Minato's Daughter

Chapter 22 - His Hurt

Kakashi

I sat by Miyuki's bed, holding her hand while reading my book. She had been passed out for the past two days, not moving. Lady Tsunade had personally come down to examine her but she couldn't find anything wrong with her. She hadn't even overused her chakra so what happened?

"I see that you're still here, Kakashi."

I immediately stood up to greet Lady Tsunade who entered the room. It appeared that she told Shizune to wait for her outside.

"Lady Tsunade," I greeted.

She walked to the end of Miyuki's bed, staring at her with her arms folded across her chest.

"So, she still hasn't woken up yet," Lady Tsunade said.

"No, there have been no changes," I informed her, putting my book away. "Lady Tsunade, I have something to ask you."

"What is it?" She questioned, turning to me.

"When we were in Sunagakure, Gai, his team, and I ran into an Konoha ANBU member. By any chance, was that Miyuki?"

Lady Tsunade sighed, closing her eyes. It was as if she was contemplating whether to answer my question or not.

"Yes," she said after a few moments of silence.

So she had been in the ANBU after she had left the village, but how? The night she left, she had destroyed her mask and I had never seen her on any ANBU mission. I was also promoted to the captain of Team Ro shortly after the Third Hokage had resumed his position which all but signaled that Miyuki had left the village. So how was she in the ANBU without me knowing?

"I'm sure you're wondering how she had been allowed in the ANBU and what she was doing. To be frank, I'm not clear on the details as it seems she made a deal with the Third Hokage. It sounds like a few months after she had left the village, the Third had convinced her to rejoin the ANBU, however, carrying out missions that were outside of the village and didn't bring her into contact with any other ANBU members or Konoha shinobi," Lady Tsunade explained.

"Did he change her identity as well?" I asked her.

"I don't know what kind of identity she had in the ANBU when she first joined but I'm sure you saw that she wore a mask shaped like a dog. I don't know if you'd want to know this, but she had taken on the identity of Sora while in the ANBU," She responded.

For fifteen years, I had always wondered where she was, looking for her on several occasions when she had been so close this whole time. Had I looked for her harder, even caught onto her scent when the Hokage summoned me, maybe I could have found her earlier. Lady Tsunade placed a hand on my shoulder before letting me know that she would check in a few days later, leaving shortly after. While I normally would have felt betrayed, all I could feel was sympathy. How much did she have to endure alone all those years?

"KAKASHI!"

I jumped at the sudden interruption, turning to see Gai. He had flung the door wide open with Kurenai and Asuma looking embarrassed behind him. 

"Is she awake?" Gai asked as he ran in and stood next to Miyuki's bed side.

He lifted her leg and turned her foot in a few circles, checked the strands of her hair, and moved her arm in circles. I was about to tell him to knock it off when suddenly, Miyuki's arm moved forward and punched Gai right in the stomach. He flew back with a small grunt, his back hitting the wall.

"Ow..." He whimpered, slowly sliding down.

I didn't pay any attention to him though, as I saw Miyuki was awake. She was gasping for air and her eyes looked wild. It was almost as if she wasn't aware of where she was.

"Miyuki?" Kurenai asked her, causing her head to quickly turn to look at her. "Are you alright?"

I watched as her breathing began to return to normal and saw realization spark in her mind. What had caused her to suddenly lash out? I stood up, grabbing her hand and turning her head gently to look at me.

"Miyuki, say something," I said, my voice low.

"Who... Did I punch...?" She asked weakly.

"Gai," Asuma called from across the room, poking Gai who only let out whimpering sounds.

She looked as though she wanted to sit up and I immediately went to help her. Once she was up, her attention turned to Gai and Asuma.

"Sorry Gai," She said, scratching the back of her head.

"It's ok," he muttered as Asuma helped him stand up.

She looked down at where I still held her hand and looked up at me. I felt like I was losing myself in her blue eyes. I turned away first and let go of her hand when Kurenai cleared her throat.

"How do you feel?" Kurenai asked her and the two began to start a conversation while I took a step outside. 

I couldn't help but remember Lady Tsunade's words, how she had been so close all this time. The betrayal I hadn't felt before suddenly washed over me. I stepped out of the hospital, feeling a deep sense of hurt stirring up. How could she be so cruel?

"Kakashi sensei?"

I looked up to see Naruto looking at me. They had the same eyes and the same hair color, but their personalities were so different. When I had learned that Naruto would be placed with me, I didn't understand why the son of my dead sensei and my missing teammate was under my care. However, as Naruto grew and trained harder, I was proud of him. He had truly become exceptional. He deserved to know. I smiled at him.

"Naruto, do you have a moment?" I asked.

"Why?" He responded back.

"Let's go to Ichiraku, there's something you should know."