Warning: This chapter is incomplete. Further explanation in the author's notes.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was in his office smoking his pipe when the message arrived.

"How troublesome." He muttered as he scanned the wad of official letters, reports and other unsettling news. Hiruzen read the Kazekage's letter once again and then twice again before he reluctantly read the one from Michiko.

Hiruzen scanned the letters from Michiko, taking in the scale of her ambitions and accusations. She'd always been a troublemaker and a very good one at that. Raising alarms, revealing scandals and offending untouchables left and right, she was unorthodox but she produced results. She went where no one else would go without a shred of hesitation and thus solved problems the Konoha administration had been dragging their feet about. She was a little insubordinate, amoral and ruthless, a combination that made Hiruzen extremely wary but she'd only ever worked in Konoha's benefit. It was an advantage in a way as everyone assumed he had nothing to do with her actions. Shikaku had notified him that her actions probably didn't stem from a sense of loyalty but her contributions so far had been sizable and her requests were reasonable. Shisui complained about her whenever he could but given his biases, Hiruzen took his word with a grain of salt. If Michiko was going to take on so many personal risks for Konoha then as her Hokage, he would shield her where he could.

The assault on Kouru Ayano wouldn't a big affair. He knew the girl as Gai sometimes brought his little apprentice over. She was a tough little bugger and had plenty of potential. She was a good girl and while it was unfortunate that she refused to join the forces, a small part of Hiruzen was glad for it. He didn't want her cheerful smile to be dimmed by the ninja way and she boosted morale wherever she went so it was best she stayed the way she was. There was a disturbing paragraph that noted how she had conversed with the perpetrator about sex beforehand and he tried to lead her to a dark alley to restrain her, but it was overall unimportant to the situation. Ayano was fine.

The sabotage of equipment was far more pressing as there couldn't be any tensions between the two villages. The ninja responsible for both the assault and sabotage had been dishonourably discharged from the forces and sentenced to ten years of hard labour along with a 2.5 million ryo debt to Nara Michiko. The calculator belonged to her so Konoha wouldn't be seeing any reparations but the Kazekage had offered Kouru Ayano free lodgings for the duration of her stay as a show of goodwill. He wouldn't do this for an ordinary Konoha citizen but seeing as her teacher was Maito Gai, it was better safe than sorry.

Overall, the situation had been handled rather well before the notifications even reached him. Within her letter Michiko had also included a polite little paragraph stating, yes, she had arranged for a new calculator to be delivered within the week and no, she did not need a huge conditional loan from Konoha, thank you very much. Hiruzen gave a little chuckle at her attitude before he read the sobering second letter.

Hiruzen had visited Shiori's many a time in his younger days and there were few Shimura ladies there. If what Michiko was implying was true, then a second crackdown on Danzou's operations were in order. While a tiny part of him still hoped, he knew that Danzou needed to be defeated. If he, the Hokage, didn't act, Konoha's youth would take the fall once again.

He rang a bell and his secretary entered the office.

"Hokage-sama?"

"Get me Nara Shikaku."

"Urgently, sir?"

"Urgently."

His secretary nodded and swiftly walked out of the room. Normally, he would've called for the Head of ANBU straight away but he had promised Shikaku to consult him whenever Michiko was involved. A rather unusual request, but Shikaku insisted there was something wrong with her and if there was any brain he trusted more than his own, it would be Shikaku's.

Shikaku responded to his summons quickly and Hiruzen sent away his ANBU guard.

"Hokage-sama."

"Nara-san. Come, take a seat."

Shikaku sat before him. "Why do I get the feeling this has to do with Michiko?"

Hiruzen chuckled. "She seems to have her hand in all the latest gossip and scandals." He handed Michiko's letters to Shikaku.

He watched as Shikaku read the letters, his face shifting from amusement to exasperation and finally, resignation.

"Do you think she's gotten Uchiha Shisui on her side?" Hiruzen asked.

"Unlikely. Her plan isn't bad. Having him in a brothel would hardly be suspicious and out of all the trusted ANBU who wouldn't look out of place, he's the best. If he's already starting a sexual escapade in Suna, it would fit perfectly."

"How likely are her accusations to be true?"

"Given his history with Orochimaru and child experimentation, I'd say he's already acquired many kekkei genkai illegally. This is top priority. In fact, something like this should have happened ten, twenty years ago. We have to do this investigation in utmost secrecy."

Hiruzen sighed. As he expected. "Of course. And about this Uchiha Keiko…"

"The situation with the Uchiha is tenuous. If we can find proof, we could negotiate with the Uchiha. If they agree to give her a stipend and let her live peacefully, then we wouldn't press charges or at least keep it a quiet affair and leave the corruption of the police force outside of public knowledge. It would remind them that we're on the same side."

"That would be for the best." Hiruzen felt some sympathy for Keiko but her story was a common one. Setting off the Uchiha was far more detrimental to Konoha. "I will get Kakashi and Shisui to investigate. If they can't find anything, we will proceed from there." Normally, one of them would suffice but better safe than sorry when it came to Danzou. Kakashi occasionally patronised the brothels on his mandatory off-days. So long as he didn't visit too often, it won't be suspicious in the least.

"Any news on Kiri?" Shikaku asked.

"Nothing new. There's been a few more incidents of ninja inciting unrest and arming civilians but we haven't been able to break into the ranks of the revolutionaries."

Shikaku sighed. "I'm still not sure taking advantage of this uprising is a good idea."

Hiruzen smiled. "Michiko again?"

"Of course. If someone like Hatake Kakashi proposed the plan, then I'd be at ease but that girl…"

"I won't let her near Water. I know you have your doubts but I had Shisui, a Hyuuga, three Yamanaka and an Aburame in the ANBU guard when questioning her. She wasn't lying when she said her goal was world peace."

"I know, but something still doesn't line up about her. I hope my gut feeling is wrong. I don't want to get rid of Danzou only to give birth to a bigger monster."

"If you can place that gut feeling, come see me. For now, she has done nothing but work in Konoha's favour. It wouldn't do to discriminate against one of our own ninja on nothing but a gut reaction. I will let you know if she acts out in any way."

"I understand."

Itachi had taken to living in Shisui's apartment in order to avoid the warzone. Ayano continued to go out as if nothing happened and when Akio blew up, Ayano pretended he didn't exist. If Itachi were present, it somehow became about him and he'd get verbally assaulted. Rather than exacerbate the situation, Itachi had been granted permission to live with Shisui until Akio gave in, Ayano died of starvation or got taken in by child services. Given both their temperaments, Itachi got the feeling that Akio would give in, Ayano would eat and then Akio wouldn't follow through, creating an even bigger blow out.

Itachi didn't know why Michiko wasn't stepping in but that wasn't his business. For now, he only had a few ongoing missions to worry about and that included mastering how to cook chicken soup.

Shisui came out of the shower. He looked at Itachi sitting on the kitchen counter reading a cookbook while the broth boiled and chuckled, shaking his head. "You still at it? It's been like-" Shisui glanced at the clock. "- two hours! How long does it take to make soup?"

"This is batch 6. I'm in the refinement process."

Shisui walked up to the counter and took a sip of batch 5. "It's fine. Why are you fretting?"

"'Fine' is insufficient."

Shisui sighed. "Whatever. I'm going out again."

"See you later."

"I'll be back soon. Don't worry."

Batch 6 finished 267 seconds later and Itachi tasted it. A tad too salty but Shisui had a point. It was getting late and he had used up his self-allocated time for cooking. He took out the fresh rice from the rice cooker and placed it in the fridge. He had made his own dry seasoning mixture. Given how much chicken soup he'd made, he'd be having seasoned rice with chicken soup for the next two days, provided he didn't enlist Shisui's help. Perhaps he'd share it with his colleagues. He made acquaintances out of quite a few jounin, almost all of which were initiated by them. His nightly training sessions have become somewhat of a circus show, much to Itachi's discomfort. Perhaps the average ninja would be better.

With that in mind, Itachi packed all his chicken soup into various containers and went to bed. When he woke up, he heated the soup up and packed them into a scroll before meeting up with his team.

They had finished their previous mission and had been reassigned to the reconstruction of residences in the outskirts of Suna. They were to transport building materials and supervise the rebuilding. Any heavy-lifting was to be done by them and most of the ninja had skills that allowed that to replace machines. Itachi mainly wrapped chakra strings around construction beams and held them in place. Seeing the wonder and awe of civilians was a special bonus. Without seeing the chakra strings, it seemed as if the ninja were telepathically lifting concrete and steel into the air. He had a much smaller team today and the amount of materials they were to transport were a lot less even though the area they were to cover was far greater. They were assigned for 3 days and were to move on regardless of completion. Itachi suspected that there were fewer residents there and Suna was choosing to allocate their resources to more crucial areas.

Itachi met up with his team and they collected the materials and headed to the designated area after a short briefing. As they made their trips back and forth, Itachi was surprised to find not a small little community, but easily two or three hundred people milling about the streets. This was the slums. Itachi had never been to a slum before. His clan compound was far from other residences and the nearest areas were very respectable. The slums didn't have the money to hire genin for menial tasks and Itachi would never be posted to such a mission anyway.

It wasn't as bad as he had heard, but then again, they were in a hidden village, even if it was Suna. The buildings were decrepit and the streets were filled with trash. Suna didn't have the resources to maintain the buildings and majority of them looked in danger of collapsing. The water supply routes into the buildings had been damaged collaterally, leaving them without water for nearly 5 months. They'd travelling to the village center for water rations. The only reason ninja had been called in was that the people had recently given up on doing self-maintenance after so many months of lack of government aid. This meant that since their toilets didn't work, the street stunk of faeces, flies flew over the garbage lining the streets and the stench had overflowed into the nearest establishments.

Itachi could see how heavily demoralising the situation was for them, having to live in their own stink. The people seemed incredibly morose and were none too friendly towards the ninja. In turn, the ninja didn't seem to care much about the situation and Itachi doubted any of them actually planned to complete the project.

But he was in charge and he cared.

Itachi worked his team hard, making sure to reprimand them whenever they seemed like they were slipping. Most of them weren't particularly good ninja. They were replaceable and they knew it so no one dared to protest, even as they silently resented it. Itachi allowed them a half hour break for lunch and they immediately took off, none too interested in his offering of chicken soup.

Now Itachi had a whole pile of chicken soup and nothing to do with it. He sat down on the ground to eat and immediately became acutely aware of eyes zoning in on him, or more specifically his food.

This… is a great solution.

Shisui came back after visiting two brothels to find Itachi still up cooking. And he was cooking a lot of porridge.

"I'm back! So is your new obsession porridge? Why are you cooking so much?"

"Chicken porridge, Shisui. Chicken porridge is the answer."

"What?"

Itachi had his sharingan activated and was stirring the huge pot of porridge with intense concentration. "No need for concessions or manipulation or sneaking around. We just need porridge."

"Er… what are you talking about?"

"The clan. With Kouru-san. No one but the hardliners really want anything to happen but they're winning everyone over. We just need to win them back."

Ah. So chicken porridge was a metaphor. "So you want Aya-chin to win everyone over? That should be easy."

"Aya-chin?"

"Ayano-chan."

Itachi made a mildly bewildered face. "I know. But I didn't know the two of you were close."

Shisui grinned. "She's a sweet girl. She punches shit, swears beautifully, is upbeat yet not criminally insane. We've been hanging out a bit lately. If only she were ten years older."

"… I've been talking to her a little as well. The divide between the top 5% and the rest is huge, kept together only by a sense of honour and duty. She has many friends amongst the lower ranks. If she can win them over, we would essentially have two clans under the same name."

"But you know what would happen if a revolt went through, right?"

"We just need to delay it for 15 years or so."

"Why?"

"Michiko-hime should be done by then."

Shisui scowled. "So we're still relying on her?"

"Perhaps you have a better plan?"

"…"

"Shisui, name one extremely conservative clan that isn't likely to boil over within the next twenty years."

"…"

"If it isn't the Uchiha, there will be someone else. Do you have a better solution?"

"Did she tell you this?"

"…"

Shisui sighed. It was true that the clan system was on a slow decline. Many were slowly diluting with the civilian populace. Some had all but completely dissolved like the Senju but the most successful clans were the strong moderates like the Nara who were still integral to the village but saw the need to modernise. Even the Hyuuga, who were by far the most powerful monetarily, were slowly declining. Especially with the recent loss in confidence in the leadership with the Hinata-Hanabi-Neji shtick. As it was, it did seem like the only solution was to lose slower.

"Fine. We just need to delay it for 15 years. Yeah, that sounds totally doable."

"Failure is not an option."

"I know, I know. I just- I know."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"… I'll be recalled to Konoha soon for the Shimura investigation."

"I was due to return in a month but I've been reposted. I leave in a week."

Shisui was a little surprised at this. "Really? Where to?"

"I cannot say."

Shisui scowled. "She's been talking to Hokage-sama, hasn't she?"

"... Hn."

"Of course I think it's stupid!"

"…"

"When she betrays us all, I reserve the right to say I said so."

"She stands to gain far more from making allies than from betraying Konoha."

"Who knows what she's thinking?"

Itachi turned back to his porridge. "I had a mission in the slums."

Shisui decided to let it slide. "Oh, is that what's up with the porridge?"

"Two birds with a stone."

"I suppose it's good that you have a hobby now."

"It's not a hobby."

"It's a good thing!"

"It's not a hobby."

Shisui rolled his eyes. "Yeah, keep telling yourself that."

"How is your… mission going?"

Shisui grinned. "Great! I made a ton of friends! Suna girls really are quite different from Konoha girls. Way curvier with much bigger boobs. I swear, most of the Konoha girls have basically nothing."

"It's far more practical."

"Bah! We're Konoha! Who cares about practicality?"

"That's a stereotype you should not be encouraging."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm gonna go to bed. You making breakfast that isn't just cabbage with rice?"

"I will try my hand at fish."

"Can you make me some?"

"Hn."

"Great! I'll leave you to it."

Shisui hummed pleasantly as he went to bed. He would send a few letters to some of the Uchiha girls he was courting in the morning. If he could heavily imply the possibility of a match, most middle-class families would probably support whatever he did. He wondered how many families he could juggle. Maybe three? Four? Five? Ah, politics. He would deal with it tomorrow.

It was midnight, four days into Ayano's hunger strike and Ayano wasn't home. Akio sat up in bed fidgeting restlessly. Ayano hadn't drunk any water, what if she had died of heat stroke? The hospital was pretty horrible. Would they even let him know if she was sent there?

Michiko turned to face him. "Akio, stop fidgeting. I'm trying to sleep."

"But- but…"

"Ayano is every bit as stubborn as you. She will probably starve herself to death unintentionally."

"You're not helping!"

"You could go look for her."

"But I- but-"

"Are you that stubborn?"

"..."

"Ayano is serious. Treating her like a innocent puppy isn't going to get you anywhere with her. Five minutes in her presence will tell you that."

"But it's just- she's changed so much!"

"Your information on her is outdated. It has been since long before we met. Ayano was only acting sweet to appease her father. Do you want her to do that to you?"

"I will never be like him!"

"Trying to scold her isn't going to make her change. She will act sweet to appease you but the moment she hits 16, she will do a one-eighty and break free. Completely. And then you'll act incredibly shocked at her 'sudden change'. She hasn't changed. Your perception of her has."

"She's just a kid. I don't want her life to be ruined over a few stupid decisions."

Michiko sighed. "Ayano will never give up her sense of self."

"Did you- she's like you that way."

"Ayano was like this before we met. She was always dependent only on herself. Even though we talk, we are different. I will conform for an appropriate reward. She will refuse to lift a finger over pure principle."

"That's the thing! She's willing to die over such a small thing! What if she offends someone and gets beat up when she could get away with an apology? Or what if she does something illegal on purpose and she gets jailed or executed?"

Michiko laughed. "Sweetie, I flaunt the law on a daily basis. Unsuccessful revolutionaries are just criminals. If you want your little sister to be 'normal'... well that's not happening. If you want her to fit into normal society, good luck with that. If you want her to get an education that could net her a job, that's a different story. In fact, the job part is easy. Surely you know just how powerful Maito Gai is."

"How being able to level three training grounds with a punch equate to being able to find a job?"

"He's loud, pushy and completely sincere where others are sarcastic. He forgives and forgets instantly and helps anyone who with staying power. Most jounin have horrible relationships with lower ranks but Gai is unquestionably popular amongst chuunin. He takes the training ground clean-up crew for expensive buffets after he trashes the grounds. They fight over who gets to clean-up after him. He's at the academy on his spare days and teaches students and chuunin teachers. He hoards no jutsu and anyone need only ask and Gai will put his full effort into teaching them. Take a look at his shopping route. You'll find many shop owners offer him discounts which he always refuses. Because of the uncountable favours he hands out unconditionally and his utter sincerity and pure intentions, almost nobody with any sort of humanity can deny his requests without feeling like the worst criminal at his utterly crushed face. If Ayano asks for an apprenticeship, Gai will be able to give her one from pretty much every discipline in Konoha."

"But will she take on an apprenticeship?"

"She doesn't like the system but she was fine with one on one teaching with a competent teacher. She likes to learn. Even if she doesn't go into the trade, you'll know that she has the necessary skills to do so. You can't force her to get a job. As a parent, you can only equip her with the skills to get one."

"But what about her friends?"

"If your main concern is their character, you should judge them for yourself. But I'll tell you now, your opinion won't matter. Your status with her has vastly decreased after the latest incident."

"I'm her brother!"

"Does your father's opinion matter to you?"

"That's different!"

"No it's not. You can disapprove all you want, it doesn't mean Ayano's going to care."

"..."

"Akio, just go and find your sister."

Hatake Kakashi received his summons just as he was arriving home from his missions. He waited for three hours before he decided that he should go to the Hokage. The tower would be closing soon.

Kakashi decided to risk entering from the window and he entered the Hokage's office with no resistance. Hiruzen looked at him somberly.

"Kakashi."

Kakashi closed the window behind him and Hiruzen put the room under a simple privacy lockdown. The ANBU weren't in the room. "Hokage-sama."

"There is an abnormally high amount of upper-class Shimura working at Shiori's."

"I understand. I'll go as a customer?"

"Yes. This coincides nicely with your mandatory leave."

Kakashi hadn't been to Shiori's in a while but he probably won't stick out. Not only would he be getting rid of his mandatory leave, this was a perfect opportunity to crush Danzou once and for all.

"I'll go right now."

"Good. Shisui will be returning within the next few days. He's been on an escapade in Suna so as not to stick out."

"I'll keep that in mind. Is there anything else?"

"One of the prostitutes, Uchiha Keiko, is suspected to being sexually abused by her father."

Kakashi winced. "Her father's a council member, right?"

"Yes. See what you can dig up on him."

"Understood."

"That will be all."

Hiruzen deactivated the lockdown and Kakashi leapt out of the window, landing neatly on the side of the roof. He went back to his apartment. He sharpened his weapons, dumped his clothes off at the launderers and took a long bath before dressing in a loose t-shirt, jacket and pants. After checking himself in the mirror to make sure he looked in place, he finally headed off to Shiori's about two hours after he received his mission.

A chorus of greetings greeted him as he walked through the door. An impeccably-dressed woman gracefully sped towards him in order to attend to him. Her kimono bore the Shimura crest and her body language was proper, welcoming but strictly professional. Even though she looked incredibly youthful and beautiful, Kakashi knew her to be closing in on 37.

"Welcome to Shiori's blessing, Hatake-sama! It is an honour to have you here! What would you like for tonight?"

Kakashi shrugged, putting on a casual, nonchalant expression to give the impression that he'd come here on a whim. "Some tea and a massage to start off. I'll take a look around to see if any of the girls catch my interest."

"We have a splendid array of beautiful girls here at Shiori's! I'm sure one of them will be to your liking. Would you like me to serve you tea and do the massage or would you like me to show you some of the other ladies here tonight?"

"I'd like to see some of the other girls."

The coordinator smiled warmly. She was probably used to being passed over as she seemed to be delegated to waiting tables and the side services. "Of course! Please, follow me."

The coordinator led him past the curtain separating the reception and the tea area, grabbing a few menus along the way. All the rooms had top grade wards and she seated him in a fairly large private room.

"Please take a seat, Hatake-sama. I will be back with the girls."

Kakashi took a seat on a cushion and inspected the menus. There were three: food, drinks and services. He should probably order a little bit of sake so it seemed like he was unwinding but didn't want to get drunk. He'd already eaten so he looked at the service menu. The girls were priced like sushi plates. There were five different prices next to most things and they were based on the colour of a gemstone on a girl's bracelet. In increasing price, they were white, green, blue, yellow and red. He should probably pick an upper priced girl that he really liked. Since it was his mandatory off, it wouldn't seem weird for him to come back a few more times.

The coordinator returned with five girls. Amongst them were two Shimura who held yellow and red bracelets. There was a red Nohara, a blue Sarutobi and a yellow Uchiha. Not a bad decision. The Nohara looked painfully like Rin and Kakashi happened to have been on missions with the Sarutobi lady before. That would just be awkward. The Uchiha was Uchiha Keiko and after so many blowouts with the Uchiha, Kakashi really didn't want to sleep with one. Both the Shimura ladies were incredibly beautiful. The yellow lady was perfectly made up with a sweet, gentle smile and she carried herself with great dignity and grace. The red had minimal makeup, a shortened kimono and gave him a flirtatious wink and a coy smile when he inspected her. The red lady also happened to be right up Kakashi's alley with dark, shiny black hair, startling blue eyes, bright red lips and a generous bosom.

The Shimura ladies probably had the preferences of every single target memorised and he was one of them. With this level of operations, it was extremely doubtful that Danzou hadn't gotten his hands on a kekkei genkai.

The girls bowed and greet him with varying levels of cheer, coy and reserve that suited their persona. The red Shimura lady boldly sat beside him and poured him tea, making sure that her bosom brushed his arm and her kimono hiked as she reached over. The other ladies sat much more appropriately around the table.

The coordinator bowed. "I hope you'll find these girls to your liking. I shall take my leave now, Hatake-sama."

"I'd like to be alone with these two ladies." Kakashi said, gesturing to the two Shimura women.

"Of course! But you'll have to pay both their companionship fees by the half hour. Is that acceptable?"

"That will be fine."

The other three girls stood up, bowed and took their leave with the coordinator and Kakashi chatted with them alone. It was pretty clear from the get go that the red lady, who went by the stage name Nasuka, was supposed to be a bold seductress while the other was a proper lady. Deciding Nasuka was the less suspicious option, Kakashi sent the other lady away after fifteen minutes.

"Being a ninja must be so tiring." Nasuka said as she curled herself up around his arm.

"Today's mission was easy but Hokage-sama has deemed that I need extended rest."

Nasuka smiled. "Well, there are bright sides to everything. You're here, aren't you?"

Kakashi shrugged. "I am, though I'm not sure why I'm here. I suppose this is the next best thing since Hokage-sama has me blacklisted from the training grounds on my leave."

She laughed. "Might as well make best use of your time and relax. I'll be perfectly happy to help you with that."

Kakashi had been acting rather distant and annoyed throughout but had made sure to loosen up a bit over the course of the small talk they made. "I suppose we've talked for long enough. You can do massages, right?"

"Of course! Would you like one of our deep massages or one of our… sensual massages?" Nasuka asked as she shifted the service menu closer to him.

"What exactly is your 'sensual massage'?"

"We'll move into one of the special rooms. I'll do a little strip and then we'll get onto business. After I've finished rubbing you all over, we'll go take a shower together. If you want to get to the main party at any point in the massage, it'll still be full price."

"How long will it be?"

"You can get 30 minutes, an hour or two hours. Contact is allowed if you get the hour or two hour package. The two hour one comes with a fun little bonus! You can put a toy on me from our selection. We've got collars, dildos, butt plugs, cat ears, all the fun stuff!"

"It's getting pretty late. I can't get the bonuses without paying for extended time?"

"I'm so sorry, Hatake-sama. But don't worry, if you get any of our massages, you can cut it short anytime for much more adult fun. After the sexy time's over, you can continue the massage if you want."

These sort of tactics were to be expected in such an exclusive place. Kakashi highly doubted that most men made it through the whole two hours of teasing but they bought it anyway for the extra perks. Money wasn't a problem for most of them, after all. The offer to continue the massage after having sex seems like a good way to get your money's worth but if someone lasted thirty minutes before giving in, they'd be paying for four rounds of sex by the end. If the restriction of added bonuses wasn't there and the 'continue rule' wasn't there, they'd probably make at least 4-5 times less in that scenario.

"I'll get the 30 minute."

Nasuka shot him a coy smile. "Perfect! Let's go."

The two of them headed off to a private room.

Ayano woke up in the apartment on Akio's bed. She looked around. Surprisingly, her brother wasn't flailing his arms about in worry or lashing out at everyone. The apartment was empty. A glance at the clock explained it. It was in the middle of the work day and it was probably illegal for Akio not to show up. Ayano giggled at the image of Michiko dragging a pouting Akio with bull horns and steaming nostrils out of the door.

By her bedside were two notes and some water. The first was from Michiko: a quick, detached rundown of her current physical condition and a recommendation to drink water and a little juice, but no food. The second was a long, rambling letter from Akio that switched between expressing concern, scolding her for her recklessness, giving her advice on what to eat and trying to get her to see his view.

It was probably a bad idea to move around so Ayano drank some water and stared out of the window. For the thousandth time, Ayano regretted not easing Akio into realising she was different from what he imagined. Her brother was always so mentally brittle and couldn't stand too many shocks. Poor baby.

Akio should be backing down now. Michiko was choosing to let them sort their own business but Ayano was pretty sure Michiko sympathised with her more than Akio. If Akio didn't back up, then she'd probably try starving again. At least she knew child services won't come in. Gai supported her and he didn't know what the word extreme meant. Gai could convince anyone of anything if he tried.

If starving didn't work then she might just run away. She was a kid so she probably won't get jailed or something. Leaving the country was a bit much but Ayano liked keeping her options open. Besides, it would be nice to travel by herself. She'd just punch anyone if they tried to mess with her. She could deal with all civilians easily and probably some genin. She wasn't anyone important so she probably won't have to fight off anyone more skilled than that. She wanted to build up her taijutsu some more and she didn't want to leave like that but she would do what she had to.

Ayano hoped Akio would come around and she sure as hell wasn't going to abandon her friends just because he was biased against prostitutes. Sure, she'd tried drugs once and the world seemed really wonky and great for a while but it wasn't really worth the money and Ayano hated the dependency and loss of control. It'd felt like shit afterwards. Some of her friends were going bankrupt on their habits. She'd gotten two of them to quit by locking them up in a room, decreasing the dosage slowly and force feeding them medicine but it had been hell. Still, it was a lot better than sending them to an institute. That would just be nasty.

Ayano went back to sleep soon after and awoke in the middle of the night. Michiko was sleeping in the bed next to her and her brother was on the floor. Still groggy, Ayano wasn't in the mood for a huge takedown, knockout argument. She sipped some water and went back to sleep.

She didn't sleep for long and woke up in the morning when Akio and Michiko were getting dressed in the bedroom. Deciding she didn't want to wait around any longer, Ayano spoke up.

"Nii."

Akio's head snapped towards her. "Ayano? You're awake? How are you feeling?"

"Fine."

There was a period of silence. Michiko walked out of the room and shut the door behind her.

Akio scratched the back of his head. "Ayano, this needs to stop."

"What needs to stop?"

"This… rebellion of yours. You know that this is for your own good right?"

"Yeah. That's what everyone tells themselves, ya know. Shockingly, people are still shit."

"But going to school is objectively better for you!"

"Life's short and I'm not gonna spend ten years wasting away in some fucking propaganda machine. Ya know what all the schools in Konoha are like, right?"

"Don't be dramatic. It's not that bad. Beside, if you think you're so smart, you should be able to see through all that."

"Well, clearly how I think and feel doesn't mean two shits to you."

"Of course not!"

"Yer just like everyone else. You think I'm dumb because I'm a sweet little girl that needs to be sheltered from the world."

"But that's true!"

"You live with Nara fucking Michiko. How do you still think like that?"

"Language!"

"That's not the fucking point. I will swear whether ya like it or not."

"I'm your brother!"

"And? Are you God and can tell everyone what is right and wrong? Fuck that shit. I am me and I'm not gonna let anyone tell me what's the 'right' way ta live. Not even you."

"You're only seven!"

"Listen to yourself for a second, will ya? Yer repeating the same shit over and over again and you're just saying I'm dumber and stupider than you without a single fucking point. Well, I think yer dumb too."

"How dare you!"

"And what are ya gonna do? Threaten to lock me up all day? Tell me that it's my duty to listen to whatever ya say because I'm lower on the family ladder than you? Tell me that I'm a dumb little girl who should smile prettily and keep her mouth shut because I don't know anything and will just embarrass myself? Oh wow, doesn't that sound like someone?"

"That's different! He wasn't a real parent!"

"Well you aren't my parent either."

"I'm your legal guardian!"

"So now you care what the government thinks? Real convenient shit."

"That's not the point! It's for your own good! When you grow up, you're going to need to pay for rent, food, electric bills and everything by yourself! You can't switch between low wage jobs every three months and expect everything to be fine!"

"I will be fine. I can hunt, I know how to camp, I-"

"You're planning on living out in the wild?!"

"I want to travel! I wanna see the world! What's wrong with camping?"

"But you need money for that! How are you going to buy tents and clothes? And what about when you grow old or fall ill? How are you going to afford medical bills and a house then?"

"That's what the little jobs for!"

"It won't be enough!"

"I'll be fine. I did the math. If I fail, ya can just say 'I said so', okay?"

"It's my job to make sure it never gets to that point!"

"And I'm telling you it won't get to that point!"

"You want to live in the wild!"

"I wanna travel and I'm fine with living outdoors. You slept in a training ground for months!"

"Sleeping in a training ground within the Nara compound, within Konoha, surrounded by a thousand and one barriers is different from sleeping out in the middle of the desert with scorpions running around!"

"Yeah, all the deadly wildlife. Much deadlier than staying Konoha while your princess is taking down the government."

"Well, if you leave, you won't have any protection. You'll be a target!"

"I'll be more of a target if I stay hopping around Konoha!"

"No! They'll get you the moment you're out of the country!"

Ayano rolled her eyes. "I'm not that big of a target. They'd probably go after you rather than me. You're not S-class."

"There's a chance!"

"You're being super paranoid. Ya know who ya sound like?"

"It's different! I'm looking out for you!"

"Yah. Ya know who you sound like?"

"Wait, who are you talking about?"

"That's what Shisui says every time he stalks someone."

"I'm not a creepy stalker! It is different!"

"Keep tellin' yourself that."

"You know what? I've had enough of this. You'll go to school and you'll get a job. I don't care if you hate me."

"... Fine. But I'm disowning you."

"You will not!"

"Yes. I also wouldn't have starved myself."

"Why?"

Took him long enough. "I do the cleaning, the cooking, the money, everything and now you're telling me I need a nanny."

"How else am I supposed to make sure you go to school?"

"And the nanny's gonna do the job? You'll need to hire a chuunin squad if you wanna keep me in one place."

"You might pull another stunt!"

"Then you just havta make sure you have a squad in place whenever ya wanna mess up my life real bad."

"Why can't you just go to school?"

"Lots of kids don't go to school and they're fine."

"No they're not! They get jobs as waitresses and janitors and they're dirt poor!"

"You ever talk to them? Ya can't just judge em' like that and say they're miserable. What the fuck is so wrong about being a waitress? I don't need much money."

"Why do you insist on-"

There was a knock on the bedroom door. "Akio, we're going to be late."

"I don't care!"

Michiko opened the door and peeked inside, looking mildly miffed. "We are not going to be late for work."

"My sister is more important!"

Michiko sighed. "Just get her a private tutor."

"But-"

"Look, I'll pay for her tuition till we get back to Konoha but we are not missing any more work time."

"How about-"

"I've already sent letters to Konoha. Ayano will be in Suna while the list is done up. Nothing bad is going to happen. Let's get going."

Akio opened and shut his mouth. Ayano grinned. "Great!"

Akio's eyes snapped towards her. "You are not leaving this apartment."

Ayano rolled her eyes. "I'm gonna rest for now but ya can't keep me here."

"Yes I can!"

Michiko sighed. "Akio, leave her be. She'll be in crowded places and broad daylight."

"It's not safe!"

Michiko shrugged. "By your metric, nowhere is. We're in a hidden village. It's as safe as it gets. I'm sure the Kazekage will go for execution if another assault happens. He can't afford to lose Konoha's support. Besides, she's going to stay in for the day. It can wait till tonight."

Akio glanced between Michiko's annoyed face and Ayano's gleeful grin many times before he relented. "You better stay in." Akio told Ayano sternly.

"Ya, ya. I'm dizzy anyways. No fun going out like that. Now, shoo."

Akio didn't reprimand her and just huffed, violently opening the door and stomping outside. Ayano drank some water and juice before rolling over in bed. Michiko might start meddling soon. She was tryin' to let them sort it out for themselves but she had really itchy fingers. She probably won't resist meddlin' just a little. If stuff started to go bad, she might just get Michiko's help.

Reassured of her future freedom, Ayano went back to sleep.

Kakashi arrived in the morning and sat at the Unity Restaurant. The restaurant's name was quite horrible in Kakashi's opinion, but no one had ever accused the Shodaime of having creative naming sense. Having been founded by the Shodaime, built by the Uzumaki and maintained by the Aburame clan, the restaurant was quite prestigious and expensive, but that was not its main role.

Konoha's array of clans had vastly different customs and traditions. After a few major brawls over cultural misunderstandings, the Shodaime created a whole new section of the law just to deal with it. One, clans must write all their clan customs in their section of Konoha's official clan records. Two, when in a clan compound, one must follow the customs of said clan. Three, if the clan did not write down a custom in the official clan records, no one is legally obligated to follow it. Four, all persons within Konoha must follow the customs dictated in the 'Konoha's proper etiquette booklet' in all public areas.

After hammering out what 'Konoha proper etiquette' meant with all the clans, this worked in solving major misunderstandings as all customs were plainly laid out but it did create another problem: there were no places important clan members could go to to discuss important matters privately. To discuss in another's clan compound was seen as a sign of submission and it was incredibly hard to get anything done when half the time was spent arguing on where to argue. So the Hokage created the 'Unity Building' and opened it on the eve of the Unity festival. It was a place where not just clan officials could go, but many regular ninja hung out there with their friends. Eventually, the refreshments became full course meals and people just started calling it the 'Unity Restaurant'.

The political nature of the restaurant meant neutrality and security were top notch. The Aburame had complete control over the restaurant and they were fiercely neutral in everything. That alone made their clan incredibly valuable in all levels of decision making and judging, so much so that anyone who swore complete allegiance to an unvetted cause was pushed to the outer circles.

Nara Shukaku arrived an hour later and was half surprised to see him waiting.

"Kakashi. You're early."

"I merely arrived an hour after the agreed timing."

"As I said, early. So what did you find?"

"On the surface, the amount of Shimura girls in the brothel isn't abnormally high. Even when you divide by class, it's easily passed off as part of Danzou's harsh punishments. But I will wager that many of the administrative staff can probably be tied back to him. All important guests are ushered into private rooms where administrative staff show them a select few girls. They have great control over which girls their target picks. The lady I was with tried very hard to get me to come back. Not unusual for a prostitute, but certainly unusual when she's not getting any money. It's incredibly hard to find a place like Shiori's so I suspect many go back and pick the same girl."

"Plenty of opportunities to get prime genetic material."

"Exactly."

Shukaku sighed. "Troublesome. How careful are they?"

"Extremely cautious, given that they haven't been caught. But the girls have been working for a long time. The girl I was with was top tier and her persona matches many descriptions of her personality before she entered the brothel. She might get complacent and slip up."

"Do you need a background check on the girl?"

"Yes. Her name is Shimura Megumi, stage name Nasuka."

"How much do you already know about her?"

"I only have basic information. No more than the standard Shimura. Her age, occupation, rank, family connections, inner friend circle, political alignments and the like."

"How soon do you need it?"

"2 or 3 days."

"I'll be able to give you enough by then. Full reports will take a week or two under these circumstances."

"I understand."

Shikaku sighed. "So, have you met Kouru Ayano yet?"

Kakashi quelled his instinctive wince. The poor girl had Gai's influence written all over. "Yes. She's… something."

"You know of Nara Michiko?"

"The up and coming genius who sent off rainbow fireworks through the forest, wrecked the Akimichi fields, made a circus show out of the chuunin exams, is somehow not in jail and is raising through the ranks? Yeah, I might have heard of her."

Shikaku snorted. "Ayano is quickly resembling Gai in terms of power and connections but she does not have his pure intentions or undying loyalty. In fact, she's more likely to side with Michiko."

"Isn't this Michiko part of your clan and working in Konoha's interests?"

"She's a wild card. Gai won't doubt his apprentice and in all honesty, Ayano doesn't seem inclined to go on sudden rampages or takedown every large political establishment in the world. Quite the opposite."

Wow. This Nara Michiko situation was apparently a lot more serious than he thought if Shikaku was so worked up over it. "I'll pay more attention when Gai brings her over."

Shikaku nodded. "That would be for the best. She's extremely stubborn in her neutrality."

"I won't push her."

"Good. Is there anything else you need?"

"No."

Shikaku got up. "Then I'll take my leave. I hope this thorn will finally be cut off."

"Me too. Me too."

Ayano was staring out of the window, feeling extremely bored. She'd slept all day and couldn't sleep anymore. She'd drunk all she could and even cooked dinner for the two of them. There was just nothing to do. All the books were crazy hard, she didn't know how to play shogi and the apartment had nothing. All of Michiko's stuff were weapons and books and scrolls and work stuff and Akio's stuff was just jutsu books and more weapons and shitty porn. Ayano had flipped through it and yep. It was still about big-boobed, black-haired seductresses who climbed into his bed, offering love and sex. Neither of them gave a shit about the house so the walls were empty and all the furniture was mismatched because the ANBU had just pulled out the first couch, table and stove they found in the storeroom. The place was just plain and ugly.

Ayano whined out loud as she got off the window and rolled about the living room floor, hugging her pillow, glancing at the clock every time she rolled near it. Finally, after 15 minutes of this, the front door unlocked and Akio and Michiko walked in.

"What the fuck are you doing?"

"Language!" Ayano retorted. "I'm boooooooooooored! There's nothing here! The only thing I can read is your shitty porn!"

"Why-but-you-what were you doing in my drawer?"

It was kinda hard, but Ayano managed to look at Akio while she rolled about the floor. "I was bored! I wanted to model in all of your clothes but the both of you own like twenty of the same outfit!"

"So your solution was to roll around the floor?"

"Yeah! If I run I'd get dizzy and fall so I roll! I can't possibly fall!"

"You could knock into something!"

"That's what the pillow's for!"

"Just stay in bed."

"I have been! But I can't sleep! What d'ju want me to do? Stare at the ceiling for hours?"

"That's what you get for starving yourself."

"Bleh. Can we quit arguing about everything and just do our own stuff? I mind my stuff, you mind yours. You know, the Konoha thing. Whatzit called? Oh yeah, peaceful co-existence or something."

"No! I'm not resting until your 'friends'-"

"Because your princess is a completely normal, sweet, pure, innocent and upstanding person who wants nothing but the greater good."

"That's different!"

"Hey, if you get to talk shit about my friends, I get to talk shit about yours."

"I'm an adult! I can make my own decisions."

"You're only 15, ya know. And I'm sure most people'd think joining a megalomaniac's nodda good decision. Making friends with prostitutes is a much better life choice."

Finally, Michiko cut in. "The fundamental problem here is that Ayano views herself as a fully capable person who should have full control over her life. Treating her like a kid is not going to get through with her. Akio, do you have a sensical and valid argument as to why Ayano is not capable of making her own decisions, societal norms and expectations aside?"

Akio gestured wildly at Ayano. "She's clearly a kid!"

"Because Itachi would be completely incapable of taking care of himself when he was her age."

"She can't support herself!"

"Are homeless and unemployed people kids?"

"She-she's my little sister! It's my job!"

"Because Aina would've been doing her job if she forbade from being a ninja and kept me away from the world."

"She was rolling about the floor!"

"Am I immature for not wanting to take a bath?"

"That's different!"

"Can you formulate that feeling into a rational argument?"

"It's-it's not that simple!"

Michiko sighed and turned to Ayano. "Would you like me to give him a talk?"

Ayano beamed. "Free of charge?"

"Repayment."

Ah. For the brothel thing. "Hmm… okay!"

Akio crossed his arms. "You're on her side, aren't you?"

"Akio, do you think age makes someone mature?"

"I mean, there are immature adults and mature kids, but most kids are immature."

"Then what makes someone mature?"

Akio opened and shut his mouth multiple times before keeping quiet. He'd already threw out all he had but Michiko had countered every one of his arguments. He could not win against Michiko.

"I- it's not about a set of requirements or whatever. It's just- it's just a feeling, you know?"

"I do."

"It's- wait, what? Really?"

"Of course I do. My children are my greatest pride."

"But- I mean, no offence, but you're not really a mother. I mean, like- raising them like physically. Like, you know, diapers and stuff."

Michiko laughed. "Oh that part? That part's the easy part. The childbirth, late nights, breastfeeding, diapers, pregnancy, that's nothing. Raising a child is so much more than that. Am I teaching them right? Am I setting a good example? Should I let them decide for themselves? What is good for them? The worry never ends, Akio. The worry never ends. Even when Ayano's 14, 16, 18 or whatever arbitrary age people have tagged on maturity, you will still feel the same way. It will not change. This unease you have will never go away."

"I- she's seven! It's too early!"

"It's always going to be too early."

"But-but seven! Seven!"

"Do you know how they arrived at 16? They sat down, looked at each other and randomly decided that 16 was just about right. Different children mature at different rates. Ayano is exceptionally worldly for a seven-year-old. You have to let go because she is already gone."

"..."

"How about this: we will get her private tuition. She will be educated in reading, maths, geography and history. Aina will find the tutor and when we get back, I'll personally vet the tutor. She will keep her friends. I know, I know but you're in no position to argue since your only friend is me. If you want to get on an arguing plane, get out and find more friends, preferably falling for another girl. Yes, yes, I know. Not going to happen but you have to practice what you preach or no one is going to listen. Ayano is interested in working in many fields. We can get her educated in multiple fields. It doesn't have to be cleaning or waiting. It can be woodworking, manufacturing, sales, anything. She can offer her services in exchange for education and get job experience. Ayano will also continue to be under the eye of Maito Gai and Aina, who, may I remind you, was a prostitute. She will be fine."

"But… what if she gets attacked again?"

"She handled it pretty well. As I said, she'll continue her training and she'll be under my barriers. There is never a guarantee of complete protection in this world. You can secret her away into an airtight bunker and never let her out of the barriers, but I think Ayano would rather kill herself than live like that. Ayano will be strong enough to defend herself and she's smart enough not go on any wild adventures until she's ready. Ready by her metric, not yours that is. By your metric, she'll never be ready."

"..."

"Akio."

"... Fine."

Michiko smiled. Not the insane smile, but the really pretty one that he'd fallen in love with. Akio wasn't sure if it was on purpose or not.

"Good. I already have many plans in place."

"... You've already gotten a tutor, right?"

"Five tutors. But I need Gai to return before I can arrange for apprenticeships."

"..."

Michiko patted his cheek. "Don't fret about it, sweetie. Everything will be fine."

Itachi left Suna soon after. On paper, he was posted to border control. The Uchiha weren't too happy about him being kept away. But they couldn't kick up a fuss every single time their heir was ordered to do a job they didn't agree with without looking like

Author's note:

As you may have sensed, I've lost interest in this project. I moved and the stress combined with life's increasing difficulty just sucks the life out of me. This is my hobby. I will write what I want to write regardless of what anyone thinks which is why I don't shy away from tough or graphic subjects and follow no comprehensive story structure. I simply don't care for such. So I've decided to post what I've written thus far and leave it at that.

On the bright side, I've written a new story: Psychosis, which is virtually complete and the first chapter is already posted. It contains the subjects of philosophical absurdity, reality versus fiction, religious faith, God, dictatorships, identity, power, what colour the sky truly is and whether the world is real. I love my mentally abnormal leads so here is one. Most of my characters are representations of philosophies, roles and culture most of the time. This lead is called Sakura, not to be confused with Haruno Sakura and is another unique take on well-established tropes. It's a short story. A beta reader would be appreciated.