Title: Black Dirt

Author: Fenikkusu Ai

Rating: T

Fandom: Naruto

Characters: Kabuto, Orochimaru, Sasuke, Ibiki, OC

Words: 2,342

Genre: Suspense/Hurt/Comfort

Summary: What had Misaki done to be locked away? The man with the glasses wouldn't tell her, the sullen youth doesn't want to get involved, and the man with the sweep of dark hair sent chills down her spine. Amnesia. Kabuto x OC x Orochimaru.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Misaki gaped at the man in front of her. All at once her eyes were full of halos before they gradually shrank back. She blinked her eyes to help facilitate the process.

So, here in front of her, was Captain Yamato. Sakura had talked about him once. Apparently, she learned that he possessed a special jutsu. He was a member of ANBU as well as Sai, however, they had never met each other until this moment.

Misaki noticed that the light was piled thick around him like foliage and was as high as a tree. She felt safe because of the light was congregated around his heart. She could already gather that he was a caring person even though she had no prior knowledge of his background. This new found power was one of pure emotion. It wasn't concrete or logical. Then again, many nin powers were bizarre.

In truth, she should have no knowledge of what kind of person he was.

What was this ability that had been triggered within her? How had it be triggered? What was wrong with her?

"What is your name?" Yamato's eyes softened in concern yet his expression remained grave. He was in control of himself as an ANBU was expected to be.

Then again, this was a normal reaction for a soldier in the middle of a war. She couldn't attribute especially to her presence.

"Morino Misaki," she told him.

His lips remained in a thin line in an expression that was still unreadable which probably wasn't good for her. Finally, he nodded.

"Ah, that girl. I've been hearing about you. Do you need anything? Are you in trouble? Are you hurt?"

Was she? Truly?

A retort was on the tip of her tongue. The whole world was in trouble. Still, making light of things would have been rude, and she didn't even have a firm foundation to stand on. Captain Yamato had just offered to help.

"No. But, I'm...a little lost..."

"To the west there are more ANBU," Yamato automatically responded. "You might want to stand with them."

Ibiki was in the ANBU as well. Was that her place? On the dark side with the assassins and interrogators? It was an oddly sobering thought.

She noticed how his eyes lingered on her. Did he suspect that she was merely a ghost? A shell of a person?

"By the way, why are you out here by yourself?"

What she was doing there? Misaki already knew that she should be inside the village. Not that she would be safe.

Still, she decided it was a time to tell the truth rather than to hide it for once.

"I...ran away," she confessed.

He seemed mildly surprised. "Why did you do that?"

I had to.

She just wanted to disappear; she felt herself quiver in shame.

"I just felt like it." Her voice was scarcely above a whisper

There had been no good reason for so much to risk. It almost felt like a crime.

To his credit, or maybe to her credit, Yamato didn't respond. Though she had her reasons, he didn't press her. Maybe he should have. Maybe her reasons were inconsequential.

"I have to go to The Nine Tails," Yamato said suddenly.

Misaki had heard that phrase before, but still didn't know what it meant Who was the Nine Tails? Could he save the village from Pein? Who even was the Nine Tails?

Then, he was gone. He hadn't even given a farewell. Was he displeased? Was she that much of a disgrace?

She was alone. For a moment, she chewed her lip to herself before she trudged to the west where the sun would set. It was the only direction that had been offered to her.

Her mind felt strangely clear as if she had time now. Before, it was as if she had been treading water. Her head had been a fortress that quelled all stimuli. Then again, there had been something peaceful about that. Misaki supposed had completely worn off

She could hear the hiss of a stream nearby. Part of her wanted to hide inside the bushes just like she did before. But, she couldn't just remain idle This wasn't Anko's apartment after all. There was also no guarantee and hero would find her either. It was only a matter of time a pain found her. This time, she had to discover help to survive. She couldn't remain in the shadows, she had to expose herself to the light for help.

Misaki walked tentatively. Then, she ran and didn't stop until she saw a familiar figure.

"Misaki, is that you?" Anko stepped forward. "You're alive!"

She found it was odd that some thought that she had perished. Apparently, not many had faith in her.

Sai was there as well, and he nodded to her as a comrade would. She wondered if she deserved the gesture. He kept his distance in the background with a scroll of parchment dangling from his hand. The scroll was part of his jutsu, but she had never seen it in action.

At least she had discovered two faces that were familiar to her. Unofficially, Sai and she were together on the same squad even though they were the substitutes. The actual squad was Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke. Team 7 was complete, but not officially.

Sasuke. Misaki wondered what had been in Sasuke's mind when he delivered the killing blow to her once savior...

Suddenly, another explosion racked the earth. Desperately, Misaki sought traction.

MIsaki had to stop thinking now.

Regardless, it was a pretty place to die.

The last few hours were hazy. It was if time had restarted again. Though the village was gone, in its place was celebration

Misaki watched as Naruto was tossed into the air again and again by throngs of grateful ninjas. Naruto was the Nine Tails and he had saved the village.

However, all was not the same as before. Naruto couldn't save something, or rather, someone. Tsunade-sama had fallen into a coma after the assault of Pein.

Misaki walked beside Ibiki. The road beneath them had been eroded away. Now, it was just dirt. They were both alive. Neither would have to join her parents.

"What will happen to her?" Misaki couldn't help herself from asking.

Ibiki's response was curt. "She will recover or she will die. What other answer were you expecting?"

That was dumb. Misaki should have rephrased her question, but what she thought in her mind and what was on her lips never seemed to meet.

Misaki searched for more light, but the lights had disappeared. It was a surprise when or if they would return.

"In the meantime, a new Hokage will be selected," Ibiki revealed. "Brace yourself. This could be a nasty scene."

This new candidate would most likely be picked from the Konoha Village council of elders. Misaki had only met one. Shimura Danzo.

Misaki could almost sense where where this was going. The fog was slowly beginning to lift.

Tsunade-sama, the fifth Hokage, was the very one who had freed her. Under Danzo's reign she would most likely still be in prison or long since executed. In that sense, Danzo would probably be Ibiki's ideal candidate.

A literal ripple of despair unfurled within her allowing a gate to been opened. Misaki was careful not to betray it on the surface when a drab gray light sad tinged the air around Ibiki's profile. It was as if he carried his own personal rain cloud around him before it simply evaporated. So, it seems that her new ability could come and go at will, and at the moment, she had prove its experience to no one.

All of a sudden, she could felt a pang of sorrow come in revelation for her uncle. Life had not been easy for him, unlike her father, who had left him and his birth family.

Misaki couldn't help but wonder about this lingering pain. Was that a reason Ibiki was constantly angry at her? Because of her father? She promised that she would have to ask him one day when she was braver.

In any event, keeping secrets was not new for her. She would tell when she was ready. Misaki didn't relish being taken back into a cell for further examination so soon.

Ibiki noticed her discomfort. "But, word is another choice is Hatake Kakashi."

Misaki almost allowed herself to audibly sigh in relief.

Kakashi would be better than Danzo at any rate, especially since he was Team 7's official captain. Her mother would scold her for being selfish, but sometimes, selfishness and survival went hand in hand. She would have no chance for stability under Danzo.

Then again, Misaki could not forget that she had fled from the fray. How would she even fare as a kunoichi? Did she truly have the emotional tenacity that was required?

Of course, all of the businesses and dwellings would have to be rebuilt. It was a a monumental job that one man could accomplish, and it was none other than Yamato. He could single handedly grew a house with a single jutsu. She could only watch in amazement as rows of houses rose from the earth as tidal waves would appear. Immediately, Yamato sank down to sit on the ground. The strain was obviously great.

From afar, Misaki watched this tree man and how straight his spine his was before it crumpled under unrelenting pressure and exhaustion.

Yamato had the Wood Release ability. The first to house this ability was Senju Hashirama, the first Hokage. However, Hashirama and Yamato were not related by blood, yet Yamato still had the first Hokage's DNA. No, Yamato had been subjected to experimentation by the pale man. Even in Konoha, the pale man had harbored a criminal side. It would seem that Misaki was cursed by fate. Even though Orochimaru was dead, his legacy lived on for her and for others. Had Orochimaru done the same to her? Were the colors the results from an errant experiment? Misaki would never know.

Misaki was left to wonder at her own ability and who shared it. She would never know unless she revealed herself.

As for Orochimaru's legacies...

Where are you, Kabuto?

Her poor heart shuddered. Had Kabuto escaped? Or, was Kabuto dead? Then again, he would be aware that there had been a war here and would keep his distance. He'd coil himself around a rock and calculate what the best move would be. He was fine.

Misaki's gaze shifted back to Yamato. The man was a living tree. She was intrigued by that fate that those close to nature were the ones who were left isolated.

Plants had a purpose. A wholesome purpose. Humans could so so as well, but they could cause hate and conflict. Not even a seedling was safe and could be trampled underfoot.

But, a tree was higher still than grass and flowers. It would be protected by wandering feet. She wondered if that was why Konohagakure was so much more powerful than the village she had been born and raised in. Maybe those in the Kusagakure were really like little blades of grass stomped underfoot.

She turned her head to the north to watched the process of another house be constructed by hand. Buildings and shelters were beginning to spring around her. Two at first, then four, then ten, then thirty.

It occurred to her to offer help, but what could she possibly do? All that she was strong enough to do was bring water or tend to the young seedlings. For the present, the ninjas had to grow their own food. They were just as humble as the civilian. Misaki wondered at times why she couldn't remain a civilian. But, the, had she ever really been so? Or had she and her parents denied their abilities?

In reality, Misaki had been trained for nothing. Mainly, she was alive due to sheer luck rather than her training. Compared to the city of Konohagakure, Kusagakure was a minor village.

Misaki entered the makeshift hospital room. At her approach, Tonton, Tsunade's ninja pig, kept its distance. The animal wasn't used to her yet. It immediately fled to Tsunade's side.

"Has there been any change?" Misaki ventured

She knew that the situation was dire, but that it was only polite to ask. It was how she had been raised. Her father had always told he to ease stress when one could and not add to it.

Shizune lowered her gaze; her shoulders slumped over in defeat. They had entered the final hour. But, it was still too late.

"She is still unconscious, but she does have a pulse." Sakura smiled a bit sadly. "She'll live."

Misaki couldn't return Sakura's smile.

She couldn't help wondering what color aura would surround Sakura, especially now in her despair, but the fickle ability had abandoned her yet again. Nothing seemed to last forever now. Not ever since she had turned eighteen.

Misaki should have just remained a child forever. Then, her parents would still be alive.

Sakura shook her head. "Regardless, we will have to choose another candidate for Hokage tomorrow. Tsunade physically cannot. Until she recovers, the village requires leadership."

Shizune seemed to have lost all will to speak. Tonton oinked quietly. The pig seemed almost human in its reactions.

Once outside, Misaki bowed her head. All she could see was the black dirt glisten below her. She then recited a prayer that she had been taught as a child. Misaki could think of no other way to help Konoha.

By noon, everyone in the village knew that the sixth candidate for Hokage was Shimura Danzo

A shadow was forming, and it was slowly spreading across her world, but she could do nothing to stop it. Now, the shadows had teeth and they leered at her.

Somehow, Misaki would have to find a way to bury herself and wait-no-hope for the sun or the moon to pierce through.