Months went by and each one had found his place in his new functions. Itachi often went on long missions, his abilities being sought after, as well as Shisui's, whom he regularly accompanied on special forces missions.

Sasuke and Mitsuki supported each other during his absences, developing more and more their friendship, and avoiding them both a feeling of loneliness. She regularly waited for him at the exit of the academy, as if to take over from her older brother, and sometimes even took the time to chat with Naruto, in whom she found herself more and more. Sasuke had developed an unexpected relationship with him, Naruto seeing him more as a rival that he was vainly trying to surpass, while the young Uchiha pretended to find him uninteresting. They spent their time bickering, but Mitsuki could see through it, and even if it wasn't the desired result, she was still happy to see that they liked each other, in their own way.

In the hospital, it was more complicated for the girl. It was not uncommon for patients to refuse her for treatment, still considering her an enemy of Konoha. She often found herself having to settle for more menial tasks, in order to keep herself away from the people present. She did not give up though, practicing on larger and larger wounded animals under the watchful eye of the experienced doctors, who ardently supported her in her learning, aware of the precious value she could end up having by developing such abilities.

Even though she was giving her heart and soul to this task, the fact remained the same: she was bored, and felt alone. Aruna was there, of course, but he couldn't fill Mitsuki's heart alone, and the frustration that was growing in her by being left out of the missions didn't help her.As for Kakashi, not only was he not particularly welcome in the Uchiha household, but he too had been on mission after mission for some time. He didn't even bother to come and talk to her anymore anyway.

One evening, as she was coming out of a long shift at the hospital, a Ninja came to tell her that the Hokage wanted to see her immediately in his office. Exhausted after 48 hours of sleeplessness, she went to the office with a shuffling step. She knocked softly, and entered when the Sandaime invited her.

Inside were Shisui and Itachi, fresh back from their mission. A smile lit up Mitsuki's face, but she quickly changed her mind when she saw their closed faces.

"Ah, Mitsuki. I'm sorry to make you come so late, just after your shift... Unfortunately we're facing a delicate situation. Shisui and Itachi have just returned from an observation mission, classified as confidential. The orphanage where you come from has been complaining about several missing girls lately. I sent a team to investigate, and it seems that we are facing kidnappings, which are becoming more and more frequent. Unfortunately the trail is hard to follow, and that's why I brought you here. I would like you to go back with the boys on the spot. You know the establishment well, it will be easier for you to blend into the orphanage, in order to investigate discreetly from within. At the moment, only the director knows about this disturbance and Konoha's involvement, so I would ask you to be extremely discreet. Shisui and Itachi won't be able to enter without arousing suspicion, since as you know, this orphanage only welcomes girls... On the other hand, you are already known there, and still of age, we only have to simulate your exile from the village to convince them of the legitimacy of your presence. The boys will stay behind to watch over the operation, and intervene if things get out of hand. I ask you to be very careful, you will leave tomorrow at dawn" explained the Hokage.

Finally he was entrusted with a mission! It was imperative that they succeed as soon as possible to prove his usefulness in the field! The three young Chûnin greeted Hiruzen Sarutobi before taking the path towards their neighborhood.

"I don't like this... Itachi grumbled.

- What do you mean?" said Shisui.

- Can't you see that she's only going to be used as bait? his cousin pointed out.

- We'll be there to make sure she's safe.

- What if we're too late?

- She is quite capable of defending herself. It's not like you to lose your temper on a trivial mission...

- I'm not losing my temper, I'm just worried about what might happen to her...

- I'm here, you know..." Mitsuki interrupted them firmly, feeling somewhat left out of the conversation.

Itachi's face twisted into a grimace, he seemed genuinely upset.

"Itachi-kun, I thank you for worrying about me, but like you, I have earned and deserved the rank of Chûnin. This is the first time I've been deigned to take on an outdoor mission since we were no longer a team, and I intend to see it through. Besides, as Shisui so well points out, having you by my side, I'm sure that nothing will happen to me."

"Mitsuki, these girls have disappeared without a trace... We don't even know what happened to them, and if they are even alive! If we lose sight of you..." argued Itachi, incensed.

"That won't happen. We've been given a mission, Itachi. Don't let your feelings get in the way of the mission, or I'll be forced to go to the Hokage and choose another teammate for us." Shisui interrupted him curtly.

The tone hurt Itachi, but he relented under the authority of his more experienced cousin. He was right after all, it went against the Ninja code of honor, and most of all, he wouldn't accept to be pushed aside to let someone else watch over his friend.

They left Mitsuki in front of her house. She just wanted to take a good shower and go to bed. But Aruna was waiting for her in the kitchen, with a steaming plate on the table, to make sure she didn't forget to eat before going to bed. He knew her well, and knew that after a night on call, she would head for her room without even thinking about eating a thing.

Mitsuki loved the way he took care of her, like a parent would, and inwardly thanked the destiny that had allowed them to meet when she was just an unwanted orphan. They had been sharing their lives and this roof for three years now, three short years, and it was as if he had always been there for her.

She sat down in front of him and took the opportunity to tell him that she would probably leave for a few days. He was torn between the joy that she would finally be sent on a mission after having wished for it so much, and the worry that she would be able to accomplish a perilous mission, without even knowing where she was going.Mitsuki quickly ate her meal and went to her room to get as much rest as possible before leaving.

The next morning, the trio met at the gates of Konoha. The tension was palpable during the trip, the anxiety that was eating away at Itachi had not diminished during the night. They soon arrived at the orphanage, where they made a quick stop, out of sight. Shisui, who was in charge of the operation, repeated their plan:

"We are going to take you to the gates of the orphanage and explain that the Hokage no longer wishes to ensure your guardianship, as your presence has become too embarrassing for Konoha. You will have to leave your shinobi gear with us, so as not to arouse suspicion. After that, we won't be able to communicate... In order to be able to report to us every night on what you see or hear, Itachi will send you a raven at 10 pm, when the curfew is given and the first round is over. If you feel in danger... Well, find any way to warn us. I'm sorry I can't leave you even a flare, but I'm sure you have enough resources to get by. Please don't take any initiative that might put you in a difficult situation. And don't forget that for the people here, you never became a Ninja, so be careful to keep your cover."

Mitsuki nodded under Shisui's benevolent eye, and Itachi's ever more worried one, who didn't utter a word. She ignored him for the moment though, determined to prove to him that he had no reason to lose confidence in her, and immediately took off her Chûnin vest and the Konoha headband. She took off her bag of weapons, and handed her katana to her best friend, who held it so tightly that the knuckles turned white.

Shisui, thoughtful, handed her an ordinary coat, in dubious condition, as she shivered in the cool winter air that was coming. As she seemed ready, she glanced at her teammates with determination, before hugging them briefly to give herself another burst of courage. Shisui then grabbed her by the arm, like a captive, before the three of them made their way to the door of the orphanage.

"Be careful." murmured Itachi, as Shisui knocked curtly on the door, his fingers tightening slightly on Mitsuki's skin.

A stern looking old woman opened the door. She examined Mitsuki from head to toe as Shisui recited her announcement:

"We bring you Mitsuki Hata, under the order of the Third Name Hokage. Miss Hata's presence in the village is not wanted, and the tensions she creates with her behavior going against the security of the village, made the Sandaime put an end to her guardianship, without delay. It was therefore agreed that Mitsuki Hata would remain here until she came of age."

Mitsuki's face remained closed, almost brazen, accentuating Shisui's words. The old woman just sighed, before grumbling:

"What shall we do with you... Miss Hata? You were a problem here too, one I hoped to finally get rid of... And here you are again."

Mitsuki faced her stern gaze without looking away. The woman let out another angry growl, then invited her in. Before closing the door behind them, she told the boys:

"Please apologize to the Master Hokage for the trouble Miss Hata has caused. We have done our best to educate her and make her a good girl, but it seems that as we feared, her case is hopeless. We will see to it that she will not be able to act in any way, I swear it to you."

A shiver went down Itachi's spine as the door slammed in front of them. Mitsuki had entered the lion's den, he could feel it. And not only did they have to fight a mysterious enemy, but they had just handed her over to her former captors, and it was clear that they weren't going to give her a warm welcome. Mitsuki had always been very evasive about her past at the orphanage, but she had made it clear that she preferred to forget those painful years.

"Tsk..." he breathed through his teeth, earning a sidelong glance from his cousin.

"Trust her, Itachi. She's just as strong as any of us, this thing will be over before they even have a chance to get to her." he tried to calm him down.

Itachi didn't let himself be convinced. He escaped at once, quickly outrunning Shisui to reach their observation point.

They waited for a long time, when finally a light flashed briefly in one of the windows, indicating the room where Mitsuki must have been. Itachi's body seemed to relax for a second. She was there, following Shisui's instructions.

He materialized a big black raven and waited until 10pm and the end of the first watch of the guards to send it to the window they had spotted. Shisui did not take his eyes off Itachi, waiting more impatiently than he could admit for news of his young friend.

A smile played at the corner of Itachi's lips as the raven reappeared on his shoulder.

"What did she say?" questioned Shisui, curious to see him finally release his dark gaze.

"That everything is fine, that our story held up. And that if we sent that raven anywhere but to her window to get a good look, she'd come right back and kick our asses. The communal showers are apparently right next to her room, so she warned me that we had no right to make mistakes."

Shisui chuckled. Damn Mitsuki, she knew how to find the words to relax Itachi. This one turned over on his back before closing his eyes a little.

"I'll let you take the first watch, if you don't mind," he said with a yawn.

Shisui accepted. As if he had a choice! This idiot had surely not closed his eyes all night... He looked back at the orphanage, watching for any sign.

The night went by without a single sign of trouble. The Uchiha alternated their shifts, sometimes finding the time long. Itachi struggled to keep a raven from watching his friend's window all the while.

For her part, Mitsuki was not as serene as she had let on to her friends. She hadn't slept a wink all night, watching for noises in the corridors. She knew this quiet time would be short lived.

As the sun was just rising, her door unlocked, signaling the time to get up. She headed for the communal showers when a sarcastic voice called out to her:

"Hey, look who's back! The great Mitsuki Hata! The monster of Konoha! The one that many of us are rotting in here because of!"

Voices rose in the hallway, blaming her for her family's crimes, as a blonde woman Mitsuki knew all too well walked up to her.

"So Mitsuki? Did you miss these walls? Was four years of freedom too much for you?"

She pushed her out from in front of the shower door to walk past her, reminding her who was "in charge" here. Mitsuki chose to ignore the murmurs as she passed by, simply washing herself quickly before heading to the cafeteria. There she met only hateful looks, and every time she tried to sit down, she was told that she was not welcome. So nothing had changed.

"Mitsuki Hata. You are called to the director's office. I'm not taking you there, you know the way." announced one of the supervisors curtly.

"Tsk..." sighed the girl as she had to abandon her tray before she even touched it.

She walked over to the principal, closing the door behind her.

"Good morning, Mitsuki," she greeted her in a soft voice.

Of all the people in this orphanage, the director was the only one who never showed any hostility towards the girl. Mitsuki regularly took refuge in her office, when things became too complicated for her.

"I'm sorry to put you through this again..." the director apologized, remembering the perpetual harassment that the little wolf with the infamous name suffered.

"I'm just doing my duty, Mrs. Otaki. I've long since moved on from all that," Mitsuki assured her.

The two women discussed the recent events in the household. She counted a total of five missing orphans, all over ten years old, with no real common link except that no one would come looking for them, that they were probably isolated at the orphanage, and that therefore no one missed them, which justified the fact that it had taken five disappearances before the supervisors reacted.

"I understand how difficult it is for you to relive your past difficulties, even in the context of this mission, and I am sincerely grateful to you for coming to our aid."

It must be said that Mitsuki's profile was indeed ideal, she had experienced isolation more than anyone else, and no one here would care if she had had to experience it. Itachi had finally been right, she was unfortunately an excellent bait... She greeted the headmistress, putting on a closed face as she walked out. She walked along the walls, ignoring the spikes thrown at her. Rumors had quickly circulated about her, and everyone wanted to see and persecute the monster Mitsuki Hata.

Evening came, and she waited patiently for Itachi's raven. As she heard him pecking at the window, she put a big smile on her face, trying to be as reassuring as possible. She opened the door, and shared with him the latest data she had obtained from the director. She assured him that she was fine, and that she would do her best to find them. The crow cawed, revealing Itachi's Sharingan. It flew back to the two Uchiha with a flutter of its wings, while Mitsuki closed the window and went to bed.

Several days went by without anything happening, except for the usual insults from the other girls and the guards. That morning, one of them knocked on her door.

"Get dressed, you're on wood duty today," she ordered her brusquely.

She was going to have to go out, and she couldn't even warn her teammates, as the matron obviously had no intention of leaving her alone now. She hurried to get ready and followed the matron to the edge of the forest. Unfortunately, the path they took did not go past the Uchiha's vantage point, and she suddenly felt a bad feeling, the same trouble she had felt before, shortly before the attack that had taken her teammates.

She gritted her teeth, spontaneously putting herself on guard. The supervisor suddenly stopped, pointing to a denser wooded area a little further away. Mitsuki moved forward, meticulously starting to gather already cut branches. It was dark, but her ear picked up a cracking sound in front of her. Her heart was pounding, and she wondered if it was wise to call the boys, risking their mission. It was only a bad feeling, nothing seemed to put her in danger for the moment. She tried to regain her senses, continuing to carry out her arduous task.

A snicker erupted in the woods, making the young wolf shiver from head to toe. This time she could not be mistaken, someone was there, under the trees, and the aura she perceived left little doubt as to the nature of his intentions. She raised her hands in an attempt to throw a stick enough to catch the Uchiha's eye, but the bonds tied her up before she could make a move.

"That lady is beyond my expectations, Ms. Tenro," a man's voice hissed as he moved in Mitsuki's direction, while the guard stood behind her, cutting off her escape route.

That voice... It sounded familiar.

"So what do we have here?" the man continued, as Mitsuki's blood ran cold with each word he spoke, "Your red pupils leave little room for doubt as to your identity, young Hata. If I had known that such a treasure would be offered to me on a silver platter... But tell me, my little flower, what are you doing here? Don't you belong with good old Hiruzen, in Konoha? What a mistake to let such a marvel wither in this horrible establishment..."

As he monologued, his face suddenly appeared in the eyes of the girl. A waxy face, framed by long black hair, snake-like eyes ... But that she did not recognize. This man gave off such a malevolent aura, that Mitsuki felt cold sweat running down her spine. She froze, as if paralyzed. He had already put up a Genjutsu? She clenched her teeth as he continued to speak:

"What am I going to do with you?" he mused as he now stood only inches from her face, watching her as a predator would examine its prey, "That old Sarutobi has completely inhibited all your potential. I could make you stronger, freer, in exchange for some services... Or I could use you for some small experiments... The previous girls didn't have much to offer, compared to a rough diamond like you... I could keep you too, and use you when this old body is too worn out for me... So many possibilities, my beautiful flower... Let's take some time to think about it."

Mitsuki flinched, as he followed the line of her chin with one of his icy fingertips. He slipped a purse that looked full of coins to the servant, who disappeared, satisfied. He looked into Mitsuki's red eyes again, helpless and looking completely terrified.

"You're going to follow me nicely, little flower" he whispered as an order that he imposed on the girl's body, that she didn't control anymore.

His feet advanced without her being able to do anything about it. She had a thought for her friends, for Itachi, who would certainly be out of his mind when he would discover her absence tonight... They went into the forest, gradually moving away from the orphanage. So this man was responsible for the previous kidnappings... Was she going to find the previous victims alive? She clung to this slim hope, as he led her to one of his mysterious hideouts.