Hi hi! Silverwolf1213 here! Happy New Year, everyone! May you have many more to come, and I hope 2012 is a healthful and bountiful year for you all!

Since it's a new year, I thought I'd start us off with some thanks to all my lovely reviewers and then some other special thanks as well.

Thanks to Platano Manjar, trollypop, ParadiseRegained, EijiOokami, ILoveReadingAndWriting, RedRangerBelt, zerodragon, Tokashiro, EvilxLittlexNinja, ddcj1990, and Nyghtmaera for reviewing!

Now, special thanks to:

jennku for leaving lovely reviews for every chapter (or at least up until Chapter 11), they were a real confidence booster!

6Fortius9 for leaving so many nice reviews, they were wonderful. And another thanks for the tip on the summary, I changed it up a little, so I hope it's better than the last one.

Now, I'm going to try and answer some of the main questions, since I never actually get around to responding to reviewers, which I really apologize for.

1) The romance is NaruXSuki.

2) Naruto is born under the same sign as Suki, which is the Bird. The chapter named The Twelve Animals is a sketchy kind of layout for shinobi techniques. In terms of zodiac signs for birth, that's kind of the real version of what it is, but it's meant mostly for the Guardian in this story. Does that make sense?

3) The reason I haven't used any Japanese honorifics is because I started writing this with the intention of keeping it relatively Americanized. I know that doesn't really make it alright considering this is fanfiction based on a Japanese manga/anime, but please bear with it.

I think that's everything...

Anyway, I hope you like this next chapter! New genin squad for Suki = Not following the Naruto plotline the whole way through, which I'm personally happy about, so I hope you guys are excited as well.

Her Diamonds by Rob Thomas

Deep in the Land of Silver, the sun slowly began to drift behind the horizon. Large pointed mountains settled on the outer border of the country obscured the remaining rays of sunlight, making night come sooner than expected. The land littered with rough mines and rocky plains was slowly stripped of the light of the sun, casting shadows among the already dark caves.

Nestled in the center of the country sat a small yet prosperous village. Kagayaku Village, as it was called, was surrounded by silver mines, allowing the town's main export to be easily collected and produced. The wealth of the village depended chiefly on the production of silver, and over the years, the mines had never failed the Kagayaku citizens. Even though it was a tiny town, it was largely respected for its resources, thereby bringing in many trading agreements with other villages and countries.

In the center of the wooden homes and shops was the rounded two-story structure of the town leader's office. Its cemented gray color stood out amongst the brown and beige material of the other buildings surrounding it.

On the flat, tiled roof of the construction stood the aged leader of the village. Tetsu Yama leaned against the metal railing on the edge of the roof, his tired green eyes looking out over the town that he had led for more than half his life. His much younger secretary walked up to him and handed him is daily dose of green tea. He nodded his old head with a huff, his way of showing gratitude. With an understanding nod of her own head, the twenty-year-old blonde office worker took her leave.

On the way out, the young woman walked past a man slightly older than her. He was ascending to the rooftop just as she was leaving, and he did not even bother to give a glance as he strode by her. The girl sighed and rolled her eyes before she left the two men to chat.

"You wished to see me, Lord Tetsu?" the younger male said as he approached to stand beside his leader by the railing.

The sixty-one-year-old bobbed his head once in answer. "Yes. It has been a while since we had a one-on-one discussion, Chishio," the old man murmured as he brushed his long gray beard with a frail hand.

The dark-haired man shrugged at this comment. "Not much to discuss, I suppose."

This was especially true. Ever since the Guardian child had left the village six years ago, nothing spectacular had really happened. Days had once revolved around exerting discipline on the Kurohoshi while also dealing with the complaints of the Kagayaku citizens in regards to her very presence in the village. There had always been beatings to exercise on Suki, and there had always been threats from the people to kill her. Now, there was only peace and quiet.

The villagers may have been happy with this new change, but it left Chishio out of a job. He had been the unofficial yet known executer of punishments when it came to Suki Kurohoshi's disciplinary issues. Since she had been adopted by Kakashi Hatake, he was left as only an ambassador of sorts to represent his lord to other countries.

"That was true," Tetsu said. "Though now we have something important to talk about."

Out of the corner of his blood red eyes, the paler man saw his superior keep his beady jade eyes on the village. The wrinkles had really seemed to multiply over recent years, or at the very least, every time Chishio saw him. His eyes even seemed to be squinted shut from all the crinkles in his sagging skin. Tetsu's body still had its muscled physique, but even that appeared to be slowing down and slumping a bit.

"What about?" the twenty-six-year-old inquired as he blew a stray piece of black hair out of his eyes.

"About my successor," the village leader responded.

Crimson orbs widened in shock at this reply. This type of talk was never to be expected from the lord. With the tough and powerful exterior that he always seemed to have, speaking of a replacement was something that no one even thought of. Tetsu's iron fist kept such a strong hold on the village that most often believed he would be around forever, even if it wasn't mortally possible.

As Chishio looked at the older male in surprise, he realized that his lord must have been thinking about this longer than he expected. He should have noticed the thoughtful expressions that the elderly figure had begun to gain, for they had used to always be so alien on his wrinkled face. He should have noticed the gradual disappearance of his shouts and orders, for his demanding tone was one of the signature aspects of his personality. He should have noticed all these changes, but he didn't.

"Lord Tetsu," Chishio uttered uncertainly, "you should not speak of such things. You have a long time before you need to worry about-"

"I do not, and we all know it," the elder man interrupted sharply.

The dark-haired man winced at the cold tone his superior used, and Tetsu took notice of this. With a deep sigh, he took a sip of the green tea his secretary had brought for him. It was already beginning to cool, though steam still rose from the liquid as it swirled around in the small cup.

Once the tea had done its work in soothing him a bit, Tetsu continued speaking, bringing back his calmer tone. "I can feel my heart slowing significantly. My body is not in as good shape as it once was. I can feel everything slowly shutting down."

Chishio gazed at his leader with sad red eyes before he stubbornly turned his head away, a small childish pout taking over his expression. "No one in this village wants to hear you speak of this, my Lord… especially me."

The old Yama glanced at the young man out of the corner of his squinted emerald eyes. He took another swig of his tea, nearly finishing it in this gulp. Smacking his lips as he relished in the hot liquid, he turned to fully face his appointed ambassador. He grasped the other man's shoulder and forcefully spun around so that they were facing each other.

"Now, listen here. I don't want you giving me any of that pity crap, and I don't want to hear you going sentimental on me," he huffed irritably, clenching the grasped shoulder harshly. "I'm still the Iron Mountain of this village, so I don't want you looking at me like some decrepit old fart. Not even when I'm buried do I want to see any of that compassionate crap, understood?"

Blood red eyes blinked in surprise as Chishio hurriedly bobbed his head, though in the back of his head, he felt a tiny bit of happiness at seeing a glimpse of frightening yet respected leader again.

"Good," Tetsu nodded. He released his hold on the other man's shoulder and returned his gaze back to the village, watching the sun set beyond the mountains. "Now, as for my successor… well, I have no children, which means I must appoint someone to be the next leader." He tilted his graying head slightly to cast his stare over toward the paler male. "And I'm appointing you."

Chishio had still been in the process of adjusting to Tetsu's sudden mood swing, so when the news suddenly registered in his head, he clumsily stumbled backwards in shock. "P-Pardon? M-My Lord, I-I can't-"

"Oh, shut it," the leader snapped. "You honestly didn't expect me to call you up here just to tell you it wasn't you, did you?"

"I… I didn't even think you would consider choosing me, my Lord…" the black-haired man stuttered.

"Who else would I choose?" Tetsu scoffed. "You're my ambassador; you already know my job inside and out."

"Well… I…" Chishio stammered before he finally gave up. With a sigh, he bowed his head in gratitude. "Thank you, Lord Tetsu. I'm honored that you chose me."

The leader watched the young man with a calculating stare before he nodded his consent. "I will be expecting great things from you, Chishio." He took another sip of his tea, finishing off the cup's contents. "Now, I must tell you something else. It concerns Suki Kurohoshi."

Crimson eyes instantly narrowed expectantly. "What is it?"

"It's about…"

Tetsu never finished his sentence, for his right hand instantly flew to grasp his chest while the other covered his mouth as a vicious cough overtook him. His tea cup fell to the ground, shattering into a multitude of porcelain pieces. Chishio's eyes widened in astonishment as he hurried to his superior's side to keep a firm hold of him.

"My Lord! Are you alright?" he asked in alarm.

More coughing was his reply. The old man heaved and wheezed, and then the pale man noticed the blood leaking through Tetsu's hand to splatter his beige robes and sprinkle his long gray beard.

"Lord Tetsu!" Chishio panicked.

The elderly man could not even utter a word as his body gave out on him, and he collapsed to the cemented roof. The red-eyed man kept a strong hold on his shoulders, but that did not stop the blood trickling down his wrinkled chin into his furry whiskers. The old man gasped and choked, making him sound even more like the old person he was, and it was the first time that Chishio had ever seen him look so weak.

With a final pant and release of air, the elderly man's green eyes closed, and his body fell limp. As the sun disappeared beyond the horizon, so did the life of Tetsu Yama.

"You know, when I signed up to be a ninja, babysitting a bunch of snot-nosed kids was not what I had expected."

Suki looked over to the other girl of her team to see her cradling a wailing baby girl wrapped in a pink blanket while a little brown-haired blue-eyed boy was trying to climb up on the kunoichi. It was obviously taking all of Michiko's willpower to not smack the annoying toddler away while using the crying child as the club.

"Honestly, what kind of family consists of seven children?" the Bokusouchi hissed as she maneuvered away from the little boy who was now attempting to grab her clothes and any part of her body he could reach.

"More importantly, what kind of family has a bunch of strangers babysit their seven kids?" Haruki muttered as he placed two one-year-old twins in their cribs. He then proceeded to pry a very clingy two-year-old blond girl who was fascinated with his purple hair off his back and away from his head.

The team's sensei was lounging in the corner of the room on the plush green sofa. He was tossing one of the children's hacky-sacks into the air and catching it, finding great amusement in playing with the child's toy. He chuckled as he listened to the complaints of his students. "The funny part of this is that this family supposedly hires shinobi to babysit the kids almost everyday."

"Sounds like the parents are more concerned with having fun than actually caring for the kids then," the violet-haired boy uttered in annoyance as he kept the clingy girl from getting to him by holding her head at arm's length.

*You kids should be thrilled,* Kinmaru said as he cleaned his feathers with his beak. He was perched on the armrest of the sofa on which Deno was laying. *This means more money for you.*

"No amount of money is worth this blow to my pride – Yow!" Michiko yelped as the excited toddler pulled on her long brown hair when she wasn't looking.

Suki went to placing the two children she was watching, which were a five-year-old blond boy and a four-year-old brown-haired girl, down on the armchair to nap together. She had luckily picked the easiest set of siblings.

"You have to admit though," she smiled as she watched the two children doze off into dreamland. "These kids are better charges than the dogs we walked yesterday. And that's coming from someone who likes animals."

"I'd take overly excited canines over toddlers any day," the Senshi boy grimaced as he threw a soggy handkerchief into the garbage. He prayed it was wet with spit or tears and not something that came out of the other end of the human body. "At least chasing the dogs around the village proved to be somewhat of a training session."

"Both the dogs and these kids involved picking up poop," the brown-haired kunoichi added. "This seems like a lateral move to me."

As if on cue, one of the twins that Haruki had been watching began to sob even louder than before, which in turn, caused the other twin to wail just as fiercely. The ninja groaned when a foul scent reached his nose.

"Speaking of poop," Deno smirked as he threw the hacky-sack higher into the air.

Suki eyed her sensei with curious silver orbs. She tilted her head to the side as she asked, "So how come you never help us with these missions, Deno-sensei?"

"If I helped you with small assignments such as this, how can I expect you to handle yourselves on tougher missions?" the jounin replied easily, tossing the toy up until it hit the ceiling.

The raven-haired girl's lip twitched at this, so she turned her gaze to her lounging hawk companion. "And what about you, Kinmaru? How come you're just sitting there cleaning yourself?"

The bird's brown head lifted slightly from behind his wing to gaze up at his mistress. *Because I'm a bird,* he replied as if the answer was obvious. Suki's raised an eyebrow, clearly unhappy with that reply. With a sigh, Kinmaru tiredly stretched his wings out. *And also, I think I paid my dues when one of those villainous children tried to throw up on me.*

The sacred protector merely rolled her eyes while Michiko muttered something along the lines of, "Lucky bird…"

A sudden knock on the door made all three genin swerve their heads toward the entrance in excitement. They all appeared ready to leap to the entryway to answer when their teacher cut them off. "Ah, ah, go back to changing diapers, I'll get the door," Deno said as he heaved himself off the couch.

He smirked when the trio simultaneously moaned as they went back to taking care of the kids. The jounin strolled to the door, half expecting to see a nanny or some other poor genin team suckered into babysitting the toddlers.

Needless to say, the Hyuuga was surprised to feel a familiar chakra on the other side of the threshold when he opened the door. "Iruka? What are you doing here?"

The tan chuunin glanced inside to see his former students staring at him in confusion as they went about cleaning the room and helping the children. "I'm here to get Suki. She's wanted in the Hokage's office."

"Me?" the Kurohoshi repeated in surprise.

Deno's eyebrows furrowed together. "Right now? Is it an emergency?"

Iruka shook his head. "It's not a dire emergency, but Lord Hokage wants to see her immediately."

The jounin pouted his lip in contemplation before he nodded. He turned towards the general direction in which his student was and motioned for her to leave. "Go on. We'll hold down the fort while you're gone."

"We?" Michiko shrieked. "I think you mean Mr. Grumpy and me! You're just going to go back to throwing your hacky-sack around!"

Iruka blinked in surprise at the kunoichi's words, but he shook his head in an attempt to ignore whatever it was they were talking about. Sobs and wails erupted from all the children within a matter of seconds in response to the Bokusouchi's rant, creating a chorus of cries.

Suki bid her teammates farewell, and despite the bad mood they were in now, they waved goodbye to her as she left with her hawk in tow. As she exited the house, she asked her former teacher what the Hokage wanted with her.

"I'm not the one to tell you, Suki…" was all that Iruka responded with.

Suki's eyebrows knitted together at this, but before she could question it any further, he went a different way, telling her that he had to get someone else who also needed to speak to the Hokage. That left only the Guardian and her animal guide to proceed to the pale red structure known as the Hokage's Tower.

As Suki walked through the village with Kinmaru seated upon her shoulder, the sound of intense laughter reached her ears. The keepers of the voices sounded familiar, and she lifted her head from staring at the ground to see Teams 8 and 10 leaning against a wooden fence that lined the pathway.

The Kurohoshi blinked in surprise as she walked toward them. The group of genin spotted her as she approached, and most of them sent her welcoming smiles.

"Hiya, Suki!" Chouji greeted happily through munches of chips.

The raven-haired girl smiled a greeting toward them all. "Hi, everyone. What are you all doing?"

"We are just waiting for our teachers because they are submitting the mission reports," Shino supplied from the cover of his gray trench coat. The girl nodded in understanding.

"So, where's the rest of Team 9?" Shikamaru asked lazily as he shoved his hands into his pockets and leaned against the fence behind him.

"Finishing our mission," Suki said, tilting her head in the direction where the house of babies sat. "But I had to leave early because I have a meeting with the Hokage."

"What? You in trouble?" Kiba asked. A grin had been lining his features as he said, but when he realized who he was talking to, he immediately frowned and looked away, an immense guilt taking over.

Suki sent him a reassuring smile. "I sure hope not," she replied in a genuine tone, though it pained her that Kiba and Hinata refused to look at her.

"So, I'm thinking of having a party for all the graduates," Ino said as she looked to the Kurohoshi. "You know, as a celebration for passing. Tell your team about it, I'm thinking it'll be this weekend."

"A party for graduating?" Suki asked in confusion. "Graduation was two months ago though…"

"So?" the Yamanaka scoffed. "It's the perfect idea for getting Sasuke over to my house. Better late than never."

The raven-haired kunoichi frowned at this. "So that means Team 7 is coming?"

"They better come!" Ino said, appalled. "Or, at least Sasuke should come. Sakura and Naruto can stay home."

"You're the only one who has any issues with Sakura," Shikamaru countered as he slid down the fence into a sitting position. "And Naruto will probably crash the party, whether he's invited or not."

"Well, I couldn't care less about them, so long as I get Sasuke to come," the eager blond said, her blue eyes suddenly falling into a dream-like trance.

"In that case, thanks for the invitation," Suki said with a smile, trying to hide the pain in her voice as she heard her ex-best friend's name. "I'll… tell Michiko and Haruki about it…"

"Cool! Hope you can come!" Ino said with a wave as the other girl began to walk away.

Suki bid them all goodbye as she left the group. Unfortunately, her depressed expression came much too quickly, for Hinata caught her eye, giving her a concerned glance. The Guardian didn't want to burden the Hyuuga with her troubles, so she quickly looked away and proceeded toward her original destination. She could feel Kinmaru sending her a calculating golden gaze from upon her shoulder, but she ignored him in that moment.

The Hokage's building loomed over them as they entered. Busy ninja were bustling about, submitting and gathering mission forms and assignments. Some people were seated in a waiting area, just trying to make an appointment to meet with the Hokage's secretary. The genin felt slightly bad as she walked right on down the empty hallway toward the village leader's office.

When the large door stood high in front of her, she gently knocked her knuckles against the dense wood. A quiet approval to enter sounded from the other side, and Suki obeyed, pushing the door open and walking inside the small circular office. Her silver orbs widened in surprise when she saw who was standing across from the Hokage.

"Daddy? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with your team on a mission?"

The silver-haired ninja turned his head to see his daughter standing behind him, and his uncovered eye showed his bewilderment rather clearly. Suki realized that he was now just as confused as she was.

"I thought I was having a private meeting with Lord Hokage," Kakashi replied, his tone uncertain as he looked back to robed old man. "Apparently not. Iruka agreed to watch my genin while I came here."

Sarutobi nodded in response to the jounin's observation. "Yes. I called you both in here due to an important matter."

Suki came to stand beside her father. Since she already knew that he was confused about what this meeting was about, she looked to her animal guide for any kind of explanation. His golden eyes were set intently on the aged man's face, obviously trying to read his mind and decipher what was going to be discussed.

Hiruzen held up a small black scroll to show to the two family members. Suki tilted her head in confusion as she looked at it, and her eyebrows furrowed together in puzzlement when she felt Kinmaru clench her shoulders tightly with his talons and saw her dad stiffen only a few feet from her.

"Whose?" was all Kakashi said. The twelve-year-old looked at him expectantly, silently asking him to clarify what was going on.

"Tetsu Yama's," the Third replied.

Suki's head instantly whipped around to look back to her village leader. The dreaded name of the man who once, and even still, struck fear into her heart. Images of his cold ironed face glaring at her as he watched her receive her punishment began filtering through her memory.

"W-What about him?" the young girl asked, trying and failing to keep the fear from her voice.

Sarutobi glanced at her through the smoke of his pipe that rose directly in front of his line of sight. He held up the black scroll again, leaning his elbows on his large yet cluttered desk. "Suki, do you know what a black scroll means?"

The girl initially thought of taking a wild guess, but she chose not to risk sounding like a naïve child. So instead, she merely shook her head in a negative manner.

*It's the universal symbol to deliver the message of someone's death,* Kinmaru answered.

The Third Hokage and Kakashi, obviously having heard the bird's supply of information, nodded in confirmation. Suki pursed her lips in thought as she looked to the ground in an attempt to piece together what was happening.

Then her eyes widened as she looked back to the elderly leader. "Lord Tetsu is dead?"

Hiruzen nodded, the flaps of his headdress swaying as he did so. "We just received notice a couple hours ago that he died yesterday," he said as he opened the parchment to reveal the message hidden within. "The majority of this basically tells of how Tetsu Yama passed away from natural causes, and Chishio Kawa is his successor."

Suki involuntarily gulped and nearly choked at the mention of the second name. It took her a few moments to regain her proper breathing, and when she finally did so, she asked, "So they just wanted to inform me that Tetsu's dead and Chishio is the new leader of Kagayaku?"

"Not precisely," Sarutobi replied. "At the end of this notice is a personal message from Lord Chishio…"

The Hokage's slight pause was enough to bring up Suki's hyperventilating again. She couldn't find the words to plea for Sarutobi to continue. Her breathing only worsened as she tried to speak.

Luckily, Hiruzen noticed how nervous his delay had made the genin, so he picked up the page and began to explain the words that were written on it. "Lord Chishio Kawa wishes for you, Suki, to pay your respects to Tetsu Yama before he is buried."

The Kurohoshi girl's eyes widened as she clumsily stumbled backwards. Her silver orbs stared with fright at the kind old man, as if he was the source all the terror that was suddenly coursing through her. Chills ran up and down her spin, and her hands clasped her bare arms in an attempt to keep her body warm. It did little to quench her fear.

"I… I can't go back there…" she murmured quietly. "I can't…"

Kakashi was by her side in a millisecond, patting her back in comfort as he leaned down so that he was closer to her. He glanced out of the corner of his eye to the town chief as he asked, "Is this optional?"

The Hokage let loose a sad sigh. "Not particularly, no. There is even a mention of payment and personal escorts for Suki should she initially refuse. They're making it sound mandatory that she go to Kagayaku."

"Why do they want me to go so badly?" the Guardian child asked as a shiver shook her for a moment.

"I assume it is a sign of respect, as he was the lord of Kagayaku," Hiruzen replied as he glanced back down to the page. "Though there is also a note about how Lord Chishio wishes to talk to you in person."

"I don't want to see him," Suki instantly replied as memories of how harshly the man with the blood eyes used to beat her came rushing back to her.

The elderly man sighed deeply, smoke from his pipe rising even more quickly with the action. "Suki, speaking from our past experience with this man, I firmly believe Lord Chishio will come to the Leaf in an attempt to persuade you to come with him to Kagayaku for Tetsu's burial. Should such an event transpire, intense actions will be taken. But I do not want it to come to that."

The raven-haired preteen couldn't help it; her stomach churned mercilessly as she associated the title of 'Lord' with her previous punishment executor's name. The honorable label gave him more power, and that power could be used to harm her again.

"You're saying I have to go?" Suki asked incredulously. The very notion of how the kind elderly Hokage was forcing her to go to the place she loathed the most nearly made her lose her lunch.

"I'm saying it might be a good idea to put everything at ease," Sarutobi asked as he leaned back in the swivel chair. "This is an ideal chance to put any of your fears behind you and move on from the past. Closure, if you will."

*That does sound beneficial for you, Suki,* Kinmaru replied, casting his calm yet concerned stare over to his partner.

The young female bit her lip in thought. The more she contemplated it, the more nervous she felt about the entire thing. However, her hawk was probably right in saying it would benefit her to have closure, as the Hokage put it. The idea did sound appealing; perhaps it would put a rest to the dark thoughts, awful memories, and recurring nightmares she had of Kagayaku Village.

After several long minutes of silence, she finally nodded her assent.

A reassured smile spread across the Third's wrinkled face. His eyes showed his genuine niceness and pride in the young genin. "Good."

"Lord Hokage," Kakashi began as he stood up so that he was at his full height. His hand remained protectively grasped to his daughter's shoulder. "Did you ask me to come to this meeting so that I could be Suki's escort to the Silver Country?"

The silver-eyed female looked at her father, relief evident on her face. If her dad was coming with her to the Land of Silver, then surely things would be alright. She wouldn't need to worry if Kakashi was there to protect her, just as he did six years ago.

Three pairs of eyes widened in surprise as Kakashi, Suki, and Kinmaru watched the Hokage shake his head. "I'm afraid not. I brought you, Kakashi, here for a different reason."

"I'm sorry?" the Hatake muttered in shock as he looked at his superior disbelievingly and unsurely.

"It is initially up to Suki for her to go," Hiruzen said as he leaned his arms on the desk before him. "But ultimately, in a situation such as this, I want the parent's permission before I let her go."

"You want me to go alone?" the raven-haired girl asked incredulously, horror appearing in her eyes almost immediately.

"Then the answer is no," the jounin replied instantly. "I'm not letting her go there alone."

The Sarutobi elder raised his right hand to halt their objections, and the other shinobi quickly stopped their protests at the silent command. The Third slowly fixed the family before him with a calm and understanding gaze as he gradually laid his arm back down to rest upon his other.

"Please allow me to finish," the old man said. "I would never consider sending Suki alone, even if she had Kinmaru to protect her. But I cannot send you, Kakashi, to go with her. You have Team 7 to look after. I wouldn't want to replace you so suddenly after they have become genin, even if it is only for a short amount of time. They need their regular jounin sensei to guide them, for consistency and training purposes."

"So will you be sending me in then?"

The sudden voice startled Suki to the point that she nearly jumped. Her silvery gaze had been so transfixed on the Hokage that she didn't even notice someone was leaning on the window sill just to the side of the village leader. Arms dangling over the edge and a warm smile on his fair-skinned face, the second jounin turned in the general direction of Sarutobi.

"Deno, you could have used the door," Hiruzen scolded slightly, though his face showed a kind grin of his own.

"But that's no fun at all," the blind man smirked as he effortlessly leaped into the room. He leaned his back again window ledge, crossing his arms over his chest in a calm manner. "Sorry to interrupt. I was going to drop off my team's mission report, but I couldn't help overhearing the situation."

The Sarutobi male shook his head. "No need to apologize, your arrival is actually quite convenient."

"So does that mean my assumption was right?" the brown-haired male asked as he cocked his head to the side in expectance, uncrossing his arms so that his hands could rest on the edge of the window.

"Yes, in fact," the Third nodded. "It isn't an official mission, seeing as how Lord Chishio did not hire a squad of shinobi to come to Kagayaku. However, given the circumstances, sending Suki with no other protection other than her animal partner is out of the question. So I will send the other members of Team 9 to accompany her, and I will document it as a mission issued by Konohagakure directly."

"Lord Hokage, if I may interject," Kakashi interrupted, his tone of voice displaying only a fraction of the uneasiness he obviously felt, "I'm not sure I'm comfortable with…"

"With Team 9 going instead of you?" Deno finished. He sounded neither offended nor insulted. On the contrary, he seemed rather understanding. "It's all right, Kakashi. Suki will be fine in my care. And I know I speak for Haruki and Michiko as well when I say we won't let anything happen to her."

A sense of relief immediately ran through the marked child. After two months of working with her team, she had already begun to trust her comrades, even if petty missions were all they had to show for their teamwork. Michiko had quickly become a fun and exciting girl friend, and Haruki, despite his moodiness, played by the books, which helped to balance out the team. In addition, the Hyuuga had quickly earned her trust when she learned that he and her father had been teammates in the ANBU Black Ops.

But if she was honest with herself, Naruto would have been her first choice, besides her father, to accompany her to her old home. She had always felt safe with him, and she knew he was always there to protect her. The thought of how she hadn't spoken to him since graduation nearly made her choke up into tears.

Luckily, the adults were carrying on the conversation. She didn't know if they were unaware of her internal emotions or just chose to ignore her, but either way, Suki was glad they didn't say anything directed towards her.

"Kakashi, I doubt anyone from the Silver Country would attempt to hurt her now that she no longer lives there. And having her team with her will be enough to warn others not to even touch her," the Hokage said as he stared into the onyx eye of the ex-ANBU captain. "But this escort mission cannot proceed until I receive your permission for Suki to go without you. I've already told you of possible consequences if we keep her from Kagayaku."

*It must be done, Kakashi,* the gold and brown hawk said as he glanced to the jounin with a signature bird tilt of his head.

Suki looked at her partner, who had been silent for nearly the entire conversation. Anything he said thus far had been to push her to go. He must really want her to confront her past.

The determination in the uncovered part of Kakashi's face made him seem fully prepared to continue debating. However, after a few moments of silence and eager stares from the others in the room, he let loose a defeated sigh. "Alright… I agree…"

The wizened old man nodded, a bit of relief at the assent appearing on his wrinkled facial features. "Very well. Deno, Team 9 departs tomorrow. I'll have further instructions for you in the morning."

"Understood," the blind jounin replied.

Once it was implied that the Hatake was no longer needed in this little meeting, he briskly turned around and exited, giving his adopted daughter a comforting pat on the shoulder before he was gone. Suki watched him disappear, even when the carved wooden door blocked any remaining sight of him.

"C'mon, Suki," the Hyuuga said, interrupting her thoughts as she reflected on how distraught her dad had seemed as he left. She was startled when she saw her sensei standing beside her, ready to lead her out of the room. "We still have some strawberries to pick for one of our clients."

Kakashi had been staring at the memorial stone for hours at this point. He had already vented what he wanted to his deceased friend the moment he arrived after dismissing his genin squad for the day, but he couldn't bring himself to leave afterwards. He found comfort in standing there, looking at the carved name, as if it provided all the solace he desperately needed in that moment.

When he lifted his head up again, a searing aching immediately shot through his neck as the muscles strained to start working again. The sun was now very low on the horizon. Dark shadows were creeping from the forest, and the grass was no longer its bright green color. The vibrant colors of this part of the village were gradually sliding away as the black blanket of night peeked from the fading blue of the sky. Yet, even with the sun disappearing behind the trees, he couldn't find the strength to move.

"Thought I'd find you here," a voice said quietly from behind the silver-haired jounin.

Kakashi made no move to turn around to greet whoever had come to see him; he already knew who it was just from hearing the voice. "Have I always been so easily predictable?" he asked in reply.

"Not really, no," Deno responded as he came to stand beside his old squad captain, shoving his hands into the pockets of his blue jacket. "But your heart has always been in the same place."

The two fell into a soft silence as they turned back to the block of stone engraved with the names of those who had died for their village. Kakashi's face remained impassive as his lone onyx eye stared at the single name. He glanced to the side to see his comrade's head moving from left to right, almost as if he was skimming through a book. Deno, even though he could not actually read the words, seemed to be going through each individual's name, thanking each and every person who had the a spot on the stone.

The masked shinobi reached a gloved hand up to scratch the back of his gray head as he murmured, "I should probably apologize for my behavior in the Hokage's office today…"

The blind man turned to him in surprise, his eyebrows arched in astonishment above the headband that covered his eyes. "You're apologizing to me for being protective of your daughter?" An amused grin etched itself across his face as he chuckled. "Kakashi, you don't need to say sorry for that."

The elder jounin perked an eyebrow at this. "So you're not offended?"

Deno tilted his head from side to side in a contemplating manner. "Well, maybe I'm insulted that you don't have enough faith in me. It is a rather big blow to my ego…" Despite his incapability to see, he could feel the frown on his friend's face, making his grin grow. "I'm kidding, Kakashi."

The attempt at humor was enough to break a bit of Kakashi's hardened shell, and he let a dry laugh escape him. Only his old ANBU teammate and a select few could force a genuine laugh out of him when he was this emotionally distraught.

"But seriously," Deno said as he turned his head back towards the memorial, "you need to stop always being so protective of her."

The silver-haired man looked to his friend in confusion, appalled at this. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Don't get me wrong," the brown-haired male said defensively, for fear of getting on his senior's bad side, "as a father, I understand that you're caring of her. But she's not just your daughter anymore. She's a kunoichi, and she has remarkable potential to be better. And I don't mean just because she's the Guardian."

"So you're saying that I should just let her go without me feeling any care?" Kakashi asked, a bit of accusation in his tone.

"Not at all," the blue-clad ninja replied easily, unaffected by his comrade's defensiveness. "I'm saying that you need to trust someone other than yourself to be there for her. Because as much as it pains me to say it…" His pause did little to soothe any of Kakashi's anxiety, Deno noticed. "You're not going to be there all the time."

"I can try," the masked jounin shot back quickly, frustration at this conversation suddenly growing.

"I have no doubt you will," Deno responded with a sigh. "But you must understand, Kakashi… What I say is the sad truth."

Beneath his dark mask, the older ninja bit his lower lip in defeat as his comrade's words slowly sunk it. Unfortunately, everything that was said was true. With a depressed and choked sigh, he squatted so that he was kneeling before the names carved into the memorial stone. His gloved hand reached out to trace the name of his close friend.

"I couldn't protect Obito when he was crushed by that boulder… I couldn't protect Rin when she died from chakra depletion trying to save me… I couldn't protect Minato-sensei from the Kyuubi…" His voice had grown quieter and softer each time he listed off a person he had lost. "Each of these people, I have cared for… And I didn't think I could ever feel that much care for anyone once they were all gone… And then Suki came along, and in two days time, she found my dead heart and brought it back… I can't lose her too…"

"I know…" Deno said as he placed a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. "I just want you to understand… If you can't have faith in me to protect her on a simple escort mission such as this… then how do you expect her to go off on her own when her time comes to protect the world?"

Kakashi could not come up with an answer to this question, so he merely shrugged in reply. He had tried avoiding that particular thought for very long time.

"Lighten up, Kakashi," the Hyuuga said, his tone a bit more lighthearted as he tried to brighten the atmosphere. "You're just going through that overprotective fatherly phase. I know it must hurt and probably annoy the crap out of you for now, but it'll pass when you see just how great she'll be as a kunoichi."

The crouching jounin could not help but scoff at Deno's words as he rose to stand straight up again. He absentmindedly stretched his legs, reworking the muscles to their normal flexibility. "And how do you know so much about being an overprotective father, Deno?"

A bright smile spread across the brown-haired blind male's face. "Instinct, I guess. Though I don't think I'd want any kids anyway. You should have seen the little monsters we were dealing with today. It was horrifying, to say the least. Makes me never want to raise children."

"Really?" Kakashi asked, quirking an eyebrow at that last statement. "I thought it was just the fact that you couldn't find a woman that you wouldn't have children."

Deno guffawed at this as he smacked his friend jovially on the back. "That's big talk coming from the second biggest pervert to come from the Leaf Village, old man."

"Tsk, whatever," the older man mumbled as he walked away. His ex-teammate laughed at him as he followed to fall in step with him. As the pair proceeded away from the grounds to head back into the village, the silver-haired ninja glanced at the other shinobi beside him. "You're not telling me that she's a good ninja just because I'm her father, are you?"

The Hyuuga looked genuinely aghast at the accusation. "When have I ever lied to you?"

"Well, there was that one time…"

"Honestly, Kakashi," Deno briskly cut off, a true smile on his fair-skinned face, "if you stopped looking at her like the child you saved in the forest, you might actually be able to see her progress."

The masked man pursed his lips beneath the dark cloth covering his face. He nodded his head after a few seconds, his silvery spiky hair bobbing as he did so. "Thanks, Deno."

Night had finally settled behind the horizon in the Land of Silver. Stars littered the sky, appearing as little white freckles on the face of the dark blanket of the night. The lunar cycle produced a new moon, making the normally bright white sphere shrouded with darkness. People scurried into their homes for supper, and lights from the small houses provided the only illumination within the tiny village.

Only one person did not hurry off to her little house right away. Instead, she strolled through the dirt paths, completely oblivious to the ominous aura that the nighttime brought. Her black heels dug into the earth with each skip-like step she took, her bouncy platinum blonde hair bobbing almost excitedly as she strode off toward her destination.

It wasn't until she was outside the village and out of range of any possible eavesdroppers that she finally stopped. Crossing her arms over her elegant office attire, she leaned on one leg in anticipation, waiting for the expected arrivals.

Only five seconds had passed when she felt the presence of chakra just behind her. The twenty-year-old turned around sharply, eyeing the shadowy figures with disapproving deep blue eyes. "I hope you don't go around flaunting your chakra signatures all over the place. You will be noticed if you are not careful."

The new arrivals, a pair of cloaked figures, straightened from their landing crouches. They simultaneously removed their hoods to reveal near identical male faces. Even in the dark, the woman could see the high cheek-boned facial structures that were similar to her own face. The men also had the same dark cerulean eyes that she had. But that was where the similarities stopped.

The man on her left had brilliant crimson red hair that was thick enough that it curtained his face yet short enough that it did not reach passed his neck. Beneath his midnight black cloak, he wore gray slacks and a black long-sleeved black shirt. Black shinobi sandals covered his feet. A ninja forehead protector was tied to his head, the insignia for the Village Hidden in the Stone carved into the metal. A sharp line cut straight through it.

The second man had dirty blonde hair, nearly brown, that was tied into a short ponytail. Scruffy stubble lined the bottom half of his face, suggesting the need for a shave. Under the dark cloak, his wardrobe consisted of a black trench coat over a gray shirt and black pants. He also had black ninja shoes, and a shinobi headband was fastened around his neck. The metal looked the same as the man beside him: the Stone Village signature crossed out with a single cut.

"Oh, Sister, you need not worry about us," the ponytailed man smirked playfully.

"Indeed, there no shinobi within miles of this village," the red-haired male added. "The only man who posed a threat to us has just died."

"By my doing," the girl hissed through ruby lips. She pointed a sharp nail towards the man who had just spoken, her dark stare fixed upon him. "Do not forget, Arashi, that it is I who fed that poison Tetsu for months on end. And don't even get me started on having to deal with his nonsense while I was his secretary."

"Calm down, Little Sister," the man named Arashi said, rolling his eyes at her threatening tone. "Raikou and I will fulfill our deeds when the time comes."

The woman pouted at this. "Don't call me little. I'm the oldest of us three."

The darker blonde of the group cocked his head to the side as he grinned. "By only a few minutes, Kaminari. Until you can reach our shoulders, you're still Little Sister."

Kaminari glared at her brothers. Sure, they had intense muscles to deal with, and there was approximately a foot of difference between them, but she was the brains of the Ikazuchi triplets. That much she could pat herself on the back for.

"Has the Hokage responded to that letter yet?" Arashi asked, interrupting her thoughts.

The woman nodded in response. "Yes. That brat, Chishio, just received it before I left. The answer was positive. Suki Kurohoshi is coming to Kagayaku," she finished with a sinister smile lining her beautiful face.

"Well, well," Raikou sang as he placed his hands on his hips, "it seems your stretch of an idea really is panning out after all."

"Do not downgrade me," Kaminari scowled, crossing her slender arms over her chest. "Killing Tetsu Yama was a foolproof plan in getting the Guardian to come here. He's wanted to talk to her ever since she was adopted, but apparently, he's only man enough to do so in death through his successor."

"So is it safe to assume that even you don't know what it is that Tetsu wanted to say to the Guardian?" the red-haired Arashi asked with a quirked eyebrow. A triumphant smirk graced his pale features when his sister only glowered at him. "Ah, so even our intelligent Little Sister does not know something."

"Whatever it is, it's not important," the woman spat, angered at being taunted by her younger brother.

"So long as I get the Kurohoshi girl's blood on my hands, I couldn't care less what that old man had to say," Raikou remarked, a bloodthirsty smile spreading eagerly across his rugged face.

"You will not kill her until I have told you to," Kaminari quickly reminded, sending the enthusiastic male a reprimanding stare. The ponytailed man frowned almost immediately at this, and even the serious Arashi seemed a bit disappointed. "Phase one has already been completed; getting Tetsu out of the way was a major step in taking over the village. Chishio is not a big obstacle, for he can easily be dealt with. But we need the Guardian to follow through with what I have planned." Her siblings looked to her excitedly as they hung on her every word, like puppies staring at a treat dangling in front of their hungry faces. "And then… Then we take what we need from her."