Misa entered the house that was chosen as a make-shift command center and found Hatake-taicho sitting behind a table.

The man spotted Misa's distraught expression and suddenly had a sinking feeling. ​​

"Jonin Misa, what's the situation?"

"Hatake-taicho," Misa sadly shook her head. "Kira, Rika, and Ikaru are dead. The forest is packed with explosive tags and traps. All high-quality without delay or any signs before activation. The enemy has a skilled futon user as the weapons were infused with futon chakra. We first..."

She proceeded to explain the entire situation to the slightest of detail.

"Any visuals?"

"No," Misa denied. "Only two running kids but even then it was a fleeting thing from far away. I, however, don't think a kid would be able to-"

"You would be surprised." Sazo interrupted her with narrowed eyes. "Paper shurikens you say... It may be some new Kekkei Genkai. We have to report it." He sighed and dragged his hand through his tired eyes.

"This is a disaster, Misa."

"Yes... Sazo."

The two knew each other as both had a thing for ninken. They just hated to let it be known.

"22 casualties on a mission to take over a civilian town. It couldn't get any wors-"

Just then Konan's explosive tags in the forest, that was the entire reason the town was being taken over, went off. Misa and Sazo had to brace themselves as a hundred explosions rattled the forest and created a small earthquake.

Sazo hurriedly ran to the window and what he saw made him swear worse than a sailor.

The forests around were... burning. The sky was painted orange as the flames quickly spread through the trees, reaching far above the treetops, irreparably destroying the forest.

Sazo could only bitterly watch as the strategic advantage of home-field turned into dust. This mission was an utter... failure.

...

Both Konan and Rei panted from the long run as they saw the forest burn.

"Good. We managed to make the trackers turn around." Rei smiled slightly.

Konan, hearing him, hugged his arm to her chest in relief as her forehead rested on his shoulder. They are alive. For now.

The two kids proceeded to trek through the stony fields away from the edge of the forest. Their direction... unknown.

...

Night fell and both Rei and Konan were shivering under a make-shift roof made of Konan's papers. The air was still shivering though and even huddled together it was very cold.

Rei sighed and took out a paper and started drawing with his chakra-infused ink.

'Warmth'

He then made a few additional numeric parameters and activated the seal. Putting it on himself, he could feel warm again, as if he was under the sun. It was not hot but it was incredibly pleasant.

He swiftly made another seal for Konan who smiled at him for it.

Before he could smile in return, he found Konan's lips pressing into his for the first time in the time they lived together.

Flushed Konan flopped back into the spot next to him and meekly looked to the ground as she fumbled with her fingers. Rei also had red cheeks and he couldn't help but think...

Girls really do mature sooner, don't they?

He scratched his cheek with his left hand and with his right he cupped Konan's cheek, raising her head so her eyes would meet his. As the second their eyes met, Rei pressed his lips onto Konan's cheek.

After a few seconds, he pulled away with a small smile.

"Thank you."

"Thank you too."

They slept, embracing each other, feeling warm and safe.

...

The next few weeks gave Rei a hard lesson. Life without a home, 'on the run' is not easy. Konan could take care of finding, or better said, creating a shelter and he could create nifty runes to provide warmth. Water was abundant in the Ame no Kuni but... he still missed bed. A place he felt safe.

Slightly, during these weeks, the meaning of home shifted in his mind. He no longer associated it with a building or village. He now associated it with Konan.

He could feel at ease and protected when he was with her. The same could be said about Konan. The two kids quickly learned how to fend for themselves in the wild and avoid skirmishes of shinobi. Needless to say, Rei and Konan only stayed out of sight and range.

They were getting more and more daring. Learning by doing. As they came to witness more and more battles, scavenged battlefields for money, seals, and weapons, their chakra senses caught on many shinobi and the way they controlled their chakra. Rei could detect hiding shinobi easily thanks to his natural energy sensing and through that, he managed to 'create' chakra hiding technique. He found out that if he adds a sliver of natural energy on top of his chakra signature, he is basically invisible to chakra sensors as they were unable to sense it.

At the end of the third week, both Konan and Rei were bunking in a small cave, holding hands as Rei still thought about a method for teaching Konan the chakra hiding technique. No matter what, he was sure, the girl would be able to use natural energy for it. It was an external technique and as such, not dangerous. The problem was she could not sense the natural energy. If she could sense it, she could learn how to control it. Not entirely. But masking her chakra would be enough for now.

He was racking his brain about it when suddenly Konan shook him.

"Are you thinking about a new seal?" She asked with excited eyes. Rei quickly found out the girl loved it when he showed her his seals. Anything he showed her, really. By now, Rei knew that Konan was his for life. The girl would never even think about betraying him and it warmed his heart. In only a slightly over a year, he managed to inspire enough loyalty in the girl as Yahiko did after ten years of living with her. Of course, he was smug about it! He just didn't like her tendencies and her way of thinking. She would gladly be left behind if it meant Rei would survive.

That's the main reason why Rei decided to make them stronger, subtler, invisible. He did not want to encounter such a situation. Konan was his and he would be damned if he let anyone take her from him!

"Ah? Seal?"

Konan expectantly bobbed her head up and down.

But... seal. Hm?

Rei thought as he was patting delighted Konan's head. The cute girl became his pillar of support in this dangerous world. He remembered how she alerted him of the shinobi and smiled to himself. He had to focus on sensing. Konan sensed in a limited way unconsciously and could channel it through her papers. It was a very useful thing. Her sens-

Ah!

An idea flashed through Rei's head. Lately, any problem of his had one solution. Seals. So, why not this time too? He only had to make sure Konan was able to sense the natural energy for a bit until she learned how to control it to hide her chakra! He didn't need to make her into Sage or something!

Rei whipped out sealing supplies and furiously started writing.

'Senses' 'Link' 'Time'

He set parameters and the seal that would link his and Konan senses for a few minutes was created.

Rei didn't even think much about it. He was too ignorant to think more in-depth about what linking senses would do to two people or even how exactly would it be accomplished. Even if for a second.

Alas, the path to hell is paved with good intentions.

He gripped one side of the paper, where one end of the link was and smiled at Konan.

"Here. This should help me teach you how to hide your chakra!" Rei excitedly told Konan.

The girl trusted Rei with her very life and much more. She nodded excitedly and with a determination took a hold on the other side of the paper, right on the other end of the link.

The two children instantly froze, their eyes wide as their mouth opened in a soundless scream.

The seal did exactly what it was supposed to do. It... linked.

And their souls... clashed.