Chapter 6 - Growing Pains - Part 5

(Kakashi's P.O.V.)

The Old Hokage had kept him pinned under his sharp gaze for a few more seconds after him acknowledging his orders.

As an ANBU agent and after a long time as the Hokage's bodyguard, he had seen this exact look a few times before, and he did not like it leveled at him.

He could imagine what it meant, something along the lines of the Hokage judging that his point was not properly driven. And if the Professor had not decided to act out of character for some reason, it would soon be followed by some cryptic bit of literature he so loved to spew out in his old age.

As if on cue, the Hokage spoke. "The tree that falls to feed the fire is reborn equally in both warm light and ashy soot" the sharpness left the Hokage's eyes and he flickered away to his office after giving him a short nod.

Kakashi had expected him to drop some random bit of poetry but it still caught him off-guard. So he just stood there dumbfounded for a good few seconds, while much to his displeasure, his mind automatically stashed away the Hokage's latest attempt at poetry along with everything else he had said with a practiced ease that came after years of directly taking urgent and concise orders.

"The Hokage really has gotten old. Used to be so sharp and direct even during the Third War but now he is reduced from the Professor to the Poet. Still, after all that has happened to him...to us...I cannot blame him.", his fingers blurred through the hand signs for a body flicker and made his way to the dorm where he had just dropped Naruto.

To the kid's credit, he did not shout in surprise this time. But he was sure it was less due to any feats of chakra sensing that he could have mustered in what was for him, an unfamiliar environment - and more because of the fear he had instilled in him a few minutes back.

He saw the silent fear in those bright blue eyes and for a moment it was Minato that stared back at him...but the fear and apprehension that clouded them reminded him again that not only was his chosen family dead, he had also hurt the kid that was their legacy. As if neglecting him and ignoring him, letting him get hurt, letting him rot in isolation wasn't enough - he went out of his way to traumatize the poor kid too.

"It's a good thing for you to stay away from me, Naruto...It would be better if I stayed away from you...I have only ever failed in saving those I love. All I am good for is killing and dying.", this was not a new thought for him. It had festered in his mind since the day he had first seen Naruto cry alone in the Orphanage dorms.

Other than a wave of self loathing, it also brought him a sick sort of comfort. He would use this thought to justify him abandoning Naruto to his fate, to run away from him and the floodgate he represented - the floodgate that held back all the memories he had buried deep in his mind.

But despite it all, he couldn't take his eyes off of Naruto. The instinct to protect what was effectively his last attachment to the world and the instinct to run away from all his grief and bury his humanity, free will and thus his pain behind his ANBU mask, were only barely restrained by the discipline of an elite jounin that was drilled into him over his career.

He could see the fear in Naruto's eyes grow when he blurred through a string of hand signs, and peak when he slammed his hand on the ground and thick smoke bellowed out from the point of impact along with a hollow pop. Kakashi made sure to signal to Pakkun to not speak and act like a normal dog until further instructions under the cover of the summoning smoke.

"Encountering a speaking dog would be a core memory for any kid his age, It would be the best for him...and me, if he never remembers this interaction.", with great effort he knelt down and this time, slowly and deliberately reached for Naruto's forearm.

But not slow enough, Naruto was even more scared now after what to him was basically, magic that left him "outnumbered" and "surrounded" in his own bedroom. Kakashi's plan of summoning his tiniest dog so as to not intimidate him had not worked as well as he had hoped.

Pakkun quickly zeroed in on the little trembling hand in his summoner's grip and took in the scent of the blood of his would be prey.

Kakashi meanwhile could only stare at the bloody, trembling hand as if under the effect of a nasty genjutsu. His thoughts twisted back to the memory of his bloodied hand as it clutched at the empty socket where Obito's eyes now resided, in a desperate attempt to save what was already beyond saving...then to the memory of his bloodied hand as he pulled it out of Rin's mangled chest after he murdered her...then to the blood on his hands after he cried over the corpses of his sensei and the woman he had considered (but never called, something which he hated himself for even to this day) a second mother.

Half the reason of him burying himself in the darkest depths of the Black Ops operations was to make sure that they ended up killing him before he was forced to do it himself whenever his years worth of buried guilt would become too much for him to handle. The ugly thought of ending his wretched life, a life that only ever caused pain and suffering for him and those around him, reared in his head for the...he wasn't even sure about it's frequency...simply that it was enough for him to have a few reasons to keep on living already circled in his mind.

"I promised Obito, that we will see the future together.", he told himself. "But would Obito really want to see a world where I MURDERED Rin, that too with the support of his own eye?"

"I cannot abandon the village, there are missions that need doing.", he reasoned. "The biggest service I can do to the village and mankind as a whole is to stop haunting this world and causing suffering to those in it."

"I...", his musings were cut short when he felt a small tug on his hand.

Naruto had walked closer while he was busy doing the cost-benefit analysis of his continued existence, and he looked at him with fear clear on his little face.

"D-Dog Man, are you angry? I-I promise I didn't come here alone...Mr. Wolf left me here and I don't know how to go out...I'll go away if you want, I promise, just don't hurt me."

Kakashi's heart broke a little more, seeing Naruto afraid of him and going so far as to promise leaving to an intruder like him. Kakashi hadn't been there to witness every bit of abuse dealt Naruto had to deal with courtesy of the village...but he had seen his own share of suffering and it didn't take much for his mind to start cooking up little simulations of his sensei's son getting hurt and abused in the most creative and horrible way possible.

He forcibly brought his mind back to the anchor that was his current mission, before his thoughts spiraled too far out of control.

"Right...Track, Scout, Neutralize,Deliver.", he looked down at Pakkun who nodded at him. "OK, scent acquired..best to leave ASAP.", he let go Naruto's hand and turned to blink away with a Body-Flicker.

But before he left, he turned to Naruto as he weaved signs for a sedation genjutsu. It was useless in battle, it's effects too harsh for the victim to ignore. But against a kid who's Chakra control must be shot to hell and back due to the Kyuubi's interference, it would cause a quick knock-out followed by a long dreamless sleep.

"Go back to sleep...", he tried to say Naruto's name but in that moment he felt too unworthy to do even that, "...kid. I am just a part of your dream."

"Yeah OK...I'll just...go back to bed", Naruto managed to barely string his words together between big yawns and fell into a deep sleep. Kakashi and Pakkun both left the room soon after that.

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(Kakashi's P.O.V. continued)

Now standing on top of the Hokage Monument, Kakashi turned his attention to Pakkun and briefed him about the day's events, and then began explaining his plan.

"Pakkun, we are dealing with an infiltrator. I need you to track the scent you got off of Naruto's hand...it's the target's blood.", his tone was neutral but Pakkun could smell the tension in the air and knew that things were serious.

So he too got into mission mode and asked Kakashi, "How many enemies? What are their skills? What is their status?"

"From Naruto's account, there is atleast one but we can never be sure. At worst, skilled in only but both Lightning Release and Wind Release. The one you are tracking had his leg crushed by Naruto and should be unable to move too fast for some time without Medical Ninjutsu."

"Two chakra nature transformations...that's a Jounin, atleast Elite Chunin level skillset. My bet would be a single Elite Chunin at best, or a Tokubetsu Jounin with infiltration related specialization and a team of old sleeper agents planted by his village or new spies he cultivated while in Konoha at worst. No well rounded Jounin would have lost to a kid, no matter the strength.", Pakkun laid out his deductions for Kakashi to counter, accept or incorporate into their plan.

"The chances of it being a team effort is actually pretty low. Assassinations of high profile targets like Elite Jounins, Kages, Jinchurikis and the likes are exceedingly risky. Timing, Ingenuity, Power and Precision decide the difference between success or death. If our Infiltrator were part of a shinobi team, be it from his village or spies cultivated within out forces...Naruto would not have walked away unscathed. At the very least he would have told us about more than one enemies.", said Kakashi ruling out the possible but unlikely scenario.

Kakashi's conjecture was intelligent but Pakkun decided to be thorough, "It has only been a few years since the end of the Third War, any old sleeper agents were surely purged then and the new ones, if any, would only be at best fresh genin. Any civilian spies are useless in a fight too. But let's not forget Kakashi, that even civilian spies can provide intel, shelter, provisions and aid...if worse comes to worst they can be used in a suicide attack."

With this, Kakashi agreed. So after a few more seconds of silence he gave Pakkun his instructions. "Pakkun, track the scent. Stealth and Pursuit protocols. On the off chance that the target has moved from the point of first contact, then it would be a clear proof of a team supporting our target's exfiltration. At that point speed would be all that matters, abandon stealth protocols and I'll signal to the ANBU to seal all exits and converge on us. Use your Hound Clone technique, scatter and search for the target. Once you find him, I'll summon the rest of your squad and based on their numbers and strengths we will go for capture, exterminate or delaying tactics. If and while their strength is less than ours we will go for capture, if and while it's more than twice ours we will go for delaying and extermination otherwise."

"Alright Kakashi, understood.", Pakkun spun around once to get a vector towards his target and leapt away in pursuit. Kakashi followed him closely.

The duo made their way towards the densest concentration of the scent of their target's blood. Even if it were a rag used to wipe the blood and not the target himself, it would still give them a lead to pursue.

Shortly after passing the Konoha Orphanage and entering the forest, Pakkun let out a sigh of relief. "Kakashi, I am sensing a single chakra signature at the end of the trail. It seems you were right after all. No team, Lone Operative."

Kakashi signaled Pakkun to halt. They both crouched down on a high branch, bodies pressed against the closest surfaces to maintain stealth. "We are close enough for an accurate sensory sweep, I need every detail you can uncover."

Kakashi waited patiently, his senses strained to identify any incoming threats while Pakkun was focused on his task.

Pakkun, who had scouted out many battlefields for Kakashi before, spoke with a practiced efficiency, "Only one person in this forest. Based on Naruto's and the blood's scent, that's our target. Smell of ash and food is in the air too...whoever the infiltrator is, he has stayed long enough to consume his supply of Food Pills. Target's heartbeat and breathing is slow and almost silent, likely sleeping or passed out from pain, definitely unaware of our presence."

Kakashi furrowed his brow at that, "This confirms, it was no team effort...but such heartbeat and breathing could be a result of some self applied medical of revitalization jutsu too. Even more likely when we consider a lone operative. Why rule out that possibility."

"Because, even with my chakra sense, I could only sense a minuscule amount of chakra in the target. That can only mean that the target's chakra is heavily suppressed right now, likely to evade sensors. The only drawback is the inability to perform ANY chakra assisted actions. It could be that the target healed himself before we arrived...but in that case, escape would have been a better option rather than staying here. I believe the enemy is unaware and incapacitated.", Pakkun told Kakashi, who looked convinced by his explaination.

"So we have a single, incapacitated target who is likely unaware of our presence. In that case, waiting here any longer is an exercise in futility...Let's go for a direct assault to capture approach. We'll split 3 seconds before enemy contact. I'll attack, you stay on the lookout." Kakashi lifted up his forehead protector to reveal a blood red sharingan.

"I'll go in as fast as I can and deal the first strike to the target's spinal cord at the cervical region to induce quadriplegia. Once the target is paralyzed, I will then swiftly sever the ligaments in the target's jaw, rendering all attempts at suicide by biting the tongue or a poison capsule impossible. Then I will deliver our captive to Torture and Interrogation Department while you go over to the ANBU base and tell them to initiate a lockdown and sweep of the village.", Kakashi laid out the plan and went through the hand signs to channel lightning chakra through his body, enhancing his speed and through his kunai, honing it's already sharp edge to a surgical grade.

"Not blessing the enemy with a glimpse of the legendary Chidori, eh Kakashi?", Pakkun teased as he readied himself for the charge.

"No, Too noisy.". Kakashi said, and they both rushed forward at terrifying speed.

Without a dog's keen senses or the Sharingan's enhanced perception, running at such speeds in the forest would qualify as an attempt at self harm. But, Kakashi and Pakkun weaved through any and all obstacles in their way, not stopping and never slowing. Their target, the enemy ninja sleeping in the clearing 5...now 4 seconds in front of them.

now 3...Pakkun leapt up into the trees to conduct further reconnaissance and summon the rest of his pack in case things go south.

now 2...Kakashi grabbed a kunai with his non dominant arm and raised it to guard against any possible attack.

now 1...Kakashi broke through the forest, into the clearing. He looked at the target, his hand instinctively positioning the kunai to pierce the kid in front of him before his thoughts could catch up...

...Moments later, the realization hit him! His eyes grew wide and his breathe hitched."That's not an enemy ninja! That's a CHILD! A kid no older than Naruto!", with every bit of impulsive strength his muscles could muster, he flicked his attacking arm a bit off course.

now 0...*SLAM*...his lightning infused kunai had veered off course, just enough to slam into the tree behind his "target" instead of the child's spine.

Killing was second nature to Kakashi and the third war and his ANBU career, had seen many young lives, even children's, cut short by his blade.

But this was too sudden, even for him.

He had come here to deal with some seasoned enemy shinobi, who dared enter his village and tried to assassinate his sensei's kid...Not whatever, this was.

Ironically, he would have been calm and collected even if this seemingly simple ambush of his were to devolve into a 10 vs 1 fight to the death. His adrenaline only spiked after comprehending the possibility of a kid getting impaled at the end of his kunai.

He breathed heavily, resting his second arm on the tree in front of him, resting a bit to collect his thoughts and to pull out the kunai now embedded deep in the wood.

"Breathe in...hold...breathe out! Organize the thoughts...what is the last thing I remember. Almost hitting a kid with my attack...WAIT! THE CHILD!", Kakashi tore himself away from his thoughts and looked straight down.

A pair of green eyes looked up at him, wide with shock. For a single moment, all was calm, and the Sharingan's enhanced perception stretched that moment to an eternity.

In that single moment he could see the kid's mouth, slightly open in shock. Marks of old, dried tears on his leathery, burnt cheeks. Wide, trembling eyes, pupils dilated, fresh tears forming near the edges.

He blinked.

Instead of green eyes, brown ones started back at him. He could feel his hand, warm and sticky and slick with fresh arterial blood, chunks of meat between his fingers and under his nails. He could almost hear the faint whisper...K-Kakashi...carried by the wind.

In that moment, he was back. Back to the day when he became worse than scum. The day, he forced Obito's eye to witness him murdering his beloved.

The curse of the Sharingan, Eidetic memory. His PTSD was triggered again and he remembered every minute detail. It was only through his well drilled discipline that he didn't hyperventilate or broke down into a screaming mess.

He wasn't sure how much time passed before he came back to his senses, but when he did, it was to the kid under him screaming and crying in obvious panic and fear.

"Calm down...It's not real!", he reminded himself. Meanwhile his body moved on it's own, years of mission and service had turned his body into a weapon that worked as much on instincts as it did with conscious thoughts. He grabbed the child by the top of it's bald, leathery head.

"Count to 5, 5...4...3...2...1...", his brain was busy coping with his PTSD outbreak, but his body was already ensuring his "safety and survival". Without a conscious effort, he pinned the squirming and writhing kid under him to the tree with his strength.

"Hatake Kakashi, Jounin, Konohagakure...", he tried to find an anchor to rally his thoughts around. Again, without any prompting on his part, he pushed his hand forward to tilt the kid's head up.

"Mission, neutralization of enemy infiltrator and cohorts...", he forced the kid to look into his now spinning Sharingan. His body casting whatever genjutsu it thought would be the best to quickly and non lethally subdue and silence his target.

The kid passed out and the screaming stopped. Soon Kakashi too came back to reality.

To his credit it didn't take Kakashi more than a second to take stock of the situation, deduce what he did while he was not conscious, and signal Pakkun to come to him.

Pakkun took one look at Kakashi's face, trembling hands, the knocked out kid and pieced together everything.

He decided to give Kakashi some silence to calm himself down, and silently walked over to the knocked out kid to collect more information. Kakashi calmed himself down properly in the time it took for Pakkun to conduct his investigation of the kid and the surroundings. Pakkun, seeing that his summoner was stable enough, walked over to him to deliver the the report without his prompting.

"Kakashi, I took the liberty to check the kid and the surroundings to compare with our intel...this kid is our 'infiltrator'.", Pakkun didn't speak anymore, believing it best for Kakashi to probe and ask the questions and him to defend his point.

"Before I ask anymore questions, is the kid...will he live through the night?", Kakashi spoke in a practiced, neutral tone.

"I checked her body for wounds, diseases, and such...only damage she is suffering from right now is pain and bleeding due to a broken and improperly set leg. That and she is knocked out cold by the same genjutsu you casted on Naruto earlier today.", Pakkun answered. Then after a small pause he added, "It's a girl. I could taste the low RBCs and higher WBCs and Platelets in her blood when I checked it for signs of poisoning or infection. Just by looking at her and the state of ossification of her hand bones...her age would be around 5 years."

Kakashi looked down at the now sleeping girl and her burnt and damaged face. Seeing someone so young yet so hurt, a wave of sadness washed over him. But he suppressed it, there was a mission to do and he would have enough time to be sad after it. After all, he was always either numbing his mind with missions or wallowing in his misery.

"What makes you think this little girl, is the "Mask Guy", Naruto spoke of?", Kakashi asked.

"I checked this area for clues, traps, dropped items, anything to point that this kid wasn't our target...and I found this.", Pakkun walked over to pick up a rag and then brought it over to Kakashi.

Kakashi looked it over, held it with both hands and stretched it a bit. "A piece of cloth with more holes than an Aburame?" He checked it a bit more, to see what Pakkun was trying to show him, then the realization dawned on him. "Wait...those holes aren't random...these are eye-holes...this is a mask!"

"A mask, with her scent thick on it, traces of Naruto's, and no one else's.", Pakkun added to Kakashi's statement. "Also, her wounds match the one described by Naruto."

Seeing Kakashi silent, Pakkun drove his point further. "Naruto might be a kid, but he knows the difference between Ninjas and others. Yet from your records, he never once used the word Ninja to describe his "Mask Guy". In fact, the whole 'Ninjas loose in the village' narrative was decided by The Hokage and you on your own."

Kakashi wasn't rigid enough too completely ignore whatever was contrary to his per-conceived notions, but there was one thing that still kept Kakashi from going all in on Pakkun's theory. "Then, what about the Elemental Ninjutsus used against Naruto? You said it yourself, Naruto is a kid but he isn't dumb enough to mistake a punch for a ninjutsu. Naruto, unfortunately, isn't a stranger to abuse...but a fight with a little girl pushed him to the brink? Enough to involve the Kyuubi? That's unlikely."

Pakkun was aware of this hole in his logic, "Be that as it may, we can't really ask for confirmation from Naruto. Even if he wasn't passed out till morning from your genjutsu...we can't really involve him any more in this case after the lengths the Hokage went to wrap it up so nicely for him..."

Pakkun then shook his head, "Still, I can tell you this much Kakashi...If any Ninjas had ambushed Naruto here, this girl would most certainly be dead. I checked the areas around her camp, there is a pit back there with atleast a couple weeks worth of rotting scraps, fish bones and other such trash. The trail to the dump is also marked by her scent. She has been living here for atleast 2, maybe 3 weeks. If a ninja were to fight Naruto here, he would have certainly killed or otherwise disposed her off first."

"I can't be sure who actually attacked Naruto, unless we find more clues or he confirms it himself...but for the target to live even after taking two elemental jutsus, would be a sign of the caster's inexperience. Maybe it really was this little girl, her disfigurement certainly points towards a reckless and self taught use of lightning release.", he paused for a moment. Feeling that his arguments were going from the factual to the speculative, he decided to move on to the next point.

Pakkun turned his head back to fetch something from his vest's pocket and placed it in Kakashi's hand, "Here, this was all I could find on her that could help in identifying her and maybe getting some answers. Other than this girl's and Naruto's, I can't find any scents to track. Nor can I find any residual chakra signatures, other than the Kyuubi's...not even that of the jutsu caster."

Kakashi looked at the item, "A piece of metal? No...it's pretty mangled but it's definitely a pendant of some sort." He fiddled with it till he could see very faded writing engraved on it. "It's barely visible, with the metal being cheap and corroded but it says...'Aiki-hime'..." Kakashi figured that was her name.

"Well Kakashi, what now?", Pakkun asked.

"What now indeed?", Kakashi said in his head.

Normally this would be the end of his mission. All that was left to do was to drag the kid over to the T&I department and debrief with the Hokage. But the idea of sending a half dead kid to the depths of that pit of sadism didn't leave a good taste in his mind.

"I live for the mission...I am an extension of the Hokage's will, the village's will...good and bad will not bind me...vulnerability of individuality will not be my undoing..."

Kakashi tried to calm his raging emotions by trying to drown all his complains under the mind numbing repetition of his ANBU oaths...but then he remembered the Hokage's words. "I need you to tackle this mission as per your own judgement".

"My judgement...What should I do? What can I do?", Kakashi felt lost for the first time in a while.

"What do I even do? Anything I do...it ends up killing those I love. If I try and 'help' this kid, she might not even survive to see tomorrows sunrise.", the memories of Aiki screaming in terror played in Kakashi's mind...followed by memories of Minato, Kushina, Rin and Obito dead or dying in front of him. Despair followed shortly after that.

"What would you do Kushina-san? Sensei? Rin?", he asked in frustration. "What would you do...Obito?"

It was the first time since the Kyuubi's attack, when Kakashi actively tried to remember his dear departed people...the pain and guilt from this action threatened to swallow Kakashi whole.

But then...

...As if waiting for Kakashi to take the plunge and confront this painful past and to offer comfort to Kakashi in this moment of great mental anguish, memories started flooding his thoughts.

Memories of happy days spent with Kushina fussing over him and his team, of days spent training and learning from his sensei, of times when Rin would take care of their team after missions or silly fights with Obito...of times spent with Obito...

Obito's voice rang out in Kakashi's mind..."Those who abandon the mission are scum...but those who abandon their friends are worse than scum."

A wave of calm, of peace washed over Kakashi. It felt like a burden was lifted from his soul. Like letting go of a breathe he was unknowingly holding.

A solitary tear slipped past his tightly clenched eyelid and rolled down his cheek but was soon absorbed and hidden by his mask.

He finally had his answer, he knew what to do.

He popped out a shadow clone who vanished in a quick body flicker.

"Pakkun, I have sent the clone to check the citizen database for information regarding this Aiki girl. If there truly was no enemy ninja then I have a feeling we will get the answer to the elemental jutsus in there..In the meanwhile I have some stuff I need to take care of. I'll summon the rest of your pack, guard this kid. Make sure no further harm comes to her." Kakashi bit his thumb to draw blood, weaved the signs for the summoning jutsu and then slammed his hand on the ground.

He vanished before the smoke from the summoning of rest of the ninken pack cleared, leaving Pakkun behind with his confused packmates...

...A few minutes passed with the ninken pack guarding their charge, trying their best to treat it like a regular bodyguard job and ignore the clearly hurt, heavily disfigured, and passed out child behind them.

Then Kakashi returned, appearing in the middle of some swirling leaves kicked up by his Body Flicker.

"It seems you were right, Pakkun. This girl, Aiki...is our 'Mask Guy'. My clone dug into the citizen registry over the past 10 years and only one record matched her...unique talents and unfortunate disfigurement.", Kakashi told Pakkun, he didn't bother to fill any details for the rest of his confused packmates.

"Hmm...she must be a recently orphaned kid of some clan less shinobi then. Her parents must have taught her Ninjutsu and survival skills...she HAS been living here for more than a couple weeks now. Can't blame her...Human pups are cruel to peers with tough circumstances...I wouldn't go to the orphanage either if I were her." Pakkun shook his head sagely, as he filled in the details based on the facts he knew.

"Intelligent as always Pakkun, perfectly piecing together the big picture from the little clues we found", Kakashi drawled in a teasing manner. "But, unfortunately for you, no amount of intelligence can predict the impossible. You were wrong, I told you she has unique talents."

Pakkun could almost smell Kakashi's improved mood. Since that was somewhat of a rarity...scratch that...too much of a rarity lately, he decided to indulge him some more. "Then enlighten me, Kakashi. I'm quite curious now." Pakkun spoke in a flat tone, just because he wanted to indulge Kakashi, didn't mean he had to be ecstatic about it.

"Unknown Origins. Suspected daughter of some woman from some brothel called Kiyomi-tei, only survivor after it's complete destruction on the night of Kyuubi's attack. That's how she got received those injuries too. Handed over to the Konoha Orphanage after treatment." Kakashi summarized what he learnt from his shadow clone's memories.

"I would have laughed at the irony of her being the sole survivor of the "House of Beauty" if it wasn't the harsh truth this girl's life...still that's not all, is it? Why did this little girl choose to brave the winter, alone and in the open, for half a month. Also if she has no clan affiliations or training, how did she even survive?" Pakkun prompted Kakashi to get to the interesting bits. Their time for this summoning session was running out and he hated the idea of going back without knowing more, now that he was so invested.

"Half a month huh...that certainly is a long time for a kid to survive on their own. She has been doing it for more than an year now." Kakashi said in a tone that couldn't be interpreted as a jest.

"WHAT? WHY?...HOW?" Pakkun asked, surprised.

"Her official records state she had a troubled time in the Orphanage...Lots of bullying, picked a lot of fights, classic Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Reactive Attachment Disorder. It got so bad that they had to keep her isolated and unstimulated for give or take an year. The day they let her loose, her fourth birthday...she fled. They searched for her for a few days, but since she wasn't anyone of note...they just stopped. And that's where her official records end. She has been living off the grid for more than an year now. The reason why she isn't marked dead and her file sealed are the occasional sightings and complaints registered with the Uchiha Military Police. Guess the MP had better things to do than chasing down some 5 year old that never messed with them in the first place."

"That STILL doesn't explain how she got away from the guards, why she was never found and how she survived? A kid her age and with no training can't overpower even a civilian adult, even if she did and later hid...the chakra sensors would have found her. Even if she somehow pulled that off, she would have died to hunger or exposure without anyone's help.", Pakkun pointed out.

"That's where her unique talents come in. It mentioned in her file that she had exceptionally good control over her chakra and also a natural talent for chakra sensing. And that's the end of solid and verified intel on her. Rest are just noteworthy incidents, psychological and physical profiles, and the like."

Pakkun still wasn't convinced so he asked Kakashi. "That explains her evading search parties. But still the question of her escape and continued survival remains. Also what about the elemental jutsus? I don't think a random orphan is getting sent jutsu scrolls."

"Whatever I'm going to tell you now is just my speculation, supported by the incidents mentioned in her file of course but still speculation. Her file mentions her lashing out against an orphanage staff member by 'administering a particularly strong static electricity shock' and that on the day of her escape the guard who tried to intercept her suffered minor burns on her palm with no further explaination provided for it." Kakashi said as he looked around as if searching for something.

His gaze swept over Aiki's camp and focused on the place under the tree where Aiki was sitting before Kakashi's attack. "Say Pakkun, did you find any weapons on the kid? A knife or something like that? Or a fire starter of some sort?", he asked and walked over to the place.

Pakkun was confident in his investigative skills and didn't take long to answer. "No, nothing like that. All she had on person were some random bits of wild herbs. Not even a wooden weapon around her, just sticks too short to be used as a club. Firewood most likely."

Kakashi nodded and bent down to feel the ground that was once under the sleeping Aiki and his eyes lit up with realization. "You said you didn't sense any lingering chakra around here right?"

Pakkun nodded again, "Yes, according to my senses no Ninjutsu have been used here for 3 hours. Akino can confirm that too." Akino nodded in confirmation.

Kakashi stood up, dusted his knees off and looked up the sky with a contemplative look in his eye. He then spoke, "My theory is that. Aiki has a Bloodline Limit that allows her to perform some form of nature release by using no chakra at all."

The entire ninken pack felt their eyes widen in surprise. "B-But Kakashi...I don't need to tell you the absurdity of what you just said. I am sure you can imagine how utterly world breaking that possibility is...so you better give some damn good reason for why you spouted out that nonsense.", all sense of humor had evaporated in an instant.

"A particularly powerful static electric shock sounds like a lightning release to me...unless a 4 year old kid consciously understood electrostatics and planned for it beforehand. Even if she did that, nothing explains her ability to burn the guard's hand. Not even the file had any explaination for it and it was compiled by the witness present at the scene. It had to be a nature release, one that used no chakra at all...the Orphanage staff has plenty of chakra sensors on the lookout for any promising young talent and none of her files mention the ability to use Ninjutsu." Kakashi explained.

Pakkun still wasn't convinced. "That still doesn't prove the NO chakra point. It's not impossible for kids to access their chakra on their own, especially for sensor types. Even the idea of fire and lightning being her natural affinity and her somehow learning some crude jutsus on her own is more believable than her doing it without chakra. The sensors are good, but it could be that she was out of range when she performed a jutsu...you know humans aren't too good at sensing the chakra that lingers after a jutsu. They could have missed it at the time and not be sensitive enough to find it out later."

Kakashi shook his head, "Then tell me this Pakkun, how did this girl survive for so long? You didn't find any weapon or fire starters on her and she definitely isn't strong enough to start a fire by smashing rocks or rubbing sticks, no untrained and malnourished five year old is. Even if she could, it's the winters and all her firewood is wet with sleet. There have been no reports of a kid running around with fire or crashing campsites for collecting embers in her file. Even if she were doing that...she has no kindling around and no way to make anymore without a proper knife or dry wood. The only explaination is her using a fire release technique to start the fire. Since you and Akino both confirmed there was no ninjutsu used here within 3 hours..." Kakashi left the last part hanging.

Pakkun tried to find more holes in Kakashi's logic, "Those items are hard to find but not impossible! She must have used a jutsu with such little chakra consumption that even our chakra senses can't pinpoint the residue chakra, or her control could be good enough to waste very little chakra...there are lots of explanations."

Kakashi pointed to the soft soil under the tree, "And she just happened to have to an affinity for 4 elements, maybe 5? That ground under the tree should be hard as a rock given it's location and the tree's roots binding the soil. Even if the top soil is softer now due to the snow, the sub soil isn't. She couldn't have dug that much earth out and softened it even in a month without some earth release technique. I suspect even her stealth could be attributed to some Wind manipulation to muffle the sounds of her footsteps and breathing. I don't know if she has some Water manipulation techniques on her too, but it wouldn't be too out of the ordinary with her record."

Pakkun was again quick to counter his point, "She could have started the fire and dug out the earth more than 3 hours before now. Her good chakra control and Naruto being relatively unharmed both point towards her using very small amount of chakra with little wastage. Our senses and your Sharingan are sharp Kakashi, but they are not perfect. Only a Hyuuga can truly confirm the absence of any chakra above the normal ambient chakra levels. The absurd idea of her somehow learning to draw on her chakra and learning a few ninjutsu by herself is still more believable than her manipulating nature without any chakra consumption."

Pakkun wanted to argue more but he felt the summoning session coming to an end. "Well anyways Kakashi, her situation is truly unique. Let the Hokage know about it and see if he can arrange some sensors to confirm or deny your theory. We need to leave now but summon us again if you need us."

With that the entire Ninken teleported back to their home with a cloud of white smoke covering their exit.

Kakashi was alone now, with his thoughts and he still couldn't shake off the feeling that the situation at hand wasn't as easy explained as Pakkun had tried to...afterall his ninken had never missed their mark when it came to sensing and tracking.

"Guess I won't get a clear answer unless the kid herself lays it all out for me. Something tells me she isn't one for trusting anyone easily though." Kakashi walked over to the crumpled form of Aiki and gently picked her up.

He propped her up gently, in a sitting position not unlike the one she was sleeping in before Kakashi intruded on her "home".

"Kushina-san you would have probably adopted her before you even knew what her story even was. Obito would waste no time in connecting with her...he always was a favorite with kids.", Kakashi let himself smile a little as he pulled out a roll of clean white bandages.

"Rin...I wish you were here. You could have taken her pain away in the blink of an eye.", he picked up the driest, straightest and sturdiest piece of wood he could find around and carefully realigned Aiki's bone. Luckily her bone had broken cleanly and not shattered so Kakashi's ANBU basic First-Aid knowledge was enough to treat her injury.

"Sensei...I wish you were here to guide me. I wish everyone was here with me...But it's only me here, and right now she needs me. So I will just have to stay here and do my best like you did.", his melancholic expression was hidden behind his mask. He unsealed the contents of a logistical scroll and placed the unsealed preserved food bundled in cloth at her side, all the while reminiscing about the meals he used to have his sensei, his team and Kushina.

He gently adjusted Aiki's posture to make sure she would be comfortable, not fall over in her sleep, and find the food he left for her first thing after waking up. He even layered another genjutsu on top of his previous one he had casted on Aiki, to make sure she experienced nothing worse than a dreamless sleep.

With his work done, he turned around and was about to leave to the Hokage's office when something clicked in his mind. His thoughts went back to the conclusion he had come to after healing Aiki. "It's only me here, and right now she needs me. So I will just have to stay here and do my best like you did."

His eyes widened in realization."She needed me...the village needs me."

The old Hokage's words from before he even started the mission came to his mind. "The tree that falls to feed the fire is reborn equally in both warm light and ashy soot."

"And to think I dismissed his wisdom as the senility of a tired and withering old man, when the only one crazy enough to not realize the truth was me.", Kakashi thought with a chuckle.

With that final thought he body flickered away to the Hokage's office for a debriefing.

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Back at the Hokage's office, Kakashi told the Hokage about the events of his mission. His planning, his investigation, his conclusions, and Aiki's special condition.

Hiruzen listened to it all and as a testament to his long political career, didn't show any of his thoughts or feelings on his face. It was perfectly neutral, even during Kakashi's fantastical theory about Aiki's abilities. As Hokage, he had heard and seen worse.

Finally, Hiruzen spoke in a somewhat melancholic tone. "Did you know Kakashi, that it was me who found her in the wreckage of her home, surrounded by embers, barely clinging to life? I held little Naruto in one hand and little Aiki in the other and rushed them to the hospital...They weren't even sure Aiki-chan would survive the night much less grow older."

Kakashi knew it was more the old man reminiscing and less him asking a question, so he let him have his moment.

Hiruzen spoke after a brief pause, "To think her life has been so hard...I knew it couldn't have been easy, but to be treated like that in the Orphanage, a place where we cultivate our next generation of patriots, defenders and heros...I am not privy to the ROOT's mental conditioning programs but what she went through has to be comparable. It seems I need to add not just caretakers but child psychology specialists to the Orphanage's permanent roster as well...if someone with those skills exist in the first place."

Hiruzen had let himself enjoy a moment of human empathy and feel sadness for the fate of the little girl whose life he had saved with his own hands and of many kids who might have suffered similarly to her...but a moment is all he could afford. He was a kind man by nature, but the weight of the hat on his head meant that kindness, compassion, and sympathy were rare luxuries for him.

His face became stern again. He leaned forward in his chair and rested his chin on his hands, arms resting on his table. "Kakashi, if what you suggest is true, then that child is someone we need to keep close to us. Her talent is worth cultivating...we will need her to join the Ninja Academy."

Kakashi agreed, even if it wasn't some chakra less jutsu she was using...using any jutsu without training at her age was a sign of genius. The Hokage was Hokage because he had many powerful supporters, so it was natural for Hiruzen to look out for rare talents and bring them under his influence.

The Hokage, after a minute of planning and scheming said to Kakashi, "Let us leave her to her devices for a few days, you have fixed her injury to a state where she shouldn't be in a danger of death, infection or limb loss due to improper healing of bones. For a child her age and one who has lived the way she had...accepting kindness can be difficult. She is fiercely independent and would build walls against us if we pressured her too hard too quick."

Kakashi didn't like the idea of leaving a child neglected and Hiruzen must have seen it on his face. Hiruzen spoke to reassure Kakashi, "Kakashi, unless we are someone who she can feel a deep...almost instinctive connection to, there is nothing we can do except slowly build trust. Last I checked both of us were grown men...not her 'fellow neglected children'.

Seeing Kakashi had relaxed, Hiruzen further laid out his plan, "After a few days, I'll send some charismatic Medical Ninja...preferably someone who had experience with children. The ninja can then explain how we found out about her and left her some food. By that point she would have learnt without a shadow of doubt that the food was not poisoned and as only left as a gesture of good will. The ninja will then take her to a medical ward where he will probe her about her abilities and ask for a demonstration after healing her injuries. There should be enough trust built between us at that point for her to not hold back her abilities. I will have a Hyuuga, a Yamanaka and an Aburame hiding in the room and monitoring her chakra system and output to test your theory. We can then plant the idea of becoming a Shinobi in her mind, seal the deal with offering her more independence in the form of her own home and stipend."

Kakashi couldn't find any flaws in the plan so he stayed silent and nodded in agreement. Then he remembered Naruto and asked Hiruzen, "Hokage-sama, I don't think little Aiki would want to meet Naruto again after their 'battle' today...but isn't Naruto dead set on bringing her some food to make up for his mistakes?"

Hiruzen's face darkened for a second but soon became neutral. "Well...that's certainly something we will have to plan for, but it is not an immediate problem. By the time of Academy enrollment, we can have the psychologists help her 'reinterpret' her duel with Naruto...maybe remember or forget some crucial details. Also kids fighting should naturally stop once they grow up to become comrades in the service of the leaf if the academy does it's job well."

Kakashi didn't particularly like that detail, but there was nothing he could do about it, it was the best anyone could do in the Hokage's place with the resources and knowledge they had.

Hiruzen chuckled a bit as he remembered Naruto's bright and smiling face, "As for Naruto-kun, he is sleeping in the ANBU base 4, yes? I don't think he will be able to leave his accommodations till you bring him out yourself. That base might only house Chunin or below ranked rookie ANBUs, but they should be more than enough to keep him under surveillance. Inexperienced they may be...but even they realize the problem behind letting a kid know the location of ANBU bases. Let Naruto live under their protection for a few days...in the meanwhile I'll search for some better and more independent accommodation for him."

Now that the stressful incident was neatly wrapped up, Hiruzen let out a long breath and looked at Kakashi, "Now, Jounin Hatake Kakashi, what would be your final remarks for this mission? Nothing for the files, this one is just between us."

Kakashi got a contemplative look in his eyes as he collected his thoughts. Finally he answered, "I finally understand what you wanted to teach me Lord Hokage. 'The tree that falls to feed the fire is reborn equally in both warm light and ashy soot.' Today...I finally realized that the village and those in it, need me to be there for them...especially in these trying times when we are left with less and less pillars of support the people can rest their hopes on."

Hiruzen smiled and Kakashi concluded his thoughts with a final statement, "It is time, Lord Hokage...for the tree that is me to be reborn into the light that the village can use to keep the darkness at bay, in the fires of my duty as one of Konoha's loyal protector."

The Old Hokage looked at Kakashi with a satisfied smile and gave him a single nod. "Your life lately, as an ANBU and a ROOT agent before that, has left you little more than a mindless drone. A far cry from your younger days. Contrary to what my old friend believes, being a mindless drone doesn't make you an elite Ninja, it only kills your potential. Well done learning it on your own, dismissed!"

Kakashi deployed a smoke bomb and used the smoke as the cover to once more don his ANBU gear and disappear into the shadows of the Hokage's office.

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(The next day, Naruto's P.O.V.)

Naruto woke up to an unfamiliar ceiling.

It took him some time to rub the unnaturally deep sleep out of his eyes but once he did, the events of the previous day played in his head again.

A bunch of conflicting emotions flashed on his face in rapid succession as the information resurfaced in his mind. His brain finally unpacked the things he said and things that were said to him now that he was no longer in fight or flight mode. He remembered Aiki's declaration, his disgust and sadness, and Hiruzen's words of support and kindness.

"I AM GOING TO SMASH YOU INTO THE GROUND YOU THIEF!"

"Why do you laugh? Are you that eager to die, whelp?"

"That is my story, remember it after I'm gone...NOW DO YOUR WORST!"

"Naruto-kun, you must believe me...YOU are NOT a demon."

"They will definitely stop hating you Naruto, one day they will."

"BUT TOMORROW EVENING I'LL DEFINITELY BRING HIM SOMETHING TO EAT OK?"

"That's right! I need to bring some food for Aiki and tell her I am sorry for hurting her! But...", he tried to look for a window but there were none in the room.

After a little more searching (that involved tilting his head back and looking up) he found the next best thing, a digital clock.

The time, 3:48 PM.

"WHAAAT? I SLEPT FOR SO LONG? IT'S WAYYYY PAST LUNCH TIME NOW!", he cried out in surprise.

He ran to the door but before he could reach it, an ANBU agent body-flickered right in front of him. Naruto slammed into him and fell back down on his back. He rose with a screech of annoyance and pain and stood up to meet the ANBU agent's eyes.

"I'm Squirrel, sorry little guy but we can't let you leave this place without Wolf's or the Hokage's permission.", the agent said in a flat but not hostile voice.

"NO WAY! Hokage-Jiji told me it was OK to bring some food over to my friend! And I don't even know Wolf, he just brought me here and disappeared!", Naruto pleaded his case.

"Oh? That true?" Squirrel asked in an amused tone, clearly taking joy in Naruto's childish antics.

"Yeah! Yeah! That's true! I'm not lying, believe it!", Naruto spoke with his chin held high, hands folded, and back straight in a pose that exuded an aura of confidence.

"Uh Huh...I believe you buddy. But my boss is the Hokage and until he orders me directly, I can't let you leave.", Squirrel shrugged and Naruto's face scrunched up.

"B-BU-BUT...I need to go out! I can't stay inside, I need to go out and make up with Aiki-chan.", Naruto tried to reason with Squirrel.

"Like I said little guy, but just like you need to go out...I need to keep you in. It's my job", Squirrel shook his?...her?...head.

"Then...THEN I'LL JUST RUN AWAY WITHOUT YOU KNOWING", Naruto shouted out a challenge.

"Awww! That's so cute! Sure kid, you are welcome try to sneak away...but don't cry when you fail, OK?", Squirrel reached out and ruffled Naruto's hair.

By the time Naruto looked up after squirming away from Squirrel's grip, only Naruto was left in the room.

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(Naruto's P.O.V. continued)

Naruto wasn't sure how much time had passed, only that the sun was starting to go down.

His escape attempt had taken long, but he had finally done it. He even had fun doing it, he supposed he could even sneak back in there sometime in the future to play some pranks or the like.

But right now, he had more important things to do. Such as making his way to his favorite place in Konoha, his favorite shop.

Soon, the shop came in view. The kanji on the sign was something Naruto still couldn't read but he knew what it said, 'Ichiraku Ramen'.

He bent under the curtains and sat in a stool. "Old Man Teuchi! Good Evening! Gimme 3 Miso Ramen with Chashu."

Teuchi dropped the dough in his hand, looked up from a board loaded with handmade noodles, and smiled, "Oh! Welcome Naruto! You extra hungry today? You normally only order 2...Sure you can finish all 3 bowls on your own?"

Naruto realized his mistake and sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, "Ah! Uncle Teuchi, I'll only eat two. Please make the third ramen to go."

Ayame peeked out from the main kitchen's door and asked Naruto with with a teasing smile, "Whaaat? Naruto-kun did you make a new friend? You taking some ramen to your little friend? C'mon don't be shy, tell big sister everything!" She came to the counter and cupped his face in her hands.

Naruto looked down flustered for a second, "N-No! Ayame nee-chan, I met a few new people but nobody wanted to be friends with me...I'm just taking the Ramen over to a girl I beat up yesterday to show her that I'm sorry."

Teuchi hid his shock well but Ayame was horrified. She let go of his face and put her hands on her sides, "UZUMAKI NARUTO! I did NOT just hear you say you beat up some poor girl! You better have some very good reason for your actions mister, or I'm going to be VERY angry!"

Naruto flinched under Ayame's scolding but gathered some courage by vigorously shaking his head. "B-but she beat me up too Nee-chan! She attacked me first! I promise!"

Ayame's anger deflated. She rested her palm on top of his head and ruffled his hair.

Now it was Teuchi's turn to ask questions. "Calm down Ayame, kids get into fights all the time. But Naruto, you have never said anything about getting into fights with kids before. How did it even start?" Teuchi asked without looking up form the stock pot he was currently stirring.

Naruto looked down in shame, "I was hungry yesterday evening...and I smelled her cooking something in the forest...so I just...found and ate her food without her permission. She got mad and we got into a fight."

Ayame looked at Naruto with a sad expression. "Naruto...no wonder she was angry, you basically stole from her. You know that's bad right?" Naruto nodded.

Teuchi also stepped forward to stand with his daughter, "I have already told you Naruto, you can always come here when you are hungry...I'm not very rich, but feeding just one kid won't leave me bankrupt." Ayame too nodded in agreement.

Seeing that Naruto was clearly remorseful for his actions, Ayame changed the topic. "Anyway, it's a good idea to bring her some food as an apology...but are you sure she likes your favorite type of ramen? Are you sure she has no allergies?"

Naruto's face scrunched up again and he looked at Ayame with squinty eyes "I don't know what an allergy is Nee-chan, but why wouldn't Miso Ramen be anyone's favorite?"

Teuchi laughed, Ayame laughed too, and Naruto went with the flow of the good mood and chuckled too.

"That's my boy, Naruto! There is no way Ichiraku's Ramen isn't the best in the world! Well said! Very well said! Such genius must be rewarded!", Teuchi patted Naruto's back and put an extra serving of Chashu pork in Naruto's bowl.

Ayame thought of something and quickly disappeared behind the restaurant's back door. She came back a few minutes later when Naruto was nearly done with his meal.

"Naruto-kun, you want to be friends with this girl?", she asked.

Naruto looked up from the still steaming bowl, a sign of uncharacteristically deep contemplation flashed in his eyes. "Y-Yes Nee-chan, I would like if she forgave me and became my friend."

Ayame kept one of her hands behind her back and cupped Naruto's cheek with the other, "Good Boy! In that case, Big Sister here will help you...here, take this with you."

She reached out with the hand she had kept hidden and put it's content on the counter in front of Naruto.

Naruto picked the item and looked it over once, "A chain? What's that gonna do?"

Ayame chuckled, "No Naruto! That's a necklace...something I bought off some stall at the Rinne festival when I was around your age. It's not too fancy, but it will help you convince your little lady friend of your sincerity. Everybody likes gifts right?"

Naruto looked convinced but after a few seconds of thinking, he asked Ayame again, "But Nee-chan...what if she is still angry with me?"

Ayame nodded her head in a sagely manner, "Hmmm...That's a good question. In that case, you should just say something nice to her! Ain't a person out there who doesn't like compliments. It always works with father...whenever he is angry, I just tell him that he is better than the Daimyo's chef and it always calms him down."

Teuchi grunted in annoyance at that but Ayame only chuckled. Naruto finished eating and Teuchi put the neatly packed bowl of Take-out Ramen on the counter for him.

"Thank you very much Uncle Teuchi and Ayame Nee-chan!" He pulled out the money he got from the Hokage and placed it on the shop's counter. "Here! I have some money today."

Teuchi initially refused to accept it but after Naruto's insistence, he accepted it.

"Naruto, bring your friend with you next time! The food will be on the house!" Teuchi told Naruto, who was already running away form the shop.

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(Naruto's P.O.V. continued)

Naruto made his way to Aiki's camp as fast as he could, lest the Ramen cools down.

By the time he was close, it was already evening and the twilight sky looked down at him. It was a good day for apologies, ramen, and gifts, Naruto thought.

But as he drew closer still, he got a bad feeling. So he abandoned his previous plan of rushing in and opening the conversation with a loud and cheerful declaration of his intentions and instead chose to sneak over to her location.

That's when he heard it, a sharp painful scream in a familiar voice...followed by cruel laughter.

"Aiki-chan!", Naruto's thoughts ran wild and none of them could connect her screams and that vile laughter to anything positive.

So he made his way over to her as swiftly and silently as he could.

And there he saw it.

A group of four older boys were standing around Aiki, each pinning one of her limbs to the ground with a wooden stick.

"Got us good with that zapping stuff you pulled but we ain't soft enough to be going down with a touch, BITCH!", one of them screamed to Aiki and spat on her after that.

"Quit screaming Bitch, ain't nobody coming to save you. You's a pest! We's just cleaning house is all." another cruelly chuckled.

"I say we crack another leg or arm or some, be better than cracking her ribs again...not as fun the second time around.", the third looked to the last guy.

"Right you are, make the little shit last longer too. Don't want her kicking it too soon.", the last one said in a sadistic tone.

Aiki just gritted her teeth and whimpered in pain through them...it did little to kill the pain or stop her tears.

"I-I have to do something...gotta think of some way to help her...Yes, I will help her...I can't say sorry to her if they kill her.", his gaze hardened.

"But what can I even do? They have sticks...there is four of them...I can't beat them all! Even if I picked up the rocks around here and hit someone on the head...the other 3 will get me...", his thoughts ran fast under the pressure of his situation.

Then it clicked! An idea formed in his head. "I don't have to defeat them, I just have to save Aiki...yeah I can do that. The Ramen is still hot with how fast I ran here."

He stealthily made his way behind the bunch of thugs and climbed the nearest tree to position himself on top of them. They were so drunk on the thrill of their sadism that they never noticed him.

Seconds later, all four of them screamed out in pain as hot spicy ramen made contact with their naked skin and naked eyes.

Naruto knew it wouldn't distract them for too long, but this was the best chance he was going to get.

He dropped down, landed on all fours, and struck the one closest to him with all his strength on his leg with a stone he had picked off the ground.

By now Aiki had processed the change in situation...but it did little to make her feel better.

"Y-you?", she wheezed out despite the pain speaking caused her. "Why is he here now? As if things weren't bad enough! Is her here to finish what he couldn't yesterday?", her thoughts raced in panic.

"Aiki-chan! We need to run now!", Naruto screamed at her. His bright blue eyes were full of fear and worry and his words were heavy with urgency. He extended his arm for Aiki to take.

But Aiki was still too scared...faced with certain death and potential death, she froze and she teared up from pain and shock.

"I..I am sorry Aiki-chan but we have no time!", Naruto reached out...

...and lifted Aiki in his arms, then ran away as fast as he could.

Aiki was dumbstruck (not that she could say much with her lungs slowly filling with her own blood under the prick of her own broken ribs) and her eyes stayed fixated on Naruto's face strained with effort and fear.

For as far back as Aiki could remember her days, she had always hated any form of human contact because it flooded her mind with ideas and feelings of self loathing, pain and disgust.

She squirmed under Naruto's grip and mentally prepared herself for the incoming tsunami of negative emotions.

A moment passed, then another...but it never came. Instead she felt...warm?

She didn't quite had a word for this feeling. Sure she had read a lot of books and came across all sort of terms for different emotions. But she had never expierenced this one before. To ask her to give a name to it would be to ask a blind man the color of the sky.

All she knew was it wrapped her like a soft blanket, the campfire's warmth, the satisfaction of a good meal, the rest of a long sleep, the pride of knowing more than yesterday...It was something that made her feel safe. It made her think for the first time since laying her eyes on the vast open world, that life was worth living and not just worth surviving.

That feeling was a bastion of protection, a desire for connection, a hand extended in friendship, a shoulder to cry on, a promise that she wasn't alone in her suffering, and much...much more.

It was too overwhelming for Aiki, and she could still only look at Naruto dumbstruck as he carried her to safety, though she stopped squirming.

Left alone with her thoughts and after finally having experienced both ends of the feelings spectrum for the first time in her more than 5 years of life...the realization of her being able to sense not only people's chakra but also their intent on contact with her flashed in her mind.

"What...does this mean? He doesn't hate me...he wants to protect me? Me?...Why?...His chakra feels the same as yesterday, it's definitely the same guy...then why is he saving me now? What was yesterday all about?", she silently thought...if only to distract herself from her pain.

At the same time, Naruto had his mind focused on running away and any sign of pursuers. He had felt them chasing him for a while but they had soon given up, which in his books was A-OK.

He kept running and running till he couldn't run anymore. Not because he was tired, but because they had reached the edge of the Naka river and he didn't want to wade through the freezing water while carrying a hurt Aiki. He looked up and noticed that the sun had almost set, the sky red.

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He set Aiki down on the ground and propped her up in a sitting position against a giant round boulder on the river bank. He tried to stand up but didn't when Aiki silently refused to let go of his hand. So, he sat down on the ground too, facing her.

"Aiki-chan...I...", he tried to speak but words wouldn't come out. The memory of his actions came back to him and he couldn't help but blame himself for her current state.

He sat there, his eyes boring a hole into the ground and his form compressed under the weight of his guilt.

Then...he felt a touch on his face. Cold fingers brushed his whiskered cheek and suddenly he could think straight again.

He looked up to find Aiki's hand on his face.

She opened her mouth...but ended up spitting out a mouthful of blood and breaking into a coughing fit that caused her great pain.

Naruto tried to reach out to her but her squeezing his hand in her tight grip stopped him.

With great effort, Aiki collected herself and finally spoke. "Tell me everything...Naruto."

Naruto had tears in his eyes at this point, he was afraid for her safety...but the weight of her concise words, spoken with great effort was something even he with his meager intellect could feel.

"Aiki-chan...I know everyone in the village hates me. They insult me, they hurt me, they even attack me...celebrating my birthday is impossible for me, people have done horrible things to me when they found me doing so. But I'm always happy and know that the future will be better so I never stay sad for too long. Sometimes people even broke into the Orphanage and destroyed my stuff, the big brothers and sisters there would never help me. But I'm not too smart so I just end up forgetting these things. I always smile even things are tough because I will be Hokage one day!", he said with a bright laugh...

...but that laugh soon devolved into choked sobs. "But...that's a lie. I ignore how sad their hatred makes me, but it comes back to me in my dreams every night. I am a human too...not some..DEMON! I feel sad when someone hurts me too! Whenever other kids refuse to play with me, people ignore me, shopkeepers refuse to sell to me...I feel lonely, I feel sad, I feel hurt! Sometimes I'm so lonely that I cry myself to sleep! I am not smart but I remember things...sometimes, I HATE EVERYONE for hurting me for treating me like I'm not human!"

At this point tears freely flowed down Naruto's face, but he didn't stop speaking. "You know the worst part Aiki-chan. Some nights...I think they might be right. And now that you and me both saw the...thing...sealed inside of me...how can that not be true! I feel less than human...like a cold or a flu! When that happens I shout out to everyone but most of all to myself that I'll be Hokage, that I'll be the strongest! It helps me remind myself that I didn't ask for any of this. I don't want to be sad, I don't want to be alone, I don't want to be hated! What's so wrong about that?"

He finally wiped his eyes with his sleeve and his face bore a soft, sympathetic expression. "Aiki-chan...I remember everything you told me after I hurt you. I deserve it all, I'm a monster for hurting you. But...I don't want to be that. I am NOT that. I know the pain of loneliness and hatred! I know how much worse it feels when we must bear that pain when we never asked for it. Believe me when I tell you, I never knew of the demon inside of me...I only learned of it after I hurt you. I was told to keep it a secret...but I don't want to keep anything a secret between us. We have lived the same life...It has been hard...but I finally have someone who understands me! I don't want to be lonely anymore, Aiki-chan."

He smiled brightly, despite the tear marks on his cheeks. He lifted the hand that was not in Aiki's grip and used it to lightly grab her shoulder. "Aiki-chan, I am sorry for hurting you...and I really want to be your friend. I'll even take you to my favorite Ramen shop for lunch if you agree!"

Aiki had heard his every word and felt his sincerity through her senses.

If it were anyone else, she would have dismissed them...but there was something about Naruto that captivated her. His words had found their mark in her heart, despite how guarded it was. Maybe it was the warmth he gave her that she had never experienced before, maybe it was the truth of them being the only people they could relate to, maybe it was a mixture of both, or maybe it was none of it.

It didn't matter.

What mattered, was Aiki feeling his words resonating with her and his warmth shattering the walls in her heart.

In that moment, Naruto was all Aiki could think of.

And then she realized, it was all she wanted to think about now. For that first time...she had felt his comforting warmth, she had felt the joy of not being alone, and she had felt happiness. She never wanted to let it go now.

Her thoughts were broken by feeling of something dragging down her face. She reached up with her fingers to trace it's path and found that it was water.

No, it was tears. She was crying.

But for the first time, she cried out of happiness. She had only ever read about it before...never experienced it for herself.

She decided she didn't want to stop crying...after all only Naruto was there to see her. She didn't want to keep any secrets from him as well.

Naruto saw her burst into tears and assumed the worst. "I am sorry Aiki-chan but...", his ramblings were cut short by her finger held against his lips.

That's when Naruto noticed...Aiki was smiling. Through bloody lips and teeth, she was smiling. A sweet, happy smile.

She opened her mouth to speak but only more blood came out. After spitting it all out, she painfully wheezed in a breathe to choke out some words.

"Naruto...want...be...friend...too." She picked up his hand that was in her grip and brought it up to her teary face. "H..happy", she wheezed out with great effort as he nuzzled his hand.

Naruto was shocked for a second but soon beamed brighter than the setting sun at his back. "I'm happy too Aiki-chan. I am so happy to have made a friend! We will never be alone now!"

Aiki smiled too...but suddenly the pain in her chest got much worse.

She coughed up a large amount of blood and it hurt her lungs even more. "I'm going to die! After everything I'm going to die!...But this time...I don't feel so bad! I even made a friend...I made an impact on the world! Someone will remember me!", Aiki made peace with her end.

Naruto was VERY scared for his friend's safety now. He didn't understand the concept of internal injuries being deadly due to the Kyuubi's Yang chakra healing all such damages for him, but even he knew that her worsening condition couldn't lead to anything good.

"AIKI-CHAN?! AIKI-CHAN WHAT IS HAPPENING? PLEASE DON'T DIE! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME!" Naruto shouted in desperation but was silenced once more by Aiki's finger against his lips. He looked down at her teary eyed.

Despite great pain and with great effort, she gulped in a breathe of air to properly speak out her final words.

"Naruto...I'm ugly, I'm unwanted, I'm broken...but you are my first friend...remember me, forever." She wheezed after giving Naruto her final goodbyes and this time blood didn't stop seeping from between her clenched teeth and closed lips. But she didn't close her eyes, she wanted the face of Naruto to be last thing she saw before she left the world she so loved.

Naruto was heartbroken.

But in that moment of sadness, he remembered Ayame's words. "Everybody likes gifts right?...Ain't a person out there who doesn't like compliments."

Slowly, he dug into his pocket and pulled out the necklace Ayame had given her and put it around Aiki's neck.

He choked out between sobs, "Aiki-chan...I brought you some Ramen...to say sorry...but I ended up wasting it on those thugs...so this is my gift to you instead. It's a necklace...not a chain...even though it looks like it."

Aiki was still conscious and found Naruto's gift and words very endearing. She again felt sad that she had to die so soon after finally finding happiness.

For the first time in her life, her face softened truly and tears flowed from her eyes.

She smiled a soft bloody smile and her green eyes shined brightly in the setting sun's light for the first time since her happy baby days so many years back.

Burnt though it was, her face was that of her mother. A woman who was famous for her beauty.

In that moment Naruto saw her final serene smile, her face and her bright eyes and only thing came to his mind.

"Beautiful", he mumbled absentmindedly.

He took Aiki's hand and bent over to give her his final goodbyes. "Aiki-chan...you are my first friend too...you are not broken, you are perfect the way you are...you are not unwanted, I want to be with you, you are my friend...and you are definitely not ugly...to me you are the most beautiful in the world...believe it!"

He said with after a final hiccup, "I'll always remember you Aiki-chan! You will always be special to me...Good Night!".

Aiki heard it all, then closed her eyes.

Naruto held her, to lay her down to rest..but suddenly a couple ANBU agents appeared in front of him...Wolf was one of them, but he didn't knew the other one.

Without a word, the unknown ANBU started hovering his hand over Aiki's chest with a hands coated in a green light. Naruto stood shocked for a whole minute before he reacted.

"Wha-", Naruto's question died on his lips when Wolf and the other ANBU, grabbed Aiki and vanished in a body flicker...only a single note lying at the place where he stood.

Naruto scrambled to it as if it was his lifeline in the deep sea. He opened it and thankfully it was written in simple to read Hiragana.

"Taking her to Hospital, go to Lord Hokage. He will take you to see her." it read.

Naruto didn't need anymore instructions. He stood up and sprinted to the Hokage's office.

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(Next day, Konoha Central Hospital, I.C.U., Aiki's P.O.V.)

Aiki opened her eyes.

Then promptly closed them, it was too bright.

Not only that, it smelled too clean...too sharp. The ground felt too soft and the air wasn't cold enough.

She tried to turn on her side and go back to sleep...but something was wrong...She couldn't move, she was tied.

Her eyelids flew open in a panic, a high pitched beeping bore into her skull like a wooden stake into a fish's gut.

A pair of weathered but firm hands pinned her to the bed, not maliciously (from the intent she could sense off of their touch) but certainly with overwhelming power.

"Calm down, Aiki-chan...you are in a hospital. You are safe here, we have healed your injuries. You were found with Naruto, and we brought you here after that.", someone spoke to her in an old and kind voice.

She calmed down at once. If her chakra senses were to be believed, and they should be...then this old man was a monster no less terrifying than the one that had broken her leg 2 days back.

"Thank you little one, for hearing me out. It always warms this old man's heart to see well mannered children.", she felt the old man lifting his hands off of her.

By now her eyes were adjusted to the bright hospital lights and she raised her head, only to find her face to face with the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Greetings Lord Hokage." she spoke, happily surprised to find that it no longer hurt to speak or breathe.

"You know of me?", the Hokage asked surprised.

"Yes sir, I read about you and the village in the library. The one in the Civilian School district", she told him.

"Oh! Very Good! I am always happy to see kids of my village learning and growing, that's the job of the Hokage afterall.", he nodded with a smile on his face.

Aiki decided to cut to the point, "Thank you for helping me Lord Hokage, but I don't think I would be of any use to you."

The Hokage gave Aiki a sad smile, "Little Aiki, I am not here because I need anything from you...you know Naruto, right?"

Aiki heard the word Naruto and blushed violently, remembering the events of last night.

"Y-Yes Lord Hokage...we are f-friends." She stammered out, feeling herself grow smaller than she already was.

The Hokage chuckled at that, "I'm happy to know that. You see, Naruto is something like a grandson to me. So when I found that you, his friend was hurt...I just wanted to help out and meet you myself."

Aiki furrowed her brow at that, "You found out pretty fast Lord Hokage, I was certain I was going to die."

The Hokage only laughed again, "Well, Aiki-chan. I AM the Hokage, it is kind of my job to aware of what happens in my village at all times, yes?"

Aiki couldn't disagree.

The Hokage spoke once more, but his tone was a little serious this time. "I also wanted to talk to you about Naruto's...condition."

Aiki gulped at the increased pressure in the room and only nodded to Hiruzen's question.

"I am aware you have been attacked by the demon sealed inside Naruto. Aiki-chan, Naruto's condition is rather unique...one that should be kept hidden for Naruto's and the village's safety. I assure you Naruto was not aware of his...tenant...and it's attack on you was purely accidental and a result of extreme fight or flight response. It was something outside Naruto's control. I request you to please never reveal Naruto's secret to anyone and to not hate Naruto for his actions." The Hokage said and then sighed heavily.

Aiki only smiled and spoke, "Lord Hokage, If it's for Naruto's safety then I will keep any secret! As for hating him...I can't hate him my lord, even if you told me to do so. I have come to...cherish him. He is my first friend after all.", she ended her words with a blush on her face...hardly visible under her leathery skin but undeniably there.

The Hokage chuckled, "That's very reassuring Aiki-chan, I'm glad Naruto made such a good friend."

After that the Hokage looked like he was contemplating something for a few seconds. Finally he spoke, "Say Aiki-chan, Naruto is going to join the Ninja Academy next year. I'm sure you know about the academy and Ninjas?" Aiki nodded in affirmative.

Hiruzen continued, "The Ninja Academy will be grueling...it only has a passing rate of 10%. The life of a Ninja in active duty is even more perilous. It would bring me great comfort if Naruto had a close friend to support him on this journey he has made up his mind to undertake. Will you be willing to become a Ninja with Naruto, Aiki-chan? I will provide both you and Naruto your own home where you will have to answer to no one but the landlord and only regarding rent. I will even provide you both money for your monthly expenses, rent included...till you graduate and start taking missions."

Aiki could tell Hiruzen wasn't being 100% truthful, but she didn't care! "If it's to support Naruto...I will go anywhere! Even hell! The Academy will not be an issue. I will do anything for him...I want to be the closest to him", she said the last part out with a light chuckle.

Hiruzen didn't miss it, but didn't point it out either. "That's great Aiki-chan, you really helped this old man out! Now I'll leave and let Naruto-kun in to meet you...I'm sure you both have things you want to talk about. By the time you are out of the hospital, both you and Naruto will have your own personal apartments, ready and waiting for you to move in."

Hiruzen suddenly stopped as if he just remembered something. "Oh also Aiki-chan, some doctors will come over later to walk you through some simple tests, needed to gauge the aspirant's abilities before they join the Ninja Academy. Please co-operate with them."

Hiruzen then walked to the door and opened it. Before he could leave, a yellow blur ran past him and stopped at Aiki's bed.

"Aiki-Chan!" Naruto cried out, with tears in his eyes.

"Naruto!" Aiki greeted him with her sweetest smile.

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(Hokage's office, Hiruzen's P.O.V.)

"I can't believe Naruto gave the ANBU the slip!", Kakashi facepalmed in disbelief.

"Well..don't forget who that kid's father is, Kakashi. But yes, it seems he has a natural talent for evasion...Inexperienced ANBU won't cut it anymore", said Hiruzen and went back to taking a drag of his pipe.

"It's a good thing I checked in on Naruto using the telescope jutsu, when I did. Not only did it save Naruto, but Aiki's life too. Speaking of which, what of the 4 teenagers who attacked Aiki?", he let out another puff.

"I incapacitated them in the most efficient way possible, and handed them over to the Uchiha MP after staunching their bleeding. Both of the kid's were spared the sight, though I supposed Aiki might have sensed me.", Kakashi said coolly.

"It ended up surprisingly well for us, that Naruto has his father's talent with words and his mother's way to open up anyone's heart. He will become a fine Hokage one day", Hiruzen said with a smile. "Now we have another potentially talented girl attending the academy and what's more is that she likes Naruto. It's would be a good thing if others in the Academy could befriend him too...let him grow ties with the village and it's people. Though that seems to be more and more impossible as days go by."

The Hokage sighed then shifted his tone to a more serious one, "Anyway that's in the future. Right now we need to discuss Naruto's security detail."

"Whatever Lord Hokage orders, shall be done.", Kakashi spoke in his practiced ANBU monotone.

"It is clear we will need highly capable agents to maintain surveillance on him from now on...we cannot have another incident of him sneaking away from under the ANBU's noses like that. This time was safe...but next time it could be a case of abduction. That's why I have decided to put you in charge of this task.", Hiruzen spoke in his business tone.

"Me, Lord Hokage?" Kakashi asked, a bit confused at this term of events.

"You are indeed one of our most valuable agents Kakashi, but like you realized earlier...it is time for you to leave the darkness and slowly come to light. I believe the first step on that journey would be to confront your past...that would be your sensei's son, Naruto. Keep an eye on him, keep him safe, even if you don't interact with him...it will bring you clarity.", the Hokage explained.

"As you command, Lord Hokage." Kakashi knelt down and accepted his orders.