Hanako

"Why?!" Sasuke suddenly snapped after remaining quiet for about two minutes. "Why are you here?!" He looked at me with gritted teeth.

I sighed and looked away. I wasn't ready for this. Why the hell did you have to open the damn door, Kakashi?!

I pressed my lips into a thin line. "That's quite a warm greeting..." I commented with a soft chuckle.

"Greeting?" Sasuke asked incredulously. "You think you deserve a greeting after what you did? Ha! Don't make me laugh!" I curled my hands into fists.

"I had no other choice..."

"You left! You ran away just like Itachi did!" I lifted my eyes to look at him directly. He was raging, saying the first things that came to his mind. I was surprised he hadn't attacked me yet. "How do I know that you weren't plotting with him all these years? After all, you two were inseparable, weren't you?!" My eyes widened before I narrowed them into slits.

"Kono...." Now it was my turn to grit my teeth.

"Hanako." Kakashi said in a warning tone as he looked at me with his eyes narrowed.

"Stay out of it, Kakashi." I replied. "This is between him and me." I activated my Sharingan to glare at the Genin. "You're speaking too much for a kid who can barely understand what happens around him."

"I'm speaking too much?" He raised an eyebrow. "Fine, let's hear you speak, then. How about an explanation on why you abandoned me five years ago?"

"I..."

"That's the only thing I want to hear." Sasuke said seriously. "This is the only chance I'll give you, Hanako. If you can't answer me, you're just as bad as Itachi." My eyes widened at that.

"Fine." I sighed as I looked at the ground. "I'll tell you everything...you deserve the truth, Sasuke." I smiled softly at him before I turned to look at Kakashi. "Would you mind?"

The silver haired Jonin looked at me with narrowed eyes before he nodded softly. "All right. But you know, I'll still ask you about it. And I'll keep asking, until you answer me." he said as he walked outside the apartment. Sasuke and I both looked at him as he left, before I let the raven haired boy inside—closing the door swiftly behind him.

"So?" Sasuke looked at me expectantly.

"Take a seat." I motioned him to the couch in my living room. "This will take a while."

* * *

Hyori

"What the...?" I muttered as I watched Takeshi sprint out of the restaurant.

"Wow! Nice one, Ren!" Kaichi laughed as he lifted his hand towards his teammate—waiting for him to high-five it. "Even I believed you for a moment."

"I wasn't joking..." Ren muttered as he looked down at the table they were sitting at. "I really saw her."

"Don't tell me you can see dead people!" Kaichi raised an eyebrow at him.

"No..." Ren sighed. "I really....you know what?" He shook his head with a chuckle. "Just forget about it." After that, Ren stood up and started heading outside of the restaurant.

"Oi, Ren!" Kaichi called after him as he stood up as well. "Where are you going?"

The blue haired boy only lifted his hand to wave at him with his back still turned to him.

"Oh, come on!" Kaichi clicked his tongue and followed him. "You're not mad, are you?"

I only stared at them silently as they left the restaurant. Was it true? Had Ren really seen Hanako?

"Do you believe him?" I suddenly turned to look at Kazuki when I heard his voice.

I pressed my lips into a thin line. "I don't know..." I sighed. "Ren doesn't lie, but... I don't know, it's just been too long for me to believe anything anymore."

Kazuki nodded and stood up from the table. "Why don't we take a walk?" He smiled at me. "I've never actually hung out with only you, Senju."

My eyes widened slightly at how he smiled at me and I felt a strange warmth creep into my cheeks. "O-Okay..." I stood up and followed him.

We walked towards the park and I smiled slightly when the big lake came into view. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" Kazuki said, looking away into the horizon behind the mountains.

"Yeah..."

"When I heard that the Uchiha Clan had been massacred, I remembered that Hanako used to like coming here when something bothered her. She sat right at the edge of the dock and just observed her reflection on the water." I looked at him. "She kept silently asking herself: 'What am I doing wrong? When will I get some answers?'." My gaze drifted back down to the lake and I swore I could picture the brunette sitting there with a gloomy façade and silent tears rolling down her cheeks. "But I never knew what she was talking about. She was always so secretive, she never told us that there was trouble in her life. She tried to hide her pain from us whenever she could. We even found out about her father's death when we saw her wearing a black robe and she said that it was for her father's funeral." My eyes widened at that.

She never told them anything?

"We care about her, and both Takeshi and I believe she's alive, somewhere, trying to hold onto the little happiness that must be still there waiting for her." Kazuki tightened his hands into fists. "But I already accepted that wherever she is, she doesn't want us to get involved in her life. Takeshi will never do that, obviously, but I have to be there for him when she pushes him away again." He chuckled at that. "And maybe knock some sense into Uchiha while I'm at it."

"Hanako..." I muttered silently, gaining Kazuki's attention. "She knows everything there is to know about me, but I don't really know anything about her..."

Kazuki scoffed. "No, the only person she would open to was Itachi. The only person she would really smile at was Itachi. The only person who knows everything about her is..."

"Itachi..." I finished for him with a sigh.

"And unfortunately, he's the only one who can make her happy...even after what he did."

"You think she might have left to look for him?" I asked with a frown.

He shrugged. "It's only a possibility. But we may not be too far from finding out the truth."

"Where are you getting at?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

He smirked. "I think we both want to know what's hidden behind the name Uchiha Hanako. We want to know her background, her ideals, her objectives... Who's Hanako in reality?" he asked. "I want to find that out, and I know you do, too. So, Senju Hyori, I have a proposition for you."

I looked intently at him waiting for him to speak. He got me right where he wanted me to be, and I had to admit that his proposal was quite interesting.

"This will be our own self-assigned S-rank mission. Find out Hanako's secrets."

* * *

Hanako

"So," Sasuke sighed as he sat on the couch and looked up at me. "Talk."

I scoffed, crossing my arms in front of my chest as I stood in front of him. "You've gotten a little bit too cocky, don't you think?" I raised an eyebrow as I looked down at him.

"Hmph," he scoffed. "Whatever I've become is none of your business. I just want to know your answer." He narrowed his eyes at me.

I smirked. "You have no right to speak to me like that, kid." I said as I sat on a chair in front of him that I had brought from the kitchen. "I'll answer your questions, as long as you answer mine."

"Then," He smirked back at me. "What questions do you have?"

"Your eyes." I said as I closed mine and reopened them with the Sharingan activated. "How developed are they?"

Sasuke just kept staring at me for a while without saying anything. I raised an eyebrow after a moment—deciding that it was too much of a tense atmosphere.

"Nothing?" I pressed. Sasuke only pursed his lips. "I see..." I sighed as my eyes faded back into the accustomed black. "Well, I guess I expected too much from you." My lips tilted up into a smirk when I noticed that his hands had tightened into fists. "You know, I was half your age when I mastered the Sharingan. How can you call yourself an Uchiha when you can't even use our clan's Kekkei Genkai?"

"Don't compare myself to you..." he hissed. "I will get stronger, I'll gain power..."

"Instead of power you should be worrying about your discipline." I frowned before I stood up. "No matter how much power you get, you can't use it properly until you grow up." I crossed my arms in front of my chest. "And not just physically."

"What can you know about it?"

"More than you, certainly." I smirked at him. "Unlike you, I have real combat experience, I have gone out on missions and I rank higher than you." I leaned closer to him. "I am a full-fledged shinobi while you're still an Academy brat."

"I already graduated." he said. "I'm a Genin."

I laughed at that. "You really think that the Bunshin no Jutsu is your graduation exam? Oh my... You're more ingenuous than I thought!" I had to cover my mouth to try to diminish my giggling. "Your real exam is tomorrow, Sasuke. Kakashi will be the one to evaluate you. He will decide if you're good enough to become Genin, but you're not a Genin yet. As I said, you're still an Academy brat." Sasuke's eyes widened when I said that. "Let's do this," I smirked. "I want to speak to you as your equal, so I'm going to tell you everything you want to know once you become a Genin, is that okay?"

Sasuke scoffed. "Then you better prepare what you are going to say. I will definitely pass the test."

I smirked wider. " I wouldn't be so confident. They say that no one has ever passed Kakashi's exam but," I shrugged. "I'll take your word on this."

+ + +

I walked through the Konoha street. When I woke up, I noticed that it was a beautiful morning. The sun was high in the cloudless blue sky. Birds were chirping as they flew from tree to tree. And the Village was as lively as I remembered it to be.

I smiled when I saw a couple pass by in front of me. They held hands and walked as they smiled at each other. Ignoring their problems as they only focused on themselves. They looked so happy.

My smile turned to sadness as I looked at the ground. Perhaps coming back to the Village wasn't very clever. Everywhere I looked, every thing I saw, reminded me of him. Of my family. Of my friends.

I missed all those things. And in the Village everything reminded me of them. Nothing was the same. I knew that, but it still didn't stop me from returning.

"Shisui," I muttered to myself as I stopped in the middle of the road and looked up at the sky. "How are you doing on the other side? Is it as beautiful as they say it is? Is Hikari up there with you? Are Mom and Dad? Are you watching me now?"

"I'm sure they are." I turned at the new voice that spoke behind me.

Kazuki was standing there, looking at me with a smile. I grinned happily and ran at him before I wrapped my arms around his torso.

"Whoa...!" I knew I almost made him fall down but I didn't care. I had missed him.

"I'm sorry. I already apologized to Takeshi but you weren't there, so I'll say it again." I pulled away to look at him. His blue eyes were wide with surprise. "I'm sorry for leaving like that. Without saying anything."

Kazuki smiled at me before he covered my mouth with his hand so I wouldn't say anything else. "I don't wanna hear it. It's okay." He pulled his hand away. "I forgive you."

My lips tilted up into a smile and I chuckled. "Thanks."

"But you do owe us an explanation." I recognized a new voice and my eyes widened. Standing behind Kazuki, was a blue eyed brunette, looking back at me as she stood in an idly position with her arms crossed in front of her chest and a stern look on her face.

"Hyori..." I mumbled as I walked past the raven haired boy. "It's been awhile."

"You think so, Uchiha?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Hmph." A smirk tugged on my lips. "Anyway, since when do you guys are together?" I asked while looking back at my former teammate.

"We're not together!" Hyori snapped with a frown. I looked back at her and bursted out laughing.

"Right, right...my bad." I dismissed the thought with a wave of my hand. "I just thought, since I saw you together and all..."

"We're just friends." Kazuki explained as he looked at me seriously. "I invited her to walk with me this morning since it was making a beautiful day."

I smiled. "I agree."

"Why did you leave, Hanako?" Hyori wrapped her hand around my arm and pulled me towards her. "Why the hell did you make us believe you were dead?!"

I chuckled at her angered face. It only earned me that she tightened her grip on my limb. "I had something to do."

"Is that all?!" she hissed, making me frown. "There has to be something else."

I reached to unclasp her hand from around my arm. "That is my problem. I'll tell you if I find it necessary."

"What does that mean?!"

I smirked. "It means...stay out of my business."

My grin widened when Hyori's eyes snapped open in bewilderment. "How can you say that?! Do you even have an idea of how worried I was about you?! I thought you were dead, Hanako, isn't that enough for you?!"

"You now know I wasn't, so I don't understand why you keep making a fuss about it."

"Try to make an effort..." she growled. "It's called comraderie."

"Well thanks a lot, but I don't need you to worry about me." Hyori pursed her lips as I stared intently into her light blue orbs. She then reached her hand to her pouch and pulled a photo out of it. All the while, my eyes remained on hers.

She threw the paper towards me and I caught it swiftly. It was a recent photo of her with her hosting family, A.K.A Kaichi's family. In it where: Kaichi standing with his mother in one corner, on the opposite side were Hyori with a nearly seven-year-old girl next to her, and lastly, in the middle stood two boys—identical to each other—joining their fists together as they smiled brightly towards the camera.

I could feel tears threatning to fall down as I stared into my brothers' faces. They seemed too happy...and that only made me wonder if they still remembered me, if they hated me for leaving them as much as Sasuke hates his brother for leaving him.

"I know those are your little brothers." Hyori said carefully as she analyzed my face. My eyes drifted back to hers slowly. "What was it so important that you opted for leaving what was left of your family?"

"They couldn't stay with me..." I muttered softly.

"Why not?" Hyori inquired with a soft voice.

"Listen, Hyori," I sighed as I gave the photograph back to her. "I have severed the bonds I had with them. And no matter what you say, you won't convince me to go back to them." I walked past her and continued my walk, away from her and Kazuki.

"Why are you always like this?!" she snapped at me, making me halt on my step. I looked at her from over my shoulder.

"Like this?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah! You're always so silent, so arrogant!" She bit her lip and fisted her hands. "Is it that you don't care about your family anymore, about your friends?!" I just stared at her. I knew that talking back to Hyori would only make things worse. "You don't say anything to anyone. You'd rather let them guess your feelings than help them understand your situation!" I watched expressionlessly as tears fell down her cheeks. Why would she care so much anyway? "How am I supposed to be your friend when I don't know anything about you? How can I say that I know you when I don't?" she sobbed. "How can I protect you when I don't even know if you're in danger?"

"Your job isn't to protect me." I snapped as I turned to look fully at her. "I want you to stop thinking about me, Hyori. This is not all about me."

"What are you saying?!" She gritted her teeth.

I wasn't sure if I really wanted to say what I was about to say, but there was no other choice. If I wanted to get out of here soon, I would have to do it anyway. "I'm saying that..." I started as I turned my back to her. "We should stop worrying about each other. And if our friendship is what's slowing you down, then we should severe that bond." I could hear her and Kazuki gasp and I turned to look at them. "I'm not the same person I used to be, and if when you saw me you expected to see the old Hanako, I'm sorry to disappoint you."

"Then what do you have to say about the Hanako that came here to hug me just a moment ago? Will you tell that it wasn't the Hanako that I'm seeing in front of me at the moment?" Kazuki interjected.

My eyes met his as I bit my lip. "Yes it is. I was just happy to see you." I smiled. "My point is, I don't want you to follow me around like lost puppies. I want you to follow your own path and stay away from mine. I've become powerful enough to watch out my own back."

"Are you sure about that?" Hyori narrowed her eyes at me as she wiped the tears from her face. I smirked at her. Her bipolar nature was coming to light again, and I had to admit that it amused me greatly. "I also have to say, Uchiha, that I'm not the same I used to be. And even if I have to, I will knock some common sense into your empty skull!"

In a moment, wood emerged from the ground around me and tied me tightly. My smirk widened as I looked up at her to notice that she had jumped over—with a kunai in her hand—and was falling quickly in my direction.

I narrowed my eyes as I made a seal with one of my hands. Even if I was trapped, I could freely move my fingers, and that was enough to summon my weapon. "Kama." Fire surrounded my hand as it took the form of the weapon and burned through the wood of Hyori's jutsu. I took advantage of the weakened state of the material and freed myself from her technique at the same time I moved the scythe in her direction.

She widened her eyes and used her kunai to defend herself from my attack. I smirked. Our positions seemed to have remained the same. No matter how much Hyori fought and attacked me, I would always turn the tables over.

"Suiton: Suiben." I looked over at Kazuki when I sensed him molding chakra. Water drops around us started to grow and suddenly sticked together to form a whip from around us to his hand. He took hold on the whip and it tightened itself around Hyori and me, making us crash into each other as we dropped our weapons. Her kunai nailed to the ground as my scythe disappeared into fire. "Is it really necessary to remind you that it is strictly prohibited to fight within civilian territory?" he asked tiredly.

"Come on, Mitokado. Still as party pooper as ever, aren't you?" I growled when I recognized the voice from the blond from Hyori's team.

"Oh, Kaichi?" Kazuki looked behind him to find the blond, with Ren and Takeshi along.

"What are you doing, Kazuki?" The brunet raised an eyebrow when he took notice of us.

"I presume from the annoyed look on their faces that they were both fighting each other but Kazuki-san interfered."

"That's what I meant by party pooper, Ren..." Kaichi shook his head as he massaged his temples.

"Tsk..." I clicked my tongue. "You guys are bothersome."

"We are?!" Hyori snapped at me. Again. "Who's the one who left the Village to mess around?!"

"I wasn't messing around!" I snapped back. I couldn't take it anymore.

"Oh really?! Then please explain to me what the heck were you doing!"

"That's none of your business!" I pressed my lips into a thin line before I made my way out of the whip's hold. The water fell to the ground as Hyori and I held a staredown.

"UGH!" Hyori stomped her feet as she looked at me angrily. "Why are you so thick headed?!"

"I'm not thick headed! You are!"

"You both are if I may add..." Takeshi sighed and Hyori and I both turned to look at him with a glare.

"WHAT?!"

"Nice, man..." Kaichi mumbled to him as he patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll organize your funeral."

"Komatsu..." Hyori muttered.

"Takeshi..." I continued.

"Ah?" He looked at us with widened eyes. "Did I say something wrong?"

He gulped when he heard Hyori crack her knuckles. "You have no idea..."

I smirked and summoned my Kama. "You better be ready."

"This time I'm not stopping them, good luck, Takeshi." Kazuki commented as he watched the brunet with a mocking grin.

"Do you want to see me die?!" The boy looked at his teammate with surprise and fear in his orbs.

"Of course not, but I can't stop them if they attack together." Kazuki shrugged making Ren and Kaichi laugh.

"Are you afraid of two little girls, Takeshi-kun?" Kaichi teased.

"Oh? You should be too, Kaichi-kun..." I looked at him as I used with him the same tone he had used with Takeshi. The blond looked at me and he immeadiately paled when he saw my grin.

"No, no!" he screamed while hiding behind Ren. "I didn't do anything, I swear!"

I almost laughed at him but I got distracted when suddenly a hawk circled over me and I looked up at it. "I have to go." I suddenly said when I recongized the bird to belong to the Hokage.

"What? But—" Hyori started but I didn't give her the time to finish when I disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

+ + +

It took me about two minutes to reach the Hokage tower. I knocked on the office door and waited patiently to be granted the permission to enter.

"Please, come inside, Hanako." I heard the Third say from the inside and carefully turned the handle. I opened the door to reveal the Hokage sitting at his desk—smoking from his pipe—looking through the window.

"You wanted to see me, Sandaime-sama?" I asked as I cleared my throat. The Third turned his head slowly towards me and smiled while removing the pipe from his mouth.

"Yes, I wanted to discuss with you some things before you were tested by Kakashi." I narrowed my eyes at that.

"What do we need to discuss, Hokage-sama?" I asked. The man looked at me seriously.

"I know you lied earlier, at Sasuke's house." I frowned. "Was it because Kakashi was there or because there's something you don't want me to know?" I could feel my heart stop beating at the seriousness in his voice, had he realized it already?

"I don't know what you mean, Sandaime." I let out in a breath and mentally cursed. It was impossible to lie in the Hokage's face, the Third was excellent at deciphering body language.

The Hokage smirked at me as he stood up from his seat. "Where were you, during the five years you left the Village?" he asked. I looked at him as he paced around until he reached my side. "You can tell me, I'll guarantee that this will stay between you and me."

"That's what you said about the mission when I burnt down that town." I looked at him with a frown. "And yet Danzo found out about it."

"So, you are afraid Danzo may know about your doings?" The Hokage looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

I scoffed. "Hmph, I couldn't care less about that old man, but I think it would be better if I kept some things to myself."

"If you do that, I'll have no other choice but to force it out of you with Ibiki. Do you want to be interrogated so soon after returning home, Hanako?" My eyes widened at that. I was to be interrogated by Ibiki?

"I don't want that."

"Good, then tell me what I want to know." I looked at the Hokage and narrowed my eyes.

"Why do you think I lied?"

"Because when I asked what you knew about Itachi, I could tell that something was lingering in your mind. Also, you were staring too intently at me, as if daring me to say something else in the matter. You only do that when you feel threatened in some way, and it's because there's something you're hiding." I bit my lip.

I closed my eyes and sighed. I didn't like at all what the Hokage was implying about me, but I guess I couldn't snap at him about it. He was the Hokage after all, I suppose I would have to trust him then. I opened my eyes with the Mangekyo Sharingan activated and looked at the Hokage. His eyes fell on mine and we were immediately surrounded by black as I let my memories play around us.

I sat in the ground of one of Orochimaru's hideouts while I read through Amane's scroll. There was a big snake statue behind me, its bright yellow eyes glowed when being struck by the reflection of the fire's flame. Torches were lit up all around me, my lips tilted up into a smirk when I felt a familiar chakra coming in my direction. My eyes snapped up towards the entrance of the large room I was in to find the tall slender man appear in the opening. He wasn't alone. Another figure, slightly shorter, appeared beside him wearing a hood that covered his face. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Orochimaru," I said. "Who is that?"

"An old subordinate I wanted to introduce to you." I just remained silent while I watched them make their way towards me. "His name is Yakushi Kabuto, he's a medical-nin, I thought he could be useful for you. Especially given that your eyes are becoming troublesome." I glared at Orochimaru as he said that.

"I can deal with my own sight, I don't want anyone I don't know close to these eyes."

Orochimaru chuckled. "You can trust me, Hanako-san." Kabuto said as he looked up at me. He wore a pair of round glasses, which he accommodated over the bridge of his nose as he looked up at me. "It would be a problem if you suddenly become blind, particularly, if you haven't mastered Essence yet." I scowled at him.

"You told him about me." I stated as I looked back at the snake man. I could see the amusement dancing in his eyes as he looked back at me and I frowned.

I stood up from the place I was at and looked back at the subordinate. This guy had a strange vibe I didn't like. Where the hell did he come from?

"I can understand if you don't trust me, Hanako-san, but it will be a great advantage for both of us if we cooperate."

"Cooperate?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Kabuto works as a spy." Orochimaru said and my eyes shot at him. "He is currently gathering information on Sasori, a member of the Akatsuki and my old partner."

"You used to work with the Akatsuki?"

"Yes. I thought that by working with them, I could get closer to getting what I wanted, but they resulted in being just a hindrance." I smirked at that.

"I have just found you to be even more useful for me, Orochimaru." I commented. "What do you know about that organization?"

"I could tell you would have an interest in the Akatsuki from the moment you came. I have been watching you closely for these past five months, and now I think is about time we settled." Orochimaru said. "Kabuto here is my subordinate, but a few years ago he came upon Sasori, and when my old partner discovered his connection to me, he used in him his puppeteer jutsu to control him to spy on me. Once a year, he and Sasori would meet and 'report' to each other, Kabuto would drag information out of him and he would tell to the redhead about my whereabouts." The snake man smirked at me, showing his fangs as he grinned. "I can tell you now, how many active members does the Akatsuki have, from which Villages they come from, what their abilities are..." he drifted off as he made my interest perk. "But unfortunately, I don't think you can give me something as valuable in exchange."

"I can tell there's something you want from me," I sneered at him. "From the tone you're using, I presume you're willing to bargain?"

"There is a stone in the Uchiha sanctuary, in its surface there's written the whole story of how the shinobi world came to be, and the reason of the origin of chakra." The smirk in my lips was immediately wiped off from my face. "Only the Uchiha can read the stone and only they can enter the sanctuary. I will tell you everything you want to know about the Akatsuki, if you give me a transcript—which I know you have—of the Uchiha stone's script."

The memory started to fade and I watched the Hokage as he came back to his senses. He took a deep breath before he looked back at me with a relaxed frame.

"Is that what you wanted to know?" I asked. The Hokage closed his eyes as he serenely walked towards his chair.

"Orochimaru? So, he was also a member of the Akatsuki?"

"Yes, sir."

"How was he?" I looked at him. "Is he still performing his inhumane experiments?"

"Yes, sir." The Hokage sighed.

"I see..." I watched him as he intertwined his fingers together and rested his elbows over the desk. "That bargain most have been difficult for you, too. The Uchiha have their secrets, but the decision is on which would have been better to have retained silent."

"What's written on that stone is for the Uchiha only." I said with a smirk.

"So, you lied to him?"

"No," I shook my head. "I said I would give him the transcript I had of the stone, but I never mentioned that it was incomplete. When you make a deal, you have to be sure of what you offer and what you are asking in return. My win, his loss." I smirked.

The Hokage chuckled at that. "You are a clever girl. It would have never occurred to me that a little girl would be so capable of getting away with what she wanted." He looked up at me. "I'm expecting your performance this afternoon will be quite the show."

"Kakashi is not a rival for me," I smirked. "I will defeat him in no time."

"We will see about that," the Third commented. "Kakashi used to be my best ANBU, and even in his missions, he never got to use his whole power."

"I'm not the kind of opponent he would find in his old missions." I said with amusement in my voice. "But if he's as powerful as you suggest he is, then I can't wait to fight him myself."

"I think by now he should be finishing with his team," he said as he stood up from his chair. "Let's go pay them a visit."

"All right." I smiled.