Sooo… this chapter was supposed to be a quick little thing. Really, just a short bit to keep us moving right along. But then, I sat down, started writing, went for a coffee break, noticed a squirrel in the tree outside, and… now we have a mega chapter at 5.6k words (I blame the sugar). Honestly, I think it's kinda cute! It ended up being such a fun look at our girl's personality and some of her abilities.

At first, I couldn't decide whether to leave it as one long chapter or split it up. I ended up going with the split to keep each section at a similar length. That way, nothing feels too overwhelming. But since I do not want to leave you with a chapter with no plot… I'll be uploading the next chapter tomorrow! (Still part of this filler chapter though)

Let me know if you'd rather have a looong chapter or prefer a few shorter updates in a day or like this time short updates one day after the other.

Oh! And quick style note: Italics are for "animal-language" (or non-verbal but understood moments), and bold shows the character's direct thoughts. This chapter has a bit more hopping between them and character thoughts, so please let me know if it gets confusing!

Rant over. Happy Reading!xx

The girl woke slowly, her body nestled comfortably in the leafy cradle the tree had made for her. Warm, soft… perfect, she thought. Blinking against the dappled sunlight that peeked through the branches, she stretched, feeling at peace. She loved waking up in the trees like this—The tree was cradling her perfectly, like a warm hug from an old friend. She shifted, her small fingers running over the bark, and let out a quiet trill of satisfaction. Morning trees are always so... cuddly, she thought.

There was an odd rustling above her, and she tilted her head curiously, her sharp ears picking up a faint chattering sound. Before she could fully wake up, a small, disgruntled squirrel popped into view, perched on a nearby branch. The squirrel's beady eyes were fixed on her, its tail twitching furiously. It let out an irritated squeak, its tiny paws clenched as it chattered away in rapid protest.

Oh. The girl tilted her head, studying the little creature. He is upset—probably about the tree being different. She let out a soft, apologetic chirp, the sound bubbling up like a soothing lullaby. Sorry, tree friend. I just needed a place to sleep.

The squirrel's tiny squeaks became more insistent, its tail twitching, before it squeaked louder, as if demanding answers for why its tree had changed overnight. This is my tree! You did something!

The girl, understanding the squirrel's distress, blinked at it apologetically. She reached out a hand, palm up, making a soft sound to reassure the little creature. Sorry... didn't mean to upset you. It's still your tree.

The squirrel paused mid-squeak, its tiny paws frozen in the air as it regarded her with suspicion. Wait…humans don't talk back.

The girl giggled softly, watching the squirrel's surprise. She reached out slowly, her fingers brushing the bark of the tree in a reassuring gesture. That's because they do not listen. But the tree is okay, see? We can share.

The squirrel twitched its tail one last time before hopping down onto the branch beside her, standing right in front of her with its paws on its hips (or where its hips would be if it had any). It continued to scold her, its high-pitched voice growing even more intense. She stared at it, wide-eyed, trying not to laugh. This guy's got a real attitude.

She raised her hands in surrender, trying to calm the small creature down. She reached out cautiously, offering her palm as if to apologise. But the squirrel, ever the drama queen, turned its back to her with a haughty flick of its tail, as if to say, We're done here.

Meanwhile, Kakashi, on the branch below, stirred. His one visible eye fluttered open, but he didn't move. The events of the previous night came rushing back to him—the moving tree, the girl creating a bed out of branches—and he immediately dismissed it. Nope. Dream. Definitely a dream.

Kakashi woke up slowlyt, his head resting against the trunk of the tree, blinking into the early morning sunlight filtering through the leaves. He rubbed his eye groggily and took in his surroundings. Wait… He blinked again, squinting at the tree branches above. I'm still here?

He let out a low sigh, dragging a hand through his messy hair as he looked around. He had half-expected to wake up in his own bed this morning, chalking up the events of last night to some weird, half-dream state. So it wasn't a dream.

His eye drifted to the strange, leafy "bed" the tree had shaped around him, and he sighed again. What in the world… He couldn't quite wrap his mind around it.

Just as he was about to push himself up, a sudden, sharp sound cut through the quiet air. Blinking, Kakashi slowly turned his head and saw the girl sitting on her branch, seemingly having a very intense... conversation with a squirrel. He squinted, still groggy. Wait... what?

Kakashi sighed dramatically, tilting his head back against the tree. So much for waking up and finding out this was all a dream, Kakashi closed his eye, trying to make sense of everything. What did I get myself into? He then heard a different chirp. Oh Kami…. She's talking to a squirrel.

The girl offered the squirrel a soft purr of apology, tilting her head in a way that said, Sorry about the tree. Didn't know it was your house.

The squirrel blinked again, seemingly unsure how to respond. Its tail twitched less frantically now, and it sat back on its haunches, clearly still skeptical but less hostile. Okay, well. Still… my tree. It squeaked again, more out of habit than anger this time.

She giggled again, nodding in agreement as if acknowledging the squirrel's claim. Fair enough. Your tree. The squirrel tilted its head, its expression softening just a bit. It seemed to accept her presence, though its eyes were still wary. The girl let out a small hum. He is actually kind of funny! She reached out and gently scratched behind its ear, a soothing sound escaping her lips as she did. The squirrel, though startled at first, relaxed under her touch.

Chitter… chitter… The squirrel's angry tone had all but disappeared, replaced by something softer, more curious. But then, it glanced down. Oh no…

The squirrel jumped right onto Kakashi's chest, startling him out of the light stupor he had just fallen into. His visible eye snapped open as he let out a confused grunt. What…? He blinked up at the squirrel now sitting on his chest, its tail flicking irritably.

Kakashi sat up slowly, trying to process the situation. Why is the squirrel on me? He turned his head, his sleepy gaze landing on the girl, who was watching the whole scene with a calm amusement.

The squirrel chirped furiously at Kakashi, its tiny paws tapping impatiently against his shirt. Kakashi blinked, clearly confused. What's going on?

The girl let out a soft giggle as she could practically see the frustration building in the squirrel and Kakashi looking more lost every second. Hehe, poor pup… The small creature didn't seem to have any intention of backing down until he was out of the tree entirely. So, she decided to show him how to fix things.

Kakashi glanced at her, who was watching the interaction with far too much amusement for his liking. Is she enjoying this? His expression turned deadpan as the squirrel's squeaks grew more insistent.

With a quiet hum, she climbed down from her perch, moving gracefully across the branches until she was sitting next to Kakashi. She gently touched his arm, her fingers light and reassuring. She chirped softly, making a calming noise, and then mimicked the squirrel's chittering with a soft, higher pitch. He's alright. He didn't know.

But the squirrel wasn't having it. It flicked its tail, still glaring at Kakashi. He needs to learn some manners! She reached out to the squirrel with a gentle hand, offering it a soft hum of reassurance.

The squirrel immediately calmed, turning its attention to her as it let out a quieter series of squeaks, clearly feeling more at ease now that she was involved. She nodded, making soft cooing noises as she stroked its tiny head gently, her touch light and calming. Since when do squirrels let themselves be petted?

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, watching the exchange. Okay, so she has the magic touch with squirrels too. Great. But before he could say anything, she tilted her head toward him, gesturing for him to join in. Your turn.

Kakashi stared at her for a second, still groggy and clearly unsure of what was happening. Does she expect me to…? He glanced at the squirrel, then back at the girl. Her eyes were bright with amusement as she nodded encouragingly.

Kakashi let out a long, exasperated sigh, clearly not thrilled at the idea, but with the girl staring at him with that expectant look in her eyes, he couldn't exactly say no. "Alright, alright..." he muttered, resigned to his fate.

He extended a cautious hand toward the squirrel, his movements slow and unsure. The squirrel, who had been quite content under her care, looked up at Kakashi warily as his hand approached. Its tail twitched, and for a moment, Kakashi thought it might bite him.

This is ridiculous, he thought as he attempted to make the same soft, chirping noise.

It wasn't… great.

Her eyes sparkled with amusement and the squirrel paused, tilting its head curiously at his effort. Kakashi stared at her in disbelief, his hand still resting on the now-calm squirrel's head. I'm petting a squirrel. He glanced down at the small creature."So… we're good now?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Its tail twitched, and after a long moment, it finally climbed off Kakashi's chest, satisfied for the moment. The gave him a small, approving smile, chirping softly to the squirrel again. See? He's learning.

The squirrel let out a soft chitter, looked at Kakashi again, who still had his hand extended. Fine, but only because she said so. Out of nowhere, it bit his middle finger and scampered back up the trunk, disappearing into the higher branches with a final flick of its tail. I do not like you.

Kakashi stared after it, still not entirely sure what had just happened. He glanced down at his slightly red finger, when a hand came into view.

The girl took his finger and gently kneaded it with a light laugh. "Play." She let his finger go and pointed to where the squirrel had gone. "Tree. Home." She then imitated the squirrel's earlier angry face, only to roll her eyes and let out a small giggle.

So she thinks the squirrel was a drama queen. Kakashi squinted at her, his face an unreadable mask of confusion and mild exhaustion. "Right." Who knew squirrels were so picky about roommates? After a soft pause he absentmindedly pointed to the squirrel and said, "squirrel."

The girl just gave him a thankful smile and repeated the word before looking at him mischievously. She mimicked his earlier exasperation, dramatically sighing as she threw her arms up in a mock impression of him.

Kakashi shot her a look, one eyebrow raised. "Very funny," he muttered, though he couldn't hide the small smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

The girl chirped in agreement, her eyes sparkling with quiet amusement. She leaned back against the tree, her posture relaxed and playful. Kakashi sighed and leaned back too.

For a few moments, they sat in companionable silence, the only sound being the rustling of leaves and the distant chirping of birds. The morning was peaceful, with the soft breeze carrying the scent of pine and fresh air.

Then, with a sudden playful glint in her eyes, she stood up and stretched, her movements light and graceful. She looked down at Kakashi, who was still lounging against the tree, his expression half-asleep. Kakashi let out a low sigh, pushing himself up slightly. His body felt stiff, not from the tree cradle—he was surprisingly comfortable—but from the weight of trying to make sense of everything that had happened the night before.

She tilted her head, her expression curious. She pointed to the tree, then back at him. "You. Sleep. Tree?"

Kakashi's face heated up slightly, remembering how the tree had cradled him last night. "Uh... yeah."

She smiled, pleased with herself, and let out a satisfied hum, then glanced around the trees with that curious glint still in her eyes. Her small hand pointed around them, sweeping the space between the trees as if she were counting something. Then she turned back to him, her expression thoughtful.

"People... sleep?" she asked, furrowing her brow slightly. She mimicked closing her eyes and laying her head on her hands, but then pointed off toward the trees around them.

Kakashi blinked at her, taken off guard. Wait... she knows? His eyes flicked instinctively to the areas where the ANBU were hiding, expertly masked in the shadows. He hadn't told her about them, so how did she...?

"Wait, you can sense them?" Kakashi's voice was slightly incredulous, not hiding the surprise. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "They're... uh, not sleeping, no."

The girl just blinked back, clearly waiting for a better explanation. She wasn't the type to let it slide. Great, now I have to explain.

Kakashi shifted uncomfortably, trying to figure out how to explain the situation to someone who had just learned to say "sleep" a few hours ago. "Uh, they're... watching," he said, pointing to the distant trees. "Protecting. You know, like... safe."

She frowned in concentration, mimicking the word, "Protecting?" She squinted toward the trees again as if trying to see the hidden ANBU. Then she turned back to Kakashi, pointing again, this time straight into the shadows. "People... watch. You. Me. Safe?" Her face twisted in confusion, and she mimed sleep again, this time more dramatically. "No sleep?"

Kakashi couldn't stop the chuckle that escaped.. "No, no sleep for them," he said, shaking his head.

Her eyes widened, taking that in. "No sleep?" she repeated, her voice soft in surprise. Then, out of nowhere, she scrunched up her face dramatically, clearly appalled. "Bad."

Kakashi finally lost it and let out a real laugh, short but genuine. He didn't laugh much these days, but something about her deadpan delivery mixed with her seriousness cracked him up. She's completely serious... about the ANBU being tired. He quickly covered his face, shaking his head. "Yeah, tell me about it,"

The girl, though, wasn't done. She pointed back at Kakashi, her eyes narrowing playfully. "You. No sleep?"

Kakashi froze, his hand still half-covering his face. Wait, does she think I didn't sleep? He blinked at her, suddenly feeling exposed. "What? No! I slept! I—" His face heated up, remembering how the tree had cradled him so comfortably. "...I definitely slept."

But she wasn't buying it. She raised her eyebrows, giving him a skeptical look.

Kakashi waved her off quickly. "I slept, okay?" He pointed to the leafy cradle she'd made. "Tree. Sleep. Comfortable. See?"

She stared at him for a long second, then broke into a small, amused smile. She tapped the tree beside her and nodded, as if to say, Sure. I believe you...

Her gaze drifted back toward the hidden ANBU again, and she gave a tiny, thoughtful hum. Her hand lifted, pointing toward the shadows again. "Them... sleep later?"

Kakashi sighed, pressing a hand to his face again. "I... hope so."

She just grinned at him, clearly satisfied with herself. Then, without any further warning, she bounced up from her spot, energy already bubbling up again as she pointed toward the open space beyond the trees. Her eyes sparkled with anticipation.

"Run?" she asked, her voice light and eager.

Kakashi blinked, still trying to recover from their last conversation. Wait, running? Now? He opened his mouth to answer, but stopped short, his mind catching up. Minato's still in the house... and with ANBU around...

He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Uh... no, not right now," he said, trying to sound as gentle as possible.

Her expression dropped in disappointment immediately, her shoulders slumping as she stared at him. She gave him that same wide-eyed, pleading look she'd used earlier, clearly hoping he'd change his mind. Great, now I feel like the bad guy.

But Kakashi shook his head again. "I need to ask Minato first. We can't just... run off without letting him know."

She frowned slightly, obviously trying to understand the reasoning. "Min... ato?" she repeated slowly, testing the name on her tongue.