Art used was made by Kira-Tsume on deviantART.

Disclaimer: The beautiful story of Naruto belongs to Kishimoto, as do all his characters. Naasica is the only character that belongs to me.

Warning: All warnings were addressed at the bottom of the second chapter.

Beta: Cyndaquil123

"Some men just want to watch the world burn."

-Alfred

"Like ships in the night, you keep passing me by... trying to prove who's right. And if it all comes crashing into the sea, will you be here for me...?"

"What's that, Naa-chan?" Tsunade inquired.

I looked up at her, smiling. "A song."

"Mm... never heard of that song before," Tsunade hummed.

I merely shrugged in response. "How much longer until you have to leave, Nee-chan?"

Tsunade gave me a coy look, before she scooped me up and tossed me into the air. I let out a peal of giggles, and squeals when she caught me and proceeded to tickle me. "Hmm... I was supposed to have left by now, but I just know that pervert is gonna be late, so I might as well have some fun, ne?"

"P-P-Please l-let go," I squealed, trying to squirm away.

Her eyes lit up. "Never!"

. . .

. .

.

The tension was thick in the village.

Kakashi stayed with me throughout that time period. I had rolled out the guest matt in my room, placing it beside my bed. Right before bed, I would head into the bathroom and create a clone to spend the evening with him, while I trained with Madara. He never noticed the substitution, and he seemed content enough with the situation.

When Kushina returned, she did not ask why he was there, nor did she ask him to leave.

Everyone knew the story.

We did not return to the academy, and would not until the day of the test. We woke up early, left for our usual training field, and trained. Occasionally, Minato would train with us throughout the day, or he would just train in the evenings. Regardless, this routine had settled into effect.

Every now and then, Zetsu would inform me that a ROOT member was following me. They never stayed too long, as the moment I became aware of their existence, I pointedly sought out Minato or Kushina.

Madara told me that Danzō was annoyed with me, but he told me so in an amused tone. He said thanks to the Zetsu spores I had left behind from our initial meeting, he was getting all sorts of information. Valuable information.

It was a week before the graduation test.

Kakashi had his hands shoved in his pocket, and he walked beside me in the nearly empty street. The night sky twinkled above us, and a companionable silence fell between us. Minato was trailing behind us, humming a happy tune.

It was a nice moment.

"When we graduate," I began, breaking the comfortable quiet, "will you be our official sensei, Minato-sensei?"

Minato smiled. "It looks like that's what'll happen. Although, I don't know if we'll be allowed a third member or not. It just depends on how many students pass, and if we have enough. If we don't, then that's just as well."

"I hope we don't," Kakashi remarked.

"You're anti-social, so that's a given," I snorted.

"I am not anti-social," Kakashi protested. Minato and I gave him a disbelieving look. "... Most of the time.... Some of the time... Well, not all of the time, at least.... Shut up."

Minato laughed heartily at that. "Alright, I need to have a quick conversation with Hokage-sama before it gets too late. Will you two be able to make it home okay?"

It was Minato's turn to receive disbelieving looks.

Minato's smile never wavered, but he did place a hand on top of both of our heads in an affectionate manner. "Alright. See you both tomorrow, then."

"Bye," Kakashi said simply, while I waved my fingers goodbye to Minato. After Minato had left, I turned back to Kakashi, and raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"You don't want a full team?" I questioned.

"Not really," Kakashi said, shoving his hands into his pockets. "We're two of the best shinobi and kunoichi. I imagine that tomorrow, during our test, we'll be placed as the Top Rookies. Which means, in order to keep balance, we'd be stuck with the dead last of the class."

"Perhaps," I hummed. "It's just as possible we aren't receiving those titles, you know. Our teacher might be biased because we've essentially skipped out on school."

"She doesn't seem like the type."

"She wouldn't be a good kunoichi if she revealed her true nature to a bunch of children."

"You have a point, there," Kakashi allowed. "Do you know what Kushina-nee is making for dinner?"

I shrugged. "No clue."

"Then I suppose we'll just have to hurry and find out. I'm actually hungry."

"You say that like you're surprised you're hungry," I teased.

Kakashi just rolled his eyes at me.

(ง ⌣ ⌣) ง

"You have to go home?" I echoed. Kakashi gave a short sigh, nodding his head.

"We'll take the exam and graduate tomorrow," Kakashi told me, "so I'll technically be a shinobi of Konoha. That means I can live on my own... or, well, I can move out. Not like you, Kushina-nee, or Minato-sensei will actually let me live on my own."

I giggled. "Of course. You're still a brat, you know."

"I'm older than you," Kakashi mocked.

Indignantly, I huffed. "By like, a couple months. That's hardly noticeable. Besides, I am way more mature than you."

Kakashi playfully shoved me away from him. I laughed and bumped my shoulder against his. "Anyway, I need to go home and grab some things. Hopefully... hopefully he'll be gone..."

Squinting my eyes, I looked up at the dark gray sky. "Uh-huh... Why don't you let me grab your things, and you just wait for me at home?"

Kakashi gave me an annoyed look. "I don't need you to baby me. I can handle myself if he's there."

That's not it. It's just that, more than likely, he'll be a corpse when you get there.

I don't want you to see that.

"That's not what I was implying," I sighed. Then the rain started, and we both let out annoyed curses, speeding up. We sprinted beside each other, both of us running towards Kakashi's old home. "Come on, just go home and let me handle this!"

"Make me," Kakashi retorted childishly. He scooped up a handful of mud and threw it at my face. I deftly ducked underneath it, my more mischievous and childish side getting the best of me. I scooped up some mud, as well, and threw it at him. He dodged it easily, and as we ran, it became a sort of game.

By the time we reached his home, he was adamant about going inside, and we were both fairly muddy. We entered the quiet, dark apartment, and I resisted the urge to just knock Kakashi unconscious. Perhaps if I found the body first, I could use that as my reasoning for doing so. I really would need to find the body first though, as it would seem odd if I randomly attacked Kakashi. (as it would be random to him)

I walked swiftly through the apartment, making sure to walk ahead of Kakashi and scan each room we passed by quickly.

I heard Kakashi's small feet pad behind me, and then they stopped and turned down into another hallway. I wasted little time in turning back around and darting after him, but it seemed Fate decided to play a role into Kakashi's life.

My eyes widened, as I saw Kakashi turn his head towards one room—the living room—and I saw his eyes bulge and what little color he had drain away from him. I dug my heels into the ground and body tackled Kakashi out of that doorway and into the soft carpet. Kakashi remained stock frozen beneath me, and I placed my hands over his eyes.

In a soft voice, I whispered, "Keep your eyes closed, and stay here."

"That was... that was... Otou-san..."

"Shh," I hushed as gently as I could. "Keep your eyes closed, Kakashi. I'll take care of everything."

As I carefully lifted myself off him, I could feel the minute trembles he gave away. I withdrew my hands, noting he screwed his eyes shut tight. Raising my hands, I then created several clones. Three to find a trustworthy adult to inform of this situation, two to grab Kakashi's belongings, and the last one to begin cleaning up Sakumo's corpse.

I rolled off Kakashi and gently lifted him up into a sitting position. Recalling information from the psychology books that I had read, I then pulled Kakashi towards me, resting his head against my chest and beginning to run my fingers through his hair in a soothing manner. In a light voice, I began to talk about unimportant things, as a way of distracting him from the current reality.

We stayed like that, even after many other shinobi came in and assessed the situation. Several of those shinobi and kunoichi wanted to talk with Kakashi, but I gave them a look that seemed to warn them off.

It was not until Minato himself came, that I allowed anyone else to directly talk with Kakashi. Minato moved through the house with a somber authority, took one look at us, and then promptly lifted Kakashi up in his arms. "Hime, why don't you head back to Kushina-chan's place, okay? Do you have Kakashi's things?"

"Yes," I said, motioning to the summoning scroll beside me.

"Go ahead and bring that, and inform Kushina of what happened. I'll take care of Kakashi, and I'll bring him there as soon as I can."

"Okay."

"And Naasica?"

"Yes?"

Minato's eyes, normally so light and warm, were blank and hard. "Standard procedure."

Standard procedure. When a shinobi, or kunoichi, encountered a corpse, they had to follow a certain protocol. In this instance, where I knew Sakumo committed seppuku, I had to follow the suicide protocol. As I was the one who began with cleaning up the mess he made—wiping up the blood from the corpse to confirm the fatal blow—and the surrounding blood—it was me who would need to give a full report. Kakashi would, technically, need a report as well, as he was the first to find the body. However, I was certain I could do his report for him.

Despite not technically being a kunoichi of Konoha, I was still training to be one, and thus, in the eyes of the law, was considered one.

I let out a slow breath, when Minato turned and headed out of the apartment, with a catatonic Kakashi.

(ง ⌣ ⌣) ง

"You... You did what?"

"... Started cleaning up Sakumo-san's body," I repeated blandly, not entirely certain why Kushina looked positively horrified. She looked pretty somber and worried for the majority of my report to her, but when I went on to describe that I began the process of cleaning up Sakumo's body... well...

Kushina wiped her hands dry on a towel, as she finished washing the dishes. I stood on a stool next to her, drying the dishes. Kushina's brow furrowed. "Naa-chan, that's... that's..."

"... What I was supposed to do," I said. "I... I just didn't want some stranger doing that. You know how Konoha feels about Sakumo-san right now. I just... didn't want there to be any 'accidents.'"

Kushina sighed. "I understand, and that's sweet of you, but... I just wish you hadn't done that."

"No," I corrected her, "You wish I didn't have to do that."

Kushina pursed her lips, but did not deny it.

"... Anyway, Minato-sensei should be bringing Kakashi-kun soon. Is it okay for him to still stay with us?"

Kushina gave me an offended look. "As if I would have anything less! That poor boy has gone through enough. Until I can get a proper guest room, he'll have to continue to stay with you."

"That's fine with me," I answered honestly.

(ง ⌣ ⌣) ง

I didn't see Kakashi until it was time to take the exam. Minato guided him into our classroom. He and our teacher exchanged quiet, knowing looks, before Kakashi moved to sit down next to me. Minato left the classroom, and our instructor told us that she would call us out one by one to take the exam. When she then left the room, I immediately turned towards Kakashi.

"How are you doing?" I asked, concern leaking into my voice. Surprisingly, I was genuinely worried for him. He looked tired—like he didn't (understandably) sleep at all last night. I was shocked to find myself sincerely annoyed at Minato when he didn't bring Kakashi home like he said he would last night. Kakashi needed us—needed me. I was... I was his friend, damn it.

Yes.

Friend.

I cared for Kakashi. I cared for Kushina. I cared for Minato.

If you cared for them, then why are you with Madara?

I ignored the familiar voice, instead, focusing on Kakashi.

"Tired," Kakashi answered simply, rubbing his eyes.

Hesitantly, I grasped his hands and placed them in my own. I squeezed them tightly, lowering my gaze and staring at them. Kakashi stared down at our hands too, and we stayed like that. I fiddled with his hands, offering him a silent, physical comfort. He was not one for physical affection, and hugging made him uncomfortable, but I knew he still would need some tangible gesture of comfort. A kind of physical anchor to keep him out of the painful thoughts that were undoubtedly trying to wiggle their way inside his head.

Time ticked by, and one by one, other names were called.

When it was time for Kakashi's turn, I squeezed his hands again and wished him luck.

He came back within two minutes, holding a hitai-ate.

And he sat back down beside me, and I took his hands again.

My own test went by without a hitch, and just as quickly. I performed the wood-style clone, coupled with substitution and genjutsu. The proctors handed me my own hitai-ate, and then Kakashi and I left.

Team assignments would be given tomorrow.

I guided him back home, and I told him to get into my bed. He didn't protest much—too tired, both physically and mentally, I suspected.

I pulled the blankets over him, and then I sat down beside him, pulled out my homework Madara had given me to read.

Around noon, Minato and Kushina arrived in my bedroom. They pulled in some cushions, and sat by the bed. While Minato read some large novel, Kushina curled up beside him, her head resting in his lap and napped.

No words were spoken.

No words were needed.

That was how we spent our day.

(ง ⌣ ⌣) ง

Madara held out some black cloth to me, that night. His eyes were especially hard to read. Tentatively, I took the garments and examined them closely. They resembled what he used to wear in his childhood—except much darker, and the obi was orange. There was even a pair of black gloves with it.

"Change into those," Madara said, turning away and grabbing some other things on the throne behind him. After I had quickly changed into the clothes, Madara handed me some black boots to put on. I pulled my long black pants over them, taking note how the ends of the pants were wide and breezy, like the sleeves. Plenty of room for maneuverability and easy to hide things in. Once I had slipped the boots on, Madara handed me a perfectly blank mask.

"A mask?" I inquired, staring at the thing. It didn't have any visible eye holes, but flipping it over, I could see that it operated like a sort of one-way mirror. It wouldn't hinder my vision in the slightest. Madara merely nodded his head, and with a frown, I placed the mask over my face, and pulled back the black strap to keep it in place.

"Good, it fits," Madara remarked.

He turned back around a final time, and then presented me with a miniature gunbai. Even if he could not see it, my eyes widened and I sucked in a sharp breath. "That's..."

"Yes," Madara said. "For quite some time I have been training you to mimic me. This will be your first night put to the test. Do not worry about your hair, or masking your voice. I merely want you to get into the practice of being me—of working properly as my tool."

"What will you have me do, exactly, Madara-sama?"

"There is a small family outside of Kirigakure. I want you to slaughter them."

A frown marred my face. A family implied children. "All of them?"

"Leave not a single trace. Preferably, butcher them. We will be framing someone. Zetsu will fill you in on how exactly I want you to butcher them on the way there."

"Why?" I asked, confused. What good would it bring to our plan to harm an innocent family?

"Is the reason that I simply want them gone, not good enough for you?" Madara inquired, smirking slyly, but I could see a glint in his eyes. A dark one that promised retribution if I spoke my next words poorly.

I bowed, but still felt confused. "I... suppose not, Madara-sama. I... trust your judgment. If you believe this will further our plan, then I... will do as you command, no matter the order."

Looking back up, I could see a pleased smile crawl its way on his face, before disappearing just as quickly as it appeared. "Very good. Although, I suppose it will not hurt to tell you. They are a part of one of Orochimaru's experiment. From Danzō's ROOT network (and Zetsu's spores listening in on them) I can gather that they are possible candidates for Orochimaru's experimentation regarding Hashirama. As you know, Orochimaru originally, later on succeeded in recreating Hashirama's kekkai genkai in one individual. From my reports gathered, he has not yet stumbled across those people necessary to properly create that situation. For the moment, he is using this... 'family' as his test subjects.

"I do not want him to succeed in this endeavor, ever. Tonight, he will be sending one of his subordinates to a round on them. He will be carrying notes with him. As we do not yet have the power (in our current state) to mount an assault on Orochimaru's base, we will have to harass him in a more... focused manner. I want you to slaughter and destroy all of Orochimaru's research in regards to Hashirama's kekkai genkai. I do not know what happened to this family in... canon... but I will not run the risk of him succeeding on the off chance. We do not leave things to fate or luck, Naasica.

"We will set the parameters and stage for our success. We will not allow a situation of equality between us and our enemies. We will control what variables are inputted, and what outcomes shall occur. This is war. We cannot afford the luxury of mistakes here, Naasica. In order to create the most optimal setting for us, we must take charge, and not allow fate or luck to play a hand. This is one of those first steps we must take, Naasica. You will not fail me tonight. You are my weapon in this war, Naasica. You are my tool to create this stage. You are my right-hand in this endeavor."

His eyes were bright with a dark mirth, and a smug, triumphant smirk had crawled its way across his face.

He was enjoying this.

I had fallen speechless at his words, my mind reeling and stomach heaving. I felt light and heavy all at once. I was ecstatic that he had placed me in such high regards, but I could feel the weight and pressure of his words. They weighed me down, yet lifted me to new heights in the same instance. It was such a conflicting feeling, but I couldn't say I disliked it.

Everything about our situation seemed to cause some sort of turmoil—whether inside of myself, or for others.

Turmoil and chaos seemed to be what Madara thrived in the most. He was like the eye of a hurricane; a mad scientist on the brink of a terrifying revelation; an artist relishing in that blissful moment where everything seemed to connect. He sat back and watched as the entire world was upheaved and tossed about. He was the orchestrator to this beautiful, dark symphony. I knew, I knew, his means were questionable at best. I knew that, and I accepted it long ago. Because in every sense, the ends justified the means.

And if those means were enjoyable to him, well... how could I find fault in that?

Because, in the end, we were helping everyone. How could he not find joy in that fact? How could I not find joy in that?

This chaos... this beautiful chaos that I could see him beginning to create...

... it thrilled me.

So as feelings of joy and fear burned inside of me, I welcomed the contradiction they gave. The turmoil they brought. They were chaotic—something Madara thrived upon, and the idea that I could thrive upon them, as well... like him... was an appealing one.

I thought of Kakashi, Kushina, and Minato. I knew they would be devastated to know what I was doing—what I would be doing. They would be in so much pain, and half of me hated that, loathed it, in fact. But at this moment, I could easily ignore that half. Because in the end, I was doing this for them. Madara and I were creating the perfect world.

They would only hate this situation because they did not understand. They could not. They were ignorant of all the variables—of all the knowledge Madara and I had. Even if we tried to explain our side, I knew they would be blinded by their short-sightedness. They would only look at the tree, and not the forest.

Madara and I saw the grand scheme of things.

They needed us to protect them—to save them.

What kind of a friend would I be if I did not protect them?

So yes, with great ease, I ignored, and squashed down that tiny, whispering voice that screamed murderer at me.

I embraced the far more pleasant emotions I felt at that moment—the adrenaline pumping through me, the elevation I had felt from Madara's words.

I grinned up at Madara, my cheeks warming and my voice light. "I will not fail you, Madara-sama."

"I know," Madara responded simply. "Now move. You do not have much time."

"Yes, Madara-sama," I said, resisting the urge to giggle gleefully.

Do you see it, Grandmother?

The start of something grand.

I hope you're watching.

It's going to be b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l.