Yumetsuki had stayed with that thought – Minato had asked her to take care of herself and Kakashi but right now, she could not understand just how she was supposed to do that. She looked toward the Hokage Monument where her Sensei's face had been carved in and she sighed softly. Yumetsuki turned away from the window and looked inside the Konoha Hospital.
People were hurrying along and doing their work, and Yumetsuki was supposed to go out to eat for her lunch break but she had no desire to eat. That was something that Yumetsuki felt would go against the 'take care' that Minato had told her to do. But right now... it seemed exhausting.
It was such a personal trait of hers that it bewildered others – too exhausted to care for oneself. Yumetsuki knew that she had always been a bit cruel to herself but her feelings always overrode the desire to do anything. Her emotions seemed bothersome to her.
"Oh, Yumeko-Chan!"
The familiar feminine voice belonging to Kushina interrupted the young girl's musings, and Yumetsuki turned around to see the radiant redhead waving at her. It was unexpected to see her at the hospital so Yumetsuki waved back curiously and walked over to talk to her.
"Kushina-San, what brings you to the hospital today?" Yumetsuki asked, rather concerned for her sake. "Are you feeling alright? Did you get an injury? Sickness?"
"You're so worrisome, Yumeko-Chan!" Kushina replied brightly. "I'm doing alright, just feeling under the weather and felt the need to check in with my doctor,"
"Ah, I understand, Kushina-San," Yumetsuki said, now feeling a bit embarrassed. "May I walk you to your doctor? I am free from my duty at the moment,"
"Of course, it has been a while since I got to talk to you properly," Kushina said, perking up
That was how Yumetsuki found herself following Kushina, listening to her talk about all sorts of things. It was now that the younger female realised that she reached past Kushina's shoulder now, and she sought concern for others far more than she did for herself.
Kushina's doctor allowed Yumetsuki to come in with her and while the white-haired girl sat next to the suddenly very nervous redhead, the doctor took some tests and compiled a report.
"Congratulations," spoke the doctor suddenly, looking at what information had returned in report.
"What...?" Kushina asked, and she appeared as if she could faint from the anticipation.
"Your due date is... let's see..." continued the doctor, turning to them slightly. Yumetsuki looked surprised as it took her a moment to realise that Kushina was expecting. "October 10,"
"Oh then, yeah!" Kushina said, blushing slightly, taking this news far more pleasantly – it appeared as if she and Minato had planned for this child.
"Kushina-San, congratulations," Yumetsuki spoke, gathering her senses and smiling toward the older woman happily. "May you have a healthy pregnancy,"
"Thank you, Yumeko-Chan!" Kushina exclaimed, her hands clasped together and blushing as she looked toward the girl. "Ne, do you want to be the godmother?"
"I... It will be an honour, Kushina-San," Yumetsuki replied as her cheeks flamed at the thought. She had not expected to ever be given such a title. "Thank you,"
"Let's go have Dango for this celebration!" Kushina said excitedly. "I'm going to be a mother!"
"Um, I think you should tell Minato Sensei about this first," Yumetsuki pointed out. "You are becoming a mother and he is going to be a father, right?"
"You're right!" Kushina said, getting up hurriedly and rushing out.
"K-Kushina-San...!" Yumetsuki called out, shocked, running out the hospital behind the enthusiastic mother-to-be before she somehow hurt herself. "Wait up!"
❄️
That had been a wonderful day for Yumetsuki – to know that the person who had taken care of her less as his student and more as his little sister was becoming a father... Yumetsuki had been very happy and she knew that with Kushina, the two of them would be wonderful parents.
However, when Yumetsuki had met up with her teacher, the white-haired girl had found the Fourth Hokage to be supporting a rather worrisome expression. Without realising it herself, Yumetsuki had somehow become a close confidant for the blond as he became a leader.
It was something natural, after all: every Hokage had someone that they relied on. Yumetsuki was becoming that person for Minato. And that person often on to become the next Hokage, as were the case with the Second and Third Hokage. Yumetsuki wanted to skip it like Toad Sage Jiraiya.
'Skip it' was something that Yumetsuki had thought but in reality, she knew that she would never be allowed to become a Hokage. She was not made for such a position, and she was always going to be a foreigner. The village may combust before she was appointed as such.
"Minato Sensei," Yumetsuki spoke up as she looked toward him curiously, sitting so stark against the darkness of the sky outside his office. "What worries you, if I may inquire?"
On any normal occasion, it would take Yumetsuki some time to have Minato fully confess his feelings and worries but today, it seemed like he had no one but her to talk to about it.
"It's about Kushina," Minato replied. "Or rather, I'm worried about her pregnancy," Yumetsuki nodded slowly. "You know all about it, don't you?"
"Yes, I do," Yumetsuki replied carefully. "I was present when Kushina-San was informed about it," She looked at him closely. "Will I be correct to assume that you worry about the Kyuubi?"
"Astute, as always, aren't you, Yumeko-Kun?" Minato asked with a rather dry smile. "Yeah... I'm not sure how it is going to go from here... the Seal is going to weaken and..."
Minato talked everything out that evening. Yumetsuki had known him for a very long time now yet had never known him to speak so much. She listened to him patiently before offering her advice and help – that she would take the responsibility of seeing Kushina through the length of her pregnancy.
"You're always going out of your way to help others, aren't you?" Minato said as he leaned back in his chair. "But I can't have you do all that... not alone, at the least, of course..."
Yumetsuki had looked at Minato in confusion but by the following afternoon, she understood it.
It had been a typical day and Yumetsuki had been free from missions, rather she had been working a hectic routine at the hospital, compiling the files to submit to Minato to overview the process.
While she had been at the Hokage Office, someone else entered to report to Minato and without looking toward him, Yumetsuki recognised it to be none other than Hatake Kakashi. He was dressed in his ANBU garb and seemed to be reporting alone upon Minato's request.
"Kakashi, I want you to leave your current mission," Minato spoke up. "Instead, I want you to take on a special mission in partnership with Yumeko-Kun here,"
"Was there an issue?" Kakashi asked, trying to keep his eyes from straying in direction of the twelve-year-old girl who had long become his lodestone.
"It's nothing like that," Minato replied, assuring the silver-haired boy. "It's more like a top-secret errand," He smiled gently. "Kushina's pregnant!"
"Oh... congratulations," Kakashi said, taken aback and this time, his eyes darted toward Yumetsuki, who was now looking at the two of them in silence.
"Thank you," Minato said before his expression turned serious. "But when a female Jinchuriki becomes pregnant, the energy that keeps the seal in place transfers to the foetus, weakening the Bijuu seal. And so... it will be roughly ten months until she gives birth. I want you two to guard Kushina against any incidents,"
"Yes, sir,"
❄️
At that time, it had been a cold month of January when the long mission began for the unlikely pair of Yumetsuki and Kakashi. The girl was more active in caring for Kushina, accompanying her around the town and to the hospital visits for check-ups while Kakashi kept an observation from afar.
Winter months were harsh with their short sunlit hours and long snowfalls as they moved bundled up in warm clothes. Yumetsuki always made sure to join Kushina on her outdoor excursions.
Kakashi watched from a distance as the two females made their trip to the market for shopping. Even when he knew it was wrong, he found his eyes straying more toward Yumetsuki than Kushina, who was busy talking to one of the many vendors there.
It had been such a long time since Kakashi had last seen Yumetsuki in the snow – the glint of the descending snowfall had nothing on how beautiful her long white hair was. Her pale skin supported a glow that no other human had in this weather and her eyes stood out like beacons in the greyness of the weather. Her out-worldly essence compelled him as if she was a spirit of snow.
Ever since he had been young, folk tales of the Snow Woman had plagued classrooms at the Ninja Academy but Kakashi felt that if Yumetsuki was that embodiment of Snow, he would let her steal his soul as long as it would somehow become a part of her existence.
It was the warmth in Kakashi's chest that carried him through winter.
As Spring rolled forward, the frozen feelings in his chest were budding, constricting the inside of his chest in the same manner the vines overtook his childhood home as he followed Yumetsuki and Kushina around the village on their walks.
The flutter of pink cherry blossoms decorated the skies of Konohagakure, and Kakashi wished that Yumetsuki hadn't brushed the petals out of her hair so that those fleeting flowers could've lived a little longer in the charming snow-encrusted tresses.
During this season, Kushina began to show the signs of her pregnancy and often needed Yumetsuki's help in getting used to the adjustments she needed to make – she was still learning fast.
Although he had been very young at the time, but Kakashi had always considered stuff like marriage and children to be a rather burdening thought. He had accepted himself to be the quiet finale to the Hatake Clan long ago. Long ago, before he had met Yumetsuki.
Kakashi knew he was being stupid, to think of a life with Yumetsuki when they were barely teenagers. Yet he had harboured this thought within himself ever since he learned her name.
Yumetsuki had suffered a lot – she may never want her own family yet Kakashi wished, somewhere in his chest, rather selfishly, that he would become the sole source of solace for that snowy girl.
It was the spring that answered a lot of Kakashi's questions.
Summer was hotter than usual, or so it seemed to Kakashi between the arrivals and departures of Yumetsuki who would often supply him water for the long sunny days. She brought with her an air of frosty breeze whenever she visited him, and he would go out of his way to feel her cool skin.
Yumetsuki would look at him with concern and ask him if she could do more for him to relieve him of the hot weather but Kakashi could never find the words to convey what he was thinking of her to her.
And as soon as she would leave him with her hair glinting in the golden sunlight that made her pale blue eyes blaze like the sun, Kakashi would feel the heat descend upon him like the wrath of Kagutsuchi. It was almost harsh to bear as distance from Yumetsuki's pleasant voice.
It was the longest summer Kakashi knew.
Just as Kagutsuchi's birth marked the beginning of death, summer dissolved rapidly into autumn, shedding the trees of their lustre and soon, the tenth month of the gods arrived in Konohagakure.
Just like that, their duty of protecting Kushina throughout her pregnancy came to an end, and the thought that he would not get to see Yumetsuki so regularly made Kakashi's heart feel as hollow as the tree that grew behind his old home.
It was the autumn returned Kakashi back to the cruel reality.
"Thank you for protecting Kushina," Minato said to Yumetsuki and Kakashi as they stood across from him in the Hokage Office. "But... it's standard for the ANBU directly under the Third to take over the guard during the birthing time,"
"Then I'll be returning to my duties in ANBU," Kakashi said.
"There's no need to be so hasty," Minato said. "Why don't you two take a break for a while?"
"Sensei, will I be present at the time of birth?" Yumetsuki inquired. "I have been working directly under the Third Hokage as an ANBU, and I have ample training as a Medical Ninja,"
"I would insist that you rest," Minato replied and Yumetsuki felt little bummed out. "Don't worry, Yumeko-Kun, you'll be the first person to see Naruto when he's born,"
Ever since they had found that they would be having a son, Minato and Kushina had decided to name him after a literary hero from Jiraiya's novel, The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Ninja, and Yumetsuki was now excited to meet the boy, her god son, named Naruto.
"I understand," Yumetsuki replied, bowing to Minato.
That October evening was bustling with crowds as everyone went about their day – the cooling temperatures had brought a good atmosphere into the village. Yumetsuki had hoped to go and get some sleep but had unwittingly found herself in company of Kakashi and Gai.
Somehow, the relationship between Kakashi and Gai were cordial now. They were still, however, sort of 'rivals' – even right now, the topic between them was of such.
"Why don't we just do Rock-Paper-Scissors again tonight?" Kakashi said to Gai, though his eyes were upon Yumetsuki as she walked a step ahead of them.
"Not that again!" Gai exclaimed. "Think of something more exciting! How can you call yourself my rival? Do you think I will let you off easy in front of my Yumehime?"
"We have an early start tomorrow," Kakashi said, an unnatural feeling arising in his chest at the word 'my' attached to Yumetsuki's name. "So, let's pass for tonight,"
"Don't use a mission as an excuse!" Gai said loudly. "I have all this hot pent-up energy inside me! Now is the time for diligent training! Honest to goodness discipline and hard work," Yumetsuki and Kakashi stopped as Gai continued walking, pointing ahead. "Lead to success in future missions!"
Gai turned to look at them, continuing to vent himself out, "Are you listening to me?! You've gotten awfully cold since joining the ANBU, I've heard the gossip. They're calling you two cold-blooded. Well, I know that I'm not supposed to talk about your being in the ANBU. Still, that's no reason to forget about our friendship! Youth is short!"
"Say, Gai..." Kakashi said. "Do you sense anything weird? There's been a chill in the air..." He turned his head properly to look at Yumetsuki as if she would know.
"It's your attitude that's causing it!" Gai shouted. "There's nothing like the present for youth!"
But Yumetsuki herself was feeling something very unsettling in the air. It resembled the same thickness that she had gotten used to before disasters.
"I-I will... I will see you guys later," Yumetsuki spoke up suddenly.
And before either Kakashi or Gai could say anything, the white-haired girl whipped around and ran away from there, her long white hair streaming behind her as she did so.
"Yuren-Chan...?" Kakashi said as he watched her leave, his chest churning with dread.
Chaos spread amongst the village like wildfire burning through the forest of Konohagakure: they were under attack by the same beast that they had kept under control for so long. The Nine-Tailed Fox had been unleashed upon the villagers and was causing havoc all over the place.
Yumetsuki found herself running through the streets, her eyes looking around widely for any signs of the injured, and it wasn't until she had run out of them that she decided to head to the core of the issue – she needed to give medical aid to Kushina if the Kyuuba had broken itself out.
"Hiruzen Sensei...!" Yumetsuki called out as her eyes fell upon the Third Hokage, ready in his gear as he heading deeper into the battle as well. "I am coming with you!"
"Yumeko-Chan," Hiruzen said to his student. "Go to the –"
"I am coming with you even if you knock me out, Sensei!" Yumetsuki responded, who had already spread out her sensory abilities to locate where Minato and Kushina were.
Minato had thought quickly on his feet, he always did when it came to such things and he had managed to take Kyuubi out of the village and away into the forests that surrounded the outskirts of Konohagakure. Yumetsuki was heading in that very direction as well.
Yet Yumetsuki could not do that, not beyond a certain point as Minato had constructed a barrier around the location that prevented any of them from going any further.
"The barrier has disappeared!" Hiruzen said as he, Yumetsuki and the two Jonins hurried inside the large clearing where Minato had formed a barrier.
"Minato Sensei!" Yumetsuki shouted with uncharacteristic desperation as she rushed in the direction of her teacher and – "Kushina-San!"
Yumetsuki reached Minato first and her heart lurched as she checked on his vitals with shaking hands. Tears manifested themselves upon her cheeks – there was no life left within Minato. But on the other hand, Kushina seemed to be breathing still, albeit very faintly.
"Kushina-San!" Yumetsuki gasped, gently pulling the woman up and immediately beginning to heal the Uzumaki, "Kushina-San, please hold on! Please!"
"Take her to the Konoha Hospital immediately!" Hiruzen ordered, holding baby Naruto in his arms, within whom Minato Sensei had sealed the Kyuubi. "Yumetsuki, keep on healing her –"
"Sandaime-Sama... Yumetsuki-Chan..." Kushina whispered with a rattling breath as she tried to muster some strength in order to convey her last thoughts.
"Kushina-San, please, rest," Yumetsuki insisted. "I will heal you!"
"Please take care... of the child," Kushina said. "Yumetsuki-Chan, you... you are his godmother..."
"Of course, you don't need to worry," Hiruzen said.
"His name is..." Kushina said. "Naruto... Minato and I... picked it from... Jiraiya Sensei's novel..."
"Naruto, you say?" Hiruzen asked. "Fine, I will take full responsibility. So, for the child's sake, you must rest! Allow Yumeko-Chan to heal you!"
But there was no response from Kushina as she fell against Yumetsuki, whose eyes were wider than the full moon above them. Distraught, the young girl tried to force more and more of her Chakra into the woman but there was no receiving from the redhead.
Kushina had, just as her husband, passed away.
Yumetsuki clutched onto her body, begging her to return in a way that she had never done before. She felt like she couldn't breathe, she was struggling to understand the reality within which she had lost Minato and Kushina, the two people she had grown to love as her siblings.
❄️
It was a very sombre dawn as the funeral wake for those who had lost their lives was held in front of the villagers, and amongst the pictures were the familiar faces of Namikaze Minato, Uzumaki Kushina and Sarutobi Biwako. Yumetsuki stood amongst the villagers, dressed in the black Kimono that she had begun to hate. Her throat was constricted as she lowered her eyes.
Tears were streaming down Yumetsuki's cheeks as she stood with her former classmates. Kakashi looked toward his right where the girl was standing but there was nothing that he could say to her. He felt like he had somehow himself failed in protecting the village... protecting her from this pain.
Kurenai was standing next to the white-haired girl, and she had managed to catch onto her hand to give it a comforting squeeze. Kakashi wished that he had the courage to do that.
"Minato... Kushina..." Hiruzen spoke up as they faced the wake, looking at the portrait of the Fourth Hokage. "You both gave your lives... to protect Konohagakure... and its future..."
So much had happened in such a short time yet there was no time for the village to rest, and before Yumetsuki even realised it, she found herself sitting in the far-right corner of the council conference room where the Konoha Elders – Hiruzen, Danzo, Homura and Koharu sat in the lead. Yumetsuki remained silent, although she could feel Danzo's eyes upon her.
In addition to her, all the leaders of their respective clans were seated in front of the council. Yumetsuki knew that she did not have the same status as any of them yet she had been requested to join on a special appeal by the former Hokage, Hiruzen.
"We repelled the Nine-Tails, but the sacrifice was much too great," Hiruzen spoke up, but it seemed like unlike him, his former teammates were not as easy-going about it.
"This is no time to lament," interjected Utatane Koharu and Yumetsuki looked toward her. "The Hokage's seat is empty – we must decide on someone quickly,"
"Perhaps someone from the age group below Minato?" inquired Nara Shikaku, and Yumetsuki wished he would share more of his opinion as he was the head strategist for a reason.
"We have nurtured fine Jonin," Koharu said. "But they all lack the experience to rule over a village,"
"Is there anyone else?" Shikaku asked.
"Well..." began Danzo but Hiruzen stood up rather abruptly.
"It cannot be helped," Hiruzen spoke to them at large. "This is critical time – I shall take over,"
"You will do that?" Homura asked.
"If you are willing..." Koharu trailed off.
Yumetsuki looked at her very first teacher in surprise – she knew from his own musings that he had long found himself finished with the task of being the Hokage. And seeing that he had lost his wife in the attack as well, it seemed set in stone. Yet... it seemed like he was worried about something.
At the instance, believing that it would take her some time to figure out what he was worried about, Yumetsuki had lowered her eyes until that voice entered her ears, and she knew.
"You stepped down once..." Danzo said. "Are you up to the task? Truth be told, even though you went after the Kyuubi, you failed to save the Fourth Hokage,"
"That remark is uncalled for," Homura replied.
"And where were you at that time, Danzo?" Koharu asked.
"Just indulge this old man," Hiruzen said, trying to lightening the mood with a light laugh. "Let me fill in as Hokage until we can groom the next one,"
That had been the first conclusion, and Yumetsuki had expected to get the chance to talk to Hiruzen but his three former teammates made him stay behind. The initial meeting had concluded with such, and she left the conference room but did not leave the vicinity, wanting to hear in what Danzo wanted.
"The Fourth and his wife Kushina gave their lives to seal the Nine-Tails," Hiruzen was saying and Yumetsuki bit her lower lip, wondering if she had missed part of the conversation while she had been busy finding a spot to listen in. "They saved the village,"
"But Konoha took a devastating blow, the likes of which we didn't see even during the Great War," responded Danzo, picking up where Hiruzen had left and speaking in a sore tone.
"Unless we rebuild immediately, the other villages might take this opportunity to attack," Homura pitched in and Yumetsuki knew that was for certain.
"I was planning to make arrangements for that right away," Hiruzen replied gravelly.
"And here, there is a condition I would very much like to see put in place," Danzo spoke. "I want to move the residences of the Uchiha clan on the edge of the village,"
"What?" Hiruzen demanded, and Yumetsuki could feel that the room had turned frigid.
"You are aware that only the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan can control the Kyuubi," Danzo told him dispassionately and Yumetsuki furrowed her eyebrows, taken aback.
"Are you saying it was an Uchiha who summoned Kyuubi?" questioned Hiruzen.
"I am," Danzo asserted. "The treatment of the Uchihas during the Great War, Fugaku refusing to comment when the Fourth was decided on. Dissatisfaction with the village has been growing among the Uchiha clan in recent years,"
"I don't agree," replied Hiruzen.
"Members of the Root have been looking carefully into the movement of the Uchihas," Danzo continued on anyway. "It is a fact that the Uchihas are dissatisfied,"
"That's a long-standing –" Hiruzen began.
"That's not all." interjected Danzo. "Those who lived through the Great War are beginning to despair that even a rare genius like 'Wicked Eye' Fugaku must resign himself to being the head of the Military Police Force. That disappointment with the village will someday become a serious dissatisfaction, and lead to an attack on Konoha,"
"Still, that said, don't you think you're being a bit hasty in declaring Kyuubi incident the fault of the Uchihas?" Hiruzen challenged as his advisors remained silent.
"This is not the kind of thing you can simply leave be just because you have no positive proof, Hiruzen," Danzo said. "Listen. The only thing that can control Kyuubi is the Uchiha Sharingan. That is a fact. At any rate, we must gather the Uchiha clan together in one spot and push them to the edge of the village. And we should do it now, while we can do it in the name of town planning after Kyuubi's attack,"
Filled with conflicting thoughts, believing that there was no Obito's clan would do that, Yumetsuki left in order to head to the Konoha Hospital so that she could help out when it came to providing aid to those hurt. Most of her work consisted of travelling out to do home-visits which took plenty of her time.
Evening was falling and the sun was descending by the time Yumetsuki finished, and she found her feet somehow bringing her in front of the Will of Fire in the Konoha Cemetery.
It was now that Yumetsuki began to wonder who could possibly be the Fifth Hokage. Her heart was still strung around Minato and Kushina, and their baby Uzumaki Naruto.
Naruto was being held in a safe place, and everyone had deemed Yumetsuki emotionally volatile which made the senior Medi-Nins prohibit her from meeting the boy until later. Yumetsuki wished she still had Grandma Chi around. She wanted to see her godson.
However, her thoughts were broken when someone coughed slightly and Yumetsuki looked behind her and saw Danzo of Root. She halted her tensing shoulders as she faced him.
"I knew I'd find you here," Danzo spoke and Yumetsuki pursed her lips.
"What is it that you want?" Yumetsuki asked.
"We have discussed it before – come and work under me," Danzo said. "What do you say?"
"I apologise, but I already have Hiruzen Sensei," Yumiko said. "And Minato Sensei..."
"The Fourth, you've known him for many years, haven't you?" Danzo said. Yumetsuki did not respond to him. "However, he is no more. If you stay where you are, you will end up working directly under the Third who will reassume his position,"
"I believe you are forgetting that I have worked much longer for Hiruzen Sensei," Yumetsuki replied.
"I know you have doubts in him," Danzo said. "It was his foolhardy ideals of peace that dragged the war on and drove Obito, Rin and Chiharu to their deaths. Furthermore, on the night of the Kyuubi's rampage, he forced many capable Shinobi from joining the fight, leading to your Sensei and his wife's death. Isn't that why the Fourth lost his life? I don't want to believe that he planned this to return to power but the future of Konohagakure cannot be entrusted to someone like him,"
"I have told you this before," Yumetsuki said, feeling a surge of foreign emotions enter her body at the man's disrespectful words for her teachers and friends. "I will never work for you,"
"Well, I understand that you'll rather work under the Third," Danzo said. "All he's been using you for is your abilities. You're a weapon for this village. Everyone knows that, don't you? You're a mere weapon," He turned around and walked away.
Yumetsuki did not say anything as she watched him leave. She knew that many people tolerated her within the village because of how much potential she had against other villages. She was a leverage, a machine with four different Kekkei Genkai. It made them fearful of her with her cursed Ice Style, the perfect weapon... yet it brought hate and fear amongst her own villagers.
Am I chasing normalcy?
Normalcy in seeing Hiruzen as the Hokage again – as if him being the Hokage again would bring back those days when she trained with him and Minato, worked with Grandma Chi, misunderstood her classmates such as Kakashi, ate sweets with Kurenai and daydream over Obito.
But things would no longer be that normal. And in order to distract herself from that reality, Yumetsuki busied herself back by training more with Hiruzen, whether that be Taijutsu or –
"In order to conserve a high class Fuinjutsu, you should start your strokes from here," Hiruzen explained as he looked down upon the girl in front of him as he puffed out some smoke.
The white-haired girl nodded and went to start over her scroll-making. It was rather late but it was the only time that she had left from her day to contribute to Fuinjutsu training. She had failed far too many times in saving her important people by now.
"Yes, Sensei," Yumetsuki replied as she dipped her pen into the ink and back over the open scroll, spreading it across the empty surface carefully.
"Good," Hiruzen said. "I was thinking about your Chakra control the other day,"
"Yes?" Yumetsuki asked.
"You have worked remarkably on your Chakra control," Hiruzen said. "As expected, practicing Medical Ninjutsu... I was wondering if we should now focus more on your Kekkei Genkai,"
"Thank you, Sensei," Yumetsuki said turning back to the scroll. "Let us try that,"
Silence flowed into the room and Yumetsuki was concentrating fully on the task at hand when – there was creak. Yumetsuki looked up from her scroll, her eyes narrowed under the dull light of the single lamp as she spread out her sensory abilities in the vicinity.
Someone appeared to have snuck inside.
In the Hokage's Residence of all places...
Hiruzen stood up, heaving a sigh and Yumetsuki took the moment to herself shoot up to her feet as well, flowing him as the left the study room and towards the libraries. She was sure that she recognised that Chakra although the person was doing well to hide it.
Entering the library, Yumetsuki felt her white eyebrows move upwards when she saw Kakashi looking through several books, trying to look for something. She went to step up but Hiruzen stopped her, and the two of them watched the silver-haired boy.
"Top Secret...?" Kakashi was whispering to himself as he pulled out a paper file. He quickly opened the seal and looked inside to check it out. "Where are the contents?"
"Is this what you are looking for?" Hiruzen asked so suddenly that it surprised even Yumetsuki, throwing forward the contents of the file onto the table in front of Kakashi.
"Professor...!" Kakashi said, shocked when he turned to look up, finding Yumetsuki and Hiruzen standing there, both staring at him with hints of disproval. He immediately bowed.
"It's all right, I give you permission," Hiruzen said. "Read it,"
"Yes, sir," Kakashi said, looking up.
"Long ago," Hiruzen began. "The First Hokage, Hashirama-Sama, after a death match with Madara, used the Wood Style to supress the Kyuubi. After that, there was no one to take over the Wood Style... either the Sharingan or Wood Style are necessary to suppress the Bijuu. In Konohagakure, there was a time when they researched and tried to revive the First's Wood Style.
"However, despite the dedicated efforts of many... the tests to transplant Hashirama-Sama's cells failed one after another and the lives that were sacrificed continued to grow. And so... unfortunately, that Jutsu... was deemed a Forbidden Jutsu and sealed away.
"But recently, Genin and Chunin, and even members of the ANBU have gone missing. Furthermore, what's more disturbing are incidents where new born infants have been kidnapped from hamlets surrounding the village of Konohagakure,"
"Infants...?" Kakashi asked, shocked and he saw Yumetsuki look away, her expression sorrowful. He wondered if her sudden trips outside of the village had to do with that investigation.
"Of those confirmed, there have been sixty kidnappings," Hiruzen said.
"Who could have...?" Kakashi asked as he turned off the flashlight he was holding and lowered his arm so they could talk a bit more properly.
"What I'm about to tell you are hearsay..." Hiruzen replied. "Someone is continuing the experiments and trying to implant the cells of Hashirama-Sama,"
"Even if they're rumours, why would anyone...?" Kakashi asked.
"There are those who want to obtain every Jutsu that exists," Hiruzen told him. "Even I have wondered sometimes, if there were only someone who knows the Wood Style... had that been the case, the Fourth need not have sacrificed his life. Mind you, this is just hearsay,"
"If... If Hashirama-Sama's cells had really been implanted into infants..." Kakashi said.
"Implanting cells into infants is forbidden..." Hiruzen said. "And even if someone was doing so, the possibility of it succeeding would be very low," He turned around and walked a few steps before stopping. "However, if... just if... the first instant who was kidnapped survived... he or she would be ten years old already,"
Hiruzen walked away, leaving the room empty aside from the two former teammates. Yumetsuki was standing still until Kakashi saw the beacons of her eyes turn in his direction, "Kakashi-Kun," He looked at the ivory-haired girl as she took a few steps forward, stranding right in front of him.
"I know everything," Yumetsuki told him in a quiet voice.
Kakashi's dark grey eyes narrowed as he stared down at the younger girl and swiftly grabbed her by her collars – he did not know what was going on with him.
Yumetsuki did not do anything to free herself.
"Have you been following me?" Kakashi demanded, fearing that she knew everything that he had been doing, everything that made him guilty. "Why are you following me? Did you tell Sandaime-Sama everything?" Yumetsuki was swept back and forth in his hands.
"Minato Sensei did not specify how long I needed to keep an eye on you," replied Yumetsuki. "He did not specify how long I need to take care of you," She paused. "And I did not tell anything to Hiruzen Sensei. He already knew it,"
As he processed what she had just said to him, Kakashi stared at Yumetsuki, his grip tightening on her collar. In the darkness, her eyes shined at him, holding him in a spotlight he couldn't escape.
"Kakashi-Kun," Yumetsuki continued. "I have known Minato Sensei longer than you have. Rin-Chan and Obito-Kun were my friends just as they were yours. I loved them all. I am grieving as well, and I do understand what you are going through,"
Speaking so, Yumetsuki grabbed Kakashi's hand on her collars and took it away, but did not let it go, holding onto them as she looked up at the tall boy, sighing softly.
"... you are going on a path that will be regretful," Yumetsuki whispered. "Regretful to you, to those who you hurt... and to me. You should fix it before something goes wrong... because I might never be able to forgive you, Kakashi-Kun, please,"
Kakashi grunted and looked away until Yumetsuki's hand reached out to place itself onto his cheek, making his eyes wipe towards the younger girl in surprise at her soft and cool touch. He wished he could bury himself into that palm but he could only stare at her in silence.
"Yuren-Chan..." Kakashi breathed out subconsciously, feeling the warmth that only her small hand could give enter his cold heart. It quickened its pace, making him gulp slightly.
"I hope you will change your mind," Yumiko said. "I will wait for you in the morning,"
Yumetsuki slowly removed her hand from his cheek and turned around, walking away. Kakashi stared after the girl, already missing the warmth on his cheek. His heart fluttered and his cheek flushed as the centre of his attention, the focal point of his life left him flustered.
Despite her Ice Style, Yumetsuki was somehow the warmest person that Kakashi knew of and all he wanted to do was wrap his arms around her and protect her from everything.
Yet I have always failed.
❄️