yui through and through. You should bring her to see the team, next time. The guys will love her."

"But will I love the guys?" I asked, tilting my head innocently. A long time had passed since I refused to speak in public, much to my mother's dismay. It was rare I could interact with my fathers acquaintances, so I enjoyed it when I could.

"Oh, definitely. Tell me, has your father ever mentioned his time in Hot Springs?"

"That's it! Nope. Not going to happen. You-" he pointed to Minato, "stay away from my daughter. And you-" he looked at me, "don't encourage the man. Understood?"

"Yes, Otou-san. I apologise." I said quietly, with a hug around his neck. After, I turned to Minato, and grinned. "Please accept my apologies also, Minato-san. My father is not feeling his best today. Shall we discuss Hot Springs next time, when he is more amenable?" He grinned back at me and winked. Father sighed dramatically.

"Right, terror. Come on. Good to see you Minato, I think." He casually waved him off as we left.

"He was nice Otou-san. You should introduce me to your friends more often!"

He looked at me and rolled his eyes. "Why do I get the vague sense of foreboding?"

"Because you're smart, Otou-san."

It turned out Fuuinjutsu was awesome. It was like painting puzzles of science, while adding a sprinkle of fairy dust.

There was no right way, only wrong ways. And once you knew how to avoid the wrong ways, everything was right.

If you had a good grounding in chakra theory, basic physics and an active imagination (and I had all three in spades), it was as easy as pie.

Once you cracked calligraphy, that is.

All you needed to know what what you wanted to achieve, the limitations and poof! Instant seals.

I played with small explosive tags (no bigger than flashbang level), but found them boring. I didn't want offensive tags, so increasing their range was not of interest.

Containment seals were fun. Mother didn't think so when I sealed the whole livingroom in one go, but that was her loss (I unsealed it quick, with no damage, so I didn't understand her ire).

Next were the pass-out tags. I was not stupid enough to try this on mother (I valued my life), but father was incredibly proud when I managed to get him with one at breakfast one day. I even managed to create ones with an inbuilt delay, which he took a huge interest in, and ones that worked within a specified range, but didn't necessarily need to be tagged to a person (the first time he used them with me monitoring he knocked himself out by not getting out of range fast enough. After that he wanted copies. I believe he used them to prank Minato as least once. He said he'd never been more proud of me.)

I had so many ideas, and for the first time, I felt content. I could happily theorise and create seals forever. There were very little limitations, if you could find a back door.

I had met Minato few times since our trip to the library. Father later mentioned Minato was technically a Seals Master himself, so I decided it was a good idea to attempt some kind of rapport. Thankfully, keeping on his good side largely entailed embarrassing father, so it was really no trouble. After a while I realised I would require no assistance with my Fuuinjutsu, but I enjoyed our banter.

Once, when out by myself without my usual escorts, eating dango on a bench, a huge shadow came over me. I looked up to find Minato staring at me with a smile on his face. Mouth full of dango or not, I squealed his name before jumping up to him and hugging him around the legs.

"How rude," muttered a tired voice. It came from a disgruntled-looking mask-wearing tiny ball of grumpiness.

I grinned at him and held out my dango. "Dango? You can't get enough sweets with that scowl on your face!" He only scoffed and crossed his arms. I pulled Minato down and whispered conspiratorially into his ear, "Did Grumpy-san get out of the wrong side of bed?"

Minato chuckled. "I think you'll find this is a good mood for Kakashi-san... can I have some dango, or is it reserved for those who need cheering up?" I offered him a stick without any hesitation, which he gratefully accepted. "Now, little lady, where are your parents?"

"Where they are meant to be."

"And where is that?"

"In the places where they are?"

"Erena-chan. That's not an answer."

No games today, then, huh. I sighed. "Otou-san is on a mission, likely Mist. He thinks I don't know, but I know everything...just like I can feel Kakashi-chans eyeroll." I heard him scoff again. "Okaa-san is fixing up the garden. She told me to scram because she was in a mood with me."

"And what could little Erena-chan possibly do to upset Yui-san? Considering she's married to your father, she must have the patience of a saint."

"I tried to help with chores and water the plants. I got a bit excited with Water Shuriken and decapitated a few flowers." I shrugged and bit another piece of dango. "I learned my lesson."

"Water Shuriken? But you aren't at the Academy yet? And you're what, five?" Minato furrowed his brows in confusion.

"I'm six and three quarters! Those three quarters are very important."

"And water techniques?"

I shrugged, still chewing. "I couldn't water plants with earth techniques, could I? And anyway, water is more...jazzy!" I wriggled my sticky fingers dramatically.

Minato continued to stare at me like a puzzle. "I think I understand why your father says you are a headache now."

"Liar, Otou-san would never!"

"Hmmmm. Sure. Right, little lady, let's get you home before your mother destroys the village looking for you."

I scowled and went to sit back down, before finding myself hauled unceremoniously over a shoulder. I squawked and dropped my remaining dango. "You imbecile, look what you did! You just wait, I will get you back!"

"Sure you will!" He laughed before running me home at speeds only a shinobi could manage.

Once home, he dropped me at the door, knocked it and saluted me. He zipped off before I could throw a rude gesture his way.

Okaa-san opened the door, and looked down at me.

"Erena? Why are you out here? And what happened to your hair?" My dark bob was flying in every direction.

"This means war."

Once Otou-san was home, he happily divulged Minatos usual training ground, and offered to be my chaperone (see: watch someone else become victim to my schemes).

As we hid on a high branch, with a chakra concealing seal on me (I could suppress chakra, but couldn't guarantee my concentration wouldn't slip), I saw Minato arrive with his three genin students (I was also pleased to know Grumpy-san was always grumpy). At some point, while watching his team, he leaned against a tree.

Now, I had no hope of sneaking up on a Jounin, but if you were patient enough to hide tags on every tree with resting capabilities and a vantage point to the field (twelve), you didn't need to.

After a few minutes, he got up the critique his team, only for the Uchiha to begin laughing at him, and the girl gasped.

"Sensei! Your hair! It's green!"

Frowning he pulled down a strand to his eyes.

"What the f-"

Chapter 4: Chakra arc: part 3

Chapter Text

There was a universal truth in my household: Mother is always right.

In my entire life, she has never been wrong...or at least no one is stupid enough to argue with her. However, sometimes I really wish she wasn't infallible...

War was here.

I had just turned seven years old when the news broke. Even though it had been creeping up, it still felt like everyone was caught unawares. The shinobi forces mobilised immediately, heading out in large numbers. The fighting was happening on all sides, and small border skirmishes soon became huge battles. Even the Genin Corps were sent to the front line-and they rarely left the village. I had been used to seeing my father relatively frequently, but then suddenly he disappeared. He specialised in sabotage and espionage, and so his skills were in high demand. He were not allowed to exchange letters, but messages were sent to us whenever rotations happened...not that he ever rotated back to the village. I had tried to create him a supply of useful seals, but he wouldn't take too many-in case it aroused suspicion of my skills. I didn't care, but he was steadfast.

The merchants and traders had become scarce, with food shortages and rationing starting almost immediately. Some of the larger clans had stockpiled, but civilians and non clan families panicked. The Sandaime guaranteed we would be fine, but it did very little to ease tensions. Fights broke out at shops, and the remaining Police Force was stretched thin.

My mother also decided to come out of retirement. She was useless as a frontline fighter, but her organisation and management skills were second to none. She took a post under Uncle Shikaku, helping with logistics (or as she described it: "Keeping Shikaku's head on straight or he'll implode.")

And then there was me. I couldn't agree with war, but it didn't mean I didn't care about the people involved. I came to regret my mother's decision to keep me out of the Academy. While everyone within was fast tracked to graduate, they could at least help. Due to my age and lack of rank, no one would even consider my support. No one wanted to babysit. I couldn't even help courier messages or tidy supply cupboards...I would have taken any task.

Instead, I would find myself at the library, reading books on battle tactics (know your enemy), philosophy and political theory, at home scribbling seals (I was toying with ideas of paralysing containment fields, but there were many variables to consider), and cooking for my mother (I was surprisingly good after the first few disasters...which may or may not have involved fire).

One day while my mother was at the Jounin Command Centre, I heading into the shopping district to pick up some of our weekly supplies. We had to collect our rice and flour on select days, and my mother wasn't always available. Thanks to my taijutsu training, my strength was reasonable for my age, so I rarely struggled-even if I had to make two trips for other supplies.

The grocer handed me the bag of rice with a friendly smile, and I toddled out of the shop. I managed to make it a few steps down before a sudden force hit me, and I fell into a puddle, scraping my knees and landing on an elbow. I somehow kept a hold of the shopping, but it was grabbed out of my hands before I even realised what had happened.

"Thanks, kid! Better luck next week!" a particularly mean voice called. A stocky civilian boy, likely in his late teens, hoisted the bag up and chortled as he began to walk away. The street only had a few other civilians present, but no one intervened and kept their distance, eying us bother wearily.

A sudden anger erupted from within, but I took a breath to centre myself. It was hard times, but picking on children was never justified. "Excuse me, but that does not belong to you." I said sweetly, as I caught up with him.

"Finder keepers, brat! Now shove off!" He tried to use his free hand to push me back again.

"My mother and I require our rice back. Please give return my rations or I will have to contact the Police Force." I tried again.

"I warned you, kid!" He started to raise his fist, aiming towards my face. Before he reached its target, I ducked and swung my legs under, aiming a quick kick to his ankles. There was very little force, but aimed perfectly, causing his balance to slip and he fell to the ground. I quickly grabbed the rice, before it even touched the ground and stepped back.

"Thank you for your compliance." I smarted, and bowed to him before running away. I was sure I heard him chase after me, but I took several turns, followed by a vault over a fence before I lost him.

It look several minutes for my heart to stop racing. Outside of sessions with my father, it was the first physical altercation I had been in. And I hated it. I knew I could physically overcome him, but I still felt helpless. Talking produced no results, and I only reacted to his actions, but there must have been an easier way to resolve the conflict. I just didn't know what.

As I gave myself a shake and patted my clothes down, a green shape appeared standing on the top of the fence I had hidden behind. The green shape happened to be a prepubescent boy, a few years older than me, with a bowl cut and the thickest eyebrows I had ever seen.

"Greetings, Little Warrior!" He boomed, hands on his waist in a dramatic posture. "I witnessed your Outstanding Display of Youth! Overcoming your foe at your age is impressive indeed! I, Maito Gai, came to ensure you were unharmed, and then must ensure your continued passage to your destination!" He smiled and gave me a thumbs up. He was utterly barmy, but heart was in the right place.

I smiled back. "Thank you, Maito Gai. I appreciate your concern. I can confirm I am unharmed, although please do not commend my actions. I would have only considered it a victory if violence was sparred...fighting should never be the first step."

"What Convictions! What A Youthful Approach! I wish you luck with your blossoming ideals! You must be protected, I promise to get you home or I will run twenty laps around the village!" Utterly barmy indeed. But I liked it.

"Thank you, Gai-san," I bowed to him, and saw his eyes sparkle with unshed tears. The boy was a little dramatic, but his positivity spoke volumes. He was obviously a shinobi, but was the most un-shinobi like shinobi I had ever met. I had noticed the older ones had their eccentricities, which often formed as coping mechanisms, but the younger generations seemed to be all business and brooding. Gai was made of enthusiasm and cheer, without a hint of being broken. It was refreshing.

Gai insisted on carrying my bag of rice and we wove through the streets. He spent the journey chattering about Youth and Hardwork and Belief. He asked about my training, and was surprised when I hold him I was not in the Academy-and started to cry because of my Youthful Dedication.

"Gai-san, there is nothing Youthful about me. I'm a tired bag of old bones. I feel like I've lived two lives already and just need a nap."

(True.)

"Then you shall have your nap and come out fighting!"

"You mean come out scheming? I don't want to fight unless I have to. Words can be more powerful than a punch, if you use them wisely."

"Then you shall use your words, and I shall punch those who don't listen! And I punch very hard!"

I laughed. "I appreciate the sentiment, but that's not exactly what I'm going for."

My house was empty, and he insisted on carrying the bag to the pantry. I tried to offer him some tea, as way of thanks, however he declined. Apparently he had to run, as he was already late on receiving his next assignment from the mission desk. I scolded him for being late while walking me home, but he instead flashed me his Nice Guy pose before shooting off.

A few days later, there was gossip about an attack by Iwa, resulting in heavy losses. Injured parties were trickling into the village for treatment, but reported many more behind them. We had received no word about father, but both knew he was with the main forces, and so we worried.

One day, mid shift, my mother left her work and found me in the library. She bundled my belongs together and told me to hurry, with no explanation. She marched us to the hospital at such a pace I was practically running. When we reached the hospital, the place was in a shambles. People running everywhere, patients lying in corridors and shouting filled the air. My mother attempted to grab nurses a few times with no success, and looked on the verge of tears. I knew the only thing which could have causes this was my father, and he was likely in a bad way.

It was so busy no one noticed the tiny seven year old walk around the desk counter. There were stacks of paper in haphazard little piles. I looked for the recent papers, such as today's admits, and found a pile with today's dates. Half way through the pile, I found my fathers record, grabbed it and ran to my flustered looking mother.

She took it from me, with a frown, "I don't even want to know," before skimming it.

Her eyes widened before whispering, "ICU bed 8", grabbing me and started marching again.

It was on the first floor, and thankfully well signposted. We entered the room to find my father unconscious, heavily bandaged, with a healer monitoring his vitals.

He was missing an arm and an eye.

I stared at him while my mother talked to the healer, hearing only buzz words. Concussion, intracranial haemorrhage, seizure, fractured ribs, pulmonary contusion and spinal trauma were muttered...and that was ignoring the obvious. Basically, it was bad. That my mother and I should prepare ourselves for the worst. They didn't know if he was going to wake up. And if he did, if he would be able to walk.

It had already taken him two days to get there, and the transport had not been ideal for a patient in his state. It was unknown if moving him had caused further damage.

While my mums heart broke, I could only see war.

Why did this have to happen? Why?

And he said my father was one of the lucky ones. At least he made it back.

I wasn't sure he would see it that way.

He was in ICU for three more days before he was able to be transferred to a ward. After this, it was five days before he woke up.

I was there when he did, as I spent nearly every waking moment as his bedside. My mother tried, but she was still needed to work.

He groaned at first-and I may have missed it if the room hadn't been completely silent. My head snapped up and saw him turn his head slightly.

"Otou-san?" I whispered, getting up from my chair, shuffling quietly to the edge of the bed. I didn't dare try and touch him-I had read enough about trauma and battle ready shinobi to know that was not conducive to living.

"...Mochi ball?" He whispered, voice cracking. I started crying.

"Otou-san! They said you might not wake up."

"Mmmm, I don't think I want to be awake, if I'm honest." His face screwed up in pain. I panicked and ran out the room, yelling for a healer.

Over the next few days, they kept him comfortable and did every conceivable test to check his condition. I had a new respect for healing jutsu (maybe I would learn anatomy?). I was glad to find out his head was a stubborn as he was, as the trauma to his head was healing quickly. When he woke, he still did not have sensation below the hips, but it gradually improved, even if you confined to bedrest for weeks. The only lasting damage would be the lack of eye and arm.

I expected my father to take it badly, but he took it like a champ. Or at least, he made it seem like he did. On one afternoon, I left to get refreshments only to find him crying with my mother-it was the only time I ever saw him crying. I quickly fled the room and ran to the lobby.

I sat on a bench in the waiting area and tried to still my tears. My father was the strongest person I knew and he was broken. I felt myself break, too.

"Little Warrior! What an Unyouthful place to meet again!" Maito Gai appeared in-front of me, kneeling looking concerned. Considering he had a thick bandage around he head, dried blood on his neck (no doubt from a head wound) and arm in a sling, I'm pretty sure it should be the other way around. "Tell me you are not injured, or I will get you a healer immediately! Or perform two hundred sit-ups if I fail!"

"No, Gai-san. I'm just upset. I'll be okay. But shouldn't you be getting the healer? I'm not sure that looks healthy!" I pointed to the dried blood.

"Yosh! What concern! I have already been seen. I will be back to full fighting fitness in no time!" He gave me a thumbs up.

"I'm glad."

An awkward silence surrounded us. While I would normally have more of a witty retort, I was drained. Conversation could wait, and I just needed to be alone.

"This place is too Unyouthful, and will give you Unyouthful thoughts. Come!"

So much for that idea. He grabbed me with his free hand and pulled me out the door. Within five minutes, he found the hospital garden and pushed me into a seat.

"What is it with ninja and picking me up or dragging me places? I am not a toy!" I huffed.

He laughed loudly. "It is because you move too slow! Why waste the day? The quicker you move, the more you can achieve!"

"What a load of bull-" A lightbulb went off in my head. "Huh."

"I can see you agree! What a bright day it is!"

"No, Gai. I think you are the bright one here," I smiled. He wasn't thinking what I was thinking, but he was to thank for the epiphany either way. Sometimes you needed to move fast. Sometimes you needed more time.

And I could work with that.

I jumped up, and ran over to hug him. He tensed and didn't return it, but accepted it none the less. He must not get enough hugs. I could fix that.

"Thanks Gai, bye Gai!" I yelled, waving as I ran.

I ran all the way to my father room, ignoring the yells from angry porters about running in the corridor.

I found my mother and father in quiet conversation, tears stopped but the mood was sombre.

"Otou-san, Okaa-san!" I exclaimed, beaming. They seemed startled by my sudden jubilation but didn't say anything. "I've made a decision. I am going to learn Time. I am going to become a Master of Time! A Time Lord!"

My mother rolled her eyes. My father stared at me-with his one eye.

"Before you Master Time, do you think you could Master Tidying Your Bedroom first?"

Rude.

Chapter 5: Chakra arc: part 4

Chapter Text

Where I saw my mother as infallible, I saw my father as indestructible.

Prior to the war, he had been on countless missions, but never returned with more than dirty clothes and occasional bruise. Because of this I never worried. Where other shinobi families would stress about missions going wrong, or if their loved ones would return, I just always knew he would. I never thought this was something I had taken for granted.

However, because of his lack of experience in matter of injury he was a terrible patient. Shockingly terrible. Despite being confined to bedrest while his spinal injury healed, he tried to walk as soon as his motor function had returned. The healers, nurses, and even my mother, could not get him to comply to their instructions. Even with warnings of permanent paralysis, he scoffed. I had tried everything from nagging him to sitting on his legs (carefully), but he didn't take me seriously at all. Tiny prodigy or not, I was only his child to him.

It was not too long after his discharge (confined to wheelchair...which lasted as soon as he left the hospital doors), that news came of Iwas surrender. War was over. There were muted celebrations, as people couldn't believe it. It was only when multitudes of troops returned that the reality kicked in.

Through rumours, I had heard of Minato and his victory. A thousand enemy shinobi dead within minutes. I overheard it from a gaggle of women outside the bakery. They were chittering about how he singlehandedly won the war, how he must be so powerful, how they hoped he wasn't fast in every aspect...as they giggled amongst themselves, I was left in a daze. Minato, my fathers easy going funny friend, had slaughtered hundreds of people. I had liked and respected him...and now I wasn't sure of what to think.

Konohas Yellow Flash, they called him.

I walked home, finding my father standing over the stove. While he would not rest fully, he didn't exert himself physically, but he was bored. With my mother still working with logistics, he had decided to try taking over some of her roles...well, my roles, as it had been the last few months. He was determined to be a fantastic cook, but had neither the palate or the patience for it. My mother, attempting to be supportive, found a few scrolls with family recipes on them...he used them as kindling.

I walked up to him, hugged him gently, before sitting quietly at the small table in the room. My thoughts were still milling around in my head, and I still couldn't associate Minato with the Yellow Flash...even if I knew it to be true. His actions were the antithesis of everything I believed in, only a certain kind of monster could commit such atrocities. And the people loved and revered him for it.

But he was kind and funny and stupid. His face was sunshine and warmth, and I never felt unsafe around him before.

"Whoa. What ever is going on in that head of yours? Do I want to know?" He walked over, sat down next to me and stroked my head with his (only) hand. "Usually I can read your plotting a mile away, but I don't like this face. This is new."

"Otou-san," I sighed, looking at him with dead eyes, "I'm just tired and I don't know what to think anymore. It doesn't make sense."

"There is very little you can't make sense of, sweetheart. Not when you put your mind to it."

"But this time I can't. I don't think I want to."

He shuffled his chair closer to me, so we were side by side, grabbed me around the waist and pulled me to his lap. "I don't believe that for a second. Now, tell me what's wrong, hmmm?"

I stilled. I both did and didn't want to discuss this with my father. What if he took it the wrong way? I knew he had killed people-it was his job. But we never discussed his missions, so I ignored it. That part of his life didn't exist to me, My father was my father, not a murderer. But the reality of the war and its end couldn't be ignored.

"Mochi ball, it's okay. Talk to me," he smiled softly, and I immediately started to tear up and shake, half from sadness, half from anger.

" All life is sacred, but we make each other suffer so much. Why do people kill? Why is there war? Why don't people see that it's wrong? How can you justify taking one life? How can you justify taking thousands? One war might end, but another is just around the corner. Why do we bother when it's just going to happen again and again? The violence never ends."

I had to look away. I didn't want to look in his eyes. He sighed.

"Philosophy is not my strong point, darling. But I'll tell you what I know," he went to hug me around the middle. "While we can love, we can also hate. And while we are kind, we can also be cruel. It is part of human nature-but some parts are more prevalent in others. I do what I do to protect those I love. You, your mother, but also the village. I need to protect you from those that might hurt you. Whether it a close or distant threat. I have killed, but it is a necessary evil. And you are safe, so I can't regret it.

"War is never the first option. But it happened. Smarter people than me tried to stop it, but dumber people than me failed to listen to them. I can't justify the thousands that died, but I can grieve for them. And we can hope to learn from their loss."

"But people don't learn, that's the point!"

"Then we need to make them learn," he said. "People smarter than me failed...but are there people smarter than you?" I stared at him. "I told you there was little you couldn't make sense of...I've never seen you lost before. You're only seven and know more about the world than I ever will. You are a better person than I could ever dream of. So take that passion, and show us another way."

I knew I hit the jackpot with my parents. They took my strangeness, maturity and intelligence in their stride, and never questioned it. They always supported and encouraged me. But now my father was suggesting I turn his entire lifestyle on its head. Change the system.

"But I'm only a little girl."

"Pfft! You're not only a little girl. You will never be only a little girl. I know that and you know that, so stop being stupid."

"But what if I can't and they don't listen?"

"You make them listen, dumpling. You use your voice and you sing it from the rooftops."

Immediately after this, my father enrolled me into the Academy. The intake wouldn't begin for another two months, but he refused to let me sit idle for longer. My mother wasn't thrilled but had ran out of excuses.

I say the entrance exam in advance, however was given strict instructions to fail a couple of the questions. Both parents knew I would likely pass with full marks, but they didn't want me to advance too quickly. I was told I must attend the Academy for at least two years-to learn how to socialise with my peers. My mother also didn't want me out in the field while things were still a little tense.

I was excited and worried at the same time. Excited to finally do something and make a difference, but worried about the life of a shinobi. I was also very concerned about the levels of boredom I would experience over the next two years.

My mum took me to her office one day, while my dad was meeting up with his old teammates. He hadn't been formally decommissioned yet, but it was only a matter of time. He now had too many handicaps to be in the field, and would never cope as a desk ninja. It required a certain amount of patience he just didn't have. If he didn't meet up and socialise at least once a week, I'm sure he would have gone mad.

I was sitting at the side of my mothers desk practicing my calligraphy (I wasn't allowed to draw seals outside the house), when Uncle Shikaku came looking for my mother. He looked more tired than normal-which was a considerable feat considering he was a Nara.

"Hello Erena-Chan. Do you know where your mother is?"

"Hmm, not here, Shikaku-sama." I answered. She was actually getting reports from Tori on the third floor, but he didn't need to know.

"Obviously," he drawled.

"I'm sure I'll be able to see her when she does get here, though!"

"Again, obviously. And will you tell her that I want to see her, when she gets back?"

"I don't know, will I?" I smiled, all teeth showing.

"Yes, you will, Erena-chan," he deadpanned. "I swear, you are so troublesome. I hope my child has half of your cheek or I won't know how to cope."

"I'm delightful!"

"I'm sure you are, I'm sure you are," and he turned to walk away.

"Shikaku-sama. Can I ask you a question?" I shouted, several people tutted.

"I believe you just did," he smirked at me. He knew the game!

"Then another one!" He nodded. "Sooo...you are like super smart and understand lots, right?"

"Not exactly how I would describe myself, but go on?"

"How do you cope when people try to tell you things you already know, and it's super boring, but you can't get out of it?"

"Do you mean, how do I cope with council meetings?"

He gets it! "Yes, exactly!"

"There's many answers to this, that would appease your mother. But my main advice would be this: anything you want, but don't get into trouble. And when in doubt, take a nap."

Huh. "So I should just nap during my classes in the Academy?"

He looked at me, smirked again, and shook his head. "...please do me a favour and never tell your mother we had this conversation, okay?"

"Okay, Shikaku-sama!...But how will I explain I know you want to see her?"

"You know what...it can wait."

Even with my father back, I still kept some of my independence. I still liked to do things by myself, and then included going to the library for research. This time there was something different though.

There was a gremlin in the library. A tiny gremlin. And I had no need for gremlins.

The place was quiet these days, as everyone had better things to do. Excluding the desk clerks, and the occasional chuunin researcher, I was left alone. The clerks no longer questioned my presence-I had become a constant. I had no idea what they thought I was doing, but they left me to my own devices. I never left a mess or bothered them. They didn't even question when I wandered to the Jounin sections any more-I think they just thought I likes to wander around the musky scrolls.

But then the gremlin appeared, bringing rustling and banging. I watched him between the shelves one day, surprised to see my little gremlin was an Uchiha child, slightly younger than I. He found and carried large tomes around, reading intently, as though he was trying to figure out a puzzle. Sometimes he read for hours, sometimes quickly skimming. Everytime he huffed and slammed the book shut, before looking it the next.

I decided to approach him, on one of his more active sessions. He was running around the library like a furious little bee and it was starting to irritate me.

"Good morning, Uchiha-chan. I would like to introduce myself." I said, standing next to where he was sitting on the ground, book wide open. "I am Nakahara Erena. I have noticed you here frequently, and feel I should introduce you to library etiquette," his little face frowned in confusion. "There are these things here called 'desks', and they are incredibly useful. I would encourage you to familiarise yourself before you damage your pristine posture. Also, if you are looking for specific titles, there is a registry held by the desk clerk. Your running around is making me dizzy. And most importantly-respect the books. They are old and our friends. Slamming them shut will only make them angry. I hope you find what you require." I bowed before turning away.

To give him credit, his haphazard flitting stopped, and he was almost undetectable. Except I seemed to have developed a stalker.

He began to watch me, hiding behind cabinets and books. If I pulled out a book or a scroll, he would check to see what it was. One day I was reading about prison jutsu, when he approached me.

"You are very smart."

Uh-uh. Not going there.

"No, I am simply very boring," I replied, not bothering to lift my head up to look at him.

"You study scrolls in the Jounin section sometimes. Can you understand them?"

"Nah, I just like looking at the pictures."

He snorted. "I bet you can. But why do you study so much?"

"Told you. I'm boring. Leave me to be boring."

"Okay, Nakahara-sempai. I thank you for your time." And then he bowed and walked away. Weird.

The next day, and the day after that, he continued to speak to me. Each time he left when I asked him to, but never before. Sometimes he would ask pointless questions, like about my calligraphy practice or the random book on baking I checked out. Once or twice, he asked about my family and my dreams for the future, before I shut him down. I didn't know what he wanted, but he better tell me soon.

"Good afternoon, Nakahara-sempai"

"Now see here. This whole interaction," I gestured between the two of us, "it's a nope from me. I have my business, you have your business. Let's keep it that way."

"But what if our business was the same business?"

"You're telling me you are trying to integrate the existence of chakra into the theory of relativity in order to create a fully adjustable time vortex using fuuinjutsu?"

"I...well, no."

"Then scram!" I used my pencil to shoo him away. I ignored him and continued to scribble for a few more more seconds before I realised he had no intention of moving. I missed the days when I was the annoying, overly interested gaki. I guess he won this round. "Okay, fine. What do you want?"

He immediately brightened. He was stuffy and too put together (Uchiha and their training), but immeasurably cute. So obviously he was going to be trouble. "I want books. Good books. Ones that give facts and not opinions. Or at least give a compelling argument."

"So you want books, then you'll leave me alone? You do realise we are in a library, right? Knock yourself out."

"I want books about war."

Huh. Not a typical subject for a four year old. And that's when I really looked at him. He had the same look of resignation and grief that my father had. He looked worn and troubled but he was only four years old. And he was self aware, in a way that no child should be. He has been forced to grow up too quickly and it was already haunting him. But even ghosts still need answers.

"We are in the main library in a shinobi village. To some degree every book is about war. Strategy, theory, weapons, techniques. It's all here and easily accessed. War is romanticised and highly regarded," I made a face and considered him. His expression was almost a mirror of my own. "But... if you wanted a more unbiased take, you might want to consider 'The Geography of Warfare', 'The History of Fire Country: Volumes Three to Seven' and 'Waga's Tales from the Frontline.' I would also recommend a trip downstairs to the archives, looking at census records from the First and Second Shinobi Wars, and scrolls of memoirs of the servants of the Uchiha household." His eyebrows rose. "I guarantee you will find those particularly enlightening."

He went silent as he looked at me. I shuffled under his scrutiny. "How many books have you read?"

"On war?" He nodded. "All of them." His eyes widened.

"And what did you conclude?"

"What is it good for? Absolutely nothing."

Three days later he found me again.

"And?" I asked.

"Nakahara-sempai. I am Uchiha Itachi, and I think we should be friends!"

Have I mentioned I hate gremlins?

Chapter 6: Chakra arc: Part 5

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Against my wishes, I came to love Itachi very quickly.

He was a fountain of potential, with endless love and hope. His love for his family was unrivalled, especially his new brother...who had not even been born yet. His eyes sparkled when he talked about everything they were going to do together, about how he would protect him until his last breath. He said he was lost until his mother informed him she was pregnant, and then his purpose in life became clear. He had so many ideas, but didn't know how to piece them together.

But the main thing that helped me endear to him was his intelligence. Even at five, he was smarter than ninety percent of the population. I felt like a fraud. There was a very big difference between us. I had the mind of an adult, with the developing brain of a child. It meant that I had a huge head start, and used my learning capabilities to their maximum-while the learning curve was still steep. I suspected I would plateau sometime in my late teens. My mind was still a sponge, but would become saturated at some point.

Itachi, however, was a powerhouse. He started from the ground and took off like a rocket. He was rational and had incredible foresight. Initially I considered him to be my rival, but there was no point...it was a competition I would only lose. For now I was the big sister, and I was happy to play my role.

Because of him, I now had somewhat of a 'social life', if you could call it that. My entire life had revolved around my parents, and research, and practice...but now I was meeting those outside of my parents social circle. While we both still spent significant time with our parents, I would see him nearly every day, whether it be at the library, conversing in the park, or even meeting to get snacks from the market stalls. We hardly ever talked about politics or history, unless we had a new thought to share, but it was nice to spend time with someone like minded. Sometimes we talked our futures, but I didn't know where I saw myself after the Academy...which was a point that surprised Itachi.

"What do you mean, after the Academy... don't you work in R and D?" He asked frowning.

"Um, no? I'm seven, stupid!" Honestly. Kids these days. They hear of a few prodigies with reputations and suddenly everyone has to fast track.

"But you work with seals? And you speak of Nara-sama? And if you were in the Academy, shouldn't you be there now?"

"Seals are just a hobby," I scoffed, waving my hand at him. "And Uncle Shikaku is not my boss, I just like annoying him. He's fun because he gets the game. My parents wouldn't let me join the Academy yet, they wanted me to slow down, but I start next month."

He spent the next few minutes in a brooding silence, and I could practically hear him thinking. "Alright, Itachi, what gives? What's got your panties in a twist?" I was starting to get annoyed.

He took a few seconds, as if trying to figure out what to say. "Can you tell me about your parents?" This was odd, even for him.

"What for? Okaa-san nags me about my manners, Otou-san has about as much common sense as a noodle. They are who they are." I shrugged.

"And they support you?"

"...yes?"

"Do they teach you? And push you?"

"They teach me what they can. And I push myself. I'm pretty sure they'd prefer me to act a bit more normal, but hey ho," I threw my hands up in the air dramatically, "thems the breaks!"

He seemed to consider this for a bit longer.

"I want to meet them."

I suppose this wasn't an unusual request, for two children who had become friends. In fact, I guess I was surprised it had not happened earlier. I had briefly met Itachis mother once, as he came to meet me, but he dragged me away before we could do little more than wave. She was very pretty, heavily pregnant and had a soft smile.

"Okay... now okay? Otou-san is probably burning down the kitchen making dinner, and mother should get home soon. You can stay for dinner, if it's edible?"

"Your dad cooks?"

I snorted. "Badly. He cooks badly."

This seemed to cheer him slightly. "Yes, I would very much like to."

We took of down the path, and followed the streets home. I was excited, so decided to turn it into a race...even if I was always going to win, as Itachi didn't know the way. We flitted last civilians, jumped over fences, and had to stop to help a lady pick up her shopping that we knocked over in a busy market square. Itachis politeness and profuse apologies made my teeth hurt.

As we walked away, I scowled at Itachi. He simply smiled and shrugged at me. "Manners take very little effort, Erena-kun. We did owe her an apology."

"Sure, but piling it on like that? Suck up."

Behind me a heard a familiar chuckle, that was definitely not Itachi. "Poor Erena-chan. Is someone finally showing you normal human interaction?"

Minato stood behind me with his arms cross, laughing at my expense. He was missing his new coat (he might be Hokage now, but he was still an idiot), carrying a back of shopping...which appeared to be multiple pots of ramen?

It had taken me a while, but I began to dissociate him from the Yellow Flash, much like how I dissociated my father from being a ninja completely. The first time I met him after the war, I had found it difficult to interact with him at all, hiding behind my father. It was visible that this had upset him, and I have a feeling my father had explained why. After this, he seemed to make it a personal mission to find me and annoy me...but seemed to know only to do so when my father was present. It meant a lot that he would take time out of his ridiculous schedule, simply to make a child comfortable around him again. And so we returned to our normal banter. This was the first time I had seen him alone (ignoring Itachi), and clearly on his personal time.

"Minato!" I launched myself into the air, and he caught me with one arm, keeping a hold of his groceries. "Why are you so mean to me? I'll tell Okaa-san."

"You know if you do that, you'll just get a lecture on manners again. Nice try." He booped my nose.

"Mmm...I guess I could just turn your hair pink this time, instead. I think it would suit you!" I went to grab a strand, but he grabbed my hand, quicker than a flash.

"You will never be touching this hair ever again, little lady. I still don't understand how you managed in the first place. Your father won't even give me any hints."

"My lips are sealed," I smarted.

He looked at me suspiciously-had a just given it away? "Hmmm...now, talking about manners, who is your little friend here? The last time I heard of you spending time with someone your own age, you made them cry."

"One time! That happened one time!" he was so mean to me. "Minato, Itachi. Itachi, Minato. There, done, I'm polite now."

"It is an honour to meet you, Hokage-sama!" Itachis eyes were wide as he entered a deep bow. Why am I friends with him?

Minato smiled, "No need for formalities around this one, Itachi-chan," he gestured his head towards me. "That ship has long sailed. And the honour is mine-you must be a courageous young man to willingly spend time around Erena-chan here." Rude! "You wouldn't happen to me Mikotos boy, would you?"

Itachi nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, Hokage-sama."

"Now I see where your courage come from," he smiled kindly. "Both of your parents are spectacular individuals. Please tell your mother I send her my regards."

That was interesting. Minato knew Itachis parents, but showed a clear preference for his mother. That was something rarely seen.

"Now, I am already late! There is only one woman more fearsome than Erena and her mother, and she is waiting for me." He placed me back down on the ground. Before waving and disappeared in a literal flash.

I want.

"You know the Hokage?" Itachi hissed, still a little starstruck.

"Nah, he knows me...and who are you?" A wild Uchiha appeared. Honestly, if you've met one, you've met them all. This one was about the same age as me, with slightly curly hair. He had obviously been at the market, as well, judging by his full bags. He was standing at the periphery, and had clearly been watching the exchange. Itachis eye lit up recognition and smiled.

"Good afternoon, Shisui!" He waved.

Shisui seemed to shake himself out of his reverie before approaching us. I was smarting at the lack of acknowledgment.

"Itachi! Hello! Are you rubbing shoulders with the Hokage now?" He teased. "And is this your new girlfriend? Hello, I'm Uchiha Shisui, the more handsome Uchiha. Pleasure to meet you!" He held out his hand in greeting. I accepted it.

"Nakahara Erena," I replied, watching him warily. Itachi seemed friendly with him, but I was always suspicious around those I did not know, unless introduced by my parents. My mother and father had instilled a good amount of distrust in me. They never discussed my prodigy status (although I'm sure Minato and Shikaku were very much aware), and made it very clear my skills were to be kept to myself. There was a reason they did not want me to advance too quick, except my mother's worry about me getting hurt, and even if I didn't understand it, I still accepted it.

Itachi was a special case. He never seemed to overly care, and never asked about what I could do. Plus he was exceptional himself, so I saw us as two peas in a pod. I trusted him, even if I didn't know why.

Itachi was very perceptive, however, and seemed to realise I was being standoffish. He placed a gentle hand on my bicep. "He's okay, Erena. Shisui is my cousin, be nice."

I'm not nice?

"Good enough for me!" I clapped, expression doing a full one-eighty, into a friendly grin. "Now, we better get going, dinner will be ready soon! Shisui, come on, you're invited!" I can be plenty nice!

Shisui seemed incredibly confused and shared a look with Itachi, who just shrugged and gestured for him to follow.

When we entered the house, I called out to my father, then shepherded the others to the main room, while I went to make some tea-dinner was cooking, but there was no sign of my father to be found. Itachi was quietly taking in my house, and Shisui still looked very confused. "Itachi, your girlfriend's kind of crazy." He whispered under his breath, only just audible form the other room.

"Hey, I heard that! Who would want to be normal, anyway? And not his girlfriend!" I haphazardly shoved some cups and the pot onto a tray and went back through to meet them.

"What kind of person asks strange ninja into their house for dinner, anyway? And what if I have places to be?"

"The kind of person that likes to keep things interesting. And if you did, you wouldn't have followed. Tea?"

"And what if I tried to kill you or kidnap you?" He asked, taking a sip.

"Then I'd just knock you out before you could...Itachi, is he always this boring?"

"Pfft, like you could."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Oh, I could." Honestly, he was worse than the adults.

Before an argument could ensue, my father walked into the room. Itachi and Shisui both stilled at this entrance, posture to a proper position. Both seemed to evaluate my father, Shisui seeming very focused on my dads injuries and had gone slightly pale. My dad smiled at me and messed my hair.

"Any who is this Erena? Is this now the Nakahara House for Wayward Uchiha?"

"Ha ha, Otou-san. This is Itachi and Shisui. We're friends!"

"We literally just met," Shisui deadpanned.

"I know, isn't it wonderful!"

"Erena, you can't just kidnap people," my father sighed. "Especially not the clan heir and a chuunin prodigy. Do you want to get in trouble?"

"You're the clan heir? And you're a chuunin?" Both shrugged. Huh. I had good taste in friends. "Well, they're staying for dinner, is that okay?"

"Sure, Mochi ball, but you can explain this to your mother." I grinned. "Well boys, I am Nakahara Seiji, and welcome to the mad house. Just clean up after yourselves, and try not to blow anything up...but that warning is usually reserved for Erena."

"Thank you, Nakahara-san!" They chorused. My father smiled at them, before giving me a pointed look (that said 'we'll be talking about this later') and left toward the kitchen.

"So...what shall we do? I need to practice with stealth paint bombs, so we could do that? I think I have pink paint somewhere..."

"Didn't your father say not to blow things up?" Itachi asked, looking slightly weary.

"He said 'try not to', therefore it's open to interpretation. Besides, those kind of things are reserved for the garden, it'll be fine." I went to the cupboard where my basic sealing supplies were kept, and fished a few things out.

"Was your father injured in the war?" Shisui asked quietly. I nodded. "Mine was too."

And suddenly I understood Itachis encouragement to befriend Shisui. Only a child, and already weary of the battle. Injuries to loved ones were not rare these days, but the effects must be still ongoing for such a response.

"Sucks, doesn't it? I'm over senseless fighting. It needs to change. They say if you can't beat 'em, join 'em...but I have no interest in doing either. You in?"

He looked at me strangely before looking to his cousin again. Itachi only grinned in response. "I...yes...I guess?"

"Excellent! Now, you need to lighten up. Here- I have just the thing!" I made my way over to him to hug him, and he reciprocated.

Unfortunately for him, I was also hiding a small knockout tag in my hand. As soon as it made contact with his back, he was out like a light.

"Erena, what did you do?" Itachi panicked, and rushed over to his cousin.

My dad poked his head around the corner to see what the commotion was about.

"What? He didn't believe I could!"

While Itachi saw to his cousin, I bent down to remove the tag before he could touch it. It had an in built defence, so it would knock out anyone who tried to remove it, unless picked up from a certain corner.

As Shisui came round, he glared at me. "I see how it is." I smiled back innocently.

My father burst into hysterical laughter.

"This is going to be brilliant!" He gave us all a thumbs up before going back to the kitchen. He was so weird.

"So...paint balloons?"

Both Uchiha looked at me like I had grown another head. I rolled my eyes at them. They would learn soon enough.

Notes:

I messed with the timeline just a little smidge here...call it artistic licence.

The plot is now starting to emerge, but there's a lot still to happen before we hit the big leagues. I have the whole story planned, and some important things are coming soon...I apologise in advance!

Chapter 7: Chakra arc: part 6

Chapter Text

I hated the Academy.

No, that's the wrong word.

I loathed the Academy.

I hoped that it burned to the ground, the land it is on so scorched that no one would dare to build on it again. That the very idea was forgotten, and memories of it wiped from people's minds.

The place was a cult. Literal cult. Biased facts, dogma and rhetoric. Start young, and children hang on to every word. The shinobi lifestyle was perfect. It will make you strong. Make you powerful. If you aren't shinobi, you aren't worth shit. You are nothing but a pawn...more useless than livestock. You couldn't survive without your strong shinobi protectors...

And that's ignoring my mind numbing levels of boredom. They taught basic maths in first year. Basic maths! Thankfully my scores allowed me to skip straight to second year, because I was ready to revolt. Not that second year was much better-I knew every single lesson, every single kata, every single hand sign. I could guarantee I knew more about chakra theory than our teacher. The second years taijutsu lessons were a joke. I begged my parents to let me progress but my mother was adamant about me staying put-and even made me promise I would not rank in the top ten. So I saw that as a person challenge, and I made sure I ranked exactly at eleventh place for everything...it took some effort, as I had to predict my classmates scores on every lesson. This meant compiling their previous scores, evaluating their motivation in each subject, and having to gauge their knowledge prior to every single test. I saw it as an information gathering task. It exasperated my mother, and entertained my father. He joked I had a strong future in espionage-which my mother did not find funny.

Even though I had skipped a year, I was well liked. I had to curb my sarcasm (my main personality trait) and dumb it down a little, but kids were easy to manipulate...sorry, I meant befriend. As I wasn't part of a clan, civilian kids trusted me easy enough. Something about the clans intimidated them, so I was a good middle ground. I felt like I had more in common with clan kids-due to the fact all had extra training-but only the Nara and Akimichi were open with their friendship (I suspected my mother's lineage had something to do with this). However, after Shisui came to meet me after class one day, the Uchiha were running after me with constant questions about how I knew their famous prodigy...and once the Uchiha fell, so did everyone else.

And Shisui...despite out somewhat 'rocky' start (which was fully my fault. I received a scolding and a lecture on appropriate interaction after then debacle...it was then I noticed some very strange similarities between Itachi and my mother...and it frightened me how quickly they bonded), we got on like a house on fire. A literal house on fire-and that house was my own. We had so much in common-he was like a surly and more morally grey version of myself. He was quick as a whip (both physically and mentally) and was very open to mischief and mayhem...my two middle names. Due to his Uchiha upbringing, he was far more polite than I will ever be, and had a profound sense of duty.

I found out that his father had been injured badly in the war, and as a result of that, he started to resent needless violence. The difference between us was that he still saw some violence as necessary. He tried to utilise non lethal techniques, but had killed in the past, and knew he would kill in the future. While this was never going to be my mindset, I still respected him for trying his best in the broken system.

With Itachi now in full mother-hen protection mode with the birth of his brother, Shisui and I spent more time together. When he was not on duty, or I was in the Academy, he would take me to the Uchiha training grounds. We would regularly spar with taijutsu and ninjutsu, and critique each other. Analysing each other's techniques was useful for two reasons: we would pick up possible faults or openings and guide the other to improve these, but it also allowed us to come up with new strategies to use our skills in ways we didn't think of. Such as suggesting Shisui use a more random approach in his body flicker technique to confuse his opponent to become more unpredictable-I used a mathematical formula to randomise the locations of his landing, and pinpointed specific areas of target to quickly incapacitate. He reported his success rate in spars increased by twenty percent.

On the other hand, he would guide me in realistic battle strategy...and what to avoid. As with most Uchiha, he was annoyingly good at throwing kunai, or anything in general. I tried to complain that the sharingan gave him an unfair advantage, but he just mocked my whining and made me practice more. I think a large part of me was reluctant to succeed, as I could not see any non lethal application. I voiced this to him, which he considered, but then suggested adding tags to kunai, or sealing the kunai themselves (just like Minato, but with less horrific results). Suddenly overnight I was almost as good as him...if he was anyone else I suspect he would have been annoyed, but he just acted smug because he was "better at teaching" than me.

He wouldn't be smug when he saw the next trick up my sleeve...

On one of our non training days, we decided to make sweets to give to Itachi. Neither of us had seen him in a week, but we weren't worried. He had become Sasukes shadow, and only left his side when forced. I had joked that he was doing his job as big brother all wrong-weren't they supposed to be annoying and make fun of them?

After we made a mess of my kitchen (and burned sugar on the bottom of the pan), we took our cutely packaged sweets (the packaging was all Shisui) over to the Uchiha district. I wasn't even given a second glance when I entered through the gates-The guards knew me as Itachi and Shisuis annoying but harmless little friend (if only they knew).

I had never been to Itachis house before, so followed along side Shisui. He was carrying the treats but kept on trying to trip me up. After the thirtieth time, I started to berate him...which happened to be as we walked up to Itachis house, with his door open, and his mother standing watching,

"...and next time you try that I will grab that foot and hack it off with a rusty kunai, understand?"

A gentle cough interrupted my rant, and I found Itachis mother looking between us, with the slightest hint of a smile. I paled immediately...while I wasn't normally nervous around...well, anyone...Mikoto was something different with her silent grace. She always struck me as no nonsense...and I was all nonsense. With my sudden change in demeanour and silence, Shisui started cackling.

"Hello Aunt Mikoto! Please ignore this delinquent, she was raised by wolves...is Itachi in? We come bearing gifts!" He grinned and showed the box to her.

She looked at us both fondly. "Of course, Shisui-kun. He's in the sitting room playing with Sasuke. And you must be Erena? Itachi speaks of you fondly." She gave me a warm smile, but it made me all the more nervous.

"Yes, Uchiha-sama...Thank you for welcoming me into you home." I bowed and shuffled my feet. I was already screaming internally. What are you doing?!

"It's Mikoto, dear. The only Uchiha-sama is my husband, but even then he doesn't deserve the honour most of the time. He scowls far too much to be revered."

"Nothing cures a scowl like a paint bomb and a hug," I replied, without even thinking about my words. Why did I just say that?

"That was you who pranked Minato?" she asked, eyes wide. A couple of weeks prior, I had the perfect timing to prank Minato again. My mother had to visit the Hokage Tower, and took me with her. I was sitting on a bench outside, and in my boredom, decided to climb the tree. To any passers by, I was just a young girl playing around...but I also decided to implant some small paint bombs to the branches. They resembled acorns-I used seals to compress the size and add an exploding trigger, and jutsu to mimic a more natural appearance. They were attached to the branches with a sticky chakra technique, so would fall and explode when I released them, or the chakra dissipated.

Just my luck, Minato had heard of my presence and came to see me. He seemed a bit downtrodden, and slightly angry...and it only lightened slightly when he saw me.

"Erena! I heard you were here. You came to the tower and didn't even try to come and annoy me? I'm hurt!"

"Annoy you? You're the annoying one!" I had replied, crossing my arms over my chest.

Minato laughed. "You look like an angry baby bird. You need to work on that or no one will ever take you seriously." Why did I put up with this man?

"Sorry, we can't all look like Grumpy-san on a permanent basis. And what's with your impression of him? It's not a good look for you."

"Ah, just annoying councilmen. Nothing I can't handle," he waved his hand at me, and sat on the bench beside me. Immediately I saw an opening.

I jumped up, and stood in front of him...far enough away to be clear, but close enough not to be suspicious. "I know exactly what you need!" I exclaimed, grin on my face. He looked at me and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

"A makeover!" And I dramatically clapped my hands. On cue, the tiny acorns fell, and went 'POP' as soon as they made contact with him. But as quick as he was covered in pink paint head to toe, I was grabbed tightly from behind, with a hand at my throat.

Shit.

To be fair to Minato, he was lightning fast at getting up and removing the dark-clothed ANBU from me. "Stand down!"

Once he picked me up and put me down beside him, he finally noticed his predicament. And he burst out laughing. He was laughing so much tears started to stream down his face. When bits of paint started dripping on the floor, he started even more. When he finally finished, he grabbed me in a hug...great, now I was covered. I was too afraid to move after my shock with the ANBU, but he seemed to need it.

"Erena, thank you," he said sincerely. "And one of these day you are going to tell me how you managed this...again."

"I keep telling you, Minato. My lips are sealed!"

And from then gossip went around about the Hokage Tower prankster, clever enough to get the Hokage. No one knew who it was, but that didn't bother me.

Except, now apparently Mikoto knew. Because of my big mouth.

"Um...he seemed to be having a really bad day? But he definitely suits pink better than green." I nodded to myself. Green really wasn't his colour.

Mikotos restrained smile now turned into a full grin. "Oh, you are going to have to tell me those stories, Erena-kun. Kushina is going to be thrilled. Now come in, Itachi needs saving from himself." She ushered us into the house.

The house was exactly like I imagined. It was minimal and pristine, with a few family object scattered around. Nothing like the organised chaos of my home. It was homely, but official-I would guess several important people had walked through these halls.

We entered the sitting room to find Itachi siting in the floor, reading to his brother on his lap. It was unbearably cute. His brother was paying the words no attention, and was staring at this brother-with a little bit of drool hanging out. Itachi seemed surprised when he saw us, and put down the book he was holding.

"Shisui, Erena. Is everything okay?" he asked.

"We've come to kidnap you," I proclaimed. He did not seem impressed.

"I am very busy-" he started, only to have his mother cut him off.

"Itachi, your guests have come all this way, and have even brought you a gift. It would be impolite to decline their request to spend time with you. I can assure you, I am fully capable of looking after Sasuke without you," she said, leaving no argument in her tone. Were all mothers this domineering?

Itachi frowned, but acquiesced. He carefully bundled Sasuke in his arms, and gently handed him to his mother. "Then I will show them the garden. I will be there if you need me."

"Go, Itachi," she said, giving him an exasperated look.

We collected our shoes before heading to the back of the house. He slid open the doors and we followed down a short path. His garden was not a garden, it was a masterpiece. It was clearly modelled using some tranquil aesthetic, and I was in awe. My garden was just a patch of grass and a lonely tree. His had a pond, and the trees and bushes were perfectly sculpted. In a far corner I could make out a small well used target range, and the grass around showing small burn marks. It was the only flaw in an otherwise perfect setting.

He took us to a spot near target range and gestured for us to sit down. He grabbed the sweets from Shisui without asking.

"Your welcome, you ungrateful gremlin," I muttered. He smiled softly before opening the box and taking one out. He seemed pleased. He seemed to think a minute before offering them to us.

Shisui scoffed. "We're not that stupid. We take your sweets, and we know we'll pay for it later. That's why we made sure we had some before coming." I nodded in agreement. I stole a bit of pocky from him once- the next spar we had left bruises. He was definitely a 'revenge is a dish best served cold' kind of person (I was a 'revenge is a dish best served over multiple courses' kind of person).

"Ho! You missed the funniest thing! Erena was down right pleasant around your mother. I think we've found our secret weapon against her!" Shisui grinned, while I groaned.

"I was nervous, okay?"

"Nervous? This coming from the girl who kicked Hokage-sama in the shins because he stole your dango."

"He stole my dango! Of course I kicked him!" I looked at Itachi for support, to which is nodded in agreement. "See, even Itachi would have done the same!"

Itachi rolled his eyes. "I did not say that. I simply agreed with your reasoning. There is no excuse for kicking the Hokage." I looked down to his box, and it was nearly finished.

"Where on earth do you put that Itachi? Are you secretly an Akimichi?" He shrugged, not caring, and took another piece.

We spent a few more minutes ribbing Itachi on his over protective act, which he had no apologies for. Shisui was not doing well with sitting down for so long, so suggested a competition. Kunai throwing, whoever wins gets to chose next dinner at my house (it was a fairly regular thing, which my parents were happy to host. They were just happy I made friends).

Of course, the odds were stacked against him, even with the no sharingan rule. I took out a storage scroll, and handed them both a small pile of kunai I had sealed there.

Shisui went first, with every target hitting centre target. Not all bullseyes, but it didn't matter on the points system. Itachi went next, and had only one kunai just out of the centre range.

I took my time with my first kunai, concentrating carefully. With a flick, it went and hit dead centre. I grinned.

"Why are you looking so pleased? You have four more. Your aims not improved that much!" Shisui track talked. I simply smirked to him in reply, and set the remaining off in quick succession. Each landed perfect dead centre, pointed ends so close they were touching.

Shisuis eyes widened. "What the f-"

"That was an impressive display of skill," a gruff voice said.

The other two immediately straightened, giving the new arrival their full attention. Turning around I saw Itachis father-a well put together man, with rigid posture and lines that indicated his scowl was a permanent feature.

He seriously needed to lighten up.

"You must be Itachis father!" I grinned, bowing to him. "Thank you for allowing me into your house! I love the garden, you must spend a lot of time here."

He wasn't my usual audience, but I am nothing if not adaptable.

He regarded me carefully, before giving me a polite nod. "Indeed. And you must be Nakahara Erena, my wife told me you were here. You have become fast friends with my son."

"Yes, sir. He is an exceptional individual. I enjoy his company a lot." Both Shisui and Itachi were watching me carefully out of the corner of their eyes.

"Indeed he his. And I can see your talent, also. I hear you are in the Academy. Are you faring well?" Trying to see if I'm good enough to be friends with your son, are we?

"I am okay. I advanced to second year, and will likely continue to progress as expected."

"As expected? With skill like that, you must likely have high scores on weapons training and taijutsu?"

"Ah, I am ranked eleventh for both."

He frowned. "And ninjutsu?"

"Eleventh."

"Hand signs?"

"Eleventh."

"History?"

"Eleventh."

He seemed to pause for a second. "Would I be right in saying your overall class ranking is eleven, and this will never change?"

I smiled. He caught on quickly. "You would be correct, sir."

He grunted and gestured towards the house. "Come. You three will watch Sasuke while Mikoto makes dinner. You are both welcome to stay." And he turned from us before moving towards the house.

"I like your father!" I whispered enthusiastically to Itachi.

"I don't know what just happened, but I think my father likes you?" He sounded very confused.

"Why are you guys always shocked at this?! I'm a likeable person!"

"Only you think that, Erena." I kicked Shisui in the shin.

After a pleasant dinner with the Uchiha (Mikoto got her story, minus the fine details on execution. A girls gonna have some secrets), I headed home. Fugaku ensured Shisui chaperoned me. For his gruff appearance, I found him nice enough. I mean, I'd never forgive him for taking Itachi to the frontlines, but that was a topic for later conversation. And we will have that conversation.

Sun had set, and me and my mother were playing shogi. I had only started to learn, and it was at my mother insistence. I think it was a way to continue to spend time with me, and she was feeling left out. I attended the Academy, trained with my father, and spent time with the boys...and with her work, we had very little bonding time anymore. When she suggested shogi, I was more than happy to play with her. She was teaching me different strategies and ways of thinking-I was an instinctual defensive player, but she taught me the game cannot be won using this strategy alone. And aggressive tactics don't always win, but they can if they catch you unawares.

Tonight's theme seemed to be patience. One area of the board was heavily fortified, and almost impenetrable. I was having to take a very slow approach, but I was getting frustrated.

"This must be cheating," I whined.

My mother lifted a brow, "Nonsense. Just play smarter. You are too much of a reactive player. Be proactive. Plan."

"I'm trying, but you've fenced me in!"

"Open the fence."

"It's an enclosed fence!"

"Then jump over it."

"Urgh. I hate this game." I heard my father chuckle from the seat across from us, reading a scroll.

"Ladies, I love you both. Who knew shogi could be so dramatic?"

"Shogi isn't dramatic, but Erena is," my mother replied, with a fond smile.

I scowled at both of them.

I considered the board again, but I was coming up a blank. The problem was her pieces positioning...whenever I attempted to advance, they were perfectly aligned to jump and take my piece. I needed to stop their ability to move. If I stoped their movement, I could slip past and take their king without any true repercussion...I...whoa.

It's that easy?

My brain started going into a frenzy, variables flying around in my head. And I didn't mean about shogi. For months I had come to a dead end on my time manipulation seals...I kind of knew what I wanted to do, but the puzzle pieces wouldn't fit.

But now I had the perfect picture.

"Oh, has she realised?" my mother asked.

"Okaa-san? Has anyone ever told you you are really smart?"

"Is Erena okay? She's complementing someone's intelligence, outside of her little rag tag group!" My father peaked up from his scroll again.

I was about to send him a cheeky retort, when the sky lit up. There was a loud "BOOM," before the ground shook and an inhuman screech filled the air.

"What-!" My mother shouted, but she was cut off as our roof caved in.

I could see my father leap up from the corner of my eye, but I could barely register the falling wood before something hit me hard. All I saw was black.

Chapter 8: Shadows arc: part 1

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

For the second time in my life, I woke to dimmed senses. I could not hear, my eyes could not see. My head hurt, and it felt like I was wrapped in cotton wool.

Every few hours I could feel people touching me, mainly my arms and chest. Once, bandages were removed from my eyes and light shon in. I squeeze my eyes shut and batted the light source away.

I became lucid very quick after that. It was evident I was lying in a hospital bed, in a large room with many other patients. Medics checked us regularly, but never spoke-not that I could have easily heard with all the bandaged on my head covering my ears. Eventually, all of my bandages were removed. A nurse explained I had suffered head trauma, but that I was otherwise fine. I would likely recover fully in the next few days, after which I would be placed with relatives. She hurried away before I could ask about my parents.

The next day I found out they were dead. The Kyuubi had attacked Konoha, and my house was directly in its path. They were both killed as our house collapsed. I had been found by a member of the Uchiha Police Force in the aftermath. When clearing the debris, I was found alive under my father-he had pushed me aside of the falling roof and shielded me. My only piece of lasting damage would be a thin scar extending from my temple to below my eye.

I also found out that Minato had died in defeating the Kyuubi. He was hailed as a hero.

A chuunin visited me to take my details, and a list of any close relatives I had. I knew both sets of grandparents were gone and my father was an only child. I explained my mother was a member of the Nara clan pre-marriage, and kept a close relationship with Uncle Shikaku, but the chuunin did not seem confident. He would write a letter to the clan head, but could not promise I would be taken on-the Nara clan were already stretched thin, and as I was not officially a member of the Nara clan, they had no responsibility toward me. Once discharged, I would be placed in the orphanage unless someone came forward.

I felt hallow. My parents were gone. I could not even comprehend life without them. They were part of me, and made me who I am. I couldn't cry. It felt like my mind was frozen, and for once my brain wouldn't work. I would never feel their loving embraces again. I would never receive the exasperated but fond glare from my mother, or put up with my fathers antics. They were love and joy. And now they were gone.

Before I knew it, I was dismissed and escorted to the orphanage. It was busy. It was clearly over subscribed, and changes had been made quickly. Rooms were packed, and tatami matts placed close together. Rooms that should have been fit for six, had over twenty children. They were separated into age groups, which meant I was placed with those aged six to nine. They constantly snivelled and cried. While part of me empathised with them, longed to act like them, the main part of me hated everything about it. This was a place to wallow, not to grow. And I would have no part of it.

"Excuse me?" I approached one of the busy orphanage workers. "May I go for a walk?" I would spend as little time here as I could. I had no doubt Uncle Shikaku would respond to the message from the Chuunin and, even if he wouldn't take me himself, would find me a suitable placement. In the mean time, I needed to check on Itachi and Shisui.

"You cannot leave the grounds without an escort," she snapped and hurried along.

Not willing to take no for an answer, I approached another worker, but sadly had the same response. It was incredibly frustrating. I had nearly full independence before and now I was being treated like a silly little child. After the fifth worker, my frustration turned to anger, and annoyingly, anger turned to tears. I had not cried when I found out about my parents but I cried because I couldn't go for a walk? What kind of person was I?

Self loathing hit me like lightning. But then I realised the sadness I felt was not just for my lack of freedom, but for mother and father. After ten minutes of relentless crying, I took deep breaths and shook myself.

It's better to ask for forgiveness than permission, anyway.

I walked out the door with purpose, and no one stopped me or even cared. The orphanage was in a different part of the village than the Uchiha district, but it was no more than an hours walk. Walking through the streets was eerie...it was silent. The only noises were that of repairs. No chitter chatter of gossiping locals, noises from trade shops or children running about. Several houses sported large amounts of damage, and some with none. The Uchiha district appeared largely intact, I noticed as I approached, but had the same eerie disquiet. There were no guards at the gate.

I picked up my pace, and practically ran to the main house. The door was closed and no one answer. I climbed up to a window to peer in.

"Oi, brat!" a disgruntled police officer shouted at me.

"Sorry, Uchiha-san!" I quickly jumped down from the ledge, and bowed. "I just came to make sure my friend is okay, but no one seems to be home!"

"Friend? Do you mean Fugaku-samas boy?" He asked, less annoyed than before.

"Yes, sir! Do you know if Itachi is okay? And Shisui? And Sasuke? Where is everyone?"

He scoffed. "The Uchiha have been moved to the outskirts, by order of the Hokage. The children suffered no losses." He gave me a dismissive hand gesture. "Now move along, no one is to be in the area."

"Where are they? Can I visit them? I need to let them know I'm okay, too!" I didn't budge, and out on my best innocent face. He narrowed his eyes at me.

"No one but the Uchiha can enter, for the time being. Now go home, I will pass along your well wishes." He shoed me away with a glare, and I scrambled back to the orphanage.

It wasn't until the evening I realised he never even took my name.

—

Over the next few weeks I left the orphanage every day, returning at night. I found where the Uchiha were staying, but could not get access. I was not stupid enough to try any break past the guards. They promised me Itachi and Shisui were aware of my visits (they took my name and everything), but they were too busy. They assured me they were sure they would find me at the orphanage when they could.

And there was no word from Uncle Shikaku either. The matron confirmed no family had stepped forward to claim me. It was difficult seeing children collected by relatives, but remaining left behind. I became disheartened. Soon my expeditions out of the orphanage slowed, and stopped as I accepted my situation. I felt numb.

I was told to start preparing for school again, and was given civilian workbooks. I corrected the worker, explaining my status as a second year at the ninja academy, which seemed to surprise them. Most eyed me wearily after that, whereas one eyed me with interest.

"You know, I always wanted to be a shinobi."

I blinked at her. She was plain, with the standard carer uniform, and looked every bit a civilian. She sat down beside me as I perched on a wall, reading a book. It was a story book from the library, simple enough, but it passed the time.

"Yes, but I never had the talent. I failed the entrance exam. But you? So young and already in second year! Do you enjoy it."

"It's okay," I hummed, trying not to pay attention. The workers showed little interest in the children, as they were so over worked, so her attention made me nervous.

"I'm sure you do! It looks so fun! And imagine your life as a shinobi, you'll have so many adventures! And to think, you'll get to leave this miserable place in two years! Once you graduate, that is!"

"What?" My head jerked in her direction.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" She didn't sound it, "I thought you knew? Once you graduate form the Academy, you are considered an adult. The orphanage will no longer have a place for you." She looked at me with faux pity.

My mind reeled. Was it that simple? All I had to do was graduate, then I could have my freedom back? I already knew I was capable enough to care for myself, but I was bound by the rules of society. The orphanage was crippling me, and I needed an out.

Lost in my thoughts, I didn't even reply to her, but she seemed satisfied our conversation had come to a close, and left without even a goodbye.

It was just over two months since the incident that the Academy started back again. My class was a chatter of excitement, everyone happy to see their friends again. Thankfully, there were no casualties in my year, however others had lost parents or siblings. I was the only one truly alone, though.

The main change in dynamic, however, had to do with the Uchiha. While there were only three in my year, our sensei seemed a little different with them, being very short and singling them out during questions. It was subtle, though, and I doubt the other children in the class had noticed yet. For some reason it made me angry, as there seemed to be no reason, but I had to suppress it for now. I had things to do.

"Sensei? Might I have a moment of your time?" I asked, after the last class at the end of the first week.

"Ah, Erena-chan. I have been meaning to speak to you. I heard about your parents. If you need anything, please do not hesitate to ask." He looked at me with a kind smile.

"Um, thank you Sensei. That is kind of you...I have been doing some thinking, and...did you know I was placed in the orphanage?" He nodded. "I am not well suited to it, and I have learned I will no longer be a ward of the state once I graduate as a genin. As such, I would like to formally quest that I did the graduation examination at the soonest possible availability." I kept my posture rigid. I could not show my nerves. If this failed I could not consider the alternative. Part of me kept thinking this was a bad idea, against every agreement I ever had with my parents in regards to the Academy... they were so careful with me and my progress. But they were gone now.

Sensei sighed. "Erena-chan. I understand it is hard. You have been through a massive loss...but you are not ready. Many of the skills required have not even been taught yet. For example, the clone technique-" I rapidly went through the hand seals, and produced the perfect clone "uh, and the transformation technique-" I transformed my clone into a perfect copy of Sensei. "And replacement-" I replaced myself with a pencil, which had been left on a desk, and sat sitting on the surface with perfect posture. I cocked my head at Sensei, who stared at me with wide eyes.

"Please, Sensei. I promise you I have all the necessary skills. I will take any written and practical test, and I can promise you I will receive full marks...I need to graduate."

He seemed dumbfounded. I think I broke him.

After a few minutes to get over his shock, he agreed. On Monday, I was taken away to sit the final year written examination (which I received full marks in twenty minutes, a new record) and a practical assault course assessment (haphazardly put together, however simple compared with the efforts my dad out me through). I had a hitai-ate grasped in my hands by midday. I was informed that, due to my graduating outside of normal timing, I would receive a temporary assignment (likely genin corp) until teams were assigned.

I walked home with a sense of purpose, and small sense of achievement. While I did not feel I 'achieved' anything in particular with the examinations, I had achieved some kind of semblance of my life back. Soon, I would be by myself, and run my own life.

I entered the orphanage, and made my way to the Matrons office. I would not be leaving until I had an apartment, however I needed to inform her of my change in circumstance. Her assistant put hold me to wait, as she had a guest, so I sat in silence. Soon, the door slid open and the Matron appeared.

"Ah, Nakahara-chan. How fortuitous. We were just talking about you. Please come in." I sat up and entered the room. In front of the Matrons desk was an elderly man, in plain but well made robes, he was heavily bandaged, especially one side of the face. His chakra felt a little...tainted? But other than that he had a calm, but stern, demeanour.

"Danzo-sama, this is Nakahara Erena. Nakahara-chan, please meet Danzo Shimura. He is an esteemed member of the council, and good friend to the orphanage. Please excuse me, I believe you have a lot to talk about." She bowed to Danzo before leaving, sliding the door closed behind her. He turned to assess me, with his one uncovered eye. I felt suddenly nervous.

"So, Erena. I have heard you graduated today?"

Notes:

Sorrynotsorry...

Chapter 9: Shadows arc: part 2

Notes:

Mild bad language. Erena be mad.

Chapter Text

I learned three things about Shimura Danzo very quickly.

One: He is full of his own self importance.

I had been watching him talk to himself for at least half an hour...I stopped listening after about five minutes, so he definitely wasn't talking to me. To say he was boring was an understatement. Blah blah protect Konoha...blah blah become strong...blah blah work in the shadows. It was a dark and twisty version of the Academy mantra. He had clearly been having an angsty day when he got that lesson, and it just stuck. Now don't get me wrong, protecting Konoha is all good and well, but this was obsessive. Live a little, please.

I spent most of the time staring at his shaggy hair and wishing there was a pair of scissors present.

Two: He was full of shit.

"...word of your impressive skill has reached me. To sit and pass the Genin test only a week after resuming lessons? It makes one wonder what other skills you have up your sleeve. Your potential is outstanding, and so you are to be placed within my organisation. You shall be the roots from which Konoha grows. We can tap into your potential-train you and challenge you in ways you cannot imagine."

Okay, so...several problems here...

'Word of your skill has reached me.' Clearly he had spies present. Academy or orphanage? Likely both. Considering he was here before I had made it back, there's something afoot. Perhaps he was even to thank for me taking the test so quick after approaching sensei...I had fully expected to wait until the next intake, but a few days? And being the only pupil? It smelled more fishy than a seafood platter.

And his organisation? Not the village? Personal agenda, much? Someone wants to be king of the castle. If this wasn't a way to stroke a fragile ego, I didn't know what was.

However, if he did have his own organisation, how did he get to that level of power? The Hokage must have known about this-it was too big a thing to go under the radar. And if it was legitimate, why didn't everyone know about it? Everyone knew about ANBU, and that was meant to be super secret...so something more secret than super secret rang immediate alarm bells.

And who recruits a seven year old? Sure, I may have outed myself as a prodigy, but I was still a child. As far as most people knew I still had to grow mentally and emotionally. A child's personality isn't set, and they still had to become the person they were meant to be...or maybe that was the point?

Who is more malleable than a child?

"I thank you for the consideration, Shimura-sama. But I must decline. I am expected in the Genin corps tomorrow and I am very much looking forward to it," I replied, trying to place a considerate look in my face.

Three: He didn't accept no for an answer.

He smiled, small and dark. "You misunderstand. This is not an offer, but an order. The Genin corps is not expecting you. You are now a shinobi of Konoha, and your orders are to report to me. We shall be leaving immediately. The matron is collecting your belongings."

And that was that.

Looking back, there were several ways I could have reacted. I could have ran, I could have argued, I could have screamed...but even then, I could not have escaped. My fate was decided when the orphanage worker planted the seed in my head, and sealed when I approached sensei to sit the graduation test early. I had no support structure, no one to miss me, and no one to stand up for me. I wondered how many other children from the orphanage had been lost this way.

I didn't even reply to him. I stared with wide eyes, resigned. I was too shocked to formulate a reply, and it was probably the first time in my life I didn't try and argue myself out of something. I think part of me knew there was no point. I had made too many mistakes, been too cocky, not listened to my mother. How did she know what was hidden in the shadows?

I took a breath and moved my eyes to look at the floor. As they did, I noticed a pleased expression in Danzos face.

"Come," he said, and opened the room doors, gesturing for me to walk out first. As I did, I noticed two dark dressed shinobi that hadn't been there when we I entered the room. They were dressed in black head to toe, and a blank look on their pale faces. It looked like hey hadn't seen sunlight for years...

On second thought...

"Shimura-sama, I really must-"

Before I could say more, I felt a quick jab to the back of my neck, and I knew no more.

There are many ways in which one could describe ROOT.

I had one: Dark.

I woke up in a dark room, lit only by a single torch. The bed was covered with scratchy brown linen-it hardly seemed worth calling it a sheet. By the closed door stood two shinobi-they may have been the same two I encountered earlier, but were now dressed in a black hood and had white porcelain masks covering their faces.

"Um...hello? So sorry to bother you, but could someone turn the light on?" I asked. Introducing myself seemed a bit redundant if they were guarding me. They did not move a muscle or acknowledge me in anyway. "No? Okay then. You could have just said." I pouted petulantly. "I guess the dark isn't so bad, you know, if you don't like to see."

No reply. Nothing.

I sat on the bed and stared at them for a few minutes, weighing up my options. I was about to attempt to walk out the door (which was likely pointless, but I'd maybe get some reaction), when the door opened. A man entered, he was dressed much the same as the others but with no mask. He was young, perhaps in his mid teens, with dark hair and classically handsome features-which seemed muted by a lack of expression. I felt my stomach drop as I looked at him-if these bland shinobi were the standard for ROOT, did they expect the same of me?

"This way," he ordered, and I followed. There was no introduction, and no greeting of any way. Manners, much? We walked down a dark corridor, making a few turnings. We entered a large room, which seemed to be an indoor training hall. It was similar to the Academy, in terms of size and equipment, however with a few dark stains marring the floor in several areas. It didn't take a genius to guess what that was.

"This is training room three. I will assess your taijutsu skills, then I shall assess your ninjutsu skills. From here we will develop a training schedule. It will be physically and mentally exhausting. Do not expect rest. Once your foundations are firm, special skills will then be developed, and your role will be decided. You have been chosen as ROOT-it is an honour to serve Danzo-sama. He expects much, and you shall exceed his expectations at every step, or suffer the consequences. Do you understand?"

And so began Hell Week.

By 'assessing my skills', he meant beating me into a pulp. He'd then heal me, then beat me up some more. At first I tried to hold back, to make myself seem weak and useless and make them change their minds about my suitability, but he simply hurt me in ways I could not previously imagine if I could not fight back to an adequate level. After a few sessions, and being brutalised in a number of ways, I got angry and fought back- hard. When I managed to break his nose, we stopped with taijutsu, and moved onto ninjutsu. I'd like to say this was an improvement, but I would be lying. I was burned, crushed and drowned...and that was just the first hour.

It was only when my chakra was depleted, that I was escorted back to my room. The guards were missing, and a tray with food and water was placed near the entrance.

"Eat and sleep. You will find fresh clothes folded on your bed. We will resume tomorrow."

This cycle continued for the next four days. On day two I tried to sass the pants off of him. I received no response except a broken jaw-which he didn't heal for several hours. On day three I tried nothing but evasive techniques, and this ended up with two broken femurs. On day four I tried to be as vindictive in my attacks as I could, but this seemed to please him. On day five I gave up, and did as ordered.

At the end of our final session, after I was healed, I was taken to another area I had not ventured yet. This was up a few levels, and was much busier. There were several shinobi of various ages, some in masks, some without, going about their business. No one paid attention to us.

We entered an office area, guarded by more of the dark robed statues, and my assessor knocked on a door. A muffled voice informed us to enter. Sitting at the desk was none other than his chief shadiness, Shimura Danzo. I had an urge to smack his face, but I didn't have a death wish.

"Ah, Riichi. This is unexpected, I was not expecting you for at least a week. Report."

My tormentor, Riichi, kneeled in front of the desk. I stood still.

"I have assessed the new recruit to the best of my ability. Despite her size, her taijutsu skills are adequate. Where she lacks strength, she uses strategy. She prefers a defensive stance, however her offensive attacks are satisfactory. I would classify her at mid chuunin level." Danzo hummed thoughtfully. "Her array of ninjutsu is impressive, with excellent chakra reserves. She clearly has an affinity for water techniques, however I suspect she has a dual affinity with earth. She can also perform low ranking wind and fire techniques. Her knowledge is greater than most low level jounin ," another thoughtful hum. "Her speed and agility requires work, however I believe she will make good progress. She shows no preference to genjutsu. She has a strategic mind, and does not utilise fatal techniques. Even in anger, this could not be evoked." He stilled for a moment, appearing to think carefully. "I believe her to be emotional and too independent for core training. An individual approach would be recommended. However, should her conditioning be successful, she will be an exceptional recruit."

The room was quiet as Danzo regarded me.

"Well, Nakahara...it seems you have been keeping many things from your sensei." You have no idea. "Would you like to add anything?"

I should have stayed quiet, but after nearly a week of physical and psychological torture, I had had enough. I was cracking. I was angry. And I just didn't care.

"You are a sadistic, one eyed saggy scrotum with a limp dick and I hope your next shit is a pineapple."

I received no reply, and only saw the shocked reaction for half a second before I was knocked out, but it was worth it.

For future reference, I do not advise ROOT conditioning. Zero out of ten. Would not recommend.

And when you take ROOT conditioning, on an individual basis, and a pinch of Shimura Danzos personal training? Well...that shit gonna hurt.

Riichis Hell Week was like a summer vacation after the next few years. I hardly ever left the ROOT compound, and never saw daylight. I did not socialise or speak to anyone unless it was a direct question related to my training. There were no breaks, and I didn't touch a book for two years. And I loved my books.

They tried to make me forget my name. They called me Hibari. I suppose this was a way of dissociating me, but it didn't work. I responded to Hibari (eventually), but I knew who I was.

They bombarded me with training-from taijutsu, ninjutsu and kenjutsu. I did not have any talent for genjutsu beyond the odd C rank technique, so this was ignored. ROOT specialised in the tanto, and I found I did not mind it.

They tried to make me forget who I was. They seemed to couple physical exhaustion with mental torture. It started subtle-with my isolation and lack of use of my name, and constant physical activity, my barriers were down. They then added in sleep deprivation, which further effected my mental state. I became fatigued and disoriented for a large amount of the time. I was criticised by my trainers, and became to loathe myself. I had private sessions with Danzo, where he would encourage and praise my progress. I began to look forward to these, to trust Danzo. During our conversations, he tried to manipulate my memories of my parents, and it was at that point I opened my eyes. Had I not been so self aware, it may have worked. But I loved my parents, and I would allow nothing to change that. If it were not for them, I would have been lost. After that, I played their games, and allowed them to think I was broken. I was a superb actress. Soon the brain washing stopped, and they thought they had ensnared me.

They tried to make me utilised lethal techniques, going as far as blackmailing me, but I resisted all of their efforts. It irked them, but I felt victorious in a place without victory.

They trained me on strategy, espionage and sabotage. I took to those like a fish to water. I already knew I had a natural predilection to sabotage (read: pranks), but learning about it on an industrial scale was fascinating. As much as I loathed to admit it, I actually enjoyed one part of my training. I was not destined to be a front line fighter (despite clear skill), and found Danzo pleased with my progress in these areas.

As part of these lessons, he would get me to play Shogi with him. I hated these times, as it felt like an insult to the time I spent with my mother. It tainted Shoji somehow, even if I could not allow them to see how I felt. However, it let me learn Danzo, and I could not refuse that opportunity, so I carried on, and kept things interesting so they would continue.

During these lessons, I showed my wit to Danzo. I was careful not to show too much personality, but I would jib him on occasion, as cordially as I could manage. I think Danzo must have had a soft spot for me, as he accepted small amount of banter, even though the conditioning was officially deemed a success.

"Ah, Danzo-sama. You should hurry with your defence, or I will have check mate in three moves," I ribbed. I was ten years old and trouncing my superior easily. "You've taught me too well."

"Quiet, Hibari. Distracting your opponent is not the key to winning at Shogi. Show retraint." I gave him a small fake-smile in return.

He continued to ponder his move, but he was clearly struggling. He was a quick, aggressive player, and had no interest in the long game. I beat him in three moves, as I predicted.

"Check mate, Danzo-sama." I stood and bowed to leave. Once our game was over, there was never any further discussion, and I was to resume my studies.

"Hibari, tomorrow you will come to my office at seven hundred hours. You have a mission. Ensure you visit the stock room, you will be issued with the standard uniform and mask. Dismissed."

I blinked at him and nodded. I had not had a true mission before now. I was not part of any team, and had been kept largely away from the main forces. I had been outside seven times before-at night only-to practice skills in the open. They had not given me any indication that my training was to be at a close.

"Yes, Danzo-sama." I bowed and left.

I carefully walked down the corridor, suppressing the skip in my step. There had been very little change for me in almost three years, and it seemed like it would never end. I promised myself I would not wither and die in the dark, and this was the first step to liberation...it was a long way off, but I was excited. And ROOT were not allowed to be excited.

As I rounded the corner, heading to my quarters, I noticed a flash of silver hair in the corner of my eyes-not something I had previously seen, with the ROOT love of hooded cloaks. True enough, I saw an agent with ridiculous silver hair and dog mask...and a familiar chakra signature. It was one I had not felt in years, but I had been around it before enough to be recognisable.

I stopped to stare, and tilted my head, face carefully blank. The dog masked ROOT agent stopped and stilled, and I could only guess he was staring at me, too.

"Grumpy-san?"

Chapter 10: Shadows arc: part 3

Notes:

More bad language. It's gonna be a thing.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

I never expected to see anyone from my life before in these halls. ROOT agents were a certain type of person. I saw them as more machine than man. The thought of anyone I knew joining the ranks made me sick at the thought. Even for a small acquaintance like Hatake Kakashi.

Sure, he seemed to have a permanent frown and a stick up his ass, but he was Minato's student, and that counted for something. Minato was more than fond of him, so there was obviously something more to him than I had seen. Had Minato still been alive, I knew Kakashi would not have been here. And even then, someone as well known and respected like him had choices...a choice I didn't have. To choose to join ROOT? Who would do that?

"Nakahara?" I heard him whisper. I stilled. Walls had ears, especially in a place like this. I had already made a mistake with his nickname, but use of my actual name would have had dire consequences. I had spent too long creating my persona to slip up now.

"I'm sorry, I believe you must be mistaken. My name is Hibari," I kept my face bland and voice steady.

"No, I know you. Your name is Nakahara Erena," His voice was slightly louder, and firm-almost like he was trying to convince himself.

"There is no Nakahara Erena. I am Hibari."

"That is...not correct," he sounded lost. I couldn't see his face, but I didn't need to to know he was confused. "I haven't seen you since..." he stopped for a moment, "for years. But I would not forget. And you recognise me. Tell me why you are here?"

"I must have been mistaken. I apologise. Please excuse me, I have a mission to prepare for." I bowed slightly and attempted to walk past him. As I did, he grabbed my arm firmly, causing me to look at him. Keeping my face still right there was one of the most difficult things I have ever done. All I wanted to do was give him some kind of signal-a pleading look, or even a comforting smile...but I knew I couldn't. If I did, I may have signed my own death warrant.

When he release me, I didn't even make a comment and continued walking away. I knew he was still looking at me. I could sense it. Instead of heading to the inventory, I walked straight to my quarters. Thankfully I had a room to myself-a privilege of Danzos attention.

Once the door was closed I shuddered and collapsed on the floor.

"Fuck."

The next morning, I made my way to Danzo's office, as ordered. I tried to out my interaction with Kakashi out of my head. No good could come of it, and I couldn't allow my deception to be outed. A part of me also knew that if Kakashi joined ROOT of his own free will, he could not be trusted. If his loyalties were now with Danzo, he was not the man I thought he was. The man Minato thought he was.

When I entered the room, there were two other agents present with Danzo. They were mid teens, perhaps early twenties. One was pale with dark features, as was characteristic with most ROOT. The other had sandy hair and an obvious tan. Interesting...

"Hibari, take a seat," Danzo motioned to the last remaining chair in the room opposite his desk. "These are agents Kama and Kawaita. They are to be your teammates on this mission."

The assignment was meant to be a simple one, but I thought it particularly harsh considering it was my first mission, and my first time in a foreign country. I was to infiltrate the Kazekages residence as a maid, and observe only. I was to observe the household, their schedules, guests, and gather any information that I could without breaking my cover. Kawaita was an agent whom has been placed in Suna long term...he had a reputation as a go-between for smuggled wears, but had a good reputation with the palace kitchens as he could source ingredients and beverages no one else could. I suspected this was gearing up to a poisoning venture in future, but I didn't dare mouth thoughts. Due to his contacts in the palace, I was to take the role of a cousin he wanted to save from a hideous arranged child marriage, but needed employment to support herself.

I couldn't help but wonder why I was chosen for this. I was technically a rookie. No experience of missions behind me-infiltration or otherwise-and I had no true combat experience. The only ways I could contribute were due to my analytical mind and acting skills...but only I knew how good they really were. I had read a lot about Suna and the other nations to know I would not fit in. My hair was too dark, my skin far too pale, and I had no experience with the accent. I had read enough messages to pick up dialect variances, but that would not be enough to allow for successful infiltration.

"You have one week to prepare," Danzo explained. "Kawaita will be your tutor. He will teach you everything you do not already know. We will also aid in changing your appearance-a henge can be discovered, so we will be changing your hair to match his, and cosmetics to darken your skin, until it adapts." I nodded.

"Kama will be your handler. You will report to him every three days. Any change in mission direction will come from him, and only him. He is aware of your skills and capabilities. Any questions?"

"What is the overall objective?" I asked. I had been given no instruction on any specific type of intel required.

"Irrelevant," he snapped. I get it, it's above my station, whatever.

I was handed a folder with mission details to read. The next few days were spent with Kawaita, mainly in one of the individual training rooms. He taught me accents and speech patterns, and little things like slang to help me. My walk also had to be adapted, as it apparently gave away too much in regards to shinobi training. He also taught me what duties I would be expected in the palace, and Suna-specific ways of doing them. I found myself respecting his knowledge and skill-he worked his role seamlessly. Every so often he would show me examples of his role, and for an agent of ROOT, he managed playing human extremely well. He was slippery with a dirty sense of humour-I probably would have liked him.

A few days before I was due to leave, my hair was bleached and dyed to the same shade as Kawaita. I queried my roots showing as hair grew, but they had used a chemical to stop hair growth...when I returned, my hair would be removed and then it would regrow. I was never overly vain, but I was dreading when this would happen. A cosmetic dye was also painted over my whole body...my skin, pale white through years of lack of sunlight, now looked healthy and tanned. I was given specialised pills to boost skin melanin production, so it would be natural once the dye wore off. ROOT were nothing if not thorough.

After my transformation, I headed to Danzo's office for a final debrief. He was in a meeting when I arrived. Shortly after, the door opened and Kakashi walked out. He spotted me for a brief second, head flinched in the shortest of double takes, then walked right past me. Part of me was torn at this, but the other half was relieved-if he had said something outside of Danzo's office, with the door open, it would have been disastrous.

"Hibari, enter."

I walked in, bowed, and sat down as he motioned to the seat in front.

"As expected, Kawaita is impressed with your progress." I bowed my head, as would be expected from praise. "Before you leave, there is one final thing I must do."

He opened up a drawer on his desk, pulled out a cloth parcel, then walked over to me.

"The protection of ROOT is imperative. If we are found out, our mission to protect Konoha will fail and we will put Konoha at risk. There can be no risk of information leak, do you understand?" I nodded, as I was expected to do nothing else. He was on one of his self indulgent monologues again, I could tell. Just get on with it, please. "We have ways to ensure that, even in capture, ROOT will be protected. Until now, you were my apprentice. Now, you are my agent. This will mark your integration into the main ranks of ROOT. You should be proud."

Proud? Of what, you wrinkled mop haired buffoon? Putting up with your shit for the past few years?

"Open your mouth."

I wanted to kill Danzo. No, I wanted to scoop Danzos remaining eye out with a rusty spoon, take off his shoes and make him walk a mile through barbed senbon. Then kill him. And as someone who abhors killing in any way, that's saying something.

He put a seal on my tongue. No one places seals on me.

Sure, mental and physical torture. Whatever. But seals are mine.

I had not used seals since becoming part of ROOT. I kept that to myself. I needed something that was mine, that they couldn't have. But I still kept learning. Even if I didn't write or practice, the ROOT library had several interesting books that could be manipulated into my seals, when I escaped them and had the freedom to continue.

And then he took my one and only thing, and placed a twisted cursed seal on my tongue? Linked it to a tenketsu point and I was going to be okay with that?

Fuck that for a laugh.

The seal was good, I'd give him that. There was a paralysis trigger if you tried to meddle with it, and a deeper suicide trigger. It had claws into my chakra system.

But while it was good, I was better.

It only took me twenty-three minutes, a mirror, perfect chakra control, a slightly burned tongue and some burned fingers before it was disabled. I was able to direct chakra to my fingertips to burn and manipulate the seal in a way that ink would not have sufficed. Instead of removing it, I disabled key points, making it inert. But, unless expanded and examined, it was still present and looked untouched to the untrained eye.

If I wasn't already angry, now I was seething. So far I had concentrated in surviving, but now this meant payback. I would have settled for simply escaping ROOT before, but now I wanted Danzo to suffer. And suffer in the knowledge it was me. He made a mistake when he took me, and I was going to show him.

I needed to plan. I needed more information-his weaknesses and his desires, and then I was going to turn them against him. I was going to have to be patient, but that was okay. I am a vindictive little bitch.

I'll be the best agent he has, and he won't even see me coming.

Interlude

Itachi stood proud as he was handed his Hitai-ate.

He had only been attending the Academy for four months, but he graduated rookie of the year. While early graduation was no longer common place, outside of war, his father had pushed for it. And as he could not remain at the normal pace, he fulfilled his fathers wishes.

"Well, Itachi-kun, I hope you are proud of yourself," his sensei gushed. "You broke the record on the physical component-I've never seen such perfect kunai throws!" Itachi nodded, with a small pleased smile. He knew he had done well. "And full marks on the written! Almost a record, but a few years ago a little kunoichi completed it even faster! She must have been your age, too. You can't have everything, I suppose!" The sensei laughed.

Itachi smiled amiably in response, but had a little tingling in the back of his head. A seven year old prodigious kunoichi...there were no village rumours to that effect in recent years. When he was friends with Erena, she taught him the importance of rumours and news. You had to take them with a pinch of salt, but all information was useful, and information gave you power...he missed her.

After the Kyuubi attack, he had not been allowed out of his mother's sight, but Shisui had informed him that their house had been demolished by one of the Kyuubi's tails. There could have been no survivors. He grieved for her and her family, but it gave him a sense of purpose and never forgot her lessons.

"Sensei, might I enquire, whom is the kunoichi I share the records with?" He asked, curiosity getting the better of him. Knowledge is power, after all.

"Oh, the little spitfire! Her name was Nakahara Erena-you should keep an eye out for her, what a team you would make!"

Itachi's stomach dropped.

"What the f-"

Notes:

A little bit shorter than normal, but some important things going on!

Itachi's interlude is a little treat for a reviewer-it doesn't quite answer some of your questions, but we'll get there! Every so often I'll add in little snippets from other characters, as they'll be important to explaining Erena's story.

Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 11: Shadows arc: part 4

Notes:

Bad language, obv.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Suna was hot.

I had experienced warm summer days (albeit not in the last couple of years), but they had nothing on this. I could literally feel the sun scorching my skin, and the wind simply exacerbated the heat. It was hot and dry and miserable, and I wanted to go home.

Not that I could or would voice my complaints. My feelings were irrelevant. No one cared about the comfort of the little worker bees, as long as you got the job done.

I had been in Suna for about three months now. I had successfully infiltrated the palace, thanks to Kawaitas back story. I played the mousy, quiet little girl, nervous of her own shadow...it was about as far from my personality as I could go. I acted too timid to socialise, so it wasn't too hard a role in the end. All I had to do was follow instructions, squeak replies and avoid eye contact. The older female servants found me particularly 'cute' and several of them tried to take me under their wing...no doubt feeling pity for me due to my terrible experiences in escaping the clutches of a disgusting husband four times my age.

My duties were minor (cleaning rooms and collecting used dishes and clothing), but allowed me access to most of the palace. As I was not a personal servant, I hardly ever was in the same room at the Kazekage, his family or visiting officials, but I soon learned that servant gossip as a good a source of intel as any other. They were constantly trading stories between each other, finding excitement in every new event of the household-whether it be the new hairstyle choices of the kazekages daughter, or the visiting dignitary from Stone. No one gave any consideration to the presence of servants in the room, but they listened and paid attention well enough to understand a lot of the goings on.

I ensured my reports were detailed and thorough, no information was left out. Within this time, I had mapped out the daily routine of the Kazekage, most of his family, guard and servant rotations. I identified several key players of the council, their preferences in refreshments and their key duties. And thanks to the busy body natures of my fellow servants, key strategies and movements in Sunas political atmosphere.

Every so often Kama would hand me a scroll asking for specific information or tasks-anything from gathering reports on a specific politicians family, a certain guards skills or even a character report on the Kazekages middle child. Certain tasks were more difficult and occasionally took a few weeks to get the information, but all requests were fulfilled.

While I was sure I had a talent for this, I began to get bored. I was not suited to a servants life. I had been given no indication as to when my mission would be deemed over. Part of me worried Danzo would keep me here on a permanent basis, as he had done with Kawaita.

On one of my information exchanges, Kama gave me a scroll. "Danzo-sama is calling your post to end. Read the scroll, then you are to leave. Ensure no one will suspect any foul play. You have four days and then we will return to Konoha. Understood?"

"I understand." He nodded and disappeared.

The new mission directives asked me to attempt to copy the seal on the Kazekages youngest son, in as much detail as possible. It was no secret that he was the Ichibi Jinchuriki...but he was under heavy guard. He was only three years old, but already had a reputation. The servants preferred to avoid him, scared of him and his aura. I had never been in his general vicinity before...so being in a position to copy his seal would be difficult.

The next two days I set up a story for my disappearance. There were rumours that my 'betrothed' had found where my uncle had placed me, and was coming to collect what he was due. I acted more jittery and air headed than usual, and the matrons ate it up. I became 'lost' around the palace, making mistakes...everyone put it down to nerves.

One day three, I accidentally entered the Kazekages youngest sones private quarters. I had never been here before. The room was bare, and a small red headed child sat on the centre of the bed, staring at me. His face reminded me of ROOT members, still and emotionless. Seeing it on such a tiny child was slightly disconcerting, and I could see why the servants felt uneasy around him.

Suddenly, a wave of killing intent hit me. It was disgusting. It felt like evil and anger and despair and rotten flesh rolled into one. I had experienced killing intent many times in my training, but I didn't know it could trigger such an intense emotional response...maybe because ROOT were emotionless themselves, so they could not project something on this scale? I almost collapsed to the floor, and held back the want to vomit.

"Get out," the Jinchūriki said quietly. I didn't hesitate.

I felt the room and ran down the corridor, breathing heavily. I stopped only once I found a small alcove. What in the hell was that? Whatever that...thing was, it wasn't a child. That felt like a demon itself. A Jinchūriki was meant to contain the tailed beast, not become it.

Did Danzo know? If he did, then he knew my new assignment was going to fail. I had no doubt that I would be dead before getting close enough to examining anything on his body. But I also could not fail. I needed Danzo to trust me, and for that I had to excel in everything. I needed a think.

On my final day, I hinted to my 'mother figures' I was at the end of my tether and would soon be running away. I made sure they knew I appreciated them. My act was so convincing I made one scullery maid cry and hug me so hard I almost lost feeling in my arms. They were good simple people. Considering I had never spent a lot of time around civilians before, I found them endearing. They were driven by their hearts and I wanted to protect them...but that wasn't my job right now.

By nightfall I left my lodgings, and made my way to the Jinchuriki's room, suppressing my chakra and using every trick in stealth I knew. I could sense shinobi guards around, so created a distraction using small explosion tags. Once they left, I slipped into the room. The child was in the same position, as though he had no moved at all. Despite it being the middle of the night, he was completely awake. The killing intent hit me again, but this time I was prepared.

"Get out."

Not this time. I threw a small ball at him-It was inconspicuous. It resembled nothing but a children's play thing. He caught it gracefully, before it hit his head, scowling at me. The killing intent filled the air further, it felt...thicker. Then it immediately stopped and child felt backward onto the bed, unconscious.

I had drawn a powerful knockout seal into the seams of the ball-invisible to the naked eye without a magnifying glass. It did not matter where in the body it hit, or if it remained in contact. Once it made contact with skin, the seal transferred to the body. It was only temporary, and any evidence of the seal would disappear within the hour. It was a dangerous move, as I had not used seals in years, but the knowledge never faded. Obviously, this would be left out of the report, but I could not see any other way of successfully getting access to the Jinchuriki seal, and still live with my limited timeframe.

I went up to him and immediately set to work. The seal should be somewhere on him abdomen, so I lift up his tunic. Sure enough, with a little chakra influx, it became visible.

"What the actual fuck!" I couldn't help but whisper.

The seal was not a seal. It was a monstrosity. It was incomplete to a dangerous effect. The bijuu was physically restrained, but the spiritual energy was open. No wonder this child was feared...

I sat a scroll out and copied most of the seal, as commanded. I drew as if I was an amateur with no sealing experience. Lines hastily drawn, bridges haphazard, symbols so sloppy they will likely be misinterpreted...I wasn't giving Danzo anything on a platter.

As I finished, I packed up and stared at the seal on the child. I should just leave, mission complete, and hurry on back to my little cozy room in ROOT...But this was a child, tormented daily, kept in the dark...

Fuck it. Let your conscience be your guide.

I kept my brush out, and fixed the seal. I had to be quick, but any mistake would be catastrophic. My knock out tag was wearing off, and I could start to see a flicker of eyelids. Finally happy, I infused my chakra into the ink, activating the changes. I didn't expect the chakra drain to be as intense as it was, and I stumbled back. I felt light headed and woozy, but I still had to get out of the palace.

I didn't wait to see if I was successful, and vaulted out of the window. I body flickered over the rooftops, praying I wasn't seen. If there was a fight, I had no chance in my current state.

I made it out of the village walls, and to the rendezvous point. As soon as I saw Kama, I practically collapsed.

"By your appearance, I presume you encountered trouble? My instructions to avoid suspicion of our presence here were quite clear," he drawled.

"Trust me. No one will believe I had anything to do with anything that happened here."

He regarded me for a moment.

"Clearly your fitness level has suffered due to your civilian life for such a journey to tire you. Now get up, I will accept no laziness or delay on returning to Konoha."

My body cried in fatigue. What a jackass.

When we returned to Konoha, we made our way straight to Danzo's office to debrief. For a man that showed little in the way of praise, I could tell he was pleased with my performance. I was directed to another agent who would 'physically decontaminate me.' In other words, remove all traces of my visit to Suna. My head was shaved to the scalp and skin scrubbed within an inch of its life. I has allowed two days of rest before my next assignment.

Over the next few months I was given a variety of infiltration missions...clearly I had made an impression. Sometimes they were several weeks long, some were only a few hours. I was placed anywhere from the homes of nobility to simple bar work. Sometimes I had a specific target to monitor, other times it was general observation. Occasionally I worked with a team-with other ROOT agents helping me fulfil a specific role, but I found their skills often lacking and I would take lead. You can't rip the personality from someone then expect them to easily create a convincing new one. Sometimes I worried my acting skills would make Danzo suspicious of me, but he seemed to take pride, claiming his 'personal care in direction and training' was the reason for my success.

My favourite mission was one to Kumo, where I was entered into a Shogi competition. The mission objective was to use my access to the Hidden Village to observe their forces...I was not expected to succeed in the competition and was told not to bring attention to myself. But me being me, I let my competitive nature out, and thrashed the rest of the contestants. Unexpectedly, the Raikage invited me to a match. I was warned prior that I should accept the challenge but lose to him...but I didn't. He was a ruthless and decisive player, but sacrificed too many of his pieces for one attack. I saw through his move easily. I expected some form of repercussion from him , but instead was personally complimented for my tenacity and skill.

After that, I developed a reputation for ignoring mission directions...Danzo attempted to punish me (word of advice: ROOT punishment sucks, avoid), but he could not argue with the results. Every assignment was completed, and my cover was never blown. Even if the mission went sideways, and escape was the only option (please note, this only ever happened when I was partnered with unskilled agents who ended up getting themselves caught), I still ensured everyone escaped unscathed and useful intelligence retrieval.

In order to not be seen allowing a member of ROOT to be subordinate, Danzo let me design my own mission parameters, as long as the objective was completed. It allowed me access to mission and personnel files, that I did not even know existed.

It was here I 'accidentally' access Hatake Kakashi's file and ongoing mission. Little shit was spying on the Hokage.

After this, it became my mission to sabotage Hatake whenever possible. Immature, maybe, but he was being stupid. Whether it be planting incorrect intel in his mission briefs, tripping him in corridors using my own special blend of ninja wire...to even managing to circulate a village wide rumour of a micro-penis.

Then one day, when casually walking through an empty corridor in the ROOT HQ, I was suddenly grabbed and pulled into an empty room, held to the wall by an angry looking Hatake.

"Listen here, I don't know what you are playing but it's going to stop. I have no proof, but I know enough about your antics to know it was you."

"I have no idea what you could mean, Hatake-sama. Has something happened?" I kept my face as still as possible, but inside I was giggling.

"Enough of this act. You may have Danzo fooled, but you forget I know you from before you joined ROOT."

"There is nothing before ROOT."

Hatake slammed a hand to the wall. "I said enough!"

I felt my face slide into a sneer. You want it, you got it. "And what are you going to do, tell Danzo-sama on me? You have no idea what kind of man you are dealing with. I know what he wants from you, and I can guarantee you are in over your head."

"Over my head? Ha. This coming from a ten year old? You have experienced nothing of the world."

"Maybe not, but I have experienced enough of Danzo's world to know this is not the right path. I don't know what kind of lies he has told you, but you need to start opening your eyes and looking around."

"All I see is a petulant child who sticks her nose into everybody's business."

"At least my nose can sniff out the bullshit. That's more than I can say for yours."

"I was concerned about you before...a child in black ops, mentally broken...I tried to keep an eye out for you. But I see now you are nothing but a stupid brat who thinks they know better. You will stay away from me, you do not want to see what happens if you do not."

I scoffed. "Oh. Scary Grumpy-san."

"You have no idea," he growled.

I had had enough. I had no idea he was such an idiot.

"No problem. But soon, you are going to realise how much of a colossal ass you are, and how badly you've been played. And then I'll be waiting for your apology. Good luck, you are going to need it." I glared at him with every fiber of my being. If this man was meant to be a prodigy, they set the bar low. He clearly missed the day observation skills were handed out. I was not going to spend any more time arguing with someone so bone-headed.

I pushed past him, shook the tension out of my body, straightened my face and walked out the door.

I was not surprised when he caught me a week later, after I got back from my latest mission.

"Nakahara, we need to talk."

Notes:

That was a doozy to write! Angsty Kakashi is hard!
Many of you were hoping Kakashi is going to be Erena's saviour from ROOT, but life isn't that easy. From canon, Kakashi withdrew himself after the deaths of his team, and lost his way a little...it allowed him to be manipulated by Danzo into joining ROOT, and here is no different. He wouldn't put his duty over an acquaintance, even if they were as young and memorable as Erena.

Thanks to my reviewers, I'm glad you enjoyed Itachis interlude! I have a few more interludes planned soon (not just Itachi)...stay tuned!

Eventually I may do some little side stories of Erenas missions, but that'll be after this fic is completed (little miss sassypants gets into some shenanigans, I can tell you!)

Chapter 12: Shadows arc: part 5

Notes:

Bad language, and a vague mention of implied child abuse.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

As promised, I refused to talk to Kakashi until I received my apology. I don't know why he was so annoyed by this, it's not like I didn't tell him...And I was as stubborn as they come.

After many minutes of him glaring at me, threatening to walk away ("Okay, nice chatting to you, bye bye then!"), and several insults regarding my maturity levels, he finally gave in and admitted he had been fooled...it wasn't exactly an "I'm sorry", but I'll take it.

It seemed all it took for him to open his eyes to Danzo's special taste of corruption and deception was a little interaction with a little Wood Release user. Kakashi wanted information, and he wanted it now. Unfortunately for him, I didn't have any. I had never personally encountered Kinoe...he was another one of Danzo's little protégés, but our tasks within ROOT couldn't be more different. He was to be a village-based heavy hitter, and I was deep cover espionage. And it's not like Danzo organised slumber parties where we gossiped and braided each other's hair.

Kakashi seemed put out by that (especially the hair braiding comment). I offered to check the records room, but that was not successful. Anything relating to his origins had been redacted. The ROOT library held no accounts of Wood Release, and unless the main library had been massively restocked, the main library would be of no use.

"Mah, and how would a little pip squeak like you know that?" Kakashi asked, as we were brain storming one day.

"Because this little 'pip squeak' has read nearly every book available that has any accounts of the First Hokage. The author of 'The Architecture and Design of Konohagakure' did refer to the Hokages personal journals and texts as his main sources when describing how Mokuton was utilised, but he was too focused on the art to give a shit about the theory."

"...and why do you remember trivial facts like that?"

"I remember all 'trivial facts.' Trivial facts are only trivial until they are aren't, like today."

"What do you mean you remember all trivial facts?"

I sighed. "I read, I learn, the end...and seriously, did you not understand what I'm trying to say here? Focus!"

"No no...this is important. I think I'm starting to understand how much of a freak you are...are you saying you remember everything you read?"

"Yes, isn't that what memory does, it remembers?"

"But, everything?"

Did this guy listen? "Yes, it's not like it's hard? With how this conversation is going, I'm deeply concerned about your immediate short term memory, though."

"Mah, and there goes the mystery of Nakahara Erena. Eidetic memory, who would have thought?"

I blinked at him a few times before I let my anger out. "Seriously?! That's what you focus on? The fact I remember shit? Get over yourself. Instead, can we go back to the maniacal dictator with the penchant for training child soldiers and brainwashing them into thoughtless machines? I know what I think is more important." And if he wanted to think that was my biggest flex, feel free.

Kakashi giggled. Actually giggled. I threw a senbon at his head, and was actually upset when he dodged it.

"Why so serious, Erena-chan?"

"Kakashi..." I let my head drop to my hands, elbows resting on the table. "When you have spent two years in captivity, without daylight, and then only being given fresh air to breathe when you are allowed to leave for missions, only then can you make fun of me. I haven't had Dango in three years. Three years! You know what type of food they serve here. I'm sure my tastebuds have packed and left home in protest."

Kakashi went quiet very quick, no joke in sight. "Okay." So the man did have a heart. I felt suddenly awkward about my outburst.

"Okay?"

"Then what's next?" He asked.

I grinned. "So we want the Shodaimes journals, right?"

"...Right?"

"And where do you think they are going to be?"

"I'm not going to like this, am I?

My grin widened. "Ever broken in to a Kage's residence before? I could give you pointers, if you like?"

Kakashi groaned.

I was sent out on a mission the next morning, but thankfully a short inter-country expedition. I was placed in a little tourist town, often used as rest point for shinobi leaving on missions, to monitor and observe a genin team, and report. The fun fact about genin is that they are massive security risks...seriously...sending someone like me to spy on them was a waste. All it look was a little eavesdropping as they chittered away in excitement for their super cool and important mission and you had all the details. It took the fun out of it (and all they were going was transporting a scroll containing details of some rich merchants death, and some details about inheritance to an interested party, hardly of ROOT interest).

And considering most low rank mission details would be easily accessed by a short quick snoop to the mission desk, I wondered why I was even sent in the first place. Maybe Danzo was just trying to keep me busy? Maybe he was testing how I felt about spying on my own village? Who knows, don't care.

When I got back, I headed to one of the smaller meeting rooms to quickly write up my report. They were rarely used as anything except report writing and mission briefings, when not personally given by Danzo. When I entered, the room was already occupied by four members of ROOT, including the infamous Kinoe. Interesting. The guy was popping up everywhere these days. He appeared similar to Kakashi in age, brown hair and a protector that framed his face. I'd give him extra points for style...how'd he get that past ROOT uniform checks? I want one.

Looking at the room, the remaining occupants consisted of well known members of the assassination squad. I had little to do with them, but I always made a note of who to avoid. I'm sure I saw one of them take over as I left one of my intel missions, but I tried not to think about it. Usually assassination missions sent out solo, or with one extra as support for more dangerous missions...so to have four agents in one team? Something big was going down.

"My apologies. I was not aware the room was occupied," I bowed and walked backwards to leave, closing the door behind me. Great...now I had to know what was going on, but getting caught eavesdropping in the ROOT base would be disastrous. I walked to the room next door, another meeting room, entered, closed and sealed the door to lock in. From my pouch, I pulled out a storage scroll and removed a listening device I had developed- it resembled a stethoscope, but the diaphragm was carefully attuned to picking up the frequencies of human speech (tiny seals were used on the underside, I was getting good at microscopic writing). There was a waveguide in the earpiece to reflect the sound into the ear, removing most distortion-allowing for clear voices.

Unfortunately for me, the news I recovered was not ideal. Danzo was planning on assassinating the Hokage. Tonight.

I hoped that Kakashi had managed to get access to what he needed to secure his distrust of Danzo, or the village was screwed. If the assassination mission was successful, there is no doubt he would make a play for the hat...and whatever good Konoha had would be lost. While the Sandaime was a military dictator, he was at least a benign military dictator, with a sense of honour...I could not say the same for Danzo.

My main problem, however, was that I was not placed in a position to do anything about this myself. I did not have freedom to leave base, and even if I did, there was no way I could get access to the Hokage. I needed Kakashi.

My second problem was attempting to find him. He was rarely in ROOT base, unless he was seeing Danzo, or me. On a prayer, I made my way to the main ROOT library and records room. He had been doing a lot of reading of late, so it was the only place I could have hoped to find him. Otherwise, I would have to leave base and track him down.

I don't know what god answered my prayer (I prayed to them all, not only those found in the Elemental Nations), but I found him there.

"Greetings, Hatake-san."

I approached him when he sat in the records room, hunched reading a case file. By some miracle he was completely alone, and I could sense no other chakra signatures near. His ANBU mask was lying on the table, with his normal face covering in place. I could not make out what the file was, but it didn't matter. He seemed startled by my approach, and slightly perturbed by my greeting.

"Hibari," he replied, stiffly. I never interacted in the 'open' like this. He must have known something was amiss.

"I came to convey my well wishes towards the Hokage mission tonight. It is difficult when plans are changed so suddenly, but I have faith in your team."

His eye widened. "Tonight?"

"Yes, in two hours to be exact."

He hastily gathered up the records and ran to put them in a filing cabinet. He grabbed his ANBU mask and was almost out of the door when he stopped.

"Thank you," he whispered. "Please know, I will try and find a way to help you. I wish there was more I could do now but..." he seemed torn. If he found what he was after, I knew his loyalty would lie with the Hokage. There was no way I would have considered that my situation would have had any bearing on the outcome of this. I was unimportant in the grand scheme of things. If he was going to intercept the assassination attempt, his true loyalty would be outed, and he would not longer be affiliated with ROOT after this. Any contact we would have would cease, and I would be on my own.

"I understand. Success for the Hokage mission is imperative to Danzo-samas plans. It must not fail."

He nodded sharply, looking directly at me. "Goodbye, Nakahara."

"Goodbye, Grumpy-san," I smiled. Perhaps my first true smile in years.

I could see his jaw clench under his mask, before he squeezed his eye shut. He left the room and closed the door behind him, and I was left alone.

I never heard anything about the assassination attempt, or Kakashi, but after that but Danzo's fury was palpable. He became short and quicker to react than normal,and punishments far more severe. I managed to escape the brunt of it, what with me being a favourite and all, but it was hard to watch.

I watched him activate the curse seal on a newly qualified operative who failed their mission. It was brutal. There was also a sudden influx of new 'recruits' (read: children). I observed the new training techniques with some horror...it was not quite as bad as what I had gone through, but there was an extra element of sadism...he paired them up during the process. At first, I thought this was nice-as he was allowing them some kind of emotional support. But he let slip his true intentions during one of our Shogi games-he would not allow traitors in his organisation again. In order to prove their dedication to ROOT, they will kill their only bond or die. My heart clenched.

Over the next few months, many other things happened to destabilise Danzo further. The biggest was the defection of the Sannin, Orochimaru. This seemed to shake Danzo and he seemed personally insulted. He sent agents out to retrieve him, on top of the main Konoha forces, however sadly they were unsuccessful. Next came the loss of Kinoe-I wasn't sure of the specifics, but he was no longer a member of ROOT. I heard rumours he was now part of the main Konoha forces, but I could not be certain. All I knew for certain was that he wasn't dead, and now Danzo seemed to fixate on me more than ever.

I was given more intense missions, some of which I struggled with. He tried to pair infiltration with assassination, but I refused. I was punished for this weakness, but I would not kill my targets. After several attempts, he seemed to realise this was my limit and he gave up.

I was only eleven years old, and was sent to places that no child should go to. Thankfully, but unknown to him, I had the mindset of an adult as otherwise those experiences would have scarred me. Being sent on a 'honey-pot' mission to subdue a war-lord was especially disgusting. I protected myself (knock out tags, I love you), but if there ever was anyone I was willing to assassinate (other than Danzo), it would be that man.

Occasionally, I was also given in-village missions. These were more of the reconnaissance and information gathering variety, instead of infiltration, but I enjoyed them. Getting to enjoy the village, in stealth or no, was exhilarating. I could see the old streets I walked in, shops I went to...once or twice I saw faces of people I recognised. It was nice.

One on of these missions, I was sent to followed a visiting ambassador from Kumo, who was in Konoha under the pretence of a treaty of some kind. When Danzo told me this I almost laughed. Over A's dead body would he willingly sign a peace treaty with Konoha. While the Hokage was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, Danzo was not as gullible.

The Hokage was willing to trust the ambassador and give him freedom without monitoring, but Danzo was not. He assigned me this due to my exploits in Kumo (I had been back several times, mostly under the same disguise), and knew the behaviour of those in Kumo better than anyone else. And I was inclined to agree with him-there were other agendas in play here.

On one night, I watched the Ambassador leave, under a disguise. I did not want to intercept until I knew his game-I was a patient player, and knew it was better to wait for others to show their intentions before striking.

He made his way to the Hyuuga compound, entered and fled with a bundle-I followed suit, but kept to the shadows. There was a shout of rage from behind, and I detected someone giving chase behind me.

The pursuer, who happened to be the clan head, caught up, and attacked the would-be kidnapper, the bundle carefully and gently thrown to a soft area of ground. The bundle turned out to be a small, unconscious child. I felt a particular amount of hatred and loathing build up. There are many things that could trigger me, but the kidnapping of children was a particularly sensitive topic for me.

My orders were to watch only, and intervene only if Konohas safety was at stake, but fuck that.

The fight between the Kumo Ambassador and Hyuuga Hiashi was getting heated, and soon Hiashi was going to win. However, I knew that would be a mistake.

As I saw a deadly swipe with his Katana, I used my tanto to intercept. He looked livid.

"Stand down, ANBU. I will end him!"

"No, this is not the correct path. He should be brought to the Hokage for suitable punishment. The political fallout will be immense."

"You have no authority over me. Remove yourself or I will presume you are in my way!" He sneered under clenched teeth.

"Hiashi-sama. Can you look at me at truly tell me that these actions are to the benefit of Konoha?" I paused, hoping for my words to sink in. "For it is only your anger that will be satisfied. And what will happen after this? THINK! You take back your enemy dead, your daughter is safe, no other is witness...the Raikage is astute and he is calculated. He will turn this around on you. He wants the Byukagan, and one way or another he will have it. You take his mans head, and he will take yours- I guarantee it."

He did not move an inch-not any muscle on his body or his face. He continued to glare at the Shinobi, like a predator keeping their eyes on their pray. I had not idea what he was thinking, or what decision he would make. His want for retribution was great, and anger was a powerful emotion. It was the end of greater men than him.

After several long moments, he removed his katana from its position against my tanto, but still kept it held up.

"This man will not leave Konoha alive."

I wanted to sigh. "Between you and the Hokage, I can guarantee that will not happen. But first we need to be smart. We can use him. There are ways to spin this to not only ensure the Hyuuga clan protection, but elevate your power and destroy the Raikages reputation. Konoha can gain much from this."

His face turned to me for the briefest of seconds. "Explain."

"Take him back to the Hokage, but keep his survival a secret. While T and I use him to extract information, wait and watch the Raikages reaction. His true intentions will become clear. Then, pounce. He thinks he is smarter than everyone else, show him he is not. He will leave with his tail between his legs, and Konohas power will be secure."

"And how can you predict the Raikages actions?"

"I have played shogi against him."

He blinked at me a few times. What?

"...And did you win?"

"If I hadn't, do you think we'd be having this conversation?"

"And the Hyuuga reputation? We will be declared weak."

"No. You will be respected. Not only did you rise over your fury, but you stopped and thought about the consequences. Your actions will put the needs of Konoha first, and you will destroy your enemy to your satisfaction- albeit delayed. What clan can dispute that?"

He looked pensive. "And you expect me to base the reputation of my clan on the fact you are skilled at shogi? You, who are an unknown faceless ANBU? What kind of basis is this?"

"Trust your own instinct," I said. "Now you have considered your options, your anger is held at bay...what is the most logical direction to take? You are not a stupid man, do not make a decision you will regret for the rest of your days."

I had no other cards to play.

He sheathed his sword. I let out the breath I had been holding.

Other Hyuuga soon joined Hiashi. His daughter was taken back to the compound to be checked over, and the Kumo Ambassador taken into custody.

Before I left, I asked Hiashi to keep my intervention out of his report. I tried to spin it so that he could make it sound like he was the big hero. I don't think he bought it, but he must have stayed quiet nonetheless, as I had no repercussions for my actions.

Hiashi informed the Hokage of my plan (his plan), and everything fell in place as I predicted. The Raikage claimed no involvement, and wanted Hiashi's head in compensation for the death of his Ambassador, or war would be declared. Unfortunately for him, the Ambassador was alive, and after a little probing by a Yamanaka, there was enough evidence to prove that it was all a ploy for Kumo to get their hands on the Byukagan. What has even more despicable was that Hiashi's daughter would have been used to breed the next generation for Kumo, once she was of age. To say Hiashi was furious would be an understatement.

Despite this, thanks to some clever political manoeuvring by the council (namely, ideas form Danzo, guided by me) and hint of blackmail, a peace treaty was found between the two villages. We would never be friends by any means, but we weren't enemies anymore. I felt some pride in knowing I had a key part to play, and it gave me focus. Even in ROOT, I had managed to achieve my goals. I felt like anything was possible.

But one peace treaty does not equal peaceful nations, and a shinobi's job is never done. And Danzo has no chill.

"Danzo-sama." I bowed and made my presence known as I entered the room.

"Hibari. Take a seat." He gestured in front of him, then pulled a file out from a place on his desk, and handed it towards me. "Your next mission."

I took the file and quickly glanced at the contents. There was less information than I was normally given, usually there was more background info...oh...

I looked up at him. "Danzo-sama, this is not my usual type of assignment?"

I had never had a mission like this yet. I was poised for infiltration and intelligence gathering...this was more geared towards the main forces. It was a joint mission with the Konoha ANBU forces, something rare but not unheard of. Occasionally the objectives were linked, and forces would combine...most information gained from ANBU did not leave it unless the Hokage deemed fit, so swapping intel was not something done and we had to work together. The main forces simply thought we were a special branch of black ops.

A three-man ANBU cell and a three-man ROOT team would pair. We would be entering Wind Country (my favourite), to track down an informant and bring him safely to Konoha. However, ROOT wanted something he had in his possession. It was either a scroll or a small trinket-but something that he had eluded was a bargaining chip-something important to another nation. As far as ROOT was concerned, his continued survival was secondary to the procurement of this.

I had never been sent on a search and retrieval mission before, so this was not something I would have expected. My knowledge of Wind would be useful, but that was as far as I could see my usefulness.

"You will be placed with two agents experienced in this role. However, you shall be their commander for this mission. They shall follow your direct orders." Danzo smirked. "My reasons for this are my own. Despite your inexperience in this, I still expect success. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Danzo-sama!"

After the meeting, I went to track down the other two members of my cell, perfect puppets known as Yumi and Kutsu. I gave them their brief then headed to the records room to quickly swat up on retrieval technique and strategy. We left the base two hours later and headed to a set of woods outside of the main ANBU headquarters to meet the rest of our team.

They did not seem to sense us until we jumped into the clearing, and one turned around startled.

"Ho! Guess the black ops ghosts have arrived! Let's get the show on the road!"

There was no mistaking that curly mane and chipper voice. It was one I hadn't heard in years, but missed terribly. My heart jumped at the first sound of his voice, and I found it difficult to maintain my composure.

And I knew this mission was about to get so much harder. Danzo had knowingly placed me on a team with Uchiha Shisui.

Notes:

I'm excited, are you excited?

Chapter 13: Shadows arc: part 6

Notes:

Yea, so...I was so overwhelmed my the comments from the last chapter, I've decided to post the next one early. I hope you enjoy, it was my favourite to write so far!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

"Sooooo mute ANBU-san! You got a name, or do we just grunt in your direction if we need you?"

We had yet to leave the woodlands. Shisui, the other cells captain, thought we should exchange pleasantries prior to leaving, and explain our skills. I think he was just naturally curious. The other two members of ROOT, more familiar with retrieval missions, took the lead while I kept silent. It was obvious their monotone startled the others...while ANBU weren't known for being emotional, ROOT were a whole different kettle of fish. I knew how uncomfortable the lack of personality in their voices made you feel.

I knew my own natural voice had changed since childhood, but Shisui was smart. I couldn't have even the slightest possibility of him recognising me, not without knowing what Danzo was up to. I focused chakra to my throat to manipulate my vocal cords, as I had some for many missions in the past.

"I am Hibari." I said, monotonous and my voice slightly huskier than normal.

"And what does Hibari bring to the table? The double act here seem to have the catching part at hand."

"I am their captain. I will direct them. I have spent extensive time in Wind Country-I will guide us when we enter the country," I answered. I wanted to keep my answers as simple as possible, lest Shisui read between the lines.

"Hibari-sama is outmatched in strategy, and is an expert in infiltration and intelligence," Yumi volunteered, the little suck up. But also, what kind of reputation did I have in ROOT? While I didn't often converse with the puppets, that was a little out of the ordinary. Did they partake in a little bit of gossiping, maybe? I guess they weren't just totally robotic after all.

"Oh, interesting! Do we have a little spy?"

"Call me 'little' one more time and I will show exactly what else this 'little spy' knows." Keeping up my cover or not, I was not putting up with Shisui's bullshit. Never, in this life or the next, would I let him away with cheek towards me.

His ANBU cohorts snickered while he chuckled and held his hands up in surrender. "Heard loud and clear. Pissing of black ops is definitely not on my to-do list."

"Shall we proceed with the mission?" I asked, attempting to sound bored. I could not keep this up for too long and needed focus.

Our journey to Wind was not hard. We made a good pace with little in the way of rest-stops. When we did, Shisui seemed determined to annoy me. Did I have some kind of beacon that attracted annoying Uchiha to me? They were meant to be stoic and surly...where were they, when you needed them? Why did I get stuck with the clowns and the gremlins?

"Sooo...Hibari-san. Have you been in black ops for long? How's it going for you?"

"It is acceptable."

"Do you enjoy it?"

"Enjoyment in ones duty is irrelevant."

"Come on, with you being a spy and all, you must get some pretty cool missions. Care to share?"

"That information is classified." He just was not getting the hint, I had to grit my teeth-thankfully because of my mask he couldn't see. I was growing more and more frustrated as time went on. All I wanted to do was smack him on the back of his head and tell him to mind is own goddamn business.

"Ah, come on. I'm sure you have some pretty cool stories!"

"Classified."

"Are all black ops such spoil sports? Between you and the chuckle brothers over there, you seem like a bunch of dead fish. Surely some of you must have a sense of humour?"

"We take our duty seriously. Please tell me, how do these questions benefit our mission?" Dead fish? Dead fish? I swear, Shisui...

"It's called creating a rapport. You know? Helping with inter divisional relations and that? Just being friendly."

"We do not need to be friends to complete the mission. Please keep your communications professional."

"Oi, Karasu. Leave the black ops alone. Their business is their business," called another ANBU, Kumozaru. My saviour.

Shisui huffed before leaving me, collecting his things and carrying on. He was the only member of the cell to attempt to talk to us outside of the mission discussions. Also the fact he singled me out as his victim was concerning. I knew I had not given any indication of my identity-I was a no face, no name ANBU, and my voice distortion was mild enough it should not raise any suspicions. Perhaps it was my position as leader, my young age, or the fact I was female, made him more eager to approach?

Thankfully, we made it to our targets town without any other fuss. It was a small settlement, which seemed to be a base for local trade. It was not a market, but more like a miniature stock exchange. I instructed the members on proper Wind etiquette, gave them a quick lesson on accents, and suitable appearances for the Henges. Three of us would enter the town, disguised as civilians, and the others would act as support. Shisui, Panda and I would take point in town, as a small group scouting for a place to relocate to. We would be a family of potters, seeking a location more central for trade, as movement around the area was becoming difficult. Shisui and I would be siblings, and Panda playing the part of our uncle. Our 'parents' were at home, and trusted Uncle to make the overall decision.

My henge changed to the sandy coloured hair and tan skin common in Wind. Unlike my last venture, I had to change my features to keep them far from my own. As people tended to trust and open up to those with classically 'cute' features, I opted for large round eyes, a small button nose and soft freckles. I kept my age the same. Shisui's appearance change wasn't too dramatic-as he simply changed his normal features colouring to match mine. Seeing his face left a feeling like a punch to the gut. I had informed them the best disguise to keep up was no disguise...I immediately regretted that decision.

As we entered the town through the main gates, I entered my façade. I became obnoxiously chatty, seeming in wonder at everything around town. Panda kept quiet, stoically nodding to my observations, while Shisui played along...although I'm pretty sure there was no acting on his part. A friendly retailer pointed us towards a tavern for refreshments once I chattered about our long journey and how tired I was...as it was the location of our target, it couldn't have been a more smooth transition if we tried.

We were seated in a little alcove, that provided a decent amount of privacy.

"You know, for a wet fish, you are surprisingly good at this."

"Oh, brother-that is so mean! Uncle, he keeps calling me that! It's not fair!" I complained. Idiot- you don't let your guard down for a second. He'd never last two minutes undercover.

"Kids, break it up or I'll tell your father when we return. You're going to give me a headache," Panda drawled, seeming apathetic. He played the annoyed parental figure well. He either had children or young siblings.

I sent Shisui an exasperated look, hopefully conveying my annoyance and telling him to behave. He must have got the picture, as his mouth formed a soft 'oh' and he looked a little embarrassed. I rolled my eyes.

After that, we continued to amicably converse about how interesting the town was, as we made an order. I made an excuse to go to the restroom, which was a ploy to scope out our target. As informed, he was sat in the centre of the tavern, reading a book with a small bottle of warm sake. I walked over to him.

"Excuse me, sir! I'm so sorry to bother you, but where may I find the restroom? I've come such a long way from Yashinokimura, I'm so tired and forgot directions quickly!"

This was a code hopefully passed along by a few plants, signalling I will be extracting him to Leaf, and I would await his advice on a suitable place to collect. Otherwise, I'd just look like a ditsy child, and no harm done.

He must have been aware of the message, looked taken aback for a second. He gave me directions to the restroom, and then made an inane comment about leaving to collect bread before the bakery closes...in other words, by the windmill at dusk. I thanked him before moving on.

After finishing our meal, we continued to explore the town to maintain our cover. Panda seemed bored, but I allowed myself to have a little fun with Shisui. We played our characters off each other, and had a bit of a sibling rivalry. I still had to act overly sweet, and couldn't respond as I normally would, but I enjoyed every moment. If I didn't need another reminder of how integral he was in my life before, this was it.

We left the town, and made our way to the windmill in the outskirts, signalling the others to follow. When we got there, are target was already present with a bag. We dropped the henges, code phrases were exchanged (proving our identity) and we left immediately.

The man was not shinobi, so he slowed us down considerably. He refused to be carried, using his pride as some stupid excuse. We encountered a small band of thieves, but these were easily disposed of (by my ROOT subordinates, using non lethal means-as directed. Bless them, they could follow orders well).

We were only a few hours out of Konoha, when I decided the timing was right to make our play. We had stopped to allow our target to rest, and I was to distract him as Kutsu attempted to check his bag, and Yumi stood guard. We didn't even know what we were looking for, so hoped it would be obvious.

A few minutes after I brought him to a river, where he was to attempt to refresh before we got to Konoha, Yumi appeared and signalled Kutsu was unsuccessful, meaning the object was on the target. Damn.

Unfortunately, there was only one way this could go, and it would expose our true mission to the other ANBU, should they approach. I was not skilled in intimidation and interrogation, but I also was not willing to kill him-no matter what I was directed. My only possibility was nothing but an idea I had been playing with, and I hadn't had a chance to practice it yet.

"I'm sorry," I said. My voice was kept hard.

"What do you mean, Shinobi-san?" He looked confused

"Your journey ends here." His face paled, catching my intention.

"B-b-but I don't understand! I was told I would be safe in Konoha? My information is good, I swear!" His eyes were wide and pleading. I took a step towards him, and he stumbled back, falling on the ground by the river bank.

"It is not the information we seek. You have only one option-give the artefact to me, or you die here."

"What the hell is this!?" I heard a shout from behind me. I didn't need the Byukagan to tell me Shisui had emerged. And by the footsteps, with at least one member of his cell. "This is not the mission, stand down!"

"Incorrect. This is our mission."

"You mean you've been playing us?" He seethed.

"Incorrect. Our missions objectives coincided until this point. Unfortunately, we are unable to continue until our target is procured. You will not stop us."

"Bullshit. Our mission is to get him safe to Konoha-there is no way you have a secondary what would override that."

"Incorrect, our-"

"ENOUGH with your stupid 'incorrect' answers! Stand down and step away or we will be forced to intervene. We are from the same village, we do not need to fight!"

"Incorrect." I only said this to piss him off. It gave me small amount of satisfaction, but satisfaction none the less.

As Shisui and Kumozaru made towards my direction, Yumi and Kutsu appeared to intercept them. Unfortunately, Shisui used body flicker to an annoying amount of precision, and avoided their attempts, with him heading straight towards me. In a fair fight, there was no way I could hope to match his speed and win. But I don't fight fair.

Using several ninjutsu in quick succession, I created a thick fog, and a localised earthquake to disrupt his footing, which made cracks in the earth. I moved position quickly, before placing a Chameleon Seal on me-it was a new creation, which bent the light around me, making me practically invisible. With me suppressing my chakra, and the fog in place, he had no chance in accurately locating me. While I didn't use seals for ROOT, I had begun to create small inconspicuous Tags to keep in my ninja gear-I would never use them in the presence of others, but it was always good to have a back up.

As Shisui played around in the mist, I grabbed the asset and held him down. I knew I must have been little more than a shimmer to him, which was already intimidating, and I could work with that.

I summoned up my Killing Intent, and attempt to fuse it with my emotions. Since my interaction with the Ichibi Jinchuriki, I had wondered if a normal person could manipulate their killing intent in a similar way. I infused everything I had kept suppressed for years: my sadness, helplessness, rage, loneliness...I then thought of the horrors of war, and it's atrocities. My goal was to make the Killing Intent as despicable as possible.

It must have worked, as my target started to shake, almost to the point of convulsions, before hyperventilating and started crying.

"Where is it!" I hissed, increasing the intensity of my voice manipulation for maximum effect.

He didn't speak, but instead handed me a ring. I quickly took it, and examined it. It was of Lightning country in origin, with some kind of ancient script on the inside-it was impossible to read. It fit our description, so I considered it a win. I stopped my Killing Intent and dispersed my fog, and incinerated the seal. As soon as I did that, Shisui appeared, and I threw the asset at him.

"My mission is complete, he is all yours." I turned to Yumi and Kutsu, "Stand down, we leave immediately."

"What are you?" Shisui asked. Because of his mask, I couldn't see his face, but his voice sounded shaken. I guess my Killing Intent experiment worked a little too well.

"Effective. I am effective."

Before he could answer, Panda appeared and distracted them for a split second, so we made off into the trees. We weren't followed.

We entered the ROOT base through a hidden passage outside of the southern gates. I felt like I was in a trance as we debriefed and handed over the ring. It was only after I made it to my quarters I woke up out of my daze.

And I cried for the first time in years.

I was not sent on another search and retrieval mission after that, but something strange did happen. Both Yumi and Kutsu became my little shadows. Initially I thought they were given instructions by Danzo to follow me, but he brought me into his office to question me about their request to transfer specialities onto mine, and stay under my direction. He seemed genuinely confused, and interrogated me to see if I left anything out of my report (obviously I had, but nothing to the effect of what he was suspecting).

Danzo allowed the transfer, and placed them under my direct command. I was to train and use them as I saw fit. As a bit of a lone wolf, I felt out of my depths, but did not refuse.

To understand their intentions, I sat them down for a discussion, to get to know them better. I had their files, and while that was usually enough to understand ROOT agents, they had shown initiative-which showed they were slightly different from the normal batch. It turned out they were simply impressed by me. I'm not sure why-I didn't give much in way of orders. They informed me of my reputation as Danzo's unofficial general, and that my survival rate, mission completion statistics and lack of kill count made me a bit of a legend in the ROOT forces. After working with me on the mission, they could see that the reports were not over exaggerated, and wished to learn from me.

Be still my beating heart, I had a fan club!

I accepted their proposal and set about a training plan. The difficulty was I didn't know what it was I could specifically train. Humanity? I focused on their acting skills, getting access to take them out for little practice sessions and watch them interact with people. It was almost a failure, until, by accident, I managed to get a real emotional reaction from Yumi.

And the cause? A goddamn puppy.

Could he be any more cliche?

We were in a small town, not far outside of Konoha. I set both of them loose in the market place, trying to get them to naturally converse with the locals. Their task was to get one piece of personal information from each person they talked to. They had to do this without probing questions, they had to maintain a nice natural flow of conversation. But their attempts were so cringeworthy it hurt my soul.

Then, out of the crowds, a small dog ran through with a young child chasing after it. It ran into Yumi, and he picked it up, holding it at arms length initially, seeming enthralled. It started to wriggle, so he held it close to support it. It became overly excited, and started started to lick all over his face and neck, tail wagging furiously.

I watched with baited breath, but suddenly his blank face morphed into a huge smile, and he let out a short but sweet: "ha!"

Oh my sweet giddy aunt. It was adorable.

But most importantly-ROOT weren't as lost as I thought. You just needed to find a bit of joy (apparently Kutsu's was sweet treats, I could relate). After this, the rest of the dominoes continued to fall. Instead of acting, I focused on getting Yumi and Kutsu to experience different emotions naturally. But once they realised one, it was like the flood gates had opened.

I made sure they understood that showing emotions was for our sessions only, unless they were asked to demonstrate their acting skills. As expected, they followed their orders perfectly. Once I was satisfied they could emulate and act, I informed Danzo of my success in training. He was thrilled. And I soon had more soldiers to corrupt...train...I meant train.

Before I realised it, I had my own little private army in a private army.

Huh.

Interlude

Shisui was meeting Itachi in one of his favourite girly cafes. He was just back from a shit-show of a mission and needed to vent. He would have preferred to do it on a training ground, but if there was an excuse to get dango or cake, Itachi would suggest it. And Shisui was a sucker...Itachi had only recently developed his Sharingan, so he needed all the support he could get. The Uchiha were all congratulatory, but that was the last thing you need when you see a friend die. No wonder the majority of the clan were emotionally constipated.

He sat swirling his tea, waiting for Itachi to arrive, lost in thought. While his mission had technically been a success, there were so many things that bothered him. When they gave their final report to the Hokage, he did not seem surprised by the actions of the black ops squad...as the informant had been recovered unscathed, he was willing to forget it. But Shisui couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right.

They were willing to forsake the will of the Hokage for an unknown target. It was basically treason. He voiced this thought to the Hokage but he just waved it off, like it was a minor inconvenience. "Sometimes it is better not to understand what the black ops are up to. I would encourage you to forget it, Karasu."

And not to mention Hibari, the captain, had released the most foul Killing Intent Shisui had ever experienced. It was not only powerful, but physically hurt. He didn't know it was possible to project emotions like that...or experience emotions like that. It terrified him. Was she even human?

A soft hand touched his shoulder, and Shisui jumped, taken out of his stupor. Itachi gave him a soft smile, sliding into the seat beside him, and signalled to the waitress his intent to order.

"What's the matter, crow got your tongue?" Itachi joked. It was his favourite line for anything ANBU related. He needed new material.

"You have no idea. I think I just encountered the creepiest person I've ever met," Shisui shivered, thinking back to the Killing Intent again.

"Creepier than you? That must be saying something," Itachi teased lightly. He tried to keep things light when Shisui was in a mood, as he knew how much he could spiral.

"Hah hah. Very funny...but..." Shisui paused. "You know our theory about Erena? All I can say is there's no way...we need to go back to the drawing board."

Since Itachi found out that Erena had not only survived the Kyuubi attack, but graduated the Academy, they had tried looking for her. Since graduation, there were no further traces of her. She seemed to vanish into thin air. She left the orphanage, and there was no record of her living accommodations. Shisui had broken into the genin files, and there was no record of her placement on a team or entering the genin corps. They considered that she had died, but there was no death certificate or notice of MIA status. Eventually, they considered ANBU. Shisui worked hard to get to captain status, to gain some access to personnel files. While the general files did not state identities, there was no ANBU that matched her age or skills. Their working theory was that she was recruited into black ops...but there was no way to prove it. When Shisui heard about a joint black ops mission, he jumped at the chance to take it and get more information. But it was a bust. Less than a bust. Erena was...too full of life to be one of those. And she would have never joined anything so shady.

"Are you sure? It was the last idea we had," Itachi whispered. All leads were dead, and they had no where else to go. Both of them felt immense guilt...they found out that Fugaku had stopped messages from their little 'fan girl' from reaching them. He didn't realise it was Erena, but Shisui suspected it wouldn't have mattered much. The Uchiha seemed determined to isolate themselves more than they actually were, and one non clan kunoichi was of little interest.

And if there was no where else to go, then they had to admit that they had lost her. Again.

"I'm sorry, Itachi." Shisui said, "but I just can't see it. We've tried looking, but every trace of Nakahara Erena is gone. She's gone."

"Excuse me gentlemen...what do you mean by every trace of Nakahara Erena is gone?"

The two Uchiha's eyes went wide as they turned around. Behind them was was Nara Shikaku, the Jounin Commander, whom had clearly overheard snippets of their conversation. He stared at them, eyebrow raised, but otherwise giving nothing away in his expression.

"I believe the two of you should come with me. Let's take this chat elsewhere, hm?"

Oh shit.

Notes:

Enter: Shikaku

Chapter 14: Shadows arc: part 7

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

"Hibari"

"Yes, Danzo-sama." I kneeled.

"Tell me, do you know why I have called you here?"

"No, Danzo-sama." I frowned. I was not due a mission, and he wouldn't have called me for a Shogi game, out of our usual time. Danzo was a creature of habit. There was nothing in my work that warranted a meeting. I completed all missions within parameters, training the infiltration corp was going well. I ensured there were no complaints, lest suspicions be raised.

"I have been told that your infiltration trainees assignments are all completed successfully, but you take...liberties with their instruction. Explain."

I raised my head slightly to attempt to assess is expression. "Mission objectives are always completed. I continue to assess the facts and come up with more effective strategy. As I was trained, sir. I allow the agents to also make decisions, to chose the best course of action to benefit all." In reality, the missions he was referring to were assassination missions. He accepted I would not kill, but I instructed my new recruits to do the same-or at least consider alternatives. We could solve many problems without killing-whether it being destroying a reputation, stealing important documents, or creating alliances. On one occasional I had to kidnap and scare them into submission (Killing Intent, ahoy), but no blood was spilled. Humans were simple enough to manipulate, if you understood what drove them.

"I see...your subordinates report satisfaction with your command...you are a firm leader and you have gained their trust in your efficiency. A fine quality to have. Your strategic mind and ability to adapt sets you apart from many in this organisation. You fulfil orders, however understand when to adjust parameters to ensure success. While I do not understand your reasoning in some instances, I cannot deny the results.

"Hibari. What do you remember of Nakahara Erena?" What on earth?

"Danzo-sama, I do not understand the question." My stomach dropped and I felt my insides chill. I had been so very careful. I was sure my acting had been flawless. When they had tried to catch me out, I ignored there attempts. I had trained my face to be still. Resting bitch face, eat your heart out.

"Do not be coy, Hibari. Answer the question." He stared at me intently.

"I remember Nakahara Erena. I remember her life before. It is not her life anymore." Would these words placate him?

"Well spoken." I heard a satisfied 'hum'.

"Your recent partnership with the main Konoha forces was not simply a mission, but a test of your loyalty. I will admit, on occasion I have doubted your attitude and allegiance...however my concerns were proven to be unfounded. Your emotions still guide you, with your ridiculous regard for human life," he scoffed, "but you have showed your loyalty to me above all else. I would be a fool to keep you as a mere soldier within the main ranks of ROOT with the skills you exhibit."

"From here, you shall take leadership and responsibility for a part of my forces. In some ways you will be my second-in-command, in all but name. You will take control of our infiltration and intelligence factions. You are to direct all missions, as you see fit - although all reports will be submitted to me before and after commencing the missions. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Danzo-sama!" What the what? I mean...I was already doing most of that. I guess Danzo was a bit slow on the uptake? But for him to acknowledge my leadership...that was huge. ROOT altering huge. Plan altering huge.

"However, that is not to be your only role. Tell me, if you were to become Nakahara Erena again, would you be able to do so successfully? Or are you Hibari?"

'I am always and will always be Erena, you one eyed jackass.' I wanted to scream at him. Thankfully my survival instincts were intact.

"I am Hibari, Danzo-sama. I am your tool. I am who you want me to be." I bowed my head again. If there are any acting awards going, just slide it on over.

"I have no doubt...I have trained you well, but your mission will be one many others have failed in. I require you to use your knowledge of behaviour and tap into Nakahara Erenas charisma. Attempt to reform an old bond."

I lifted my head to look at him. "Your orders, Danzo-sama?"

"You will be my spy, Hibari. Even within Konoha, not all of those in power can be trusted. They need to be watched. You will resume the life of Nakahara Erena, and you shall infiltrate the life of the Jounin Commander. You will inform me of his actions and decisions. Do you understand?"

"Sir?" This could not be happening. My face was blank-but this time is wasn't acting. I was in complete disbelief.

"Your mission is to spy and report on Jounin Commander Nara Shikaku. He has become...aware of your survival and is currently searching for your whereabouts. I wish to use this to my advantage, for you to resume a place in his life, allow the man to reform his attachments. Keep him close. With his close relationship with your mother, no doubt his guilt for leaving you alone as a child will be easy to manipulate. Do you foresee any problems with this task?"

"No, sir." I smiled internally. Danzo had no idea what doors he had just opened for me.

Danzo attempted to create a cover story for me, but there were so many holes it was practically a sieve.

According to him, I was placed into the Genin corps, and due to some bizarre paperwork error, I was completely forgotten about. I performed only C and D ranks, and due to my poor earnings, remained in the Genin corp barracks as I could not afford to move out. Any of my attempts to be promoted or re-assigned were filed away - as according to records I didn't exist. I was to become quiet and despondent, due to being continually let down by all friends and family, and the village.

There were so many problems with this I couldn't count, and could have created a much more thorough back story, but I didn't bother. Raising a little suspicion into my whereabouts fit in well with my plans...it also meant that my spying on Shikaku was less likely to be successful. He was not a stupid man. Danzo was relying on his 'guilt' to lower his guard, but he underestimated Shikaku. The man was the Jounin Commander, and a Nara, to boot.

Unless I was 'officially reassigned', I was to continue my work with ROOT, but was to remain within the lodging of the Genin Barracks otherwise. Personally, I didn't want this-as I wouldn't be granted a private room, but it was not my call.

If I was officially reassigned to another post, then I was still to keep my duties as Danzo's unofficial second-in-command, and ensure my paperwork and assignments were completed - even if that meant no sleep on my part. I guess Danzo's theory was you can sleep when you're dead? He was certainly trying to achieve that for me.

The next day, I was given a drab over-used uniform, a selection of meagre trinkets I had 'accumulated' over the years, and sent to the Genin corps. I arrived in the early afternoon, so it was empty while the residents were on assignment. I handed a message to the desk clerk, which explained my 'change of dormitory', and I was shown my new wing. My new room consisted of two bunks, which meant sharing with three other girls. I groaned. I picked the only empty bunk, and waited.

The evening came, and my new roommates arrived. And it was as bad as I feared. They were around thirteen or fourteen, and were the literal embodiment of every ditsy teenage girl I had ever played...how were they shinobi? Okay, they were in the Genin corp, but how did they even get through the Academy? They were friendly enough, and were not hesitant in welcoming me. They asked questions about where I've been and who I'd worked for. A particularly chirpy one called Fumiko offered to show me around the barracks...But their giggles drilled into my brain. I was very glad I wasn't expected to match their energy...I'd burn out in a few days.

The next day I reported to the mission desk, awaiting assignment like every other Genin. I received two in-village D ranks. One to get shopping for an elderly lady (who was determined to give me a jar of fruit preserve as an extra thank you), and one to deliver a scroll to...the Jounin Command Centre. Coincidence, I think not.

Scroll in hand, and jar of preserve in my satchel, I entered the building. The directions did not state to deliver to any particular person, so the front desk it was. There was a grumpy looking chuunin behind the desk, who only grunted in recognition of my presence and grabbed the scroll from me, opening it briefly before throwing it in one of the overflowing, messy looking piles. ROOT was many things, but disorganised was not one of them. Seeing the neglected paperwork made my eyes twitch in annoyance.

Without any further ado, I left the building. I had no other missions, and so headed to the ROOT base to complete my tasks, making sure I was back at the Genin barracks by meal time-as I was invited to sit with my roommates. They were exhausting but I had a cover to keep.

The next day was much the same-a random D rank, and a random scroll to the Jounin Command centre, followed by ROOT. Lather, rinse and repeat. This went on for two weeks until there was finally some progress. One day, I entered Jounin Command to give my scroll to Daiji (I learned his name hoping to create some rapport, but he never graduated from grunts), when I saw Shikaku...he was talking with another Jounin, seemingly about something entertaining. I held my breath, and walked to the desk as normal, ignoring the fact I had noticed him. But as soon as I offered the scroll to Daiji, I saw him stiffen.

"Jounin Commander, sir!" He quickly got up and bowed.

"Oh, so you can speak?" I snapped, before quickly closing my mouth. Shit, the sass slipped out, I couldn't help it. It's a problem.

"Erena?" I heard, practically whispered behind me.

I stilled and turned around. I briefly made eye contact and saw a shocked face, before quickly looking to the ground. "Yes, Nara-sama. Can I help you?"

"Erena...I...we've been looking for you. Where have you been?"

"I don't understand, Nara-sama. I haven't been anywhere?"

He paused to consider for a moment. Even though I was not looking directly at him, I saw his posture change slightly, and his tone strengthened. "We should take this elsewhere. Would you be willing to follow me to my office? We have much to discuss."

"Umm...I...okay Nara-sama," I replied, looking up to him. He gave me a soft, encouraging look (the type you would give a nervous toddler), and gestured for me to follow him. The walk was silent, but thankfully short.

We entered a room, and he gestured to one of the seats in front of the desk. The room was very different to Danzo's office. First of all, there was a lot of sunlight entering from the large windows. There were a few cupboards and filing cabinets decorating the walls, and several personal touches-from antique weapons, paintings of woodlands and deer, to a few family photographs. One in particular was of a young toddler, the spitting image of Shikaku. Despite the likeness, he looked far too cute to actually be related to the man...I had to bite my tongue not to voice that opinion aloud.

"Erena...I don't know where you have been, but please know that I am here for you. I only recently found out you did not perish in the Kyuubi attack with your parents. Had I known, I would have come for you. I swear. Your mother was as close as a sister, I owed her everything. And I cared for you, too. It may not be much, but when you are ready, I am waiting. Whether you want to just talk, or if you need anything...day or night...just let me know."

I stayed silent. Years ago, I had dreamed about this. I wanted him to come and rescue me. From the orphanage, and then from ROOT. But over time I became resigned, and I knew it would never happen. To suddenly hear the words I needed when I was lost, it opened up something I had kept repressed. I could feel tears starting to spill, and I became angry with my blatant display of weakness. I tried to stop them, but it just made it worse. I sat there silently sobbing about the past I had missed, and the childhood lost.

I didn't even realise I had clenched my hands until Shikaku wrapped his own tightly around them. He was kneeling on the floor, looking up at me.

"I am so sorry, Erena. Please believe me. I don't know what you have been through, but I want to make this right."

"Where were you? Why didn't you come?" I croaked out. Two questions that had been on my mind for years. The answers to which could have changed everything for me.

A pained expression flicked across his face. "After your home was destroyed, it was declared there were no survivors...I mourned for you all. I was so busy in the aftermath, I didn't even attend your parents funeral...I can never regret that any more than now. If I had, I would have noticed it was not for you, too. Two months ago, it was brought to my attention that you survived. In looking for you, I found the notice of your survival sent from the hospital...in the mass of paperwork following the disaster, my replacement secretary misfiled it. I found a copy in the hospital records, and traced it back here. Lying in some stupid report, mocking me and my mistakes."

I took in a shuddered breath. Poor filing? Incompetent secretaries? That's what the cause of all my suffering boiled down to? Some goddamn idiotic bureaucrats? Hush my mouth. The ridiculousness hit me and I started laughing. Between the tears and the laughter, I probably looked insane.

"I hope you fired the secretary," I tried to joke. Shikaku gave a small chuckle.

"They didn't last the week."

I gave him a small smile. It was all I could muster in the moment, but the way his eyes lit up, I could tell he appreciated it.

"Now tell me, where have you been? I have been trying to find you for the last couple of months. It was as if you disappeared from Konoha completely."

"I've never left Konoha," this was probably the only true statement in everything I was about to say. "After I graduated, I was sent to the Genin corps...I was told it would be until team placements, but after the time had been and gone, I realised I was forgotten. When I asked, I was told it was a small error, and to wait for next time...but it kept happening again and again."

"But I don't understand...that shouldn't have happened? And why didn't you come and find me?"

I gave a small bitter laugh. "At first I thought you didn't care...then I tried to put in requests to meet with you, but they were all declined." His eyes widened and he looked like he was about to protest. "I was going to retire from the shinobi forces completely, and I put in to withdraw my earnings, to start a lease on an apartment and try to find employment, only to find out there weren't savings there. On paper, I didn't exist. It turns out my life comes down to nothing but dead parents and a few missing documents. Now I'm just tired, and I don't care anymore..." I added glumly.

His hands squeezed mine in an action meant to be comforting. "We're going to figure this out. I'm going to make things right."

We sat in silence, saying nothing else. I think we were both emotionally exhausted at that point. Eventually, I wiped my eyes one last time and made to stand up. His hands finally moved from mine, and they felt cold without them.

"I should be going. It will be meal time soon...thank you for your time." I made to bow, awkwardly, when he caught me.

"Nonsense, I will walk you back. If it is okay, I would like to see you tomorrow? Will you come here after you finish your duties?"

"Yes, Nara-sama. I would like that." I smiled at him.

"Stop with this Nara-sama nonsense, we are family and it makes me feel old!"

He walked me back to the Genin barracks mostly in silence. The odd shinobi nodded his way, and he nodded in reply, occasionally telling me who they were, or an interesting piece of gossip about them. My mother always knew a lot about people, and I'm guessing it came from him...she wasn't a gossip, but something told me this man was.

As I approached the Genin corps, i saw my roommates and waved to them in greeting. After, I gave my goodbyes to Shikaku. He smiled and gave me a comforting squeeze on the shoulder before I went inside. The girls started interrogating me on why the Jounin Commander escorted me home. When I wouldn't tell them, they started spinning a story about how he saved me from a rogue ninja and had to make sure I made it back okay or they would find me again. Girls and their imagination...

I slept soundly that night (despite the snoring), and actually looked forward to tomorrow.

Interlude

Shikaku watched as Erena entered the building, flagged by a couple of hyperactive girls. As soon as she was out of sight, his smile dropped.

He didn't know who that person was, but it was not Nakahara Erena.

The entire time he was with that her, the only time he saw even a flicker of her former self was when she gave cheek to the desk clerk- and that was clearly a slip up. Whatever that timid mouse was, it was not her.

He wasn't lying back in the office - he was going to fix things, even if he didn't know what he needed to fix first.

But first, he had to send missives to the boys. He wouldn't tell them of his concerns, yet, but they deserved to know about her return. Even if the timing was far too coincidental for his liking.

He glanced back at the Genin corp one last time before walking away. He didn't know what happened to her, but he was going to find out.

Notes:

This was a difficult one. I kept it short and sweet to focus on Erena here, but also set up the next few events.

Hopefully this will answer some questions a few of you had...no Danzo intervention to blame for Erenas solitude, just really really bad luck. Sometimes the world just sucks.

And tomorrow- another long awaited reunion!

Chapter 15: Shadows arc: part 8

Notes:

Lots of swear words. Erena has no other outlet for her anger-she does not apologise.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Over the next few days, I saw Shikaku daily. I met him at his office after my designated D rank assignments, and we would talk for a couple hours. Sometimes it was meaningless drivel about my opinion about shop or cafe, but usually he would try and ask me about what I had been up to over the past few years. I made my life sound as boring as possible, and kept up the façade of being miserable with my circumstances...he seemed to eat it up.

By the end of the week I was worried I was going to run out of things to say...I didn't enjoy playing shy, and as I was meant to be myself, I felt like I was in a cage. Occasionally Shikaku would do things to try and rile me up, between giving me answers that weren't answers and terrible puns ("A drink, Erena? You know, the coffee has such a rough time here, it gets mugged every day!"), I could feel my mask slipping slightly.

At the end of the week, I headed to his office. For once he wasn't ready for me and was in a meeting, so I sat in the seating area outside and reflected. Things were progressing too quickly for my liking. A man of Shikaku's station should not be making so much time for me, estranged family member or not. I was worried Danzo's comment about his guilt pushing things forward were true. Even if he did start to let his guard down, I had never planned to give everything I realised away to Danzo...just enough that he wouldn't get suspicious. For instance, he didn't need to know Shikaku held his important documents in his lower right drawer in the desk-there was a security seal in place, but it was a physical deactivation so wouldn't be difficult to dismantle (it was also where he kept a secret stash of Sake and cigarettes, which was the only way I noticed due to the traces left behind...I'm guessing he wanted to ensure his wife never found them?). He also didn't need to know Shikaku was in regular talks with someone from Kumo (some letters on his desk were made of a type of paper only found there. I couldn't see the communications, but could have if I wanted to).

Finally, the door slid open, and Shikaku motioned to be to enter, a small smile on his face. As soon as I did, I was assaulted. Some ran at me, full force, and smothered me in a hug. I stiffened under the action, eyes wide. I could see the face of the black haired person who attacked me, but considering Shisui was standing very closely behind him, I knew it was Itachi.

"Let up, Itachi, let me in there!" He said, smiling at me. I smiled softly in return.

Even though I has technically 'seen' Shisui on the mission to Wind, having him in from of me, with no sign of altered appearance or mask, left a jumpy feeling in my gut. Despite our similar age, he was much taller than me, and hair a lighter brown than I remembered...I'm guessing many missions outdoors had lightened it. He didn't wear any standard Konoha uniform, but the high collared style the Uchiha seemed to favour.

Itachi finally let go and I was able to get a good look at him. He had grown so much...he was almost the same height as me now. And considering he was only nine, that didn't bode well for my future height at all. His hair was longer, and he had lost a lot of the baby fat around the face.

A Broken Mockingbird

Tryxxi

Summary:

Nakahara Erena was reborn to a world of war. Too bad she was a pacifist.

Or: how a genius tries to navigate through the world of the Elemental nations, befriending Itachi and Shisui, only to find the world is a lot more messed up than she ever thought it could be.

SI-OC, no previous knowledge of Naruto.

Chapter 1: Awake

Chapter Text

When I first woke up, I thought I was still dreaming.

I was aware of everything and nothing. I could see only blurs, and sound was there but made no sense. Sensation and senses bombarded me all of a sudden, but everything was so alien that I couldn't possibly be awake.

I was like this for a long time. Adrift. Slowly things came back. First it was my touch, blurs started to join and make shapes. Over time details became more clear. My hearing was the quickest to return and I could start to recognise sounds-breathing, screaming, rustling paper. I could hear people mumbling, but I couldn't recognise what they were saying. After a few weeks I realised they were talking clearly, but in a language I could not recognise.

It was only then I realised I was awake the whole time. That my senses returning were actually senses developing. That my lack of movement was lack of motor skills. That I was reborn.

I had a developed mind in a child. I could not pinpoint specific memories, but I knew that the world I was in right now felt very wrong. Even despite my status as a baby, things felt different. Everything prickled around me, and I could feel people in the same way you can smell the air and know rain is coming. The language was foreign, but that could easily be rectified...but new senses were unexplainable.

Once I was aware of the situation, I decided to rectify my communication issues as soon as possible. Despite my self awareness, I must have still had the adaptable mind of a child, as I picked up an understanding quickly. Trying to talk back was another story.

I had only just been able to sit up, and my mother had placed me in a fortress of blankets to protect me while she pottered around the kitchen. She was a kind woman, short with black hair. From watching interactions with my father-a slightly taller and rigid man-she had a quick wit and was very house proud. He would frequently come home dirty and covered in mud, and would always try and greet me before changing. She would always beat him away-afraid of getting me dirty and sick- in a jovial manner with him chortling behind. It soon became apparent this was a game.

"Itachi? Shisui?" I squeaked out - Only for Shisui to bombard me this time. I was not a physically affectionate person anymore, years of nothing but torture and debilitating spars will make you distrust any contact, so I felt more than a little awkward.

"Erena! We've missed you! Come on, you need to tell us everything! Where have you been? What have you been doing? Sit down, sit down!" Shisui was a whirlwind, and before I knew it, I was dragged to a seat and deposited. I kept looking back and forth between the two Uchiha, in somewhat disbelief.

Shikaku chuckled. "I'll leave you three to catch up. I have a debrief downstairs." He smiled and exited the room.

"Erena, are you okay? You seem a little shaken." Itachi asked.

"I...this was unexpected. I apologise," I said. God, this was hard. I just wanted to glomp him. Even though he was a qualified ninja, he was still the cutest thing. I was glad to see the years hadn't taken away his heart.

"You apologise? What is this? Manners day? I'm surprised you haven't given us a head injury yet," Shisui joked.

I looked confused. "What for?"

"Errrr...you know...asshole Uchiha guards, messages getting intercepted, us ignoring you for years? You know, that kind of stuff!"

"Oh, well...it's done now, I guess? And it's fine, I know I wasn't that important. I've managed." I shrugged, making sure I looked a little sheepish.

The two Uchiha shared a look...I could read concern and surprise in both of them.

"Erena, we never meant to ignore you. We've missed you," Itachi said. He gave me a small smile and clasped my arm. I tried not to flinch.

"Come on, let's get out of here. Shikaku-samas office is nice and all, but it's a little stuffy. Let's go!" Shisui grabbed my arm, again, and dragged me out the door, Itachi following behind. Once out of the command centre, I was taken to a cafe just around the corner.

"I'll order." Itachi commented, before Erena followed Shisui to a booth.

He sat down, elbows on table and hands cupping his face, staring at her with a smile. I had no idea how to proceed. My instincts were to smack the dopey look off his face...but that wouldn't fit into my character.

Thankfully, before i had to say anything, Itachi appeared with a pile of dango. "The drinks will be along shortly," he said, before sliding beside me and taking a stick. I stared at the pile...it was clearly for them all (although she had no doubt Itachi could finish the lot), but I was reluctant. Since joining ROOT, I had never consumed any kind of treat. Even on missions, I held back. Looking at it, I didn't know why. What was so scary about some dango?

"Wow, Erena. You don't need an invitation," Shisui scoffed before taking one for himself. Slowly, i took a stick and had a bite. Clearly my face had slipped and betrayed me, because Shisui sniggered. "Whoa, I think we might need to give Erena and the dango a moment alone."

Fuck that.

Without even thinking, I ripped the dango off the stick, and threw it at Shisui's head, glaring. He moved to the side, but the wooden stick imbedded in the head rest. I had no regrets.

"At least her aim has improved," Itachi commented cheerily, taking another bite of his own dango.

Shisui looked from the stick to me before looking at me with a grin. "I knew it! Shikaku said you were different, that the system had broke you...but that was just classic!"

"Hmmm..." Itachi pondered. "I thought that was just everyone's natural reaction towards you, Shisui?"

I laughed. Really laughed. "Maybe not everyone, but at least the female half of the population." I jibbed.

"Hey, the ladies love me!"

"Shisui, you're eleven. Don't be weird."

"I'm not weird, you're weird!"

"Yea, well, you trying to be normal with what I've gone through. You'd probably end up in psyche," I plopped on of the dango balls in my mouth. Both boys went quiet and looked at me funny. Aw, crap. I sensed feelings were coming. I hated feelings.

"Look, guys, let's stop this crap. Life has been shit, but I'm getting on with it. I've managed so far, it's fine. Sure, it was lonely, but worse things could have happened." Yea, like ROOT. "So can we just finish the dango, before Itachi eats it all, and talk about things that aren't sad and depressing, okay?"

"Whatever you want, Erena," Itachi said, smiling at me.

And just like that, it seemed like nothing had ever happened. Both seemed eager to ignore anything awkward, but did question me about my life. They seemed upset and angry at my situation, and Shisui tried to promise to intervene and get me out of Genin corps. I had to explain Shikaku was already looking into it, before he would calm down. They couldn't understand how such a clerical error could be made. I snorted internally. Yea, me neither...it was shit like that that made me wonder how Danzo got away with any type of subterfuge before I came along.

I could have stayed and talked with them for hours, but it was Itachi that reminded us that we shouldn't keep the Jounin Commander waiting for too long. It made me sad to cut things short, but they promised to see me again in a few days - they both had missions, so socialising would have to wait.

They left me with my uncle and disappeared. I think they found him a little intimidating. I never understood that, personally. He was just a lazy teddy bear. Maybe it was the scar? It must be the scar.

"I hope it was okay that I invited them? They had been looking for you long before me," he said.

"They explained," I said. During our chat, they explained how the only reason I knew I was alive was because of an Academy sensei's comment to Itachi, and then they started to investigate. They hadn't gotten anywhere by the time Shikaku overheard a conversation, and took over. From there, I'm guessing Shikaku made enough noise and ruffled enough feathers for Danzo to realise he had to react, and took the opportunity to plant me. Considering his other alternatives were likely going to be silencing Shikaku in some way, I was happy with how things had turned out. "I had a nice time, thank you."

"I'm glad," he smiled at me. "Now, I have a small proposal I want you to consider." He moved around the desk and picked up a contract, holding it out to my direction.

It was a contract of employment. For me. Rather than working for the Genin corps, I was to be reassigned to a clerical position within the Jounin Command Centre, under the direct supervision of Nara Shikaku. It detailed expected duties (namely as his secretary), pay and other such details...A part of my was suspicious. This had been anticipated, but not so fast after being reunited, and certainly not in such a close position to Shikaku. In terms of her 'mission', it was perfect. Too perfect.

"But I don't understand...I am with the Genin corps?" I whispered.

"Not anymore, if you accept this. You are still a Genin, but you will no longer be bound by their bureaucracy. I will be you superior, and as such, will have full say in your duties, and your progression. I am now fully responsible for you, and you only answer to me."

I flicked through the contracts fine print. Interesting. In Shinobi terms, he was basically adopting me. The contract was similar to an apprenticeship, but didn't put any responsibility on him to train me. It also meant that he would basically be in charge of my...everything. No one, except the Hokage, could reprimand me or give me orders without going through him first. Had I not been in ROOT, I would become nearly untouchable.

In some ways, civilians would have seen it like servitude, but shinobi would see it as an honour. To have such a distinguished figure take on a lowly genin for such a position? It was unheard of.

But more than that, it would give me security. Not from Danzo, sure, but it was always good to have a security blanket.

"I accept." He handed me a pen, and I signed in the necessary places.

He clapped. "Excellent. Now, first thing to remember: I'm not your boss. I'm simply a relative that can fire you. Literally."

I groaned.

After that, I had a new normal and acclimated to my role in Jounin Command easily. By the end of the second day, I had fixed the monstrosity that was the distribution and filing system...considering the place was meant to be run by geniuses, they had absolutely zero sense of organisation and common sense.

A lot of the desk clerks hated me, but I gave zero shits. Any comments or insults they made, I ignored...I wanted to bite back but held my tongue. Shikaku always watched me at the corner of his eyes, as though he was expecting something entertaining to happen, and always seemed disappointed when I walked away.

Another welcomed addition to my routine was Itachi and Shisui. It was only around them that I felt I could be my true self. We met up frequently - most the the time, they came together, but Shisui's duties took him out of the village a lot, so Itachi often came alone. He was as thoughtful as I remembered, but also seemed to have developed a hidden talent for cheek...I guess I had rubbed off on him? Unless it was to me and Shisui, he was incredibly subtle, and hid it in polite comments. People never picked up on it, but on more that one occasion he made me spit of out my drink.

"Thank you, that is high praise Watanabe-sama." He said, when an elderly gentleman approached him and congratulated him on the activation of his sharingan. "I'm impressed the news reached you so fast, you must have a good ear. Oh, I'm sorry - I think you have something on your nose? I apologise, I should not have said something. I should keep my business to myself."

He was a master politician in the making. Not only did he insult someone for being behind on the gossip (his sharingan awakened months ago), but reminded him about keeping out of peoples business. And all with smiles and politeness. I would have just told him to fuck off and keep to himself.

My duties in ROOT had not changed, sadly, and I was almost running out of steam. I had my cover during the day, then administration duties for ROOT at night...I could start to see why Danzo had delegated some duties to me. It was tedious. Kutsu and Yumi were a great help, and I found myself relying on them quite a lot. Kutsu was especially good at research, and would collate all necessary information for missions before I set the plans and distributed them to the agents.

They also kept me up to date on the latest ROOT news. They were terrible little gossips and I loved them for it. They informed me of an unexpected change in Danzo's affairs...he had taken a few of my infiltration corps members out of the field, and placed them in Konoha - they were poised as civilians, and had been given orders to destabilise and malign the Uchiha, by spreading rumours throughout the population...I didn't like the sound of that at all. This was a textbook method of creating dissent, and depending on how he proceeded...lesser nations have fallen due to this.

But, unbeknownst to him, Kutsu and Yumi were aware of everything, and I had a tight grip on my infiltration corps. They no longer had complete trust and loyalty towards Danzo - I had planted enough doubt in their minds to allow them to think for themselves, and they trusted my orders implicitly.

For now, I told them to continue but soften the blow... i couldn't get them to stop or it would arouse suspicion. I wanted he hear the effects of their mission, any rumours that took hold, and any changes. I would deal with this later, but I needed to know everything before I could reverse it...if things became heated, they were to inform me immediately.

But why was Danzo focusing on the Uchiha? He had never made any play for them before. I made it my mission to find out.

After a month, I was called into a briefing with him. His door was mostly closed, but opened an inch. He was alone, and seemed to be redressing his bandages. He was in process of wrapping his head, when I knocked the door. He started quickly and cast his eyes up. Both of his eyes up. And his right eye flashed with a sharingan...

The bastard was a bloodline thief.

"Hibari - you may enter," he invited me into the room, as he still replaced the rags. He seemed completely as ease with me walking in.

I did as commanded, and stood in the centre before bowing, awaiting further command. It was difficult to keep my face blank, when my insides were rolling around in disgust. As a ninja, you were expected to do many unsavoury things, there were very little rules...and if you asked the majority of ninja, most rules were made to be broken. But one of the only unwritten rules that no one broke, at least in Konoha, was to never interfere with bloodlines. They were sacred.

To do so was considered worse than treason.

I had heard about the drama that Kakashi had gone through when his teammate willingly surrendered his sharingan to him. Even when the decision was upheld by Uchiha Fugaku, he was still not trusted my many, especially those with a Dojutsu. I was more than willing to bet on Danzo sacking a corpse to steal that eye.

"Sit. We have much to discuss...I am pleased with your progress so far. You have infiltrated the Jounin Command Centre with ease. Even with your previous successes, I did not expect such quick results," he stated in praise. "I have brought you here to discuss another aspect of your mission, which I did not expect. Tell me...you have been spending time with Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui, have you not?"

I had not kept our time together out of the report, as it was easily checked, but I did not expand any details. He had known I knew them before, so this should not have been surprising to him.

"Correct, Danzo-sama. I would have described them as friends before, and they seem keen on reestablishing that relationship. Nara Shikaku instigated our reunion, so to decline may have put my mission at risk."

"Indeed. Tell me what you think of them?"

"Uchiha Shisui is an effective ANBU captain and Jounin, however is ruled my his emotions. He remains loyal to the village and had a jovial demeanour. While I have not seen Uchiha Itachi in the field, there are rumours of his talent. Itachi shows great emotional maturity for his age, however can be easily influenced."

Danzo hummed thoughtfully. "Explain."

"He is easily guided by Shisui. Despite being carefully controlled by his father, he looks up to Shisui as his moral compass, more than his superiors."

"Interesting...and what do you think would happen, should I try to recruit them to ROOT?"

My heart jumped. I'd fucking kill you, that's what.

"Based on my knowledge of the Uchiha clan, I believe your attempts would be unsuccessful."

I had to retreat into my headspace to stop myself from lashing out or show any emotions. I didn't know if he was testing me or was genuinely considering it. But either way, no one touches my boys.

"I believe your assessment to be correct. Disappointing, though it may be..." fucking disappointing? I'll show you fucking disappointing. "However, I have brought you here for another reason...it has come to my attention that there are seeds if an Uchiha rebellion, and that Uchiha Fugaku is considering a coup. With your friendship with two important Uchiha clan members, I want to you pay extra attention to anything they may say...or indeed may not say. You understand your role more than most, I trust you need no further instruction?"

"No, Danzo-sama. It shall be done."

My mind was reeling. This must be new information, as I had not been informed of it yet. The others reported unease with the Uchiha, and tempers rising, but nothing to this extent. Now I understood Danzo's play-he was attempting to increase tensions within the clan...but to what end? Did it have something to do with the stolen sharingan?

No more watching. This needed nipped in the bud.

"Excellent, now. Shall we play a game of Shogi? I believe it has been far too long?"

As ordered, I kept any eye out for any issues with the Uchiha, the boys and beyond...but that didn't mean I had to report it.

I noticed some very concerning things. Firstly, was the lack of respect from the civilians. The Police Force was not taken seriously at all. However, they didn't help themselves as rumours of grumpy attitudes and poor social skills turned out to be correct.

Secondly, and most concerning, were the rumours of their involvement in the Kyuubi attack...were people really that stupid? And gullible? That one was a plant of Danzo's, and perhaps the more damaging as it trickled into the shinobi forces. It may be difficult to quell that rumour without proof, but there were ways around it...distraction was a wonderful tool.

I had a plan, but to ensure success I needed to guarantee the cooperation of a very important key figure...and that was going to be difficult considering I hadn't met him since my return. I had to think of a way of getting his attention without rousing suspicion...I had an idea but it was dubious as best...and I didn't like to work on maybes. Just in case I had to resort to it, I instructed the Infiltration Corps plants not to report any of my interactions with any of the Uchiha.

It was lunchtime, and I was waiting on a park bench waiting for Itachi to join me. It was one of the few days we had lunch together. I sat reading minutes from a meeting, bored as he was running late.

"Nakahara?" a voice questioned. I stiffened. This was an unknown variable I did not need.

"Hatake-san? Good afternoon. I'm surprised you remember me! You haven't seen me since I was a child." I attempted a cordial greeting, really hoping he read between the lines. Fuck off, we don't know each other, this is not a safe place to talk.

"Indeed. You look different but much the same..." he gave me a suspicious look. "I presume you have been keeping well? Are your keeping busy?" Are you still in ROOT? Should I be concerned? Are you on a mission?

"I'm always busy, Hatake-san, no rest for the wicked! But I am okay, things could be worse, I appreciate your concern." I'm on a mission, still in ROOT, I'm coping and I got this.

"Mah, if you are sure. If you ever need anything, let me know," he said before moving on. Knowing that paranoid git, there was no way he was going to leave it but he could take a hint.

Moments later, Itachi arrive, out of breath.

"Sorry! My father kept me training! Was that Hatake Kakashi?"

"No idea. I thought he was some homeless bum trying to get change from me. Now let's go get food!"

The rest of the afternoon went quick enough. I was packing up, when an unexpected guest approached my desk. Looking up, I saw Hyuuga Hiashi, staring at me in confusion.

"Can I help you, Hyuuga-sama? If you are looking for Shikaku, I believe is free?" There was a standing instruction to accept all clan heads and elders, unless he was in a meeting.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, gruffly, but with a hint of surprise.

Rude, much?

"I'm sorry, I should introduce myself! I am Nakahara Erena, Shikaku's new secretary." I bowed. "Shall I take you through?"

He stared at me for a second longer. "Indeed."

Wow, who pissed in your cereal?

I opened the door, and gestured for Hiashi to enter, before following and closing the door behind.

"Oh, Hiashi! Is that the time? My thoughts got away from me. Let me set up the board." He moved to one of his cabinets and extracted an old, well used Shogi board. "Erena, would you mind getting us some tea? Me and Hiashi have our monthly game...you'd never think it, but he's got quite a mind on him." He laughed. "Anyone that can a political nightmare into a peace treaty with the Raikage is an interesting opponent, wouldn't you agree?"

I raised my eyebrow a fraction and regarded Hiashi. "Indeed. That is very impressive, Hiashi-sama. Please excuse me, I will be right back with your tea."

I left the room, to prepare the tea as directed...that was an interesting development...the Hyuuga were known to be isolationists. They didn't frequently partake in social activity outside of the clan, so this was a big change in the status quo. And a big step between clan relations. This was how alliances were made.

Like a lightbulb going off in my head, I suddenly knew what to do.

"Eureka," I whispered.

I brought the tray to them and poured their first cups. "Will that be all, Shikaku?"

He waved me away, eyes not leaving the board-they had already started. I flicked my eyes down- Hiashi had started on the offensive. How predictable..."Sure, Erena, you're free to go. See you tomorrow."

I bowed at them both. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Hyuuga-sama."

He nodded briefly in reply, narrowing his eyes at me, but didn't say anything.

I had to bite my tongue before insulting the mans manners. He was nicer then he had a katana in his hand.

But never mind that...thanks to him, I had a plan for the Uchiha...and I had things to do, people to see, and a shit ton of super glue to buy.

Interlude

Shikaku watched as Erena closed the door softly behind her.

Hiashi raised an eyebrow in his direction, and gave Shikaku a calculated look. "Interesting secretary you have there, Shikaku."

Shikaku raised an eyebrow back, "My niece...her mother was a cousin on my fathers side." He moved one of his Generals to a defence position, anticipating Hiashi's next move.

"A Nara? That explains a lot. She must get her talent from her mother's side."

"Talent? As a secretary?" Shikaku was slightly perplexed. As far as he knew, Hiashi had never encountered Yui, and you could hardly comment on someone's competency based on their ability to make tea.

Hiashi scoffed. "Why you keep your niece as a secretary is beyond me...surely her talents would be better used elsewhere? It seems such a waste of potential. Are assignments for Jounin so scarce you are putting them to clerical tasks now?"

"Hiashi...I think you are confused. Erena is a Genin." Shikaku shook his head in humour, but it was Hiashi's turn to look perplexed.

"Genin? She is no mere Genin, I assure you."

Shikaku regarded his friend and furrowed his brow, giving him a quizzical look. He knew that, but there was no way Hiashi should have known that. Hiashi seemed to understand that their was some definite communication problems between the two men, and speaking in mere conjecture wasn't going to cut it.

"Tell me, did you know that the Byukagan can see through the masks of ANBU?"

"No. I can't say I ever considered it. Why would you...hm." Shikaku's face hardened. 'Of course.'

Hiashi gestured his head towards the door. "As I said, interesting secretary you have there." And he played his next piece.

Following his conversation with Hiashi, Shikaku's mind was made up. Over the past few weeks he had pieced together enough information to paint a picture, but he there were still several details lacking.

He suspected she was tasked with spying on him, but to what effect he did not know. In response, he decided to utilise the old saying of 'keep your friends close, and your enemies closer'...it would be easier to monitor her, if she was always with him.

He had suspected Erena to be a double agent of some kind...initially he thought she was an enemy agent taking up her disguise...but her memories were too specific, and the Uchiha boys shared none of his suspicions. He had wide theories of kidnapping by another country and planted here...but for Hiashi to recognise her as a Konoha ANBU...

He requested a meeting with the ANBU General, under the premise of discussing highly sensitive information in person. It was not an unusual request, so no suspicions would be raised.

When questioned about the ANBU policy on the recruitment of genin, the man had practically laughed in his face (in reality, he snorted once, but that was as much of a chuckle as he would ever give). Shikaku had explained he had reasonable evidence of a genin entering ANBU, aged nine as a maximum, but likely had joined prior. The ANBU General had stiffened slightly, but not before walking to the door and whispering an order to one of his guards. Several minutes later, two ANBU entered, with masks signalling their identity as Dog and Cat. Humorous...

"This is where I leave, but I shall return in an hour. Shikaku, I believe these two will be of further use than I will. And I want to be able to claim at least some deniability."

The door closed behind him.

"Well, gentlemen, what can you tell me about children in ANBU? Considering the General is wiping his hands of it, I'm betting it's more than a little classified, hm?"

Notes:

Let the games begin!

Chapter 16: Shadows arc: part 9

Chapter Text

I was called into Shikaku's office earlier than normal. I always arrived before the morning missives, but you were lucky if he arrived before ten thirty...the joys of being your own boss. And if he was in before me, then I was likely to bet one of two things- Yoshino had kicked him out the house (likely), or something big was going down...I hoped it was the second one, but only because I was bored.

As much as I enjoyed the comforts of a normal life, being in ROOT had set unrealistic expectations in terms of mental stimulation. I had constantly been on mission, or planning, or learning...and now I was filing paperwork alphabetically. Even my previous deep cover missions were better than this - I had specific tasks and a full disguise to maintain at least. This was how I imagined mental torture to be...repetitive tasks that required no brain. Maybe T and I should look into that?

Even my evenings in ROOT were not enough to satiate the boredom of the day. I couldn't believe I looked forward to being in that dungeon, but anything was better than this. I could see why desk clerks were notoriously grumpy.

I entered the room, closed the door and sat down in front of Shikaku's desk awaiting instruction. He was mid paperwork, but stopped once he realised I was there. He looked stern...very much in leader mode. Oh dear, what had I done now?

"Erena, I asked you here as I have questions for you, and I need you to answer truthfully. Do you understand?"

"Sure, Shikaku. What's up?" I asked.

He let out a breath. "Where to begin..." he straightened his posture and looked me dead in the eye. "What exactly is Danzo hoping to accomplish here?"

I stilled, concentrating on keeping my heart rate stable. "I don't understand Shikaku...has Danzo done something? Have I missed the minutes?"

"He's done so much more than you know," he sighed. "I know you are a member of ROOT. Now, I am ordering you to tell me everything you know. Starting with your mission here." He looked angry. So angry...I knew this day would come, but I didn't expect him to find all of the pieces so quickly...it left me a little shocked. And the fact he even found out about ROOT, that was surprising. I was expecting him to think I was only black ops.

Before I could try and open my mouth, his office door opened abruptly, and a harassed looking Kakashi flew in. He ran over to me, and covered my mouth. He was so quick I couldn't even dream of evading him.

"Stop! Don't ask her any more. Tenzō just explained she's had a cursed seal placed on her...if she speaks about the organisation or Danzo, it will paralyse her or worse."

So that's who hold him. That little snitch!

Shikaku looked appalled, and looked towards me with concern. I attempted to move from Kakashi, but his grip on my mouth was firm. So I did the next best thing and licked him...he released me immediately.

"What the hell, Erena!" He exclaimed, wiping his hand on his trousers.

"You little rat! What exactly did you tell him? I told you everything was under control!"

"He already figured most of it out Erena. I just filled in the details."

"You did more than that, idiot! Do you know how dangerous this is?!"

"QUIET!" Shikaku shouted. "First of all, close the door Kakashi. This is not a public conversation...secondly, everyone sit down."

I sat back in my seat and and sighed. "I haven't even had a coffee yet..."

"Really, Erena, that's your main complaint?" Kakashi bewildered.

"No, you are my main complaint, but I can't fix that now, can I?" I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Erena, behave..." Shikaku sounded pained. "We have more pressing things to deal with than childish squabbles. Now, what is this about a cursed seal, Kakashi?"

I crossed my arms in tantrum. Hello, sitting right here?

"Danzo places a cursed seal on all active ROOT agents. It is situated on the tongue, and is linked to a key tenketsu point. If activated, it will paralyse and inflict pain on the agent. But if remains activated, will result in a slow and painful death. They can be triggered remotely, by Danzo himself, or if they break the commands placed within the seal...namely disclosing any information about Danzo or ROOT to outside sources."

Shikaku looked pale, realising the implications. Had he continued to question Erena, and she tried to answer any of his questions...bye bye Erena...

"Open your mouth, Erena." He whispered.

"Really? Fine...look!" I opened my mouth and extended my tongue, showing the seals remains. Once I was happy Shikaku saw the evidence (he sat back and looked like he wanted to be sick), I snapped it shut again. "And calm down, both of you. As per usual, Kakashi thinks he knows more than he actually does," I glared at him, before looking at Shikaku. "Danzo's seal didn't even last an hour before I literally burned the fucker off."

"What? That's not possible!" Kakashi seemed butthurt.

"Pfft...of course it isn't. Get with the program, evidence right here, yah? Look: Danzo, ROOT, cult, brainwashing, traitorous bastard. Ta dah! "

"But it should have kill you if you tried saying anything!"

"Holy shit, am I a ghost?" I jumped up and turned around, looking at myself in shock. "Can you see me? Am I invisible? Can you see me right now?" I made a rude gesture with my hands in his direction.

I expected a reprimand from Shikaku, but all I got was a chuckle. "You know, if you acted like this when we first met, I probably wouldn't have figured anything out. This is the Erena I remembered...the troublesome little pain in the ass."

I smiled and shrugged. "For the record, I had nothing to do with my cover story. It was so amateur I felt dirty playing it. For all his evil deeds and political games, Danzo is beyond pathetic in terms of imagination and actually understanding people."

"Just to confirm - cursed seal is really not a problem? You are able to talk freely without repercussion?"

"I was introduced to seals when I was three years old, and could call myself an expert at six. A thirteen level branching cursed seal with only a single tenketsu link is literally child's play."

Both men went quiet. Kakashi was the first to speak. "Are you telling us you were a Fuuinjutsu master at six years old?"

"Well, I wouldn't say master..."

Shikaku shook his head. "This explains so much...no wonder so much of the forest was destroyed..." Ah, practice sessions with my parents in the Nara forest, I almost forgot about that..."No, we need to get back to the topic at hand. We need to be careful, the last thing I want to do is arouse suspicion and for more of Danzo's ROOT to attempt to listen in."

I scoffed, "I wouldn't worry about that. There's no one else around."

"Erena, we can't be too careful. Even you can't know where Danzo places his spies. He has already shown how untrustworthy he could be."

"Even I can't know? I know plenty, thank you."

"Mah, Erena. This isn't a game. Danzo's network is vast and, from what I know, his intelligence operation is superior to even ANBU."

"Aw, thanks Kakashi...I think that's the first you've ever complimented me!" I beamed. He blinked. "Who do you think set up that network, mmm?"

"You? But you are only one of his undercover agents?"

I sent them both a shit eating grin. "I thought you learned before- I'm not what I seem? Actually, you'll find I'm in charge of all espionage assignments and information assimilation. Say hello to the head of the ROOT Infiltration Corps, and Danzo's second in command."

Both men went silent. Whatever they had been expecting, it wasn't that.

"Erena..."Shikaku started. "I don't need to rescue you from Danzo, do I?"

"No, but someone may need to rescue Danzo from me."

After I was 'outed', I felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulder I didn't even know was there. We didn't go into too much detail the first session, but I made them aware my overall aim to bring down Danzo. Shikaku, being overprotective, asked me to reconsider - he offered me a way to leave ROOT, saying he would petition the Hokage to remove me, much in the way of Kakashi and Tenzo, but I refused.

It wasn't only revenge now, it was a matter of principle. I had loyal people in ROOT, some of which I would consider friends, and I wasn't going to abandon them. Shikaku was still concerned, but Kakashi respected that...he said he still felt guilty about leaving me behind before, so he would support me any way he could.

And even if we ignored my personal feelings, the security of Konoha was at risk. Danzo had removed his focus from external threats (which is what he was supposed to be doing) and instead had become the internal threat himself. I didn't tell them the specifics (Danzo's new focus on the Uchiha, his stolen Sharingan and the potential Uchiha coup), but I told them something big was happening, and it couldn't be ignored. They asked for more information, of course, but I refused...it was safer for them both not to know right now. Eventually, they accepted, but gave me an open invitation to include them whenever I saw fit.

When Kakashi was no longer there, Shikaku asked me to describe my time in ROOT...from the beginning. But I couldn't. I wasn't ready, and it wouldn't have done him any good. I knew he felt guilty for everything I had been through, and it wouldn't help either of us. I gave him some short stories, without too much detail, and promised him I'd tell him more when I was ready...What information I did tell him, he took badly. The next morning I found him passed out on his desk with more than one empty sake bottle, and files about missing children lying haphazardly around...if he wasn't careful, he was going to get himself killed.

But thankfully, he was a Nara. And now a very motivated Nara.

After this, our relationship improved dramatically. For one, I let myself go. No more of the quiet little mouse. Erena got her groove back! I was careful outside of the office, but I didn't let people get away with badmouthing me anymore. And Shikaku found every second hilarious ("Erena, please, never go into politics properly...I'm not sure I could handle it.")

Also, we now had frequent Shogi matches. They were nothing like my rigid sessions with Danzo...Shikaku was a strategist through and through. When he found out about my exploits in Kumo and beyond, he had to see my skills for himself. I had never been more mentally challenged in my life. Not to toot my own horn, but I was exceptional - but Shikaku wasn't bad himself. Even after the first few moves of the first game, I was impressed by his reaction and foresight...so I lost the first few on purpose. After that, I continually won four games out of five. Shikaku was frustrated and impressed.

"Once you're out of ROOT, you are joining the Intelligence division," he stated mid game one day (I was going to win in five moves).

"Uncle Shikaku, once I'm out of ROOT, I'm going for the longest nap you've ever seen."

"You forget I'm a Nara. We invented naps."

"Theeeeee longest nap you've ever seen, Uncle Shikaku. Ever. Like a hibernation, but even longer."

Things with Itachi and Shisui were also great. They couldn't seem to get enough, and it seemed like they were trying to make up for lost time. Itachi was the most adorable thing since kittens were invented (and I use this analogy as kittens also have claws), and Shisui was an everlasting pain in the ass.

"You know, Erena...if you really wanted them, you should have held onto them better. What's that saying again...finders keepers?"

"You didn't find anything, you little shit. You shunshined over here and stole them."

"Yea, well, we are ninja?" He shrugged and ate one of my mochi.

"I swear, Shisui. I am going to end you...how the hell did you ever make Jounin? You are about as mentally capable as a baboon."

"I'm a clever baboon, what can I say?"

"Not clever enough not to throw your own shit around."

"And what is that supposed to mean-OI, what the HELL was that?"

I had thrown mud at his face, and it landed right on target. "Where's your shunshin now, huh?"

I knew that gleam in his eyes, and I squeaked and ran behind Itachi for protection.

"You know, Erena...I have been wondering...why are you still a Genin? Why don't you ask Shikaku-sama to nominate you for the Chuunin exams?" Itachi was taking part in the next set of exams, less than a month away. He was performing solo-much to the dismay of his old sensei, but his father had pushed for it...I had no doubts he would be promoted, but I did worry for the guy.

I shrugged in reply. "I guess I just don't care anymore? I'm kind of settled with how things are, you know?"

"Settled? When have you ever been settled, Erena? You were frigging creating seals before you could walk," Shisui volunteered, still wiping the mud from his face. At least I missed his hair?

"Seals? Oh. I forgot about those. They were fun."

The boys shared a look, but Itachi spoke. "What do mean? Do you not practice sealing anymore?"

"There wasn't really any point in the Genin Corps...there wasn't really much point in anything in the Genin Corps, to be honest."

They looked lost. "Nope. I think you broke my brain...training grounds, now," Shisui said, before grabbing me and shunshinning us to an Uchiha training ground. Now, I like a shunshin as much as the next girl, but being carried on a shunshin? A whole heap of nope.

Once he let me go, I detached myself, fell to the ground and started dry heaving. "Why...did...you...that?"

"I guess baboons move too fast for you to keep up with?" he snickered.

"I hate you," I said, trying to find my balance and stand back up. Itachi arrived just as I found my feet.

"A little warning next time, Shisui, please?" Itachi gave his cousin a dry look. "I checked three other grounds before this one, and saw...things I shouldn't have."

"Oh?" Shisui asked, eyebrow raised and a maniacal grin on his face.

"Lets just say training grounds aren't only used for training grounds."

Shisui cackled. "Western training ground, huh?" He wiggled his eyebrows

"You're a pervert!" I cried, going to smack him on the head.

"Nah. They are just like clockwork. Pretty much everyone knows...considering shinobi are meant to be trained in evasion, both missed those lessons at the Academy. Now - back to the subject at hand!" He clapped his hands dramatically. "Welcome to the Super Special Nakahara Erena Training Show - hosted by yours truly!"

"No." I said, deadpan. Lying about my skills was fine, but I had avoided training with them on purpose. I could downplay to some extent, but the risk of slipping up during a physical session was much higher.

"Yes! Now come on...between the two of us, we'll whip you into shape in to time!"

"I do think Shisui's idea does have some merit, Erena." Itachi agreed. "Especially now you are working with your uncle, you should not sit idle."

Great, they thought I was lazy. Technically I was working two jobs, but still managed training sessions at the ROOT base twice a week...and they weren't exactly relaxing. I was only managing about four hours of sleep a night (on a good day), so I was physically exhausted most of the time. I didn't need to add the Uchiha special brand of torture into the mix.

Sadly, if they both agreed on something, I knew I had no chance.

"Fine. But you're explaining any injuries to Shikaku if they interfere with work. And for the record, I think this is a bad idea."

"That's the spirit!" Shisui seemed thrilled. It made me nervous. "Now first, we have to see what level you are at. How about a little spar?"

"Shisui, you are a Jounin. I don't have a deathwish."

"That never used to stop you." He said. "And besides - I mean you and Itachi. I'm going to watch and evaluate. Taijutsu only, no weapons."

Honestly, from how I understood things, Itachi wasn't any better a choice, Genin or not. While I knew I was at Jounin level, I couldn't give them anything that may elude them to my skills. From living in the Genin Corps, I had seen examples of the others skills, and they were pitiful...if I had to dumb down to that level, I was going to get hurt.

First, Itachi began quite carefully, and seemed happy for me to set the pace. But after a while, he noticed I wasn't going to volunteer anything further, so amped it up a notch. His movements were fluid and precise -Genin my ass. He should have been promoted ages ago. Saying that, I was better. I could have overpowered him easily but I had an act to maintain. I let every other hit through, and gave an over exaggerated fall when he kicked the small of my back.

Finally, Shisui called it to a close. "Now, let's add in some kunai!"

I didn't have any on me (I rarely carried weapons these days), so Shisui gave me his pouch.

Fighting hand to hand with kunai was fine, but I was used to the tanto. It meant a lot of my muscle memory wasn't suited to such a close range, but it wasn't difficult to adapt - it was basically taijutsu but with pointy hands. It was also quite easy to get carried away. It was actually really quite fun-as I relaxed most around the boys, I forgot to lower my skills during the match. At one point I had him help against the tree, kunai to him throat. He grinned at me, "you're really quite good at this!"

My eyes widened in realisation that I had dropped my guard. It was a stupid mistake, and I did not make them. My grip on my kunai loosened slightly, and the tension in my body relaxed. Itachi, seeing this as an opening, ducked under my blade to spin and kick my legs out from under me.

Any self respecting shinobi should have easily corrected to flip up, but I fell hard on my back. Itachi clearly had not been anticipating this, as he was still mid spin, and the angle of his kunai caused him to slice across my chest...had it been even an inch higher, he would have hit my neck.

"Erena!" I heard Shisui shout, and he was at my side a moment later and applying pressure to the injury. Unfortunately, it was long and slightly deep, and so was bleeding fairly heavily. From experience, I knew no major vessels were knicked, so I didn't worry too much. All bleeding stops eventually (even if you're dead).

I stayed lying on my back, and started hyperventilating-giving the appearance of panic. I heard Itachi drop his kunai on the ground and a sharp gasp.

"Erena...I'm sorry...I didn't..." I heard Itachi flounder, even though I couldn't see him.

"Itachi, calm yourself," Shisui took charge. "I'll keep pressure, but you need to find someone-ideally with medical ninjutsu knowledge. Go!" I heard a shuffling and then Itachi's presence was no longer there.

"Erena, I need you to concentrate on me, can you do that?" Shisui said, firmly but softly. "I need you to slow your breathing. If you continue to hyperventilate you are going to pass out. You are going to be fine, it'll all be fixed in no time. You got it?" He was looking straight at me, and didn't have a lick of concern on his face. For all of his clown-like antics, he was pretty good at this.

I did as he commanded (it wasn't like it was hard), and a few seconds later three figures appeared. I knew one was Itachi, but I didn't recognise the chakra signatures of the other two. Not a few moments passed, and Itachi's mother's face came into my view- I had not seen her since my return, but she was just as pretty as I remembered. She gave me a comforting smile, before a green glow appeared on her hand, and she started healing my wound. I suspected her knowledge was of field medic capability, and largely out of practice...while she healed my wound, it took her around ten times the amount of time it would take any trained ROOT agent...and at least half of our forces were trained in basic Mystic Palm technique- as our training is so brutal, a widespread general medical knowledge was required even for day-to-day.

When she was finished, Shisui helped me sit up. I looked around at my audience and gave everyone a sheepish smile. Shisui looked mildly concerned, while Itachi looked distraught and on the verge of tears. Mikoto regarded me thoughtfully and with care...a typical mother's look. The final presence, was Uchiha Fugaku. Well, this was beginning to get embarrassing.

His resting bitch face was on in full force, and he looked angry...at me and the others. "Now that the injury is dealt with, I expect a full explanation," he said, sternly.

"My apologise, Otou-san. It was my fault! We were training and I lost control of the situation!" Itachi blabbed...I didn't even know he was capable of blabbing. His current composure was very different to what I was used to...guess I wasn't the only person playing two acts.

"Training or not, this type of injury should not have occurred in a simple spar."

"Fugaku-sama." Shisui bowed. "It was my idea. We were evaluating Erena's skills. I was proctoring and I should have paid more attention."

Fugaku's eyes narrowed. "Evaluating her skills?"

"Yes, sir. We have not trained with Erena, and wished to see how her capabilities have grown within the Genin Corps."

"Genin corps? Itachi was sparring with a member of the Genin Corps? How could you have been so foolish!" He was angry but didn't raise his voice a decibel. It was a talent he had there. "For a spar with such a clear mismatch of skills, there is no wonder something like this happened." Both Itachi and Shisui looked out out. "For now, you will take her home. I will deal with you two later." He turned around and disappeared.

"Hi Fugaku, nice to see you again!" I shouted after him cheerfully, even though he had already gone. Mikoto chuckled softly to my side...I almost forgot she was there.

"Hello Erena-chan! It's good to see you too. Such a pity of the circumstance." She smiled at me with a hint of mirth in her eye. "Let's get you changed first...we can't have you walking through the village like that. Follow me, you two." She signalled to the boys. I looked down...my clothes were more than a little ruined.

We walked back to clan heads house...my first thoughts were 'well, this is pretty drab.' It might be a little unfair, but their old home (before changing district) was beautiful in every way. You could tell they had made the best of a bad situation, but I had only been to their old home once, and even I missed it. We stepped inside for a moment while we took our outdoor shoes off, and a blue blur came barrelling up to Itachi.

"Nii-san!" Of course. I forgot about Sasuke...I remembered this tiny baby Itachi had fawned over, but now he must have been about four? Five? I was terrible at children's ages...they were either two or ten, there was no in between.

Itachi did not mention Sasuke when we hung out, which surprised me looking back. Had this been on purpose? As I watched him pick Sasuke up and doted on him, it was clear his brother was a main focal point in his life. Didn't he want us to meet? I felt slightly hurt.

"Come on, Erena. Let's get you cleaned up. You can have one of Itachi's plain shirts." She took me upstairs and showed me the bathroom. I was given a wash cloth and a towel to clean the blood. Even though Itachi was slightly smaller than me, the shirt fit well as he preferred a loose fit.

Once I was downstairs, I made my thanks to Mikoto for the healing and care, before I was quickly shepherded out of the house, and escorted back to the Genin Corps barracks. Despite my employment with Shikaku, I did not have enough funds to rent my own place, and I refused any charity from him. I could have saved myself the torture of pre-teen girls and stayed at ROOT, but that would arouse suspicion - as far as Danzo would have been concerned, anyway.

On the walk home, I heard Shisui clear his throat. "Listen, Erena. That shouldn't have happened. It got a little out of hand."

"I'm so sorry Erena!" Itachi squeaked. I felt bad - I had made a misstep on purpose, and now Itachi was drowning in guilt.

"It's okay, training accidents happen! We're ninja, no hard feelings!" I said cheerfully.

"Training accidents like that shouldn't happen, Erena." Pfft, shows what you know. Fancy a field trip to ROOT? "That's why Fugaku was so angry. We made a mistake, and it won't happen again." Itachi nodded in agreement.

"It's fine, really! I had fun!"

"Training is not a game, Erena!" Shisui snapped. "It's dangerous. Our lives are dangerous. I should have had more sense...you've been in Genin Corps for too long. It was stupid of me to think that you were on par with Itachi. A Genin desk ninja and a shinobi on jounin-route are not the same. You're just not on the same league as us anymore."

Ouch.

Everyone went silent, and even Itachi looked stunned as Shisui's outburst. My heart dropped. I guess after this, my friends opinion had changed, and his opinion of me had dropped considerably. I had not lied to them about my 'abilities' before, but for them to see me get hurt so easily must have made them realise the 'truth'.

We reached the gates of the barracks soon enough. I shuffled awkwardly, and attempted to smile at them before making my way inside. Itachi grabbed my arm and brought me into a firm hug. "I'm so sorry, Erena. I really am."

I squeezed him back and whispered, "I know, and don't worry-really. I guess I'll see you next week?" They both had missions and training, so we had already arranged our next meet up in advance.

"Of course!" He said. I cast my eyes to Shisui, but he was looking at the ground. His face was so emotionless, he could have fit into ROOT easily right then.

"See you later, Shisui?" I tried. He looked up, surprised and gave me a short nod. I smiled at him briefly, squeezed Itachi's hand before finally heading inside.

When I finally managed to sleep several hours later (post-ROOT activities), I felt hollow.

I didn't have much time to mope over the incident with the Uchiha, as I has a job to do. As much as a shit show yesterday had been, it did open up one slightly difficult door - getting reacquainted with Uchiha Fugaku. Before, I had been planning on using Itachi to reintroduce us, and even though yesterday didn't leave the greatest of impressions, I could still work with it.

First, though - damage limitation. I informed all ROOT Infiltration Corps to speak nothing of the next week to Danzo. I even used my scary voice to show how serious I was.

Secondly- I apologised to Shikaku in advance. I informed him of my plans for the week, and that he may receive complaints. I offered shadow clones to ensure my work was still completed, when I couldn't be present (as I did when I left the Genin a corps barracks at night). When he asked for more details, he simply laughed...I think he thought I was just going on a childish streak, but it was very very important.

And thus began the Great Uchiha Prank War.

With both Itachi and Shisui away, there would be no outside intervention, so the timing couldn't have been better.

On day one, I started with tripping Police Force members up. I also placed "Homing tags" on them, and various water, paint and glitter filled balloons around the village...effectively, when they passed within range of the ammunition, the balloons would be immediately attracted to them, and hit them perfectly (I developed these when I was six, following kunai lessons with Shisui). I also made sure they knew who was responsible, by showing pitiful little attempts at evasion.

It only took until midday of day two for them to have enough and come after me. Unfortunately for them, I had already set a trap. And, as planned, Fugaku stepped in to pick up the pieces.

"And why did you place adhesive all over the ground?"

"To stop the police from chasing after me."

"And why are the police chasing after you?"

"Because I'm running from them."

"And why are you running from the police?"

"Seemed fun."

Exasperation, thy name is Fugaku.

He looked like he was in utter disbelief of my very existence, but also wanted to throttle me. I was amazed there wasn't a lick of anger, but I was very endearing when I wanted to be. Plus I made sure there was no lasting damage. I wasn't creating any enemies over something this silly. No, this was was a way of getting his attention.

Fugaku sighed. "Why do I get the feeling that this won't be the last time I'll be seeing you?"

"Because you are a very smart man," I beamed.

Over the next few days, I pranked the police station at least once daily. I kept it fairly simple - I wanted attention, not a police record. And I enjoyed every moment - paper being stuck on every surface, to the furniture being placed on the ceiling (in perfect mirrored positioning), to replacing the water coolers with sake (unprofessional but with excellent results for everyone) and dying all uniforms pink (I created a seal to change the pigments in the cloth, the process was less fun than the others but Uchiha really didn't suit pink,so it was worth it).

"For an acquaintance of my sons, I expected far better than this childish behaviour. I thought you understood my thoughts on immature decisions during your training mishap?"

"No harm no foul! And I like to keep people on their toes, can't have you getting complacent!"

"We are in a hidden village, complacency is not a risk. Shinobi are always on their guard. You should be careful that these pranks do not end up targeting the wrong individual."

I smiled stiffly. "That is true, even battles can come from within. You never know who to trust these days. People could end up hurting friends, if not careful."

"Indeed."

"But people end up doing crazy things when they are bored or lose focus. Who knows, maybe the Nara will get tired of cloud watching and start a coup...wouldn't that be something?" I tilted my head in a thoughtful expression, but kept direct eye contact, not blinking once. I read somewhere it was a show of dominance, but it just made my eyes water. Even if only for the briefest of moments, I saw his whole body tense. His face did not betray anything, but it didn't need to. I knew I had struck a cord.

"BUT!" I fake cheered, startling him. "You're right. I should try and tone it down. Your police force are far too busy to be running around after little ol' me...or well, not running after little ol' me ha! Did they get the glue off their shoes okay?" I impressed myself far too much sometimes. "I should do something to keep me busy...say? Do you play Shogi? I like Shogi! We should play. I bet you'd be good."

This was a very dangerous game I was playing. Fugaku was a dangerous man, and I was very much aware of how much I had just antagonised him. For all intents and purpose, I had exposed my suspicion of an Uchiha coup to the man likely in charge of said coup...he could kill me for less. But, there were many things he didn't know. Who else knew? Why ANBU weren't arresting him as we spoke? How did I know? Did I actually know what I know, or am I just a brat? I had just invited him to a private conversation to discuss matters, but made no demands...the next step was very much up to him. I hoped he was as cautious as I hoped he'd be.

"Hmmm. Tomorrow you shall join me. Find me at the station once your duty with Shikaku is over. I trust you will remain out of trouble until then?" He asked, one eyebrow raised.

"I'll try!"

Itachi and Shisui were finally back, and I met them in the evening. I had decided just to try and ignore the events of last week, and hoped they would so the same. No body liked awkward conversations...

I was riding on a high since arranging the meeting with Fugaku, and I was practically bouncing as I walked. Finally, something was starting to come together! We were wandering around aimlessly, but I expected one of them to come up with some kind of idea. For some reason, both of them seemed tense and out of sorts...did they have a bad week or were they still thinking about our training session? Itachi was talking easily enough, although Shisui had clammed right up, hardly speaking more than a few words to me. Was this Uchiha related, or just stupid emotionally constipated boys related? Who knew.

"Erena? Erena!" At the end of the street was an energetic youth, shouting my name. At first I didn't recognise him-he was dressed in a standard chuunin uniform, styled hair and a friendly expression on his face. He was slightly older than Shisui and I, but not my much...I had to squint my eyes to get a better look. It was Yumi. In public. Calling my name. What the fuck?

I still saw Yumi fairly regularly when I went to the base, but I had never seen...this. He had clearly been working on his cover, and it was a good look on him. He looked younger than normal. Free.

"Erena-kun! I've been looking for you ev-er-y-where!" He elongated nearly every syllable. "Have you been avoiding me? Listen, never mind, I've been sent to get you! There's some problem with your old paperwork and they need you at the genin base sometime today. I was going in to visit Karin, and I overheard the desk ninja talking and I offered to come and get you, I hope that's okay! Oh, hi, I'm Yoshi, nice to meet you!" I felt dizzy listening to him speak. He was going a mile a minute...but anyway. I got the message. ROOT base, today, as soon as you can without blowing cover. He overheard about something big going down, and I'm going to be needed to clean up. Gotcha.

Itachi looked startled by onslaught, but Shisui looked suspicious. "Do I know you?" he asked, eyes narrowed...I forgot how observant Shisui could be. Yumi was on the Wind Country mission with us, so I was concerned something had set off his paranoia. I didn't know if it was his voice or chakra signature, but either way I didn't like the implications. Abort. ABORT.

"Thanks for the message Yoshi, I'll come by later. Say hi to Karin for me, bye!" I dragged Itachi and Shisui away quickly, grabbing their arms. I turned around to glare at Yumi. He simply shrugged at me before executing a Shunshin and flickering off. Idiot.

"Who was that?" Shisui snapped. Considering he had hardly said anything to me the last hour, I found this a bit uncalled for.

"What? Yoshi? He's a friend from Genin corps...He got promoted a few months ago but still hangs around. He's a bit over the top, but harmless," I replied.

"There's something a bit...fishy about him." Dead fish. Oh fuck.

"Don't be silly, he's just a bit annoying. And anyway, what's gotten you all worked up today anyway? You're acting like I stole your teddy bear." Deflection, oh please deflection, please work, my old friend.

"Nothing, I have no idea what you're talking about," he snapped.

"Rightttttttt..."I really wanted to pursue it further, but couldn't risk Yumi being brought up again. "So where are we going then? The suspense is killing me." They shared a tired look.

"Let's go to the park," Itachi said. I was getting a little worried. They were both acting too out of character for me to be okay with this. Except the training incident, there was nothing suspicious (unless you included Yumi), and they seemed pleased with the progress in re-establishing our friendship. Sure, they had seemed a little put out by my 'skills', but what would they expect from years with no apparent training? I expected them to give up on me on a professional level, but that was by-the-by.

We found a nice spot near the Naka river and sat down. Itachi magicked a box of sweets, seemingly from thin air and offered them to me...if this wasn't the first sign of the apocalypse, I didn't know what was.

I declined, fearing for my life. "No, it's okay Itachi! Thank you, though." I tried to push the box right back to him, but he kept in in place.

"I insist Erena, I brought them for you."

And that was the second sign of the apocalypse. Itachi didn't bring sweets for anyone. Unless he had a personality transplant, you couldn't trust them unless they were half eaten and he offered a half hearted shrug in apology.

I accepted the box but didn't open it.

"Listen, Erena, we've been talking and...look...we're sorry." Shisui looked upset.

And that was the third sign of the apocalypse. Shisui apologising?

I gritted my teeth together. "Sorry for what? I don't understand?"

Itachi gave Shisui a dry look before looking at me. He also seemed torn.

"A lot has happened in the last few years. A lot has changed. We've changed. Our goals and duties have changed. We need to prioritise the village and the clan. We are so glad you are back in our lives, but we need to concentrate on our careers and bringing the village together... we aren't going to have a lot of time on our hands, and don't want to disappoint you with unrealistic expectations of friendship."

I stopped breathing for a second, and looked at them. They looked guilty, but I didn't care.

"Let me get this right. You guys are breaking up with me?" Okay, so maybe that was the wrong choice of words, but same difference. After years of looking forward to resuming their friendship, they were dropping me like a hot coal. And giving me the lamest excuses in the book. This was basically the Uchiha Itachi version of 'it's not you, it's me.' I wasn't falling for any of it.

"You know what, fuck this. You are so full of shit you would block the fucking toilet. Duty? Career? You forget I know you. You two haven't changed at all since you were children. You never will. So what, I don't kick your asses in spars anymore. There is more to being a shinobi than brute force, and you used to know that. Yes, I'm a genin, but I don't give a shit. Fuck you and your elitist bullshit. I don't care if it's a special flavour of Uchiha elitism, or if this is just two silly boys who can't open their eyes." I was seething. "Fuck you," I pointed to Itachi, "and fuck you!" I pointed to Shisui. "And fuck this stupid box of sweets that you thought would be a consolation prize. You are both fucking idiots."

I grabbed the box of of sweets, and threw it at them. What they didn't realise was I had placed a tiny exploding tag on it as I picked it up. As Itachi caught it, it exploded in their faces.

I shot them one final glare before stomping off.

"What was that?" I heard Shisui whisper.

"I think we just made a mistake," Itachi replied, sounding resigned.

Once I entered the ROOT base, I changed into my uniform and put my mask on. I didn't commonly wear it there, but I needed the extra protection to hide my emotions. I was still seething. It hurt less when I thought they just didn't care after I was placed in the orphanage. But this was a conscious decision, they had both discussed it, and came to the conclusion I was not good enough to be their friend anymore.

Fuck that. I had a job to do, and I wasn't letting two prepubescent boys distract me.

I went to the large meeting room that my Infiltration corps had taken unofficial ownership of. I needed to find Yumi for more information of what kind of shit storm was going down. For him to approach me in public meant something life altering. They were not known for being dramatic. Unless this was a new character flaw they have developed? Who knew what happened in the ROOT emotional evolution.

Yumi, Kutsu and Kama, a female Corps member, were waiting for me, standing to attention at my entrance. I gestured for them to sit back down.

"Report." I was probably being a little short, but I was not feeling particularly chatty at the moment. They all glanced at each other, as though they were afraid to speak. "Come on, no time like the present. Chop chop."

"Danzo-sama has found out a few agents have not been as...harsh in their directions towards the Uchiha as he ordered." Kutsu said. "Kama was one of them," he gestured to her. She looked guilty. "He activated the cursed seal, and she informed him of your orders, while under duress. He has sent a couple of his loyal agents to retrieve you for questioning."

"I am so sorry Hibari-sama. I could not help it!" Kama cried. The sheer emotion she exhibited made me feel guilt for breaking their training. "I tried so hard!"

"Shhh, it's okay Kama, I understand," I said, genuinely. "It was bound to happen. I'm just sorry that you were caught in the crossfire."

This was bad, very bad. With the timing, it was beyond damage control. I knew Danzo's reactions by this point, and they were not in my favour. And it was not my style to create a scapegoat...no one else was going to be blamed for my actions. I needed to sort this out myself. Unfortunately, I knew presicely how it was going to end.

"Kama...I need you to tell me...how angry was he? Spitting angry or silent angry?"

She looked confused but spoke up. "I...silent angry?"

Fuck.

"I need one of you to bring me a mirror, immediately."

As expected, I was soon tracked down and escorted to Danzo's office by his personal guard. They did not follow me into the room, however, but flagged the door. Upon entering, I found him sitting at his desk with a pensive expression.

"Hibari, do you know why you were called here?"

"Danzo-sama, I must admit I do not."

He stood up and walked around to face me. "Over the last year, I have sent members out with direct instruction. Recently, I found out these instructions were not fulfilled to the best of their abilities...my orders were intercepted and altered by you. Tell me, what authority do you believe you have to undermine a direct order by me?"

"Sir, I do not understand. Any decision I have ever made has been for the betterment of ROOT. Any changes I may suggest would be to reduce any risk of compromise toward the organisation. If I have overstepped my boundaries, I apologise, that was not my intention."

I was laying it on thick, but I had nothing to lose. Either way, I was screwed, but damage limitation was the best I could hope for.

"You must know, you have proven yourself indispensable. With your advancements, you have opened up new ways of infiltration and sabotage. Any timeline I have had has been accelerated. You have never disappointed me...but now? Victory was almost in my hands, and it not for you, I may have had it by now. In what world do you know better than I?

"Trusted General or not, I cannot allow such blatant acts of disrespect...kneel, Hibari."

I did as commanded. I was the perfect soldier, and I could not be seen as anything other than that.

"Know that this pains me, too. Never overstep again or the consequences will far greater."

He activated my curse seal.

I screamed.

Chapter 17: Shadows arc: Part 10

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

For a moment, I regretted every decision I ever made.

The pain was white and burning, spreading from the inside out. It was short circuiting my body and my mind, and it was blinding.

Danzo had deactivated the seal a long ago, but I still lay on the ground twitching involuntarily and unable to move. I didn't know how long I was there for, but I felt like an age. I'm pretty sure I bit my tongue or had a nose bled at some point during the torture, as I could vaguely make out the taste of blood.

I had seen the seal activated on others before, but other than the ones he murdered, I had never seen anyone seizing for so long after before. I guess he wasn't just angry, but really really angry. Or I reconnected the seal wrong? But I doubted that.

When I knew he was going to question me, there were no doubts that he was going to exert full dominance over me. Had I left my seal dormant, I would have been caught out- no matter how good an actor you are, there are some things you just can't fake. Reconnecting the bridges had taken only seconds...I was going to have more trouble disrupting it again, but certain things are a necessity.

Eventually, I gained enough control to slide my limbs under me and push myself up. My limbs felt like jelly, like I had run a marathon with ankle weights and resistance bands. I was going to be feeling this for days, urgh.

Once I was kneeling, arms slipped under my armpits and pulled me upright..It was Yumi. Thankfully he didn't let go, or I would have toppled over. Slowly, he helped me down the corridor and to my room, where he lowered me to the bed.

"That was a stupid thing to do, Hibari," he said.

"Quiet you," I whispered, not able to manage more than this. "Stupid is as stupid does. It was necessary."

"You are lucky he stopped when he did. You ran the risk of permanent brain damage."

"Some people would argue that would be an improvement," I joked. Even now, my limbs kept twitching, even if very mild.

"Don't insult yourself, I won't allow it." He left no room for arguement. "Now, rest. When you are well, Kutsu or I will escort you to the barracks tomorrow. We have already filed records declaring a sudden bout of food poisoning and admission to the hospital, so your absence in the barracks tonight can be traced. Nara Shikaku will be informed of your 'ailment' when he arrives to in the morning, so your presence will be explained."

"Yea, no, that'll just cause more problems. I will be going in as planned."

He frowned. "That would not be advisable, the after effects will likely still be present."

"Don't care," I mumbled. I was starting to feel tired. "Now let me sleep, but send someone to wake me at dawn. I'll be fine."

"As you command," he said, rose from the foot of the bed and left the room. I was asleep before he even closed the door.

Okay, maybe Yumi was right...work was a bad idea. My limbs were like lead, and I had a headache to end all headaches. My brain was beyond sluggish. Even with the monotony of office work I knew I would struggle, but if I was suddenly absent, Shikaku would panic like a little mother hen. (It would be cute if it wasn't so annoying)

As promised, Yumi woke me up and provided me with clean clothes for the day, before escorting me to the Jounin Command Centre. It was slow going, but it was fine. Yumi only left me when I was inside the door.

I was there before Shikaku, and set about making coffee, organising letters in order of importance and checking his diary for the day...nothing crazy was scheduled, so I hoped for a lazy day.

He arrived before ten, looking surly and grumpy (his default setting in the morning), but paused when he saw me. Before I knew it, I was dragged into his office.

"What happened to you? You look like death warmed up!"

I went to explain, but didn't even manage a word before I started choking. Crap, I forgot about the seal...Shikaku flustered and stated calling my name while I tried to wave him off. "Mirror." I managed to croak, trying to concentrate on staying upright.

He grabbed one from some hidden cupboard, and balanced it on his desk while I sat down in front of it. I opened my mouth, and infused chakra into the curse seal to expand the mechanism, before disengaging a core part of the circuit. It wasn't as fine a job as I'd normally do, and ended up burning more of my tongue than I would like, but it was as best as I could manage with my current fine motor skills.

After I finished, I looked at my reflection properly...death warmed up, indeed. Except during Hell Week and my stints of sleep deprivation, I don't think I have ever looked like this. My eyes were blood shot, there were massive bags under my eyes, and I looked as white as a ghost.

"Whoa, I look like crap," I said, speech sounding a little off...my tongue was a little swollen after meddling with the seal.

Shikaku glared at me, folding his arms. "Explain what all of that was about."

"Oh, just a little torture. It's fine, I'm already over it," I slumped into the chair. I was exhausted, physically and mentally. I was very much not over it, but I was also trying not to be dramatic. Shit happens, you know?

"Erena, you know I'm not buying that. Now, first...I'm guessing that was your cursed seal almost activating. I thought it was dismantled?"

"Oh, it was. But Danzo wanted to zap me with it because I've been a naughty girl...I had to reconnect it or the jig would be up. Don't worry, it's fixed now...it's all good."

"No. It's not all good! You need to be more careful, this is why I want you out of ROOT! You are not disposable, and you are certainly not invincible."

I sighed. "I know, but I just can't...what I'm doing is too important to quit now."

"Nothing is more important than your life. You should let the adults handle it."

"If I let you handle it, it'll all be swept under the carpet!" I snapped. "The Hokage knows of his child recruits...or should I say kidnapping victims? And even when an attempt on his life was made, the Hokage let him away with it! I need to make sure it stops, and I won't leave anything to chance!"

"Then let us help you!"

"I can't!" I was almost screaming, I was too exhausted to hold myself back. "There's only one way to do this...If I tell you what I know, you'll act rashly. Everything needs to be precisely timed. I need to stop the dominoes before they all fall. Danzo is end game, but the village comes first."

"And what if Danzo comes after you again?"

"He won't. I let my guard down. I thought subtlety was the way, and I got complacent." I did. I made a mistake - I basically let Danzo find out about the change of orders. I didn't try and hide it well enough. Now, though, I was going to use all tools at my disposal. The Uchiha rumours were going to stop now. I was going to feed him false information. I was going to have him and his personal guards tailed and intercepted, should they actually enter the village...I was going to have the rest of the Elders covered too, with the same information. He rarely conversed with anyone else, so it should cover all bases. And if I missed anything, I'd find out and fix it.

Shikaku didn't believe me, but let the issue go. He was going to be unbearable after this, I knew it. Even the rest of the day, he let me camp out on one of the more comfortable chairs, and brought me tea. He even went out at lunch and got me my favourite yakitori. By the end of my shift, I felt almost human...I still looked like shit, but there was a vast improvement.

I was about to start heading to the Genin Barracks (because fuck going to ROOT tonight...Kutsu would probably have my paperwork covered, anyway), but almost completely forgot about my meeting with Fukagu. And I still looked like crap. So much for making a good impression...It would be unprofessional to cancel it, so I had to make the best of a bad situation.

Before I left, I took Shikaku's foldable Shogi board. I didn't know where Fugaku would want to go, so figured it would be safer to bring my own. While the suggestion of Shogi was more of an excuse, I really did want to play. I probably wouldn't win in my current mindset, but I could still interpret a lot about his patterns.

When I made it to the police station, I was taken to his office. Now this place knew organisation! Everything had a place, things were clearly labelled and everything was neat. Seriously, Uchiha were little bureaucratic demons. The rest of the shinobi departments could learn a thing or two. The efficiency was just so satisfying.

The main room was an open office with many desks, and Fugaku's office at the back. His door was kept open, and considering the rabble and chatting, no one seemed concerned. An open door policy seemed to be the norm, and it told me a lot about his character already - he trusted his subordinates to do their work, and they trusted him in return. I had only really seen the strict clan patriarch, but the respect from the rest of the clan was clear. For all his gruff attitude, he must have been a caring and likeable leader...I knew I had made the right decision.

"Fugaku-sama!" The officer who escorted my up announced as we approached the door, bowing. "Your guest has arrived!"

"Show her in," I heard muffled between the walls. The officer gestured towards the door way and entered the room.

"Oh hey, Fukagu, what's up?" I grinned. He seemed a little put off by my lack of official title and overly familiar address, but that was his problem, not mine.

"Erena." He nodded in greeting. "And I see you have brought your Shogi board?"

"Well, that was the whole point, right?"

"Indeed," he said, eyebrow raised. I took the board and started to set it up on his desk without asking. He wouldn't have had anything confidential around knows I was coming, anyway. "And you wish to play here? I thought you may want a more ...private venue?"

Ah, he was surprised I'd willingly hang around with a bunch of Uchiha while we talk about things the Uchiha don't want outsiders to talk about..."nah, here's good!" I confirmed cheerfully. First step in risky information exchange and treaties...let the other party feel like they control the floor. The more secure they feel, the more they open up.

"I see, and would you prefer a bit more privacy?" He gestured to the door, which was still open.

"Don't worry, I have that covered already," I removed a rolled up scroll, the size of my finger, from my pocket and held it over to him. He opened it up and looked at it, eyes bulging.

"What is this?" He asked, in clear fascination.

"A portable privacy seal. I activated it as I entered the room," it only required a small pulse of my chakra, so a gesture as small as fussing around with a pocket was enough to manage without detection. "It has a range of two metres, so no one outside of the room will overhear."

"This is exceptional work...where did you get it?"

"Well, the papers from Uncle Shikaku's office? And I have my pen in my pocket."

"You did this?" He flashed his eyes up for a second, looking at me in a new light.

"Privacy seals are easy peasy. No sweat!"

He narrowed his eyes at me. "I thought you were a genin?"

"I am. Officially."

"And unofficially?"

I wagged my eyebrows at him. "No spoilers...now, Shogi? I'll make the first move."

We played a couple of moves between us before he finally spoke. "You are remarkably well informed." No question, just a statement. Open to interpretation. Cautious...good.

"Hmmm...I am. I am well informed on many things. Do you mean about something specific?" I gave him a curious expression, as though I were genuinely confused.

"Don't play games."

"But we already are!" I gestured to the board. "Oh, I know what you mean!" I smiled and tapped my chin thoughtfully. "You mean the Uchiha Coup? You should have said!"

"What do you know? And how do you know? I could kill you now..even in the middle of this police station, no one would ever find out. I do not suffer threats towards my kin."

"Oh, no need to be so dramatic." I waved him hand at him. This seemed to annoy him, and I felt a little of his Killing Intent slip out. "And put your Killing Intent away, you could take someone's eye out with that thing!"

I could tell I was testing his patience.

Here's goes nothing.

"Immediately after graduation I was removed from society and placed into a shadow organisation run by Shimura Danzo. I will not describe my experience, but let's just say the phrase 'Hell on Earth' doesn't even come close. Officially, we are a division of ANBU black ops, undertaking missions even core ANBU cannot condone, for the betterment of the village. In reality, it is a group of brainwashed little kids acting as Danzo's private army, in his scrabble for power. I have resisted his efforts, and now secretly act to bring him down. I am a key member of his infiltration and espionage team, and have recently discovered his plan to cause unrest within the Uchiha, inspiring your coup. To what end, I do not know, but for the good of the village it cannot go ahead. I am here to find a peaceful resolution, and stop civil war...any questions, or do you need a moment?"

He needed a moment. Or two.

"You are a child, and why should I trust you? You know not even have the skill to fight my genin son."

"Oh, please," I scoffed. "That fall was a set up. I told you, I am an expert in infiltration. Danzo had me resume my life in order to spy on Uncle Shikaku, under the stupid excuse of being a member of the Genin Corps, and I had a part to play. I am no more a Genin than you are."

"You are on a mission to spy on your uncle? And you expect me to trust you?

"Oh he knows, he's cool with it. He's also on Team Let's Kick Danzo In The Balls...I was hoping we'd pick up a new member?"

"There is no proof to what you say. From my perspective, our troubles are caused by more that one person. It stems for decades of hate and distrust."

"The Uchiha may have a past, but do does everyone. No one in the Shinobi world can claim innocence...we should not let the past define us. Right now, it is this mindset that allows Danzo to succeed. For years, he has been fuelling rumours and generating a feeling of unease towards the Uchiha. From these seeds, roots grow and burrow deep within the foundations, causing the ground to weaken and crumble. Until yesterday, it was an ongoing mission within ROOT. I am putting a stop to it today. And today, we repair that which is broken."

"You're words mean nothing." He spat. I narrowed my eyes.

"Words mean everything. They can be more powerful than you imagine...they say the pen is mightier than the sword...it is not battle that creates alliances, it is intentions and words. Give me a chance and I will prove it."

"And what could you hope to achieve?"

I smiled. "It is easy to train how to destroy a nation, but more difficult to train how to build one. While I don't need to build a nation, I need to unite one...or at least a village. Give me time, and I will resolve what issues you have that has resulted in your need to form a coup."

He scoffed. "And you think you can control the minds of the masses? To return the Uchiha power and respect?"

"Oh, absolutely," I fully grinned this time.

He watched me in thought. Eyes narrowed. "It is more than just me you have to convince, the people of my clan are uneasy. They will not be swayed by fancy speeches."

"I am no politician. I don't breathe hot air or have underhanded dealings. Actions speak louder than words...all I need from you is an open mind and a little time."

"And why shouldn't I just kill you now?" His face was stern but his eyes sparkled. It didn't matter what he was threatening me with now, I had him.

"Because you are curious. Because you don't want war. Yes, you love your clan, but you also love the village. I am giving you another way. You would be a fool not to consider. And no one would ever mistake you for a fool."

"...Explain your plan?"

Check mate.

The next few months were busy. As promised, I didn't expect anything from Fugaku. He just needed to wait and watch. My agents set out and practiced their craft.

As I explained to Fugaku, the goal was to change the villages mindset towards the Uchiha, and increase the contentment of the Uchiha themselves. The problem with the clan is that they cared too much...about everything. The loved deeply, but they also hurt deeply. And they were hurt by the village they loved...I could fix that.

My only problem was the timeframe. I had months, a year at most. Considering the resentment was generational, as Fugaku mentioned, it would not be an easy task. I needed to start small.

So, step one: repair the reputation of the Konoha police force.

This was relatively easy. Rumours of heroics were spread throughout the civilian population, and I even set up some incidents, where my ROOT agents needing 'saving'...whether it form robbery or assault. Civilian plants started giving gifts or chatting with the Uchiha Police Force members, creating a rapport. The officers responded to this well, and their overall attitude improved greatly. The real civilians caught on, and soon it became widespread. I orchestrated a large celebration in the garment district, and ensured the officers were invited-not only to patrol, but to join in. It was a rousing success. People came to rely on and respect their work.

Step two: Make the Uchiha seem soft and cuddly.

Once the police reputation was resolved, the Uchiha clan needed a revamp. This was more difficult...namely due to their overall stuffy natures, and a lovely rumour regarding the Kyuubi. While I couldn't completely squash this, I had a plan to at least loosen its hold. I required a favour from a good friend, politics dependant, but it had a good chance of success.

In the mean time, though, I needed the Uchiha to calm down. I couldn't change their personalities, but I could try and change how people perceived them. Again, spreading information around was at the forefront. To my surprise, no rumours needed to be made up for this, but for people to start circulating true facts.

Unrealised by many, the Uchiha were incredibly charitable - and not just the clan itself, but the individual members. They regularly donated time, skills and money where needed - and no one ever gave them credit for it. Until now. Soon, people came to see the strict clan with superiority complexes as kind philanthropists you could rely on (and no one was stupid enough to take advantage). They were greeted with welcoming smiles and praise.

Step three: Get Fugaku's stick out of his ass.

This was hard. Over the months, I spent a lot of time with Fugaku. We made our games a regular occurrence, and I started to appreciate his wit and dedication. He was a thoughtful opponent, and a gracious loser. He seemed determined to beat me, which is why I think he kept the games up (plus that and 'keep your friends close and your enemies closer').

And one thing I realised was he had no sense of humour...or at least none I could play on.

(And despite my time with the clan leader, I never saw my boys even once. I found out through him Itachi had been promoted...I wanted to tell him to pass on my congratulations but I found I could not utter the words.)

This step also coincided with my whole 'Kyuubi attack' resolution...it was risky and could potentially cause an international incident, but it was more than worth it if it worked.

For many months, Shikaku and I had been organising a visit from a Kumo delegation. It was kept under wraps, until the final planning stages. By some miracle, the previous peace treaty had been going very well, and a more official alliance was on the cards. There had been missives sent back and forth for months, and it was agreed a group of high ranking officials would visit...with a promise of no repeat from the previous time.

Now, through my previous visits to Kumo, and time spent with A, I had actually developed a few close friendships. Of course, everyone thought I was just a Shogi prodigy from Frost...I was inconsequential enough for them not to worry about politics, and allow bonds to form. I was just a sassy cute little girl...who's skill in strategy could surpass a Kage. It was a running joke.

And when I found out the Kumo delegation included Killer B? I was delighted.

It was surprising for them to send their main jinchuuriki, but it showed an incredible level of trust. They tried to take the Byukagan, so they were effectively sending their most powerful tool to us on a platter. And they wouldn't dare use him to destroy a village - the consequences would be too great and A wasn't a total idiot.

And the thing about Killer B? He is FUN. He was ridiculous and hilarious and I loved him for it. I went out of my way to find him every time I was in Kumo, and we had a strange 'big brother, annoying sister' thing going on. I tried to rap, but I was terrible and he mocked me horribly. But I gave it back as good as I got, and he respected me for it.

And when his little friend asked for a tiny little favour (the message sent via ROOT express)? "No problem sweetpea, that ain't no problem for a Killer B!"

Now, while I asked him for a favour, I didn't specify when to do it...which was probably a mistake on my part. So when the delegation were greeted in public by the Hokage and the whole council, and Killer B zero'd in on Fugaku in front of everyone, I felt my heart drop to my stomach.

"Hey man, I know you! You're the main man Fugaku!"

I could practically feel the glare from where I was in the crown. "You are correct. It is an honour to have such an esteemed guest to our village," he bowed.

"This letters from someone I know as a little sis. She said she hopes you won't give her games a miss!"

I could see Fugaku's eyebrows rise up in surprise and realisation. Yea, he knew this was me (and I didn't miss Shikaku give me the driest look in the world).

Killer B handed Fugaku a neatly wrapped scroll, tied with a pink ribbon. He thanked Killer B, and made an attempt to pocket it.

"No man, don't hide it! I've been waiting to see what's inside it!"

Fugaku sighed and opened the ribbon. It would have been a nightmare to deny the Kumo ambassadors request so publicly. As soon as the scroll was unraveled, the storage seal on it activated, and puffed a cloud of pink powder over him...covering him in baby pink head to toe.

The whole crowd went silent, and you could feel the tension in the air. Even Killer B looked concerned for a second. Until there was a faint giggle from the crowd...and it surprised everyone to find out it was Mikoto. So much for the famous Uchiha composure.

"Well played...although I must protest, pink really is not my colour," Fugaku deadpanned. Suddenly it was like an eruption, and scores of nervous laughter rang out, with Killer B and the Hokage full on chortling. Danzo looked furious!

"You know, Fugaku, I have to disagree. It takes a real man to pull of pink that well," Shikaku commented, and it set Killer B off again.

"If I'd known you Konoha bitches were such good fun, this treaty would have been more than long done! Let's get inside to put pen to paper, me and Fugaku are going for drinks later! Yo!"

Fugaku looked like he wanted to die. I was living for it.

And that's how Fugaku gave the illusion of a sense of humour (I was convinced he was faking it), secured an alliance with Kumo, had a night out with Killer B, and cast a little bit of doubt in people's minds about an involvement in the Kyuubi disaster...because if he had the power to control the bijuu, why didn't he do it on a Jinchūriki who almost publicly humiliated him?

(Of course that specific train on thought was started by yours truly.)

Now my three step plan was successful, I had to give Fugaku physical proof of the changes. Behind his back, I submitted a petition for an appeal to relocate the Uchiha back to their previous grounds. He was furious when I told him, as he did not want to be rejected publicly...

"The petition has been granted. The council will convene next week and put the proposal to a vote." Fugaku said gruffly, during one of our Shogi meetings.

"Excellent! That's great news!" I cheered, reaching over to pour him tea.

"I am not expecting it to be successful. There are too many variables that will not go in our favour."

Variables? I can work with variables. "Do tell?"

He huffed. "The likelihood of enough votes is unlikely. If it was not too late I would withdraw the petition...if this fails, the clan will be incensed."

"Good thing they don't know about it then, huh?" I was glad I advised him to keep quiet, and squashed any rumours of the meeting leaving the Hokage tower. "And I wouldn't worry about the votes, you've got it in the bag." I gave him a thumbs up.

"Even you cannot guarantee that, you do not hold sway over the clan heads. Even your Uncle may not side with Uchiha."

"Care to make a wager?"

He regarded me carefully. "I am not a betting man."

I always knew Fugaku was a smart man. "Listen, with the exception of the Kurama, I can all but promise you the clan vote. Even if the elders vote against, you'll still win with a landslide. Easy peasy. You might as well celebrate now."

"All of them? How?"

"Oh Fugaku, I can't give away all my secrets!" I grinned. "But listen...don't worry about the Nara-that I can guarantee. Uncle Shikaku is a smart and fair man. The Yamanaka and Akimichi will also have no objections...and if my Uncle if firmly in agreement, they will follow his lead. The Inuzuka are renowned for being territorial...so they will understand the want to get your home returned. The Aburame, while a wildcard, are one of the founding clans of Konoha and so I believe they will support you, especially since your request will have little bearing on them. They are logical and will see the benefit to village security in having the police force central again."

"And the Hyuuga? Hiashi opposes me out of principle."

I grinned. "Oh him...easy. But I only will need you to do one thing. And it needs to be exact."

"I will not take any part in blackmail."

I laughed. "As if I would be so predictable! No, all I need is for you to say a specific phrase during the meeting, exactly, and make sure you acknowledge Hiashi as you do. If he does not follow, he is not the man of honour I thought he was."

His brow furrowed and seemed confused for a second, like he was considering it. Please...like he wouldn't.

"And what is this 'phrase'?"

" 'Can you look at me and truly tell me that these actions are not to the benefit of Konoha?' And then maybe add in 'it will only be your own hatred and prejudice that will be satisfied if you decline'...I think that ought to do it."

"I do not see the importance."

"You don't need to, but he will."

"Even with your promises, I doubt the Uchiha and Hyuuga will ever see eye to eye. Whatever information you have on him, he will not aid us no matter what silly codes you have me say."

I got angry. "Fugaku...Do you really think I am doing this for the good of my health? This is not a game to me. I have put in too much effort for you to have doubts now. Even without your support, I have shown you what difference I can make - with only the smallest of actions. Imagine how big an impact on the Uchiha a decision like this would make?

"I do not work on 'ifs and maybes'. If I say something will work, it will. I am sick and tired of people underestimating me. I could destroy a country with a single rumour, if I wanted! But destroying is easier than building and repairing- and I have never taken the easy road.

"I'll tell you what...if this doesn't work, and your godforsaken 'coup' can't be stopped, then I'll help you. I can guarantee brute force won't work alone, but with me as your strategist, you will be Hokage in no time. Do we have an agreement?"

He stared at me for a long time. One thing I will give Fugaku - his resting bitch face was on point. I would ask him for lessons, but I didn't want to get premature wrinkles.

"Agreed," he said. Finally.

"Excellent. Now, let's finish the tea. It's getting cold." He went 'hn' in agreement.

"Oh, and one final thing, Fugaku..." he raised an eyebrow at me. "After you get the Uchiha land back, if Hiashi invites you to a game of Shogi, I expect a box of mochi...the good kind you can only get in the Uchiha distract." I took a sip of my tea and smiled into the cup.

Fugaku snorted. "Be quiet. Now you are being silly."

Interlude

Fugaku left the meeting, receiving many congratulations on his victory.

To his surprise, Hiashi approached him.

"I wish to convey my compliments to an outstanding proposal. Although, I had no idea you were acquainted with Shikaku's secretary," he stated, face blank.

Fugaku stiffened. "Thank you. Yes, Nakahara is an old friend of my son."

Hiashi tilted his head. "And have you played Shogi with her, too?"

What on Earth had this girl been up to? "On occasion. She is a very astute player."

"Yes, I would agree," Hiashi paused. "Over the past few years I have developed an appreciation for the game myself. Would you care for a game sometime next week?"

Fugaku was not a man easily shocked, but this was unexpected. How had Erena even know to predict that? It was suspicious, but he would be a fool to miss such an opportunity. "Yes, I believe that could be arranged."

"Excellent. I will send someone with note of my availability for you to look at. Farewell and congratulations on the return of your compound." Hiashi gave a small bow before making to leave.

"Hiashi, may I ask a final question?" Fugaku suddenly asked.

The man turned to regard Fugaku. "Of course?"

"Why did you vote with me? The Hyuuga had nothing to gain."

Hiashi showed the ghost of a smile. "Were you told the significance of the words you said?"

"No, I was not informed."

Hiashi seemed pleased. "The last time someone said those to me, it stopped me from making the biggest mistake of my life. The effects are still seen to this day."

"What effects?"

"Peace, Fugaku. Peace."

The next day Erena was delivered the biggest box of Mochi she had ever seen in her life. She practically squealed.

Notes:

A slightly more serious chapter, but an important one in terms of plot.
I've been planning to add Killer B for a while...he's the main reason for the Kumo treaty. We'll be seeing him a little bit more in future, but damn is he hard to write!

Stay tuned for more action, more sass and a smidgeon of revenge...

Chapter 18: Shadows arc: part 11

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

I was letting Danzo think he was winning the game.

I was called in for a debrief (and a game of Shogi) sometime after the Uchiha Compound was returned, with him asking for my progress with Shikaku. He also wanted to know if there were potential clan alliances afoot...he could not understand how such a vote was possible, considering the Uchiha's 'poor standing' in the village.

I supposed this was partly my fault. Information being fed back to Danzo was that the Uchiha were still distrusted, but now ridiculed. As far as he knew, the civilians and most shinobi saw Fugaku as a weak fool with his lack of response with Killer B, and were not swayed by his antics.

It's easy telling people what they want to hear.

I reported a lack of progress with Shikaku, stating I was concerned that he was suspicious of me. In truth, I needed him to remove me from my position with Shikaku, and he would only do this if my cover was at risk. I didn't want to leave - but I had accomplished as much as I could in the public eye, and needed to concentrate on bringing down Danzo within ROOT. I had delegated a lot to Kutsu and Yumi, but I needed to take the reins back. I needed to be in full control, and soon.

Danzo moved another piece on the Shogi board...he really did not pay attention. I was three moves from winning at every point. But I was going to watch him run around the board aimlessly. It was fun knowing you had the upper hand.

"Hibari, I wish for you to end your association with Nara. If what you say is correct, I will not waste your skills, and will not run the risk of your capture. We shall arrange for a transfer to the Iwa border for Nakahara Erena, and then you shall return to my service. Understood?"

"Yes, Danzo-sama." Hook, line and sinker.

To say Shikaku was angry was an understatement. I did not tell him my removal was actually my idea and he tried to intercept my 'transfer', using the contract of employment I had signed...but as expected, the request was denied...Danzo had somehow managed to get the Hokages signature on the order, so it was practically iron clad.

Two days later, I said my 'goodbyes', which also included a visit to Fugaku. I brought the Shogi board with me. As I approached the station desk, I was gestured to enter by the friendly clerk...they didn't even ask why I was there anymore. Everyone nodded to me in greeting, knowing me as a familiar presence.

Fugaku's office was empty, but his secretary told me I was more than welcome to wait inside...and she hinted for me to check his right desk drawer as he had something for me, giving me a little wink. I grinned and ran in. Sure enough, there was a little box of sweets for me...Fugaku didn't do unnecessary gifts...what had I done now?

I set up the board, then lounged in the chair, leaning back with feet on the table. I was nearly falling asleep when Fugaku entered, and he shoved my feet to the floor.

"Must you continue to try me?"

"Meh, you know you love it!" I grinned and put my feet back up. He didn't even bother to scold me this time. "Where have you been? I would have won this match by default!"

"You do not need me to forfeit to win. If people were to know of my humiliating defeats by a thirteen year old, I would never hear the end of it."

"And yet you keep coming back for more. Isn't that slightly masochistic?"

"Its called business."

"Ouch." I grasped my hand over my heart dramatically. "That hurts."

"It's only a small wound, you will survive."

I did enjoy our banter. He would claim he did not like me, I would protest and put up a fight. Occasionally I saw little whispers of smile cross his face, so I knew he was only joking.

"Soooo..." I said, plopping a sweet in my mouth, and gesturing to the box. "What's all this about anyway? Not that I don't enjoy them, but this is very out of character."

"Ah." He stilled...something made him uncomfortable. "I required to talk to you about what may be a sensitive subject. It is my way of bribery."

"Using corruption tactics for a chat? Interesting. Do go on."

"I have been aware that you have not spent time with my son for quite some time." Now it was my turn to stiffen. "I knew if I questioned you, your answers would lead me in circles." Correct, it was a favourite game of mine. "And so I questioned Itachi last night...it seems I owe you an apology."

I sighed. "Please do not apologise for Itachi. He's smart enough to make his own decisions. Besides, it's fine. I don't hold any ill feelings towards him, so you don't have to worry." I suspected this was a damage control session, so that I didn't attempt to pay back the boys in some horrible way. Please, I wasn't that petty. (Okay, I was, but never to them)

"But I am partially to blame for him ending your contact." Say what, now? "After the incident on the training field, I lectured him on the importance of appropriate friends...I was concerned an unskilled Genin would told him back. More-so, any non-Uchiha friendships were generally frowned upon...He informed me he ended the friendship partly due to our discussion, to keep you at a distance, and partly because he had already hurt you once and may do so again...I did not expect him to take my advice to literally. Therefore I must apologise."

"So you are telling me this because you've realised I am not just some unskilled genin? Or that the Uchiha Coup is on pause for the time being?" The majority of the Uchiha were content for the moment, so no further plans were being developed while they waited to see the longevity of the situation.

"I am telling you this because I believe you should know. In hopes that the knowledge may diffuse some resentment towards my son, and that you may consider a possible future where you may become friends again."

"As if I wouldn't have forgiven the idiots if they only spoke to me."

"Well, now is your chance."

What?

"Otou-san, you asked to see me?" I heard Itachi's voice at the door. I gave Fugaku a look of irritation, before turning my neck to regard him. He had certainly grown - he was clearly now the same height as me. I could see that I was going to be ridiculed for my height for the rest of my days...

"Yo." I managed, with a half hearted wave. I refused to move from my relaxed position. I could see that cogs turning in Itachi's head, trying to figure out why I was in his fathers office, relaxed and at ease...not getting scolded for having my feet up on the desk (I saw his eyes flicker towards them).

"Thank you, son. Your timing is impeccable. I believe you two should go? You have much to talk about."

I had fallen for a set up! I was both annoyed and impressed. There's a first time for everything.

"But Fugaku, we haven't finished our game!" I whined.

"Erena." He glared at me.

"Fine," I huffed, and moved a piece. "Check-mate."

He sighed. "And how long have you been waiting to do that?"

"Like, four moves ago."

"Get out of my office."

I smirked and packed up my board.

"Oh, and I came to let you know - I won't be able to come by for a while. I've been given orders for a long term mission."

He stiffened and looked at me carefully. "Shikaku or Genin Corps?"

"Genin Corps." ROOT, although that was implied. I shrugged. "But if you need me, just send word to Uncle Shikaku." I had informed him of the positions of several key players of my team within Konoha, so he would be able to send word to me fairly quickly.

"Understood, I will miss our games."

"I know!"

"...Now, get out." Wow, buzzkill.

I waved to him before walking to the door. Itachi was watching the exchange with confusion and fascination. I think we broke him.

"Come on, before your father calls on Hiro to carry me out. He's done it before." There was once I was being particularly petulant, and was refusing to leave the office. He was refusing to give me information on a specific officer that had a particularly bad reputation- I needed to gather if it was accurate or out of control rumours before attempting to repair it. If it had been true, I would have demanded his removal as an officer. He refused to discuss the matter with me, so I tried to do a 'sit in' protest, and so he had one of his detectives, Hiro, carry and throw me out. It was very undignified (and I broke in and stole the file anyway).

He was silent as we exited the station, but seemed confused with the friendly greetings I was getting. When people were acknowledging him, he seemed taken aback when they would also greet me, or send me a friendly nod. I had a good reputation with them - even if just because I was their captains acquaintance.

"Cafe?" I asked. He wasn't going to make the first move. He nodded.

He entered a cafe near the station - frequently used by the police, but often had little trade at this time of day. We took a table and ordered. We continued to sit in silence for a while, before I couldn't take it any more.

"So...you just going to sit there brooding? I've never seen you look more like your father. It's not a good look - you'll get his wrinkles before you're fifteen."

He scowled. "Erena...I...what was that back there? Since when were you on such familiar terms with my father?"

"Really? That's what you choose? Okay, I'll bite." I huffed, annoyed. "We meet for fairly frequent Shogi matches."

"But why?"

"It's fun annoying him."

He looked confused. "But how did such a thing get started? My father is not a sociable person."

"Honestly? I took a leaf out of your book." He looked even more confused. "I annoyed him until I got his attention, and then didn't give him a choice." I was thinking back to when he first approached me in the library.

"But it still doesn't make any sense..."

"The world doesn't make sense sometimes...look, if you are going to be a broken record, then I'm gonna have to go. I have a lot to do. It was nice seeing you." I made to get up from the seat.

"No! I'm sorry, I'll drop it. Just sit?" He looked pleading. Dammit, I never could resist those puppy eyes. I sat back down and blinked at him. He seemed happier. "So, how have you been?"

Urgh. Things have never been this awkward between us before. Our friendship dynamic was based on the fact we could read each other well, and didn't get too entangled in silly things like talking about pleasantries and feelings. If someone seemed upset, you fixed it. And if you couldn't fix it, you annoyed them enough until they forgot about their problems.

"Oh fine. As fine as you can be while plotting to take down major political figures, but it's all in a days work," I replied sarcastically.

He looked at me funny. What?

"Erena, you don't know how to be serious even for a minute, do you?"

"Oh, I can be plenty serious. It's just really boring."

He sighed, "My father spoke to me last night...there was a small communications issue between us, and he clarified a few things. After I hurt you, I was confused. I thought that being friends with Shisui and I was too dangerous for you. That we would hurt you again...or put you at risk of being hurt by others. But we've missed you, and we feel terrible for how we have treated you. Even if my father hadn't arranged this, we would have come to you."

"I see..." I really did.

"So please, if you could...would you meet with us again? We'd like to set things right. I understand if you need to think about it."

I scoffed. "Boys really are pathetic when it comes to understanding girls, aren't they?" He looked put off. "Of course I would. Don't you know how bored I've been? Everyone else is just so dull!" I smiled at him, his eyes lightened. "Only slight problem is that I'm being dispatched tomorrow, long term mission acting as a pencil pusher in some stupid Iwa outpost. Rain check for when I'm back?"

"You're leaving tonight? And why Iwa? Isn't that too dangerous?" I knew he meant 'too dangerous for a genin'...he seemed to realise his blunder and looked sheepish.

"It's fine, it's not like they are planning to use me on patrol. I'm still going to be a glorified secretary - apparently the senior commander there can't organise for shit, so they are drafting me from Uncle Shikaku to keep him under control. I guess they thought if I could do it for Uncle Shikaku, I could do it for anyone." I shrugged...I had decided to embellish on Danzos cover a little, he really wasn't great at these things.

"I...only if your sure. But as soon as your back, we're going to take you out and make up for lost time. You name it, and it's yours!"

I laughed. "That's a dangerous promise to make!" Oh, the possibilities...

He gave me a lopsided smile in return. "It's only the start."

"You got a deal!" I held out my hand in offer, beaming. He took it and we shook hands, in promise of things to come.

Soon after I left on my mission, Danzo gave me my new orders. I was to continue to organise missions and resume training of new recruits to Infiltration - this was actually a fairly full time role but he decided to add on a little extra.

Apparently, there had been problems with information gathering towards a long term human trafficking ring. ANBU had managed to track down the leader to a close friend of the Fire Daimyo, however there they had hit a dead end. They could not infiltrate his home, and if they were found out, it was a potential political disaster for the Hokage. They could not trust the skills of the general forces. It wasn't something Danzo usually took interest in, but he offered my services to the mission.

"I do not understand, Danzo-sama. What do you and Konoha hope to gain by using me for such a mission?" I asked.

"The Hokage was seeking a solution, so I am using the opportunity to show him the potential and power of ROOT. If successful, you may be asked to join further opportunities, and allow me to keep an eye on key figures that concern our organisation."

"Who are the targets?"

"Hatake Kakashi, and ANBU operative Cat. Formally known as Kinoe."

Ah, spying on your traitors. Gotcha.

"But, sir. They will know my identity. Full cover cannot be maintained."

"That is no matter. I do not require trust, simply monitor their movements. Even should they become suspicious, I presume this will not pose any problems? After your unsuccessful mission with Nara Shikaku, it would not do to develop a reputation for failure." He raised his eyebrow. It was a subtle gesture, but I understood the threat behind it.

"Of course not, Danzo-sama!"

I bowed and left.

That evening, I entered the ANBU base and followed instructions to the debrief room. I knocked on the door, signalling my arrival.

The door, slid open. Showing an ANBU in a canine mask and fluffy silver hair. Once Kakashi saw me he snorted. "They sent you? God help us."

"Nice to see you, too," I deadpanned.

He opened the door further, gesturing me to enter.

"And here is our final member for the mission. She is on special dispensation from black ops, so play nice. I can't promise the same from her, though."

I entered the room, and regarded the other members. There were three other people present - with masks declaring a cat, a bear and a weasel.

A Weasel whose chakra signature matched Uchiha Itachi.

Those little fuckers. What the fuck were they thinking?

I grit my teeth. This had just become more complicated. While I was joining the ANBU team as Hibari, I now had to go 'full Hibari', in the same way I had with my mission with Shisui. I could not afford to have my cover blown - Danzo had all but threatened me, should this happen. He was testing me again.

"I am Hibari. You may use my skills as you see fit." I said, monotone and using my voice manipulation. Cat snorted, and Kakashi seemed a little taken aback - he had not seen me resume this emotionless role since he was a member of ROOT. He must have known something was up.

"Well...sit down while I explain the mission objectives."

He did not bother to introduce me to the rest of his team. I wondered if this was on purpose because of me, or if it was common place in ANBU. Identities mattered little, but I thought that team members should be aware of the others skills. Everyone else knew each other well, but I was an unknown.

Soon after he started talking, he mentioned something which gave me pause.

"Excuse me, Dog-taicho. There must be some mistake. I do not take part in assassination missions."

The mission was not only to recover intel, but if the opportunity presents, dispose of the head of the organisation with no suspicion of foul play. Clearly something that had been left out to me. Another test from Danzo?

"Never? That surprises me for black ops." Clearly someone didn't pay attention to my reputation in ROOT.

"Never. I have a zero kill count. My methods of sabotage are far more efficient."

"You have never killed? But you are a shinobi?" Itachi asked, genuinely interested.

"Never. And it is not something I will compromise on. If you allow, I will ensure full mission success and destruction of the organisation without assassination. Otherwise, I will have to apologise and withdraw."

"Mah, go ahead." He gestured to the files and gave me the floor.

I quickly skimmed the file for key points, before coming up with a plan. The intel they had complied was mediocre, but I could work with it.

"This mission will take six days. The first three will be used to collect holes in our information, and the final three to destroy the organisations infrastructure by creating tensions and distrust between the leaders, finally resulting in implicating Nobleman Nobushuza, and his capture. The Daimyo will not expect any external involvement."

The room went quiet. "That's a big declaration. Success seems unlikely. Why should we change our plans now?" Kakashi asked.

"Underestimating me is something most people do once. You have done it twice. I would not recommend doing it a third time." I replied, with a hint of malice in my voice. He really was a thorn in my side - despite everything that he knew about me, he didn't listen. This was what I did. I planned and strategised.

Thankfully, he held his hands up. "Well, I don't need telling twice. You are a scary little bird, Hibari-chan." Was he asking me to stab him? "Now, care to fill us in how this miracle will happen?"

I huffed and explained.

Bear, a purple haired kunoichi, and Itachi would take roles within the trafficking ring. Itachi would use a henge, and Bear would utilise simple disguises to alter her features slightly - she was to be placed as a madam visiting from another area. Tenzō and I would be placed in the Nobleman's home - with me taking the role of one of his concubines (using a henge, while she was indisposed), and he was to be a guard. Kakashi would be our backup ("From experience, your acting is pitiful. Even lessons cannot help you." I would insult him as much as I thought I could get away with). I informed them where information would likely be kept, what people to focus on and what questions to ask. If they had not got enough information by the end of day two, I would switch roles and take over.

Then, I would assimilate the information for the best course of action. Ideally, they would keep their roles and plant seeds of distrust. Then a systematic capturing of the players would occur - information would be released to the authorities and the Daimyo in a specific order, so as to further fuel our rumours and implicate the Nobleman as the source. As the remaining leaders became more paranoid, I expected one to sing like a bird and confess to make a deal - and damn the Nobleman.

It was a rousing success.

Apparently after that, the rest of the team asked Kakashi to request me more often. Before he did, he pulled me aside to ask if this was okay - he was concerned Danzo would find it suspicious.

"Kakashi, he'd probably wet himself in excitement. He wants me to spy on you and Tenzō, so carry on."

"Mah, really, that's his game?"

"Who better to spy on his little traitors than his favourite caged bird?"

"And sometimes caged birds go mad and peck their masters eyes out."

"Oh, Kakashi, you have no idea how accurate that statement is." I grinned.

And so I became a frequent addition to Team Ro. The assassination squad changed its designation to sabotage. Itachi was immensely happy.

"Hibari, I must say, I have enjoyed working with you these last few months," he said, one day when we were walking through the hallways to the training ground. "You have a singular approach to missions."

"Only as I have been instructed, Weasel." I replied. I tried to keep my answers short around him, afraid of giving myself away.

"Well, then I appreciate all your training!" He said cheerfully. My heart clenched. If only he knew.

We reached the training ground and warmed up a little. He wanted to practice with Katana, but I requested to continue with my tanto. Once we were ready, we began sparring. I had to told back a little - sparring in ROOT was designed to be fully offensive. Any and all injuries were acceptable, and did not indicate a lack of control. Here was the opposite.

However, it was still relatively easy. We were pretty matched in skill, so it made for good competition.

"Weasel, hello!" I heard from the edge of the grounds. It was another voice I had not heard in months, and could be potentially problematic. "Sparring without me? I'm hurt, I never thought you'd cheat on me!"

"Don't be silly, Karasu. It's only team training. This is Hibari, she is a new member of Ro." He gestured towards me. I was about to greet him, but he stiffened, hand twitching towards his blade.

"We've met," he practically growled.

"Ah, yes. We were placed together on a joint mission. Unfortunately there were some...communication issues," I replied, attempting to seem bored.

"That's not what I would call it. You almost sabotaged the whole mission!"

"I apologise. My subversion was not deliberate. I was merely following orders." I could see him getting riled up and fast. I had no idea that our meeting had left such an impression on him.

"Subversion my ass. You are a traitor."

I sighed. He was stupid and getting emotional. A declaration like that was a dangerous thing to make.

"Please may we take this discussion elsewhere? I would recommend finding Dog-Taicho. I believe he may be of some assistance." Hopefully Kakashi would sort this out before it became violent. And for once, I didn't start it.

Grudgingly, he accepted and we walked back to base. Itachi was silent the whole way. We found Kakashi in the mess hall, sitting conversing with Tenzō. He saw us approach, took in our tense postures and whined dramatically.

"Hibari, what have you done now?"

"I must apologise, Dog-taicho. Unfortunately Karasu-san has developed a personal dislike for me, based on our interactions on a previous mission, and is questioning my loyalties."

If he didn't have a mask on, I'm sure he would have frowned. "Loyalties? Really?"

"She had orders that directly overrode the Hokage and attempted to assassinate our retrieval target," Shisui hissed.

"As I said, there were communications problems," I said, sounding bored again.

"Karasu, I would have to agree. That's impossible. Hibari doesn't do assassination missions - she has never killed before," Itachi said. Bless him, he even sticks up for me when I'm not me.

Shisui looked between Itachi, Kakashi and Tenzō. "I don't know what she has you believing, but I know what I saw!" He was practically seething now. On instinct, I went to place a hand on his arm in an attempt to soothe him. It was a very Erena-like action, and very stupid. Unfortunately for me, he was on full alert, and immediately grabbed my wrist, holding it tight before breaking my radius in one quick action.

Mother fucker!

Other than a short intake of breath, I did not react. I kept quiet, grabbed my arm and stepped back, out of his reach.

"Karasu, that was out of order!" Kakashi snarled.

"I apologise. I was acting on instinct." He sounded embarrassed.

"Well, your instinct just took out a member of my team, and we are due on mission tomorrow! You will stop this nonsense! From what I can see, Hibari has never caused any harm to you. She has followed orders implicitly- whether they are from myself or other parties. We are not privileged to knowing everything that goes on in the village. Now leave, calm yourself, and we will discuss this further when you are ready. Do you understand me?"

Shisui nodded but didn't move. I saw him glance towards my arm.

"Itachi, take her to medical. I need to organise her replacement by tomorrow," Kakashi muttered.

"No need, Dog-taicho," I said, before Itachi could move. I sat down on the table, laid my arm down and twisted it until the bones aligned. It fucking hurt, but I kept quiet. Once I was satisfied, I activated mystic palm in my other hand, and repaired the fractures until they were relatively stable. It took me less than a minute-it wasn't perfect, but I could finish later. "I will be fully functional by tomorrow, but I must apologise and cut our sparring short, Weasel. My arm requires more time until full strength.

"That was the most disgusting thing I've ever seen. So cool." I heard an observer whisper from somewhere in the mess hall.

"I...Hibari, why was I not informed of your skills as a medic?" Kakashi asked, seeming a little shocked.

"I am not a medic. I am simply able to repair common sparring injuries."

"What kind of spars commonly end with broken bones?" Shisui blurted.

"In black ops? Friendly ones," I said. Had my mask been off, I would have been smiling like a predator.

He gulped. Yup, 'black ops' was brutal, and you had just pissed one off.

After our mission in the Land of Woods, I was asked to report to Danzo. I gave him my mission reports and an assessment of my teammates...unfortunately, the incident with Shisui was a favourite piece of gossip within ANBU, and Danzo was bound to find out. I thought he would have been angry, but instead he seemed pleased.

"It seems you are a source of weakness for the young Uchiha, no matter what your role is," he smiled.

"It appears I trigger an intense emotional response," I agreed.

"I can use this to my advantage...I require you to be free of ANBU three nights from now, can you arrange that?"

"With ease, Danzo-sama."

"Excellent. You will report here at nineteen hundred hours. The mission is one of the most important to date. You see... my sharingan eye is losing vision. A team is preparing, which you shall be a part of. The goal is to get me a replacement for my right eye."

I felt sick.

"And the target?"

"Uchiha Shisui."

Notes:

Game on!

Chapter 19: Shadows arc: part 12

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

There are things I will tolerate.

Example one: Kidnap, torture and brainwashing.

Example two: activating the curse seal.

Example three: setting me up for failure.

And there are things I won't tolerate...and the prime example was planning to fucking murder my best friend, steal his eye, and then frame my other best friend.

And thinking I'm going to help you?

How fucking stupid are you?

Of course none of this was going to happen, if I had anything to do about it. Deadline to Danzo's Demise- T minus Three Days. And due of Danzos new nefarious schemes, my previous timeline and careful planning to overthrow him were blown to shit.

But I'm nothing if not adaptable.

I had planned a humiliating and resounding defeat, taking full control of ROOT and making him watch before serving him to the Hokage on a platter, with all evidence of his traitorous schemes wrapped up in a lovely pink bow.

I had bought the ribbon. And I even had a monologue planned. I was excited.

But it was going to have to wait, if Shisui wanted to keep his eyes in his head.

Danzo made a mistake when he included me in the plan. And even more of a mistake when he told me the exact time it would commence. It would mean I would have to flurry around like a blue arsed fly, but I've worked with less information.

I had a vague idea of how to deal with Danzo himself, but I also had to take the rest of ROOT into account. Except my Infiltration Corps, they were all loyal to him, and unfortunately outnumbered us three to one. It was possible they would fight back or attempt to rescue Danzo, and I couldn't allow that.

I called back all foreign placed ROOT members with immediate effect, and they were to report to medical for emergency quarantine (with members of my corps in charge of medical, and sedatives at the ready). I forged Danzo's handwriting and signature, and added in a snippet saying further orders would come from me. It was basic, but I hoped it would work.

For the ROOT agents at home, I would have to rely on my Corps members and seals...while Yumi, Kutsu and Kama had been witness to my altering the curse seal, no one else had any idea I was practiced in them at all. But when I called every member in for an emergency debrief, and handed them all a hand full of various tags, they got the picture.

There were knock out tags, knock out tags with a delay and a three member radius, chameleon tags, mild explosives with delays, and confinement tags (these would seal a room so no one could enter or leave)...traps ahoy! Hopefully that would be enough to tip the balance. I had faith in them. Yumi and Kutsu were placed in charge, and knew what to do in my stead.

Next, I had to work on my plan for Danzo. It would be easy to just stroll in and confess his wrongdoings to the Hokage, but as I explained to Shikaku, my trust in the mans decision making in regards to Danzo was nil. I also worried if I confessed everything to Shikaku and Fugaku they would act rashly - I would always regret if anything happened to them.

No, my best plan was to expose him in a way he could not escape or talk his way out of. Too public was impossible - the man was a recluse. And there was only one place he went without fail, that would have other high ranking Shinobi present: Council meetings.

But there weren't any council meetings scheduled, and exposing his sharingan was easier said than done. How do you make a respected 'injured cripple' remove his bandages in public? The answer is you don't. But you could remove them yourself.

To do that not only entailed bringing in other people to my schemes, but doing something I hadn't thought about in years. Long ago, I wanted to create Time Seals...I had problems with controlling and manipulating time, until a small epiphany, just a few moments before my parents died, and I didn't have the opportunity to take it further. Now, my plan relied on figuring out how to break the laws of physics, in a safe and controlled manner in three days...when it took me years even to get a single idea.

No pressure?

So I holed myself into a room, kept secret except from Yumi and Kutsu. I tried a few things out, blew up a few things, until wham. Hello Time Bubble.

Before, I realised I couldn't control all of time, but I could control it in specific ways. Time was not a constant-how it elapsed could be altered by manipulating certain factors...physical factors, such as velocity and gravity (in my life before it was known as 'time dilation'...it wasn't fully understood here yet). And seals were designed for manipulating things like this. So, if I was smart enough (and I was), I could use seals to either slow down or speed up time. I could make a specific object or person experience time faster (for example, if you needed to drastically increase speed-but the person would feel the effects in 'real time' and would age appropriately...you had to be careful or you would age faster than anyone else), or create an area where time slowed...freeze time in a little bubble. The radius could be written into the seal, and as long as you had the chakra reserves, it could be as big as you want for as long as you want.

But all I needed was a Council meeting room for five minutes.

And I also needed a way to move freely in the time bubble without repercussions (see: premature aging). I called this my Time Lord seal- I tattooed it directly onto the crook of my elbow, as a paper tag would not have been enough. It would allow me to walk around within the bubble in real time...so while everyone else would be so slow they were frozen, I would be as quick as a flash (oh Minato...if only you were still here, you would appreciate my joke).

I was exhausted as I had gone nearly forty-eight hours without sleep, but I felt energised...or was that dread? I was so sleep deprived I didn't know.

I finally left my cave, and went to see the two final pieces on my board. It was just starting to turn dark, but the streets were still milling with people.

First, I went to the Uchiha compound. The guards, having recognised me from my time with the boys and Fugaku, let me through with no questions. I was glad, as I felt so tired I'd probably lost the ability to lie effectively.

I knocked on the door of the clan heads home (their old, beautiful home) and waited. Unfortunately, it was Sasuke that answered the door.

"Who're you?" He asked sweetly. God, he was cute. I wanted to hug him, but now was not the time.

"I need to see your father, is he home?" I croaked, voice a little harsh from disuse and inhaling fumes from explosions.

"Otou-san is a verrrrrry busy man." Oh god, cute and difficult. My favourite. If I wasn't in a hurry I would steal him.

"But is the busy man at home? And if he is, would you let him know Nakahara is here to see him?" I spoke his language, but it just depended on how obstinate he would be. I hoped he wasn't like I was at his age, or we'd be here all night.

He gave me a suspicious side eye, and was about to answer when Itachi walked into view.

"Erena! You're back!" He seemed pleased to see me. Sasuke gave me stink eye for taking his brothers attention (cute, difficult and already mastering hateful looks! Everything about him was perfect! Itachi, how dare you keep him from me).

"Itachi, I need to see your father immediately," I said. I couldn't waste time on pleasantries, even if I want to. There must have been something about my expression, as his face done something funny, and picked up Sasuke to make space for me. "Come in." I thanked him, took my shoes off and headed to where Fugaku was, following his chakra. I didn't wait for Itachi to lead me, which was probably super rude, but I was too tired to care.

Fugaku was in the sitting room reading a scroll, with Mikoto at his side. It was a picture of domestic bliss I didn't think he was capable of. He noticed me and stood immediately.

"Nakahara? What is the meaning of this?" He didn't sound angry- more concerned than anything else.

"We need to talk. Privately. Now."

He frowned and gestured to the dining room adjacent. "Is this sufficient?" There were no windows...I slammed the door shut and activated my privacy seal.

"Tomorrow morning there will be an emergency council meeting. You must attend. Be on guard and ready to attack at a moments notice."

"Ready to attack? What is the meaning of this?" He raised his voice.

"I can't tell you. But you will know when and who when it happens. Promise me you will be careful!"

"Erena, if this is another one of your games..."

"Listen Fugaku. Everything I have done comes down to this. The games I've played, the politics, the restoring trust in the Uchiha...if this fails everything will have been for nothing. I am asking nothing from you other than to protect you and your own. Can you do that?"

"That is all I've ever done," he replied.

"Then good. Be vigilant. I promise tomorrow you will understand...please don't hate me."

"Hate you?"

"Like I said, tomorrow you will understand."

I deactivated the privacy seal and left immediately. Everyone was looking at me with concern when I left the dining room. I tried to give Itachi what was supposed to be a reassuring smile in goodbye, but I'm pretty sure it ended up a grimace.

Next I had to find Shikaku. This time of night, we was probably at home. If not, still working at the office. The Nara compound was pretty far from the Uchiha compound...I had a little chakra left, so opted on the shunshin as my preferred mode of transport...the sooner I made it there and spoke to Shikaku, the sooner I could get a few hours sleep before the final preparations.

Instead of knocking, I simply entered the home and made my presence clear. When I used to work with him, I would occasionally come home for dinner. Yoshino was an amazing woman, and Shikamaru was special. You could tell he loved me, but tried not to show it. His little tantrums when I would mess his hair were adorable. I was sure he would be a little genius someday, if he could pull his finger out his ass.

Shikaku came running to the door. For a Nara, he could move fast when he wanted to. He hadn't seen me in a few months, so I wasn't surprised by his actions. He knew I was okay (I asked Kakashi to give him updates and send messages sometimes), but it was the first time he had laid eyes in me since our goodbye.

He grabbed me in a firm hug. Then started taking in my appearance.

"Tell me everything," he said, stern.

"Okay," I whispered. He seemed startled at my acquiescence, before hurrying me into his office and forcing me into his seat, while he leaned on the desk.

"What's going on, Erena? You look terrible."

I laughed. "I'll bet...I think the Nara is me is protesting lack of sleep."

"Well, this Nara is protesting a lot more than that. What's happened?"

I took a breath before looking at him. Really looking at him. This was the final piece to my jigsaw, and I needed him to trust me.

"I need you to call an emergency council meeting first thing tomorrow morning."

His eyebrows rose to his head. "What for? You know they can only be called for immediate threats."

"What about the immediate threat of civil war and a traitor in the council?"

"Erena...is this about Danzo? This is a dangerous move. The Hokage will never approve for something like this. There is no proof."

"I will give you proof. I can guarantee you will get it tomorrow."

"If I do this, then Danzo will come prepared. We have to be careful."

I was. I was always careful. But I could understand where he was coming from, if Danzo caught wind the meeting was about him, he could either vanish or cover his back.

"Okay, well...what about proof of an underground revolution? Ran by a Konoha kunoichi? That threatens the infrastructure of Konoha from the inside?"

"Erena...no."

"I surrender and submit myself to the Council for trial."

It took some convincing, but he agreed. While he didn't need to state the reason for the meeting on the summons, he did need to tell the Hokage for his approval.

I went back to the ROOT base, and finally got some sleep. Yumi woke me a couple hours before dawn so we could prepare. They were all ready to go. All I needed to do was have a shower and grab my scrolls.

Kakashi met me outside the base - this was another mild change in the plan. Before, I was going to be myself, and wait for Shikaku outside the council chamber, before activating the Bubble. Now, I had to be a 'prisoner', held in a side room, head covered, with Kakashi as my guard..I would be searched, but he would take the scrolls and activate them when I signalled. He didn't know what they did, only that they were important to the plan. He did question if it was just a huge bomb, but I rolled my eyes at him.

We neared an ANBU entrance for the tower, before he apologised, loosely restrained my wrists (so I could easily get out of them), and covered my head with black cloth. Head covered, I was ushered inside and taken up several stairs, before made to kneel on hard wood flooring.

"Mah, do you think they have started yet?" I heard Kakashi ask the other guards in the room.

"No, they are still waiting on the Uchiha. It's not like him to be the last to arrive." For a moment, my heart leap in fear. "Ah, there he is. Looks angrier than normal, did someone wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?" They all chortled. Leave my Fugaku alone.

"Ah, there's Nara starting to address the council now."

I took in a breath and flexed my fingers in the Tiger seal behind my back. That was Kakashi's signal.

The Time Bubble Seal wasn't difficult or dramatic to activate. It was on a long scroll, rolled up. It was 'sealed' with 'wax' at the opening, but this was the conduit to channel the chakra. It accepted the chakra, but had a resistor in place to limit the amount-I made sure it would take just enough to effect the top floor of the building. As Kakashi had reasonable chakra stores, it would take less than a third of his reserves.

I felt a pulse of cool energy as it worked. After that, I heard no noises in the room except my own heartbeat and breathing. I quickly took off the restraints and tore the hood off. There were five ANBU in the room, including Kakashi, and they were frozen like statues. No movement, no breathing, nothing. I let out a laugh. Thank god for that!

I left the room and entered the main council chamber. It was clear Shikaku was speaking, and almost eyes were on him. Some looked concerned, some looked bored...Danzo looked furious at Shikaku - he must have suspected my involvement? Or simply thought Shikaku had captured me, since I led him to believe I was under suspicion. Fugaku, in contrast, was looking at the rest of the room. He had taken my warning seriously.

I approached Danzo, and started to work. I carefully unwrapped his bandages form his head. I made sure not to touch his skin - I didn't yet know if the Time Lord seal's effect could be transferred by touch. Once removed, his Sharingan eye was on display. It was red and grotesque...not that I had any issue with the Dojutsu itself, but it was an abomination on him.

I took the sight of him in. After this, there was no way the Hokage would let him live. To do so would be to sanction bloodline theft...there would be no mercy. Fugaku, especially, would not allow it. And should the Sandaime show himself to be truly spineless, then an Uchiha Coup would be the least of his worries, once I got my hands on him...

It was just a glimpse, but I caught a flash of a grey, white skin under his robe at the right of his neck. Curiosity got the better of me, and I peeled back a portion of the material. While undressing Danzo was giving me all kinds of nauseating feelings, there was no way this was simply scar tissue. I removed his sleeve and gasped.

His arm was white and mottled, and there were several more sharingan eyes implanted within.

I knew the man was a monster, but this was worse than I ever could of imagined. I felt sick. The atrocities he had committed were countless...now the evil from the inside matched the outside.

It was more than a little difficult to look at, so I had to turn away.

I couldn't dwell on my thoughts any longer as I knew the Time Bubble would collapse soon, and I made way for the exit.

Part of me didn't care what happened about me now, I felt satisfied. But I had people relying on me.

As soon as I was out of the Bubble, I ran and shunshinned as fast as I could. The further I made it before the seal wore off and the guards set an alarm, the better. Right now I was just a kunoichi running super fast through the village...nothing too out of the ordinary.

By some miracle, I made it to ROOT base without any intervention. When I entered it was quiet...as I made my way to Danzos office, I was greeted my Kutsu. His clothes were slightly dirty, with dust and a small amount of blood, but he otherwise seemed well.

"Success?" I whispered.

"Success...and you?"

"Success." I smiled. He took off his mask and returned it, before capturing me in a hug.

It was a good day.

We did not celebrate.

There was still no word of what had occurred in the Hokage Tower, and we would be stupid to relax until we knew the fate of Danzo...and even then I didn't know what would become of the remains of ROOT, or even what repercussions I may face.

Several hours later, we received a signal stating the compound had been breached. I hoped it would be allies.

I had planned for every possibility - from Danzo, to main ROOT forces, to the main shinobi forces-whether they be on the attack or not.

I had ordered the Infiltration Corps to seal themselves into the residential areas with Containment Seals from the inside. The main ROOT forces were either unconscious or captured in rooms within that area. That way, they all would be safe until an agreement would be reached, or they would escape via a secret entrance.

Yumi, Kutsu and I remained in the main area in full ROOT uniform, in the main meeting room next to Danzos office. Kakashi and Shikaku were given directions on where to find us - so if they came, we would be waiting. My hope was to negotiate a surrender, and reduce the risk of fighting due to high tensions.

We sat waiting to see who had entered the base. Thankfully, the door slid open to show Kakashi...and four others. With him, was Shikaku, Hyuuga Hiashi, the ANBU Commander and...Shisui? Odd. I'm guessing he was chosen to be the Uchiha representative, as Fugaku would likely stay to deal with Danzo. I also suspect they were all chosen due to their previous interactions with me - all had dealt with and spoken to me at some point (I'm guessing Hiashi must have come clean, if this were the case).

I did not wait for anyone to exchange pleasantries, and gestured for them to sit on the other side of the conference table. I have Kutsu a flash of a look and he went to give them a set of files each.

"Am I to understand that Shimura Danzo is now within custody?" I asked, with voice modulation and monotone. Other than Kakashi and Shikaku, the others were not to know of my identity yet. I did not want it to have any effect on the outcome of these discussions.

"You would be correct. His sentence will not be declared until we understand the full extent of his crimes, but it is unlikely he will be allowed to live," Hiashi replied. Shisui snorted - yea, especially if the Uchiha had anything to do with it.

"And I presume that means you are here for the preliminary negotiations?"

"Correct. Shikaku has already discussed the basics. We are here to form the initial agreement. We have been granted certain permissions from the Hokage, but specifics will be discussed at the later date."

"Acceptable," I had not anticipated anything else. Unless the Hokage were to come to the ROOT base (which would be a very poor move), I didn't expect a full resolution - I just wanted to ensure the safety of all ROOT. "Then, let's get started. The files in front of you contain a condensed version of ROOT protocols - from Danzos training regimen and basic structure. I have also includes a summary of missions of interest and crimes against Konoha. This is to aid you in your investigation, both of ROOT and Danzo. Full files are at your immediate disposal. Should you require specifics, I will be of assistance in this matter."

They all opened up the files and started to glance at the pages. Hiashi's eyebrows raised a smidgeon. "This is very prepared."

I snorted. "I have been preparing for this for years. I must admit, this is not to my usual standard, but certain circumstances forced my hand to speed up my plans. My initial plan for Danzo was less...dramatic."

Now it was Kakashi's time to snort. "I doubt that. Drama is your middle name."

Shikaku cleared his throat - which stopped me from giving him a snarky response. "Back to the topic at hand...what is it you hope to gain from these talks?"

"To put it simply: guaranteed safety for all ROOT members. Ideally, I would like to appeal for full integration into Konoha society, in whatever manner the individual members wish- whether it be into the shinobi forces or civilian. We are willing to submit for full evaluation, mental and otherwise, before this is accepted. My Infiltration Corps shall give you full cooperation, however you may receive some resistance from the main body."

"That's it?" Shikaku asked. He knew this already, so was clearly making a show for the others.

"Whoa, hold up. And what about the crimes against Konoha? Are we expected to ignore that? Even looking at your appendix here, there are many things that would land most people in prison, or worse!" Shisui intercepted.

I forced myself to calm. "As members of ROOT, we are not responsible for whatever actions we take. The blame lies with Shimura Danzo. If you still feel that individual members hold responsibility once you read the report in full, then I am happy to debate this further."

"Bullshit. You can't just use him as a scapegoat. Everyone has their own mind to make decisions."

"Not in ROOT!" There was a threatening edge to my voice. "Page twenty seven, section three, paragraph two. From here it describes the training procedure in detail. To save time and effort in argument, please read this now. What ROOT members experience is a far cry from the main forces. Should you require further information, I would refer you to the individual members files, where their training and responses were fully evaluated."

He scowled at me, but joined the others in reading. I made sure not to leave anything out. Everything was there, from the initial assessment, physical training and mental conditioning. They would find information about the cursed seal in the next section.

I watched as they read. Hiashi and the ANBU commander gave little away. Shisui's scowl softened and jaw clenched. Shikaku...looked enraged. Perhaps he wasn't the best candidate for this.

Finally, the ANBU Commander looked up and regarded me. "If this is true, how do you explain yourself? You do not appear to be the mindless drone described. And your loyalty to Danzo is clearly absent."

"Correct. I have no love for Danzo. Once, he almost broke me, but I persevered. I was subject to all described, and more due to my resistance. I learned to adapt and act accordingly to avoid suspicion."

"And what is your role in all of this?"

"During my time, I was trained in espionage and infiltration. I gained a reputation for my skills and made myself indispensable to Danzo. I excelled in all missions given. He grew to trust me and named me his second in command, and allowed me to train others in my art...these are the Infiltration Corps. Through their training, I reintroduced emotions, and they broke from Danzo's hold. I fight for their freedom now - due to my actions today, I understand there will be repercussions for me. I accept whatever is decided...but I implore you to allow the ROOT forces a chance to reconnect with their humanity and grant them their lives back. We have been forced or tricked into service, and hope for nothing more than our freedom."

And that was it. Hopefully they would see sense. Mercy isn't something shinobi are known for, but Konoha are more open to it than most. Of course, they could decide to cut their losses and risk to their reputation and dispose of us before it became public...but with Shikaku here, I hoped that was a good sign.

They did not say anything else, but shared a look and nodded to Hiashi.

"Very well. We will be taking everyone into custody for individual evaluation and risk assessment. Everyone will be subject to T and I investigation. There still needs to be a consultation on ROOT members integration to main forces, and this will be on an individual basis after the initial assessment. We will take all information presented and available into account when forming our overall decisions."

"Acceptable." It was. It really, really was. I felt like I could almost cry in relief.

"However, Hibari, you are to be taken into custody immediately. You have shown no regard for Konoha's laws, have committed various acts of treason under your own judgement, and your skills require evaluation. The risk you pose to Konoha is too great to be ignored. Any decision we make in regards to ROOT will not include you, and your sentence will be judged separately. Do you understand?"

I could see Yumi and Kutsu tense on either side, and both looked like they were about to protest. I waved my hand at them and shook my head lightly to get them to stand down. I had expected this...Shikaku was tense and refused to look in my direction. I'm guessing he knew this was to be my fate, and couldn't do anything about it. With Hiashi being the main spokesperson, I'm guessing Shikaku had protested and was no longer seen as a neutral party. What upset me was the satisfied look on Shisui's face.

"I expected as much. You will have my full cooperation."

"Then we are in agreement?" Hiashi clarified.

"Indeed," I confirmed. "As I am being dealt with, Yumi and Kutsu will show you to the others - you will not be able to gain access without them. They will direct you on the appropriate measures, members of the Infiltration Corps or otherwise. Do not ask questions about ROOT directly to them - this will not be a sign of non cooperation, as they will be physically unable to do so. Both Shikaku and Kakashi can confirm this."

"Understood."

I stood, and they followed suit. "Now our business is seen to, I believe I have somewhere to be?" I walked around the table, and Kakashi came forward to restrain by hands for the second time that day - unfortunately this time was not as kind. After this, he guided me to the door.

"Wait! I have a question!" Shisui called from behind us. We stopped and I turned slightly to look at him. He had a nervous look on his face. "Do you know, is there a member known as Nakahara Erena? She would be about fourteen...I...I need to know."

"You should know, names are removed from us. Our codenames is what we are known as here. You need to ask the right question."

He looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"If she was taken, whoever you knew as Nakahara Erena does not exist anymore. Would that matter to you?" My heart sped up, worried about the answer.

"No. No matter what, I would help her. She is and will always be my friend," he said with conviction.

"Are you certain? You have shown nothing but contempt towards me...why would she be any different?"

"If what you say is true, she never had a choice."

I smiled behind my mask. "You could not be more right." I paused for a moment and took a breath, stomach fluttering with nerves. "Kakashi, if you would?"

Under his breath I heard of faint mutter of, "always so dramatic," before he removed my mask. I kept my face blank as I looked at Shisui. His face fell and he openly gaped.

"Sometimes it's better off staying in the dark," I whispered, before continuing down the corridor and to the exit.

He never followed.

Notes:

And there we have it.

The Shadows arc is almost at a close. Next update will be Saturday, where we will hopefully get things all wrapped up (in a nice little pink bow)!

I hope you enjoyed!

Chapter 20: Shadows arc: part 13

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

I was escorted to Torture and Interrogation under a similar black cloth hood as before. As if I didn't know the way...This was my village for crying out loud.

When I was there, I was taken down several floors and sequestered into a holding cell. The hood was removed and all belongings and clothing was removed except the basics, before a thorough search was carried out. They kept my hands in restraints and attached them to a fixture on the wall. They informed me my belongings would be returned depending on the outcome of my investigation and trial...I told them to feel fee to burn them.

I was kept in complete silence for hours. I couldn't be sure if this was intimidation tactic, or they were doing a preliminary investigation prior to questioning me. I didn't care, I was far too bored. Leaving me in my own head is a dangerous thing, and you never know what kind of thoughts I was going to have...I was at the point of giving zero fucks about anything. Fuck Danzo, fuck the system, fuck you, fuck me...fuck it...If I was going out, I was going out with a bang.

No more miss nice girl.

When the guards came to get me, I was contemplating drawing seals on the walls of the room, for no other reason than 'why not?' It would be difficult with my hands behind my back, and no writing implement, but the challenge made it all the more attractive (sweat and saliva on wet stone? Maybe bite my cheek to colour with a bit of blood? Morbid but I figured what the hell?). It wouldn't be anything of concern, maybe just a pretty light effect? It would have been fun watching them squirm trying to figure it out.

I was taken into an empty room, restraints removed but replaced in front of me, forced down and left alone.

I sat on a cold metal chair. Except the desk and chair opposite me, the room was empty. It was kept at a cool temperature, just enough for the hairs on my arm to rise, and a to shiver threaten, but not freezing. I supposed this was meant to be intimidating, remove all comfort and making you feel further exposed...I wanted to snort.

A man in a black trench coat walked into the room suddenly, and sat down onto the seat opposite with a flourish.

"Ohhh, dramatic. Eight points for the coat swish, true style," I commented giving a lop sided smirk and a thumbs up, sitting back in my seat. If he wanted to be dramatic and play a role, so could I.

He stared at me, chin lifted. "Do you know why you are here?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Sure, it just depends what you've found out and want to know."

Now he raised an eyebrow. "Oh, and what makes no we haven't found it all?"

I snorted. "Pfft, like you're that smart. Now, tell me what you want to know, and we can both be on our merry way. I have no interest in hiding, I am an open book." I leaned back casually on my chair, enough that I was only balancing on two legs.

"ROOT. Explain your involvement." Straight to the point. I liked him, and not just for his fancy coat.

"I'm involved. Duh. Be more specific."

He narrowed his eyes at me. "You are the ROOT agent known as Hibari. Trained personally by Shimura Danzo, and a trusted advisor. You have committed multiple acts of espionage both within and outside of Konoha, and committed several acts of treason against the Hokage."

Wow. I really liked him. It's not often I'm impressed. His interrogation technique was a little lacklustre, but he was concise with his words. He would go far.

"I guess that's all...technically correct. You're missing a few key points, but you're almost there." I nodded at him encouragingly.

He continued to squint in my direction. "What makes you so different to the other members of ROOT? They have been unable to answer any questions without a paralysis inflicted on them. Any information we have gained has been via Yamanaka methods."

I sneered. "The only seals on my body are ones that I allow. If you'd actually read the documents I provided, you wouldn't even need to ask. Check their tongues and you'll find a cursed seal rooted to their chakra system via a tenketsu point. If you have problems safely disabling them, give me a shout. I learned how to dismantle those by the age of six."

"And your inability to give a straight answer? Your comrades are far more straight forward."

"Oh, I'm just having a little fun," I waved my hands flippantly, "since I no longer have to deal with the mummified prick with a stick up his ass, I'm done pretending. I have spent years of my life in shadows, and I have absolutely no interest in ever going back. You want me, you got me. You want Hibari, try a little harder."

"You speak as though you are different people?"

"Hibari isn't a person, she is a character. The act helped me survive."

"I see..."

I sighed. "I don't think you do. Try being forced into a shady black ops organisation at the age of seven, being mentally and physically tortured, then brain washed for years...ROOT doesn't just employ people to its services. It twists them and breaks them until it is all they have."

"But you survived intact. Why didn't the others?"

"I'm stubborn."

He stayed quiet for a second, contemplating something. "So I don't understand? Make me. Tell me everything."

And so I did. I was there for hours, but I didn't miss a single detail...about ROOT anyway - I kept mum about the Uchiha Coup and my involvement, and other things I discovered that had no bearing on ROOT. It was not my place to tell.

His face didn't move once. I didn't know if I was damning myself, but I didn't care. I sang like a bird, free for the first time.

"And then I was dumped in a room with broken heating, and an old man in a cool coat asked to hear my story. The end."

He sat there for what seemed like an eternity before standing and casually walking to the door. He opened it and stepped outside.

"Shikaku, she's all yours," was the last thing I heard, before I was suddenly swept into a bone crushing hug by the only member of my family I had left.

"Uh, Uncle Shikaku...I know there's still the threat of execution and all, but death by suffocation is not my preferred choice."

I head a wet chuckle before he loosened his grip slightly, but he didn't let go. And I didn't want him to.

I was kept in T and I for nearly a week. My accommodations didn't improve, but what you gonna do? Complain to he manager? I wasn't even allowed a book (although, to me fair, I knew about seventeen ways to kill a person with a book so could kind of see their point) and I only saw Shikaku another two times, and the visits were kept short.

I was taken out for questioning at least twice a day. Sometimes it was a general chat, other times it was about specific missions or where to find specific information in the base - they seemed to recognise my brain had an inbuilt catalogue and were happy to abuse it.

They asked me about the curse seals. I didn't ask why, but they clearly were having problems removing them. I gave them clear instructions on disarming them, but they kept coming back asking the same questions over and over again. Seriously, did no one in Konoha understand circuit breakers? It wasn't even that hard.

Then they tried asking me about the Time Bubble.

"Explain the seals utilised on the Hokage Tower?"

Yea, no. "It's a fancy seal that does fancy things."

"Explain specifically?"

"Specifically? You put in some chakra, it goes 'zooof!' then 'pop'!" I made hand gestures signalling expanding then bursting.

"Words, please." They were getting exasperated.

"Holy shit! I was speaking another language? When did I learn to do that? Am I doing it now? Can. You. Understand. Meeee?"

"...If you do not comply then I will take this as a sign that you have broken your agreement and the Hokage will be informed."

I don't respond well to threats.

"Look, if I was to explain it to you, I'd have to use lots of big fancy words, so much so you really would think I was speaking another language. I'd prefer not to insult the intelligence of whatever 'sealing specialists' you have listening in and I have no interest in taking part in an intellectual dick measuring contest...because trust me, I have the biggest schlong you've ever seen.

"Find someone who can at least understand the basics of relativistic mechanics, hell even a basic understanding of physics, and I'll consider wasting my breath. Otherwise understand this: me smart, you stupid. Therefore, you have no chance of reproducing. Understand?"

They didn't bother asking again.

However, they did try sending in a Yamanaka for a little mind walk. I was not aware of what they were looking around at (it was like I was in a trance), but I was given a quizzical look before they left without a word.

Finally, I was removed from the cell, and taken to a meeting room. It was too nice to be an interrogation room, so I figured I was meeting the big fish.

My hands were in shackles in front of me, and I was secured to the table by a metal hook on the underside. Once I was sitting down, Yamanaka Inoichi, Hyuuga Hiashi and the Hokage entered. Ahhh...finally.

"Hey guys, how's it hanging?" I asked, beaming.

"Nakahara Erena, I have been informed you have been a difficult subject," the Hokage stated. God, he was old .

"What? No! Me? I've been super cooperative. I promise! I haven't tried to escape or anything...and considering the lack of an entertainment package in the resort, I'd say that's a miracle. I'm going to have to leave a bad review, though. The wait staff are incredibly rude."

"So that's why you've been harassing the interrogators, you were bored?" asked Inoichi.

"Ding ding ding, we have a winner! I've been subjected to what is effectively sensory deprivation for someone like me. Being left alone with only me and myself is a dangerous place to be."

"So I've heard...tell me, what did you think of the mind walk performed on you?"

"So that's why you're all here, you tried to get into my head but came out with more questions than answers?" I raised a brow. "Cool, I'll bite. What's up, buttercup?"

Inoichi looked at the Hokage, who nodded.

"It seems my cousin got a bit...lost in there, to put it bluntly. There was no clear train of thought, memories were not linear and there were different levels to your consciousness. As such, the mind walk was unsuccessful due to the foreign nature of your mindscape."

"So my brains all screwy?"

He smirked. "To put it mildly."

"Nice! I mean, I guess it explains a lot. I tend to have multiple thoughts at once and my memory doesn't fit into shelves...it's just all there at once. ROOTs probably got something to do with a little bit of the screwyness, but the rest is just little old me."

"So, as far as you can tell us, this was not a conscious decision to train your mind in mental evasion tactics, and it is not any form of Bloodline Limit?"

"Nah, I'm just weird."

Inoichi looked at me appraisingly, before shrugging. "Well, that's my only question."

The Hokage looked at me again. "Over the last week, while you were being questioned, a full investigation into the actions of Shimura Danzo and ROOT have been carried out. As a result, Shimura Danzo is to be sentenced to death. While it is true you were forced into his organisation against your will, you were a key figure in its structure, and were the reason for a large proportion of his success in espionage. You have admitted your free will was unaffected despite his endeavours, and the threat of the cursed seal was not present. While you did not take part in his most heinous crimes, your involvement in ROOT alone would be enough to guarantee lifelong imprisonment. Why should you be exempt from this fate?"

"Seriously? You're trying to place some blame on me for your mistakes? Why don't you ask yourself that same question, Hokage-sama?" It was like I was asking to be executed on the spot. Questioning a military dictator is never a great idea. "You knew that ROOT existed, and you knew that their missions were ethically questionable at best. Hell, you even knew they 'recruited' and brainwashed children. When Danzo attempted to assassinate you, you let him off without even a slap on the wrist...you basically gave him permission to do everything he ever did. You made him think he was untouchable and without reproach.

"So yes, I had my free will, and I didn't have an active cursed seal. But I did have a sense of morality and a conscience. I was trained in deception, so I deceived. I played Danzo better than anyone else. Because where you failed to protect the children of the village, I would not. Everything I did was in order to ruin Danzo, because I could not trust you to even lay a finger on him.

"So no, I don't think I deserve lifelong imprisonment. And if you truly do, then I will tell you right now - you may as well execute me too, because I won't stay behind bars for long - and you've seen what I do to people that wrong me."

"Are you threatening the Hokage, Nakahara?" Hiashi asked, stunned.

"Yes, sure, why not? Solitary confinement has fucked with my head. Fuck holding my tongue. You want to know what I truly feel without a mind walk? You got it. I don't even care anymore. I loved this village, but it's leadership is fucked up. Minato was a great Hokage...look at how we've devolved."

"That's enough, Nakahara. Despite your outburst, I appreciate your candour," the Hokage said. I was a little taken aback...that was not what I expected. "I will admit, I have done many wrongs. I try to see the good in people and give them opportunities to prove themselves." I snorted. "But my weakness for my friends has allowed too many atrocities to befall this village. And unfortunately, you were caught in the crossfire. A young girl should not feel responsible to bring down a traitor to the village. And it saddens me that you have so little trust in not only myself, but others around. That being said, it is understandable with everything you have gone through.

"We have statements from many accounting to your bravery, skill and commitment to the people of this village. While you have lost trust in others, they have the utmost trust in you. This sentiment not only comes from your subordinates in ROOT, but several high ranking shinobi and clan leaders.

"According to our laws, you should stay behind bars for the rest of your life...but the loyalty you have inspired has ensured that won't be possible...you are not the first, or second person to threaten me today." He laughed. My ears perked up. "It is therefore my decision that you are to be cleared of all charges. You will be subjected to an S-rank secrecy clause, on various aspects of your deals with ROOT and the incident in the Tower, as are all whom are involved in the full investigation. This will incur the standard consequences if broken. Other than that, you will be free to go."

I blinked...that was...unexpected?

"Do you have any questions?"

"Umm...yes?"

He nodded at me to continue, a kind smile on his face.

"Where's the nearest shower? I haven't bathed properly in a week, and I really really stink."

After I was release from my cuffs, I was taken to an area for final debrief...there was a contract stating the terms of my secrecy clause and the rules I had to adhere by. I want allowed to discuss anything Danzo and his treasonous ways (like implanting multiple sharingan and generally being a creepy bastard), and most of my missions had the standard 'classified' rules. I was also given a list of others involved in the investigation, so it was clear who was 'safe' to talk to.

Also came a document stating what to expect with village integration...it was clearly just a general form given to everyone. Everyone was placed in specific accommodations, however were not allowed out unsupervised until permission was given. After their evaluation, the shrinks would give tailored plans for each person, and future roles could be discussed...it was actually very fair, considering the circumstances.

After I read and signed the documents, I was escorted out of T and I, and given directions to the new ROOT lodgings. It was very close to T and I, so I suspected that was on purpose. When I arrived, the Jounin guards at the entrance did not have a note of my room, but gave me an empty one available, along with a pack of basic amenities. As I followed, I saw multiple people milling around and conversing- some I recognised from Infiltration Corps, but others I did not...I was glad to see at least some of the standard ROOT soldiers didn't hole themselves away.

My room was grey and basic and lacked everything but a bed, table and lamp. There was no window, and I could see a damp crack in the ceiling. No expense spared here...

Considering I had just spent a week alone in a grey room, the last thing I wanted to do was spend any more time in another...but for the first time in my life I felt lost and without focus. After everything, this was just a big anticlimax...I had just left one form of prison for another...and somehow went from a life of no freedom to one with even less.

Without anything else to do, I curled up unto a ball and fell asleep on top of the bed. I didn't cry...I think was was beyond that.

"Erena, wake up." I stirred when I felt I light tapping on my shoulder. I opened my bleary eyes, and blinked a few times to focus them.

"Shikaku?" I whispered, without even getting up.

He gave me a gentle and concerned smile. "Come on, we're going home," he said. I frowned slightly, too tired to understand. What home? He clearly sensed my confusion and fatigue as he wasted no time to bundle me in his arms and walked out the door. He made me feel safer than I have in years, and I was so tired I couldn't even bother to protest, and just lay my head on his chest, closing my eyes.

He must have been walking for quite a while, but I wasn't aware of much. Eventually I felt his stop walking.

"Is that Erena? I was not aware she had been release from questioning...is she alright?" I heard Fugaku's voice somewhere through the fog.

"She was only released this afternoon... I think she's alright, just exhausted."

"I'm glad to see she has been released. My son will be pleased to hear, he has been beside himself. I half suspect he was planning to break in soon," he chuckled. A small part of my brain registered Fugaku made a joke, and wanted to congratulate him. Another part registered Itachi was worried about me. "If you need anything from us, let me know."

"Thank you, I appreciate it...I think she may need some time to readjust, but I'm sure she wouldn't refuse seeing Itachi, and Shisui. Tell them to stop by in a few days."

"Thank you, I will...although I suspect only Itachi will respond. Unfortunately Shisui will likely claim to be indisposed."

"Claim to be?" I heard a quizzical lilt to Shikaku's voice.

"Hn. I will not go into detail, but he has conducted himself in a poor manner. He has since been informed of the severity of his misunderstanding, and is not taking it well. He may be a Jounin, but he is still a boy who is finding it difficult to come to terms with the complicated nature of things. I believe the correct term is 'sulking'"

Shikaku snorted, and the action jostled me slightly. I turned my head further into his chest, as thought this would stop it. "Well, he better stop sulking soon, because Erena's going to need her friends...I think we should go before sleeping beauty here wakes up...she'll be mortified I'm carrying her around like this, and I'll never hear the end of it."

I'm guessing Fugaku must have given His trademark nod in reply, as no other words were exchanged.

It wasn't long after, until I recognised the sounds of us entering a house, and then I was placed only a soft bed, covered lain on top. I felt Shikaku's hand on my head briefly before it was removed, and footsteps retreated.

"Uncle Shikaku?" I mumbled.

"Yes, Erena?"

"Love you."

I heard a gentle huff. "I love you too, Erena."

I fell back asleep, feeling lighter than before.

Notes:

And thus ends the Shadows arc.

Next up: Bonds arc!
I have so many plans for this one...all your questions about Shisui and his behaviour will be answered, and we'll be introduced (and reintroduced) to some other major canon characters.

Enjoy!

Chapter 21: Bonds arc: part 1

Notes:

Caution: underage drinking. Not glamourised.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

The next few weeks were both interesting and mind numbingly boring.

I was called to a ridiculous amount of meetings with higher ups about ROOT. Despite my outburst to the Hokage (Shikaku was very unimpressed when he found out, "Filter, Erena...engage your filter!"), somehow I seemed to have inspired a certain amount of interest in my opinion on matters. Inoichi in particular took every opportunity to question me on matters - and even dropped by Shikaku's house a few times (although I feel this was more interest in my 'screwy brain', as he had hinted at least twice he would like to do a mind walk himself).

As they only had personnel reports to use, which were incredibly biased, they asked my opinion on the preliminary evaluations on ROOT members. It was easy with the Infiltration Corps, but main ROOT was a bit trickier. I had advised them Yumi and Kutsu would be of more assistance, but as they still had not managed to remove the curse seals yet, or execute Danzo (seriously, just get on with it), that would be impossible.

I also had to explain to Psyche my method of inspiring initial emotions in ROOT. They were less than impressed with my answer of: "puppies, dango and hugs." I think they were looking for some great psychological breakthrough...not just trying shit out until it gets a smile.

And finally, Danzo was executed in the evening of a very normal day. I knew immediately as the remaining presence of the cursed seal practically evaporated. I was eating dinner at the time and dropped my chopsticks. I looked to Shikaku with wide eyes in questioning...he just looked at me, grinned and nodded. We continued eating our food without saying anything more about it.

A part of me wished I had been given the opportunity to speak to him for closure, but I wasn't particular saddened by it. Shikaku guaranteed he knew I was behind everything, so that was enough for me.

ROOT integration was soon flying after that. About a quarter of the forces required more in depth psychological counselling and were admitted to the Psyche facility more long term (I was actually surprised it wasn't more). The younger ones, children under ten, were taken to the orphanage - however carefully managed (I reviewed the plans myself and was satisfied). Due to Danzo's 'Buddy system', some older ROOT members requested be become guardians for their 'little brothers or sisters' - I advised them to allow this, as breaking bonds could have disastrous set backs. The clan members (how Danzo managed to get a hold of Aburame, Yamanaka and a Nara I'll never know), were taken back into the fold.

Several members decided to pursue a civilian way of life, including a few members of the Corps. I was happy for them, and totally understood their choice.

Of the others, some wished to join ANBU, and others enter the main Shinobi forces. Everyone remaining was assessed on skills and given appropriate ranks - the majority were either Tokubetsu Jounin or Jounin, to no surprise. Yumi, the kindhearted soul he is, wished to become a medic nin. I couldn't think of anything more perfect. Kutsu was fervent about not joining ANBU, but couldn't decide on a role. Shikaku offered him a 'rotating internship' within the Jounin ranks, to help find his feet. Eventually he settled on a role in logistics, which suited his talent for organisation and paperwork (although I also think he chose a role that was primarily in village to stay close to Yumi and I).

And then there was me...no one had spoken to me or approached me yet about what I wanted, or where I fit in with the ranks. I suppose I had been kept busy with assisting in the assimilation of ROOT, but it made me feel uneasy. Before now, every choice had been made for me by Danzo, and I was afraid the same would happen again. I had pledged loyalty to the village, and knew that came with accepting whatever orders I was given. I guess I would just take it as it comes.

One of my main little rays of light through everything was Itachi. The day after my release, he came barrelling around to Shikaku's house, practically demanding to see me (in his own polite way). Yoshino had refused (I was taking a nap with Shikamaru at the time - he seemed to think he had a new napping ally, and as Yoshino didn't nag me to get up, he saw an opportunity and took it), but Itachi was relentless. He came over nearly every couple of hours for three days (didn't he have a job?), until Yoshino finally gave in, grabbed him by the collar and practically threw him into my room (Gremlin Itachi strikes again).

Now, I hadn't actually told her I didn't want to see him, but I was feeling a little nervous about our conversation and had wanted to leave it until things were more stable. But Itachi had zero patience and zero chill.

"Itachi? Wow, you're a brave man. I'm not sure I'd even want to piss Yoshino off...she's scary," I said quietly, a little anxious with his sudden presence. I had been sitting on the edge of my bed reading one of Yoshino's novels, and didn't expect an Uchiha to literally drop in.

Without saying anything, he walked over, sat beside me and wrapped me in a huge hug. "You are an absolute idiot, Erena," he whispered. A laugh erupted.

"You know, you're the only person to actually say that to me. Everyone else has been walking on hot coals around me," I leaned into him, smiling.

"In no world would I ever be afraid of you. Scared for you, yes, but I know you too well to think you would ever hurt me."

And just like that, it was like a weight had been lifted. I didn't deserve his level of trust, and had done nothing to warrant it.

I gave him a sly look. "I don't know, sometimes you need a good whack on the head- and you know I'm not exactly gentle."

He smirked. "We both know you couldn't hit me if I didn't want you to."

And just like that I pounced in faux attack, pining him down before attempting to throw him off the bed. It was all fun and games until he played dirty and kicked me in the shin. "Fucking Uchiha bastard!" I yelped, cradling my leg - that was going to bruise.

"You'll get over it," he said smugly. Oh you just wait...I gave him a scathing look before huffing and turning away from him.

He shuffled over to me and hugged me again, more gentle this time.

"Why didn't you tell us? We would have helped," he whispered.

I sighed, "I know...but that was the problem. It was bigger than us, and I couldn't get you two hurt. There's a lot I've done and a lot I regret, but I would have never forgiven myself if anything had ever happened to you."

"But that doesn't mean you take it all on yourself...I don't know everything, but I know you took on too many risks. And what about how we feel? If anything happened to you we would have been devastated."

"They were necessary risks. And it's fine. It all worked out."

"That's not the point, Erena, and you know it."

I shrugged. "It is what it is."

It was his turn to sigh now. "Okay, but in future, at least tell us if you are being held hostage by some sadistic underground operation? Or about to commit treason? Maybe we'll want to help out."

I snorted. "As if you'd willingly commit treason. You're such a goodie two shoes."

He looked pensive. "Maybe it was closer than you thought."

I looked at him strangely and tilted my head, and thought for a moment. "The coup?"

His eyebrows rose up. "How did you..? Why do I even bother asking." He seemed exasperated.

"What did your father tell you?"

He frowned. "Not much...just that you were involved in some way. But now, with Danzo's demise and schemes discovered, the clan is united with the village in a way we never have been."

"Nothing unites people more than a common enemy," I smiled.

"But it's more than that, isn't it? You became close to my father- he respects you. And he doesn't give respect easily. He told me we owed you more than he could give...but I don't even know what that means."

I could have deflected, and almost did. But if I was going to try and trust people more, Itachi was a good place to start.

I sat on the bed against the wall, and he followed suit. "I can't tell you much about my time with Danzo, I'm not allowed," I said. "But..." urgh this was hard! "With what you know about me, what do you think is my best skill?"

He considered. "Well...if the rumours are true, that would be Fuuinjutsu. So much for not practicing it any more?"

I waved my hand dismissively. "Fuuinjutsu is more of a hobby really...but no. My talent is people."

Itachi snorted. "You are about as good with people as my father, except you piss them off in different ways."

"Rude! But also not what I meant...my talent is manipulating people. Their thoughts, perceptions, opinions...and I don't need to be a Yamanaka with creepy mind control tricks to do it."

Itachi stilled. "What do you mean?"

I smiled. "Noticed any difference in the villages opinion of the Uchiha lately? Things maybe a bit friendlier? Less tension on both sides?"

"But how is that possible?" He seemed shocked.

"Words and simple actions can be more powerful than you can imagine."

"But if that's true...then the Uchiha Coup... you were the one to stop it?"

I shrugged. "The village just needed a nudge. I provided it."

I was smothered again. "I don't know how to thank you enough."

"Letting me breathe would be a good start!"

He released me. "But if that's true...god we were idiots. After the incident on the training grounds, I convinced Shisui we had to stop contact with you, in case you were caught in the crossfire, but you must have known about it?"

"Yup. The same day you spoke to me, I had already approached your father as his cooperation was vital. It's cool, though."

"But how did you know it would work?"

"Pfft. What do you take me for? It's not exactly my first time. If you even suspected foul play, then I'm doing my job wrong."

"But what do you have to gain from all of these games? I don't understand."

I poked him on the shoulder hard and grinned. "What happened to that little boy in the library, scurrying around trying to make sense of the violence he had witnessed on the fields of war? If he were here in front of me, what would he think? What was his dream?"

"He wanted a world without war. Peace, without fighting," Itachi whispered, and looked at me with big eyes.

"And wouldn't that be something?" I smiled.

After that, it was like when we were kids again. The jokes, the laughing. There weren't many secrets between us (I spilled the beans of a lot of things), and it was just nice.

After the investigations calmed down, and the ROOT integration was under way, the needs in my time settled and I found myself with too much time on my hands. Itachi still had his missions, so it's not like I could annoy him all the time. I still hadn't seen hide nor hair of Shisui, and when I questioned Itachi he would evade the question. I made it clear to him that I wasn't angry or upset at all, but he said he had already let him know and wouldn't discuss it any more.

I asked Shikaku if he had any idea about what the Hokages plans for me were. He seemed surprised it wasn't already sorted, as with everyone else. Sadly, he had no idea, and suspected he wouldn't be included in the discussions. He'd already made his preference known (Intelligence). It also confirmed my suspicions that I wasn't getting a choice, like everyone else.

So with nothing to do, I often found myself wandering around Konoha (people watching), going to the library and developing seals. I made sure not to practice fuuinjutsu in the open, as who knows who might be watching me. I would be a fool to think I wasn't being monitored.

Since the Time Bubble and Time Master seals, I also perfected the individual time speederuperer...I had always liked the idea of Minatos Hiraishin, and wanted something of my own. The Time Flicker seal (because it was kind of like the body flicker, but increasing time instead of speed) was placed at the crook of my other arm...I still couldn't figure out the whole aging thing, but I figured it would be useful to have-I just had to be careful how I used it.

I also produced some really fun seals too, but they were more for Shisui if he didn't take his head out of his ass soon. Even if he wanted to end our friendship fully, he would have at least told Itachi...and because he hadn't, I figured he just needed more time.

When in the library one day, I found a new addition to the regulars. He was holed up in the Jounin section, a pile of scrolls littered (thrown) around, mumbling to himself and constantly scratching his chin. He was a shinobi with wild white hair - you didn't need to be an intelligence expert to know this was Jiraiya of the Sannin. A renowned seal master and spy master...I was intrigued...

I considered my appearance for a moment...female, fourteen years old, and civilian clothing. Doable.

"Oh hi there mister! Watcha doing?" I squeaked, with a little shrill to my voice and a wide smile. "Sorry. I got bored doing homework! And you looked sad so I wanted to come cheer you up!What's that? That's pretty! Are you an artist? I'm pretty good too, want to see?" I started to fuss around my bag, looking for the non existent picture. From the corner of my eye, I could see a copy of the Time Bubble seal I had left in Kakashi's possession during the Tower incident. So I'm guess he was called in to decipher it...and judging by the subjects of the scrolls around him, he wasn't going to have much luck.

"Kid, scram! I'm a very busy and important shinobi. Take your games elsewhere!" he boomed at me. There were a hushing noise in the distance.

"Wow, no need to be so rude, Shinobi-san! I was just being nice."

"No, you were just being annoying. Shoo!" He didn't even look at me and focused on the work in front of him. I made a dramatic huff and stomped off. I made my way back to my usual table to find Itachi waiting for me.

"Why do you look so pleased with yourself? It worries me."

I grinned. "Want to get something to eat? I think I'm going to be busy later."

As I expected, I was summoned to the Hokage tower in the early evening. When I arrived, I was told to head straight through. From the outside of the doors, I could sense two people (plus ANBU) inside...and one of them was Jiraiya (I recognised his chakra signature, it was pretty distinctive).

Before opening doors, I channeled chakra into the Time Flicker seal on my arm to activate it (it would literally take me ten seconds, so it was worth the reaction). I entered the room, closed the door and sat down beside Jiraiya before deactivating.

"Oh hi there mister! Watcha doing here?" I grinned at him.

He jumped in the air, startled, while the Hokage just gave me an exasperated look. "I understand you've met then?"

I dropped the act, talking high pitched all the time hurt the throat. "Absolutely, Hiruzen, we go wayyyyyy back."

"What? How did you? When did you?" Jiraiya blinked. "You know Hiraishin no jutsu?"

"Do I look like I have a blade in my hand? How stupid do you think I'd be to bring a weapon in here?"

"Erena, don't provoke Jiraiya, please," the Hokage asked.

"But I haven't even started!" I whined. The Hokage had gotten used to my various methods of entertainment over the last few weeks, and had no appreciation. "You're no fun."

"I apologise. I would hate to be known as 'boring'...Maybe next time I'll let you loose on a foreign nobleman."

My eyes lit up. "You promise?"

He chuckled. "We'll see. Now, proper introduction I think? Jiraiya, this is Nakahara Erena." Jiraiyas eyebrows rose, I'm guessing he was already briefed. "And Erena, this is Jiraiya. I asked him to return, we required more information on the seal you produced...as you have not been very forthcoming." I could feel the subtle scolding from here.

"Her? She can't be the producer of this...she's must be like twelve!"

"Hey! I resemble that resemble that remark!" I said in faux annoyance...I was short so I couldn't really argue. "I did tell you I was an artist. Just because you old men can't figure it out, doesn't mean us little whipper snappers aren't capable. I'm a bad ass bitch."

"Then what does it do?"

"Seriously? You're a Master of Fuuinjutsu...what do you think it does?" He narrowed his eyes at me. "No, seriously...tell me what you think. If you're even a little bit close, I'll push you in the right direction. This is getting boring now."

Out of the corner of my eyes I could see the Hokage looking smug. He thought he has won...he really didn't understand the game.

"I'm guessing there's some kind of paralysis inducing jutsu...not unlike the Nara Shadow Bind, but for the mind as well as the body. There is some mention of velocity, so it increased your speed...almost like the body flicker."

I snorted. "Really? That's it? So basic."

"So what's incorrect?"

"There wasn't really a single incorrect thing," I replied, and he started to smile. "It's more that everything was an incorrect thing." The smile dropped. "Okay, I'll give you two clues, then come back to me. First: I didn't speed up at all. Second: check your clocks."

"Why speak in riddles? Why don't you just explain it?"

"I'm not speaking in riddles, but now you mention it I do know a good one! I am not alive, but I-"

"Erena, please stick to the topic at hand," the Hokage said. "While we have asked you here to explain the seal that was used, it is also an attempt to gauge your skill. While you claim to be the author, we require verification, You see, with Jiraiya travelling, we are in need of a Fuuinjutsu specialist within Konoha. And my hope of that would be you, should you prove yourself."

Oh hell, he had me there. It was one of the roles I had been hoping for, but also dreading. While it kept me away from combat, I could be pigeon holed and stuck in an office. And while fuuinjutsu was fun, there's only so many squiggles and swirls you can make before you get bored.

"Okay, fine. I'll explain it - but that doesn't mean that you will be able to, or even should, try to reproduce. And if you are still thinking of offering me the role, I also have a counter offer, if you're open to listening?"

"Very well."

It took about two hours to explain the seal in detail to Jiraiya. Every so often he would interject with questions, and once to explain my understanding of physics was incorrect (it's funny how old men who think they know better than young females act the same no matter what the universe), until I shot him down.

"But if it stills time, how did you move within? You should have been trapped within the field?"

I smiled. "Correct. And that's why reproducing it will help no one...unless you are willing to have a potentially unstable, body clock altering seal tattooed on your body, that is."

He turned to look me in the eyes, aghast. "But if something went wrong, the results would be catastrophic!"

I shrugged. "Desperate times. I was on a literal time crunch."

He shook his head. "I'm not sure what could have been worth that...you could have died...or worse."

"Like rapid aging and turning into a mummified corpse before crumbling into dust? I know...still beats letting the leather-faced cockwomble rip my best friends eyes from his head." I swear I heard a sharp intake of breath from the rafters. ANBU these days, show some decorum. "And anyway, getting rid of that weapons-grade mop-headed shit stain would have worth every wrinkle."

Jiraiya started laughing. "You're actually insane. Before I just thought you were a cocky teenager, but you're actually mentally unstable...Hiruzen, I like her. Let's keep her."

"...erm...thanks?" I'm sure that was actually an insult.

The Hokage chuckled. "Well, I think that's enough for the evening, don't you think? Let's recommence this tomorrow, shall we say noon? We still have a lot to discuss, and unfortunately I'm not as young as I once was."

"...you were young? When, prehistoric times?"

Jiraiya laughed again. "Come on, I'm exhausted after that. Let's go to the bar! I want to hear about your escapades in espionage, I'm sure you have stories to tell!"

"Jiraiya...I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm actually fourteen? I might be able to confound you in fuuinjutsu, but drinking is not exactly legal." I deadpanned.

"Ho! Don't be stupid! You could do with losing a few brain cells! And besides, how many people get to boast about drinking with the Legendary Jiraiya!"

"Not the sane ones," I muttered, as he practically pushed me out the door.

"Then it's a good think you don't fit into that category!"

Sake was disgusting. It was disgusting and burned and why did people touch the foul stuff? I had only had a three cups, or seven? Anyway, I didn't cope with alcohol well. I should have just said no, but my curiosity got the better of me, and you know the saying curiosity killed the cat? Well, I'm not a cat but the saying still holds.

I decided to call it a night when I sat down on the toilet and almost fell over. I was spinning even though I wasn't spinning and I think I felt sick? Or was that just the spinning? Either way, home was a good idea. Yoshino would shout at me, Shikaku would laugh and then I could sleep. It was a very good idea.

I walked out of the bathroom with as much poise as I could manage...Jiraiya talking to some woman at the bar...yea, not getting involved, not saying goodbye. I'd see him tomorrow.

The cold air hit me as I walked outside. Was it winter? I couldn't remember it being winter...or was it because I didn't have a coat? I didn't even remember taking a coat. Didn't matter - the quicker I walked the better. The bar was at least a thirty minute walk and I think it was that way? Yes, it's that way.

I started walking down the street, and seemed to be making good headway. I'd be home before I knew it. Putting feet one in front of the other was getting difficult and HOLY SHIT WAS THAT A RAT?

I jumped and fell over only my back. It didn't hurt, but getting straight back up seemed like a bad idea, so I lay on my back for a minute, closed my eyes and concentrated on trying to get the spinning to stop.

"Erena!" I heard a worried voice shout, then felt hand touching the pulse on my neck. I whacked them away.

"Stop. Not dead. Shhh!" I mumbled.

"Erena, did you just shush me?" the voice asked. I opened one eye and saw Shisui. SHISUI!

"Shisui!" I sat up quickly (too quickly) and grabbed him in a hug.

"Erena, what? Are you drunk?"

"I'm not drunk, you're drunk!" I argued, pulling back and looking at him properly for the first time in months. His hair was really quite pretty, especially for an Uchiha, I wanted to feel it.

He grabbed my hand before it made contact with the curls. "Are you okay? Are you sure you're just drunk? Could anyone have poisoned you? You don't seem yourself."

"I'm fine! Really fine. Jiraiyas just an irresponsible adult and I was stupid and now I want to go home. I think it's that way?" I pointed. "I'm going, let's go!" I stumbled on getting up, but thankfully he caught me by the arm to steady me. I beamed at him.

"Alright, let's get you home. Lean on me?" He grabbed me tightly at the waist. "You know, I always thought you'd be the one doing this for me first."

"Yea, well...my stupid decisions are way stupider than your stupid decisions. My life is the definition of stupid decisions. Maybe I should just stop making decisions? Like in ROOT, you couldn't make stupid decisions because you couldn't make decisions. Kinda makes sense now. Except the torture and the brainwashing and the evilness...no it actually makes no sense. I'm just being stupid again."

His grip tightened on me slightly, but I noticed it. "You're right, ROOT made no sense." He whispered.

"I mean, right? Like, who does that? I wish I had gone with my original plan, it would have crushed him. Did you know I was planning to take full control of ROOT? Turn all of of his little puppets against him then BAM. Screw you Danzo! It would have been so beautiful."

"I'm sure if would have been...listen, Erena...I know it's not the best time to say this, as you probably won't even remember it in the morning...maybe that's why I'm doing it? Anyway, I'm so sorry, for everything. I've been the worst friend. I abandoned you and hurt you. I feel stupid, I should have seen something sooner. When it were Hibari, you seemed so 'off', and there were so many hints but I didn't want to see them. I have never felt so disgusted in myself, and now I know everything you've done, I just don't think I have the right to be your friend anymore. I've let you down, and I don't deserve you."

I whipped around to look at him with a look of extreme confusion on my face. "No...no thank you. That's just silly."

"No thank you?" Now he seemed confused.

"No thank you." I nodded in agreement. "Everything there was just silly. You're not a bad friend, I am. I let you believe I was the worst...like actually the worst. You didn't see it because I didn't want you to, and I'm verrrryyyyy good at my job. Did you know the Raikage owes me money? And there's some missing nin out there that thinks I'm his illegitimate daughter? If they didn't stand a chance, what hope did you...and I'm really really sorry."

"What for?"

"I'm going to throw up." He grabbed me and directed me to the corner of the street, with perfect timing as I immediately emptied the contents of my stomach. As soon as I finished, I almost collapsed before he lifted me up. He seemed to be catching me a lot.

"Alright, let's get you home." He jostled me into a more secure position.

"No shunshin. Please no shunshin..."

He chuckled. "I've just seen you vomit once, I have no interest in seeing it again, thank you."

"Mmmm good...but Shisui? No more silly talk. We're gonna talk tomorrow properly. I'm gonna be hungover, and you're going to make fun of me and we'll leave this depressing shit at the door, okay?"

"Okay Erena. Whatever you want."

"...Does that mean if I want dango just now you'll get it for me?"

"Don't push it."

I woke up in the morning and I regretted every moment.

Why did people choose to drink?

I've had head injuries that were kinder than this. I hated Jiraiya so much.

Whilst my head hurt, it was only going to feel worse when Yoshino got a hold of me. I vaguely remembered her reaction when Shisui dropped me home and it wasn't pleasant. Mind made up, I quickly changed and stuck out my window. Childish, yes, but necessary.

I went to a nearby park and sat near the water against a shaded tree. I was supposed to meet Shisui there soon, as we were going to chat before my meeting with the Hokage and Jiraiya. Until he came, a quick nap sounded more than ideal. I had only just closed my eyes, when I felt a strange presence. I could feel the movement in the air as a hand came towards me, and even with my eyes clothes, I instinctively grabbed the wrist.

I opened my eyes to find a child with a pen in his hands...was he going to write on my face? The audacity... but then I look in a set of wide baby blue eyes and a horribly familiar shade of blond hair.

My face paled.

When the fuck had Minato reproduced?

Notes:

Erenas little drunken scene is one I've had planned for a while, and had a lot of fun writing it. Jiraiya is a very bad influence.

I may do a little short story with Shisui's POV of the Danzo saga one day (once I finish the story) - let's just say him finding her here wasn't exactly coincidence!

Chapter 22: Bonds arc: part 2

Chapter Text

A year ago, if you had told me that I'd be fourteen, hungover, napping in the park and catching Minato's freaking son as he tried to draw on my face, I'd have said you were crazy.

Yet here we are.

The boy couldn't have been anything other than Minato's son. I mean, just look at him! And not only that, he was the Kyuubi jinchuriki. What the fuck were they thinking?

I could see it now: goddamn selfless Minato's sacrificing himself and his son for the good of the village, and then they practically abandon the child...this child had clearly been neglected. For seven, he was a little short, his clothes were shabby and had nothing in the realm of adult supervision around. Okay, at seven, I was wandering around by myself, or with the boys, but who would let the jinchuriki out alone?

I was aware of other villages attitudes to the jinchuriki, and knew Konoha was very much the same. In ROOT, we were aware there was one in the village, but we were told to avoid interaction unless necessary. While parental supervision was lacking, he was monitored by ANBU at all times.

Oh yea. Remembering this, I dropped his wrist before one dropped down and stabbed me.

"Hey lady! That hurt, dattebayo!" He said, grabbing his wrist and rubbing it.

"Ah, my apologies. Although next time, I'd advise not sneaking up on sleeping shinobi - it's a dangerous game."

His eyes widened. "No way! Are you a ninja? But you're a girl! You don't look like one! You know, I'm going to be a ninja! Jiji said I can go to the Academy next year! I'm going to be the best ninja there ever was!"

Dear sweet god, did no one tell this boy about volume controls? My head could not cope.

"Really, that's a super cool story," I tried to be enthusiastic but I was failing. "But you know the main trick with ninja? We have to be super sneaky and quiet...think you can do that?"

"I can be sneaky! And quiet!"

No. No you could not. I sighed. "But then how did I catch you with the pen to my face? And drawing on strangers? That's like the lamest prank ever."

His eyes widened in shock. "No it's not, it's super funny! And I can do much better pranks, you just watch dattebayo!"

"But I could have been really mad at you, that wouldn't have been good at all!"

"It's okay, I run really fast!"

Good Lord, he had no sense of self preservation. In a world where Jinchuriki are distrusted and hated, someone let this child become an annoying public menace? And didn't even teach him consequences. Considering the work I had already put into Killer B and Gaara's reputations, there's no way I'd let Minato's son be subject to the same stupid prejudice they were, and in my own village none the less.

"Nope. Unacceptable." I said, and the kid furrowed his brows. "Tomorrow, we're meeting right here and I'm going to show you the ropes. Pranking isn't just slap-dash. And if you get caught and have to run away, you're doing it wrong."

"Hey, I'm plenty good lady!"

"Maybe, but I'm better." I ruffled his hair. "Little green headed boys like you stand out a mile away."

"WHAT! I don't have green hair! You're crazy, lady!"

"Really, might want to check that." I smirk and gestured you his head. When I ruffled his hair, I placed a hair colour altering seal on...not dissimilar to what I had done with Minato years ago. I had actually made it to annoy Shisui, but needs must.

He tried to look up, and pulled a strand of his hair to over his eyes. He went all cross eyed trying to look. "Ehhhh!?" He looked at me and I tilted my head. "How'd you do that!?"

"Come tomorrow and you'll find out." I crossed my arms.

He squinted his eyes and me and I could practically see the cogs working in his brain. "Deal!" He stuck his hand out to me, offering a handshake. I took it.

"Good, now scram! And stay out of trouble until tomorrow-I have plans...hey, and what's your name anyway?"

"It's Uzumaki Naruto, dattebayo! Don't forget it! I'll be Hokage one day!"

"I'm sure you will," I smiled as he ran off, green hair bouncing.

With Naruto (Naruto? Seriously? What time of ramen loving freak did Minato knock up? And an Uzumaki? That held potential interesting repercussions) gone, I settled into the tree again. I was half dozing off, when I felt a light tap on my shoulder. I opened my eyes to find a sheepish looking Shisui, holding a coffee and some kind of breakfast pastry out to me.

"Oh my god, gimme!" I lunged for the treats. He sat down beside me.

"So, how bad are you feeling, on a scale of one to ten?"

"A solid seven. I'm plotting Jiraiyas demise as we speak." I took a sip of the coffee.

"You know, I do feel a little of this was at least partially self inflicted. There is no pity - especially as you nearly vomited on me last night."

"As if Shunshin Shisui couldn't have moved out of the way of a little vomit. And I gave you plenty warning, so pipe down."

"Still, I'd prefer it if this wasn't a regular occurrence, okay?" He gave me a concerned look.

"Lesson learned, hangover gets a zero out of ten, do not recommend."

"Glad to hear it," he sighed. "Now, what do you remember from last night?"

I snorted, "Like, all of our chat? Like I said, it's cool. No need to repeat ourselves. I may have been wasted but I still meant everything I said."

"But I was awful to you! After everything you've been through, and I practically rubbed salt on the wound. Fugaku told me everything about your involvement in the coup...and then what you said yesterday in the Hokage's office about Danzo's plan for me-"

"I knew it! You were the ANBU in the rafters! You really need to work on that, by the way. Getting noticed is very bad form."

"I just overheard some dick wanted to pluck my eyes out, how do you think I'd react?"

"But it was all part of the investigation? It's in there," I said, confused.

He sighed. "After my...reaction in the ROOT base, Kakashi and Fugaku made sure I was pulled from any further discussions. They said I was emotionally compromised."

"Ah...sucks man. So does that mean you haven't read my file...?" I asked, with a bit of hope. I'd gone through some rough shit, but didn't want Itachi and Shisui to know everything. I'd hate if they changed the way they looked at me too much.

"Nothing other than what you showed us in the file."

I sighed in relief. "Well, I can't say I'm disappointed...not really the kind of stuff you want passed around, you know?"

"But Erena...why didn't you tell us?"

"Itachi asked the same. The truth is I didn't want to get you involved, get hurt...the risks were too high. When Danzo explained his plan for you, I lost my shit. The stress of the three days of planning and creating those fucking seals was insane. I don't think I could have handled any more."

"...Three days? That took you three days?" He seemed shocked.

"Well, technically two, but a girls got to sleep sometime, you know?"

Shisui shook his head. "I don't think you realise how ridiculous you are."

I shrugged, "Sometimes I just wish I was normal...I think it would be a lot less traumatic."

He gave me a light hug, "Ridiculous or not, what you've gone through shouldn't have happened...but now it's up to the rest of us to make sure you're safe."

"As if. That's practically a full time job."

"We'll job share...now, I do have one question for you though?"

I frowned. "Go on?"

"Since when were you such a creepy bitch? Between your Killing Intent and the whole gross bone healing shit...your creep factor is off the charts."

I take it back. I haven't missed Shisui at all.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Why am I friends with you again?"

"What? I'm impressed! Imagine doing that out in the field, you'd send your enemies crying home to their mothers!"

"That's the whole point. Show them your inner thoughts, scare the crap out of them, no fighting. Everyone wins."

"Inner thoughts? I thought that was a genjutsu?" He looked concerned.

"No trace of an illusion about that, Shisui. That Killing Intent was one hundred percent authentic. That's what you get with years of pent up emotions."

"You feel that?"

I gave a dismissive wave. "A result of ROOTs special brand of psychological torture. It's not like a feel it right now. All I currently got is profound regret and a smish of nausea. That would only make for a very confusing Killing Intent."

He seemed stunned. "Erena...I can't even begin to imagine what you could have gone through to feel...that...I-"

"Nope!" I stood up and crossed my arms. "None of that. Let's just leave our feelings at the door. If I wasn't feeling so awful, I'd kick your butt in a spar, so your just going to have to take a rain check."

"Kick my butt in a spar? Methinks you overestimate yourself slightly," he got up and brushed himself down. "We both know in a fair fight, I'd win."

I grinned. "Yes. But you forget, I don't fight fair."

When I made my way up to the Hokages office, I felt almost human again.. upon entering, the Hokage was alone. There were two seat present, so I'm guessing Jiraiya was simply late (I secretly hoped he was dead in a gutter, but I was never that lucky).

"Ah, Erena. Welcome! I trust you survived last nights activities?" His eyes sparkled. Oh, he knew everything.

"Fortunately, although it was a close call. I might not make it to tomorrow, once Yoshino get a hold of me, though."

He chuckled. "Always fear the matriarch."

"No shit."

He paused for a second. "Now, before Jiraiya stumbles in, I need to discuss something with you - "

"If this is about Naruto, save it," I said through gritted teeth.

"Excuse me?" He looked angry for the first time since I met him. It's amazing how everyone has a limit, and it looks like Naruto was his. He clearly cared, even if it were just because he was the Jinchuriki, and I could work with that.

"Look, just answer me one question honestly, okay?" His eyes narrowed but he nodded. "Why the fuck is Minato's son, the villages Jinchuriki, been left abandoned and neglected, with no emotional, social or moral guidance, in a village that hates him? Do you know how fricking dangerous that is? You're lucky I have full confidence in Minato's sealing or you'd have a very unstable Jinchuriki on your hand...and to be honest, it could still happen...he's basically a ticking time bomb."

The Hokage sighed. "Another one of my mistakes. I hoped to give him even a whisper of a childhood, but despite my efforts the village are set in their ways. They are not allowed to discuss his status - and his true parentage is a closely guarded secret, only a select few know. I try to give him as much support as I can, but unfortunately I am limited by the Hat."

I scoffed. "Well that's the biggest crock of bullshit I've ever heard. You can do whatever you want, that's the point."

"Unfortunately politics if not that simple."

"Sure it is. It's just a game - you've just got to be the smarter player. Listen, I can tell you actually care about the kid, and genuinely regret some terrible choices...I guess you do have a heart after all." He gave me a dry look. "But let me at him - fully supervised and all - and I'll help him. I'll give him a support network, teach him manners, and within a year or two, improve the villages perception of him. I can't fix it - that's up to him - but I can give him a chance."

"And what makes you think you'll succeed?"

"I have a proven track record. And I never make promises I can't keep."

He considered me for a moment. "I will accept, but with certain caveats." I nodded. "The secrecy laws still hold - you will not tell him anything. Every meeting will be fully monitored and there will be an intervention if necessary. And you are not to attempt to even look at his seal...do you understand?"

"Loud and clear, boss!" I saluted. "Basically: lie to the orphan about his parents, beware the voyeurs, and 'if it ain't broken don't fix it.'"

"I'm going to regret this, aren't I?" He muttered to himself, shaking his head.

"Nah, I have a one hundred satisfaction rate. I'd give you references, but that defeats the point of what I achieve."

"To change the minds of the masses...you are a dangerous kunoichi, aren't you?"

"Not really...my aim isn't murder and mayhem. Only then would you need to be worried."

"Hmmmm..." he said looking sceptical. "As Jiraiya is not here, I believe we should continue regardless. Based on previous experience, if he's not here by now, he likely won't surface until late this evening. And unfortunately I have a schedule to keep."

I shrugged, but a part of me was gleeful. A painful Jiraiya made for a happy Erena.

"Now, you know my proposal - for you to become the villages Seals Mistress. You will have full autonomy, however will have certain quotas to adhere to. Following our discussion yesterday, use of your Time Bubble will be prohibited by others, however you may do so when given direction. While in employment, any seals developed will remain property of Konoha."

I suspected as much. Basically, I'd be at their beck and call, and the village would financially profit from my talent. It also tied me to the village - except whatever salary I negotiated, I was unable to financially profit...which was now most of those within fuuinjutsu made a living.

I screwed my face up. "Sorry, but no thanks?" This was awkward. "I have plans, and I can't just be a seal producing monkey for the rest of my life. That kind of life would destroy me...but I hope my alternative suggestion should be decent." He eyed with interest. "I'd still produce seals- just me what you need any their yours- but I can offer you something else...tell me, what would you prefer your legacy to be? The God of Shinobi who let his student and friend commit atrocities within his village, or the God of Shinobi who helped forge peace throughout the Elemental Nations?"

His eyebrows shot up...I had him with only two simple questions. I knew he was thinking about our last conversation, so it didn't take a genius to see where this was going.

"Right now, the clans are more unified than even during the villages inception. And without going into detail, that was all me...and I managed that within ROOT. Imagine what I could do outside of it. Now, I'm sure Hiashi has spilled the beans of our first encounter?" Sandaime nodded. "What should have been a political disaster turned into a peace treaty with one of our greatest enemies. What if I could promise you two more major treaties within the year, and the rest to fall like dominoes?"

"I would say that you require a more thorough psychological examination."

"Well, I'm not going to argue that," I laughed. It was true. "But, as I said, I don't make promises I can't keep."

"And who, exactly, would these treaties be with?"

I grinned ferally. "Mist and Sand."

His eyes widened. "That is impossible."

"Not at all. It's easy when you know how."

"If you could achieve this, it would be unprecedented. War would become a thing of the past."

I gave him a soft smile. "Treaties can be made, but they can also be broken. I can give you peace on a platter, but how you use it is up to you. If you can't look after it, then I won't find it for you."

"But what about Iwa? They will never agree to it. And without them, the threat of war if still alive."

I shrugged. "Iwa will never treaty with Konoha directly, correct. But they will to our other allies...once Mist and Sand are on board, Iwa will be feeling vulnerable and reach out to one of the others. And once that happens, the game stops."

"There is too much conjecture there."

"The proof is in the pudding."

"Say you can do this...what would you gain?"

"Nothing. I want nothing, and I'll ask for nothing."

He seemed to be considering his options...which was a lie because he made up his mind at the beginning. And people say I'm dramatic.

"I accept."

I rolled my eyes. As if you were ever going to decline.

The next few days were spent hashing out the details. Mist was the necessary first, step, but it wasn't a simple one. It wasn't called "Bloody Mist" for a reason, and the reputation of the Mizukage wasn't a great out. Karatachi Yagura, the Yondaime Mizukage, was a little bit mad, in my opinion. The latest rumours were that he had lost his grip on whatever shread of sanity the Jinchuriki had, and had become a savage ruler. He was cruel and craved violence...not exactly the kind of person you'd want a treaty with.

What I needed to gauge is if he was a lost cause, or if his humanity could be teased out if him again. And if not, well...Kage's fall, don't they? The Sandaime hadn't liked my casual approach to removing a Kage from power one bit, but what was he expecting? I don't work with mentally questionable sadist dictators...been there, done that.

I needed all of Konoha's intel on Mist, and I needed to speak to my Infiltration Corps members who were posted there. They were vital to creating an appropriate cover.

I explained I needed one month for intel gathering in Mist (no matter what we had, it wasn't enough. The current state of affairs needed to be assessed), then a further two to four months, depending on the outcome. If I could work with Yagura, fine. If not, setting up a revolution with guaranteed success? A little more time, please.

When I told him this, he interjected and asked who my partner would be.

"Um, I don't play well with others," I said.

"Then we have a problem. I cannot allow a powerful newly rejoined kunoichi run around the continent playing war games without knowing what is going on. And I can guarantee, if I sent you to Mist alone, and without appropriate protection, the consequences would not be worth it."

"Okay, then I'll take someone from Infiltration...easily solved."

"No. While you trust your members, I need more reassurance."

I knew he wasn't going to budge.

"Fine. Give me a selection. Male, Jounin level, no bloodlines." Sending anyone with a bloodline to Mist right now would be suicide if discovered. "Ideally with stealth or espionage experience, but not mandatory. I get to pick. I'll need one month to train them, but if they fail, I get my Infiltration Corps."

The next day I was handed a large pile of files. Thirty to be exact. There were some pretty decent candidates, and I thought I was going to have to go out and assess them all (which would be so boring), until I reached near the bottom.

I threw the file at the Hokage. "This one."

He opened it, and his expression became surprised. "Really? Are you sure you're not sabotaging so you get your Infiltration Corps partner?"

"Nope. Him or no one."

I hoped Maito Gai wasn't very attached to his eyebrows.

Chapter 23: Bonds arc: part 3

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

For all my protesting, I think I secretly liked stress.

Because otherwise, why the fuck did I give myself so much work to do in the space of a month?

Not only did I have to train Gai in the art of infiltration and subterfuge, but I had to come up with a plan (I was totally bullshitting the Hokage that I had it all at hand, but he could never know), get something in place for Naruto while I was away, produce the seals I promised the Hokage, and attempt to rekindle my friendship with the boys - both of them this time.

Why didn't I say I needed three months to train Gai?

I hate my life.

But honestly, it was going to be fine. I was a pro at time management - even if I did recruit some help from Kutsu. He just didn't know why he was compiling information on Mist for me, and didn't ask questions. He gave a subtle eyebrow raise to let me know he was onto me, but said little else. This was why both Yumi and him were my favourites.

And to be honest, the thing with Mist was just going to have to fall together when we were there. There were too many variables and unknowns to bother with making a plan now.

Now, Naruto...I think I loved him. Despite all the crap the village dealt him, he was still a little ray of sunshine, even if he was a little rough around the edges. And I just had to work on smoothing them a little. I would never get him out of pranking and attention seeking, but I guided to more appropriate outlets. He had rules: no permanent damage, no one gets hurt, and if you think they'll get really angry-abandon ship. I also directed most of his energy towards my favourite targets - the police force. I figured I'd have a couple weeks until Fugaku realised my involvement.

I had to fix his lack of education, hygiene and general life skills. Only problem was, it wasn't a quick fix, and I didn't have the time to spare. I also couldn't do it myself - Naruto was a brat, but he wasn't dumb and was bound to get suspicious with my current interest in him.

Therefore, I needed outside help. From someone I knew would likely help...but it wasn't them I really needed to ask.

"Itachi...?" We were sitting in a restaurant for lunch with Shisui. He was ignoring us, and trying to pretend he didn't exist (we were throwing noodles at each other to see if we could catch them in our mouths. He was pretty good at it), but I figured there was no time like the present. "I need to check something with you...it's more of a favour really...oi!" A noodle whacked me in the middle of my face.

"Why does this sound like it's something I won't like?" Itachi looked at me suspiciously.

"Well, I need to ask your mother something, but I figured I should ask you first."

"You know my mother would happily speak with you, you do not need my permission."

"Well, it's not actually about her..."

Shisui's ears perked up. "Oh, this must be good!" Itachi narrowed his eyes at me.

"...it's more about Sasuke?"

Shisui chuckled. "Nice knowing ya! And I thought you were smart!"

There were many facts that hold true in the world: the sky is blue, the grass is green, and Itachi is the most ridiculous mother hen when it comes to his brother. If anyone were to ever threaten him, they would probably disappear without a trace and there would be no evidence of any foul play...and that was just a fact.

"Go on..." Itachi said. Isn't it funny how you could be afraid of your best friend so quickly? I was very close to sweating.

"I wanted to set him up on a play date?"

"And why would you need to ask me first?"

"It's with Naruto?"

His eyes widened. He could see my problem, and why it could be his problem. Naruto was a Jinchuriki, and as such, posed a risk of losing control, plus he was a potential target to interested parties. Should he spend time with Sasuke, it could potentially put him at risk too.

Sasuke wasn't exactly the easiest to deal with - he was incredibly sweet around Itachi and his parents, but otherwise he was a little surly and held everything to a certain standard. From my side, it was perfect for Naruto. Sasuke wouldn't let him get away with shit, and he had manners built into him from birth. They would probably form a friendship based on rivalry - not dissimilar to how Shisui and I started off. Plus it gave access to Mikoto - who I knew would step in as a mother figure of her old friends child, and basically do half my job for me.

"You know what you're asking?" He asked.

"Mmmm hmmm," I replied nervously, almost grimacing.

"...you may speak to my mother. She has final say."

Mikoto didn't even need to think before accepting. She didn't tell me why, but the next time I saw her, she casually suggested I should look at some of her old photo albums. In one picture, I found her with a red-headed woman at her wedding, with the back of Minato's blonde hair in the background...I guess I found my mystery Uzumaki.

(I hoped everything worked out - unfortunately the effects of the play date wouldn't be clear until after I left, so I hoped Mikoto would work her magic in managing them.)

Gai was summoned to the Hokages office for initial introductions. When he arrived, I was already present and waiting for him. He saluted and bowed to the Hokage in a very dramatic manner, and only sat down when indicated.

"Oohhhh, is that what I'm meant to do?" I snorted. "And here I thought you had a more casual approach around here."

"No Erena, what you do is called blatant disrespect." I shrugged. "Anyway, Gai - I would like to introduce you to Nakahara Erena. Tell me, are you aware of her position on the village?"

"No, Hokage-sama! But I do believe we have met, back in our Youth! She was a shining pillar of Strength and Hope!" My eyebrows twitched slightly. I was surprised he even remembered me.

The Hokage raised his eyebrows at me in mild disbelief. "What can I say?" I said. "Things, change you know?" Strength and Hope were definitely not my middle names. More like Sass and Disappointment.

"Indeed. Well...I'm sure you are aware of the recent predicament with ROOT?"

Gai looked at the Hokage in shock then looked to me in disbelief. "Hiya!" I waved my fingers at him.

"Unfortunately, Erena was one of the lost souls in ROOT." Lost souls? I did not appreciate that, thank you very much! "However, during her time there, she acquired certain skills which are at use to the village. As such, she has been assigned a mission - potential long term, undercover. Out of the potential candidates, you have been selected to be her partner." He paused to give Gai room to interject.

"Hokage-sama! I burst with pride at the offer, however it shames me to decline! I am not suited to undercover work, my Youthfulness shines too bright!"

I smiled. "Yea, thats where I come in...while you are not suited for it, I am. And I am also suited to train. You may not be ready at the moment, but you will once I get through with you."

"But why was I selected? Surely there must be other Youthful candidates?" If I didn't know any better, I'd say Gai was nervous?

The Hokage looked thoughtful. "I must admit, even I am not aware."

I sighed. "Many reasons...but mainly? You're memorable, and you have a reputation. Konoha's Sublime Green Beast of Prey? You are easily noticed...but imagine you let it go for a bit. No one would expect you, and no one would see you coming. If it works, you would be the perfect undercover agent - the unexpected. That's what I want to do."

His eyes widened. "If you think I can do it, I will give it by best!"

We had a bit more to discuss, but I was pleased he was willing to try. We did not debrief him fully on the mission - all he was told was it was an S-Rank and that full details would be explained prior to commencement, if he passed my training. Like the perfect little soldier he accepted that with ease.

It was quite difficult knowing where to start with him. ROOT agents are like perfect blank canvases, and take to information and characters as though it were a painting appearing on the surface. Gai was a bright abstract painting, that I needed to be a peaceful landscape. Do you paint over the top or try and rearrange the paint?

I decided to start small.

"So, Gai, different kind of mission for you, huh?"

"Yosh! Undercover is very new! I await your youthful instruction!"

"Okay, nice." I said. This was going to be harder than I thought. Shouldn't it be a crime to be that enthusiastic? "First lesson is going to be schooling your reactions...controlling what you do on the outside. Undercover, you cannot react in your normal way. You're someone else, and need to act like them...before I even teach you that, I need to know you can control the outside of you. Emotions still happen, but you need to internalise them. Understand?"

"Yosh! This is going to be very fun!"

Kill me now. I swear I probably would have switched if my reputation didn't hang on this.

It took days...literally days for Gai to actually understand what I was after. At first he tried to mimic a statue, but I didn't want him NOT to have emotions, just curb it a little. I took him around the village to watch people...there was once we witnessed a young couple break up and he started sobbing.

I started to get frustrated and decided to go for a more...practical approach. I filled water balloons and started hurling them at him as he arrived to the training area one day. To say he was surprised was an understatement.

"You idiot, ignore it! It's only water!" For some reason that must have flicked a switch, as he did exactly what I said. I threw several more, but he ignored the onslaught and continued with another task. Once I was happy, I stopped.

"Do you get it now?"

He nodded and grinned with his thumbs up. We went on a few more expeditions, and I asked a few of the civilian ex-Infiltration Corps to set up a few scenes around (they may not want to be part of the shinobi world anymore, but several still enjoyed a game or two). When Haruji's hair caught on fire next to him and he didn't even blink, I was finally happy.

Training with Gai underway, I still had to make time for Itachi and Shisui.

As I predicted, meeting up with the boys as often as I wanted was difficult due to conflicting schedules. I could choose my own schedule, but they were bound by their missions and assignments. Itachi also had the fun job of being clan heir, and having the responsibilities that came with it.

Shisui was largely village based at the moment, and was based at the Tower or patrol most nights, so had a pretty regular set up. Itachi's missions could vary considerably, so we were pretty bound by him (which he felt immensely guilty for, bless him).

That evening was one of the days where we likely wouldn't see him for a while afterwards, so we decided to grab something quick for dinner before Shisui went out on patrol. We were walking towards a little eatery district when someone bumped into my shoulder.

"Hey, watch it!" Shisui shouted after them as they walked off. "It's not like there's plenty space or anything!" (It was pretty deserted)

I shrugged it off and told him it was fine, before I lifted my wrist to find a small note stuck to it - it was a ROOT method of exchanging notes, as we used skin coloured adhesive to an accessible area rather than easily intercepted paper notes.

"Hey! I have a better idea! I fancy barbecue, lets go!" I turned around and marched in the other direction. I had asked the Infiltration Corps to keep an eye out for Gai, should he venture anywhere socially. I didn't set a tail on him - he would have noticed that- but there were enough Corps members around I would likely get lucky...and here we are.

I wanted to gauge Gai in a natural environment, to see if he was paying attention to my instructions. Tonight would be a game of trying to get him to acknowledge me - I hoped he was listening to my hints. I had told him to expect the unexpected, and nothing was ever just a coincidence - so me just happening to bump into him? Nah. I would set him up, and make it very hard for him not to look at me and react to my behaviour.

It was going to be so much fun!

"Erena, I don't have time for barbecue, I'm due on shift in thirty minutes!" Shisui whined behind me. I stopped dead in my tracks, wrote a quick note using a pencil and receipt I had in my pocket, and walked up to a seemingly random person and handed them it before walking away.

"No you don't, I've just let the Hokage know you are going to be helping me with something super important. Let's go!" I carried on. Both Shisui and Itachi shared an confused look before running after me.

"Erena, are you feeling okay? You know that person wasn't the Hokage, right?" Itachi asked. I rolled my eyes.

"Of course he wasn't the Hokage, but it was Ren - a member of Infiltration who will pass along the message."

"A member of Infiltration? I don't understand."

"ROOT Infiltration Corps? You know, my little rag tag group I formed? Well, we help each other out sometimes. And now he's doing me a favour."

"Are you telling me you still have spies running around Konoha?" Shisui asked concerned...of course he was. Considering he was meant to be on patrol and notice these things - if it were true, he'd clearly been failing.

"No, no. Nothing so dramatic. Sometimes I'll ask for little favours, like that or finding something out for me. Other times they'll ask me for a favour - like sorting out a dispute with a neighbour or colleague. Spy is such a harsh word - we're just a group of friends, really."

"Nope. Pretty sure that falls into the definition of a spy network," Shisui commented. "You do know I'm going to have to report it?"

"Whatever, you little snitch..." He was such a killjoy. "It's not like the Hokage will care anyway."

Shisui sighed and shrugged. "How you manage to get people wrapped around your little fingers I don't know...so I guess we're heading for barbecue? The Akimichi joint?"

"You got it!" I smiled.

When we got there it wasn't too busy. I saw Gai as soon as we entered - he was in a small group with two other shinobi I didn't know...and Hatake.

It was so difficult not to start laughing like a maniac. Couldn't this be more perfect? I hadn't actually seen Kakashi since Danzo's downfall, so it provided me with an 'in'...not only could I use Kakashi as an excuse to sabotage, but I got to annoy him at the same time.

We were sat down a few tables down - as we were walking past the other party, I noticed both Gai and Kakashi notice me. Strike one, Gai. He had to be careful.

I hoped he realised this was an assessment or he was doomed. And I really didn't want to find a replacement.

Kakashi left the booth and came over to our table. This somewhat surprised me - I thought I was going to have to make all the effort here. It must have been very out of character for him, as the other two shinobi watched him with interest. I was pleased to find Gai looking away and was attempting to get the waiters attention. Look distracted, good.

"Nakahara...fancy seeing you here," Kakashi drawled.

"Hatake...fancy seeing you here. Who knew you had friends?"

"Mah, so mean. I see you're out with your bodyguards?"

I smiled at Itachi and Shisui. "They have their uses." I received a kick to the shin in response, and narrowed my eyes at Itachi. "You little bastard!" He shrugged innocently - that was the problem with Itachi. He was all sweetness and light until BAM. And you have a little prick on your hands. He was secretly savage.

"Well, just thought I'd drop by. Glad to see you're keeping out of trouble." Kakashi shrugged and walked off before I could reply.

"What the hell was that about?" Shisui asked, confused.

"That was Hatake being sweet," I replied, shrugging. Kakashi was a simple creature, but that was his way of telling me he was happy I was doing okay, despite everything. He didn't really do feelings, so I got it.

"Kakashi does have a very unique way of expressing himself," Itachi agree'd. Having been in his ANBU squad for so long, he would have been able to pick up on certain things easily.

"Anyway, forget him! I'm thirsty...where's the waitress?" I looked around. "Never mind, I need the toilet. If she arrives, can you order me a melon soda? Thanks!" I left and got up. I made way to go to the bathroom, then activated my chameleon seal. I made way to the kitchen, and looked for the order from the other table. When I found it, i set about sabotaging their meal - mainly by adding enough chilli to erupt a dormant volcano. I also left a little note under all the plates - only Kakashi and Gai would realise it was from me, but I couldn't be sure which was theirs.

Satisfied, I went back to find the drinks had arrived, but Itachi had also ordered for me. "I know what you like. I knew you would spend too long considering the options, so thought I would save us time." I couldn't tell if he was being helpful or insulting me...he was far too good at this.

"You're lucky I'm in a good mood, or you would get a kick for that."

"I have no idea what you mean," he said nonchalantly, and took a drink. Hmm, I bet.

A few minutes later, I heard a cry of "What the fuck!"

Turning around, the other table seemed to be having some issues. The other two shinobi were in visible distress. Their faces were red, tears streaming down their faces, and grabbing their beverages like their lives depended on it. Kakashi was no where to be seen.

Gai, however...seemed fine. Now, I knew for a fact that the level of spice in the food was off the charts, but he simply sat chewing thoughtfully. He wasn't even reacting to the two across from him. Now, I would have been okay if he wanted to show them some concern...but it seemed he interpreted my instructions to be not only ignoring me, but also my escapades. Interesting...

And based on his lack of expression, he was more than schooled in managing his reactions and expressions. Colour me impressed.

Only a few minutes later we received our meals, they received an unaltered replacement, and I received a casual death threat from Kakashi.

That, combined with my validation in Gai's choice, made for a pleasant evening all round.

If I said Gai took to espionage training like a duck to water, that would be a lie. In some thing he excelled- like physical training - and in other aspects in was like pulling teeth. I could get him to play a part, but as soon as there was any level of excitement, his character broke. Also the word "Yosh"? Nope. Talk about a giveaway.

I was one week from completion when I had to tell him I would have to drop him and find a replacement. He took it badly.

"No! I can do this! I have promised to give my best for this mission and I will not fail!"

"Sorry, Gai...You are you, and it's fabulous you know who you are, but I need Not-Gai. It's a deep cover mission, and the slightest slip up could cost us our lives."

Dramatic tears started to fall. "My Youthfulness will not cost us this mission! I promise I will succeed, or I will do a thousand pushups with you on my back!"

"Yea, no. That's a no from me...It's a lovely sentiment, but your Youthfulness cannot be contained. It's a fact!"

"Then let us not contain it...let us allow it to be free!"

"That won't fly where we are going. Youth and Springtime have been replaced with Brooding and Winter."

"Then I shall Brood with the energy of Youth!"

That made absolutely now sense.

"What did you mean?"

"I cannot contain my Youthfulness...so instead I shall channel it into intense Brooding! My energy shall be spent on Brooding and Misery! I can sill be impassioned, but with the passion of anger!"

Dear god. He was right. I had spent the entire time training him as if he were a member of ROOT - suppressed emotions and total control. But we didn't need control, we just needed an appropriate outlet. He was far too joyful to even think about stepping into Mist as he was, but if he could manage that...it could be a game changer.

It's not often I'm corrected, but damn I'm impressed when I am.

"Okay...let's do this."

The next day we found ourselves in Otafuki Gai, where I would have Gai adopt this persona for two whole days. He was to be a grumpy and disillusioned travelling merchant, with a general hatred for everyone. We altered his appearance with prosthetics and changed his clothes, so that he wouldn't be easily recognisable.

And you know what? He was pretty good. His character was still dramatic, but in the opposite way to Gai. He attracted a small amount of attention, but not enough for him to be memorable passed the days end. In all honesty, it worked better than all of the other roles I had him play - and would be perfect for Mist. I doubt I'd ever manage him take on another role, but we only needed one.

After our success in Otafuki Gai, I informed the Hokage we had one more test before we were ready. He seemed shocked, but i couldn't blame him. I'm sure even Gai's closest friends would never guess he could go deep undercover...and we were about to test that.

I had Gai resume his grumpy alter ego, and he was to attempt to interact with his closest (and most perceptive) friends. Of these, I had chosen Shiranui Gemma (one of the shinobi from the barbecue restaurant) and Akimichi Chouza (his Genin sensei). I would have also liked to add Kakashi into the mix, but he was away on mission.

This time I opted to have an Infiltration Corps member (under disguise) join him - I needed a companion he could play off of, and I wanted to concentrate on our targets.

The Hokage helped us have access to Shiranui's schedule to set it up (walking en route to the tower, where Gai would cause a public argument with my Corps member) and it was easy to pin point Chouza in a restaurant - were Gai was an overly obnoxious customer. Neither of them even suspected foul play.

When I informed Gai of his success, and that our training was over, he dropped his character fully to give a loud cry of "YOSH" before picking me up and spinning me around. I burst out laughing...well, it wasn't perfect but it was near enough. I would let him off this once.

Next came the hard part...telling Itachi and Shisui I was going away on a mission, potentially long term.

"No."

"Itachi, it's not really up for discussion." Honestly, he could be such a child.

"And where are you going? What are you doing? Who are you going with?"

I sighed. I knew this would be difficult. "Classified, classified, and classified."

"I don't understand how the Hokage could think you were ready for a long term mission..." he seemed distraught.

"None of this, it's what I do. I'm a big girl and can look after myself."

"But it doesn't mean you should have to! What if something goes wrong?"

"Listen, it's fine, I've got a plan. And my plans have plans. And backup plans. I have plans coming out of my sleeves. I'm all about the plans."

"No."

"Don't be a brat, Itachi."

"I'm saying no and thats final."

I rubbed my brow in exasperation. "You're not the Hokage, so sadly you have no say in this. I leave in two days, so you may as well get over yourself before I get bored of this and ignore you."

His eyes widened at my threat. "You wouldn't."

"No...probably not."

"I don't like it," Shisui interjected. His face looked stony. "I knew there was a reason my shift pattern changed. It was to keep me out during your meetings, wasn't it?"

I signed. "Honestly, I didn't know anything about that. Clearly the Hokage decided it was a good idea."

"And when you say long term...are we talking, weeks, months...or years?"

Itachi's head snapped up, and looked worried again. It guess he hadn't thought about that.

"Again, classified...but it shouldn't be the latter."

"Shouldn't?" his eyes narrowed.

"Won't." He nodded and seemed slightly more satisfied.

"I know you can't say where you are going, but if there is a problem, I want you to call on us." I frowned. "Don't even argue. You know we are some of the fastest going, and I don't want you to avoid us under some stupid idea of protecting us."

I sighed. "Fine. I'll add a 'Double Trouble' SOS clause into the plan. Would that make you happy?"

"Not even a little bit but we don't really have a choice, do we?"

After that the topic was dropped. We had small picnic in the park the afternoon I planned to go. I left them boxes of chocolates in farewell...but didn't tell them about the delayed exploding seals...oops?

That evening, I met Gai at Otafuki Gai. He seemed confused by my request to meet out of the village, but didn't say anything. He also seemed confused when I told him no equipment was needed.

I heard a knock at the hotel door, and opened it to let him in. His eyes widened and he went into an attacking stance.

"Mist-nin! Who are you and what have you done with Erena!"

I smiled. My hair was shorted to above my neck and grey-blue in colour (I had utilised a colour at seals which should last six months), skin lightened slightly and clothes matching the drab aesthetic of Mist. As the icing on the cake, I had caps on my teeth to give them the appearance of being sharpened.

"Calm down Gai, and get in," I said giving way to allow him entrance.

He relaxed and frowned at me. "Erena? But I do not understand." He entered the room and I closed the door.

"So tell me, Gai...ever spent time in the Hidden Mist?"

Notes:

Not overly exciting...but training never is!

Next time: Bloody Mist!

Chapter 24: Bonds arc: part 4

Notes:

Very small mention of implied sexual abuse.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Mist was miserable.

It was grey and wet and depressing. It was no wonder their shinobi turned out to be so mentally unstable. If I had to deal with this weather all of the time, I'd probably turn out to be a murderous maniac too...okay, maybe not, but I had a lot more empathy for them.

We had been in Mist now for two weeks and my mood was really starting to dip. I was acclimatised to a lack of sunshine, what with being kept underground in ROOT for years, but for some reason I was finding this harder than normal.

The mission was actually going fairly well, so it wasn't that. We had set ourselves up easily - resuming the roles of Hunter Nin duo whom had been abroad for months, but required downtime for medical reasons. Accommodation was easy to arrange, we had enough funds for people to presume it was leftover from previous bounties, and we were accepted with relative ease.

Gai's role as Hattori - my gruff and overprotective Hunter Nin partner - was going better than I imagined. He managed to exude a confidence that people in Mist took to well. His mannerisms were abrupt, similar to his own but more abrasive, his volume was slightly lower (although not by much, to be honest) and "Youthful" had been replaced by grunts.

No one seemed to find him strange at all. I think it had a lot to say about the general behaviour of the Mist population - they seemed a lot more at ease to express themselves. In Konoha, I knew that clans like the Hyuuga and Uchiha repressed their behaviours slightly, but now I realised the whole village was restrained. No wonder Leaf had a reputation for being sticks in the mud.

With everything, I think Gai was somewhat enjoying himself. He had formed some kind of weird rough friendship with a couple of locals we met in a bar (the attitudes to drinking were also much more liberal, and I was also accepted despite my age - I would replace my drink with water to keep my wits, though). It started when one of them was drunk and accidentally spilled their drink on me - Gai then stepped in and threatened him, which somehow ended in an arm wrestling contest, followed by a shrimp eating contest...I had to clean up Gai's vomit in the morning, and nagged to hell about appropriate competitions (why shrimp?), but it had been worth it. It turned out they were a group of Jounin and Chuunin that worked within the Mizukage's administration building, and the information they gave us was...interesting.

Until a few months ago, Yagura had been very well respected. He was a stern ruler, however would take care of his people. He also took a very 'hands on' approach (compared to the Hokage), and would often accompany his Shinobi on more difficult missions, if he felt he could increase the likelihood of success. They said he almost had a personality change overnight, after accompanying a group of Hunter Nin on a mission, of which he was the only survivor. Since then, he had raised taxes and introduced new ones, and openly commended aggressive tactics and unnecessary violence.

Due to this, it caused a lot of upset in the more reasonable members of the population, while others thrived in the disorder. Any hint of discontent or whispering of treason was treated swiftly and harshly - which led the others to become nervous when they spoke (I felt bad as I always engineered the conversation, but they needn't have worried as I activated privacy seals whenever they started on this topic).

Now, this concerned me greatly. A Kage going through a sudden mental breakdown was a dangerous thing. And a Jinchuriki Kage having a mental breakdown was fucking disastrous. I either needed to find the reason for the problem (whether it heartbreak or an unstable Bijuu seal) and fix it, or find the rebellion (which the others hinted at) and support them.

First, though, I needed access to the our friends had access to him themselves, they weren't in a high enough position to try and manipulate to get us an audience. Even methods like the Chameleon tags were too risky, and the Time Bubble would be pointless unless I could observe him first.

I was still trying to solve this problem, when Gai took us on one if his regular training sessions...and I hated him for it.

While training is a necessity of shinobi life, Gai was a monster. Even undercover, his routine barely changed and it was exhausting just looking at him. I managed to find excuses to avoid it, but on rare occasions there was no escape, and I genuinely feared for my life.

"I don't care."

"Hmmft," Gai snorted. "Training is important, Maseko. You should join me, it would be most fruitful."

"No, thanks but no thanks."

"You require strength to succeed as a shinobi!"

"I'm happy being weak."

"Maseko, that is a terrible mindset. If you do not come, I will run around the village a thousand times screaming you name."

I deadpanned. "You wouldn't."

"You are lucky your name rolls of the tongue, I doubt I will even hurt my voice." Gai grinned.

I groaned. If there was one thing I learned about him, if he said something - he meant it. It was a character trait I respected, but it was also a pain in the ass when he was in an annoying mood like this.

"No running except a gentle - and I mean gentle - warm up, understand?" I went running with him once, never again.

Gai must have taken pity on me as he was not as brutal as normal, but that didn't mean my arms and legs didn't feel like jelly at the end of the session. When he suggested a small spar with weapons after, I almost cried.

"I hate you. You are evil and I wish your return to hell immediately."

"If you have the energy to complain, you have the energy to spar!"

As much as Gai was our reason for success so far, I have never regretted having a partner on a mission more.

I opted for my tanto, whereas Gai used knives. He wasn't a natural with weapons, but using short knives allowed him to use his taijutsu near enough intact. As we were in Mist, he needed to use blades with some proficiency - a Mist-nin using taijutsu only would never have worked.

Several minutes into the spar, I won after feigning a dive and using my momentum to flip and jump onto Gai's back, blade of my tango at his throat. It was my only win against Gai to date and I was ecstatic.

Until I heard a faint clapping at the edge of the training field.

Somehow, we had gained an audience without realising. He was tall, blue and a scary looking mother fucker. I had seen the Bingo Books enough times to know this is Hoshigaki Kisame - one of the Seven Swordsman of the Mist. And an all round mean bastard, if the rumours were anything to go by.

"Nice little display there, kid." He grinned ferally. "Too bad your sword is more of a toothpick."

"Well, this toothpick works plenty good for me, thanks." I clapped back, sheathing my tango and crossing my arms.

He laughed. "A toothpick for a toothpick - it's fitting!" Rude...I mean, I knew puberty was a bit slow on the uptake (it was something young females in ROOT had to deal with), but he didn't have to rub it in. "Haven't seen you guys around here before? And I thought I knew all the interesting fish."

"Not very observant then, are you?" I smirked, "Kidding - we've been away on assignment for a while. Only back a couple weeks - medical leave."

"Interesting," he pondered. "Medical leave? Well, it's not physical, based on your little training session...and with the protective stance of your bodyguard, I'd say it was you," I turned around, and Gai was glowering, in a defensive posture near my side. "And if not physical, then mental...tell me...torture or rape?"

I sensed Gai stiffen and take in a breath beside me. He seemed ready to pounce.

"Oh, did someone fail and let their little Kouhai get taken?" Kisame laughed. Whatever he was reading from Gai's reaction was totally wrong, but I could play with that.

"It is what it is," I smarted. "Now, are you finished trying to provoke us, or should I take a seat? I'm exhausted and would prefer to take whatever insults you have in some comfort, as least."

"Hoho, I was just having a little fun! It's more fun if your victims are a little unstable," he tilted his head and nodded at me. "See you around, Toothpick."

And just like that, he walked off. Gai didn't relax until we got back to our apartment.

"I apologise for suggesting training - had Hoshigaki suggested a fight, our cover may have been blown," Gai said morosely, when our conversation was secured.

"Hattori, don't apologise. Because of this, I've figured out our 'in' to get access to the Mizukage."

Over the next two weeks I tailed Hoshigaki when he was in village. I used a combination of Henge and Chameleon Seals to avoid attention. He had audience with the Mizukage before and after every mission, so I had to anticipate when this was to occur.

Hoping my predictions were correct, Gai and I made way to the administrative building. Now - while we played Mist Shinobi, we were not registered and so could not get access to it or the Mizukage...I planned to piggyback on Hoshigaki to get in. I figured no on would question his acquaintances, or him...it just depended if he accepted our story.

A few minutes from the building, I staged an argument with Gai, directly in the path of the building. In his part, he was meant to be against my wish to see the Mizukage to request a return to duty, stating it was too soon. I was arguing vehemently, and as predicted, we gained on lookers - both shinobi and civilian.

"Hoho, what's this? Trouble in paradise?" Hoshigaki laughed as he saw us. "Looks like the little Toothpick as turned into a matchstick! What's gotten you so heated up!"

I huffed. "Someone!" I sent Gai a scathing look. "Doesn't think I'm fit to return to duty. I'm trying to explain it isn't his call - only the Mizukage can decide. And he's trying to stop me from getting to the meeting."

Hoshigaki placed an arm around my shoulders and grinned. "Coming back to the fight? Excellent. Ignore this little busybody - if you say you are ready, you're ready." I sent Gai a triumphant look. "No time like the present - I'm on my way to the Mizukage, so lets get you there without little shrimp trying to interfere."

Hook, line, sinker.

As predicted, with Hoshigaki with us, we walked right in without even getting our names taken. It was a pretty foolish move on Hoshigaki's part - but who would have thought a fourteen year old with sharpened teeth would be a spy?

Once inside, we followed to the meeting hall. The set up was a lot more open than the Hokage tower. Karatachi Yagura sat behind a large desk in the room, draped over the seat casually. I knew we was rumoured to be young, but his appearance startled me - the more I looked, however, I realised he was not as young as he looked. Not only that, there was something 'off' about him - he seemed expressionless and disconnected. At first I thought it was his Jinchuriki seal malfunctioning, but this was the polar opposite of what I had seen when I encountered Gaara - instead of unstable energy, it felt suppressed.

"Kisame. Punctual as always," he droned, sounding bored. "And who are your friends?"

"Some stragglers I picked up on the way. I believe they have a meeting with you today." He said after giving him a quick bow.

"Oh? I cannot recall," he slid his glazed eyes over to me. Something was not right. "What was it about?"

I bowed. "Sir, I am Namazu Maseko, and this is Ungaiike Hattori. We are Hunter-nin on medical leave and I would like to request a return to duty!"

"Oh, is that all?"He asked, tilting his head. "Why should this bother me? In future do not bother me with such trivial requests," he said, with a clear threat hinted. "Go and leave us - you are declared fit to return."

I bowed and scurried out of the building, with Gai behind me. I didn't bother to look at Hoshigaki, or anyone else in the building as we left. When back in the apartment, I activated a security tag and started to hyperventilate.

"That was most terrifying!" Gai said. "A most Unyouthful Kage."

"No shit." I said, still panicking internally.

"Did you get what information you required? Whilst the meeting was short, I would prefer not to make a repeat."

"I did...I...I think we're going to need help." I said.

Gai looked concerned. "In what way? Surely our youthful talents can be of use?"

"Not this time. It's not a mental breakdown, and it's not his Jinchuriki seal - there were no traces of issues of either." That much had been obvious. "His demeanour was suppressed and disconnected...had he been like this always, then he would just be another emotionless bastard in power. A personality change doesn't happen so suddenly, which leads me to one conclusion."

"And that is?"

"Someone has placed the Mizukage under a high level genjutsu."

We sent a request for assistance to Konoha to arrive ASAP. I requested a high level Sharingan user, but did not state why - if our message was intercepted it would be disastrous. Part of me felt bad about placing an Uchiha at risk, but I had no other choice - I could not think of any other means to destroy the genjutsu placed on a Jinchuriki safely, as it also allowed a security blanket should the Bijuu become free.

We received a reply stating a small team would be with us shortly, and to meet them in a designated area outside of the village to debrief them.

We headed to the abandoned building, as indicated. As we fully entered the building, we sensed an attack, and soon found two blank faced ANBU coming towards us. He had enough time to signal to each other the agreement to split up, with a quick gesture.

Gai was holding his off well, but I was struggling. He was ridiculously fast, and skilled with the katana. It took me longer than I cared to admit to realise I knew most of his moves.

I narrowly missed a slice to the neck before I had enough.

"What's this? Double Trouble?" I asked. He didn't respond, but stilled in his actions. "What's the matter? Weasel got your tongue?"

"Erena?" Itachi hissed.

"In the flesh. Now, could you tell Shisui to calm down? I'd prefer my partner unscathed, thanks!"

"Karasu! Stop, they're our targets," he shouted, sounding a little confused.

The battle immediately stopped, and I has pleased to find both Shisui and Gai were completely unharmed. In fact, Gai looked elated - I'm guessing he hadn't had a good a fight in a while (I am more than happy to admit my taijutsu skills are lacking compared to him).

"Weasel, explain," Shisui said, emotionless. "These are Mist-nin, not Konoha agents!"

"Always so grumpy, Shisui," I smarted. "It's like ANBU gives you a personality transplant."

"Wait, what?" He sounded confused.

"It's Erena, Shisui," Itachi said, sounding exasperated. I really did invoke this kind of response on him quite frequently, it made me feel a little bad.

"Erena, but she's..." I grinned. "What the fuck!"

"Nice to see you, too!" I chirped.

Against protocol, he pulled his mask off and Itachi followed. His face was screwed up in confusion and he looked me up and down. "This is where you've been? Mist? And what the fuck have you done to your hair and your teeth? You don't even look like you!"

I shrugged. "That's the point. Do you not like the teeth? I think they add to my...what did you call it? Creep factor?"

He shook his head. "I don't believe this. All this time and you've been in Mist? Are you insane?"

"You know, many people ask me that question - I'm starting to think they at have a point..."

He opened his mouth to reply, when Gai interrupted us by clearing his throat. Right, mission.

"I'm surprised the Hokage sent both of you...or even any of you."

"It was strange for us to be paired together, but the Hokage would not give us more details," Itachi said. "He did not even tell us of your involvement."

"Ah, pity. If he did, it probably would have stopped the whole nearly getting decapitated thing."

"Indeed." When did Itachi start sounding like Fugaku? I've clearly been away from the village too long, he needed an intervention.

"Perhaps you should explain the situation, Maseko?" Gai said. He wasn't breaking character despite the clear safe space. I was proud of him.

"Right as always, Hattori!" I beamed at him. "So, boys, once upon a time - "

I didn't explain the overall aim of the mission, but I explained the situation that had called for their help. When I told them my concerns regarding the Mizukage being held in a genjutsu, they seemed concerned and surprised. What I needed one of them to do was use their sharingan to assess this (I didn't know how it worked, and never asked - all I knew is that it could do it), and if possible - break it. If it turned out he wasn't in a genjutsu or it couldn't be broken, then Plan B to destroy his reign would commence.

"But how will we get access to him? And then, what's to stop him from fighting us? Even we can't take on someone of his level. It's rumoured he has full control of his Bijuu."

"Oh, that's where I come in," I said. "How do you all feel about getting a new tattoo?"

I may or may not have applied Time Lord seals to Shisui, Itachi and Gai...and I may or may not have forgot to tell them about the risks. It didn't matter, as I'd remove them immediately after, but I did feel a little bad about that (but even if I had told them, I suspected they would still agree).

Now, my plan was to create a Time Bubble, almost village wide - and then we could just walk on up to the Mizukage building without any intervention. I had already been in the process of making the seal while waiting for a Sharingan user to arrive, but my problem was the chakra consumption. In order to create a seal of that size, it required far more chakra than I had. I could do a smaller seal, but the risk of being caught was too high - and the whole point of this was to be untraceable.

To combat this, I decided to create a Chakra Battery seal. It would take me a week to store the chakra, and I would be left near useless each day after the transfer. I had Soldier pills that would replenish my Chakra between, but it was not without risks - using solider pills to replace chakra artificially for an extended period of time can damage your body and chakra coils - but it was the only option I had at the time.

I don't think Itachi and Shisui fully understood what I was doing, but Gai did...I suspected it came from having an Akimichi as a sensei.

"Maseko, while your idea certainly has merit, the risk to you is not small. Even if only for a week, the recovery time will be extensive. Putting yourself in danger is not very Youthful!" He said, once the others were away discussing their aspect of the plan in private (I suspected they did not want to give away Sharingan secrets). I also glad Gai had some tact not to discuss this in front of the boys.

"It'll be fine. I've considered the risks and I'm okay with it," I replied, waving him off.

"You should have more concern about your own safety, Maseko," he said solemnly. "I have almost lost one friend to a similar mindset, and I would hate for another to go down that path."

The thing I've learned about Gai was that, while he was a powerhouse of positivity, it didn't mean he didn't feel other emotions just as strong. And sadly I had evoked a deep concern for my wellbeing.

"It's okay, Gai. If I could think of any other possible way that wouldn't compromise our mission,I would consider it...but there just isn't. I promise I've taken the necessary precautions. Besides, while they are away doing their thing, I'll have you right here to protect me! And once this is over, we'll head back to Konoha and I will have the longest R and R period to recover before making stupid decisions again, okay?"

"If I cannot stop you, I will do my best to protect you! You have my word!" He grinned and gave me a 'good guy' pose. I knew he was faking it, but I understood.

"Glad to hear it!"

While I prepared the Chakra Battery, the Shisui and Itachi moved into our apartment. With privacy seals in place, it was far safer than remaining on the outskirts. They both thought Gai was a member of the Infiltration Corps, which amused me to no end. I think Gai was enjoying the ruse, and so neither of us bothered to correct them.

On day four of the chakra transfer, I was starting to feel the effects of daily chakra exhaustion followed by artificial replenishment. My muscles started to become weak and shaky, and even my train of thought was difficult to keep up. I still had another three sessions, and worried about what I would be like at the end of it. All of them tried to talk me out of it, with Shisui becoming angry, but I couldn't be dissuaded. They even offered to take over, and channel their chakra - but I explained that the Battery Seal was already at risk of being unstable, and additional chakra signatures could have explosive consequences.

Finally, the day arrived. I was still conscious and mobile, although I did need assistance. My head felt fussy and filled with cotton wool, but I was still able to make conscious decisions, even if it took me longer to get them out. We decided on activating the Time Bubble in the evening before sundown, as people were finishing for the day.

Once activated, it would last for an hour. The others didn't think it would take long to examine and dispel a genjutsu, if it was there, but they suggested that to give appropriate time for any other issues. Shisui also said he had a Plan B, but wouldn't tell me what it was.

The Time Bubble seal was unrolled along the apartment floor, and the Chakra Battery seal placed in the centre. Once I channeled a small amount of chakra into the battery, it would automatically filter into the seal below and activate.

I activated the Battery, and felt the sudden cool wash of chakra flash through me. I fell back, but Gai caught me.

"How do we know if it worked?" Shisui asked.

"Look outside," I rasped, as Gai picked me up to place me on his back.

Once Shisui opened the curtains, the three looked outside to the street below. People had stopped mid step, and birds were still in the air.

"Wow." Itachi whispered. All were staring at the scene wide eyed.

Yea, I know. I'm pretty impressive.

We ran to the Mizukage administration, or carried, in my case. Kagura was found in the same area as before, except this time he was standing and appeared to be in the process of punishing his subordinates. They were kneeled on the ground and he was standing over them glowering, staff in hand.

I didn't know if whatever technique they were going to utilise would be possibly when he was frozen in time, but they seemed confident. If not, I had a back up Time Lord seal to apply.

It seemed they had decided Shisui would do the honours. He activated the Sharingan - except it also wasn't? It wasn't like any sharingan I had ever seen before, as it had a large pinwheel instead of he usual tomoe. Huh, somebody has been keeping secrets from me. I thought that was my game?

After a few minutes, his eyes widened. "He is in a genjutsu...but it looks like one created by a Sharingan."

"How?" Itachi asked, perplexed.

"I don't know..." He narrowed his eyes. "I can't tell who it originates from."

"That doesn't matter right now," I drawled out. Keeping conscious was hard. "Can you break it."

"Yes," he replied with confidence.

Less than ten minutes later, he was satisfied the genjutsu was broken, and Yagura should resume to normal once the Time Bubble was over. There was still at least half an hour left, so we had plenty time to escape. And I saw an opportunity.

I asked Gai to put me down, and I removed the Time Lord seal from my pack.

"What are you doing?" Itachi asked.

"I think we should have a little chat, without annoying interruptions," I said, and placed the temporary seal on him.

It worked instantly, and he started moving. His glowering look turned into one of confusion in a split second.

"What just happened?"

"Mizukage..." I said, bringing his attention to me. "I'm sorry to inform you that you have been held under a powerful genjutsu for some time. My colleagues and I have now broken it, and you are free of it's hold."

He frowned at me. "I fear you are correct. My actions have not been my own, and it appears even Isobu has been held at bay...This is most unexpected."

He seemed calmer than I thought he would be, and was taking it very well. He didn't even seem bothered by his frozen subjects.

"It seems I have work to do to right the wrongs within my village. I only hope I have not lost the faith of my people...tell me, whom do I have to thank for my liberation?"

He looked to the four of us.

"Konoha, sir."

He frowned and sighed. "Unexpected, indeed."

Notes:

I hope you liked sneaky!Gai!

Some of you might have noticed a slight shift from canon timeline regarding Yagura and the genjutsu - all will be revealed soon!

Chapter 25: Bonds arc: part 5

Notes:

Please use the tunes for Slim Shady and Gangsta's Paradise for the raps in this chapter!
(Mostly me, but with some inspo from a tiktok for Slim Shady, and couple lines of original lyrics in gangstas paradise)

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

To our supreme relief, the Mizukage was a man of honour.

I decided to take a leap of faith and explain our involvement further - I didn't explain our true cause in Mist, only that we were tasked with monitoring the situation. When we noticed he was trapped in a genjutsu, we decided to intervene and break it - not knowing if there would be consequences for our actions or not.

While Mist had a foul reputation, the Mizukage seemed to have a sense of conviction around him, and felt indebted to Konoha. He stated that we had not only helped him, but also his people - due to his actions under the genjutsu, he had lead them to a suffering that he would always feel guilt for, but also helped him realise errors in his previous ways. To say he was angry with the mystery Sharingan user was an understatement.

When we stated the only thing we would want form him was to consider terms of an alliance, he seemed sceptical but accepted. And so he wrote a preliminary letter to the Hokage, offering to open up talks. He would not promise an agreement, but getting him to take this step seemed impossible even the day before, so we welcomed it.

We vanished by the time the Time Bubble collapsed, and everyone else was none the wiser. When we were back at the apartment, I practically collapsed and went into a deep sleep.

With our mission mostly complete, they waited for me to regain consciousness before moving on. Unfortunately for them, Gai's predictions of using soldier pills to supplement the effects of entering chakra exhaustion daily were correct.

I woke up the next afternoon, however my body had still to recover any chakra naturally...in fact, my body felt so weak I could barely move. When Itachi tried to give me water and food, I vomited both back up immediately.

Gai, still in his disguise, stated to the boys the signs did not seem dissimilar to those he had witnessed in Akimichi. He advised to leave for Konoha immediately, as it was unlikely that medic nin here would have the necessary remedies. I heard only snippets of their conversations through the thick fog on my mind.

And so we left, with myself safely strapped to Gai's back. Shisui ran ahead to give warning to the hospital. I didn't remember the trip, but I do remember hushed worried voices every so often, and I'm sure they did not stop once.

I woke up several days later in a hospital, IV drip in place and several bleeping machines around me. Huh...I think this was actually a first? I can't recall being in a hospital, except after the Kyuubi attack.

"You are in big trouble, Erena," I heard a voice to my side. I turned my head and found Yumi standing there, chart in hand.

"Yumi! I missed you!" I gave him a big grin.

"Nice try, but I'm not falling for it. Now stay still and shut up while I check you over," he said, sounding annoyed. Medic nin training made him bossy. I liked it.

"So...how's the hospital? Anything fun happening?" I asked, as he started with checking my blood pressure.

He raised his sculpted eyebrow at me - I swear, freedom looked good on him. I've never met anyone so immaculately groomed. I felt like a homeless person in comparison. "Anything fun? No. But I do have a case of a fifteen year old kunoichi with such bad chakra exhaustion that her body effectively just stopped and had to rely on into own energy stores to survive, but still couldn't function...do you know what that does to a person? Ever heard of rhabdomyolysis? Muscle breakdown? Imagine muscle mass being destroyed, causing toxin release to the body, kidney failure and an entire immune system collapse."

"Whoa...that sounds pretty serious.."

"Yes. Did I mention you are in. Big. Trouble?"

"I think so...but maybe you should tell me again? Just to make sure it sticks." I nodded to him.

He snorted. "It's not just me you are going to get it from. Your mini Uchiha bodyguards and the green person have been ridiculous. Also- I don't think the Uchiha know that they know him...having fun again?"

"I always have fun. It's my aim in life."

"Well, if you could change that aim to 'stop making suicidal life choices', I would prefer it."

I screwed up my face and gave him a lopsided smile. "I don't make promises I don't keep, you know that."

He sighed. "I do. But it doesn't mean I won't stop asking."

"I know. You're sweet that way."

After that he finished his examination in peace. He told me I was stable, but my body was screwed. I had lost over fifty percent of my muscle mass, and any fat stores I had, so I was effectively a skeleton with skin. Apparently my case was more severe than any had seen in non-Akimichi's, and they still needed to do research as to why.

"So not only is my mind a freak, but my body is, too? Neat."

Yumi did not find it 'neat.'

I was kept in hospital for the next week. During that time, I had many visitors - moreso than I expected. Of course there was Shisui and Itachi (who told me off even more than Yumi...I think there was a few veiled death threats from Itachi? He wasn't really great at the whole intimidation thing yet. I'd have to give him lessons), then the Nara contingent (Shikaku very much not pleased), and Gai (who showed up alone, back in his normal wear. He didn't see the need in scolding me, but did mention he'd sick his old sensei on me for lessons on appropriate chakra pill usage). Gai informed me the Hokage had decided to keep his involvement in Mist on the down-low, he seemed to want to have a covert-trained Gai as a secret weapon for future. I appreciated the decision.

Now, after the usual, I also received visits from Yutsu and Nene, another ROOT agent who I occasionally met for gossip, and the kids.

Mikoto was an absolute miracle worker. Not only had Naruto and Sasuke formed a firm friendship, but they seemed to be feeding off each other - Naruto was (slightly) less loud and obnoxious, and Sasuke seemed more relaxed. He did, however, leave a parting comment that I must not be a good shinobi, as his brother had never returned from a mission so injured before...I was going to have to warn Itachi if he kept it up I wouldn't be held responsible for my actions.

After about thirty blood tests, and even bone marrow sampling and spinal tap, Yumi finally told me they figured out my problem.

"Unfortunately, it's another thing we have to thank Danzo for," he said, grim. "It appears there are traces of certain hormone suppressants, which have caused a long term effects on you pituitary gland and parathyroid glands. It has caused stunted growth, delayed puberty, and metabolism issues within the body. This probably caused the intense reaction to your chakra depletion."

I took it in. "...so it wasn't all my fault?"

He smacked his palm to his head and looked to the ceiling in distress. "It was all your fault, as it shouldn't have happened in the first place. But instead of severe exhaustion, you nearly died."

"Wow. Danzo is such a dick..." I voiced the understatement of the year. "Why would he do that?"

"His thought processes have never made sense to normal people...the only possible reason I can think of was to keep your small stature for infiltration...the smaller you are, the less of a threat you seem."

"Yea...that does seem like him...so what now?"

"We cannot reverse the effects completely, as you are now fifteen, but we can give you medications to supplement your hormones and attempt to support your affected organs and homeostasis issues. Unfortunately, some of these will be life long treatments."

"Does that mean I might get boobs now?" I asked. Yumi gave me the most irritated look he had even given me.

"I swear, you are probably the most intelligent person I know, but also the most childish."

"It's amazing how those two traits aren't mutually exclusive." I grinned at him.

"I'm going before I can no longer resist the urge to smack you."

"Aw, Yumi, you're so professional!" I never had his restraint.

Once I left the hospital, and placed into Shikaku and Yoshino's care, I was under strict instructions to recuperate before continuing my mission. The Hokage had sent word that the treaty with Mist was proceeding well and unless any major diplomatic issue arose, I was to stand down. When the alliance was finalised, only then would he consider sending me to Suna, and that was if I had recovered.

I was given exercises to help restore my strength. But the thing about physiotherapy? It sucked. It was boring and repetitive. After three days I lost any motivation and was content just to wander around the house.

Unfortunately for me, that was when Gai decided to pay me a visit. Yoshino had no idea that we were acquainted, and seemed very confused by his request to see me. I just told her he was an old friend. He was jabbering on about how Unyouthful my predicament was and how he would do five hundred push ups a day until I recovered, when he noticed my physiotherapy instructions that had been nestled under a book, waiting to be forgotten.

"It's boring," I whined.

"No, Erena! With that attitude you will never recover your Youthfulness! I shall take charge, and if I fail I will submit myself to your friend Yumi-sensei for appropriate punishment!"

And that's how Gai became my personal physiotherapist.

As I picked up through conversations in our sessions, he had injured himself in training so many times he was practically a pro at recovery. While he was clearly skilled in the area, he also expected me to advance at his pace - which was a physical impossibility. After a few weeks I ended up losing my temper at him, telling him to "calm the fuck down"...it was the first time I had ever raised my voice to him and he seemed upset by it.

After that, he became withdrawn in our next few sessions, and I had never felt so bad about one of my outbursts. I felt like I had kicked a puppy.

When he showed up the next day, I managed to source a purple jumpsuit and leg warmers and donned them in preparation for a "Youthful training session!" When he started crying in joy, I figured I had done good, and slipped out to change into normal clothes while he recovered.

With Gai helping my recovery, both Itachi and Shisui took the role of my entertainers. I was incredibly bored, and was very restricted with what I could do, so relied on them to keep me from going insane. Sometimes we would just hang out at in the Nara grounds, chatting or I would watch them train, or they would take me out into the village to walk around. I was able to walk unassisted after a few weeks, but they still hovered over me relentlessly.

I was walking around with Itachi once day, while Shisui was on a mission, when he stopped in his tracks.

"What's the matter with you?" I asked. He grabbed my arm firmly and pulled me around a corner. "Excuse me! What's with the manhandling?"

"Just hiding."

"Why?"

"Just because."

I looked at him. This was very un-Itachi like. "Spill, mister. I'll find out anyway. You know I will."

He sighed. "We're hiding from Shisui's girlfriend."

My mind went blank. "Say what now?"

He looked pained. "Shisui's girlfriend. They started going out while you were in Mist."

"And I'm only hearing this now because...?"

"I didn't know how you would take it?"

I blinked. "In what way?"

Itachi shrugged. "It doesn't matter anyway. He's going to break up with her soon. He's been avoiding her for the last week now."

"Itachi." I said, emotionless. "I'm very upset with you right now."

He grimaced. "Look I know you - "

"Do you not understand the opportunities I've missed out on? This is GOLD. I could have made fun of Shisui so much, and now I'm only finding out after the fact? The ridicule...the teasing...I'm so goddamn disappointed."

"Soo...you're not mad?" He asked, carefully.

"Mad? I'm furious. Next time just make sure you tell me, okay? I do not want a repeat performance."

When Shisui returned from his mission, they both came to visit me for lunch.

"So, Shisui?" He hummed in acknowledgment, mouth food of food. "How's the giiiiirllllfriend?"

He paled and shot Itachi a panicked look. "Itachi what did you do!"

I cackled.

It had taken nearly three months, but I was nearly at my previous physical condition. Yumi was more than pleased with my progress - he told me he half expected me to sit lying on a sofa for months. I confessed about Gai's intervention, and he commented he might have to sign him up for all of my future injuries...I was very worried about what may have started.

He was also pleased to tell me that my hormones were regulating, nearing normal levels, and I should soon expect noticeable changes.

"You mean boobs?" I asked for clarification.

"Yes, Erena, boobs." He looked embarrassed to say it, which made me even more gleeful.

While I wasn't obsessed about my image, there were always little things that bothered me. For all intents and purposes, I looked like a boy with feminine features, but lacking the 'extra equipment'. It was useful on infiltration, as I could pose as either gender with ease. But as I grew older, I found myself a little...jealous of my female counterparts. I wasn't the type of girl people would compliment on my beauty or grace (and I wouldn't have accepted it anyway), but to have a few changes wouldn't be unwelcome.

I left the hospital with a little spring in my step, and decided to walk to the square for a bit of people watching. It was one of my favourite pastimes, and you would be surprised with the information you could pick up from people in passing. Some of it was general gossip about someone's affair or the 'gaul of the fishmonger to charge such atrocious prices,' but sometimes it could be gold.

"You know, I heard Daiki's cousin-"

"-and then she lied to me! She said she bought it from-"

"I heard he travels all over, and even has clay pots from Iwa!" Oh, that was interesting. I took a mental note for later.

"I swear I'm not lying, it was the Jinchuriki from Kumo! The big one!"

My ears pricked up. Killer B?

"No way, you're lying - there would have been an announcement or something!"

"He was heading to the Hokage Tower, everyone will know by tomorrow. You'll see!"

"Pfft, you're such a liar.."

I stopped listening and bolted. The Hokage Tower wasn't too far, and depending on when the person saw him, there was a possibility I could intercept.

I hadn't seen Killer B in ages, and my letters to him were few and far between. When I was in ROOT, I was Danzo's favourite to send to Kumo, and did so with relative frequency. But it was now unnecessary.

As I was running, I ran past Shisui, waved and carried on. He was clearly confused about my behaviour, and gave chase.

"What you in a hurry for? I don't think I've ever seen you move this fast unless Itachi's stealing your dango."

"It's a social emergency!"

"What the hell is a social emergency?"

"It's like an emergency but for my social life."

"You have a social life? We're your only friends. That makes no sense." Rude.

"I have plenty friends!"

"Your ROOT minions don't count."

"Do too! And anyway, my friends are better than your friends."

"You do realise you are one of my friends, right? You are basically insulting yourself."

"I accept that...still - social emergency!"

I think Shisui's curiosity got the better of him, and he followed behind me. When we reached the tower, I was slightly out of breath (I was still recovering), but I caught a flash of dark skin and blonde hair about to enter.

"Killer BEAST!" I yelled at the top of my voice. Shisui tried to grab my arm and pull me away.

"Erena, what the fuck are you doing! That's Killer B! You can't call him that!"

"Can and will!" I said in singsong. "Yo! Killer B!" I jumped up and down and waved at him as he turned around.

"Who's this chick? You better explain quick!" He came over to me and glowered.

"I'm insulted...I know you haven't seen me in a while, but you seriously don't recognise me? I knew you were stupid, but this is is ridic? Come on, man! Don't recognise your little Pan?"

His eyes widened in recognition. "Little brat, what you playing at? You tellin B you from Konoha all along? Please tell me my thinking is wrong!"

I shrugged. "Sorry man. If it's any consolation, I still think you're da bomb."

"Yo, you're on thin ice, don't think your sweet talking gonna make me nice!"

"You're always nice, and don't worry, I know I gotta pay the price!" I winked at him, and he grinned.

"Yo, I'll make you pay, but first I got plans for the day. Meet me here tonight, and we'll have our fight?"

"You got it!" I grinned and gave him the peace sign.

"You're lucky I like you, or you know I'd smite you. Little pest, but I like you the best."

I ran up to him and hugged him. "Thanks, B! I love you, too! See you later, I'll get everything sorted!"

He mussed by hair before pushing me back roughly and headed inside.

Shisui looked stunned.

"What the hell was that?" He asked, eyes wide.

"Told you my friends are better than yours!"

He didn't know what to say. "I...you just outed yourself to him as a spy, then agree'd to fight him? I don't understand what just happened, are you insane? He's a Jinchuriki!"

"Killer B isn't shallow enough to let a little thing like espionage get in the way of a friendship...I think? And our fight isn't like a fight-fight. It's a thing we have."

"And what kind of thing could you possibly have with Killer B?"

"Rap battle." I grinned.

I was going to suck so bad, but B was always a good sport. Sadly there was always a penalty for the loser.

Shisui blinked. "I need to watch this."

I didn't know when they were going to be finished, but I guessed two hours would be sufficient. Shisui came with me to wait (I think he was afraid of missing my impending humilation), and we sat on the bench having a thumb war until Killer B and his contingent appeared.

After we left earlier, I was questioned on my past interactions with B. Considering Killer B's reputation, he didn't understand how I formed a friendship with the guy. When I explained it was based on ridiculing his brother, and then embarrassing each other publicly, he understood a little more.

Killer B left this party and came over to us. We received odd looks from them, but they didn't follow.

"Hey little Pan, what's the plan?

Or I guess its now Erena? After chatting with the Kage-man I can't blame ya."

I smiled at him. "How much did he explain?"

"Enough to know you had a rough deal, but don't worry, I ain't gonna make you squeal."

"Thanks, you really are the best...now...you wanting dinner first? I know a place with great yakitori?" We had a mutual appreciation for things skewered.

"You read my mind, yo!"

As we walked there, I introduced Killer B to Shisui. Shisui seemed a little nervous, but I guess that was understandable. I think B was a little put off (he was used to people being nervous around him - the reason we got on so well was because I have zero fucks if he was a big scary demon containing shinobi...I just liked his sense of humour and cool hair), but tolerated him.

When we got there I ordered a huge selection of everything - Killer B could eat, so nothing would go to waste.

"So when is the promised fight, we gotta do this right!"

I laughed. "I'm ready when you are. Beware, though. I've practiced!"

Shisui snorted. "I can't believe you think you can wrap..."

"You're right man, she can't! Don't mean she shan't!" Killer B laughed

"Alright. I see how it is! You gonna go first, or will I?"

"You go first, lets leave the best until last, yo!"

I took a breath.

"Now listen up Killer B, cause I've had enough of it,

This whole spy culture? Damn y'all are so sensitive!

At first you never knew it, but then I crossed the line

By pretending like you were a dear friend of mine.

You wanna cancel little me because I'm shady and mean

Your feelings are hurt because my game was too clean

How dare I do duty and pretend about such things

Like liking your lyrics? Nah! Now we're all arguing

About whether or not to put our friendship on ice

The higher ups think they can make us play nice

Tryn'a cancel what they didn't even start in the first place

But how about instead they learn to embrace!

Killer B is a class A dude, and he paved the pay

For all the peaceful talks to be what they are today

If they can't understand then they can shove right off

Maybe thats the difference between all the those losers and you

You don't get offended by when someone's hating on you

They watching and waiting for your strength to lose,

But you're strong and resilient and you're the one i chose

I hope you appreciate my friendship and put the past behind you

You're the the type of friend a girl needs, and that is true."

I ran out of breath near the end...that was hard. Looking the Shisui and Killer B, both looked surprised, but Killer B had a look of appreciation on his face.

"Good work, little one, now lets get this done!"

"As I walk through the village to speak to the shadow of fire

I see a change in my friend and realize her life is dire

'Cause we've been prankin' and laughin' so long

That even my brother thinks that our minds are long gone

But I ain't never thought she'd been through such strife

Tell me how can someone be so unlucky in life?

You don't need to worry about me, little friend

You know you've got Killer B in your corner until the end."

Okay, I cried.

After our little battle, I felt much more relaxed. I was happy Killer B had forgiven me...I knew A was a different kettle of fish, but B promised he would speak to him first and soften the blow. I was probably a good idea I wasn't the one to tell A, as I'm not sure I would have left that conversation will all of my limbs intact.

Shisui also relaxed more around Killer B, and formed a strange bond with him...that mainly revolved around making fun of me. I was glad Killer B was leaving tomorrow, as I'm not sure I could have taken those two ganging up on me for much longer.

When I went home, I talking with Shikaku and Yoshino for a while before heading to bed. Shikaku asked me for a shogi game, which we played as I described my days events to him. I also remembered the little snippet about he seller who visits Iwa, and Shikaku promised to pass it along down the necessary channels to look into.

My mind was still buzzing when I went to my room. Despite my satisfying day, I felt a little uneasy. I couldn't sleep, so I lay in bed and scribbled some seals. I had some ideas for medical use, so I made some rough prototypes to show Yumi tomorrow. I piled them on my bedside table and tried to get to sleep some time in the early morning.

Not long after I turned my light out, I heard a shuffle. Confused, I turned my light back on.

Leaning over my bed, was a man dressed in dark clothes and a strange mask over his face. He had dark hair and held a katana in his hand.

"You stupid bitch," he said, before bringing his blade down, and driving it through my chest.

Notes:

Yea...this was a long time coming...

Chapter 26: Bonds arc: part 6

Chapter Text

You know the saying 'see your life flashing before your eyes'?

I'm calling bullshit.

When you getting stabbed in the chest, the only thing you can think of is 'fuck'. Or maybe that's just me?

The second and third thoughts are 'ow' and 'fucking hell that fucking hurts what the fuck'.

Of course, that all happens in a moment. Less than a split second.

I stared at the blade in disbelief and panic before my mind went blank, and survival instincts kicked in.

From years of abuse in ROOT, I have trained myself to compartmentalise pain and fear, and my mind quickly whirled through my options.

Unfortunately, this wound wasn't a broken bone or a superficial laceration. I knew it had hit something vital - and that something vital was my heart. Yes, I was trained in basic healing, but here was no way I had the knowledge for this. This wound was fatal if I didn't see an advanced healer...and that was if I didn't bleed out first.

Also, who the fuck was this? How did they get into Shikaku's house without notice? And who the hell was he calling stupid bitch? I have never been called stupid in my life (except by Shisui, but he doesn't count). Even if he wasn't trying to kill me, I'd get him for that alone.

He was going to pay.

So priorities:

Live long enough to not bleed out

Vengeance on this mother fucker

My options were slim. But unknown to this asshole, i'm an overachiever...who also happens to have medical stasis seals on her bedside table within reach. I had everything from mobile bubbles for transportation, to small sized bubbles for field work prior to stabilisation.

Less than a second after he impaled me, i gasped in shock before flinging my arm over to my table, a small amount of chakra focused to my fingers and hoping to touch a seal...any seal.

I must have hit one of the small bubbles, as I felt the cool chakra flow over me, and my attacker stilled - his positioning looked like he was in process of removing the sword, but it was kept in place. For a moment I was confused as to why I wasn't frozen too, until I realised I had the frigging Time Lord seal...So I brought my arm to the blade and scratched the seal down the centre.

A moment later, there was a flurry of movement. The figure above me was torn away, katana and all, and I could hear sounds of fighting. I turned to look but cool hands cupped my face and kept it centred.

"Look to me, Erena, that's it," I looked up to see a stressed Yumis face hovering above, I tried to open my mouth in greeting but a sudden flash of pain flashed through me from my chest and a strange groan tore through my throat. My breaths became short gasps and I started to feel cold and wet. There was a strange tingling feeling growing from the centre of my chest. I started to have trouble breathing and my concentration was waning.

"No, no, Erena. Eyes on me. Keep your eyes on me!"

I blinked in reply, but then I felt a liquid bubbling from my throat as I gasped.

"We've got to move her, now!"

There was a warm feeling at the side of my head, and then I knew no more.

I drifted in and out of consciousness for a while. I wasn't full aware of anything, and what I did recognise, I couldn't respond to. The first sensation I had was pain, but that soon fizzled out and I was left feeling floaty. Every so often the same throbbing sensation would come back, but it was usually short lived.

A long time after that I started to hear voices. I could never pick up what they were, but most sounded soothing and familiar. Even though I wasn't able to make out what they were saying, they made me feel at home. They were home.

I was still feeling foggy, but slowly started to wake up. My body felt heavy.

"Erena, can you hear me?"

"Mmmm," I hummed. I still wanted to sleep, why was someone trying to wake me up?

"Erena, can you squeeze my hand?"

I felt something tickle the palm of my left hand. Instead of squeezing, I tried to flick it away. Stop bothering me.

"No, I said squeeze it."

'Oh, for goodness sake. Okay, if it'll get you to shut up.' I squeezed lightly then moved my hand away and tried to close it over so they couldn't annoy me again. I heard a chuckle.

"Stubborn. Come on. I think you have slept enough. Can you open your eyes?"

I just wanted to yell at them to fuck off, but there didn't seem to be a connection between my brain and my mouth. I started to lift my eyelids, but the light burned them before I was even halfway. I groaned and squeezed them shut again.

"Okay, that was my fault. I'll close the blinds and dim the light and then we'll try again...okay, come on Erena..."

I opened my eyes again, wearily. It was still light, but not blinding. Yumi stood at my side and smiled at me.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, you little drama queen."

I tried to reply 'fuck off', but all that came out was a croak and coughing.

"I'm absolutely sure that you were about to say 'Thank you.'...so you're welcome!"

I frowned at him in reply. He goddamn knew that wasn't it. I only managed to stay awake for a few more minutes before I fell back asleep.

It took me a while before I could stay awake for a considerable amount of time as I kept drifting in and out of consciousness. The next time I was awake, it took me several minutes to start making understandable sounds, and a few days to talk normally. As I was still slightly doped in painkillers, they set about reducing them before they filled me in on the details.

They were clearly keeping things from me, but at the time I didn't care...I'd find out later, classified or not. The going story was that a missing nin somehow broke in, and attacked me in the dead of night. I activated a Time Bubble on the bedside table, and Shikaku felt the chakra surge. He entered the room as I damaged my Time Lord seal and I was caught in the frozen pocket too. The Time Bubble lasted long enough for Shikaku to get a half dozen shinobi, including an on duty ANBU Kakashi and Itachi, and a handful of medics to deal with me...Apparently, the damage was so severe my heart stopped twice, needed several surgeries to repair my heart and lungs, and they had to induce a medical coma to allow my heart to heal. I had been unconscious for three weeks before they could start to cut down on the sedative.

I was assured my attacker was in custody (and I'd hope so after Kakashi and Itachi were involved), and the investigation was pending. They tried to warn me that I was not to interfere...'tried' being the word...like that was going to happen.

For now, I was to remain in hospital and keep away from any and all stress. My heart was still damaged, and anything could set off another cardiac arrest. I was banned from asking about the incident until I was dismissed from hospital, at the very least.

I was going to find this difficult, with me being naturally curious and all, but Yumi used his puppy eyes on me when he requested, so for once in my life I wasn't going to be difficult about this.

But once I was discharged? Hell hath no fury like a stabbed Erena.

From then, I was only allowed two visitors a day, and only one at a time. It was a testament to how fragile I was that normal visitation rules didn't apply.

Shikaku and Yoshino were my first visitors, then Shisui and Itachi, and it continued to alternate unless the others were on mission. Itachi, in particular, was far more subdued than I expected, but as he was involved in the incident, I could understand why. The first time he visited me, he looked on the verge of tears and found it difficult to talk. I shuffled over to make room for him on my bed, and he lay beside me, one arm over my shoulder and hugged me tightly for the whole visit, not saying anything. It was only near the end of the visit when he whispered "I thought you were dead," that it really sunk in how much it affected him.

On one visit, Shisui was telling me about his latest mission to Snow, where he went a bit overkill on a fire jutsu and ended up melting the snow he was standing on, resulting in sinking into a Shisui-made deep puddle, getting soaked in freezing weather. Not only did he embarrass himself in front of the client, but he ended up running around with wet feet for days. I started laughing at his absurdity, when I started to feel a thump in my chest, my head felt foggy and the heart monitor started going haywire...medics rushed in and I was lain down before they started shouting medical terms at each other and injecting me with various things until the heart monitor calmed down.

After that, even Shisui's visits became boring and he steered away from anything fun, in case it set my heart off again.

I was so ready to leave the hospital.

Eventually, I was allowed to go - but given medications to regulate my heart and given strict instructions not to participate in any training what so ever...I was one hundred percent on top of this instruction and was completely on board with it for as long as they wanted.

Once again, I was on house arrest unless supervised...only this time both Shisui and Itachi freaked out if I walked for any more than five minutes. I ended up shouting at them to stop being ridiculous - I was allowed to walk but not train, so unless they saw me practicing any katas and sparring, they could pipe down.

Also, being free allowed me to do a little digging. Yumi, being the busybody he was, had thought ahead and told people not to give me any information until he discharged me - out of concern for my wellbeing, the Infiltration Corps complied. However, that didn't mean they weren't collecting information to give me when I was ready. They were angry with the fact someone had dared to attack me within my own village, and wanted to get back at them - perhaps even more than I did. And this included Yumi.

They managed to confirm that my assailant was being held at a high security ANBU detention centre. The location was meant to be undisclosed, but, you know, we were spies. We disclose the undisclosed.

Apparently it was Itachi that eventually restrained him, using his sharingan to render him unconscious. They also reported Itachi bleeding from his eyes at the end of the altercation - if he hurt Itachi, I was going to make him pay.

He was being kept in chakra suppressant restraints, including ones on his eyes, and Fugaku had been called in several times, as well as Yamanaka Inoichi.

Not only that, but they, along with Hatake Kakashi (or ANBU Dog), were the only ones to have regular contact with him.

This told me many things. 1. It was an Uchiha, and 2. Hatake likely had a personal involvement.

"I need a report on every Uchiha Hatake has ever had contact with - alive, Missing in Action, and Killed in Action...and get me a copy of his personnel report - as unredacted as you can manage but I'll take what I'm given."

I got the information the next day, and I didn't even make it past the first page of his file to make the connection (but I checked everything just to make sure).

Not long after my discharge, I was to sit down with the Hokage, Fugaku (acting as police chief, apparently) and Shikaku to give my formal statement of the incident - Shikaku informed me they were under strict instruction not to question me until the Healers gave me the all clear, and he made sure the instructions were adhered to.

When they asked me if I recognised my attacker, or had any previous dealing with him, I simply replied. "Nope, I've never met Uchiha Obito before."

The place went so silent you could have heard a pin drop.

I scoffed. "What? Like it was hard to figure out who it was? All it took was a list of visitors and hey presto, Killed in Action Uchiha identity uncovered...I'll guessing he's also responsible for other issues which I may or may not be allowed to talk about?"

I was mainly inferring to Yagura, but I also had an inkling that he was involved with Danzo, and perhaps the Uchiha Coup in some way...I had no proof or anyway to connect the dots yet, but all the events seemed too coincidental for my liking.

No one said anything.

"I'm still not sure why this surprises any of you." I shrugged. "I guess since none of you have any questions for me, I'll just get out of here, yea?" I went to stand up.

"Sit down," the Hokage demanded.

I huffed. "Of course, Hokage, sir lord god...whatever you command." I did a sarcastic bow with a flourish, before sitting down, with folded arms.

"You make it very difficult to trust you, Nakahara," he said, toneless.

"Hey, now don't start that! I'm plenty trustworthy. When have I ever lied to you? Or betrayed you? I'm just really good at what I do, and no one ever gives me credit...someone just waltzed into my room, called me stupid and tried to kill me, and you think I'm not going to look into that? Of course I am! Do you know how many people have called me stupid? None! I take great offence at that! I'm going to show him just how unstupid I am...wait, is unstupid even a word? Oh that was really stupid, just forget about that, okay?"

Shikaku facepalmed, and Fugaku raised an eyebrow.

"Do you mean to tell us you are more concerned about the fact your attacker thinks you are unintelligent than the fact he wants you dead?" Fugaku asked.

I shrugged. "It's not like other people haven't tried to attack and kill me in the past? It's just a thing that happens, you know?"

The Hokage sighed. "Tell us what you know...or think you know. And don't leave anything out."

"Ummm...are you sure?" I gave the Hokage a pointed look, but tried to slide it over to Fugaku as subtly as I could.

"They are briefed on the events of Mist that Itachi and Shisui are part of," the Hokage confirmed, but making sure I knew not to disclose everything.

"And the Hokage has been made aware," Fugaku said, in regards to the Coup. Shikaku clearly hadn't been, as he looked a little surprised and confused.

And so I explained my suspicions about Obito's involvement in Yagura's genjutsu and the Uchiha Coup...I suspected another party was also involved, and could not determined overall goals for his actions - other than to cause instability throughout the Nations. It was likely he was involved in other events - both within Konoha and in other Nations, but it would require more research and information on his abilities. With the level of discord he had already managed, and gone undetected, his skillset was clearly more extensive than his previous file eluded to.

"There has been a teacher of some kind...those skills don't just appear overnight and without direction. Someone older, likely with experience of the sharingan - either with it or having extensive experience fighting against. I wouldn't be surprised if there was grooming or brainwashing - based on his self sacrifice for his teammates, to go against Konoha in such a profound way now would have taken a lot of manipulation."

The floor went quiet again.

"What now?" I said annoyed. I was getting concerned I was going to end up in a cell again. One trip to T & I was enough for a lifetime and I had no inclination to repeat the experience.

"You have deduced more in a few days than we have in over a month of questioning," Fugaku stated.

I blinked. "Does that mean I'm in?"

Of course I was 'in'.

I could practically see Fugaku salivating (practically, because, let's face it, the man would never - he was far too classy for that kind of behaviour. I doubt he even dribbled as a baby. I bet he was born with perfect manners and a stick up his ass).

The next day, I was escorted to the ANBU Detention centre...they tried to blindfold me, but when I told them exactly where we were going, the ANBU lowered the cloth sack down with clear disappointment.

When I entered the building, we were ambushed by Kakashi as ANBU Dog.

"What is she doing here?" He barked out. (barked, get it?)

"Nakahara is now an active member of this investigation," Fugaku replied. He sounded bored and like he gave zero shits.

"Unacceptable."

"Oh, quiet down, Kakashi. I promise I'll leave your boyfriend in one piece."

He stilled. "She knows his identity?"

"Oh, I know I lot more than that, sweetheart." I grinned at him and cocked my head. I really really missed this game. Why did I ever get out of it?

He must have been staring at me behind his mask. "She is emotionally compromised. I would like to state my disapproval of this path."

"She is here under the direction of the Hokage. You will stand down, Dog. That is an order."

Kakashi tensed before storming off.

"Who wants to take bets that the next ambush comes from Weasel or Karasu?" I chirped.

"That is a fools wager," Fugaku agree'd.

"I missed this, Fugaku. You're fun when there's a little bit of conspiracy going on!"

He turned to glance at me as we walked down the corridor. "Hn," he replied. He missed me, too!

He directed me to a room with files and transcripts from the previous interviews. It took me less than an hour to read everything there. I whistled.

"Wow, you guys really did come up with jack shit, didn't you?"

"We were unsuccessful in our investigation thus far, yes."

"Cool. More for me, then. When - "

BANG.

"Oh, both of them? Hatake works fast. Hello, boys!" I waved at Shisui and Itachi, in ANBU gear, at the door.

"What do you think you are doing! You were just released from hospital!" Shisui shouted. The fact he was willing to raise his voice around Fugaku showed how angry he was.

"It's okay, Yumi said I was allowed," I smiled at them, in an attempt to placate.

"What the hell does that mean? Don't you know how much danger you're in just being here?!"

"Calm down. The risk assessment has been completed and submitted, as per company regulations." In other words: I know and I'm cool with it.

"Father, please. She should not be here," Itachi pleaded.

"She is invaluable to the ongoing success of this investigation. This cannot be changed."

I heard Itachi let out a deep breath and look to the ground. Shisui was not as accepting, "Bullshit!"

I was not taking part in this argument. Shisui was as stubborn as a goat, and would not see reason when he thought he was in the right.

"It's funny how you think you have a say in this, Shisui," I said, coldly. "Believe it or not, I know more about this than either of you could dream to. I will do my job, and you will be quiet. You can either be a part of it, or you can be escorted out. The decision is yours." It felt like I was channeling Hibari again.

"I'm not going anywhere," he hissed through gritted teeth.

"Excellent!" I grinned and clapped. "Shall we get this show on the road? I'd like to get this case wrapped up by dinner...Shisui's buying, after he see's what an ass he's being." I heard a sarcastic snort.

We went to an interrogation room, I entered while the others went to the observation room. The set up wasn't dissimilar to the interrogation room I had experienced, except this one had guards on the inside of the room, and the outside. Uchiha Obito was chained to the desk, and a blindfold placed over his eyes.

"Oh, this is cozy," I commented as I sat down on the interrogators chair opposite him. "They really need to hire an interior designer, though. All these rooms are so 'samey'...where's the individual touches?"

I saw him tense and straighten. I leaned over and pulled the blindfold from his head.

"Oh, hi there honey. Surprised to see me?" I smiled at him sweetly.

Whoever this man was, he was not the Uchiha Obito that had left Konoha on a mission to the Kanabi Bridge all those years ago. Half of this body was mottled grey - it was the same tissue and texture that Danzo had on his Sharingan arm. If there was any clear connection between the two, this was it. The expression on his face was one of seething hatred...now, I had not been formally introduced to him by Minato, but I do remember a joyful looking boy. This was not him.

"Aren't you supposed to be dead?"

"Meh. Didn't take...same goes for you, I take it?"

"You know nothing."

"Oh, I know plenty...where shall I start?" I tilted my head at him. He scowled and took on a defensive posture. "Oh, no, it's okay...I don't expect you to talk - I just expect you to listen." I paused for dramatic effect.

"So, Once Upon a Time a little Chuunin known as Uchiha Obito goes on a shit show of a mission. Ends up crushed by a rock, gives his bestie his eye and welcomes death in the knowledge that he has protected his loved ones." I peeked for a reaction. His scowl deepened, excellent. "Then a creepy older dude just so happens to find him, and saves him from certain death - using this creepy grey flesh."

I gestured to his right side. I was totally pulling the information out of my ass, but his reaction was telling me good things. I'd pretty much hit the nail on the head, but I was lacking a few fine details...I could live with that for now.

"Obito grew to trust him - after all, if a creepy old dude saves your life he's gotta be, good, right? But you see, the dude had another agenda, and he needed a minion. And something happened that shook Obito to the core. It destroyed everything he thought he knew. And he realised the older dude was right. So he learned and planned and let his hatred fuel him. He turned his back on everything he once loved. He went around doing dastardly deeds throughout the land. Killing and sabotaging and enslaving...until one day, a little girl became too much of a nuisance. His irritation go the better of him and he let his guard down...or maybe the 'stupid bitch' was actually a very clever bitch? Who knows? Either way, Obito found himself captured and in a jail cell. The end."

I leaned back and looked at him. "So how does it feel to be someone's pawn in a war that is not your own?"

"You know nothing," he repeated, this time with more emotion than he meant to let out.

"Oh really? I know a lot. One thing I don't get is what happened to make you lose faith in Konoha? What happened that makes you hate it so much? I know brain washing, believe me...first they gain your trust, and then they make sure they are the only thing you can rely on...so what happened? What made you break?"

"You think Konoha is perfect? Just wait until it betrays you too. One day you'll lose everything, too, and then you'll see."

I blinked. "Sooo...you were betrayed by Konoha and lost everything? Hmmm..." I tapped my chin, thinking over all the files. "You were an orphan, and practically ignored by your clan...so it wasn't that. Team Minato was pretty much it for you...What could it be...Oh!" Lightbulb! "Oh, you poor poor stupid bastard." I chuckled. "Really?" I rolled my eyes.

He looked enraged. "You know nothing!"

"I clearly know more than you, right now!" I giggled. "You mean you never realised that it was an obvious set up?" He frowned.

"Let me guess...your best friend killed your other best friend, and you just happened to be there at the exact time and in the exact place to see the whole thing? And that doesn't seem weird to you? You poor gullible stupid bastard..." I cackled.

I didn't actually find the whole thing funny at all, but mind games were needed. He's already fallen for someone else's mind games, so there was no reason he wouldn't fall for mine.

His face done something funny and his eye dart back and forth. He was thinking about what I said and trying to find some flaw in it. I saw a flash of devastation...

"There's something else, isn't there? Something really, really bad..."

His eye widened. I stared at him.

I was making him uncomfortable, but I was also inducing fear. I had already destroyed his perception of the world - for the second time in his life - but he was afraid that I would find something out.

"So, something I know about? And one of the only things you feel guilt for..." My eyes snapped to his and I narrowed my eyes at him. "It was you."

He swallowed. "I-"

"Don't you fucking dare. Do you even know what you started? Of course you fucking do. So one girl died...did you know it was effectively suicide? To protect the village? Your evil fucking mentor set the whole thing up and you fell for it hook, line and sinker. Brainwashing happens, but it doesn't turn you into a murderous tyrant unless you let it...and what did you do?"

"You released the Kyuubi. Killed your sensei. Caused the death of his wife. Destroyed half the village. Because of you and your complete fucking inability to open your eyes, I lost my whole family...my fucking life."

"You know what? I almost felt sorry for you. You were a fool, but most people are. I didn't even care that you tried to kill me. But then you went and fucked it. I have no sympathy for imbeciles that completely lose their humanity in their journey for misplaced vengeance."

"I'm done with you. I don't even care if you rot here. I'm so past hatred, I'm onto apathy. I could have helped you set things right - but that's on you now, if you even care. Fuck you, and your fucking tiny dick."

I got out of the chair and stormed out of the room. I caught a flash of a crumpling expression on his face as the door closed. My work here was done - T & I could take over.

I walked into the observation room. Everyone - from Fugaku to Kakashi to some T&I henchman to the boys and the Hokage - looked stunned.

"And that, ladles and jellyfish, is how to break a man in thirty minutes and under. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to find a cupboard to scream into."

Interlude

Fugaku was looking at Erena as she closed the door, then looked back to Obito. The man looked like he was in a trance, his face slack but with clear anguish on it.

"That was unexpected," the Hokage said.

Fugaku snorted. "Only people who haven't played shogi against her would think that."

"What do you mean?"

"There are only two words for her gameplay: intuitive and savage. She likes to play with her food before she eats it."

"That girl needs to join T&I," Morino commented.

Fugaku snorted again. "Get in line."

Fugaku looked around to the remaining silent members of the room. They had all removed their masks, and wore different expressions on their faces. Hatake shared a similar look of misery on his face to Obito - he would likely take a while to get over this, and would obsess about his retuned friend. The Hokage needed to be careful... Itachi and Shisui looked dumbfounded...he guessed it wasn't because of the revelations about Obito, but more like seeing their friend in a new light.

Since Erena's full return, the three had become firm friends again. He was accepting, as he was indebted to her, but he knew there was certain aspects of her character that Itachi had not been witness to before now. While he knew Itachi was mature enough to handle it, he was concerned that Nakahara was not - she kept a part of herself hidden for a reason, and did not accept the darker sides of her personality.

For as good as Nakahara was an actress, she was not as emotionally stable as she appeared. He had seen enough cracks to know she was a few knocks from falling down. She needed to be in control, and right now that was slipping...and he worried what would happen when she finally did.

"Itachi," he said. "I think it's time you leave, we have things to discuss."

His son blinked and nodded. He grasped Shisui by the arm and lead him to the door. He knew they would go after their friend as soon as they left the room and got out of their stupor.

"What is going to happen to him?" Hatake whispered.

"That depends on him," the Hokage said. "There are still a lot of things unanswered, perhaps we should start there?"

Chapter 27: Bonds arc: part 7

Chapter Text

After I left the detention facility, I mentally wrote off Obito. I was not a very forgiving person and I had done more than I set out to do. I informed the Hokage I would assist in examining information retrieved by the prisoner, but I refused to have any further part in his questioning.

I was maybe a little childish, but I knew if I was to see him again I would do something regrettable - either to him or to me. I'm a pro at avoiding problems, so I figured I'd stick to my strengths.

My mind was still reeling from the revelations and I was starting to question everything - from everything that had happened in my own life, even to current political situations. It was a dangerous mindset and I had to stop myself from getting lost in my thoughts. If I didn't, I would easily become obsessed.

Unfortunately, I couldn't even do any of my normal assignments to distract myself. The peace treaty with Mist was still in talks - and beyond my pay grade, as far as the council was concerned. I was informed to stay away from any seal work - Yumi was concerned failed experiments (explosions) could effect my heart in some way. And of course, training was out.

To stop myself from going insane, I asked for a temporary assignment from Shikaku. Initially I had thought he'd place me in Intelligence, in a nice little desk job like he always talked about, but instead he sent me to the Jounin Command Centre. I think he wanted to keep me close, but the official line was that he was concerned there could be a mole somewhere within. He asked if I could act as a genin 'runner' between departments. I was under strict instructions not to engage with any suspects, but to note any odd activity and report directly to him.

Since I was technically still a genin (my official rank had never changed), and I had already worked as Shikaku's secretary before, it wouldn't be too suspicious for me to take up such a role. Plus we had a personal connection, even if people didn't know that technically he was my guardian - Nepotism was rife in the shinobi world, even if I wasn't an official member of the Nara clan.

I found the work mind numbing, but it was constant and kept me occupied. Jounin were lazy, and had absolutely no inclination to get their own shit unless they absolutely needed to. One particularly lazy shinobi had me run up two floors to get him files from an office two doors away from his...Shikaku was an absolute piece of work, I tell you.

Having a fairly routine assignment also meant meeting up with people was easy - depending on their schedules. When Shisui and Itachi were in village, they would often meet me at lunch or drop by after my work. We didn't even plan anymore - if it happened, it happened. Itachi had also taken a step back from ANBU for a period - his father was keen on him getting a promotion to Jounin, and so he needed more missions under his belt in his actual name, not as Weasel. That suited me fine as it meant they were less dangerous and more regulated - meaning I could see him more.

God knows what Shisui was up to, but I saw him enough and in good enough spirits that I wasn't overly worried.

I had gathered that they weren't involved with Obito's case, based on their mission schedule, which also made me happy. It was one less thing we had to keep from each other...I had been worried about their reaction to my interrogation, but neither had mentioned it - other than Shisui glumly accepting that he would pay for the dinner that evening (it was an awkward meal, but I'm not sure who was worse out of all of us).

Gai had also become a regular part of my morning and weekend routine, and I had Yumi to thank for that. While I was in my coma, he was away on a few mid length missions, with his latest resulting in him being injured (something about opening gates and being an idiot? Yumi liked to rant, I didn't often listen). Since he was in recuperation, and driving everyone in the hospital insane, Yumi had sent him my way to help increase my stamina and cardio again. Thankfully, it wasn't the same kind of torture as last time, and everything was taken very slow with frequent heart rate checks and breaks. It gave him something to focus on, and stopped Yumi from moaning to me about my laziness, so I was accepting enough (even if it did mean I had to wake up at five in the morning).

On days where I had nothing to do after work, I would find myself in a cafe between the Jounin Command Centre and home. I loved the Nara's, but after so much injury and being restricted, I was starting to get a little stir crazy and needed my own space. I was thinking of getting my own apartment soon, but it definitely wasn't the time - I needed to wait until things calmed more after the Obito stabby situation. Neither Shikaku or Yoshino would consider leaving me to my own devices right now.

It was about three weeks after I started at the Jounin Command Centre, when my private reading time was rudely interrupted by some random chuunin.

"Hello, Nakahara-kun!" I lowered my book to look at the older teenage male chuunin, whom had just slid into my booth uninvited. He was a couple of years older than me, and I had never met him before.

I didn't say anything to him in reply, but raised my eyebrow from him (it was a very Fugaku move - gave an impression of superiority while rudely accepting acknowledgment of the other persons presence. It came across as very rude, so I liked it).

"So, um, do you mind if I sit here?" He asked.

"You clearly already are," I replied coolly.

He laughed nervously. "Haha, I know! I mean...I hope that you don't mind that I'm sitting here? I wanted to introduce myself! I'm Ban!"

"That's nice. Did you need something?" I was getting bored quickly.

"Oh, um, no...I just wanted to introduce myself. Get to know you? You know?"

He seemed nervous. But wasn't giving away anything overly suspicious...I couldn't understand what his game was, and he was becoming very uninteresting very quickly.

"Well, consider yourself introduced. You can go now," I said, dismissing him and returning to my book.

"Haha, you're funny! So, do you come here a lot?" He was still nattering on...I sighed.

"Yes." I didn't lift my eyes from the page I was reading, even if he was distracting me.

"I've seen you a couple of times, you looked lonely...so I thought I would say hi."

I lowered my book to look at him. He thought I looked lonely? Sorry, but that excuse doesn't fly unless you are ten years old.

"And you've said hi. So if you'll excuse me, I think I'll be going home." I packed up my things to leave - if he wouldn't leave me alone, it was easily remedied another way. I usually wouldn't back down, but I really couldn't be bothered wasting my energy on him.

Unfortunately for me, he seemed incessant. He sat in my booth the next day and the next and the next. He'd sometimes ask me basic pleasantries about my day, or what I was reading. I kept my answers short to make my disinterest clear. At the end of the week he approached me, but this time with an offering.

"These are for you!"

He said, and thrust a small bouquet of flowers in my face. I took them off him hesitantly and looked at them funny.

"What are these for?" I asked. Truthfully, I'd never received flowers before, except from Yoshino when I was in the hospital. I had taken kunoichi lessons at the Academy, so knew that they we used to convey messages and sentiment, but it wasn't a subject I particularly paid attention in.

"Oh! Well," he scratched the back of his head with his free hand. "I like you? I was hoping I could take you out on a date?"

Dear lord, what the hell was going on? Had we stepped into some alternative dimension where this was something that happened? Who was pranking me? I swear if Shisui was involved I was going to castrate him.

My eyebrows shot up in surprise. "A date? Why? What do you want?"

Now it was his turn to look shocked. "Want? Nothing! Just to get to know you pretty...I mean, get to know you better. You are pretty and seem interesting."

Okay, now I knew he was lying. Pretty is not something I have ever heard to describe myself. Interesting, yes...but he wouldn't know that. My exploits are more than classified.

"Sorry if I don't believe you," I said sceptical. "It seems a bit unexpected."

"Really! I was hoping to take you out...tomorrow maybe? For dinner? It's okay if you say no, but I would regret it if I didn't ask."

I looked at him with narrowed eyes. He wasn't unattractive, so probably didn't have too much difficulty with girls. There was no reason for him to approach me at all. I had never met him, except for his annoying me in the cafe. I didn't have any kind of reputation anywhere, except with the council...and maybe the Uchiha (for being a nuisance more than anything...), and it was unlikely he was affiliated with anyone I was.

I wanted to know more about what he was up to, but I couldn't do that without more information.

"Okay, fine..." I said. He looked thrilled. "Five o'clock tomorrow, meet outside of here?"

He nodded. "Sure! I'll see you then!" He thrust the flowers at me once more, which I grudgingly accepted, and ran away.

Huh.

I felt embarrassed with the looks and the soft giggles I was getting, so packed up my things and left promptly. I planned to dispose of the flowers as soon as I could manage (without an audience).

As soon as I exited the cafe, I ran into Itachi and Shisui, who looked like they were looking for me.

"Erena! Just who we've been...what are those?" Shisui asked, a silly confused look on his face.

"Flowers," I huffed, trying to hide them behind my back.

"And why do you have flowers?"

I sighed and rubbed my brow out of frustration. "Because someone gave them to me."

"And why did someone give them to you?" He was grinning now.

"Because they asked me out on a date..."

"I knew it!" He laughed. "Erena's got herself a boyfriend!"

Itachi hit him on the arm. "You don't need to make fun, Shisui. It's a nice thing."

"No, this is called payback! It's brilliant! After everything you pulled on me-"

"You can stop right there. I'm just going to figure out what he's up to. It's not going to be an actual date," I replied, trying to dismiss their train of thought.

"What do you mean, Erena? Do you think he is a spy?" It was Itachi's turn to look confused, and concerned, now.

"Well, no...he's definitely from Konoha, but I'll figure it out soon enough. I'll ask around first, then tomorrow-"

"Erena...did you stop to think maybe he actually wants to take you out on a date?" Itachi asked.

"Well, no. Why would he?" Honestly, Itachi was usually more perceptive. There was clearly an underlying reason.

"But, why not?"

"I'm not exactly attractive, and I'm not the most fun person to be around? You guys put up with me, but I'm not a normal teenager. Hell, I've been giving the guy the cold shoulder for a week, and all he did was buy me flowers. Who does that?"

Itachi and Shisui shared a wide-eyed look. "Erena, do you actually look at yourself in the mirror? You're not exactly unfortunate looking." I think that was the closest Shisui has ever come to giving me a complement. "And as much as it hurts me to say it, you are pretty funny - when you're not being a pain in the ass."

Itachi nodded. "You are quite pretty Erena. Why would you think so little of yourself?"

I shrugged. "My track record's not much to go on. Everyone always wants something from me. Why would this be any different?"

Itachi looked upset, and Shisui closed his eyes.

"Do you feel that same way about us?" Itachi asked.

"Well, no..." I replied. I didn't think so. Out of everyone, only Shikaku, Itachi and Shisui hadn't showed any alternative reason for wanting to be around me. Everyone else who had shown me any attention wanted something.

"Maybe you should start learning to trust a bit more? Start fresh with someone and see what happens?"

I frowned. It wasn't that easy. Being the Uchiha heir, I'm sure he was used to people trying to befriend and use him for their own gains. I thought he would be able to understand my feelings on this.

"I agree. You're not in ROOT anymore, you're not exactly a power player - as far as the public knows. What have you got to lose by at least trying see what happens? No information gathering before...just go on a date and ask questions like a normal person. Who knows? You might even like him!" Shisui asked, although you could literally feel the awkward vibes flowing off him.

I snorted. "I doubt that. He seemed too mousy...I'll get bored within five minutes."

"Then go and see, and if you get bored within five minutes, then no harm done...except maybe to this guys ego?...now can we change the conversation? It's like giving dating advice to a sister. It feels wrong on every level."

"Fine," I said, happy to leave the topic behind. "What did you guys hunt me down for anyway?" It wasn't normal for them to seek me out at the cafe - if they were late in seeing me, they would normally just leave it.

Shisui rubbed the back of his neck. "So, uhh...you know how you think everyone wants something from you?"

I laughed. "What do you need?"

"Turns out we have a joint mission coming up, but the intel seems a bit off to us...can you have a look and tell us what you think?"

"Gimme the file," I said, hands outstretched. Silly boys, as if this was what I meant.

Against my better judgement, I did not do any snooping on Ban. It felt wrong and made me feel uneasy, but if Itachi and Shisui thought I should give it a go, then I would.

I didn't tell Yoshino or Shikaku, and only mentioned it to Gai the next morning. He seemed a little put off by it, and seemed a little suspicious, but didn't question me too much. In some respect, it made my previous concerns feel validated...if a more experienced Jounin was as distrustful as me, then I wasn't going insane.

I also decided I wasn't going to put any extra effort into it, either. I simply dressed in my normal clothes (I had taken to wearing civilian clothes at the command centre...I figured it would make people see me a even less of a threat and lose their guard around me), so just had on a casual dress (neck high, to hide my chest wounds), and looked as un-ninja like as you possibly could.

I saw Ban outside of the cafe, already waiting for me. He looked relaxed and wore a dressed down version of the Chuunin uniform...I suspected he just dropped off his vest and changed his undershirt.

He seemed genuinely pleased when he saw me, and fumbled over his greeting.

"Oh hi, Erena! You're on time! I was worried you wouldn't come!"

God, the instinct to tease was right there...I had to bite my tongue.

"Thanks Ban, so where are we going?"

"There's a nice soba place not too far. Is that okay with you?" It wasn't my favourite, but I didn't mind it, so I shrugged.

"Lead on."

When he said it wasn't far, he wasn't kidding. It was less than five minutes away, and I was glad. His excited puppy act was starting to grate on me.

As soon as we had ordered at the restaurant, I had decided this definitely was not for me. But if I bailed now, I knew Itachi and Shisui would be disappointed in me, so I had to at least try and bare with it until the end of the meal.

"So, how do you enjoy being a genin? Have you actually sat the chuunin exams at all?"

I sighed. "Nope, not really been interested, if I'm honest." And I really wasn't - from what I knew of the chuunin exams, it would be a waste of time and effort.

"Oh, so you're happy with being a career genin?" He seemed a little confused.

"Well...I guess? Rank has never bothered me too much, and I keep busy."

"Wow, that's so weird.. I mean its great you're happy and all! But I couldn't wait to become a chuunin. It only took me three goes, but I got here! I've been trying to make jounin for a while and I think I've-"

"Well, hello! Fancy seeing you here!" Shisui appeared at our table, an embarrassed looking Itachi in tow. Dirty little sneak.

I groaned. "Yes. What a coincidence. I would say it was nice to see you, but I don't believe in lying," I said through gritted teeth. What were they, my babysitters?

"Good evening, Erena. We are sorry to interrupt," Itachi said, giving Shisui a side eye. "We were just on our way to our table. We are sitting far over there," he indicated to a table at the other end of the restaurant. "I hope you have a pleasant evening." He dragged Shisui away, hissing to him under his breath.

"Was that...Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui?" Ban asked, a little star struck.

"Unfortunately," I groaned.

"You know them?"

"Unfortunately."

"Wow, they are legends, you know? Shisui has been a jounin forever, and I heard rumours they are both in ANBU...whoa, isn't that Hatake Kakashi?"

My head jumped up. Of course it fucking was. Because where else would Hatake, the famed social recluse be, except in the restaurant where I was having a date? A person who I rarely saw, and who I'm pretty sure I royally pissed off last time I saw him? And who else was with him, but fucking Maito Gai...three guesses who dragged Hatake out...what was this, 'let's embarrass and sabotage Erena' night?

Hatake clearly saw me, but didn't even acknowledge my presence. Gai didn't even look my way...still remembering his training, I see.

"Fucking hell," I tried to sink into my seat.

"Wow, I had no idea this place was such a hot spot...I should come here more often!" Ban said, impressed by the current clientele.

"Mmmm, yes, it's impressive."

"Isn't it!" He was practically jumping. "Do you think I should go and introduce myself? It doesn't hurt to be noticed, you know?"

"Nope, definitely not. No introductions. Let's just sit here and enjoy our meal in peace."

He looked torn. "I suppose that would be best..." He looked between me and Kakashi. God, go ask him on a date then! By the look of things, he had a bigger crush on him than me.

"You must meet so many interesting people working at the Jounin Command Centre!" He chirped. "Is that how you know the Uchiha?"

"Not exactly," I said.

"Oh, did your uncle introduce you?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Not exactly."

"It must be so cool having Nara Shikaku as an uncle. It must open so many doors."

He hummed. I was about the reply as our meal was placed in from of us. He smiled at the waitress, before breaking the chopsticks.

"You know, Nara Shikaku is one of the assessors at the next Jounin assessments. Has he mentioned anything about them?"

I wanted to smack my head on the table then and there. For multiple reasons. First, could you even try to be a little subtle? Had no one ever given you lessons on how to extract information properly? Even if you weren't trained in infiltration, this was basic. And secondly, I was going to really enjoy telling the boys 'I told you so.'

"Nope. Can't say he has," I said, unimpressed. I left my noddles untouched as Ban continued to eat. I picked up my chopsticks and gently started tapping them on the table.

"Really? Oh, well. You know, do you think you could introduce us? It would be super useful to chat to him beforehand, you know?"

"I'm sure it would be..." I was scowling now, and tilted my head to the side. If he wasn't so engrossed in his his own train of thoughts and his fucking noodles, he would have picked up that something wasn't quite right.

"So do you think you could? It's so hard to get a meeting with him and -"

Bang!

I threw a chopstick at him, and it landed directly at the side of his bowl- only a few millimetres from where his face had been, slurping from the bowl.

"Oops, silly me," I said, without a hint of sincerity. His eyes went wide, and jaw slacked. I found his reaction even more irritating and I sensed a bit of Killing Intent slip out...and the problem with my Killing Intent was that it wasn't exactly friendly...

"Mah, everything okay here?" Kakashi appeared at the end of the table.

"Fuck off, Kakashi," I growled. He wasn't helping my mood at all.

"Now, now. No need for that Erena," he had his usual bored expression on his face. I found my Killing Intent grow a little, and it was just starting to be noticeable. Kakashi tensed, Ban looked shit scared, Gai went still, and Itachi and Shisui were jumping out of their seats.

"Fuck this, I'm leaving," I said, and proceeded to storm out of the door, Itachi and Shisui hot on my heels.

"Erena, wait!"

I ran for about ten minutes, in the hopes it would help me calm down. Unfortunately, it didn't work, and all it did was tire me out and give me heart palpitations. I leaned against the wall and slowly slid down, trying to catch my breath.

"Erena! Are you okay?" Itachi exclaimed.

I panted but gave them the thumbs up. "Well that was a fucking disaster." I said between breaths.

Shisui let out the breath he had been holding. "Phew, she's swearing, she's okay."

I sent him a dry look.

"What happened in there?" Itachi kneeled down beside me.

"Let's just say I told you so," I chuckled quietly.

"What do you mean?"

"In future, if I don't trust someone...I'm probably right. If I want to do a background search on someone, I'm damn well going to...He's looking for a promotion - looks like he couldn't get access to Shikaku so what better way than using his little gullible genin niece?"

"Are you sure? Why would he go through all that effort?"

"Because he's shit, that's why. Can't get through on his own fucking merit, so thought he could use me to get an in...he's a fucking idiot...he'd end up being killed the minute they send him on a solo mission."

"Oh, Erena, I'm sorry. It's not always like this-"

"It's fine, Itachi. I've learned my lesson. You know, at least ROOT were clear they were using you. You were only ever a tool, and you knew that. They were shady as fuck, but they didn't lie...I had accepted that the village only wants to use me, but you made me think I should give them a chance, you know?"

"Erena, just because one idiot thought you were a path to an easy promotion..."Shisui started.

"No, it's fine. I have you guys...I know the people I can trust...the ones that care for me. I don't need anyone else."

They shared a sad look before they both offered me hands to get up.

"Come on. If you're done sitting in the dirt, we can at least go out for dinner...I'm guessing you wouldn't say no to a whole dinner of dango?"

I grinned and they pulled me up. "Between me and Itachi I feel sorry for the place."

The next morning, I met Gai as normal. He didn't mention anything about the night before during our training session, and neither did I. I was more than a little pissed at him, and didn't understand what he was pulling by dragging Kakashi there.

I didn't actually talk to him much during, and whenever he did try, my answers were short. I tried to keep it as close to training as possible. At the end, I could tell he was getting frustrated with my lack of conversation.

"Erena! I must apologise for my most Unyouthful behaviour! I only had concern for a friend, and I did not mean to add to your plight! When I am able, I will run around the village one hundred times for failure as a friend!"

I sighed. Goddamn Gai and his inability for me to stay mad at him. No one did apologies quite like him.

"Look, whatever Gai...lets just forget it. But why Kakashi? Seriously? Out of all of the annoying idiots in the village, you had to bring him?"

He at least looked a little sheepish. "While I needed a companion, Kakashi needed a distraction. I had hoping to solve two problems at once, and did not anticipate that his presence would cause further distress."

"It's not so much as cause distress...but he doesn't trust me as it is, but he has even less reason to. I'm surprised I haven't been hauled back to T and I after losing control like that."

"You misunderstand, Erena. Kakashi was not angry at you. He was concerned."

"Yes, concerned about what I would do to Ban." I snorted.

"No, he has more faith in you than what you give him credit for. He seemed most angry at that boys Unyouthful behaviour towards you."

"Well, that makes no sense."

"While I do not know that true nature of how you received your injury, I am aware that my rival does. I believe that it still plagues him...so you see, we are now also rivals in protecting you! Even if only from Unyouthful Chuunin!" He grinned.

I gave a faint smile and snorted. "Well, you don't need to worry about that anymore. Now come on...I ran for ten minutes last night and it flattened me. It was so embarrassing..."

After that the topic was forgotten, and Gai was more than happy to concentrate on training. He did scold me for running for that long, but also seen it as further motivation as I did not have a heart attack...great. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, I suppose?

I suspected my time at the Jounin Command Centre was soon to be at a close. That day I also discovered two plants who were working together. One was in tactical, and the other was in archives. They were funnelling out unrelated information too regularly to be a coincidence. I couldn't tell where they were funnelling to, but that was not my assignment. Shikaku kept me in place a little longer to monitor, while ANBU did their own investigation as to their purpose. If they found any other potential leaks in other areas, I may get sent there to weed out further traitors. Fine my me...I also informed him of the substandard file sent to Itachi and Shisui for their next mission, which already made me suspicious of sabotage. If I was right, I was either going to be sent to Intelligence or ANBU next.

After my conversation with Gai in the morning, I decided to confront Kakashi. Now, I hated confrontation, but I felt like I needed to. After how things were left at the Detention centre, then the night before, I'd feel more awkward the longer things were left. The problem was I had no idea where to find the guy. I wasn't exactly pals with him, I we hadn't really spoken outside of our duty before. Despite this, he was one of the only ones I could actually trust to have my back.

I sent feelers out through my Infiltration Corps (they were such good little busybodies), and I received a reply less than an hour later to say he was at the memorial stone.

I headed straight there, hoping to catch him before he left. When I got there, he was still standing in front of it, with a defeated posture.

"Wow, you really get the prize for being a self-flagellating bastard, don't you? Masochistic, much?" I said.

He tensed and turned around. "Sorry if you don't understand. I know basic human emotions like regret missed you when they were being passed out."

"Ouch. You know, I actually have the full repertoire of emotions available. I just don't focus on only the depressing ones. You might want to give it a go."

He snorted. "The day I take mental health advice from you is the day I check myself into psyche."

"Let's be honest, it's probably the best place for both of us, but denial is a wonderful thing."

"Mah, no argument from me...now, what do I owe for this displeasure?"

I gave him a lop sided smile. "I just wanted to apologise for last night...It was an isolated incident and won't happen again."

He narrowed his eye at me. "You mean the use of chopstick as a weapon on a poor unsuspecting chuunin, unleashing your demonic Killing Intent in a public setting or generally being an overly emotional teenage girl?"

"Ugh...when you put it like that, it sounds worse than what I thought of in my head. But I guess all of it? Especially the teenage girl part. There is no excuse for that whatsoever."

"Except the part where you are a teenager and a girl?"

"Don't remind me. I'm annoyed by myself."

He shrugged. "Mah, don't worry about it. No one got hurt except the table...I think I've anyone is due an emotional outburst, it's you."

It was my turn to narrow my eyes at him. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"As you said, psyche is probably the best place for both of us."

I didn't say anything in reply...I didn't think I needed to. I could have gone looking for an argument, but I'd said my piece and got what I came for. Instead, I walked over to him and sat in front of the memorial stone...come to think of it, it's probably the first time I'd actually looked at it.

I sat, and he stood, in silence for a while until he spoke. "How did you do it?"

"Hmm, come again?" I asked.

"Break free of ROOTs hold, start your rebellion...free the others from Danzo's grasp? All of it, any of it?"

I tilted my head at him. "I don't think that's what you're really asking, is it?"

He sighed and lowered his head.

"I know you don't want to talk about it, so I won't make you."

Ah. Obito. The only topic which I wanted to avoid with him.

"Just spit it out."

"Erena...I don't want-"

"Kakashi...I won't ask twice. You've actually been a decent human being in this conversation, so allow me to extend the courtesy."

He paused for a while, seeming to contemplate the matter.

"I can't excuse what he's done...to the village and to you. But he is my friend. And all I might have left. He's...seen the error of his ways, but he's lost and I don't know if I'll get him back."

I snorted. "That's it?"

"That's it? Look, I didn't say that to be ridiculed by some..."

"No no, hold off on the insults, please. I'm being genuine. Is that it? All you want is to get your friend back?"

"Yes," he said through gritted teeth.

"Has the Hokage decided what's going to happen to him?"

He sighed. "Nothing is confirmed. But it's unlikely they will execute him...despite all he has done, it's still an asset and could be useful in the future."

"Then we can work with that," I said, and Kakashi snapped his head at me. "You actually respected my experience enough to ask for my help. Whether or not I like the bastard has very little weight on my decision. Tell me, will you vouch for him?"

He nodded.

"The friend you want back doesn't exist at the moment." Kakashi frowned at me. "He won't exist while he's kept in confinement. Right now he is empty - his whole belief structure has been smashed, and he'll be sitting there wallowing in guilt and self pity. He needs to be reminded about what he had before. Who he was before."

"But how?"

"The same way I broke ROOT. By finding their joy again."

It wasn't easy, but we were able to petition to the Hokage for him to be released into Kakashi's custody for a couple of hours a week. I developed a chakra restraining band, and a cuff that meant he could only be two metres from Kakashi or he would be rendered unconscious. Apparently he had a special Sharingan, and I had to confer with Fugaku in order to ensure this would also work against that. I had to make a couple of strange adjustments (like ensuring one foot on the ground at all times, and something about it working in different planes of reality? What were these freaky Uchiha up to?), before it reached his approval.

Everything was strictly on the down low, and only a select few actually knew about it - which didn't include Itachi and Shisui. They were going to blow their tops when they found out, but I'd deal with that when it happened. Better to ask forgiveness than permission!

When the day came, I told Kakashi to take an hour to explore the village before meeting me at a seat below the Hokage monument, with a great view. I also didn't want him to tell Obito of my involvement in everything, as I suspected he wouldn't agree.

Right on time, Kakashi and Obito arrived, with Obito in a henge. He still looked like an Uchiha, but several features were altered. Obito tensed as he saw me, and gave Kakashi a concerned look - like he was concerned about my reaction.

"Mah, been waiting here long?" Kakashi asked lazily, ignoring Obito's stressful gaze.

"Nope, you're both right on time. How you doing Obito? Feeling less murdery today?" I grinned and waved. Inside my stomach was churning, but I wouldn't let them see. Kakashi needed this.

"I'm well, thank you. And yourself."

"Splendid, thank you." I gestured to the bench. "Now come sit down. You're about to see my training in action."

"Training? I was under the impression you were still benched?" Kakashi asked. He still didn't know about Gai's sessions with me, it seemed.

"Figuratively and literally," I made a dramatic motion indicating the bench.

"Why are you off duty?" Obito asked, confused. I guess to him I looked perfectly fine. I saw Kakashi wince.

"Slight side effect of having a katana through your heart. Takes a while to get over, you know?"

He paled. "I'm so-"

"Oh, zip it, mister. I'm sure Kakashi will tell you, I'm a stubborn cow and a bit weird. Actions speak louder than words, in my book, so don't bother with your meaningless apologies until you can prove it." I stopped my tirade and immediately perked up when I saw something in the corner of my eye. "Oh look! Better sit down, quick!" I grinned.

"Is she okay?" I heard Obito whisper to Kakashi.

"Not even in the slightest," he replied happily.

"Hey! I heard that!" I grinned.

As if on cue, I heard a few faint 'pops' in the distance. In an instant, the Hokage Mountain disappeared under a thick fog. I grinned, and I saw Kakashi and Obito stand.

"Three...two...one..." I counted down. The fog lifted.

The Mountain was heavily and thoroughly graffitied. Moustaches and beards were drawn where they shouldn't, and the place looked like a paint box had vomited on it. Perhaps my favourite, was a pink face Minato with bright green hair.

"What the...is sensei's hair green? Just like at the training ground!" I saw Obito smile, as though he was holding back a laugh. I slid Kakashi a sideways glance, which he returned.

"Woo hoo! That was amazing, dattebayo!" A blond creature, covered head to toe in wet paint came barrelling over, and ran straight into me with some force. I let out a faint 'ooft' as I caught him. "Did you see it? What do you think? Even Sasuke-teme can't call me lame this time!"

"It was perfect," I giggled. "Well done!"

"And the Fourth? I did it just as you said! Same colour you used and everything!"

I heard a started gasp leave Obito, turned to give him a sly smile before returning to Naruto.

"It's just perfect! Looks just like him! Now - I should introduce you to my friends here! Naruto, meet Kakashi and...Tobi, is it? Kakashi and Tobi, meet Naruto!"

Chapter 28: Bonds arc: part 8

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

To say I got into trouble for introducing Obito to Naruto was an understatement. The Hokage was fuming. Like, there would be steam coming out of his ears if it was physically possible. His face went all red and blotchy and I was concerned he would have a heart attack (even if that was my trick at the moment).

And for the first time since I had met him, I didn't even try and argue. I was one hundred percent in the wrong and it was a super dangerous move. I didn't know Obito, and Kakashi was emotionally compromised...but I still did it. Things could have gone really wrong - I tried to convince myself that I had everything under control and every possibility was considered, but I was being reckless and I knew it. It wasn't like me at all, and I did feel a little bad...but I couldn't say I wouldn't do it again.

Thankfully, Kakashi was spared from the same treatment as me due to the fact I had not informed him of my plan beforehand. He was just as shocked by Narutos appearance as Obito...but I will admit this was more of a punishment for him. He had avoided Naruto, his beloved senseis son, out of guilt, for his whole life...and that didn't sit well in my book.

So guess what? Kakashi. There's no escape now, you emotionally constipated prick.

Naruto had immediately found the two of them super interesting, and decide to make it his mission to see what was going on under Kakashis mask. I fully supported his decision and wish him the best of luck...If looks could kill, I'm pretty sure Kakashi would have turned me into a pile of ash.

And then Obito laughed and it was like a spell had broken.

Kakashi asked for my help with Obito, and he got it. Even if he didn't approve of my methods, he couldn't deny it was effective.

There was also an unforeseen consequence of the plan, too. Obito not only found his joy in Naruto, but vowed to protect him until the end of his days. All of the guilt he had for his sensei, he redirected to try and protect his sensei's legacy...when I told his actions speak louder than words, this was exactly what I meant. I approved, and hoped he kept his promises.

Now, as punishment for my recklessness and endangering Naruto, I was sadly sent on a little trip to T and I for assessment, and confinement for a week. I cursed the Hokage for this - there was nothing else he could threaten me with, and he knew it. But solitary confinement? It was going to be brutal. I slipped up last time by telling him how much it bothered me.

Because of the nature of what I did, the only people that knew about it were Kakashi, the Hokage, Inoichi and whatever T and I goons were going to be in charge of me. As far as everyone else was concerned,I'd be away on a short term mission.

I was manhandled down to T and I and shoved in a little room until Inoichi came in. When he did, he had a look of severe disappointment on his face. "That was very stupid, Erena.," he said.

"I know...its done now though. You do the crime, you do the time," I shrugged.

"Before you do, you are aware I have been ordered to perform a mind walk on you? The Hokage would like to make sure there are no signs of interference and that you are not a traitor to Konoha. Do you consent?"

It was just a formality, but I appreciated it. "Sure, feel free. Just the same as the last time?" I was referring to when the Yamanaka tried during my last interrogation, and got no where.

"It is likely, yes. I may call upon your consciousness if there is...difficulty. Will I likely face resistance?"

"Nah, you're cool. I don't mind"

"Thank you. I hope I deserve your trust."

I gave him a small smile, then faded out.

I woke up feeling fuzzy, and lifted my head. I had to blink a few times before my eyes cleared.

Inoichi was still sitting across from me, looking concerned.

"What's up buttercup?" I said, then moved my neck. "Fuck that hurts...how long was I out?"

"About three hours," Inoichi replied, he sounded exhausted. "You have a very...interesting mindscape. It took a while to manoeuvre."

"Good interesting or bad interesting?"

"Just interesting. It is certainly different, but I was successful in my task."

"Sooooo...can you tell me? Or is it super secret? I'm on the edge of my seat here."

He sighed. "Your mind is unique. As discussed before, you have different levels of your consciousness...but it is more than that. You are capable of having multiple thoughts at once, and merge them...it made for a very confusing mind walk, as I was unable to concentrate on one alone. Your mind is incapable of being still, and it's a wonder you are able to concentrate and keep your attention on one thing for any period of time."

"So my brains hyperactive and is a pro at juggling? That sounds cool. I wonder if that's means I'd actually be good at real juggling - think I should try it?"

He looked at me before rolling his eyes. "You also have perfect recall with ease - it's like one of your thought streams will pause to retrieve the information while the others continue."

"That I knew," I nodded. "People seem to think I'm their personal library. It's annoying."

"There is more to it than that, but it would take me decades to catalogue. There was an area I could not decipher, but it was interesting...it was almost the origin of your personality, but different somehow. Anyway, I digress...From what I saw, it explains a lot of your character and skills. You could be capable of so much more, but you lack ambition...from what I saw, the Hokage has no reason to be concerned by you. You are loyal to the people, not the idea of Konoha. While that would normally be concerning, you also hold no ill will...in fact, quite the opposite."

"So...does that mean I'm free to go? Because that would be super!" I said hopefully.

He smiled softly. "That is not my decision, unfortunately. While you meant no ill will, you still made a mistake. Even if you understand and accept that, there are consquences."

I sighed. "Sure. Why not? But does it have to be solitary confinement? It's just the worst."

"That is not my decision, either. It does seem unusual, but I'm sure the Hokage has his reasons."

"Yeh, it's called being a power hungry prick. Seriously, I think this is just payback for will my previous cheek."

"You should not speak of the Hokage with such disrespect, Erena."

"Tell me why? Can you honestly think that the punishment fits? Anyone else would have their knuckles rapped, and I get a round of mental torture."

"Trust me, Erena, you do not understand mental torture," Inoichi said gravely.

"Trust me, Inoichi, you do not understand what this will do. You said I've got a hyperactive mind? What will that hyperactive mind do with no stimulation?"

"It won't be that bad, Erena. It's only a week."

"Uh huh, sure...listen...can we just crack on? The sooner I go in, the sooner I get out."

"Erena..."

"Look, are we done here, or do you need something else? I've got a very busy schedule and places to be." I crossed my arms.

Inoichi made a hand signal, then the doors opened. I stood up and followed the guard out without another word.

As I expected, it was awful. I was placed in a dark cell, no lighting, and the only interaction I had with anyone was when the meal tray that was delivered twice a day. I wasn't given any cutlery and was forced to eat with my hands.

There was a small sink and a toilet in the corner, so as least I had access to basic facilities- even if I couldn't see them. I'm not sure this was normal?

After three days I lost track of time, and could only tell how long it passed via the food deliveries. On day four my brain started to feel fuzzy and I didn't want to think anymore. Is it possible to have an itchy brain? Because I had it, if it was. It felt itchy and buzzing in my skull.

When the next food tray came, I tried to make contact.

"Um...hello? I know it's not time yet, but I feel really funny? I don't think I'm meant to feel funny? I'm not sure this is okay? Can I get someone to check me out? I'm not one to look for medical attention but I don't think this is normal. Hello?"

I never got a reply.

After that the buzzing got stronger, and unbearable. I started to concentrate inwards to remove myself from it, and became wrapped up in my own thoughts...not that I could actually tell you what I was thinking of, but it was everything but the itchy feeling. At some point, I didn't feel it at all...and didn't feel anything at all. It was peaceful.

"Erena? Erena, can you hear me?!"

I heard a sound, but that couldn't be right. It reminded me of the buzzing so I ignored it.

"Erena? Can you open your eyes?"

I was content in my swirl of thoughts, but voices came through every now and then. There was an influx of light and an unfocused face, as someone lifted my eyelids, but I only vaguely noticed it.

"Shit. I'm getting normal physical responses but it's like she's catatonic. We need to move her, and get Inoichi. He was the last one to speak with her. When did she start rejecting the meals? What? And you didn't report it?"

Everything went fuzzy and quiet again for a while. I heard shuffling and mumbled voices, but nothing breached any conscious thoughts. I knew they were there, but didn't see any need in replying.

"Explain what happened...When was this?...she said what?...Since when did we refuse medical attention to prisoners?...Any refusal of meals should have been marked and reported...this is gross negligence. You are dismissed immediately, and a formal investigation will be started...now get the fuck out!"

"Erena, if you can hear me I need you to let me know?"

"Get a medic. I want her checked. I need to do a mindwalk and need to know it it's safe."

Not long after, there was a pulling at my mind. Thoughts were pushed and pulled...almost like they were being unravelled, or knots being undone. I started to feel the itchy feeling return and tried to hide again. Suddenly, there was a feeling like a 'snap' and it felt like a fog had been lifted.

"Erena, can you open your eyes for me?" I heard a soft voice speak.

I opened my eyes and blinked, finding Inoichi right in front of me, his hands to the side of my face.

"Umm...not that you aren't pretty to look at and all, but why are you so close? It's a bit freaky."

He let out a laugh and pulled back. "Welcome back."

I frowned. "Where did I go? Was it somewhere nice?"

He rubbed his head and looked down. "It appears we owe you an apology. You had an intense reaction to your confinement, which resulted in dissociation. Your mind retreated into itself...you asked for help, but it was not answered. There is no excuse."

Huh, that's what that weird feeling was?

"Hey, it's cool...I'm fine, right? No harm, no foul."

"You should not be so casual about it. Had I not already been familiar with your mindscape, it may not have been possible to resolve."

"Well, good thing you are a nosey bastard then, isn't it? Look, it's fine. If it's all the same, I think I'd like to go, if I'm allowed? I think I'm over this whole T and I thing."

He sighed. "I understand. I will take you back to Shikaku, but I will need to check on you tomorrow. There will be an investigation into the incident and you will be required to give a statement."

"Sounds great...but can I go, like, now?" For some reason, I was starting to feel a little stressed out by still being here. It must have read on my face, because Inoichi's face went grim.

I was directed towards a change of clothes and he walked me home. I felt exhausted, but didn't understand why. At one point i felt a little faint, but didn't want to stop- I knew he'd end up hauling my ass to the hospital, and I had spent enough time there, thank you very much.

When I got home, I made myself known. Shikamaru came bounding to me (well, it counted as bounded as far as he was concerned...brisk walking would probably describe it in anyone else), and looked like he was about to hug me before he saw Inoichi.

"Dad! Erena got herself in trouble again!"

I groaned while Inoichi chuckled.

"Why are you so troublesome? It's not normal."

"I know, Shika, I know," I agreed.

When Shikaku came into the hallway, he raised an eyebrow at his friend.

"I'm not going to like this, am I?"

Inoichi gave a little mouth shrug. "Probably not," and we followed him to his office.

Inoichi explained everything - from my punishment, to the first mind walk at the aftermath of my solitary confinement. Shikaku be mad.

"Why was this allowed to happen in the first place? Why wasn't I informed?"

"I'm afraid I can't answer that, Shikaku. I tried my best to lower the sentence after the mindwalk, but the Hokage was determined than punishment be served."

"This isn't just about the incident with the Jinchuriki . It goes back to the Danzo situation...he's been unable to assert his power on her, and he's grasping at what he can."

"Told you," I said to Inoichi. He gave me a dry look. What? I had!

"Look, as your friend, this is dangerous ground to tread on. I would advise you to leave it. As your colleague, I can tell you a formal investigation it underway. But for now, we have to concentrate on Erena."

Shikaku frowned. "What do you mean? It's over with now."

"I'm concerned that the problem is not fulled resolved yet. There is still the risk she could dissociate again. I will reexamine her, but she will need constant supervision for the next few days, and constant stimulation."

"Err...what about sleep?" I asked.

"I want you to be checked on an hourly basis, not dissimilar to those with concussions. And even then, I still want input - whether it is music or talking."

"This sounds exhausting..." I was not going to enjoy this.

Sure enough, I hated it. Once it hit bedtime, Yoshino and Shikaku took turns to wake me every hour. When it hit early morning, I was so exhausted I forgot to reply, resulting in a forceful shake, and giving them a very impolite "fuck off!"

The morning wasn't any better. Considering Nara's aren't morning people at the best of times, a sleep deprived Nara is even less of one. Only Shikamaru seemed in good spirits - and considering he was grumpy if awake before lunchtime, that didn't bode well.

Shikaku still had work to go to, but took me with him. Inoichi agreed to meet us at the office. I sat in a comfortable seat in Shikaku's room while I waited for him. While there, I tuned out Shikaku's complaining about rosters and fell asleep. It was probably the most peaceful one I had managed for a week, except for a faint buzzing, until I felt a probing on my mind, and awoke to cold hands gripping my head.

"What the fuck? I was just having a nap!" I seethed.

Inoichi sighed. "No you weren't...did you not hear us?"

"It was a really good nap?"

He shook his head. "Unfortunately not...I didn't expect you to relapse quite like that, but it is concerning. I think we'll have to do a more in depth exam."

"What does that mean?" Shikaku asked.

"I think we should admit her for full monitoring."

"You're taking me to psyche?" I was baffled. "Nope, absolutely not. Try it and I'll set a Yumi on you. He's very protective."

Out of everything I had been through, I was not allowing this stupid incident to define me. I often joked about needing to go to psyche, but they were just jokes. And now I was being taken because I had a good nap?

"Erena, this could be serious," Shikaku said. He looked concerned. Goddammit. I hated it when he looked like that.

"Fine." I crossed my arms. "But if this gets found out, I'm holding you responsible.

Inoichi smiled at me. "If that's what it takes." I had a feeling he was placating me like a shrink, but whatever.

We headed straight there, and Shikaku told me he'd bring things over later. I tried not to think about it, because it meant I could be there for a while.

"Erena! You're back!" Itachi had terrible timing. He was walking with Fugaku when he saw me, and broke off and ran over.

I gave him a gentle wave, and tried to hide how embarrassed I felt.

"Oh, I'm sorry Yamanaka-sama!" Itachi said, after noticing I was walking with Inoichi. "I did not mean to interrupt."

"Don't worry, Itachi. We're just taking a stroll."

"Inoichi? Good morning." Fugaku greeted. "Surprising to see you out of your cave at this time of day." He raised an eyebrow in query.

"Fugaku, nice to see you. Ah, don't worry, I was just doing a little housecall."

"Housecall?"

"Mmmm...a more personal problem required my skills."

Inoichi was trying to be vague, but Fugaku was not chief of police for no reason. His eyes flashed to me briefly. "Should there be something we should worry about?"

Inoichi looked from Fugaku to me, then to Itachi and back. "Oh, no...probably nothing. More of a precaution, really."

"Hmmm?" Fugaku raised an eyebrow at him again. Itachi, just starting to realise the conversation had something to do with me, looked at me with concern.

"Erena, what's going on?"

I huffed, annoyed. I knew this would happen.

"Nothing to worry about. Just a little side effect from a particularly bad genjutsu. We just need to go in for a bit of monitoring," Inoichi replied.

At this the Uchiha looked concerned. Seriously, Inoichi - this was your cover story? To the Uchiha? I thought he was smart.

"A genjutsu? That requires monitoring from the head of the Yamanaka clan? That doesn't sound like nothing to worry about...do you require assistance in any way? I am happy to recommend our clans foremost genjutsu specialist." And coming from the clan of genjutsu specialists, that wasn't a small thing. It was sweet, really.

"I'm fine, really." I butted in. "The genjutsu is gone, but I'm just having trouble sleeping. Shikaku's just being a worrywart and recruited Inoichi. It's a massive overreaction and I'm just mad at Inoichi for feeding into Shikaku's paranoia."

They all gave me a sceptical glance before looking at Inoichi, at which he gave them a lopsided smile. "What she said. Now, if you'll excuse us. Itachi, perhaps you would like to visit later?"

Itachi gave a single curt nod before looking at me. Great, I was in for question time later.

"See ya!" I called out, as we turned around. I turned to Inoichi and hissed under my breath, "You know my threat earlier, about if this gets out? You're in for a world of pain."

He laughed whole heartedly. What about this was funny? I hated it when people didn't take my threats seriously.

When we entered the Psychiatric facility, I was surprised how unassuming it was. It looked homely...as far from a clinical environment as you could get. We walked past the small reception area and walked down a hall. The ground floor was clearly the more public and day patient area, as it looked like there were lots of offices and meeting rooms...no patient rooms in sight.

We weaved through a few areas, and headed downstairs. After two flights, we exited. Ah, now here was the money maker. The corridor was lined with solid steel doors, and there were guards and clinicians littered around.

"If you think you're putting me in one of those cells, you better think again," I whispered. I was not trading one cell in for another.

"Don't worry, Erena. I am simply collecting a few things."

He took me to an office area and greeted the people within. He approached a woman in the corner.

"Hello, Ria. I need a observation room for seventy two hours, is obs room three clear? And also, three personnel to assist in twenty four hour monitoring, with high security level. Voluntary inpatient Nakahara Erena, minimal threat, low security concern."

She looked at Inoichi, then looked at me and back again. "Sounds like a fun one, how do you always find them? Sure, obs room three is clear. I'll send your lackeys up for a debrief in an hour. Any visitors to be authorised?"

"Nara Shikaku, Nara Yoshino, Uchiha Itachi...anyone else?" He looked at me.

"Um...I guess you better add Shisui to the list, or I'd never hear the end of it. And Yumi? Once he finds out he'll have kittens. Other than that, I'd prefer to keep it on the down low." Not that anyone else would notice anyway.

"Got it. Uchiha Shisui, I take it? And Yumi got a family name."

"Nope. Just Yumi." Post-ROOT, some had taken up their old family names, or chosen new ones. Yumi and Kutsu were ones who opted without, as they didn't feel their names had any bearing on their identity. They knew who they were, and didn't need anything else to define them.

She handed me some forms for me to fill in, and then we headed back up stairs, this time to the fourth floor. This looked more like it - it looked like a hotel corridor, and the open rooms looked nice. You wouldn't think they were anything out of the ordinary, except there were bars on the windows, and the doors locked from the outside.

My room was a decent size, and had normal amenities like a dining table, desk, and even a filled bookcase. There were several pictures on the walls-which weren't pictures at all. They were clearly decoys to hide spying on the inside.

"Cosy." I muttered.

"That's the idea. There are many levels to what we do here, and often a softer approach is necessary. Now, first I will ask you a few questions, then I'd like to perform another mindwalk, if that is okay? Yesterday only allowed me to fix the immediate problem - I could not determine the cause."

After that, I then got introduced to Inoichi in shrink-mode. I was asked from everything from my childhood, to relationship with Danzo, ROOT training and beyond. Despite his trained poker face, it was clear he didn't like a few of my answers - whether it was sadness, worry or anger. When I described my time in solitary, I found it difficult to fully describe the sensation, but that the fuzzy and buzzing feeling was the most memorable.

"And that buzzing...you felt it in Shikaku's office, too?"

"Yes, the buzzy itchy brain feeling."

He frowned and leaned back on his chair. "If you start to notice that, I want you to try and signal - in anyway. It may be a precursor to your dissociation...now, after this, we will have a few more things to discuss. I am concerned, Erena, and not just about this. I am upset with myself that I haven't spoken to you sooner. Everyone from ROOT has been to see us here, but you managed to slip the net, even despite the fact I see you fairly regularly."

"But I got assessed at the beginning?"

"That was more of a threat assessment. You have been through a lot, and have been trained in hiding your emotions...there is more at stake than just your physical well-being. Your mental health is also important."

I shrugged. "I'm fine, really."

His face softened. "No, Erena, you are not. And it's okay to admit it."

After this, I changed the topic, and asked him if he would just get the mindwalk over any done with. As expected, he found nothing - but was still intrigued by the structure of my processes and thought they were to blame for my reaction, but couldn't explain why I had a relapse. There was a complicated section he still couldn't decode, but that was unchanged.

He had other work to do, and left me alone after my assessment. I was allowed to do whatever I wanted, as long as I stayed within the confinement's of the room, but was advised not to fall asleep.

I decided to start to read the books available, while waiting for Shikaku and Itachi. Considering...this was still like T and I, but with books and better company, I felt a little cheated.

I heard a knock on the door sometime in the early afternoon - a friendly looking chuunin came in and asked if I would receive a visitor from a Hatake Kakashi. Huh. That was unexpected but I accepted.

Soon after, Kakashi entered the room. His usual nonchalant posture was replaced by clear unease and he started to assess me as soon as he walked in. I could tell he was about to speak. I didn't know what he was going to say, so gave a quick subtle ANBU hand sign telling him we were being watched.

He cleared his throat. "So...I heard that you ran into a problem with a genjutsu while on your mission?" he asked. He sounded uninterested, but his question was clear.

"It's okay. You don't have to be that vague here. I had a slight issue due to my time in confinement...I'm just here to get it checked out. What you doing here, anyway? I'm surprised they didn't take the chance to lock you up as soon as you stepped through the doors." I attempted to kid.

"What do you mean 'slight issue'?" He wasn't letting it go. What was with the sudden concern?

"Umm...like a bit of a broken brain? I've been dissociating."

"Because of your punishment? But why? What happened?"

I gestured for him to sit down-his rigid stance was making me feel nervous. He ignored me.

"Solitary confinement was not for me," I shrugged. "Otherwise no clue. That's why I'm here."

"Erena, this is because of me-"

"What have I said about your self flagellating bullshit? Calm down. It's not your fault my mind is so screwy even Inoichi can't figure it out yet. This is more to do with me being a freak of nature than anything else. I'm here, it's my choice, the end."

He looked at me for a second before his shoulders drooped. "I always knew you were a freak. Guess it's now official?" He tried to lighten his tone, but it was clear he was still upset.

"Correct, I'm now certified. Now, Grumpy-san, are you going to stop feeling sorry for yourself and keep me entertained, or am I going to have to get you thrown out? I'm pretty sure I have that power, and I'm not afraid to abuse it." I grinned.

He didn't seem to want to stay, but I figured I'd play on his guilt a little more. Reading these crappy books can only last for so long, and I really enjoyed annoying Kakashi. He only stayed for half an hour, but it's more than I thought he would. We didn't actually talk about anything in particular, but insulting each other back and forth. He seemed lighter when he left, even if he did give me a concerned glance as he walked out the door.

"Oh, fuck off," I said. "I'll be fine. Now shoo, before they realise your still here and give you your own padded cell."

Not long after that Itachi arrived, and I had to put up with the same worried crap from him. Unfortunately, I couldn't get away with getting him to drop it. I hated the fact I was lying to him too, but I couldn't tell him about my time in T and I without explaining why, and that was a big no-no.

He immediately asked for details of my 'mission' and who and who put me under a genjutsu. Thankfully, 'classified' was a reasonable answer...and technically not incorrect. That seemed to frustrate him.

"Why is so much of your life classified?" He huffed, crossing his arms while sitting on my bed. "One day I'm going to make you tell me everything."

"Yeh, yeh," I waved him off. "Good luck with that."

Itachi was probably the one person I trusted most in the world - he had never let me down even once, and I suspected that he never would. I wished I could tell him everything, but between gag orders from the Hokage and my own self doubt, I couldn't.

I really wished his security clearance was higher, or even that he was more aware of the inner workings of the higher political circles. He had never shown an interest in things like that, except what his father had forced him to know in order to be clan leader one day. He understood people well, and had the type of insight into matters people could only dream of. Heck, he would probably be able to take over now and do a stellar job. In a few years time he'd probably have enough insight to run a small country.

Or a village.

Huh. Why didn't I think of this before?

I grinned at Itachi and his expression changed from concerned and annoyed to nervous in a second.

"What are you thinking, Erena? Nothing good comes of that look. That look only means bad things for me. Stop it."

I scooted over and hugged him. "Very, very bad things for you." I laughed under my breath. "But not right now."

He sighed. "I know you are trying to change the subject but it won't work. What can you tell me, if it's all classified?"