Kakashi stared down from the roof, watching Shisui and Itachi navigate around the maze Hikari had constructed in her backyard using Doton. The earthen structure was littered with traps, or rather,pranks, since the redhead didn't really want to harm her friends.
Besides, the possible humiliation from Hikari's pranks served as a better motivator than the threat of injuries.
"They're pushing themselves a lot," Tenzo commented, walking up to stand next to the older male. He noted that the two Uchiha were blindfolded, being forced to use their other senses to find their way through the maze. They were actually doing better than he had expected; most shinobi did train themselves to be able to fight in poor conditions, but Tenzo would have thought that Shisui and Itachi were a little too young to be so comfortable fighting like that.
"I guess I underestimated them. At this rate, they'll be able to fight without sight just fine in a couple of weeks."
Kakashi nodded, "Probably even less; Hikari and her goals are a great motivation."
Tenzo shot the Hatake a sideways deadpan glare.
"Oh, do I finally get to hear about your secret plans?"
"Depends."
The silver-haired man turned to face the other fully. His body language spoke of lethargy but his gaze was sharp. "How likely are you to tell Hokage-sama whatever I tell you?"
Tensing, Tenzo looked at Kakashi. "What do you mean?"
"While Hikari will fight for Konoha if necessary, she will not side with the Sandaime. Their goals and methods do not align, not anymore. She merely works with him out of convenience."
"That's a risky position to be in."
"Not for a girl who can destroy the world if she wants to."
The confidence and certainty in Kakashi's voice left Tenzo dumbfounded and he turned his head to look at the redhead who was perched on one of the walls of her maze. She was yelling cheerful encouragements at the Uchiha boys, appearing to be nothing more than a simple kid.
But Tenzo knew about the side of the girl that wielded great power, capable of cowing even the Hokage. If what Kakashi said was true, then Hikari had no qualms in walking over anyone or anything that served as obstacles to her goals, whatever they might be.
"I'm not sure," the Mokuton user finally admitted. "I swore loyalty to Konoha and the Hokage. I don't think I can go against that."
Kakashi nodded. "That's fine. But that also means you're not getting any secrets."
Tenzo considered that for a moment.
"I understand. I suppose that means that you're on her side."
The Hatake gave that statement the dry look it deserved.
"What gave it away?"
Snickering, Tenzo turned back to the maze. He knew that Hikari trusted him a fair bit, considering the fact that she left the children in his care whenever she had something to do. But he also knew that she would not be revealing anything else to him if he could not agree to her terms.
"How many people are currently in on the secret, if you don't mind me asking?"
"No comment," Kakashi replied in a breezy tone, eye curving into his usual smile, which was sort of an answer in itself.
"Well, if there's anything I can do to help, let me know. I'll do my best."
"Maa, no need to be so formal!"
Hikari chuckled when Itachi barely managed to duck under the trajectory of a paint balloon, stumbling into the wall before leaping away. Unfortunately, the sudden movement had triggered a pressure-sensitive trap that instantly began to pelt him with a ton of tiny balls. Shisui ended up being caught in the cross-fire when he chose to follow the sounds instead of running away.
'They're getting better though,'Hikari thought to herself, resting her chin on her palm as she kept a sharp eye on the boys.'That trap could only be detected by chakra, which they'll figure out soon enough.'
It had been just over a week sincethatday and Shisui had healed up perfectly, which also had the unintended side-effect of making him stir-crazy. Since Hikari didn't want to let him out of her sight yet, she had come up with the training plan to help the boys learn to fight blindfolded, with some assistance from Kakashi.
So far, it was going better than she had thought it would.
The cry of a hawk caught her attention and Hikari glanced up, blue eyes narrowing when she noticed that the messenger bird was coming towards her. She held out her arm, not wincing when the hawk dug its talons into her skin while landing.
"What have you got for me, little guy?" she murmured to the bird, smoothening back its feathers before taking the scroll tied to its leg. The hawk took flight the instant its cargo came loose, heading for who knew where.
Hikari didn't pay any attention to the departing bird, too focused on unraveling the scroll to look at the contents. Pursing her lips when she was done reading, she tossed the scroll into a storage seal in an uncaring manner, as if it was of no importance.
But if one were to look closer, they would be able to see the dark gleam of satisfaction in her blue eyes.
"Hikari-chan!" Shisui called, breaking the redhead out of her thoughts. A pleased expression was plastered across his face as he waved his arms at her. "We did it!"
"I suppose you did," Hikari said in reply, resting her chin on the palm of her hand as she took in the two boys and snickered. "Not much of a success, though."
While Shisui and Itachi had managed to make it out of the maze in one piece, they weren't untouched.
Paint covered a fair amount of their bodies, along with tiny bruises on the exposed parts of their arms and legs where they had been pelted by the tiny balls. Hikari could also see a few rhinestones sparkling in the sunlight, the dark color of their hair not helping in the least.
"Please cut us some slack," Itachi surprisingly grumbled, falling face down on the grass. He was too tired to even keep his usual composure. "This is the first time we've made it out of that hell you call a maze. We deserve to celebrate."
Shisui nodded in agreement, joining his friend on the ground to wallow in their shared misery.
"Only a crazily good sensor with inhuman reflexes can clear that maze on their first try."
Hikari laughed and hopped off the wall, walking over to the boys and poking them until they rolled over to lie on their backs. "Dad managed it," she informed them cheerfully, her mirth growing when Shisui groaned and Itachi shot a glare at her.
"The Yondaime Hokage does not count," the Uchiha heir shot back. "He is a genius andlegendaryfor hisspeed."
That earned a snort from the redhead and she plopped down on the grass. "Yup. And he has tons of battle experience over you guys."
"Then why the hell are you comparing us?!"
"I don't know? Just for fun, I guess."
With identical sighs of exasperation, the boys resumed their attempts to become part of the earth, Hikari watching them as they went boneless with exhaustion. "Well, I suppose you could get the rest of the day off as a reward for clearing the maze. Still want you to make a perfect clear though."
"Later," Shisui mumbled into the grass, waving a hand at her.
"Later," Hikari agreed with a fond smile.
Silence descended upon the trio, each one lost in their own world. Hikari shot a glance towards the house, confirming for herself that Kakashi and Tenzo had disappeared inside. While she had not entirely eavesdropped on their earlier conversation, she had gotten the gist of it.
Truthfully, she was glad that she didn't have to bring the Mokuton user into their plans. Shisui, Itachi, Kakashi, Shikaku and the Sandaime were more than enough at the moment; the more people that knew, the more chances of Zetsu noticing something.
"Whereisthat plant bastard anyway?" Hikari muttered under her breath, casting a distrustful look towards the forest, as if the odd creature would suddenly burst out of the darkness. She had kept an eye out for it since the instant she had arrived in that dimension and had yet to sense it.
Neither Shisui nor Itachi paid attention to her mumbling; they knew that she was simply thinking out loud.
Suddenly, Hikari sat up straight, the abruptness of her action startling them just a bit and they lifted their heads to look at her.
"Hikari-chan?"
"Did something happen?"
The girl got to her feet without responding, lips pressed in a thin line. Her eyes narrowed slowly, something dark and cold creeping into them. The next second, Hikari disappeared, having used the Hiraishin to go to who knew where.
Only her last words hung in the air long after she was gone.
"I willkillhim."
Itachi raised an eyebrow, staring at the spot his friend had been mere seconds ago, before looking at Shisui. Said person returned the look, shrugging a little, which prompted Itachi to ask, "Feel like rescuing whoever ticked Hikari off?"
"Nah, he probably had it coming."
"I suppose you're right."
The two boys settled back on the grass, unconcerned about the fate of the person who had incurred their Uzumaki's wrath. But that didn't mean that they weren't curious about the identity of the mystery person.
They would just grill Hikari for information when she returned.
"You know, after the first year, I labeled you a coward. Now, I'm certain you're lower than the dirt on the soles of my shoes."
The white-haired man startled at the sudden voice and whipped around, looking for the speaker. He was sure that he had sensed no one in the vicinity. Sensor he might not be, but his awareness was second to none.
"You were entrusted something -someone- precious," the voice continued, tone hard and unforgiving, "but you abandoned them. I wonder what your student would think, if he could see what you've done. Or what youhaven'tdone, in this case."
There was a short pause, as if the speaker was pondering over their next words.
"Tell me, Jiraiya of the Sannin, why have you abandoned your godson?"
Jiraiya swallowed, the action difficult due to the sudden lump in his throat. He still had no idea where the voice was coming from or how the speakerknew. But he couldn't let them see how unnerved he was.
Even if it was the truth that was being thrown at him.
Even if it felt like his soul was being crushed.
"For someone who sounds so confident, I wonder why you won't reveal yourself," Jiraiya spoke, struggling to keep his voice level and calm. But anyone who knew him would instantly notice that he was off-balance; there was none of the usual flirtation that overflowed in his speech, carefully intended to exude a careless attitude and make his opponents falter.
"I'm not hiding, idiot. You're just not looking hard enough."
Feeling his annoyance build -irritation was better than the guilt choking his lungs, threatening to drown him- Jiraiya took a slow look at his surroundings, finally spotting a redhead leaning against the trunk of a distant tree.
'Kushina…? No, wrong eyes,'he thought, squinting at the girl and seeing the ghosts of his past.
"Who are you?"
Blue eyes narrowed in disdain and the redhead scoffed, "What happened to your intelligence network? Or is it that anything directly related to Naruto gets ignored?"
Jiraiya froze in shock, the pit in his stomach becoming deeper. There was no way a mere little girl should have such an effect on him. If not for the words -facts- that she threw at him, she would not even have pinged on his radar.
"Hmph. I would have expected you to at least keep an eye on Konoha's Jinchuuriki."
He was moving before he even realized it, mouth twisted in an angry snarl as Jiraiya launched himself at the girl.
Wood met his fist and the tree split in two from the force of his punch, the trunk shattering. But the girl was nowhere to be found.
"Huh. Are you more concerned with the Jinchuuriki than your godson?"
Hikari stared at the man's back, her expression flat with no emotion. She could tell Jiraiya was shaking, the minute tremors invisible to but the keenest eye. Whether it was from rage or guilt, she didn't know, nor did she particularly care.
When Jiraiya turned around to face her, Hikari stood her ground and met his gaze without hesitation. She had no reason not to and if it meant that the man was going to get the full power of her anger, then so be it.
"Tell me, Jiraiya, why did you only react when I mentioned the Jinchuuriki?" Hikari asked, eyes narrowing dangerously. "And don't lie. Iwillknow."
"None of your business," Jiraiya growled, having settled on anger instead of guilt. He made to lunge forth again but something wrapping around his body stopped him in place. He looked at himself and found golden chains wrapped around his limbs and torso, glowing ominously.
Realization set in and Jiraiya looked back at the redhead, the color of her hair taking on a whole new meaning.
"Uzumaki."
"Yes, but that's neither here nor there."
"How do you know about Konoha's Jinchuuriki?"
"I'm asking the questions, old man," Hikari snapped in irritation, tightening the chains around the man. She wasn't going to kill him, but maiming was still an option and it was sounding more and more appealing by the second. "But if you must know, he's my little brother. Something you would have known if youcared."
The words were bitter, overflowing with a mix of fury at how Naruto was being ignored by his godfather and disappointment as she finally acknowledged the fact that her Jiraiya had done the same to her.
So many things in her and Naruto's lives just did not make sense, and Jiraiya was one of them.
"Fine. I don't care if you don't answer. I could easily guess," Hikari spoke after minutes of silence. Her hair swished behind her as she paced amongst the trees, her chains still holding Jiraiya in place. "You're just a coward. A coward who ran away when he lost his student and said student's wife, abandoning their precious newborn."
Jiraiya flinched, all of his self-righteous anger swirling down the drain as the girl continued speaking. She was laying out the truth as she saw it without restraint and with no concern as to his thoughts or feelings. Jiraiya still did not know who she was, but a sinking feeling told him he was about to find out and he wasn't going to like it.
"Whatever grief you experienced that kept you away…it's no excuse for not even visiting Narutoonceduring all these years. Beyond being aware that he was alive, you did not reach out to him. If youdidthink about it, you probably thought that he was better off without you."
'She hit the nail right on the head,'Jiraiya thought morosely, barely resisting the urge to hang his head. But his emotions were apparently evident on his face, judging by the way the girl shot him a disgusted look.
He finally gathered enough wits to speak.
"Why doyoucare?"
"Because there was no one else."
Hikari stopped pacing and turned to face the restrained man, finally giving him a perfect view of her appearance.
Jiraiya's blood ran cold when another face overlapped hers.
You abandoned my son, Sensei,he could hear Minato's saddened and disappointed voice telling him,I entrusted Naruto to you and you left him alone.
"W-Why…" Jiraiya croaked, feeling and looking nothing like the man who invoked fear in many, "why do you havehiseyes?"
Quirking an eyebrow at him, Hikari gave a sardonic smile. "Because he is my father too."
"Impossible! Minato did not have a daughter!"
Only after the words were yelled did he realize what he had given away but before Jiraiya could regret it, the girl shrugged. "Not the Minato you knew."
Huh?
"Why did you come to Konoha, Jiraiya?"
"…because Sensei ordered me to."
"What did he tell you?"
"…none of your business."
"Danzo's crimes then," Hikari concluded before glaring at the man again. "But you don't know me."
Jiraiya felt like he was failing some sort of test as he slowly answered, "…no?"
A red eyebrow twitched.
"Give up your title of spymaster then. I've been in Konoha for three years now, adopted Naruto and Kakashi the day I arrived, outsmarted Kumo and solved the Hyuuga's problems, helped the Uchiha clan integrate back into the village, found more people from my clan, adopted Gaara -who's Suna's Jinchuuriki, by the way- and a bunch of other kids, while foiling Danzo's plans."
Finishing her rant, Hikari glared at the white-haired man.
"After everything I've done to shake up the shinobi world, to the point wherethreeof the five major villages at least knowofme…how could you be so clueless?"
Jiraiya distantly recalled Hiruzen trying to tell him something after personally filling him in on Danzo's actions against the Uchiha clan. But he had waved him off, instinctively shutting off his ears once he had heard Naruto's name.
Now he was wondering if it had been a mistake.
Wait, scratch that.
It haddefinitelybeen a mistake.
"Who are you?"
Giving the man a sarcastic bow and a sunny smile that was so clearly fake, Hikari replied.
"Uzumaki Hikari, formerly Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto,notat your service."
Jiraiya gaped at the redhead, finding both Minato and Kushina in her features. But he knew for a fact that the couple had had only one child, a little boy with sunshine hair and the bluest eyes.
Not a girl with crimson locks and blue eyes.
But…didn't Hikari hint towards the answer already?
"Not the Minato you knew."
Minato's kid, yet not.
FormerlyNaruto.
No way.
"You're from a different dimension," Jiraiya said, brow furrowed in thought but no less certain of the conclusion he had reached. "But…"
Hikari harrumphed at the bewildered look Jiraiya was giving her and dug out a scroll from her pocket. She threw it at the man's face, the projectile hitting his face with a satisfying thwack. "I thought I'd be able to hand that over to you peacefully, not after hunting you down."
Spinning on her heel, the redhead moved in the direction of Konoha, having said her piece.
Behind her, she could hear sounds of struggling as Jiraiya tried to fight his way out of her chains, yelling at her, "Wait! We're not done yet!"
Hikari sighed and shook her head, glancing over her shoulder at her godfather's counterpart. The expression on Jiraiya's face was desperate and a touch pitiful, but her heart did not waver. Her only response was a solemn whisper, carried away by the wind.
"We were done the moment I realized you were never coming."
Shisui and Itachi were still splayed out on the grass when Hikari returned.
Deciding that the ground was comfortable enough, she let herself fall between the boys with a heavy sigh. She wasn't surprised when Shisui tugged on her braid in a ploy to get her attention.
"Who was it?" he asked when she looked at him, a worried crease between his eyebrows as he regarded her flat expression.
Hikari threw an arm over her face, voice muffled by the fabric of her sleeve as she mumbled, "Jiraiya."
Itachi frowned and raised himself onto his elbows, hovering over his friend as he reached out with one hand to lift Hikari's arm from her face. "Since when was he in Konoha and for what?"
"The Sandaime called him over to brief him on Danzo. Maybe ordered him to sniff out the bastard's hideouts and whatever he's doing outside Konoha."
"That makes sense, but why are you so angry?" Shisui questioned, still playing with the end of Hikari's braid, twisting the crimson strands around his fingers. He would have sworn that his friend was about to skewer Jiraiya earlier.
Hikari exhaled and closed her eyes. "He is Naruto's godfather."
Both boys froze, the implications of her words hitting them instantly.
"And heabandonedthe kid?" Shisui hissed furiously, looking like he was about to find Jiraiya and rip him to pieces.
"Six years…six years and he visited . And did not even glance at his godson." It would be an understatement to say that Itachi was angry. He understood why Hikari had had a fit. "Did he do that to you too?"
"I didn't meet him until I was twelve," Hikari replied, tone sour as she recalled her past. "He was a giant pervert and I had to trick him into training me. Sure, he might have protected me indirectly but that's no excuse. I did not even know he was my godfather until myEdo Tensei father told me."
In Hikari's memories, Jiraiya was a precious person. But like so many others, he had failed her. No amount of training or care could make up for nearly thirteen years of loneliness.
Perhaps if her old dimension had survived, Hikari might not have felt resentment.
But now, surrounded by people who loved and valued her for just being herself, Hikari understood that the way she had been treated was wrong. It had taken Kakashi pointing out that if she could feel fury for how badly Naruto had been treated, then she could be mad at those who had failed her too.
Hikari opened her eyes and laughed when she noticed Shisui and Itachi holding a silent conversation over her head, probably debating the best way to eviscerate Jiraiya.
Reaching up to pinch their cheeks, she said, "My Jiraiya is long dead and I'm not going to chase ghosts, since I've accepted that I deserved better. No, I'm simply mad that this Jiraiya is treating Naruto so callously as well."
"Huh," Shisui hummed in thought, putting himself in Hikari's shoes and analyzing the situation. "Oh. I get it now! He really screwed up. I'd have thought that he would have at least kept tabs on the kid."
Itachi nodded, adding, "If an unknown person who came out of literally nowhere had taken custody of Sasuke, I would have definitely investigated them. But Jiraiya did not know of you, which means he did not watch over Naruto-kun. Or he knew and just did not care. I can't decide which is worse."
"In my opinion, Itachi, both reveal a lack of care for Naruto," the older Uchiha pointed out.
"Does it matter?" Hikari interrupted with a roll of her eyes. "And for your information, it was the former. He didn't know me. I chased after him because someone has to call him out and it might as well be me."
"Only that?" Shisui asked teasingly, his smile widening when Hikari scowled at him. "Come on, Hikari-chan, we know you better than that!"
"Fine. I threw a scroll in his face regarding my past and our possible future. Though I might not consider Jiraiya a friend and may never, I can work with him. His intelligence network will help in sniffing out Zetsu and the Akatsuki."
Itachi looked pensive; he knew that his counterpart had been part of Akatsuki and had sent sporadic updates on the organization. But with Hikari's interference, he was still in Konoha. In a way, it was a loss since they had lost a possible chance to infiltrate Akatsuki.
He didn't ruminate for long on that though. Itachi was more than aware that the circumstances might not turn out the same way. If he left Konoha without a big enough reason, Akatsuki might not approach him.
Plus, a certain redhead would have him for lunch if he eventhoughtof running away.
"Hikari, how likely is it that we can intercept or sabotage Akatsuki's recruitment?" Itachi asked instead, making the Uzumaki blink up at him.
"Prevent the group from coming together? Chances of success are pretty high, but only if Zetsu and Obito go after the same people," Hikari replied after a moment of thought. "I've been creating my own intelligence network using my clones, but it's not widespread enough to pick up stuff from all the nations."
Shisui whistled, impressed by the amount of work Hikari had already put in towards their future plans. "Are you using your clones to make contact with informants or are they the informants themselves?"
"Both, since I get the information instantly when a clone dispels."
"Smart. Are you on the lookout for the plant thing?"
Throwing the curly-haired Uchiha an amused look at his way of referring to Zetsu, something he had picked up from her, Hikari agreed. "And our swirly eyed friend too."
Itachi tilted his head to the side at the casual mention of Uchiha Obito. "You never told us the full story of what happened to him."
"Hmm. Ask me another day. I'm done with my daily quota of depressing stuff."
The boys snorted in unison, a little put out at being denied but willing to move on with other stuff. Hikari would tell them in her own time.
That night, sitting on the frame of the window overlooking the forest from her room, Hikari stared at the starry sky.
Jiraiya had not turned up even after she had ripped him a new one, causing her opinion of the man to plummet even further. But she wasn't really surprised; if it hadn't been for Orochimaru meddling in her first Chuunin Exams, Hikari doubted that she would ever have met Jiraiya in her dimension.
"What are you thinking?"
Turning her head to look at Shisui as the teenager approached her, Hikari shook her head. "Nothing noteworthy."
"Don't believe you," Shisui shot back instantly, stifling a yawn behind his hand as he perched on the window opposite the girl.
"It really is nothing though," Hikari insisted with a faint smile, brushing crimson strands out of her eyes when a breeze made her hair flutter. "Go back to sleep, Shisui."
"Not without my teddy bear."
That made her laugh. "Isn't Itachi enough?"
For all that the Uchiha were rumored to be stoic, with Itachi the worst of the lot, he was notoriously clingy when asleep. Or well, he was with Hikari and Shisui. Hikari would often wake up snuggled between both boys whenever they had a sleepover, Itachi wrapped around her like a koala and Shisui hugging both her and Itachi.
"No," Shisui replied bluntly, blinking away the last vestiges of sleep. "You have ten minutes before Itachi wakes up and drags us both to bed, Hikari-chan."
Chuckling, the Uzumaki conceded.
"I was just thinking about Jiraiya."
"Ah. Are you going to hunt him down again?"
"No. I decided to let it go."
Hikari looked out at the moon, pulling her knees up to her chest. She looked rather tiny like that, Shisui thought, reminded once again that his friend was physically only eleven years old.
"You did mention not chasing after ghosts."
"Hmm, that's right. Jiraiya was an important person, seeing potential in me when so many others did not. He cared for me and taught me so much. Hell, even my original name came from his book! But…"
When she did not continue for several seconds, Shisui prodded gently, "But?"
"His inaction during my early years left a lot to be desired. You know…when I was on a training trip with him…I used to fantasize about him coming for me when I had been a little kid. How I would have grown up with Jiraiya raising me."
Hikari looked at Shisui, eyes distant as she was partially lost in a memory. "Maybe things would have been better, maybe they would have been worse. But with this Jiraiya doing the same things even after getting called out, I just can't forgive him."
Silence fell after that, Shisui ruminating over his friend's words while said friend stared out the window again.
It really was a messy situation, with no perfect solution.
"You know what I think?" Shisui finally spoke up, waiting patiently until Hikari looked at him, "You don't need to forgive him. You can live your life as you want, just as you've been doing so far. You've got me, Itachi, Kakashi-senpai and Shikaku-sama."
Hikari gave him a tiny smile, blue eyes warm as she regarded her friend. She had already come to that conclusion but it felt nice to hear that someone else thought the same way.
If Jiraiya finally managed to screw his head on straight and reached out, if Naruto wanted to get to know him, Hikari wouldn't stand in the boy's way. But she herself had no intention of building a close relationship with her godfather's counterpart, except as a distant acquaintance.
Honestly?
She was happy with her decision.
Hikari was not the sunshine, cheery girl who befriended literally everyone she met. Though a small part of that innocent child remained deep within her soul, Hikari was far too jaded and wary to let everyone close to her heart.
She had her own precious people and they were enough.
"Thanks, Shisui," the redhead murmured almost inaudibly, laughing when the Uchiha's grin cracked because of a yawn. "Let's go back to bed; we have a long day ahead of us."
Five ANBU dressed in full battle regalia kneeled in front of the Sandaime Hokage, heads bowed as they awaited their orders.
Hiruzen's gaze swept over each one slowly, taking in their alert and tense forms. "I've called you here for a very important reason," he started. "On the surface, Konoha appears to be at peace. Our village is prosperous and strong, our people safe. But there is a rot deep in the roots of our beloved village, as well as external threats that may rear their fangs at us in the future."
Out of the five ANBU, three of them understood the true meaning behind the Hokage's words, while two of them were only certain of the first part and not the latter.
"Crow, Weasel," Hiruzen addressed the last two on his right, "the two of you were to be assigned to Team Ro. But unexpected circumstances have changed your placements."
The old man waved his hand and another ANBU appeared in the room, standing next to Crow and Weasel. "Hokage-sama."
"This is our newest recruit, Fox," Hiruzen introduced the newcomer, before telling the rest to rise. He walked to stand behind his desk, looking out over the village through the window. "Now, onto business."
He returned to face the ANBU, their masked faces staring back at him. "Hound, Cat and Tenzo will remain as Team Ro, with Hound as captain. They will answer directly to me and no one else. Most of your missions will involve matters within the village."
"Understood, Hokage-sama."
Hound, Cat and Tenzo bowed their heads and took a step back, leaving the focus on the remaining three.
"Now, Fox, Crow and Weasel."
The order in which the codenames were called did not go unnoticed and the ANBU except Fox perked up imperceptibly, suddenly impatient for the Hokage's next words.
"The three of you will form Team Kage, led by Fox."
If there had been anyone else in the room, they would have been openly gaping at the fact that Hiruzen had just named a newly recruited ANBU operative as the captain of a team. Normally, Crow should have become captain, having already spent a few years in ANBU.
As it was, none of them reacted.
'Of course not; they already know the face under the mask,'HIruzen thought in resignation, folding his hands behind his back. "Team Kage will operate mainly outside the village, reporting on possible dangers to Konoha while also in charge of eliminating them."
Team Kage nodded sharply and sketched a quick bow, stepping back to stand alongside Team Ro. The six of them looked formidable, ready to tear any enemies to pieces.
"Take the next week to settle in. You will receive your missions after that. Dismissed!"
"Yes!"
Far away from the Hokage tower, in an isolated training ground, six masked ANBU stood. They stared at each other blankly for a few moments, before bursting into laughter.
"Really, Hikari-san, you sure do know how to get the rumor mills turning," Yugao said, taking off her mask. The young woman had recognized the new recruit instantly, not to mention the Sandaime assigning the role of captain to Fox.
Dropping her hood and freeing a long mane of dark hair, Hikari took off her own mask and grinned at the others. Blue sparkled with obvious mischief, "It's not like there are a lot of people who will piece together my identity anyway."
Kakashi snorted. "Sure, around fifty percent won't. The rest will know it the instant they see you."
"I really don't care. Being ANBU is only for convenience."
"Black hair?" Shisui blinked, staring at his friend's dyed locks. "Your red hair is a giveaway, so I understand the color change, but why black?"
"Misdirection. You and Itachi will likely use your Sharingan on missions and I could pass myself off as an Uchiha too. I'd like to keep outsiders off my trail as long as possible."
"Smart."
"Is this because of what happened a few days ago?" Tenzo asked abruptly, halting the lighthearted mood. His dark eyes were trained on the youngest person there, the crease between his brows giving away his concern.
Hikari tilted her head and smiled.
But there was no mirth in it.
"You don't need to ask to know the answer."
She turned around, surveying the forest surrounding them. The training ground was one not many frequented and so there was no need to worry about prying eyes, not that anyone could get past Hikari's senses.
At least, not people in Konoha.
"Like I said, ANBU just gives me an excuse and a way to move freely."
"You do get to skip a lot of official channels for stuff like information and forbidden jutsu," Yugao mused, eyeing the only other girl in the group with a pensive expression. Hikari was young, but there was a look in her eyes that reminded Yugao of veterans from the previous wars.
Perhaps that was one of the reasons why Hikari was able to win the trust and loyalty of so many.
"From what Sandaime-sama said, Team Kage will go after Root outside Konoha, along with other threats, while Team Ro deals with them inside the village," the swordswoman continued, ignoring Tenzo's perplexed expression and Kakashi's amused one. "What are your true plans, Hikari-san? Who are you, truly?"
It was years of training that prevented Shisui, Itachi and Kakashi from reacting to the question. Only Tenzo and Yugao were in the dark about the Uzumaki's true identity, but while Tenzo had chosen to remain so, Yugao was different. She was a friend, but not close enough to let her know even a smidgen of truth.
But Hikari only smiled, looking back over her shoulder at the woman. "That information has a heavy price, Uzuki Yugao. Can you handle it?"
'She saidheavy, notgreat,'Yugao thought, immediately catching onto the carefully chosen words. From the time she had borne witness to a little girl twisting the Sandaime and the clan heads around her fingers, Yugao had known that Hikari was not a simple person.
Curiosity warred with instinct, part of her wanting to know the truth while the other said to drop it. Looking into calm blue eyes, Yugao made her choice.
"I will pry no further," she murmured, bowing her head in acknowledgement. "But you may count on my assistance if you require it, Hikari-san."
The disguised redhead let out a short laugh and spun on her heel to face Yugao. "I trust you, Yugao-san, but I only want you to protect the village. Leave the rest to me."
Wind whistled through the training ground, kicking up dust and the fallen leaves. But it went ignored as the six ANBU looked at each other before raising their hands in unison in a salute.
"To a successful cooperation!"
After a few more exchanges, Team Kage and Team Ro separated, the former disappearing who knew where via Hikari's Hiraishin.
Yugao stared at the spot the trio had been for a few moments before turning to her team.
"By any chance, is Hikari-san the secret daughter of Yondaime-sama and Kushina-sama?"
Tenzo gaped.
Kakashi, the menace,cackled.
