Before rescuing the infants, Kakashi hadn't considered the subsequent problem of their placement. Standing there now, he realized that saving lives was far more difficult than taking them.
"How are we supposed to take care of sixty-odd infants?"
Muttering to himself, he quickly searched the deceased medical ninja and found a registry book tucked in his chest pocket. It listed each infant's name alongside their corresponding parent's name. Each baby also wore a small tag around their neck for identification.
However, the registry contained no addresses.
This meant returning the infants one by one was impossible. Besides, caring for children... that was probably something girls were better at.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
Four walls of earth rose rapidly, enclosing the two carriages and protecting the infants within from any wild animals. With utmost speed, Kakashi rushed back towards the city to fetch Terumi Mei.
When the orange-haired girl was abruptly pulled over to the carriages filled with babies, her face was etched with disbelief.
"You... rescued them?"
"Yes."
Kakashi lowered the earth walls, and the sound of crying infants immediately filled the air again. Mei herself wasn't far removed from childhood; naturally, she had no idea how to care for babies either.
"Well, this is difficult," she murmured.
"Is there an orphanage or something similar nearby?" Kakashi asked. "I don't trust giving these children back to their parents – that would be like letting their parents sell them all over again. To solve this at the root, we either need to change their parents' mindset or make them understand the truth of what's happening."
"I know of an orphanage, inside the city," Mei replied. She began checking the infants' condition, quickly discovering the tell-tale needle marks on their arms. "But whether that orphanage can handle so many children, I don't know."
"Let's take them there first," Kakashi decided.
He mounted one of the horses and urged the two carriages back towards the city. The guards at the gate saw the familiar carriages approaching again and were about to step forward for questioning when Kakashi subtly caught them in a Genjutsu, allowing the carriages to pass unchallenged.
Navigating through several deserted backstreets to ensure they weren't followed, the silver-haired young man finally knocked on the large door of the orphanage.
"Is anyone there?"
The door creaked open slowly, and a single eye peered out from the crack. Judging by the height, it belonged to a child of about six or seven.
"Who are you?" the child asked cautiously.
"Who we are isn't important," Kakashi replied evenly. "What's important is that there are many children here who need your care."
"Are they orphans?"
"Yes."
The child inside opened the door a little wider, glancing at the carriages before observing Kakashi and Mei's appearance and clothing with some hesitation.
"I need to get the director."
"Alright."
The child left the door slightly ajar and hurried away. The sound of footsteps faded, then returned shortly after, accompanied by those of an ordinary-looking middle-aged woman.
"Why are there so many children?" the woman asked, her brow furrowing instantly as she approached the carriages. Seeing that Kakashi and Mei were mere teenagers themselves only deepened her suspicion. "What is your business here? While we have the space, our resources can't possibly support raising so many children."
"We are shinobi," Kakashi stated simply, tossing several pouches – still faintly stained with blood – towards her.
The middle-aged woman caught them without flinching. She clearly wasn't easily fazed; running an orphanage in a place like this required connections and resilience.
"Is this enough?" Kakashi asked.
"This will only cover them for a few months, maybe a year at most," she replied frankly. "We'll also need to hire more help."
"I'll figure out a way to get more money later," Kakashi assured her. "Can we bring the children inside first?"
"You may."
Kakashi and Mei dismounted, opened the carriage compartments, and, each carrying an infant, followed the woman deeper into the orphanage.
Mei sidled up next to Kakashi, whispering so only he could hear, "Did you give them all our living expenses?"
"I did."
"Then what are we going to do?"
"Have you ever heard of bounty hunters?"
"No."
"If I'm not mistaken, we're probably on the bounty lists ourselves now, though likely not for a high price," Kakashi explained. "I had dealings with an exchange post in the Land of Fire a few years back. I know how to contact them."
"That sounds incredibly unreliable," Mei muttered, slightly distracted. Her grip on the baby she was holding tightened inadvertently, causing the infant to burst into tears. Mei fumbled, trying to soothe the baby, but its cries only grew louder.
The middle-aged woman took the infant from her, giving Mei a knowing glance. "Let me handle this."
With gentle rocking and a soft hummed tune, the baby's crying subsided after a short while. The woman placed the infant carefully into a separate cot.
Mei noticed figures moving in and out of several nearby buildings. She had initially worried the director was running the place alone, but it seemed there were quite a few people helping out.
Several older children, about the same age as the boy who had opened the door, gathered around Kakashi and Mei, curious about the rare visitors. Children in orphanages were often straightforward; they simply wanted these older siblings to play with them. Noticeably more children clustered around Mei than Kakashi; she was clearly more popular.
"I can't play with you right now," Mei told them gently, "but you'll have lots of new friends soon."
Kakashi observed her, noting that she genuinely seemed fond of children. This was, at least so far, the happiest he had seen her smile.
After all the infants were settled, the silver-haired young man thoroughly scouted the orphanage grounds, inside and out. Confirming there was nothing suspicious about the place, he approached the director again, his tone now genuinely sincere.
"Thank you."
"I can't give these children much," the director said humbly, "only a home."
"In my eyes," Kakashi replied, "you are far greater than any noble."
"Greatness doesn't come into it," she sighed. "We'll still need your help with the ongoing funds for their care. Our current resources truly aren't sufficient."
"Naturally," Kakashi acknowledged.
The orphanage director didn't chat with Kakashi for long. With so many infants, just feeding them was a massive task. Fortunately, some of the older children who had grown up there were already helping share the workload.
Kakashi and Mei joined in, assisting with the feeding. They were frequently, though harmlessly, teased by the other staff members – mostly volunteers who were former residents of this very orphanage, now returning to repay the kindness they had received – for their clumsy techniques.
"I didn't expect to find a place of genuine kindness like this in the Land of Water," Mei remarked later, pausing in her work.
"There are actually many such places," Kakashi replied, "or at least, there were. Most were destroyed because of the war. Every day, children are abandoned because of the conflict. Doing this is all these people can do."
He stopped what he was doing, his expression turning serious, intense. Combined with the scar running across his left eye, his gaze held considerable weight.
"Mei," he said, his voice low but firm. "Tell me, do you want to change this country?"
Startled by his sudden gravity, the girl swallowed hard. But after a moment's thought, she answered with conviction.
"Of course, I do!"
The silver-haired young man pressed further.
"Then... do you want to become the Mizukage?"
"...Mizukage??" Mei echoed, stunned.
"The future Fifth Mizukage!" Kakashi declared.
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