"Tenzo-san, do you mind watching over Naruto while I go to the store?"

The brunet blinked and turned to face Hikari who had popped her head out of the window next to him. He had been watching over the Uzumaki while Kakashi was out on a mission; for some reason, ROOT operatives were watching the house and while Tenzo knew that Danzo wouldn't dare make a move on the Jinchuuriki, the redhead was another story.

"Tenzo-san?"

"A-Ah, are you sure…?"

Hikari stifled a giggle at his perplexed expression and nodded, resting her chin on the palm of her right hand. "I wouldn't ask if I wasn't sure," she pointed out with a wide grin. "Besides, Naruto likes you, the big brother who makes him wood toys whenever he asks."

The gentle teasing made the boy blush and the Uzumaki inwardly laughed, albeit with a little sadness; it was surprisingly easy to fluster the Mokuton user but disheartening to see that he believed very few people valued him. It was why she kept inviting him to stay over whenever possible and practically forced food and a delighted Naruto upon him.

"So? You okay with watching Naruto?"

Tenzo nodded hesitantly, allowing a small smile to cross his face when the redhead beamed at him and ducked back inside. He pushed away from the wall he had been leaning on, casting one last cursory glance towards the forest before heading to the door. The ROOT operative was still there, perched on a tree some distance from the barrier surrounding the house.

The man Danzo had sent was skilled, Tenzo had to admit. If it weren't for his Mokuton, he would not have noticed him at all. But as it stood, hehadsensed him and promptly informed Kakashi. His senpai had looked thoughtful for all but a minute then angled his gaze towards the female Uzumaki, letting Tenzo know that the subject of ROOT's observation was most likely her.

"Watch over the kids,"Kakashi had said with a grim undertone, voice barely higher than a whisper."We have no idea whathewants."

But it had been a month since the first watcher had shown up and while two more had been added to the count, none of them approached the house.

Not even moving an inch past the virtual perimeter they had set up.

'I wonder if Hikari has noticed them, given her sensing ability,'Tenzo wondered as he slipped into the house, eyeing the redhead who was swiftly pulling her hair back into a loose braid.'She hasn't given any indication of it but some of her actions are suspicious.'

It was the truth; Hikari no longer stayed full time in the house. She was more willing to acquiesce to Naruto's demands, allowing him to drag her to the Nara, Uchiha or Hyuuga compounds often. From what Kakashi had confided in him, Tenzo was aware that she knew the Kage Bunshin and had been using the jutsu to keep an eye on the kid when she had to leave but lately she preferred another human, meaning Kakashi or himself.

"Ten-nii!"

The brunet was startled out of his thoughts as a yellow blur tackled him, short arms wrapping around his legs. Naruto looked up at him with a wide grin, blue eyes sparkling with happiness.

"Hello, Naruto," Tenzo murmured a quiet but warm greeting, one hand moving to ruffle the boy's sunshine locks. Feeling eyes on him, the teen raised his head to find a mischievously grinning redhead staring at him. "What?"

"Nothing, nothing!"

Hikari stifled a giggle at the deadpan expression from the Mokuton user, darting around him to pull on her shoes. Pressing a kiss to one cheek when Naruto ran up for a hug, she told him, "Don't make too much trouble for Tenzo-san, okay?"

With that, she opened the door but was stopped from stepping out by a hand landing on her shoulder. Hikari looked back, blue eyes meeting dark ones tinged with worry. "Be careful," Tenzo murmured, shifting uneasily before letting his arm drop and taking a step back.

'What was that about?'Hikari wondered, bemused. She blinked and nodded, allowing a smile to curve her lips. "Sure. I'm off now!"


Hikari hummed to herself as she sealed her groceries into her bracelet's storage seals, not allowing even a fraction of the tension she felt to show on her face.

'The number of my stalkers has gone up again.'

ROOT shinobi had been following her around since the end of January, no matter where she went or what she did, regardless of how inconsequential her actions were. It was a sign that Danzo was interested in her enough to gauge her skills and probably find a way to nab her when an opportunity presented itself.

'Not that it would ever happen,'the redhead snorted inwardly, darting through the streets of Konoha's marketplace. She ducked and weaved effortlessly amongst the throng of villagers going about their shopping, keeping her senses wide open to track the three ROOT members following her.

Hikari knew that there were others watching the house at all times too; at least two operatives were hidden in the trees at any given time of the day. The constant staring had creeped out the poor redhead enough to schedule sleepovers at the Uchiha, Hyuuga and Nara compounds. The two dojutsu clans would know the instant ROOT tried to approach and only a fool would attempt to sneak into the Nara compound.

There had been only one at the start, the man's presence raising her hackles when she had felt him approach her house. But he never once came close, staying in the trees a few feet away from the boundary of the barrier. His emotionless gaze had made her skin crawl and Hikari had promptly grabbed Naruto, taking off to seek refuge at the Uchiha compound.

She had ensured that the man did not suspect her of being aware of him by timing her departure to make it look completely random.

No need to let Danzo know how far her sensory range extended.

The second stalker had arrived a week after the first, watching her from the other side. The two ROOT operatives had stayed separate and had taken to observing her from different vantage points.

Stretching out her senses, Hikari checked in on Naruto back at the house; the sparks of delight in the boy's chakra made her smile as she rounded a corner.'It was a good idea to rope in Ya- I mean Tenzo-san,'she thought to herself. The Mokuton user normally tagged along with Kakashi when he didn't have a mission but had kept his distance, not sure if his presence would be welcomed.

But in true Naruto fashion, the little blond had caught sight of the brunet and dragged him in once he had decided he liked him, shooting puppy dog eyes at his sister to let him keep the older boy. Tenzo's expression had been hilarious and a little sad when Hikari had agreed with a cheerful grin, utterly gobsmacked by the fact that someone would like him.

'I never realized that Yamato-taichou had had such insecurities. He always seemed so confident.'

Hikari assumed it was probably due to his upbringing in ROOT, suppressing emotions and feelings to carry out his duty when he knew that he couldn't discard his heart that easily. It was another point of difference for her to note; Tenzo might become the man she knew in her world one day but right now he was still an insecure teenager.

Pulling in Tenzo had an added benefit in that he would never allow any ROOT operative to even touch Naruto, no matter what. He might not know the truth behind Hikari's past and perhaps he won't ever, but Hikari was certain he would protect Naruto.

'Pretty sure his warning before I left means that Tenzo-san knows of the ROOT idiots lurking around. And that means Kashi-nii and Jiji know too,'Hikari inwardly groaned, dreading the day when the latter two decided that enough was enough and either confronted Danzo or started insisting that she move elsewhere.

"Wouldn't that help you?"

"Maybe, but only for a while. You know what kind of a creepy bastard Danzo is, Kurama."

Kurama snorted, shaking his head at his Jinchuuriki."I don't,"he stated blandly."Apart from his obsession with the Sharingan, I didn't pay attention to anything else."

It was Hikari's turn to snort, keeping half her attention on the fox and the other half attention on a half-hearted attempt to lose her ROOT stalkers."Yeah, that one was creepy as heck; didn't Sasuke say that he embedded some in his arm?"

"And the hidden eye was that accursed dojutsu too."

"Doesn't he already have that?"Hikari frowned, not quite sure of the timeline. She wasn't involved much in that fiasco; all of her information was second-hand, from Sasuke, Itachi and Kakashi."I think he replaced it with Shisui's eye later."

The fox grunted, already disinterested in the topic."Keep an eye on your Uchiha, brat; you've changed enough for the fool to move faster than in your world."

It was something that had occurred to the redhead as well. From what she had observed, there was only a small possibility of the Uchiha planning a coup. Fugaku was content with the current status quo, even if the Elders nagged and complained about wanting more power and authority. The general consensus among the Uchiha coincided with their Clan Head, thankfully.

'Even if the Uchiha Elders try to stage a coup, I'm pretty sure that they can be beaten down easily,'Hikari thought. She knew very well that only a few of the more arrogant Uchiha would follow the Elders and even they would listen to Fugaku's orders, albeit grudgingly.

Danzo had very little to justify massacring the Uchiha, all of his plans slowly being chipped away. The clan wasn't isolated, thereby not causing discontent amongst them and they also had a tentative alliance with the Hyuuga, something that came as a shock to most of the village. The Uchiha had connections this time, although Hikari, oblivious to things as she was, had yet to catch on that their alliance was formed in their effort to shield her.

It hadn't escaped Kurama's notice though, and he wondered when his dense Jinchuuriki would finally realize it.


A flash of crimson in his peripheral made Itachi pause and turn in that direction. He had just finished reporting the C-Rank he had gone on with his Genin instructor and was on his way back to the Uchiha compound. If that was really his friend he had glimpsed, a detour wouldn't be too bad.

It was indeed Hikari, weaving through the crowd with a frown on her face. She seemed distracted, proven by the fact that she hadn't sensed his approach yet. The redhead only spun to face him when Itachi was a mere five feet from her, her frown giving way to a wide smile.

"Itachi!"

The boy allowed a small smile to appear on his face at the cheerful greeting, sliding his arms around the redhead in a loose hug when she glomped him. "Hello, Hikari," the Uchiha returned, voice soft and even. "What are you doing?"

Hikari drew back, taking the boy's hand and pulling him along. "Just doing a little grocery shopping," she replied, taking comfort in the familiar calm chakra next to her and attempting to ignore the uncomfortable feeling of the three ROOT shinobi still stalking her. "What about you? Do you have a mission?"

"No," Itachi shook his head and tightened his grip on the girl's hand when he noticed her tense posture. "I finished giving my report so I have nothing to do for the rest of the day."

"Great!" the Uzumaki beamed, blue eyes lighting up. Perhaps Itachi would accompany her while she was out in the village. It certainly was easier to keep her calm when she had a good distraction from ROOT. "Mind hanging out with me?"

Itachi voiced his agreement, hiding a smile behind the high collar of his shirt when the redhead cheered loudly. The noise made some of the civilians turn around to look at the source, most of them chuckling fondly when they just saw two kids having fun.

"Let's get something to munch on while we walk!"

The Uchiha allowed himself to be dragged, Hikari setting sights on one of the food stalls in the distance and marching towards her goal. Food did sound nice; his mission, while easy and not as stressful as one might expect, still had him up early and it had been a long time since he had eaten breakfast.

As they passed an alley, Itachi slid a cursory glance over the shadows. He did not linger at any particular point, averting his gaze smoothly and focusing on his rambling friend.

Who were the shinobi following Hikari and were they why she was uncomfortable?


"For a seal causing a low impact explosion, wouldn't a simple stabilizer suffice?"

"It would," Hikari agreed, glancing at the paper seal in Itachi's hands. "But that's only if you're personalizing it. A random person can't use it because the amount of chakra poured in is unpredictable."

Itachi and Hikari were sitting in the shade of a large tree, sharing a large box of gyoza between them. The two children had wandered into an empty training ground after they had bought their food and unanimously decided to relax in the quiet atmosphere. A discussion on seals had started up when Itachi pulled out what he had made in his free time.

"Unpredictable?" Itachi tilted his head in confusion; he had mastered basic sealing theory and was working his way through the scrolls Hikari had provided for the intermediate level. The Uzumaki had declared him and Shisui proficient enough to start customizing seals for themselves, on the condition that they kept to the basic ones.

The seal they were currently discussing was one of Itachi's, an explosion seal modified to be low powered and meant as a distraction.

Hikari nodded, popping a gyoza into her mouth and chewing on it as she thought of how to explain her previous words. In her opinion, Itachi had progressed with Fuuinjutsu faster than she had expected and Shisui was most likely in the same boat. Even so, neither really had enough experience to completely understand the intricacies of practical Fuuinjutsu.

"See, an explosion seal basically amplifies the chakra you insert into it and directs it into a blast when you trigger it." When Itachi indicated his understanding, Hikari continued, "The point of a stabilizer is to keep the chakra contained no matter how much of it you pour into the seal."

Dark eyes widened slightly in understanding and the Uchiha murmured softly, "So if the stabilizer fails, the seal might explode even without being triggered." Itachi got the point Hikari was trying to make: if he was going to use the seal himself, the strength of the stabilizer didn't matter. He would know how much chakra it could contain and his chakra control was good enough to catch any misfires.

But that wouldnotbe the case for a random person.

Hikari grinned at him, aware that he had figured it out for himself. "Your seal is fine if you're the only one to use it. Or Shisui and myself, I suppose," she shrugged. The two of them would recognize the weaker stabilizer and adapt accordingly. "If you plan to give it to your clansmen, it's best to have a stronger stabilizer."

Itachi hummed in agreement, putting away his seal and returning to his food. He originally hadn't been planning to give anyone his seals except Shisui, since most of the Uchiha were on the Police Force instead of the Shinobi forces. Explosion seals were pretty useless to them.

The two polished off the box of gyoza in a comfortable silence, Hikari sprawling on her back with a happy sigh when she was done. Itachi quirked a small smile at her peaceful expression and got up, intending to dispose of the empty box and get something to drink for the two of them.

He had finished his self-assigned errand and was crossing the training ground to get to his friend when a voice sounded from behind him.

"Oi, Uchiha!"

Itachi withheld a sigh and turned around, face impassive.

There were three boys a few feet from him and he recognized them as his old classmates. There was no love lost between him and them, so apart from a short nod, Itachi gave no other sign of acknowledging them.

Predictably, the trio bristled and puffed up. Their glares turned up a notch, as if they were promising him death. Itachi honestly held no grudge towards them; he understood that they hated him on principle, just because he was an Uchiha and more skilled than them.

"Think you're so high and mighty just because you graduated at the same time as us?" One of them sneered, taking a step forward in what he assumed was a threatening manner. "You're just a little brat playing at being a shinobi!"

Another boy added, "Go back and play with your toys! Leave the big stuff to us!"

The hateful insults continued, each one becoming more and more cruel when the trio realized that Itachi wasn't reacting in any way to their words.

"You're a curse!" The first boy spat, an unsightly mix of hatred and jealousy swimming in his brown eyes. "No wonder your team split apart!"

Itachi still did not react, not allowing any of their taunts to bother him. And why should they? He knew his abilities, knew his limits and how to surpass them. Responding to their words held no meaning when it was merely an outlet for their envy and Itachi had no desire to encourage them.

Deciding that he had heard enough, Itachi spun on his heel, intent on leaving the older boys behind. The three did not take his quiet but abrupt dismissal well.

"Why you little….!"

The immediate turn to violence neither alarmed nor bothered Itachi: he simply shifted his body to dodge the kunai thrown at him before it even crossed half the distance between the boys. The Uchiha twisted a little, intending to grab the kunai.

But it was unnecessary.

Crimson streaked across his vision and Itachi blinked as Hikari slid past him, a pale hand snatching the kunai out of the air deftly. Her mouth was open in a snarl, fury darkening her blue eyes to almost purple. She came to a halt between Itachi and the three older boys, chakra flaring dangerously as her features set in a glare.

"What do you idiots think you're doing?"

Hikari had sensed the trio the moment they had spotted Itachi and she had sat up in concern when she had felt their chakra twist in envy and hate. She knew that her friend could take care of himself but she still had decided to keep an eye on the situation.

What she had heard left her trembling in rage; while Hikari had not been the smartest in her class -mostly due to her poor upbringing- and being grumpy and loud when Sasuke was praised, she had actually acknowledged his abilities. Her anger and bluster had been a front for her own insecurities; and no matter what, she had never allowed it fester into something so dark.

But the three Genin in front of her had let their jealousy control them, hurling abuse at the younger boy.

They had no right!

They didn't know Itachi, how dare they say such things about him!

"None of your business!"

One of the boys regained his wits, seemingly the leader of the little group. He took a step forward, expression menacing as his hand reached for another kunai.

He never managed it.

A lock of sandy hair floated gently to the ground, the strands scattering in the breeze. The boy froze in shock, at both the severed lock of hair and the thin trail of blood dripping from the cut on his cheek. Behind him, one of his friends let out a whimper and collapsed on the ground, his legs unable to hold him up as he processed how narrowly he had avoided being skewered.

"Next time, I'll be taking your heads off."

Hikari slowly lowered her hand, having thrown the kunai the instant her patience snapped.'Too bad I couldn't get all three of them at this angle,'she thought viciously, expression cold and hard, having lost the furious snarl.

"Y-Y-You…"

"Scram," she spat, not in the mood to handle the now sniveling brats. "If I ever hear you say such things about Itachi again, I will pound you idiots into the dust." Her lips twisted into a soft smile, in contrast with her icy gaze. "Maybe I'll show you a preview now."

Shrieks erupted from the trio when the Uzumaki took a single purposeful step, scrambling over each other in their attempt to get away. The girl might be younger and smaller than any of them but the killing intent she exuded was stronger than anything they had ever felt.

Itachi watched his former classmates run away from them with a blank face, turning to his friend when they were out of sight. The redhead crossed her arms over her chest and huffed, "Good riddance."

"You didn't have to do that."

"No," Hikari agreed, meeting the Uchiha's eyes. None of the ice that had been visible when she was dealing with the other boys was present; only warmth and affection remained. "But I wanted to."

She uncrossed her arms, poking Itachi's cheek playfully. "I know you can take care of yourself, but it's nice to have someone stand up for you once in a while, isn't it?"

'Oh.'

Itachi stared at his friend, who was grinning at him.

'Is this what Shisui felt?'

His best friend had gone and gone on, almost waxing poetic about how Hikari's chakra had enveloped him way back then. Itachi hadn't really understood but accepted it as truth after meeting the girl himself. He wasn't a sensor but he could feel the chakra emanating from the redhead when in close proximity.

Right now, Hikari's chakra was wrapped around him, twisting and curling with his own. It felt like a warm hug, comforting and generally pleasing. No wonder Shisui was so enamored at first sight.

Finally recalling what the Uzumaki had told him before he fell into his short trance, Itachi nodded. To him, it was an odd experience….but not unpleasant.

The exact opposite, in fact.

Sure, the instructors at the Academy held back any jealous classmates but that was because he was an Uchiha.

Not forhim.

Hikari sighed internally; she had noticed the multiple emotions flashing in her friend's dark eyes.'How did I ever think Itachi was a stone statue?'she mentally facepalmed.'His eyes are so expressive!'

Uncomfortable chakra prickled her senses and Hikari held back a shudder."Hey, Kurama; I didn't give away too much to ROOT, did I?"

"Hardly anything,"the Bijuu replied, voice drowsy and annoyed."You showed more of your skills during the Kumo mess, brat."

"Not that. Think Danzo will try to get me through Itachi?"

Kurama pondered on that a little then shook his head."Doubtful. Right now the Uchiha aren't ostracized and going after the Clan Heir is risky, even for that slippery bastard."

"I suppose,"Hikari agreed reluctantly, grabbing Itachi's hand with both of hers, much to the boy's confusion though he didn't say anything."But I don't want to take any chances."

"Tag him with your Hiraishin seal then. The other brat too."

That comment earned the fox a raised eyebrow and Hikari's lips curved with a mischievous grin."Kurama~?"she sang sweetly, eyeing the now wary Bijuu with glee."You like them!"

"No, I don't!"

"Youlikethem!"the Jinchuuriki crowed, dodging Kurama's swinging tails as he tried to swat her in his annoyance. Laughter spilled from her mouth and she dropped onto the fox's head, patting him with a wide grin."You big softie! What happened to 'all Uchiha are scum and I want to eat them'"?

Kurama grunted, irritated but relenting to his stubborn host."They grew on me,"he admitted."I don't like all of them, but your two brats are acceptable. Still want to shred Madara though, don't mistake me about that."

Hikari gave a non-committal hum, carding her hands through the fox's orange fur."I can't give them my Hiraishin seal yet,"she told him, frowning a little as she set them back on their original topic."It would be too suspicious at this time."

"Then just tell them the truth."

"Too risky. I trust Shisui and Itachi, more than probably anyone else in this world except Kashi-nii. But I don't want to expose them to the danger that would come with knowing."

"But one day youwillslip. Do you want them to look at you with mistrust, kit?"

Hikari whacked the Bijuu's head, glaring at him when Kurama shook her off in annoyance."I didn't finish. I'm waiting for Itachi to become stronger before I say anything. Shisui is powerful enough but I don't want to force him to keep a secret from Itachi. That would be crueler than hiding the truth from both of them."

"Hmph. Do as you like."

Rolling her eyes at the huffy dismissal, Hikari tuned back into the real world. A familiar chakra pinged at the very edge of her senses and she blinked rapidly, before a grin stretched her lips.

"Hikari?" Itachi asked questioningly when the redhead suddenly perked up and brightened before proceeding to drag him out of the training ground.

"Come on! Let's hurry!"


Shisui stifled a sigh as he leapt through the trees, ducking under a low hanging branch. His mission was technically over; all he and his team had to do was to return to Konoha and submit their report. It had been a pretty long mission too: he had been dispatched the instant he was relieved as guard to Hikari and had yet to step back into Konoha.

'I guess I'm only antsy because things didn't settle completely in the village before I got this mission,'he thought to himself. It was only a B-Rank; the team had to travel to all of the guard stations at the borders of Hi no Kuni, picking up their reports and checking on their status. The time they had spent at the station closest to Kaminari no Kuni had been the most stressful, thanks to their now tenuous relationship with Kumo.

But thankfully, things had been relatively peaceful and they hadn't experienced any delays. So far, they were right on schedule and due to arrive in Konoha within two hours.

Even lost in thought as he was, Shisui did not miss a strange shimmer in the air and instantly activated his Sharingan. Red bled into black, the three tomoe swirling rapidly as he channeled chakra to his eyes. What he saw made his eyes widen.

"Everyone, get down!"

It spoke of his team's trust in him that they dropped to the ground immediately and not a moment too soon. Slicing sounds were heard before broken branches fell to the ground, followed by multiple fluttering leaves. The Konoha shinobi looked up to see the multitude of crisscrossing wires, weaved in a pattern meant to hide them amongst the dense foliage.

"Itachi's way better than this," Shisui scoffed to himself as he pulled out a kunai and took up his position in the circle the other four shinobi had formed, facing outwards. "It was a wire trap," he reported to the team in a low voice, Sharingan spinning slowly as he took in his surroundings. "Cleverly hidden but not good enough to kill."

"But enough to maim?"

Shiranui Genma hooked the ring of his kunai on a finger and twirled it around lazily, posture seemingly open to an amateur eye but inherently dangerous. His eyes narrowed when he spotted leaves shifting in the distance; there was no wind and it was too silent to be an animal. "Bandits? How many are there?"

"Twenty-five," Shisui replied promptly. "And yes, they're most likely to be bandits. Their chakra levels are just about larger than a Genin but nowhere near a Chuunin's."

"So a lot with some brains?" another Jounin, Michiro, remarked. The entire team relaxed, not finding a threat dangerous enough to make them worry. "I guess that's par for the course. No mission is complete without a bandit attack."

The dry comment made the team laugh, unknowingly making the bandits circling them wary. The scout of the group had spotted Shisui and thinking it was a weak Konoha team just because one of them was a kid, had told the rest that they were easy pickings.

Too bad for them that it was a team comprised entirely of Jounin and Tokubetsu Jounin.

"Each of us takes five?" Ayaka, the only woman of the team, asked, a wide grin on her face. The entire mission had been fairly quiet and the opportunity to let loose a little was welcomed.

"Sure, why not," Genma agreed. He might be a Tokubetsu Jounin in rank but he was the most experienced member of the team and designated as team leader. He waved a hand in a careless motion, "Go, shoo. Have fun."

No one needed anything more than that, shooting off in different directions. Shisui lunged forward, kunai coming up in an arc at the surprised bandit right in his path, slicing the man's throat before he could even think to dodge.

"You little brat!"

One of the men ran towards the Uchiha, sword raised to slash the boy's unprotected back. Shisui, however, did notice the attack and jumped, twisting in midair to land on the flat of the blade. As a result, the sword stabbed into the earth, leaving the bandit weaponless and defenseless for an instant which he took advantage of by driving a kunai into the man's heart.

Flipping to avoid a barrage of shuriken, Shisui snatched a few and threw them at a bandit who was trying to sneak up on Michiro. The Jounin capitalized on the bandit's inattention and punched him in the gut, shooting a grin the Uchiha's way before rolling out of the way of an incoming blade.

"Thanks, Uchiha, but keep an eye on your own fight!"

The eleven-year-old rolled his eyes and yelled back, "I would, if you weren't so reckless!"

"Aww, but where's the fun in that?" the fifth member of their team, Taichi, whined as he barreled past the tree Shisui was now perched on. His hands flickered through signs for a jutsu, sending a water dragon towards a couple of screaming bandits.

"That's overkill, Taichi," Genma said, dropping into a crouch next to Shisui. The Tokubetsu Jounin spat a senbon at a man near Ayaka, making the woman yell, "Genma-san, that was my kill!"

Rolling his eyes, the Shiranui exchanged a commiserating look with the Uchiha. What did it say about his team that the only level headed person was a kid?

"You guys are too bloodthirsty for my liking," he complained. Genma settled on the branch, waving for Shisui to go back to his fight. "I've already finished off my targets. Chop, chop, people; you're slow."

Shisui stifled a laugh but obliged. Konoha was still two hours away and it would be prudent to conserve chakra. Choosing to end it quickly, he let his Sharingan flare back to life, having let it fade away a few minutes ago. A quick genjutsu to throw off the remaining bandits and precisely aimed kunai did the job.

Genma grinned at the complaints that rose from the other three Konoha shinobi and he dropped to the ground. "Looks like the kid won," he commented cheerily, eyeing their disgruntled expressions with some measure of amusement.

"I wasn't aware we were having a contest," Shisui snarked back, collecting his kunai. "I left one alive, by the way. He seemed like the leader and I thought we should find out if this was their entire group or if they have more men."

"Got him," Taichi grunted, having spotted the last bandit collapsed against a tree. He was still trapped in the genjutsu and that made it easier to grab him. The five Konoha shinobi formed a circle around him to prevent any chance of escape.

At a signal from Genma, Shisui released his genjutsu. The man lurched forward, still not having processed that he was free. Ayaka kicked him back, snarling when the man tried to punch her. The bandit finally regained his senses and looked around, a mix of fury and despair on his face when he realized the rest of his group were dead or dying.

"So," Genma drawled, eyeing the growling man with a raised eyebrow. "Mind telling us if there are more of you?"

"Go to hell, Konoha scum!" the bandit yelled, faint tendrils of chakra crackling around his hand and surprising the shinobi. None of the other bandits had shown any inclination towards using any jutsu and they had assumed that they didn't know how.

Shisui watched with his Sharingan, the tomoe spinning rapidly, vision crystal clear and as if in slow motion, the progress the hand crackling with chakra made as it reached for strange black patterns on the skin of the other arm.

'Seals,'his brain corrected instantly, recognizing some of the patterns from a scroll that he had seen on high level Fuuinjutsu. Those kinds of seals did not necessarily need to be in a circle and required careful design to make sure they did not backfire. Shisui had initially dismissed them as random tattoos, something he was coming to regret now.

A voice screamed at him in the back of his head, sounding suspiciously like Hikari, to move and to defend. His instincts kicked in and the Uchiha moved swiftly, grabbing a piece of paper from his hip pouch and slammed it on the ground.

Two things happened at the same time. The bandit triggered his seal, the black lines enveloping his body as he stared at the startled shinobi in front of him with a deranged grin. The other thing was crimson boundary lines spreading from the seal Shisui used, forming a square around the man.

Just in time.

The bandit literally exploded in a burst of fire, the flames strong and white-hot. They expanded in all directions, reaching for the Konoha shinobi who cursed and started to jump back. But the spread of the fiery explosion was halted by a deep crimson barrier that sprang from the ground.

Shisui grunted, straining to contain the explosion within the barrier he had set up hastily. It was a low-level barrier seal, good for a quick defense but not for something like this!

'Hikari-chan is going to kick me when she finds out I used a defensive barrier seal instead of a containment seal,'he mused absently, pouring more chakra into the seal and forcing it to take the shape of a cube. He winced as the chakra overload burnt the skin of his hands.'In my defense, I had to act quickly and I don't have the right seal on me now.'

A mistake he fully intended to correct in the future.

The fire slowly died down, using up all the oxygen in the small enclosure and having nothing to feed it. The Uchiha let the barrier fall and collapsed with a groan, "I donotwant to do that again."

"Nice reaction time, kid," Taichi told him, having regained his wits. He edged around the burnt ground, eyeing the charred corpse of the bandit warily. "Not that the explosion would have killed us but we certainly would have been nursing some burns."

Shisui didn't deign that with a reply, swatting at the man half-heartedly when Taichi poked him in the side. He hissed in pain when the movement pulled on the burnt skin, catching everyone's attention.

"You alright there?" Michiro took one of the boy's hands in a gentle grip, wincing in sympathy at the angry red burns. "Is a seal supposed to cause this much damage to the user?"

"No, but I didn't use it the way that specific seal was supposed to be," Shisui replied, sitting up and tugging his hand back. "I literally forced it to surround something else instead of me. Worse, I put too much chakra into a seal thatcan'thandle it."

"I have no clue what you're talking about," Genma stated flatly, the others nodding with confused expressions.

Shisui huffed a laugh, shaking his head. "Don't worry about it. I'm just wondering how much trouble I'm in."

Ayaka raised an eyebrow at the boy as she helped him up. "With who?"

"Hikari-chan."

"Hikari? As in that Uzumaki?"

"Yep. She's sweet but misuse seals and she'll bring down hell on you."

Michiro stared at him incredulously, not believing his ears. "Isn't she, like, akid?Youngerthan you?"

"That doesn't matter to Hikari-chan," Shisui grinned, despite fearing the redhead's reaction. "Never underestimate her. Only reason I'll get off fairly easy is that I did that for a good cause."

Genma shook his head, filing away the information on the female Uzumaki to ponder on for later. It was certainly something to think about.

"Come on, let's get back to Konoha. We may be only two hours away but we can't let our guard down."

"Think we'll face any more bandits, Shiranui-san?"

"That guy using a suicide seal either means that there's no one else left or he didn't want to give away anything."

"Doubt it. Bandits like those guys have no honor," Ayaka pointed out as the group of five started moving towards their village. "I have no objections against remaining on guard but I think that was all of them."


"Well then, I'm going to hand in these reports," Genma informed his team once they reached Konoha and checked in at the gate, enduring the lookover Izumo and Kotetsu gave him with nothing more than an exasperated eyeroll and a resigned smile.

"Kid," he addressed Shisui, who straightened. "See a medic about your hands or else I'll drag you to the hospital myself."

Kotetsu snorted, partially hanging out of the guard station. "Found another one to mother-hen, Genma-san?"

Not really deigning the comment with a reply, the Tokubetsu Jounin waved goodbye to his team and headed towards the Hokage Tower. The remaining members turned to face Shisui who sweat-dropped at the five stern stares.

"Uh…what?"

"You going to a medic now?"

"I-"

"Shisui!"

A highly familiar voice called out his name and the Uchiha turned around just in time to have a blur of red and black crash into him. Arms wrapped around his neck in a tight hug and Shisui relaxed as the warm and bubbly chakra of his friend washed over him.

"Welcome back, Shisui!"

Hikari's voice was loud in his ear but he wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.'Itachi's here too.'The younger Uchiha nodded at the older shinobi and bowed a little in greeting before meeting Shisui's eyes with a small smile.

Shisui laughed and wound his arms around the redhead's waist, returning the hug. "I'm back, Hikari-chan, Itachi."

Around the three kids, the adults were watching with wide grins, Michiro opening his mouth to utter what would likely be a snarky and entirely unwanted comment. The Uchiha glared at him, making the man shut up but it didn't stop him from grinning.

Shisui sure was glad that he likely wasn't going to have another mission with those guys any time soon.

He released the girl but in the process brushed his hands against her clothes accidentally, sending a flare of pain up his arms which made him stiffen.

'Uh oh, hope Hikari-chan didn't catch that.'

"You flinched. Where are you hurt and how mad am I going to be?"

Nope. Busted.

Hikari pulled back but stayed within reaching distance, leveling a stern glare at the Uchiha who looked back sheepishly. He held up his hands, now covered with angry blisters. The limbs had been slathered with some medicinal cream and wrapped loosely with gauze but the burns were bad enough for the first-aid to be mostly useless.

A red eyebrow twitched and Shisui braced himself for a scolding; Hikari really didn't like her friends getting hurt. Much to his surprise, she deflated almost immediately, instead taking one hand in hers and gently removed the gauze.

"Chakra burns," she murmured to himself, wiping away the remnants of the medicinal cream with the gauze. Her right hand glowed with green chakra that she held over the burn. The effect was almost instant; the pain went down noticeably and Shisui sighed in relief.

"Do I want to know how you got them?" Hikari raised an eyebrow in question, smiling a little to show that she wasn't angry.

Shisui tried to deflect, "Since when do you know iryo ninjutsu?"

The Uzumaki's flat expression told him that she knew exactly what he was attempting to do and was not impressed. "Shisui…" she dragged out his name, warning clear in her voice.

"I might have done something stupid? In my defense, it was necessary!"

"Right…"

"I'm serious!"

Taking pity on the almost flailing boy, Ayaka cut in, "Uchiha-kun is correct, Uzumaki-san. If he didn't do what he did, we might all be suffering from burns now."

Hikari's eyes flickered to the woman, judging her honesty and giving a nod in response. She turned back to Shisui, "Burns," she stated, expression as flat as her voice. "Let me guess, you contained a fire or something with a seal not designed for that."

Taichi, Michiro and Ayaka startled; how the hell was she able to deduce that from just a few clues?

Shisui, for his part, stared straight into blue eyes, looking for whatever his friend was not saying. He knew her well enough to realize that she was worried, not angry.

With a sigh of resignation, the boy dropped his head on the girl's shoulder. "Yeah. You're absolutely right, Hikari-chan."

Hikari simply hummed in reply to the words, silently reaching for Shisui's other hand. The lack of reaction confused the three members of Shisui's team, Taichi venturing to ask, "Uchiha said that you might get angry...but you're not…?"

"I know Shisui well enough to understand that he calculated all possibilities and went with the solution with minimal drawbacks. I trust him."

Shisui raised his head, dark eyes twinkling, "Does that mean-?"

"Whatever you are thinking of now, toss it out of your brain," Hikari ordered, the corners of her mouth twitching into a smile. "If you do something stupid on purpose, you know the punishment."

The Uchiha pouted, "Hikari-chan…!"

"No means no, Shisui. Learn from Itachi; he knows when to not fool around."

Itachi, who had remained silent so far, cut in with a deadpan stare directed at the redhead, "I respect you, Hikari, but I don't want to be thrown into the Naka my chakra sealed off."

"But Itachi! Making things go boom is fun!"

"Leave me out of whatever you're planning, Shisui."

Hikari snorted as the two Uchiha started bickering and ducked out of the way when Shisui launched himself at Itachi. She left them to their devices and looked at the five adults who were watching the scene with bemusement.

"And here I thought that Uchiha were all stoic and icy."

"Don't let them fool you," Hikari told Kotetsu, the Chuunin blinking at her. "Shisui is a troll of the highest order and Itachi is not far behind."

"Still haven't seen anyone likethat, though."

"Not surprising. I've learnt that they only let their guard down around people they really trust. Anyway, I'm pretty sure you guys know me already but just in case; I'm Uzumaki Hikari."

After a quick round of introductions, Hikari asked, "Anything I should know that Shisui might be hiding? As long as it isn't mission specific or something."

Michiro shook his head. "Nah. You already took care of his burns; might have a slight case of chakra exhaustion but overall, the kid's fine."

The Uzumaki nodded in thanks before casting an assessing glance over him. "Do you have any injuries, Michiro-san? Taichi-san and Ayaka-san too."

"We're fine," Ayaka waved her off, her smile saying that she appreciated the offer. "We're off now, Uzumaki-san. Take care of your Uchiha."

The odd phrasing made the redhead blink in confusion, causing her to not notice when Shisui tackled her from behind. She yelped and started laughing when the boy swung her around.

"Shisui, put me down!"

Said Uchiha grinned and released her as ordered. "You didn't answer my question from earlier. When did you start learning iryo ninjutsu?"

"I'm curious too," Itachi piped in, falling into step at her left while Shisui was on her right. "Are you receiving training from someone?"

"No," Hikari replied, tugging at her braid restlessly, an action that did not go unnoticed by either Uchiha. They didn't comment on it though. "All self-taught, so I can't heal anything serious yet."

"What about broken bones?"

"Yes, if they're clean breaks."

She grimaced at the memory of when she had found out about that. Kakashi had stumbled into her room through the window in the middle of the night; blood loss had disoriented him and made him confuse her room for his.

Which, in hindsight, had been a very good thing.

After freaking out for a very long minute, Hikari had jumped into action, all but dragging the mostly unresponsive teen into the bathroom to wash off the blood. Stitching up the multiple lacerations he had received and healing his broken arm hadnotbeen fun.

It had made her thank Kurama profusely for insisting that she learn the basics of iryo ninjutsu if she was just going to mope around the house.

"I feel like there's a story behind that."

"There is; just not one I'm willing to tell you." In an attempt to change the topic, absolutely transparent to both Shisui and Itachi, Hikari asked, "What do you want for lunch? Your choice this time, Shisui, since you just came back from a mission."


"So what's got Hikari-chan so twitchy?"

Shisui murmured the words as low as he possibly could, glancing briefly into the kitchen where the Uzumaki was cooking their lunch. He had noticed her strange actions; anyone else would have passed them off as normal but not him. Spending weeks in her company had led him to pick up her minute tells and he knew Itachi was the same.

The younger Uchiha's gaze flickered to meet Shisui's serious eyes and he gave an imperceptible nod, subtly shifting himself in a way that hid his face from view from the windows. Alarm bells rang in his head and he had to prevent himself from stiffening.

They were being watched.

"I noticed that Hikari is being followed," Itachi said, voice just as low as Shisui's had been. "When I met her earlier, she did not sense me until I was only five feet away."

Shisui frowned. "That's not normal."

"No. She was rather uncomfortable and became clingy when she spotted me. With her sensory range, I am certain Hikari is aware of her shadows."

"And believes them to be hostile."

"Yes."

That was rather concerning. "Hikari-chan's been here for six months. It's not an ANBU guard," Shisui mused out loud. If that were true, his friend would not be quite so bothered. "Hmm…Itachi, were there three of them?"

"I noticed only two," the younger Uchiha admitted, not happy that he had apparently missed one. But it was understandable; he was still getting the hang of picking out chakra signatures. None of the presences he had sensed had been malicious but there had been a feeling of wrongness.

"Yes, there were three."

An unexpected voice cut off anything either boy had to say and they turned in unison to see Hikari leaning against the kitchen counter. Blue eyes watched them, giving nothing away. "Three were following me and two are currently watching the house."

Only her relaxed posture stopped Shisui from jumping and shaking some sense into his friend. "And you didn't think to tell anyone? Or does someone already know?"

Hikari tilted her head to the right, studying him as she replied, "I know that Tenzo-san has noticed them. That means Kakashi-nii and Jiji know."

"And neither of them has said anything?" Shisui practically demanded. A threat directed at Hikari meant a threat directed at Naruto. The child might be unaware of it and the village mostly uncaring but a Jinchuuriki needed to be protected, if only to maintain the power balance amongst the Five Great Shinobi villages.

Personally, no way was he going to let anyone touch the blond.

The female Uzumaki's expression shifted, becoming conflicted as she internally warred with how much she could tell them. "Not exactly," she conceded, deciding to reveal part of the truth. "Right now, I'm only being watched. They're not going to attack me or anything."

"But-"

"No, Itachi," Hikari cut him off, shaking her head. "None of them are foreign shinobi; I'm just uncomfortable with being watched so closely."

There, that was the truth.

She knew very well that Danzo wouldn't dare to kidnap her from right under the Hokage's nose, not with Kakashi and Tenzo looking out for her and Naruto.'ROOT is only a minor nuisance right now,'she thought with mild annoyance.'I could just kill Danzo and be done with it, but he's not actively undermining Konoha right now. And who knows, there might have been incidents that he took care of before.'

"Is that wise?"Kurama interrupted her train of thought, sounding serious."You're basically giving him free reign for the foreseeable future, kit."

"I know, but he's still useful in his own way. As long as Jiji doesn't let up on him, it should be fine. But if he steps even a millimeter out of line…"

Hikari would slaughter himpainfully, the Sandaime be damned.

While she was having her internal conversation, Shisui and Itachi exchanged glances. There was something off about the whole thing. Though neither had the authority to investigate it.

Itachi raised an eyebrow we going to drop it?

Shisui smirked and shook his head almost imperceptibly, tapping the table with the index finger of his right entirely. We'll keep an eye on the situation.

A tilt of the monitoring?

Yes.

"Don't think I didn't notice your silent conversation," Hikari stated drily, spinning on her heel to head back into the kitchen. "Do whatever you like; just don't be reckless. A little tidbit: no one can see inside the house, apart from silhouettes."

Well.

If that wasn't permission, then Shisui didn't know what was.


Shibi walked at a sedate pace through the forest, looking for his son and ward. Under normal circumstances, he would have sent a clan member to fetch them. Tsume and Hiashi had just arrived, stating they had a mission. It was rare that they were sent out but considering it was a high-ranking information gathering mission for Konoha, Shibi supposed it was reasonable.

And something that Shikaku had said…

"I'm keeping Shikamaru and the other kids in the clan monitored," the Nara Clan Head had said, during one of the gatherings of all the clan heads. "Who knows if someone else will get the bright idea to attempt what Kumo did."

It had stuck with Shibi for some reason; who would attempt to do such a thing?

Suna had their own problems and had no time to interfere in another village.

Iwa would rather slaughter anyone from Konoha than take them. …Actually, that was a concern too.

Kiri's view towards bloodlines struck them off the list.

Kumo had just scampered off with their tail between their legs and wouldn't dare try anything so soon.

'It stands to reason that Shikaku referred to someone within the village,'Shibi deduced. It was almost preposterous but if it was something the Nara had seen fit to warn them of, then it was worth following up on.

In a bid to find the children faster, the Aburame sent out his kikaichu. He kept walking in the direction he remembered the children going as he waited for his kikaichu to return. He didn't have to wait long; a few returned in less than a minute. Shibi held out his hand, stiffening as he received the information from his insects.

'What is Danzo-sama doing here?'he thought, picking up his pace. Unlike most of the village, Shibi actually had evidence on the questionable actions of the clandestine organization Danzo ran, thanks to an accidental discovery made by his kikaichu. However, he kept his silence, surmising that the Hokage would be aware of ROOT.

Even though Shibi understood the old Advisor's motivations for running ROOT, he could not and would not allow his clansmen to enter such a shady organization, let alone his son and ward. The only reason that Shibi could think of on Danzo's presence was that the man was there to recruit one of the children or possibly both.

'And he would have likely succeeded. If it were not for Shikaku's warning, I would not have come to fetch the children.'

Shibi saw the instant Danzo noticed his presence and stepped away from the two children he had come for, a look of distaste crossing the visible part of his face before being cleared away. "Danzo-sama," he greeted calmly, coming to a stop a few feet from the trio.

"Shibi-dono," the old war hawk replied stiffly, single eye fixed on the Aburame. "Have you come for your son?"

"Yes," Shibi nodded, gesturing for the two boys to come to him. Shino immediately went to his father, Torune following him at a slower pace. The elder Aburame assessed the children carefully, only looking up at the other person amongst the trees once he was satisfied with their well-being.

"May I assist you with anything, Danzo-sama?"

"No, but I appreciate the offer," Danzo replied swiftly, as if he was expecting the question. He turned away, eye drifting to young Shino and lingering for a moment. "You have gifted children, Shibi-dono. Raise them well."

The Clan Head nodded in acknowledgment, tense posture carefully hidden behind the bulky clothes he wore. Only when the Advisor left the immediate range of his kikaichu did he relax.

"Come, Shino, Torune. We must return."

The three Aburame turned around to head towards the clan's main house, silence falling over them. Shibi studied his son; Shino was ignoring the world in a way only a child would, watching a kikaichu crawl across the back of his hand.

Torune, however, was not quite so calm.

"What is it, Torune?"

The five-year-old raised his head to meet Shibi's eyes, hidden behind the glasses. "That man, Danzo-sama; he wanted Shino."

Shibi glanced at the boy sharply, gesturing for him to continue. Torune obliged, "He said that Shino had potential and that he would train to become strong. He was about to say more when you came, Shibi-sama."

"…I see."

'Even if most of its practices are abhorrent, ROOT is still a sanctioned organization,'Shibi mused. If Danzo had approached him directly with a request to recruit one of his clansmen, Shibi might have considered it fairly. But it was unforgivable to coerce a child who would have no idea of what he was consenting to.

Worse, it washis own sonthat the old man had attempted to take.

'It is likely that Danzo-sama might have taken both Shino and Torune if I had not arrived in time.'

There was no doubt that an issue of missing children, especially clan children, would have kicked up quite the fuss but Shibi was certain that Danzo would have had a way to shift the blame elsewhere.

The main house came into view and Shino ran inside, presumably looking for his mother. When Torune was about to follow him, he was stopped by a quiet call of his name. "Do not speak of this matter to anyone unless I permit it, Torune. I believe it would be dangerous to both you and Shino."

When the boy nodded his understanding, Shibi let him go. He absently watched the boy walk away down the corridor, lost in thought.

"Oi, Shibi; what's taking so long?"

"…Tsume."

The Inuzuka woman glared at him, hands on her hips as a scowl twisted her purple painted lips. "We have to go, remember?"

Hiashi stood behind her, expression as serene as ever. He simply dipped his head in a small nod at Shibi, pale eyes shifting to see what the other man had been looking at. The distant form of the black-clad boy was all that he could see and he asked, "Is that child your ward?"

"Yes."

That was all the Aburame said, making Tsume harrumph in annoyance and turn on her heel. She stomped towards the entrance, calling over her shoulder, "Well? You two idiots coming?!"

Hiashi and Shibi fell into step behind their teammate, Shibi only stopping for a minute to pass on some instructions to his clansmen to follow in his absence.

It was only when they were out of Konoha and well on their way towards their destination that Tsume grunted and broke the silence. "So? What are you brooding about, Shibi?"

None of them stopped or altered their pace but the Aburame could feel both his teammates' curious and concerned stares. Shibi contemplated on his response for a moment; Hiashi and Tsume had been his teammates for years and the Hyuuga had only recently had a similar experience concerning his daughter.

"I met Danzo-sama in the forest when I went to retrieve Shino and Torune."

"What's that got to do with anything?"

"Torune said that Danzo-sama wanted Shino."

Hiashi slanted his gaze at Shibi, a tiny crease between his eyebrows giving away his worry. "Wanted as in…?"

"Danzo-sama did not say as I arrived before he had a chance to," Shibi stated, ignoring the curses that his words invoked from the Inuzuka woman. He wasn't certain if Tsume got what he was hinting at but she was clearly incensed by the idea that someone would try to take a child.

But Hiashi had caught on, "For ROOT?"

"I presume so."

"That's worse!" Tsume growled, echoed by her partner Kuromaru. "What are you going to do, Shibi?"

"Any hasty action will not be beneficial. It is best to wait and observe for now."

"Like hell-!"

"I agree."

Tsume whipped her head to the side to stare at Hiashi incredulously. The Hyuuga Clan Head returned the gaze with an air of solemnity. "Shibi is right in his decision to not make a move immediately. We have only suspicions, with no evidence to back our words. Why do you think Shikaku gave a subtle warning instead of doing something outright?"

"Tch."

The woman subsided with a low snarl, her expression showing her displeasure. "That geezer better not touch my pups or I'll rip him to shreds! Once we get back, I'm hunting down that Nara and making him spill everything!"

Murmurs of agreement followed those vicious statements.

ROOT was a secret organization, known only to the Hokage, the Advisors and the Shinobi Council. On paper, they did not exist. It was what allowed them to get away with hiding their system of operation. But doubts were starting to crop up and some of the clan heads were growing uneasy.

It had started with the Mokuton user, Tenzo, being integrated into ANBU. Not many were aware of the details of that fiasco but the occurrence itself was sufficient to raise some alarms.

Next was the question of who the ROOT shinobi answered to. Did they answer only to Shimura Danzo or were they loyal to Konoha as a whole?

There were other little things but the recent one was the worst; attempting to take a three-year-old without his family's consent practicallyscreamedwarnings in vivid red.

None of them were certain about what was happening just yet but a budding suspicion told them that it was only the beginning.