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Renri waited outside the library. Midmorning, air warm and dew dried, she had spent a few hours inside reading. As she preferred. Now, however…

She slid down the wall to her back to sit. Her legs were already sore. Now, she would be running for a second day in a row. At least Aadda had the decency to slither away before she stepped into the library instead of mid-walk like yesterday.

Narrowed eyes, at least Aadda had the sense to hiss and run yesterday. Curling around her neck that first time reminded her too much of that night. Of Renki suffocating as she weakly tried to claw the snake off him. Of her nails scraping scales, blood trailing down her arm, before everything became a haze.

A haze connected to a memory her mind screamed to be left pasted blank despite the edges peeling free.

"Hey."

Renri snapped out of her sulking, attention shifting from the ground- and now shoes- up. Mariko stood with her arms crossed, but no… Well, not her harshest scowl. Behind her, far from earshot, Renri recognized Mariko's friends. Whispering. More confused than Renri. Mariko had made it clear they were barely academy acquaintances. She stressed they held no obligation to acknowledge each other beyond training.

Minimal tolerance. Not friendship.

Not quite a waste of time, but Aadda would be laughing at her disappointment.

Mariko got bored of waiting for a response. "We're going to spar later at your training grounds, got it? I'm still angry Sensei stepped in yesterday." She rotated her shoulder, no flinches in her scowl, no catches in her voice. "I would have had my shoulder fixed and been paying you back for cheating."

A hush falling over her friends caused Mariko to pause and glance over her shoulder. Her scowl deepened. Itachi continued to walk without acknowledging the attention- and how Renri envied that he could. Mariko shot her glare back to the easier target.

"Or are you going to chicken out?"

"Fine," Renri mumbled, standing so Mariko couldn't loom over her. Her attitude, at best, was grating. At worse, Renri sort of hated it. "But-"

"Good." Spoken over, Mariko had no interest in even pretending to listen to what Renri wanted. How could she have friends standing behind her? Renri didn't understand. While she had seen Mariko act civil, perhaps even nice, when not… Not surrounded by her friends. "I know exactly how to kick-"

"Not my training grounds." Had she glared when spoken over? Mariko used a glare to force away the flicker of surprise at having her demanding tone reflected back at her. That annoyed Renri more. "The river near it." She had water jutsu to practice, and Mariko wouldn't be stomping all over that too.

Itachi smartly stood a short distance away. Too bad in sight was too close for Mariko.

"Whatever," Mariko snapped, whatever not how she felt. She turned on her heel to march the opposite direction. "I'm going to go have fun with my friends."

Yes. Her friends. Renri excluded and used, her efforts just that. Hers.

She shouldn't have brushed aside suspicion when the glimmering possibility of gaining a friend presented itself. Mariko absolutely refused. Top of the class, she took their lessons to heart. She saw something to be gained. She recognized the minimal effort of surface-level civility was all it would take.

Mutual effort? Renri felt stupid. She must be, to have believed that.

People were complex. People were filled with contractions. Mariko could simultaneously hate her while recognizing her skill, feel grateful for being saved while angry it had been at her hands, and tolerate her as a classmate and training partner while denying any possibility that they could be friends. Her pride declared Renri an enemy and an enemy she would remain.

She had been right to ignore her. Mariko was determined to hate her no matter what she did. Her shock, she wanted Renri to hate her too because it would have been easier for her. Renri shouldn't have even entertained the idea that they could become friends. There would never be anything beyond their established dynamic.

It probably hurt more to learn that they could get along.

She wandered to Itachi's side as he gave her a look. Distract. "I'll start trying harder with taijutsu," she declared, making his brow slightly raise. He could tell she was genuinely upset, and not about that. She tried to unclench her fists. She failed. "Even if it means building up stamina."

"Just to beat that girl?"

"No," she shot back before fiddling with her sleeve. He wouldn't let her shove this aside, would he? "Well, yes and no." Something between. Always something between. "I need to," she quietly explained, a partial truth, "I'll drag down my future team as I am now." She wanted to lie and cling to the logical side.

That fight with the monster would have been different had she only been able to run. Except, if she had been, would she have hesitated? Would she have left Mariko without a second thought? For as much time as had passed, she felt she should be over the incident. Yet she still felt scared.

She glanced at Itachi, carefully listening, his attention focused on her when he had a billion other things to do. "And I don't like that I… That she…" That Renri felt rejected.

"You," Itachi began only to trail off, expression considering.

Renri bit her lip, kicking at a pebble like it somehow hid that she wanted to hide. "Just say it," she mumbled. He'd only stopped because he decided his answer may upset her more. He wanted to help.

"Winning against her won't change how you feel," he said after another moment of silence. "Fighting doesn't solve problems, it creates different problems."

True to his goal of erasing fighting, she tried to keep the faintest twitch of a smile from her face. Such an Itachi answer with his unwavering determination to reach his goal. Her goals were so pathetic in comparison. Though that probably wasn't the point he wanted to make.

"The academy isn't for making friends, anyway," he continued, Renri's attention snapping to his face. Dark eyes met her own. He set aside his typically short responses. "We're training to be ninja. You don't need to be friends with everyone to operate as an effective unit. Completing the mission is what is most important." True, given his disinterest in collecting friends yet unyielding interest in being the pinnacle ninja. She couldn't argue. "Also, consider the time and effort maintaining a friendship takes." Another silencing statement despite her having no response. As much as she wanted to look away, he kept his eyes locked with hers, telling her to please listen to the end. "Is she really someone worthwhile?"

She opened and closed her mouth before simply shaking her head.

"She doesn't treat you well." Blatantly obvious truth, he left no room for her to make excuses. Because he knew she would try. He knew her. "I don't like seeing my friend bullied," he admitted, eyes flickering away for a second before the intensity returned, "but I also know you have to stand up for yourself or nothing will change. You're capable of it. You're just choosing not to because you want to be liked."

No argument to be made, he really saw through her and… saw her. The logic on the surface, the emotion underneath, and all her stupid little contradictions between.

She stood frozen, heat rising to her face, a fish opening and closing her mouth wordlessly.

Suddenly, she felt ridiculous. Yet reassured. Because he was right. Oh, he was so right it made her feel absolutely stupid for not seeing it. Why bother with Mariko? She had Itachi. Itachi, who just very politely pointed out how foolish she was being while reassuring he saw her as worthy of being his friend.

"You've… wanted to say that for a while, haven't you?"

"Un."

Complex point neatly summed to a simple yeah, he finished. Then slightly shifted his weight between feet, judging her reaction. Which amounted to… so outwardly little, she realized. Small uncontrolled habits, flickers of controlled expressions, careful phrasing…

"I feel like I should apologize." She hadn't been near grateful enough to him. No one else, even if capable, bothered to observe and decipher her of all things. Was it the same for him? "Is that right?"

"I don't think so."

"May I?"

"No."

"Thank you?"

"That doesn't feel right either."

A pause. All the reasoning and intelligence in the world didn't change the fact conversation was a skill. A skill neither of them quite bothered to learn the formula to, yet there was something genuine in that.

"Then…" She trailed off, looking around like an idea would come to her. Still stood in front of the library, people passed by, wholly uninterested in two academy students talking on their day off. For the first time in a long time, she felt… normal. "Back to training?" she asked. She shifted, pulling a little face at the soreness already in her legs. "I understand that I have a lot of running I said I'd do now." And she wished she could avoid it, but it was part of being a shinobi.

He nodded, more adept at hiding the discomfort that came with his goal.

Late afternoon, Itachi finished another lap around the village after deciding to rotate between sprinting, kunai throwing, and ninjutsu.

His pace slowed.

He had been hoping Shisui would be back today. Before he had left, Shisui said his mission should be completed… yesterday. He, however, left out how long the return trip may take. Messenger hawks sometimes adequate to declare missions completed, that left teams able to take a few hours or a day to sightsee. Shisui loved that. (And how did Itachi know that despite Shisui not admitting to it? Itachi had a box full of the most tourist-y souvenirs stashed in his room because Shisui couldn't just buy snacks.)

Walking through the trees on the edge of the village, he considered what next since Shisui wasn't available. Renri should be nearby, he supposed, but… That nagging feeling he wasn't doing enough training continued to eat at him today.

He meant it. The academy was meant to prepare them to be shinobi.

Friendship wasn't his priority. It never would be. Of his classmates, Renri seemed the most likely to understand that and appreciate it. Which could prove another issue. In that he actually enjoyed spending time with her, time he should be training. She may be the closest in skill in their age group, but the gap between them still left her behind.

He should have told her earlier…

They finally decided he could take the graduation exam. He would pass. He would graduate. He would become a genin and be one small step closer to his goals.

Maybe he could send a shadow clone to-

He soundlessly landed on a branch, path abandoned. Hidden in the leaves, he carefully crouched until he found a space to see while going unseen. Footsteps below continued to noisily crunch twigs. A short distance, they would have crossed paths in another moment. He wasn't sure if he had been seen or not.

Mariko came to a halt after whipping blindly around a tree. She was greeted with a wave.

As he hopped into a tree, another figure had landed on the ground. Dressed in dark colors, tanto strapped to their back, Itachi couldn't see their face. But, from the black strap cutting across the back of their head, a stark contrast against white hair, the person wore a mask.

Like an ANBU.

Similar, but slightly off. Their build and height, they couldn't be much older than Shisui. Incredibly few that young were accepted into the ANBU. (He would know, inquiring about that path gaining an almost immediate, predictable, response of 'you're a bit young' instead of an actual kept dodging the question. He mulled over asking his father for a more specific answer, but figured he may force the conversation towards him joining the police force.)

Initial words too quiet over the distance, he strained to hear. Mariko facing his direction, her expression went from startled to wary, but she didn't run away. Indistinct sounds further muffled by the mask…

Itachi cautiously hopped a branch closer. Then tensed.

"Really!?" Mariko shouted, stepping closer to the figure, grinning.

"Yeah," they said, dismissively waving a hand to settle Mariko's enthusiasm. She seemed to catch her overexcitement, her mouth snapping closed as she straightened her posture to bow. Stiffly. Like she had never done so once in her life. The figure held up both hands, adamantly motioning her to stop despite the amusement in, "I'm just the messenger, yeah?" So casual. "Wouldn't waste time talking to me," they added.

Mariko turned heel and ran back towards the village, not a second glance spared.

They beckoned over their shoulder without turning.

Itachi stilled. A breath, and they repeated the motion. No one emerged from the trees. Tilt of their head set a shadowed eye unmistakably in Itachi's direction.

He dropped out of the tree.

The mask now facing him, featureless porcelain lacked an animal motif. Instead, the pattern resembled a daruma, right eye blank. Clothes not standard issue ANBU armor or even a chunin jacket… They weren't ANBU. Couldn't be.

Shisui was right.

Despite Renri's adamant belief, it wasn't an ANBU following her. The one he had seen fleeing withered trees, rat mask, armor over grey and black, that had been a true ANBU agent, but he had been following Orochimaru.

Itachi remained in place, but the fake ANBU gave an exaggerated shake of their head and a shrug. They closed the distance to something more reasonable for conversation.

"You're Renri's friend, right?" they asked, voice neutral in every way. At least three layers of clothes further obscured. "I've seen you two running around the village a few times now." They laughed under their breath at his silence before they glanced towards the river. "Book nerd Renri," said with fondness, "never imagined her as the type to chase after boys. Wish I could tease her with that."

They weren't interested in a conversation so much as talking, yet if Itachi could get some information-

"Thanks," they interrupted, furrowing Itachi's brows. They chuckled again. "For always going back for her. She… She never did like being left behind."

He could be wrong.

But Renri had been fixated on the ANBU agent that had saved her. When she first told him, she had avoided details about them, fingers nervously picking at her sleeves as she stared at the ground. She had spoken easily about the monster and attack up until that point. The conversation in the library swapped her discomforts. Suddenly the monster caused a near panic attack while she brought up the ANBU on her own.

Then her story changed.

Asked now, and she had been mistaken. It wasn't an ANBU agent, but perhaps one of the perpetrators pretending. That she was sorry for the mistake. That she had probably let them escape because of it.

The truth became a lie.

And now this false ANBU agent stood in front of him. Following her. Saving her. Speaking of her like they knew her. That truth became a lie because it protected them.

Had said with a distant look, she hadn't known until that attack. He could still be wrong, but maybe. The same tall and lean build, white hair close to Renri's near-white orange… Maybe this was her brother.

Itachi needed to confirm.

"You've spoken to her recently." Maybe that's when her story changed.

"It became necessary." Shift in tone, overly friendly lowered to conspiring. "It's safer for her if I don't have to again. Stepping in to save her once has caused enough issues, don't you think, Uchiha?"

Itachi's eyes narrowed slightly.

He almost went out of his way to hint at himself as her brother. What he confirmed was that he knew the situation between the police and ANBU. That Renri's accidental lie of being saved by an ANBU gave the actual ANBU all the justification they needed to take the case from the police sooner rather than later. The police refused to drop the issue, wounded pride moving the case to the shadows. Yet, in the open, he wasn't hiding.

Someone knew about his presence in the village. Someone that could shield him from the police.

"Safer?" Of everything he could ask, that was the safest. He needed to share with Shisui. He didn't want to accidentally get the Uchiha in trouble, let alone endanger the entire village, with a wrong word.

"You're a sharp kid," the fake ANBU said, no compliment in his tone. "You already have many eyes set on guiding your future." Downturn to his inflection, the compliment again fell flat. Warning given and received, he wouldn't divulge more information than necessary. "It's not as many, but so does Renri. The difference…" He trailed off, hand under his chin, finger tapping porcelain. "Isn't in our present so much as the past." A gesture to himself, to Inada, difference with Uchiha drawn, "We were never a part of Konoha." Hand dropped, mumbled beneath the mask, he added, "To change that, some sacrifices need to be made. What those sacrifices are…"

He crouched, eyes leveled with Itachi's. Mask shadows retreating with the angle, his dark grey eyes were a perfect match to Renri's.

"You're an older brother too. You understand, right?" Words casual in delivery caused Itachi to tense. "Keep her innocent in this."

Threat made, purpose stated, he straightened back to his full height. A single wave over his shoulder as he turned, and no sooner, he disappeared into the trees.

Itachi was left with more questions than answers.

Renri walked home. Alone. Still alone.

She had spent the day at the river following a grueling run and review of taijutsu forms. (Dare she say it felt easier? The change in mindset probably helped, no actual great progress made in such a short time). A few hours of playing in the water, practicing some low-level jutsu, and she had switched tasks. She would be tired enough without using most of her chakra.

To give her aching legs a break, she had sat down to work on her sensing ability. Calm enough, only the sound of the river and wind, she had even managed to get it to work… for about ten seconds at a time over a pathetically small area. (Woe to wildlife, a child could pick out their hiding places. A ninja just outside of kunai distance? Free reign.)

Reading about sensory techniques hadn't helped much. Whatever Orochimaru had taught her clashed. Violently. Chakra this, chakra that, all chakra and only chakra, the colors, the signatures, the all-encompassing guides on how to knead chakra and push it outwards to sense meant nothing when her instructions boiled down to a single word: sense. That all the formality the textbooks deemed law outside of some kekkei genkai meant nothing to her. She swore the dumb ability worked better when he was around, too.

Point two of realizing she was alone: Renki didn't stray within range.

Point three came as late afternoon bled into evening.

Mariko never showed up. She considered maybe, just maybe, Mariko had gotten lost while searching for Renri along the river. But Mariko and stubborn were inseparable. She seemed keen to try whatever technique she thought up. So much so that she bothered Renri on their day off with her friends in tow. She wouldn't have given up so easily. Renri imagined she would have shouted insults up and down the river until Renri obediently appeared.

Rescinded invite, then? However keen Mariko had been, the moment she saw Itachi, her mood had plummeted into a pit. The same happened when she saw him watching their scuffle yesterday. Maybe that played a part?

She shifted her bag, the maingate coming into view. Bag too light, back to point one, Aadda never reappeared after slithering off this morning.

Late, last red hues of sunset dyeing the horizon, her steps slowed as she passed the gate and the little building beside it. A group of returning shinobi gathered, a common sight at every hour, but the way they leaned in, they spoke to the guard on duty in hushed tones. Rigid bodies, tensed shoulders, clenched jaws, and drawn brows spoke loudly.

She took a few more steps before freezing.

To the side, standing below the gate as if unwelcomed, stood a girl with familiar purple-hued hair in a spiky ponytail. Anko's eyes scanned her surroundings, lingering on the group speaking with the guard. Her gaze skated over Renri. Nothing. No scowls. No teasing. No greeting. Anko continued to search for nothing, looking lost in thought or simply… lost. In Konoha. Where she had lived her entire life.

Rooted in place, Renri stared, every additional detail feeling like she had fallen and continued to fall. A collection of scrapes on her arms, her legs, her face. Dirt clinging to torn clothes. Hair not a controlled mess. Leaf headband clutched in her fist at her side. Gone longer than anticipated, returning in this state…

Something was wrong. Very wrong.

Renri swallowed harshly, pit lodged firmly in her throat. She forced herself a step forward. Then another.

"Anko?"

Name said as a whisper, but Anko's attention snapped to her. A spark of recognition creased her brows.

Fingers twisted in the front of Renri's shirt. She stumbled back, not expecting Anko to lurch forward let alone grab her. Meeting eyes, she saw rage. Anko dragged her a step closer before gripping Renri's shoulder painfully.

"How do you know me?" she shouted, fingers trembling. Renri panicked. Fear laced into anger, Anko roughly shook her when she couldn't force out an answer. Renri weakly grabbed at Anko's wrist knowing there was little else she could do. "Who are you?"

Renri choked. On a gasp, a sob, she didn't know. She felt terrified. Not of Anko, but for her.

The agitation and unease of not remembering fed into Anko's impulsive impatience. Questions unanswered, she pulled back her arm. Fist clutching the metal forehead protector, Renri snapped her eyes closed.

Instead of knuckles and metal striking her cheek, a weight fell onto her. She opened her eyes to find Anko collapsing into her. Before she could fall to the ground, Renri shifted, trying to steady the older girl by holding her arms. Anko slumped against her, out cold. Renri panicked more. The footsteps behind her were ignored.

Anko couldn't remember her. Why? The question repeated as an internal scream.

The person that had used a genjutsu to knock Anko out disrupted that cycle. Anko being pulled away, Renri refused to let go of her limp arm. Anko's head lulled to the side, her neck, black, a bruise?

Not a bruise.

The person insisted on taking her away. Renri looked up.

Red.

A blink, and red disappeared. Shisui.

The seconds ticked by slowly.

She refused to let go of Anko's wrist even if Shisui's hold on her shoulders would keep Anko from toppling. Renri's hand shook. Her voice would do the same if she managed to find it.

The expression on her face broke him into explaining, "We don't know what happened, but we found her wandering around, trying to get back to Konoha."

Except he knew more.

"That's-" She swallowed, voice wanting to crack, misted over eyes ready to threaten more. She couldn't. She absolutely couldn't start crying now. "That's some sort of seal." And probably the thing messing with her memory. Had Anko been attacked while on her mission? Sent back as a spy or- Or- Renri felt helpless. She wanted to do something but had nothing she could do. Not as some little academy student they wouldn't even tell the whole story to. Crying would ensure they said nothing. "Is she going to be okay?"

She flinched when another person appeared a step behind Shisui. Rat mask glaring down at her, a tilt of his head a warning, she pried her fingers from Anko's wrist before she lost them. He quickly stole Anko from Shisui's hold as well.

"The Hokage will see you," the ANBU said as he threw unconscious Anko over his shoulder. He vanished.

Shisui looked around her, eyes following what she couldn't. The ANBU's path didn't align with the Hokage Tower. Nor the hospital. Where? She didn't know. Shisui's expression revealed nothing. The other shinobi at the gatehouse nodded his direction before beginning to walk to the tower ahead of him. The guard shook his head before returning to the report he had been writing.

When Shisui turned his attention back to her, she was scrubbing a damp sleeve over her face. The night air freezing, her clothes soaked in river water, she shivered. His expression fell from the professionalism of a shinobi, if only because it was less intimidating. "Renri, you need to…" Lips pressed thin, jaw set around words he found difficult, "You need to go home."

She stood firm. Not because she objected, but because the confusion kept cycling to fear and the moment she was alone, it'd be worse. It always was.

He saw the fear. Not the root cause. "If you don't feel safe, please tell someone," he said softly, shifting his weight, unbearably uncomfortable with her reaction. "You can tell me, or Itachi, or your academy teacher…"

The obvious omission made her realize something.

She nodded, small smile forced and false, but enough for Shisui to do the same before he turned. A step, he stood in front of her. A second, and he joined the retreating forms of the shinobi he'd sent ahead.

Another moment to swallow down anxiety, she fiddled with her sleeve, dragging her feet as she continued home. She tried to tell herself it'd be okay. Whatever sort of jutsu had been used on Anko, he could fix it. Orochimaru knew about all sorts of things. Even if not this particular jutsu, he could find a way to fix it. And he would. Anko was his favorite student. He wouldn't say no to helping her.

So, whenever he returned, everything would be okay.

She tried to forget that Anko was supposed to be on a mission with him.

A/N: As always, thanks for reading and following/favoriting!

Ori Heartlyng: Thanks for commenting! Glad you're feeling invested and hope you enjoyed another chapter!