The mansion, like everything else in Konoha, seemed to be endless. Kara, Soren and Ray led Kusinada through a maze of corridors, snaking every which way, and soon, she had no idea where they were.

The green carpets and dark ebony walls were beginning to make Kusinada sick. She felt like she was walking through a giant pool table, like a little mouse who was supposed to show his deductive skills by finding the cheese. Well, she doubted there to be any cheese at the end of this rainbow. Suddenly they stopped in front of, yes; you guessed it, a large ebony door. Kara knocked.

“Hokage-sama! We have brought someone here to see you!”

“Neh? Who’d that be? It’s a Sunday, I was just about to take my break.”

“Forgive us, Hokage-sama! We will be sure to make this quick.”

“Fine, fine, bring them in.”

“Thank you, Hokage-sama!”

Hokage-sama, Hokage-sama, Hokage-sama. Geez. What is it with these people and honorifics? Well, it’s kind of cute, so I guess I shouldn’t get annoyed, Kusinada chuckled to herself.

The door opened to reveal a dashing older man, who greatly resembled the young man she had seen earlier. The differences-- he had a goofy grin plastered on his face and his eyes were both the deepest most complete blue you would ever see.

He held out his hand. “Uzumaki Naruto, Rokudaime Hokage of Konoha. And you?”

Kusinada took the outstretched hand. “Kusinada, sir. Uchiha Kusinada.”

“Uchiha...? You’ve got to kidding me, dattebayo...” he breathed.

“N-no sir”

Well, it looks like I’m going to need to discuss this over a bowl of ramen.”

The two were soon settled down at the counter of Ichiraku Ramen. Naruto had placed his usual order, and Kusinada had decided to have the same.

“Neh, you’re a ramen lover as well?” he asked cheerfully.

“Um, actually, I’ve never had it in my life!”

“Ah, well there’s a first time for everything I suppose!”

She couldn’t help but smile back at him as his grin penetrated her being again. It was sincere. He was actually happy. “So, Kusinada, who are your parents? You’re a bit too young to be Itachi’s so...”

“Yeah, my dad’s Uchiha Sasuke.” She found herself opening up to the man.

“He was never really around much, you know. He didn’t really care about me or my mom, Karin. Whenever he was in Oto, I felt really guarded. I mean, if I got on his bad side, I knew he wouldn’t hesitate to kill me,” she was nearly in tears at this point, “and so I would put on a show for him,” her voice cracked, “but, deep down, I only wanted him to accept me for who I truly was. But, I know he wouldn’t. I’m not who he wants me to be. I don’t have the heart to obtain the Mangekyou Sharingan, and I don’t have the strength to become like him.” She was crying now, unable to control the emotions running through her.

She was about to continue, but decided to look up into Naruto’s understanding blue eyes. The breath left her body, and she lost the strength to keep talking.

“You have to be pretty heartless to become like Sasuke, so I’m glad you didn’t.” He took a deep breath before continuing.

“Once upon a time, he was everyone’s dream. But then, something happened. Something...changed. It was my fault. The whole thing was all my fault. I beat myself up over it every day, trying to understand where I went wrong, what I did to push him away...”

“It wasn’t your fault!” chimed in Teuchi, the owner of Ichiraku. “The fool left on his own accord, how could you have stopped him!?”

“It was my fault old man, and don’t deny it,” Naruto’s voice had suddenly gone cold. “I’m sorry Kusinada. But, I know that Sasuke has a heart left in him somewhere, no matter how small it is. He cares...you have to believe it.”

Kusinada sighed. “Yeah, whatever. Anyways, I’ve come to get away from Otogakure. Any chance I could stick around here?”

He smiled, but didn’t grin. It was a smile full of sadness and wisdom far beyond his age. “Of course. You can stay with my family and me in the mansion if you’d like.”

“That’d be sweet!”

“Ok then,” he sad, cheerful once more, “it’s settled! Go on back and tell my wife Hinata about your situation, and she’ll give you a room.”

“Ok!” Kusinada said brightly. She inhaled the rest of the ramen, commented on how good it tasted, and then sped out of the booth. Halfway to the mansion, she realized she forgot to ask him where in the giant pool table Hinata was located.

“Oh joy...” She was about to turn around and ask him when she realized she should try and find her way for herself. She was going to live there after all.

It was, once again, a long walk down the main street to the mansion. When she arrived, she was met with a rather...interesting sight. A young man much taller than her, with longish black hair was trying to get the guards to let him in. They were trying to calm him, but he seemed hell bent on seeing the Hokage.

As she approached, she heard what he was saying to them. He was muttering it, seeming to talk more to himself than to them, but she knew that wasn’t the case.

“Pathetic little maggots. You stand here all day thinking you’re just the greatest, but you’ve really just become weak,” he pushed them aside, “haven’t you?”

With that, he disappeared within the mansion, ignoring the guards’ shouts that the Hokage was out.

“Damn that Lance,” one of them muttered as Kusinada made her way innocently by.

There’s one mystery of the world that no one has ever paid any mind to solve. Perhaps it’s thought to be unimportant or perhaps there’s no explanation within human comprehension, but the fact was-- everything looks different when you’re alone. Even the sunniest, most innocent meadow can look sinister when you’re standing in it alone. The Hokage Mansion was scary enough WITH people standing by you, so being alone in it made Kusinada...very on edge. Every little bump made her jump.

Every little bump also made her remember things that had happened to her recently. Little images flew through her head, unwelcome, but she found focusing on them was easier then trying to focus on staying alive in this creepy building. There were the unimportant things- training, walking through the forest- there were the depressing things- her parents, just about any holiday, trying to sleep- and then, there were the good things. The moments Kusinada lived for.

She saw that young man over and over again. Raiden. What was his secret? He seemed so upset when she saw him. She wished she could help him, but she knew that’d be strange for him. They didn’t know each other at all anyway.

Then there was Naruto. Even the memory of his blue eyes penetrated her soul. They were amazing eyes. Kusinada knew from that moment on that she wanted to be like him. Not Hokage no, but kind, generous and happy like him. A person who knows what it means to live.

Who was she? She didn’t know herself. But she’d strive to be like the Hokage. She wanted to live like him. She didn’t know who she was anymore, but she knew she could be whoever she wanted. So, here she was, walking through the halls of the Hokage mansion, ready to start a new life.