Chapter Text
In the dead of the night, when the innocent were tucked into bed and only the shadows moved, a group of nin make their way to the Hokage Tower. They went as fast as needed, all but one clad in a cloak as black as the moonless sky, with the one in the middle carrying a bundle in their arms. Each one adored a mask descripting an animal.
Bear. Fox. Hawk. Snake. Monkey.
The Monkey held the bundle, thick cloth covering the object up and hiding it from view. And besides the white of their mask, only the long strands of white hair protruding from the bundle was the only color. Against the black sky and dark tones of the village, the single white ribbon of hair seemed to flutter with a life of its own.
Sarutobi, as old and and worn as he was, rubbed he eye with the back of his hand. Oh, how he longed for sleep, but when the messenger hawk came in with an urgent message, he knew he’d have to stay up until the team arrived. He didn’t have to wait long, however, the team slipped through the window and stilled in the middle of the room.
Snake separated from the group, giving a bow in greeting, before motioning Monkey forward.
“Lord Hokage,” Snake greets. The mask caused the timber of their voice to be obscured, it was hard to place the sex of the Ninja without asking for the removal of, said, mask. “We apologize for the inconvenience. We did not expect to find what we did.”
Sarutobi shakes his hand in a dismissive manner, he was more curious about the bundle than his lost sleep. “No need. From your message it was clearly something important. I have the upmost trust in you, Snake.”
As if hearing his unsaid thoughts, Monkey comes forward and sets the bundle down gently. The ANBU unwraps the cloth before stepping off to the side, they seemed reluctant to stray far away from it, going so far as to crouch down and stay within touching distance. Sitting before him, swaddled still in the thick fabric of the ANBU cloak, was a young child.
She was so young, looking so small surrounded by six powerful adults.
Blood was still on her face, although it looked like someone had tried to clean it off, and he could see that it stained both hands and feet. Her hair, long and smooth despite the abuse it had obviously gone through, was also dyed pink to the blood. The child sat with her knees pulled to her chest, thin arms wrapped loosely around her knees and soulful blue eyes staring up at him through thick lashes. She was clad in nothing but a simple shirt; something that was probably provided by one of the shinobi since it wasn’t stained.
The child was an albino, he could tell, where everything down to the lashes framing her eyes as white as snow.
She did not look frightened, but the sorrow in her eyes spoke levels above all else. Slowly, oh so slowly, she looks around the room, taking everything in but not projecting any emotions. From his many years as a ninja, not even counting the years of Kage, he knew detachment when he saw it.
“Hello.” Sarutobi leans over his desk to view the girl better. “My name is Sarutobi; can you tell me your name?”
“…Ami.” It came out as a whisper, barely there on her breath as she exhaled. So light, and quiet; a tiny voice for a tiny girl.
“Good, that’s good. Such a pretty name.” He liked children, he was good with children. He was just hoping he could help this one as well. “Now, Ami, could you tell me what happened?”
She didn’t answer. Instead, she casts her eyes shyly at the Monkey masked ninja beside her, as if silently asking for help. The nin couldn’t help, however, despite the hand twitching that was going on. After a pregnant silence, she finally looked back at the Kage, a very tiny frown on her ever pouty lips.
“Murdered.”
“Oh?” Leaning back now, he places his hands on his laps. “Can you tell me by who?”
“Rouges.” It was the best answer she could give; the concept of what happened probably too complex for a young child to understand. Her inability to answer better seemed to make her whole face melt with sadness, her frown deepening more than any child should.
“Do you remember anything else, Ami?” It was a bit concerning that she only spoke in one worded responses. He has not had the opportunity to meet anyone who had such a withdrawal, the only thing he could be thankful for was that she was, at the very least, responsive.
“No.”
“Not even where you live?” It wasn’t a big deal, he thought, if she didn’t remember. He would have to make a note for each of the great villages to see if a child was reported missing matching her description. If her next of kin could not be located maybe her village will be able to take her back. It would be bad if he didn’t and later found out she was a missing heiress; he didn’t want to deal with that particularly dangerous situation.
“…No?” Her tiny shoulders started to tremble, her bottom lip quivering.
“No, no, please don’t cry dear.” Using his diplomatic, soothing voice, Sarutobi tries to calm the child. “It’s alright if you don’t remember right now, you might remember a little later.”
Looking behind her, noting that all but the Monkey stood stock still at attention, he grows thoughtful. They must be tired after their whole ordeal, not that he would know the extent until he read the report. But given how delicate this situation was he would have so assign one of them a separate, more hands on mission. Hopefully that nin will not hate him too much.
“While we look for your family would you like to stay here, in this village?” He couldn’t send her to an orphanage as of right now. For one he doesn’t know if she’s from a small village some where in Konoha, if she even has family, or if she’s from a different land. Until he knew for sure he’d have to have one of his nin watching over her. It would be absolutely horrible if someone adopted her and were to find out that she actually had a family somewhere else.
“Please?” She sounded hesitant, the first real emotion she had shown since reveled.
“Of course, of course,” He noticed how her eyes seemed to flick in the direction of the crouching ANBU. He was already going to assign one of these nin to foster her, but if she chose one herself it might be better in the long run. “Would you like to live with someone here?”
“A-alone.” She was trembling a little bit more than earlier, and Sarutobi could say he was genuinely surprised that she didn’t chose the ANBU beside her. His eyebrows rose slowly before leaning back in his chair.
“Are you sure about that, Ami-chan? It’s okay if you want to live with someone, you shouldn’t be ashamed of it.” He watched her fidget some more- not shifting her feet or anything like that, per say, but her shoulders were shivering something fierce. The nin that crouched behind her stayed still, patiently waiting for her to decide.
“Yes.” Sighing, her eyes risked one last glace towards the nin beside her.
“Hmm, very well,” The Third could hear the questions on all of the shinobi’s minds- there weren’t a lot of places available. How would a six year old live by herself? “Until we can locate something for you I’ll need you to stay with someone. Monkey?”
The nin twitches, stands up smoothly with arms crossing behind their back, “Hai, Hokage-sama.”
“Do you think you can care for her until then? Or until we can locate her next of kin?”
“H-Hai, Hokage-sama!” Monkey bows quickly, relief evident in his voice. The shinobi looks down at the child. “Are you alright with that, Ami-chan?”
The child turns to look up at them, big blue eyes blinking slowly before she nods. Monkey nods as well, returning their attention back to the hokage.
“Alright then, now that that’s settled.” He, once again, looks at everyone before making a dismissive motion with his hand. “You’re all dismissed.”
“Hai, Hokage-sama.” Speaking in unison the four ANBU disappear in a haze leaving Monkey and the child. Monkey, also making an affirmative, scoops up Ami and jumps out the open window. Once everything settles down Sarutobi pulls off his Hokage hat and sighs deeply. It takes him a moment before pulling the mission report to him and opening it up to read.
Tonight was almost over and it was still going to be a long night.
The house they entered was cold and dark; after locking the door behind him Monkey flips on the entry way light. Dim light flickered once before illuminating a spartan-like living and dining room, the ANBU sets down Ami gently before walking further into the house. Ami hesitates a moment before she, too, walks in, looking around with wide eyes.
The dining room had a simple four-chair table, it sat between a set of folding doors and the entrance of a small kitchen. The living room had a two-seating couch pushed up against the far wall and a five shelved bookshelf sandwiched between it and the wall. There was nothing else in either room save for a glass sliding door in the living room that lead to a small patch of grass.
Her eyes took all of this in before finally settling on her new caretaker. Monkey had stayed standing where he was as she examined the place, a habit of being still made him almost melt into the shadows of his own home. When he was sure she was okay he moved to take off his mask.
Paired with his very notably spiky black hair the mask revealed vibrant blue eyes, eyes that seemed like electric even in the dim light. He was very handsome, even a six-year-old could tell, and when he smiles at her she could feel her heart ache. She wanted to cry.
“Well, Ami.” He spoke softly, almost as if he didn’t want to break the silence. “Welcome home. It’s small and looks boring, but you’re welcome to stay as long as you want.”
“Arigato.” Thanking him, she claps her hands in front of herself, bottom lip working between her teeth.
“You can call me Toga,” He continues, his smile never dropping. “Please don’t tell anyone I’m Monkey, okay?”
She nods affirmative, she didn’t want to make him angry enough that he’d kick her out.
“Tonight you can sleep in my room, I have a spare room but it’s filled with… well its not fit to sleep in. Haha…” Sighing slightly, he turns to walk down a hallway that was previously blocked from her view. “Come on, I’ll show.”
The hallway was short, one door to the right was closed, the other door to the left was cracked- the bathroom she saw-, and right at the end another doorway, this one leading to the master bedroom. Like the rest of the house it was spartan in decoration. A simple full bed sat in the middle of the room, a dresser with nothing on top pushed up against the wall, and a closed door against the entrance wall. The only thing interesting about the room was another sliding glass door leading to the same patch of grass. She took all of this in with wide eyes as Toga makes his way to the bed, stripping it of its blanket and sheets.
“I’ll change the sheets before you go to bed,” He starts, balling up the cloth and setting it down near the door. “I have some spare sheets in the closet, and a shirt you can sleep in.-“ He gives her a side long glance before going to his dresser- “You’ll definitely need a bath before bed, however.”
She looks down at her hands, stained pink with crusted blood under her nails. Ew.
“H-Hai.” She agrees, dropping her hands in favor of looking at him again. It didn’t take him that long to set down a shirt, close the drawer, and put on a fresh set of sheets.
“Alright, come on to the bathroom then.” She turns when he got close and walks to the bathroom, nerves tight in her stomach. “Lets get you cleaned up so you can sleep.”
He had her sit on the toilet as he ran the water, chatting nonessentially as he did. She sat there quietly, listening as he spoke about needing to buy her a bed, and clothes, to enroll her into school- whether it was civilian school or shinobi, her choice.
“Alright, sweetie.” Standing up, he places a hand on his hip as he looks down at her. “You can bath yourself, no? If you need any help just call for me. The towels are under the sink.”
He leaves the room, closing the door behind him quietly, and for a moment she isn’t sure what she should do. She sits there, staring down at her bloody toes, before finally sliding off the toilet and slowly removing her borrowed shirt.
It drops to the floor with a splat, drawing her attention to it with a frown. It wouldn’t be good if she left a bloody shirt on the floor and stain it. She picks it up again and takes it with her into the bathtub.
“Hot…” Whining quietly, she settles in the water, watching distastefully as it slowly turns pink. It only took her a moment to find the bar of soap and start washing herself and the shirt. It takes her much longer to wash the shirt than herself, although she spent a great deal of time trying to scrub the pink off of herself that she couldn’t tell what was blood and what was just the heat.
She was too young to really know the concept of time, but after what felt like forever she finally climbed out of the tub and looked under the sink. Turns out Toga was as much spartan in here as the rest of the house, there was only two towels. She grabs the top one and wraps it around her body and the second one around her long hair.
When she walks out of the bathroom and goes towards the kitchen, she holds the towel tightly in her tiny hands. Toga was shirtless now, holding a damp cloth to a patch of red skin on one of his arms; he looks up when he hears her and a twitch of a smile pulls at his lips.
“All done I see,” He puts the towel down on the counter and walks to her, three bold red patches where visible now; one on each arm and a larger one on his stomach. They reminded her of the red skin she got when she got in the tub. “You need help drying off, right?”
“H-hai.” He squats down in front of her and takes the towel from her hair, carefully ringing it out onto the floor without care. As he dries her hair, carefully starting at her roots and working his way to the ends, he hums quietly. It might have been his way to break the silence, to ease her stress. Or it might have something he didn’t even know he was doing, the hum of the washer acted as a counter melody for his voice.
“Now… what are we going to do with all this hair, hm? It’s so long!” He didn’t wait for her response before turning her around and carefully braiding it. Once that was done he started drying her body off, very careful to keep away from the danger zones. “Did you forget the shirt in the bathroom?”
“H-hai.” She follows him to the bathroom, the knot of worry making weird feelings in her stomach again. Watching from the doorway she waits for him to start yelling at her from the mess; but he doesn’t. And it’s weird.
“Aw, you tried to be helpful, thank you sweetie.” He empties the tub, takes the shirt and wrings it out as much as he could, before drying his hands on his pants and grabbing the clean shirt. “Here, let me help you put this on.”
It was a very loose black turtle neck, the sleeves going past her fingers and the hem falling past her knees. He had been wearing an identical shirt early, he must have gotten its twin for her.
“Alright, time for bed.” Her new caretaker, someone she’s learning is far too kind, ushers her back into the bathroom and into the bed. “If you need anything I’ll be sleeping on the couch, okay?”
“Hai.” She let him cocoon her in the blanket, although it’s far too hot. She’ll kick it off once he’s gone. He waves goodnight to her before closing the door behind him.
That night, as Toga slept on the couch in a sloppy sprawl, Ami was lying on her side wide awake. His cover had been thrown on the floor almost as soon as the door opened, his clean sheets damp with sweat, and her chest tight with heat. Her hair, despite being braided a few hours before, tangled around her. Whole body twitching, she sits up painfully, rubbing hair out of her face and looking around with heartbreakingly sad eyes. Her shoulders hunch forward, she tugs at her sweat soaked shirt as she crawls out of bed and down the hall.
He hadn’t replaced his shirt in the time she last saw him, and he slept with one hand under his pillow, but she couldn’t decide if she wanted to wake him or now. Should she really bother him with something she could just deal with? Her fingers twitch to reach for him when his eyes snapped open and she jerks back, both of her hands slamming into her chest when she sees the flash of a kunai in his hand.
“…Toga?” Her voice, so hesitant, so soft, caused his eyes to focus on her; they softened instantly and he lowers his weapon, slipping it back under his pillow.
“Ami? What’s wrong, sweetie?” He leans forward, most of his weight resting on his elbows, which rested on his knees. “Why are you up so late?”
“Hot.” Frowning he reaches out to touch her forehead before yanking it back quickly. With a sort of puzzled look he looks down at his fingertips before looking up at her. His fingers pulsed with a dull ache, the pinky reds of frost bite, not burns.
“Sweetheart, you’re freezing.”
“Hot.” She stresses, her body shifting with discomfort.
“Okay, okay.” He lifts his hands in surrender, “Lets go and get you an ice pack.”
She shadows him to the kitchen, hot on his feet as he reaches the fridge. Her eyes never left him as he reached into the freezer and pulled out a pack of peas. Continues to shadow him as he walks her back to the bedroom. He drops the pack on the bed before scooping her up and quickly placing her on the bed as well.
“Alright, Ami,” He ignored the sting in his fingers. At least now he knew why he had freezer burn on his chest and arms earlier, this will have to be something he discussed with the Hokage later on. For now, however, “Here, this bag will help you cool down.”
Although she look like he doubted him she took the bag and hugged it to her chest, a relieved sigh escaping her lips as she does. He makes her scoot back onto the bed and doesn’t bother to get the blanket off the floor.
“I’ll turn the thermostat down so it’ll get a lot colder, alright sweetie?” When she nods he stands up. “Good night, Ami. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Night.” Her sleepy drawl followed him out the door, she didn’t even register that he took the blanket with him.
He didn’t settle back onto the couch until he flipped the thermostat down as far as it could go- 52, geez- and bundle himself up with both of the blankets he had. They both fell asleep quickly- he like a cocoon and she curled around the peas.
That morning, when the sun peaked over the fence and irritated her eyelids, Ami carries the thawed pack of peas to the kitchen. Toga was already awake, working out in the living room looked like second nature to him and he didn’t stop when she saw him. He probably didn’t notice her, but she didn’t mind.
She puts the peas in the sink and pulls out a dining room chair, so she could sit and watch him. It was mesmerizing, his Kata, and she was interested in joining him. The sun slowly rose and only when her stomach growled did he stop and look over at her.
“Ah, Ami.” He took a towel she didn’t notice and wiped his face, then his neck. “Good morning, did you have a good sleep? Are you hungry?”
“H… Hai.” How was she suppose to answer both of those questions? Silly man.
“Good, good.” He didn’t seem to notice that she only answered once, instead he tosses the towel so it rested one his shoulder and walked into the kitchen. “I’ll make you some breakfast and we’ll go shopping for some clothes really quick. The Hokage told me he enrolled you into school, so we need to make sure you’re presentable. That okay with you?”
“Hai.” She mumbles, accepting the toast he made her.
“You don’t have to if you don’t want to, you know.” He sits down next to her, his own toast half eaten already.
“Kitto.” She assures, looking up at him with mournful eyes.
“I don’t believe you,” Teasing her, he scrunches his nose before standing up. “Well, let me take a quick shower and then we’ll head out. It’s still another hour before class, but considering everything it’ll be fine if you’re late today.”
“Hai.”
He pats her head as he passes by, and she’s left waiting while she listened to the shower run. After a moment she also gets up and walks to the middle of the living room. Recalling what he was doing she tries the moves, slowly and timidly. It pulled muscles she didn’t even know she had, but she continued on. As she moved and moved she could feel her breath chill on her lips, her eyes fluttering shut with the moves.
That is, until she turns and see Toga leaning against the wall, watching her. She jerks, trips on her own feet, and falls on her but.
“I’m sorry!” He didn’t look that sorry when he covers his mouth with his hand like that. “You just looked so serious, I didn’t want to interrupt!”
Picking herself up she gives him a scalding look, “Migi…”
“Right,” He echoes, walking past her to the door. “Lets go get you some clothes and get you to school.”
“Children, children. Settle down; we have a new student.” The teacher’s voice got the students to settle down before looking over at the closed door. “Come in now.”
When Ami steps through the door a hush seemed to settle around the kids, thought she didn’t notice. She was wearing a simple black dress, the ends brushing her knees and the sleeves short and flared out. Her hair had been rebraided, the ends tied with a black ribbon, and she wore black nin sandals. The black seemed to make her albino skin shine, to make her eyes glow ominously. Just as the kids grew hush they started whispering feverishly to their neighbors.
“Everyone, quiet now, quiet.” The teacher claps his hands twice in quick succession before continuing. “This is Ami, please welcome her warmly. Ami-chan, would you like to say anything to the class?”
He offers a smile, as if to say ‘go on, it’s okay’ but she shakes her head after taken a moment to look at the students. His smile faulters only for a moment before he, too, looks at the students.
“W… Well then, let’s fine you a seat.” He takes a quick moment to look down at his notes before looking up again, “Why don’t you go and sit next to Uchiha, Sasuke; Sasuke-kun, please raise your hand.”
When a young raven-haired boy raises his hand, she blinks slowly before walking up the steps quietly. She didn’t seem fazed that she was sitting next to the most popular kid in the village, she didn’t even seem to acknowledge that he existed. Strange.
“O…kay, lets get back to the lesson…”