I woke up to the increasingly familiar and sterile scent of the hospital. Blinking away the haze, my eyes found my mom sitting by the bedside, her hand gently stroking my hair.

"Well, look who's awake," she greeted, her voice soft and soothing. She was trying to hide it behind a warm smile but I could see the worry lingering in her eyes.

"Mom?" I mumbled, my head feeling woozy. "What happened?"

"You gave me quite a scare, Taka," she said, her smile widening. "Seems like you're determined to shorten my years with worry. Luckily for you, chakra exhaustion doesn't affect kids as much as adults. Your energies are still not used to being chakra. That doesn't mean you're free though. You're grounded. For a year."

"A year? How will I ever practice?"

I tried to sit up, but a gentle hand on my shoulder guided me back down. "Easy there, little S-rank. The doctor said you need some rest."

"But the Kazekage's office..." I began, only to be interrupted by mom's chuckle.

"You really are your father's son," she remarked, her laughter softening the edges of the hospital room. "Always in a hurry to prove yourself."

I frowned, "What day is it? I still have a day right? For the challenge?"

"Unfortunately, today's the seventh day and as the doctor recommended a full day of bed rest, it seems like you'll have to be content with learning puppetry." She smiled down at me as I deflated with defeat. "It isn't that bad now is it? Puppetry is a perfectly respectable division of the shinobi arts."

"It isn't as cool as sealing though."

"That's true." She admitted. We drifted into a comfortable silence as she stroked my hair. No sealing for me. That'll delay my plans for at least a year. Doesn't change much though. Puppetry has always been part of my plans. I peeked up as a thought occurred to me. "Mom?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you plan with Renji to stop the kazekage from seeing me?"

"No." Reading the expression on my face, she continued. "As surprising as it seems, I don't need to plan with anyone to know that you won't be able to get the Kazekage's hat. I was expecting you to at least get an audience with him and if you did manage to get the hat, you'll be too smart for fuinjutsu."

"Why though? Why won't the kazekage see me? Isn't he my uncle?"

She sat quietly, gathering her thoughts. "You see Taka, your father and his brother didn't have the best relationship. They were both divided by their drive to be acknowledged by their father."

"Even if he doesn't like dad, does that mean he should hate me?"

"Rasa doesn't hate you. Your uncle is just a man who isn't great at expressing his affections openly. We should be thankful for the things he's done. He's willing to put his matters of the village first over his personal matters. Don't take it to heart." She sighed." Even his children don't see him as much as they should."

"He has children?" I asked, genuinely surprised. I shouldn't be but I didn't hear anything about them. I just assumed they haven't been born yet.

Mom's gaze softened, and she nodded. "Yes, he does. You have two cousins. Kankuro and Temari. Temari is two years old and Kankuro is one. They're the cutest kids you'll ever meet. Do you want to meet them?"

Stolen novel; please report.

"I can?"

"Of course. Just because you can't get a meeting with the head of the village doesn't mean you can't visit your cousins." She answered with a laugh.

I shouldn't be surprised that I couldn't see the Kazekage. In fact, I should be blaming myself for accepting the challenge even if it was my idea. This was the same man who sealed the one-tailed beast in his newborn son. Using the standards of the shinobi world, he isn't evil but he sure isn't good either. That's the truth of the world I'm heading into. There's no space for good people. (Ignore Naruto. That dude's the main character and has plot armor.)

The hospital room's atmosphere shifted as the door creaked open. A tall and imposing figure walked in. With dark hair that cascaded down the side of his face, piercing blue eyes, black turtleneck, a pair of black pants, black boots and a black trench coat, he looked like Suna's version of John Wick or is it Keanu Reeves? Nah. This dude is John Wick.

As he entered, his headband gleamed in the light of the setting sun coming in through the windows. commanding the attention of the room. Mom greeted him with a respectful nod, "Captain."

The man acknowledged her with a nod before turning his attention to me. His deep voice resonated in the room as he spoke, "So, this is the little ninja who tried to infiltrate the Kazekage's office. Hanako spoke highly of your determination."

I shot up in the bed, recognizing the voice that had echoed through the ANBU fox mask during my infiltration mission. His features were stern yet carried a sense of relaxed calm. "Who? What…? How do you know my mom?"

"Taka, this is Kurogane, my captain in the ANBU corps. Captain, my son, Taka."

My jaw dropped in amazement. "You're in ANBU?" My gaze turned to mom. "Why didn't you tell me?" my voice filled with incredulous outrage.

"What, you didn't think your mom was impressive did you?" Mom watched me with a smug smile as I sputtered.

My gaze turned to the captain. His eyes bore into mine for a moment before he spoke, "Impressive attempt, Taka. Your execution was, frankly, crap, but it showed potential. Determination can take you far in the ninja world."

A mixture of awe and realization settled in as I processed the fact that the ANBU who caught me was my mom's captain. My mom, an ANBU? The thought seemed surreal. All this while I've been living with a certified badass and I had no idea. She even offered to teach me! I'm an idiot. Wait a minute, I've been complimented by an ANBU captain!

Hanako nodded, a hint of pride in her gaze. "He's impressive isn't he?"

"He reminds me of you."

"Mom's a future S-rank like me?" I asked eagerly.

The Captain chuckled, "Your mom's one of the best, despite her reckless son."

Mom shot him a playful glare, but her eyes softened as she looked at me. "Taka, Captain Kurogane has an offer for you."

Kurogane's gaze shifted to me, and he spoke with a certain weight in his words, "I see potential in you, kid. With proper training, you'll go far. How about becoming my student? I'll teach you the ropes, help you hone your skills."

I stared at him, wide-eyed. An ANBU captain offering to take me under his wing? It felt like a dream. My eyes shifted to mom.

"The decision is yours, Taka. If you're willing to put in the effort, Captain Kurogane will train you."

Without a second thought, I blurted out, "Yes! I want to learn from Captain Kurogane!"

The Captain nodded in approval, "Good choice, kid. Train hard, and who knows, you might even surpass your mom one day."

With that, Kurogane - sorry, Kurogane-sensei - gave a brief nod, turned, and left the room, leaving behind a palpable sense of anticipation. I looked at mom with wide eyes, still processing the whirlwind of events.

Hanako smiled, "It's a big opportunity, Taka. Train well, and remember, the path of a ninja demands discipline and perseverance." All I could do was nod my head.

The room fell into a comfortable silence, broken only by the hum of the hospital machinery. Mom leaned in, pressing a gentle kiss on my forehead. "You should get some more sleep, sweetheart. The doctor said you need it."

Nestling back into the pillows, I couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions. The world I thought I understood had thrown another curveball. There's no moon, the Kazekage was a prick obsessed with his duty to the village and an ANBU captain wanted to take me under his wing!

Mom started to sing a soft lullaby, her voice a tender melody that gradually lulled me back into the realm of dreams.

As her voice faded, I drifted into a peaceful slumber, surrounded by the warmth of her presence. If things went well, I might have to increase my future rank to SS-rank. Even if my infiltration ended with disaster, things were looking up.

Watch out Kakashi, I'm coming for your academy record.