Plans are one thing, but as I approached the closed gate, I found a tiny figure sitting next to it and drawing something sadly in the dirt with a stick. The girl, who appeared to be about three or four years old, was wearing a neat but worn beige dress with flowers and light sandals.
Her short dark hair partially covered her face, making it hard to see clearly, and her knees and elbows were covered in scratches and scrapes, indicating an active child. I stopped nearby and wrestled with myself for a moment, but decided to intervene — a minute or two wouldn't make a difference, and I couldn't remain indifferent any longer. I crouched down and patted the girl's tousled hair.
— "Why are you sitting here alone instead of going to play with your friends?" — I asked as gently as possible.
— "I'm waiting for Daddy," — the little one piped up sadly, still not lifting her head.
— "Well, if you were just waiting for him, you wouldn't look so sad," — I chided her gently.
— "He's late, even though he was supposed to come back three days ago."
Damn, usually, if a shinobi is delayed for three days, there's very little chance they'll return alive. In nine out of ten cases, this girl's father is dead. Of course, there's still a chance he's in the hospital, but in that case, all family members are informed, including the children, even if they are in an orphanage.
— "And your kaa-chan?" — I tried another approach.
— "Kaa-chan is very sick and can't take care of me, so tou-san brings me here during missions and then takes me home."
Yeah, this situation is pretty grim.
— "What's your name, little miracle?" — I asked with a sigh, healing her scratches and scrapes, which elicited an admiring sigh from the child.
— "Anko," — the little one said, looking up at me with her dark eyes, and my heart skipped a beat.
No way! After shaking off the shock and surprise — was she supposed to be born yet? — I was glad for the mask and glasses that made my facial expressions hard to read. At least, none of the surrounding people noticed my astonishment, and the green glow of the Shōsen Jutsu didn't waver.
But stumbling upon one of the well-known characters from Naruto manga so suddenly, and seeing a cool kunoichi at such a tender age, threw me off balance. Of course, I had hoped for something like this when starting this work with the orphanages, but honestly, I didn't expect results like this.
Trying to recognize an adult drawn character in a completely ordinary child is quite a challenge, considering the world. And what an adorable Anko she turned out to be! I would have hugged her if I wasn't afraid of a negative reaction. Damn, I don't have time to deal with her right now, and I don't want to leave her here like this — she already has a tough future ahead if no one intervenes.
— "Hmm, you know what, Anko-chan, how about I come by in a few days, and if your tou-san hasn't shown up by then, I'll give you a chance to see your mama," — I proposed. — "You remember the way home, right?"
We'll see then what she's sick with.
— "I remember," — she nodded seriously, and I felt myself practically melting with affection, looking at her serious little face.
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