My Brother's a Jinchūriki!

Chapter Eighty-Nine- Sister Marks

Hiruzen stepped outside and took in a long breath of the morning air. A small gurgling coo echoed in the courtyard and he turned to walk toward it. A Sarutobi clanswoman was playing with the baby in the grass, and he was making noises as he crawled around, trying to follow a butterfly. The woman saw Hiruzen from the corner of her eyes and turned to him and bowed. He raised a hand and smiled at her and approached.

"Good morning, Lord Third."

"Morning, Ena." He watched the baby for a moment as he grasped the grass in his hands and giggled as he ripped it up. "I see that he's improved much just from last night."

Ena nodded and smiled faintly as the boy. "It didn't take him long for him to become comfortable with me. He had a difficult time sleeping last night, but he's had a healthy appetite and his mood is good." She reached out to stop the boy as he tried to stuff the handfuls of grass in his mouth, who frowned and fussed at her interference. "And, as you can see, he has quite a bit of energy now."

"That's good to see." Hiruzen turned to look at the girl, who sat in the corner of the courtyard with a faraway look and her legs drawn in close to her. "And, the girl?"

Ena glanced over to Kanna, and then let out a small breath. "She is as well as you could expect. She hasn't been speaking much, though she has been very attentive of her brother and will hardly let him out of her sight. She doesn't yet completely trust me, but she did take a step back and allowed me to care for the baby last night so that she could rest. She is a sweet and very devoted girl. It's terrible that she's had to experience something so awful as losing her family... but I do think that she will make a recovery."

He nodded and looked around, spotting the four ANBU guards' invisible silhouettes around the area, and then back to the girl. He walked slowly toward her and she blinked and glanced up at him with a blank expression.

"Good morning, Kanna. Did you sleep well?"

Kanna pressed her lips together and drew her legs closer and turned away. "I-I had a lot of nightmares... It was hurting really badly..." She reached up to the back of her neck to cover the mark. "And when I woke up... I forgot that my mom and dad were gone, almost..." She looked down and sniffed, wiping her face with her arm. "...I miss them... I wish..." She shook her head and tears streaked her cheeks as she wiped her face again. "It's not fair..."

Hiruzen frowned slightly and exhaled. "I am sorry there was nothing that we could do for your parents. I will do everything in my power to keep you and your brother safe and well-cared for." He glanced toward Ena as she picked up the boy and wiped the grass and dirt from his hands. "What do you think of Ena?"

Kanna sniffed again and wiped her eyes, then slowly looked over at the woman to watch her play with the baby. "Koji likes her, so... I guess she's okay." She looked down and she swallowed the lump in her throat, trying to hold back another wave of tears. "He hasn't asked for mom at all today... what if... he forgets her? Or our dad?"

He opened his mouth to speak, but another clansman approached him and bowed his head.

"Lord Third, Anko Mitarashi is here to see you."

Hiruzen looked at him and nodded his head. "Bring her here, then."

The man nodded and walked away, and Hiruzen turned to Kanna again.

"There is someone that I would like you to meet. I think it will be beneficial for you both."

"W-Who?" Kanna bit her lip and the man returned a moment later, followed by Anko.

"Lord Hokage." Anko looked at the old man, and then she looked at the girl sitting in the grass. "Is this her?"

Kanna pulled her legs closer, and Hiruzen held out his hand to her. "It's alright; you don't have to be wary of her." He lowered his tone slightly. "She has a mark, just as you do."