Long Time Gone

“We’re nearing the border, Saya-hime.” The guard said back over his shoulder. The city far behind them was burning to the ground, and they were ordered to get ‘Saya’ to a safer location. She was being piggy-backed by the aforementioned guard for faster travel. There was much more to the Lady than meets the eye, unbeknownst to the guards and the corrupted city she’d destroyed. No, she wasn’t a helpless Princess. For the past ten years, she had shed her original title of Konoha ninja for the sake of this mission. The kunoichi, truly named Aneko, had been sent to this corrupted land to assassinate its lecherous tyrant of a ruler. She had finally succeeded in her task, further setting fire to the palace and making it look like a terrorist attack. Now the guards were protecting her, and she would take care of them soon enough.

“Please hurry.” She said in her most distraught voice. She was still pretending to be their Saya-hime, grieving for her murdered husband, and she milked the role for all it was worth. ‘Maybe I should have gone into showbiz…’ She mused, inwardly smirking. ‘And people wonder why most actresses are ex-kunoichi?’ As much as she joked about it, she knew she wouldn’t trade her life as a shinobi for anything else. She was brought back from her thoughts when the guards stopped by a spring. Using a little of her chakra, she made her eyes red and puffy, and she bit the inside of her cheek to start the tears flowing again. The guard holding her released his grip on her thighs and she slid down, wiping her eyes.

“We’re now within the borders of the fire country. We can rest here for the night.” The head guard said, bowing. “I am truly sorry, Saya-hime.” He gave his condolences, truly meaning it. It almost made Aneko feel bad that she had to kill him.

Almost.

“Arigato, Shirou-san.” She managed a weak smile. “Thank you all. I can only hope now that my husband is at peace with God.” She broke down at those words, and Shirou put a hand on her shoulder in comfort. ‘God, I should get an Emmy for this!’ She thought, inwardly laughing. He ordered for camp to be established, and they set to work. Aneko retired to the spring, splashing water on her face as relief washed over her. It was finally over with, and she was going home. She wondered what the Hokage would do when she showed up. Her task had taken her far longer than it should have, but she had a feeling he would understand. Sarutobi always understood. Shirou approached her again, and she put the mask back up.

“Your tent is ready, milady.”

“Where will you take me, Shirou?” She looked up at him.

“Jukaru-sama’s family lives within these borders. You will be safe there until we are able to establish order within the city again.” He kept his voice low and comforting, and Aneko nodded.

The rest of the night went by without incident, and they set off again the next morning. This time they stuck to walking, but Aneko’s legs itched to run. Her dark blue kimono swished and swayed with movement. She almost wanted to just ditch the guards and be done with it so she could run all the way home. She shook her head and sighed. ‘Not until tonight. I can’t kill them in broad daylight.’ She reminded herself. She’d lost track of how far they’d walked, so she wasn’t sure how much farther Konohagakure would be. Shirou had told her it was another two days journey to her late husband’s family. The two couldn’t be too terribly far apart, she reasoned.

That night, they set up camp again, and after they had finished eating, Aneko approached Shirou.

“Shirou-san…” She started. “Would you please accompany me? I… I don’t want to be alone…” She looked down in shame. Shirou merely smiled.

“Of course, Saya-hime.” He answered, following her into her tent.

“I apologize for bothering you…” She said, starting to tear up again and making her voice crack.

“It’s alright, milady. It’s normal to want a shoulder to cry on.” He reassured her, and she embraced him, burying her head in his chest and beginning to do just that. Shirou’s heart went out to his grieving Lady, knowing how much it hurt to lose a loved one like that. He wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her back gently to soothe her. “Hush now… It’ll be alri-...” His words were cut off as Aneko used her chakra to stab him through the heart. The wound wouldn’t show outwardly, and that was exactly what she wanted. He coughed up blood, his eyes wide. Aneko stood on tip-toe to whisper into his ear.

“Gomen-ne, Shirou-kun.” She emphasized each symbol. “Afraid I don’t need you anymore.” She whispered, her voice low and sultry as she laughed lowly. Shirou’s eyes rolled back in his head and he fell to the ground, dead. She grabbed a kunai from his pouch, hiding it in her sash. She wiped the smirk off her face and put up her mask again, screaming. The other guards came running, just as she expected. They flung open the tent flaps and saw their Saya standing there, her hands to her mouth and Shirou unconscious on the ground. They ran inside, checking everything.

“My lady! Are you alright?” One asked. She shook with mock fear.

“He… he just collapsed… Oh God, is he…?” She stuttered. Another checked Shirou for a pulse, finding none.

“I’m afraid so.” He was extremely puzzled. “He was perfectly healthy… What could have happened?” He was too engrossed in his examination to hear a body thumping to the ground behind him. He didn’t know what hit him as Aneko slashed his throat from behind with the kunai. Her kimono was stained with blood, but she didn’t care. She’d ditch it as soon as she was done here anyway, making it look like she’d been kidnapped and murdered. She’d had ten years to think this plan through; she wasn’t stupid. The blood spattered on the side of the tent, and another guard had come running. He burst through the flaps, and Aneko made a quick move to stab him. He dodged, and she missed her target, but she still wounded him. He cried out as she stumbled out of the tent from her momentum.

“Damn.” She cursed herself; she’d gotten sloppy after so many years of inactivity. The other four guards had come running at the commotion, gawking at their Lady holding a bloody kunai. The one she’d attacked came out of the tent, holding his arm where she’d cut him.

“She killed the-…” She cut off his sentence with a stab to his throat, and he gurgled before dropping to the ground. The other four guards surrounded her.

“Saya-hime, please calm down! I understand you’re grieving, but this isn’t…” She cut him off by attacking him, but he parried her and she missed her second strike.

“Shit!” She cursed again, throwing herself back.

“She must be an imposter! Kill her!” The guard ordered. Aneko’s eyes narrowed as they charged her, but she dodged them with only a cut to her arm. This was so not how she’d planned this. Assassins were supposed to be quick and silent. She cursed herself yet again for losing her touch. One of them rushed her again, and she parried him, this time landing her counter-attack to his kidney. He dropped, unconscious, but he would bleed out in a few minutes. The other three stood back from her, slightly afraid.

“Your Saya-hime never existed! I am Aneko of the Leaf!” She growled, attacking another one. But before she could get to him, he was taken out by a swift-moving figure. She skidded to a halt, seeing another figure jump down from the trees. When she’d screamed before, she hadn’t only attracted the guards. And upon hearing her declaration of being from the Leaf, they sprang into action.

“Whaddya say, teme? One for each of us?” The blond spoke with a smirk.

“Hn. If you can handle one, dobe.” The other retorted. Aneko didn’t have time to speak, and it was over within a few seconds. The two turned to her, and she saw their Leaf headbands, suddenly relieved. Naruto walked toward her.

“Hey, you okay? We heard you scream.” He asked, looking her over. She was covered in blood, but it didn’t look to be her own, save the cut to her right arm. Sasuke turned and finished off the one she’d stabbed after hearing him move.

“I’m alright.” She said, nodding. Sasuke turned back to her.

“What are you doing out here by yourself?” He was still suspicious.

“I wasn’t by myself. These guys were escorting me.”

“Why did you kill your escorts?” Naruto was rightfully confused.

“I’ve been on an undercover mission for a long time now… I couldn’t leave any loose ends; especially not them.” She explained, cutting through the front of her sash, tossing it aside, the kimono falling open to show white shorts and a tube-top. She ripped a piece off of the kimono to bandage her arm until she could get to a healer. “Look, it’s top secret. I really can’t explain it to you. I just need to get home.” She let the kimono fall where it may, wrapping her arms around herself at the sudden chill. The boys saw a tattoo on her right arm, their eyes widening.

“You’re ANBU?” Naruto blurted. Aneko nodded, and all of Sasuke’s suspicions flew out the window. She shivered again.

“Listen, I’ve got to get moving. It’s freezing out here. Arigato for helping me.” She said, bowing and turning to walk away.

“Wait!” Naruto said, catching up to her in just a few strides. “We’re on our way back to the village now. We’ll escort you back.” He offered.

“No thanks. You’ve inconvenienced yourselves enough.” Sasuke rolled his eyes.

“You think we would have come if we didn’t want to? It’s not an inconvenience; it’s looking out for others.” He stated rather bluntly. “Besides, you’re not exactly combat-ready. What if you got attacked again?” He made a lot of sense, and Aneko chewed on her lip in thought. She finally sighed.

“Fine.” She suddenly felt a weight on her shoulders as Naruto removed his cloak and put it around her. It was nice and warm from his body heat. She smiled at him in thanks. They took off running, going into the trees and leaping from branch to branch. Aneko felt so free, finally running again after so long. The wind blew through her black tresses and she smiled, picking up speed.

“Hey, slow down a little!” Naruto called ahead, and she slowed for them to catch up.

“Sorry, it’s been a while.” She said, laughing. Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

“How long is a while?” Naruto gave him a pointed glare.

“Years.” She said simply. She couldn’t give away any details. Not until she saw the Hokage. Naruto scoffed.

“What happened to Mr. Rule-Follower Uchiha? She said she couldn’t talk about it.” He chided Sasuke. Aneko’s heart skipped a beat at hearing that name, fear creeping into her heart. Luckily the boys didn’t notice, else she would have been in trouble. She shook her head; she’d ask Sarutobi about it later. Sasuke made some snarky comment, but Aneko didn’t hear it. She zoned out so much that she nearly ran into the trunk of a tree. Sasuke had been paying attention and yanked her out of the way.

“Hey! Better watch it or you’re gonna run into something.” He said, seeing the blank look on her face. “You sure you’re okay?” She snapped out of it, shaking her head.

“Yeah… Just a little tired is all.” She lied.

“You’re not gonna pass out on us, are ya?” Naruto looked back at her.

“Nah, I’ll be fine. Let’s go.” She said, taking off again. The boys followed, and Naruto sped up and slipped underneath her, gripping her legs and carrying her piggy-back. “Hey! I said I was fine!” She complained.

“Don’t wanna take any chances. Besides, this is faster.” He gave her a goofy grin.

“I’m not some little kid! I can take care of myself.” She tried to pry her legs from his iron grip, but it was useless. Sasuke had caught up and was running next to them.

“Ah, humor the little dobe. He’s too stubborn to give in anyway.” He said flatly, looking ahead. She harrumphed, putting her arms around Naruto’s neck to stabilize herself. ‘I’m 26 years old, dammit! Older than these punks, I’m sure…’ She thought, grumbling. It wasn’t long before they reached the village gates, the torches burning outside giving her a sense of hope and fulfillment. After ten long years, she was finally home.

“You can let me down now. I just need to report to the Hokage that I completed my mission.” Naruto let go of her legs and she slid down.

“We do, too. We just came back from a mission ourselves.” Sasuke said. Aneko nodded, and they ascended the stairs of the tower in silence. As they reached the top, Sasuke opened the door and held it open for the other two. Tsunade stood on the other side of the room, looking out the window. Aneko hung back a bit, confused. Did the Hokage get an attendant? ‘Well, he is getting up there in years… He can’t do everything.’ She reasoned. The two boys walked forward together and bowed.

“We’re back, Granny.” Naruto said and Tsunade turned, annoyed.

“How many times have I asked you not to call me that?!” She snapped. Aneko chuckled, unused to their bantering. Tsunade heard her and looked past the two boys, raising an eyebrow. “And may I ask who you are?”

“Hiroshi Aneko, ANBU Black Ops.” She said, coming forward and bowing. “I’ve been gone for quite some time.”

“We found her on our way back to the village, Hokage-sama.” Sasuke said. Aneko was taken aback, her eyes wide. Did he just call this lady the Hokage? Tsunade noticed, looking behind her and expecting someone attacking. When she saw nothing, she turned back to Aneko.

“What is it?” She asked, still worried.

“You… But… The Hokage…” She sputtered, not comprehending.

“What about the Hokage?” Tsunade asked, suddenly suspicious.

“He’s… Where is he?” She asked, fear laden in her voice. Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

“You mean the Third?” Now it was their turn to be confused. Aneko nodded vigorously.

“Yes! Where is he? Where is Sarutobi?!” Tsunade looked on, befuddled.

“He died five years ago.” She stated as if it was obvious. Aneko felt like she’d been punched in the chest.

“Fi…Five… Years…” She breathed.

“Yeah. Suna attacked us five years ago. They were teamed up with Orochimaru, and he killed the Third Hokage.” Naruto explained, the memory flooding back. “They nearly destroyed the village. Don’t you remember?” Tears started to run from Aneko’s eyes.

“The village… destroyed?” She couldn’t process it. She closed her eyes and fell to her knees. “I… I wasn’t…” She sputtered. She felt sick. The Hokage was dead? “I wasn’t there… I couldn’t… I didn’t protect him…” She covered her eyes with her hands. Tsunade saw her grief, kneeling down and putting a hand on her shoulder.

“Just how long have you been gone?” She asked gently.

“Ten years.” She said softly. Tsunade’s eyes widened, and the boys looked on in shock.

“Sheesh. You weren’t kidding.” Naruto said, almost to himself. Shizune walked in, carrying a few documents.

“Lady Hokage, these need your signature… Um, did I miss something?” She looked at the scene before her in puzzlement. Tsunade sighed.

“Just set them down on my desk.” She rose from her crouch, tugging on Aneko’s hands a little to get her to stand up. Her legs wouldn’t hold her though, and she fell back down again. Naruto caught her, carrying her over to one of the chairs in front of the desk. Tsunade handed her a few tissues.

“Would you like us to leave, Hokage-sama?” Sasuke asked, not liking the tears and sadness. She shook her head.

“Actually, I’d like you to stay. You were the ones who found her.” He nodded and stood back with Naruto. Aneko wiped her eyes and blew her nose. “Now, what were you assigned to do that’s taken ten years to complete?” Shizune’s jaw dropped.

“Classified…” Aneko said without hesitation. Then she realized what she said and shook her head. “Gomen, reflex answer.” She apologized. Tsunade dismissed it.

“It’s only natural.” Aneko took a deep breath to steady herself, closing her eyes.

“Lord Hokage sent me on an undercover assassination mission ten years ago. He’d given me five to complete it, but it wasn’t as easy as I’d… either of us… anticipated. It was extremely hard to gain my target’s trust. I nearly failed the mission and got myself killed, but I persisted, and eventually my luck came through. I killed him not two days ago, covering it up to look like a terrorist attack.” She said, opening her eyes again to see Tsunade nodding.

“Those missions are quite delicate. It’s understandable that it took so long.” She smiled sadly. “Well, now that you’re back, let’s wrap up your report.” She motioned for Shizune to get Aneko’s file from the archive.

“Arigato, Lady Hokage.” She inclined her head politely.

“Now boys, let’s move on to you.” Both boys walked forward and Aneko stood to get out of the way. She went over to the window, gazing out onto the lit up village. She’d forgotten how beautiful it was at night. She couldn’t wait until she could get back home and sleep in her own bed. ‘That is, if my apartment is still there.’ She winced. With Sarutobi gone, it might have gotten rented out to someone else. She hoped not, though. Suddenly, a Jonin burst through the door in a panic.

“Lady Hokage! We’ve found the bodies of eight foreign shinobi just inside the border to Fire country! We also found this.” He held up Aneko’s bloodstained kimono, and Tsunade’s eyes widened.

“Dear God…” Aneko stepped forward.

“It’s mine. I left it there.” The boys nodded, and Tsunade was rightly confused. “Those eight shinobi were my escorts. I was still playing the role of bereaved princess escaping her palace that was under attack by terrorists. They were just loose ends that needed getting rid of, so I took them out.” She motioned to Naruto and Sasuke. “Those two Jonin heard me scream in all the commotion, and that’s how they found me.” She explained, and Tsunade let out a sigh of relief, her body visibly relaxing.

“Well thank God for that. Send an ANBU disposal team out to clean it up, but take no further action. Good work, Tatami-san.” She dismissed him, and Iwashi bowed before heading out of the room. Aneko’s head started swimming, and she had to lean against a wall before she fell over.

“Too much adrenaline for one day…” She mumbled, and Naruto went to get her some water. She took it gratefully, smiling up at him. “Arigato. I’m sorry to have caused so much trouble.” Tsunade smiled.

“You were just doing your job.” Shizune burst into the room next, carrying a thick file with a large red stamp on the front. She looked panicked, and she whispered something hurriedly to Tsunade, who gasped. “Naruto! Sasuke! Restrain her!” Aneko didn’t know what hit her as Naruto pinned her arms behind her back and Sasuke slapped a chakra dampening seal on her chest. She fell to her knees, and her head jarred forward, her black hair curtaining around her face. Naruto had to kneel down behind her in order to keep a hold on her.

“Nani?” Aneko was confused, and a little scared, but she didn’t dare resist.

“Gomen. That was prolly a little too much force.” Naruto apologized, whispering in her ear. Aneko was left blinking, trying to figure out what could have prompted this. Tsunade opened the folder, and Aneko saw what the red stamp on the front read, and her eyes widened.

“Rogue-nin?” She said almost to herself. The older woman read through the file, her frown deepening with each page.

“Hiroshi, Aneko. Born July 27, 1192. Graduated from the Academy at age 11; made ANBU at age 14, first under the command of Yadara Ryuu, now deceased, then under the command of Uchiha Itachi.” Sasuke’s eyes widened in shock as he looked down at her. She didn’t move. “Was reported missing shortly after the Uchiha Massacre of 1208, classified as a rogue-nin shortly thereafter due to extensive evidence as a conspirator in said massacre.” She flinched there, wanting to protest, but Tsunade wouldn’t let her speak. “Hiroshi Aneko.” She addressed, and Aneko looked up, tears in her eyes.

“Hokage-sama?” She tried to harden herself, knowing what was coming.

“You are being charged with conspiracy, premeditated mass murder, aiding and abetting, obstruction of justice, fleeing the law, and perjury. Do you understand these charges as they have been issued to you?” Her voice was hard.

“Hai.” She said simply. She was already in deep, she didn’t need to go and dig herself a new grave. Tsunade sighed, closing the file.

“Take her into custody.” She said quietly. Naruto pulled gently, helping her stand back up. The three bowed to the Hokage before walking out of the room. A few tears escaped, unchecked because her hands were tied behind her back.

“I guess no matter what, your past will come back to haunt you.” She mused darkly. Naruto winced.

“You didn’t really do all those things, did you?” He honestly didn’t think someone like her would commit such crimes.

“All but one.” Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

“That being?”

“From the time I met you two out there in the field, I never once lied. The claim of perjury is false, and she’ll see that eventually through reading the details of my last mission.” She explained. Naruto sighed, unwilling to believe that this girl was a mass murderer. He’d barely met her, but he praised himself for his judge of character. They reached the holding cells, opening one and sealing her inside. She took off Naruto’s cloak and handed it back to him. She smirked and half saluted the two boys, going over to lie down on the cot inside her cell. She heard the footsteps of the boys as they walked away, and her smirk went away. She sighed, rolling over to face the wall. ‘You haunt me wherever I go, taichou. I just can’t escape.’

A/N: Whee, first chapter up! And it only took me a month XP… Okay, so this project will be a slow one. Then again I’m working on, like, seven different fanfics at once? Somebody slap me with a clue-by-four… lol… Anywho, I couldn’t find a canon ANBU captain that fit the time frame, so I invented one. Not only that, but Aneko didn’t know his real name, just his codename, which is pretty typical for ANBU. Other than a few flashbacks, he won’t be mentioned much. I could have gone with her being under Kakashi like Yamato was, seeing as they’re around the same age, but I already have her involved in three other characters’ pasts. Didn’t need more, lol… Trying not to make her Sue-ish, as I abhor those little abominations of the literary world. Oh, and if you don’t understand the Japanese words, look them up ^_^ they should be relatively easy to find. Anyway, much love. Ami-Chan goes POOF!