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An ANBU's mask was their identity.

They could never take it off in the presence of anyone other than the Hokage, or else they risked losing their identity.

It was created for the purpose of safety. The ANBU took many missions that often created a lot of enemies.

Kitsune rolled his head, feeling his bones crack pleasantly in his neck, and he resisted the urge to stretch out. The rebuilding of Konoha had been started swiftly, with him and Jiraiya taking main lead. With Jiraiya's departure, as the ANBU Commander, Kitsune had taken it upon himself to lead the reconstruction.

He had split up the building in accordance to priority, and assigned the high-priority buildings to professional construction workers, and Jōnin. Buildings such as the hospital, ANBU HQ, T&I. The Chūnin (and some Genin) were assigned to rebuilding the apartments, and some of the shops. The Genin (with a handful of supervisors) were in charge of clearing away debris, cataloging the found items, and whatnot.

The ANBU were in charge of recreating the security seals, maintaining a constant patrol around the village for safety and protection, as well as distribution of supplies.

"Kitsune, Shizune-sama was wondering if you could spare some extra hands at the new hospital. Some of the equipment is malfunctioning and we need some mechanical help," a kunoichi chirped.

Kitsune nodded his head, and looked away from her, already, mentally, moving on to the next task. "Grab Yamcha, and Kiyo from T&I."

"Yes, sir."

When she hadn't left, Kitsune resisted the urge to sigh, and turned back to her. "Yes?"

The kunoichi blushed, and lowered her eyes. "Um... I'm sorry, Kitsune-sama, but I've noticed that you've been working very hard these past three days for our village—"

"It's my job," Kitsune cut in.

The kunoichi's cheeks took on an even darker shade of red, and she smiled nervously. "Y-Yeah, but... I mean... I was wondering... if you wanted to take a break. To eat. If you wanted to take a break to eat. Um... with me."

It took a surprisingly good amount of self-restraint for Kitsune not to groan in annoyance, and roll his eyes. Instead, he kept his voice polite, but firm, "I'm afraid I need to focus on the reconstruction of Konoha for the time being. I won't be taking a 'break' any time soon, but thank you."

"Oh," she squeaked. "Okay. Have a good day, Kitsune-sama."

Kitsune released the sigh he had been holding back the second she left.

"Another waste," Okami said, walking up to Kitsune and wrapping his large arm around his shoulders. Kitsune felt a cross between annoyance and affection at the grizzled veteran ANBU. "How many girls are you going to reject?"

"As many as I want," Kitsune retorted. "What are you doing here? I thought I assigned you to the ANBU HQ."

"Just checking in on you," Okami said easily. "I know you haven't slept since the invasion. You got to be running low on energy by now."

Yes.

"No. I'm fine."

Okami just shook his head. "Liar. But, I won't push, Commander."

Kitsune snorted. "Get back to the HQ, old man."

Okami wheezed a laugh and ruffled Kitsune's hair. "Alright, alright. But, I'm serious, pup. You aren't getting any closer to your 'dream' like this."

Kitsune swatted at Okami. "... Some dreams take time."

"Just don't take too long."

"Whatever, old man," Kitsune said softly. Okami laughed again, before heading away. "... Like a damn grandmother at times... I swear."

Kitsune shook his head, and his eyes swept across Konoha. For a split second, his lingered a moment too long on a particular spot. An area where there used to be an old orphanage.

A strong sense of nostalgia hit him.

('･ω･')

He ran through the tall grass.

It was summer vacation, finally.

Although he was a little sore he lost his favorite hideout to some of the bigger kids, he wasn't too bothered by it. He knew it was only a matter of time before he found another spot.

With that thought, a grin crossed his face and he started to duck down between alleyways. He was in a quieter part of Konoha—mostly for retired and old folk, really—so not a lot of kids played there. Which meant that there was a good chance he wouldn't lose his hide out to big kids.

He stopped sprinting and slowed down to a walk, examining each and every crevice in between the alleyways. It seemed like it was forever until he finally caught eye of something interesting.

It was a small building, tucked in the middle of many other buildings. There was a big fence around it, but peeking through the fence, he could see a lush backyard with a big tree and tire-swing. There were two others playing out there. He could hear them, but he could only see glimpses of gold.

Curiosity getting the better of him, he took a couple steps back and examined the fence.

Now how to get in...? he wondered.

He cocked his head, then gently placed his hands on the fence, gathering chakra into the palms of his hands.

The second his chakra touched the wood, he was repelled back. With a painful thump, he fell back on his bum. He blinked in astonishment at that.

What? Why was I repelled?

He frowned and got back up. With a single fingertip, he poked the fence.

Nothing happened.

He then channeled chakra into the fingertip and placed it on the fence.

A zap ran up his arm and he snapped his arm back. He blinked his eyes rapidly. Okay... so no chakra...

How do I get up a fence that doesn't let me use chakra?

He looked around, and then saw the other buildings. With a grin on his face, he hurried and started to climb up to the roof of one of the buildings. Within a minute, he was at the top of the roof, and looking down over the fence. He couldn't really see the backyard, because of the big tree.

Now how do I get into there?

He scratched his cheek absently, as he thought about how to achieve his goal.

Hmm...

For the next couple of hours, he worked on various ways to try and get in. He tried different ways of scaling the fence—climbing without chakra, using a makeshift rope, a pole—however, it was to no avail. He tried damaging it with his blunt kunai, prying parts of the wooden fence open (although it was to no avail, as the fence was seemingly impervious).

Absolutely nothing.

He sat beside the fence, sulking at it for several seconds.

Then his eyes grew wide and an idea came to him. Another grin drew across his face and he hopped back to his feet. He took several steps back then ran at the fence. He leapt into the air, the chakra digging into his hands and feet and grabbed at the fence. As expected, he was repelled back, but this time, expecting it, he twisted his body and continued to channel chakra into his hands and feet.

His hands—palms, outstretched—slammed into the wall of a nearby building, along with his feet. Keeping with the momentum, the repel had given him, he rocketed off the building, twisting and turning back at the fence. This continued for several jumps until he had finally scaled high enough that he could leap over the fence.

He tucked and tumbled over, and landed with a roll into the tall grass.

He gave a triumphant shout, and leapt up, smiling victoriously.

"Eep!"

His eyes widened and he whirled around. "Who are you?"

Her eyes were impossibly wide, and a pretty blue. The setting sun lit up her hair that was completely let down, and loose. There were cute little whisker marks on her cheeks, and the more he found himself staring at her, the more he felt his cheeks warm.

"Who a-are you?" she squeaked, her voice high-pitched, and sounding like she was having difficulty pronouncing the words.

He smiled nervously. "Sorry if I startled you. Was just looking for a place to play."

She blushed. "... Y-You can play here, if y-you'd like."

His smile stretched. "That would be cool."

('･ω･')

"Kitsune?"

Kitsune turned his head at the sound, recognizing the voice to belong to Sasuke. He looked a little battered, and his expression was dark. He was tense, clearly on edge, and looked ready for a hard fight.

Kitsune braced himself, knowing that whatever could cause the normally stoic Uchiha to be this wound up was definitely going to be the cause of a couple migraines. "What is it?"

"I need you to come with me, outside the village. It's... urgent. Just you."

"Why?" Kitsune inquired, even though he was already moving to follow Sasuke.

"Miwako said you're the only higher-up she trusts in this village, aside from Jiraiya," Sasuke said thinly, although when he said Miwako's name, there was a slight crease in his brow and face twisted into a grimace. "And given the circumstances, you're really the only one we can turn to."

Immediately, Kitsune tensed. Already, he could feel the worry starting to gnaw away from the pit of his stomach, climbing up inside him to tease at his heart. "Did something happen? Where's Miwako?"

Sasuke didn't answer, but instead, sped up.

Kitsune's brow furrowed behind his mask.

Sasuke lead Kitsune a ways outside the village, before he finally stopped at the base of a tree.

Kitsune stared at the shinobi who also stood at the base of the tree. The hair along the back of his neck rose up, and the adrenaline started to pump through his system. Because not only was Miwako nowhere to be seen, but Sasuke had brought Kitsune straight to an unconscious (in the sense that the Elder was clearly under a heavy genjutsu) Elder and Uchiha Itachi.

"You are Kitsune?" Itachi asked softly, his obsidian eyes flickering up to look up at Kitsune.

Reflexively, Kitsune averted his gaze behind the mask, refusing to make eye contact with the Uchiha. Every rational part of him seemed to be screaming this was a trap, but the longer he stood in front of these Uchihas, the more he realized neither were planning to attack him. There was an undeniable tension in the air, certainly, but not one of malice. If anything, it seemed as if they were nervous—anxious.

Which was hard to imagine what exactly would make Uchiha Itachi nervous.

"Care to explain yourself, Sasuke?" Kitsune asked, keeping his voice clipped and emotionless.

Sasuke took in a deep breath, and then explained everything that had transpired.

By the end of it, Kitsune felt beyond drained.

I did not agree to be the Commander, just to get shoved with this mess, Kitsune thought. He resisted the urge to rub at his temple, and bemoan at the situation. Instead, he remained perfectly still, processing this information. If what they're saying is true... it would explain Miwako's behavior before she left. Undoubtedly she and Sasuke believe this to be true—enough so to risk treason—but...

It's a well-known fact that Danzō was someone not to be messed with, but he always had the village's best interest in mind.

To slaughter an entire clan, though?

That's just madness.

"Alright," Kitsune finally said, his voice drawing out slowly. "If this is true, I'm going to need to take all of you to T&I for midwalks. I'll place you under a genjutsu to not arise suspicion, but I'm going to have to insist you wear chakra-binding handcuffs."

Sasuke looked particularly displeased with this notion, but Itachi was already holding his hands out. Carefully, and swiftly, Kitsune placed Itachi in the handcuffs, followed by Danzō and Sasuke.

He then led them back into the village and took them straight to Inoichi for the mindwalks.

('･ω･')

"This is going to take all night," Inoichi sighed, after Kitsune had finished explaining everything. The two were surrounded by many other T&I operatives in the reconstructed T&I building.

"I trust you will be able to do it, though," Kitsune said swiftly.

"We'll do it," Inoichi answered tiredly. "It has to be done. If this story is true... It needs to be dealt with. Quickly. The village is still severely recovering. If this gets out of hand..."

Ibiki cleared his throat. "Is there anything else we should know?"
Kitsune thought back to Sasuke's story.

If they see Sasuke's memories, they'll know Miwako committed treason.

The thought sent a pang through Kitsune's heart. I know she has no love for this village, but I...

"... Yes. Miwako was acting under my orders. I suspected about this, and knew she would be fully capable of investigating this on her own. I did not anticipate her to go so far, but..." Kitsune lied easily. Sasuke's head snapped back, his eyes widening as he stared at Kitsune.

He knows I'm lying.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, and his lips pursed, but he did not voice a word.

But he'll play along.

"If you don't need anything else, then I'll leave these two in your care. I need to catch some sleep," Kitsune sighed wearily.

Inoichi smiled sympathetically. "I'm sure you do. Leave it to us, Commander. We'll take care of everything."

('･ω･')

An ANBU must never take off their mask, unless in the company of the Hokage, or by themselves.

Kitsune gave a long, drained sigh as he finally reached his room in the ANBU HQ. The building had been one of the first to be rebuilt—for good reason—and Jiraiya had immediately replaced the majority of the security seals before he left for the Summit.

Kitsune rolled his shoulders, feeling the tension in his muscles, and grimacing as he realized the stress from today had created more knots.

He popped off his mask, feeling the genjutsu drain away from his body in the same instance. Many ANBU added genjutsu seals to their mask, to better hide their voice and change their hair. Kitsune was no different. His mask distorted his voice, and darkened his hair black.

He ran his fingers through his white shoulder-length, messy hair, half-heatedly detangling the knots. His purple eyes flickered up and surveyed his too-neat room. He used to have quite a few personal touches to his room, but after the invasion, most—if not all—had been lost.

Meticulously, Kitsune set about taking off his armor. His body had reached its limit—well, it had technically reached its limit 24 hours ago, but now his mind was starting to tire and willpower alone could only carry a shinobi so far. It was time for a quick nap. Five hours would be sufficient, but he would try for eight, knowing his second in command, Pansā, would be perfectly capable of running the village in his steed.

With another sigh, Kitsune fell back on his bed, and closed his eyes.

He was asleep within seconds.

('･ω･')

For every day that summer, he came back to that little spot.

On some days, her brother would play with the two of them. But, in all honestly, he tried to time his visits so that way her brother was napping, and she wasn't.

He couldn't help it.

Somehow... it was just better with only the two of them.

"Oh, yeah?" she asked, her eyes lit up as she tilted her head. Even though she was tiny, she had the biggest eyes he knew. He always wondered if they would just pop out of her head one of these days.

The thought made him grimace.

"Yeah," he said, scratching his cheek.

He was proud of himself that day, but confused, as well.

He thought he always wanted his acknowledgement, but now that he had it... he wasn't sure how he felt about it. Especially considering how he got his notice.

She hopped up from her spot at the base of the tree, and lifted her arms up to him. He smiled at her, already knowing what she wanted. He swung his legs from his perch on a tree branch, before bending down and grabbing one of her hands.

With ease, he lifted her up beside him, and she giggled with glee. "I love it, bayo! I love being so high up."

"There you again... with that weird bayo," he teased.

She blushed brightly, then averted her gaze.

"Ya'know..." she trailed off. "... I'm not supposed to be out here."

"Neither am I."

She fiddled with her fingers. "You have to go soon."

He fell quiet. "Yeah."

She shook her head, then, as if dispelling the bad thoughts. She beamed at him. "Well... well that's okay. Grandfather says that in a c-couple months, Naruto and I w-will be allowed around the village. W-We won't be kept here, in this i-isola-ation, a-anymore. He says we'll move into a d-differ-ent orph-an-age. A real one."

"Congrats," he said. "And good job on pronouncing everything correctly."

She blushed again, a pleased smile crawling its way on her lips.

His friend was young—a toddler, really—and as such, she had trouble pronouncing words at times. She stayed with her brother in a make-shift orphanage. The two were really the only kids there, and they were only staying there until they were four. Then they would be able to stay in the public orphanage. He wasn't sure why they had to be kept separate to begin with, though.

(Kitsune knew later on, that this was to monitor their seals and make sure they worked properly. He also learned he was only allowed access to the twins, because he was deemed harmless and the Hokage wanted to give them a chance to make friends. That was the whole point of moving them out of this orphanage in the first place. The Hokage wanted to give the twins a chance at a normal life, and to have friends of their own.)

"So... So your father finally a-a-acknow-ledg-ed you?"

He shrugged.

The man wasn't really his father, so much as a benefactor for his orphanage. He, along with several other children were originally handpicked by him. He told them that when they graduated, he wanted them to work for him. The man was revered in Konoha, so it was awesome that he picked him—'Kitsune'.

At the time, he thought it was the best thing in the world. He thought it was something out of a fairy tale.

But as time went on, he had started to pay less and less attention to him. He was worried that he wasn't special anymore.

But, then, when he demonstrated himself in a taijutsu match, he immediately sought him out. He picked him out, signaled him out, among all of his friends, and told him he was very special.

He was confused.

Why then? Why only after he had defeated his friends did he acknowledge him? Why? The man promised to take them all away to his home regardless... but then he turned around and ignored them for years. Only when he had systematically rendered his friends unconscious, did he come back.

He wasn't sure what to make of that. He promised to care for them, but... it seemed almost as if...

He was confused.

He was proud of himself for garnering his attention, but...

"It was a spar. I... I beat three of them at once," he said quietly. "He told me... he told me I had the potential."

Her brow furrowed and she turned towards him. "Gen-kun..."

"What?"

She fell quiet, and fiddled with the fingers in her lap again. "... That... that's not very nice."

"What do you mean?"

"It sounds like... he only wants to... use you..."

His hands clenched into fists, and his lips tugged down in a frown.

Could that be true?

('･ω･')

Kitsune sat up, rubbing his face. It's been a while since I've actually dreamed of that memory.

He rolled his shoulders, feeling some of his bones crack pleasantly. With tired eyes, he looked over at the clock.

He had gotten six hours of sleep.

Sufficient for the time being.

With practiced hands, he put his armor back on, and his mask. The genjutsu re-cast itself, and he was out the window.

He knew the T&I would need a couple more hours to deal with that mess, but he also knew that if it was true... well.

Certain precautions would be needed. Kitsune made several clones, scattering them about to search for those he trusted. Inoichi mid-walking Danzō would undoubtedly prove detrimental to the Elder. Kitsune was damned certain that the geezer kept ROOT up, and that he was conspiring with Orochimaru.

He'd bet his life on it, in fact.

After all, Orochimaru knew they were coming when they confronted him, in that last mission. Jiraiya had shared that little tidbit of information with Kitsune, along with the orders to keep a careful eye on Danzō in the meantime.

It wasn't hard for the Commander to put two and two together.

So assuming that was the case, it would only be a matter of time before the ROOT operatives found out their little master was in danger and they would do everything in their power to cover their tracks, while simultaneously freeing the warmonger.

He would have to make several clones, and have his most trusted fellow shinobi make many, as well, and scatter them across the village. They would need to monitor every inch of this village for the next couple days, looking for any sign of the ROOT, while also protecting the Torture & Interrogation.

One of his clones dispelled, alerting him that Okami had agreed to help. Another signaling Neko's agreement. Then Raion. Sutaggu. Inoshishi. Yagi. Chita. Taka.

Kitsune felt a little relief come at the fact that they agreed to help—and knowing that they were more than capable of doing so, as well.

This isn't the first time Konoha's had to deal with traitors, Kitsune thought. The whole situation was reminding Kitsune of that time.

('･ω･')

Is he using me? He kept thinking. Her words echoed inside of his head, wiggling seeds of doubt deep inside of him. Every time he came over, every time he pulled him aside, and he started to whisper promises of his dreams coming true; of a home; a family; of power, he couldn't shake her words.

All of what he said sounded so sweet, so promising.

But, with each accompanying promise was the mention of his potential. Of what he could do for him.

It was so subtle, if he hadn't already been looking for reasons to distrust him, he doubted he would have been able to find it.

Is he using me?

Everyone there was so jealous. They kept shooting him dirty looks. Normally this would get under his skin. Normally he would sneer back at them, and taunt them with the fact that he won, and they lost.

But, he didn't, because it didn't feel like such a victory anymore.

What he promised him sounded so wonderful.

He wanted to trust him. He wanted to, very dearly.

"It sounds like... he only wants to... use you..."

He wanted to, but her words kept him from doing so. There was this undeniable feeling deep inside of him that screamed that this man, this, thing, was something to stay away from. And the more he interacted with him—it—the bigger the feeling grew.

Whenever he visited, he would try to come up with an excuse not to see him.

He started to dread each visit.

The other children thought he was weird—that he was crazy. They taunted him, and teased him, but he was firm. He seemed to sense his weariness, because he became more persistent, more demanding.

This seed of doubt that she had planted had grown into a forest.

He knew he would have never doubted him without that seed.

('･ω･')

It only took five more hours to deduce their story was true.

The second Kitsune was informed that Danzō was one-hundred percent guilty, he wasted little time in calling together the shinobi council.

The shinobi council was comprised of the prominent clan heads, and the Commanders (Genin Commander, Chūnin Commander, Jōnin Commander, Police Commander, and ANBU Commander). Not to be confused of the council—which was a different group, made up of a cross between retired shinobi (the Elders), a handful of civilian representatives, as well as the Commanders.

The council was created to offer a certain level of comfort in Konoha to the civilians. Hashirama wanted Konoha to be a welcoming place to all, but being a civilian in a shinobi-ruled village was daunting. So he created the council, and made a few civilian seats to offer a way for the civilians to be heard in a more... political manner. The council acted a sort of over-all advising unit, and often was in charge of internal affairs—as the Hokage was busy enough as it was.

Affairs such as finance, education, laws (although, of course, the Hokage had the ultimate power to approve or veto such laws, regardless if the council was in unanimous agreement for it or not), and things akin.

The shinobi council was created for the purpose of discussing and advising the more... darker aspects of the village. This included missions (A-Rank and above), foreign affairs, wars, treaties, trade, traitors, missing-nin, etc.

Naturally, the Hokage was in both councils and had a great weight in each. But, the original purpose of the councils were to help ease the job of the Hokage (and lessen the paperwork). It is, of course, up to each Hokage how much weight each council is given.

Hashirama made each council weigh equally on his ultimate vote—such as if one council agreed unanimously for something, but he disagreed personally, he would still allow it to pass.

Tobirama cut back severely on the council, and preferred the shinobi council's opinion more than anything. He liked to be in charge of finance and education himself.

Minato was much like Tobirama, in actuality.

Sarutobi, though, was like Hashirama, in the sense that he gave an equal power to both councils and valued their opinion.

Tsunade, like Minato, and Tobirama, leaned more in favor for the shinobi council. Although, she held a great distaste for working the finances of Konoha.

Given the fact that a prominent member of the council was being accused of treason, and that this was a prickly case, Kitsune figured it would be best to summon the shinobi council exclusively to deal with this problem.

Summoning several more clones, he sent them each to grab the leaders, and bring them to T&I for a makeshift, speedy trial.

With Tsunade incapable, and Jiraiya out of the village, it was up to Kitsune to lead this.

He leapt across the buildings, wasting no time at all in reaching T&I.

Within minutes, the rest of the shinobi council had arrived.

"What's going on?" Hiashi asked. "Why are we being pulled away from reconstruction and defense?"

"This can't be good," Tsume muttered.

"It's not," Inoichi agreed. "All of you, please follow me into the heart of T&I."

Many looks were exchanged, but they all obliged.

At the heart of T&I, Sasuke and Itachi were seated on the far right side, with a couple shinobi standing guard by them. They were still cuffed, but neither actually appeared bothered by it. If anything, they looked... content. Sasuke, especially, seemed smug.

In the center, was Danzō, bound to a chair and still unconscious. There were many seals drawn on him—all to keep him completely helpless. The room had no windows, and there were scarcely any chairs, but there were many shinobi and kunoichi.

All of them acting as guards.

Shikaku frowned. "What's the meaning of this?"
Inoichi glanced towards Kitsune.

Kitsune immediately straightened his back, acknowledging that Inoichi was deferring to him. "Go ahead, Inoichi."

Inoichi nodded. "Seeing how our village is already in a low state, I'll make this brief. Danzō has been accused of treason against Konoha. He pressured Uchiha Itachi into slaughtering the Uchiha clan for his own greed. He then harvested their Sharingan eyes and convinced Orochimaru to implant them in his arm, along with some of Hashirama's cells. Furthermore, it was he who allowed Orochimaru access back into the village for the Chūnin Exams and subsequentially, it was he who assisted in the murder of our Sandaime."

The looks of outrage and disgust were continuously growing on the shinobi and kunoichi's faces. Kitsune's hands clenched into fists, and a sharp anger blared through him. Utter hatred filled him. It was he who had killed Miwako's grandfather, then.

Fucking bastard.

As Inoichi continued to list Danzō's actions, Kitsune could feel his anger growing.

Did she know about all of this? he wondered. Is that why she was so damn determined to kill him?

I don't blame her.

I wish she would have told me about this, though.

I would have helped.

When Inoichi was finished listing all of the other grievances, Kitsune cleared his throat. "Given the circumstances, I have called the council together to make a quick and speedy trial for Danzō. Seeing how he is far too dangerous, I believe it best to leave him unconscious for this."

Tsume grinned a feral grin at him. "I agree. There is no defense against this."

"I would concur," Chūnin Commander, Yui said stiffly, her eyes narrowed.

"Then I would like to go ahead and move to the voting of his status. All in favor of Danzō being guilty?"
Everyone voiced agreement for this.

Kitsune nodded his head, expecting this. "Then I move to propose the following punishment: Execution. All in agreement, please say aye."

"Aye," was chorused.

"Inoichi, I expect you have all the information in regards to ROOT?" Kitsune asked.

Inoichi sighed, and nodded. "I have already sent out Ibiki and Anko out to confirm his ROOT hideout in Konoha. After confirmation, I would like to request ANBU assistance in exterminating ROOT."

"Capture if we can, kill, if not," Kitsune clarified. "You will have ANBU assistance."

"As well as any Hyūga," Hiashi promised.

"And Inuzuka," Tsume vowed darkly.

"The Aburame will assist," Shibi said quietly.

"Not to mention the InoShikaCho clans," Chōza mentioned.

"All the Chūnin will, undoubtedly assist in this endeavor, however we can," Yui assured Kitsune.

"And Genin," Yamar offered.

"Very good," Kitsune said, nodding his head. He unsheathed his sword and approached the unconscious Danzō. "Let's get this over with."

"Wait!" Sasuke said. "I... I would like to."

"Sasuke..." Itachi trailed off.

Sasuke squared his shoulders, meeting Kitsune's gaze unflinchingly.

Kitsune cocked his head. "Very well."

('･ω･')

"I need to go," he said. "And it's time all of you came to live with me."

It was early in the morning, at the end of summer, when he had come. He had rendered their matron unconscious and summoned everyone together.

"Really?" one of the girls asked excitedly. Her eyes were lit up with hope and joy.

He stood in the back of the room, his stomach knotting up and his hands curling into fists. Every instinct of his told him to run—to get the hell away from this creature. He didn't, though, because his more rational side knew it would catch him if he ran. He had to wait; to bide his time.

"Are we leaving now?" another asked excitedly.

It smiled at them. "I will need to leave separately with you all. There is a nice man, a friend of mine, waiting for you all out behind back. He is going to escort you to my home. Children, be good, grab your things, and meet him out back. I await for you all anxiously at my home."

Its eyes met his for a split second, and he immediately averted his gaze. It purred, "All of you."

When It left, all the children rushed to grab their things. He moved to his room, and as to not draw attention to himself, he started packing his things, as well.

I don't want to go, he thought. I really, really, don't want to go.

Once everything was in his backpack, he moved towards the window and peered out into the darkness.

There was not just one man, but several.

All of them were not civilians.

He gulped nervously, and stumbled back. I have to get out of here. I can't let them notice me, or else they'll chase me and... and... I won't be able to out run them. I have to get somewhere safe. Somewhere I know it won't have influence.

Anxiety stated to churn inside of him, and he felt sick with it. He scared out of his mind, and shaking. He wanted to curl up and hide under his bed until it was all over, but he knew that was not an option.

This was a badbadbad situation and he absolutely could not afford to freeze up in it. He had to think. He had to act.

Then the plan came.

And he moved.

('･ω･')

This whole damn case is making me nostalgic, Kitsune thought irritably.

Kitsune gave the orders for the Chūnin and Genin to evacuate the mass population to one side of the village (the side with the newly built hospital). The guise was said that they wanted to refocus construction there for a bit, as there were some sealing malfunctions on the other side.

The other orders he gave were to the ROOT operatives inside of the ANBU. He requested assistance in dealing with the seal malfunction.

Of course, it was a trap.

They showed up one by one, or two by two. And each time, Kitsune would direct them into a building, where they would be hit with a genjutsu. Should any resist, then they were quickly suppressed.

By the end of the day, only eighty-percent were accounted for. The rest were nowhere to be found.

"Should we send out for hunter-nin?" Neko asked Kitsune as Kitsune oversaw the other ANBU members carrying each unconscious member to the T&I HQ for interrogation, and to see if they could be rehabilitated.

"No. We're already too spread thin," Kitsune said. "... I have admit I'm surprised they were taken down so easily. I was prepared for some sort of big-scale battle."

"Everyone's already tired from reconstruction—they weren't any exception, so their reflexives were dulled. They weren't expecting anything wrong, either," Neko pointed out.

Kitsune shrugged. "Seems almost too easy."

"None of the ring leaders are accounted for, though," Neko said.

Kitsune nodded. "... Yeah. Didn't think we'd grab them this time around. They're probably heading to one of the hideouts, and either fortifying or erasing all traces."

"Probably," Neko agreed.

Kitsune sighed. "A shame, but... we really can't afford to send any more resources outside the village than we already have. It's bad enough Kumo saw us in this state."

"You're right," Neko agreed again, glancing around. She tucked back a purple strand of hair behind her ear. "... I was told that... it was you who told Miwako-chan to... to confront Danzō?"

Kitsune did not respond right away, but cocked his head in a manner to signal to take this conversation elsewhere. Neko did not verbally respond, but shifted her posture in preparation to flicker. Kitsune flickered to the roof of a nearby building. "... Of sorts. That's the official story."

"Official?" Neko inquired, worry leaking into her voice. "Is she okay?"

Kitsune chuckled. "You've always kept a close eye on her since she saved your lover."

Neko shrugged. "I would be... I would be lost without him. And after I started watching her... and I saw how she was treated... I just... I was never one of her guards, and whatever I heard from her was always dismissed off-handedly. I didn't pay any attention to her, or her brother, to be honest. So when I saw..."

Neko seemed to struggle to find the appropriate words for several seconds, before Kitsune decided to say, "You couldn't stand the fact?"

Neko nodded her head mutely.

"Neither could I," Kitsune admitted. "It's amazing how Naruto turned out the way he did, after all the things they've been through. It's nothing short of a miracle, and at times, I'm envious of him in that aspect. With Miwako, on the other hand, her reaction is something more... expected, and... troubling."

"Certainly," Neko agreed.

"I didn't order her to go—in truth, I hadn't an inkling about this," Kitsune admitted.

Neko sighed. "I suspected as much. Then it was all her?"

"It would seem so."

The two fell quiet.

"That doesn't bode well for her," Neko murmured. "If she has... if she has this much distrust in the village that she would dig up old secrets... disobey orders... commit treason without certainty she was in the right. No... without caring if she was acknowledged by the village as right or wrong... We have to do something. Naruto alone cannot be her sole reason for staying in this village. She needs more ties here."

Kitsune gave a short sigh, and ran his fingers through his hair in irritation. "I would have thought that she had those bonds. She's always so happy when she's with her friends."

"How can you be so certain?" Neko inquired.

Because I watched her.

I know her.

"I know her," Kitsune said quietly. "She cares for them a great deal."

"Then what's keeping her from using them has ties to this village?" Neko wondered out loud.

"I don't know," Kitsune admitted, unable to keep the frustration out of his tone. "I don't... I don't entirely understand what's going on her mind right now."

I wish I did.

Neko, sensing her friend's irritation, placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about this, Commander. She will come back to us, and we'll figure it out from there."

"Yeah," Kitsune said quietly. "... For now, I want you and Squad B to keep a look out for her. If you... if you see her..."

Even though she wore a mask, Kitsune knew she was smiling at him. "I'll send her straight to you."

Relief settled over him. "Thank you."

('･ω･')

He walked swiftly past the other children, ignoring the brief pang of guilt he felt for leaving them. They did not listen to his words before, and he could not risk making a scene and forcing them to listen. They chose their fate.

He would not dwell on them.

He reached the base of the fireplace, before raising his hands and casting a very small genjutsu around him. It wouldn't work against shinobi, but against children it would do just fine. He crawled into the fireplace, and started to gather chakra in his hands and feet.

He wasn't very good at the tree-climbing exercise. It felt awkward and foreign to channel chakra into his feet. However, he was very good at channeling it into his hands, and with that, he could easily do a sort of crawl up the tree.

In this case, he crawled up the fireplace.

When he poked his head out of the top, he let out the breath he had been holding on the way up. Sucking in a big gulp of clean air, he then hauled himself out of the chimney and dropped down behind it as quietly as he could.

Softly, he began to walk across the roof, keeping down as to not let anyone see him.

He knew he already had low reserves, given that he was still a child, but he also knew it wouldn't hurt to suppress it anyway. Normally someone would have to actively search for a child's chakra signature, because their reserves were so low, but given that those people out back were there for the purpose of 'escorting' children, they very well could be searching for his signature.

He reached the end of the roof, and quietly, he jumped to the next one.

Then the next.

Then the next.

He continued to move, not relaxing his guard for an instant, or looking back for a second.

He had to get away from there.

He had to get to the Hokage's office.

('･ω･')

It was several days after this that Naruto, Jiraiya, and Kakashi returned to Konoha. Kitsune awaited for the trio at the entrance of the village.

Knowing Naruto, and the second Kitsune mentioned Miwako's absence, he went ahead and took a couple pills for the oncoming headache.

"What's up, kiddo?" Jiraiya asked as soon as Kitsune made his presence known. Kitsune offered a short, polite bow in return.

"Many things have happened in the village since your absence, Jiraiya-sama," Kitsune said lowly. "Danzō had been found a traitor, and executed."

Jiraiya whistled. "Wow. That's... that's pretty big. I suspect I'll be given a full debriefing?"

Kitsune handed Jiraiya a folder.

Jiraiya flipped it open, and started to scan through it.

"Most of ROOT has been cleansed from Konoha, but the ringleaders and a scarce few other operatives are still at large. Uzumaki Miwako has temporarily left the village—"

"What?!" Naruto demanded, his eyes lighting up with a fire. "What do you mean? Where is she?!"

"—her location is unknown, but we suspect she will be returning shortly enough," Kitsune finished eloquently.

"What happened to my student?" Kakashi asked, and although his tone was light, there was a certain gleam in his eyes that promised the Commander nothing, but pain if he gave the man a poor answer.

"All information is found in the debriefing," Kitsune responded. "If you have any more questions in regards to the matter, you can talk to Inoichi... or Sasuke. If you do not need me for anything else, I need to assist reapplying the security measures to the Eastern Wing."

Jiraiya waved his hand half-heartedly in a dismissive gesture, not looking up from the documents. A frown had pulled his lips down, and his eyes were dark.

Kitsune left, not wanting to hear Naruto nag Jiraiya to show him the papers.

('･ω･')

"Hokage-sama?!" he shouted as he burst into the office. He stumbled several steps, his eyes wide.

The Hokage looked up at him, an eyebrow raised and a smile on his face. "Hello. It's not often I get children bursting into my office these days. What's the matter?"

He squared his shoulders. "Orochimaru is kidnapping everyone at the orphanage, I think."

Immediately, the atmosphere changed.

"Reibun, take three officers and go there, immediately," the Hokage snapped.

His eyes were wide as he saw the ANBU appear and disappear out of nowhere. The Hokage turned towards him, and smiled a bit more gently. "Can you start from the beginning...?"

He flushed. "Gen'yūmaru, Hokage-sama. Um... my friends call me Gen."

"Gen-kun, then," he said, smiling. "Ah, yes... you're Miwako-chan's friend, aren't you?'

Gen gaped at him. "How...?"

The Hokage chuckled. "Miwako and Naruto are kept in a safe house in the village. It's not easy to get to, and is heavily guarded. The guards deemed you harmless enough and allowed you to enter the backyard. They were impressed you managed to get past the fence, given your age."

Gen blushed at the praise. "I, uh..."

He chuckled again. "Although, I would not recommend breaking into any other place that specifically has signs to warn you off."

Gen lowered his eyes. "Sorry, sir."

"No harm was done this time, but please keep it in mind."

"Yes, sir."

"So tell me about Orochimaru."

"Um, yes, sir. He came to our orphanage a few years ago. Paid to have it all fixed up, and got us all new clothes and toys. He, um... he sponsored a few of us going into the academy. About a month ago, when he visited again, he... he saw me sparring. He... he signaled me out."

"Oh?"

"At first... I was really happy," Gen admitted, "but then Miwako said something that got me thinking... since then... He started to... to freak me out, ya'know? I tried to stay away from him, but he was really persistent. Then just this morning he came and he said he had to go and he was taking us with him. He said he was leaving separately..."

"He was there himself?!" the Hokage demanded, his eyes wide.

Gen flinched. "Yes, sir."

The Hokage sat back, his brow furrowed and expression dark. "I see. Carry on."

"There were strange guys waiting for us... I... I just left."

"They let you leave?"

"Well... no. I placed a genjutsu over the fireplace, and climbed out that, then ran across the rooftops to get to here."

"I see."

('･ω･')

Later that evening, Kitsune was approached by Naruto, and Sasuke. Naruto had his hands shoved into his pockets, and he was glaring at the roof the trio stood on. Kitsune had just finished checking the security measures for the West and South wings, and was on his way to the North wing, when the duo called out to him.

Sasuke cut straight to the point, "We want to talk to you in private."

Kitsune nodded his head. "Go ahead. No one is around us for the moment."

"You didn't actually order her to go, did you?" Naruto asked, his voice low.

"You already know I didn't," Kitsune responded.

Naruto pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes. "Why'd you cover for her?"

Kitsune stared at Naruto. "Excuse me?"

"Why?" Sasuke repeated for him. "Not many people in Konoha would... do that. What do you want from her—from us?"

Kitsune's mind blanked out.

I thought Miwako was supposed to be the distrustful one.

Don't tell me her cynicism really rubbed off on these two...

"Do I need another reason aside from the fact that she's my comrade?" Kitsune ventured.

Sasuke's brow furrowed. "... Why does she trust you?"

Naruto's head snapped up at that. "What?"

Sasuke continued to stare at Kitsune. "Why does she trust you? It was you she told me and Itachi to turn to—and she said that she trusted you. Why does she trust you—when she doesn't even trust her own teammate?"

Kitsune wasn't quite sure how to feel about that. It certainly felt like Sasuke was accusing Kitsune of something. It was almost as if he was upset at something, and was consequentially blaming Kitsune. He couldn't quite figure out what it was—but he could guess it had something to do with Miwako.

"I wouldn't say she doesn't trust either of you," Kitsune settled for.

Sasuke snorted at that, and Naruto frowned.

"If she did... she would have told us, wouldn't she?" Naruto asked quietly.

"She didn't tell me anything, either," Kitsune said simply. "Yet you just told me she trusted me. She didn't tell us, because she didn't want us to get involved. She's always been like that. Sasuke, this was clearly a personal issue with you. If she turned to you, do you think you could have kept a level head through this? Or do you think it would have caused you more pain?"

Sasuke shook his head. "That doesn't matter—"

"It does," Kitsune disagreed. "It matters to her. That's how she is. You two already know that, though, so why are you trying to argue with me?"

"We aren't—"

"Your body posture, and tone suggests you came here looking for a fight," Kitsune pointed out gently. "You are both worried for her, understandably so, and are frustrated at her lack of... teamwork. Consider this, for just a second, through her eyes. For years she has earned many reasons not to trust anyone. And for years, she's been fighting through this. She has finally made connections to others, and has finally started to really care for them. However, she has gone through years of psychological, and physical, torment.

"She's not distrustful by choice—that's her instinct. And the fact that she asked even for the slightest bit of help from either of you, speaks volumes of her progress. She is not a puzzle that can be pieced together and fixed up in one evening. She is a human being who has undergone a stressful childhood, and is still recovering. Everyone recovers differently. You, Naruto, cannot expect her to bounce back up like you do. And you, Sasuke, cannot expect her to shove all of her distrust away inside a neat little box like you tend to do with your emotions.

"It's going to take time," Kitsune finished. "And she is truly trying with all her might."

I say that, but even still...

Naruto and Sasuke didn't look much better, but they at least didn't seem ready to try and start a fight.

... I'm still angry at her that she didn't ask for help, either.

"... I was one of your guards," Kitsune ventured. "Naruto, I guarded you and Miwako every day, five days a week, unless I was on a mission. I know both of you very well, and I know that this isn't any easier for Miwako than it is for you."

Naruto shrugged, his gaze thoughtful. "... I know you're right, but it doesn't make it much easier. I love her. I just... I want her to be happy."

"I understand," Kitsune echoed.

('･ω･')

The Hokage had made Gen write a report for what happened. Gen was asked a lot of questions—most of them repeats—but many people. It took several hours, and by the end of it, Gen was left completely drained.

He was brought back into the Hokage's office, and he sat tiredly in the chair.

"I have bad news, good news, and more terrible news," the Hokage said plainly.

"Let's hear it," Gen said dryly.

"The bad news is, Orochimaru escaped. The good news is we were able to rescue all the children at the orphanage—thanks to you."

"What's the terrible news?" Gen asked hesitantly.

"Orochimaru signaled you out personally, Gen-kun," he said softly. "He is not one to easily give up. So long as you, Gen, exist, he will hunt you down."

Fear shot through the boy, cold and sickening. His heart hammered in his chest and his head seemed to spin. "What?"

"I'm sorry. We will do what we can to protect you, but Orochimaru is relentless. Unless you're dead, then—"

"Then help me fake my death!" Gen blurted out, unable to keep the pleading tone out of his voice.

"It's not that simple," he sighed. "As it stands, you would need to completely erase yourself from the system and—"

"Then how do I do that?!"

The Hokage fell quiet, his brow furrowed. A minute ticked by.

"You could join the ANBU."

Gen faltered, shock overtaking his fear for a couple seconds. "What?"

"Joining the ANBU erases your identity."

"But... they're... elite, and I'm... I'm nine."

"Your academy scores indicate you're ready to graduate, and you would not necessarily be treated as a regular ANBU. Yours is not the first case we've had, believe it or not. You would be placed under an apprenticeship in the ANBU and trained in the ANBU. This would restrict—"

"I'll do it."

"Gen-kun, please don't be rash about this. This is a life-changing choice, and you need to understand the consequences. You can still live a fulfilled life without faking your death. While Orochimaru is certainly a threat, Konoha is not without its defenses—"

"I'll do it," Gen repeated, this time more firmly. "I... I want to."

The Hokage stared at Gen, his expression unreadable. "It seems that you really do."

"I... I want to become stronger," Gen said softly, quietly. "I don't... I don't want to be afraid of Orochimaru."

"I understand, Gen-kun."

('･ω･')

That evening, Kitsune sat down at his bed, and stretched out. He was about to take off his mask, but then a blinding flash of red filled the room. Kitsune immediately sat up straight, his eyes widening to find a sheepish Miwako. Her clothes were tattered, and her hair was out of her pigtails, falling freely in soft golden curls. "... Hi?"
Kitsune shot up, and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. He could hear her sharp intake of breath, and he could feel her heart pounding wildly inside her chest. "Where the hell have you been?"
"Setting things up," she squeaked. "Um... I'm... I'm sorry?"

"You damn straight better be. You have a lot of explaining to do."

Miwako awkwardly put her arms around him, and patted his back. "There, there...?"

Kitsune snorted, and pulled back, ignoring the overwhelming sense of relief he felt at finally seeing her again.

Safe.

Miwako's face was a bright red, and she abruptly averted her gaze from his. "After, um, Danzō, I was just really pissed off at Sasuke and wanted to blow off some steam. I thought I could track some of Danzō's old hideouts, too. Um... I actually found one, but it was completely abandon, but I got some research notes. I... don't know how useful they will be, but..."

Kitsune shook his head. "I'm not... I'm not worried about what you did after Danzō. I'm... Miwako... I just..."

Kitsune's brow furrowed behind his mask, and he sat back down in his bed. Miwako, taking the hint, sat down beside him.

She started to fidget with her fingers.

Every time I sit with her, Kitsune thought absently, recalling all the times she did just that when he had pulled her up beside him in the tree.

"Miwako... I just wish you told me," Kitsune admitted.

Miwako sighed. "I—"

Kitsune shook his head. "Don't think I'm trying to pry this out of you. Don't you think for an instant I'm pushing trust out of you. Miwako, I know, trusting is hard for you. I completely understand, and I accept that."

Her eyes widened, and her cheeks turned rosy. "Y-You do?"

"Yes, Miwako," Kitsune said patiently. "I trust you, Miwako. And I know you won't... you won't betray that trust. There are times where I just... I just wish you..."

... felt the same.

"... understood that," Kitsune finished quietly.

Miwako fidgeted nervously. "It's not like that, Kitsune. I do trust you, and I trust Sasuke, and I trust Naruto. It's just... I mean, you know what I did, right? I, really, committed treason. I... I care an awful lot about you guys, and I really didn't want to put you all in a compromising position. I mean, I know Sasuke. He would have been adamant about helping me, even though it would have probably been detrimental to his future. And look at you, Kitsune! You're the Commander. I can't ask you to commit treason for me. So I just... I just chose to not give you that option. Is that really so wrong of me?"

"You didn't trust us to make our own choice," Kitsune returned softly.

Miwako shot him an annoyed look. "I do trust you—If—If I didn't, I wouldn't be here now, would I?"

Kitsune snorted. "You have a funny way of showing it."

She glowered. "I—I'm not used to this, okay? I do trust you, but at the same time... I just really want to protect you guys. All of you. I fail to see how that's a bad thing."

"It's a very bad thing if you're putting yourself at unnecessary risk."

"It is not unnecessary—"

"If you had told me the full story, I would have sent up multiple ANBU back-up with you, and we would have safely brought Danzō back to Konoha, where Inoichi would have mind-walked him and discovered the truth. From there, we could have sent our multiple squads to track down Itachi and inform him of the change in the situation. Instead you attempted to face an S-Rank traitor alone, and you also put yourself in the hands of the Akatsuki."

"I did not—it was a clone—"

"Clones have limited range to their original. They would have found you if Itachi hadn't cooperated," Kitsune pointed out.

Miwako huffed. "I would have been fine."

"You don't know that. All of this was unnecessary if you just told us what was going on. I understand that this doesn't come easily for you, but damn it, Miwako, you need to try."

"I am."

"Are you?" Kitsune challenged.

She pursed her lips angrily. "I don't know how else to prove that I trust you guys."

"It doesn't always come naturally. You have to take steps, sometimes. Leaps of faith, almost."

Miwako closed her eyes, her anger seeming to drain away at Kitsune's gentle voice. She laid back on his bed. At that moment, she seemed to shrink and de-age before Kitsune's eyes. She looked like a lost little girl. The appearance tugged at Kitsune's heart in ways he didn't particularly care for. "I don't know how, Kitsune."

Kitsune stared at her.

He was introduced to the ANBU at a young age. He was shown all the tricks in the books by his mentor, and his comrades. He was taught how to shove his emotions to the side for a mission, and to only deal with them when he took off the mask.

An ANBU's mask was his identity. It was what defined him, and made him. He was no longer Gen'yūmaru, a scared little boy. He was Kitsune. Commander of the ANBU, and right hand man to the Hokage. He was a powerful shinobi, with enough charm and intellect to garner him a high position.

He dealt with emotions like his former mentor, Okami, did. He pretended he didn't have them with the mask on, and the second the mask came off, he confronted them.

That was the only way for an ANBU to live.

The missions they were given... that they saw... not all of them were humane, even if it was for the betterment of Konoha. There were dark forces at work, and sometimes innocent lives had to be the causality of a successful mission. An ANBU could not afford to falter in his mission—could not afford to cast hesitation at the guilt, or worry at the moralities.

There were no emotions when the mask came on.

But, without the mask, he was back to being Gen.

A young man who didn't quite understand how to deal with everything.

There were times where he didn't agree with the Hokage, and times where he was so overcome with the guilt at what he had done, he couldn't bring himself to take another mission for a week, or so. There was never an easy way to deal with emotions.

You just had to.

Kitsune knew that, and he understood that.

Still, he found a way that seemed to help him.

His anchor, so to speak.

And she was it.

She was that one person who asked about his absence, after he joined the ANBU. That persistently inquired about where he had gone for years after his 'death', until the old man made her promise not to ask anymore. She was that one, bratty little girl that played with him every day for that summer. That wiggled that seed of doubt into him—by sheer accident, no less—and ultimately saved his, and many others' lives.

She transformed his life from a nobody little boy, to being an ANBU Commander.

Of course she was special to him.

Of course it pained him to see her so lost, and so unhappy with her choices.

And of course he wanted to help her.

He wanted to be the one that she could turn to. He wanted to be that anchor for her, just as she was for him.

An ANBU's mask was their lifeline.

They could never take it off.

Because if they did—if they took it off in the presence of others—there was no guarantee they would be safe.

Their identity would be vulnerable.

For ANBU to take off their mask, it was...

Kitsune twisted his body, and placed a hand on both side of her head, hovering over her. Her eyes snapped open. "Kitsune, what are you doing?"

"This, Miwako, is a leap of faith," Kitsune said.

And slowly, he raised his hand to his mask.

And slowly, he took it off.

As the genjutsu faded, and the mask was placed to the side, Miwako sucked in a sharp breath. She completely froze, and Gen could practically see the thoughts racing behind those blue eyes.

"Gen... -kun?"

He gave a slow nod.

Tears pricked at her eyes, and she furiously blinked them back. "You... I thought you had... I thought... you didn't... want to be with.... I thought you ran away from us."

Gen shook his head. "I didn't run away from you. You were right. Do you remember all those years ago, I talked about my 'father'?"

She nodded her head uncertainly.

"It was Orochimaru," Gen admitted. "He was... after me. Your grandfather offered me a way out—to join the ANBU. So... here I am."

"You took off your mask," Miwako said quietly.

"I did," Gen agreed.

She closed her eyes. "You really trust me."

"I really do."

"A leap of faith, huh?" she murmured.

"A leap of faith," Gen echoed. "Trust is something you work to build, Miwako. It's something earned—not given."

She opened her eyes and gave a wobbly smile. "Then I suppose I have a lot of work cut out for me. I... Kitsune, er, Gen-kun... I want... to tell you something."

"Anything."

She let out a slow breath. "I uncaged Kurama."

Gen stilled. "What."

"He's been free for a while," Miwako said quietly. "Just so you know."

Gen resisted the urge to groan, and list all the reasons why that was not a good thing, and not to be taken so lightly. Instead, given the situation, he decided to say, "Thank you for telling me."

"You're the first to know and live," Miwako offered him.

"That makes me feel better," Gen said dryly.

She giggled, and he couldn't resist smiling at that.

"Why did you come to me first?" Gen inquired. "Instead of Naruto, or Sasuke?"

"I wasn't in the mood to be heavily interrogated, but I needed a place to crash for the night, and I thought you were my best chance at that," Miwako admitted.

Gen grinned. "Alright. Go ahead and sleep, then. I have more patrols I can run."

Miwako shook her head. "Oh, no. I see those bags under your eyes. You are sleeping, and I am going to go face the music."

With more reluctance than he would care to admit, Gen sat up, so Miwako could stand back up and leave. Softly, he said, "Then I wish you the best of luck, Miwako-chan."

Miwako smiled warmly at him. "Thank you, Kitsune-kun. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Alright. Sweet dreams."

"Aa!"

('･ω･')

"He promised me a family, you know," Kitsune lamented one evening. It was two years after he had joined the ANBU, and Kitsune had grown fairly comfortable with everything. His teacher, and master, Okami, glanced over at him.

"... Orochimaru, or is Raion hitting on you again?" Okami asked.

Kitsune half-heartedly swatted at his chuckling teacher. "Orochimaru. That was my dream. Power and family."

"Isn't that everyone's dream?"

"Jiraiya probably wants a harem," Kitsune pointed out.

"True enough," Okami accepted, nodding his head.

Kitsune sighed.

Okami turned towards his student. "I know that sigh. That's a woe-is-me sigh. What? You don't think you can make your dream come true still?"

Kitsune shrugged.

Okami placed his massive hand on top of his student's head. "You're still a brat, you know. You got a long life ahead of you. Or, well, I guess in our line of profession not too long, but definitely long enough. You can still make your dreams come true, pup."

Kitsune shrugged again.

Okami sighed. "Don't get all emo on me, okay? The ANBU is filled with enough emotionally 'special' people as it is."

"I'll try," Kitsune promised dryly.

"'Atta, brat," Okami said approvingly. "Now hush up. We're supposed to be guarding the jinchūriki brats—at your insistence, need I remind you. I swear, this is the only job you like, what with the way you constantly volunteer for it."

"Yeah, yeah..." Kitsune said, his eyes moving down towards the window of their orphanage. They rested on a young girl, brushing out her hair and talking with her brother.

His gaze softened.