Chapter 1

根"には…名前は無い、感情は無い…
In Root... there are no names. There are no feelings...

過去は無い…未来は無い。あるのは任務…
There is no past... there is no future. There is only the mission...

木ノ葉という大木を目に見えぬ地の中より支える、我々"根"の意志
The will of us Roots supports this great tree called Konoha, invisible, from within the earth.

My name. I haven't got one. My past. Haven't got one of those either. Emotions. One of the things spared to me. Ex-Root ANBU, now ANBU squad leader. You can call me Aiko. Laugh all you want, drastic pun the ABU Root gave me. Affectionate child. I'm laughing really. My mask: Fox. Reason: Extremely sly. I was first recruited at the age of 13; I had runaway from my home. Kusagakure. The Hidden Village in the Grass. I was a national jounin when I ran away but then I was captured and put in ANBU for Konohagakure. The third was nice enough to me but when I met Danzo I knew I would hate it. I'm currently 18 years of age. Three years, in that time the downfall of the ROOT, the thirds death, the fourth came to be, I left ANBU. The sting and burn of the tattoo is still fresh on my skin. It prickles everyday, a sore remembrance of my life. I would keep going but I have to talk to the Hokage. Tsunade-sama.

I have no name…..

No Life………….

No Past………….

No future………….

No present…………

Only the mission………………….

"Good day Aiko, please sit," said the blond smiling warmly at me. Warmly, meant to be kind and a sign of affection. Sai's constant reading kept penetrating my head as I thought about. He had been unlucky and not been spared his emotions from Danzo. I was.

"I'll stand Hokage-sama," I said my voice no longer muffled by my mask. She nodded and carried on.

"How long have you been in ANBU?" she asked

"5 years," I replied sternly,

"Ah yes you were the one of the Prototypes for the new ROOT ANBU, weren't you?" she said smiling still. I flinched inwardly. It was true I was a new prototype for ANBU. Along with many more.

"Hai, Hokage-sama," I replied

"Please, remove your mask," she asked, I hesitantly removed my mask. My pale face seemed to be out of place among my dark ANBU uniform. "You're so young, was it Danzo who put you in ANBU?" she asked.

"Hai," I replied. Shizune and Tsunade stared at my face. Tsunade looked out the window at the Hokage's faces and turned back and did that a few times. I stayed still while they watched.

"Do you know your heritage Aiko?" she asked suddenly,

"No but I would like to know," I answered,

"Shizune look it up," she said. Suddenly there was a banging on the door. "Also bring in Kakashi for me," Shizune nodded and went away and came back soon.

"Baa-chan! I'm bored, is there any new missions?" shouted a noisy blond boy banging through the door followed by a pinkette. I tried to grab my fallen mask but to availability it was sitting on the Hokage's desk. The blond boy stopped running and stared at me along with the pink haired Kunoichi.

"Your ANBU?" said the girl,

"Hai," I said sternly at the girl my age. Having not talked to anyone but Sai and Danzo while I was in ROOT I felt awkward in conversation. The blond boy sapped out of it but before I could grab my mask before there was a 'poof' behind me and a grey haired man appeared. I stared slightly but regain my composure. The Hokage cleared her throat and we turned to her.

"I understand you wish to resign from ANBU?" she asked

"Hai," I replied my face straight. I could tell that the grey haired man was staring at me. It was slightly un-nerving. Only slightly.

"Well, I will re-instate you as a member of Konoha, you will be given a job and apartment to live in and also your identity will be re-instated." She said "Also I would like to introduce the people next to you. Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura and Hatake Kakashi. Kakashi is an ex-ANBU squad leader as well," she said, I nodded and looked over. He had the same silver hair as did I but I have black eyes. My hair is short and unruly. He seemed to stare at me.

"Okay you are dismissed, Hatake I need to speak to you after this." She said, I nodded and collected my mask and vanished quickly. I soon arrived outside on the roof of the Second Hokage's head. I smiled, I always came here. My grandma used to say great things about the Nidaime. The Second Hokage. How much I looked like him, my spirit about my Village. But he was part of Konoha and we were from Kusagakure. Grass not Leaf. I always listen to those stories and now that I was living in Konoha I visited his head and monument. I guess I felt connected to it since I came here. I pulled my ANBU mask off and lay down on the cliff just daydreaming. I fell asleep. Thoughts vanishing in the wonderful bliss called. Sleep.

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Tsunade strode dangerously back and forth through her office. Jiraiya, Kakashi and Shizune were standing there.

"How could this happen? How was I not informed," she shouted at them,

"Tsunade we didn't know either, their resemblance is astonishing." Said Jiraiya.

"How could I not have been informed about my niece being in ANBU?" she shouted. It finally settled in her. She had a niece. She was the great grand daughter of Nidaime Hokage. The Second Hokage in the history of Konoha.