Hello, all. Welcome to my Naruto fanfiction, Kanata. This is the updated and revised version of my story, which I've been working on on and off for the last year and a half or so. It's still not perfect by any means, but I made some significant changes that, for the most part, I think have improved the story. If you've read the older version, I highly recommend you go through this again, as there are a few significant plot points that I changed. The most significant change starting from the first chapter, which you'll see going forward. If you have questions, comments, or criticisms about my changes, please don't hesitate to let me know!

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

"My name is Kanata Fujibayashi. I was a Leaf Shinobi once. And if you'd just let me see the Hokage, I can prove that."-Kanata Fujibayashi

Return to the Village Hidden in the Leaves/ A Slightly Expected Yet Rather Awkward Encounter.

The gates of the Village Hidden in the Leaves stood before me, tall and proud as ever. The village in itself was a proud one, with powerful forces and wealth and integrity. Many fond and distant memories existed here. It was the village I'd grown up to protect and love. It was the village for which my heart ached for so long. But it was also a village I hadn't seen in ten years.

And one might have said that my current situation wasn't exactly optimal. Although I had tried my best to forget the Leaf Village over the years, I had always hoped that the day I finally returned would be less… unpleasant.

As I approached the village gates, I had two men at my sides, both of them wearing porcelain masks that marked them as elite members of the Anbu Black Ops. Much to my distaste, they each had a hand wrapped firmly around my arms, which I was unable to do anything about due to the fact that my hands were tied together behind my back.

It was not my day.

"Let's go," the one on my right urged me forward roughly, sparking anger within me. But I knew better than to try to challenge a member of the Anbu Black Ops… not to mention two of them at once.

Instead, I tugged at my arm in an irritated fashion. "Is it really necessary for you to hold on that tightly?"

"Wouldn't want you trying to run off," the taller one on my left said coldly.

"Where am I going to go?" I asked. "My hands are tied and you're both right here. This village is filled with elite ninja who could take me down."

"It's not-"

I let out a frustrated groan. "God, it's not like I'm asking you to close your eyes and drop your guard."

Of course, despite my protests, they wouldn't let go or even loosen their grip and I was forced to bear the discomfort of their hands. How could I have allowed this to happen? If I couldn't concoct some way to get out of this, there was a possibility that I wouldn't live to see another day. Or worse, end up as a prisoner. I had to find a way to keep myself out of the interrogation room.

"This is ridiculous," I said through my teeth. "I'm not planning on hurting anybody. It was a mistake, okay?"

It frustrated me that I couldn't see the faces of the Anbu members through their masks to know what they were thinking. And in a seemingly expressionless tone, the one on my right said, "There is no way for us to clarify that, so perhaps you should have considered it before trespassing on our territory," Then, reaching into my bag that he had confiscated from me, he pulled out my Leaf Village headband. "With this in your possession, no less."

"It's mine!" I exclaimed for about the twentieth time.

"Can you prove that?" he asked in a slightly condescending tone.

I stopped in my tracks and eyed both of the men seriously. "I demand an audience with the Hokage."

Both of them stopped as well, and the one on my right said, "I think you are hardly in the position to make demands."

"My name is Kanata Fujibayashi," I said boldly, clenching my fists behind me until my palms hurt. "I was a Leaf Shinobi once. And if you'd just let me see the Hokage, I can prove that." On the end, I added, "Please."

The two Anbu shoulders seemed to turn their heads to glance at each other briefly. Although I was trying my best to act fearless and confident, my heart was racing and I felt myself preparing for the worst. All these years… my effort to keep a low profile. It was all ruined, and I had no one to blame for it but myself. The only option I saw before me was to try to convince the Hokage to let me go. The Third Hokage, from what I remembered had always been a merciful man. If I wanted to make it out of this, he was my best chance.

But would these two men have the decency to let me see him?

After what seemed to be a short moment of contemplation, the soldiers turned their heads toward one another and nodded in agreement.

"Fine," the shorter one said quietly. "We will ask him. But you'll have to be put in a holding cell until we get his approval."

Brilliant. Locked in a cell. Well, I guessed it was better than nothing.

I was trapped in solitary confinement for over two hours, with nothing interesting to look at. Someone was nice enough to bring me a cup of water, and I smiled because she probably did it having no idea what I was capable of doing with it. In spite of that, I drank it and returned the cup. Busting out was a last resort, a point I hadn't yet reached. The problem wasn't the escape itself. It was what came after: the pursuit. I knew that if I made a run for it, I'd be hunted down, and who knew how long it would be before I was caught and killed? I'd spent over a decade either hiding, chasing, or running. Although I'd gotten rather proficient at all those activities, it was clear to me that running was not currently the smartest option in this case. And to fight would likely spell certain death. Getting an audience with the Hokage was Plan A. I figured I had a better chance with him than trying to run from Anbu Black Ops forces.

On the third hour, someone finally came to get me. Frankly, I expected it would take longer, but the Hokage must have been quite eager to see me. I wonder if he suspected…

As I walked silently beside the Anbu members, I glanced around out of curiosity, wondering just how much had changed since I last set foot in the Leaf Village. Immediately, old forgotten memories started coming back to me as I passed the houses and shops. I was surprised by how little had actually changed as far as the surroundings went. I could have walked it all blindfolded and have just as easily made my way from this end to the other on my own. Even though it felt like an eternity since I left, there was so much that I recognized. The trees and the flowers and the fresh scent of the atmosphere were all so familiar.

It would have been relaxing had it not been for the circumstances—not to mention the stares.

Glancing up at the mountain overlooking the village, I marveled at the majesty and beauty of the monument bearing the faces of past Hokage. As many times as I had beheld its glory, today still felt like the first. Breathtaking.

I started to get nervous as we approached the Hokage mansion, as I began doubting my ability to handle this situation properly. I was essentially betting my life on the chance that the Third Hokage was as kind and generous as he'd ever been, not that I had much choice. But not everything would go unchanged. If this ended badly, I most likely had two alternatives. Interrogation and prison or interrogation and death. Neither of them sounded particularly attractive.

Tatsu… give me strength.

One of the soldiers left at the door, while the other brought me inside and the two of us ascended the stairs to the large door that led to the chamber of the Hokage. I took in a deep breath as the Anbu knocked.

"Come in," a deep, gravelly voice called back from inside.

The door seemed to open in slow motion. It took forever for that moment to end, in between the time that the door was closed and the time that it was open and I could see the Hokage, his face wrinkled and faded with age. I stepped through the threshold beside the Anbu, attempting to slow my heart rate with deep breaths.

"Lord, Hokage..." the Anbu said respectfully, with a slight bow. Then, gesturing to me, he said, "This is… well…"

The Hokage had a confused look on his face for a moment. He stood and came towards me, much to the surprise of the Anbu. Unsure what else to do, I bowed. "Lord Hokage, it's good to see you."

"Kanata?" he asked, the shock apparent in his gaze. "Is that really you?"

"Yes..." I nodded hesitantly. "I'm… back."

He moved close to me and looked me in the eyes. The nervousness gripped me and wouldn't let me shake it off; I had to struggle to keep eye contact. But I managed to maintain my composure, and he smiled and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Kanata, it's been so long. Welcome home."

Surprised by his kind gesture, I let go of the breath I'd been holding and smiled back. "Oh... thank you, Sir."

"Lord Hokage?" the Anbu member asked.

The Hokage dropped his hand from my arm and regarded his soldier. "I assume that there's a story behind this, so why don't you untie her hands so that she can get comfortable?"

"Yes, Sir," the Anbu said respectfully, albeit uncertainly, moving behind me to untie the ropes binding my hands. After he removed them, I rubbed my wrists to try to ease the soreness from the tight binds.

Turning away to go sit back down at his desk, the Hokage began, "So… let's hear it, then. What happened?"

Stepping toward the Hokage's desk, the Anbu held out my bag. "My partner and I found her heading north near the Eastern border of the Land of Fire while we were out on our mission. She appeared suspicious, so we stopped her, and found this with her belongings." Once again, he revealed my headband from my bag. Holding out his hand, the Hokage examined the headband quietly.

I know that there were probably about a million other thoughts that I should have had in mind during that moment, but for some reason the only thing I could think of was how I hoped the Hokage didn't accidentally rip the headband. It had seen so much abuse over the years.

Humming softly, the Hokage cast me a glance. "You kept this for ten years?"

Scratching my cheek, I murmured, "Well—yes…"

"Lord Hokage, if I might ask…" the Anbu began.

"This woman is Kanata Fujibayashi," the Hokage explained. "Ten years ago, she disappeared on a mission and never returned. Everyone believed her to be dead. Until now." His eyes flickering back to me, he said, "So Kanata, now that you're here, although I would love to simply welcome you back with open arms, I'm going to have to ask you some questions."

This was going to be the tough part. Lying was not exactly my specialty, and if I got caught, that would amount to greater problems. But there were certain parts of the last ten years that I was nowhere near interested in sharing, and some that weren't exactly safe to share, either. I had to figure out a way to be as truthful as possible without telling him the whole story.

Swallowing to wet my tongue, I said quietly, "Ask away."

The Hokage leaned back in his chair and sighed. "Well… first of all, I suppose you can start with where you've been and what caused you to disappear all those years ago."

I hesitated, wishing that I'd had time to think up a good lie for this occasion. But now that I was on the spot, I didn't even have time to feel sorry for myself. Instead, I picked one option and ran with it, hoping I could use it to my advantage rather than dooming myself.

"I left," I said calmly, racing back and forth in my head about how much fabricated shame I wanted to lay on for him. "I abandoned the village."

The Hokage's eyes widened, as if he somehow hadn't predicted this response. Then, clearing his throat, he asked, "Kanata—is this the truth?"

I nodded. "Yes, sir. It's true. I—was in a dark place when leaving for that last mission. And I got this thought in my head that it was better off if I didn't come back. So I just ran away."

His answer didn't come immediately, and by the expression he held, which was a little less than stoic at this point, I wondered if he didn't believe me, after all. But then he continued, "So, then… if you abandoned the village, what exactly have you been doing all this time?"

Details. This would be the tough part. "I lived with a man," I said, in an effort to be at least somewhat truthful. "For several years he was my master and I learned a lot from him."

"Name?"

"Taijin." Tatsu. Close enough.

"And what happened to this Taijin?"

"He died. Succumbed to illness about three years ago."

"It was terminal?"

"Yes," I said, growing a little uncomfortable the more I talked about my late master. "I learned of his sickness not long after I met him. He—could have died at any point, I suppose. There was nothing anyone could have done for him."

"I see," he said. "I'm sorry to hear that."

I smiled a little at his genuine consolation. So I was right. Hiruzen Sarutobi was still the man I remembered him to be after all. "Thank you," I replied. "But he's been gone a long time now."

"Yes…" he murmured, seemingly deep in thought. "After his death, what did you do?"

"I wandered," I said with a shrug, which was mostly true, aside from a few details.

"And what about today? In the Land of Fire?"

"Running from bandits."

He raised a questioning eyebrow.

"You could say I foiled one of their schemes," I said. "I don't like to see people get harassed."

The Hokage leaned back, a low hum rising in the back of his throat. For a moment, he sat in silence pondering my answers while I tried my best not to fidget. I knew what I'd done. This lie was perhaps the most dangerous, and admittedly humiliating lie I'd ever told. It was not only a crime to abandon one's village, but a monumental disgrace. Even if I made it out of this alive today, I would forever be forced to live with the fact that my beloved village believed I betrayed them. In the end, was it even worth it?

"You do realize," the Hokage said, leaning forward again and snapping out of my thoughts, "the penalty for abandoning one's village."

I swallowed. Of course I knew. But it wasn't as if I'd proven myself a threat to the village over the last ten years, either. I would have been perfectly content with permanent exile. "Yes, I do, sir. But if I may… I understand if you would hold a grudge against me for this. However, while I may very well deserve to live the rest of my life with a disgraced name, I assure you that I have done nothing to divulge the village's secrets or to hurt anyone. I made a mistake—I acknowledge that. I was young and stupid, while that's really no excuse… it may not mean much now, but I did regret it. I knew it was too late by then to take back what I'd done, so… for what it's worth—" I took a step back and bowed deeply. "I apologize to you."

When I raised my head, I thought it could have been my imagination, but the old man's eyes seemed to sparkle just a bit. But it was gone in an instant and he turned his head to regard the soldier still in the corner. "Your thoughts?"

It bothered me that I couldn't read the expression under his mask as the soldier stated, "There's no solid evidence that her words up to this point have been untruthful. However, further investigation or an interrogation may in order if you see fit."

The Hokage's eyes narrowed on me, increasing my discomfort as I anxiously waited for him to pass judgment. This was a huge leap of faith—I knew that. But I had less of a chance of leaving this place if the truth got out than I did right now. There was a part of me that considered throwing this whole thing out the window and making a break for it. Frankly, there was no reason for me to stay another minute. My life here was in the past. I wasn't a Leaf Shinobi, anymore. I was nothing but a rogue ninja without a home.

Before I could finish planning my escape that probably wouldn't have worked anyway, the Hokage spoke. "Actually… I have a better idea."

I straightened my shoulders and regarded him curiously, praying that he would decide to let me go. "Yes?"

"Kanata," he said in a firm but calm voice. "On account of your past record as a trusted Shinobi of this village, I'm going to give you a chance to prove yourself to us. For now, there's no need to worry about an interrogation. I'll let you stay… under the condition that you remain under the watch of a professional for the time being."

I frowned as I registered his words. "Wait… you're keeping me here?"

He folded his hands together and regarded me as if there was no argument otherwise. "Well, I think you understand why I can't let you go. It's because of who you are. If you were someone else, this might be different—but you're an extra special case. Need I point out to you that I'm trying to do you a favor? I can't let you go running off, but I can give you some freedom if you'll make an effort to cooperate. If you can do that much, you may leave or stay when I see fit. Provided you agree to my conditions."

I sucked in a deep breath. Well, perhaps this hadn't turned out quite the way I hoped it would, but there were worse options. I guess…

"Lord Hokage," the Anbu officer interjected calmly. "With all due respect, are you really suggesting we let her loose into the village? People will ask questions."

"Naturally," the Hokage said, in a similar subdued tone. "But that's something we can minimize by keeping this particular exchange quiet and offering an alternative story to the general public for now, wouldn't you say?"

"But some of them could still remember," the Anbu officer added.

"Quite true. But, and this is confidential information, mind you… Many years ago the Elder Council and I decided it would be more fit to inform the public a bit differently regarding the disappearance of Kanata, so to avoid concern and panic." He glanced at me. "As far as everyone aside from Shinobi personel knows, you've been away on extended training."

Wow. I never knew the Hokage was a liar when I was a kid.

"So, what will it be?" he asked patiently. "My conditions—or imprisonment?"

Potentially, if word got out that I was a rogue ninja, my fate might even be more horrific than if I was thrown into a prison cell. Still, the Hokage was showing me more kindness than I'd originally anticipated. He said that if I stayed and followed his orders, he would eventually let me go. So that meant if I played along for a while, this might pay off in the end. If I refused, I'd be ruining my chances to ever make it out alive. The Hokage wasn't stupid; in fact, as I peered into his eyes I came to the conclusion that he had not bought my story at all. If that was the case, who knew what he truly had in store for me?

So I uttered a short sigh of defeat and made the obvious choice: "What did you have in mind?"

With the tips of his fingers, the Hokage gestured to the Anbu member without ever saying a word to me, who leaned down and let the old man whisper something in his ear. To my irritation, I was unable to hear a word of it, and with a quiet nod, the soldier left the Hokage and me alone in the room.

"So…" I said, taking a wild guess and folding my arms across my chest. "Who is this professional you're talking about?"

"You'll find out when he gets here," the Hokage replied.

I resisted the urge to scowl. Keeping me in suspense like this was not helping to ease my nerves at all.

As I spent the next twenty minutes or so in silence with the Hokage, I continued plotting my escape if this turned out badly. Sure, I had nowhere to go and no friends out in the world, but when I thought about it logically, I really didn't want to die here, either.

But this was his offer. I wasn't in a position to refuse, no matter how much I wanted to cut and run. I was at his mercy and therefore had to make do with what little control I now had over the situation.

Eventually, there came a knock at the door. As the Hokage told the person outside to come in, I moved so that I wouldn't be in the way and spun around. And when I rested my eyes upon the strange-looking man who entered the room, I could hardly believe what I was seeing.

This is the "professional" the Hokage talked about?

"Lord Hokage, you summoned me?" the man said in a deep, questioning tone.

He wore a standard Jounin uniform, the green vest that so many Hidden Leaf Shinobi wore. With both hands stuffed in his pockets, he had a lazy stance and posture that might give one the impression that he didn't care about much of anything. The Leaf Shinobi headband he wore came down to cover his left eye, and although his right one looked tired and narrow, he still appeared thoughtful and focused as he greeted the Hokage.

And from the very instant he'd stepped through the door, I knew who this man was. If nothing else, the tall head of silver hair and the dark blue mask covering his mouth and nose gave it away. It was clearly, unmistakably... the man whose image had remained forever sealed in my skull since childhood: Kakashi Hatake.