It was a dark night; the moon was black, and the stars did not litter the sky. Instead, rain poured from the sky. The village of Konoha was drenched. Everyone stayed inside their homes to keep warm and dry, all except for one little boy and his little sister. These children had no home to go to. They had no warmth, they had no house, and they had no family. The boy carried around his sister around through the flooded roads. He pulled over a cardboard box and sat in it, still holding his little sibling.

The young boy didn’t even bother asking the families of the village to be kind to them; they always said no. The people would shut the door in his face, for they didn’t care that they were two starving homeless children. All they knew was that one of them held a monstrous demon inside their body.

Somewhere near the little makeshift home, a married couple peered outside the windows of their hotel to look at the two children. “Aw, come on honey. Let ‘em stay here. We have plenty of room,” said the husband.

“No, I do not want them here in my hotel. That girl has the Nine-Tailed Wolf Demon inside her. I will not have a monster in my inn,” the wife said roughly.

“But they’re only children. We’ve seen them wandering the streets for a year now. Why don’t you just let the poor kids stay here? Just put ‘em in a small room. They don’t take up that much room anyway,” the man persisted.

The old woman glared daggers at the old man. She was known as a stubborn person, and this was one of those things that she didn't want to back down on. "Why should I allow them in here?"

"Honey, they have no family," the man replied, as if that statement could make the final decision.

Unfortunately, it didn't. "So?" the woman said.

"C'mon, sweetheart, don't you remember when we were ninja? We would help anyone who needed our assistance. Why have you changed now?"

Because we're old and retired shinobi now, she thought to herself harshly. But she sighed in defeat. “Fine,” the woman relented. Her husband smiled, hugged her, and ran outside.

“Hey, young lad!” he shouted at the little boy. The young child looked up. “C’mon in here.” The boy did not move. “It’s alright, it’s safe.”

With that, the boy got up, carrying his sister, and cautiously walked over to the hotel. The man held the door and let them in. Once everyone had come into the building, the man knelt down to eye level with the small kid.

“Hello, my name is Mushi Tati. This is my wife, Nami,” the man said, pointing to his wife, who stood, glaring at the intruders in her home. “And what’s your name?”

“I’m Zuko Leola. This is Shierra,” the boy said. “I’m four. She’s one.”

“My, my, you’re a big boy then, aren’t you?” Mushi said with a nice smile.

Zuko blushed a little until he heard, “Mommy, Daddy?” Everyone in the room turned to see a girl with sandy blonde standing by the staircase. She ran over to Mushi, who was presumably her father.

“Ah, let me introduce you all. Kiara, this is Zuko and Shierra Leola. They’ll be staying here for a while. Zuko, this is our daughter, Kiara. She’s the same age you are,” Mushi said, looking at Zuko.

“Alright, alright. We’ve all been introduced to each other. Now, follow me and I’ll get you two a room,” Nami interrupted coldly. The sour gray woman walked up the stairs, Zuko following. She stopped at a corner room and pushed the door open. “Here.”

Zuko slowly walked inside with his sister in his arms. The room looked like it had not been used in ages. It was dusty, and the paint was peeling off the walls. There were two small beds and a nightstand.

“You better not complain about the room, or I’ll kick you out on the streets,” Nami said bitterly. “I don’t want you disturbing my guests or coming downstairs unless you’re leaving to go somewhere. I’ll send Kiara up to bring you breakfast and dinner.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Zuko said quietly.

“Humph,” the old woman said as she turned and slammed the door behind her.

Zuko looked around the room, and then placed Shierra on a bed. “This is gonna be our new home. I promise I’ll always protect you,” Zuko said as he slept beside her.
__________________________________________________________

A four-year-old Kiba, his father, and his dog, Barbaro, walked through the busy streets of Konoha. Kiba looked around at the different stores. It was all so amazing to his young mind. There were so many people, and there were different store owners who tried to sell such colorful items. Scents of different pastries and foods filled Kiba’s nose.

Then Kiba smelled a wonderful scent. He turned to see a man who was selling funnel cakes. He broke away from his father’s side to go stare at the delicious cakes. Kiba stared at the cakes for almost five minutes. He turned around to ask his dad for some, but he wasn’t there. Kiba looked all around, but he couldn’t find his father.

“Dad? Daddy!” Kiba began to cry.

Tears poured out from his eyes. People stared down at the young boy, but he didn’t care. All he wanted was his father. He ran through the roads, looking for his father. Then he stopped and collapsed from exhaustion.

“Where were you Kiba? I’ve been looking all over for you,” came a voice. Kiba turned around to see Barbaro’s snout right in front of his face. The young boy tilted his head up to see his father standing above him. He didn’t look angry or upset; he only looked happy to have found his son. “You scared me when you ran off, son.”

“Daddy!” Kiba yelled as he jumped into his father’s arms. His father picked him up and let Kiba sob into his shoulder.

“It’s alright, son. It’s okay to cry. You were upset, that’s understandable. Just remember, son, I’ll always be there for you,” Sinbad said.
__________________________________________________________
A six-year-old Kiba and his sister, Hana, played around in the backyard. Hana’s dogs frolicked and jumped up on Kiba and Hana. The two siblings laughed all the while. “Ah man, I can’t wait until I get my own dog,” Kiba said.

As if by magic, Tsume and Sinbad walked out into the backyard. Sinbad was holding a cage. “Kiba, we have something for you,” Sinbad said.

“What is it?” Kiba asked happily.

Sinbad set the cage down and opened it. A little white puppy emerged from inside and hopped up to Kiba. “This is Akamaru. He is going to be your new canine partner,” Tsume said sweetly.

Kiba’s face lit up instantly. “Cool!” he exclaimed. He picked up the small puppy and held it out so he could look at him. “Hi Akamaru, I’m Kiba,” he said happily. Then, he felt something weird on his shirt. He looked down to see Akamaru peeing on his shirt. “Oh, gross!” Kiba yelled. Everyone laughed at poor little Kiba’s predicament.
__________________________________________________________
Sinbad and Kiba walked through the park with Barbaro and Akamaru. The young white puppy was leaping around insanely. Then he ended up bumping into the older black dog. Barbaro looked down at Akamaru, and the pup instantly cringed in fear. Kiba laughed at this. “You’re such a scaredy cat, Akamaru.”

“Ah, now Kiba. You have to be nice to him. He’s only a puppy. And you two need to become great friends in order to work together,” Sinbad told his son.

“How do I do that? And how can I be friends with someone who pees on me?”

Sinbad laughed at this. “You know what, son? Dogs can be annoying sometimes. They pee, they poop, they bark, and they drive you insane. But you love them anyway. You just have to let yourself love them. And you have to do that with Akamaru.”

Kiba looked at his dad. And then he looked at his puppy. “I don’t know how be great friends with Akamaru.”

“Kiba, remember what I’m about to tell you. It doesn’t matter that Akamaru’s a dog. What does matter is that you care about him, and he cares for you. You two need to be willing to do anything for each other. Believe in the strength of love…that’s worth fighting for.”

Kiba looked at Akamaru. He picked him up carefully and put him on top of his head. “Hey, do you like it up there Akamaru?” Kiba asked. The pup barked in response. “Then this’ll be your new spot.” Then he and his father continued to walk along the path.
__________________________________________________________
Seven-year-old Kiba and Akamaru were playing in the living room when Hana rushed into the house. “Kiba, Kiba, Kiba! C’mon, we’ve got to get to the hospital now. Dad’s hurt!” Hana screamed. Kiba, frightened, immediately stood up and followed his sister out the door, their dogs in hot pursuit.

The siblings and canines ran through the streets, through the crowds of people, up to the hospital. They burst through the doors, where their mother was talking to a doctor. The children ran up to her, looking for any kind of information that could tell them about their father.

“He was completing his mission when the enemy attacked him. It was him and his dog against ten. They fought well, until Barbaro was struck. The dog was a sitting duck, and one of the ninjas was about to attack him. But Sinbad took the blow for him. Reinforcements did come to help Sinbad, and they brought him and Barbaro back to Konoha as fast as they could… but Barbaro could not be saved.”

The family began to tear up. Then Tsume spoke up. “How is Sinbad?”

“He’s in the infirmary. He’s in bad condition, and I’m not sure if he’ll make it.” Tsume gasped at this. “But I’ll let you see him. Come with me,” said the doctor.

He led the family down the hall and into a room. He left the Inuzukas to have their privacy. The family looked across the room to see the man of the family, weak and fragile, lying in a bed. His eyes were closed.

“Daddy!” Hana and Kiba both screamed together as they ran over to their father.

Sinbad woke up then. His breathing was slow, but he still managed to talk. “Hi, kids. How are you?”

“Daddy, are you alright?” Hana sobbed.

“Ah, don’t worry, honey; your old man’s fine,” Sinbad said weakly. “Could you guys let me have a moment with your mother?”

The kids obliged and left the room, leaving Tsume and her husband alone. “Love, I want you to take good care of the kids when I’m gone,” Sinbad whispered.

“Sinbad, don’t talk like that. You’re going to get through this,” Tsume cried. “You have to. You can’t leave me.”

“Don’t worry, love. I’ll always be here,” Sinbad said quietly. Tsume kissed her husband sweetly. “Send in Hana, would you? I’d like to talk to the kids individually.”

Tsume nodded her head and left to go get Hana. The ten-year-old girl entered the room, and her mother and brother stayed out in the hall. “Daddy…”

“Come here, honey,” Sinbad said.

Hana walked slowly over to the bed. “Are you gonna be okay?” she asked.

“Don’t worry about me. But I do want you to know that I love you. And I know you’re going to grow up into a beautiful woman. You’ll be a great veterinarian ninja. I want you to listen to your mother, okay?” Hana nodded at this. “I also want you to watch out for Kiba. Keep him close; I want you two to be friends, alright?”

Hana nodded once again. “I love you daddy,” she said quietly as more tears poured from her eyes.

“I love you too, honey. Now, I want you to tell Kiba to come see me, alright?” Hana nodded again, and then she went to retrieve her little brother.

Kiba entered the hospital room and walked over to his father. “Daddy?”

“It’ll be alright, son,” Sinbad said weakly. “Don’t worry about me, okay?” Sinbad could see that Kiba was holding back his tears. “It’s okay to cry, Kiba.” At first, Kiba stood still. Then, he released his tears and sobbed into his father's bed. Sinbad lifted his hand and patted his son’s head. After a few minutes of crying, Kiba looked at his dad. “Kiba, you’re going to be the new man of the house, okay? That means you have to be strong for your family.”

“Okay,” Kiba said quietly.

“I also want you to remember what I told you about Akamaru. Do you remember?”

“That if he and I care about each other, we’ll be great friends,” Kiba repeated his father's words.

“That’s right. Be close with Akamaru. Now, I’m going to tell you one more thing that I want you to always remember,” Sinbad said.

“Okay,” Kiba said, listening intently.

“I want you to always be yourself. Be true to yourself. Stand up for what you believe is right. Always remember who you are. Do you understand?” Sinbad asked.

“Yes, Daddy,” Kiba said quietly. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Kiba,” Sinbad said. “I’m very proud of you, son.” Then, Sinbad turned his head to the ceiling and closed his eyes. He let out one final breath, and then he stayed still.

“Dad? Daddy!” Kiba screamed. He again began to cry and sob.

Tsume heard from outside the door and burst in, Hana right behind her. “Oh Lord, no!” Tsume ran over to the bed. “Sinbad, honey, are you alright?” No answer. “No, no, no!” Tsume cried. She collapsed to her knees and cried into the mattress where her husband lay dead.

Hana and Kiba stood next to their mother and looked at their father. They then hugged each other for comfort. But no one could truly comfort them. No one could take away the pain of losing their father.
__________________________________________________________
The sky rained down on Konoha. People dressed in black watched as the coffin was lowered into the ground. Relatives, comrades, friends; everyone who knew Sinbad Inuzuka had come to his funeral.

Tsume and her children stood by the grave. All three placed a flower on the mound of dirt that covered the husband and father. The viewers followed their lead and placed flowers on the grave. One by one, people paid their respects and then left the cemetery. Before leaving, Tsume and her children looked at the tombstone once more. Then, Tsume brought the kids back to their home. Kiba turned to look one last time at his father. Then he followed his mother and sister and left.

Sinbad Inuzuka
Husband, Father, Comrade
Strength of Love…
__________________________________________________________
Tsume kicked Kiba to the ground. “Why can’t you get it right?” she screamed.

“I can’t do it,” Kiba sobbed. A few months had passed since Sinbad’s death, and Tsume had been trying to teach Kiba how to train with Akamaru.

“Don’t you say that! You will become a ninja with Akamaru. You just need to focus,” Tsume said angrily.

“But I’m not supposed to train until I’ve at least gone to the Ninja Academy. That’s what Dad-,”

“Don’t you dare speak of your father! He’s not here anymore. You will do as I say. What would he say if he knew you weren’t obeying me?”

Kiba didn’t speak. He only stood up and continued working with Akamaru. He attempted the technique again, but he could barely summon any chakra.

Tsume beat Kiba to the ground again, which caused him to shed even more tears. “Stop crying! You are to be a man of the Inuzuka clan. You are not to ever cry!” Kiba tried to wipe his tears away, but only more replaced them. “Oh, that is it!” Tsume yelled. She began to kick and hit the seven-year-old.

Kiba began to cry even more at the pain. The abuse was causing him to bleed and bruise up. Where are you, Hana? he thought. His sister was always there to help him. He moved his eyes to look, and there she was. She stood off to the side. Her face was hard; she did not even seem to care that Kiba was being beaten. If anything, her expression seemed to say that he deserved it.

Kiba went into shock. His mother was beating him, and his sister did not protect him. Neither one of them cared.

Tsume finished beating Kiba. “Pathetic rat. You’re a disgrace.” She then turned to go back inside the house. Hana immediately followed; she didn’t even spare one look at her brother.

The only one who was there was Akamaru. The white puppy walked over to Kiba. The boy took his puppy and hugged him tightly to his chest. They stayed like that for the whole night.
__________________________________________________________
Kiba never cried after that day. He made sure of it. He tried to live the way his mother told him; to be tough and aggressive. He was to be strong and not allow himself to show weakness.

One thing he didn’t understand was why he had to be mean to the Leolas. His mother said how the girl had a demon inside her; that made her disgusting and a threat to everyone. Because of this, he was supposed to treat her like dirt. So he did.

Then, when his mother found out that the Leolas began using ninja hounds as well, she became infuriated. She said they had stolen the abilities of the Inuzuka clan. It was more of a reason to tell Kiba that he was to never associate with filth like the Leolas. They were orphans and thieves, and she was a demon.

Tsume had lost the loving and caring woman she once was. She no longer had a kind demeanor. She saw faults in everything, especially her own son. She frequently beat him, telling him that he was not worthy enough to be an Inuzuka. He had to be everything she told him.

Hana and Kiba were no longer friends. Hana had grown up to live in her mother’s shadow. She didn’t care that her brother was frequently beaten. She had become a firm young woman who showed no sensitivity.

Kiba began to follow the pattern of his ‘family’. He didn’t expect Hana to care for him. He listened to what his mother said and made sure that he didn’t do anything wrong. He followed all of her expectations to the best of his ability.

But Kiba was unaware of one thing. He was losing himself. Little by little, he became a stranger to himself. The young boy he used to be was lost. Kiba had grown into a shell of aggression.

But he did heed one of his father’s wishes. He and Akamaru had become great companions. They did everything together. They’re friendship had grown into something unbreakable. Kiba’s friendship with Akamaru was the only thing that remained of the young little boy.
__________________________________________________________

It was eight o’clock in the morning. Outside, it was dreary and dull, which only dampened Kiara’s mood even further. Ugh, I hate Mondays, she thought. She pulled herself out of bed and put her clothes on. She wore black Capri pants and a white T-shirt. She put on her black ninja shoes and shuffled downstairs. She walked into the kitchen to see her mother already there, preparing a pot of coffee.

When Nami heard footsteps, she turned around to see her beloved eight-year-old daughter standing in the doorway. “Good morning, honey. Are you excited for today? It’s your first day at the Academy.”

“I don’t know, I guess. You guys pretty much taught me everything I need to know anyway,” Kiara greeted. She walked over to her mother to stand beside her.

“Yes, but you still don’t know what type of ninja you want to be,” Nami reminded.

“Yeah, I know,” Kiara replied. “I just hope Zuko’s in my homeroom.”

Immediately, Kiara saw her mother stiffen. Her facial features deepened to show her age. Kiara’s parents were retired ninja. They were both in their forties when Kiara was born, making her a miracle.

Kiara’s parents were both extremely kind. But whenever it came to Zuko and Shierra Leola, Nami instantly became tense and disgusted at the thought of them. Kiara could never understand why; they were her best friends.

“Mom, why do you hate Zuko and Shierra?” Kiara asked innocently.

Nami sighed. As much as she was revolted by the Leola children, she could not tell her daughter why. She couldn’t tell her that Shierra held the Nine-Tailed Wolf inside of her. She was too young to understand. “I just…don’t like that they live here for free,” she lied. “I can’t wait until they can pay for their stay like everyone else.”

“Mom, Zuko is only eight like me,” Kiara reminded. “They won’t be paying for anything for a while.”

“Alright, alright, I know,” Nami chuckled. She placed a tray with two burnt pieces of toast in front of Kiara. “Here, when you’re ready, give this to them.”

Kiara watched as her mother exited the kitchen and toward the front door to retrieve the newspaper. As soon as Nami was out of sight, Kiara began to scramble through the cabinets, looking for anything else to eat. The eight-year-old girl knew who her mother was referring to when she said ‘them’. The Leola kids. And two burnt pieces of toast…it was sad, really, especially since Nami was a great cook. But she purposely burnt the toast because she didn’t like the two kids.

Finally, the blonde child found two cinnamon granola bars and a banana. She quickly placed them on the tray and took the food upstairs. As she walked down the hallway, she nearly walked right into someone turning a corner. Her father.

“Good morning Kiara,” Mushi greeted happily. Then he noticed the daily tray of food for the two children. And it was a tad too much food than Nami would’ve given them. Mushi smiled. “You’re such a sweet girl,” he whispered.

Kiara smiled and continued on toward her destination. When she reached the room, she knocked first before entering. Inside the small room, she saw Zuko putting on his black ninja shoes. He was wearing a red T-shirt with a black hooded jacket on top. Shierra was staring groggily at the wall, still in her pajamas.

When Zuko noticed the blonde standing at the doorway, he smiled. “Good morning, Kiara.” He reached up to brush his black hair with his hand to look more presentable. But it was no use, because his unruly hair could no way be tamed.

“Morning,” she greeted. She placed the tray of food on the dresser the two siblings shared. “I was able to sneak you guys some more food this morning.”

“Yay!” Shierra exclaimed cheerfully. She jumped out of bed and bounded over to the food in the adorable way only a five-year-old could pull off. Her raven-colored hair bounced up and down behind her as she ran.

“I’m gonna go down and have breakfast. Then we can walk to the Academy together, Zuko,” Kiara said.

“Sure,” Zuko replied.
__________________________________________________________
At the Ninja Academy, groups of children were bunched everywhere. Parents stood off to the side, observing their own children. Kiara and Zuko walked up together by themselves. Mushi and Nami had to stay at the hotel to serve their guests.

“I think we’re supposed to go over there,” Zuko pointed to a group of children that were their age.

“Okay,” Kiara nodded as she followed the boy.

As Zuko and Kiara huddled toward the other kids, they could hear everyone introducing themselves to the other kids. One kid with lopsided brown hair and black sunglasses walked up to the new pair. He was wearing navy blue pants and a black T-shirt with a green vest on top. Black sunglasses shielded his eyes.

“What’s up? I’m Nuka Zabini,” the boy greeted.

“Zuko Leola.”

“Kiara Tati. What’s up with the sunglasses? It’s not even sunny out.” She pointed up at the cloudy sky to emphasize her point.

The boy named Nuka stared at the blonde girl as if she was insane. “They make me look cool. Duh!”

“They most certainly do not make you look cool. They make you look like a dork,” a female voice said. Everyone turned around to see a girl with long brown hair pulled into a ponytail. She had soft brown eyes. She was wearing a baby blue T-Shirt with navy blue pants.

Nuka glared at the girl through his sunglasses. “No one asked you. Geez, first we’re neighbors, and now you have to follow me around!”

The girl ignored him. “Hi, I’m Hatani Sanjay. You’ve already met my annoying neighbor.”

“I am Kiara Tati.”

“I’m Zuko Leola.”

Somewhere, not too far off, the group of four heard a scoff. “Ugh, Leola?”

The group turned around to see a boy with red hair standing behind them. Zuko raised an eyebrow at him. “Do I know you?”

“You’re that loser who has no parents,” the boy evaded the question by insulting Zuko. “Plus, your sister’s a monster.”

“Excuse me?” Zuko asked.

“You heard me,” the boy replied. “You’re an orphan with a creature for a sister.”

“What did you say?!” Zuko growled. He lunged for the kid. How dare he insult me and Shierra when he doesn’t even know us! he thought harshly.

Luckily, Nuka was there to hold Zuko back. “Hold it there, buddy. Just ignore him. Redhead over there has no life.”

“The name is Niiro,” the boy scoffed again.

“What do you have against Zuko and Shierra? You don’t even know them,” Kiara countered.

“I happen to know for a fact that no one cares for those two,” Niiro said. “That’s why they were left on the streets.”

Zuko stopped struggling against Nuka’s hold on him. Visions of the parents he once knew encircled his mind. He could only remember blurs of his past, and for the life of him, he could not remember his parents’ faces. The red-headed boy hit a nerve, and Zuko was almost prepared to break down right then and there.

The other three friends immediately sensed this. “Zuko, are you alright?” Hatani asked gently as she walked over to look at Zuko. The raven-haired boy ignored her comment.

“Hey, c’mon dude, don’t listen to him,” Nuka tried cheering the boy up. “He’s not even worth listening to.”

Still, Zuko did not pay attention. He was only thinking about the memories of that year alone with his sister. We were alone…I couldn’t do anything to help us. We sat there on the street everyday…I couldn’t help us, Zuko thought to himself.

Kiara, Nuka, and Hatani were getting worried because he wasn’t saying anything.

“Hehe, pathetic,” Niiro smirked. He turned to walk away.

Kiara hated seeing her friend like this. She could feel the anger boiling inside her as she looked at the redhead’s retreating form. She stomped after him. “Hey, Niiro!” she called loudly, getting the other children’s attention.

“What?” the boy replied harshly.

“No one talks to my friend like that,” Kiara growled at the boy.

“Heh, what are you? His girlfriend?” Niiro asked.

“I’m his friend, and there is no way that I’m going to let you get away with talking to him like that,” Kiara spat.

“What is a girlie like you going to do about it?” Niiro asked mockingly.

Kiara narrowed her eyes at him. Then, with speed like no other, she slapped him right on the cheek. The smack could be heard all around the yard. Luckily for Kiara, the parents had left to go talk to the teachers.

Kids gathered around to see Niiro gently touch his red cheek. He flinched as his fingers burned the hand-shaped mark on his cheek. But of course, being the tough guy, Niiro was not about to back down.

“Heh, it figures that a girl like you could only pull off that,” Niiro said stubbornly. “You got in a lucky shot.”

At first, Kiara’s eyes widened at the boy’s too-proud-to-care-about-you attitude. Then she narrowed her eyes again. This time, she stomped her foot on his own, causing him to shriek in pain.

“Yow!” he called as he gripped his foot in pain. He was now hopping around like an idiot with a red mark on his cheek and his foot screaming in pain.

Just to add the cherry on the sundae, Kiara lifted her leg and kicked Niiro in the stomach, causing him to fall to the ground. When the redhead was lying on the ground, Kiara leaned in closer to him.

“Don’t forget, if you decide to tease my friend again, I have a lot more tricks that I can use to take you down again,” Kiara hissed. “Got it?” Niiro quickly nodded his head in fear. “Good!” Kiara smiled as she turned away to walk back to her friends.

Hatani was the first to congratulate her. “Nicely done. I’m always a fan of feminine power.”

“Thanks,” Kiara grinned.

Nuka’s eyebrows were raised so high that they almost reached into his hairline. “Holy… freaking…crap. That…was so hot!”

Kiara stared at him uncertainly. “Thanks…I guess.”

Hatani slapped her hand in the back of Nuka’s head. “Shut up, you dork!”

Nuka clutched the back of his head in pain. “Ow! What was with the slap?!”

“Stop flirting all the time!” Hatani yelled.

Zuko slowly walked up to his blonde friend. “Thanks…for standing up for Shierra and me.”

“You know I’d do anything for you guys,” Kiara smiled.

“Excuse me,” a voice said. The group of four turned around to see a boy their age. He had chestnut brown hair and blue eyes behind his glasses. “Let me just say…that was very impressive. I’m Sokka Subeta.”

“Thank you,” Kiara replied. “I’m Kiara Tati. These are my friends, Zuko Leola, Nuka Zabini, and Hatani Sanjay.”

“Nice to meet you all. I almost can’t wait to see what you can do in class,” Sokka said to Kiara.

Kiara chuckled nervously. “Heh, actually, I’m not all that into fighting. I’d rather keep that to a minimum.”

“Really? Because it certainly didn’t seem that way when you were beating that jerk up,” Sokka said.

“I want to specialize in a certain unit of shinobi, but I don’t know what,” Kiara replied honestly. “I certainly don’t want to beat guys up all the time like I just did.”

“Well, you certainly just gained the reputation of one of the scariest girls in our grade now,” Nuka said. “You know, right behind Hatani.”

Hatani chose to ignore that comment. “Whatever Kiara wants to do, she can do.”

“Well, you certainly have the ninja motto of protecting others in your heart,” Zuko commented.

“Sounds like a medical ninja to me,” Sokka said.

“Medical ninja, huh?” Kiara repeated.
__________________________________________________________
“So honey, how was your first day of school?” Nami asked as Kiara and Zuko walked through the front door. Zuko was walking upstairs while Kiara went into the living room to sit with her parents for a bit.

“It was good. I learned a lot,” Kiara said. She had decided not to tell her parents that she got into a fight on the first day of school. She would cross that bridge when it came…or hopefully, if it came.

“What did you learn?” Mushi asked.

Kiara thought for a moment about how she wanted to reply. Then she smiled. “I learned that when I grow up, I want to be a medical ninja. But not just that, I want to be the Chief of the Medical Unit. That way, I can protect those who are precious to me.”

Mushi and Nami stared at their daughter. That was…deep, Mushi thought to himself. “What made you want to be a medical ninja?” he asked his daughter.

Kiara shrugged. “Being with friends.” She thought back on her day with Zuko, Nuka, Hatani, and Sokka. Then she thought of Shierra. Then her thoughts wandered to any future precious people that she might have. Yeah, they were all definitely worth protecting.
__________________________________________________________

“Hey, that’s not fair! You cheated!” an eight-year-old Tenten shouted.

“I did not. There is no way to cheat,” ten-year-old Hatani responded to her younger sister.

“Let’s do it again. This time, I’ll get you,” Tenten declared seriously.

“Alright, we’ll see,” Hatani smirked.

The two sisters were sparring with each other in the backyard. Since Tenten was still in her first year at the Academy, she wasn’t as good as her older sister. But she refused to admit it, and she would playfully accuse Hatani of cheating.

The girls stayed outside until the sun set behind the horizon. After a whole day of taijutsu and kunai-throwing practice, Hatani was ready to call it a day.

“Alright, I think that’s enough,” Hatani panted in exhaustion. She was holding her hands to her knees, trying to support herself before she collapsed onto the grass.

“Aw, c’mon, why can’t we keep going?” Tenten whined. Then she smirked. “I think you’re scared because you know I can beat you if I practiced more with a kunai.”

Hatani smiled. “Yeah, you’re just like Dad with a kunai. At your age, you being able to hit ten out of ten targets is pretty awesome.”

“Haha! So you admit it!” Tenten yelled triumphantly as she pointed a finger at her sister.

“Hey, it’s not my fault if I don’t like kunai,” Hatani replied. “You know that I’m like Mom. I enjoy water-style techniques, not weapon-style techniques.”

“Can’t we keep going?” Tenten insistently pleaded. She hated it when her sister claimed to be tired. The younger girl enjoyed practice with her older sister.

“Tenten, the sun is gone! It’s dark now, and we can’t see anything,” Hatani explained. Honestly, her sister could be very stubborn sometimes.

The younger girl sighed. “Fine, we can go inside,” she mumbled.

Hatani exhaled in relief. “Thank goodness,” she said to herself.

The two girls entered the house through the back door. As soon as Hatani opened the door, yelling could be heard from the kitchen.

“I know you slept with him, Mizu!” their father’s voice bellowed loudly.

“I don’t even understand why you would think that, Hagane!” their mother’s voice countered angrily.

“Just admit it!” Hagane’s voice yelled. “You never loved me anyway!”

The children heard their mother scoff. “Of course, you just have to bring up that again!”

“You know it’s the reason for every unfaithful thing that you do!” the man yelled.

“When have I ever been unfaithful?” the woman asked.

“As I said before, you slept with Totemi!” Hagane screamed.

“I did not! You’re just coming up with stupid accusations now!” Mizu shrieked.

Hatani and Tenten sat down on the couch together. They knew it was best not to interrupt their parents’ spats in any way. Tenten placed her head on Hatani’s shoulder, and the older girl placed her arm around her sister reassuringly.

“You know, I wish I had never agreed to this stupid marriage! You have given me nothing but headaches ever since we said ‘I do’!” Hagane said.

“The feeling is mutual,” Mizu spat.

Well, that was new. The two girls had never heard their parents say anything about ‘agreeing to marriage’. Did that mean that they didn’t really love each other?

“If it weren’t for the kids, I would’ve left a long time ago,” Mizu hissed. She said it almost as if she didn’t want her daughters to hear. But they heard every word.

“Well, at least there’s one thing we can agree on,” Hagane added, though he didn’t sound happy. He sounded far from happy. “I don’t know why I had to be the one unlucky enough to put up with your ignorant attitude! Whatever I did to deserve you, I will gladly redo that mistake!”

“Stop saying it like you had no choice! You didn’t have to marry me!” Mizu said.

“It was an arranged marriage! Of course I had no choice! Because if I did, you should know that I would have never married you,” Hagane hissed.

Arranged…marriage. It finally clicked in girls’ minds. When they were younger, they had thought that their parents were in love. They had always been nice and kind toward each other. But apparently, that was all fake. They didn’t even love each other. They didn’t even marry because they wanted to. It was arranged…they were forced to marry.

“The elders of my clan were wrong,” Mizu said as she shook her head, almost as if in despair. “They convinced me that you would be a good husband. They told me that the Water Spirits had blessed us. Obviously, they were wrong!”

“There you go again with your ‘Water Spirits’!” the man yelled in frustration. “Just leave your stupid water fairies out of this!”

“Oh, so now you have a problem with my clan’s techniques? I have never once said anything bad about your clan and your weapons addiction!” the woman screeched in return.

“Our clans should have stayed separate. I don’t care if they were too small or not,” Hagane growled. “The Jaynee clan was fine without you Sanmira!”

“I don’t care about you either!” Mizu screamed. “I hate the name ‘Sanjay’ that the elders named us! I was perfectly happy remaining as Mizu Sanmira! And I wish more than anything that I could leave you.”

“Once Hatani and Tenten learn the techniques that they have to, I’m through with you,” Hagane snarled.

“Agreed,” Mizu growled back.

There it was. The confession. There was no love in this marriage. At least not anymore. Hatani and Tenten weren’t even sure if their parents loved each other in the beginning of their marriage.

What’s more, the only reason that their parents stayed miserably together was because of them. The children. And it didn’t even sound like they were staying because they loved their daughters. It sounded more like they were just using them to continue on with the clan.
Hatani and Tenten couldn’t help but feel guilty for causing their parents pain. But…more than anything, the two girls wanted a family. One that didn’t fight all the time. One that was filled with love. But they knew that that was only a dream that would not be fulfilled.

The two girls stood up from their perch on the couch and walked through the kitchen, toward the stairs. The married couple turned to look at their beloved daughters. The two young girls didn’t even glance at their parents.

Realization clicked inside the parents’ minds. They suddenly realized that their kids had heard every word. And there was a lot to hear. Hagane and Mizu looked at each other. It was time to fix their mess.

The couple walked up the stairs and went into Hatani’s room. Tenten was sitting on the floor, leaning against Hatani’s bed, where said girl was lying.

“Girls?” Mizu started uncertainly.

“We know everything,” Hatani cut in quickly. The anger and sadness were both evident in her young voice.

“Hatani, Tenten, you both should know that we love you with all of our hearts,” Hagane said kindly. Even though he was angry with the life he lived now, the love for his daughters was thick in his voice.

“Then why did you say all of those things?” Hatani asked as she sat up to look at her parents.

“You two should understand that our fighting has nothing to do with you two,” Mizu said. “What we said about you two…we just want you to learn all you can about the techniques of our own clans.”

“And then you’re leaving…” Tenten mumbled almost inaudibly. But everyone heard her.

The man and woman standing beside each other in the doorway sighed. “Just know that everything will work out for the better in the end,” Mizu said. She glanced at the digital clock on Hatani’s nightstand. “It’s almost seven o’clock. Come down for dinner, girls.”

“We’ll be down in a minute,” Hatani muttered.
Hagane and Mizu nodded. After a moment’s hesitation in the doorway, they fully entered the room. Both kissed each of their daughters on the forehead.

“We love you both,” Hagane said. Mizu nodded her agreement, and then they walked out of the room and downstairs.

Hatani and Tenten stayed still for a few moments. The words their parents spoke were somewhat reassuring. But the damage was done. Everything their parents had wanted to say had been said. No matter how much each of the four members of the Sanjay family wanted to deny it, they were a broken family.

“I’m so excited! It’s my first day at the Ninja Academy. Now I’m going to learn to be a shinobi,” Shierra said excitedly, jumping around like a maniac.

“Geez, calm down, Squirt. It’s a lot harder than it sounds, ya know,” Zuko said as he packed his things to get ready for school.

“I can’t help it. I’ve waited forever to go to school.” Shierra continued jumping.

“Well, alright. Let’s get going then,” Zuko walked out of the little room with his little sister tagging along behind. The two went downstairs into the kitchen where Kiara was waiting for them.

“I made lunches today,” Kiara said as she held up two paper bags.

“Thank you,” the siblings replied at the same time as they grabbed their bags.

“Now, we better get going,” Kiara said happily.

The three children walked side by side up to the school grounds. Once there, Zuko turned to Shierra. “We have to go to our class area. Your class will be over there.” Zuko pointed over to a spot that had about twenty other children that looked about Shierra’s age. “Will you be alright?” Zuko asked concernedly.

Shierra nodded her head. “I’ll be okay.” Zuko nodded his head once, and then he and Kiara went over to their own class. Shierra turned and walked over to her group.

As she trotted over to her class, she noticed that the parents were giving her dirty looks. They looked down at her disgustedly. Shierra averted her eyes so she didn’t make eye contact with any of them.

As she continued on walking, she heard one of the mothers say, “That child is a menace; I don’t want you anywhere near her, Kiba.”

Shierra stopped dead in her tracks. She wasn’t sure what ‘menace’ meant, but she had a feeling that it wasn’t good. She can’t be talking about me, could she?

Shierra turned around to look at the woman who made the comment only to receive a horrid glare from a woman with crazy hair and a little boy who gave an ‘I’m better than you’ look. Shierra turned around and ran away. Why were these people angry at her? She didn’t do anything wrong. And yet everyone there looked at her like she was a disgusting little monster. At last, the bell rang, and all the children filed inside.
__________________________________________________________
Once half the day was over, Shierra just wanted to go home. Her first day of school was nothing like she thought it would be. She wanted to make many friends and have fun. But it was the complete opposite. Whenever she went over to a group, the kids immediately scurried away. When it was time to sit down at a desk, people moved away so she would be sitting by herself. And probably worst of all: during class, when she would be listening to the sensei, people would be throwing things at her head, like pencils, rolled up paper, and even spitballs. And all of this was made even worse by that boy, Kiba Inuzuka. He was practically the ring leader of it all.

Shierra sat alone outside on a bench, eating her turkey sandwich. At least this part of the day was fine. No one had sabotaged her lunch or anything. She sat alone chewing the delicious sandwich. Kiara made the best turkey sandwiches. This is probably going to be the best part of the day, Shierra thought to herself.

But the moment that thought went through her mind, someone had shoved the girl over, making her drop her lunch into the dirt. Shierra stared down at the sullied sandwich.

She turned around to look at the culprit. Of course, it was Kiba Inuzuka. “Oops, my mistake, Wolf Girl,” the boy said.

Wolf Girl? What did that even mean? But before Shierra could ask, he turned away with his nose in the air and walked on.
__________________________________________________________
Finally, after the last class, the teacher thought it would be nice to allow the class an extra recess. So she let all the little eight-year olds play outside until the parents came to pick up their children. All the kids were running and playing and shouting, except Shierra. She stayed in the corner, waiting for Zuko and Kiara to get out of their classes so they could take her home.

At last, the older kids were let out of their class. Shierra looked through the crowd for Zuko and Kiara. When she spotted Zuko, she ran over to him. But before she could make it over to her brother, she tripped over something and landed face first in a mud puddle. She was ultimately stunned. Shierra turned around to look at what it was she had tripped over. Kiba Inuzuka. Who else would it be?

“Ha. Glad to see you’re where you belong, Wolf Girl. Right down on the ground, at my feet, with the rest of the filth.”

Shierra had held in the sorrows from the worst day of her life. And she couldn’t hold it in any longer. Tears poured down her cheeks and mixed with the mud that was all over her face. Everyone there could see her on the ground, all sullied. All the kids laughed, and the adults didn’t even look concerned about her situation. They didn’t care; no one did.

She didn’t even notice that Zuko and Kiara had run over to her. “Oh my god, Shierra what happened?” Zuko said as he tried to help his little sister up. But Shierra was too upset and embarrassed; she pulled away and pushed through the crowd and ran down the streets trailing mud, with eyes following her.

Shierra made it back to the Holiday Hotel. She ran through the door and headed toward the stairs when Nami screamed at her. “Look what you did to my carpet! You’ve gotten mud all over the place. Get your butt outside right now!”

Shierra knew better than to disobey the old woman, so she slowly made her way outside. Nami followed the grimy girl out into the backyard. She then grabbed the hose and began rinsing off Shierra. When all the mud had been cleaned off, the little girl stood there in sopping wet clothes. Her whole body was so wet that no one would have been able to notice she had been crying unless they saw her puffy red eyes.

“How in the world did you manage to get all muddied up anyway?” Nami scolded.

“The kids at school were mean to me. One of them tripped me, and I fell in the mud,” Shierra said sadly.

“Well I don’t blame them for being mean to you!” Nami said harshly. “You are, after all, a threat to this entire village!”

“But…why? I never do anything wrong. Why am I so bad?” Shierra asked innocently. First Kiba, then Nami; why did everyone think she was such a monster?

“Ah, the Third Hokage made a rule that says I shouldn’t tell you, but I don’t care anymore. You might as well know now,” Nami said, disgruntled.

“Know what?”

“When you were born, a demon terrorized the village, the Nine-Tailed Wolf. It killed hundreds of villagers. Then, the Fourth Hokage sacrificed his life to seal away the beast. And he sealed it inside you.”

It all suddenly struck the eight-year old girl. She wasn’t a monster. She had a monster inside of her, but that was reason enough to be disliked by everyone. It also explained why Kiba had called her ‘Wolf Girl.’ Shierra was so distraught that she ran into the hotel and up into the room she shared with her brother. She flopped onto her bed and began to cry.

She didn’t know how long she had lain there, but then Zuko and Kiara came into the room and walked over to his sister’s bed. “Shierra, what happened?” Zuko asked.

“I…I…I have a demon inside me. Everyone h-h-hates me. I have n-n-no friends. I don’t want to g-g-go back to school,” Shierra sobbed.

Zuko took his sister in his arms and wrapped her in a hug. He held her and comforted her. "So she finally found out the truth..." Zuko and Kiara thought together sadly.

Once the young girl had slowed down with the tears, her brother let go of her. “I know that it’s hard to go back to that place after a day like today. But you can’t let that stop you. I thought you wanted to be a ninja. You do, right?” Zuko asked. Shierra nodded. “Then you’ll just have to make the most of it. You can’t let these other kids stop you from reaching your goal.”

Shierra sat and thought about it. He was right; she couldn’t and wouldn’t let those other kids bully her. She would go back to school tomorrow with her head held high. Then she remembered something Nami had said earlier. “Who is the Hokage?”

Zuko and Kiara both made puzzled looks, wondering why the subject had changed so suddenly. But they answered nonetheless. “The Hokage is the leader of our village. He hands out missions to the other ninja. Everyone shows respect to him because he is the strongest ninja in the village,” Kiara informed.

Respect: that was what Shierra wanted. One way to get it was to become the strongest ninja in the village and be named Hokage. That was the goal she made for herself. She would learn, train, and become the best.
__________________________________________________________
The beginning of the next day of school turned out to be the same as yesterday, if not worse. All the parents looked at her with revulsion, and the children taunted her. But Shierra had something to look forward to: that day when she would be stronger than all of them. So she ignored all of them.

Shierra sat on a bench and waited for the bell to ring. As she waited, a girl with short pink hair and a red ribbon tied in it walked over to her. Shierra was just expecting her to tease or insult her like everyone else did. But that never happened. “Hi, I’m Sakura Haruno. What’s your name?”

Shierra was so surprised that she almost forgot to answer. “I’m Shierra Leola.”

“That’s a nice name.”

“Thanks. So is yours; you’re named after a flower, right?” Shierra said.

“Yeah. I guess it suits me. My mother owns a flower shop,” Sakura said.

“That’s cool,” Shierra said. Then the bell rang, and all kids filed inside.

“Do you want to sit next to me in class? I missed yesterday because I was sick, so I don’t know many people,” Sakura said.

“Umm, sure,” Shierra said happily. She was so glad that she had finally made a friend with someone.
__________________________________________________________
Shierra had never been so happy. She had finally met someone who didn’t tease her or criticize her or abuse her. And class hadn’t even been that bad; at least, it was better than the day before. Shierra and Sakura were the last to arrive to class, so they sat in the back. With this arrangement, no one could throw anything at Shierra’s head. She could distinctly hear people saying ‘Wolf Girl.’ But the day was going better than she had thought it would.

Lunch had finally arrived, and the two new friends ate together on the bench. Surprisingly, no one came over to bother them. Well, no one came over and said anything directly. But they did give glares her way.

Once the two had finished eating, they decided to walk around the playground. They were having a nice chat about school when Kiba and his posse of punks came out of nowhere. “Well, well, well; if it isn’t Wolf Girl,” Kiba said mockingly. Shierra tried to stay calm. “I’m surprised you would show your face around here again, after the lesson you learned yesterday. I thought you would’ve figured out your place.” Still, Shierra refused to cry. “Why don’t you get out of here and terrorize some other village? We don’t need or want you here.”

Shierra couldn’t hold back the pain any longer. Tears began to brim her eyes. Sakura quickly grabbed Shierra’s hand and walked away.

The two girls walked side by side in silence. Finally, Sakura spoke. “So, you’re the girl who has the Nine-Tailed Wolf.”

Sakura never knew. That’s why she hung out with Shierra; she didn’t know she was ‘Wolf Girl.’ She would probably begin to tease her like everyone else did. “Okay, you know now. Why don’t you go with them and make fun of me like every other kid does?” Shierra said, trying to sound strong, but the hurt could be heard in her voice.

Sakura looked at her like she was insane. “Why would I do that? Just because you have a demon inside you doesn’t make you a monster. I mean, you don’t look like a demon, and you don’t act like a demon. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with you. You’re my new best friend. You’re really cool and fun to be around.”

Shierra couldn’t believe it. Sakura didn’t care she had demon inside of her. She liked her for who she was. And she just called Shierra her best friend. She was stunned. “Sakura…why?”

“Well, I like to think of everyone as flowers. There are some people who are pure and beautiful on the inside and the outside, like cosmos.”

Like you, Shierra thought.

“Then, there are those who are just ugly and repulsive, like Kiba. He’s a weed.”

“What am I?” Shierra asked cautiously.

“You’re a violet. You’re humble and beautiful at the same time.”

Shierra turned to her friend. “Thank you.” And she and Sakura hugged and embraced in a way that only best friends could.
__________________________________________________________
A few weeks after the day Sakura had chosen friendship over a demon, Shierra and Sakura were talking during lunch. Kiba and his group had just walked past them and gave evil glares at them. “Why do you let those guys make fun of you?” Sakura asked.

“Well, what am I supposed to do?” Shierra countered.

“Tell ‘em off! Tell them they need to shut their faces and find something better to do with themselves,” Sakura replied.

Shierra didn’t have much time to think about it because the bell rang, signaling the class to go back inside. The two girls went back inside to head to Arts & Crafts class. They found a table that had all the supplies and sat down. “What do you think we should make?” Sakura pondered.

Shierra thought about it for a moment before she responded, “Why don’t we make friendship bracelets for each other?”

“That’s a great idea!” Sakura exclaimed. Then the two girls began working.

They were done just before class ended. “How about we show each other on three?” Shierra said.

“Right. One…two…three!” Sakura said.

The two whipped out the bracelets from behind their backs so the other could see. The one Sakura had made had white and light blue beads alternating. In the middle was a purple violet bead. Shierra had made a bracelet with red jewel-shaped beads with one orange cosmos flower bead. They swapped bracelets and marveled at them.

“Oh my gosh, I love it, Shierra.”

“I love mine, too,” Shierra replied. They both put them on their right wrists. “Let’s promise to never take them off.”

“Yeah, because we’ll be best friends forever,” Sakura said with a huge smile.
__________________________________________________________
The next morning began with all the children talking and playing and waiting to go inside. Shierra and Sakura sat on their bench talking when Kiba came over. “Hey, Wolf Girl. Terrorize any villages lately? Oh wait, that’s right, you practically destroyed ours.” Shierra sat there, not making eye contact. She had become strong enough in the past weeks to just ignore the punk. “And why are you always clinging to Sakura? Is she your owner or something? Are you a little puppy who can’t fend for herself? Pathetic.”

Shierra had finally had enough. She stood up and yelled in his face, “That’s enough!” Kiba was taken aback by her sudden outburst. Not once had she ever stood up to him. “I’m tired of you always insulting me. Well you know what? I don’t care about it anymore. I’m happy with who I am.” At this point, all the other kids had heard the yelling and had come over to witness Shierra’s growth of a backbone. “And if you don’t like the real me, well I don’t care. You can go take your sorry butt home back to your mommy, okay? Because I’m not taking abuse from you anymore,” Shierra finished.

All the kids stood in a circle, every single one of them wide-eyed. Shierra Leola had stood up to Kiba Inuzuka. She yelled in his face. She wasn’t afraid of him anymore.

Just then, the bell rang, and the kids slowly made their way inside. “Wow, nice job,” Sakura said to Shierra as they filed inside. “I knew you could do it.”

“Only thanks to you,” Shierra replied. “Thanks for being there for me.”

“I’ll always be around for you,” Sakura said.

And she was right. Shierra knew that she and Sakura would be there for each other forever.

An eight-year-old Naruto sat by himself at lunch, eating quietly. His first year at the Academy was half way over, and he had yet to meet anyone who didn’t tease him. A lot of the students taunted him because his parents were bookstore owners. He didn’t come from a ninja clan. He didn’t have special family ninja abilities. He was just another kid who wanted to a ninja.

As he sat eating his lunch, a pair of boys walked up to him, grabbed his lunch, and threw it to the ground.

“You ruined my lunch!” Naruto yelled.

“So? Why do you even bother coming to the Academy? You’re a worthless kid. You don’t even come from a ninja clan. How are you supposed to become a ninja?” taunted a boy from school.

“Yeah, you’re just the school clown,” another boy teased. “You’re too much of an idiot to be a real ninja.”

“I will be a ninja. And I’ll be a great one, too!” Naruto yelled.

“Ha! If you don’t come from a ninja family, then you have no special abilities. You won’t be able to do anything,” the first boy said.

“I don’t care. I’ll be a ninja,” Naruto screamed.

Then he ran away from the boys and ran back inside of the school. He waited there until class started. And when school was dismissed, he ran out back to his home as fast as he could. He didn’t want to see those punks anymore. But they would be back. They always ended up returning to tease him during the school hours.

But Naruto did his best to ignore them. He would be a great ninja. Naruto made a promise to himself. He would be a widely known shinobi. He would show all of them. He would become an amazing Konoha ninja that would go down in history as a legend.
__________________________________________________________
The next day, Naruto was sitting on the swing that hung from the big oak tree outside of the Academy building. This was his spot. Whenever he was down or alone, he would come here.

Naruto looked out at all the other students. Each one of them was playing with their friends. The young boy felt a pang of resentment for all of them. He let his eyes wander across all the different groups of kids. Everyone was talking and joking around, waiting for class to start.

Naruto’s eyes drifted over to the bench that sat by the front doors of the school. Sitting there was Shierra Leola and her best friend Sakura Haruno. Naruto breathed a sad sigh. He had always admired Shierra. She had been teased by her classmates just like him. Only they teased her by calling her ‘Wolf Girl’. Naruto didn’t know what that meant, but he knew that Shierra was like him. She was an outcast. However, she now had Sakura. Naruto was alone.

But he didn’t bear any bitterness toward Shierra. He had always found her intriguing. There was just something about her that made Naruto want to be with her. She was exceptionally cute, and Naruto wanted to talk to her, try to impress her. But he didn’t dare. He was still the lonely kid who was teased constantly. She was lucky to have found a friend, even when she was constantly teased. Naruto only wished he could have made a companion like he did.

The eight-year-old dragged his eyes away from her. He looked over at Kiba Inuzuka and his gang of goons. They were walking over to where Shierra and Sakura were sitting. Naruto sighed. Kiba was the ring leader when it came to bullying Shierra. And she let him do it. She had yet to tell him to jump off a bridge or anything. She only ignored him. Naruto never hesitated to scream at his bullies. But it’s not like his method worked either.

Kiba and his group had made it over to the two girls. “Hey, Wolf Girl. Terrorize any villages lately? Oh wait, that’s right, you practically destroyed ours.”

Naruto watched from afar as Shierra just sat there, not making eye contact. She had become strong enough in the past time in school to just ignore the punk.

However, Kiba continued to taunt her. “And why are you always clinging to Sakura? Is she your owner or something? Are you a little puppy who can’t fend for herself? Pathetic.”

Then, to Naruto’s surprise, Shierra stood up so that she was right in Kiba’s face. Just as he saw this, Naruto ran over to get a closer look at the brawl.

“That’s enough!” Shierra yelled.

Naruto smiled at this. He watched Kiba and Shierra as she started to rant on him. The expression on Kiba’s face was priceless. His mouth was shaped into an O, and he was rendered speechless as Shierra screamed in his face for the first time ever.

"I’m tired of you always insulting me. Well you know what? I don’t care about it anymore. I’m happy with who I am.”

At this point, Naruto was no longer the only kid watching. The other kids had heard the yelling and had come over to witness the first ever actual argument between Kiba and Shierra.

“And if you don’t like the real me, well I don’t care. You can go take your sorry butt home back to your mommy, okay? Because I’m not taking abuse from you anymore,” Shierra finished.

Naruto and the other kids stood in a circle, every single one of them wide-eyed. Shierra Leola had finally stood up to Kiba Inuzuka. She yelled in his face. She wasn’t afraid of him anymore. Naruto smiled at her bravery. Shierra’s outburst had now just inspired Naruto in a new way.
__________________________________________________________
A couple days later, Naruto was getting ready to leave school and head home. He had remained after class to pack all of his books into his backpack, since he had a lot of homework. A few other classmates were doing the same. As Naruto zipped up his bag, he headed for the door.

Then, he felt someone grab his bag from behind. Naruto fell onto his back on the floor. He looked up to see Hibachi, his main bully, holding his backpack over his face. Hibachi unzipped the bag and dumped all of Naruto’s books, papers, and pencils onto his face.

“Oops, sorry,” Hibachi grinned. “Actually, never mind.”

Naruto stood, rubbing his face. The supplies had hit him in the face, causing bruises to form on his face. “You’re a huge jerk!” Naruto yelled.

“Aw, did I hurt your feelings?” Hibachi asked. A few of the bully’s friends had showed up to provide backup if needed.

“Why don’t you get a life?” Naruto replied.

“I will when you leave,” Hibachi said. “You don’t belong here. So why don’t you leave and go run your bookstore with your lame parents?”

“Hey, it’s funny that his parents own a bookstore, and yet, the kid is an idiot,” one of the cronies joked. The group burst into laughter at this.

Naruto started to shake with fury. It was one thing to tease him constantly. But now they were insulting his parents. He clenched his fist tightly and then unclenched it.

“Hey look, he wants to fight, but he’s too chicken to do it,” Hibachi said.

“You’re such a sissy, just like your wimpy book-selling parents,” another kid said.

Naruto glared daggers at the group of boys. If he had the power to kill with his mind, these boys would’ve dropped dead in a matter of seconds. He looked over their shoulders to try to focus on something else. Standing by the desks, he saw Shierra and Sakura watching him. They had been standing there the entire time. Sakura looked particularly angry. Her face showed that, more than anything, she really wanted to slap the bullies upside the head. Shierra, however, was looking at Naruto. It was the first time that the two had ever locked eyes. It was almost as if they could read each other’s mind. To Naruto, it seemed as if Shierra was willing him to do something.

So he did. Naruto pulled up his fist and punched Hibachi in the nose. The boy was so startled that he stepped back and touched his nose. Then the pain started to spread, and he screamed in pain.

“Oh my god! What the heck?! You little…Ah!” Hibachi screamed as his nose started to bleed furiously.

Naruto’s eyes widened as he realized what he had just done. Then he broke into a big grin. He looked over at the two girls, and they were both smiling back at him.

Naruto turned back to the group of bullies. The others were trying to help Hibachi, who was just yelling at each of them. “You had better back off now. Because next time, I won’t go so easy on you sissies,” Naruto said as he crossed his arms over his chest.

The other boys looked at him in terror. Then they grabbed Hibachi and pulled him out of the classroom.

Shierra and Sakura walked over to him and picked up his books for him. “Here you go,” Sakura said cheerily as she handed him the books.

“Thanks,” Naruto replied. He was still grinning; he couldn’t believe he had done what he did.

“So, Sakura and I were going to join my brother and other friends for some ice cream. Do you wanna come?” Shierra offered.

Naruto stared blankly at her. Then he nodded. “Sure. That sounds cool.”

The boy followed the two girls out of the classroom into the yard. There, they met up with Zuko, Kiara, Nuka, Hatani, and Sokka. The two older kids welcomed Naruto warmly, and he couldn’t have been happier. He was now part of a group. He had friends.

But he could only say he had one best friend right now. Naruto knew that Shierra was definitely his best friend. They both shared a bond that was established by the loneliness that had felt for a portion of their lives. But now they had friends, and the two of them were best friends.

It was a bright, sunny day in Konoha. An eleven-year-old Zuko was walking back to the Holiday Hotel. It was his last year at the Academy before he would hopefully graduate and become a genin. Every student in their last year had to stay an extra hour for more learning, which was incredibly exhausting.

Zuko walked into the room he shared with his sister to see her lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling. “What’s wrong with you?” Zuko asked as he laid his backpack down on the floor. He sat on his own bed and stared at Shierra worriedly.

“Zuko…what kind of techniques can you use?” Shierra asked.

Zuko looked baffled. “What do you mean?”

“I was looking through one of your ninja books while you were still at school just now,” Shierra said. “It was talking about different ninja techniques. It said how some ninjas are born into certain clans that have special hidden techniques. And then other ninjas learn on their own to make techniques of their own.”

“Well, that is all true,” Zuko said.

“Well what can you do?” Shierra asked.

The young boy sighed as he stared at his sister. “Shierra, they don’t teach you special techniques at the Academy,” Zuko explained. “They teach you the basics. Shinobi are supposed to learn their own techniques when they’re ready.”

“So…students don’t have any special techniques?” Shierra asked.

“No, not really,” Zuko said. “At least not until their last year.”

“But your last year is this year!” Shierra exclaimed. “And I already go to the Academy too!”

“I know,” Zuko replied. He didn’t know what else to say, since his sister was only stating the obvious facts.

“So what if you don’t have any special techniques?” Shierra yelled. “You won’t be a ninja!”

“I’ll figure something out,” Zuko said nonchalantly.

“Do you have any ideas on what type of techniques you want to do?” Shierra asked.

This was really starting to bother her. They didn’t come from a special clan, at least not that they knew of, since their parents were nowhere around. For all either of the siblings knew, their parents could have been nomads who abandoned them in the village. There was no way of knowing. And if her brother didn’t have any special techniques… chances were that she didn’t either. And if this was the case…Shierra was never going to become Hokage.

“Shierra, I think you’re totally blowing this out of proportion,” Zuko said. He switched from his bed over to his sister’s. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder in a comforting fashion. “Whatever happens happens. You don’t need to worry about this. I’m sure that we’ll both find our special powers when the time is right.”

Shierra groaned loudly. “Fine,” she mumbled.

Zuko smirked at his sister’s behavior. He stood up and grabbed his sweatshirt. “C’mon, let’s go out tonight. Just the two of us. We can go get dumplings and then walk through the village.”

The eight-year-old immediately jumped off of her spot on the bed. “You had me at dumplings.” She ran to the dresser and grabbed her gray jacket. As she pulled it on, she ran toward the door. “Let’s go!”

The raven-haired boy laughed at his younger sister. “Sometimes, I really think your appetite for dumplings might be a little too outrageous for a normal person.”

“Now, now, Zuko… we all know that Naruto’s appetite for ramen is far worse than mine for dumplings. And that’s saying something.”

“That is undeniably true.”
__________________________________________________________
“Mmm, that was so good!” Shierra exclaimed.

She and Zuko were just exiting Angel’s Café, a very unique restaurant that had nearly everything to please everyone. The sun had just set, and the cool November breeze was creating a crisp wind that nipped at the children’s faces.

“It’s getting dark,” Zuko noted as he looked up at the sky. “Let’s take the shortcut home.”

“Okay,” Shierra agreed.

She followed her brother down a narrow path. There weren’t many people out at this time of day. The shops were closing, and families were gathering for dinner. The chilly weather kept everyone inside. The last person coming from work ran into the house to join the steaming supper and loving family, and the two orphan siblings were the only people left on the road.

The pair stayed in a comfortable silence as Zuko wrapped his arm around Shierra’s shoulders to keep her warm. As they walked along the path, a deep, eerie moaning sounded from the darkness of an alley.

“Did you hear that?” Shierra whispered. She cuddled to her older brother in fear.

As a reflex, Zuko’s hold on Shierra tightened. “Yeah, I heard it. And I don’t like it. So let’s keep going.”

The groaning sounded a second time. Instantly, the siblings stepped away in the opposite direction. Zuko squinted his eyes in the darkness, but he couldn’t see anything. For the third time, a moaning spooked the kids. This time, it was louder, and it sounded like a person begging for help.

“Let’s get out of here,” Zuko said.

“No, hold on,” Shierra said. She stepped away from her brother, toward the ally. “It…it almost sounds like someone is in pain. We should help them.”

“It could be someone in pain. Or it could be a creep trying to attract the attention of two children, such as us. That’s why we should walk away right now,” Zuko countered.

Being a stubborn eight-year-old child, Shierra ignored her brother and cautiously stepped into the darkness of the alley.

Zuko immediately grabbed Shierra’s shoulder. “What are you doing?! I told you no!” the boy hissed.

“C’mon, please let’s just take a look?” Shierra pleaded. “What if someone’s in trouble? You’ll have to live with the guilt of killing a stranger because of your persistent ignorance.”

Zuko’s eyes widened at the small girl. “Where the heck did you even learn that kind of vocabulary?”

“Sakura’s been intent on extending her knowledge, so I’ve been helping her,” Shierra explained with a shrug.

“Ah,” Zuko nodded his head in understanding.

That sounded about right. Sakura did come from a clan that used mind-based jutsu. It would make sense that the young girl would want to become smarter.

“Alright, but if you insist on going in, at least stand behind me,” Zuko ordered.

To make sure she did what she was told, the boy shifted so that he was in front of her as they slowly walked down the alley. Cautiously, the pair walked through the darkness. They heard a groan again, but finally, the two children could see a body where the noise had come from.

The form of a person appeared from the darkness. The shape took the body of an old man who was slumped against the wall of the nearby building. The man’s skin was ghostly pale that stood out in the blackness of the night. His hair was gray and greasy. If it wasn’t for the ragged, uneven breathing and incessant groaning, the kids would have assumed that the man had already died.

At the sound of the kids’ slow footsteps, the man, weakly, lifted his head to look up at the company. He lifted his hand toward them. Reflexively, Zuko jumped back, bring Shierra with him. But the man only gestured the children to come closer to him.

“Please…” he whispered hoarsely. “Please…come closer.”

“No,” Zuko instantly answered. There was no way on this earth that he was going to let his sister go near-

“Oh my goodness, how can we help you?” Shierra asked kindly. She had moved from behind Zuko to go kneel beside the old man.

The boy stared at the girl. And then he turned around to look behind him. That was where his sister was supposed to be, but somehow, without him knowing, she had ended up in front of him.

“Huh?” Zuko asked dumbly as he stared at his sister.

Shierra ignored him completely. “We need to get you to a hospital.”

“No…it’s too late for me,” the man said almost inaudibly.

“You shouldn’t say that,” the girl tried to comfort, but it was hard to stay positive when the man in front of you was obviously moments away from dying.

“I know that it is my time,” the man replied. “But please…you children…you must perform a favor for me.”

“Anything,” Shierra immediately said.

“Please…please take care of them…” the man said.

At first, the children stared at him like he was insane. But then he gestured to a box that was a few feet away. Zuko and Shierra walked over to peer inside the box.

Inside were two small puppies. They looked about a month old. One was boy. He was red with black stockings on all four legs. The other was a girl. She was gray with white stockings. Her chest and stomach were also white.

When the puppies saw the children, two pairs of pointed ears perked up. The pups’ noses sniffed up at the faces of the kids.

Zuko and Shierra both had different reactions to the puppies. Shierra’s heart melted when she saw the adorable faces. Zuko, however, was continuously shaking his head in a never-gonna-happen-in-a-million-years fashion.

“Don’t worry, sir. We’ll take good care of these puppies,” Shierra said.

“I don’t think so,” Zuko disagreed. He turned to apologize to the old man. No matter how guilty he might feel afterwards, he was not going to give in to this request. “I’m sorry, sir. But we can’t take these puppies.”

“Why not?” Shierra whined.

“We’re training to be ninja. We don’t have time to take care of dogs!”

“No, it’s alright,” the man replied. “They are qualified ninja hounds because their parents were shinobi hounds. Their father was a registered ninja wolf, and their mother was a qualified ninja hound.”

“The Holiday Hotel doesn’t allow pets. Nami will totally have our heads if we bring them home with us,” Zuko hissed to Shierra, who was now picking the puppies up in her arms.

“Aww, you are so cute! Yes you are! Yes you are!” Shierra cooed to the puppies. In exasperation, Zuko walked over to the wall and began to bang his head against the brick wall of the nearby building.

With his remaining strength, the man smiled up at the kids. “Thank you… so much.” He drew his final breath, and then his eyes clothes. His chest stilled, and his body relaxed against the wall.

“Oh my god!” Shierra screamed. She handed the puppies over to Zuko. “Here, hold them. I’ll go get help!”

“What-But-What?” Zuko stammered as his sister ran off in the opposite direction to find someone.

He stared at the old man who now lay dead. He felt a pang of sympathy and sadness at experiencing the man’s death. It was sad for this poor man to die on the streets with no one but strangers to stand beside him.
The boy sighed as he glanced at the puppies in his arms. “Alright. Don’t worry, sir. We’ll take good care of these puppies,” Zuko repeated Shierra’s words.
__________________________________________________________
Zuko and Shierra snuck quietly into the hotel. By the time they had finally arrived back, it was well past ten o’clock. Luckily, the entire Tati family was asleep, and the guests were already in bed. The children tip-toed into their room; once they were safe, the boy let out a huge sigh of relief.

“I can’t believe we’re doing this. Do you know how much trouble we’ll be in if Nami finds out?!” Zuko hissed quietly.

“Stop worrying, Zuko. All we have to do is keep them out of her sight. As long as she doesn’t know they’re here, we’re safe,” Shierra said as if it was the easiest thing in the world.

Zuko glared at his sister. “Don’t make it sound so simple. You and I both know that it is a lot more work than that. Why did you agree to take these dogs?”

“Well, if I had left it up to you, the dogs would be in the pound right now,” Shierra shot back.

“Well, maybe that’s better for them,” Zuko countered. “We should have let the authorities take them when we had the chance.”

After the old man had died, Shierra had gone to get help. She brought back a chunin ninja, who had been heading home after work. When he heard Shierra’s story, he brought along other shinobi to help. As they took the man’s dead body away, they questioned the children. They also tried to take the puppies away, but when Shierra lied and said they belonged to her and Zuko, the ninja backed off.

“C’mon Zuko, Cody and Aleu are grateful to us for not sending them to a pound,” Shierra said. “Do you have any idea how dangerous a pound is? After a certain amount of time, the dogs are put down if they can’t find an owner.”

Zuko stared at his sister as if she was insane. “Who are Cody and Aleu?”

“The puppies, of course!” Shierra exclaimed as if it was obvious.

Zuko groaned into his hands. “Shierra, you are not supposed to name them. Once you name them, you start getting attached to them!”

“Well, we can’t keep them without naming them,” Shierra countered.

“But we’re not keeping them!” Zuko yelled. “Until we get rid of them, they will be known as Dog Number 1 and Dog Number 2.” The boy pointed to the male and female, respectively.

“Zuko, we can take care of these puppies,” Shierra said. “Besides, I will not abandon anyone who needs my help, no matter what species they are.”

The eleven-year-old turned to his younger sister. As he looked into her serious eyes, he knew she spoke the truth. No matter how much they argued, Shierra would never back down, even if it was clear that she had lost.

Zuko sighed. “Alright. We’ll take care of them. But I’m not naming that one Cody. His name will be Dingo. It’s a lot fiercer of a name for a half-wolf half dog.”
__________________________________________________________
A near month had passed since Zuko and Shierra had taken the puppies in. And surprisingly, they had yet to be caught. The puppies were very obedient. When the kids told them to stay hidden, they did. When the kids told them to do their business on the newspaper left out, they did. When the kids told them not to bark, they listened.

During school, the kids let them outside, and the puppies would wander the streets. Zuko would leave the window in their room open; that way, the dogs could return whenever they pleased. There was a tree right outside the window, so the kids assumed that the dogs were able to climb it and hop inside. The kids never did find out what the pups do when they were at school, but as long as they were safe, Zuko and Shierra didn’t really care.

The old man hadn’t lied when he had said that the puppies were ninja hounds. Every day, when the kids returned from school, the pups would be sitting in the room, acting as if the kids had only been gone for a few moments. But the pups would always greet their new owners with happiness and welcoming greetings.

On the weekends, Zuko and Shierra would take Dingo and Aleu out to the park to play. Zuko would play more with Dingo while Shierra played more with Aleu.

The puppies were everything that the kids needed. Dingo was fun and playful. Since Zuko was uptight and overprotective, Dingo was able to help the boy find entertainment. Aleu was outgoing and strong. Since Shierra was a bit shy around people, Aleu was able to push Shierra to be more friendly and tough.

The kids didn’t tell anyone about the puppies, not even Kiara. It was really hard to keep the secret, but they didn’t want to risk Mushi and Nami finding out. They would keep the puppies a secret as long as they were able to.

One Saturday, Zuko and Shierra were headed out with the puppies. To leave the hotel undetected, the children would place the pups in their backpacks to keep them hidden.

As they were leaving, they saw Kiara stroll up to them. “Hey, where are you two going?”

“To the park,” Zuko lied.

“Cool, mind if I tag along?” Kiara asked.

“Um…” Zuko started. “It’s…it’s kind of…supposed to be just the two of us. Sorry.”

“Oh…” Kiara said, a little hurt. “Well, that’s fine. Can I ask why?”

“That’s private, too,” Zuko said quietly.

“Oh…” Kiara repeated.

Now the blonde was really starting to feel left out. She hadn’t been able to spend any time with the Leolas in almost a month. They were always spending time alone nowadays. It was to be expected, since they were siblings. But this was starting to get a little ridiculous, in Kiara’s opinion.

Suddenly, something caught Kiara’s eye. Shierra’s backpack was…moving. Something inside was obviously struggling to breathe.

“What’s up with your pack?” Kiara asked.

Quickly, Shierra glanced at her bag, and instantly, she turned away so Kiara couldn’t see it. “Nothing.”

“I can see that it’s something,” Kiara said persistently. She maneuvered behind Shierra and lifted the flap to look inside. She heard Shierra and Zuko groan at once. Inside the backpack…was a gray and white puppy. Kiara gasped out loud.

Zuko immediately shushed her. “Shh! Please…don’t tell anyone.”

Kiara nodded at once. “Of course. Your secret is safe with me.”

The two siblings smiled in relief. “Thank you so much,” Shierra sighed.

“No problem. Now, seriously, where were you going with those dogs?” Kiara asked.

“To the vet,” Zuko answered, honestly this time. “We need to get the pups checked out and give them their shots so they can be fully registered for being ninja hounds.”

“Oh, right. So you want to use them when you become shinobi?” Kiara asked.

“That’s the plan,” Shierra replied excitedly.

“Cool,” Kiara said. “Well, I won’t hold you up. Go on ahead.”

“Alright. See you later,” Zuko and Shierra said in unison.
__________________________________________________________
A couple hours later, Zuko and Shierra were returning to the Holiday Hotel from the vet’s office. Dingo and Aleu had gotten their shots, and afterwards, the kids had registered them as official ninja hounds. There was a little debate about using half-breeds, but since it wasn’t technically forbidden in the rule book, Dingo and Aleu had passed.

The puppies were now hiding in the kids’ backpacks. The children walked inside and were about to head upstairs to their room when they heard Nami’s nagging voice.

“Zuko! Shierra! Get in here, now!” she yelled. Her voice sounded like it was coming from the kitchen. The Leolas instantly tensed as they slowly made their way to the kitchen.

Zuko opened the door to the kitchen. The entire Tati family was waiting there. Mushi was leaning against the counter. His face looked weathered and tired, like he had just been defeated in an argument. Nami was standing in the middle of the floor. Her face showed the obvious anger she felt toward the children. Kiara was sitting at the table, looking as if she was about to cry. She looked at Zuko and Shierra with pleading eyes, almost as if she was asking for forgiveness.

It was then that Zuko and Shierra realized that the Tati parents knew their secret. But Zuko wasn’t about to admit it without playing stupid first. “What’s wrong?”

“You know very well what is wrong,” Nami snapped. “Kiara told us about your pets.” The old woman spit the last word as if it was a disgusting profanity word.

Shierra stared at Kiara with hurt eyes. “Kiara…why?”

“I’m so sorry,” Kiara whispered sadly as tears formed in her eyes. “I didn’t mean to. It’s just…I guess I’m terrible at lying.”

“Which is a good thing for me,” Nami said triumphantly. “I cannot have filthy animals running around my hotel.”

“They’re not filthy!” Shierra exclaimed. “They are qualified ninja hounds!”

“I don’t care!” Nami screamed. “Ninja or not, there are no animals allowed in this building! I have already called the dog catcher. They are on their way as we speak.”

“What? No! You can’t take them away!” Zuko yelled.

“I can, and I will,” Nami hissed.

In a cruel twist of fate, the doorbell rang. All three kids gasped at the sound. Mushi looked down in despair. Nami smirked as she walked past everyone to go answer the door.

“They are in here,” everyone heard Nami’s voice say as she led the dog catchers into the kitchen.

The siblings practically glared with ounces of hatred at the two men who were to take their dogs away. Both were greasy and smelly. One was small and skinny while the other was large and round.

“Give them the dogs,” Nami ordered the children.

They only stared at her in open defiance. It was the first time in their lives that they disobeyed a direct order from the elder Tati woman. And Nami was not thrilled.

“I said to give them the dogs,” Nami growled. Still, Zuko and Shierra did not move.

“Ugh,” the old woman groaned. She marched over to the children and yanked the backpacks off of their shoulders. She pulled Dingo out first, and then Aleu. She roughly handed the dogs over to the catchers.

“No! Stop! That’s my dog!” Shierra shrieked.

“Give them back! You can’t take them!” Zuko yelled.

Mushi rushed over and restrained the Leola children before they could attack the dog catchers. “I’m sorry, children,” he whispered, but neither of the kids was paying attention. Once the catchers had their load, they turned and walked back outside.

Shierra began to tear up. She struggled against Mushi’s hold, but her small body was no match for his strong grasp.

Zuko had never felt this much pain before. Actually, he had. He had felt the same way when his parents had dropped him off at the babysitter’s home. And they had never returned. The eleven-year-old could remember the sorrow he felt when the babysitter had tried to explain to him that his parents were not coming back. Zuko couldn’t even remember his parents’ faces if he tried.

The pain of losing his parents scarred him. And he was not willing to let this pain take over him a second time without a fight.

Zuko pushed hard against Mushi’s hold until finally, he was free. He ran past Nami, who started screeching after him. He ran outside, where the dog catchers were now throwing Dingo and Aleu into the cages of their truck.

“I won’t let you take them!” Zuko yelled.

“Aw, look at that. The little boy wants his little puppies back,” the skinny man mocked.

“Haha, what a wussy little kid,” the fat man laughed.

Zuko outright growled at the men. The dog catchers actually backed away at the sound, but they were still doubtful of the boy’s strength. He was only eleven, after all.

The raven-haired boy growled again, but this time, a raging heat emitted from his entire body. His hazel eyes turned blood red. Orange fire symbols circled around the black pupil of his eye.

The men were now terrified, for they could now feel the heat from Zuko’s body. They could see the red of his eyes that were once a greenish-brown. And Zuko was even more shocked. Instead of seeing the men’s figures like he was moments ago, he was seeing their outline. He could see the energy of the men’s bodies that kept them alive and moving. He could also read their movements.

Going along with this sudden development, Zuko quickly ran up to the men and kicked them both to the ground. He growled harshly at the men.

“Let the dogs go,” he snarled.

“O-O-Of course!” the skinny man stuttered. He quickly got up off the ground and unlocked the cages. Dingo and Aleu happily jumped from their prisons and ran up to Zuko.

As quickly as his eyes had changed, they converted back to their normal state. The boy blinked a few times before he realized that his eyes were normal again. The dog catchers, frightened, quickly jumped into their truck and drove off as fast as they could.

Zuko chuckled, but when he turned around and saw the Tati family and Shierra standing at the front door, his smile quickly faded to a frown.

Nami looked fit to kill. “What the heck is wrong with you, boy?!” she shrieked.

The eleven-year-old hesitated before he spoke. “Please, Nami…I can’t let you take these dogs away. They’re…they’re our family.”

“Family? I don’t care about that! Rules are rules!” Nami exclaimed angrily.

“I know…but please…please make an exception,” Zuko pleaded.

“Nami,” Mushi interrupted. “These children have abided by every other rule we have here. They are great friends of Kiara. And they are very well-behaved children. I think we can let this rule slide for once.”

“What?! Mushi! What are you saying?” Nami asked in shock.

“I’m saying that as long as Zuko and Shierra keep the dogs as if they do not even exist, then we should let the pups stay here,” Mushi concluded. He gave his wife a very sweet look that only he and his charming smile could pull off.

It worked. Inside, Nami’s heart melted at Mushi’s expression. But on the outside, she merely moaned. “Ugh, fine. But if I hear one bark, see one accident, or smell anything out of the ordinary, those dogs are out on the streets!”

Zuko and Shierra grinned happily. “Thank you, Nami!”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” the woman replied in exhaustion as she marched back inside to the house. Kiara smiled at her friends before she followed her mother.

“Congratulations kids,” Mushi said.

“Thank you so much, Mushi,” Shierra said.

“Yeah, it means a lot,” Zuko added.

“Oh, that’s alright,” Mushi replied. “And by the way, congratulations on activating that attack just now, Zuko.”

“You know what that was?” Zuko asked in astonishment.

“I have heard of it, yes. It is called the Hylingan,” Mushi informed. He turned to go inside. “Follow me to the library. I’ll show you.”

The kids and their dogs followed the old man into the hotel library. The children had only ever been in there a few times. Not many people ever visited it, so the shelves and books were really dusty.

Mushi walked over to the section that was dedicated to ninja techniques. He pulled out a book and flipped through the pages. After a few minutes, he stopped. “Here we are. The Hylingan. The eye technique of the Leola clan.”

“Clan? You mean…we’re of shinobi blood?” Zuko asked.

“Yes. I figure now is the most appropriate time to tell you,” Mushi said as he handed Zuko the book.

“You knew all this time!” Shierra exclaimed.

“Yeah, but I wanted to tell you when the time was right,” Mushi said. “I don’t know who your parents are. But when I first discovered that you were Leolas, I immediately looked you up. Information on the Hylingan is all I found, but this book is very informative of that. I let you have your privacy.”

The old man left the library, and the children sat down on the floor to read the chapter on the Hylingan.

Hylingan
•The ‘Elemental Eye’
•Based on element, eyes turn specific color
•Based on element, user can detect other living things and different parts of the body all around for a 1,000 meter radius
•Able to sense chakra more clearly than normal shapes; can also see what type of chakra it is
•Able to see flow of chakra, allowing user to be unaffected by genjutsu

Lightning
•Eye travels through air by seeing energy and stamina in living things
•Allows user to see actual energy and force, other than chakra, of the body and how it will be used
•Increases the user’s accuracy

Earth
•Eye travels through air by seeing muscles and organs in living things
•Allows user to see all parts of the body, except blood, and how they will be used in attacks
•Increases the user’s strength

Water
•Eye travels through air by seeing moisture in living things
•Allows user to see flow of blood that directs movements and attacks
•Increases the user’s flexibility

Fire
•Eye travels through air by seeing heat in living things
•Allows user to see warmth of the body and how healthy/strong opponent is during attacks
•Increases the user’s ferocity

Wind
•Eye travels through air by seeing oxygen in living things
•Allows user to see the amount of oxygen that is being pumped through parts of the body that will be used during attacks
•Increases the user’s speed

“So your element is fire,” Shierra said after she finished reading the page.

“Yeah,” Zuko replied.

“I wonder what element I am!” the girl exclaimed in excitement.

“You’ll find out when you’re ready,” Zuko smirked.

This was so amazing for the Leola children. They were now able to keep their dogs. When the time was right, they would have ninja hounds to be their partners during battle. And now they knew a little of their family’s history. They had a special eye technique that no one else had. The children were thrilled. Life seemed to be looking up for the orphaned siblings.