A Long Story

"Lady Fifth."

Kakashi nods in greeting as he stands before Tsunade and Shizune in her office. He had walked in on the brunette chastising the Hokage for falling behind on her paperwork...and day drinking. He wished he hadn't entered when he did, so he wouldn't have to pretend not to have heard it. He respects the Hokage, as all his fellow shinobi do. He guesses everyone has a shtick. The Hokage is no exception, with her drinking and unfortunate gambling, but he couldn't blame her. He's well aware of the stress that comes with maintaining and protecting a village as significant as the Leaf. He's seen it. Minato-sensei. Lord Third. It always took its toll. Oftentimes, in this society, it ends fatally early.

It is an unfortunate job.

"I have the report of Miss Katsume's examination," he speaks formally, not much of a reach from how he does normally.

Tsunade looks up through the large stacks of documents Shizune decided she needed to catch up on post haste.

"Oh. Already? That was fast," she asks, surprise in her tone, "Alright, what is your report?"

Kakashi briefly recalls the valuable moments of the test. He was and is confident in his decision to pass her. He had a guttural feeling. Even with all her current abilities, she had considerable potential to surpass any current limits she may have. He clasps his gloved hands behind him before stating his report from memory.

"She passed my examination, exceeding my expectations greatly. I engaged in close combat at the start. She showed advanced abilities in taijutsu, and her physical strength was substantial. That was prior to her releasing the seal on her chakra," he explains. It felt oddly like he was boasting about her, but he overlooked the sensation.

Tsunade hums, causing him to pause. "Chakra Suppression, huh? Well, that explains why her chakra flow felt so weak. My apologies. Please, continue."

"Of course, I felt that as well, but when the seal was released, the pressure from it was immense. Without knowing her average chakra levels, it was impossible to determine the duration she had been suppressing it. Katsume also wields a rare crystal kekkei genkai. I've never seen one before, but I did determine it to be derived from Earth Style, finding fire and lightning types to be most effective in countering it. She has incredible control of her chakra as well as her extraordinary technique. She also informed me after the test concluded that she is adept in summoning techniques, but I have yet to confirm whether that is factual."

Tsunade listens intently as he explains his findings. It was all very intriguing, especially how Katsume could've developed a crystal kekkei genkai. Generally, they are genetic. However, there are fortunate exceptions. It wouldn't be surprising if she indeed had summoning techniques, as well, given herself and Jiraiya's talents. The endless questions whirling and swirling within her create a heavy wave of guilt to come crashing down over her. A relentless and brutal wave that shows mercy to no one. Not even the Hokage. A wave that drowns her in the missed opportunities, filling her every orifice with salted shame. Every question without a known answer is icy and pungent. Stuffing more shame, regret, and sorrow like an overwhelming force on her sense of self. No matter how strong she is or how well she can swim, this merciless wave can drown anyone. It is not selective in who it drowns. It crashes wherever it pleases, and no one can escape it. No one can outswim a relentless wave. She can only surrender. Submitting to its unbridled intensity as it pulls her under, she lets it fill her orifices and drown her in the lost experiences. After all, she only has herself to blame. She deserves to suffocate on her own excuses.

"Is that all," she asks the man before her.

"Yes, Lady Fifth," he answers as he passes her the written report and awaits her next order.

"Alright, I'm granting her promotion then. She'll be an invaluable asset to the Leaf Village. I want to assign her to Team Seven unofficially, and I'd like you to continue assessing her and her abilities, Kakashi."

Tsunade stares at her hands folded neatly on the desk over the document, reading the details of the examination silently.

He clears his throat gathering her attention, " With all due respect Lady Fifth, I sense there is something I am missing here. If Katsume is being assigned to my team, then I believe it to be crucial I have all the necessary–"

"Those are your orders." she interrupts, aggravated, "Just...keep an eye on her." Tsunade drags a hand over her face, resting her forehead on it as she reads. She doesn't have a plan. What is she supposed to do? It doesn't feel right to send her on solo missions right out of the gate. The paperwork for her promotion in itself is going to be a hassle; promoting a new citizen, skipping all necessary steps, all the way to jounin. Kakashi believes she is ready and trusts his judgment, but there is still so much unknown about her–her background is the main mystery.

"Keep me updated," she sighs heavily, "You are dismissed."

Kakashi nods and then bows before he withdraws from the Hokage's office. He was frustrated, though stealthily concealed by his mask and headband. It was times like these he was glad he had them to hide behind. Not hide. Conceal. He doesn't hide. To hide is to fear. And that is not what he does.

Following orders, he decides to search and locate Katsume and debrief her on her new position. It shouldn't be too hard since he was with her only a few hours ago. Now that he thought about it, he excused himself a bit awkwardly from their lunch date. No. Not a date. He mentally curses himself. Katsume probably would've found his thought amusing.

As he casually wanders the village in search of Katsume, he thinks over his new mission. He wasn't expecting her test to be merged into an elongated mission. Something is going on that Lady Tsunade does not want him to know about. What he couldn't understand was...why? Why would Tsunade want him to keep an eye on Jiraiya's daughter? Well, they are good friends, so he guesses it makes sense. But then, why is everything so secretive surrounding her? What happened in her past that she nor Katsume wouldn't want to speak about? With her skills, why wasn't she already a ninja? Who taught her what she knows? What was her life before she came to the village? He knew she wasn't here before a few days ago, that's for sure.

If the Hokage doesn't know about Katsume's connection to Jiraiya, why would she need to be monitored so heavily? He already sensed a few pairs of eyes on her during her examination. One pair, he was sure, was Master Jiraiya's. The other pair felt familiar. They were not ominous either, so it was probably an Anbu. That's a lot of eyes on one woman.

He runs his hands through his hair in frustration as he thought. Yeah, sure, she's powerful, but Tsunade wasn't aware of that fact because there would have been no point in assigning him to examine her. The Hokage could have just promoted her based on recommendation. So why? Why is it so important that she needs consistent security detail despite her obvious ability to protect herself?

There are too many questions for his liking.

The sun is making its dramatic departure from the sky, painting in it idyllic hues of orange, pink, and lavender. A glimmer of white bathed in the glorious hues of the atmosphere tugs his vision higher.

Ah, there she is.

He flashes to the rooftop of the round-rectangular apartment building. Katsume sits at the edge, her arms wrapped loosely around her knees. Her back is turned to the man as she gazes adoringly over the village, unruly locks flowing leisurely in the calm evening breeze.

"This village is so captivating," she sounds without turning to face him.

Kakashi hums, "It sure is."

"You were not who I was expecting to come to find me." Her voice is butter-smooth. Her eyes never tear away as she watches the sunset in all its glamour.

He chuckles lowly, "Oh? Who were you expecting?"

She smiles softly, "A friend."

She was the essence of calm at this moment. He felt he could listen to that silky voice for hours, and the thought surprised him.

"I wasn't aware you had friends here." He teases, though the statement was true.

"Yeah, well, what do you know," she jabs back, a soft chuckle escaping her lips.

Letting out an airy laugh, he steps to the edge beside her to admire the landscape.

"Nothing, it seems." He stuffs his hands in his pockets, and after a brief moment of peaceful silence, he remembers why he's here. "Which is unfortunate since you've been assigned to my team."

That gets her attention, and she glances at his profile. "Team?"

He turns his head down, meeting her bewildered honey-trap gaze, "Yes, my team of genin. You'll make us a four-man team again. Select jounin are assigned three genin to teach and be their guide in becoming elite ninjas. However, since you're new, the Hokage has assigned you to my team to get a sense of it first. Show you the ropes."

"Ah, I see," she says, understanding. Her gaze is pulled back over the village once again, "Guess I'll be seeing a lot more of you then," she teases, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

That comment could have two different intentions, Kakashi thought to himself. Either she was flirting with him again, or she was joking and feigning annoyance, and that soft smile of hers was offering little of which intention she was implying. Better to be safe than assume.

"Unfortunately," he mocks agreeance but lets out a laugh. He mentally sighs in relief as he moves to sit on the edge, hearing her scoff out a giggle as well.

She scoffs, shaking her head slightly, glancing at his smiling eye as his body flutters along with his laugh. She thought he had a nice laugh--low and calm, like the evening breeze. She couldn't help but want to hear more. It was pleasant to her senses--cool, like the refreshing feel of mint and pine.

There is a comfortable silence as the sunset gives way to the moonlight's entrance, a peaceful moment shared between two acquaintances, taking in Konoha in all its idyllic beauty.

Kakashi turns to her face her profile, his questions still rampaging through his mind. He wants to know more about this peculiar situation. No. He needs to. He watches as the blossoming moonlight and the gentle glow of the lanterns cascading throughout the village begin to blend on her lightly tanned skin, and the hum of life begins to turn in for the night.

"I'm free for that backstory," he asks gently, his voice low and calm.

Katsume gets that glint in her eye that he knows too well by now, "Oh? You mean the one I'm saving for our second date?"

Kakashi rolls his eyes, scoffing out a laugh, but if it meant getting the information he needs, he'd play along, "Sure."

Her eyes widen, and her smile brightens. She was joking, of course, and she had a feeling he was entertaining her playfulness, but she wouldn't say no. He intrigued her with the stoic professionalism she has seen from him so far, and her curiosity couldn't resist finding all the different sides of him. It's hard for her to believe she only met him yesterday. So much has happened since she arrived. It feels like she has been here longer. Life just felt natural in Konoha. Like she was meant to be here.

She hums inquisitively. "Wow, Kakashi Hatake, I wouldn't have taken you for a hopeless romantic," she smirks, "A rooftop rendezvous under the moonlight? I should give you more credit."

His gaze meets hers, her smile beaming gaily. Her teeth and ivory tresses put even the moon's generous gleams to shame.

"You should," he smiles smugly, "So, what brought you to Kohona?"

He's pulling out all the stops, but he can admit that he doesn't mind being in her presence. She was pleasantly relaxed now, compared to their fight and lunch "date". He feels a strange sense of comfort around her. As if he's always known her. Like an old friend visiting from a long journey. Like she always existed to him but was never present.

She pauses and looks out, contemplating her answer, "Would you believe me if I said I was on a journey of self-discovery?" She half-laughs.

"Probably not," he answers shortly.

"Well, you'd be half right," she chuckles, but it drops off when he doesn't laugh, still expectant of her answer, "Anyways... I was on a quest of sorts to find my biological parents, and it lead me here."

"And that is when you found Master Jiraiya? Did you find your mother," he asks. The puzzle pieces were coming together, but so many were still missing.

"Yeah, well, actually, I found my mother first, and coincidentally Jiraiya sort of found me." She lets out a hollow laugh at the bittersweet memory. She wished they had met under better circumstances but hopefully, in the future, she'll be in a place where she can look back on the encounter and laugh more genuinely.

"I see." Piece by piece, he thought eagerly. "Next quest–"

"Uh bup bup," she cuts him off with her index finger, "It's my turn now." She smiles cheekily, clasping her hands in her lap as she lets her legs swing lightly back and forth over the ledge. "Hmm, can I ask why you cover your eye?"

"I have a Sharingan."

Her eyes widen in surprise. Wow, okay, I thought I was starting a little brash. I didn't expect him to answer so willingly, she thought.

As if he could read her mind, he continues, "We're colleagues now. You should know."

She starts to ask another question, probably about his mask, but he's quick to cut her off as she did.

He clears his throat, a bit ashamed of the rude action, " The answer to my question... during our lunch. Could you elaborate?"

She smirks, " Our lunch? I like the sound of that." She winks, and he inhales deeply, suggesting she return to the topic at hand. "Okay... 'How did I get as strong as I am?'. As promised, I'll tell you. I'll try and keep it as brief as I can–"

"You don't have to. I've got time."

Katsume smiles. " Right...Better get comfortable then," she warns light-heartedly.

Kakashi turns to face her, bringing up his knee to rest his elbow on. She shifts her weight as she leans back onto her palms.

She breathes deeply, essentially preparing herself to bear her soul to a stranger. But that's the beauty of it, she thought. Who better to bear it to than someone free of judgment? A stranger is just that. A stranger. No ties. Free of any weight of hers. Free and open shoulders, ready to harbor her burdens, the weight she carries. Ready to help her lift and ease her wobbling legs, if only for a moment.

"My mother, well, I guess you could say she wasn't ready for me...so she abandoned me with this woman she hardly knew to raise me. As it turned out, the old bat she left me with was some distinguished shinobi back in her prime during the First Great Ninja war. That's all I really know about her, though. She never even told me her name. Some older folks from my village called her Iroha, but I don't think that was her real name. I never called her that. She was always just the 'Old Bat' to me. She never even corrected me. She just went with it," she lets out a somber, breathy laugh, "Anyways, she's the one who taught me everything I know. She was such a hardass too. She prided herself in her chakra control and drilled that boring shit into me Every. Single. Day. I don't remember when she started training me, but knowing that crazy old hag, I wouldn't be surprised if it was before I could argue about it. Eventually, chakra control became like a third lung. Just a part of me like second nature. Man, she was such a nag." Katsume chuckles.

Kakashi let her reminisce. He had his answer, but he wouldn't mind if she kept talking. Her voice was as sweet and smooth as her honey-trap eyes. Being glued to every word as it passes through her lips. Even her profanities provided understanding, using them to emphasize particularly strong sentiments. Her voice held such sincere emotion, like Emotion itself was trapped in each sickly-sweet, golden-coated syllable.

That's what he was...

Stuck.

"It sounds like you love her deeply." He offers her a smile, which she returns for a moment.

"Yeah...I did. She's all I had." Her voice falls along with her features.

"What happened?" He winces as he couldn't stop the question before it spilled from his lips.

Katsume notices his slight cringe at his insensitive question. "It's alright. She passed away when I was twelve. I've been on my own ever since."

She gives him a weak smile, but then his eye tells her to keep going. "I want to know everything," it said. And for whatever reason, she didn't want to stop. She wanted to keep going. To answer every question he asked and the ones he didn't. She wasn't sure why. Maybe it was how he listened. How he hung onto every word like he was dependent on it. How he leaned in slightly or tilted his head now and then, like a reminder he was still following. She hasn't lost him. Her words were not falling on deaf ears. He's got them. He has them in a tight embrace, careful not to let a single one slip and fall to the ground below. Acknowledging and appreciating every one.

"For a long time, all I had of her was the training she instilled, so that's all I did. I trained from dawn to dusk. Sometimes longer. Until my arms could no longer bear their own weight. Until my legs screamed and pleaded for me to stop. Until my eyes threatened to close on me as a last resort to keep me alive. But I didn't care. I was angry. I wouldn't admit it then, but I was heartbroken. And every day I walked out to where we used to train, I got even angrier and pushed myself even harder. Because she wasn't there, she left. Like everyone else."

A small tear escapes her eye, but instead of her wiping it away, he watches as she allows it to fall.

"She's the reason I am as strong as I am. She bared all the weight. She was everything, anyone she needed to be...for me. She was everything to me."

He listens, hearing every word. And as the surrounding darkness grows to emphasize the light of the moon, they burrow deeper and deeper into his thoughts.

Katsume wipes her cheek and smiles gently, "Anyways, some of the folks in my village tried their best to take care of me, though I was too stubborn to let them for a while. They'd leave bread on the front porch, along with rice balls and other assortments. I never opened the door when they came. I just stepped over everything. Eventually, one of the villagers had enough. Mr. Tanaka practically dragged me from that house to eat dinner with his family. I shouted profanities and dug my heels into the ground. I even raised my hand to him. He stopped dead in his tracks and asked me a stupidly simple question. Would it make me feel better? If I hit him? It was such a stupid question, but the way he looked at me so softly, despite my hostility, forced me to listen. I realized that all my lashing out and anger wouldn't change anything. She would still be gone, and she would be disappointed. So, as I quietly pondered over his question, he guided me inside, sat me down, and poured me a bowl of nikujaga. I ate and left quietly, but after that, I started to open the door. I ate the potato bread left on the porch for me. And I wasn't as angry."

Kakashi watches as her smile grows a little warmer. Puzzle pieces fall steadily into place, and the far-away look he always catches her in begins to make a bit more sense. He wanted more, and he was searching for something. He doesn't know what it is or why it matters so much to find it, but he'd listen for as long as it takes. Until whatever he's searching for becomes known, and he can hold onto it close to him, careful not to let it fall.

"They gave me small jobs because I was too prideful to take any money that wasn't earned. Things continued that way until I had saved up enough money to set off on my own. I was sixteen when I left my village. Dakuhosu, my traveling companion and my summoned animal, took me anywhere I wanted to go. We went everywhere we feasibly could. During my travels, I learned about bounty hunting and what it entails. I felt, at the time, it was the closest thing to what the Old Bat would've wanted me to do. I caught my first fugitive on my eighteenth birthday. The thrill in itself was enough to motivate me to keep going. I had found something that made me feel more than just anger. And I welcomed it. Threw my all into it. I have a perfect completion rate to this day. And after years and years of working my ass off, I started becoming recognized for it and took pride that what I was doing might make this world a little better. I was lying to myself, though. Because that's not why I was doing it. I was running–distracting myself from the reality that I was alone. I went back to my village now and then. The last time was around a month ago, and that's when I found a scroll left behind by the Old Bat before she passed away. That's when I uncovered that my mother was alive, but it's also when I realized she had abandoned me. I needed answers, and I began on my "journey of self-discovery" the next day."

She lets out an exhausted sigh, "Sorry to trauma-dump on you, but you asked for it," she laughs, but he noticed no sincerity in the sound.

"Hmm, It was indeed a long story that led into another long story," he returns her laugh anyway.

Katsume brings her knees to her chest again, wrapping her arms around them loosely, and gestures to him lazily, "And you? What is your long story?"

Kakashi chuckles as he moves to stand, patting himself off, "Mm, I'm not much of a storyteller. Maybe on another date."

"Oh? On our third date?" she asks smugly.

"Probably not. But maybe on the fifth, or possibly the eighth or the tenth," he smiles softly, his eye holding all the sincerity he needs, "Not yet, but eventually."

She smiles gently,

"It's a date, then."

He turns, waving casually as he walks away, "Training is at six a.m sharp. Don't be late," he orders back over his shoulder before he disappears down the rooftop-access stairs.

Katsume looks back over the edge, the full moon shining brightly down on her. She smiles back as a distant memory flashes through her mind.

I love you more than the full moon shines in the midnight sky.