She was very thankful to Saeka for thinking to inform the doctor about her nerve pain and request pain medication. Without it, she might've never been able to resume control long enough for Izumi to customize her medicine. The pain was definitely still there and the medication made her somewhat drowsy but, overall, she was able to move around. She was able to inhabit her own body.

After several days of not being in control, it had felt strange and almost unnatural to take control again. It had been uncomfortable enough that even Saeka had spoken up about it. She still felt strange, though perhaps some of that was thanks to the medication. Izumi had called it a "nerve-blocker" so perhaps that was part of why she felt so off.

"There you are," the ANBU agent who had escorted her back up to the lobby of the hospital gestured towards the door. "There's someone here to pick you up."

Kaisuki looked over at the taller woman with a small smile, "Thank you."

The agent nodded at her in acknowledgment before disappearing back down the halls from whence they'd come. She looked towards the door. Someone had shown up to pick her up? That usually meant she'd been evicted and the Hokage had sent someone to show her to her new home. However, normally the ANBU agent who escorted her out of the vault and the hospital would have just taken her all the way home.

She was halfway across the lobby when she started hearing people muttering around her. There was a reason she hated the hospital and it was the same reason she didn't like crowds. She wasn't an inconspicuous person. Everyone in the village knew her by her red eyes and black hair. Everyone knew the things she had done. Any time she found herself surrounded by groups of people, she started hearing them whispering about her.

"Can you believe they let her walk around freely?"

"She must've done something terrible again, that's why she was being escorted out."

"I don't see why they don't lock her and that Jinchuriki boy up."

"Did you see the update in the public watch list? She's got another ..."

"The Hokage is a senile old man; if he had any sense left he would have them execu..."

Kaisuki quickened her pace until she was nearly running out of there. She burst through the hospital doors and kept going a few more steps before she doubled over, hands on her knees as she fought to catch her breath. A ball of despair and misery had lodged itself in her throat. Her eyes stung and her vision blurred. She wanted to crawl under a rock and disappear forever. If she just avoided people, she could make herself forget how the villagers viewed her… but their hatred always found a way to remind her that she hadn't been welcome since she was born.

"Kaisuki," she jumped, straightening up and wiping her eyes quickly before she spun around. Her silver-haired mentor stood there, one hand in his pocket, the other holding one of his favorite books. He approached her, smiling with his eyes. "It's great to see you."

Kaisuki walked up to him before he'd gotten to her and hugged him tightly. As they'd left the hospital, Saeka had confirmed zero casualties but seeing the man in person was different. Kakashi returned the embrace, rubbing soothing circles on her back.

"Thanks for coming to get me," she mumbled through her tears.

They pulled apart and Kakashi patted her head a bit. "Well, I had to, you don't know where the house is."

So I did get evicted...

"Oh," Kaisuki replied softly.

They started down the road and Kaisuki kept her gaze trained on the ground in front of her. It was the middle of the day and people were all around, staring and commenting.

"T' people in t'is village are horrible," Khrai commented in her head, the passivity of her statement negated by the cold fury in her tone.

Kaisuki didn't respond. To a certain extent she felt like they had every right to be fearful of and hateful to her. She had been at the center of so many violent incidents, she couldn't help feeling like it was unreasonable of her to expect forgiveness and acceptance. None of them knew her in any way other than as the top name in the public watch lists, as the bloodied face in the newspaper, as the one who had attacked and seriously injured three of her peers in school.

Calling for our execution is a little excessive, though.

"Kaisuki," her mentor pulled her out of her thoughts. She was thankful for the interruption, as her thoughts were already starting to spiral into darkness. "This is my first opportunity to say this and I'm not going to forget; thank you."

"What?" Kaisuki stopped in her tracks, though Kakashi took a couple steps more and then turned to face her. His eyes were glittering with relief, happiness, and pride. She could feel Saeka and Khrai and Izumi close by just as clearly as she felt the lump in her throat

The silver-haired man chuckled. "You saved us. I already got to thank Naruto, he saved us too."

"He did?" She really had no idea what had happened. She had missed so much. No one had informed her of the events after Khrai had... detonated herself, and so she was left with huge gaps in her memory. She sort of remembered hearing Sakura's voice, seeing the sky at one point... but nothing involving Naruto. "How?"

"Well," Kakashi beckoned her and she started after him. "And I'm not even supposed to know this, but Naruto refused to accept that he couldn't regale me with the tale of what'd happened," he chuckled. "Apparently, he held on to Sasuke and Sakura when they got blasted away, unburied them from the rubble, defeated an S-rank missing-nin..."

"He what?" Kaisuki's eyes were huge. "Wait, how did he beat an S-rank-...?"

"The Kyuubi helped him," Kakashi replied, sounding just as mystified as she was incredulous. "He told me that the Kyuubi was worried about you."

"Me?"

"Oh, 'e's really such a romantic, isn't he?" She heard Khrai chortle in her head, though the fondness in her voice was unmistakable.

"Khrai may or may not have had relations with the Kyuubi, by the sound of it," Kaisuki found herself deadpanning with raised, disbelieving eyebrows.

"We did not 'ave relations! T'e hell are ye on about? Take it back!"

"Ah, I suppose they must have known each other if they've both been around for so long," Kakashi conceded lightheartedly. "After he took down that enemy, he and Sakura worked out how to get home – they put us all on boats – and then he sent out a search party of clones to retrieve you and I."

Kaisuki could hardly find the words to speak further. She had always believed in Naruto and his capability, but for a long time she'd wondered if he would ever live up to it. Yet, he had wildly out-performed even her highest expectations of him. He struggled so much to stay on task during training if Kakashi wasn't watching him and yet, in the midst of crisis, he had stepped up.

"He tied two boats together, put us all in, and then – by himself – he steered those boats for a day and a half back to the nearest port," Kakashi continued. He was just watching the road ahead of them, leading Kaisuki along. "He even taught himself how to walk on water, because he needed to be able to push the boats and check on you and Sakura. He did an incredible job."

She finally tore her gaze off the man's face and returned her own attention to where she was walking. She didn't want to call it disbelief because she had always felt that Naruto sold himself short in every way, but that was what she was feeling. Shock, but also joy, and pride.

"He's a good kid, by the sound of it," Izumi's melodic voice floated up from within. "I can't wait to meet him and Sakura and Sasuke."

Right, she realized. Izumi hadn't even met Kakashi yet. "I'll introduce you when we get to... the house."

"Naruto's amazing," she whispered softly, a smile on her face. Kakashi hummed in agreement.

"Yes, I'm very proud of him."

Suddenly she remembered that she wasn't going back to her old apartment. She had been relocated while she was in the hospital. Where was her stuff? Had her belongings made it to the new place in one piece? Were any of her things broken? Were her photos still intact? A cursory glance around her brought forth sudden confusion. She recognized the side of the town they were on.

"Aren't we...?" Kakashi tapped her shoulder and they took a left down a narrow road that led out onto what looked like a main road by its size alone. However, one glance at the complete lack of foot traffic told a much different story. They turned at the corner and continued in the direction they had been going, but now the Uchiha Estate walls stood gloomily on her right.

The place looked terrible. It'd been a while since she'd gone in there and it looked worse any and every time she laid eyes on it. The whole place was falling apart. Sasuke had been forced by the Hokage to give up his ownership of the Estate because they had decided it wasn't good for him to be living in it. However, for them to just let the place fall into ruin...

She knew that Sasuke would've wanted it preserved, looked after in some way, and it never stopped bothering her that the Hokage had been "concerned" enough to remove him from the Estate but clearly didn't care enough about him or his family – which had been pillars of their village for generations – to do something as simple as look after the place. It wasn't like they were short on manpower; they had an overabundance of Chuunin and Jounin in the village thanks to the wars being over.

For all that the Hokage had touted his close ties with the Uchiha clan, he sure did nothing at all to prove it.

"The house is over here?" Kaisuki asked, eyebrows coming together in thought. "Does anyone even live on this side of town anymore? I know Sasuke lives..." she spun around a little, "down that way."

"Well, technically yes, they are still owned but none of the landowners want them," Kakashi told her. "That's why Sasuke and Naruto always lived on this side of town; it's all but free real estate at this point."

Kaisuki nodded, still unsure about Kakashi's strangely vague responses to her questions. Why was he being so cagey? He started drifting to the left and she noticed and trailed after him, looking up at the building they were approaching.

"So, the front door sticks a little, I'll get it," Kakashi was saying as he led her up a few drooping steps onto a tired porch. The floorboards creaked under their feet as they walked up to one of the doors. There were two doors on the porch, she noted immediately and Kakashi forced open one and gestured for her to go inside.

Kaisuki swallowed and walked into the house, blinking until her eyes adjusted to the darkness.

"The day before yesterday was when Naruto was let out," Kakashi told her. "So I had everyone gather and we made a mission out of furnishing this place. It's not perfect but it'll work, right?"

The Yurei found herself frozen, staring at the room before her. A dining room with a table and chairs she hadn't owned before directly to her left, in front of a dainty kitchen that was as big as she'd ever need for herself. To the right of the kitchen was a cozy corner sitting area, which already contained an armchair and a small sofa. She could see stairs that led to a second floor on the farthest back wall and a door that probably led to a bathroom or closet beneath the stairs. On the walls, pictures she hadn't unpacked in almost ten years were aesthetically arranged, not a single one even slightly crooked. She had left them in boxes for a long time because she knew that no matter who the Hokage talked into letting her rent from, she'd soon have to pack everything up again.

Her eyes were stinging and her chin was stiff, lip trembling. Her hands found the purple scarf tied around her waist and her fingers wrapped tightly around the fabric as she tried to hold it together. It was no use, of course. She bowed her head, squeezing her eyes shut.

Kakashi came up beside her and pulled her into an hug, patting her head gently. "There, there." He calmed her warmly.

"Th-thank you," she sniffled, returning the gesture. She pulled back, embarrassed and already aggressively wiping away her tears. "I really appreciate it."

"That's not even the best part," Kakashi's declared with amusement, looking around the room. Kaisuki look at him through irritated eyes, eyebrows creased in silent question. "This is a duplex, and I own it. I'll be living on the other side, but I put your name as the sole inheritor. You won't have to move around anymore, Kaisuki. You can stay here."

Her lips had parted in shock, eyes wide and still leaking tears. "I-... but... y-you, I don't..."

Kakashi just smiled at her, his one visible eye sparkling with joy, and dropped a hand on her head again, mussing up her hair. "You don't have to say anything, Kaisuki. I just hope you can rest properly here."

.

"I'll make some tea, how's that sound?" Kakashi offered. Kaisuki dipped her chin in a small nod and he stepped away towards the kitchen. Kaisuki hadn't had much in the way of dishes and Kakashi had too many for one person, so he'd brought over a few of everything to share with her. He pulled down two mugs and flipped on the stove top to start boiling the water in the kettle.

The silence stretched for a long while before he turned around to face the eyes gazing intently at his back. Saeka's hot pink irises seemed to look right through him. He could hardly ever tell what she was thinking.

"Kakashi-sensei," she began. "We need to talk to you."

He blinked at her, a little surprised by how she'd broached the subject. "I need to talk to you as well. It's about what happened on that mission, right?"

Saeka nodded, her eyes holding a glint of guilt. "Yes," she agreed, lowering her gaze to the ground. There was a shift in her body and she took in a breath and raised her head again. Khrai stood before him, her expression set in a scowl that didn't match Kaisuki's soft features.

"You were sayin'," Khrai began. "T'at Naruto and Sakura and Sasuke were accosted by a separate attacker after I...?"

"Yea," he immediately agreed. "That's what Naruto and Sakura said; that he and Kyuubi fought someone off right after they unburied themselves, more or less."

"T'en t'ey weren't after us at all," Khrai's eyes had narrowed and he could see her temple bulging in response to the tightness in her jaw. "T'ey were either after t'e Kyuubi or... after Sasuke."

"Which do you think is more likely?" Kakashi asked. He knew she didn't know for sure, but if she even had an inkling...

"I don't know," Khrai replied, shaking her head. "Either target makes plenty o' sense. T'e Sharingan is valuable beyond what you humans can do with it. On the ot'er hand, if t'ey could extract and take control of t'e Kyuubi, t'ey'd have the ultimate weapon."

Kakashi nodded, stroking his masked chin thoughtfully. The kettle began to whistle and he automatically turned to finish preparing the tea but his mind was racing. The Sharingan or the Kyuubi. Which was more valuable? Was there any way they could gather more information? Not without knowing where the monster's den was, surely. Was world domination the goal? Human extinction? Or something worse? Something bigger than any of them?

"We don't have enough information to make educated guesses," Kakashi stated as he turned around to hand Kaisuki her teacup. Khrai received it with a stiff smile of gratitude, her eyes skirting the counter tops until Kakashi grabbed the sugar stationed directly behind him and slid it over the counter to her.

"T'at just means we 'ave to be prepared to deal wit' whatever happens," Khrai replied darkly. She let out a loud sigh that sounded annoyed as she opened the sugar dish after picking up the spoon that sat on top of it. "Ye've already heard, right? About Izumi?"

Kakashi blinked at her, bewildered for a moment before he remembered someone mentioning that Kaisuki was presenting evidence of a new spirit. "Izumi?"

"Aye," Khrai replied. She sounded displeased as she poured the third spoonful of sugar into her cup. "We're one lucky bitch; Izumi's an irou-nin and she specializes in herbal medicines, or somet'ing."

Kakashi nodded slowly, unsure of what Khrai was trying to say. A Combat Yurei with a healer on their Guest list was rare and definitely qualified as immense luck. "That's good to know."

"Yea," came the short reply. "She's got somet'ing she needs to tell ya, too."

A blink and two green eyes stared at him. The irritable scowl lines that Khrai had put on Kaisuki's face rapidly faded in a mature, gentle expression that didn't look right on the Yurei's face either. She looked down at the spoon and cup in her hand for a moment before she started stirring the sugar Khrai had poured into the cup.

"Hello," Izumi greeted him with a respectful tilt of her head. "My name is Izumi."

Kakashi returned the gesture with a very informal wave. "Nice to meet you, Izumi. I'm sure you know, but I'm Kakashi."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Kakashi-san." Izumi put the sugar spoon back in its place. "I don't know how much of this has actually made it to your ears, so I'm going to go ahead and state all the facts now." She stared sadly at her reflection in the teacup.

"Khrai has done irreversible damage to Kaisuki's body," Izumi stated plainly. Kakashi felt his stomach drop like a stone. "When she deployed her chi, it flooded Kaisuki's body and did major damage to her nerves, especially."

Kakashi held up a hand to interrupt her. "Irou-ninjutsu could fix that."

Izumi shook her head. "If it could, Kaisuki wouldn't still have nerve damage after spending all that time in the hospital. I'm not sure why irou-ninjutsu isn't working on her nerves when it worked for other parts of her. It seems like Khrai's chi did more than just damage the tissues, but this kind of injury isn't one I've seen before and cannot treat. It simply won't heal. She has permanent nerve damage, Kakashi-san. I've tried to repair it myself, just to see if I could."

His throat felt a bit tight. "Is there something we can do?"

"Yes," her immediate reply was a comfort, at least. "I will be preparing pain medication that Kaisuki will have to take for the rest of her life. Right now we're only functional because we left the hospital with a prescription. I don't like the medications you all use here though and I know I can make something far more effective.

"Additionally, Khrai will not be able to fight anymore. She cannot deploy her chi without harming Kaisuki and she is too powerful to do close combat in a human body," Izumi stated with a kind of finality that sounded like it wasn't being directed at Kakashi himself. "The most important thing we can do right now is teach Saeka and Kaisuki to fight together."

Immediately, he was interested. "Oh? How do you figure?"

"They have perfectly opposite chakra types," Izumi explained with a shrewd smile. "Kaisuki's chakra lacks refinement and potency, but her chakra can get as cold as Saeka's can get hot. If they can work together fluidly..."

"Then Kaisuki can mitigate damage from the heat and Saeka can go all out," Kakashi finished, a smile of his own growing on his face. He nodded, humming in agreement. "That makes perfect sense."

"Sarutobi has a spent this child's life," Izumi's tone had shifted, "neglecting her true needs. A Yurei child cannot be raised and taught the same way a normal child can. He taught her that she needed to have control over us, that she ought to crack the whip to keep us in line. This goes in direct opposition of everything that Yurei need to understand to live wholesome lives with their spirits."

She was about to take a breath and continue but Kakashi interrupted her without even intending to. "You're absolutely right," he said heavily. "I've never agreed with the way that Sarutobi handled Kaisuki, or Naruto, or even Sasuke. Everything he's done with the three of them has only reminded me that he's not suitable to be the Hokage during peace times like now. He doesn't think of serving the public, he only thinks of defending it."

Izumi hummed in understanding, "That does make perfect sense. He was the same when you were young?"

Kakashi scoffed, looking down at his teacup. "He was far worse. We weren't children to him. We weren't even child soldiers. We were just bodies. Assets. Advantages. It took a long time to be able to see myself as human after the last war. I joined Black Ops because of that."

"Kakashi-san," that voice wasn't Izumi's. He looked up, a bit surprised to see Saeka again. The guilt in her eyes had twisted into shame and hurt. He didn't know what to make of the pained expression on her face but it hurt him somewhere deep inside to see that look in her eyes.

"Yes, Saeka?" He greeted gently.

"I..." she opened her mouth and then closed it again. "I'm sorry... but the village is already compromised. Please... be careful."

Compromised?

He felt like he'd taken a bag of bricks to the chest but he held very still, patient. Saeka could not be pressed or manipulated; he knew that well. She would only say what she was willing to say and not a word more. Her shoulders shook and her lip trembled as she fought to tell him whatever it was she needed to tell him.

"Don't tell anyone... but keep a close eye on Sasuke," she said softly.

His blood seemed to run cold. "Sasuke...?"

Why?

"I … can't explain," she told him with a shaky voice. "I'm sorry."

"Wait, S-..." he started to say but she shook her head insistently. The shame in her eyes seemed to have magnified. She squeezed her eyes shut and her expression and body relaxed instantly. With an exhausted sigh, Kaisuki massaged her temples and opened her own red orbs. Kakashi felt frozen in place. Keep an eye on Sasuke? She couldn't explain and was sorry?

"Are you alright, sensei? You look pale..."

"Don't tell anyone."

"Oh, no, it's nothing. I just realized I needed to prepare for tomorrow," he dismissed her concern, rubbing the back of his head for a second before he quickly chugged his tea. "I may be late but I can't be unprepared."

She didn't look like she totally believed her own mentor, which stung a little, but she nodded nonetheless. "Alright then," she smiled at him. "When are we meeting tomorrow?"

"Sunrise, at our usual spot. We'll head to the Hokage Tower to debrief as a team."

...

"How come Sasuke didn't meet up with the rest of us?" Sakura asked as they were entering the Hokage Tower for their debriefing. Kakashi held the door for his students as they filed into the hallway. "Where is he?"

Kakashi hummed in reply, picking up on the familiar scent of his student and he let the door go behind Kaisuki. "I think he came ahead," was Kakashi's simple reply. He didn't know why the boy didn't meet up with them at the training grounds as intended but it wasn't like he hadn't shown up at all. They rounded a corner into another hallway and there was Sasuke, sitting on one of the waiting chairs.

He looked abnormally tired. Sasuke had been battling insomnia since childhood so a certain level of fatigue was normal for him. However, upon seeing him, Kakashi couldn't help but wonder if he'd been able to sleep at all the previous night. His eyes were closed and he had pulled one leg up to his chest to lean on, his arms wrapped around it and his shoulders hunched forward. A classic manner sitting that Kakashi recognized as anxious teenager posture.

As they approached, his black eyes eased open and he watched them approach with his cheek laid on his knee. Kakashi held up a hand to wave at him and Sakura picked up her pace and all but rushed up to him.

"Here you are, Sasuke," Sakura greeted him enthusiastically. The Uchiha stared at her with a gaze that could only be described as 'disinterested'. Kakashi didn't blame him for being too tired for Sakura's energy. "How was your morning?" The pink-haired girl asked her teammate.

Something along the lines of aggravation flashed across his eyes but he smiled nonetheless. He definitely seemed a bit off. "It was alright," he sighed out. Was he trying to mask his irritability? He wasn't doing a very good job.

"That's good." Sakura didn't seem to notice or, if she did, she pretended she didn't very well. While her favoritism was quite obvious, it did seem like she tried to interact with him as normally as she could, regardless of his mood. That was good. Sakura was probably the most mature person on their team if he didn't count Izumi.

Kakashi leaned up against the wall beside the door to the office, listening to the conversation inside. He couldn't make out what they were saying but clearly there was another meeting happening. The waiting seats were two-person, so Sakura sat next to Sasuke and Naruto and Kaisuki sat on the other one. Everyone had been getting along fairly well while Kaisuki was in the hospital, their concern for her tightening the bond between the three of them. Sakura and Naruto had been overjoyed to see her again and even Sasuke seemed quietly relieved to see that she was okay.

Despite the Uchiha's mood that morning, it seemed like everything was alright.

The voices inside the office got louder as they approached the door. Kakashi picked out a few words - "check-ins", "public eye", "low profile" - and then the door to the office opened. A masked ANBU agent stepped out of the office, glancing at the group that had been waiting. He wore the Wolf mask and Kakashi's stomach churned at the sight. He had been the Wolf during his time in Black Ops and the sight of the mask brought up a lot of memories and feelings he didn't want to remember.

"Thank you, we'll meet again soon," the Hokage was saying as the agent stepped out of the office. He gave a shallow bow to Sarutobi before dismissing himself and disappearing down the hall. Kakashi watched the retreating back before glancing back at his students. Kaisuki was staring after the man with a strange look in her red eyes.

"Are you all ready?" The old man asked Team Plus Ultra, looking over the kids as he took a step out from the office. Kakashi watched them exchange looks with one another, frowning and clearly uncomfortable with the entire process. Kaisuki in particular did not look ready at all.

"We're ready," Kakashi informed the Hokage with a lighthearted chuckle. "We just don't want to."

"We'll start with Sasuke, then," the old man replied in a similar tone.

Kakashi wanted to skin him.

.

For some reason she had thought that Kakashi would be going in with them and that had made her feel a lot better about it. Clearly, though, she had been mistaken in her assumption. A large stone seemed to drop from her throat to her gut as she watched Sasuke go into the office alone. She wasn't sure why it made her so anxious so immediately. Was it the bad feeling she'd gotten from that ANBU agent? Part of her wanted to jump up and rush in to "rescue" him … but from what? Saeka had said there weren't any demons working closely to the Hokage and if anyone knew the risk factors it would be her.

"You're very worried about him, aren't you?" Izumi asked from within. Kaisuki let out a soft sigh.

"Yea, but I dunno why... he seems off today and... I don't know. I just have a bad feeling for no reason, I guess..." Kaisuki mumbled back to her in reply. She didn't know why she felt like she needed to justify it to herself, let alone to Izumi.

"Your close friend seems to be unwell in some way," Izumi placed a gentle hand on Kaisuki's shoulder and she could feel it without turning inward. "Of course you'd be worried."

"Yea," she responded a bit half-heatedly. Kaisuki rolled her shoulders and shifted around in her seat, adjusting her posture. She'd sat in that exact waiting room in the exact same kinds of chairs dozens of times, for anywhere from ten minutes to four hours at a time. It had never been an issue before, but with the nerve damage, any amount of pressure on any part of her body was close to excruciating. She had switched from the medication the doctors had been giving her to a pain relief treatment that Izumi was customizing for her. It wasn't nearly strong enough but it had already been explained to her that building up to the correct dose was necessary, and that starting from a higher dose could be dangerous.

"T'ese chairs fucking suck," Khrai's voice echoed around her mind seemingly out of nowhere. The Elf had been mostly absent since the revelation of the nerve damage, though Kaisuki wasn't sure if it was because she felt guilty or if she just couldn't tolerate the pain very well. "Fuckin' 'ell, I swear t'ey make waitin' room chairs t'is uncomfy on purpose to discourage people from stayin' and waitin'."

Kaisuki let out a quiet breath of amused laughter before she could stop herself. She tried to straighten up a bit and a spear of pain ran down the length of her back. Tears sprang into her eyes and she blinked them away rapidly, drawing a quiet, stiff breath. She didn't want to make it too obvious just how much pain she was in but she could feel Naruto and Sakura minding her carefully. They probably already knew, but...

I just don't want them to treat me differently because of pity...

"I don't think this stuff is strong enough, Izumi," Kaisuki breathed out as she adjusted herself and the pain faded back to its usual aches and burning. Izumi hummed in agreement, her voice tense as she breathed through the pain with Kaisuki. The irou-nin had been in and out because of the pain but it did seem like she was trying to gauge how bad it was. "Gods, this really hurts."

"Do you think standing up and walking around would help?" Saeka's voice came along as she stepped up behind Kaisuki and Izumi. Kaisuki turned inward to greet her with an internal smile and wave. She looked a bit excited about something.

"Probably not," came Izumi's warm reply.

"Kaisuki, did you notice there's a walkway, now?" Saeka didn't seem to even register what Izumi had said as she continued into a non-sequitur. "And light posts and... I'm sorry, I... are you okay?"

Kaisuki swallowed and stiffly answered the young spirit. "I did see the walkways! It's pretty cool and it looks nice," she replied in good humor. She knew Saeka wasn't trying to dismiss her pain; out of all of them, Saeka had spent the most time coping with it for them and she knew how bad it was even better than Izumi did. "I don't know how I have such great interior design skills in my head but I'm a trash pile in real life."

Saeka giggled with amusement as the same time that Izumi clicked her tongue. "Self-degradation isn't good for our self-esteem, Kaisuki."

Kaisuki almost felt bad for making the joke. Almost. "I know, I'm sorry."

Izumi was just trying to help her grow up healthily, she knew that, but she hardly in the mood for lectures and criticisms. It wasn't like she was serious about being a trash pile. It was an expression!

Just let me be thirteen, dude.

The irou-nin pursed her lips and raised her eyebrows, "I only say these things for your benefit, Kaisuki. I told you, being a Yurei also requires emotional coping skills. Self-degradation is not a coping skill, it's a-..."

She heard something and abruptly realized she had completely spaced out. Someone was talking to her. "...Kaisuki?" Sakura's voice was unmistakable.

Saved by the team, thank the gods.

"Yea, huh...?" she blinked rapidly, pulling herself out of her internal world and adjusting her posture again. She yawned and nodded in acknowledgment at her friend and teammate. Sakura was a lot closer to her. "What's up?"

"Oh, you didn't hear me," Sakura blinked, looking a bit sheepish. Naruto had disappeared.

"He's in the bathroom," came Saeka's informative mutter.

Sakura seemed a bit anxious as she asked, "I was wondering if I could talk to you, um... girl to girl?"

Kaisuki blinked, unsure of what Sakura could possibly have to say to her but she nodded and replied in agreement. "Yea, sure." The two of them stood up together, glancing around. Kakashi was still stationed by the door, though his one exposed eye was closed. Was he sleeping standing up? "We'll just walk a little ways down the hall, just right there." Kaisuki gestured towards a decorated couch. "Is that okay, Kakashi?"

The silver haired man didn't even open his eye; he just uncrossed one of his arms to give them a silent thumbs up. Kaisuki smiled in exasperation at the man. The two Kunoichi got about halfway down the hall and sat down on a decorative couch that probably wasn't meant to be sat upon. They each turned to a forty-five degree angle to face one another and to ensure the coast was clear. Kaisuki couldn't even imagine what Sakura would have to say to her in private.

Sakura had made school hard for Kaisuki once upon a time. Sakura had also safeguarded her life for over a day. It had been strange to get used to but she was glad they had become proper friends. Even if they didn't have much in common, they got along well and that was enough for Kaisuki.

Then, she noticed how eerily quiet it had gotten in her head. My fucking back hurts.

"Firstly, Kaisuki, if it's possible, I'd really like to keep this just between us. I'm telling you because... because I know Sasuke trusts you, and..." Sakura bit her lip. "I dunno, maybe you can keep an eye out for him more than I can from... you know, here."

Something was wrong. She didn't have to wait for Sakura to explain it all in detail to know there was a problem somewhere. She swallowed hard and nodded understanding. It was about Sasuke? What about him? Was it related to his exhaustion that morning? Was it related to the demons? None of the others knew that Kaisuki and Kakashi had narrowed down the likely targets to either Naruto or Sasuke, she was reasonably certain. Had Sakura seen something worrisome?

"I won't speak a word of it," Kaisuki agreed seriously. "I promise."

Sakura smiled just slightly as she let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Kaisuki."

Why is it a secret?

They heard the click-clack of boots coming down the hall and both of them fell silent as they waited for whoever was coming to pass by them. An ANBU agent came around a corner, paying the two of them no mind. The billowing of their cloak made it seem as though there wasn't a body beneath the black fabric and they wore the same Wolf mask that she'd seen coming out of the Hokage's office earlier. Why was he back? Was patrolling that floor part of his duties? That didn't make sense, though, did it? Sakura kept her gaze lowered and directed away from the agent, but Kaisuki chanced a glance as they walked by.

She made the briefest eye contact through the eye holes of the mask, spotting a pair of bright blue eyes gazing at her. Kaisuki had already had a headache that morning but at that exact moment it suddenly went from an ache to an awful thudding within her skull. She lowered her head, pressing her hands to her temples and squeezing her eyes shut. Holy shit.

"Are you okay?" She heard Sakura ask nervously. "Those guys are... creepy."

Just as quickly as it had come on, the pounding in her head faded away in a minute or so. What was that? Why did it go away so quickly? Was it really a headache...?

"Y-yea, no... I just... got a headache." she rubbed her temples, staring at the cushions in bewilderment. "I guess they are pretty creepy, though."

"Sakura!" Both their heads snapped up, looking for the source of the voice and finding Kakashi beckoning them over. Sasuke was in the process of sitting down on the chair he'd been on before. Evidently, Naruto was still in the bathroom.

"You're up!" Kakashi called to Sakura.

Kaisuki looked to her teammate, smiling apologetically at her friend. "Later?"

A small part of Sakura's bottom lip was trapped between her teeth and her brow was stiff and wrinkled with anxiousness. "Yes, I'll... later, yea." Sakura stumbled over her words, oddly hasty as she was standing up and scurrying down the hall.

Kaisuki watched her go. It felt like her whole body was coiled up like a serpent ready to strike out. Where was that feeling coming from? What had triggered it? Was it the ANBU agent? Was it the eye contact? Was something off about them? Saeka hadn't said anything, Khrai hadn't said anything, Izumi hadn't said anything...

An external trigger, perhaps...?

"What's wrong? Tell me what you feel, what you see." Kaisuki asked her Guests directly, hoping that one of them would be forthcoming enough to give her a clear answer. She slowly leaned back against the chair a bit more to get comfortable and closed her eyes to focus. She could feel the tension in her shoulders; she could feel the butterflies stirring up her belly, the heat that seemed to ebb in and out of her throat and chest. Was it Saeka...?

"It's Saeka," Khrai spoke up and confirmed Kaisuki's thought immediately. In response, Saeka's hot chakra flared a bit hotter before ebbing away entirely. Clearly the girl hadn't wanted to be called out. "Calm ya'self, kiddo. We're not on a witch hunt 'ere. Kaisuki wanted to know what we feel. What we feel, is you."

Without any reply, Saeka's presence – her chakra, her emotions, and even the bodily sensations she'd been producing in Kaisuki – simply disappeared. It was a familiar behavior to Kaisuki at that point but she needed Saeka to answer her. She needed to know what was wrong. Why would the girl not tell her? What secret did she need to keep that took precedence over the emergent nature of their entire situation?

"Hello? Where'd you all go?" She called out, her voice echoing strangely into the darkness. There was no response and everything seemed very oddly tense and still. She took a few steps forward and the white path that Saeka had mentioned to her before lit up and drew a walkway out into the darkness. Responding to an internal feeling that seemed like a tug in her chest and her tongue, Kaisuki took a few more steps onto the path. She didn't know why she was so worried about traversing her internal landscape. She'd never felt so uncomfortable inside of herself before.

It's not like anyone can kill me in here.

Kaisuki took a few more tentative steps down the path before she took a breath and started up a brisk pace. Her eyes seeking in the darkness, her focus on finding Saeka. She needed to speak to the girl. The path and the darkness seemed to twist for just a second and, suddenly, she could see what looked like a storm cloud, flashing with bright, blinding, scarlet lightning.

She moved towards the storm, bypassing the white path that was illuminated before her. If she focused on it, she could move herself there without "walking". She called out, trying to keep her voice somewhat quiet even as the temperatures around her began to rise rapidly. She knew she was intruding when Saeka wasn't ready to talk, but...

"Saeka? Where are you?" She asked the thundering storm as she approached.

"Go away." Was the cold, angry reply she received. She squinted and she could just barely see the girl, almost directly in front of her. She reached out, not to touch Saeka but to attract her attention. Hot pink eyes met her own and she felt a chill run up her spine, but she didn't back down.

"Saeka," Kaisuki said clearly. She was surprised by how unafraid she was of the young spirit. "I'd like to talk to you... it's okay if we don't talk right now."

The murderous glare in Saeka's pink eyes seemed to flicker with something much sadder, but she didn't say anything. Kaisuki didn't break eye contact, resolute in her determination to bridge the gap between them. Saeka wasn't ready to talk but...

"Eventually, you have to tell me what you know. Or else we're going to lose everyone." Saeka's hostile gaze twisted into something frustrated and despairing, her chin and forehead wrinkling visibly, her eyebrows coming together. The scars on her face shifted with her expression, every line of pain and anguish clear as day in her skin.

Kaisuki smiled softly at her. "Thank you for everything you've done so far. I'll be here, whenever you're ready."

It felt like something punched her in the chest but she knew it wasn't Saeka. Something was wrong? She felt hands on her shoulders and when she turned back, she was met with the stern scowl of her resident Elf. Khrai pulled her back, away from the storm.

"Izumi is calling us, Kaisuki," the Elf urgently said. "You've been spacing for too long."

At first, Kaisuki was a bit confused. Then, she felt it – the pain. Oh, oh no, oh no...

She blinked and, just like that, she was back in control. She could feel moisture on her face and immediately reached up a hand to wipe her eyes. She was hardly paying attention to her surroundings. Where was Izumi?

"Izumi, are you okay?" She tried to ask, but the irou-nin didn't respond. She felt Khrai's hand clap her on the shoulder again. Clearly the Elf was trying to alert her to external issues but Kaisuki couldn't help being worried about Izumi.

The Irou-nin had taken over to make sure nothing happened to them while Kaisuki had dipped out to talk to Saeka, but the nerve pain was beyond the scope of Izumi's tolerance. She couldn't numb it or bear it in Kaisuki's stead like Saeka could. The Yurei felt like a jerk. She could've just waited until later to confront Saeka. Right then wasn't the time and place!

"I'm sorry, Izumi!" Kaisuki called out, feeling panicked. She knew the woman would be alright but...

"Yer in public, Kai! Pay attention!" Khrai barked in her ear, jerking her out of her thoughts.

She turned back to the external world, blinking rapidly and shaking her head back and forth to clear it. She could hear someone talking but her brain wasn't processing it right at first.

After a few seconds, though, she recognized Kakashi's voice and even the words he was saying. She'd missed the rest of the conversation, of course.

"She's alright, no need to call in the cavalry." Kakashi was saying to someone standing beside him. Kaisuki was busy wiping her face on the back of her fingerless gloves, clearing the phlegm out of her throat awkwardly.

"Good day, then," she heard a familiar voice and she froze, looking up just enough to catch sight of the person's face. It wasn't the Wolf, but another mask – one she wasn't sure she recognized. Was that a fox? Her heart felt like it was in a vice grip. "Pardon me from intruding, then." He stated respectfully before walking away.

Her jaw was clenched impossibly tight and it took some effort to relax it. She took several stabilizing breaths. She had another dose of her pain medication but she didn't want to take it in front of everyone. She swallowed hard, her eyes continued to water and leak tears. Kakashi crouched down in front of her, putting his face into her line of sight.

"What do you need?" He asked quietly. She looked up at him, struggling to keep herself from bursting into sobs. "Do you need privacy?"

With gritted teeth, she nodded at him. Kakashi stood up, took one look towards where the others would've been sitting before tapping her shoulder, "Follow me."

She shakily got to her feet and he guided her down the hall and into an empty office, where he helped her sit down on a more comfortable armchair. For a few seconds she just sat there, trying to control her breathing.

"Take your time," she heard her mentor say. "I'll stand guard. Sakura's still in there and Naruto's up next. You have at least fifteen."

She swallowed hard and forced out a groan of acknowledgment. He didn't hang around any longer and quickly stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him. The moment the handle latched, she bent over her knees and wrapped her arms around herself, shaking and sobbing as quietly as she could. The pain seemed to come from so deep inside her body, it was unbearable.

Kaisuki forced herself upright with a grunt, her teeth clenched so hard she wondered if they might crack. It took her a few seconds of awkwardly shoving her hand around in her kunai pouch, searching for the vial of medication. "Come on, come on," she whimpered.

She heard Khrai's voice from what seemed like far, far away – she was humming a tune? Kaisuki forced herself to focus on the sound as she rooted around, feeling her body relax somewhat as the teeth of the pain relinquished its grasp on her nerves. There!

The vial went straight from her pouch to her lips, were she bit off the tight cork and spit it to the side. In one mouthful, she drank the entire vial. That might've been two doses instead of one, she couldn't remember at that point and she didn't care. A double dose of something that weak wouldn't kill her, right?

Her back found the chair again and she leaned into the cushions, closing her eyes and breathing heavily. She needed to try and relax her body, the tension only made the pain worse according to Izumi. She had fifteen minutes and Kakashi was outside the door keeping watch. She could take her time calming down and the medication ought to kick in by then. She didn't know what Khrai had done but the song she hummed was alleviating her agony just enough.

.

A little under twenty minutes later, Kaisuki was called into the Hokage's office. Naruto had been quiet all morning but she felt his eyes on her the moment she came out of the private room she'd been in. She didn't want to look at him so she kept her gaze averted from her teammate's entirely. She felt terrible anyway, exhausted beyond belief. How was she going to be able to keep up the charade of "it's not that bad"?

Unlike her teammates, Kakashi was still required to go with her into any meeting with Sarutobi. The old man had talked about not needing it anymore before they'd even left for the Wave Country, but Khrai and Saeka had come forward to ream the old man out and remind him that his safety was at far greater risk if there wasn't someone around that they didn't want to kill as collateral.

For some reason, that had amused the Hokage and he had agreed to "let" Kakashi keep monitoring their meetings. Kaisuki couldn't help wondering if he realized that, if he did step too far out of line, Khrai would not be held back by anyone. The Yurei and her mentor seemed to be the only ones truly aware of the thin ice Sarutobi regularly strode upon. All it would take was one instance of the Hokage doing harm to them instead of helping them and that would probably be the end of the Hidden Leaf Village.

It wasn't that Kakashi could stop them if they decided to do such a thing, but rather that none of them wanted Kakashi to get caught up in the bloodbath. Khrai and Saeka could restrain themselves very well if it was to protect someone they cared about.

"It's good to see you're well after leaving the hospital, Kaisuki," Sarutobi greeted her with a friendly smile.

Kaisuki raised a single eyebrow in utter disbelief, the rest of her face remaining deadpan. "Uh, yea. Happy to be out of prison," she muttered with unmasked coldness. There was no way the old man didn't know about the nerve damage.

Sarutobi cleared his throat. "I'm aware that you were unconscious for the majority of the time from the battle to your arrival back in Konoha," the old man began, completely disregarding her comment. "So of course, I'm not going to expect you to know anything that your teammates wouldn't have been able to tell me."

Kaisuki remained quiet, her lips pursed as she waited for the Hokage to get to the point.

"Firstly, I wanted to ask: were you aware that Tazuna, your client, was, ah, 'possessed'?" Came the first question. Kaisuki blinked at him.

"He wasn't," she replied, eyebrows coming together in confusion. "He wasn't possessed for the entire trip, until..." She paused and frowned, thinking hard. "Everyone had gone to sleep. I was inside talking to Khrai... then Saeka called out to us because she picked up on the horde. And when I came back out, Tazuna was possessed."

The Hokage nodded, humming. "There was no indication of exactly when it happened?"

She shook her head. "No. Kakashi-sensei was awake so if there had been some... visual sign, he would've picked up on it long before I even came back."

The Hokage looked over at Kakashi, who nodded in agreement with Kaisuki's recollection of events. Sarutobi's wrinkled hand was holding a pen that she hadn't even noticed before and she watched as he started jotting down notes rapidly. She waited patiently for him to ask the next question.

"My next question is, what did you do on that beach?" He asked. There was something in his eyes that immediately made her uncomfortable. It reminded her of how he'd looked at them when he'd first met Khrai.

"I didn't do anything," Kaisuki replied coolly. "Khrai handled it. I can't explain to you what she did, because I don't know."

"I could." Khrai chuckled from inside.

"I know you could," she replied inwardly right away. "And I don't want you to."

Apparently, her words surprised the Elf because Kaisuki could feel how taken aback she was. Khrai fell silent but she was close by and attentive. Saeka seemed to defensive and very much on guard. She didn't know what was going through the young spirit's mind but she didn't trust Sarutobi, she didn't trust the village leaders at all. She didn't know for sure and there was no way for her to tell but she had a gut feeling that Saeka was concealing how bad things were getting.

Hopefully, Saeka would come back around soon and be willing to explain everything before it was too late.

"Very well," the Hokage jotted something else down. He set his pen down slowly and interlaced his fingers in front of his face. When he looked at her again, the glint in his eyes was... it wasn't malice, was it? More like some kind of dark curiosity but something about it felt off. She didn't know how to describe it.

"Alright, my final question is this," the wizened man continued, watching her carefully. "Are you aware that the enemy is specifically targeting Sasuke?"

.

Kaisuki's face was frozen in genuine shock and surprise for a moment but Kakashi watched her hands curl into white-knuckled fists on the arms of the chair. The shock on her face melted away into something openly hostile. For a split second, he thought it was Khrai – but why would she be so upset?

Then, the temperature of the room started to rise rapidly. He stiffened in his seat, prepared to intervene if Saeka became violent.

Kaisuki's eyes remained red and her voice didn't change, but Kakashi recognized Saeka's mannerisms right away. "How do you know that?" The young spirit demanded to know, rising from her seat. Kakashi stood up as well, his heart rate increasing.

Why was Saeka so angry?

"After you took out that horde and collapsed," the Hokage explained, "there was another possessed individual who specifically went after Sasuke. They tried to take him from Sakura and Naruto, but Naruto … took care of it."

Saeka was shaking, her jaw clenched and a contemptuous look in her eyes. Kakashi cleared his throat and she directed a look at him that felt like a warning shot.

"...The village is already compromised..."

His stomach turned uncomfortably in his gut.

There was a stiff, uncomfortable silence before the Hokage continued.

"It's likely that the horde was meant to distract and incapacitate you," the old man said, his tone serious but strangely taunting. "It's a common war tactic when you're up against someone with greater physical power than yourself. They were probably trying to kill you and, honestly Kaisuki, it's currently a mystery why you weren't assassinated between the time Khrai took over and the moment your team found you. We're very lucky that Naruto was able to defend everyone and get you all home safely."

Kakashi's eyes slid over to Sarutobi's face and cleared his throat. His hands were in his pockets and he found himself clenching them into fists without thinking about it. The old man had always had a bad habit about discussing inappropriate topics with Genin. He'd been through it, he'd seen others go through it. The only thing in the old man's mind was the excitement of a new war.

Why are you like this, Sarutobi? Kakashi thought. Are you Sarutobi at all?

"And what, pray tell," a different voice spoke through Kaisuki, "are you going to do about any of this, Hokage-sama?"

Kakashi immediately recognized Izumi even though he had barely spoken to her. He did like her, she seemed pleasant and kind and compassionate, but in that moment she suddenly reminded him of a mother scolding her child, even though he had never had a mother himself. There was venom and glass shards in her tone, and visible disgust on her face. Her fists relaxed and instead she gently clasped her hands at her waist.

Her eyes had changed color, her irises bright and green.

"We are monitoring the situation inside and outside the village," Sarutobi cleared his throat and Kakashi wondered if he, too, felt like he was being chastised by his mother. The Hokage was watching her very closely, his gaze seemingly picking her apart. "Since it's clear they know you're a threat, perhaps we should be thinking about how we can best-..."

Before Kaisuki, or any of her spirits, could speak in response, Kakashi stepped in. "Sarutobi, while I appreciate your need for details, I don't really think it's appropriate for you to steer the conversation in this direction," Kakashi tried to keep his voice steady, but there was a coldness to it that he couldn't hide. "This is a debriefing with an adolescent Genin, sir."

The Hokage leaned back from the deadly serious posture he had taken on, nodding understandingly as he rested his elbows on his armrests and interlaced his fingers. "No offense taken, Kakashi. You're right. Kaisuki, thank you very much for your time, you can go now. I'm going to debrief your mentor now and then you'll all be free to leave."

Kakashi watched as Kaisuki's eyes flickered back to red. Her expression did not match the ones displayed by Izumi and Saeka. She looked paler than usual (which was quite a feat) and he could see the tension in her jaw, temple and shoulders. She dipped her head forward in a shallow bow, picking at her nails the whole time, and then turned away and exited the room quickly and silently.

"Now, Kakashi-..."

But before the old man could continue, Kakashi rounded on him, his palm slamming on the table a bit harder than he'd intended. "Discussing war strategies with an adolescent Yurei, now, Sarutobi? Should I have been in here for Naruto's meeting too? Or did you just grill him about whether he was in control of the Kyuubi or not?" The silver-haired Jounin snarled angrily. "I told you before, old man, and I'll say it as many times as I need to: don't use my kids as bait or cannon fodder. They're not like us. They didn't grow up in war. They're just kids."

"We were kids once, too, Kakashi."

"No, I wasn't, and I know you weren't. Itachi survived right on the edge of having a real childhood and look what happened to him after you and Fugaku forced him into ANBU."

.

Outside of the Hokage's office, Kaisuki fought back tears of pain and anxiety as she walked up to Sasuke, who was leaning back with his eyes closed. Naruto was leaned up against his shoulder, completely asleep. The Yurei walked up to Sasuke and gently kicked his foot. He winced just slightly and opened his eyes.

Sasuke blinked sleepily as he greeted her, "All done?" He yawned.

Kaisuki nodded, unable to stop the shaking in her hands and shoulders. She was in so much pain. "Yea. Well, Kakashi's in there still. Where's Sakura?"

"Oh, she went outside... I guess she hasn't come back in yet." He looked down the hall, his eyebrows furrowed in concern. "Check on her, maybe? I kind of have a Naruto on me."

Kaisuki chuckled. "He's drooling on your shoulder," she pointed at the wet spot on her friend, who glanced at his shoulder with a horrified expression. Without saying anything else, she started off to find Sakura.

"I'll be back in a sec," she called, her walk turning into a jog.

She found Sakura directly outside of an exit at the end of the hallway, where they'd come in. There was a staircase that led downstairs on the outside of the building and she stood on the top landing, looking out over the banister.

"Hey," Kaisuki greeted. Her back hurt so much. She was carefully flushing her body with her own icy chakra. Saeka had let her chakra leak out a bit too much and she could feel the inflammation without having to ask Izumi about it. Her method was working, but it was slow and she was still in pain.

Sakura winced, clearly startled, and whipped around to face Kaisuki. Why was there so much fear in her eyes? "Oh, sorry. I was spacing out." She expressed a little breathlessly.

Kaisuki's eyebrows drew together. Something was clearly wrong. "You okay?" the Yurei inquired. "You've been out here a while, I think. Did you still wanna talk?" She encouraged with a smile.

There was a stiff pause for a few seconds before Sakura forced a weak, sheepish smile. "N-No, I... y'know I was thinking about it and... I think I just overreacted. So, uh, nevermind. Let's go inside, yea?" She licked her lips and then pinched her lower lip between her teeth. She glanced over the Yurei's shoulder and something about the look in her eye gave Kaisuki the impression they were being watched – or, at the very least, Sakura believed she was being watched.

"T'at was a pretty blatant dodge," Khrai said quietly in her mind. "Ya' t'ink she'll come by later or somet'ing?"

"I hope so," Izumi's voice came through with the exact thing Kaisuki was thinking. "Whatever it is, it certainly seems to be bothering her to keep it bottled up."

Saeka was quiet. Kaisuki wanted to turn in and check on her but she was still in public. The check-in would have to wait until she got home. She nodded at Sakura's question and followed her back into the building. Naruto was awake and kneeling in front of his seat, his hand cupped around his ear. He saw Kaisuki and Sakura approached and waved them over, looking excited in a frantic way.

"What's up?" Kaisuki questioned. Sakura sat down besides Sasuke, who's arms were still crossed and his shoulder still visibly wet. His eyes were trained on the door like a hawk tracking a white rabbit. He didn't react in any way to Sakura sitting down beside him, his attention entirely focused on the office Kakashi and the Hokage were in.

"You just missed it, like, by seven seconds," Naruto quietly replied. Kaisuki didn't think she'd ever heard his voice so quiet. "Kakashi-sensei was... like full-on yelling at the old man. I've never heard anything like it. He hasn't even yelled at us like that."

Kaisuki's lips slowly parted, her eyebrows coming together in a mixture of confusion and concern. "You sure you heard Kakashi? It's within the range of normal for Saruto... I mean, the Hokage to yell at Kakashi, isn't it?"

"Nah," Sasuke tersely interjected. "That was definitely Kakashi." He disengaged from his gaze at the door, blinking a few times as if he were adjusting from brightness. "Naruto's right - I've never heard him yell like that before. He's..."

Before they could continue explaining, the door to the office opened in a way that could only be described as "sharply", giving Naruto only a split second to throw himself out of the way of the swinging door. Kakashi caught it from slamming into the wall with a well-placed index finger as he was stepping out of the room. He turned to look over his shoulder one last time but seemed to think better of it. There was a visible amount of restraint in the way he closed the door, the impulse to slam it clearer than the blue sky.

Naruto and Sasuke had been right. She had never seen Kakashi display such fury. Even through his mask they could tell he was grinding his teeth together.

"Get t'is man some fuckin' grass; he's way too stressed out," Khrai muttered in her head, an honest as well as profane reaction that Kaisuki didn't fully understand. Kakashi stood in front of the door, staring at his hand for a moment where it held the doorknob. His whole body was coiled up with tension.

Naruto - because he was Naruto - spoke first. "S-sensei?"

Apparently, the voice of one of his students was exactly what Kakashi needed to snap himself out of his anger. His shoulders relaxed somewhat and he let his hand drop off the doorknob before stuffing it into his pocket. When he turned to face them, his gaze - which surely had fire and brimstone in it a moment ago - was cool and calm, almost serene.

"Anybody willing to sacrifice their home to the team so we can eat a home-cooked meal together?" Kakashi asked, indicating the direction they should start walking to leave the office building. Naruto jumped to his feet and ensured he was at the front of the group. Kaisuki was close behind him and Sakura and Sasuke brought up the rear.

Always a pair, she thought to herself.

"So, did any of ye notice t'e relief on 'is face, t'ere?...?" Khrai asked as they descended the stairs Sakura had been standing on before.

"Yes, absolutely," Izumi supplied the answer to Khrai's question. She sounded serene. Kaisuki wondered if she was happy that Kakashi had chewed Sarutobi up and spit him out. "It is an interesting emotion to follow an argument, but I suppose that must've been cathartic for him."

"If you're all willing to deal with my lack of furniture, I could, um... roll out a futon or something and we can eat on the floor, picnic style." Kaisuki responded to Kakashi's question. She felt awkward and didn't know why. Naruto's place was too small, Sasuke's didn't let people in his home, and Sakura lived with her extremely anti-government parents. Not that Kaisuki had an issue with anti-government sentiments.

Naruto and Sakura excitedly voiced their agreement, but Sasuke remained silent. He seemed to be in his own little world. They reached the bottom of the stairs and strode away from the Hokage building. Something in her gut was telling her something was off, but she didn't know why or what. Saeka was still absent as well. Undeniably paranoid, Kaisuki looked over her should to ensure they weren't being followed. As she turned, she noticed Sakura looking back as well, her hand drifting towards Sasuke's, who's eyes were on the ground.

"I have lotsa spare blankets I can bring by!" Naruto chimed in after a pause. They all seemed to look back anxiously in their own time, Kaisuki realized as the blonde was turning around to see her as well. His blue eyes darted between her face and the area behind them.

"That way we don't have to worry about making a big mess on your futon." The blonde suggested, turning around fully and walking backwards. Kaisuki smiled widely before she could stop herself. Then again, she thought passively in a tone that may or may not have been Izumi's, why would I want to resist the urge to smile in a situation like this? The medic was really getting to her with her consistent lectures about mental health and stress levels and so on and so forth.

"I've got dishes I can bring by and I'll grab fixings for food while I'm on my way," Kakashi added. "So Sakura and Sasuke, you two just have to show up. Naruto, blankets please, I'm bringing everything else."

They walked for a few more blocks together, before they got to the point when Kakashi would part ways with them to go to the market. They paused at the intersection and Kakashi turned to face all of them. His expression was still but there was something in his gaze that felt like a warning.

"Stay together," Their mentor implored. His voice was lowered even though there weren't any people around them. Did he also think they were probably being followed? Had the Hokage said something? "Go to Naruto's, all of you, and then go to Kaisuki's, all of you."

Saeka had mercilessly shoved her out of the way and she didn't have the clearest memory of what had happened. She recalled the Hokage stating that Sasuke was the target, she remembered his comments about the enemy knowing she was threat, but that was all. The grim seriousness reflected in Kakashi's eyes was making her worry.

Naruto's eyes held some odd unreadable emotion when she glanced at the rest of the team. She watched him grin with an understanding glint in his blue eyes. "Blankets, then Kaisuki's! Got it!"

.

Kakashi's voice was still echoing in her head when they got to her apartment, ahead of their sensei. Kaisuki forced the door to her apartment open, stepping to the side and holding the door for the rest of her team. Her home wasn't very impressive but she was glad that she could invite friends over. She hadn't been able to do that at any of her previous rentals.

Sasuke stood back from the door, staring at it with a strangely blank expression on his face. His lips curled into a frown before he made eye contact with her.. "I'll... wait out here, on the porch for now," he imparted, stepping away from the door without waiting for a reply.

Kaisuki's brows came together in concern but she left the door open as well so he would be within earshot. Through the window in the kitchen that looked out onto the porch, they could see he had seated himself on a plastic chair that may or may not have been there before Kakashi bought the apartment.

"Is it me or is he acting kind of weird?" She asked internally as she went into the house.

It was Khrai who spoke up in reply; "Yea, he seems kind of out of it."

Kaisuki swallowed hard. Sasuke had been in the Hokage's office alone... did something happen?

"We'll keep an eye on him, Kaisuki. It'll be okay," Izumi chimed in.

Sakura was rubbing her arm and visibly shivering. She rubbed her bare arms in an effort to warm them up. "How can you keep it so cold in here when it's so hot outside?" She chuckled weakly when she caught the Yurei staring at her.

"It's not that cold, is it?"

She heard Khrai snicker behind her and looked inward to give Khrai a withering glare. It only served to make her laugh harder.

"You wanna wait outside with Sasuke?" Naruto asked from nearby. He was sizing up the dining area for their picnic with his index fingers and thumbs held up in "L's" to frame the area. "That way we know he doesn't wander off," the orange-clad boy added in a whisper-yell.

Kaisuki raised a confused eyebrow just as she heard Khrai mutter, "Wander off? T'at's interesting, 'specially comin' from Naruto."

Sakura seemed to get it though, and she nodded and briskly made her way out of Kaisuki's chilly apartment. She watched her teammate go, listening to her greet Sasuke before she looked over at Naruto. She was still a bit confused.

"When did he wander off?" The Yurei asked, walking over to her flimsy dining room table to move it out of the dining room. Without really thinking about it, she hefted the table up and balanced it on her shoulder. Kaisuki took two steps when her muscles and bones suddenly started screaming in pain at her. For a moment, she was frozen, teeth clenched tightly. She groaned weakly and forced herself to keep going. No matter how bad the pain was, she couldn't just let everyone do everything for her. She would have to get used to it.

She was certain she felt her throat vibrate with a grunt that may have been closer to a whimper, but the slam of the table hitting the floor (hopefully) covered for her. Her entire left arm was burning and there was a sharp ache in her shoulder. She braced herself with her right hand on the table, hunched over it, eyes closed and teeth grinding

It felt like acid was being poured down her spinal cord from the inside. She managed to move the table into a corner and very slowly set it down. She could feel Izumi right behind her and she knew she was going to get a lecture before the irou-nin even opened her mouth.

"You can't do that anymore, Kaisuki," Izumi chided gently. She let out an irritated sigh.

"I know, Izumi. Trust me, I can feel it." She retorted a bit aggressively. Her eyes were burning with unshed tears. She wanted to sit but she didn't think she could move from where she was.

There was a long silence as she fought to regain her composure and she didn't realize how long she'd been standing there, immobile, until she heard movement behind her.

"Kaisuki," she heard Saeka's voice but she ignored the younger spirit's concern.

Kaisuki spun around quickly - too quickly - and forced a smile at Naruto. "Sorry, I spaced for a second there," she wasn't sure if he had actually said anything to her or not and she knew the expression on her face was likely giving everything away. She had asked him a question but she couldn't remember what exactly she'd wanted to know. The pain was really a problem.

"You should take your pain meds, you're due for a dose anyway," Saeka's voice continued, interrupting Kaisuki's train of thought. She squeezed her eyes shut momentarily, thinking hard to recall what she'd wanted to ask.

"Kaisuki," Naruto's hand touched hers and her thought was gone, gone, gone. "You okay?"

"I'm..." she hesitated. She didn't want him to worry but she also didn't want to lie to him. She averted her eyes and swallowed hard. "I'll... be fine."

It wasn't a complete lie. She would be fine... eventually. Probably.

Naruto's eyebrows came together and he shook his head disbelievingly. Before she could comment, he put his hands on her shoulders and steered her rather forcibly out of the dining room and towards the living room. She began to protest but Naruto fully ignored her and all but threw her into the couch.

"Kai, you know you don't have to lie to me," he told her quietly. "Kakashi let me know you were hurt. He didn't give me much details, but he said you're... pretty messed up."

Her eyes were burning again and she could feel her cheeks heating up. "I... you..."

"He only told me," Naruto said quietly, sadness reflected in his expression. Her chin was stiff as she fought her trembling lower lip. "He asked me to make sure to support you, because we're besties and he didn't want to overwhelm you or upset you by telling everyone."

"I'm... sorry," Kaisuki whispered in reply, tears flowing down her cheeks. "I'm a burden now, aren't I?"

Her blond friend's mouth dropped open, his eyebrows coming together in completely incredulous expression. "What the fuck are you on about?" He questioned rhetorically. "You're not a burden, Kai, you're my best friend. You've saved my ass so many times and now I finally have a chance to return the favor. Let me support you."

Naruto was so honest with her and she had always adored him for it. His blindingly sincere compassion and love for his friends was unparalleled. She often wished she could be as kindhearted and optimistic as he was. She really hoped he would be able to become the Hokage someday, like he'd always dreamed of. No one deserved that role more than he did.

"I know I can't fix you," Naruto continued, leaning forward slightly to pat her head a bit awkwardly. He had always been somewhat uncomfortable with physical contact. Even though they'd shared a bed many, many times, he still didn't particularly like physical contact. "But I can do little things like this. Kakashi said one of your... uh, ladies is treating your pain. Is there something I can bring to you?"

Lip still trembling, Kaisuk slowly shook her head. "I h-... I have it my kunai pouch," she expressed quietly. Her best friend nodded with a satisfied smile.

"Awesome. Then, I'll get to setting things up."

"Thank you, Naru." She smiled at him again but that time, her smile was genuine albeit a bit pitiful. She hadn't called him Naru since they were little kids.

The boy grinned and gave her a thumbs up. "Believe in me," he announced, before wandering away to finish setting things up. Kaisuki discreetly reached back into her kunai pouch and produced another one of the vials Izumi had made her. It only seemed to last for a couple of hours at the most. If Saeka activated her chakra through Kaisuki's body, or if she did anything even slightly strenuous, it wore off even sooner.

"Izumi..."

Before she could finish her question, Izumi replied, "Yes, I will mix up something stronger for you later tonight. I know it's frustrating but be patient. Once we find the right cocktail, the trial-and-error phase will be worth it."

She popped the cork off the vial and downed it in a single gulp, making a face at the taste. "Ugh," she grunted quietly.

"I'll mix in something for flavor, too."

She felt the pressure of Naruto's familiar chakra and looked towards him just in time to see him summon part of his collection of blankets from one of the scrolls he'd brought. The blankets appeared and a second later, Naruto disappeared.

She heard him exclaim, "Oh shit!" right before being slammed into the ground by the weight of his comforters, quilts, pillows and blankets. Sakura came running to the door, eyes wide and anxious, only to see Naruto's hand trying to drag himself out of the pile of blanket, to no avail.

Sakura started yelling at him but she succumbed to giggling partway through her rant. "Geez, Naruto! I thought something serious was happening but you're just burying yourself in blankets!"

Beneath eight king-sized quilts and probably twenty comforters, Naruto implored with distress, "This is serious! Help me outta here! You'd be amazed by how heavy this is."

Kaisuki couldn't help the smile that had stretched across her face in amusement. It was nice to have normal interactions after everything that had gone on over the past few weeks. Sakura rolled her eyes very visibly as she answered; "No, you're fine, I'm sure you can figure it out," she teased, laughing at her teammate's misfortune. Sasuke said something from outside that Kaisuki didn't quite catch but she didn't have to hear it to know it was an insult. Sakura looked out the door towards him, her smile fading instantly.

"Hey, fuck you, Sasuke!" Naruto yelled at the Uchiha. "Suck my dick!"

Whatever Sasuke said in response to that was even less friendly, and Naruto banged his hand on the ground. "What!? You wanna come in here and say that to my face, you bastard!?"

Sasuke didn't say anything after that and Naruto started struggling to free himself. Kaisuki moved to stand but Sakura held up a hand and smiled at her, a signal that she had it under control. The Yurei slowly sank back into her seat. Kakashi really only told Naruto, huh?

Sure doesn't seem like it...

"Or, maybe Sakura just noticed. She's more observant t'an most people, ya know?" Khrai offered as an alternative. "T'ey're on our side, Kai. Don't invent t'ings to be upset about."

Kaisuki leaned back into the couch and closed her eyes, looking inward specifically so she could direct a frosty glare at the Elf. "I'm not inventing things to get upset about." She snapped at Khrai, who was now directly in front of her.

The Elf raised an eyebrow but Kaisuki wasn't intimidated. She refused to be intimidated in her own body.

"'Ey, don' cop an attitude wit' me, kiddo. I know yer a child in t'e midst of an identity crisis who jus' came down wit' a diagnosis o' severe chronic nerve pain," there were a few things about that statement Kaisuki wanted to argue with, but Khrai grabbed her by the face and squeezed her cheeks so hard she felt it in real life. "But we're still in t'e middle o' a war and t'e absolute last t'ing we need ta do is alienate our friends 'cause o' perceived injustices."

Khrai pushed her face, letting go of her at the same time so she stumbled backwards. "Khrai is right," Izumi had to add her two cents, because she always did. "Personally, Kaisuki, I don't think it's a good idea to try to hide this from your team. Of everyone in your life, they're the ones who really need to know."

"It's not about them knowing," Saeka had been standing further off to the side. Far enough to the side and purposely concealing herself to the point that Kaisuki hadn't noticed her. How did she do that...?

It took Kaisuki a second to recognize that Saeka was talking to Izumi and Khrai, not their Host. "It's about who tells them," Saeka stated plainly. "How many times have you told Kaisuki to just let me tell you things on my own time? Why does no one let her tell her own secrets?"

It was probably the most Kaisuki had ever heard her say. Probably. Even when Saeka did speak, usually it was only a single sentence or she was angry. What had really surprised her, however, was how precisely, accurately, and thoroughly Saeka has expressed exactly what Kaisuki had been struggling to say.

"Yer still assumin' Kakashi told 'er, t'ough."

Still standing a few paces away from the reign of the body, Kaisuki stared at the white brick path that led into eerie darkness. Her throat felt tight.

Why don't they let me tell my own secrets?

Kaisuki opened her eyes back in the living room. Sakura and Naruto were just finishing up the final touches on their picnic blanket set up. It looked immensely comfortable. Leave it to Naruto to make a nest. Nesting in blankets and pillows had kept him and Kaisuki alive together through some of the worst years of loneliness. Naruto had been struggling alone in the Academy without his best friend and Kaisuki had been fully homeless for the first time a year before dropping out of school. Sasuke's family had taken her in but after repeated incidents at the Academy, she decided it would be best if she distanced herself from the family.

They would meet at Naruto's house every afternoon after the Academy let out, to nest and play together in blankets until Naruto fell asleep for the night. Kaisuki would sneak out just after dark because Naruto would get evicted if she was caught in his apartment. Most of the village refused to house her because of the possibility of Saeka doing what she'd done to Kaisuki's family.

Even years after Saeka's last incident no one would trust her ... except Naruto, and Sasuke's immediate family. After the massacre and her falling out with Sasuke, Naruto had been the only one who stayed with her, who had her back through anything and everything. No matter what happened, Naruto was there.

Those had been... the worst years of her life, for sure, but Naruto had been her reason for staying alive for many years. She hadn't wanted to hurt him by ending her own life.

She felt Izumi's sympathy in her stomach and it made a bitter feeling rise up her throat.

"I don't want to talk about it, Izumi," she said flatly. She wasn't in the mood for sympathy or pity.

"I-I didn't-..."

Kaisuki sighed out loud and Izumi immediately fell silent. The Yurei immediately felt guilty for snapping at her, but the irou-nin withdrew before she could even consider apologizing for her attitude. Naruto and Sakura had looked up at her in confusion and surprise, thinking her expression of annoyance was directed at them.

She smiled sheepishly, "S-sorry, that... It's not you, it's... the ladies."

Naruto smiled in return with a lighthearted chuckle. "It's okay," her best friend replied easily.

There was murmuring in her head and she felt Khrai and Saeka drifting away from the spotlight where the reigns were. Was her mood so terrible that they decided to withdraw as well? She felt bad but the sourness just wouldn't quit. It had to be the exhaustion and fatigue. There was no other reason for her to so agitated, right?

She spent a few minutes carefully controlling her breathing to calm herself.

Kaisuki slowly rose from the couch, walking past Naruto and Sakura and stepping outside. She offered them a wave and gestured towards the porch on her way so they'd know where she was going. The sun was bright and the sky was the clearest blue it could be, not a single cloud in sight. She didn't particularly like hot, sunny weather but she knew a nice day when she saw one. It was very warm out and the heat was wonderful against her skin after being in her apartment. The coldness of it didn't bother her, but she supposed that might've been because she was an ice-type and her temperature ran lower than normal anyway.

She wasn't sure if she should talk to Sasuke because he appeared to be in a bad mood too. Her thoughts wandered back to her conversation with Sakura earlier that day in the Hokage's office building. What had her teammate been trying to tell her? Would she be able or willing to try having that conversation again? Why had she decided it would be best to say nothing?

Kaisuki looked over at Sasuke and found him already staring at her. His expression bordered on a glare. She didn't smile but she waved, taking two steps down the steps of the porch and sitting. It was still early enough in the afternoon that it hadn't gotten uncomfortably hot yet. The humidity from the morning fogs had already dissipated and the remaining moisture had been cooked off by the afternoon sun, which had been in the sky since five in the morning. There was a breeze constantly blowing, occasionally picking up in speed and pushing various seed pods down the deserted roadways.

Once upon a time, the part of town she now lived in would've been the busiest in the Village of Konoha, which specialty shops, bars, restaurants and more that relied heavily on the business from the Uchiha clan. Most of those businesses had packed up and left around the same time Itachi did. Many moved to different parts of town, many left the village entirely. Everyone who had lived on that side of town had moved to other places, many going elsewhere in Konoha and plenty more moving out of the country entirely. Konohagakure, her home, had never recovered after what Itachi had done. She sighed softly. This time, the heaviness in her heart was her own. No matter how angry she ever was or would be with Itachi... she missed him. She missed Fugaku and Mikoto. She missed Sasuke. She missed her family.

"What's wrong, Kaisuki?" Sasuke's question sounded like an obligation that he hated and Kaisuki wondered if she should even answer. Was there any point in telling him the truth?

I already know there isn't.

"Shit sucks. You know, the usual." she replied coolly. She didn't understand why he was in a similarly terrible mood but she wasn't going to pretend his attitude wasn't irritating either. He had already been glaring at her since arriving at her house. "What about you? You seem grumpy today."

There was a pause. She didn't look at him because she didn't want to see the hostility in his eyes or the disgust in the twitching of his lips. She knew he still had issues with her but at the same time, after everything that had happened, she didn't understand why it seemed like he was still holding onto those grudges. Things had gotten better for a while, so why was he reverting back again? She wasn't going to pry and she definitely wasn't going to act like she didn't realize how much of a jerk he was being, like Sakura often did.

"Nothing, it's just one of those days," was his predictable non-answer. Sometimes it felt like they were as close as they'd always been, and other times he acted the way he had when she'd first joined the team. If nothing else, she wished he'd just decide whether he hated her or not and just stick with it. She hated being led on and then let down repeatedly.

"Yea," she responded in a flat tone.

Before the conversation could evolve – or devolve, as her conversations with Sasuke often did – Sakura stepped outside to join them, rubbing her arms to warm them. She looked happier and more joyful than she usually did. "We're done!" She announced proudly. "But I'm gonna hang out out here because it's cold as heck in there."

Kaisuki chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry about that. I think I have a sweater if you wanna borrow it for now?"

"Do you? I might take you up on that offer," Sakura considered. She sat down on the railing of the porch nearest to Sasuke, who didn't even react to her presence. He was staring at the floor of the porch broodingly, picking at his nails. Kaisuki wondered what he was thinking about.

They had nothing left to do besides wait for Kakashi's arrival.

.

Naruto and Sakura had done a phenomenal job of layering blankets and hanging up a little roof for them. When asked, Naruto claimed it was to help muffle their conversation and prevent anyone from looking in the window to read their lips. Kakashi was visibly taken aback by Naruto's thoughtfulness about their situation. He seemed to be more aware of what was happening than he often let on. Was the Kyuubi aware as well?

Kakashi dished up their plates and called each of his young students up one at a time. He exchanged a word with everyone very briefly and each of the Genin sort of eyed each other as they left the kitchen, wondering what he'd muttered to the others. In truth, he was just telling them all about their improvements and his pride in them individually, so they wouldn't feel competitive. They were all blushing by the time they sat down but Khrai could see that the kids would all rather die than admit how happy they were to be praised.

It had been a very long time since she'd been present to sit down for a dinner. Khrai had purposely dodged Yurei for decades at a time over the thousands of years she'd existed as a spirit, just to avoid being picked up and dragged back into the human experience. After a while of doing everything she could to protect humans or to just not get attached to them, it became clear that involving herself with the new, dominant species that had replaced her kind was going to be a mistake every single time. Chi too potent and erosive to human tissue, raw strength that crushed human bones... there was no winning.

Khrai had met Izumi before, though only very briefly. Her Host at the time had died when Khrai tried to take charge to protect her. In the end, she'd killed the child on accident instead; leaving nothing but a smear of red on the ground. She had never before run into someone she knew from within a Yurei before.

"That was your doing?"

Yet, somehow, Izumi had found her again. Was it fate? Or just her own bad luck? She could hardly look at or interact with the irou-nin without being reminded of the child she'd killed. The guilt had been eating her up for over three hundred years by that point.

Why won't ya let me pass on, fer goddess' sake?

Khrai stared out past Kaisuki, who paid no attention to the Elf. The team was all eating their dinner and Khrai could taste it thanks to standing so close to Kaisuki. She didn't particularly like the human palate, but there were some things she truly enjoyed, like the tempura Kakashi had prepared for them. Not long after everyone had started eating, Saeka stepped out of the shadows and walked up to stand by Kaisuki, just far enough away that the Host wouldn't notice her unless she turned inward. The young girl was incredible at concealing her presence, even by Khrai's standards.

"The Hokage has informed me that Konoha is hosting the Chuunin Exams for our part of the world, and that the other team captains have put forth their teams for consideration." Kakashi began speaking at the sound of the last person placing their utensil on their place. Izumi stepped into the space to hear the news as well and almost immediately, Saeka vanished. The irou-nin looked at Khrai, but Khrai avoided her gaze and shrugged. She was no snitch. "Our team has been in the hospital and that's why you're all only finding out now."

There was a brief moment where the four Genin looked at one another concernedly. Naruto didn't look worried so much as excited but Khrai could see how Sakura had paled at the thought.

"The Hokage has asked me to send you all through. I told him I wouldn't unless you agreed to it and frankly, I don't think it's a good idea. He said I didn't have a choice but... minds can be changed." He muttered the last grimly, his tone lowering slightly. The way he referred to Sarutobi as "the Hokage" was as deliberate as the words he chose to use. The Chuunin Exams must've been the reason the kids' mentor had been shouting at Sarutobi.

Khrai stared at him through Kaisuki's eyes. There was a visible anger in his one eye and the Elf related. She despised the Hokage as well. She barely knew the old man, yet he had given her the ick from the first time she introduced herself to him. Khrai had her suspicions about the possibility that he was possessed but, as far as she knew from Kakashi's own admissions, the Hokage had always been a warmongering madman.

"Do we really have a choice if the Hokage is telling you what to do?" Sasuke pointed out with little interest. "I mean, unless we're ready to flee the village and become fugitives."

Kakashi sighed bitterly, nodding just slightly in reply to Sasuke's statement. "No, you're right. We don't really have a choice... but if it was between forcing you all into a dangerous situation and running away from the village," their mentor imparted, "I would choose the latter every time"

"I mean, shit, you know what I'm gonna say," Naruto announced with a grin before anyone else could speak up. "Hell yea! Sign me up, sensei! I'll win that shit, believe it!" He pushed out his chest and flexed his arms, fired up with little reason for his excitement. Sometimes it seemed like he was extremely self-aware and other times, Khrai was viciously reminded that the boy was in fact still a child.

Sasuke rolled his eyes in annoyance at Naruto's loud display, a scowl spreading across his face. Sakura's shoulders had hunched forward and Khrai could nearly hear her racing heartbeat and anxiety. Kaisuki, Naruto, and Sasuke would probably have little issue getting through the exams but Sakura was hardly a fighter. Would she able to survive it? Would they lose because of her? There was a lot to consider.

"What about you, Kaisuki?" Sasuke didn't even notice that Sakura's posture had changed dramatically. Or perhaps he had but he didn't care. The scowl on his face remained, his tone just short of venomous. Was he baiting the Yurei? "You wanna do the Chuunin exams?"

Before Khrai had the chance to tap Kaisuki and inform her that it was a very bad idea for various reason, her Yurei Host fired back hotly, "I do want to participate, but it's-..."

"But nothing; I asked you a yes or no question. " Sasuke interrupted tauntingly.

T'e fuck's yer problem, kid? She thought to herself irritably. On the one hand she wanted to come forward and say something but she thought better of it. It was not a good time for a blow-up confrontation, especially considering Kaisuki and Sasuke's equally terrible moods.

"I'm in. Sakura?"

Sakura's face was the color of sour milk but she forced a smile and held up an arm to flex her minuscule biceps, "I-... I'm in, too, then. I'm already out-voted anyway, right?" She chuckled at an attempt at lightheartedness but it sounded more like she was trying not to have a panic attack.

It was no secret to the team that Sakura's obsessive dieting was impacting her muscle development. She was the weakest member of the team as a result, despite her Jounin-level chakra control. In comparison to Kaisuki, who was close to the same height, Sakura hardly looked like a Kunoichi at all.

From her expression and visible nervousness, Khrai felt it was clear that Sakura knew that she was the weak link in the team dynamic and that, in a worst case scenario, her presence would put the entire team in danger.

.

"When do the... exams happen, sensei?" Sakura inquired. Kakashi found his gaze lingering on her, his stomach churning with his own anxiousness. He didn't want to put them in the Chuunin Exams. He knew that it was likely another trap. It was probable that the Hokage was possessed. It was highly likely that, if he wasn't possessed, the Hokage was planning to use the Exams as a way to tempt the enemy into attacking – even though the old man had no idea what they were really up against.

At the beach, he had seen and felt with his own senses the horde that had attacked them. What if another horde like that came to the village? The Hokage had no idea what those things could do and yet it would be just like his warmongering self to want to see it for himself, at the cost of many lives that clearly meant nothing to him.

Kakashi knew better than anyone else that, regardless of possession, Sarutobi was a wicked, scheming man who had always been content with using children as cannon fodder and bait. The old man would do anything to win without ever considering the suffering and casualties that would come from his decisions.

"The village is already compromised. Please... be careful."

Saeka's words kept echoing in his head. How compromised? How many people? How many of his peers? How many of his students' peers? How many members of ANBU? They were truly playing a dangerous game.

"We have three months to prepare," Kakashi explained to the team as he was looking around the table at them all. The girls were visibly anxious, Naruto looked hyped, and Sasuke continued to scowl at his half-eaten dinner. Kakashi continued; "I want to train you all individually and as a team. I figure, we'll take a two-day break and reconvene at the training grounds at the usual time."

There was a brief chorus of nods and "mm-hmm". The Jounin sighed quietly, looking towards Kaisuki deliberately. "Additionally, we have some changes to the dynamic of the team to discuss before we adjourn this dinner."

Kaisuki blinked a few times before her mouth opened in a silent "oh". She chewed on her lip for a moment, looking moderately distressed at being the center of attention.

"R-right," she hesitated. The rest of the team turned their gaze towards her, with the exception of Sasuke. He was picking at the remnants of his meal with his chopsticks. "So," Kaisuki continued, "there's a couple things. First, we're," she gestured towards herself to indicate that she was referring to the spirits as well as herself, "finally all on the same page. We should be able to function much better as a one-woman team as well as with you all."

The wide, proud smile that grew on Naruto's face didn't go unnoticed by Kakashi. Out of everyone at the table, Naruto understood Kaisuki's experiences the best. There were notes all over Kaisuki's long record that reiterated over and over that she did not get along with her spirits, that Saeka was an irredeemable threat to the village, that she was unable to control herself or "manage" her spirits' behaviors. Every document referencing her more or less described her as a bomb just waiting to go off. Kakashi couldn't help feeling his own swell of pride to learn that she was finally able to work with all three of them.

"Next," Kaisuki continued with a weak smile, "I'm... we have another newcomer and I think it's about time that they all did formal introductions. They're... just as much a part of the team as I am so I think you should know them a little better."

"I dig it," Naruto chimed in with a wide grin. Sakura bobbed her head with a smile of her own, looking excited to meet everyone as well.

It was a little surprising to see Sakura so openly excited to meet Kaisuki's Guests properly. Then again, the pink-haired girl had been squashing her judgmental and somewhat pretentious opinions in favor of opening up and getting to know the team individually. She had come a long way from the beginning – when they'd first graduated and were assigned their unit, Sakura made it well-known that she was dissatisfied with being Naruto's teammate. She made no effort to hide the fact that she looked down on him.

She was maturing too. It was nice on the rare occasions when he could look at them and genuinely see the changes.

"Okay," Kaisuki to a stabilizing breath before she slowly closed her eyes. Before she opened them again, her posture changed. Her hands pulled away from her scarf to rest quietly in her lap, she sat up straight and raised her head. When she opened her eyes again, they were a vibrant shade of green that reminded Kakashi of the early spring months.

"My name is Izumi," the woman greeted formally, tilting her head forward in a brief, shallow bow before continuing. "It's a pleasure to meet you all and I hope we get along. I'm an irou-nin from Tsukigakure, or the Country of the Moon. My main specialties lie in herbology and pharmacology but my skill set is as vast as any other irou-nin."

"How long have you been... um... awake?" Naruto quizzed curiously. It was at that moment that Kakashi suddenly recalled that none of them had actually met or interacted with Izumi yet. Kakashi himself had met her only just recently. Perhaps he should've mentioned it to the others in passing? No, he knew Kaisuki didn't appreciate her private matters being gossiped about.

"I woke up immediately after the horde attack on the beach," Izumi told him cheerfully. "I did whatever I could to keep Kaisuki's heart beating until we got help."

"Oh!" Sakura suddenly exclaimed in surprise. "When Kaisuki's heartbeat was matching mine, that was you?"

The irou-nin smiled just slightly, "Yes, that was me. I'm very thankful to you for keeping such a close watch on her. She wouldn't have survived if you weren't there to watch her, Sakura."

Sakura smiled bashfully, "Thank you, too, for helping me keep her alive."

"Hey, I helped too!" Naruto butted in with a goofy laugh. Izumi held up a hand to her mouth and chuckled lightheartedly.

"You did, Naruto. You're the main reason the whole team is still alive," Izumi told him warmly. "You're an incredible boy for being so young."

At that, Naruto's face went beet red. Sakura and Izumi exchanged a look and giggled knowingly. Meanwhile, Sasuke sat silently, staring at his plate, avoiding any kind of eye contact. Kakashi's brow wrinkled as he tried to get a read on the boy but, from his gaze, it appeared that he wasn't fully present. He would have to have a private conversation with the boy to make sure he was alright, then.

"Alright, that's the end of my turn," Izumi concluded with a serene smile on her face. "Saeka is coming next."

Her eyes slowly closed and once again, Kakashi watched as her posture shifted. She put her palms flat on the blankets beside her, fingers splayed out over the soft fabric. At the same time, her shoulders shifted forward and Izumi's rigid posture melted away. She drew both knees up to her chest and leaned back slightly onto her hands.

"We've all met before," the youngest spirit greeted. "But I'll introduce myself properly this time. I'm Saeka. I died... maybe year or two before Kaisuki was born, I think. I was an experiment, grown in a test tube." Her higher pitched voice took on a bitter, miserable tone. "A failure that had to be put down. I don't know how I even have a soul, honestly."

Despite her rather monotonous and collected introduction, Saeka fidgeted where she sat, her hands moving constantly against the blankets beneath her. Kakashi couldn't help the small smile that found its way to his face.

Sakura suddenly spoke up, looking excited in a strange way. "Saeka, you're a sensory type, right?" The girl asked earnestly. Kaisuki's face began to flush red and Kakashi, who was sitting close to her, could feel the heat building in the girl beside him. He wondered if the others could feel it too.

"I... yea, that's me," Saeka shyly uttered.

Sakura smiled. "Naruto says you keep an eye out for everyone, like a silent guardian." She told the young spirit, who lifted her head, surprised and bright red in the face. "Yea! I think that's very kind of you. You're awesome, basically."

Saeka looked shocked and emotional and the room began to heat up, rapidly. "You okay, Saeka-chan?" Sakura asked with an awkward chuckle.

The girl dropped her head, and Kakashi could practically see the steam coming out of her ears. "...-nk you..." Kaisuki's body shuddered and the soft red glow she had started to give off faded away. Sakura was still smiling, but she looked a little anxious.

"Did I freak her out?" The pink-haired girl whispered.

Naruto snickered. "Saeka-chan is shy," he explained in a loud whisper, "and emotional. I'm sure she's fine."

"Aye, she's fine," Khrai's intonation was unmistakable. She straightened up, rolling her shoulders back and letting one of her knees drop to the side. Electric blue eyes skirted over the room, settling on Sasuke for a moment. "She's not any better wit' positive emotions t'an she is wit' negative ones." Her left eye turned green momentarily. "But we all love her all the same." Izumi's voice said sagely.

"Get outta 'ere, Izu!" Khrai grumbled, waving a hand around her head as though there were a fly. "it's my turn, bug off wit' yer feelings."

Naruto laughed a little more openly that time. Khrai's eyes slid over to him, a smirk appearing on her face. "Kurama, you've been watchin' too, aye? I trust ye've got my back?

A long pause hung over them as Naruto's eyes seemed to momentarily glaze over before he blinked several times and seemingly shook the distraction out of his head. His face was turning red, though.

"Uh-... yea, he's... got your back." Naruto stumbled over his reply. Something about the way Khrai threw her head back and laughed gave Kakashi the impression that the Demon Fox had said more than Naruto had shared with them. The blonde cleared his throat awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head bashfully.

"Who's Kurama?" Sakura questioned, looking at Naruto and tilting her head to the side. "Is th-..." she had begun. Before she could finish, though, Sasuke let out a loud, annoyed sigh throwing chopsticks at his plate and sending them launching across the room in opposite directions as a result.

He turned to Sakura, lines of irritation and disgust etched into his brow. "Who the fuck do you think it is? Did you forget he's a Jinchuriki, dumbass?" Sasuke snarled, standing up in a single motion. He'd been so quiet and still the whole time that nearly all of them winced back in shock at his sudden display of rage.

"Gods, I can't fucking sit here any longer," his voice sounded shaky and there was something about the look in his eyes that wasn't fury at all. Kakashi's eyes narrowed. "I'm..." another agitated sigh as he shook the thoughts out of his head. "Nevermind. Sorry, good night," Sasuke reached up with a hand and mussed up his hair angrily as he stalked out the door and broke into a run before it had even closed.

They all stared after him for a moment. Naruto was looking back and forth between the door and his other teammates. Sakura was gazing at the door worriedly. Khrai, on the other hand...

"Is he... okay?" Naruto asked slowly, looking at Sakura and Khrai. "You two know something, right?"

The blue-eyed spirit looked at Sakura, a single eyebrow raised, before she stole a glance at Kakashi. So, Sakura did know something, then? The front door hadn't closed all the way and a warm breeze pushed it back open. Khrai stood up and walked over to it, closing the door the rest of the way. He didn't live very far so he was honestly probably already home and Kakashi trusted that Saeka would be tracking him.

"He's... having a hard time right now, I guess," Sakura told the team quietly. "Dealing with a lot of stuff."

Kaisuki had sat back down again as herself and once again, she stole a glance towards her mentor. He could see the suspicion in the way her lips pursed and pulled toward one side, before she returned her gaze to Sakura. Did she actually know something she wasn't saying? Or was Khrai just suspicious based on a bad feeling?

He didn't know and it made him feel uneasy. He would have to go check on Sasuke for himself.

"I'll talk to Sasuke tomorrow," Kakashi informed them as he picked himself up off the ground, stooping down to receive everyone's dishes so he could take them to the kitchen. "I have to officially submit our team for the Exams so I'll be out and about anyway. Let's call it a night, yea?"

Sakura stood up as well, grabbing the cups and a couple of the chopstick sets that Kakashi hadn't been handed yet and helping him take them to the kitchen. She had a distracted, worried expression on her face and yet it seemed like she didn't want to speak on it. Had she been threatened, perhaps? Or was she just afraid of what would happen if she was honest?

Kaisuki helped Naruto put his blankets back in the scroll he'd gotten them out of.

"Sensei," Sakura's voice was nearly a whisper as they went into the kitchen together. He looked over at her and she beckoned him closer. Kakashi cleared his throat and set his dishes down and Sakura followed and did the same. As she was setting her plates down, he learned towards her to receive the message she had been so afraid to share.

"Sasuke's been taken in for questioning ... a lot the past couple of weeks," Sakura whispered to him. "I've..." he heard her swallow a lump in her throat. "I've need seen them take him so many times in a single week. Something is wrong."

Kakashi looked over at her, seeing the fear and worry for her friend, and nodded slowly to offer his sincere acknowledgment. He had a feeling he knew how she knew about such a specific detail, so he didn't ask her any further questions. She let out a soft breath and seemed to relax a bit, clearly relieved to have gotten it off her chest.

"We'll all look after him together," he quietly reassured her as he turned the water on to start washing the dishes.