A/N

As I'm sure you've noticed, this is the only actual update. Sorry guys, when I rewrote I didn't expect to push the plotline so far. Hopefully you guys reread the whole story, because I worked on it forever. If you didn't… well, big mood.

A special apology to Warbreaker, for following this fic hours before I made a complete overhaul. Your sacrifice is appreciated.

Enjoy?

Disclaimer: I am BACK and I own this fic!

Minato P.O.V.

In front of the Hokage Tower, hundreds of villagers mulled about as they waited for the assembly to begin. Minato watched through the window, taking in the various atmospheres surrounding his people; some appeared excited, others lively or curious, and a good few looked wary. Of course, this was to be expected as announcements such as these between the government and the villagers most often occurred in less than favorable circumstances. An announcement of war, or the changing of Hokage.

No one quite knew what to expect, and it made them anxious, filled the air with anticipation.

This announcement was a good one though, or it would be if he played his cards right. The Root Twelve had a chance here, a chance for something better; all they needed was one person willing to give them that opportunity. They were children of Konoha, ones that had been swept into darkness, forgotten for far too long. Each of them deserved to experience a kinder side of this world. However, in order for them to have it, and keep it, Minato knew he would need the people on their side, one hundred percent.

It wouldn't be easy.

The reputation of Root had not merely hit rock bottom; no, it'd fractured the earth's surface and had descended into the very depths of hell. There was no further plane of existence to physically lower one's self into and that was where the problem lay. The Root twelve ranged in age anywhere between six and ten; they were, by all accounts, children and yet they did not act like kids. They did not smile or laugh as you'd expect, didn't speak with anything less than perfect pronunciation and grammar; their occasional, meager attempts at playing were a sham, a painful show at normalcy.

And their eyes; Kami, those eyes.

Too serious, too knowing; those eyes always revealed the truth, that they were simply playing the roles expected of them, doing what the shinobi watching thought children should do. The Root twelve were quiet, reserved kids that had seen too much of the world, and it was something others wouldn't always understand. In the worst case scenario, the villagers would see these odd children, their connection with Root, and come to treat them with fear, suspicion.

It could also go the other way though, depending on a few key factors- one of which being Nao.

Nao's mature manner of speaking and intense gaze unsettled people, and it was well known within the village that she had been a target of Danzo. By the end of the day, the villagers would see the Root Twelve and know just how close she'd supposedly been to becoming one of them. There was no protecting her from being linked to the Root Twelve in the villager's minds; Minato couldn't do anything to stop those dots from connecting, but he did have the opportunity to use that connection for good.

Inoichi and Shikaku saw the similarities, at the very least.

Nao had more spirit, more life in her, but her eyes were just as leaden with truth; she and the Root Twelve were more similar than one might think and that was what made her the perfect example. The village was used to the oddness of Nao by now, and though she may seem unsettling, the tiny hurricane was also admired by the villagers. They were always watching, and Nao knew it too, enough to keep a mask up when she went out. It was a mask that made her appear distant, above reach, and fortunately, it was far from perfect.

The issue with Nao's mask was that when she was with her friends it slipped and often she was too busy doting, showing them affection to notice. It was that very affection and kindness that had endeared her to the civilians, whether she realized it or not.

He was counting on it to see them through the beginning.

Minato's gaze left the window and traveled over to the group of children huddled together along one of the lobby's walls. Some talked quietly among themselves while the others listened, but for the most part they remained subdued.

It was easy to pick out the pale head of hair from the group as she stood a little off to the side, accompanied by two other boys. Minato noted the uncertainty in both boys' posture, the way they were turned towards one another- as though they weren't standing with a third person at all- before he focused on the neutral expression of the little girl.

Kichi was… unusual.

Not quite like Nao or the young Kakashi Minato had first met. No, those two had always been far too serious, too smart for their own good and, most importantly, too full of fire. Kichi did not have any fire in her, and from the reports he'd read on her, this came as little surprise. Kichi had been taken by Root at the youngest age — two years of age — because of her suspected bloodline limit and so her fire had never been allowed to grow.

The child was perhaps the most alarming of the Root Twelve; something about her gaze when she looked at you, as though there was something missing from her and something missing from you as well. Getting Konoha to fully accept Kichi despite her odd disposition would have been the biggest hurdle to overcome had Nao not been so incredibly fond of her, and it was that friendship that would be their saving grace. If Nao was anything like Kushina — and she really was, Kami help him — then she was going to dote on Kichi to no end, public image be damned, and would all but adopt her.

Nao would bring Kichi out of her shell a bit just by being herself.

All he had to do was let the villagers see that growing bond, let them watch Nao take that girl under her wing, and maybe even a few of the other children, if she took to any of them. Nao didn't have the best reputation with some of the villagers at the moment, but she was still respected all the same, and when Nao was happy, you could practically taste it in the air around her. With the public on his side, Minato was going to have a much easier time blocking off the Elder Council and easing the Root Twelve into a better life.

Nao was going to humanize these children.

She was going to give them that chance, and maybe in turn, find some peace herself.

Minato was pulled from his musings as Uchiha Shisui sidled up next to him. "Well?"

"All bombs have been disarmed and removed from the village, Hokage-sama." Shisui began quietly. "The festival grounds have been cleared as well; team six will do one more sweep after the stalls have been set up."

Excellent. "What's the final count?"

"One hundred and seventy three explosive seals." Shisui paused. "You were right though; each one is decades old. They had been there for some time."

Yes, the only question was why?

Whoever was responsible for the attacks against the village hadn't known about them, and it was pure luck that none of the enemy's bombs triggered the older ones; a few had come close. The explosives dated back around the Second Shinobi War. Konoha had been dangerously close to an assault they would not have been able to walk away from. Minato had a hard time imagining what the village would be like had those explosives ignited. Would he have crossed paths with Kushina still, two children having lost their villages?

There was no point in pondering over it now. "Thank you, Shisui. I'll relay the good news to the council, and hopefully the Academy will be reopened by the beginning of the week. Your team is dismissed for the day."

The boy bowed, and left to join the crowds.

A commotion from down the hall caught his attention and those around him began whispering. He turned to see what the fuss was about, and immediately Minato's gaze found the splash of red hair down the main hall; it was Nao, which, of course it was, he should've known. Turning heads appeared to be an Uzumaki specialty, right alongside frightening temperaments and the ability to cause him undue stress; if there was any justice in this world, Naruto would hopefully grow to be more Namikaze than Uzumaki.

People parted around Nao, moving out of her path as she continued down the hall.

No one appeared able to take their eyes off her, and instinctively Minato recognized their reactions as far different than normal. He stepped around the few people obstructing his view, turning to give them a kind smile and wave them off as they realized they'd been in the way and began apologizing. By the time Minato looked back to Nao, she was at the end of the hall, entering the open space of the lobby. This time there was nothing blocking his view of the child. As he took her appearance in, Minato's heart stopped.

Nao's gaze — cool, bored — flicked around the room before coming to a halt at the group of children on the opposite wall. Her features lightened considerably as she pranced over to them and came to a stop before Kichi. The whispering continued, and as usual Nao paid it no heed. Minato blinked, slowly, wondering briefly if he was really seeing this or if his eyes were playing tricks (he was praying they were) because as Nao took her friend's hands, she did not look like the tiny hurricane he knew well.

No, rather, she looked like the First Hokage's wife in the flesh.

The Uzumaki Princess reincarnated.

Shikaku P.O.V.

Behind the closed doors of a small conference room on the first floor, Inoichi was pacing. Now, at this age in life Shikaku was more than adept at ignoring the little disturbances his old teammate made under duress; if Inoichi wanted to talk about what was bothering him, he would do so eventually. Today though, Shikaku got the feeling that, despite wanting to, the man could not seem to find the words to voice his thoughts, and so he took pity on his friend by saying, "It will be fine."

Inoichi whipped his head around. "This is a terrible idea."

"It could work."

"He should have told me." Inoichi fell heavily into the chair across from him, fingers rubbing circles into his temples. "He should have asked my opinion first, how I thought this might affect the state of things. Why does no one ever come to me? Am I not the one overseeing her sessions? Why?"

Shikaku considered his next words before voicing them. "Nao-chan does not strike me as the kind to crumble so easily under pressure."

No. He mused inwardly, an image of her running along streets on the brink of winter, coatless and wearing two layers of insufficient clothing coming to mind. The way she'd smiled and happily greeted him, not a shadow of complaint, not a hint of resentment for the cold or her quality of life. No, that kid isn't prone to crumbling.

Uzumaki Nao was the type that endured, likely often in silence.

Inoichi paused in his motions to give his teammate an agonized look. "That child may not look it, but she is wired for self-destruction. We all have that little red button inside our minds, but not Nao; no, she has a switch, and it's permanently locked on that mode."

"You believe she's going to self-destruct in front of the village, simply by standing on a stage?" Shikaku knew the answer already, but it was a question that had to be asked, a step that couldn't be skipped if he was ever to see a resolute end to this conversation.

His friend sighed. "No."

"But?"

"…But putting her up on that stage will have consequences." Inoichi sat back in his chair, finger tapping the table slowly. "Tell me, what do you make of her?"

The Jonin Commander very much did not want to; Nao was his son's close friend, the girl that had dinners in their home, whom his wife adored and Shikaku himself was rather fond of. However, there was no point in shying away from the truth and he had never been one to do so. "A sweet, loyal girl when it comes to her friends; charming, too, and remarkably bright for her age."

"What else?"

Shikaku sighed. "And far too clever for her own good. Nao-chan is smart, yes, but it's that clever streak of hers to watch out for; it's probably her greatest asset, and it also has the potential to be not only her downfall, but perhaps ours as well. The orphaned life has not been kind to her, which I suspect is why she is the way she is. It isn't unusual to see such severe distrust from children coming from similar situations."

"It isn't," Inoichi agreed. "However, in most cases those children have a good chance at bouncing back from trust issues, given the proper time and care. Nao is… a special case; normally, children left in unfavorable conditions regress over time but the key factor here is the length of time. Nao exhibits an uncommonly high dose of paranoia and fear for her age. It is rare, but it does tend to happen every now and then depending on the amount of trauma a child experiences."

"Would you say she's been regressing as of late?"

After a moment, the man admitted, "No. Neither is she making any leaps in progress."

He said this as though it was a failure on his part, and Shikaku sent a contemplative glance across the table when the Yamanaka wasn't looking. Inoichi wasn't becoming too attached to his client, but… well, he'd always struggled to be objective when it came to his own abilities. Some people simply couldn't be helped, and during those times Shikaku knew his friend could be too hard on himself.

Nao…

She was a troubled child, to be sure; but not a bad person, and not, he thought, beyond help. Without meaning, he found himself caught in a memory, on something his son had said. It had been after the attack that had landed Shikamaru in the hospital, during the long hours that first night while they waited for the doctors to ascertain whether he would fit to be released in the morning.

"She came back." Shikamaru had mumbled, gaze glazed over from the medication as it slowly dripped into his bloodstream by way of the IV. His son was staring at the ceiling, and Shikaku blinked, sitting up higher in the chair though still slouching.

After a moment, he inquired, "She?"

Shikamaru turned to him, a glimmer in the boy's eyes as he murmured, "Nao, she… came back. We got separated in the blast, and she made it out to the other side of the explosion. But she came back. She came back for us, and then she dug me up… So calm, even though she was scared too."

Shikaku hummed, recalling the first words she'd said upon entering the Hokage's office, covered in dust and ash and a little bloody. Informing him his son was in the hospital with ease, as though they hadn't spent the better part of the last few hours fearing for their lives. Before he finds the words to form a sentence, Shikamaru adds, "Nao is warm… Warm, and very reckless."

What Shikamaru didn't say, Shikaku could read in his eyes every now and then; Nao was warm, and reckless, and this world might very well take her apart because of it. What Nao needed now wasn't something Inoichi could give her, and Shikaku figured his friend would come to that conclusion sooner or later. He'd see that the solution, while not an umbrella remedy, was easy enough and would find its way to her in time.

Nao just needed to be loved, completely and unconditionally.

She always appeared happiest when she was pouring her own affection into another, all that was left was for her to receive instead of give. It couldn't come from the Hokage, or his fiery wife; they had Naruto and the village, meaning Nao would never have faith in their love. She needed to be first, loved more than any other, and though it sounded like a selfish wish, Shikaku didn't particularly think there was anything wrong with it. For a child that didn't know what it was like to be loved above all else, to be first in someone's heart, it did not seem like too much to ask.

Everyone deserved to have that, at least once.

There was a commotion outside the door and a quick glance at the clock told the Jonin Commander that the announcement was about to begin. He stood, stretching before leisurely making his way around the table and to the door. As his friend joined him, Shikaku clapped him on the back, and with a lazy grin, said, "Nao-chan will be fine. If, by chance, she does happen to implode on stage, no one will ever forget to consult you beforehand again."

Inoichi shot him a dirty look. "Funny, sort of like the way you conveniently forgot to mention this to me until about an hour ago?"

"It slipped my mind." He lied casually.

"That was very believable."

Shikaku hummed, his attention split on the people huddling in the lobby ahead of him, their gazes flickering to the same place. Beside him, Inoichi was still caught in his own musings, sighing wearily. "I suppose you have a point though. Perhaps I'm being over cautious; still though, I don't think it's too unreasonable to be informed on these matters in advance. She is my patient, after all."

"What's the worst that could happen with Minato standing by?" Of course, Shikaku regretted his words immediately as they stepped into the lobby and saw what the commotion was about.

It was Nao.

Nao, and what Shikaku could only analyze to be an alarmingly well thought out outfit. Thick, white ribbons dangling from her pigtails, pins at the crown of her head glancing off the light above like a small tiara, and a red and white formal kimono to top it off. The Uzumaki crest adorning the back seemed to stare at him in a mocking fashion, but it wasn't just the outfit; it was the green eyes, high cheekbones hidden behind baby fat, the same arched brows and dark red locks. He had seen the pictures and portraits, and if he'd been hesitant to touch on the resemblance before, there was no denying it now.

She truly looked as though Uzumaki Mito come alive once more.

From the smug glint in her eye, Nao knew it too.

Beside him, Inoichi chuckled, sounding faint. "Well, the worst, it's… ah, there's the Hokage." He wandered away, and Shikaku followed after him, feeling an enormous amount of pity not just for his friend, but for the Hokage as well. Minato watched his ward with a distinct expression on his face, one that clearly said This child is going to be the death of me.

He didn't doubt it, either.

The poor fool had married Kushina; that was asking for a troublesome life without throwing any other factors into the mix like, say, being Hokage. Shikaku firmly believed there to be only one other person in the village able to match the redhead in problematic actions and reckless decisions and, well…. Minato also happened to have that one as well. A matched set, if you will. Minato shared a look with the two of them as they came to a stop at his side and, after a moment, all three of them turned their attention back to the miniature Mito. A single thought seemed to dawn on the men then, hanging in the air between them, unsaid but fully acknowledged.

It was the unshakable feeling that this had been a terrible, terrible mistake.

That, between the three of them, someone should have seen this coming.

There was no going back now though; the children were lining up by the door, and a few of the council members were already walking out, announcing the beginning. Shikaku straightened his shoulders and followed suit, taking one last glance at Nao and whatever it was she was planning.

To be fair, it could have been worse.

Chouji P.O.V.

With summer approaching, the morning was a warm one.

The sun shining onto Chouji's back might have been uncomfortable, but the breeze that blew through the village cooled him nicely. It was a good day for relaxing, and really, there were only two problems that kept it from being an ideal morning. The first was the snacks Chouji had woefully forgotten to bring, left behind on the kitchen counter at home. He clutched his stomach and sighed sadly, knowing there wouldn't be time to go retrieve them before the announcement began. Already he was having trouble getting through the crowded streets.

In front of him, Shikamaru moved restlessly, leading their way through the throngs of people towards the Hokage Tower.

He'd been that way since they met up half an hour earlier, and Chouji didn't hold it against him.

The second problem was Nao-chan, obviously.

She hadn't been at the park, hadn't gone to get either of them, and hadn't been at home when they'd went to find her earlier in the morning. Naruto had said she was with the Hokage, which was why neither of them had seen her yet. Chouji knew why he was bothered, but Shikamaru, on the other hand… "How come you're fidgeting?"

"I'm not."

Chouji stared. "Well, okay. I think Nao-chan is okay."

Shikamaru turned around and gave him a look, as if to say Who said this was about her?

It was though, Chouji could tell. They didn't see her every day, it was true, but when four or five days went by without Nao coming around at least once, Shikamaru tended to get twitchy. He was sure Nao got into a lot of trouble when he wasn't watching her, and Chouji wasn't sure if he agreed. She was always pretty calm when they spent time together; it seemed odd to think she might get into a mess if they weren't there to play together. Then again… Nao did end up in weird situations. Like getting body guards, or living with Naruto, or ending up in the hospital…

Maybe Shikamaru had a point.

Chouji dropped the subject, his musings trailing when the Nara said, "Look, we know how Nao is."

"Right."

"You can't blame me for being suspicious."

They grew close enough to the tower that crowd thickened too much to weave through. Shikamaru made a sharp left, cutting through the backway of a building, and turning another corner. Chouji followed. They were almost right across from the tower now. To his disappointment, Shikamaru went straight for the fire escape and began to climb.

He wasn't good with heights.

"I know." After a moment, Chouji added, "She's smart though. That's why I'm not worried."

Halfway up the building, Shikamaru's head jerked up, and Chouji stopped and followed his gaze to the Hokage Tower. People had filed out, and Chouji was able to spot Shikamaru's father among the faces. Then Naruto's father exited the building, stopping in the center of them.

"Guess we're missing the first part." Shikamaru muttered, though it was in an unbothered tone.

"Nao-chan will fill us in." She was nice like that. Scary, sometimes, but nice.

Once they reached the rooftop, where a few others had had similar ideas, Shikamaru procured an opening near the corner edge. Chouji settled in and turned his attention back to the stage, hoping the beginning of the announcement hadn't been to important.

The Hokage continued. "It is said that history is a repetition of mankind's most grievous mistakes. On this day I would ask each of you to set aside this ideal for a far greater one; the notion that we, as one people, bear the incredible ability to carry with us not our past mistakes, or those of our predecessors, but rather the hope for a brighter future. In spite of the forces that sought to be our undoing, we of Konohagakure remained steadfast and strong. It was our unity that saved us; our unity as a community, and a village, to come together under great duress and aid our fellow citizens.

"This compassion is the foundation upon which Konoha was founded; a village wherein any clansman, merchant, or ordinary civilian stood to build for themselves, and their children, a life free from the constant threat of war. The first Hokage lived by this philosophy of compassion and unity, one we know today as the Will of Fire. Like him, it is my belief that any who encompass the Will of Fire deserve a chance to find a home within our village."

Suddenly, the scent of grilled meat hit Chouji, and he missed the Hokage's next words. Peering over the edge of the building, he saw a couple holding sticks of yakitori. His mouth watered. Where had they gotten those from? Shikamaru pulled him back by his collar.

"Pay attention. We'll eat later." He scolded.

Chouji tried not to pout. It sounded like grown up stuff to him; why did they have to be here anyway? Wasn't this the kind of thing Shikamaru couldn't be bothered with?

"This brings us to the purpose of my announcement. Three weeks ago, thirteen survivors were discovered deep within the base of the organization known as Root. As it is well known, only one of these survivors was made public; my young ward Uzumaki Nao, kidnapped at the behest of the traitor Shimura Danzo. Since that time, both she and myself have worked closely with the remaining survivors as they recovered from their ordeal. The Will of Fire burns brightly in these individuals just as it does in each of us. I ask the good people of this village to withhold their prejudice and join me in welcoming the survivors of Root to Konohagakure."

A cacophony of murmuring broke out around him, and Shikamaru inhaled sharply. Back on stage, a row of children had filed out from the tower, and leading them… "Is that?"

"Nao." Shikamaru confirmed.

Chouji squinted. Her hair made her easy to spot, but the rest of her… she was really dressed up, like one of those rich merchants or someone from the clan parties he'd been to. The really stuffy ones with the Hyuuga. "She looks pretty. Why's she up there though?"

"Getting herself into trouble." Was the dark reply. Shikamaru's expression flickered, coming to some conclusion Chouji hadn't seen. "Why would they let her lead them… Oh, the Elders aren't pleased."

Chouji looked over to the left of the Hokage where the three stood. They really didn't look happy, Shikamaru was right. It was funny though, their faces went blank as Naruto's dad announced that there would be a surprise festival in the evening. The news was followed by cheers, leaving the kids on stage wide-eyed. Nao stepped forward, dragging two white haired kids by the hand and made them wave at the cheering crowd. Welcoming shouts whistles split through the noise. More of the kids seemed to find their courage and followed Nao's example, though more red in the face. But Nao was fearless like that; of course it would give her shaky legs the way it would Chouji. He admired that about her.

With the announcement over, the crowd began to disperse.

Some hung around while others went back to their work, and there was talk of shops closing early to accommodate the festival.

Shikamaru waited for the streets to calm before leading the way back down the fire escape. Chouji very carefully did not look as he climbed his way down and followed the slow pace of his friend. After a moment, Nao-chan appeared to spot them. She moved off the stage, hand still in the girl's beside her, and wandered over. Behind her two more boys trailed.

Her grin was large. "So, what did you guys think? It's exciting, right? A festival! Finally something fun to do."

"It was something." Shikamaru retorted. "What's with the outfit?"

"Pretty, isn't it?" Nao-chan spun, showing off. "My first kimono."

She looked so proud, too.

Shikamaru deflated a little. With a sigh, he rubbed at the back of his neck. "Yeah… it looks nice on you."

"Thanks!" Her features lit up. "Oh, you guys should get dressed up to! I'm taking Kichi — by the way, Kichi, these are my other friends Shika and Chouji. Guys, this is Kichi, and Shin and Sai — anyway, I'm taking her to pick out her own kimono. Do you guys want to come with?"

"Sounds like a pain."

"You Nara males are useless."

Beside Nao, the girl Kichi observed each of them. When her stare turned to Chouji, he offered her a small smile. Something about her made him want to turn away, but if Nao liked her then Chouji thought he should at least give her a chance. The two boys behind her also seemed to keep their distance. Shikamaru noticed as well, his gaze flickering between Kichi and Nao before settling on the pale girl. Without warning tension leaked into the air as the two continued to watch one another with something akin to distaste.

"Fine, be that way." Nao said. "I'm taking Kichi and the boys on a tour around the village too. Why don't you guys come with? We can show them all the best foods and shops and whatnot while the festival is setting up."

Kichi, meeting Shikamaru's baleful stare head on, wrapped her hand around Nao's. Nao slid the girl a cheerful look, oblivious to the increasing tension. With an awkward laugh Chouji moved them all along. "Let's eat first, I'm starving."

Chouji prayed the rest of the afternoon wouldn't go on like this. It was rare that Shikamaru didn't get along with someone, but for whatever reason Chouji could tell he really didn't like Nao-chan's new friend.

They were about to leave when someone called out, "Nee-chan! Over here!"

Nao furrowed her brow and muttered under her breath as Naruto waved her down excitedly from his perch on her guard's back. Both of Nao's guards were kind of young, but they were Uchiha too and he guessed that meant they were strong enough to protect her. She didn't appear to mind them, so Chouji hadn't thought too much on it.

"Oh, right. Kichi, that blond boy is Naruto. Please treat him well. He's… a good boy. We live together and he considers me to be his sister." She sighed. "I guess it'll be the eight of us tonight."

"Try again." Shikamaru nodded his head to the other guard, Sasuke's older brother. He was struggling to pull Sasuke away from another clan heir. An Inuzuka Chouji didn't remember the name of. To the side of those three he saw a face he did recognize, not that he wanted to. Yamanaka Ino was, as Shikamaru put it, troublesome; she was loud and liked to boss them around during clan parties. They did their best to avoid her in class, not that she appeared to mind.

He, Nao, and Shikamaru all seemed to deflate.

"Well," Nao-chan said, "At least there's festival food to look forward to."

And that was an excellent point.

Ino P.O.V.

Sasuke-kun was being mean.

With a scoff Ino turned away from him. If he wanted to play ring toss with his brother and cousin instead of her then that was fine. Ino wasn't going to pay him attention tonight if he couldn't be nice to her. She had even worn her best yukata for him, and nothing!

As she wandered back to the group, Ino savored in the atmosphere. Dark skies and warm lights and cheer; these were the moments she wanted to live in forever. Maybe Ino would seek out Sakura, and they could play together; her parents probably wouldn't mind. They liked Ino.

Two booths over, Naruto had goaded the boys into some sort of contest with Shikamaru as the judge. The two that she didn't know — Sai and… Shin? Yes, that was the name — seemed more interested in watch than playing, but then, Naruto was with them. That kid was determined to include everyone when they played games at recess. It was nice, if a little frustrating at times. The point being, everyone was distracted, and so as Nao stepped away from the group and into the crowd, only Ino and that strange girl Kichi noticed. Nao had covered a finger to her lips, meaning she hadn't wanted Kichi to say anything. Neither had seen Ino.

Here was an opportunity.

Getting into that girl's good graces would give Ino the reason she needed to hang around Sasuke-kun more, and hopefully impress him. After all, Ino was the heir of her clan, had already begun learning some of the Yamanaka techniques, though admittedly not any that required chakra. But still! She was leagues ahead of lots of her peers, had even placed sixth in class rank. All she needed was an in, and currently said in was walking away. Ino rushed to catch up, weaving through the crowd as quickly as she could. Where the heck was Nao even going? They were nearly at the edge of the festival.

As she wormed her way out of the flow of traffic, she caught sight of red hair moving around the corner of a building between two booths.

Ino paused, deciding to cut past a different booth and walk through the empty backway between the booths and buildings. There were a few boxes at the back of each booth, extra supplies, and she found herself hiding behind a stack as she peered around the corner. Nao stood in the alleyway, her back to Ino. After a moment, a man appeared, jumping down from the rooftop of one of the buildings. He wasn't very old, and didn't stand out as anything other than plain. Ino felt she had seen a hundred of ordinary men like him on the street, but still she memorized what she could of his face given the dim lighting, just as her father as taught her to.

What were they doing?

"I wondered if you had seen me." He said.

"You were trying to be seen." Nao replied. Her stance had shifted, and Ino took note. Nao began walking forward, stopping far closer to the man than Ino would have been comfortable with. "I was hoping you could pass along a message for me."

A smile played at the man's lips. "Figured something out already? I knew you were the smart one. You certainly proved it the first time we spoke, playing cute."

Nao cocked a brow. "Smart, I'm not so sure about. Creative, certainly; but I wouldn't go for smart quite yet."

And then Nao pulled a knife from her sleeve and drove it into the man's stomach.

A/N

I'm back, everything is rewritten, and I can finally find some damn peace!

Not as satisfying a chapter as you all must have expected, but you know sometimes, most of the time, life isn't satisfying. Also I had fun doing multiple P.O.V.s and I regret nothing. Yes, I left this on a cliffhanger; next chapter will shine more clarity onto the state of things.

Thoughts? Questions?

Please Review!