You sighed a breath of relief as you walked towards the gates of Konoha. You'd managed to snoop around and so far, no one had appeared to recognize you. You could well remember the things that triggered suspicion from the people of this village so you had made a point to avoid doing them. The village seemed to be doing well despite the obvious scars left behind from attacks. You glanced up at the Hokage faces. The new face on the mountain was that of a woman. She seemed to be doing well running this village. It was a shame that she'd have many tough times coming at her. With everything you'd learned, this village had better be prepared for a great deal of violence.

The Akatsuki would eventually come for the boy named Naruto. With what you had learned about Sasuke, you doubted that he would leave this village in peace if he were to ever find out the truth about Itachi. If Orochimaru got another shot, he'd certainly attack again. And then there was Danzo... he was probably the biggest threat to this villages peace. The worst part about him was that he was the only one that you feared would actually bring utter destruction to the village. With every other threat the village would band together and stand strong. But with Danzo, the village would become divided, people who were once friends would become enemies, and the village would crumble from the inside.

You sighed and closed your eyes. As much as it pained you, this village and its well-being was no longer your concern. Even if you offered your help, they wouldn't accept it. You opened your eyes and turned towards the gate and jumped slightly. There, right in front of you, was the last person you'd wanted to see. Kakashi Hatake. He had been a part of the team that was supposed to arrest you nine years ago. He was also the only person in the village likely to recognise you after all these years thanks to his sharingan. You hadn't used a transformation jutsu, since people with strong enough observation skills would have noticed the chakra balance. So right now, all that stood between you and being identified by one of the best shinobi in the village, was a pair of thick rimmed glasses and nine years of aging.

You swallowed nervously, but took a breath to calm yourself. Kakashi had been almost merciless when you'd last seen him, so if he had identified you, you'd be dead already...right? He was blatantly staring you down, his eyes moving over your body carefully. You had to do something. The longer he had to study you, the more likely he was to realize who you were. You shifted slightly, showing obvious discomfort under his gaze, "Umm...hello?" His visible eye flicked up to yours, "Hello..." He remained silent for a moment longer, then spoke again, "You look familiar. Where have I seen you before?" Crap...he'd be able to tell if you were lying, but the truth.... "Well...you see I...umm..." He patted the side of his fist into the open palm on his other hand, "I got it, you're the model used for the cover of one of Jiraiya's books aren't you?"

You narrowed yours eyes at Kakashi. This was a typical shinobi technique to spot a threat. Say they look familiar then offer an obviously false excuse. Anyone who was a threat would usually jump at the easy excuse. You weren't about to fall for that. "Ah, sorry I think you must be mistaken. I don't even know the books you're talking about." Kakashi tilted his head, "Huh...I guess you're right, though you do look similar to the cover model, I can see the difference now. But I still think I've seen you before..." You rubbed the back of your neck, "Well, I'm not surprised to hear that. I used to live near this village, but a few years ago I got moved away to work with my Oba-chan at a cute little tea shop in another land." It was partially true... Kakashi looked thoughtful, "Then what brings you all the way back here?" You dug into the small bag you had, feeling thankful that you'd actually bought a few items while in the village, and pulled a bag of herbs, "My Oba-chan wants to try out making some new herbal teas, and a couple of the herbs she wants are hard to find anywhere other shinobi villages. And this is the only shinobi village that I'm even slightly familiar with. The shops are all right where I remember them being." Kakashi looked between the herbs and you for a few moments, "Those herbs will make a truly disgusting tea you know..." You glanced at which herbs you'd pulled. They were edible herbs, completely non-toxic, but they were known for being extremely bitter. You forced a laugh out, "Yeah, I know right? I don't really know what Oba-chan is thinking, but I'm just the errand girl." Kakashi huffed out a breath. He nodded, "Alright, well I hope you don't have any issues during your travels." He moved past you and continued on down the road. Had he decided that you weren't suspicious? You doubted it, but headed for the gate once more.

You left the village and walked along the road that lead back towards the Land of Rice. As you rounded another bend in the trees your suspicions were confirmed. You could sense the feint traces of chakra following you. The levels of chakra were too low to be a civilian, only a shinobi supressing their chakra could have such a low amount of chakra for you to sense. So you hadn't escaped unnoticed. You'd have to make a detour to Granny's shop to throw off whatever suspicion your pursuers had. You'd also have to travel as a civilian. You groaned internally. This was going to be a much longer trip than you'd originally planned. You were glad that you'd left your Akatsuki cloak at the hideout, cause that would completely blow your cover.

~~~Time Skip~~~

You ground your teeth. Damn near four days had passed and your pursuers were still following you. Seriously, how suspiciously had you acted in Konoha for them to be following you for this long with you acting completely like a civilian? They must be bored out of their minds by now. Luckily you were only about an hour away from Granny's shop, so hopefully that would end this annoying game. You shuttered to think how annoyed Itachi must be by now. Hell, even Kisame must be losing patience by this point.

After about another hour you emerged from the trees and saw the familiar little shop, same as you had left it. Hopefully Granny wouldn't make too much of a fuss seeing you back again so shortly after you had left. You walked to the shop and lifted the flap. You stepped in and took a deep breath, letting your eyes close. The smell of home, such a comforting scent. Suddenly something struck your forehead. You slapped your hand to your forehead as the wooden spoon that had been thrown at you fell to the floor. You rubbed your head, "Jeez Oba-san! What was that for?" She stood in front of you, crossing her arms and tapping her foot, "What the hell are you doing back already?" You locked eyes with her and rubbed the tips of your nose two times, giving her your signal to be careful what she said. She took your cue and took in your appearance. She noticed your shopping bag and jumped onto the excuse, "You better not have forgotten anything? When I go for ingredients the trip takes me twice as long." You breathed a sigh of relief and rolled with what she was saying, "Well not everyone moves as slowly as you Oba-san." She threw another spoon at you, which you dodged, "Impudent brat!" She snatched the bag from your hands and began walking to the back, "Go take a shower, you stink to high heavens." You were so thankful that Granny would just roll with things. You sighed and went to take a shower like she suggested, knowing that the shinobi wouldn't just leave right away.

After you finished showering you noticed a stack of clean clothes that Granny must've put in for you. You got changed into them and left the washroom. The shop wouldn't be open this early in the day so you headed towards the back. As you stepped into the family kitchen you spotted Granny sitting at table with the herbs you'd bought laid out in front of her. She had her hands tented in front of her face and a serious expression. As you walked closer she spoke, "Just what are you having to deal with in that group?" You tensed, "Oba-san shhh! What if someone hears you?" You hissed at her. She waved her hand absently, "Use your senses child. The shinobi following you left while you were showering. Now what are you having to treat?" You remained silent for a few moments. It was Itachi's secret, not yours, so you had no right to tell anyone, not even Granny. "It's just in case...for minor treatments and such..." Granny shifted and prodded one of the bags, "You know, for a shinobi, you suck at lying. Did you forget who trained you in medical ninjutsu? These herbs aren't used for minor issues." Granny turned to face you, her eyes blazing, "These can only be combined to make the tea of second life. So who is it that has the serious internal injuries?" You sighed and moved over to sit beside Granny, "I have no right to tell you who...but it's not exactly internal injuries. They...have an illness. The illness is destroying their internal organs. This was the only thing I could think of to help them..." Granny sighed heavily, "If it's from an illness, and it's serious enough for you to turn to this, then you know it won't actually cure them right?" You nodded, "I'm just trying to buy him time. He has something he needs to do..."

Granny slid off her stool and grabbed the herbs, "I'm sure you remember how dangerous this recipe is. Several of these herbs are deadly if you get even a few grams too much." You sighed and nodded. She put a pot of water on the stove, "Oba-san...what are you doing?" Granny measured some of the herbs, "I'm making the first batch for you, so that you can get a refresher of exactly how to make this."

You smiled and moved to stand beside her by the stove, "Thanks Oba-san."