Blonding

Chapter 42 : Questions

"So, you're the one I've been hearing all about the past few days."

Three jumped in her chair. She swiveled in place, turning towards the door of her 'cell', and watched as a strange man in a creme-colored cloak lumbered his way inside. His grey hair - or was it silver? - poked out in all directions, and she found herself marveling at it.

The ninja from this land were very strange indeed.

"I... yes," she said after a moment, unsure of how to answer.

"Ahh. Well, it's nice to meet you..." He moved in front of her and held the end of his sentence like a fishing lure.

"My name is Three," Three said.

"Nice to meet you, Three. My name is Kakashi."

The silver-haired man pulled a chair from the other side of the room and sat down, taking care to not make too much noise.

They watched each other for a few moments, Three growing more and more uncomfortable as time went on.

Then, finally, Kakashi spoke.

"You're bald."

Three blinked. Well, he certainly was blunt.

She opened her mouth to respond, as was appropriate, but something about him - something curious stuck out to her.

"Your eye," she muttered, narrowing her own. "It is... different."

Kakashi did nothing to indicate he had heard her - until, of course, he responded. "Yes, it was a gift."

Three frowned, watching Kakashi's face with resigned fascination. His eye... it was glowing, spitting waves of heat like hot stone on a summer's day, the waves rippling, distorting in the air. The pupil, grey and relaxed, faded to a sharp red, then back to grey.

When she blinked, it was gone.

"What do you see?"

Another voice snapped her out of her reverie, and she watched as the woman from before - the kind one, with the blond hair - closed the door behind her.

Kakashi turned, beaming. "Ah, Ino. Pleasure of you to join us."

Ino returned the smile. "Figured you could use the help, Lord Hokage."

Three blinked, muddled. "Hokage?"

Ino turned questioningly, then realization lit up her face like a lightning bug. "Oh! Yes, you must be confused. Of course. I would be too." She moved further into the room, pulling up a chair next to Kakashi's. "This is Kakashi Hatake. He is the Sixth Hokage of the Hidden Leaf, our village leader."

"Retired village reader," Kakashi corrected, raising a finger from beneath his cloak.

"Err, right," Ino said, raising her eyebrow. "Well, unfortunately due to Naruto's... incapacitation, you're all we've got." She chuckled. "You should have seen the way Lady Tsunade reacted when Sai tried to get her to come do it. Nearly took out half a city block."