Chapter 2: The Hidden Leaf

AN: Hey everyone and welcome back to another chapter of RITWON PT2! So far we've gotten to meet several new characters as well as several familiar characters like Naruto, Boruto, Sarada, etc. Stay tuned for meeting KimimaroxKurotsuchi's kids in the future! To help refresh your minds of who's kid is who's I'll help you out.

HakuxAkane: Asuka Yuki (Daughter)

IzayaxHanabi: Hiroshi Karasuma (Son-Twin), Iraia Karasuma (Daughter-Twin)

Izaya's Disciple: Zen Yagami

And if you haven't read RITWON PT.1 yet then copy here for the link and paste it in the search bar: s/13397148/1/Reincarnated-into-the-world-of-Naruto

Or search "Reincarnated into the world of Naruto"

Reminder:

-Italics is how I will show that someone is thinking to themselves. Their thoughts.

-If you see this: 888 it means that there will be a scene change.

And always, thank you for your continued support and thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto/Boruto or anything originating from the original story and plot of these universes. They all belong to Masashi Kishimoto, Ukyo Kodachi, Mikio Ikemoto, and their team. I only own my original plot and characters.

Yes, Sorry, I renamed the First Chapter "A New Generation!" So Second Chapter is "The Hidden Leaf"

I felt the title name was actually more appropriate for Chapter 2.

Chapter 2

Zen woke up with a shout as he heaved in and out with a heavy breath. Sweat completely drenched his back and forehead as he stared down at his still trembling hands. He gritted his teeth trying to calm down his emotions as tears streamed down his face. It was then that he heard Izaya's voice behind him. "I see your nightmares haven't gone away."

Zen clenched his fist and quickly wiped away the tears from his face. He took a minute to finally calm down his emotions before replying, "Sensei...why do people kill each other?"

Izaya stared at the back of his disciple with a complicated gaze before replying, "Power, hunger, greed, want, need, lust, hate, desire. There's too many to name."

Zen frowned. "Did my mother die because the one who killed her was simply overcome with one of these emotions? If so, then wouldn't it be better to have no emotions. No one would feel any of those things. And no one would kill."

Izaya let out a soft sigh at the sight of his pitiful disciple. "Zen. What was the last thing your mother said to you? Do you remember?"

Zen flinched at his sensei's question. "She said that she loved me."

After replying to his sensei's question he elected not to tell his sensei about the other thing that his mother told him. It's true that mother told me she loved me. But the last thing she truly said to me was to find the blindfolded warrior who wore a katana on his waist and who had snow white hair. She said that he was the one who saved us when I was just a baby. That he could be trusted.

Izaya stared at Zen in silence for a moment before responding to what he said. "So...your mom said that she loved you huh? That's a relief. You know, some children are born without any parents. Like me. Some children are born with parents who don't love them. Some parents abuse their children. Even try to kill them. And some wouldn't bat an eye if their child died right in front of them. You told me that your mother died protecting you. She made the ultimate sacrifice. So why do people kill? Why do people have to die? If I had to give you an honest answer then it would be simply because we are human. You think that having no emotions would break this insanity that is bred within us, however, it doesn't. People would probably still kill. It would just be an emotionless killing. People would kill logically or illogically. But emotions are important. They give us the power to feel. When we feel the pain of losing someone we love we have the power to choose better. We have the power to choose a path that doesn't lead to a dead end. Am I saying that you should forget about the people who killed your mother? Of course not. You've killed them already, haven't you?"

Zen simply nodded his head as he listened to his sensei.

Izaya let out a soft sigh at Zen's answer. He then continued, "You must have felt better after killing them right?"

Zen once again silently nodded his head.

"You feel better, but your anger, sadness, frustration, it's still the same isn't it?"

Once again Zen nodded before replying, "Sensei. I don't know what to do. I've taken revenge for my mother, but...why don't I feel any less grief? I killed those scumbags who took my mother's life and it felt good to watch them die beneath my feet, but I don't understand. It still doesn't hurt any less inside."

Izaya's expression faltered slightly before he stood up from his seated position. He made his way slowly to Zen's side and sat down beside him as he draped an arm over his disciple's shoulders and brought him into a comforting hug. "Even if you exact revenge you need to have something else that drives you or else you'll be left with nothing in the end. The reason why it doesn't hurt any less is because you loved your mother so much. And that love will never leave you. And that isn't a bad thing. Zen, the love your mother showed you, don't ever forget it. But also don't let it weigh you down. Your mother wouldn't want her love for you to plague you and chain you down. Don't you agree?"

A few tears fell from Zen's eyes as he was held in his sensei's warm and comforting embrace. He recalled how his mother always tucked him in at night and how his mother kissed him goodnight. He recalled how his mother always told him to show kindness to others and to be well behaved. He recalled his mother's scolding and his mother's terrible jokes. He recalled his mother's nagging, always telling him to do his best so that he could have a bright future. He recalled his mother's sad smile every time she spoke about his father who had died when he was born. He recalled the moment when she had died. The blood that pooled non-stop from her body. And yet, he recalled how she had died with a smile on her face. Telling him to live on. To find a blindfolded warrior. That he could have a better future with him. That he shouldn't look back. He cried for awhile longer before he finally reigned in his emotions.

Izaya waited for a moment as Zen finally wiped away the last of his tears before saying, "Zen. Always remember how much love your mother showed you. I hope that one day, in the future, you can find someone whom you can give all of your love to just as your mother gave to you. Having someone to give all of your love to is the greatest power we can ever have. It is the greatest gift we can ever give. It is also one of the greatest feelings we can ever feel. Although it is the most painful when we lose the one who gave it, we'll always feel it. Their love. And we should cherish that. Even after the one who gave it is gone, we should cherish that we can still feel the gift of their love. It will always live on within us. Not as a chain, but as a source of our strength."

Zen nodded. "Karasuma-sensei. Do you have someone like that? Do you have someone whom you can give all of your love to?"

Izaya smiled at his disciple's question and glanced at his ring as the image of three people popped into his head. Hanabi, Hiroshi, and Iraia.

Zen looked up to his sensei questioningly after a long moment of silence. "Sensei?"

Izaya looked back down at Zen and simply replied, "Mn. I do."

He then quickly stood up and started walking. "Since we're up. Let's go. I don't think either of us are going to get anymore sleep tonight so we mind as well set out towards Konoha."

888

Naruto sat in his office as night blanketed the sky over Konoha. Shikamaru walked in and placed a document in front of him as he said, "This is Kakei Sumire. She was the daughter of a former surviving foundation member. She's been the source and cause of all of these strange incidents. Her father's name was Shigaraki Tanuki. Before he died he entrusted her with the Gozu Tennou that he had perfected. Sai is searching for her right now since she has just disappeared from the hospital room. Well, that aside there have been a lot of complaints about these incidents from the people since the police force didn't detain everyone who was involved. What should we do?"

As Naruto was in deep contemplation Kakashi walked in and said, "Well. It can't be helped. Back when Danzo and Root were disbanded it was the 3rd Hokage's, 5th Hokage's, and my decision at the time to not expose the identities of all those who were involved in the foundation."

Shikamaru turned and replied, "But even if their identities weren't exposed didn't Lord 3rd, 5th, and you do any kind of background check to ensure no loose ends?"

Naruto sighed and said, "Let me guess. During that time the village was still in a hectic state. The 4th Great Ninja war occupied everyone's attention and a lot of lives were lost in that war. The village had to focus on recuperating and so it would only breed fear, distrust, and suspicion amongst the villagers should some form of investigation of them take place. And I'm guessing that Izaya wasn't aware of the fact that there were any remaining foundation members left when he took office as the 6th Hokage."

Kakashi nodded. "Right. The village was in turmoil and chaos after the war. It slipped my mind and Lord 5th's mind about this detail. And now it's manifesting itself into an issue. This was our fault."

Shikamaru frowned. "Well, you made the right decision at the time. If the identities of those in the foundation were exposed, the first to be suspected would have been Sai. Anyways, the problem is what do we do now? Sumire is undoubtedly responsible for the incidents taking place in the Leaf."

Naruto frowned. "Are you suggesting we punish her like a criminal?"

"Our priority is to maintain the order in the Leaf. We can't afford to be soft. Even if she's still a child. By the way, Kakashi, why are you here? I thought you were on vacation?"

Kakashi let out a sigh. "Well. I would like to. But, the truth is I've been looking into some of Danzo's past. I happened to come across some information about the Gozu Tennou. Apparently it's embedded on the body of this girl."

Shikamaru furrowed his brow. "No wonder we couldn't find it no matter how hard we looked. This means that Sumire is the gate to which the Nue creature is summoned."

At that moment a loud rumbling and crashing sound could be heard near the outskirts of the village grabbing the attention of Shikamaru, Naruto, and Kakashi. In the outskirts of the village appeared a giant tiger monkey chimera-like creature with a giant snake tail attached to its body. It roared and screeched as it slashed at the forest below swiping the tops clean off. This creature was exactly the Nue. Just as its giant snake-like tail was about to attack Sai who was attempting to suppress it, Kakashi quickly appeared and struck its tail cutting the head of the snake clean off. He then proceeded to, with several other shinobi, activate the Earth Style: Multi Mud Wall Jutsu entrapping the Nue within a barrier of earthen rock.

However, in the next moment multiple snakeheads shot forth from where its wounded snake tail was and aimed straight at all the shinobi in the vicinity. As some shinobi were struck they fell to the ground as their chakra was absorbed by the Nue. Just as Kakashi and the others were racking their brains for a strategy, Naruto quickly appeared and said, "Tsk. I'll settle this in one go!" He prepared to enter his chakra mode, however Kakashi quickly interjected, "Wait! Naruto, this thing absorbs chakra. Using that isn't a wise decision. Once it absorbs your enormous chakra it will most likely detonate itself. That was how it was designed to be used after all."

Naruto frowned and clicked his tongue in frustration, however, everyone became shocked in the next moment as the Nue suddenly crashed into the ground creating a large crater beneath it. It screamed in anger as it thrashed around before standing back up to reorient itself.

Naruto widened his eyes in confusion. "What just happened?"

Kakashi and Sai were also confused until they all heard a very familiar voice behind them.

The voice of the 6th Hokage.

"If that thing absorbs chakra then perhaps I can help."

Naruto turned around in shock. "Izaya?! When did you get back?"

"Just now. Looks like you're having some trouble dealing with this creature here. What is it?"

Kakashi quickly replied, "It's a creature called Nue. It has the ability to absorb chakra and once it stores up enough inside it'll detonate. Its creation was a product of the foundation's research."

Izaya frowned a bit at the mention of the foundation but quickly replied, "The foundation? Remnants of Danzo's faction? I'll expect to be filled in on this later Kakashi, Lord 7th."

They both nodded as Izaya stepped forward to face the Nue. As the Nue roared and charged at Izaya he stared at it with indifference and placed his hands together shouting, "Wood Style: Multi Wood Dragon Jutsu!" The ground trembled as several large wooden dragons quickly ensnared the giant Nue restraining it of all movement and draining it of its chakra. Izaya then formed the Snake hand sign and said, "Wood Style: Wood Snake Jutsu!" Instantly a giant wooden snake erupted from beneath the Nue and wrapped itself around it several times before biting right into its neck suppressing its ability to mold chakra. Just as everyone breathed out a sigh of relief a giant distortion appeared before the Nue and dragged it into a different dimension leaving everyone baffled at this unexpected turn of events.

Naruto frowned as he commented, "The Transportation Jutsu?"

Kakashi furrowed his brow in confusion. "What the heck is going on?"

Izaya simply scratched the back of his head as he saw everything play out. A crow of his was flying high in the sky as it had watched Boruto, Mitsuki, and Sumire's fight in the distance. He also took note that it was Sumire's connection to the Nue that caused the spatial distortion to appear. He let out a sigh as he weaved the signs of Horse, Ox, Rat, Bird, Hare, and Ram. Naruto took notice of Izaya's hand signs and said, "Did you already mark it?"

Izaya simply nodded. "I did when I knocked it into the ground earlier." He then smiled and said, "I guess our kids can't leave things alone either when they see the village in trouble. Just like us when we were kids."

Naruto and the others just looked at Izaya in confusion, but before they could ask what he meant Izaya disappeared. He teleported into Nue's dimension and curiously watched Boruto and Mitsuki fight. He sat in the corner nodding in approval at the skill Boruto and Mitsuki were displaying. It wasn't too long before Boruto and Mitsuki had defeated Sumire and the Nue and were in the middle of coming to an understanding. That's when the dimension also started to collapse.

Boruto panicked as he said, "Th-This is bad! We have to get out of here!"

The ground began to collapse beneath them as rocks fell from the ceiling of the giant cave. Before Boruto could rush out to reach Sumire the ground collapsed in front of him. Mitsuki quickly dashed forward and stopped Boruto before he could fall.

"Class rep!" Boruto shouted in panic.

Sumire remained seated in defeat as she lamented her fate and said to herself in dejection, "I'm sorry everyone...It was fun...At the academy. Studying and training with everyone. I never had so much fun before."

It was at that moment she heard a voice beside her. "Well then, why not continue attending the academy?"

She flinched in startelement and turned to see an unfamiliar person, however, she knew exactly who it was because the face of this person matched the face of the 6th Hokage's rock face on the cliffside of Konoha. She stuttered in complete shock. "L-L-Lord 6th?"

Izaya turned to her and smiled. "Hello. I don't know all the details but...how about we get the other two and get out of here? All the hard thinking can come after we're all safe. What do you say?"

Sumire couldn't help but feel a sense of safety and ease being in the presence of Lord 6th and simply nodded. After Izaya saw her nod her head he quickly picked her up and teleported right next to Boruto which startled and shocked him greatly eliciting a shout from him.

"AH! Eh? Uh? U-Uncle Izaya?!"

Izaya simply smiled at his reaction. "Boruto, it's been a long time. How's my nephew doing?"

Boruto had on a deadpan expression as he replied, "Is this a good time to be asking that? We need to get out of here!"

Mitsuki simply stood on the side as he stared curiously at the 6th Hokage. Izaya nodded at Boruto's comment and replied, "Don't worry. That's what I'm here for." Not a moment later, with a simple touch on Mitsuki's shoulder and Boruto's forehead they all disappeared and reappeared by Naruto.

Naruto breathed out a sigh of relief as he saw Izaya return, but was instantly shocked when he saw that not only did Izaya return, but he returned with Sumire, Mitsuki, and Boruto. With his eyes raised Naruto remarked, "B-Boruto?! Don't tell me that you were involved? You went into the dimension the Nue was in?"

Before the situation could escalate out of control Izaya gently placed Sumire down on the ground and said, "Ahem! The children are alright. How about we let Sai and Kakashi take over from here. They are the chief of Konoha's police force and Jonin Commander after all, so I'm sure they can manage the situation here. More importantly Lord 7th I would like an explanation on what we talked about earlier."

At Izaya's words Naruto let out a defeated sigh and nodded. "Right. Let's discuss this back at the office."

Boruto simply stared in wonderment at the fact that his dad just so simply agreed to what Lord 6th had said. No way?! Dad didn't continue to scold me? Instead he just decided to listen to what uncle Izaya said? Is uncle Izaya that amazing? And wait? How did uncle Izaya even get to that dimension?

As Boruto was left to his thoughts Naruto and Izaya returned to the Hokage's office as Naruto began to give an in depth explanation of all the events that had happened in the past 2 months. After Naruto finished his report Izaya simply let out a long sigh. "I can't believe that there were actually still remnants of Danzo's organization around. What a pain."

Shikamaru who also happened to be in the room smirked and commented, "Heh. That's my catchphrase."

At that moment there was a knock on the door.

Naruto tilted his head in confusion. "Who could that be?"

Izaya simply smirked. "You'll see." He then turned to the door and said, "You can come in Zen."

The door then opened to reveal a young shinobi who seemed no older than Boruto. And if he was older then it wasn't by much. Naruto and Shikamaru gave a confused look at Izaya as Naruto asked, "Zen? Is he with you Izaya?"

Izaya nodded. "Correct. This is Zen. Yagami Zen. He is my disciple."

"EEEEHHHHH?!" Naruto and Shikamaru nearly had their eyes pop out of their sockets in extreme shock. Shikamaru stared at Zen with great interest for a few moments before asking, "When did you get a disciple?"

Izaya thought for a moment calculating the approximate time frame. "I met Zen about a year ago. He's a native from the Sage continent. But he also seems to have some sort of ties with our continent."

Naruto and Shikamaru slightly flinched at the information Izaya just gave them. Naruto inspected Zen more carefully before he said, "Hello Zen. I'm Uzumaki Naruto. The 7th Hokage of the village Konoha."

Zen simply nodded and replied, "It is an honor to meet you."

Naruto then asked, "Zen, since you're from the Sage continent are you familiar with the structure of the shinobi system and villages yet?"

Zen simply nodded once more. "Karasuma-sensei has taught me how this side of the world functions so I wouldn't be too shocked when I come here."

Naruto nodded and turned his attention back to Izaya. "I assume you brought your disciple to Konoha for a reason?"

Izaya nodded. "I want you to register him as an official Konoha shinobi and member of this village."

Naruto nodded as if he had expected this answer. "Alright. Since it's you who is requesting it I'll do just that. I'll get started tonight and have everything ready by the morning."

Izaya nodded in appreciation before turning his attention back to Zen. "Zen, starting from today, Konoha will be your home. You don't have to wander anymore. You can make real friends here. You don't have to be alone."

Naruto and Shikamaru flinched when they heard Izaya address Zen and instantly pieced together that this kid Zen must have had a tragic past. Zen nodded at his sensei's words and with a nearly inaudible voice he said, "Thank you...Sensei."

A moment of silence passed through the room before Naruto asked, "So Izaya, where have you been to this time?"

At Naruto's question Izaya furrowed his brow. "Zen, why don't you go take a stroll around the village. Take a look at what your new home is like."

Zen caught the hint that the conversation was probably going to reveal some classified information that he wasn't supposed to hear, so he nodded and quickly left the room. Izaya then turned his attention back to Naruto and Shikamaru.

"It's been a rough two months. I was exploring a dimension filled with some strange creatures made of pure shadows. Most likely a heavily Yin oriented dimension. The creatures there were highly intelligent and as you can guess, they utilized Yin style Jutsu. They were difficult to deal with. Their planet didn't seem to have a Divine Tree on it though. I searched for any traces of the Otsutsuki clan being there but couldn't find anything. I did, however, find traces of the Jashin cult existing there."

Shikamaru frowned at the mention of the Jashin cult and chimed in, "This is strange. Not only was there a Jashin cult here in our dimension, but if you include the one you just mentioned plus all the other ones you've mentioned to us before in the past, that makes a total of three dimensions with Jashinists. Just what is this cult? Don't tell me that the Jashin cult also comes from this place called the Heavenly Plane like the Otsutsuki? If that's true then this could get messy."

Izaya nodded at Shikamaru's analysis. "I think you're on the right track Shikamaru. I also believe that the Jashin cult comes from the Heavenly Plane. That's the only way it makes sense for it to span across so many different dimensions that happen to be so far away from each other. Anyways, although I found traces of the Jashin cult there I couldn't find traces of any of their members. Most likely any of the Jashinists who were on that planet got consumed by the natives there. The natives were quite dangerous. With no leads on the Otsutsuki and a dead end on the Jashinists I quickly took my leave from that place. I didn't return to our dimension until just a few weeks ago. I met up with Zen in the Sage continent before we both ended up back here in Konoha. How about Sasuke? Has he reported anything?"

Naruto shook his head. "No. I haven't heard from Sasuke yet but he's still exploring around. I'm sure he'll make a report sometime soon."

Izaya nodded his head before preparing to leave. Naruto quickly chimed in, "You aren't leaving again already are you?"

Izaya let out a soft sigh. "Not for a few days. I'm gonna try and stick around for a bit. After all, I can't just leave and not say hi to my precious Hiroshi and Iraia. And I miss Hanabi. I need to see her. Being away from her for so long is bad for my heart you know."

Shikamaru massaged the bridge of his nose and remarked, "You know Lord 6th, don't you ever get embarrassed voicing out loud your affection for your family in front of others?"

Izaya simply smirked. "Never. Because a long long time ago I never could have imagined that I could be blessed with such a wonderful family." And with that Izaya disappeared from the Hokage's office. Shikamaru just sighed and said, "Well, at least he's honest about it. It may seem embarrassing but it's actually quite endearing of him. Actually I think you could learn from Lord 6th's example a bit Lord 7th."

Naruto simply rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

At this time Zen was taking a stroll around the village taking in all the sights. He marveled at how developed and modern Konoha was. From where he was from the difference was like night and day. Just as he turned a corner he caught a glimpse of a kid getting pushed around by three other kids. That one kid was actually Denki. As he was pushed to the ground the other three kids swiped his laptop from him and mocked and ridiculed him. Denki clenched his fist in anger and frustration but was powerless to do anything. The three kids bullying him were also shinobi, but shinobi from a different class. Just as Denki turned to face the bullies once more he froze in fear as he pleaded, "P-Please, no! Don't break my laptop! Please! I-I'll do whatever you want! Just not the laptop! It's important to me!"

The three kids simply smiled sinisterly as they watched Denki plead for mercy, and just as they were about to break his laptop they froze in their action. Fear welled up inside of them as they saw a giant ferocious creature in front of them. It snarled and growled releasing its murderous aura in the surrounding area. The three bullies screamed in fear as they dropped Denki's laptop and ran as fast as they could into the distance and out of sight. Denki panicked as he dashed out to grab his laptop before it could hit the ground, however, he tripped in his panicked state and fell back on the ground. He watched with bated breath as his laptop fell ever so slowly towards the ground and just before it hit, Zen quickly caught it in his hands. This turn of events startled Denki as he looked up at this new and unfamiliar person, but he looked up with immense gratitude. Zen held out his hand towards Denki to which he gladly accepted.

As Zen pulled Denki back up off the ground he handed him back his laptop and said, "Here. If it's that precious to you then defend it with your life." Just as Zen turned around to leave Denki stuck out his hand and said, "Wait! Um...Thank you. For helping me out. I'm Denki. May I know your name?"

Zen thought for a moment before responding, "Zen."

He then disappeared into the night leaving a very stunned and confused Denki. Zen huh? Is he a shinobi too? I haven't seen him around before. Is he a student in one of the other classes? Plus, why did those guys run away earlier? They looked like they saw a ghost or something.

Denki shook himself out of his thoughts as he held his laptop close to his chest and began his walk home.

Zen watched Denki leave from the shadows ensuring that the three bullies didn't come back before he took his own leave. It was at this moment that Izaya appeared before him.

"Sensei? You're back."

Izaya nodded. "I am. Did you get a chance to see the village?"

Zen nodded in response. "It's a beautiful place. Almost too beautiful. I can't really believe that I'll actually be able to live here and call it home."

Izaya smiled and patted his shoulder comfortingly. "Come on. You can stay at the Hyuga residence for the time being. Lord 7th is going to arrange a place for you to have on your own in the next few days, so until then you can stay with me and my family. And if you want, you can stay with us indefinitely."

Zen felt his emotions stir at his sensei's offer but shook his head. "Thank you sensei. You've done so much for me, but the last thing I want is to intrude upon you and your family. If it wasn't for you I'd still be on the streets fighting for my life everyday struggling to get by. I'll take the living quarter arrangements made by the 7th Hokage."

Izaya stared at Zen for a moment in contemplation, but in the end he let out a soft sigh. "Alright. If that's your wish. Just know that if you ever change your mind, my offer still stands. And you'll always be welcomed to our home." Izaya then walked off to the Hyuga residence with Zen in tow. It wasn't long before they reached the entrance. It was already past midnight at this point so most of those within the residence were already fast asleep. Izaya carefully opened the gates without making much noise as he and Zen walked in. They didn't make it very far when loud footsteps could be heard rushing in their direction. Izaya simply smiled as he knew exactly who those footsteps belonged to.

In less than a few seconds several doors burst opened so loudly that it resonated throughout the entire residence. Hanabi ran with all her might and tackled Izaya to the ground gripping him in a tight embrace. Tears streamed down her face as she rubbed her head in his chest and stammered, "Y-You idiot! Two months and 18 days! How dare you leave me for so long!"

Izaya gripped Hanabi in just as tight of a hug as he too missed her more than anything in the entire world. "Hanabi! I missed you so much! I'm sorry!"

Zen was at a loss for words. He didn't know how to react as he awkwardly stood there completely forgotten by his sensei and obviously completely ignored by Hanabi. But even though he stood there awkwardly he felt a warmth in his heart at the sight of his sensei's reunion with his wife. He could feel just how strong the bond between them was and a thought crossed his mind. This must be who sensei said that he has given all of his love to. And I can tell that she did the same. Will I be able to find someone like that one day? Someone I am willing to give all of my entire being to?

As that last thought crossed his mind an old memory of his resurfaced of a beautiful little girl whom he once saw. He would never forget her. That girl had left a lasting impression on him. She looked like an angel that came down from the heavens. It was back when he was merely 6 years old. It was a cold and rainy day as he scavenged for food outside the dumpster of a tavern. Some mercenaries and thieves started causing trouble for the tavern owner and their daughter. Pushing them around. Physically and verbally abusing them. It was then that this angelic looking girl stepped in to defend the poor tavern owner. He remembered thinking that this girl was so incredibly brave and fearless, but at the same time naive, for she was putting her own life in danger. He recalled that beautiful snow white hair of hers and that strong unyielding character of hers, however he also recalled the part where she was physically beaten by those scumbags. No matter how much they beat her she never yielded and continued to defend that poor tavern lady and her daughter.

He felt incredibly angry and insurmountable rage at the sight and stepped in to help, however even he was no match as he was also beaten. He recalled how she pleaded for them to stop beating him. He recalled how she dashed out with all her strength to even try to shield him! A small little girl who had taken a physical beating and couldn't even defend herself tried to shield him! He was completely baffled. He couldn't understand it. All he knew was that she left an everlasting impression on him and that he would never forget her. He felt a warmth from her that he thought he'd never feel again after he had lost his mother when he was 4. However, in the end she was simply beaten back again and he was simply tossed aside into an alley. He never did find out what happened. All he remembered was that when he came to, she was gone and so were all those inside the tavern. Only the remains of those thieves and mercenaries were left. Strewn all about the floor in what could only be a horrific bloody massacre.

Zen was snapped out of his thoughts and brought back into reality when he heard two voices speak out at this moment.

"Gross! Mom! Dad! This is the courtyard! Can you not be like that for everyone to see. It's embarrassing!" Hiroshi exclaimed, however he was inwardly elated that his dad was back.

Iraia didn't care as she ran as fast as she could and dashed to the ground embracing Izaya in a tight hug as she exclaimed, "Papa!"

Zen could only widen his eyes in complete shock as he watched Iraia dash over to his sensei. The flash of her snow white hair. The feel of her angelic aura. Although she was much older now her appearance was nearly the same as he remembered, only a bit more mature and defined. His heart beat hard in his chest as his entire being froze.

How can this be? It's her! It's really her! B-But she just called Karasuma-sensei papa! N-No way! It has to be a coincidence! It has to! Right?

He was snapped out of his thoughts once more as Hiroshi was the first to take notice of Zen's presence and said, "Um...Yo! So who are you?"

Izaya looked up from the ground as he was still embracing Iraia and Hanabi in a tight hug and responded, "Right. Let me introduce you all. This is Zen. Yagami Zen. He's my disciple."