"The village will recover soon. Though many houses were destroyed and burned, the southern part of Konoha is almost fully back to normal," Jiraiya-sannin drawled monotonically, walking to my right and gazing thoughtfully at the overcast sky.
"Hard to believe the village is getting back on its feet so fast," I added, looking around.
"Yeah, especially with no leader anymore," the sannin agreed.
"Have the advisors decided who the next one will be?" I asked.
"Minato left a letter stating that in case of his death, he passes the title to one of the sannin—that is, Tsunade. We talked it over and agreed it's the best choice."
"I see," I replied curtly. Sensei, as always, planned everything meticulously. But why her? She hasn't been in Konoha for years. "And the cause of the Fourth's death—still unknown?"
"Investigation's ongoing, but no results yet. Anyway, I don't believe Orochimaru killed him."
"Me neither. Sensei was a very strong person and shinobi."
"You're right; he was a great Hokage," the sannin said, exhaling lengthily. "Well, I'll be off," he stopped as we reached a fork in the village roads.
"I heard you're taking Naruto somewhere in a few days?"
"Ah yeah, we're going to get Tsunade. I'll train the kid along the way," he smiled sadly. "And you, I take it, are heading to your student."
"Yes, need to talk."
"Expecting her to tell you something?" he asked, amused but skeptical.
"No, but we'll try to reason with her."
"Good luck; I think after the Sand fight, she'll meet you halfway," he said, said goodbye, and left. I watched the sannin go for a few seconds, then headed to the cemetery where Ariza was.
I knew she'd come after the hospital to pay respects to my sensei, so finding her was easy. But as I knew, she arrived around three, and now it was half-past five.
"Hi, Ariza. Been here long?" I approached the girl sitting in lotus position by the Fourth Hokage's monument. She stared unblinkingly at the grave, covered in so many flowers it was impossible to tell which my student brought.
"Dunno…" she replied sluggishly after a few seconds. She was clearly depressed. Something was bothering her. Though I could understand— the whole village was in that depressed uncertainty now.
"Ariza…"
"Ari," she interrupted.
"What?"
"Call me 'Ari,' Kakashi-sensei," she said, turning her head slightly toward me. "That's what Naruto and Sasuke call me, and I decided you should know too."
"Ari…" I drawled, a bit surprised by her openness. "The team decided to talk to you. You know what about, right?"
She lowered her head and nodded.
"We chose today," I continued calmly, watching her. One wrong word, and she might refuse. Nothing to be done then. Can't send her to interrogation or force her. It doesn't affect work much, but could be a big danger for her in potential. "At your apartment…"
At that, she looked up questioningly.
"Fine," she replied, and I made a clone to tell the boys to come to Ari…za.
"Let's go," I pulled my hand from my pocket and offered it to help her up. She took it carefully and tried to stand, but couldn't.
"My legs feel swollen. I can't move them," she said quietly, trying to wiggle her limbs.
"Need help?"
"No, don't," she said and somehow managed to stand with effort.
"Your body's not recovered yet; you checked out too early," I watched her closely and her independence. She wanted to seem strong. Hated being seen helpless. She wobbled after me, but after a few steps, her legs buckled, and she started falling. I instantly offered my back for the rest of the way.
"Kakashi-sensei…?"
"You won't make it home alone right now. Your regeneration's great, but not that great," I said, and reluctantly she climbed on my back, and we headed to her place.
"Sensei…" she began.
"If it's about the team, save it…"
"No," she interrupted, shaking her head "it's not about the boys…"
"I see."
"Y-yeah," she said uncertainly "I wanted to thank you."
"Uh, for what?" I was a bit surprised, feeling her tension. She pressed closer, resting her head on my shoulder.
"I… I heard everything. Back then. Remember? You found me," she said, and I instantly knew what she meant. "Thank you. I thought I'd never see my team again. And if not for you…"
"Ari…" I started, replaying the moment I found her after the battle. I remembered arriving in the ruined district and finding her body, limbs twisted at the most horrific angles, slashed and brutally pierced like a pincushion. I remembered my thoughts, preparing to tell the boys, choosing words. Extracting all that weaponry from her. I remembered her gaze. Full of disappointment and hope, yet empty, dead. The look of someone who knows they'll die for sure. A deathbed gaze. Like hers. And I didn't know what to tell my student; I couldn't imagine she was conscious then. "Y-you remember?" I asked hopefully it wasn't so.
"Yes… every word," she whispered. "It was so hard then. And if not for you… I probably wouldn't be here. Thank you!" she said with a trembling voice. She seemed to be crying, but turning, I saw only a smile.
"Let's keep it…"
"Between us," she finished, and I nodded. "Okay."
We walked the rest in silence; Ari, eyes closed, seemed to doze, while I, striding Konoha's streets, occasionally caught curious glances. My students had gained fame in that battle—everyone saw Naruto and Sasuke beat the One-Tail on the summon toad; plus, everyone knew Naruto was the Fourth Hokage's son, and every resident knew about the central Konoha fight. Ariza's clones warned nearly all squads of the attack, then evacuated civilians. In short, nearly everyone knew about my students now. More than once people thanked me for training them so well. But they didn't know how much the kids taught themselves. Especially Ariza. I feel like I barely trained her at all—she already knew everything I wanted to teach.
Of course, I wouldn't tell Ariza she'd become quite famous. She'd find out in time. She's a puzzling girl; if Sasuke and Naruto are talented, she's a genius compared to them. Very strong and smart for her age, and considering she mostly self-taught, with strong mentors she'd be jounin already.
"We're here," I said and leaped onto her balcony in one bound.
"Kakashi-sensei," she called sleepily from the balcony "thanks again," she said, and nodding, I set her down. The girl looked at me then quickly looked away.
"Let's go," I said, opened the balcony door, took off my shoes, and entered the room.
"You already here?" I saw Naruto sitting on the bed and Sasuke standing nearby.
"Guys…" Ariza drawled, entering the room, and a second later stood by me. "Sasuke, Naruto," she looked at them and lowered her head slightly.
Seeing their friend, the boys silently approached and hugged her one by one without a word. Not a greeting hug—Sasuke hugged lightly, whispering something in her ear and burying in her hair; Naruto hugged tightly, as if not wanting to let go, as if saving her from something. And Ari hugged him back just as tightly, eyes closed, stroking his back, silently saying she understood his loss.
In that second, I realized how close they were. How united my team was. Sure, they had misunderstandings sometimes. But they'd never abandon each other in trouble. It hadn't stood out before—they were as friendly as, say, Team InoShikaCho. But now I saw they'd gone much further. They weren't just a team.
When the kids stepped back, silence hung. Probably each planning next moves. But no one knew how to start. I took observer position. Their team bonds—I watch, intervene only if absolutely necessary.
"Ari…" Sasuke began.
"I get it," Ari interrupted and walked over, sitting on her bed. "Sit," she pointed to the two chairs by the table, and the boys dragged them close and sat opposite. I stayed standing, leaning against the wall.
"What happened—how'd you end up in that squad?!" Naruto asked first.
"The Ho…" she fell suddenly silent and continued: "Mmm, they gave me a mission to evacuate academy kids to the shelter. I thought we wouldn't have to fight anyone, but enemies infiltrated the village and attacked from the center."
"They send genin on those?" Sasuke asked and, seeing Ari wouldn't answer, looked at me.
"She's chunin now," I said, noting their teammates' eyes widening by the second.
"What?!" Naruto jumped up in surprise. "Ariza, for real?"
Ariza sighed heavily and pointed to the dresser by the table:
"Look."
The boys went to the dresser and opened it. Naruto pulled out the chunin vest in its package; Sasuke got the promotion documents. He frowned first, then smiled, happy for his favorite.
Naruto, on the other hand, was outraged, though clearly glad too.
"Wait, you can do that?!" he looked at me, and I just shrugged.
"Naruto, Ariza's a strong shinobi who knows many techniques, so she was promoted automatically."
"Ariza! Congratu…" Naruto started, but Sasuke took the vest from him and stopped him.
"Naruto, let's save congrats for tomorrow; now for serious stuff," Sasuke said, smile gone. "Tell us about Orochimaru."
Silence fell; Naruto waited interestedly, Sasuke watched Ariza intently as she tensed noticeably.
"What exactly do you want to hear?" she asked plaintively, looking away like a scolded kitten.
"Everything, absolutely everything," Sasuke said seriously.
"You asked for it," she said, leaning back on her hands on the bed and tilting her head. "Just watch," the girl added, squeezing her eyes shut. I didn't get it at first. But black patterns spread across her face, weaving complex swirls and spirals. They reached midway vertically and stopped; when Ariza opened her eyes, we all flinched. Left eye the usual green, like young grass sprouting from melted snow; the right yellow with a black vertical pupil, predatory, frightening. Like Orochimaru's. We all knew what it was.
Sasuke approached and placed his palm on her cheek under the cursed seal.
Ari closed her eyes and pulled her face from his hand. Her face showed remorse and guilt; Sasuke's was emotionless. But only at first glance—his eyes with activated Sharingan from anger gave him away.
A second later, he furrowed his brows and clenched his jaw. He seemed ready to punch, beat, smash anyone in reach.
"Sasuke," I called "calm down."
"Ariza… Why?" Uchiha drawled, stepping back a couple paces. "Why didn't you tell us?!" he asked louder.
"I agree with Sasuke—we should know as friends!"
Ariza removed the seal and silently opened her eyes, looking at the boys.
"I… I didn't want you to know," she rasped, head down "I'm ashamed of it; it's not something to be proud of. He… Orochimaru wants to take me—for… experiments," she stopped, then continued: "And… I think not just experiments."
"Experiments?!" Naruto exclaimed. "He's lying!"
"If it were, Naruto," I said, and three pairs of eyes turned to me. "Orochimaru doesn't throw words around. He's known for not lying or making empty promises. Ariza," I addressed her "you know you can't leave village limits…"
"No!" she cut sharply. "I know the risks, but I'll keep doing missions with the team!" she insisted. She knew what telling would bring. If Orochimaru wants her, there's something in her none of us—and maybe not even her—knows. He doesn't take everyone. Especially for banal experiments like that.
"Ari, maybe you really should…" Naruto began, but Ariza placed both hands on his shoulders, looking straight into his eyes:
"Na-ru-to… I said it clearly. I'll do missions with you. Like before."
"No," Sasuke cut. "If it's your safety, I'm against you leaving village limits," he shook his head no.
"I knew it would turn out like this," Ariza said again, sitting back down on the sofa and, lowering her head, literally clutching at her hair. "Why… Why?! Instead of helping me get stronger, you just want to lock me up in a cage like a little girl! I already said, I'm going on missions whether you like it or not!" she said seriously now, walking around us and standing in front of us. "Sasuke, Naruto, you both perfectly understand that being a shinobi means being ready for the fact that at any moment your organs will just get smeared across the wall!" she said in a screeching, irritated-angry voice. "And stopping me now is the utmost stupidity! We're doing our job! And whether you like it or not, it's the most dangerous one on earth. We die two hundred times more often than everyone else."
"Yes, Ariza-chan, you're right," I said, "but Orochimaru isn't looking for you for no reason, which means you need him for something. And we still don't know how it will all turn out for you and for us if he does what he planned. Which means you need to be exposed to less danger."
"Kakashi-sensei, you're right. But even here I'm not safe. If he wants to, he'll find me anywhere, drag me out from everywhere. My location isn't an obstacle for a Sannin, especially considering that I have his mark on me and that he himself is a former member of Konoha's Corps. And the chakra of Konoha's residents is forever recorded in the protective field."
"How does that work?!" Naruto asked.
"It means he can come to me with a scalpel at night any moment and no one will know about it."
"No way, Ariza, Konoha has strong shinobi!" Naruto started asserting confidently. "We'd definitely notice him!"
"You know, Konoha has plenty of sensors, and he hasn't done that yet anyway. Otherwise…"
"He has," she cut off Sasuke. "Believe it or not. But he's already come to me."
"When exactly did he come to you?" I asked.
"After the second stage of the Chunin Exams."
"I see…"
And back then I had put a lot of guards on Sasuke. Who would've known they needed not Sasuke, but Ariza… I made a mistake, and that mistake could have cost my student her life. I'm turning out to be a bad mentor.
"That's exactly why I need to get stronger!" she clenched her fists hard.
And where does she get this thirst for power from? What really drives my student? Even the world's strongest kunoichi—Tsunade-sama—didn't have such a drive for power in her youth. It's usually guys who have that, and not even all of them, but definitely not girls, especially her age. I don't know my students at all.
"But you're already strong, Ari-chan," Naruto said, and Ari quickly turned to him and looked intently.
"Naruto," Sasuke looked at him, "exactly, you reminded me that Ari promised to show us her strength someday. Show us what techniques she has." Naruto and Sasuke exchanged glances and, smiling slightly, looked at Ariza, who in full horror took two steps back.
"Come on, guys. I have the most ordinary techniques, nothing cool about them," she switched to defensive laughter.
"You promised to show them," I said, and Ari shot me a hostile glance. "You can't hide them forever anyway. In battle, sooner or later you'll use them."
"Perfect then, so you'll see them in the next fight with Orochimaru," she smiled a little. "I swore to kill him anyway."
"Too bold words, Ariza-chan," I put my hand on the head of this little girl who always acts too grown-up. She's the second person who thinks like that at her age. The first was Itachi Uchiha. "Even for you. Are you really ready for a person to die just because you wanted it that way?"
"No, Kakashi-sensei, I'm not ready for that, and I don't want to and am not ready to kill. I'm against it and don't like it. I said that only because next time we meet, I'll be stronger and won't give in to him like I do to everyone else."
"We still don't know when the next fight will be; maybe you won't have time to get stronger," Naruto said, arms crossed over his chest, a bit offended.
"When the next fight will be, you say?" she repeated Naruto's words and thoughtfully lifted her head up, as if remembering something. "Exactly…" she lowered her head, looked right and left, then scanned the room with her gaze, and I noticed her eyes widening with each second as she slowly came into horror. I didn't understand what happened, but she seemed to remember something. And something very unpleasant.
"Ari?" the guys looked at her questioningly.
Her eyes started darting around the room as if her life was in danger. She quickly turned her head searching for something extremely important. Then she focused intently on Naruto. She stared at him for five seconds. Then she said one phrase:
"My diary…"
And she instantly flew out the window, racing across Konoha's rooftops.
"Ariza!" the guys shouted, and we rushed after her. We were on the street in a moment. I was running so fast my feet barely touched the surface.
"Stop!"
"Where are you running?!" the guys shouted, but she just sped up.
For me the speed was still manageable to keep up, but the guys were starting to fall behind. They can't run that fast.
"Damn!"
"Where is she running like that? And what's the diary got to do with it?" I thought, but a noise behind distracted me, and turning around, I realized one of the guys slipped on the wet surface.
I created a clone, and it ran back while I continued. I noticed Ari turn into an alley. So I landed unnoticed on a rooftop.
All I managed to see was her throwing someone's wet briefcase at the wall. At the same time, the boys landed on the roof next to me.
"Stay," I told them, blocking the way with my arms. "Don't approach her now. Just stand and watch."
The guys looked at me angrily, and then we all directed our gazes downward.
Ari herself, breathing heavily, stood in the middle of the alley staring into emptiness. She seemed to be in some kind of shock from what was happening. But from what? What happened?
She started breathing heavier and faster, then put her hand to her heart. Her face wasn't visible, but from how she started bending in pain, it was clear she was about to collapse.
As soon as her legs buckled, Sasuke couldn't hold back and rushed forward, catching her at the last moment.
"Sasuke, what's wrong with her?!" Naruto shouted and ran up to her.
"I… I don't know? What to do?"
"We need to take her to the hospital," arriving next to the guys, I put my hand to my student's neck. Her pulse was weak and thready. She herself was unconscious.
"What happened to her?" Naruto asked.
"That's what we have to find out," I replied.
***
Read the story months ahead of the public release — early chapters are available on my Patreon: Granulan