Chapter Text
Leaving Kumogakure has never been a choice that Akiara regretted.
In a way, it was always inevitable.
In a different way, being out, unattached to any village is a relief.
She generally tries to ignore the fact that her place of birth, the place she’d grown up calling home, thinks she’s dead.
Currently, Akiara is in the Land of Waves.
All the jobs available . . .leave a bad taste in her mouth.
The Land of Waves is not a place of wealth, no doubt Akiara will be leaving soon, quietly and quickly.
There’s always the option of working on the bridge, but the bridge builder has yet to hire anyone to guard him and the bridge as it’s built - and that’s not a job Akiara will be taking, thank you very much.
Her working on the bridge would also dependent on who the bridge builder hires.
Anyone from Kumo is a risk, she wasn’t well known, but there’s always the chance that it will be someone that recognizes her.
As far as Akiara is aware, the bridge builder isn’t even on the island, chances are he’ll return with an escort.
She hadn’t been around to hear of where he was going either.
While he’s away, Akiara finds herself staying near his home, she knows he has a daughter and a grandson.
Both left with a space where the boys father used to be.
She never goes too close, just enough to assure they live.
================================
The bridge builder returns to the village in a shroud of fog.
Akiara watches as he gets off the boat, three genin and a jounin with him.
She herself had only been chunin when she’d left Kumogakure, not that it matters, this team is from Konoha, they wont engage her even if they do see her.
They leave her sight and her mind for a while, until she feels the flickering chakra of their jounin.
Without really thinking it through, Akiara races towards their location, just in time to watch the jounin topple.
Akiara freezes at the sight, she doesn’t see anyone, but she had felt a different chakra, the jounin had been fighting someone, they just aren’t here anymore.
The three genin just look entirely confused and unsure of what to do.
Akiara steps in, she lifts the jounin up onto her shoulder and regards the genin calmly, gesturing with one hand, ‘Tazuna lives this way.’ The jounin is actually lighter than she’d expect of someone that she . . .guesses to be in their thirties?
The three stare, Tazuna seems thoughtful - perhaps he’s seen her before, it isn’t impossible.
The blond genin is first to speak, the most impulsive of the lot, most likely, ‘Who are you?? Sensei would say we shouldn’t trust you.’
‘He’s right,’ Akiara allows, she starts walking and they follow, almost like ducklings, she thinks with some amusement.
She’s glad Tazuna doesn’t live far from where they had stopped, she doesn’t think she could lug the jounin around for terribly long.
‘Where am I putting him?’ she requests as they enter Tazuna’s house, she’s been near, but never inside, doesn’t know her way around the house.
Tazuna is quick to direct her to a bedroom, Akiara glances to the genin, ‘your sensei should be fine with some rest,’ she informs them, ‘I have a feeling chakra exhaustion isn’t a new experience for him.’
If Akiara is correct, this jounin is Hatake Kakashi, copy ninja Kakashi.
She hadn’t been aware he had a genin team, but here they are.
It’s in her best interest to be gone by time he wakes up, and out of the country.
But the female genin looks so pathetically small, she finds her chest aches for her.
Has no one taught the girl about having a proper diet? the girl will waste away before she ever makes chunin.
She’s clearly from a civilian family, so maybe Akiara can understand a little, but it takes a village to raise a child - someone should have fixed the girls eating by now.
She sighs, dropping into the chair by the jounin’s bed, suddenly tired.
The three genin stand at the end of the bed, equally anxious, equally uncertain.
‘Hey lady,’ the blond speaks up, ‘you never told us who you are!’ his finger waves about in the air as he speaks, other hand on his hip.
‘Akiara,’ she’d abandoned her old name when she’d faked her death and fled home, she didn’t need anything more than a single name now, ‘and you’re genin from Konoha.’
‘I’m Uz-’ the blond goes to yell, but is cut off when the female whacks the back of his head, hissing, ‘Naruto! you can’t just give out your full name.’
Naruto laughs, ‘I’m Naruto, and I’m going to be Hokage!’ his voice gets louder with each word, Akiara winces.
‘Sakura,’ the female blushes, the third genin doesn’t say anything, Naruto rolls his eyes.
Akiara regards each of them thoughtfully, they’re better off if they aren’t in here worrying, but she’s not quite sure what she can teach them that can keep them busy.
‘Have you been taught to use chakra to climb trees yet?’ she finally asks.
‘Why would we need catra to climb trees?’ Naruto asks, not yelling at least, ‘I’m really good at climbing trees.’
No questions about why they might need to climb trees as shinobi at least, Akiara sighs again, ‘come outside,’ she stands.
The unnamed genin looks the most reluctant out of the three, but even he follows Akiara outside and a little away from the house.
They head to a small area near Tazuna’s house, an area that Akiara herself had used for training once or twice while Tazuna had been away.
Akiara calmly walks up the trunk of a tree using chakra, she’d always had somewhat good chakra control, had spent a lot of time working on it. She supposes it makes sense that it’s this she’s teaching them.
A part of her is also questioning why their jounin hadn’t already taught them this, had he just not had them long? and if that was the case, why were they this far outside of the village?
She stays perched on a branch as she explains to the genin what she expects them to do, not faltering when she sees Naruto’s confused expression.
It’s likely he learns better from doing than from hearing an explanation.
Once Sakura and the other genin have each gone to a tree, Akiara goes to Naruto and gives him a more simplified explanation, also having to explain what chakra is.
How does a genin get to the stage of being a genin without having an understanding of what chakra is? wonders Akiara to herself, she absently pats Naruto on the back and points to a tree.
’You’re not from Konoha,’ comes Tazuna’s voice.
Akiara turns to face him, ‘No,’ she agrees, ‘is that a problem?’
‘My daughter says she’s noticed you around a few times,’ remarks Tazuna, not answering her question, ‘taking small jobs.’
‘Preparing to leave,’ answers Akiara, turning back to watch the genin, she doesn’t spot Sakura right away, she tilts her head back - the girl has gotten quite far up the tree, Sakura sees her looking and waves.
‘Good job,’ Akiara calls out to her, meaning every word, ‘good chakra control is pretty important for medical jutsu and you may need it with teammates like yours.’
Sakura beams, apparently not certain of Akiara, but happy to recieve praise all the time.
The one who didn’t give his name scowls, but he seems at least a little more motivated.
‘Wow, you’re so awesome, Sakura-chan!’ yells Naruto, he beams up at Sakura and Akiara notices Sakura roll her eyes.
================================
They’re all called for dinner when it starts to get dark.
Akiara politely refuses when she’s offered a plate and instead goes upstairs to check on the jounin.
She’s experienced chakra exhaustion before, it’s a lot scarier when in unfamiliar territory, the Jounin wouldn’t have allowed himself to be in this situation if he hadn’t been fighting for lives.
She’s been sitting there for a few minutes when the jounin begins to stir, he regards her with a somewhat groggy gaze for a moment before forcing himself upright and reaching for a kunei, no doubt having noticed her hitai-ate with the slash through the symbol.
‘It’s okay,’ Akiara tells him, wondering if maybe she should have removed the hitai-ate, her words are somewhat automatic.
This just seems to alarm him more, singular uncovered eye going wide, ‘you’re a rogue ninja,’ he blurts.
Akiara goes still.
He notices her stillness, ‘let me see your mark,’ he rasps.
Akiara regards him with some curiosity, she’d always known her soulmate wasn’t likely to be from her village, chances are he’s going to be needing some time to adjust to the fact she isn’t from his.
She starts unwinding the red cloth that covers both her forearms, presents the messy scrawl on her inner arm to him.
He draws in a deep breath, removes a glove and shows the small but tidy text running from his finger onto his knuckle, those instinctive words she’d spoken on seeing his alarm, ‘it’s okay.’
The pair regard each other, unprepared for this exact situation. Each uncertain.
‘You left your village because of my words,’ he guesses, ‘I’m Hatake Kakashi,’ he still looks somewhat alarmed, aware that she hadn’t known about their matching marks until now, still worried for his genin.
Akiara inclines her head, begins to put the red cloth back in place, ‘Akiara, your genin are safe outside.’
(Art instagram if you want to see my Nart Art Sooner)