Minato leaned back in his chair, fingers drumming softly against the surface of his desk as his eyes skimmed over the final few lines of the report. The moonlight filtered through the window, casting long shadows across the room, but his focus remained solely on the papers in front of him. Two days. The girl had been in Konoha for two days, and somehow, he was just now hearing about it. And all because Kakashi had a random run-in with her.
His eyes drifted to the section recounting her encounter with the ANBU team. Fast, incredibly agile, and—according to the report—unpredictable. The word lingered in his thoughts. Unpredictable. Exactly the word Kakashi had used earlier. I have to say… it does describe her very well. Minato's brow furrowed slightly as he considered that. Fast and agile, yes, but against ANBU?
Five ANBU, highly trained, and she had played with them like it was nothing. The girl had led them on a chase through the trees, outmaneuvering them with an ease that would have impressed even seasoned shinobi. But she wasn't running out of fear. The report mentioned her laughing. Laughing!
That's what unsettled him the most—her playfulness. She had giggled as she darted between the trees, almost like she was enjoying herself, as if the entire chase were a game. Minato rubbed his chin, letting the thought sink in. How could someone see evading ANBU as fun?
But then... they trapped her. Only when they used jutsu—an earth wall—did her fear take over. They had to use jutsu to capture a child! A mud wall! He let out a small chuckle, despite himself. Maybe she should be the one training them. The idea wasn't half-bad, honestly. At least it would give the ANBU a workout.
Sighing, Minato pushed the papers aside and stood, the soft creak of the chair breaking the silence in the room. He needed fresh air, something to help clear his thoughts. Moving toward the window, he leaned against the frame, eyes scanning the moonlit yard outside.
The council is going to want answers, and they'll want to know what to do with her. And yet, letting them get involved now, when there was so much unknown about the girl... it felt like a mistake. They'd want to take control of the situation. Before they could make any decisions, Minato needed to understand her and her abilities better.
Then his eyes landed on Kakashi, sitting under a tree with the girl nearby. He will definitely help, but I do not think he'll be enough. Maybe a tutor…
Minato watched as Kakashi sat quietly, his usual stoic demeanour present, but there was something about his posture that caught Minato's attention. Kakashi was still watching the girl, who stood not far from him, her eyes lifted toward the sky.
His gaze followed the girl as she moved toward the tree, her small hands reaching up to grasp the bark. He blinked as she began to climb, her small hands and feet gripped the bark with precision, scaling the tree with efficiency—no wasted movement, no hesitation. So that's how she did it. The report didn't do her justice—this girl's agility was something beyond even what he had imagined. No wonder the ANBU struggled to catch her.
Minato shifted, leaning further into the window as he continued to watch.
The girl had climbed halfway up the tree, crouching on one of the larger branches as if she were scouting out the perfect spot to settle. He tilted his head slightly, bemused by her actions. It certainly looks like she lives in the forest. But alone? Impossible –
And then the tree moved and his thoughts stopped its course.
Mokuton? The thought struck him immediately when he saw the tree begin to shift. For a fleeting second, his heart raced. Could it be? But then, he paused. No chakra flare... nothing. He watched closer, waiting for the familiar pulse of chakra that came with manipulating nature. But there was none. The tree shifted smoothly, as if responding to her will without the slightest effort. And the ease with which she did it… it was as if this was a natural ability for her.
His hands gripped the windowsill a little tighter. This isn't Mokuton. It's something else. The way the tree curled, forming a cradle around the girl as she stood on it, was far too natural—almost... protective. She's not forcing the tree, it's like... it's following her lead.
Minato pressed his hand against the window frame, his pulse quickening. This changes everything.
He glanced toward Kakashi, whose wide-eyed shock mirrored his own. They both watched in silence as the girl settled down in her makeshift bed of leaves, perfectly at ease. How…? His gaze flicked back to Kakashi, who was staring back up at the window, their eyes locking in a moment of mutual disbelief. Minato could see the question in Kakashi's eyes, did that just happen?
Minato blinked rapidly, nodding slowly in response. Yeah, Kakashi, I'm just as confused as you are. Kakashi gave him a helpless shrug from his perch on the branch. They stared at each other for a long, silent moment. Minato glanced back at the girl, who had already settled into her makeshift bed, her small form completely relaxed as if she hadn't just done something extraordinary.
Minato slowly pulled back from the window, retreating into the shadows of his office. He leaned against the wall, his heart still racing. I need to get ahead of this. Fast.
The council would probably argue every angle—from her being a potential threat to her being a potential asset. He'd have to tread carefully, find a way to make sure she was safe while navigating the political landmine that was the council. I need a plan.
Minato pushed himself off the wall, pacing the room in quiet contemplation.
Step 1: Figure out how to communicate with her (without it being a disaster).
First things first—she needs to learn how to actually talk to people. It's great that she can communicate with wolves and make trees move, but unfortunately, neither of those skills is going to help her navigate a conversation at the local market nor tell them about her life. Kakashi's gotten through to her a bit, but he's not exactly... approachable for extended language lessons. Plus, if I leave it all to him, things might get weird. Kakashi learning purring as a second language? No thanks.
She needs a proper tutor, someone patient but firm, who can guide her without treating her like an experiment. Maybe even someone who knows a bit about non-verbal communication—Inuzuka? They talk to dogs all the time, right? So, a retired Inuzuka who has experience in teaching. Perfect.
Step 2: Understand her abilities (and hope I don't have to wrestle a tree).
Clearly, she wasn't just some random child with heightened agility. The girl can literally move trees. Trees. Not using any kind of visible chakra, either. It's not Mokuton, not even close. She's more in sync with nature than anything I've ever seen, that alone puts her in a different category.
The question is, what else can she do? Does she summon forests at will? Cause landslides if she's upset? Or maybe, she just has this one trick and the rest of her skills are more... normal. Only one way to find out. I need to observe her more closely, maybe even test her limits a bit. But gently. I'd rather not end up on the wrong side of an oak tree.
Kakashi said something of her wanting to play tag…if they "play", he'll be able to see her abilities and decide better then. Surely, I can keep up. Right?
Step 3: Keep the council from losing their collective minds (again).
The council's going to have a field day with this. Some will want her contained "for her own good," while others will see her as a potential village weapon. And then there's Danzo. I can practically hear him already: "She belongs in Root, for the future of Konoha."
I need a middle ground here—something that protects her without turning her into a tool for the village. She's too valuable to be left unsupervised, but that doesn't mean she should be treated like a prisoner. And if I'm going to keep Danzo's hands off her, I'll need to make sure she's under careful, trusted observation. Speaking of which…
Step 4: She needs an ANBU escort (but not Kakashi).
She'll need an ANBU escort. Kakashi's better off staying in the role of "friend" rather than becoming the guy who follows her around, monitoring her every move. He's attached already, and I don't want him playing both sides—monitoring her while also trying to bond with her. That's not fair to him or her.
I need someone I can trust to protect her without making her feel trapped. Someone who doesn't report to Danzo. Someone who can handle the unpredictability without getting scared off if she starts growing trees out of nowhere. Maybe one of the quieter ANBU agents, someone like Hawk. Yes. Hawk already has a soft spot for her, but he's not one to get emotional or reckless. If I put Hawk in charge of watching her, I know she'll be safe, and it'll keep the council happy too. Someone high-ranking —
Minato paused mid-step, his instincts suddenly flaring. Something shifted in the air—a faint, almost imperceptible pulse. He turned toward the window, his breath catching…again.
She was doing it. Again. But this time, it wasn't for her. Minato watched as she crafted a cradle of sort. And there, seated in the center, was Kakashi. The tree had shaped itself around him, forming a bed of leaves and branches, as though it was tucking him in for the night.
Minato inhaled slowly, opening his senses. There it was—a faint pulse of nature energy. His eyes widened slightly as the realization hit him. She wasn't just moving trees; she was channeling nature energy, similar to Jiraiya's Sage Mode. Ok, so…
Step 5: Research Sage abilities, and write to Jiraiya.
If she's tapping into nature energy….Jiraiya would know more about this—I'll send word to him, see if he can come back to the village for a bit. Maybe he's encountered something like this before.
And while we're at it, I'll need to look into everything we have on Senjutsu, Sage abilities, and Mokuton—anything that might explain what she's doing.
Step 6: Figure out who's meddling behind my back (and stop them).
The fact that the girl had been in the village for two days and he'd only found out because of Kakashi? That didn't sit right. And it wasn't just a matter of the council dragging their feet. Something—or someone—was meddling.
Danzo's the obvious suspect, but is it only him? The question gnawed at him. Sure, Danzo had a long history of keeping secrets, but he knew Danzo respected him as the Hokage and wouldn't just undermine him like this. Right?
I need eyes on this…quietly. Minato's brow furrowed. He would need to approach this delicately.
Minato rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling the weight of it all settle in. Tomorrow, he'd put his steps into motion. But tonight... he'd need to get couple hours of rest. After all, things were about to get a lot more complicated.