When I woke, I was on the ground next to Aiden, head resting on his chest. Still half asleep, I pressed closer to Aiden and the warmth he provided, the fabric of his shirt soft against my cheek, sighing as his arm tightened around me in response.

After several minutes, I began to shift. "I have to go," I murmured against Aiden's warm chest.

"Hmm?" He groaned, not even opening his eyes, refusing to let me go.

"I'm going to be late," I complained.

"Just a few more minutes," he insisted, tugging me back. There was no real strength in the movement but I allowed  him to pull me down, safe in the knowledge that I could break his grip in seconds if needed.

I rolled my eyes. "Your back is going to be so sore," I told him.

"And yours won't?" He yawned. I scrunched up my nose, irritated by the smell.

"I've slept on worse," I replied, beginning to tug myself away once again.

He made some sort of noise of acknowledgement. "Sushi?" He mumbled, still half asleep.

"For breakfast?"

He cracked one eye open, watching as I unwrapped his arms. "You've had chocolate cake for breakfast, before," he reminded me. "Let's get sushi."

"Won't Aisa be worried that you didn't go back to the apartment last night?" I asked, sitting up.

"Mmm, he knows where I am." Aiden grinned, reaching out and wrapping an arm around my waist.

I rolled my eyes and peeled his arms off of me. "I have to meet my team at the training grounds, soon," I informed him, wandering to the bathroom to brush my teeth.

"Right, Cashile, the sensei," Aiden teased, turning on his side to watch me walk away.

"Not by choice!" I reminded him before brushing my teeth.

It was a partial truth. I did have to meet my team at the training grounds, but I had an... errand of sorts to run first.

"Sushi after?" Aiden asked when I reappeared. He was still on the ground, but had propped himself up with a pillow from the couch.

"Sure," I called back, slipping my boots on and closing the door behind me.

For some reason, I was smiling.

***

I transported myself to a beaten down house closer to the other side of the village. Not many houses were built down here and the ones that were weren't too great to live in.

I opted for the window over the door, and settled on the outer ledge of the open window in Kento's room. He was sharpening his kunai when I arrived.

"Kento," I said, earning his immediate attention. I considered reprimanding him for his lack of awareness before deciding against it.

"Sensei?" His eyes widened with more worry than surprise, and I take note of it immediately; there was obviously something he didn't want me to find out. Why else would he be so worried about me appearing at his house?

"I'm not late, am I? I thought we weren't supposed to meet for another half hour, at least!"

I raised an eyebrow at his babble, studying his pale skin and the bags just beginning to form beneath his eyes. "When will you learn that's there isn't really anything you can hide from me?" I sighed, observing my distraught student. "How bad has she gotten?"

He furrowed his eyebrows, considering his options, but soon his face fell further in defeat. "It's bad. Really bad. The doctors are saying that she doesn't have much time left."

"Kento!" A woman's voice screeched. He winced, glancing over his shoulder toward the door.

"What's her name, again?" I asked, mostly to buy some time to further study Kento before he tried to kick me out. "Your sister's, I mean."

"I--" he glanced over his shoulder again, clearly worried but trying to hide it. "Miyu," he murmured. He was tense, far more tense than when I'd ever seen him and that didn't make sense, because, from what I had gathered, you were supposed to feel relaxed in your own home.

"Kento, get your lazy ass down here!" this time the woman's voice was much louder, and Kento let out a resigned sigh. I tilted my head slightly, watching his reaction closely. I already knew that Kento's father was a smoker and a drunk. His mother, I gathered, was a waitress, earning meager wages and working long hours. Any money earned went toward his sister's medical treatment.

Konoha might cover the expenses of ninja's treatment, but it didn't cover civilians'.

"I have to go sensei," Kento told me, looking away in embarrassment. "My mom probably needs help with the breakfast.

I nodded and left him at that. The most I could do for him was offer my two cents, and he would most certainly be receiving a handful of change from me after today's missions in the form of a lecture. Because If he kept screwing up, actions would have to be taken. I wouldn't risk putting Michiko or Aisa in danger because one genin couldn't get his shit together.

I listened to the clanging of dishes for a moment before leaving, heading toward Tsunade's and knocking impatiently on her door.

"Enter!" Her voice commanded from inside. I stepped inside.

"Here to collect the day's missions for my team," I announced, voice bored.

"Yes, Cashile. I was just about to summon you. We need to discuss..."

I raised my eyebrow. Another solo mission? Finally. I may actually be useful in this one.

"Discuss what?" I asked even though I was certain I knew what she would ask.

"I have a mission for you. A solo mission," she stated, watching me carefully. I gave nothing away and allowed her to continue without disruption. "We've received intel that Orochimaru, a known opponent of the Leaf village, as I'm sure you've heard, has been killed. By Sasuke Uchiha."

Oh.

I'd predicted this would happen. Of course it would. Sasuke had the potential to be... strong. And if he had the potential, the apprentice would always grow stronger and overthrow the master.

"You want me to gather intel," I said.

"It is your specialty," Tsunade replied. "We need to know what Sasuke Uchiha's next move will be now that he's overthrown Orochimaru."

"How do you know he's actually dead?" I asked. "He seemed to be rather obsessed with immortality from what I gathered."

"Well, that's your job to find out, isn't it?" Tsunade replied, challenging.

I smirked.

"And what of my team?" I questioned. "Last time I stuck them with Ibiki. I can't do that too often if I don't want them to break."

"I will have a substitute sensei placed over them to observe them on their daily missions until you return," she sighed.

"Understood. My team is meeting on training ground six at promptly..." I looked at my watch, "Now, actually. Hey, can I request a sensei?"

Tsunade pinched the bridge of her nose. "I make no promises, but you can request all you want."

"Sakura. Or a Hyūga." I shrugged in response to her questioning look. "One of my genin is extremely sensitive to chakra, and the other two need to work on chakra control anyways. So."

Tsunade nodded. "I'll see what I can do. Sakura should be available today, at least. You just focus on your mission. And be careful," she warned. "Dismissed."

***

I appeared back at my apartment to pack a bag, and found Aiden still sleeping, though he'd moved up to the couch.

"You're still sleeping?" I asked, gathering up a pack full of extra of anything I could possibly need, ranging from ninja wire to smoke bombs to poison for blades. "Aren't you going to be late for work?"

"Today's my day off,"  he yawned. "Sushi, now?"

I shook my head. "Mission, actually," I informed him, ignoring the disappointment that flashed across his face.

"How long?" he asked. "Will I have to go pack some extra food for Aisa?"

"No," I replied, opening cupboards to pack some extra energy bars myself. "Solo mission. Aisa and the rest of his team aren't coming. Might take some time, depends on how well it goes. I'd place my guess right now on a minimum of five days."

Aiden nodded, watching me slide several weapons into coat pockets. "Okay then." He took in a deep breath and let it out. "Be careful then, right?"

"Ninja go on solo missions all the time," I replied. "And this one is just intel gathering, surveillance. Don't worry. Nothing dangerous."

"Right. Be careful."

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, yes, of course," I agreed, tossing a pair of gloves into the pack just in case the mission moved into colder territory. "Always am."

"Sushi when you get back," Aiden demanded, no question in his voice this time.

I hitched the back pack over my shoulders and placed one hand on the door handle. "Sure," I agreed easily. "You're buying, though."

With a smirk, I left before he could protest.

***

I ran along the branches with ease. The weather had been gloomy, rain pouring relentlessly from the sky, and, despite the sun gleaming brightly in the sky, I was still damp. I paused for a moment in the shadows created by the sun, studying the forest closely. The first step was to find out if Orochimaru really was dead.

I glared back as I sensed one of the ANBU draw too close; they were still tracking me, of course. Four new ANBU to replace the old unit which had been severely crippled in the last fight with the Claws. However, I'd ordered them to remain as far away from me as possible in order to minimize the risk of them fucking up my mission.

Babysitters.

It was a necessary precaution, I knew, but one that grated at my nerves. At least now that I didn't have my idiotic genin here I could envision myself as a squad leader for the ANBU instead of being guarded by them. It really was true, though: if a Claw attacked, I would take charge, order the ANBU into formation, and basically be a leader for them.

At least this time, if a Claw attacked, I could fight as I'd done before, more ruthlessly, not being held back now that my stupid little genin weren't around to provoke them.

Once a few hours had gone by, and the sun's position had given away the time of around noon, I found a clearing and stopped travel. I bit into my thumb and touched the ground, muttering the words "summoning jutsu".

Eight small spiders appeared. Perfect for scouting and gathering intel so I wouldn't have to be the one entering into Orochimaru's lairs, which would certainly be filled with thugs and traps. "I need you to find out some information for me," I ordered immediately, skipping the greetings. "Orochimaru had underground hideouts. Find them, and if you can, confirm his death."

One spider scoffed arrogantly. "If you can," he mocked.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes; their attitude certainly hadn't changed much. "Report back as soon as possible," I dismissed. They scurried along, separating and soon out of my sight.

Now, until the spiders returned, I would work on the assumption that my intel was good and Sasuke had killed Orochimaru. Now, what would he do next? Sasuke enjoyed power. Control. He wanted to be strong--he would certainly have nearly unachievable goals in mind for the future. The genin I had known would have struck out alone, convinced of his strength in solitude, and then failed. I'd heard rumors of Sasuke, though, and if he had killed Orochimaru... he would have needed to be smart, not just strong.

He would gather a team, I realized. A team of the strongest ninja he'd met, and there would be many having been with Orochimaru for over two years. There was a small village near here, I knew, and began to run in the direction I remembered it being. When I drew close, I hopped down from the branches, making sure that my coat covered my ninja pack and no other obvious signs of me being a ninja showed. Then, suppressing my chakra just in case, I entered into the village.

Remembering the speculation that people who entered and left villages without eating were ANBU, I wanderde toward a dango shop, ordering the basics. A casual restaurant was a good place to hear the town gossip, as well.

Did you hear? That Uchiha killed the greatest Sanin.

I snorted. Debatable. If he was the greatest Sanin, why was he the first to die?

Orochimaru is dead.

It was looking more and more like Sasuke had killed Orochimaru.

That Sasuke Uchiha is a murderer--a rogue. And his brother killed the entire Clan.

Good riddance, I say, if the only two alive turned out like this. Imagine if there were more than two!

Did you hear? He came through here, they say! Apparently he had someone with him, too!

An accomplice?

Maybe something more.

Well, either way, I wouldn't want to cross paths with him.

I smirked. Looked to me as if Sasuke had made a name for himself. Finishing my tea and dango, I threw some change down before leaving; the spiders should be done gathering intel, soon. I leaned against a tree, collecting notes when I noticed the eight spiders scurry towards me.

"Cashile," the first greeted for them all, cold and calculating. I nodded my greeting.

"It is confirmed that Orochimaru is dead. Sasuke has been sighted in the Land of Waves, with a companion of sorts. They seemed to be headed south from their last known location."

I nodded. "Very well. I'll --" I cut my sentence of short and stiffened slightly. The presence of the four ANBU had been cut off in an instance--no warning, no time; just gone like a candle's flame in the wind.

Several possible paths flashed through my mind, and in an instant I chose one. "Listen," I addressed the spider urgently. "Speak with your leader, Doku. If you hear no word from me within 12 hours, or if my chakra reaches dangerously low levels, have me reverse summoned. Understood?"

"As you wish," the spider answered gravely, before disappearing from the dimension. I cursed silently. I had a contract with the spiders, yes, but it was a tenuous one at best. If they turned their backs on me now...

Well. I suppose I would find out soon enough.

__________________________

Ta da! Another update!

I most definitely failed my AP Calc and AP Physics exams ^.^ so I am slowly dying inside. Don't mind me.

One exam left! AP French! And next semester I'm dropping AP Calc so that'll be a load off my shoulders! Whoop whoop!

Post long and beautiful comments to help get me through this last exam and revive me from the ones I failed! I seriously need the motivation lol so comment!!!

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gaara119

Hello! You'll have to excuse the late AN on my part! In the past week I've learned two important things. Firstly-- that car maintenance is EXPENSIVE.  and second, a reiteration that life is TOUGH.

So right now I'm learning how to change my car battery. Wish me luck!

-S

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