Deep in the Uchiha Compound, in the house of the highest family was a young girl named Ayako, sitting on her window sill. Her knees were up to her chest, arms wrapped around them, looking completely innocent. But her face showed something different. Her small, pale face was twisted into an angry expression. Her eyes that would usually be wide and bright were now squinted and dark, bloodshot from the tears she shed just a few moments ago. Tears, she now felt were wasted...

The girl raised her head and looked out the window. The moon's beam shone through it, giving her an angelic glow from the side. She stared at her partial reflection. Staring at her face, but mostly her eyes. The eyes of the Dishonorable Uchiha.

They all hated to look at her. She was a disgrace. Weak. A good-for-nothing. Unneeded. She had no reason to even be alive, yet they kept her that way. The girl was born into the highest family, with two honorable brothers headed on a successful path, but she was far from being praised. Her brothers were so far ahead of her, standing on a shiny pedestal where everyone could adore them and she was just watching them. She watched her oldest brother become head of the ANBU Black Ops in Konoha. She watched her other one begin his journey to becoming a strong shinobi by attending the Academy. She watched...because that was the only thing she felt she could do right.

But now Ayako's sick of it. This young girl was done watching the trail her brothers have made. She's done watching them improve while she just took the hate. If her petty path, that was only headed downhill, wasn't good enough for anyone, then she'll just follow her brothers'. She'll take theirs and become a strong shinobi. Ayako will succeed in what her people believed was impossible. She will prove her clan wrong and show them that she can be a strong person. Ayako's an Uchiha, she was born for this.

The young girl stepped down from the window sill and opened her closet. Sitting on the bottom was a black backpack that she had bought with her own money. She threw it on her bed and grabbed a few sets of clothes that consisted of 4 black t-shirts and 4 black skirts. After she folded them all she slipped them into the biggest pocket of the backpack.

She walked back to her closet and reached up to the top shelf. She took down a wooden box that was a first-aid kit. Better be prepared if I get hurt, she mentally noted.

Feeling as though she had packed all the necessities, Ayako slipped out of her bedroom door. The hallways were quiet and dark being the middle of the night. Her only light was the moon…her only bystander was the moon.

Ayako walked on the sides of the hallway fearing she would make a creaking noise on the wood. She passed her older brother's room gently touching his door as a sign of good-bye. She did the same to her other brother's room…her twin's room. Good-bye Sasuke. We'll meet again soon I promise, Ayako thought. Last her parents’ room, the one she stood in front of for a few moments, making them promises she would never break.

I'm going to make sure that when I come back to you, I'll be stronger than you'll imagine. But until that time comes, I won't be running back here. I'll be walking proudly around the world learning new techniques that you wouldn't bother to teach me. I'll show you, father. I'll show you all! I'm not weak! Not now, not ever! I'll change your thoughts about me as I change my ways. If my path's not good enough, then I'll just take your precious sons' and become…a shinobi!

Ayako turned and walked out of her home. Surprisingly it was easy enough, until she heard footsteps behind her, coming from inside. She dove into the bushes and waited for the footsteps to disappear. She peaked through the leaves to see who was wandering at this late hour and found her mother standing at the door. She muttered something and walked back inside. Ayako caught what she said and waited until her mother was out of sight. Thank you mother! For everything!

She darted from the bush and ran as fast as she could out of the compound before anyone would come out and catch her. Exiting the gate she had one last thought. When I re-enter this place I will be someone new…hopefully you all will see that and finally accept me. Good-bye to all of you…

If only Ayako knew it was for forever…

It was a normal day in Konoha. The birds were chirping, the sun was shining, and Team Seven was making an effort to build their teamwork…again. Nearly escaping death, they had just finished their A-rank mission in the Land of Waves, but that didn't change the way they felt about each other.

They had decided to hang out together on their day off…well it was more like their sensei, Kakashi Hatake, demanded it. He was tired of the bickering and ordered them to spend time together outside of the training ground so they could all talk.

"Isn't this great you two?" A pink-haired girl asked.

"Yeah, the spending time with you part, Sakura. Having him tag along, not so much…" a blonde boy with whiskers on his face commented. He glared with his blue eyes at his other teammate who returned the gesture.

"Hey, leave Sasuke alone, Naruto! His company is delightful," Sakura said turning to stare at her crush, her big green eyes gleaming in the light. Sasuke, the boy with a pale face, dark onyx hair and eyes simply ignored her.

Naruto pouted and spun around to face the other direction. But his expression didn’t stay for very long. It was replaced with confused look when he noticed two girls he had never seen before walk towards the team. "Hey…who's that?" he asked, pointing down the road.

The other two turned and immediately saw who he was talking about.

There were two figures heading their way. From their shape they could tell that they were girls, but their appearance wasn’t quite apparent due to the distance. So, they waited until they were close enough to see what they looked like.

As the mystery girls got closer and their features became easier to see, Naruto and Sakura became surprised while Sasuke, like always, had no facial change at all.

One girl, had long, gray-white, wavy hair with her bangs short and parted to her right. She wore a flow-y dark blue, long sleeve shirt that stopped above her bellybutton. A light gray shirt covered the rest of her stomach and had three rips that revealed green. Her bottoms were dark blue capris that stopped just below her knees with a green band around the bottom. Her eyes were a bright yellow with green surrounding her iris. And she kept a straight, almost angry, face, giving off a mysterious feel.

The other girl, strolling next to her had long, straight, red-brown hair that was parted down the middle. She wore a deep violet V-neck sleeveless shirt, under a plain white band that covered her chest with black baggy shorts that stopped above the knee. There was also tape wrapped around her biceps and ankles. The girl was smiling the entire time, the opposite of her friend's expression, and when she opened her eyes they were a light blue.

The two continued to walk as the three continued to stare. Sasuke checked out the angry looking one with his usual stare, Sakura kept her eyes glued on Sasuke, and Naruto stared at both of the girls dreamily.

"Those two are pretty…" Naruto blurted unthinkingly.

"The one with the yellow eyes seems intimidating…" Sakura commented. With the way Sasuke's looking at her, I might wanna keep an eye on her... she jealously thought.

"Hn…" Sasuke muttered.

The girls passed by the three without a glance and they would have continued to walk away from them if Naruto hadn’t decided to talk to them when there was a few feet between them.

"Hey, there!" he called out. The two stopped and slightly turned to face whoever was disturbing them.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki!” he introduced. “I haven't seen you girls around here before. Are you travellers?"

The white haired girl scoffed and scowled, wanting to leave, but her friend, being the nice one, responded.

"Hi!" she greeted with her slightly high-pitched voice. "My name's Etsuyo Terumi and this is my friend Yumika Hakinowa. And no, we're not travellers, we're-"

"Wait," Sasuke interrupted. "Who is she?"

Etsuyo grabbed her friends arm so she stood closer. “I said her name’s Yumika Hakinowa,” she answered.” Yumika glanced at the loud-mouth from the corner of her eye, keeping her face exactly the same.

Then, she shifted her yellow eyes to look at Sasuke and her expression completely changed. Gasping, she said, "Sasuke…?" He gave her a small nod. "Wow, it's been a while, hasn't it?" He nodded again recognizing her from a long time ago. “When was the last time we saw each other?” she questioned, the amount of time escaping her mind.

"Five years," he muttered. She grinned, feeling quite happy he kept track. Little did she know, he only knew because she disappeared around the same time as another person.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Sakura butted in. "How do you two know…” she stopped finally remembering who this girl was. “Wait a minute. I know who you are too!” she exclaimed. “You’re that little girl that went missing when we all had just started in the academy. You were in my class.”

Yumika stared at the pink haired girl curiously, trying to understand what she was talking about. For a moment she had no recollection of that class, until she recognized her face as well. “Oh yeah,” she affirmed. “I, sort of, remember you. You had just enrolled when I left…”

“I don’t remember anything about a missing girl back then,” Naruto chimed in.

“Well of course you wouldn’t have, Naruto. You never really did pay attention,” Sakura pointed out.

Etsuyo leaned over and whispered in the girl’s ear. “Wow, Yumika. It seems as though people do remember you. And you said they wouldn’t.”

“I highly doubt anyone else will… not counting my clan,” she whispered back.

“You’re parents must’ve been worried sick and torn apart when you disappeared,” Sakura brought their attention back to the other conversation, with her remark.

Yumika glared at her for saying such a thing. “They were fine without me,” she harshly stated, “because they knew I left.” She crossed her arms across her chest.

“And they didn’t let anyone know? That kind of information should’ve been shared with the Hokage. That way he wouldn’t have wasted man power trying to find you,” she scolded.

She rolled her eyes. “It’s not wasting man power if they didn’t even head out very far,” she retorted. Sakura raised an eyebrow. “They didn’t even manage to get passed the entrance. My parents understood that the village would think my absence was a kidnapping and that they would send shinobi out to find me. So they stopped them, before any trouble would spark up.”

“Why didn’t your parents just come into the village and tell the Hokage himself?” she wondered.

“…Let’s just say my parents don’t associate well with others inside the village…”

“If you were seven when you left,” Naruto started, “how did you manage to survive on your own?”

“I had companions,” she easily answered slyly.

Sasuke’s eyes widened a bit at her answer. Companions…he wondered. And she left practically the same time… His jaw clenched at his realization and now that it was silent, he was going to ask her two valuable questions. "Where have you been, exactly? And who were you with?" Sasuke asked before anyone else could interrupt.

She suddenly became a little nervous by his question. She could handle questions about herself, and herself only, but when it came to herself and someone else that she shouldn’t be the one to reveal, it was somewhat hard to answer. “I was…training in other places and even became a shinobi in one of the villages.”

"Really?!" Naruto asked bewildered before Sasuke could. "Where?"

“Kirigakure,” she carefully answered. “That happens to be where this girl is originally from.” Etsuyo smiled widely.

“That’s cool!” Naruto commented. “We just defeated a guy that was from there.”

“His name was Zabuza Momochi,” Sakura added. “Have you heard of him?”

“Of course!” Etsuyo told her. “You’re the team that took him down as well as Gato? Good job, they were a couple of nasty guys. We surely stayed away from them as much as we could.”

“So you two aren’t just friends, you’re teammates?” Sakura received a nod from the red-head as her answer. Yumika was too preoccupied with looking up at the sun.

She took note of its location, giving her a time, before saying, “Look, we don’t have anymore time to answer your questions."

“You still haven’t answered my second one.” Sasuke reminded her.

“I’m sorry, but we really have to go,” she excused.

“Naming a few names isn’t going to take very long,” he retorted, obviously wanting an answer.

She hesistated. “Sasuke I…”

“You what?” he slightly hissed, stepping closer to her. “You answered their questions. Now answer mine.”

“Sheesh, Sasuke. You’re being a little harsh to her, don’t you think?” Naruto let him know, but they both ignored the kid.

They stood facing each other with almost the exact same expression on their faces. Their eyes locked in a glare form, jaws clenched. But even though she looked intimidating, Yumika couldn’t help but feel a little shock at his reaction and attitude. She had never seen him like this before.

The other three stared at the two with confused and frightened stares.

“I’m not the one to tell you that information, alright?” she whispered calmly. “You’ll know soon enough,” she broke away from the locked gaze and grabbed Etsuyo’s arm. “We have to go.”

Unfortunately, they couldn’t manage to get a few feet away from Team Seven before another surprise took place. "HEY!" Someone called out from behind. Another girl, running, came into view.

This girl, had fringed, black onyx hair, parted down the middle. Her bangs covered both sides of her face. She wore a white, short sleeve turtle neck that zipped up and had black sleeves. Over her stomach was a thick, red band and her forearms were covered with black wristbands. She wore a red skirt that was cut on both sides revealing black shorts underneath. Her eyes were black and she didn't look to happy. Right off the bat, Team Seven thought she looked kind of like Sasuke and they continuously looked from her to him.

Catching up to them she scolded. "Thanks a lot for making me be the one to talk to the guards at the front gate and for ditching me! You could've waited!"

"Hi!" Naruto yelled, changing her focal view and making her jump. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. What's yours? "

She stared down at him with a scrunched face and didn’t bother to answer. Instead, she looked up to see if anyone would pull him away. Never would she have thought she would lock eyes with someone who made her feel like she was looking in a mirror. When she saw Sasuke, her eyes and mouth widened. The shock was intense enough to make her have to take a step back to keep her balance.

"Sasuke?" she gasped.

Sasuke's eyes identically mimicked hers. "Ayako?" But then hers changed to a form that looked like she was about to cry.

"It really is you!" The girl yelled running to him. She hugged him tightly around his neck and didn’t even notice he didn’t hug back.

"Ok, I don’t know this one." Sakura admitted. “Who is this girl, Sasuke?” she asked confusion and jealously once again growing inside her.

Ayako let go to allow them to stare at each other’s faces. Neither one cried, but Ayako had tears in the corner of her eyes.

"Ayako…Uchiha…” Sasuke answered.

"Uchiha?!" Sakura and Naruto said simultaneously.

"I can't believe it's really you," Ayako said grabbing his face. “Oh you’re probably dying for answers aren’t you?” she said, reading his face like a book.

"Then give me some." Ayako looked at her teammates and wiped her eyes. Etsuyo was smiling and Yumika was grinning until she pointed to her wrist.

"I can't right now,” she turned back to him, completely letting go. “I have to be somewhere. But I promise I'll meet up with you later. I-We have to go somewhere." She stepped away from him, towards Yumika and Etsuyo. The three girls then started to run down the road to head to their destination.

"Wait, where?" Sasuke called after his sister.

She turned back. "Meet me in front of the Hokage's building! In an hour!" Sasuke nodded.

"Well, that was… interesting…" Sakura spoke.

"I'll say…" Naruto agreed.

"Whatever…let's just finish this stupid thing…" He acted as though he was uninterested with what had just happened, but inside, he was very affected.

The Hokage's Building

"Ahhh…" The Third Hokage began, looking down at their files. "Welcome back, Yumika and Ayako."

"Thank you." Both girls bowed to their superior.

"And welcome to the Leaf Village, Etsuyo Terumi,” he greeted.

"Thank you," she responded.

“Everything seems acceptable in all of your files, you’ve passed all the written and physical tests with exceptional scores, and nothing is standing out to me in a negative way,” The Hokage read aloud their paperwork, nodding at some interesting information about each one of them.

"Um…Lord Hokage?" Ayako spoke to him. He met her troubled gaze. "If you don't mind me asking…how did you know who I was?"

He raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Her teammates looked at her. "No one in this village had any idea that I even existed. My father made sure of it. The only people who knew were my clan, and Yumika's family. So how did you know? And why were you not surprised by my sudden appearance?"

"Young lady,” he started, “I wasn't surprised because I knew all along that you were alive. I was informed about you a long time ago but I was told I had to keep it a secret because of your…status. But I see that you have fixed it with your training and time being a shinobi of Kirigakure, so there's no reason to keep secrets anymore."

"Well, what about the other Jonin and Chunin?" she wondered.

"I have gathered them in a meeting today and will speak with them shortly. They will pass on the information to their students when they gather. Sure there will be questions but hopefully your sensei and I can answer most leaving you with very little." He smiled thoughtfully. Ayako nodded, bowing again in a sign of thankfulness.

"Anyway," he began. "I see you’ve wanted to become Konoha shinobi, for some time now." They all nodded. "Change of heart?” he asked. “You took away two of Kiri’s own, your sensei and Etsuyo."

"It wasn't a change of heart, Lord Hokage,” Yumika explained. “It was more like change of the village. Recent updates have shown the crime level is greater and it is a target of almost all other villages. We didn't want to fight for something we knew was evil, thus we decided to transfer here, where it is stable."

"Understandable. Your sensei had already spoken with me a while back. I was making sure you knew your reasons for leaving and it has matched up with hers. You won't be seeing her until later by the way."

They stood their staring for a moment. "Are we accepted, then?" Estuyo asked.

Lord Hokage smiled. "Yes, indeed you are. Like I said, you all passed the tests. I wouldn't be a very good Hokage if I didn't recruit very skilled members when they applied. In fact, your skills are better than most Genin, they're practically Chunin level."

All three smiled widely at his intrigue. He reached into a drawer and took out three forehead protectors with the Leaf's symbol engraved on the metal plate. "Here are your headbands. Wear them with honor."

The girls took them from his hands and tied them around their heads.

"Congratulations, you three. Make sure I gave these to you for a reason."

"Thank you, Lord Hokage. We won't let you down!" The girls stood tall and proud wearing their new headbands that they were ever so happy to receive.

An hour had passed since Sasuke's sister had waltzed into the Leaf Village and he was still bewildered; he didn't exactly know how he felt. All these years he'd thought Ayako was dead and that she wasn't ever coming back like the rest. But now that he knows she was alive all this time, he wasn't sure if he should be angry with her for leaving him, or happy that she was back. Though, he wouldn't show his happiness if he felt it.

Sasuke remembered wandering into her room the night after the incident to see if she was a victim of the massacre. He prepared himself to see the blood and the outline of her body with tape on her floor, but instead he found a vacant, messy room, that was missing a few items. He recalled it being like the fresh air above water; it was the only place he could breathe in the house, and the only place that didn't feel heavier as he went deeper in.

Of course he became worried and had a lot of questions. At the time he had no idea what had happened to her. But later on, after he noticed the backpack she had secretly gotten was missing and the fewer amount of clothes in her closet, he knew she had run for it. Still, even though he knew she wasn't killed by their brother, Sasuke figured she died. It was his sister, the Dishonorable Uchiha. He believed she could never make it on her own, but now it was obvious he was wrong.

Sasuke was walking on the streets on his way to the Hokage's building, just like Ayako instructed. His hands were in his pockets like usual and his face was stoic. But inside he was eager to get to talk to her alone after all these years...too bad they wouldn't exactly be alone.

"Wow, Sasuke, I'm still amazed that you have a sister. You never told us." Sakura pouted at the last sentence. He scoffed. As if he'd tell anyone. He still had the feeling he had to keep it a secret from the world.

"Yeah, and she's pretty too! Honestly, I don't see how you two are twins. She's seems to be gentle and nice, while you're just…well a jerk," Naruto commented.

"Quiet, Naruto. They look exactly alike!" Sakura defended.

"Shut up…loser," he said, refusing to make eye contact with either of them. "Why don't you both just go?"

"We can't, remember. We have to hang out together all day." Sakura reminded him. "And you know Kakashi. He could be watching us right this second." He let out a sigh.

"Just let us come along," Naruto said. "I'm pretty sure we'd like to get to know your sister too…as well as her friends," he slyly added the end.

"…Fine…" His jaw clenched tightly, regretting his decision.

Finally they arrived at the front of the Hokage's building and sure enough, there was Ayako with her team, huddled close together, talking.

"How, do you think the meeting's going?" Etsuyo asked.

"It's probably all fine," Yumika said. "They can't be that shocked…right?"

"I'm pretty sure they are," Ayako answered. "This news isn't like getting an awesome gift for no reason. This is like paper bombs exploding everywhere in the village." She raised her arms over her head for emphasis.

"I believe you're over exaggerating a bit there, Ayako." Yumika gave her a weird look.

"Well, Nishiya sensei will tell us all about it later," Etsuyo informed, before something caught her eye. "Oh hey, Ayako, there's your brother." She changed the subject, pointing down the street.

Ayako gasped excitedly, swiftly spinning around to run towards him. Once she closed the distance she slipped both her arms under his and hugged him tightly.

Pulling away, she grabbed his hand and dragged him towards her team.

"Look! We're all full-fledged Shinobi of Konoha!" She pointed to her forehead protector. Her smile was wide until she noticed Naruto and Sakura trailing behind.

Sasuke, noticing her stare, said dryly, "Orders from our sensei. We have to stick together today."

"No problem," Ayako spoke sweetly, her smile returning. "I can't leave my team behind either so… I guess they can hang out with each other."

Sasuke shrugged. Suddenly Ayako moved faster, roughly tugging on his arm. He willingly let her pull him along.

Taking a left in front of the Hokage's building, Ayako turned back and said, "Come one you four. It's ok! You won't bother us!" Naruto and Sakura followed immediately, very eagerly. Yumika and Etsuyo exchanged glances. Shrugging, they ran to catch up with them.

When they came across a street that was partly deserted, she let go of her brother's hand.

"Ok, she started. "I know this is all sudden," she spoke in an understanding tone, "and you deserve answers. But let me start out by saying, I never meant to leave you alone. I know I should have contacted you in some way to inform you that I was alive and well but, I couldn't bring myself to do so until the timing was just right."

"If I could have had been in touch with you for the past five years," he began, "that means you knew I was alive."

"How could I not?" she replied, smartly. "The massacre was global, and so was the fact that you were the only known survivor."

"Then why didn't you come back right away?"

She raised an eyebrow.

"You say you never meant to leave me alone, and yet you did." His tone started to become harsh. "If you knew all this time that we could have been together, why did you ignore that chance?"

She blinked a few times, staring at him with some shock. "Like I said before, the timing wasn't right," she excused.

"Why now?" he snapped, stopping in his tracks. The four behind them, stopped where they were as well, watching Sasuke with the same look on Ayako's face.

She didn't know how to act. She could tell he was starting to get angry and she had to admit it startled her. She would have never guessed he could have such a temper.

He didn't mean to raise his voice, but he couldn't help it. The anger that he wasn't sure of expressing before was now almost replacing the happiness of her return.

"Well I…" she didn't know what to say at the moment. His sudden outburst made her speechless and now she had to rethink the reasons why.

There was an event called the Chunin exams that happened to take place in Konoha this year. She felt it was better to show up beforehand to release possible tension and questions that could interfere with her focus and if he was entering, she didn't want it ruining his focus as well. But she didn't exactly want to tell him that that was her reason, so she told him the
more heartfelt one.

"I'm sorry," she randomly apologized. "I had no idea it would've meant so much to you considering I was…" she failed to finish that sentence. "Sasuke… you must understand that I wanted to return to you stronger than I was. The massacre happened the day after I ran away, and obviously there wouldn't have been any progress. I know you're probably thinking I abandoned you, but I knew you were going to fine on your own. You were already pretty stealthy at that age but I was just… pathetic." She looked at the ground.

"And how could we have possibly explained my existence to everyone in the village?" she asked him. "They would have seen me the same way the clan did… but now they won't. They do not know me as I was, but they will come to know me as I am. Face it Sasuke, if I returned to you the way I was, it would have been worse than not coming back at all. That's why the right time is now. Because I feel I'm acceptable enough… to be related to you."

His eyes widened at her last words. The words that got him to calm down, making him realize that she was right. Times would have been harder if they were together. It was possible that she would have been treated like a disgrace by people who wouldn't give her a chance because no one else bothered to. Not even her own family. Ayako needed to start fresh, in a different place where people wouldn't know her well enough to judge her, where she could be on her own without worrying about someone recognizing her, where she could train and be given a chance.

Ayako flicked her eyes at him for a split second before walking down the road again. Sasuke followed close behind, as did the others. Then she did something that was odd to him. She reached around and behind her head and pulled her hair over her left shoulder. "As you can see," she spoke while looking back at him, "I don't have the crest. Hopefully soon, I will, but for the past five years that space on the back of my shirt has remained vacant and unstitched. Simply because, if you weren't going to know I was out there, no one else was going to either."

Ayako looked up to the bright blue sky, not noticing her brother appear beside her once again. "It took me five years of training with Yumika in various parts of the world," she was now going to tell him about her life in that time without him asking. "First, it was Kusagakure, then Sunagakure, to Iwagakure…until finally we settled in Kirigakure. We learned many different techniques and various jutsus making our skills more diverse than most shinobi. It kind of gave us an advantage. But we had to learn in sneaky manner. We had to sort of spy on people who were training themselves and then practice the moves ourselves. We spent three years running around in those villages, and the last two were spent in Kiri. That's pretty much all we did. Eat, sleep…occasionally, train, and then travel." She smiled at him.

"It sounds like you worked hard," he responded quietly.

"We did," she stated.

For a few moments it was silent. All they could hear were Naruto and Sakura talking with Yumika and Etsuyo about the exact same thing.

"How old were you when you became a Genin?" Sasuke broke the silence.

Their identical eyes met while he waited. Ayako sighed and faced front again. "Ten," She finally answered.

"Ten?" he said slightly surprised.

She nodded. "I guess I was more of a fast learner than you all thought, and the hard work from the three years prior helped a lot. But it was mostly because Kirigakure needed as much help as they could get. Their crime rate was growing and they passed as many people as they could. They practically begged us to become their shinobi because we were 'skilled enough'," she quoted. "When that happened we were put in a team with our sensei and Etsuyo. Our sole duty was to protect Kiri, but after a while, all that was happening was getting too much for us to handle so we had to leave. It wasn't the right environment for us anymore." Her explanation made a lot of sense. He remembered how evil most of the people were from his battle against Zabuza and Haku.

"You all decided to come here instead?" he concluded.

"If there was place that would easily welcome us and quickly become our home, it would be Konoha. Plus, this place is practically the strongest in the world. How can we not bring our services here?" She smiled widely. "But most importantly…you're here." Sasuke grinned. "So we just had to choose this place."

The others were quietly walking behind them, listening to what was being said. They all thought it was a sweet sight to see.

Now was the time Sasuke felt he needed to ask her the big question. "How were you… after you found out everyone was dead?" he whispered to ensure the four behind wouldn't hear.

Ayako sighed knowing some form of this question would come up. "Can we not talk about it here or now? I just came back, don't make me feel sad!" She nudged him in the shoulder.

They spent the next few hours touring the village, trying to make a mental map for the three newcomers. The four that were trailing behind soon caught up to the two and walked with them. And after wandering around every part of the village once, they finally ended up at their starting spot, the Hokage's building.

There, a woman with straight, long, dark brown hair, stood at the front entrance. Her hair was parted to the left with her bangs covering half of her left eye which were dark brown. She wore a dark gray skirt with fishnet edging on the bottom along with a matching dark gray, quarter sleeve, off-the-shoulder shirt. Mesh armor underneath covered her shoulders and neck with a light green neck band, while a low-cut, light green, kimono style, tank-top was over it. On her forehead was Konoha forehead protector.

"It's about time you three came back," she said with a small grin on her face.

"Nishiya sensei!" Ayako and Etsuyo called while Yumika remained silent. They quickly left Team Seven at their spot to run to the woman.

"Having fun all ready?" their sensei asked, receiving a nod from the three.

"Sensei," Ayako said, "that's my brother. The one I talked about the entire time we headed over here." She ran back and grabbed Sasuke's hand pulling him over there.

"Pleased to meet you," Nishiya greeted. "I've heard a lot of great things." Sasuke nodded.

"Now, girls," she turned her attention back to her students, "everything is all good and set. We officially start tomorrow. I'd let you all go off and spend more time with your new friends but first we have something to discuss. Ayako, say good-bye to your brother for now and let's go." She began to walk in a different direction followed by Yumika and Etsuyo.

"Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke!" A man called from behind. He had white hair and the bottom half of his face was covered up by a mask.

"Oh, hey look, it's Kakashi sensei!" Naruto yelled.

"That's your sensei, Sasuke?" Ayako asked, staring at the man curiously. She was still standing by his side, holding has hand.

"Yeah…" he muttered.

"Come with me. We need to talk," Kakashi said, turning around to walk. Naruto and Sakura said a quick 'goodbye' and went to catch up with him.

"Well, I guess this is where we part," she shrugged. "But only for a little while. Meet up with me again tonight, okay?"

"Sure," he nodded.

She smiled. "I'll find you this time," she informed. "See you later!" Ayako let go and ran to catch up with her team.

Giving her one small wave, Sasuke headed in the direction of his team.

"This place is really interesting," Etsuyo commented when Ayako caught up.

"But you're glad you came though, right?" Ayako asked.

"Of course," she squeaked. "Hanako and I needed to move and it seems to be a lot more fun here."

"Yeah it does," she agreed. "In all honesty, this was the first time in my life I've actually seen the village."

"Really?" Etsuyo was a little shocked.

"Yeah," Ayako left it at that.

"You know, I think it'll take some getting used to… even for me," Yumika admitted. "Are you excited to be with your brother again, Ayako?"

"Yeah!" she exclaimed. "I can see us being together all the time now. Fighting together, training together, and hanging out together. It was the best decision to come back here!" Ayako said happily.

"It sure was," Yumika acceded.

*Ayako*

It was the next day. The sun was shining in her bedroom window making natural light illuminate the room.

Ayako was sitting on her bed in black shorts and shirt with mesh armor sleeves thinking about all that had happened so far. Surprisingly, she was taking it all in like a sponge. Especially the part when Sasuke offered her to stay with him and she immediately accepted the invitation.

But the talk with Nishiya sensei was becoming absorbed slower than everything else. All Nishiya really did was reassure her that everything was going to be fine and she doesn't have to worry about anything. But being told not to worry, made her do to exact opposite.

"Was Sensei telling the truth?" Ayako asked herself. "Do they really believe it?" Questions like those raced through her mind as she tried to see the deception in her words.

~The meeting~

Nishiya had escorted her team into an open field. "Sit," she ordered, kindly. The three girls sat down next to each other on a bench.

"You're all probably wondering what happened in the meeting earlier today," she began. "Let me just say that there was a lot that went on. But, I will tell you that after all the conversing; we have been accepted into this community by the Jonin, Chunin, and Genin-after they talk to them." Nishiya smiled widely at her students on to receive a peculiar look.

"These people really don't do things slowly, do they?" Etsuyo questioned. She looked at Yumika who shook her head in response.

"Wait, even me?" Ayako asked confused and in disbelief. "That fast?"

"Well," she hung on the word, "in truth they didn't believe it at first and I had to answer all these questions, but in the end, after I explained what type of person you are, they did."

She raised an eyebrow. "What'd you say?"

Nishiya took a moment to reflect back to the exact point in the meeting. "I said: this girl is the real deal," she started. "She's a true Uchiha. Ayako not only carries the blood and Kekkei Genkai, blood-line trait, of the Uchihas but the will of fire in her heart. She is determined in everything she does and she'll do anything to exceed. Her brother is your Sasuke Uchiha and if you'd look at a picture of her, you'd see the resemblance. You'd see Sasuke in her while I'd see her in Sasuke, because they're twins none-the-less."

Nishiya stood right in front of them, telling Ayako what she wanted to hear. Yumika and Etsuyo stayed quiet for they knew, it was all about her and they had no business to intrude.

"I made them look at a photo of you and lo and behold, they saw the resemblance... they saw you as an Uchiha." Ayako smiled sheepishly.

Slightly, the girl laughed. Her sensei gave her a confused look. "What's so funny?" Nishiya asked.

Ayako looked at her hands on her lap. Sounding disappointed with the smile wiped away, she responded, "You said you told them I had the will of fire in my heart…but…you know I was the only Uchiha in my clan whose fire capabilities weren't exceptional. I was the only one who didn't give off the fire in my chakra when they tested me as a child. And because of it, oddly enough, it was the reason why everyone hated me so much. It was the reason why I was hidden away because the clan claimed that I would be the one to extinguish the fire of the great Uchiha clan…"

Nishiya walked right up to the side of the bench where Ayako was sitting and bent down to reach eye level with the girl.

"But you know that they were wrong," she assured her. "Now, you're a strong girl and you can produce a fireball just like everyone else. It may not be the element lingering in your chakra but that shouldn't matter anymore. No one is going to think you'll extinguish the fire because you have something else more special inside. You are a great fighter and a great shinobi and you are not hidden anymore. Show them all what you can do and prove to not only them but yourself that that fire will still remain in your hands."

Ayako smiled. "Thanks Nishiya sensei." Her teacher patted her head lightly and stood up.

"Wait, one more question," the girl stated. Nishiya looked at her. "What questions did they ask?"

The sensei crossed her arms and gave a look of irritation. "More like what questions didn't they ask?" Her student gave her a persuasive look to go on. She sighed. "Just questions like where you've been all these years and why you didn't 'exist'. I didn't fully answer that question though. I simply said that truth lies between you and your clan and I wouldn't be the one to tell it."

"That's it?"

Nishiya started to lose her temper. "Is there no pleasing you?" she asked harshly.

Ayako became frightened suddenly. She's seen her sensei extremely angry and it wasn't a pretty sight. Yumika and Etsuyo also became a little frightened.

"N-no…" she stammered. "I'm good. I'm pleased and happy." She smiled quickly as proof.

Their sensei took in a deep breath to calm down. "Sorry," she apologized. "I've just had to answer many questions today and it seems like I'm at my limit with my irritation. But to answer yours, Ayako, yes, that was pretty much all they asked…me anyways. I can't promise that they won't interrogate you sometime, but you know how to handle that."

"Ok, sensei. Thank you so much for doing this for me." Ayako smiled in gratitude. "You're welcome."

Ayako remembered that conversation with a grin and got up to get ready for the day. "I'll make them understand," she assured herself.

*Yumika*

The sun was shining dimly through the trees in the Hakinowa territory. Beams of light made spots on the ground and the tree houses.

Yumika was sitting on the roof of her home thinking about the same thing as Ayako: The conversation with Nishiya sensei. But her mind wasn't racing about
Ayako being cleared…her mind was racing about the last topic brought up.

"Was she serious?" Yumika muttered to herself and bit the tip of her thumb. "Is she really going to let us finish it this time?"

"Next order of business," Nishiya moved on. "Obviously, Ayako wasn't the only subject we talked about in the meeting. After everyone calmed down we moved on to another important issue…the Chunin Exams." All three, as if on cue, rolled their eyes and moved their gaze to the side of the room. A mixture of sad, angry, intense, and irritable feelings surrounded their area.

Their sensei sighed. "I know I know…that look always gets given when I bring this subject up."

"That's because every time we enter you pull us out. Now, we don't even feel the need to discuss it." Yumika scowled. "We know the drill. We'll enter and then wait for you to show up."

Nishiya shook her head, disappointed in herself by their spirit. "It's my entire fault, I know. For the past two years you've tried and I've always stopped you before you can even move on to the final challenge. I've figured out that it was because I didn't want you girls getting into something that you weren't ready to handle."

They just shook their heads in nonbelief.

"But, I think it's time I let you all go." The girls' heads shot up quickly giving a wide stare to their sensei. Nishiya raised her right hand. "This time I swear, may I die if I break this promise, that I will allow you to finish the exams without any interference and that I will only be a bystander to your success."

"Really?" they half-yelled together. The mixture of feelings changed to one...joyfulness.

"Really," she stated. "Though I can't promise I won't give you any advice along the way."

Quickly, all three girls stood up and ran into Nishiya. Wrapping their arms around her, they gave her a group hug. All of them kept repeating "Thank you!" and "We wouldn't expect anything less."

"No problem. It's time you show what Kunoichi are made of, and to move up to the next level. They begin soon so start training." Nishiya embraced her students smiling widely. "If you need any help with it, let me know anytime."

Yumika recalled the moment of the hug the most. If it weren't for my friends, I wouldn't have faked that happiness…she thought bitterly. "I hope she's lying…" The girl sighed as she lied down. A beam of light shown on scrunched face.

*Etsuyo*

"Sissy, sissy!" Estuyo's younger sister Hanako called. The two had moved into a provided apartment by Lord Hokage.

"I'm in my room," she informed, standing in front of the side of her bed. An eight year old slammed open the door and ran into Etsuyo causing her to stumble.

They looked exactly alike; same red-brown hair but slightly disheveled, bright blue eyes, and happy personality. The only difference was Hanako was wearing a pink t-shirt that was kimono style with gray shorts.

She was screaming joyfully being excited to start school causing Etsuyo to smile down at her little sister.

"Shhh…" she hushed, laughing quietly. "You'll wake up the neighbors."

"Sorry." Hanako met her eyes. "I'm just so excited to start in the academy!"

"I can see that, sweetie. But you need to fix your hair. It's very messy," she pointed out. "You don't want to make a bad first impression now do you?"

Her sister frowned. "No…" she squeaked.

"Then, shoo!"

"Okay!" Her little sister ran out of the room. Etsuyo stared at the door smiling. But that smile slowly changed into a frown. With all that's about to happen, we won't have these mornings anymore…she thought.

She finished getting ready. Tying the leaf headband to her forehead, she took one last look in the mirror. Winking, she walked out of her room. "Hanako!" Etsuyo called, walking down the narrow hallway. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah, just one moment," her little voice came from her bedroom. "Okay, ready!" She came darting out like a bullet with her hair smoothly brushed into a pony-tail. But just as she almost reached the door, Etsuyo grabbed the strap of her bag that went over her shoulder.

"Hold on a second, little sis," she said.

"What?" Hanako cried anguished. She sat down where she stood with a grumble.

"Don't forget your lunch." Etsuyo handed her a box filled with food.

"Oh, right." Hanako laughed.

She smiled and headed towards the door to open it. "Ready…" she locked her eyes with the little one, "go!"

Hanako darted out of the door with her big sister trailing behind. She's picking up what I've taught her, already…just like I did when mom taught me.

Suddenly, her sister stopped short in the middle of an intersecting road.

"What is it?" Etsuyo asked, catching up to her. Hanako's face turned red.

"I don't know where to go…" she said shyly. The older girl laughed.

"Then we'll just have to go onto higher ground for a better look." The little one's head shot up in excitement.

"Jump on!" Etsuyo bent down so Hanako could climb onto her back. "Hold on tight!"

Etsuyo jumped onto a nearby building. They jumped from street to street trying to locate the academy.

"Where could it be?" The older sister asked mostly to herself, getting somewhat irritated. But then she saw the tall building in the corner of the village.

"There it is!" Hanako pointed.

They arrived in the small area in front of the academy. Etsuyo put down her sister and nudged her towards the entrance. "Have a good day, alright? Make sure no one picks on you because you're new."

"Got it, sissy," Hanako smiled and turned for the building. Her sister, returning the smile, waved and went off into the village.

*Nishiya*

The streets were starting to become busy. Business owners began opening their shops as customers entered them, beginning their daily routine.

Nishiya started out her morning by going to a local tea shop. She sat by herself against the wall, sipping the drink, with her Bingo Book-though she wasn't really reading it. Her mind wandered elsewhere as she stared blankly at the profile pages.

"Alright, now that that has been taken care of, there is another important discussion we need to have." The Hokage informed all the Jonin and Chunin in the room. "The Chunin exams are upon us, and I must know if the Rookie Genin are participating. As you know any Genin that has completed a minimum of eight missions are eligible for the exams so you four, state your decisions. Kakashi, you begin," he ordered.

A man with white hair and a masked face, who stood next to Nishiya, spoke first. "I lead Team Seven: Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha. I, Kakashi Hatake, recommend all three for the Chunin selection exams."

So that's her brother's sensei, huh? Nishiya remembered thinking. Interesting…we'll most likely be seeing a lot of each other then. Don't think I'll be looking forward to it.

Next a woman, who stood in-between the two men and had strange red eyes, stated her decision. "I lead Team Eight: Hinata Hyuuga, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame. I, Kurenai Yuhi, select all three for the exams."


Then a black haired man began to speak. "And I lead Team Ten: Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, and Chouji Akimichi. I, Asuma Sarutobi, recommend all three."

Nishiya listened to all the whispers of the people standing behind her who doubted their decision. And before she could state hers, someone decided to interrupt her with their argument.

"Hold on just a minute!" he said. She turned to see who was speaking and saw a man with dark brown hair in a ponytail having a very angry expression on his face.

"Yes Iruka," the Hokage acknowledged. "What is it?"

"Lord Hokage, with all respect, the nine names that were just given were all my students at the academy. I know their skills and abilities," he pointed out.

"Every one of them has great promise, but it's too soon. They need more experience before they are tested. If they try now, they're sure to fail the exam."

"When I became a Chunin, I was six years younger than Naruto is now," Kakashi stated.

"Naruto is nothing like you!" he exclaimed. "Are you trying to destroy him?" He walked out of his place in the group and stood in front it.

"Well, they're always complaining about not being challenged enough," he retorted. "Maybe wiping them out in the exams will teach them a lesson. A little pain is good."

"Wa-what did you say?" Iruka stammered.

"Oh, nothing fatal of course," Kakashi continued. "But seriously, Iruka, relax."

Iruka replied with a scoff. "Listen, I understand how you feel. It's very
personal for you and it upsets you but-"

"Alright Kakashi," Kurenai intervened. "Back off, you've said enough."

"On the contrary Kurenai, Iruka needs to hear this," he excused. "He needs to realize that they're not his students anymore…they're mine."

Iruka growled at that. "But, these exams could destroy them. You know that!" he tried, again, to change their minds.

"Not unless they're as skilled as their sensei believes." Nishiya stepped in looking up to ceiling, obviously tired of his side of the argument. They all looked at her. "It was just made clear that they are not your students anymore. So let them," she gestured to the three other Jonin, "their current teacher, decide their fate."

"What do you know?" he spat.

She locked her eyes with his and said very seriously, "I understand that they are in control of the genins' participation in these exams, not you. In any case, their Jonin sensei is allowed to remove them if approved by the Kage that hosts the event. But if they believe they are ready, enter them. It will only make them stronger by teaching how to adapt to a situation quicker. That is an important trait they have to have that can't be learnt if they are prepared because they'll know how to adapt, and they'd use precious time to do so," she explained. "If anything happens in the future it's on their head, not yours, and you will then have the right to say 'I told you so'. As of right now, you do not know exactly what will happen to them and for all you know they could have grown in the time between their graduation and today. So butt out of this business and let these people do what they feel is best." She turned around and faced the Hokage. "I've had my students enter three times now in the past two years," she told him. "So don't you dare say I don't know what I'm talking about."

"That's enough," the Hokage demanded. "You've made your point, I understand. And accordingly I have decided that the best thing to do is to hold a preliminary test,' he addressed. "But before I move onto that information, it's your turn Nishiya. What do you decide?"

She nodded. "I lead Team Shizen: Yumika Hakinowa, Etsuyo Terumi, and Ayako Uchiha. I, Nishiya, of course, recommend all three for the Chunin Exams."

"It's all set then," The Hokage announced. "These exams will begin the first week of July. Have them fill out these applications which will be in their possession until they enroll. That is all for today. You are dismissed."

"That's an odd thing to read in public," a man commented, pulling her out of her thoughts. She closed the book to see three people she recognized and one she didn't, standing in front of her.

"May I help you?" she asked politely with her smooth voice.

"Not really," the woman, Kurenai she recalled, said. "We'd just like to welcome you to our village. We never got the chance to do so yesterday. If you need anything at all, feel free to ask us."

Nishiya stared at all of them, not sure how to respond. It's been a while since anyone has acted in such a way towards her, and it felt a little strange to her.

"Um…that's very kind of you all…" She made a face at the new awkward looking man who seemed to be scowling at Kakashi.

"I'm sure you remember us from yesterday," she started, "so there's no need for introductions from us, but I don't think you've met him."

The man she was referring too quickly slammed his hands on the table and brought his face close to hers. "I'm Might Guy!" he yelled louder than necessary. "Pleased ta meet ya!" Nishiya's eyes widened in horror.

Is he on something? she wondered.

"Hi…Nishiya," she referred to herself. "Nice to meet you…?" Not noticing she was uncomfortable, he flashed her a large smile and stepped back.

"You know from yesterday you seem a little too confident," Asuma declared, standing behind Kurenai. Nishiya met his gaze with a raised eyebrow. "You just came here and you've already entered your students in the exams. Are you sure that they're ready? I mean they don't know what they're going up against quite yet. Shouldn't they wait a while and check out our students?" he challenged.

"I take that as an insult," she responded, trying her best to sound hurt, only to lose its effect by chuckling. "My girls can handle anything, I've seen it. Besides, your students probably wouldn't teach anything new to mine. They're beyond Chunin level. And since that's the case, your teams should really be observing my girls," she bragged.

"Are you sure about that?" Kakashi jumped in.

"Positive…" She slightly glared.

"You said they've entered three times," he repeated her words, "and if this is their fourth, I've gotten the idea they didn't do so well in the past."

"I also brought up the ability to take out your students from the exam if you wanted to," she reminded. "Bring both statements together and you'll find out what happened during their three tries."

"You pulled your students out?" Asuma concluded.

"I held back my team for a whole year," Guy said thinking her actions weren't horrible.

"That's different," Kurenai joined in. "You didn't give them false hope three separate times," she scolded.

"In all fairness, I had good reasons for all three times," Nishiya defended.
"And they would be…?" Kakashi urged.

"None of your business," she snapped back. "Why I did it back then isn't relevant anymore. The motive I had is long gone and now I intend to allow my team to finish without any resistance from me. They're ready to become Chunin and after two years of hard work, they will become Chunin."

"Wait a minute," Guy spoke. "Your team has been Genin since they were-"

"Ten?" she finished for him. "You just figured that out?" He nodded regretfully. Nishiya grinned. "Yes, my girls, all three of them, graduated top of their class, becoming Genin when they were only ten," she quickly updated him. "Your students were twelve am I correct? Which brings me back to the whole; they should be observing my students instead of the other way around, idea." She stood up and headed for the exit.

"Just you wait. Our students are going to blow you outta your mind!" Guy taunted.

She slowly turned around a few feet from the outside with a sly expression on her face. "We'll see…but a little warning…there are signs that say nature's getting feisty…watch out…" With that she left her fellow Jonin in the tea shop. The last words she heard came from Kurenai's mouth.

"I wonder what that's supposed to mean," she wondered causing Nishiya to go from grinning to smiling.

This is going to be fun, she thought.

Mornings were never this interesting for them. Never did they have to reminisce as much as they did. With a new place, there's a lot to take in. But nothing was too much for Team Shizen.

Team Shizen met at the hospital at 9 A.M. to start their mission. They were to help heal the sick and bandage up the injured. In the beginning they were hesitant being in a different type of hospital than they were used to. It was bigger with slightly more advanced technology, but with a little help and reassuring they got right to work. It was their first mission and it ended in success leaving the Hokage quite pleased.

At around noon they went to the training grounds to practice techniques. It started off slow with a little target practice, but as time went by Nishiya gradually became tougher on them due to the earlier conversation with the other Jonin. She, of course, didn’t notice, but the other three definitely did.

A couple hours had passed when they decided to take a break. They all sat down in the shade against the trees and drank water to re-hydrate. And it was then that the woman noticed her team looked absolutely drained.

"Oh, come on girls," Nishiya scolded. "You shouldn’t be this tired.”

"Sensei," Etsuyo whined. "We've been practicing for hours and you amped it up this time! Your obstacles are newer and more complex."

"Really?" she asked, doubting her statement. To prove she was wrong, she looked out onto the training ground and saw that it was almost completely covered with shattered stones, trees that were knocked down, shuriken, and kunai knives.

“See,” Yumika said, noticing her sensei blink repeatedly in realization. “When have we ever done this much damage when we were only training?”

Realizing they were right, she apologized. "Sorry, I didn't notice…"

"Is something bothering you, Sensei?" Ayako asked.

"No,” she answered, unbelievably. “I just want to make sure you're ready for the exam, that's all…" All three girls gave her a questioning look. "And that you can…outdo all the other Genin…" Nishiya admitted slowly and sheepishly.

"You don't think we can do that with how we are now?" The Uchiha pushed.

"Are you-“ she scoffed. “Of course I do! I'm just making sure. Don't worry about it."

"Sensei, if you were confident, you wouldn't be making us work this hard…" she contradicted.

Their sensei’s patience was already thinned from this morning, and now she was at her breaking point.

"Now you've done it…" Yumika whispered, seeing Nishiya instantly turn bright red.

"THAT'S ENOUGH TALKING! LET'S GET BACK TO WORK! MOVE IT! MOVE IT! MOVE IT!" Nishiya screamed at the top of her lungs. The girls jumped up off the ground as fast as they could, spilling their water on the ground, and started to run to the middle of the field in a line. Yumika was in front, Ayako in the middle, and Etsuyo at the end. Their sensei just stood at their resting spot smirking.

That’ll remind them to never question me on my feelings. She thought proudly watching them run.

Suddenly Yumika stopped in her tracks. Ayako, not noticing right away, smacked into the girls back, and then Etsuyo did the same to her. Like dominoes, they landed on the ground on top of one another causing them to groan in unison.

"Etsuyo!" Ayako grunted. "Get off of me!"

"Sorry," she quickly apologized as she got up.

Meanwhile, under the trees, Nishiya was laughing hysterically. “You three okay?” she called out through short bursts of laughter.

“Yeah!” Ayako responded with her hand on her hip. “Thanks for breaking our fall, Yumika.” She grinned, reaching out her hand for her to grab.

"Shut up… " Yumika grumbled, taking it.

While she helped her friend get back on her feet, she asked, "Why'd you stop, anyway?"

"Because someone's watching us," she dully informed, dusting the dirt off herself.

"What?” she began to scan the area. “Where?"

Yumika sighed, "In the trees behind Nishiya sensei."

Ayako faced that direction, squinting her eyes in an attempt to get a better look into the forest. "Hmmm…"she hummed. Quickly, she darted into the trees and disappeared. All that could be heard were the rustling of the leaves as she searched for the observer.

Yumika, Etsuyo, and Nishiya sensei stared at the spot Ayako vanished, listening to her movements.

Then, it went completely quiet for a second.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"Ayako yelled, angrily, breaking the silence. A boy flew out of the trees, screaming until he hit the ground, right in front of her teammates.

"Naruto?" Etsuyo recognized the blonde knucklehead. “You’re the one who was spying on us?”

"I-I wasn't spying…” he defended himself nervously. “I was just uh…I was told to be here!" He sat on the ground looking up to the girls, rubbing his lower back where he was obviously kicked.

"Yeah right!" Ayako yelled, reappearing from the foliage. "By who?"

"Kakashi sensei!” he answered. “A-and he was told by the Hokage!" The entire team's eyes widened.

The Hokage? Now, he's just making things up… Ayako thought. "Sure he was…"

"I'm telling the truth! I wasn't spying…okay, maybe a little,” he confessed, “but I wasn't there long, I swear! I figured you wouldn't notice and I could get a sneak peak of what abilities you guys have! But I didn’t see anything special. I got here just before you three fell on each other."

"That’s believable,” Etsuyo responded accepting his explanation. “Thanks for being truthful, Naruto," Etsuyo praised earning herself a semi-hard slap on the arm from Yumika. “Ouch!” she yelped. Rubbing her arm, she gave the girl a strong glare. “What was that for?”

“For being too nice…” she lamely excused. Slowly she turned her head back to Naruto. “Say the Hokage did tell your sensei to order your team to meet here…” Yumika recapped. She kept her voice as calm as possible, adding no emotion whatsoever in her tone. “Why are you alone?"

"Because…" Naruto rubbed the back of his head. He wasn’t sure how to explain the situation even though it was quite simple. He got here first out of excitement. But that answer wouldn’t escape passed his lips with Yumika’s stone-cold, fierce, piercing, yellow eyes glowering down at him.

"Because they’re not coming, are they?" Ayako finished for him. From behind, she cracked her knuckles ready to hit him over the head. But more rustling coming from the trees stopped her. All of them diverted their gaze to the area the sounds came from.

"Naruto, what did you do?" A girl called out, walking out of the shade.

"Sakura!” he announced, letting out a sigh of relief. “Finally, you guys showed up."

“You were supposed to meet us at the start of the trail, not here,” she scolded.

"Loser…" Sasuke appeared and behind him their sensei.

The two teams came together and conversed with each other while Kakashi and Nishiya remained in the shade.

"Sorry to intrude," Kakashi apologized.

She snickered. "No you aren't," she said, calling his bluff. They stared at each other. "You want to tell me why your team is really here? Or can I come to the conclusion of spying?"

"The Hokage sent us," he informed.

"I see that you made sure your team would have the same story to tell.” She crossed her arms over her chest.

"It’s not a story, it’s the truth. He felt this would be a good way to get to know you four."

"By seeing our abilities?" she added for him.

“It’s an efficient way to break the ice.” He shrugged.

“Right…” she hung on the word. “Now did he feel that way before or after you told him you wanted to check us out?” she presumed.

"After,” he granted, “but I wasn’t the one who talked to him. It was more of Asuma’s idea.” Nishiya’s eyebrows knitted together. “That being said, he, as well as Kurenai, should be arriving soon.”

"What?" Right then, as if on cue, two more teams came from a trail to her left. It was Asuma and Kurenai along with their students.

"Good afternoon, Nishiya," Kurenai greeted.

In the center of the field, Yumika, Ayako, and Etsuyo stopped talking to the others, turning to look at who had just arrived.

"Who are they?" Ayako wondered, her hands on her hips.

"The rest of the Rookie Genin of the Leaf," Sasuke casually answered.

"What are they doing here?" Yumika asked.

"The same reason we are," Sakura responded in a secret attempt to prevent the girl from speaking to Sasuke. "The Hokage instructed us to be here at this time to meet with your team."

"That's a little…strange…" Etsuyo commented.

"Yeah, well if the Hokage orders it, it must be obeyed,” she said smartly.

“Isn’t that true for all orders that come from a higher source?” Yumika retorted. Sakura merely sneered at her remark, to which, Yumika raised a gray eyebrow.

“Okay, but why would he think this is a good idea?” Ayako questioned.

Yumika crossed her arms and sighed. “I don’t think this idea was entirely his.”

“What do you mean?”

“Listen,” she directed. All six of them shut their mouths and tuned into the adults’ conversation.

“This is ridiculous!” They all heard Nishiya yell at the other Jonin. Meanwhile, the other students ran towards the field, looking at the woman as if she had just grown another head.

"What do you mean the Hokage ordered this?” Nishiya continued to go off. “This is insane! You shouldn't have to see what my girls can do! That can wait until the exams!"

"We have a signed document of his instructions," Asuma notified, calmly with a cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth. He reached into his pocket and took out a folded sheet of paper which was snatched from his hands by Nishiya before he could extend his arm to give it to her.

She quickly unfolded it and read the contents as thorough as possible, hoping to find any phrase or word that would disprove their words. Luckily, she found something in the little bit of writing that slightly eased her mind. “Correction,” she said from behind the sheet, “you have papers to prove your presence here and interaction with my team. Not the showcasing of my girls’ abilities.” She lifted her head above the stationary and flashed the three with a sly grin.

“Wait, what?” Asuma snatched back the paper from her hands and read it himself.

Nishiya laughed at his action, amused by his own shock. “You never read the letter when you asked for it, did you?” she concluded, laughing a little harder when he raised his head from the paper and sneered.

"Well you could anyway," Kakashi urged. “Like I said before, it would be an efficient way to break the ice.”

The woman scoffed. “How about no?” she spoke with a serious tone and stare. “One,” she held up her pointer finger, “I will not disobey the Hokage’s orders for your entertainment. Two,” she brought up her middle, “another I know what you’re up to. Three,” she raised her ring finger, “I’m not having them go through this again.”

Kurenai raised an eyebrow at her words. “Can I ask what you mean by the second and third explanation?”

Nishiya sighed and looked meaningfully over at her three students. With the grin still plastered on her face, she said in the cockiest tone she could voice, “I know you guys are… worried. I mean come on.” She gestured with her hand to the rookies. “Your Genin are fresh from the academy and they’re entered in the Chunin Exams already. Mine have been Genin for two years now, and for all we know, they could be pitted against them. If you see what they can do today, there’s still enough time for you to train the crap out of your students so they’re a little more prepared. I do remember saying your teams should really be observing mine. I guess you wanted to take me up on that offer… even though I didn’t really mean it.”

“Hold on a second,” Asuma interjected, “that’s not-“

Before he could continue, she cut him off. “As for the third reason… these girls have been through enough pointless tests,” she told them. “In order to move here, they, as well as I, had to take a written portion, were interrogated in several ways, and had to show almost all of our abilities to the Tokubetsu Jonin of this village. They do not need to be nerve wracked again.”

“All that was nerve wracking?” Kurenai asked.

“They wanted to be accepted so badly, they were highly afraid they would fail. With every test they constantly thought they didn’t do well enough. If I tell them that they have to show what they can do to you three, they might come to the conclusion that this is another test and could possibly kick us out of here if they do badly.” She sighed. “So, there will be no showcase for you and your teams,” she firmly stated. “You get introductions and polite conversations and that’s it. Any questions you have about Ayako’s, Yumika’s, or Etsuyo’s strength, you ask me. I have no problem with that.”

The three Jonin exchanged glances before confirming their understanding. “Alright,” the three affirmed.

With that, Nishiya led the way to the center of the field where all the Genin stood staring at the adults. Hands at her sides, she held a stoic expression and kept her eyes on her own students and saw Ayako and Etsuyo had a slight hint of apprehension in their facial expressions, while Yumika, of course, stayed calm.

“Is everything alright, Nishiya sensei?” Etsuyo wondered aloud, twiddling her thumbs in front of her.

She smiled warmly. “Yes, everything is just fine,” she answered easily. “Lord Hokage has requested that we formally introduce ourselves to our fellow comrades. So, Asuma…” she faced the man. “Will you and your team start us out? Just state your names, we’ll do the same."

"Of course..." He moved to stand behind his three students. "Hello there girls,” he greeted, the cigarette still in his mouth. “My name is Asuma Sarutobi and this is Team Ten."

"Hi, I'm Ino Yamanaka of the Yamanaka Clan," a blonde girl in purple introduced.

"I'm Chouji Akimichi of the Akimichi Clan," a chubby boy said in between chews of his potato chips.

The last boy, who had black hair tied in a ponytail, sighed. "What a drag…” he began. “I'm Shikamaru Nara…"

"Nice to meet you," Etsuyo commented kindly, glancing at all three.

“Kurenai,” Nishiya gestured to the other Jonin woman.

"Hi there, I'm Kurenai Yuhi and I’d like to introduce you to Team Eight."

"Hello, I-I'm um…" a girl with grey eyes and short black hair stuttered, her shyness becoming apparent. “I'm Hinata Hyuuga of the Hyuuga Clan."

"Hey there, cuties," the boy wearing a hood with a dog on his head, bluntly spoke next. "I'm Kiba Inuzuka of the Inuzuka Clan. Pleased to meet you." He was staring directly at Ayako who was giving him an irritated look. "And this is Akamaru." He pointed to his head.

"I'm Shino Aburame… of the Aburame Clan." said the last that had dark brown hair and was wearing sunglasses.

"Uh…Hi there…" Ayako replied, thinking they were an odd bunch in her head.

"You’ve met Team Seven already,” Nishiya pointed out. “So there’s really no reason for their introductions. But to be fair, since everyone else did it, why don’t you four go ahead?”

Accepting her offer, Kakashi started things off. “My name is Kakashi Hatake.”

"Sakura Haruno,” the pink-haired girl bowed.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki!" he practically screamed in their faces. “And I’m going to be the next Hokage! Believe it!”

With a finger in her ear and one eye closed, Yumika snottily whispered to Etsuyo, “This kid… is going to make me deaf…” The other girl swiftly slapped her in the arm. She was barely affected but she still stared at the spot in surprise. “What was that for?” she asked her.

“For being too mean,” Etsuyo replied with her nose in the air and her arms crossed over her chest. Ayako snickered at her remark, recalling Yumika’s early statement.

Yumika gave them both a dirty look and turned away.

Finishing the introductions off by not bothering to announce himself, Sasuke muttered, “Hn.”

“Nice to meet you, Hn,” Ayako joked appearing next her brother only to nudge his arm with her elbow which earned her an irritated side glance.

"Anyway,” Kakashi interfered, “altogether, our teams make the Nine Rookies of the Leaf."

"Nice to know," Nishiya said quickly. “To continue this conversation, the orders said we had to let you all know who we were and to follow that, my team will give you brief information about ourselves.” She looked down at her students who walked over to stand next to her. They each gave a swift nod in acceptance.

“We are Team Shizen,” she began. “My name is Nishiya and I originally come from Kirigakure. I’m 24 years old-“

“You’re revealing your age?” Kurenai pondered. Nishiya knew exactly what she was getting at.

Continuing her induction, she said, “and you’ll come to find that I am not like any other woman you know.” Leaving it at that, she gestured to the bright faced, red-head at her left.

"Hello, I'm Etsuyo Terumi and it’s great to meet all of you!” she cheerfully acquainted, taking her cue. “Like my sensei, I come from Kirigakure. I have a little sister named Hanako. Um…" she paused, unsure of what to say next. “Oh!” she found something to share. “I’m usually a very nice person, if you couldn’t tell already,” she flashed them all a smile, “and I can’t wait to get to know more about all of you.”
Etsuyo turned her head to face Ayako as her signal to speak.

Ayako gave them all a short wave, taking her turn. “Ayako Uchiha, here," she began with a sweet grin. “Twin sister of Sasuke, but you all knew that already… I haven’t fully existed until recently, but I am a Konoha native. Again, obvious information,” she noted, tapping her cheek with her finger, glancing at everyone’s faces as they waited for her to continue. “I bet you didn’t know I’m five minutes older than Sasuke,” she blurted. Her brother stared at her oddly. “I’m pretty easy to get along with…” Sweat began to form on her forehead. I have no idea what I’m saying… She felt the pressure begin to build.

“Alright, alright…” Nishiya raised her hand to stop the girl, noticing her discomfort. “You don’t need to speak more than you want, Ayako.”

“I’m not normally this awkward, I promise. I just couldn’t decipher what was appropriate to share on the spot.” Ayako let out a short, nervous laugh and closed her mouth.

“Moving on,” Nishiya made eye contact with the last of her students who showed no enjoyment in getting to speak whatsoever.

"Yumika Hakinowa…" she spoke dully, rolling her eyes at how dumb she felt this was. She crossed her arms and didn’t bother to eye the faces of her new fellow Genin, but definitely felt their eyes on her.

“And…” Her sensei pushed, raising an eyebrow at her.

“And I don’t care for this at all,” she added snottily, refusing to say anything about herself. Opening up was obviously not her forte.

Her sensei shrugged, freely giving up. “Well, I guess you can get something about her out of that.”

“Clearly,” someone in the group barked. Yumika snapped her head towards the others to look for the person who spoke. Quickly, she found it was none other than Kiba who denigrated her. “So does every member of the enemy clan have an attitude like that?” he continued after she locked her eyes with his.

A gray eyebrow rose on her face, befuddled. Who does her think he is… she irritably thought. Wait a second… Realization sunk in when she vaguely remembered his greeting, even though it was only a few minutes ago. “Nah, that’s just me,” she hastily answered. “Are all the puppies of Konoha,” she coughed a little too late, mocking him by belittling his clan and animal. “I mean, Inuzuka members so… gruff?”

Everyone else widened their eyes at the girl and boy, feeling the tension that was starting to build. But they couldn’t help themselves from wanting to see what could occur if there was no interference. Even the Jonin wanted to see how it would turn out. So they remained silent and watched the scene unfold.

He sneered at her remark, stepping closer to her until he almost closed the gap. “You call us puppies? I expected a nickname much ruder than that,” he expressed his thought. “In fact, I don’t even think of it as an insult, because I’d rather be called a puppy than a prissy, little, kitten.”

“Nice one,” she praised. “I haven’t heard that before…” Her voice filled with sarcasm. “I’d probably be more hurt if our clan didn’t kick your clan’s ass in the past.” He scoffed. “If you wanted me to call you what we really nicknamed your clan, I would in a heartbeat.” She shrugged her shoulders. “But I understand that this whole get together is supposed to be tamed.”

“Screw that,” he spat, clenching his fists at his sides. “And what do you know about being tamed? Last time I checked, your people have been having troubles being restrained.”

That stung the Hakinowa a little in the chest, thinking about the ongoing situation in her home. As a response, she stared icily at her with her yellow eyes and clenched her jaw. She used a good amount of might to suppress her bubbling anger.

“That’s enough, Kiba…” Kurenai piped up in an attempt to stop her student from starting something that could end up badly.

“Hey, we didn’t sign anything to guarantee this was going to be subtle,” Kiba turned and told her. “Now, I want to hear what her clan nicknamed mine.”

Yumika’s facial appearance didn’t change, though her temper slowly diminished, she began to feel more devious. His personality trait of short-tempered let her know he would easily explode at her words. And the possibility of seeing that was tempting. “I don’t know…” She crossed her arms and cocked her head to the side. “I don’t think a no-class mutt like you can handle it.” A smirk appeared on her lips as she watched his expression now dramatically change into a raged form from the ‘accidental’ slip of her tongue. “Oops…” Her eyes flashed in satisfaction of receiving the reaction she wanted.

“No-class mutt?!” he shouted, raising a fist in her face. “Alright, bring it on! This chick is asking for it!”

She blinked a few times, unaffected. “On the contrary, you did, but…fine by me. Fair warning, this ‘kitten’ has a side that is fiercer and far more intimidating, and it’s not as forgiving…as you should know by now.” Yumika brought her voice down to a whisper on the last word. “Though, you haven’t hit the spot that unleashes that side. You haven’t even gotten extremely close. Calling me a prissy little kitten is just as lame as me calling you a mutt. But I still hit a nerve, didn’t I?” she asked him insincerely. The wind blew at that moment, adding to the tension.

“Yumika, stop,” Nishiya ordered, grabbing a hold of her forearm. “We are not here to pick fights,” she reminded.

She didn’t take her sharp eyes off of him before responding, “Trust me, it wouldn’t have been much of a fight.”

Without warning, Nishiya firmly stomped her foot, causing a square of the ground underneath Yumika to shoot up and fling her high into the air. Kiba stumbled backwards, taken aback by the sudden action inches from his face. The other Genin copied his expression and looked completely flabbergasted as they watched Yumika twirl in the sky.

She was indeed taken off guard, but not enough to make her land anywhere else but her feet.

Though, there was something odd about her landing that everyone caught. She didn’t slam down like anyone else would. She sort of floated back to the ground.

“I thought you weren’t going to show us your abilities, Nishiya,” Asuma questioned her, believing she went back on her words.

She stared at the pillar she created that was at eyelevel and came up with an intriguing idea. “On second thought,” she spoke with a wide grin on her face, “there is something they can show you that wouldn’t worry me one bit. Simply because you won’t get an advantage out of it,” she cleverly added. Ayako and Etsuyo quickly caught on and exchanged approving nods.

“Yumika!” the woman called out to the girl who remained standing meters away from the group. “If you have pent up energy… fly.”

“Fly?” Sakura questioned loudly.

“Yes. Fly,” Nishiya confirmed as if it was a normal request.

Yumika looked at all the other Genin with a smirk plastered on her face, proud of her capability to do what they can only imagine, and without any objection, she followed her instructions.

Taking in a deep breath, she lifted her arms slowly and gracefully above her head as if they were wings, and with one, fluid swipe down, the wind created lifted her into the air. Once she got to a reasonable height, she floated for a second to catch a glimpse of the rookies’ faces and she was pleased at what she saw. Each one of them, except for Sasuke and Shikamaru whose eyes were only bulging, and Shino whose expression couldn’t be read, had their eyes wide, mouths open, and arms dropped at their sides.

She continued her flight after that sight. Leaning forward onto her stomach, she glided ahead until she was directly above Nishiya’s pillar, and began to gradually descend. When she landed on the rock, the air beneath her feet dispersed and blew the hair on everyone’s head.

Her arms crossed over her chest as she uninterestedly said, “That didn’t do anything for me…”

“How’d she do that?” Ino suddenly asked in her shocked state.

Nishiya let out a short giggle. “Wait to ask questions, boys and girls. There is still more to show you.” She turned to her left and smiled at the Uchiha next to her. “Ayako, care to make it rain?” she requested casually.

“With pleasure,” the girl accepted, grinning from ear to ear.

Ayako walked backwards until she was a good distance away from everyone. All eyes were on her now. She spread out arms with closed fists and concentrated with her eyes open. There was a few seconds of silence before a ‘whooshing’ noise erupted from behind her. Suddenly two streams of water from a nearby river whirled out of the forest behind her on both sides. Once it reached her, the water wrapped around her body and encased her in a wide, shimmering, blue, liquid cocoon. Only her fists were visible, sticking out of the sides until she quickly lifted her arms up above her head. The water then sprung up into the sky and flattened. “Get ready!” she excitedly exclaimed, opening her hands.

The sheet above exploded into tiny droplets and fell onto the field, and the group. When it was over, there were mixed expressions of surprise, anger, and intrigue over the fact that they were soaked. Ayako made her way back with wide strides and only smiled at all the faces when she returned
Nishiya didn’t hesitate to proceed on with the show. “Has anyone ever been underground?” she nonchalantly asked the group.

“Undergr-“ Sakura was interrupted quickly when Nishiya brought her arms in front of her and the ground began to shake. Firmly pressing down on the air, the next thing they knew, they were in a deep underground cavern where it was pitch black, unharmed and unmoved.

“Give me a light, Etsuyo.” Nishiya’s eager voice echoed the space.

With a quick snap of her fingers, two flames ignited in both her palms illuminating the darkness and her smirking face.

“Okay,” the woman spoke from behind her student. “Now we’re finished.” The ground shook once more before it rose back to the surface.

Each and every one of their comrades was highly confused. No hand seals, no jutsu calling, nothing. They pulled the elements by their own bidding. They questioned what were they doing, how did they do it, and most importantly, what type of shinobi were they? The Genin had no clue, but the Jonin knew, yet they were still as surprised as their students.

"Nishiya…" Kurenai spluttered. "You can't be serious… You’re all-"

"Yes," she interrupted, confirming the suspicion, "we are…”

“You’re all what?” Naruto questioned.

“Something special,” Ayako answered, leaving everyone hanging.

"Ugh! This is so unfair!” A young, ten year old, Ayako whined as she treaded water in the middle of a large blue ocean. “You're just going to leave me out here until I figure out how to use my element?" Her body bobbed up and down from the small waves as she treaded water.

"That's exactly what I'm doing," Nishiya confirmed, standing on a small boat. The soaking wet girl pouted. "Ah, don't worry. If you're really what you are, then you'll be fine. It’s not like you’re the only one encountering a situation like this. Yumika and Etsuyo are doing something similar as well.”

"But they're not going to die!” She attempted to make her sensei feel bad. “If I get too tired, I’ll stop swimming, and then I’ll drown!"

"I beg to differ.” The woman scoffed, not falling for her trick. “Yumika could easily be blown off the mountain while Etsuyo could ignite in flames…" The young one frowned as tears started to build up in her eyes. "Don't cry, now.” Nishiya noticed her chin begin to quiver. “Shinobi don't show their emotions. It's a sign of weakness…you know that."

"Well, who says I’m not weak?” she cried, splashing the water around her. “Because they’re wrong, I am!”

"I say you’re not,” Nishiya responded, placing her fists on her hips, unaffected by the young one’s tantrum. Ayako stared at her with wide eyes and stopped flailing. “And I will tell you I am barely ever wrong. I’ve only known you for a short amount of time, but I can already see the strength you have inside you." She wasn’t lying either. The first moment she laid eyes on the girl, her attention was immediately caught. There was something about her that was intriguing; something internal.

Ayako believed her words, calming down even more. “…R-really?” she stuttered. The receding lump in her throat still made it difficult to allow words to come out of her mouth.

“Yes,” she nodded, sternly. “Now where’d you get the silly idea that you’re weak?”

Ayako shut her mouth tightly, uncertain as to what to tell her. Nishiya had yet to find about her past self and who she really was. To the woman, she was simply: Ayako. No last name, no clan symbol, nothing to tie her to her famous massacred family.

“I…I just get that feeling sometimes,” she answered, quietly. “There are days when I really want to give up.”

“Like today?” Nishiya assumed. Ayako nodded once sadly. “Tell me. Those days, when you wanted to quit, did you?” She shook her head. “Then what makes today so different?”

She thought for a moment. “I don’t know,” she mumbled. “I guess it’s because I have to do this on my own.”

“Get used to it,” Nishiya shot back, roughly, thinking her excuse wasn’t good enough. She got down on one knee to bring herself closer to her new student and sighed. “As a shinobi, there will be times when you will have to take care of things by yourself. Being on a team doesn’t guarantee their assistance on every mission you go on. If you end up alone against an enemy and you become scared, you…will… die. You must learn to understand and accept that.”

"I-I'm already scared!" Ayako sobbed, as the reality of her sensei’s words slap her across the face.

"Don't be!”

“But I am! I can’t do this!” she exclaimed. “Controlling water will be too difficult for me. I know it already.”

Nishiya spoke as gently as she could. “Ayako, you may not know it yet, but this is your thing. This is your territory, now. Learn to face it and make it do your bidding. You push the water…don't let the water push you." With that, she turned the boat motor on and began to drift away.

"No, don't leave me!" she wailed helplessly. "I-I don't think I can do it yet!"

"You can, and you will,” the woman demanded. “For motivation, think about all of the reasons why you can't afford to wait to become stronger, Ayako," she advised wisely. With one last wave, she left, leaving Ayako all alone.

She watched the silhouette of her sensei and the boat helplessly, until she could barely see her anymore.

“I don’t even know where to start.” She brought her head down to look at her reflection in the ocean and after she caught a glimpse of herself, she closed her eyes. For motivation, think about all of the reasons why you can't afford to wait to become stronger, Ayako. The phrase repeated in her head over and over. Sasuke! she reminded herself.

So she began her training.

*RING* An alarm clock buzzed loudly at five in the morning. Ayako's eyes fluttered open and shut off the clock. She sat up and yawned stretching her arms to loosen the muscle that tightened in her slumber. She blinked her eyes repeatedly to adjust her sight. As the blurriness faded, she took note of room she occupied. It was fairly lit by the rising sun. The bed she currently lied on was in the corner, with a side table next to it, while a closet was propped up against the opposite wall with a long mirror to the right. She looked down at her sheets that were a deep red with black and white swirls decorating it and realized: she was in her room.

My room, she thought. My own room. It sounded strange to hear those words in her head. For the past five years she had shared a room with Yumika whether it was in a hotel, or in the forest, and before her travels, in the Uchiha Compound, she didn’t even call it a room. She called it her prison cell.

Not only did she now have her own room, her room resided in Sasuke’s apartment. But that wasn’t very weird to her. It actually made that feeling suppress and alter into a warmer one.

*Flashback*

It was the night of the day Ayako had returned to the village, after her talk with her team. The moon had just appeared over the horizon when she sat in front of a specific building in the village.

I hope this is the right one, she prayed in her mind, not wanting random strangers chasing her off their property.

“Ayako?” A familiar voice came from her right side, relieving her mind. She turned her head and found the person she was looking for.

A bright smile appeared on her face when she cheered, “Sasuke!”

“What are you doing outside of my home?” he questioned, walking closer to her side, with no enthusiasm in his voice. It gave her the idea that he wasn’t as excited to see her again as she was to see him.

Ayako pressed off her knee to stand up before answering. “I told you I’d find you, remember?” She laughed at his forgetfulness. He didn’t react. “But, that’s not why I’m here.” Her smile faded as she rubbed the back of her neck. “Lord Hokage actually sent me here.”

“For what reason?” he asked, raising his eyebrow.

She cleared her voice, feeling a lump in her throat as nervousness began to creep over her skin. “He... um… actually wanted me to ask you something…” She took a deep breath. “Um… can I… may I,” she corrected herself, “possibly… live with you?” The words were incredibly hard to get out of her mouth.

Sasuke didn’t respond right away. He only stared at his sister with a curious expression on his face. Why is she so shaky? his mentally questioned. She became weird over the years…

Ayako took his silence as a signal to explain things a little better, not sure if he understood. “You don’t have to say yes, just so you know,” she blurted. “You probably have all of your stuff in places where you like it and its all probably organized in your own way. Lord Hokage just wanted me to ask before he assigned me to an apartment in the village because he knew you had a spare room. But just because I’m your twin doesn’t mean we do things the same way in a household,” she continued to babble due his stare that made her feel awkward. “I’m intruding, I’m sorry.” She hit her forehead with her palm. “That was the last thing I wanted to do to you, and I’m doing it right now. I’ll run back and tell him to find me one. It’s not too late in the night.” She turned away from him and started to walk away, okay with not getting any response.

“Ayako,” Sasuke called out her name for the second time. She stopped in her tracks and pivoted her body so she half faced him. When she met his gaze, she could see he didn’t give off the uncomfortable feel she felt when she spoke. “Where’s all your stuff?” he wondered.

She pursed her lips. “It’s actually up there already…” She pointed her finger up at the building he lived in. “Lord Hokage had it put in there during the day. Obviously, he strongly felt you’d agree.” Her voice became slightly saddened when she said, “It’ll be out soon, though.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he told her, causing her mood to quickly spike back up. “Come on.”

Swiftly she ran to him and tightly enveloped him in a tight hug. When she pulled away, he was smirking.

Ayako sat still for a while in her t-shirt and shorts after her recent memory ended and found herself grinning wildly.

After a couple minutes, she stood up and headed to her door. At the exact moment she opened it, Sasuke was walking passed.

As her grin grew into a full blown smile, she greeted, "Good morning Sasuke." He stopped and turned his head towards her.

"Morning," he muttered, no facial expression at all.

She leaned against the doorframe. "Did you just wake up?" He shook his head.

"Oh," she said. “Did you eat breakfast already?” she asked another question, trying to make conversation.

"Yeah,” Sasuke answered, placing his hands in his pockets as he moved to lean on the wall opposite her door. “Kakashi told us to meet him at six. There’s something he needs to talk to us about.”

“Must be something big,” Ayako assumed.

“And uninteresting…” he dryly added.

Ayako rolled her eyes and sighed at her brother when suddenly, an idea popped into her head. “How about I make them a little more interesting, then?” she suggested. He waited patiently for her proposal. “Why don’t I come along and hang out with you and your team afterward?”

Sasuke thought for a moment. "Hn…” He closed his eyes. “That would make the day better,” he admitted. “How fast can you get ready? Like I said, I have to meet my team at six and it’s getting pretty close.”

Stepping back into her room she responded, “I’ll be right out. Just go and grab an apple for me from the kitchen and I’ll eat it on the way.” She closed the door on him before he could say anything else.

Ayako got dressed in her normal attire as fast as she could and brushed her hair. After tying her forehead protector over her forehead, she took one look in the mirror, making sure she looked okay. She speedily walked out of her room, practically running into Sasuke as he stood outside her door.

“Let’s go!” He nodded in acceptance and handed her the apple she requested. “Thanks.”

***

"Good morning, Sasuke," Sakura greeted as the two arrived on a wide cement bridge. Her brother just glanced at the girl. "Good morning to you too, Ayako," she said politely.

"Good morning, Sakura," Ayako acknowledged.

"Good morning, Ayako!" Naruto's voice roared from beside Sakura.

She sighed at his usual overreaction, still not used to the loudmouth. "Good morning…Naruto."

"Are you dropping Sasuke off or something?" he wondered.

"No.” She shook her head. “I know Kakashi sensei has to talk to you three about something, but I thought afterward we all could hang out together?”

"That sounds like a good idea," Sakura commented excitedly. "Do you mind if we ask you stuff?”

"Of course, that won’t bother me. It’s not like you learned that much yesterday, right?" She grinned. “So where is Kakashi sensei anyway?”

“He always comes late…” the pink-haired girl complained sourly.

“How late?” she asked carefully.

From behind, Sasuke murmured, “You’ll see…”

The four ended up standing there for over an hour after the scheduled time. They mostly stood in silence, listening to leaves rustling, the birds chirping, and the stream trickling below their feet. All calming sounds, but still, Ayako had become very irritated, obviously not used to such tardiness. She was always told by her sensei: ‘Time is of the essence; waste not, want not. If its essentialness is understood, none will be lost, and there will always be enough’.

“This is ridiculous!” she suddenly shouted, disturbing the peace. “What kind of person keeps others waiting for this long?!”

“I know!” Sakura joined in her rant. “I always ask, why, why, why?! He sets the time and then we have to wait hours for him!”

“It’s not fair!” Naruto agreed, punching his fist into the air.

“What about my feelings? I rushed here so fast, I didn’t even have time to blow dry my hair!”

“And I didn’t even have enough time to brush my teeth or change my underwear!”

“… You…didn’t?” Sakura hesitatingly questioned. “That’s really disgusting, Naruto.”

“I seriously did not need to know that…” Ayako abruptly shuddered at what came out of his mouth.

Turning around, she leaned over the railing and watched the water flow. She thought about how much she wanted to jump in and swim away, but the opportunity to hang out with her brother for the day made her put off the idea. But it wasn’t enough to make her stop wishing Kakashi would show up already.

Her wish came true right then when suddenly, a puff of smoke appeared on top of a post at the end of the bridge. The person emerging from it was none other the Kakashi.

"Hey, good morning everyone,” he cheerfully greeted. “Sorry I’m late. Afraid I got lost on the path of life."

"You liar!" Naruto and Sakura simultaneously pointed accusingly at him.

"Ayako,” he ignored them, noticing the odd one out of the group. “What are you doing here?"

"I’m just waiting for these three,” she answered honestly, shading her eyes wither her hand while she stared up at him.

"Oh I see.” He jumped down onto the bridge. “Well you’re lucky I only have to talk to them. It shouldn’t take long.”

“If it’s very important, I can leave.” She was being considerate.

“No, that’s not necessary,” he said. “Besides, you should already know about what I have to tell them.”

Her eyebrow rose on her face. “I should?”

“Mhm…” he hummed, and then turned his attention to his students. Bringing his hand to his face with his pointer finger pointed up, he spoke. “I know this is a bit sudden, but I recommended you for the Chunin Exams, all three of you.” He brought out three, manila colored sheets of paper with writing on it. “Here are your application forms.”

“Application forms?” Sakura restated in a question form.

“You’re repeating me Sakura,” he told her. “This is all voluntary. It’s up to each of you. If you don’t feel ready, you can wait till next year.”

“All right!” Naruto cheered, running to the man. He jumped up and wrapped his arms around his neck, giving him a hug. “Kakashi sensei you rock!”

The two spun around in a circle once. During so, Kakashi warned, “Hey, don’t slobber on my vest!” He pulled Naruto off of him and set him down. Giving an application to him, he added, “Whoever wants to take the exams, sign the application and come to room 301 at the academy. It’s at three P.M., five days from now. That’s it.”

Naruto proceeded to smile wildly at the information while chanting, “Chunin Exams, Chunin Exams.”

“As I said before, this wouldn’t take long.” Kakashi turned his body to face extra girl. “They’re all yours, Ayako.” She bowed respectfully.

With that, Team Seven departed with their sensei, and went off with Ayako.

***

The four Genin walked down the pathway together in silence at first. Naruto walked with the Chunin Exam application in front of his face, staring at it with utter excitement. Sakura trudged on in a sort of slump in between the two boys. Sasuke, acting as cool as ever, strode with his hands in his pockets, with a stoic look on his face.

Even though they all had different expressions, Ayako knew exactly what they were thinking about.

“So…” she started to make conversation since that was the point of her meeting them in the first place. “Are you all eager for the exams?”

“Hell yeah!” Naruto answered. “I’ll be up against a lot of really wicked ninja! Are you ready for it, Ayako?” He leaned forward to be able to make eye contact with her.

“Of course I’m ready,” she replied, confidence in her voice.

“How long have you known about the exams,” Sasuke asked her.

“A while,” she responded. “Nishiya sensei gave us our applications the first day we came, but we’ve actually known about it for a few weeks now. That’s kind of why we moved here around this time. It made it easier for us to take care of settling in before the craziness begins.”

“Craziness? How do you know it’ll be crazy?”

She let out an awkward laugh. She forgot they didn’t know all about her days as a Kiri shinobi. “…I’ve experienced the exams before.” She rubbed the back of her neck while she talked. The three gave her a curious stare as they waited for her to explain. “My team was entered in them three times in the past two years.” The cat was out of the bag and they reacted to it as if it was a bomb.

“Three times,” Naruto’s voice rose because of the surprise, “and none of you became Chunin?”

“It wasn’t our fault,” Ayako defended. Her voice rose as well but it was because of her embarrassment. “Nishiya sensei took us out each time right after the first portion. Why?” she asked for them. “Because she claims we ‘weren’t ready’,” she quoted bitterly, “but I know that there was more to it because we absolutely were.” Ayako let out a huff to try and rid herself of her pent up agitation while the three watched her strangely.

“Well… that’s understandable.” Sakura attempted to help the girl calm by showing her consideration. “Speaking of Nishiya sensei, where is she along with Yumika and Etsuyo?” She knew the best way to relieve tension is to change the subject.

Ayako took the girl’s verbal aid. “I believe Etsuyo is with her younger sister-“

“Speaking of her,” Naruto interrupted, which caused Ayako’s vein to start popping out and the agitation to rise again for not being able to finish. “Where was she when we first met you guys?”

She breathed in and out once. “You know how I had to talk to the guards?” They all nodded. “She was with me at the time until one of them offered to take her to get the paperwork needed to enroll in the Academy,” she explained. “Anyway, they’re together, while Yumika is either training or at home, and Nishiya sensei is probably working at the hospital again.”

At this point in their chat Ayako decided to head off the road and sit on the grass. The other three followed and did the same without any objection.

"Hey, Ayako?" Sakura spoke as she sat down. Ayako brought her attention to her. “Before you said we could question you and there’s this one thing that has been on my mind.”

“Whatever it is, I’ll gladly fill you in.”

“I was hoping you could explain what exactly happened yesterday,” the pink haired girl confessed. “You know, with the whole Yumika flying, you making it rain, getting pulled underground by Nishiya sensei, and Etsuyo lighting her hands on fire?”

“Sure.” She shrugged not seeing a big deal. “Hmmm… where do I begin,” she said mostly to herself. “Well you see…have you ever heard of the story: The Children of Mother Nature?"

Sasuke and Naruto shook their head doubtfully but Sakura recalled what she was talking about. "Yeah, in the academy," she replied. "It was about the legend of five shinobi who were able to move around the elements at their own will…but they and their power were only a legend."

"Actually… they aren’t,” Ayako declared, ready to retell the story.

"It’s all true?” Sakura was bewildered at her statement.

“Obviously.” She gestured at herself, smirking at the surprise. “That’s what I, and the rest of Team Shizen, proved yesterday.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Naruto stopped them from continuing on. “I’m confused. What’s this ‘Children of Mother Nature’ story?”

“Why don’t I tell you the basics of it,” she offered with a sigh. Clearing her throat, she began. “A long time ago, before the creation of the Five Great Nations, there was a powerful woman that went by the name of Mother Nature who walked the land. She had the gift of controlling the five elements: Earth, Wind, Fire, Lightning, and Water, but when she died, she separated her gift and let them go free until they connected with the next wielders. Those next wielders ended up being five siblings who happened to be her descendants. The eldest was granted the power of Earth. The second could control the wind. The third was able to hold and burn fire. The fourth had the capability of charging lighting. The fifth, the youngest and last child, managed to direct water. All commanded their element with their chakras to do their bidding whenever they wanted, without the need for the use of jutsu.”

“If that’s real, how does it work?” Sakura wondered.

Ayako scratched her head, rustling through her mind to find the right words to explain. “Every shinobi's chakras are exposed to one of the five elements. But these five rare people’s chakras are so exposed, instead of changing into the element, or surrounding it for manipulation, it becomes absorbed in a way that allows them to maintain the control. It’s like magnets. The two pieces stick together; when one moves the other follows.”

The puzzled expressions only continued to watch her, which ultimately made her want to fall onto her back to lie down. It was kind of exhausting trying to make things clear. She wondered how her sensei was able to put up with this, remembering her facial communication when the big news was announced.

“Okay…” Sakura spoke slowly. “So… you were able move around the water because you have special chakra?”

“In a sense, yes,” she confirmed shortly.

“That makes you…?”

“The next generation of the Children of Mother Nature,” she finished for the perplexed girl. “The five siblings lived around the age of when Konoha was formed. When they past, they did the same thing their ancestor Mother Nature did. They let it go free until they found the next wielders and that turned out to be Nishiya sensei, Yumika, Etsuyo, and me.”

Something right then clicked in Sasuke’s mind. "You said there were five elements and five wielders, but there’s only four of you. Who has the chakra for lightning?" Sasuke asked.

Ayako grinned at her brother for picking that up. “There’s a reason why no one believes my team when we tell them what we are until we show them. That reason is the mystery of the missing lightning chakra. Like you noticed Sasuke,” she faced him, “there’s supposed to be five of us, but there isn’t. It’s possible the fourth sibling actually never cast out his power or the person who has it now, hasn’t shown it. If that’s the case no one will know who has it.”

She saw their verbalization begin to soften, giving her the idea that they were beginning to understand, but of course not completely.

"It's all complicated,” she said to them, “I know, but consider yourselves lucky. You didn’t have to learn every single detail. I just gave you the short version.”

If that was the short version, they didn’t want to even imagine the long version.

Ayako recalled it taking one very long afternoon to hear the story from her sensei, and the rest she learned before, during, and after her training. Again, she wondered how Nishiya put up with it, especially since she had to teach three students rather than one.

Unexpectedly, a figure appeared from the side of the group, pulling her out of her thoughts. All four turned their heads to see who it was. At the moment, the person was crouched over, making it hard to see their appearance, but once they stood up, it became apparent.

“Oh hey, Yumika,” Ayako greeted her teammate.

The girl eyed Team Seven before responding. “Hi…”

“What’s up?” She stood up and walked over.

“I saw a large group of outsiders head their way into the village,” she talked quietly as if she wanted her words to be a secret. “Seeing as they must be here for the exams, I just wanted to know if you’d like to check them out.”

Ayako’s face immediately brightened. She turned back to the others. “Sorry Team Seven, but I have business to take care of.” She ran off with Yumika before they could interject. “See you later!”

When they were a good distance away, Yumika asked, “Are they entered into the exams?”

“As of this morning,” she confirmed.

Yumika hummed at the validation. “I can already sense the intrigue coming off of you.”

“Only because seeing my brother in action has sparked my interest,” she nicely argued.

These exams will definitely be the most entertaining one yet, she mentally cheered. I can’t wait for them to begin! Five days, hurry up and pass!

Ayako stood in her room, staring down at her drawers where her forehead protector lay neatly. She analyzed the Konoha insignia, looked at the swirl, traced it with her own eyes, and smiled at the item she wore ever so proudly. The metal plating shimmered in the afternoon sunlight that crept in her room. Not a scratch or dent appeared. The blue cloth appeared so silky and smooth without a tear in sight.

"Let it begin," she whispered as she took it in her hands and tied it around her forehead. Her long black hair fell when she removed her hands from the back of her head and cascaded down her back. Taking one last look around her tidy room, Ayako exited the home and went on her way to the academy.

It was now time to start…the Chunin Exams!

Ayako ran down the streets quickly, accidentally hitting a few people in her way. Being a polite person, she turned around and apologized to each person every time.

Unfortunately for her, her sprint didn’t continue to go smoothly. At one point, as she turned back, she noticed a figure standing right in front of her. Unable to stop in time, she could only yelp and slide into the person…hard. But they didn't even budge. She wobbled backwards holding her nose that smacked into their back. Well, actually the gourd attached to their back. When they turned around, she immediately took in their features.

It was a boy about her age. He had pale -almost white- skin and bright, jade green eyes that were surrounded by dark black circles, obviously a sign of bad insomnia. He wore a black squared neck t-shirt that was tight around his shoulders and black, baggy pants. His ankles were taped and he wore a white wrap that was over his shoulder and hung down between his legs along with a brown belt over his other shoulder. She noticed the forehead protector tied around it and found he was from the sand village.

"Sorry!" she quickly apologized, wrinkling her nose to ease the stinging pain. "I wasn't watching where I was going." The boy stared at her blankly. His eyes were calm, yet they showed something mysterious that Ayako couldn't figure out.

As she continued to stare, his gaze only transformed into a glare. After a while, it freaked her out enough to make her step back a few inches. Her heart slightly raced as fear started to consume her.

"Er…sorry for running into you again." She smiled awkwardly and darted off to her destination as he watched her with the same expression. Never have I ever had an experience like that before where a person could scare me that fast and that badly... she thought, besides father, anyhow.

As Ayako arrived, she saw a few people standing outside the academy doors. Most were from Konoha, while there were little groups from Suna, Kusa, and one team from Oto. She admitted some looked pretty intimidating, but that wasn’t going to scare her away.

"Ayako!” Etsuyo's call caught her attention. “We're over here!"

She turned her head over where her teammate’s voice came from. Standing right next to the entrance was Etsuyo and Yumika. "Coming!" she responded and walked over to them. "Good morning."

"Morning," they both replied.

"Are you ready for this?" Yumika asked. The other two nodded.

"Let's show them what we got!" Etsuyo cheered. The three strode into the building side by side.

While they walked down the hallways, Ayako had to ask an important question. "Do either of you have any idea where we're going? I haven't been in here…ever," she admitted, looking to her left and right.

"Nope,” Etsuyo answered, casually. “I've only been on the outside a few times picking up Hanako."

"I don't even remember…" Yumika said, crossing her arms. "Though I think we need to go up to the third floor. Then we'll just follow people."

"Good idea,” Ayako praised.

They continued to walk until they found the stairs and headed up to the third floor. As they climbed, they came upon a group of people standing in front of a door that read 301.

"Hey come on. Let us in! This is where we have to go." A girl with emerald green hair, pleaded from the crowd.

"Not a chance,” one of the boys with chocolate brown hair, guarding the door replied snottily. “Just go home. There's no point in you being here. You'll all end up failed in the end…or worse… dead."

An eruption of complaints filled the Academy halls, arguing with the two boys who stood in everyone’s way. They responded by remaining quiet and smirking at the struggle.

For a split second, Team Shizen debated whether or not to join in the ruckus, but then, unlike everyone else, they noticed a flaw in the boys’ plan.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me!" Ayako blurted from the back, causing everyone to become silent and turn around. The girl crossed her arms over her chest, shook her head disapprovingly and said, "This is one of the oldest tests in the book."

"What are you going on about?" the second guard with spiky gray-black hair, shot back.

"You people call yourselves Genin, when you can't even pick up a simple Genjutsu,” Yumika insulted without a care of hurting anyone’s feelings. “Pathetic…this is only the second floor. Didn't you people notice walking up only two flights of stairs?" She put her hand on her hip. The number changed to 201 in a blur.

Everyone stopped to think for a second. Then, realization hit them. They all laughed and giggled heading for the stairs.

"So you could figure it out that easily?" the first guard questioned when the five were practically the only ones on the floor.

"It was common sense,” the Hakinowa answered and headed on her way.

“Why would the numbers from the first floor be in the hundreds, while the second floor is in the three-hundreds?" Etsuyo simply explained as she walked passed.

As Ayako trailed behind, she turned to the boys and said, “Maybe next time.”

They left them on that note, and went in the direction all the others went.

After one last flight of stairs, there it was right in front of them: Room 301. The room they waited weeks to enter. The room they'll finally be able to complete their journey to Chunin.

Opening the door, the scene wasn't as exciting as they hoped. In fact, the only thing that brought chills was that Nishiya wasn't going to interfere this time.

There were a few groups of Genin sitting on the tables. All of which were from different villages.

The room itself was like any other classroom. The walls were green, and there were long, wooden desks in rows filling the room. A large, black chalkboard covered almost the entire front wall of the room. The windows on the left side gave in sunlight and made the room bright with the help of the lights on the ceiling.

It wasn’t a very pleasant sight. Not that they would’ve expected it to be, it was a classroom. But it was the Chunin Exams as well.

"Looks like we're the first of the new Konoha Genin to arrive…I wonder where the nine rookies are." Etsuyo added.

"Eh…probably taking their time," the Uchiha responded looking at the other faces. "We're early anyway. They'll come eventually." The two nodded.

Near middle of the room, they found an area to hang around and check out the competition. Yumika and Ayako noticed familiar faces of outsiders from the day they arrived. A few stared back while others, who were brave enough, came over to flirt with them.

"Hey there, I'm Sachida,” a boy from Kusagakure introduced with a wide smile on his face. “What are a couple of cuties doing here?"

A disgusted look plastered onto all three of their faces as if he smelled, but Ayako was the only one to speak to him. "What does it look like?" she sourly shot at him, not favoring his word choice.

"Looks like a few girls are in over their heads," he answered slyly, smirking down at her.

She scoffed in his face. “Please… it’s you who don't know what you're getting yourself into."

He chuckled at her statement, placing his hands behind his head. "Are you insisting you do?"

"Yeah,” she told him, not bothering to go into detail. “Now do yourself a favor and get out of my presence."

"Trying to act like a high and mighty princess, huh?" The boy began to become aggravated at her sour attitude.

She sneered. "Whatever…"

"Better be careful girl,” he warned. “Or else you may end up hurt in these exams. I hope you can hold back your tears."

Ayako’s anger was now hanging by a thread. "And I hope you can hold back your vomit when I punch you in the stomach in a few seconds.” Sachida suddenly burst out in laughter. His reaction only made her want to snap his neck right then and there. “What’s so funny?” She dared him to answer.

It took him a few seconds to gather himself back together. He wiped a single tear that formed in the corner of his eye before saying, “You actually think you can hurt me. Your hit would feel like a little poke. I mean, come on! You don’t look that strong.”

“That’s it!” Swiftly Ayako slammed her palm on the desk and pushed herself forward. She was about to tackle the kid to the ground and pound the snot out of him when a hand wrapped around her arm to restrain her.

“Ayako, don’t.” Yumika sternly advised. Sachida turned his attention to her now, but she didn’t bother returning the action. “You already wasted your time on this guy, don’t waste your energy.”

With one, short exhale, her friend was calmed.

“Wow, your emotions can change in a snap,” Sachida commented, noticing the quick switch. “Maybe that’s your true effective attack.”

“Kid,” Yumika spoke before Ayako could open her mouth to defend herself. “I suggest you go back to your team and leave mine alone, or else you’ll be dealing with me.” To scare him off, she switched her eyes from yellow to green and gave off a vibe of danger.

Her attempt worked. Seeing her change and feeling the difference in the air around them, Sachida slowly backed away with a hint of fear on his face. “Fine,” he agreed. “I was getting bored of talking to her anyway.” He tried to regain his ‘cool’ with his words, but the two knew and were both amused at his reaction and relieved he finally left.

“I could’ve taken him, you know.” Ayako stated, watching him walk away.

“Yeah, I do. But proving that to him isn’t the goal…” she took a seat next to her friend. “Getting through the first round is. Everything else is unimportant.”

Hours passed. Genin from everywhere slowly flooded in through the doors. Suna, Konoha, and Kusa shinobi filled the entire classroom. Ayako even saw the boy she ran into earlier, but made sure to not capture his attention again. Teams Eight and Ten showed up eventually, staying close to Team Shizen. They chatted nonchalantly when another team showed up.

There was a girl with her dark brown hair in two buns on the side of her head, wearing a pink sleeveless shirt with blue baggy capris. Along with a boy with long brown hair, the eyes of a Hyuuga, a tan shirt jacket and black shorts. Lastly, another boy with shiny black hair in a bowl cut, wearing a green jumpsuit that was horribly disturbing to look at. They introduced themselves as Team Gai with members TenTen, Rock Lee, and Neji Hyuuga. But still, Team Seven had yet to make an appearance.

That fact started to worry Ayako, and it was easily apparent to her teammates as they saw her twiddle her thumbs and shake her leg nervously.

"What's the matter, Ayako?" Etsuyo wondered, kindly smiling. She whispered to make it a little more private.

She sighed, keeping her eyes glued to the door. "Sasuke isn't here yet."

"Well it takes all three," Etsuyo responded implying one of them didn’t want to participate.

"I know, I know,” she stated, “but I don’t think any of them would back out. Even though I haven’t known him for long, I can tell that Naruto isn't one to back down. He was very excited when he was given his application. Sasuke wouldn't even think about giving up this opportunity and Sakura…well-"

"She could be the reason," Yumika cut in. "Sakura doesn't seem like the type of person to handle this."

That reminded Ayako about the certain things Sasuke had said about her, which ultimately caused her to worry even more. “Sasuke did say once that she doesn’t do the fighting on missions. She’s always protected by others rather than by herself.”

“Well then she’s going to be deadweight to her team,” Yumika pointed out.

“Maybe it’s not such a bad idea if she doesn’t show up.” Ayako snapped her head to the side to grimace at her.

"If she doesn't they’ve already failed," Etsuyo retorted.

"They don't know that, do they?" she replied. “They’re first timers… they don’t know the stakes yet.”

"Let's just hope she finds the courage to show herself," Ayako murmured as she put all her concentration back to the entrance of the room. “Otherwise, she is deep in hot water.”

More minutes passed when finally the door opened to a sight Ayako longed to see. There they were, Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura.

Thank goodness, she thought, relieved.

Teams Eight, and Ten dispersed to them quickly. Their voices covered up all the rest, drawing all eyes on them.

"Sakura looks calm,” Yumika noted, her yellow eyes reading the girl’s face like a book.

"She does," Etsuyo agreed. "She must be really sucking it up to be here for Sasuke and Naruto."

"More like just for Sasuke," she slightly gritted, rolling her eyes.

"Someone's jealous…" the red-head sang, earning a sharp glare from her friend, and causing Ayako to laugh, but it was cut short when someone from the rookie group yelled.

"I'M GONNA TAKE YOU ALL DOWN!" They heard Naruto scream followed by Sakura scolding him. Team Shizen turned their heads to the back of room.

"Son of a…” Ayako smacked her forehead with her palm.
Yumika pinched the bridge of her nose as she muttered, “Does he want to die?”

“Oh Naruto…” Etsuyo sighed.

Ayako pushed herself off the table and began walking through the crowd. Yumika and Etsuyo mindlessly followed close behind.

As they finally reached the back Ayako pushed to remaining people to the side. She was about to grab a hold of the knucklehead and shake him around for being such an idiot when she saw a new face had already directed the attention off the subject of the outburst.

Ayako put her hands on her hips, slightly disappointed that she couldn’t act how she felt. "Oh, hi there everyone," she greeted to the rookies as she faced a boy with gray hair tied in a low pony-tail with black eyes surrounded by round glasses. He wore the Konoha forehead protector on his head with a purple shirt and bottoms. She was greeted back by the nine as well as by the new kid.

"Hi, I'm Kabuto Yakushi," he said.

"Ayako Uchiha," she introduced. “This is Yumika Hakinowa,” she pointed to her right, “and Etsuyo Terumi,” she gestured to her left.

"Uchiha?” he questioned with an eyebrow raised. “I thought…" He looked at Sasuke.

"I'm his sister,” she briefed. “It's a long story."

"Understandable.” He nodded. “I was just showing these guys my Ninja Info Cards.” He placed two cards back into a thick deck and held it up to show her. “They tell me anything I want to know about any ninja I have read information about.”

"Any ninja?” Ayako repeated doubtfully. “I wouldn’t suppose you have anything on me though.”

“That’s probably true,” agreed with a chuckle. “I think I would have remembered coming across information about another Uchiha. But I’ll try anyway, with all three of you.”

The Genin watched his actions. Kabuto sliced his hand quickly over the deck. When he brought it back over his face, he held two cards. “Interesting,” he said. “I guess there’s only one of you that I have yet to know about. I’m guessing it’s you, Ayako.” Laying it on the ground, he pressed his middle finger onto the center and it began to spin as he applied his chakra to it. A small puff of smoke emitted from it. When it cleared, it revealed Etsuyo’s data. Without saying anything about it, he did the same to the other card and it showed Yumika’s information. “My assumption was correct,” he said. “I have nothing on you Ayako… for now.”

“Whoa! Check out their missions!” Sakura pointed to the corner of their cards. “One A-rank, two B-ranks, twenty-seven C-ranks, and thirty-one D-ranks,” she read in surprise. “That’s a lot!”

“We’ve been Genin for almost three years, what’d you expect?” Ayako shrugged.

Suddenly dark presences could be felt from within the crowd, interrupting the conversation. Whoever they were, they moved quickly and swiftly enough to not bump into anyone else in the crowd. Ayako felt a breeze as one rushed passed her. It became instantly apparent that their target was Kabuto as one appeared before him and went in for a punch. Easily, he dodged it and he looked completely fine until his glasses cracked, and he fell to the ground to vomit.

Ayako only stared in shock which only grew when she saw from the corner of her eye, Yumika with her hands over her ears.

Ayako became shocked. Looking at the perpetrator she saw it was the Genin from Otogakure. Sakura and Naruto ran to help him. They were about to attack again but before anyone could move, a puff of smoke appeared from the front of the classroom.

Ayako spun around.

"Alright you baby faced degenerates! Pipe down and listen up!" A large man with a scar on his face barked, with a dozens of adults wearing grey suits stood behind him. "It's time to begin. I'm Ibiki Morino, your proctor, and from this moment, your worst enemy…"

The air suddenly became thicker. Not because of the claustrophobia from all the people in the room, but because Ibiki's booming introduction intimidated almost all candidates. All faces were twisted into fear. "First, you candidates from Otogakure, who said you could fight?” he scolded his strict questions. “Do you want to be failed before we've even begun?"

"Sorry…" the Genin, who looked like a mummy, apologized in a deep raspy voice. “We just got a little excited and carried away. This is our first time."

Yeah right…creep. Ayako grimaced in his direction.

Ibiki scoffed at his excuse. "I'll say this once,” he tone dropped down but it still had an edge to it, “there will be no combat between candidates, no attacking each other without permission of your proctor, and even then, fatal force is strictly prohibited. Anyone who tries to mess with me will be disqualified immediately."

"Threats already…?” Ayako muttered to herself. “This is getting serious."

"Alright then…no more wasting time! Let's get started!" Ibiki’s voice roared again. "Hand over your paperwork and you will receive a number,” he instructed. “This will indicate where you will sit. We'll start the written test once you're all seated."

All teams began to stand up and the once large clot of people narrowed into an organized line.

Ayako ran to her teammates quickly. "Well," she whispered to them. "We're most likely going to be apart from each other so, good luck you two. You know what to do." Yumika and Etsuyo nodded.

Quickly and orderly, all forms were turned in and everyone was seated in their spots. Ibiki stood at the front chalkboard tapping on it with a small piece, compared to his hand size, of white chalk.

Ayako was given number 73. She sat on the left side of the room near the back on the end of the right side of the desk. A sheet of paper face down was placed in front of her.

Even with all the people she could find her friends. Yumika, number 21, sat in front on the right side, in the middle of the table, while Etsuyo, number 46, sat three rows in front of Ayako on the left end.

So much for being spaced out… she thought when noticing that the boy she ran into earlier in the day, sat directly in front of her.

"First off," Ibiki began, shaking Ayako out of her thoughts. "There are some rules you all need to follow while taking this portion. There is no time for questions, so shut up and listen!" He began to write. "Rule number one: This test works by a point reduction system, which is something not most of you are used to. In the beginning you will start with a perfect score of ten points." He stepped to the side. "If you miss a question, you get one point taken off. If you miss two, you get two points taken away, and so on and so forth."

Ayako listened carefully. Point reduction system? she wondered. That's new. Well, I don't exactly test great, but it couldn't be that hard. If I get zero, it'll only affect me…

"Rule number two: Teams will pass or fail based on the total scores of all three members."

Her hand reflexively smacked her forehead. Spoke too soon… She frowned deeply. Oh no… she realized. Naruto doesn't seem like the person who tests well either. That means he may be the reason why Team Seven might not make it. She looked around the room quickly and found him sitting on the right side in the center row. You better pull it together Naruto! Mentally threatening him, she glared, hoping he could feel her eyes burning into his back.

"What?" She heard a familiar girl scream. Sure enough, it was Sakura. "We're being passed based on our team's total?"

"Silence!" Ibiki ordered. "Rule number three:” he moved on, ignoring her. “The sentinels placed around you are there to watch carefully for any signs of cheating. For every incident they spot, you will lose 2 points. Five times and you're out."

Ayako looked at all the sentinels. She saw how sharp their eye movements were, possibly noticing every single student's movement. Whether it was their hand, their body, or maybe even their eyes, she had a feeling they caught it.

"Lastly,” he spoke again. “The tenth and final question will be asked at the end. If answered correctly, you and your teammates will proceed onto the next round…if not…you will never be able to take these exams again."

The Uchiha felt her heart beat speed up in nervousness. Okay, she contemplated. I don't remember any of these rules and regulations in the exams the last three times I've taken it…what's going on here? Why is so much at stake? Ayako saw Etsuyo and Yumika both turn around to exchange worried glances.

"Alright, there's no more time to waste,” Ibiki stated. “Turn over that sheet of paper in front of you, and the test will begin. You have one hour. Show us how good you all are as shinobi."

She flipped over her test quickly and read the first question as fast as she could. As she read is her eyes widened. The question made no sense to her. First the rules now the actual test. Arg! she mentally whined. Ayako skipped the first question and read the second. She read it as thoroughly as she could, but she couldn’t comprehend what it was asking. She continued to skip questions biting the end of her pencil.

If shuriken A was thrown at the same time as B and C at the same target but in different directions, which one would hit the target first? She looked over the diagram drawn next to the question. Well duh, it has to be shuriken B, it's going straight for it. She almost began to write but hesitated as a thought came to her. Wait…what if it's a trick question? What if A or C's curve was actually making it a shorter distance than B. Then which one out of those two would it be? Or maybe they're all the same distance and the curve is just the trick of the eye!...No…Ugh! This is so hard. What person would know the answers to this? It's impossible! She rubbed her eyes with her finger. Obviously arguing with herself wasn't going to get her anywhere.

Maybe if I just take a peek at someone else's paper, it'll give me an idea as to what the answer could be. Or maybe just the answer… Smirking deviously, her eyes started to slide over to her left but she stopped herself quickly. No, I can't risk losing two points! she scolded herself. Sheesh, they make it so tempting to cheat. But I'm not falling for it!

Ayako returned her attention back to her test. I wonder how Yumika and Etsuyo are doing. She lightly knocked herself on the side of her head with her pencil. Come on mind! Focus!

In truth, Yumika wasn't doing too well either. She too, was staring at her test confused at the level of intensity it was. Etsuyo on the other hand, being the smart one was answering each question like they were made for academy students. She buzzed through them all no sweat.

Ayako was watching Etsuyo answer them. Of course she would know. She rolled her eyes and then pouted. These exams are making me feel like a dumbass. I'm an average smart person, but these questions are made for geniuses and make everyone below that feel stupid… and the need to cheat. Why is that?

She moved her gaze to Yumika and observed her frozen like position. Well at least I'm not the only one struggling. I hope she doesn’t feel the same way as I do. Again she changed her focus, but this time, to the sentinel sitting closest to her. He was writing down something on his clipboard. Someone just got busted, she mentally noted.

"Number 57:" a voice broke the strong silence, startling her, "failed. Take your teammates and leave." A boy stood up and sadly headed for the door with his teammates behind him.

It had only been 20 minutes in and the frenzy began. "Number 34: failed," a sentinel stated from the back.

"Number 50: failed," another reported.

"Number 29: failed."

All these numbers were being called out and the room started to become more open. Spaces were emptied in the desks as even more were forced to leave. Only one brave fellow was angry enough to actually try and put up a fight with one of the sentinels, but was ultimately thrown against the wall with an arm pressing against his neck.

And soon that'll be me leaving if I don't answer one of these damn questions! Ayako gulped. She needed to figure things out fast. I need to calm down and think straight, she told herself. Okay… there’s got to be something to this. There always is! Think! Was there anything Ibiki said that might have been a clue? She stared at the man I front, recalling the things he said. All he really talked about was the importance of not cheat- wait! That’s it! She understood everything then. Now I finally get it. How could I not see this before? Nishiya sensei always told us deception is the key to everything, especially these exams. And throughout all of the hard missions I’ve been on, there was always something that wasn’t apparent at first.

So they make the test hard on purpose. It's made for cheating, but the trick is to do it without getting caught! She laughed in her head, finding out the truth. It’s a piece of cake! Ayako closed her eyes and focused her chakra to them. Opening her lids, the Sharingan glowed in her eyes. The next question is: who has the answers? She scanned around the room until she stopped on the chosen one. How about the scary kid in front of me? He seems promising. She watched his pencil move and copied the movements exactly.

As I do this, I should inform Yumika. She still looks pretty stuck. While writing with her right hand, she gathered her chakra in her left. With the sweat from her palm, she created a small water ball and let it fall to the ground. Sneakily it slid up to her teammate. The liquid appeared on the girl’s lap, catching her attention immediately as it wrote out a short message.

“Deception alert!” Yumika read. “Gather your information in secret. Cheat!” Her bright yellow eyes sparkled at the information. Smirking deviously, she brought her hand to her right ear and focused. Tora no kōchōkai She waited until she wasn’t just hearing random tapping, she was hearing the direct motions of the pencils and being able to decipher the words that were being written. When it was done, she brushed her hair away, revealing, for a moment, her new ear...her pointed tiger ear. She tuned in on another student, and began to answer the test.

So many Kekkei Genkai, jutsu, and other strategies, yet the sentinels couldn’t depict them from the crowd. It was clear they were trained to only see the wrong move of the head with the wrong move of the eyes.

Ayako kept following the boy’s writing until she became curious as to how he retrieved the answers. She stared at his back until she realized he was using a jutsu to cheat. She looked even more into it and found he had created another eye to look at the answers from another Genin. It slightly frightened her. There sure is something really frightening about this guy.

The 30 minute mark ticked on the clock and Ayako had finished her test thanks to the boy in front. Her Sharingan turned off, she looked at Yumika who had also just put her pencil down and then at Etsuyo who had been sitting casually with her hands in her lap. Ayako grinned wildly at the sight she saw. As long as we answer the tenth question correctly, she thought, Team Shizen’s in the clear!

Crash!

A kunai knife zoomed through the air and landed loudly in front of someone. "You've just been caught five times Number 55. Get your teammates and exit the room now!" Ibiki demanded. The boy was frightened horribly. He stuttered and shakily got up. Ayako watched as even more contestants failed.

By now it was 45 minutes in and Ibiki stepped back in front to ask the final question. "Alright, pencils down. It's time for the tenth question,” he instructed. “But before I give you the question, there are more rules you need to be aware of.”

More?! Ayako grumbled.

“These rules are unique to question ten,” the man continued. “Listen carefully, and try not to let them frighten you…” He stared out at the Genin with a sharp, terrorizing stare.

**

Meanwhile, outside in the village, Nishiya had ended up with the other three Jonin in a hang out center. It was filled with red seats that rounded the room with a large leafy plant in the center that was surrounded by more seats that faced the others.

“Is there a reason why I’m here with you three?” she sourly asked slouching in her seat next to Kakashi.

“No reason,” Kurenai replied. “We just thought it’d be nice to invite you.”

“Kurenai, thought I’d be nice to invite you,” Asuma corrected, holding a cigarette between his fingers.

Nishiya ignored his snarky comment, not wanting to put the effort in retorting. She only sighed. “Whatever…” she dully murmured and looked out the window behind Kurenai.

“It’s quiet without the rookies,” Kakashi spoke, changing the subject. He was leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. “I almost miss them.”

“Don’t worry,” Asuma said, casually. “Chances are they’ll be back again sooner than you think.”

That statement made Nishiya fully tune into the conversation.

“Why’s that?” Kakashi wondered.

Before answering, he tapped his cigarette over the metal bin next to him. “I heard that their first examiner this year is Ibiki…”

Kakashi leaned back against the couch as he sarcastically responded, “Great… sticking them with that sadist right off the bat.”

Kurenai became confused. “Huh? What sadist?”

Asuma chuckled at her. “I forgot you’re a new Jonin, Kurenai. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have to ask that.” He turned to look at Nishiya who met his gaze right away. “I suppose you don’t know about the man we’re talking about either, Nishiya?”

She thought for a moment. The name sounded familiar to her, but she couldn’t quite put a face to it right away. But after a few seconds it came to her and her jaw clenched at the image of his face in her mind. “Yeah I know him,” she confirmed.

Kurenai shrugged at being the one left out. “So I’m ignorant,” she labeled. “Who is he?”

“He’s what you might call… a specialist,” Kakashi told her.

“Oh yeah… in what?” the woman turned her head towards Asuma who now had his cigarette in his mouth.

He took a quick puff, blew it out, and took it out. “Interrogation… torture…” A shocked expression appeared on her face.

“He was the douchebag who interrogated me before I transferred,” Nishiya informed.

“Of course he won’t be using physical torture during the test. He won’t need to,” he added, ignoring Nishiya’s statement. “That’s not really his thing anyway. He works on people’s minds, not their bodies and he’s famous for it. Everyone knows about the head of the ANBU Torture and Interrogation Corps of Konoha, Ibiki Morino,” he continued explaining. “You see, this guy, Ibiki, he’s a master of interrogation because he understands how the human mind works. He knows just where to probe to uncover your weaknesses. The thing is, he’s so good at his job he doesn’t use physical torture. He doesn’t need to. He just messes up your head so bad, you torture yourself.”

“With that knowledge,” Kakashi began, facing the right, “are you going to take your team out of the exams again, Nishiya?”

She scoffed, giving him a dirty look. “No… because even though I’ve met the guy and have experienced his work first hand, I still don’t see what the big deal is about this guy. He’s not even that threatening if you ask me.”

Before anyone could say anything else, a random shinobi intruded. “Nishiya,” he called, handing her a folded sheet of paper. “Lord Hokage wanted this delivered to you.”

She examined it for a moment before taking it out of his hand and opening it. As she read it, the watched her silently.

Nishiya glanced up after reading the last sentence and smirked. Folding it again, she handed it back to the shinobi and said, “Tell him, I’ll gladly accept his request.” He bowed respectively and left.

“What was that about?” Kurenai wanted to know.

“It was about the Preliminaries,” she easily replied. “Apparently, to save room, the medical team has to wait outside, but just in case things get really bad, Lord Hokage wants me present in the room for immediate action.”

“So you’re a medical shinobi too?” Asuma concluded, slightly surprised.

She laughed at his expression. “Clearly you haven’t read my file. There’s a lot you don’t know about me.” She crossed her arms and legs. “Or my team… They’ll be fine. They’re minds have already been through more straining situations than this.”

***

The air felt thicker as the sweat from all the participants began to drip and their heartbeats gradually increased in speed.

“Rule number one,” Ibiki started. “Each of you is free to choose not to be given the final question. It’s your decision.” Ayako shot her head up.

“Whoa, so what’s the catch?!” someone from the back shouted. “Let’s say we decide we don’t want to do it. What happens then?”

He didn’t waste any time. “If you choose not to take the tenth question, regardless to your answers to the other nine, you’ll get a zero. In other words, you fail… and that means, of course, both your teammates fail as well.”

An eruption of confusion came over everyone. Ayako ignored their words and instead looked at Yumika and Etsuyo to see if they were showing any unusual behavior, but to her relief, they remained calm.

“Not so fast…” he spoke again. “You didn’t let me finish…If you do accept the question but answer it incorrectly,” he paused. “You will be barred from taking the Chunin Exam ever again!”

At that moment, all of Team Shizen’s composure was cracked.

“Shit…” Yumika cursed under her breath.

“Oh wow,” Etsuyo uttered.

“Ugh!” Ayako moaned.

“Now, if anyone would like to back out and not risk the chances, you may leave. Raise your hand and your number will be recorded. If you think you're good enough and even smart enough stay right here."

The room was still for a few seconds until finally, many groups stood up and left. Ayako counted about three from every nation gave up. Her head stayed front as she tried to regain her confidence. None of them were leaving. She had almost gotten it all back until she saw Naruto's hand shoot up! You've got to be kidding me!

"ALRIGHT!" Naruto yelled, slamming his hand down so hard on the desk it seemed like it was about to break. "No tenth question is going to bring me down! Come on bring it! Let's see what you've got!"

Over confident dumbass. Yumika rolled her eyes.

What a loser! Ayako growled.

You're so weird, Naruto. Etsuyo giggled.

"Well then…" Ibiki's hissed. "The tenth question is…” Ayako felt the suspense build and she began to hear her heart beat in her ears. “Non-existent," he finished.

This time, Ayako lost her cool for real. "Excuse me?!” she stood from her seat. “What do you mean it’s non-existent?! This entire time there wasn't a final question?!"

"Exactly,” he answered without a reaction to her abruptness. “The tenth question was a diversion set up to see who would be able to handle going to the end or not. Those people who left or were disqualified will be taking the exams next time and will not be informed until further notice."

Ayako plopped back into her seat and grumbled at his explanation, feeling foolish for being nervous over nothing.

"That's it then?” Yumika questioned. “We all pass because we chose to stick around for a supposed tenth question that we all thought would decide our fate?" Ibiki nodded. She crossed her arms. “Were the other nine questions for nothing as well?

“No, not at all,” he contrasted. “Quite the opposite. The first nine questions had an important overwriting purpose: to test your ability to surreptitiously gather strategic intelligence under the most adverse circumstances.”

“Oh well that clears up everything…” the person who spoke before replied sarcastically.

“Let me explain,” Ibiki offered. He went on about the importance of teamwork and how each member contributed with what they did or did not do. He explained how the test was purposely made difficult and confirmed it was designed for them to cheat carefully. The reason for that was to teach them the lesson that disinformation could be worse than no information at all, leading to the death of comrades.

The tenth question’s purpose was to give them the glimpse of situations Chunins have to face almost every day. They could either take the easy way out, or take the chance and real Chunins take that chance, not caring about the possible outcomes, only thinking of the goal. Those who think that way, and act that way while fighting with and protecting others, can call themselves Chunin.

“I hear by declare this part of the Chunin Exams completed. There’s nothing left, but to wish you all good luck,” Ibiki finished.

"What happens next?" Etsuyo piped up.

A sudden crash through the window interrupted the whole scene. A black sheet was hung by kunai knives and emerging from it was a woman.

Staring at the sheet, Ayako read ‘Here comes the Second Test’s Proctor: Anko Mitarashi’. I can already tell she’s obnoxious. She felt her sweat drop.

"Heads up boys and girl, this is no time to be celebrating!" she boomed. "I’ll be your next proctor… Anko Mitarashi. You ready for the second test? Good!" She punched the air without allowing anyone to answer her. “Let’s go!”

Everyone only stared.

"You're early,” Ibiki scolded from behind the sheet.

"What?" She turned around. Ayako took in her attire which she felt was quite revealing. She wore a fishnet shirt and a tan skirt with a black belt. A large, tan trench coat fell just above her knees and her shins were covered with white guards. Her hair was short, black, with her bangs brushed to the side, covering her Konoha forehead protector.

Anko looked around the room. "Oh Ibiki, you passed too many. You’re test must have been too easy. You must be getting soft,” she assumed.

"Or it could be a stronger crop of candidates this year,” he countered

"They sure don’t look like it,” she commented. “Trust me, before I’m done with them, more than half will be eliminated.” She smiled devilishly.

“More than half?” Ayako repeated her, bewildered.

"This is going to be fun…” Anko whispered mostly to herself. “Alright, you maggots have had it easy so far, but things are going to be different starting first thing in the morning. I’ll let your squad leaders know where you’re going to meet me… dismissed.”

All the Genin evacuated the building and headed home. Ayako, Etusyo, and Yumika stayed together all night, and planned for the next event.

*Yumika’s house*

The sound of birds chirping outside the window filled Yumika’s room with a soothing sound. The sun rays broke through the leaves of the trees and shone through the glass, illuminating her gray walls. The time was already close to eleven on the day of the second portion of the exam, and she was still asleep. She was supposed to meet up with Team Shizen at around noon for Nishiya to tell them where they’re supposed to go, but this would probably be the last time she ever got to sleep in for a while. If only that was her reason for remaining in bed.

Yumika couldn’t sleep last night after the test. There was something on her mind that bothered her, pulling at her nerves constantly. She acted fine when she was with her teammates, and tired when it was late and time to go home, but when she lied down in her bed, she was wide awake. Thoughts rambled on in her mind, making her think too hard for comfort. And they were always about the same thing.

There were issues in her clan that currently went on and though she hated to admit it aloud, it had to deal with how well she performed in the exams. She was starting to feel the pressure now more than ever because this time, they were held in home territory. She was obligated to do the best she could without any hesitation. When she fought, she had to act as if she wanted to win. When she’d talk she had to sound confident with every word. She couldn’t be out of character at all or cause suspicion. She had to act like she always did or else she’d be in trouble. She had to be herself, but right now especially, she was the last person she wanted to be… and the Chunin exams were the last thing she wanted to do. But she wouldn’t tell anyone that, even though she’s felt that way each time she was entered, all because of the same reason: her clan issues. Yet, again, she wouldn’t be the one to say that.

Everything to her was repetitive in this situation. Nothing ever changes… and that was her glimmer of hope because if nothing ever changes, her sensei will save her from continuing on to the second portion. She’d be happy and relieved, but she still would have to act as if she was disappointed because that would make things easier. That’s all she really wanted; for things to be easier.

In order for that to happen, she had to keep hoping history would repeat itself, that Nishiya will step in once again and go back on her words. She thought about that so much before she dozed off, she dreamed about the last time Team Shizen participated in the Chunin Exams.

As she lied there, her eyes twitched as the memory replayed.

"Alright!" Ayako yelled in the close to empty dirt streets of Iwagakure close to the afternoon. They were on their way to meet up with Nishiya to find out the location of their next test. "Second round, bring it on!" She punched the air righteously in front of her and above as she walked in between Yumika and Etsuyo. The two merely gave her a look of craze along with other random strangers who roamed the area.

"Chill out, Ayako, you don't even know what we're doing yet," Yumika retorted matter-of-factly.

“Or where we’re going,” Etsuyo added.

"So?” she scoffed, closing her eyes. “It doesn’t matter what we do, where we do it. We’re going to succeed.” The overconfidence she felt radiated off her like the heat coming off the sun. She was so consumed by her excitement, she didn’t notice a figure appear before her, and her teammates stopped in their tracks.

"And what happens if you don’t find out what you’re doing and where you’re going to do it?" Nishiya sensei's voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

"Sensei? What are you doing here?” Etsuyo asked, ever so carefully.

"Yeah, I thought we were supposed to meet you a couple blocks from here?” Ayako restated their instructions. “Wait…” She came up with an even bigger question as she just now got her sensei’s first words. “What do you mean by ‘What happens if you don’t find out what you’re doing and where you’re going to do it’?” Her eyebrow raised in a curiosity that felt very familiar. “Don’t tell us you’re taking us out of the exams again.”

Nishiya didn’t have to say anything as an answer. They all knew exactly what was going on. Catching onto the scenario, all three Genin widened their eyes and opened their mouths in astonishment. It was happening to them again.

"I’m sorry…" Nishiya responded with a sigh and crossed her arms. She remained calm on the outside, but on the inside she was putting herself down. Once again, she had to break the news as gently as she could. She had to ruin their dreams…just to keep them safe. “You’re not moving on. You girls aren't ready yet, I can tell."

The shock quickly changed to anger in Ayako. Her fists clenched together so tight each knuckle cracked with a loud pop. "You’ve got to be kidding me!” She groaned while stomping her foot. Both Yumika and Etsuyo stepped back to make room for her explosion and let her do the talking for the three of them.

Nishiya raised a hand to silence her. "I apologize, but this isn’t a joke,” she confirmed without making eye contact. “Go back to the hotel and pack your bags…we're going home."

"No! That's not fair! This is not happening again!" Ayako refused to listen to the words she was hearing. She pointed an accusing finger at her sensei. Her eyes burned with extreme furiousness. "This is the third time you've done this to us,” she reminded, as if that was unknown, “and you always say the same thing: that we’re not ready. Yet you tell us that we are! What kind of mind games are you playing with us lady?! Are we ready or are we not? I want to know the truth." Her voice began to drop down into a normal talking voice. “I want to know… so that I can stop having false hope, so I can stop being deceived, so I can stop feeling like a good kunoichi, and so I can stop being hurt like this.”

"That's enough Ayako," Nishiya ordered softly like a mother. She stared down at the girl before her with a stoic expression on her face and a sad feeling in the pit of her stomach. "I'm not having this discussion. I have my reasons and there's always next time."

"Whatever!" The girl threw her hands in the air, giving up. "Just forget it! Forget our Chunin dreams, forget this situation, and forget next time! I don't care anymore! I’ll just be a Genin for the rest of my life." She stormed off in the other direction.

"By ‘I’ she means we," Etsuyo spoke up finally. Nishiya turned her head towards the red-head who looked at her feet. “We all feel the same,” she said sadly and followed Ayako’s lead.

Yumika on the other hand, didn’t say a word to their sensei. She only glanced at her with her yellow eyes and turned away to trail behind.

Yumika woke up from her dream after that and opened her eyes to see her dresser that had a picture of Team Shizen in Kirigakure. She rolled over on her back and reminisced over the memory, thinking about how she reacted, and she remembered she only continued to simply stand there and watch the scene unfold. She wanted to feel some sort of emotion that made her jump into the bicker, but she didn’t feel anything like that. She just felt normal. How could I feel like Ayako and Etsuyo felt? She asked herself as she turned her head to the window. I was grateful not angry. Sighing, she rubbed her eyes. I am such a selfish bitch… she called herself before sitting up to grab her clock behind her. But not selfish enough since I'm still going to show up…
The Hakinowa left her bed and got ready for the day.

***

Ayako and Etsuyo both stood against the outside wall of the Academy patiently waiting for the arrival of the other two. Both were motionless aside from their eyes moving from side to side, searching. A minute later, a crouched figure landed at their feet and they immediately knew it was their other teammate.

“Took you long enough,” Ayako spoke looking down at her. “We established we’d come earlier than Nishiya sensei said.”

Yumika smirked from below. “Sorry, my parents lectured me for a good chunk of time before I could get away,” she lied casually, standing up.

“About what?” Etsuyo wondered.

“Eh,” Yumika shrugged, “nothing worth mentioning.” To ensure no further continuation of her fib, she changed the subject. “So we actually made it to the meeting point this time.” Referring to past experiences where Nishiya appeared before they got to their designated location, she turned her head from side to side thinking she’d find the woman hiding somewhere.

Ayako chuckled. “Yeah, we actually did.” She crossed her arms over she chest before saying, “Maybe this time she just won’t show up and that will be her way of telling us we’re out.”

“We’ll see her eventually,” Yumika stated. She was their sensei after all. “Though I’m a little surprised she didn’t stake out somewhere to be ready to stop us at any time.” Ayako nodded at this.

Then they heard Etsuyo sigh deeply and they both gave her a suspicious glance. “Guys,” she began quietly. Their look was an invitation to speak. “If I may express my opinion… I think you two are being ridiculous right now.”

The other two raised an eyebrow at her. “What do you mean by that, Etsuyo?” Ayako questioned. She was slightly irked by her choice of words.
She sighed again. “I mean, I think it’s time we get over past occurrences.”

That bothered Ayako even more. How could anyone get over what their sensei had done to them repeatedly? The heartbreak she caused; the anger, the loss of self-esteem and self-confidence, and the questioning of whether or not they were worthy of being shinobi. Their dreams crushed, their future plans ruined, and their trust in her diminishing. All because they weren’t good enough according to her.

Etsuyo noticed the tension she created by voicing her opinion, and she didn’t mean to, but she knew something they didn’t. She understood why their sensei did what she did. It wasn’t because she wanted to, it was because she had to. Whether or not she should tell her teammates was the question for a while, but considering the current circumstances and the aggravation of past actions, it was time.

“I wasn’t supposed to tell you this,” Etsuyo spoke after the short silence, “so this has to be kept between us. Nishiya sensei and I thought all would be forgiven when she finally let us continue on in the exams, but since you still have some sourness and distrust, I’ll quickly explain the truth.” She took in a deep breath before spilling out the details. “The last time, I barely said anything before storming after you, Ayako, but when we returned to Kiri, and I got home, I walked next-door and fully let out my anger towards her. After I cooled down, she let the cat out of the bag.”

“Nishiya wasn’t being completely honest in the past trials when she pulled us out,” she went on before either one of them could say something about the expression. “Our first attempt, when she said the second portion was fixed and that they had already chosen, but we weren’t on the list, was a lie. It wasn’t true when she told us we failed to do the first portion correctly. Lastly, when she hurt us the most by telling us we weren’t ready, that wasn’t the case. She came up with different lies to cover up the real reason, which was all the same for each three times.” A dramatic pause was inserted, building up more tension along with curiosity. “The truth was… we were in danger.”

Danger… one of the ‘D’ words shinobi hate to run into, but it’s also the one they prepared themselves for the most. It’s always a possibility on any mission no matter how simple. Anything can go wrong. That is why as a shinobi, one must learn to sense it and to be ready for it to happen at any given moment. They learn to stand up to it, to deal with it, to face it head on, and to survive through it. Otherwise a simple surprise could be the end of it, and the girls understood every aspect. They were taught those things by Nishiya herself. So, of course they didn’t understand why she didn’t let them take care of it on their own, because they were bound to run into such a situation sooner or later.

Ayako shook her head at Etsuyo. “That’s a petty excuse…” she said in distaste, almost sounding like her brother when he’s told something he doesn’t like. “We face danger all the time,” she explained. “We’re shinobi, we’ve been trained to not back down from it, and we’ve been on plenty of missions where things have happened. The A-rank especially, remember?”

“That A-rank is what put us in those situations,” Etsuyo shot back. There was a hint of asperity in her tone. Yumika and Ayako knitted their eyebrows together almost simultaneously. They waited quietly for her to elaborate, and she did. “Nishiya sensei told me she found us every time,” she talked softly to keep it between them. The other two exchanged glances expressing their shock to the revelation, knowing exactly who was being referred to. “The Chunin Exams have run the same since the beginning. In any way, shape, or form, there’s a mentality test followed by a physical test. Because she’s our sensei, she knew about what the second portion would be. Each time we were entered it had us fight other Genin in a chosen location… that was never entirely closed off.”

“It would have been easy for her to get in and find us,” Yumika cut to the chase. “She’s a pretty good tracker after all. Sensei found out she was around each time and took us out to erase that chance.”

“We’re targeted because we’re her students and we’re close,” Etsuyo continued on. “Nishiya sensei wasn’t absolutely lying when she said we weren’t ready. We were ready for the exams… we just weren’t ready to fight her, because what’s the difference between that mission and the exams?”

“Sensei wouldn’t be there…” Ayako chimed in. “If that’s why, this time is different because…?”

Yumika knew that answer and readily replied, “Of their last encounter.”

The last time Nishiya ran into their pursuer, she had enough. The three weren’t with her thankfully, but they were in her mind the entire time. The guilt of having to ruin their shot at becoming Chunin because of the possibility of losing their lives to this woman had eaten her up enough. And she was done with the constant fighting with her. Though, she knew she couldn’t kill her.

Nishiya went searching for this woman and found her on the edge of the Land of Fire where the boats coming from Kiri dock. She chased her all the way from there and planned on pushing her farther away. Anger was her fuel.

The battle was intense and time consuming. The opponents fought with great speed and jutsu. The terrain of the fields lying on the outskirts of the Land of Wind, were partially destroyed by their hands. In time, they ended up right outside Iwakagure where the fight ended with the two losing consciousness from dehydration and extreme fatigue.

Nishiya awoke first and dragged the body of her rival near the entrance of the village close by. She knew someone would take her in and either throw her in jail, or try to help her. Either choice was uncared for by her. She just needed to have enough time to do what she should’ve done long ago.

Because the evil woman only stuck around Kiri and only tried to hurt one person, she wasn’t a threat to other places or people unless they helped Nishiya. In order to keep her away for a while, she had to be seen as a dangerous villain. When Nishiya returned back home, for the first time, she set out an alert to the other four nations, warning them about the woman, stating she was a missing, S-rank, rogue kunoichi from Kirigakure, that had to be caught because of the crimes she committed. A bounty was soon set, and the last time Nishiya checked, she was being chased all around the world. Her enemy couldn’t get anywhere near their home village. Months later, Team Shizen relocated to Konoha.

Ayako placed her hands on her hips while she closed her eyes. "She never said anything,” she stated. “If that's what she was so afraid of, then she could have talked about it with us.”

“She wanted to,” Etsuyo defended. “It’s just… if she told us the truth, we would’ve looked over our shoulders ever second, worrying. Or we’d probably call her out and cause an unwanted dispute. She lied to protect us.”

A short silence came between them as Ayako and Yumika absorbed her words, unsure if they could accept those reasons. Their sensei went through all that trouble of crushing their hopes just so they could be safe. Now that it was thought about, it made more sense, and guilt soon flooded their minds. They felt bad for all that was said and for even thinking they couldn’t trust their own sensei about certain things.

Abruptly, a puff of white smoke appeared before their eyes, revealing a smiling Nishiya within it. “Good afternoon, girls,” she greeted kindly.

The three quickly wiped their serious expression off their faces and replaced it with happiness and excitement as best they could without seeming suspicious. So, that involved Ayako and Etsuyo switching to those emotions while Yumika became content.

“Ready to find out where the second part of the Chunin Exams is being held?” Their sensei asked, leaning forward to get closer to their faces.

“Yeah!” Both Ayako and Etsuyo practically yelled. Yumika simply hummed.

“You will be reporting to the Forty-Fourth Training ground of the village. It’s located just north of the Forty-Third. There you will be receiving directions from your proctor and proceed on with the exams. Do you understand?”

There wasn’t any hesitation. There wasn’t a ‘but’ either. Nishiya was actually doing it. She was letting them carry on.

“Yes sensei,” they all muttered, bewildered at the moment. It was really happening.

“Now girls,” she started calmly, “being as it’s the first time I'm going to let you finish these exams, I would just like to say congratulations and good luck on your journey. You three for sure will make it up to the next ranking, if not…well there’ll be none of that. The time I've spent with your girls' training has never been wasted, and you know that. Show them what you're made of and make it to the next round!" She punched the air above her gloriously. "You can go now," she said gently as she brought her arm back down to her side. "It's time."

“Yes sensei!” They responded more strongly than before.

With that said the three sprang into action and sped off to the Forty-Fourth Training Ground. Nishiya stood proudly outside the Academy staring at their tracks, before she headed to the Hokage's building to meet with the other Jonin. She never felt so good and she was exceptionally happy with finally being able to let them off.

A few minutes after their departure from their sensei, Team Shizen arrived. Walking into the open lot, the sight they saw was quite astonishing.

"Whoa…" Ayako let out as her reaction. Huge, massive trees, standing at least 30 feet tall towered behind a tall metal fence. Abnormally large, creepy insects crawled up and down the trees. A large snake slithered past them all. The forest gave off an eerie vibe that even gave the girls a shiver. "We're going into that?"

"I guess we are…" Yumika answered. They exchanged slightly worried looks and then turned their gaze back to the terrifying area known as: The Forest of Death.

The crowd of the other Genin stood in front of them in an open dirt area outside the gates, all having the same bewildered expression plastered on their faces. The grounds looked so unreal, like it was just some sort of genjutsu cast as another test to see who had the stomach to participate, but it wasn’t. The deep, dark forest was as real as the ground they stood on and the air they breathed. There were obviously mixed feelings floating around in the surrounding atmosphere.

It was Team Shizen’s very first time taking part in the second portion and this was not what any of them had expected. If the exams run the same in every place, every time, as Etsuyo stated, that would mean the Genin would be locked up inside the fence of the Forty-Fourth Training Ground. When the event began, every team was the enemy, but they weren’t the only ones to watch out for. All the hidden animals and insects would have to be watched for as well. In there, nowhere was safe, no one was trustworthy, and anything could happen.

Ayako, Yumika, and Etsuyo began to stride forward to join everyone else. They tried their best to appear tough and unfazed, pretending the training ground wasn’t intimidating at all. Appearing to be an easy target was not an option given the circumstances they knew about. Thankfully, actions speak louder than words, because Ayako and Etsuyo’s views definitely contradicted their expressions.

"Wow…” Etsuyo gaped and kept her voice low. She couldn’t take her bright blue eyes off the darkness as if it put her in a trance. “This is one disturbing place.”

“Absolutely,” Ayako didn’t hesitate to agree, having the same face.

Though, Yumika felt the opposite. She actually wasn’t faking the tough guy act. In fact, she felt quite calm. “It’s just like home,” she murmured and couldn’t help but smirk at her words. In her reality, it was close to true. Beside the fact the training ground had creepy critters of the night the size of houses wandering around during the daylight; to her, it was just another forest like the one she lived in. The appearance of it didn’t really affect her.

Simultaneously, her friends scoffed at the comment. They’ve known she was the type of girl who speaks without a care and bluntly states her opposing viewpoints. Still, what comes out of her mouth never ceases to surprise them.

While they made their way to the front of the crowd, not touching a single one person as they weaved passed, Ayako found a familiar spiky head of onyx hair in her sight. She immediately picked up the pace with Etsuyo and Yumika trailing close behind. At first, her change in speed confused them, but when the shifted their eyes in the direction she was heading and saw what she must have seen, they understood.

Seeing her brother tended to make Ayako’s day a whole lot better for some reason. Maybe it was his confidence that always seemed to be radiating off of him, or how he was a good role model for never letting anything get in the way; or maybe because her motivation for becoming stronger wasn’t just a mental image anymore; the real thing was only a few feet away. There was no doubt a contributing factor dealt with the fact she hadn’t been able to see him for years and this was making up for lost time. Every chance she got to physically look at her twin felt…precious.

"Hey guys," she acknowledged Team Seven with a smile once she reached them. They each had their own way to return the greeting. Sasuke gave her a nod, Sakura waved, while Naruto, of course, spoke when he recognized her.

“Hi Ayako!” he yelled in her face like always. The excitement he felt could be sensed a mile away, after all he had enough energy to light up the village. “This place is pretty strange, isn’t it? I hope you’re ready because I know I am.”

Ayako didn’t answer back right away. Her finger was currently in her ear in an attempt to ease the ringing caused by the twerp. She felt like it would be a frequent action whenever she talked to him. “Yeah, Naruto,” she finally responded once she could hear again. “It’s intimidating but, we’re ready.” Yumika and Etsuyo nodded in agreement behind her.

"Alright, you maggots!" Anko’s voice overlapped everyone else’s. The conversations ended. "It's time we begin the second part of the Chunin Exams!"

In the next second, all bodies faced forward, all mouths shut, and all attention was given to the woman up front. The candidates were prepared to hear the details of their next task.

"They call this place the Forest of Death,” Anko didn’t hesitate to mention when she saw everyone settled down. “And soon enough, you'll find out why."

Ayako made a face of revulsion by knitting her eyebrows together and scrunching her nose. The proctor’s sadistic and blunt personality kind of irritated her, especially how she carried those traits in a cocky fashion. Something about Anko just didn’t sit well with her, but no one ever said she had to like the supervisors.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Naruto move his body in a strange way. Sticking out his butt, he placed his fists on his hips and wiggled from left to right. While doing so, he mocked Anko. "They call this place the Forest of Death. And soon enough you'll find out why!” he repeated, raising the pitch of his voice to sound more feminine. Then he regained his posture and playfully threatened, “Do your worst! I can handle anything!”

Ayako annoyance only grew from his hyperactive determination to make everyone think he was the best. "Naruto, shut up!" she hissed. She was just about the knock the kid on the head when suddenly a kunai zipped past her, cutting his cheek and causing it to lightly bleed. Instinctively, she stepped to the side and the next thing she knew, Anko was right behind Naruto holding his face.

The woman whispered into Naruto’s ear, but still a few Genin surrounding the two heard the disturbing words. “Tough guys like you usually leave their blood all over this forest…” Those words easily scared him. He went stone cold then, freezing as she slowly wiped the blood on his face with on finger. He regretted ever speaking.

Without being seen moving forward, a Kusa kunoichi wearing a straw coolie hat appeared behind Anko. Her tongue hung lowly beneath her chin with the thrown knife at the end. Anko was defensive at first, pulling out another, ready to attack, but the freaky lady quickly explained she only wanted to return the weapon. The proctor accepted the kind act and took her kunai back but her emotion went from kind to deadly as she warned her not to stand so closely behind her, unless she wanted a premature death. She obliged without being affected and slithered back to her place.

“I think the other participants are freakier than the forest itself…” Etsuyo commented with wide eyes and pursed lips. Yumika let out a short chuckle, shaking her head. Ayako couldn’t have agreed more.

Anko began to make her way back to the front as she spoke. "Now before we begin this test, I have something to hand out to you all." She reached into her coat and pulled out a stack of papers. "It's just a standard consent form,” she explained, observing the curious stares aimed at her. "Before the test you all have to read this over and sign it."

"Why?" Naruto asked stupidly, raising an eyebrow even higher.

"Some of you may not come back,” she responded, nonchalantly. “Due to that risk, I need your consent, or else it'll be my fault." She laughed deviously letting everyone know how unsympathetic she was even more. Mutters of her sanity as well as possibilities quietly broke out.

Handing the papers to Naruto for them to be passed around, Anko went on. "I'll be explaining the test as these come around. But first, I'll give you a description of the terrain of the practice field." Ayako was handed the pile at that moment. She grabbed one, passed it to her teammates, and directed her attention back to the front. She listened carefully to every word.

"The forty-fourth battle training zone has forty-four locked entrance gates. There are rivers and a forest inside. In the center is a locked tower located ten kilometers from each gate. It's in this confined area that you'll undergo the survival test. This will tackle every one of your survival skills by consisting of…” She reached into her coat again, but this time took out two small scrolls and held them up in front of her. One was white, while the other black. “Anything goes battle to get your hands on one of these.” The white one had the symbol of Heaven, and the black had the symbol of Earth. “Altogether here, there are 28 teams. Meaning half will be looking for the Heaven scroll and the others will have to find the Earth scroll. Each team only gets one, which will determine the one you're vying for."

"Okay, then how do we pass?" Sasuke asked. He wanted to cut to the chase. All this explaining was worthless nonsense to him.

"Your entire team must bring both scrolls to the central tower," she instructed.

"That means at the very best, half of us will face,” Sakura noted aloud. “Possibly more if some teams don't make it." Those chances intimidated her. After all, she wasn’t much of a fighter.

"Hey, no one said it would be easy.” Anko shrugged at her observation. This was the Chunin Exams. Nothing is ever easy thanks to all the rules and regulations. “There are ways your team can get disqualified. Including: If all three members can't make it with all three scrolls, or if a teammate becomes incapacitated and can't continue. But the most important rule is, you absolutely cannot open the scrolls before you reach the tower. You don't want to read it beforehand anyhow."

If curiosity wasn’t an apparent feeling before, it was now. The scrolls had material within them forbidden from their eyes. Those words were like holding candy in front of a child, the temptation was inevitable. Luckily, the thought of failing and the way Anko warned them extinguished the feeling…for now.

“Another thing,” she recalled something else she had to say. “The test has a time limit. You must complete this task within five days." At that point, no one could hold in their opinions. Majority of Genin thought it wasn’t enough time and they expressed it by shouting at the proctor.

Ayako on the other hand, scoffed. Confidence slowly oozed through her veins. "Five days is a bit more than we need…" She nudged Yumika who rolled her eyes playfully. Overestimating their skills was something Ayako tended to do a lot. It helped her feel positive about succeeding. It stopped the anxiety. If only all the other Genin felt the same. It would end all the complaints being thrown around.

The three couldn’t hold back their smirks at everyone’s anguish. They remembered when they felt the same exact way during the first portion their first time taking the exams. After, they were more worried about whether or not their sensei would show up and stop them than the tasks needed to be completed. Now the only obstacles they were going to face were the other candidates who dare get in their way in the forest.

"This is designed to be a grueling test," Anko told them. She had enough of the whining because they obviously didn’t know what to expect at all and it showed how unready they were to be shinobi. She questioned how some of them even became Genin. "I'm sure some of you won't be up to it, but you can't just quit in the middle of this because you can't quit during battle…well I guess you could but you'd just end up dead.” She laughed again at her inappropriate ‘joke’. It was pretty hypocritical how she handled the situation. She talked about how serious the exam was, yet made it a laughing matter.

"Alright, when your team is ready, you will be called to bring them over there." The woman pointed to her right with all seriousness once she stopped chuckling. "They'll exchange it for your scroll. After that, pick a gate and you'll be let inside when the time is right." She sighed. "Oh and one last thing…just don't die!"

"That's a cheery ending…" Etsuyo mumbled sarcastically.

All teams dispersed and made little huddles with their own all around the area. Some hid in the trees, behind large boulders, or out in the open, though staying away from the ‘enemies’ were managed. Privacy was respectfully granted during these moments. This wasn’t the time to intrude. This was the time for planning mentally… because death was on the table.

The grounds were quiet as every single person read every single word on the sheet of paper. It could be easily determined there were those who had hope of finding a phrase or a word that would ensure a way to escape with their lives, but of course there wasn’t. Still, they tried. After all, this could be the absolute end of them. What else would be expected? No one wants to die.

It was the number one word shinobi feared the most. The thought of it was enough to cause the body to freeze, the heart to race, and the mind to stop working. It was the ultimate bringer of sadness and sorrow. No more waking up to the sun shining, no more breathing in the fresh air, no more feeling your own heart thump, and no more seeing the ones you love. Death was the end of everything. Though, it was inevitable, preparations were made anyhow, because as a shinobi, it could happen at any time, by anything. But, even after all the attempts to accept it, no matter what, no one is ever ready. The only thing that can be accepted is the knowledge of knowing it may happen.

Team Shizen didn't bother to read it over. They were up for the challenge even if it involved risking their lives. They’ve done it many times before. Certainly, the thought of dying scared them, but none of them could see the future. If their death was un-for-told, they couldn’t be afraid of it happening. If they weren’t afraid, their emotions wouldn’t hold them back. The documents were signed without opposition and all they had to do was wait for the sentinels to call their team back.

When they did, all three girls rushed forward and entered the little shack. In exchange for their consent forms, an Earth Scroll was their gift.

It was given to Ayako at first, but she didn’t feel right about being the keeper. She believed someone else had the right to possess it. "Yumika," she spoke to her yellow-eyed friend. "Since we're in a place that you are more familiar with, the scroll will be safer with you."

Taking it from Ayako’s hand, Yumika acknowledged her offer and slipped it into her back pouch. "Another thing," Etsuyo stepped in as they wandered back out into the open. "It’d be best if you're in charge. You know, of our battle techniques and tactics. Whatever you say, we'll do." Ayako hummed in agreement.

"Sounds good to me,” the girl assured. “I'll make sure we pass." She sounded convincing, but honestly, it was a little unnerving considering her true feelings. She had to ignore them, though. She needed to think differently for them because she couldn’t let them down now. Their success was in her hands.

Once everyone obtained a scroll, Anko gave out one last instruction. "Listen up,” she declared. “Everyone has their scroll so go to your gate and wait there. When they open, the TEST IS ON!"

Team Shizen moved to their desired gate, number eleven. Coincidentally, Team Seven chose the one right next to them.

"Hey Sasuke…" Ayako caught his attention. Their eyes immediately connected. "Good luck! That goes for all of you. You guys better make it!" He only nodded as a sign of concurrence.

"Don't worry Ayako.” Naruto flicked his wrist. He obviously wasn’t seeing how big of a deal the forest was. “I'll make sure we get to the tower safe and sound!”

"Sure you will Naruto." She responded to his gloat adding an eye roll.

The conversation between the teams stopped there as they’d rather tune their minds into the task ahead.

All that was left to do was wait for the clock to strike two-thirty. Only a few minutes stood between them and the Forest of Death. With their eyes glued to the chains that were recently dropped to the ground, unlocking the entrance, and fists clenched at their sides, excitement ran through their veins. They were ready for the next challenge and they were ready to achieve another accomplishment.

The clock hanging against the gate ticked and ticked until eventually, the hands reached the wanted time. Once it did, Anko yelled the signal. "The second part of the test has begun!"

The gates swung open, clanging and rattling.

Ayako aimed her body towards her brother for one last time before departing. “See you at the tower!” She winked and saluted with two fingers as a goodbye. Facing front her team darted forward at the speed of light and were encased by the dark, eerie forest.

The team jumped from the branches making their way through the battle ground. Trees surrounded them from every corner. It wasn’t as dark as it seemed from the outside. The forest was lit enough to make it possible to see clearly. The creatures seemed to have hid away once the humans entered their territory. It was quite quiet at the beginning. All of which would be taken advantage of by the girls.

Yumika was slightly ahead of Ayako and Etsuyo, scanning with her senses. She directed them away from the other participants as best she could to ensure they wouldn’t get intercepted before they had a plan. “Should we go for the scroll now or later?” she asked, wanting their opinion. She was in charge of them, but that didn’t mean only her ideas counted.

“Now,” Etsuyo answered with certainty. She wasn’t afraid to explain her reasons either. “Most likely, the others are coming up with strategies, base camps, or are analyzing the terrain. If we wait until everyone is active, this is going to be harder.”

The second round of the exams may be new to them, but the situation at hand wasn’t. Nishiya taught them well as they knew the usual steps a shinobi makes on a retrieval mission. They’ve encountered a few before. Though, minor difficulties occurred, sometimes barely any, the best plans came out of them.

“It may be the easy way,” Ayako pointed out, “but we want to pass, and we don’t need to get into any extra trouble just for the hell of it."

"Alright then, I'm going to begin sensing presences near us," Yumika instructed. "You two, choose a team you want to ambush." Tora no me, she thought. Her eyes shifted from yellow to green, and her pupils vertically elongated. The once normal vision she saw became less detailed. It darkened and blurred, and the only thing that stuck out to her were blue specks, representing chakra. Her senses heightened, and she became capable of knowing whether or not the spot was familiar and who it belonged to.

"Okay…wait,” an issue came into Ayako’s mind. “What if they don't have the other scroll?"

The girl looked left and right first. "Then we can call it a training exercise. When they wake up, they can continue the test,” she explained. “Face it, we're not going to kill anyone even though Anko said we could. We're not the type to win that way." The other two agreed.

Right then, Yumika picked up on something. "Stop!" she halted on a branch. "I sense a pretty good target…and it's not anyone we know, I promise."

"Then we trust your judgment, let's go!"

They took a hard right and after a few meters, they stopped again above a young group of Kusa shinobi who were sitting in a middle of a small open field.

“Follow me," Yumika whispered her direction. Her eyes faded back to normal.

They slowly jumped higher up above their enemy. All three girls stood on the same branch staring down at them. "I can feel they're a bit edgy by how they're speaking right now." Yumika's head was tilted to listen to their tones. "Their voices are shaky…perfect, easy target."

"How are we going to go about this?" Ayako wondered.

"I can think of one way…" Before they could say anything, a growl began to emit from Yumika’s throat. When she opened her mouth it escaped wildly, causing birds to fly away.

The team below stood up almost immediately and looked around nervously and frightened.

"What was that?" They heard the pink haired girl with glasses yell.

"I don't know!" Her team members answered.

"Just another little push…" Yumika grinned along with Ayako and Etsuyo. "Ayako, create a barrier around them so they can't escape."

Ayako did as she was told and moved to another branch for more room. She rose out her arms and encircled them in front of her. Water from a river close by surrounded the team below her with high walls. Slowly closing her hands, the water hardened into ice.

"Good,” she praised. “Now you two might want to plug your ears because this one's going to be even louder." Following instructions, they plugged their ears with their fingers and braced themselves. Another growl erupted from Yumika, and as she warned, it was even louder. Her teammates slightly cringed, still being able to hear it.

Their target started to fuss and run around trying to escape. They screamed for help and banged against Ayako’s water wall. Yumika then whispered into Etsuyo's ear. She nodded and took out three circular smoke bombs from her pouch. Placing her hand over them, Yumika said, "When these drop and explode, fall down there and take them out, Etsuyo. Ayako and I will remain up here."

"Will do,” the red-head agreed and turned her hand to give up the circular weapons.

Yumika chucked them one at a time to Ayako who caught them easily. She extended her arm right above the middle of the area. Her palm downward, she looked at her friends. When they nodded, she dropped let them fall straight down.

A second later, the bombs landed in the center of the team and erupted into a cloud of black smoke.

"GO!" The Hakinowa ordered. The red-head leaped down from the trees and was engulfed. All that could be heard was the sound of yelps, smacks, cracks, and groans. When it was silent, Yumika took out a small fan from her back pouch and opened it. A green tiger eye etched in the center along with tiger marks on the wooden frame. She sliced it in front of her and the smoke blew away.

There, standing in the middle was Etsuyo, surrounded by three, unconscious bodies, looking up at her team with a Heaven scroll in one hand, while the other was in a thumbs up.

"Good choice," Ayako admired her friend’s decision.

"Really it was a lucky guess," she responded modestly. They climbed down to meet their friend.

As their feet reached the ground, Ayako swiped her arms to the left, putting the water in motion to go back to its source. "We're already done!" she stated the obvious in joy after finishing.

“Should we head to the tower then?” Etsuyo questioned with a wide smile. She gave the scroll to Yumika so it would be with its other half.
None of them could give an answer, though.

Unexpectedly, they heard a loud rustling behind them. Their attention focused to it instead. The three braced themselves by raising an arm in defense, ready to attack if necessary. For just a moment it stopped, but then a low growl came from the same direction and they all flinched. At the sound, Yumika knew exactly what it was coming from, and her shock grew immensely.

“Oh…shit…” The words escaped from her parted lips.

“What is that?” Ayako uttered, sounding the pink haired girl Etsuyo just took out. She didn’t take her eyes off the bushes and the darkness that lie behind it, hiding the creature heading their way.

“We have to go,” was her reply before she turned around to face them. All seriousness showed in her eyes. “Now!” she sternly ordered, grabbing onto their wrists. She forced them to jump back onto the tree branches and as they did that, a tiger lunged out of the foliage and landed where they were just standing.

Yumika pulled her teammates away from the animal and made them run.

Things have now taken a turn for the worst… in Yumika’s case for the most part.

Team Shizen ran a great distance through the dark forest with tremendous speed. The rush of wind and the violent shaking of the leaves filled their ears with a loud whooshing sound. They slammed their feet against each branch, pushing off with such force, little pieces of bark would snap apart. The wood would almost shatter with each one of Yumika’s steps. She desperately wanted to get as far away as possible.

This wasn’t supposed to happen… A mixture of feelings ran through Yumika. While Etsuyo and Ayako were slightly frightened and frantic, she felt that along with anger, guilt, and idiocy. She was angry at herself for growling, guilty for dragging her friends into a wild goose chase, and idiotic for forgetting about the Hakinowa clan’s agreements with the village. She was so conflicted she didn’t speak a single word. She wished she was the only one being chased. Ayako and Etsuyo put her in charge and this is what she did to them.

I wasn’t supposed to come into contact with one of them… any of them. I’m so stupid! How could I be so careless! She wanted to bang her head against a hard surface for being incapable of coming up with anything to do. Her mind rambled on with useless ideas and worried about the real problem. They can’t know… Ayako and Etsuyo can’t find out-

“Stop!”

I can talk to them!

She heard the animal calling to her, maybe unaware she was listening, repeating, “Stop, stop!” It asked for a chance, but of course obliging wasn’t going to happen.

The tiger kept pace with them easily, following close behind. The girls gave their best effort to escape from the beast, but after some time, they couldn’t continue forward. With Tora no me still activated, Yumika saw specks of chakra in certain places indicating where the other people were. It was a constant reminder that they weren’t alone. There were more Genin in the forest who were all probably having their own trouble on their hands trying to survive their own battles. They weren’t going to use the others as bait. They couldn’t. Yumika wouldn’t allow it.

There was no choice. It wasn’t rational to keep going like this. They had to stop.

Yumika turned her head and made eye contact with both of her teammates before she planted her feet on a thick branch. Ayako and Etsuyo quickly landed next to her and all watched as the tiger slid to a halt as well down below.

Its head gazed upwards at them, but it only stared at Yumika with its bright green eyes. Only looked at her intently and didn’t care about the others. It only wanted her. And she knew that.

“I’m sorry,” Yumika apologized with quick breaths. She refused to break the locked gaze between her and the animal. “I forgot Konoha ‘borrows’ some of our tigers and keeps them captive here for the exams,” she explained. “My growl attracted it.”

“It’s okay, Yumika. Don’t beat yourself up over it.” Ayako accepted the mistake as did Etsuyo. They understood that she had only returned home recently. Recalling all the politics and agreements was difficult. After all, she didn’t need to deal with them for years. She was just jumping into them now.

“What does it want?” Etsuyo pondered.

Yumika swallowed hard, not wanting to tell any part of the truth, but she had to. “Me…” she almost whispered.

Ayako looked at her close friend with somewhat sad eyes. “Then what do we do?” she asked even though she had an idea as to what she was going to say.

“It’s an insane idea, but,” she started off. “You two have to get away from me.”

“What?” Etsuyo’s voice rose at the thought. “We can’t do that!”

“You’re going to have to.” She was dead serious. “I know we should stick together considering where we are and what could happen to any of us if we’re separated, but you shouldn’t have to worry about this animal. It’s my fault, I’ll deal with it.”

“There’s no different option?” Etsuyo wondered.

“No,” she stated. “Not unless you want to be cooped up here until this portion is already over. At some point we may come across another team and like you said Ayako, we don’t need any extra trouble. This is enough. I’m going to handle this myself and I’ll sense for you when I’m done.”

“How are you going to take care of it?”

Talk, she thought but didn’t dare to say out loud. Instead she lied and said, “I don’t know…I’ll find a way, but you have to go now. It’s starting to get dark. You want to get away while you still have natural light. If I don’t find you by tonight, go to the tower. I’ll meet you there instead. I’ve got this under control, don’t worry.”

That was something easier said than done, but with no other choices, they obliged. Without any further hesitation, Ayako and Etsuyo jumped away from Yumika and began to flee.

But the tiger acted unpredictably. It began to chase the two instead and Yumika didn’t realize it until a few seconds later. She quickly hopped off the branch to the ground to run after them.
The stomping of feet below them gave Ayako and Etsuyo the sign that the tiger was following them. With one glance, it was confirmed and panic began to sit back into their stomachs.

“Aw come on!” Ayako grovelled, annoyed with the situation.

“What do we do now?” Etsuyo asked.

“Um…” Ayako thought for a moment as she hopped from one branch to another.

As Yumika weaved between bushes and trees, trying to catch up with the animal, she yelled for it to stop, but it didn’t listen. She wasn’t getting any closer on foot, so she decided she had to use her nature. She crossed her arms in front of her chest, and with one swipe, the wind lifted her in the air and flung her forward like a slingshot.

“Ayako, any day now!” Etsuyo yelled at her teammate who had yet to make a plan.

“Sorry!” she apologized. She obviously wasn’t doing too well under this pressure. “Turn!” she quickly demanded.

“When?”

“Now!”

The two girls bounced off the same branch and shot to the side… but not in the same direction. Ayako ended up taking a left, while Etsuyo took a right, and neither one of them noticed.

Yumika had almost reached the tiger when she saw the whole thing while flying. “No!” she screamed, but it was too late. They were separated and gone.

“Damn it...” she cursed just as she was above the pursuer. She tucked once in the air before taking a seat on its back and grabbed a hold of its fur. With one yank and a sharp command to stop, the chase was over.

Yumika hopped off and landed in front of it so that they were face to face. Their identical, green, cat-eyes locked and suddenly, something felt familiar to her. She started to feel as if they had met before, but she wasn’t sure. That yellow fur, those black and white stripes, those sharp teeth hanging from its mouth… it looked like an average tiger, yet felt more connected with her than usual.

Her answer was given before she could even ask when the animal acted unexpectedly again and bowed down before her. That was when she finally noticed the one red stripe on top of its head. The mark of her pet.

She stared wide eyed as it lifted its head again to look at her. His eyes and stance more relaxed.

“Toramaru?” she asked out loud in disbelief.

The tiger growled lightly at the sound of his name. “I knew it was you, Yumika.”

She heard his voice inside her own mind and closed her eyes, trying to swallow the reality of this. It was hard to accept how far she has progressed in her stages, but she swallowed down her emotions, focused her chakra at him, and closed the connection.

“Toramaru…” Yumika began thinking back. “Why did you run after my friends?”

“I’m sorry, I thought you ran along with them… I was too excited with the suspense and the chase.” He dipped his head sincerely, and Yumika easily forgave him.

“How long has it been?” She changed the subject.

“I’d say about two and a half years…” he replied in a deep, gravelly voice.

“That much time, huh?” Toramaru let out a slight rumble in his throat to agree. “It’s kind of hard to believe. I barely recognized you, and if I couldn’t, I see how Ayako couldn’t either. Your strip of red fur is hiding.”

“It stands out occasionally... but I understand, when you’re as busy as you are, you tend to lose track of things... and others. You do remember why I left you and your friend, right?”

Yumika had a feeling clan matters would be brought into this conversation, but she hoped it didn’t deal with this.

“Yeah…” she thought sadly. “How could I forget? You ran off because my grandmother died.”

“The leader of our clan,” he clarified. “I went to make sure the ambush was okay, because when the connection is broken-”

“I know, I know…” she interrupted. She shook her head along with her response. “When the connection is broken, you aren’t under control, and you can do whatever you wish.”

“You weren’t developed enough in anything to take charge. That’s why you were left alone on your journey after… or so you thought.”

Yumika’s eyebrow raised as did her curiosity. “What do you mean by that?”

Toramaru didn’t answer right away. Instead he walked over to a tree and lied down on his stomach. With his eyes, he invited her to sit with him.

She hesitated at first, but agreed and picked up her feet to move over to him. She took a seat between his front and back paws and leaned against him. For a moment, she felt like a child again, because that was how they always sat together, even when he was only a cub.

“I apologize for frightening you in the beginning,” he spoke again, “but you see, the reason for my persistence was I wanted to talk with you.”

Yumika glanced up in the direction of where her teammates off. “Then I guess it was a wise to send my friends way.”

“Child, we both knew you were going to separate from them even if I wasn’t your pet.”

“Is that so?”

He bobbed his head once. “You don’t want them to know you’ve gained this ability to tap into my mind to communicate. When you were younger, I was just following orders from your grandmother and all you had to do was use gestures. But when you came back and pet some of the others, you heard them.”

She swallowed down the ever-so familiar lump of fear down her throat. “It’s another step closer to having all the powers to be leader.”

“I know… and you’re afraid.”She didn’t have to say her answer because he knew it was true.

“I’m not just scared,” she told him. “I just don’t want to basically give up my life right now. I want to find an alternative, but they’re not giving me a chance to. The people of our clan keep telling me how bad our territory has become, and people keep disappearing. I don’t know what else to do except try and hide as much as I can.”

“You see, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.” Yumika snapped her head at him, the curiosity rising in her again, as the conversation was heading toward her question a few minutes ago. “There’s something I have to tell you… something you don’t know... or are supposed to know. While you have your secrets, they have theirs, but you have a right to know what they are.”

She was confused by his words. They didn’t make sense. What could her clan- her parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins- possibly be hiding from her? “Toramaru, what are you getting at?”

He looked at her, dead in the eyes before replying, “They’ve been lying to you this whole time…”

***

“Well this is just shit-tastic!” Ayako quietly yelled to the open air in front of her. She was currently banging her head against a random tree in the forest out of anger and utter frustration.

It wasn’t long after she scattered in the opposite direction of Etsuyo did she realize she was alone.

Unfortunately, at that time, it was too late. Her red-headed friend was no where to be seen.

Ayako contemplated her options, but came up short. She couldn’t go back, fearful that the tiger would see and chase her. She couldn’t keep going in the same direction causing more distance between them. She had no choice but to take a different route, in hopes of intercepting her teammate.

She didn’t have any luck. Yumika was handling a beast, Etsuyo was no where to be found, and she became a sitting duck because the sun was practically set and she could barely see a thing. Of course she was irritated by that.

Though she knew it couldn’t get the best of her. She was still in the Chunin Exams, there was still danger all around. Even though it was nighttime, there could be certain teams who would be going in for the attack while everyone’s guards are down. She may not have had the scrolls, but she certainly wasn’t going to be targeted because someone believed she did.

Gradually, Ayako kept moving through the darkened, eerie trees, avoiding anything that sounded like it came from a Genin.

***

Meanwhile, Etsuyo was doing the same. Ayako couldn’t have guessed it, but they basically went through the exact same stages and acted the same way.
The bright red-head noticed the other girl wasn’t with her when it was too late, and she too came up with the idea of going around the area of Yumika believing they would reunite… But she circled the opposite side of Ayako.

Because of the loss of light, and the fact that using her nature would be a signal flare for trouble to the entire forest, she continued her journey on the ground, quietly, but after some time, she wasn’t so lucky and accidentally ran into some opponents.

The team was also from Konoha, though Etsuyo didn’t recognize them. They were older and meaner looking.

“Well aren’t you stupid for wandering around in the dark by yourself,” one of them taunted from the shadows.

“If you give us your scroll, we’ll let you go with your life,” another added.

Their threats were coming out dry, unaffecting Etsuyo. “Is that the best you can come up with?” she giggled a little at their tough-guy act.

“Shut up,” the girl spat, holding out a kunai in front of her too add to their seriousness.

Etsuyo remained unfazed. “Sorry, but I’m not the one who has it.”

“Liar!” the first boy shouted.

“No really,” she unlatched her back pouch from behind her and opened it up, facing them so they could look inside. The team squinted their eyes into the dark hole. “Oops,” she laughed. “You probably can’t see because it’s so dark. Let me help you out…” A hint of her sinister side came out at the last part.

Etsuyo moved her free hand in front of her and snapped her fingers. To their amazement, a small ball of fire appeared in the palm of her hand. “That’s better.”

All of their eyes widened in surprise, wondering how she did that, but it was slapped away by the sudden feeling of alert kicked into them.

“Hey, you better put that out,” the second boy ordered.

“You’ll give our position away!” the girl added, frantically.

Etsuyo smirked at their composure before saying, snottily, “That’s the point…” She swiftly threw the fire ball at the ground, where it spread out to form a short wall between her and the Genin. She ran off afterward to find a safe place to rest for the night.

***

“That is the truth, child.”Toramaru had just finished his story.

Yumika was in absolute astonishment. The words she heard, the lies once told and the facts hiding behind them. It made sense, but then again it didn’t. “I… I can’t comprehend all this… it’s all… it doesn’t…” Her private thoughts were intertwining with her shared. She wasn’t putting together full sentences.

“I’m sorry that this is the truth. I’ve heard it with my own ears and seen it with my own eyes. I would never betray you, Yumika.” He lied rubbed his head against her arm, softly. “In fact, I tell you this to protect you. Now that you know, you can use this information to act upon this issue.”

Yumika didn’t say or think anything more. She was too fixated on her heart pounding so hard, there was a beat in her ears and it knocked around in her insides. She swore her lungs were about to explode by how fast she was breathing, and her stomach was going to drop so low, it would disconnect from the rest of her intestines. Her trembles were so wild, it shook the ground around Toramaru.

He could see how torn she was getting because of his speech, but he let her be. He truly believed he did the right thing and all that was left to do was to let it sink in. The rest was up to her, and he had faith she would do the right thing.

Slowly, Yumika started to feel numb. Her vision started to blur from the sides and felt lighter out of nowhere. The tiger noticed her head stirring back and forth, along with her eyes opening and closing slowly. He sensed the connection was slowly being broken. “You rest now, child. You used a lot of chakra speaking and listening to me, and I caused some anxiety within you. I’ll protect you tonight.”

Those were the last word she heard before she drifted off into sleep. The connection broke and the old friends lied in the trees in the dark together.

***

The night ran on with the three distanced from one another. Yumika slept on Toramaru, Etsuyo napped and moved, while Ayako did the same.

While awake, she received no sign of Etsuyo or Yumika anywhere, and she was still all alone. Though, she successfully avoided any conflict or direct contact with other Genin.

Ayako woke up fully right as the sun was crawling its way up in the sky. It was then she realized she needed to find her team quickly before all the commotion starts up again. She began to head back into the direction of the tower, as she remembered Yumika’s directions before they horribly departed.

Aside from the chirping crickets or the slithering critters who inhabited the trees and bushes, it was pretty quiet around her. There were occasional voices from teams who were awake, but it was nothing to be worried about. She mostly heard the sound of the wind blowing and the river when she was near it, but the silence made her realize how alone she really was.

I wonder how Sasuke’s team is doing, Ayako thought, trying to distract herself from the depressing situation she was in. I’m sure they’re fine, but it’d be nice to run into them sometime before I’m reunited with Etsuyo and Yumika.

“Leaf Hurricane!” she heard a yell from her left as well as contact between persons. That sounded like… she couldn’t put a name to the voice.

Carefully, she made her way in that direction, making little noise as possible as she slipped through the bushes in front of her.

Slowly she reached a spot where she could see the scene clearly and crouched onto her knee. Immediately, her eyes opened as far as they could. The sight she saw was not what she expected. What… the… hell…?

In front of her very eyes was a battered Team Seven. Her brother lied underneath a lifted tree trunk, unconscious, next to Naruto who was in a similar state. Sakura sat protecting them as best she could, while the boy she met during the written portion, who introduced himself as Rock Lee, stood in
a fighting stance facing the Oto Genin. She remembered them instantly.

They were going to have a battle, she foresaw it and she couldn’t help but be scared about it. The situation was definitely apparent, and unfair. It was three against two- or more like three against one. Sakura wasn’t a fighter, so it was all left up to Lee.

But Ayako wasn’t going to let that be the case. She didn’t take another moment to process. A fight was about to occur, and if her brother was going to be protected, it would be by the aide of her hands.

Standing up, her feet moved quickly beneath her and she darted to break into the open territory. Ayako ran passed the remaining trees in front of her and slid to a halt beside Lee, with her back to the enemy.

They had no idea her eyes had changed. From a shining onyx-black to a piercing, blood red. For the first time in Konoha, she had opened her
Sharingan.

"Now, who are you?" the girl asked.

"Who do you think?"

*Last Time*

Standing up, her feet moved quickly beneath her and she darted to break into the open territory. Ayako ran passed the remaining trees in front of her and slid to a halt beside Lee, with her back to the enemy.

They had no idea her eyes had changed from a shining onyx-black to a piercing, blood red. For the first time in Konoha, she had opened her
Sharingan.

“Who are you?” the girl asked.

“Who do you think?”

***

The odds were a little better now, two against three. The air became thicker, tension filling it from every angle, overflowing the open area. It created a weight on their shoulders, pressing against their skin to remind them a change in events. A new presence has infiltrated the Oto Genin’s plans, ready to ruin it all. Whether or not she’d succeed was a question unanswered until the very end.

The enemy stood in silence, waiting for the girl who dared to interfere to reveal herself by her name. Scowling at her back, she could feel their eyes piercing into her skin, poking at her to respond, but she didn’t have to.

Before anyone could say another word, the wind blew through the open field, brushing away her hair to uncurtain the Uchiha Crest proudly sewn onto her shirt. Gasps escaped the mouths of the three as they stared at the symbol in utter astonishment.

"Another Uchiha?” The boy with the spiky hair exclaimed. “That's impossible!"

Chuckling, Ayako stared at her brother’s unconscious body behind Sakura. "Speaking from experience, nothing is impossible," she muttered loud enough for them to hear. She turned around to mock her new opponents and flash the proof with her eyes. "Have you been living under a rock?” she spitefully asked. “This is old news… but here’s something fresh. If you mess with me, this will get very ugly. I’m giving you one chance to turn around and leave.”

This kid only laughed, unphased by her threat or her Sharingan. "What are a little girl and an awkward looking boy going to do?"

"A lot more than you think," Lee answered coolly.

"Well we're not going anywhere…" The girl of the team spoke again.

Ayako sneered at her statement. “I don’t know who you are or what you want with them, but I can tell it deals with more than their scroll.”

“Oh, indeed it does,” the member covered in tape cooed. He wasn’t afraid to express the true nature of this confrontation with Team Seven. “You see, we have one target in mind and it’s that boy Sasuke.”

Ayako clenched her fists and her eyebrows knitted together. “What do you want with my brother?”

"Brother, huh?” Underneath the wrap, she could have sworn she saw his mouth curve into a smirk. “Interesting…”

“What do you want with my brother?” she questioned again, slower, enunciating each word to make sure they heard her.

He lifted his hands beneath his sleeves, defensively. “We just wanted to have a little fun with him, that’s all.”

Liar… she thought harshly. No matter how calm and smooth he sounded, he wasn’t fooling anyone, just like in the written portion when he told Ibiki they got a excited and carried away. You want something, but it’s not fun.

“Ayako,” Lee said from her side and pulled her out of her thoughts. She shifted her eyes to him. “These guys are something else. They’re ruthless. They attached a paper bomb to a harmless squirrel. Don’t let your guard down.”

Ayako grit her teeth. Her blood began to boil as she came to her own conclusion of their purpose. “Attacking the innocent is your game?” she accused as she pulled out a kunai and held it in front of her. “Well, I won’t have it! If you want to attack Sasuke, you’re going to have to go through me!” She growled and charged forward, leaving Lee behind.

“So be it!” the brunette accepted her challenge without consulting his teammates.

The battle commenced, all fought with full force. Lee took on the mummy guy on his own, using taijutsu to attempt to take him down. He threw punches and kicks, jumped up and down, trying hard to land a hit at any angle. He roared with every slam.

On the other side of the area, Ayako went after the spiky haired kid first, but kept a close eye on the girl who stood behind and watched. She too, was using taijutsu, to prevent showing her main abilities to them first. Her eyes glowed with the Sharingan, reading him over. She tried her best to knock him down with her fists and feet, but he dodged most of her moves easily.

Soon she started to get smart with her movements. She threw a punch with her right hand and he caught it with his left. Then she struck again with her left, but he caught it with his right. A metallic sensation against her knuckles made her slightly confused, but she didn’t dare to let it show on her face. The two stood there, glaring at each other, trying to force one another onto their knees. To no avail, neither budged. They only shook in their places with the struggle as they were equally strong.

A smirk appeared on his face as he taunted her, "Such tough talk for someone who can't even push me."

Ayako scoffed with utter annoyance. "If you haven't noticed, you can't push me either," she retorted toughly. His expression went as fast as it came and he growled in her face. Suddenly, she noticed his chakra shift within his body and flow directly to his hands. Her instincts took over as she knew she had to get away and stop his attack.

While the boy still held onto her fists tightly, Ayako and pivoted backwards. She brought her legs up to her chest and kicked as hard as she could into the kid’s face. From the pain inflicted he let go. She did backflips away until she stood a foot in front of Sakura.

"Why you little!" he yelled into his hands. Once he removed them, there were obvious red marks in the shape of her shoes across his face. She couldn't help but smirk at her work, biting her lip to restrain from laughing, but she quickly put her game face back on and waited for his next move.

As her enemy took a moment to recover, she took the chance to check on Lee, hoping he was doing fine, but unfortunately, he wasn't. Now exhausted with cuts and bruises all over him, she realized the blunder she had made. She was too preoccupied by her protective instincts over her brother, forgetting about how Lee was there to help too. Too caught up in the moment to assume he had a chance, only to find he wasn’t as strong as he seemed in the beginning. She frowned, disappointed not with him, but with herself because she shouldn’t have left his side. They should have fought together.

"I'll show you who you're messing with!"

Her state of sympathy was interrupted by his yell and her attention was brought back to her opponent. He pushed his arms forward and aimed his palms at her. There she saw a small hole on each hand surrounded by the metal she had felt previously against her knuckles.

With her Sharingan spinning, she saw his chakra change in the way it had before and by putting two and two together, she had an idea of what he was about to do.

She knew she had to act fast or else she’d be in a lot of trouble. Swiftly, she pulled two kunai knives out of her holster and threw them in his direction, but she was too late.

"Slicing Sound wave!" he called out at the top of his lungs.

A large gust of wind and sound erupted from the tiny holes. The kunai ricocheted off the gust and headed straight back towards Ayako. She was about to jump and dodge them, but she remembered that Team 7 was right behind her. If she moved, the kunai could hit them instead, and she would have failed to protect them. Instead, she stood her ground and held her arms in front of her face and shut her eyes, preparing for the hit that almost immediately. The knives flew through the air with great speed and stabbed into her. One jabbed into her left forearm, while the other cut her right, ripping the cloth of her wrist band. Blood dripped out the wounds and down her arms. Still, she remained in the same stance as the blast continued.

She heard Lee yell out her name and Sakura yelp from the blow. I need to stop it! she thought, knowing exactly how she was going to do it.
Slowly, against the tremendous force, she moved her arms out to the sides and reached for the rivers nearby. She locked her chakra into the water and pulled it to her. It shot out from the shadows of the forest and built up in front of her, creating a giant frozen wall that reached high to protect her and Team 7 from the full force of the remaining gust.

When it passed, Ayako breathed deeply, putting her arms down. The wall remained standing. She cringed at the sharp pain from her arms. Looking at her left, she saw the kunai sticking out. She ripped it out, gritting her teeth from the sting. It wasn’t deep, but it still hurt.

“A water type user, ay?” the boy praised behind the wall. “You know if you use it the wrong way, it’ll only carry my sound?”

She leaned against the barrier. Her main option was only useful for protection in this circumstance. It would be easier if I was fighting alongside Lee, her mind wandered back to her fault, trying to find a way to fix it. She stared intently at her reflection in the ice. But they know combining our skills will up our advantage. I’d just use my Sharingan to predict their attack, and Lee would respond accordingly. She peaked from the side of the wall. Her eyes widened and she hid behind again just as he shot at her.

She groaned as the wind whipped her hair around slightly. This can’t go on any longer. It needs to end! I need to join Lee!

“My ear!” Lee moaned and fell to the ground with a thump. Blood trickled out his ear and down his face. Ayako was too late.

“No!” she hollered over the subsiding wind.

“Lee!” Sakura shouted. “What did you do to him?!”

The boy wrapped up in tape remained stoic, yet pride oozed out of him from his success. “You see these holes in this large amplifier on my arm? It allows my chakra to manipulate sound and direct it farther into the inner ear. This boy has just suffered a heavy blow of it and is now experiencing waves of pain.”

Both girls stared at him in disbelief. Ayako understood the manipulation of only nature elements, but the manipulation of other elements was astonishing. Having the capability to toy with a part of someone that can’t even be touched by human skin, scared her. She was surprised they hadn’t done it to her a long time ago.

“Now it’s the end for him.” He brought his arm above Lee.

“Not gonna happen!” Ayako challenged, slapping her hands against her her ice wall. Sliding them across the surface, sharp pieces shattered off and flew straight towards him. To no avail, they only hit his amplifier.

“You’re outnumbered girl…don’t think you stand a chance,” the boy she previously fought ridiculed and moved next to his teammate. She clenched her fists as the rest of the wall melted into the ground.

Her eyes moved from one member to the other, watching them carefully for any sudden movements. If I really fought as hard as I could, I may just take them alone. She debated with herself again. I didn’t even make it that far with the other kid, though, and my full strength involves my water element. A sigh escaped her lips. This is for Sasuke’s safety…I have to do this. I have to finish them off alone! I’ll just have to persevere because my only option for help right now is Sakura! Ayako paused and stared at the girl who sat afraid yet strong in front of Naruto and Sasuke. Something lit up is her eyes as she looked at her. I won’t make the same mistake twice! I’ll give her the chance!

"Sakura,” she spoke to her without taking her eyes off the others. “I know you're not the strongest person right now, but I need your help. You need to stand up tall and fight alongside me.” Her voice rose to fuel her motivation. “It's time you stood up for your comrades and not the other way around. Sasuke always complained about how you never contribute to the team and that you let everyone fight for you. Now it's your turn to fight for them!" Sakura looked astonishingly up at the girl. "Lee jumped in blindly a bit ago because he cares a lot about you. Sasuke and Naruto always protected you when you were helpless. It's the other way around this time, so take advantage of it! Protect them! Fight back, Sakura! Fight back!"

Her words inspired the girl. Ambition replaced the fear that ran through her veins and Ayako saw that change in her eyes.

But, right when Sakura was about to get up, the girl from Oto appeared behind her faster than anyone could react. She grabbed a handful of her long, pink hair forcing her to stay down. "My, my you have such soft hair,” she spoke down. “Maybe you should stop focusing so much on shampooing and more on your jutsu."

Before Ayako’s eyes, the drive she gave to her comrade was covered by a stream of tears. “Let her go!" she commanded, taking a step forward.

"Come any closer and I'll rip it off her head!" She threatened Ayako causing her to hesitate. She was about to take action anyway and make herself move faster than the other girl, but she stopped once she heard the sound of a Kunai being taken out of its holster, and noticed Sakura holding it in her hand.

The girl chuckled, not taking her seriously. "That won't work on me."

Sakura managed to smile deviously. "It's not meant for you," she spat. The girl’s coy stature was slapped away with surprise. Sakura whipped her hand behind her head and cut her hair clean off, setting her free. When she stood, the change was back, shining in her eyes, radiating off her.

"Kin finish her!" The boy with spiky hair ordered and she charged at Sakura with senbon in her hands. Sakura made hand signs, and with her Sharingan, Ayako knew the jutsu she was performing. She stayed still until it played out.

Kin jabbed Sakura straight in the back only to be met by a puff of smoke and the replacement of a log. That’s when Ayako sprung back into action.

The Uchiha charged behind Kin and wrapped her fingers her extremely long hair, pulled it and kicked her in the side towards the other two. She let out a yelp.

"Maybe you shouldn't have your hair so long. It can get in the way a lot," Ayako teased, then noticed Sakura charging towards the boy with holes in his palms.

Ayako already predicted what was coming. After Sakura threw kunai knives, the boy charged up and got ready to blow her away with his sound technique. Again, the girl began to make the same hand signs to perform the Substitution Jutsu. The boy noticed as well and easily repelled the weapons back with his jutsu. Right before Sakura’s took effect, she gave Ayako a look that she immediately understood.

Ayako was given an opening. It was her turn and she had been waiting to use this jutsu.

"Hey kid!" she hollered for his attention. The boy spun around, ready to attack her.

"My name is Zaku!" he informed in irritation.

"Alright, Zaku…you know I notice that you use wind with your sound. Funny thing is…I have something that'll beat that."

"We'll just see about that!" Bringing his arms up, he quickly sliced them down towards her. Ayako quickly made hand signs ending with the Horse and then the Tiger. Just as he shot his sound, they called out their jutsus simultaneously.

"Slicing Sound wave!"

"Fire style: Fireball Jutsu!" Zaku's eyes widened as a large ball of fire escaped her mouth and went straight for his attack he couldn't take back. The air from his sound spread her fire up and around, surrounding him at an instant. Swiftly he escaped by jumping backwards out of the flames.

Her fire blew away, leaving her breathing slightly heavily and small burn marks appearing around her mouth. It may have been her clan’s specialty, but it was still completely opposite her true nature.

"Nice try," Zaku taunted. "But it’ll take a lot more to take me down.”

"I know…but who said that was my goal?"

Confusion set over his face as a shadow began to manifest above him. When he looked up, that confusion changed to surprise, which then changed to anger. Sakura was falling above him making those hand signs yet again but left a small part out. Zaku took his own kunai knives and threw them at her thinking it was a fake. After they hit her in the arm, stomach, and leg, he looked around for the real pink-haired girl... until blood fell on his face. The Uchiha smirked at the ingenious action.

"Oh no! It's the real one!" Sakura landed on top of him, stabbing a knife in one of his arms and biting the other. Zaku continuously beat her in the head to pry her off.

Ayako was about to step in when someone violently snatched onto her hair and pulled her off balance. She fell hard on her side, with a grunt in agony.

"Maybe you shouldn't have your hair so long. It can get in the way a lot." Her own words were used against her. Kin! She remembered.

"At least mine isn't as freakishly long as yours!" Ayako tried to pull away, but it only caused her more stings on her head and she gasped as it rushed through her body.

"You're not going to chop off your hair like your friend did now are you? Because that won't work on me twice." Kin put a kunai next to Ayako's head as she continued to struggle. "Don't even try…you're hopeless." Those words stung her more than the strands of hair being tugged. A childhood memory quickly flashed in her mind of herself, sitting with her knees to her chest and crying from those words thrown at her.

You're hopeless! They'd all say. The voices of the clan members echoed in her ears, though they didn’t strike sorrow in her heart like it used to. She was provoked, outraged by them being said in such a manner.

"I. Am. Not!" Ayako defended, speaking mostly to her people. She flicked her fingers upward and sharp, water spikes stood from the soggy ground between the two. Immediately, Kin bounced back, letting go.

Ayako jumped onto her feet and attacked the girl with taijutsu letting out her what was racing through her mind. "Someone is not hopeless if they are able to fend for themselves." She thought of Sakura who was still getting punched in the head. "Someone is not hopeless if they are able to stand their ground." She punched Kin in the face. "Someone is not hopeless when they have something to fight for!" She roared, thinking of Sasuke. "And someone is absolutely not hopeless when they have a reason to continue forward!" Right at that statement, Sakura was finally knocked off of Zaku.

Ayako ended with a twist kick to the stomach, slamming Kin to the ground. She turned her attention to Sakura and frowned at the sight of the blood all over her face. That was it for her, she couldn't keep going.

Zaku was getting ready to attack again, and Ayako took out a kunai to throw, but then she sensed a familiar presence. Three people slid in front of Sakura and they were none other than Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji.

"Team Ten!"

"Ayako! Are you okay?" Choji asked, obviously frightened by the situation. Shikamaru was holding onto his long piece of cloth around his neck indicating he was forced to come.

"I'm fine. Just get out of here!” she warned in concern. “You don't need to get involved!"

"Don't worry about us. We can take 'em!" Ino replied proudly.

"Yeah right!" Zaku laughed. "You've got dead weight right there!" He pointed to Choji. "What's the matter? Scared of a little fight? Why don't you just crawl back into those bushes…fatty? " His last mockery was one that should've never escaped his mouth.

Something snapped inside of Choji and he turned red in the face before hysterically losing it."WHO ARE YOU CALLING FAT?! I'M JUST A LITTLE CHUBBY, OKAY!"

Ayako was taken aback and became quite alarmed. Note to self: Never call Choji fat in any way shape or form.

Team Ten instantly took action. "Formation: Ino-Shika-Cho!"

First, Choji made a hand sign and called out "Expansion Jutsu!" He puffed up into a large ball and his hands, legs, and head became sucked into his clothes."Human Boulder Jutsu!" he yelled with might, spinning like crazy. He rolled rapidly at Zaku, who could do nothing more than just dodge manually because his jutsu wasn't strong enough.

Ayako quickly ran to Sakura’s aid, who managed to slip back by her team. "Are you alright, Sakura?"

"I am, thanks to you."

They smiled at each other. "Don't thank me, it was all you. I just helped bring that fighter out. Reminded you of the reason to fight. Anyways, take it easy. Let us handle the rest of this charade.” Sakura nodded.

Ayako stood to watch all that unfolded.

Zaku’s teammate tried to help him but something mysterious happened to his movements. It was Shikamaru's Shadow Possession Jutsu. His shadow stretched and connected to the mummy-man’s making him only move as Shikamaru did.

"Take care of the girl, Ino!" he told her.

"Mind Transfer Jutsu!" She aimed her hands at Kin sitting against a tree.

She got up, but with a different look in her eyes. “Ow, this body is in a lot of pain!” Ino cried with Kin’s voice.

“Sorry, that’s my fault!” Ayako stated. The girl only nodded.

Ino attempted to negotiate with the other Oto genin by threatening to kill their teammate. But they didn’t care. They only attacked her, and found that whatever happens to Kin's body happens to Ino's. To everyone’s surprise, they were willing to end her life if it took her out too.

Everything headed downhill. Shikamaru's shadow crawled back to normal, Choji was sitting on the ground, and Ino was still in Kin's body with blood on the side of her mouth. Ayako stepped in again and jumped in front of Shikamaru and Ino.

"That’s it. Leave these guys out of it. You want my brother, not there's. So stick to fighting me…"

"Please, do you think you can really beat us? Face it, you kids are just a bunch of hacks," Zaku teased.

"From a second rate village," the mummy kid added. Ayako scoffed.

"Huh, that's pretty tough talk,” she heard from above, “coming from people from a third rate village." There's Lee's team! She stared at them in relief. Finally!

"It looks like someone beat up our teammate pretty badly… No one does that and gets away with it!" Neji's eyes changed as his veins in his head popped out. The Hyuga clan's Byakugan… Amazement clung onto everyone.

Then, suddenly, his eyes went back to normal.

"Never mind,” he stated somehow calmly. “It seems the situation has been taken out of my hands,"

Ayako sensed a very dark, scary feeling from underneath the tree where Sakura sat. She shifted her whole head to see her brother exerting a bright purple chakra, and she became frightened. Her eyes switched back to normal because even with her sharingan, she couldn't see what was going on.

Ayako was terrified at the sight. Her brother was just wincing in discomfort, exerting an abnormal energy, and soon stood upright with his fists clenched, black marks on the left side of his body, and the purple chakra circling him like a tornado. She was frozen in her spot.

That's not my brother!

*Ayako’s P.O.V.*

Numb.

That’s how I felt. My legs and feet bared no feeling. My arms and hands were stuck. I couldn't move. The sound of my heartbeat in my ears was the only thing that reminded me I was awake. Reminded me that this was all real because the sight before me screamed nightmare. But my eyes were wide open, holding a gaze on this boy whom I swear I’ve never seen before.

I was in absolute shock, violently shaking, barely standing in place. I had forgotten Team Ten was behind me. I had forgotten I came to rescue Team Seven. I had forgotten Lee still lied semi-conscious and his team was up in the trees. I had forgotten that there were enemies in the area. I had forgotten the entire situation. I had forgotten everything, especially who that boy was standing in front of me.

This boy. Who was he? I don't know him, what’s his name? My mind was racing, trying to find one because his face was familiar, yet I couldn’t help but feel he was a complete stranger. He's terrifying me too much and I can't comprehend the situation because of this fear that's running through my body, engulfing me in a dark purple gust. Like his chakra was doing to him at this very moment.

The air felt thicker and I couldn't breathe, choking on the atmosphere. That stranger stared directly at me, looking at every scratch and bruise I had received from the fight I had endured. They were only minor, but I could tell he saw them as far worse. He over exaggerated them with his mind, thinking I was heavily bleeding from the cuts to my arms and just barely clinging onto life.

"Ayako…" He spoke slowly and deeply. I jumped at the call of my name. His voice didn't even sound familiar. It sounded like a monster's. "Sakura…who did this to you?"

I wanted to scream, “It’s not that bad. I’m okay!” Yet words wouldn’t form in my mouth. My voice of reason and courage disappeared along with my memory. I was too afraid to respond, scared I’d make matters worse.

"Sasuke…” Sakura somehow choked out. “What's happened to you?"

Sasuke…? It hit me like a ton of bricks. He was Sasuke…my brother… I remembered, but didn’t want to believe it.

Everyone was silent, watching him the same way I was. Waiting for him to talk again or to make any sudden move. They stared, at the black, wavy marks that covered the entire left side of his body and at that unusual purple chakra that was slowly dissipating away. But I was looking past all that, at his eyes the entire time. The eyes that used to be identical to my own were now completely different and a mystery. The ones that used to be sharp with good intent were now cold and blood-thirsty with the desire to kill. Even covered up by his bangs I could still see them, shining with the bright redness of the Sharingan.

He brought his hand that was covered with the black marks to his face and examined it. "Orochimaru…" Who? I questioned, confusion settling into my body. "He gave me this power." Sasuke continued. "Reminded me of what I really am…an avenger. I've realized that I will do whatever it takes to get more power. So I can fulfill my task of defeating my older brother."

I gasped quietly. Itachi?! Sasuke wanted to kill him and I never would've guessed it. He hadn't told me about anything close to that. In fact, we never really talked about the clan, or even him. He'd become an avenger over the years and had come to hate our family member, and I didn't know because I wasn't there. Now I know, my brother is a stranger to me and I don’t know him as well as I thought.

I was saddened by this as I saw a large gap appear between us. He was on one side and I was on the other. My hand outstretched toward him but his back faced me. I wasn’t close enough to reach him, to tap him on the shoulder so he could turn around and see me. We were separated, and I realized that I was foolish to not see it before. That gap was alway there.

"Ayako, Sakura, tell me who did this to you, now!" His voice pulled me out of my thoughts, but I still couldn't answer back. I glanced over at Sakura who didn't want to reply either.

"I did," Zaku answered unthinkingly. A smirk plastered cockily on his lips. Sasuke's head turned to the boy. His eyes filled with intent to rip him to pieces.

His teammate disapproved his action greatly. "Zaku, no! You mustn't fight him!"

"What's the matter, Dosu? Don't think we can take him?"

At that point, things started to blur. This fight would be destructive and traumatic, I predicted and the images in my head put me under a haze. My guard was completely down and I started to lose focus. I didn't notice Team Ten leave the premises to hide behind the bushes again. I didn't notice Zaku charge up his jutsu with his teammate doubting his decision to fight back. But I did notice that when he performed it, Team Seven appeared next to me, unharmed, and the shelter they used was empty.

My legs finally gave out and I fell down next to Sakura and an unconscious Naruto in a sitting position. I froze there, didn't move an inch, didn't even blink.

Everything seemed like a dream as they moved in slow motion. I questioned the reality of things once again. Was this really happening? I wondered as Sasuke hit Zaku hard in the back of the neck. Could I possibly be in genjutsu? I doubted that self-given question immediately. This wasn’t a dream, it was a nightmare and it was all real…

My nightmare was losing my brother and right now I felt as though I did. He felt gone, wiped off the face of the earth and was far away from me.

I watched in horror as Sasuke walked over to the fallen Zaku and grabbed both of his arms, pulling them behind his back. "You're so fond of these arms, aren't you?" He said in a menacing tone that threw a chill down my spine. "It's a shame if something bad happened to them." My eyes widened even more. I wanted to stop him, but I couldn't bring myself to it. The fear I was feeling this entire time was still present like a gigantic weight, and it sat on me, preventing me from getting up.

It grew as I saw my brother tighten his grip on the kid's arms and begin to pull. Harder and harder, until I heard a snap. Zaku cried out in excruciating pain, and passed out, falling to the ground, defeated.

He didn't deserve that…My eyes stared at the boy who was my opponent. Even for what he did and tried to do. But Sasuke was the only one who didn't think that.

He wasn’t finished yet. He turned to the other boy and moved closer and closer, inch by inch, step by step. Slowly, he made his way to Dosu. He stood as frozen as I was, fearing for his life. Visible eye enlarged.

This is all a mistake. I mentally knocked myself in the head. All I wanted to do was protect you…

At that moment, without a warning, something else, started to rush over me.

It overpowered the terror and made me shakily get up on my feet. It pushed me to walk a few steps and then lunge forward to a full run. It made tears come to the corner of my eyes and made me scream, "No! One was enough!" It was my promise to protect Sasuke and it made me wrap my arms around him tightly, and pull him down.

The promise I had made when I returned, had taken over me. To protect my brother, no matter what’s at stake. I saw this error, his lapse in judgement, as a threat and needed to stop it in any way that I could. Tackling him was the first thing that came to my mind.

I lay on his back begging him to stop. "Please!" I cried. "Don't do this! One was enough!" The tears stayed in my eyes and didn't flow out. I wasn’t going to show any sign of weakness here.

My words didn't affect him much as I was repeating myself. Sasuke merely flipped me off him gently and got back on his feet. I stayed on my back and coughed as I choked on the small lump in my throat. I turned my head enough to see he was moving forward again.

I knew this had to end before it got worse. I jumped to my feet quickly and ran in front of Dosu just as my brother was about to throw a punch.

Easily, I caught his right hand with my left, but from the impact it hurt a bit. The cut I got in my forearm stung. By the feel of it, Sasuke had gotten an enormous amount of power from the transformation he was in. He tried with his left, but again I caught it. He then tried to pull them out but I held on so tightly, it made both of us tremble.

"Sasuke…" I whispered, breathing deeply to collect myself. He stopped struggling as our eyes locked, Sharingan with regular black ones. "Stop it," I calmly said.

"You can't do this…one was enough." My voice began to shake. "Please…I want the brother I know back. Bring him back…"

"He's right here," he stated. I swallowed hard.

"No…he's not." I shook my head. "This is not the Sasuke I know…This is a stranger. This is not my brother." His eyes widened and I had got to him.

Suddenly, his eyes grew tired as his Sharingan faded and the marks began to recede. His hands loosened against my palms. His legs gave out and he fell back, sitting on the ground. Sasuke looked back to normal again to me and his eyes were once again identical to my own. I gave a sigh of relief as I saw my brother was back. I knew who this boy was.

I kneeled down to his level and our eyes met again. He was breathing so hard it almost seemed like it hurt. I gave him one concerned look and then hugged him gently.

Sakura ran to us and sat down next to Sasuke. "Are you alright?" she asked, with tears streaming down her face. He simply nodded against my shoulder and I heard her sigh.

"You're strong, Sasuke…too strong. It seems this is a job we can't handle anymore now that you're the way you are." Dosu said behind me. I let go of my brother and turned around to watch him. He held an Earth Scroll in his hand and put it down carefully. "Let's make a deal. You get the scroll, we're let go." I nodded for them. He walked over to Kin and Zaku and put both of them under each arm.

"We underestimated you," he spoke again. "Though, we at least got the information we needed. For now we're even. But if we ever meet in combat again, I promise, we won't back down. That goes for you too, Ayako Uchiha." I glared at Dosu as he turned around and began to stroll out of the area, until Sakura called after him.

"Hold on a second!" He looked back. "Who's Orochimaru? What has he done to Sasuke and why?"

He simply replied, "I don't know. We were just ordered to target Sasuke, and we did." With that, he left, leaving everyone alone.

I looked at Sakura. She was angry at his response. We could tell it wasn't a lie, and the thing that struck me the most was the fact that even Dosu seemed confused about their instructions as well. I felt something far worse approaching in the future and that put me on the edge. What that was, I wasn’t sure exactly, but I did know it was going to involve the man Sakura spoke of. Orochimaru. Most importantly, these exams were going to become even more dangerous than ever before.

I switched my point of view to Sasuke, placing a hand on his shoulder and gave him a sigh of relief. What had just happened ended, and that familiar stranger I just saw in him, was more familiar, than a stranger.

It was still quiet at this time in the morning. The sun shown freshly above the trees of the Forest of Death, peering through the holes in between the leaves. Lucky rays reached the forest floor and shared its light with those inhabiting. This marked the start of day two of the Chunin Exams.

One beam aimed over the eyes of a sleeping Yumika who still lay on top of Toramaru. The direct brightness caused her to stir, gradually waking up. She started to feel a small breeze blowing, the fur underneath her hand, and the hard dirt ground beneath her body. Slowly, her eyes opened to view her surroundings.

With the sight of the lightened area, realization hit her and she gasped. “It’s morning?” she exclaimed, frantically jumping on her feet. Her outburst was loud enough to waken Toramaru.

She turned to him, her eyes changed into Tora no Me. For a moment, she switched on the connection again, only to tell him, “I need to go find my teammates.” He nodded once, then watched her run off and disappear into the trees, separating from him.

***

Ayako continued to stare at her brother, keeping her hand on his shoulder as an effort to stop his trembles. She was beyond concerned for Sasuke as it showed deeply in her face. Her mind rambled on giving her a parade of questions she wanted to ask so dearly. How did this happen? When did this happen? Who’s Orochimaru? What does he want? What were those marks, and that chakra? Why didn’t you tell me you wanted to kill Itachi? Did you not want me to know? Did you not want to talk about it at all? Do you not trust me enough? Or do you think it’s none of my concern... Are you okay, Sasuke? Please tell me you are.

She didn’t dare utter a word to bombard her shaken brother. He was just as confused as she was, but there was something else written on his face, mixed in with all the other emotions he was feeling. There was exhaustion, uncertainty, overwhelmed, anxiety, but most of all, there was fear. Ayako wouldn’t have guessed that her brother could ever feel such a thing. She always thought he was the bravest of them all, unaffected by any challenge he endured. She was wrong… again, and she realized now, he needed her more than ever.

Sakura, who was sitting next to them, quickly pulled Sasuke into a tight hug. Ayako retracted her hand as she did so and watched the two in silence. Her brother didn’t move or bother to return the embrace. He just let her hug him and cry on his shoulder.

What happened to him? Ayako wondered constantly, barely paying attention to her surroundings, only hearing what was being said in the background.

“Are you guys okay?!” Choji asked from behind the bushes. Neither of the three went out of their way to answer.

“Ino, go check on Lee, we’ll take care of the kid,” Shikamaru ordered.

Lee…I almost forgot about him… Ayako looked passed Sasuke’s head to check out the boy who she felt she let down. Her stomach dropped at the sight of him. He still lied there on his stomach, semi-conscious from the blow he took from Dosu. She frowned even more as her concern grew.

Sakura let go of Sasuke and wiped her eyes with the back of her palm, sniffling as quietly as she could. He then brought his hand to his face and stared with wide eyes. His fear stood out even more. It shook feverishly just like the rest of his body continued to do.

Ayako brought her eyes back at him and sighed deeply, trying to calm herself in the process. She needed to be strong for him. She took the hand he was examining in her own and placed it back down. Carefully, she lifted his face to match the level of her own. Their identical eyes met, both having the same look in them.

“Are you okay?” she asked him slowly.

“I don’t know…” Sasuke sighed.

“It’s alright.” She squeezed his hand reassuringly. “It’s over.” I hope… She kept that part in her head.

Soon his trembles stopped completely and he slumped forward. Ayako glanced at Sakura who was watching them again and gave her a small smile.

Ayako stood and went to grab the earth scroll Dosu had set on the ground. She picked it up to give to them. “Here, I believe this is yours now,” she spoke, handing it to Sakura. The teammates stared at it intently. “If this is the one you need, I guess you guys are done?”

A deep frown set on Sakura’s face. She moved her eyes to look elsewhere. “No, we’re not,” she admitted sadly.

“What do you mean? This should be your second one.”

She shook her head roughly. “Actually, this is our only one. The other scroll we had was destroyed by-" Their conversation was rudely interrupted by a screaming Naruto.

“Watch out! She’s going to kill us!” he yelled. Ayako rolled her eyes and looked over to see Shikamaru and Choji standing over the little weirdo with a stick. He was flailing his arms and legs as if he was fighting someone, but with another little smack and an aching bump on his head, he was brought back to reality. “Oh…what are you guys doing here?” Naruto referred to the two boys once he caught sight of them.

“We just saved your life,” Shikamaru answered boredly, but it was obvious he was a little irritated by the sharpness in his tone.

“What?”

How the hell did this kid become a ninja? She mentally smacked her forehead, keeping her eyes on him. A moment later, Naruto was staring in their direction, and then he began to run towards them. “Sakura!” he shouted, “Sakura!” Sliding on the ground on his knees he came to a halt a few inches from the girl.

“What do you want, Naruto?” she asked, a small vein popped out of her head.

“Wha-what happened to your hair?” he stammered.

Ayako’s shoulders and head fell, dragging any hope left for the boy down with it. Sakura looks like she’s been thrown around like a ragdoll and he asks about her hair? Yikes, he sure is something else…Go ahead girl. Try and tell him what happened and see if he’ll understand.

“I thought I’d change my look.” Ayako straightened and stared down at her. “I liked my hair long, I really did. But when you’re running around in a place like this, it gets in the way a lot.” Sakura smiled and so did Ayako. Good cover, she complimented.

“Oh, well I get it!” Naruto nodded a couple times. “Huh, Ayako?” He finally noticed her. “Why are you here?”

“Really?” she scoffed, putting her hands on her hips. “I’ve been standing here the entire time. Geez, how hard did Shikamaru hit you?” He pouted in response. She took a deep breath. “If you must know, I’m here because I helped Sakura and Lee fight against some Oto Genin that tried to attack your team.”

“We were under attack and I missed it?! Aw come on!” He groaned.

Ayako glared at him sternly. “That’s not something to complain about!” she scolded when something captured her attention from the side. It was Lee sitting on the ground looking up at TenTen. He was fully conscious now. She smiled widely until Naruto appeared next to him with his lips puffed out and his hips wagging from side to side.

“Ha! You really got a number done on you, Bushy Brows! ” He rudely mocked.

“HEY, DON’T TALK THAT WAY TOWARDS LEE!” In a blink of an eye, Sakura punched him across the face, knocking him a good few feet away, before anyone else could intervene. Ayako stood there with her mouth open. Why didn’t she use that force when those other guys were here?

“Sis…” She heard from below and turned to see Sasuke extending his arm towards her. Taking it with both of hers, she helped him up. While doing so, she thought, Sis? He’s hasn’t called me that in a long time.

“Are you okay to walk?” She kept her arms extended out just in case he fell.

It took him a second to respond as he checked himself by taking a step. “Yeah,” he answered with a nod. The twins walked together over to Lee who was being thanked for his help.

“You too, Ayako,” Sakura acknowledged as they reached them. Ayako met her gaze with a slight baffled expression. “Thanks to you, I now know I have the strength to fight back.” The Uchiha smiled and put her hand on her shoulder.

“You’re welcome. I thought I saw something meaningful in your eyes during the fight,” she explained. “I’m glad I chanced it.”

“Hey, Sakura!” they heard someone call from the side. It was Ino and she was waving. “Come over here. I want to fix your hair for you, okay?”

Ayako gently pulled at Sakura’s short pink hair and tiny strands came out. She then looked at it carefully as a whole and realized it was a mess. Her bangs were way longer than the back. “Yeah, you might want her to do that.” She giggled.

Sakura agreed and headed over. “Sure, I’d like that.” Once she reached the blond, she sat down in front of her.

“Sasuke,” Rock Lee spoke. The twins gave him their attention simultaneously. “You’re stronger than I expected. You took down that one guy with one hit… while I was easily beaten.” Her brother became taken aback by his statement. “As for you Ayako, I’m sorry I wasn’t a good help to you.”

She frowned, shaking her head as she took a knee. “No, Lee.” She couldn’t accept his words. “Don’t apologize. I came in to help you, but I got too caught up in the fight and let you get hurt. I ran ahead of you when I should’ve stayed by your side. I let you down so I’m sorry.”

Lee’s eyes bulged and filled with tears. “Oh Ayako!” he wailed, crying at the same time. “You’re so kind!” He rubbed his eyes quickly before punching the air. “Next time, I promise I’ll be stronger and the enemy won’t take me down that easily!” Ayako flinched at his outburst, but she couldn’t help but grin at his self-righteousness.

Looking back up at her brother, he still had the same expression on his face. Ayako got up, took his hand, and spun him around while Tenten lifted Lee and guided him over to where Neji was by the bushes.

“What’s the matter?” she whispered.

Sasuke locked his eyes with hers. “Sis,” he addressed strictly. “Were those ninja that strong?”

“Uh… yeah.” She shrugged. It wasn’t like her to lie and pretend she could’ve taken them. “They actually got a scratch on me.” She showed him her forearms and the deep cuts she got from the kunai knife that were repelled by Zaku’s jutsu. The blood was dry by then, but it still stained her wristbands. “Why?”

“Before the written portion,” he began. “Lee challenged me to a fight.”

His sister crossed her arms not seeing the big deal. “And…?”

“He beat me.” Her whole body tensed. Sasuke knew by the change that she understood why he was shocked earlier. “Yes, he beat me in a matter of a few minutes. I was knocked to the ground and worse would’ve happened if his weird sensei didn’t show up on a tortoise.”

Now Ayako was the one surprised. There is so much wrong with this story that I don’t know where to begin. Logic had disappeared from this situation, and she was beginning to think she was going insane.

“Then that power you’ve received is very…extreme…” she carefully replied. As Sasuke nodded she focused her gaze somewhere else. The concern returned to her face. She had been thrown into a loop and became lost, yet had the urge to do something about this. She just didn’t know what. Whatever made her brother freak out, didn’t only enhance a deep rage within him, it also enhanced his ability as a whole. She could easily see how dangerous that could be. Thinking back to his transformation, she knew he wasn’t even one-hundred percent sure of what was going on or what he was doing and that wasn’t okay.

Her promise crawled back into her mind. When I return to Konoha, I promise to protect my brother no matter what’s at stake. No matter what’s going on, I will not let him fall. I’d have to be taken out first. And so, she made a decision for him. “Sasuke.” She bored her eyes into his. She was serious. “I don’t think you should ever use this. You don’t know anything about it. It may give you strength but it comes with a cost more than you gain. Most importantly, you don’t know how to control it.” She swallowed hard. A lump started to form in her throat. “Brother… it’s scary for me to think that this thing could take over you and you’ll do something regretful.”

She paused for a moment, catching the kinship she used to refer to him and thought of how he referred to her. This event was stressful enough to cause them to regress. “We’ve only been in this forest for almost two days,” she mumbled. “How could all of this happen in such a short amount of time? In fact, what did happen to you guys?”

He locked his jaw instead of opening his mouth to answer, unsure of whether or not he wanted to share in the first place. Though, neither could get another word out because once again their conversation was interrupted by two people in the trees.

“Ayako!” a girl’s voice called. A red-head jumped down and ran straight towards the siblings. While a white haired girl followed close behind. It was her teammates. She was embraced in a tight hug by Etsuyo.

"You two found one another?" Ayako questioned.

"Yeah," Etsuyo answered, taking a step back. "Yumika finally sensed me out."

"Sorry, that tiger was a lot of trouble." Yumika blurted with her Kekkei Genkai off. “What happened to you? Especially to your arms?” she added, changing the subject. Etsuyo grabbed them to find the cuts.

Without any explanation, Ayako took one of their arms and dragged them away, leaving Sasuke standing by himself.

When they were far enough, Ayako told them, “Long story short, I was fighting alongside Lee and Sakura, but I will fill you in with all the other details when we head to the tower.” Yumika and Etsuyo exchanged worried looks. “Don’t worry, I’m fine. The cuts don’t really hurt anymore.”

“Well at least let me cover them up,” Etsuyo offered. She reached into her back pouch and pulled out a small first-aid kit she had handy.

Ayako consented willingly and slipped off her bands to stuff into her pouch. Etsuyo opened up the box and took a roll of medical tape, some wipes, and started to fix her up. Without a word, Yumika left them and made her way over to Sasuke. The other two only watched.

“Hey, Sasuke,” she said to grab his attention away from the ground he was fixated on. He obliged and lifted his head to look at her. “Look… I wanted to apologize.” An eyebrow rose on his face. “Ayako probably wouldn’t be battered if I kept an eye on her.” Deep down, Yumika felt bad. She had separated her team on accident, putting his sister in a lot more danger than she expected. “We got caught in a situation where I told them to leave so that I could take care of it myself, but I had no idea I threw her into something else, probably worse than what I-”

“Don’t worry about it,” he interrupted. Her eyes widened a bit at his ease to brush off her mistake.

A small laugh escaped her closed lips. She believed he would have some disdain for her and slightly freaked out about that, yet he had none and that was relieving. “Still, I’m sorry,” she responded. “It won’t happen again.” Flashing a quick grin she walked away.

She faced Ayako who was all taped up and smiling wildly. She knew all too well about Yumika’s hidden heart that contained some tiny feelings for her brother. “Shut up…” she muttered loud enough for her to hear. Her face was completely stoic.

Etsuyo wasn’t by them anymore. She wandered over to the blonde knucklehead, sitting alone in the dirt.

“Naruto?” She leaned and tapped him on top of his shoulder. His head twisted to see her.

“Oh, hey, Etsuyo,” he greeted cheerfully.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine!”

Etsuyo smiled, happy to see him still in a good mood. “Good, I just wanted to make sure.”

Meanwhile, Ayako moved toward Sakura who happened to be glaring at the back of Yumika’s head. “Um…Sakura?” She shifted in front of her, blocking her view. The girl’s expression turned happy again. “Can I talk to you for a moment?” Sakura nodded kindly.

They was already space to create privacy, but she made sure the coast was clear by checking her surroundings. By now, the other teams dispersed and went on their way to rejoin the purpose of this portion of the exam. They were safe. Both girls sat on the dirt ground across from each other.

“What’s do you need, Ayako? Are you alright?” Sakura sounded scared.

Ayako’s jaw clenched and she swallowed hard. “I’m fine but... I need you to do something for me…” She proposed. Sakura remained quiet, waiting. “I need you to tell me what went down in the forest. Who’s this Orochimaru and what has he done to my brother?”

The pink haired girl gulped. “I don’t think you’d want to know.”

“Oh I sure do.” She wanted to raise her voice, but fought hard to keep it at a low volume. “This is important to me, Sakura. Sasuke’s my brother and I need to know what’s going on with him. I just figured out today that I really don’t know him as well as I thought I did. Now, I feel like I can’t help him, and that’s all I want to do. Please, tell me. None of this makes any sense. Those marks he had, that chakra. In order for me to protect him, I need to know what this is.”

Sakura inhaled deeply. Ayako’s pleads worked. “Okay, I’ll tell you.” She began from the very beginning and made her way to the point before Ayako and Lee intervened. She told her everything from the two people imposing as Naruto through Sasuke’s fight with Orochimaru and ended with how he got that mark on his neck.

“Orochimaru survived the huge blow of Sasuke’s fire style jutsu, but the woman’s face was half melted off and his real one peeked from underneath. He still had the long black hair, though. I think that was really his and his eyes were exactly like a snake’s. His eyelids were purple and his skin was a sickly pale color.” Sakura shuddered from the memory.

“Anyways, when he returned he made this crazy hand sign where his fingers were crossed and then his neck extended out in great speed. When he reached Sasuke, he bit his neck and these black dots appeared, immediately making him experience extreme pain. I asked Orochimaru what he did to him and all he said was ‘I just gave him a little parting gift. In time, Sasuke will seek me out for more power.’ After he disappeared and I was left alone to take care of the both of them.”

Ayako stared at her in disbelief. Her mouth was partly open, her eyes were wide enough to have the white of her eyes surround her dark irises. “All of that happened in a day?” she stuttered. Sakura only nodded. “I can’t believe it.” She looked at her brother for a moment. He was sitting next to Naruto in the middle of the area. “Thank you, Sakura, for telling me and for taking care of Sasuke.”

“Like you said, it was time I protected them.” They smiled at each other.

Ayako sighed, dropping the subject for the time being. There was nothing else that could be done for now. “Well I guess it’s time for us to depart. You guys still have another scroll to get since you said Orochimaru destroyed your first one.” She got up. “Good luck.”

“Wait!” Sakura called when Ayako began leave. When she turned around, Sakura was standing too. “You said you thought you saw something meaningful in my eyes during the fight,” she reminded. “Can I- can you tell me what it was?”

Ayako smiled widely, showing her teeth. “The will to prove yourself,” she answered, simply. “I know... because I’ve been there.” She ran to her team and as she passed Sasuke, she patted him on the shoulder.

“My team’s got to go now. I’ll see you at the tower! Good luck!” she gabbed over her shoulder and waved. She met up with Yumika and Etsuyo who stood on a branch above and they all darted off to the tower.

“There’s something you both need to know.” Ayako’s face became hard as her eyes were filled with anger and her fists clenched tightly. Orochimaru…who are you and what do you want with my brother?

Team Shizen flew through the Forest of Death with a steady speed, jumping from branch to branch to reach their destination: The Central Tower.

Time was lingering in the early morning, not reaching close to noon. The sun’s rays still barely cut its way through the trees giving them only a hint of light, but it was enough for them to see what lied ahead. The view in front was a tunnel of leaves, a dark shadow waiting at the end. The wind was cool and brushed their long hair out of their faces. Their clothes flapped rapidly and created a random beat, like the wings of a bird.

They headed deeper into the eerie forest passing various insects, bugs, animals, and other ninja both alive and dead. The sight of it was brief, but they couldn’t help but stare sadly for a moment, knowing lives were cut short and hopes of being successful shinobi were shattered prematurely. There was no need to linger upon them, though. No they couldn’t possibly do that when there were other things more important going on. With all interruptions taken care of, staying out in the wilderness with opposing ninja still out there would be an utter and grave mistake. No more taking chances, they had to finish.

The three travelled perfectly in a line next to each other as they surged forward. Ayako had the middle spot while Yumika was on her left and Etsuyo on the right. The two on the side kept a calm face in the tense silence, waiting for a word to be said. They held their gaze on their friend who had obvious troubles as her jaw was clenched along with her fists, and her eyes were filled with a mixture of intent, confusion, and a bit of anger. Yet, she wasn’t speaking. She was thinking, hearing Sakura’s voice tell her what happened again, trying to have a good grasp on it herself, but to no avail, she couldn’t. It was all too much to hold.

“Well, say what you need to say,” Etsuyo responded to Ayako’s seriousness, breaking the quiet bubble. “It seems important.”

“...It is…”

Ayako hesitated, wanting another second to process everything one last time before she told them.

She started from the beginning of Sakura’s story about Team Seven’s first experiences in the forest and made it all the way through to the point where Yumika and Etsuyo arrived at the scene. She went into full detail, almost repeating Sakura’s words exactly, not missing a single struggle they endured. She spoke with such sincerity in her words, not holding back both the fury and the fright she felt during certain events. As she talked about it, she continuously asked herself the same questions: why now? Why Sasuke?

At the end, the two girls were bewildered and they stared at Ayako with wide eyes and open mouths.

“You can’t be serious. There’s no way all that happened in this short amount of time,” Yumika reasoned. It didn’t make sense to her. Twenty-four hours hadn’t even passed, yet so much went down. She thought her tiger situation was bad, but Team Seven had been thrown into the ringer, and somehow, they managed to survive. Nothing close to what they faced happened to them, though it could have if they were at the wrong place at the wrong time, or if the notorious woman their sensei kept them away from actually showed up and found them.

“Does it look like I’m joking?” Ayako spat, snapping her head in her direction. How could she think this was all made up? she wondered. “Why would Sakura- no- anyone lie about that?”

“Okay, okay. Sorry, it just seems… far fetched.” Yumika retracted her doubt. Ayako looked ahead again, glaring into the shadows.

“Wait!” Etsuyo chimed in, changing the subject once a thought clicked in her head. “Orochimaru…isn’t he one of the-“

“Three Legendary Sannin,” Yumika finished for her without a pause. “Yeah, but he’s the one who became an S-rank and a Missing Ninja.”

That’s who he is?! Ayako gulped, finally putting two and two together. The fear she felt before had grown even more as the realization pushed her closer to the edge. She groaned in frustration. “As if it wasn’t bad enough already.”

It was then a different vibe was noticed coming off her friend; a vibe of anticipation. “There’s something else bothering you isn’t there?”

Ayako didn’t deny or agree right away. The sound of the birds chirping filled the air instead. Expressing her feelings about the events was one thing and easy, but as for her thoughts about it, her opinions on what it could mean, if it meant anything, was another. She didn’t want to sound crazy. “I don’t know why,” she began slowly, “but I feel like this was a sign.”

“Of what?”

“I can’t help but think that something bigger is going to take place in the future,” she explained. “It has to do with Orochimaru and it’ll be dangerous. I mean, if you think about it, Sakura said Orochimaru’s last words were, ‘Sasuke will seek me out for more power,’” she quoted, shakily. “Do you think he would leave it at that and let the mark be the only thing to guide him? Don’t you think he’d try and come back to convince him in some way? Like he’d do something that will make Sasuke see that if he joins him, he’ll get all the power he wants?”

Ayako looked from side to side at her teammates, longing for an answer that would reassure her somehow, some way. But, even they weren’t quite sure what to say. Her ideas could be possible because apparently anything was.

It took some time before Yumika reasoned. “Look,” she began. “You are right when you say the mark probably is not enough. Sure, it gives Sasuke strength, but he could learn to do without it. After all, you, his sister, warned him not to use it and if he’s going to listen to anyone, it’ll be you. Besides, Sasuke’s smart and with Orochimaru’s background I think we all know he wouldn’t go along with whatever the guy is planning.”

She breathed deeply before she continued. One thing still didn’t add up to her. “Though I have to ask, when did Sasuke become so power hungry?”

Ayako’s saddened at the question. “I wouldn’t know…I wasn’t there the past five years…” Ayako said softly remembering the image of her twin in that horrifying state when he awoke. I wasn’t there… she repeated in her head.

Yumika sighed. “If you want my advice, I think the best thing for you to do is talk to Sasuke. Remind him about the cons of that mark, and convince him along with yourself that everything will be okay.”

“I would, but we’ll never have the time,” she excused. A new confliction boiled inside her. “We have five years worth of catching up to do… and we haven’t even discussed a month of it. We’re never together!” She was whining. Her teammates only looked at her in sympathy. “The only thing he really knows about me, is all the stuff I said the first day we came to Konoha. What I know about him is that he wants to kill our older brother. We don’t know each other. Not anymore.”

Ayako had to foolishly admit, she came to the village with the belief that nothing changed. She expected her brother to be kind and sweet, with a smile on his face most of the time. He would laugh and joke with her about the littlest things. He would be a shinobi, of course, but that of one with the dream to be great. They would be close, almost attached at the hip because it was acceptable now. Most of all, they would talk and they would be happy… just like back then.

But those thoughts were long gone. Those days didn’t exist anymore. There was nothing to be happy about to him. The clan was dead along with his old self. No longer did he care about the simplest things. He had one goal and one goal only: to end the life of their eldest brother. To become an avenger and take his revenge.

Her hopes were in shambles because all she really wanted was for them to be together, but Sasuke had his own plans and things became different.

“You will eventually,” Etsuyo pulled her out of her thoughts. She spoke quietly and sincerely with her higher pitched voice. Ayako turned towards her. “You won’t always have the time to just sit down and talk, but there will be a day where you’ll just be around each other and talk about absolutely everything. Especially, how you’ve changed. And at the end, you’ll feel like you never left.”

“Whatever you’re thinking, whatever you’re afraid of happening, don’t worry too much,” Yumika added on. “You may have to lead him back to you, but know he’ll always be there. You are the only family he has left. You’ll figure things out someday, as Etsuyo said. You just have to work to make it happen.”

Finally, Ayako softened and her eyes filled with new hope. I’ll look forward to it, she thought as the corners of her mouth lifted up into a smile. “Thank you."

Not far in front of them, the dark shadow in the trees began to lighten. As they got closer, the black shifted to a reddish-brown and they found it to be the opening.

“We’re here!” Etsuyo cheered. She quickly kicked it into gear and charged ahead. The other two followed close behind.

They landed at the base of the Central Tower, gazing curiously at tall building.

It was huge. The exterior was many cylindrical parts placed on top of one another that gradually got smaller as it went up. With the outside walls a red-brown color and the roofing an olive green, it reached high into the sky above all the trees surrounding it. There were small windows near the top along with a paper lantern that had the Konoha insignia etched on it. Electrical wires stretched from the very top, down to power lines placed within the forest. Many red doors were at the base of the building. Team Shizen knew once they entered, they completed the second portion of the Chunin Exams.

“Alright, let’s go!” Etsuyo jumped in the air. Yumika and Ayako nodded.

They ran to the door with the same number as the gate they used to enter the forest, and pulled it open by the handles.

Their shoes made a tapping noise on the gray cement floor once they entered a bright lit room. It was fairly large with white brick walls. Balconies with safety railings were hovered above on both sides. There were other doorways above and below that led to the other parts of the tower.

Soon, they noticed a large, square sheet of paper with writing on it, hanging against the wall. The three stared at it intensely.

Ayako decided to read it outloud. “If qualities of heaven are your desire, acquire wisdom to take your mind higher. If earthly qualities are what you lack, train your body and prepare to attack. When heaven and earth are opened together, the pair less path will become righteous forever. This -blank - is the secret way that guides us from this place today…uhh...what?”

She shook her head a few times before turning to Yumika. The girl only shrugged.

“It means mind and body,” Etsuyo simply stated in a monotone voice, clasping her hands behind her back. The other two looked at her questioningly. “Mind and body,” she repeated, waiting for it to hit them. When they still didn’t quite get it she sighed. “I don’t know exactly what the blank part is, but I understand the rest.” She narrowed her eyes on the saying again. “If qualities of heaven are your desire, acquire wisdom to take your mind higher,” she reread the statement. “It simply means: if you’re not very smart, study hard, if not harder. If earthly qualities are what you lack, train your body and prepare to attack. Physically, if you’re weak, train to strengthen your body. That way when a fight emerges you’ll be ready. When heaven and earth are opened together, the pair less path will become righteous forever. Meaning,-“

“If you have both the mind and the body, as a shinobi, you’ll make it far,” Yumika finished, eyes glued on the last saying.

“Pretty much,” Etsuyo agreed with a nod.

“Okay, got it.” Ayako read the whole thing over and over in her head.

“But that blank part is really throwing me off. What’s supposed to fill it?” Yumika wondered tapping her cheek with her finger.

“Maybe, when we open the scrolls the answer will be found,” Ayako figured.

The girls gathered closely together as Yumika reached into her back pouch and grabbed both the Heaven and Earth scroll. She gave Heaven to Etsuyo and Earth to Ayako. The two girls exchanged glances before they carefully unrolled them. When they were fully opened, a bunch of scribbles and marks were all on the page surrounding a larger symbol.

Suddenly, the paper began to bulge and their eyes did the same, realizing what was occurring. “It’s a summoning jutsu!” they all yelled in unison. Their voices echoed in the room. Ayako and Etsuyo chucked the scrolls just before a large puff of smoke erupted from them. They braced themselves for what might appear.

“Hello girls,” a woman’s voice spoke within the smoke. As it cleared, to their surprise it was a person from Konoha. “My name is Suzume and I am the messenger for you three,” she introduced.

The woman had long, black, curly hair and wore oval glasses as well as red lipstick. Her outfit was a pink kimono with a fishnet shirt underneath and red baggy pants. She also wore flip-flop-like sandals with socks.

Yumika, Ayako, and Etsuyo returned to their normal stance but continued to have a confused expression.

“Um…hello...?” Ayako greeted.

Suzume chuckled for a moment. “I’m sorry. I forgot that none of you went to the Academy so you have no clue who I am.”

“Wait, I do…” Yumika cut in. “I was only enrolled for a little while, but I remember you being my Kunoichi teacher.”

She nodded, remembering a young yellow-eyed girl in her class who usually sat by herself. “Oh, that’s right.” Grinning, she walked off the scrolls. “First off, congratulations on passing the second round of the exams with three days to spare. I must say, that is quite impressive.” All three nodded with a smug look on their faces. “Like I said in the beginning, I’m the messenger for you three. What I’m about to tell you could get a little complex, so pay attention.” Suzume adjusted her glasses. “Part of this portion was to test how well you could handle a difficult mission and to see if you could make it to the end. All of you understood that opening the scrolls before you made it to the tower would result in failure. To prove that point, if you had opened at least one while in the forest, I would have had no choice but to knock you out and you wouldn’t have awakened until after the five day time limit.”

The girls didn’t flinch from the fact. “Luckily, we’re the type of shinobi that obeys all orders, no matter what the circumstances.” Ayako smirked.

“That is a very good quality you have,” Suzume complimented. “Anyhow, the other part was to test on how well you’d do as Chunin. This writing behind me are principles recorded by Lord Hokage that Chunin should follow. The entire thing is a message that means-“

“I’m sorry to interrupt you, Suzume sensei” Etsuyo addressed politely. “But we actually figured that part out already.”

“Is that so?” She put a hand on her chin, intrigued. “You three really are the top notch new Genin then. I can see why you’re such a popular topic to chat about.” She smiled. “Alright then, instead of me telling you, you tell me what those words mean.”

Etsuyo repeated everything she told her friends about what it meant by Heaven and Earth. Suzume nodded as she followed along.

“My, my, we truly have a very intellectual bunch here,” the woman praised. “But you missed the last line. Can you tell me what that means?”

Frowning, Etsuyo shook her head. Yumika only pursed her lips while Ayako was in her own head. She stared at the scrolls suspiciously.
What was that symbol in the middle again? Human? Man? Woman? ...Person? Person! That’s it! Her eyes wandered up to the blank spot on the paper. Hmmm… she wondered.

“I think I know what’s supposed to fill the blank, but I’m not entirely sure what it means,” Ayako finally spoke up. Suzume waited for her to go on. “The blank is ‘person’.”.

“How?” Yumika questioned.

“When we opened the scrolls, I noticed both of them had the same symbol on it,” she explained. “I realized it was the character for ‘person’. If you put it in, the line reads, ‘This person is the secret way that guides us from this place today.’”

“What does it refer to?” Suzume was really quizzing them.

Ayako thought about it for a second. This person… Who guides… Who guides us from here? She moved her eyes from the paper to the woman and then to her comrades. Where are we going? Her mind wandered on and on. Well, we’re here to become Chunin… so… At that point, she figured it out.

“It’s referring to us as a Chunin.” She locked her eyes on Suzume’s glasses. “A Chunin is a guide, a leader and as that, we have to be aware of the strengths and weaknesses of everyone we work with. We’re the ones who have to act accordingly and help others improve. We’re the guide to their success.”

Suzume was highly impressed. “I’m beginning to question the reason of why you three would need a messenger. By working together, you worked it all out. Well done. I’ll be damned if none of you rank up.” She sighed. “I guess my task is done, though I didn’t really do a very good job with it.” The woman chuckled. “Anyways, since you have some time to spare, in this building are rooms for you to occupy until the five days are over. Rest up and on the fifth day go to the central room in this tower. It’s the biggest one in this facility, you can’t miss it. Your next instructions for the next round will be given there.”

Ayako, Etsuyo, and Yumika began to walk towards the doorway of the right side of the room, under the balcony.

“Oh and one more thing,” Suzume said from behind, causing them to stop. All three turned around. “Good luck.” She beamed and they returned the gesture.

“Thank you,” Ayako responded.

They headed down the dark hallways of the building. Their shoes were the only sounds they heard. After going up a few flights of stairs they found a room to stay in. Yumika opened it up to find it brightly lit with yellow painted walls, green carpet, three windows, and a couch.

The girls entered, leaving their shoes against the wall. Etsuyo made her way over to the couch against the wall and took a seat. Ayako lay down on her back in the middle of the room with a big thump. Yumika went over to one of the windows and stared out into the forest with her elbows on the pane.

“Now what do we do until round three starts?” Etsuyo asked them. They both mumbled an “I don’t know…” And all simultaneously sighed in boredom.

It’s often said that when there’s excitement in the air, time seems slower as if every second was a minute and every minute was an hour. An irritation builds up until the wait becomes so unbearable it could drive someone insane. Yet, to Team Shizen, that wasn’t the case. Taking each day at a time, it wasn’t so excruciating and their patience remained strong. After settling in, the three days passed with ease. The sun rose and set quickly upon the horizon bringing the girls closer to the next step.

On the first day, they didn’t do much. They took Suzume’s advice to rest up and relaxed themselves in their room, almost sleeping it away.

On the second day, the girls sat around and chatted about the easiness of the past two rounds. They also discussed the comfort they felt living in Konoha rather than Kiri and how the people they’ve met were a lot better than the ones they used to know.

Ayako did her best to refrain from bringing Sasuke up, and Yumika and Etsuyo did a good job keeping her mind off of him. But every so often, a pang of worry would run through her, especially when she looked out the window. She just wanted to know if he was okay.

On the last day, things got serious. They had never gotten the chance to make it this far in the exams. Their next challenge was going to be a surprise and there was no known way to prepare for it other than having an open mind. Whatever happens, happens.

Team Shizen awoke the next morning ready as they’ll ever be for Round Three to start.

They walked the dark hallways, went down narrow staircases, and turned some corners, until they entered into a white, brightly lit corridor. Taking in the view, they all saw the ceiling was rounded into the wall to the left. Large windows were placed up above letting natural sunlight come in. A large entryway that led to the outside was closed by large, dark green sliding doors placed in the middle to their right. Across from it was a room widely open.

In a line, Etsuyo, Ayako, and Yumika headed in and once they did, a gasp escaped their mouths. “…whoa.”

It was built like the room they spoke with Suzume in, with the balconies and the same floor tiling, but ten times larger. It made the team look like ants. At the far wall, there was a step that led to a giant statue of the ‘Tiger’ hand sign. The arms that came out of the wall were painted green for the design of the long sleeve shirt it wore, and the skin color was tan. Five panels within the walls were behind it with middle one being the widest. Directly to their right and left were stairs to the balconies which stretched all the way to the far wall.

All the sensei from each team that passed stood in a line in front of the large statue. From right to left there was a Sound Jonin, then a Sand Jonin, Kurenai, Nishiya, Guy, Kakashi, Asuma, an Unknown Konoha Jonin, and finally a Kusa Jonin. In front of them, in the center, was Lord Hokage himself. Next to him were four proctors on each side; one being Anko, and another being Ibiki.

The team walked to the center with complete composure. They were the first ones there.

“Well, well, Nishiya, your students made it,” Guy recognized in a singsong-y tone.

She scoffed at his surprise. “What? Do you think I’m just here as the medical help?” The woman stood wearing her usual green and gray outfit underneath a white coat. Her hair was neatly tied into a high ponytail and silver, square glasses framed her eyes.

“No, not at all. I’m glad, really. This stage deals with one-on-one combat and this way they can see just how much better my student are compared to them.”

Again she scoffed, feeling her competitive edge boil inside her. “We’ll see the turnout of today eventually, but up to this point I believe my girls are the ones with the lesson to teach, considering I received the news about their completion on the second day. While your team didn’t come in until the third.” A devious grin spread across her lips as she watched Guy tense and growl at her taunting statement.

She then faced her students and locked eyes with them, giving them a smile and an approving nod. Nishiya was definitely proud of them.

“Sensei’s in her medical getup?” Ayako noticed curiously.

“They’re expecting injuries…” Yumika muttered from behind. The three exchanged stern glances.

“Good morning, girls,” Lord Hokage greeted. They quickly turned their attention forward and bowed in respect.

Ayako sighed as she regained her composure. “Well, it looks like we’ll be standing here for a bit.”

“Oh yeah…”

She couldn’t have been more right. They stood there calmly for what seemed like an eternity waiting for everyone else, though it felt a lot worse than waiting to the days to go by. Soon enough teams started to show up. Team Eight strolled in about an hour after they did. Then the Sand Ninja team that included the boy that Ayako accidently ran into. After them Team Guy, Team Ten, those Oto Ninja jerks, the Kusa ninja team with the annoying boy Ayako wanted to beat up, Kabuto’s team and finally Team Seven showed up.

Thank goodness they completed it. Ayako thought sincerely looking past several others to stare at her brother.

With everyone lined up, it was time to start.

“First off, I’d like to congratulate all of you for making it to the next portion of the Chunin Exams,” Anko spoke with a headset attached to her ear. “But now’s the time to pay close attention. Lord Hokage will be explaining the third round. Listen carefully, you maggots!”

Team Shizen kept a hard face as they listened as well as they could.

He cleared his throat. “Before I go over details, I’d like to go over the test itself as you must understand this. I’m going to tell you the true purpose of these exams.” All the Genins’ faces became confused. “Why do you think we include our allies during these exams?” No one answered. “It is so that we raise the ability levels of the shinobi and increase our friendship, of course, but there’s also another purpose…the true purpose. The exams are sort of…” He paused for a moment to blow out the smoke he inhaled from his pipe. “The representation of the battle between allied nations.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Tenten shouted from the back.

“If you know our history, all the nations that we’re allies with were once neighboring nations that continuously fought with each other for power. In order to destroy each other’s military strength for no reason, those nations picked winners to battle against each other on behalf of their countries at selective locations. That’s how the Chunin exams originated.”

“Well then what’s the point in these exams then?” Naruto questioned. “It’s not like we’re doing this to choose Chunin to fight.”

“Actually, there is no doubt that part of the point of these exams is to choose shinobi worthy enough to become Chunin, but that’s not all of it. These exams also allow a place for shinobi to carry the pride of their nation and to fight against other ninja for their lives. Many leaders from other countries are invited to attend these exams as guests and possibly to seek shinobi to work for them. This exam could determine your future as a ninja and most importantly those leaders will watch you and take note of the strengths you have. If there is a gap in power between countries, the strong ones are considered more for job requests for their ninja and the countries that are weak decline. Therefore, the stronger our nation is, the better our position is when it comes to negotiating with our neighbors. Thus, it’s important to show how much military strength our village has.”

Kiba stepped forward. “Okay, then why is it necessary for us to risk our lives?”

“The countries strength is the village’s strength,” Lord Hokage answered easily. “The village’s strength is the shinobi’s strength. And the real strength of the shinobi is achieved only when it’s reached its limits. This exam is a chance for each nation to show the power of their ninja which symbolizes the power of their nation. Because during these exams your life is on the line, it has meaning. It’s truly a dream worth obtaining.”

“How does that pertain to the friendship part?” Tenten asked another question.

“In the world of the shinobi, keeping balance of fighting and dying is friendship. This round is the fight for your life with the pride of your village on your shoulders and your own dreams at stake.”

“So we’re battling...” Ayako whispered to her teammates. Etsuyo turned her head to the side and looked at Ayako from the corner of her eyes.

“Now we know why we need this much space,” she whispered.

“And why Nishiya sensei is a medical ninja right now,” Yumika added.

Team Shizen breathed deeply ease their increasing heartbeats. This sparked their excitement.

Suddenly, a man appeared crouching in front of all the Genin. He faced the Hokage and all the other Jonin wearing the standard shinobi outfit with a bandana as his forehead protector. “Lord Hokage, before you explain the rest, let me, Hayate Gekko, who is appointed as round three’s proctor, speak first.”

Lord Hokage obliged with a nod.

“It’s nice to meet you all.” Hayate stood up and coughed into his fist. “There’s something you all need to do before we begin.” He coughed again but much more violently.

Ew… Ayako grimaced.

“Well you see.” He took a breath to ease his throat before continuing. “It seems as though the past two tests were too easy. We never expected this many of you to make it. According to the rules of the Chunin exams, a preliminary round can be held at any time to reduce the number of candidates.”
Immediately, Ayako understood what the proctor was saying and shock appeared clearly on her face from it.

“Hold on.” She rose her hand to draw his gaze. “What you’re saying is technically this isn’t the third portion? It’s more like a...an entrance test to the real test…?” The words even felt funny coming out of her tongue.

Without a word, he nodded his answer.

Her face scrunched in response. This was starting to get weird. First they had an impossible written test where they had to cheat, then were thrown into a forest where they unintentionally bit off more they could chew, and now they had to take a detour because there was still too many Genin.

How many were they expecting? she wondered as her eyes wandered from side to side, glimpsing at the others. And does that mean we’re all stronger than they thought?

“Is that even fair?” She turned her head to see Sakura have a worried look on her face.

Yumika chuckled and crossed her arms. “She’s done for…” she murmured dryly, earning a scolding shush from Ayako.

“It has to be,” Hayate simply answered. “It’s just at this stage, things need to speed up. As Lord Hokage said, many important guests will be watching. Wasting their time is not an option because they’ve only come to see the best.”

Ambition surged through Team Shizen at once. They’ve trained long and hard to be where they are, sharpening their skills to prove to their sensei they were good enough. Today was the day they would show it to everyone else. Show them they were the elite.

“If there’s anybody who is not in top physical condition, at this moment you can-“ he was unfortunately interrupted by his coughing again.

“Look who’s talking…” Etsuyo replied quietly in a sympathetic tone.

“Well it’s a good thing he’s not a candidate or else he’d get the boot.” Ayako frowned as the hacking continued.

“Excuse me,” he pardoned once he was finished. “As I was saying, if any of you have cold feet, now’s the time to leave. The preliminaries will start immediately.”

Out of nowhere, an eruption of whining Genin echoed the room.

“Whataya mean, immediately? Don’t we get a break?” Kiba shouted.

“We just finished barely surviving the forest,” Ino wailed from the end.

Yumika chuckled. “She’s done for too…”

“Quit it!” Ayako and Etsuyo both turned around and simultaneously hissed within the chaos. The Hakinowa only shrugged.

It only took a few seconds for the yelling and moaning to push Ayako to the edge of tranquility that leaped into a pool of aggravation. When it wouldn’t stop, she jumped right in.

“Can you all just…shut up!” Her voice boomed over everyone elses and she took the opportunity to take charge. The voices ceased in order to look at her, even the Jonin standing in front. She got some rude stares from her outburst, but she effortlessly brushed them off. “Glare at me all you want. At least I’m not the one acting like a bunch of babies.” Her hands naturally went to her hips. “In a real battle, you don’t get to call a pause. In fact if you do, you’re done for. Part of these exams is to test how well you can handle each task no matter what’s at stake. So what if you’re tired…suck it up and follow the directions.”

The frustrated Genin calmed down shortly and faced forward again. The girl had a valid point. If everyone wanted to move on, they’d have to push their fatigue aside.

Ayako moved her eyes to meet the identical pair on the left side of the room. Sasuke was quite proud of her and it showed in his grin. Happily, she smiled at him and then turned back to the front.

“Thank you, young lady,” Hayate acknowledged. “Alright, how this will work is by one-on-one combat at full intensity. So if any of you are not ready, raise your hand, and you may leave.”

Team Shizen didn’t move a muscle, not even to discuss with one another. They knew what they were going to do and that was participate all the way to the end. They weren’t finished, not yet. If their sensei was going to let them go until the end, that’s what they were going to do. This wasn’t the time to give up.

From the corner of her eye, Ayako saw a hand wearing a purple, fingerless glove raise out of the crowd. “Alright, I’m out.” She flinched, knowing exactly who was backing out. Kabuto?

“Hmm…” The proctor hummed as he turned over pages of a clipboard he obtained for another Jonin. “Kabuto Yakushi of Konoha, right?” He checked.

“Okay, you can leave.” The boy simply spun around on his heels and left the room quietly.

The shinobi up front went over some quick paperwork before Hayate spoke again. “Is there anyone else?” No one stepped up. “Okay then, the preliminaries will now begin. There are 26 of you remaining which means there will be 13 matches and the winners will move onto the real round three. As for the rules, there aren’t any. You will fight until someone either dies, admits defeat, or is incapable of going on. But if you are going to admit defeat, do it before the match begins to escape a fatal outcome. As proctor, I have to right to intervene if the match seems hopeless to save lives. With all that said and done, it’s time to see who will be chosen for the first match.”

Anko turned around. “Open the panel,” she instructed into her headset.

Over on the left hand top corner of the front wall, a panel lifted up exposing a black screen.

“The names of each opponent are chosen at complete random,” Hayate informed. “Before each match, the names will display behind me. Since there aren’t any objections, let’s begin. The names of the first two will appear in a moment.” The room became silent.

The black square flashed yellow. Then names flickered; changing so fast no one could read them. The only thing that stayed put was ‘vs.’ in the middle of the screen. The sound of electrical shuffling filled the large room. All eyes were glued above, waiting for it to stop. Impatience grew in some Genin as long seconds passed and the names kept changing.

Until finally, it beeped to a halt and only two names remained on the screen. There were sighs of relief as well as gasps that escaped the other’s mouths. But with Ayako, only a wide, devilish grin appeared on her face. She declared in a gravelly voice, “Somehow that doesn’t surprise me…” Her arms crossed as she snapped her head to her right towards her opponent.

In bright green letters up above, the first match was set. Ayako Uchiha vs. Sachida Takumore!

Now the fun began.

Ayako's expression was filled with seriousness. Her sight peered past all the other heads, blurring them like tunnel vision to only have her eyes set on one person: her opponent, Sachida Takumore.

Now it wasn’t like a loving gaze as if she was staring at her crush, nor was it soft because they were friends. Those weren’t the cases at all. In fact, she could have sworn she saw red frame around him a little. A burning splint of anger arose in the pit of her stomach. She spoke to him once and she already couldn’t stand the kid.

*Flashback*

"Hey there, I'm Sachida,” a boy from Kusagakure introduced with a wide smile on his face. “What are a couple of cuties doing here?"

A disgusted look plastered onto all three of their faces as if he smelled, but Ayako was the only one to speak to him. "What does it look like?" she bitterly shot at him, not favoring his word choice.

"Looks like a few girls are in over their heads," he answered slyly, smirking down at her.

She scoffed in his face. “Please… it’s you who doesn't know what you're getting yourself into."

He chuckled at her statement, placing his hands behind his head. "Are you insisting you do?"

"Yeah,” she told him, not bothering to go into detail. “Now do yourself a favor and get out of my presence."

"Trying to act like a high and mighty princess, huh?" The boy began to become aggravated at her sour attitude.

She sneered. "Whatever…"

"Better be careful girl,” he warned. “Or else you may end up hurt in these exams. I hope you can hold back your tears."

Ayako’s anger was now hanging by a thread. "And I hope you can hold back your vomit when I punch you in the stomach in a few seconds.” Sachida suddenly burst out in laughter. His reaction only made her want to snap his neck right then and there. “What’s so funny?” She dared him to answer.

It took him a few seconds to gather himself back together. He wiped a single tear that formed in the corner of his eye before saying, “You actually think you can hurt me. Your hit would feel like a little poke. I mean, come on! You don’t look that strong.”

Her fists clenched tightly at the memory. She was going to make him eat his words, and his attitude. The way he stood there in the front of his line, not bothering to even acknowledge her seething stare at his back made her want to smack him upside the head. His tall and mighty stance made him ooze cockiness, egging her to tear him apart. He acted as if he owned the place, but she couldn’t wait to prove him wrong. She was itching to knock him off his self-built pedestal.

Fighting really brought out Ayako’s inner beast. Unleashing it, would be Sachida's greatest downfall, and she was more than ready for that to happen.

"Would the two people whose names have been drawn, please come forward," Hayate advised, breaking her out of her inner rant. She immediately calmed when she pulled her gaze away to look forward.

Yumika grabbed onto her shoulder, halting her movement. “Do exactly what I stopped you from doing before the written portion,” she whispered. “Kick his ass.”

Ayako chuckled at her instructions and patted her hand. “Hell yeah,” she responded, toughly.

She then slipped passed Etsuyo who nudged her arm with her elbow. She turned her head back to grin before walking up to the front with confidence in each stride.

Sachida was already standing next to the proctor as she made her way. His eyes closed until her footsteps were real close. He watched her come to a stop, facing him with her arms crossed over her chest and a sneer plastered on her face as once again her irritation sparked up.

Surprisingly to her, he grinned. "I couldn't have asked for a better opponent," he said calmly, copying her stance.

Ayako’s sneer grew as her eyes traveled up and down his body. Sachida's spiky dark blue hair was askew with strands sticking up at random places. His mint green t-shirt was ripped at the sleeves as well as his black shorts that had matching mint green triangles on the bottom hem. His white belt that had multiple pouches, slung off his hip and was discolored like the wrappings that traveled down his entire arms. His grass village forehead protector was scuffed like his black shoes. Compared to her, he was a mess.

She huffed, finally meeting his light brown eyes before retorting, "I could."

He scoffed, knitting his eyebrows together and grinding his teeth. Her comment definitely rubbed him the wrong way, and fast.

"You two have been chosen for the first match. Ayako Uchiha. Sachida Takumore." Hayate raised his hands up, gesturing to the two. "Any objections?"

"None that I can think of," Sachida quickly answered.

"Not at all," she stated.

"Alright then." The man coughed. "Would the other candidates, except for these two of course, please move up onto the upper level?"

They all followed the orders. The Rookie Nine moved to take the balcony on the right while those from Suna, Oto, and Kusa occupied the left.

The Jonin obeyed as well and joined their students up above. Ayako glanced up to find her entire team right in front of her. On the left of them, near the end of the balcony, was the Hokage, all the other proctors, and Team Ten, while to the right was Team Seven, Team Gai, Team Eight, and then Kabuto's team. Her eyes shifted back to the center to see Nishiya sensei, Etsuyo, and Naruto give her a big smile and a thumbs up. Sakura just smiled, Kakashi sensei kept his stoic expression, and Yumika and Sasuke grinned.

"Good luck, Ayako!" Sakura yelled down.

"Yeah you'll do great!" Naruto cheered excitedly.

"You better beat this guy, Ayako," Sasuke spoke coolly.

She gave them a stern nod and then straightened to have her stare level with Sachida’s.

"Okay, if you're ready." Hayate raised his right hand. "Let the first match begin!" He swiped his hand down and stepped back and out of their way.

But they didn’t attack right away. Neither of them moved a muscle as their eyes kept a tight hold on each other’s. Their bodies tense, waiting for the other to falter and make the first move. Their composure remained frozen for a few moments until Sachida…

Began to laugh.

His outburst caused her to become confused. What’s so funny? she wondered as his cackles slowly subsided.

He took one last deep breath before speaking, almost answering her question like he read her mind. “I was laughing because you’re too cute.” She grit her teeth at his statement. “I mean, I didn’t even think you would stay for the preliminaries let alone make it out of the forest.” He laughed a little again. “Well, you’ve got guts, I’ll give you that, but seriously, do you think you have a chance against me? Because I’ll tell you now, you don’t. So, go ahead, drop out while you can. I’ll give you the opening. This way I’m saved the trouble and you’re saved from a beating. After all, your little friend can’t help you here.”

At the end of his speech he placed his hand on his hip, looking like he was already bored with the whole situation. Ayako watched him with surprised eyes, but it was in an aggravated sense. She couldn’t believe he was that quick to judge her.

*Flashback*

“That’s it!” Swiftly Ayako slammed her palm on the desk and pushed herself forward. She was about to tackle the kid to the ground and pound the snot out of him when a hand wrapped around her arm to restrain her.

“Ayako, don’t.” Yumika sternly advised. Sachida turned his attention to her now, but she didn’t bother returning the action. “You already wasted your time on this guy, don’t waste your energy.”

With one, short exhale, her friend was calmed.

“Wow, your emotions can change in a snap,” Sachida commented, noticing the quick switch. “Maybe that’s your true effective attack.”

“Kid,” Yumika spoke before Ayako could open her mouth to defend herself. “I suggest you go back to your team and leave mine alone, or else you’ll be dealing with me.” To scare him off, she switched her eyes from yellow to green and gave off a vibe of danger.

Her attempt worked. Seeing her change and feeling the difference in the air around them, Sachida slowly backed away with a hint of fear on his face. “Fine,” he agreed. “I was getting bored of talking to her anyway.” He tried to regain his ‘cool’ with his words, but the two knew and were both amused at his reaction and relieved he finally left.

“I could’ve taken him, you know.” Ayako stated, watching him walk away.

“Yeah, I do. But proving that to him isn’t the goal…” she took a seat next to her friend. “Getting through the first round is. Everything else is unimportant.”

This time, that was the goal. Showing him she could beat the snot out of him was part of what mattered right there. Though, she definitely had to be smart about how. He was right on one part, Yumika wasn’t going to interfere, not that she needed to.

“Come on,” Sachida urged. “Don’t be shy. Tell the proctor you’re out and this is over. Don’t bite off more you can chew, princess. From where I stand, you’re not good enough and compared to me, you’re too weak.”

A pang of anguish overwhelmed her heart, forcing her eyes to tightly shut. The phrases echoed in her mind, but it wasn’t his voice saying them. She heard her father, her neighbors, and her fellow clansmen lingering within them.

At that moment she almost lost all her poise from the blind traits he gave her. She wanted to lash out at him for calling her such things that reminded her of her past. She wanted to do what she did to Kin, and more, but she fought against those ideas. Fought so hard she began to tremble, her knuckles lightened to the shade of white, because she realized what he was doing.

He was toying with her again, pulling at her nerves, and wanting her to snap. If she lost control, she’d get sloppy with her movements and he’d have the upper hand, increasing his chances of beating her. That’s his game, huh? she thought, wiggling her fingers and breathing deeply, trying to cool down. He thinks he has this fight in the bag, fine. I’ll let him think that for a bit. With one last exhale, all of the bad feelings he shoved into her were pushed aside. It wasn’t her clan determining who she was, it was a boy. Just a boy. Besides, she wasn't like that anymore. She was far from her old self and she was aware of that.

In a flash, faster than he could blink or comprehend what was happening, Ayako whipped out a kunai and chucked it in his direction. It shot through the space between his legs and landed a few feet behind him with enough force to jab into the ground. He wasn’t too taken aback at first, that is until a small, sharp pain pulsed through his leg. He looked down with wide eyes to find a cut on the inner of his thigh. She had a great arm for control, and a sharp eye for aim.

“Not so hilarious now, am I?” Her words dragged his eyes to look up.

Sachida growled and sprung into action. He jumped backwards and took out a red scroll from a pouch on his belt. Swiftly he threw it open revealing a large black symbol that read "senbon". A large puff of smoke erupted from it, and numerous amounts of tiny, sharp needles shot out at lightning speed, straight for Ayako.

She took out a kunai and charged full speed ahead. Easily, she dodged the senbon by jumping over, ducking under, and knocking them away with her knife, all while proceeding to move forward, bringing her closer to Sachida with each step. With one last spin in the air, avoiding an array of needles, she roared, swung her weapon downward, and cut the sheet in half. The needles ceased to flow out of it.

The boy stared in disbelief at the two halves of paper. Ayako smirked and did backflips, giving him space. Landing with her feet apart, she prepared herself for the next attack.

Sachida let the scroll drop to the floor, glaring. He ran to the girl, taking out his weapon of choice: a Tanto. Ayako mimicked his movements. They met in the middle, slicing at each other. Sparks flew from every collision. The sound of metal slamming together filled the quiet room. Both candidates had furious expressions on their faces as they groaned every time they sliced and missed.

They moved in sync like a well-practiced routine. When one jumped back, the other did the same. When one ran, the other copied. They perfectly dodged every attempt to land a blow. Gradually they shifted, bringing Ayako near the wall underneath the balcony.

Sachida again tried to slice down on Ayako. Swiftly, as his knife came, Ayako's went up, knocking it and his arm away. She saw an opening and retracted her hand to stab forward. Sachida stared at it with wide eyes as it came right for his stomach. She was only a few inches away and continued to get closer until he dodged it at the last second with a leap to the side.

He saw this as an opportunity to strike. Ayako lost her balance and continued to fly straight. He lifted his weapon and swung. She saw it happening and tried to twist away, but she was too slow, and took a hit.

Sachida's cut the front of Ayako’s thigh deep enough to make her wince in pain. Landing hard on her stomach, she slid a few inches away. She clenched onto her kunai firmly and waited for the affliction to subside.

Meanwhile, up above, all of Team Seven gasped at the scene.

There's no way that's really her, Sasuke speculated. She must've done a substitution jutsu before. But when he saw her body wasn’t replaced by an object, he was proved very wrong.

"What happened?" Naruto grumbled obviously too into the fight. He turned towards Team Shizen who showed no emotion on their faces. They stared intensely at Ayako, watching her carefully.

Despite the ache in her leg, Ayako stood up with her back facing her opponent. Nice… she praised him mentally.

"You see, that's why girls shouldn't play with knives." Sachida taunted waving around his Tanto.

She didn’t bother to give him a smartass verbal response. Instead, she briskly spun around and tossed her kunai at Sachida's knife. Easily, he avoided it by moving his hand to one side, letting it stab into the wall behind him.

The boy smirked. "Is that the best you've got?"

Ayako laughed. "Not really…" She had an edge to her voice as she jerked her arm back. The kunai jolted backwards, caught onto his knife and smacked it right out of his hands. Both drifted over to her.

He became shocked as the light on the ceiling revealed a wire that connected the end of the kunai and her wristband. "I've still got some tricks up my sleeve," she joked. It's a good thing I rigged my clothing. And that he's too stupid to notice I tied the wire when I was lying on the ground.

She pulled the rest of the wire out of her sleeve and let it drop to the ground. It was her move once again.

Ayako speedily picked up Sachida's own knife and flung it towards him. He leaped high into the air to avoid it. He spun forward once and then kicked out. Falling straight for her, she braced herself. At the last second she jumped into the air. His foot landed on the ground so hard, it cracked a bit.

She flew completely across the room to the other side. She arched her back and reached out her arms. Amazingly, she grabbed onto the railing of the balcony between Team Seven and her own. She balanced there for a second, doing a handstand with her long black hair hanging. She quickly eyed both teams and gave them a smirk.

Springing back into her game, she bent her legs and slipped through the space within the bars on the railing. The girl landed in front of Sachida and began to fight him with hand to hand Taijutsu. She punched, kicked, spun around in the air and on the ground, but he was able to evade them all and fight the same way.

To Team Seven, something was off about Ayako. She didn't seem to be as powerful as they imagined her to be. In fact, she seemed to have grown weaker at this point because Sachida was actually able to hit her. He was landing kicks to her stomach, punches across her face, and anything he could to harm her. While she looked as though she was losing it, becoming weaker with every hit. She just wasn’t going at the same effort as when she had a kunai.

Of course, Nishiya, Etsuyo, and Yumika knew she wasn’t fighting at her full potential. It was obvious to them what strategy she was using. Though, to everyone else it wasn’t too clear.

Just hold out a little longer! She encouraged to herself. Truthfully, she was getting a little exhausted and the soreness from the new developing bruises on her body were starting to take its toll. She had to admit, Sachida packed a punch. Just a little longer! He has to get tired sometime.

Obviously not in the loop of Ayako’s plan, Naruto couldn’t stand to watch her get beat up the way she was. He was getting heated from the sight and couldn’t contain himself.

"Come on Ayako!" he yelled at her. "What are you doing? I thought you were stronger than this!"

Seriously, Naruto. Not now! She ducked to avoid Sachida's leg from colliding with her head.

Sasuke glanced at his screaming teammate. He's right…what is she doing? He wondered as he observed his sister.

"Take him down already! I know you can!" he kept hollering.

She groaned in annoyance. Shut up! She punched, aiming for his gut, but he moved out of the way.

"Come on, Ayako! Show him what you're made of!" He wouldn't stop. Naruto continued to coach her from the sidelines, thinking it was helping when it only made her angrier and angrier. In her mind she had this blueprint of how she was going to handle her opponent, but because of his loud mouth, she lost her concentration and was distracted by her rage towards him.

With one last shout from Naruto telling her to fight back stronger, she snapped.

Sachida attempted to punch her with his left, but she caught it with her right. He tried again with his right, but she caught it with her left. To the boy's amazement, she lifted him into the air, growling in the process, and threw him across the floor, hurling him into the railing in front of Naruto.

The knucklehead fell onto his butt, scared out of his mind. He watched Sachida slip down and land face first onto the ground. Then, he diverted his eyes towards Ayako.

She pointed furiously at the blonde with crazy eyes. "If you say another word, Naruto, I swear I’m going to drag you down here and beat the snot out of you next!”

He gulped, pursed his lips, and nodded feverishly in agreement.

"Oh ho…" Sachida began to shakily get back on his feet. "You were holding back this whole time." Ayako shook out of her displeasure towards Naruto and brought it back to him. "Well, that doesn't matter… You’ll never be good enough to beat me." He grinned darkly. "I think it's time we finish this match," he stated opening his stance. "What better way to do that than with my ending move."

He's right on that part, she thought. We've been fighting for almost 15 minutes. But if he thinks I’m going to let him win this, he’s in for a treat.

Ayako focused on her eyes and awakened her Sharingan.

"Ooh, the Sharingan. I'm so scared now. I’m destined to be defeated" Sachida mocked her with his fake trembling voice. He laughed at the end. "Just kidding…I bet your clan would’ve been proud of you, though. Too bad you’d disappoint them at the end of this."

"This kid should really stop insulting her. She might actually kill him." Etsuyo leaned over the railing.

His taunt didn't just strike a nerve in Ayako. It struck deep into Sasuke too. How dare he say that about her.

“Yumika,” he uttered through clenched teeth. The girl next to him shifted her gaze. “When did she get her Sharingan?”

“Um…” she took a second to recall. “It was during her training in the ocean. I wasn’t there, but Nishiya sensei was. You’d have to ask her.”

Before he could, his sibling’s action caught his attention.

Ayako kept her mouth shut from saying anything regarding his ridicule and only started to make hand signs. All of which, was very familiar to Sasuke.

Her brother gasped. "What? She can do the Fireball Jutsu?"

"Are you kidding me?" Yumika snorted. He turned his head towards to girl. "She wouldn't even start, let alone look at another jutsu until she perfected it as much as she could. She said she wouldn't continue on until she had it because..." She connected her eyes with his and brought her voice down to a whisper. “A member of the Uchiha Clan is not recognized as full-fledged, until they can use the firestyle.”

Ayako finished with the Tiger hand sign and breathed in deeply, making her chest puff out. Raising her fist over her mouth, she blew out with force. Fire style: Fireball Jutsu! A large amount of fire escaped, heading straight for Sachida.

The boy was quick to retaliate. He made hand signs of his own and breathed in deeply as well. When he blew out, a water ball escaped his mouth and clashed with her fire. Water style: Water Bullet Jutsu!

Warm, white smoke erupted from the center as the two jutsu collided and engulfed them both, causing everyone who was watching to lose the two from their view. What could happen next, no one knew but the two opponents.

Ayako walked ahead blindly, coughing in her hand with every breath. The smoke stung her eyes making her incapable of seeing even with her Sharingan. But even though she couldn't see, she was still able to sense her opponents presence and walking a little bit more forward, she found him. Perfect…

Sachida appeared crouching only a few inches in front of her, sensing her as well. He speedily kicked her hard into the air, raising her above the smoke allowing everyone to see her again. She cried out in pain. He arose right above her with his hands clasped together, chakra surrounding them. He slammed down on her stomach hard, snarling as he did so. Her body flew into the ground with so much power the smoke blew away and into everyone else's faces.

They all closed their eyes until the debris was gone and when it was and they looked again, Ayako was lying on her back, knocked out with her hair over her face. The cement tiling underneath her was shattered and pieces were sticking up around her.

Sachida landed gently onto the ground out of breath and smiled happily at his work.

Up on the balcony, both Sasuke and Naruto clenched onto the railing ready to jump down but Yumika grabbed onto their wrists, stopping them. She stared at both of them with stern eyes. "Don't think it's over…" she muttered and let go. They both looked at her confused until she pointed down to Ayako's unconscious body just as it suddenly melted away into a puddle of water. The entire room filled with gasps. Especially, Sachida.

"What?" he questioned loudly.

"Well, well…" A female voice came from the shadow underneath the stairs of the other balcony. "That was you're ending move, huh? Very nice." Ayako walked out normally with her hands on her hips, Sharingan gleaming. "It's a shame that I'm still conscious, though, isn't it?" She faked a frown as she continued to walk closer and closer. Her jaw clenched and her eyes burned fiercely. "But when I finish this…you won't be."

"How is this possible?" Sachida was astonished. He choked. "In the smoke…" he answered himself. His eyes widened.

"You were too blind to see it because you focused more on beating me to a pulp. Too preoccupied to notice I let my chakra become absorbed by the water particles in the gust to make that clone." She pointed to the puddle, finally standing in front of him. "I planned this from the beginning." She smirked.

"Planned what?" he asked angrily trying to close the gap between them, but he was failing drastically. He was weakened from his attack and she could tell.

She merely laughed. "You really aren't the brightest… Listen closely. I let you hurt me to make you waste your energy. I also let you dodge and counter attack everything I did in order to make you believe you had the upper hand in this match. As you predicted in the very start." Ayako took a step forward. “You’re the type of person who toys with people. You lead them on, and continue to tug on their patience until they lash out at you because if someone’s distracted by their temper, they’re prone to making dumb mistakes. When you satisfy yourself by believing you won the fight, you think it’s all over.”

Sachida stared at his opponent in absolute confusion.

"That last combination drained you badly, I know. I saw how you did it thanks to my eyes.” Her red irises flashed. “You call it your ‘ending move’ because afterwards you’re left defenseless, though it’s not as bad as the opponent its used on. You focus a large amount of chakra into your hands and release it once you come into contact with the other person. The potency is so high, it could downright kill a person if it struck the right spot. I’m guessing it’s been effective before…just not today. You see there’s your problem. What you don’t understand is that you can’t always assume. Sometimes your opponent isn’t done when you are and they bounce right back up when you’re out of chakra."

Sachida grumbled, forcing himself to fight on, but he only mustered up the strength to grab onto her wrist.

Ayako effortlessly twisted out of it, brought her hand up and backhanded him across the face. He was shoved to the side. She then disappeared for a split second and reappeared next to him. Spinning around in the air, she kicked him in the ribs, making him fly to the other side. He didn’t even touch the ground before the Uchiha reappeared again and punched him upward into the air and copied what he did to her clone: She clasped her hands together and pounded down onto his stomach, but with not as much energy. He landed on his back hard. He was still conscious and the floor was intact.

The girl landed over Sachida's body with one foot on each side of his waist. He couldn't budge anymore for his body was experiencing side effects from his attack and hers.

"And you said my best wasn't good enough…" She took his words and threw them back at him.

Ayako raised her hand high into the air. Small particles of water lifted off the surfaces of the ground, the walls, and some parts of the balconies. They came together quickly, forming into a large, sharp spike above her head.

"How is she doing that?" Naruto wondered aloud.

"In the smoke there was some water floating around. Even after it dispersed, it left a little condensation on the surfaces it touched." Etsuyo answered without making eye contact. He turned his head towards her. "Because of Ayako's ability, she was able to pick out the small amounts of water." Naruto nodded and tuned back into the soon finished match.

“You don’t know me,” Ayako said. He locked his eyes with hers and for the first time, to his surprise, her expression was softened. “I’ve been through so much. All the sleepless nights, bloody knuckles, and tears, all the training I’ve done.” Her fists clenched at the memories. “From where I stand, my hard work will always pay off. I am good enough!” Without anymore hesitation, Ayako sliced her hand down quickly, aiming the spike straight for Sachida's face. He screamed in fear as it came closer, staring directly at its sharp point. He knew this was it.

The spike flew with great speed until it came to a sudden stop, inches away from the boy's face. He still screamed for a few seconds after and only quieted down as he passed out.

A moment of silence filled the room.

"The winner is Ayako Uchiha!" Hayate informed. Naruto, Sakura, Etsuyo, and Nishiya cheered from up top.

She smirked, walking off of Sachida, controlling the spike to shift away from his face. She let it melt back into water and dropped it all on the ground with a splash.

Ayako remained standing next to him and examined his body. For once, his appearance didn’t bother her. How could he, anyhow. She won.

Ayako still stood by Sachida’s unconscious side and watched the medics -who were dressed in all white- prepare to whisk him away. They hustled in once Hayate deemed her the winner and immediately performed a quick check to make sure it was safe to maneuver him onto the stretcher currently being rolled out. It was, of course. After all, she didn’t do too much damage to the boy. The most that happened was when she launched him into the railing and at the very end.

She couldn’t stop herself from giggling at that part, though. He held his head so high, if it rained, he’d be the first one to know, and yet, there he was, lying on the ground because he got a little scared of an icicle. His pride was surely knocked down to his feet.

As the medics were poking and grabbing Sachida, he stirred awake.

Blinking a few times, he glanced at the people around him. Shock easily washed over his face as he soaked up the scene. “What?! I lost?!” he exclaimed and became hysterical. He tried to struggle, but because his head was the only part of his body he could move, it just shook back and forth.

Ayako grinned at the sight. Such a sore loser… “Obviously,” she replied, nonchalantly.

Sachida caught sight of her. “How did you beat me?!” He demanded to know as the medics lifted the stretcher and began to make their exit.

She let out a disappointed sigh and walked beside him. “I told you. You’re the type of person who is fooled easily by appearances and thinks your strength can make up for it, even though it can’t.”

“What do you mean?” An eyebrow raised on his pouting face. He wasn’t understanding what she meant by saying pure physique wasn’t enough to win. That’s all he’s ever known because, as it turns out, he really wasn’t the smartest cookie in the cookie jar.

“Didn’t you pay attention to the motto on the wall when you entered this building? If you want to be a successful shinobi, you’ve got to have both the mind and the body to do so. I did, but what about you?”

The boy opened his mouth to speak, but then shut it and looked away.

“Yeah that’s right,” Ayako continued calmly. “You only had body. You have to understand that sheer force isn’t always going to win. You need a strategy to back it up. Otherwise, your opponent will see right through it and you’ll end up like you are right now.”

Not another word was said by him, and he looked away like he was defeated for a second time. The Genin chatting above and shoes tapping the floor as they got closer to the doorway filled the space between them for a moment.

“You’re not the only one who thought I was weak, you know.” Ayako broke the silence, capturing his full attention, and yet again, he saw a softer side flush over her. “My clan used to think the same, which is funny because you said they’d be proud of me for my Sharingan.” Oddly, she smiled and chuckled at that. “Probably not. They believed I’d never even become a shinobi, but look at where I am. All because of that boy up there.” Pointing at the center of the balcony, he followed with his eyes. “See the one standing next to the loudmouth? Yeah, he’s my twin brother, and he’s the reason why I worked so hard for five years. He’s the reason why I proved you wrong. He’s the reason why I’m strong. Do you have someone like that?”

His eyes bulged at the question and for once he was speechless.

By now they made it to the entrance. Ayako planted her feet on the line that separated the hallway and the room while the medics kept going. When they were completely out of sight, she headed up the stairs to rejoin her team without his answer. Not like she was expecting one, anyhow.

However, he did reply. It just wasn’t loud or close enough for her to catch it. Still, he mustered up the nerve to say, “Yeah… I do…” And an image of his five younger siblings flashed in his mind. It was then he realized how stupid he was for judging a book by it’s cover.

He hadn’t fought a princess, he fought a warrior.

Ayako strode on the elevated platform with pride in each step as she passed the various teams. First was Kabuto’s who ignored her presence. Then Team Eight who gave her grins, except Shino of course. Next was Team Gai where she received thumbs up from Lee, Ten Ten, and Gai sensei, and nothing from Neji. After them she met Team Seven and her own, stopping in between the two.

“That was awesome, Ayako!” Naruto chanted, punching his fist in the air.

“Yeah, congratulations!” Sakura added.

“It was pretty impressive,” Sasuke admitted, casually, keeping his cool guy attitude up without a struggle.

“Great work. I actually thought he was going to pee his pants when you had him.” Etsuyo giggled at the thought.

“That would’ve made things even better,” Yumika commented. “Good job.”

Ayako smiled widely. The praise built up her confidence and she could feel it wiggle around in her, tickling her skin. “Oh, thanks you g-“ Suddenly she winced, interrupted by a pain jolting through her left leg. It gave out from under her causing her to lose balance and fall sideways.

Sasuke moved quickly and wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her back on her feet. She grasped onto his arms, tightly. By his support, she remained upright.

Nishiya rushed to her aid. “Here, let me heal you,” the woman offered. Lifting up her left hand, green chakra flowed out of it. She kneeled down and placed it over the cut inflicted by Sachida’s Tanto.

Ayako glanced down and noticed, for the first time, how much she bled. Crimson trickled from the slash almost down to her knee. The sight made a bead of sweat drop on her forehead. I had no idea it was that bad... she thought and supposed she was so focused on her fight, she forgot it was there.

Deep inside, her tissue began to connect together again, closing the wound.

“It’s not very deep,” Nishiya informed. “And it didn’t rip open more when you fought, which is very good. I don’t think it’ll scar.”

The girl merely nodded and leaned against her brother, waiting until her sensei was done.

She finished by wiping off the blood and carefully wrapping her leg up with some medical tape. Standing up she asked,

“Anything else need to be taken care of.”

“Well, considering I got kicked and punched around like a practice dummy I’d say yes...but it’s nothing I can’t handle.” Ayako replied honestly with a smile, pulling her brother’s arms away.

“Alright then. Despite the fact you didn’t have access to your element until the end, you did fine today. You held your ground well with taijutsu.” Nishiya patted her head gently.

“Thanks sensei.”

“Wait a second,” Sakura started. “What do you mean she didn’t have access to her element, Nishiya sensei? Couldn’t she have done a water style jutsu and used that?”

“It doesn’t work for us that way,” Etsuyo answered quickly for her. The whole team looked at the girl who rocked back and forth on her heels and stood next to Yumika. “In order for us to use our nature, they have to be around or close by because our chakra kind of... expects them to be there. So, as if it has a choice, it chooses not to create it like ninjutsu.”

“I mentioned a while ago our chakra becomes absorbed,” Ayako continued on for her, referencing back to the time she gave Team Seven the lesson on the Children of Mother Nature. “That means, it doesn’t change form… well it can with other elements, just not our specific one.”

“Luckily there’s always air around for me to move,” Yumika muttered with a shrug.

“Dirt is everywhere,” Nishiya added.

Etsuyo pointed up a finger. “And I can use my body heat if necessary.”

Ayako crossed her arms, rolled her eyes, and grumbled at her teammates. “I’m usually the sitting duck.”

They jokingly laughed at her frowning in jealousy, even though it was never a big deal if she was in that situation. Regardless of the handicap, she’d find a way to lend a hand. Those were the traits which made her a good kunoichi.

“I believe it’s time this conversation ended,” Kakashi intervened. “They’re choosing the next two opponents.”

All six Genin looked back to Hayate who stood in the center of the room. “It’s time to choose who will face off in the second match.”

The room fell silent as the panel flashed yellow. Once again, names shuffled frantically for a good chunk of time until two names appeared clearly. Some stared eagerly while others remained calm until the panel did in fact stop and it was set.

Sasuke Uchiha vs. Yoroi Akado!

“Hn… they don’t waste any time.” He turned to his left and headed for the stairs, though he was stopped by Kakashi for a second.

Ayako beamed with excitement at the sight of her brother’s name. She was finally given the chance to see what he could do and the skills he’s learned. All these years while she busted her butt training, he for sure had done the same and now was the time for him to show her how much stronger he has become.

But that enthusiasm grew cold at the thought of strength… at the thought of power.

The words of Orochimaru rang in her ear, though they were said in Sakura’s voice. ”I just gave him a little parting gift. In time, Sasuke will seek me out for more power.”

I almost forgot about the mark… Ayako remembered, biting her lip, eyes on Sasuke filled with apprehension as he stood across from his opponent, hand holding his neck. If it takes over again, what will he do?

Sasuke and Yoroi were face to face. Eying one another up and down in disgust, thinking the other had no chance at winning.

“If there are no objections, let the second match begin.” Hayate stepped back.

The fight looked like it could go either way from the beginning.

At first it seemed as though Sasuke had the upper hand until his mark started acting up again, causing waves of pain to shoot from his body. Taking advantage of his stumbling, Yoroi appeared quickly above him and punched down. But Sasuke easily dodged it by rolling over to the side and making his opponent fall, holding him in a lock.

He has him already! Ayako cheered in her mind. Her smile grew every second as she watched her brother. It quickly fell when Yoroi flipped his hand over and grabbed onto Sasuke’s shirt. With chakra erupting from his hand, Sasuke began to weaken as his opponents hand easily slipped from his grasp and smashed hard down onto his chest.

Now Yoroi had the upper hand. He flipped away for a moment but then charged forward, his right hand extended in front of him with chakra continuously flowing around. He latched onto Sasuke’s head, pinning him back to the ground.

Ayako listened painfully as he yelled out. She clenched onto the railing for dear life waiting for the tables to turn back in his favor. Not only was she doing that, she was desperately fighting the urge to jump down there and help him out because by the looks of things, she believed it wasn’t going to end the way she wanted it to.

Sasuke held onto the boy’s arm until chunks of his strength drained out with every second, and he couldn’t grasp on any longer. His hand slipped off and landed on the ground.

However, after a few moments, something ran through his body. A sudden wave of energy allowed him to make a fist and kick Yoroi away.

“Get off me!” Sasuke shouted while his opponent flew off of him. Immediately he tried to stand, swaying as he did so.

Yoroi got up on his feet quickly and charged at him again, swinging his hands. As best as he could, Sasuke dodged every strike, yet with another little touch, he was weakened even more. He shuffled forward, walking around Yoroi to get away. His breathing grew rapidly as he turned around, having a lost look on his face.

From the corner of her eye, Ayako noticed Naruto shake with irritation as he watched his teammate struggle.

“Hey Sasuke!”he hollered below, leaning half his body over the railing. “Come on, man! What was that?! And you call yourself an Uchiha?! You’re gonna let this goon walk all over you! Come on, stop messing around and get it in gear!”

That irked Ayako enough for her to finally speak during the match. “Naruto!” A twitching hand latched onto the front of his orange jacket. “If your yelling annoyed and distracted me while I fought, how do you think it’ll affect Sasuke?!”

He tried to think of a good answer, despite the fact her raging appearance scared him a bit, but before he could actually say anything, Yumika spoke up.

“Actually Ayako…it looks like it helped.”

A small gasp escaped her lips as she pushed Naruto away and snapped her attention back to the ground.

It was true. Sasuke was successfully moving away from Yoroi’s attacks with some ease. With one last swing, Sasuke disappeared for a split second and reappeared below. He kicked his chin, knocking him high in the air. Blood spattered out from behind the cloth that covered the bottom half of Yoroi’s face.

Sasuke followed close after him, leaping from the ground. He appeared underneath Yoroi and they both flew through the air.

Ayako smiled, amazed at the sight before her...though it didn’t last for long. Her smile faded once she saw her brother writhe in mid-air from the burning, fiery red mark that began to spread and creep up his neck, and crawl over his face. Oh no! Not again! She stared aghast, clasping her hands to her mouth and bracing herself for the worst.

“Is that the mark?” Etsuyo whispered quietly so no one else would hear.

Hesitatingly, Ayako nodded not taking her eyes off of her brother. The image of him engulfed with the dark, purple chakra swirled in her mind. Fear ran through her body as she remembered how ruthless he became in that state. At this rate, that thing will take over for sure… I wouldn’t be surprised if he killed Yoroi without a second thought.

She stopped breathing while she waited for the nightmare.

...But it never came.

Ayako exhaled sharply when the mark receded back to its origin and Sasuke was back to normal.

Sasuke took action and twisted in the air and kicked Yoroi, then punched him and maneuvered his way so he ended up above. With another smack of his arm, Yoroi shot downward.

“I’m not done yet!” Sasuke roared, swinging his foot around and brought it down hard on Yoroi’s stomach. “Lion’s Barrage!” Blood erupted from his draped mouth.

Her brother rolled backwards and ended up face down on his stomach. At that moment, both candidates looked unconscious.

No one said a word about the baffling scene. If neither of them remain standing, does that mean it’s a draw?

That question was answered when Sasuke shakily sat up, breathing hard and wiping his mouth.

Hayate wandered over to Yoroi’s body to see if he was at all conscious. He wasn’t. “I’m declaring this match over. As the winner of this preliminary round, Sasuke Uchiha moves onto the finals.”

“Way to go!” Naruto shrieked.

“He did it!” Ayako cheered happily, jumping up and down.

“See, my words of advice helped him out!” Naruto turned on Ayako.

“Yeah right!” she playfully argued. “He probably wanted to ended it so words would stop coming out of your loud mouth.” He spun around and grumbled in response to her harsh words. She grinned proudly, glancing at her beat twin. It certainly was odd to admit that the knucklehead may have lent a game changing hand in his match. Of course, she’d never say it aloud, nonetheless thank him for it.

Supposing his injuries were concerning enough, Nishiya leaped down to check on Yoroi.

At least you finished it without that mark. Ayako felt a little relieved, even so, the fear in her mind still lurked around. As long as that mark was still there, she will always feel uneasy whenever he battles.

Suddenly, Kakashi appeared out of a puff of smoke behind Sasuke. He kept him from falling backwards by having him lean on his knee. They exchanged a few words, all kept between them except her brother complaint. “I want to see who gets to go onto the finals!”

She realized then that he was being taken.

As he got up without another protest, the two began to walk away.

Ayako couldn’t suppress the idea of standing by and no knowing what was going to happen next, so she gave in to her urge, jumped over the railing and ran to Kakashi and Sasuke.

“Kakashi sensei!” she called getting closer to them. “You’re going to do something about that mark aren’t you? Do-do you think I could come along…?”

“How do you know-“

She interrupted him. “Sakura told me everything when I ran into your team in the forest.”

“Ayako, you don’t need to come,” Sasuke said sharply.

“Yes I do!” she shot back. “I just want to make sure you’re going to be alright. Is that too much to ask?” He didn’t answer and only turned away with an almost angry look on his face. She couldn’t help but wonder why that was his expression.

Ayako looked back at Kakashi and saw his gaze was directed behind them. She followed it to see he was exchanging looks with Nishiya who helping the other medics with Yoroi. He was basically asking for permission with his eyes.

*Flashback*

It was early in the morning on the fifth day. All the Jonin of the teams who made it to the tower with the scrolls were gathered in the main room where the preliminaries would be held. The ones from outside the village kept to themselves while those from Konoha grouped together… not including the senseis of Team Shizen and Team Seven. Those two conversed a good distance away.

Nishiya pulled Kakashi aside to discuss an important matter.

“Kakashi,” she spoke quietly. “I was informed about what happened with Sasuke, and I wanted to let you know, I can take care of it as soon as he arrives. That is, if you’d like me to. If I can get a good look at it, I can probably find a way to seal it.”

Usually she wouldn’t bother aiding a man she barely knew or even liked for that matter, but due to the fact it dealt with the relative of her student who was his student, she made an exception.

Surprisingly, he shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. I already know what to do if it gets out of hand.”

“Are you sure?” She rose an eyebrow.

“Positive.”

Honestly, she was ready to take on the challenge. Nevertheless, she trusted him. “Okay, then. Feel free to take Sasuke away whenever you see fit. I won’t intervene and I’ll make sure no one else does either.”

Nishiya blinked a few times, switching from her student to him, and then nodded once.

“Alright, Ayako…let's go.”

All three of them left the room in silence and headed for a place only Kakashi knew about. What was going to happen next, Ayako couldn't have ever imagined.

“Kakashi sensei, where are we?”

They had walked a good length away from the central room and meandered down the winding hallways of the tower until they reached a dark room hidden in the back. Kakashi led the way the entire time, knowing precisely where he wanted to go, but also making sure no one was following.

“In a place that will give us plenty of privacy,” he simply replied without facing her.

I’ll say… Ayako thought, glancing around.

The man couldn’t have been more right. It was pitch black inside with almost no light source anywhere. If she wasn’t focusing so hard on where she was walking, she could have easily run into the many, large, gray pillars reaching up to the ceiling.

“What for?” she asked, a little uneasy for the answer.

“We need to seal that curse mark on Sasuke’s neck before it gets worse.”

The unsettling rumbling in the pit of her stomach intensified at the idea. The possibility of this thing to get worse was frightening considering how bad it seemed the first time it took over. Nonetheless, those thoughts had to be pushed aside and trust must be put in the man who knew what he was doing.

She turned her head to glance at her brother who kept calm and didn't look back at her. “How?"

"You'll see," Kakashi responded, finally stopping at an open lot.

It was an oddly welcoming spot as the two circles in the center illuminated out of the darkness. Almost as if it was placed there purposely for use- their use.

"Sasuke, I'm going to have to ask you to take off your shirt and sit in the center," Kakashi ordered with all seriousness. Both of the twin's faces twisted, giving the man a weird look. "Just do it.”

Sasuke complied with a sigh and let go of his neck to slip off his armbands and shirt.

"I'll hold onto them," Ayako quietly offered, extending out her hands. Without a word of acceptance, he gave them to her.

He then proceeded to take a seat where instructed, while Kakashi prepared the area and stabbed several kunai into the ground at certain points on the rim of the circles. Once that was completed, he took off his right glove and cut his pointer finger.

With his own blood, Kakashi wrote symbols on Sasuke’s body, starting from his mark, down his back, on the ground, and passed the barriers.

Ayako stepped out of the way accordingly and stood next to one of the many pillars. She was watching intently as his finger kept moving in a line, leaving crimson behind its path. He must have been told about his student's encounter and prepared for this ahead of time because there was so much that had to be done, but if this was going to help, it had to be worth it.

“Okay.” Finishing with a couple more symbols down her brother's back, Kakashi straightened. "It'll be over quickly. You ready?" Sasuke nodded with some hesitation.

Is it going to hurt him? she wondered and gulped once Kakashi began to do many hand signs for a few seconds in a combination unfamiliar to her.

"Curse Sealing!" He yelled out fiercely, slamming his palm on the mark. A bright light erupted from the space between. The blood-written patterns bounced on the way up his body to their origin, disappearing when they reached it.

Ayako watched with wide eyes at her brother screaming in pain. She had to fight back the lump in her throat and the urge to run to his aide by reassuring herself that everything was going to be fine. This is for the best. The pain is a sign that it's strong enough to hold. He's going to be safe now. She bit her bottom lip as the last few vanished and Sasuke ceased to scream.

After the Jonin lifted his hand, Ayako could see a new circle around the mark as though it was a barrier to prevent it from spreading passed. Breathing rapidly, Sasuke leaned to rest on his hands.

"Now the next time that curse mark starts acting up, that seal should keep it in check,” Kakashi warned. “But remember. This curse sealing jutsu is only as strong as you are. It derives its power from your will. If that will ever weakens, if you ever begin to doubt yourself, that curse will unleash itself.” He got in his last words just as he passed out and fell onto his stomach.

"Sasuke!" Ayako yelped and rushed to his side. She got down on her knees and laid a gentle hand on his back to make sure he was alright. "Was that supposed to happen?"

However, before Kakashi could say anything, someone behind him, unexpected and unwelcome, interrupted.

"My, how you've grown," a man's voice spoke as he walked out of the darkness and into the open. Kakashi stiffened as did Ayako. She snapped her head to look at the perpetrator. "To think you'd be strong enough to perform the Curse Sealing Jutsu."

Coming closer, his appearance became more clear. He had long black hair and pale white skin. His eyes were like a snake’s as they glowed in an amber color with slits for his pupils. Shiny blue earrings in the shape of a tomoe dangled from his ears. As for his attire he wore dark purple pants and long sleeve shirt, black shinobi sandals, and the Otogakure style flak jacket along with the forehead protector.

At that moment, though his face was slightly different because of the purple surrounding his eyes, it was easily noticeable that he was a Jonin in the other room as well.

Kakashi twisted his head to the side to make eye contact with the man.

"You…" he growled.

Suddenly, Ayako saw purple chakra flow all around the man's body and then disperse away. "Long time no see…Kakashi…" He grinned, deviously.
Kakashi turned around fully. "Orochimaru…"

Ayako gasped at the name, remembering the countless amount of times he was mentioned in the forest, especially in Sakura’s story. So that’s him…He’s the one that did this.

"No offense Kakashi…but I didn't come to see you," Orochimaru spoke slyly.

"My business is with that boy behind you."

That sparked her protective nature within to her take action. While still sitting, she placed one hand on each side of Sasuke and hovered her body over his. Eyebrows knitted, lips pursed.

"What do you want with Sasuke?" Kakashi demanded.

Orochimaru simply scoffed and refrained from answering the question. "You've required something new,” he said. “I envy your good fortune. I don't think you had it the last time our paths clashed… the Sharingan in your left eye."

"Y-you have the Sharingan, Kakashi sensei?" Ayako asked in astonishment. But as it wasn’t the right time, he ignored her.

"It's only fair I want it too…The Uchiha power."

"What's your game?" he interrogated, wanting the point of this all to be revealed.

"The village that everyone's curious about- Otogakure- I created it,” he told him. “I think you get the picture."

I don’t… Ayako thought as she kept a hard face and biting her tongue to refrain from saying anything.

Kakashi shook his head, knowing exactly what Orochimaru was talking about.

"You and your wild eyed ambitions.”

"Oh yes…” he undoubtedly confirmed. “To play the game you're asking about, I need pieces on the chessboard. Making pawns do all my bidding."

"And Sasuke is one of those pawns?" Kakashi assumed.

"Of course not,” Orochimaru answered honestly. “He's more valuable than that. The others, well, you know how the game of chess goes…" He paused. Ayako could guess what he was going to say next. "Pieces must be sacrificed…"

All of this is a game to him? Ayako's blood began to boil within her as she finally understood.

Slowly, Orochimaru walked closer and closer to them.

With every step, she dug her nails into the ground and lowered her body to shield her brother. No matter what, he's not taking him. He's not even going to touch him! She stood her ground as she prepared to take action. Squeezing every muscle in her arms, to get ready to scoop Sasuke up and flee in the opposite direction.

That was until she saw Kakashi widen his stance and drop his right arm in front of him.

"Stop!” he threatened. His tone had become more rough and deadly. “Don't come any closer!"

Orochimaru just smirked, but when lightning shot out from Kakashi's hand and the sound of a thousand birds chirping echoed throughout the room, he looked surprised then.

What is that? Ayako wondered as she brought her chest up. The chakra coming off that is so strong!

"I don't care if you are one of the Sannin!” Kakashi spat. “I swear, take one more step towards Sasuke and one of us will die here!"

"Kakashi sensei…" Her voice trailed off as she began to hear Orochimaru laugh.

"Funny is it?"

"Poor Kakashi,” Orochimaru pitied, his chuckles subsiding. “All your noble efforts, all in vain. Do you really believe that the seal will hold? Do you think you can keep him… from what he truly desires? You know I'm right. The heart that hungers for only one thing will not be denied," he spoke boldly. "No matter what obstacles you put in his way, he's an avenger, isn't he?"

That was what made Ayako snap.

She leaped over her brother’s body and surged for the villain, wanting to attack him for his assumptions, but Kakashi stuck out his left arm and prevented her from getting doing so.

"If you think we won't continue to try to stop him from going into your slimy clutches then you're dumber than I thought!" she screamed over the noise of the jutsu. "Realize this you monster! I'm the biggest obstacle he will ever face. I’m his sister, I’m his family, I’m all he has left! And if you think he’ll get passed me, if you think he’ll ever leave me behind, you’ve got a surprise waiting for you."

Orochimaru remained unphased by her rage. "You speak as though you know all about your brother, little girl. Though how are you so sure he won't do those things? Get passed you and then leave you behind. Forget all about the importance of family…"

“I’m the physical reminder of how the relationship works,” she challenged through gritted teeth. “Who we are, where we came from. We’re reminded of those things just by looking at each other. It’s only right that we be there for one another, no matter what is going on. I’m his sister, he’s my brother. We’re family, and family comes first. Always! He knows that, I know that. I know he knows that!”

"You're lying to yourself…" She winced at how well he swatted her standpoint aside. "You've been gone for years. You don't know anything about him. What you say may be true to you, but to him, he may not think the same…and you fear that fact. You fear the truth of not knowing who he really is and everything you discover about him isn't pleasant. Face it, you don't know what he'll do,” he hissed.

Ayako stood tall, pretending to be unaffected by his words. "I may not have been there all throughout his past,” she admitted, “but I'm back, here with him, and that's what counts. So mark my words, I will be there in his future. Alongside him every step of the way, preventing him from getting anywhere near you. I'll make sure of it. I'll be the wall between you and him. The wall that has no opening that will bring him to you."

They fell silent for a moment. Kakashi's jutsu was the only sound.

"But walls can always be broken…" Orochimaru spoke. Ayako growled, leaning forward only to have Kakashi's hand wrap around her arm.

"If you think you can take advantage of Sasuke, think again," Kakashi retorted, stepping in again.

"You must understand that there's no way of stopping it," Orochimaru took a step back and retreated. "At some point he will come to me…In search of power." Kakashi's lightning began to recede as he walked farther and farther away.

"Oh and if you're so worried about your brother leaving you…" Orochimaru said as he continued to walk away. "You're welcome to come along with him to me. You see, you're beginning to spark my interest as well…Ayako Uchiha." She scoffed as the darkness enveloped him and he was gone.

Ayako took a deep breath to calm herself, realizing how fast her heart was beating. "This isn't over, is it?" she questioned the obvious with a shake of her head.

Kakashi regained his composure, releasing his jutsu. "I know,” he agreed, letting to of her, “but he's a dangerous man, Ayako. I'm ordering you to not go after him as an act of revenge for doing this to your brother. You could be killed."

Ayako gulped at the thought, but made an ultimate decision. "I won't Kakashi sensei. I'm smarter than that,” she assured. A small smile spread on her lips. "But…if being killed by Orochimaru would prevent Sasuke from going to him…" She looked back at the unconscious Sasuke. Kakashi turned and faced her. "I'll take the death. Though, it'll be a last resort of course," she added quickly. There was silence again.

"Let's keep this between you and I for the time being,” Kakashi made a deal that Ayako easily took. “You go on back to the preliminaries; I'll bring Sasuke to the hospital where he'll be put under tight watch."

"You think he'll be safe there?"

"I'll make sure he will be,” he reassured. “Now go on. You don't want to risk missing Yumika or Etsuyo's matches, do you?" She shook her head. "Then head off now."

Her smile grew. "Thank you Kakashi sensei. You've been very helpful to both me and my brother. I appreciate it."

He gently placed a hand on her head. "He's my student, therefore he's my responsibility."

"Right," she understood. She made her way out of the room and back to where the fights continued without any interruption. I spent all this time training to be with him. I won’t let you take him away from me, Orochimaru!

Hey everyone,

Ummm... yeah, I've got some bad news.

With a saddened heart, it is time I say goodbye. Goodbye to all of you lovely readers and goodbye to this story. For over four years I have been working on this, hoping I could complete it, and I'm sure at the very beginning I was seeing myself finished with this and the sequels I had planned out by now. But unfortunately, life got in the way of my passion, and I no longer have time to keep going. I'm working two jobs to get ahead of paying rent this school year, planning to fix my grades so I can stay in school, and keeping up with my relationship where I'm so happy I barely think about anything else. Also I just feel like I'll never be able to finish editing and writing a whole new chapter. I look back and realize the last time I wrote a new chapter was about 2 years ago. That's a long time. I know there are others who come back from years of hiatus, but I don't believe I could be able to do it. It takes me hours to write a chapter and with everything going on, I don't have hours like I used to. And sadly, even if I did, I don't think I'd use it to continue this.

If you're disappointed, I understand because trust me, I'm disappointed in myself too. I wanted to finish this story so badly. I've turned my back on my other works for this because I desperately wanted this to be the greatest it could be. I've had this idea for 10 years now and to choose to let it go took a lot of thinking. But it has to happen.

I will never forget about Ayako, Yumika, Etsuyo, and Nishiya. NEVER. They were enjoyable to write and think about and even though they're not real, I will miss them. I will miss sharing them with all of you and letting you witness their development in Path of my Brothers. They wave goodbye to you as they wave goodbye to me also.

I hate to leave you all with open questions about the story, so if you'd like, I think I could find some spare time to quickly write a chapter or two as to what happens in the rest of the story. I've planned out a lot and would love to share it with you if you care about this story as much as I do. Let me know if you'd like me to do that. I may possibly write a separate story for the sequel(s) too since I have them planned out to the very end of Naruto. I could also upload random finished chapters or sections I've written if any of you would like to read them too.

If you have any questions for me, personally, feel free to ask. I'll still visit occasionally and I will leave my profile up for others to view and see what I have written. Also, it would be for me to look back on from time to time.

I just want to say thank you for all of your support. I really wish I could go on for you guys but things happen. Good luck to all of you writers! I will miss you!

Goodbye!
~TeamWorkIsKey

“Hey!” An out of breath Ayako yelled as she ran across the balcony. She slipped back into the arena of the tower once word of the current match’s end was heard.

“Hey,” she said again more quietly, stopping next to her team. Yumika and Etsuyo eyed her.

Ayako huffed. “What’d I miss?”

“Nothing much,” Yumika answered, turning back towards the ground below. “Just Shino and Zaku’s fight,” she filled in tiredly.

“Oh…” Ayako looked down to see Nishiya helping the medics with Zaku. A smirk spread on her face at the sight of his loss, pleased with it considering their past encounter.

“Where did you go anyway?” Yumika wondered. “And where’s Sasuke and Kakashi sensei?” Naruto and Sakura quickly gathered around closer.

"…You go on back to the preliminaries; I’ll bring Sasuke to the hospital where he’ll be put under tight watch.” Kakashi’s statement ran through her mind.

Ayako glanced at Yumika, then Etsuyo, then at Sakura and Naruto before replying. I can’t possibly tell them the truth. Not now anyways. she thought deeply. How do you explain running into an S-Rank, Rogue Sannin, anyway? “…We just went to a room to…talk,” she lied with a shrug. “That’s all. It ran a little too long and Kakashi sensei didn’t want me to miss your fights, so he sent me back. He and Sasuke should still be together, though.”

Ayako forced a smile for Naruto and Sakura's sake, but Yumika and Etsuyo weren’t fooled. They gave one another a questionable look, but didn’t say anything.

Sakura piped up. “How is Sasuke?” She had her hands clasped under her chin with a hopeful look on her face.

Ayako hesitated. The image of him collapsing in front of her replayed in her mind. “He’s…just fine.” She assured, slowly. “He, sort of, passed out while we were talking. He was very exhausted. I don’t think you’ll see him until after the preliminaries. Kakashi sensei said something about taking him to the hospital to get checked out. Other than that he should be okay.”

“What about the-?”

“Don’t worry about it Sakura.” She snapped. “Just take my word.”

She dropped her head slightly and whispered, “…Okay.”

Without uttering a warning, the panel rapidly shuffled once again. Their conversation was over. Everyone kept quiet and watched the names switch back and forth until it stopped and chose the next two people to battle:

Naturami Yugoshowa vs. Yumika Hakinowa!

A long sigh escaped the chosen girl’s mouth. “Here we go…”

“Good luck, Yumika,” Ayako wished, and looked for her opponent across the room. Teammate of Sachida, huh?
Yumika spun on her heels and headed for the stairs, blowing her bangs out of her eyes. She didn’t make eye contact with anyone and only walked to her destination without a worry or care. Her face remained calm and collected, and her arms were habitually crossed.
Eventually, she ended up in the center of the room in front of Naturami.

They faced one another and eyed each other’s up and down with gazes so sharp they could kill. Even so, Yumika wasn’t intimidated one bit by Naturami.

She was the same body size and shape as her with tannish skin and long emerald green hair tied into low pigtails. Her eyes were wide with shimmering gray irises. The girl wore a plain black, quarter-sleeved kimono with a large white flower at the bottom. A grey, square pouch was attached to her left hip. Her Kusagakure forehead protector was tied around her neck. Her elbows were taped down to her mid-forearm and her legs were taped down to her mid-shin.

Naturami tried her best to give off a terrifying vibe, but of course, Yumika wasn’t going to be affected. Only one thing truly scared her, but that one thing was a secret to almost all.

Hayate coughed. “Yumika Hakinowa. Naturami Yugoshowa. You two have been chosen for the third match.” He introduced once again. “If there are no objections,” He paused to look at both girls. “you may begin.”

Naturami jumped back a couple feet while Yumika remained in her same spot, crossing her arms. She saw her opponent take a fighting stance with her feet widely apart and her hands in fists in front of her.

“Make this hard for me, okay?” Naturami ordered. “Or at least try to so that maybe I’ll actually break a sweat. But I highly doubt that.”
“Cocky, just like your teammate Sachida. But you should learn that just like with him, it’ll get you nowhere…” Yumika widened her stance and let her arms fall to her sides. Her eyebrows knitted together, her eyes squinted. The tension between them grew and silence filled the room.

Naturami was quick, like Sachida. In a blink, she appeared right in front of Yumika, attempting to kick her. Swiftly, Yumika ducked underneath and slipped behind her. The girl spun around throwing a punch, but Yumika easily dodged it by moving to the side.

The grass ninja continuously tried to hit Yumika. She threw numerous punches, and kicks. She jumped in the air and spun low on the ground but every move didn’t touch her opponent. Frustration built up inside her with every passing second.

“Why…can’t…I…hit…you?!” She whined, chopping up her sentence. She rapidly threw punches, but none of them were affective.

“Wow, Yumika is really good at dodging.” Naruto stated amazed at the sight down below.

“She needs to be good at it for her strategy.” Etsuyo said, placing her hands on the railing.

“Yes, for one of her finest strategies to use during a battle.” Nishiya commented.

“What strategy is that?” He asked.

“One like mine, only…” Ayako looked at him. “She doesn’t get hurt a bunch.”

Back down below, Yumika smirked at her opponent’s dissatisfaction, jumping back to take a look at the other girl.

Naturami was already looking pretty tired. After a few minutes of endless striking, her breathing was hard, and sweat droplets started to form on her forehead.

“Hmm…I thought you wouldn’t break a sweat this easily…” Yumika retorted. “You underestimated my definition of ‘hard’, didn’t you?”
Naturami clenched her teeth and grunted. She acted fast again. Reaching into the pouch on her hip, she took out three kunai knives. She swiped her arm across her body and let the knives fly through the air, straight for Yumika.

She only stood there, watching the knives coming closer to her chest. No fear showed on her face because she didn’t feel any. At the last few feet, she inhaled a deep breath, and then blew it all out. She amplified the tiny gust and made it into a wall by having the air absorb her chakra.

The kunai simply crashed against the invisible wall gyrating in crazy directions in the air.

Naturami stared at her astonished. “H-how did you do that?”

She didn’t bother to answer.

It was now her turn to attack back. Yumika had had enough of just dodging and she felt it was time to put a little more effort.

She ran straight for Naturami with her hands in fists. The other girl took action as well and threw more kunai knives in her direction. But she easily moved out of their way. Every stride brought her closer and closer to her target. Until the last few feet, when Naturami held a knife in front of her in a protective way, Yumika jumped high into the air. Doing a summersault in midair, she flew downwards with her right foot kicked out. She wasn’t aiming for the girls head though; she was aiming for the knife.

Yumika landed on the kunai, pushing it and the girl’s hand to the ground. Quickly, she punched Naturami in the face, causing her to fly backwards, into the wall.

Naturami screeched in pain from the hit. Blood dripped from her nose. Her breathing grew rapidly quicker. She got up right away with her eyes began to run wild with anger.

Someone can’t control their temper… Yumika grinned again, standing up straight.

Determined to win, Naturami darted for Yumika again with her hand in a fist. She punched forward at her face. Cocking her head to the right, the girl dodged the punch. She felt a wind brush against her cheek from the force of Naturami’s fist pushing through the air.
Then her opponent did something a little unusual…

She latched onto Yumika’s long, white hair and pulled it, along with her head, downwards straight into her hitched let. Yumika’s face slammed hard against the girl’s knee. Her head flew backwards as she spat a little blood from her mouth.

Naturami saw this as an opening, and took advantage of her vulnerable stance. She punched Yumika right in the gut making her lurch forward, spitting out saliva mixed with a little blood.

“Finally…” She muttered pleased, walking backwards to let Yumika fall to the ground.

Yumika landed on all fours, breathing to suppress the pain. Naturami smirked at her work. But her joy was about to be wiped away in the next few seconds.

…Because Yumika was faking it.

“I thought in this strategy, she wasn’t meant to get hurt?” Naruto was confused.

Ayako rolled her eyes, obviously catching onto her friend’s idea like her team did and Sakura. “Just watch, Naruto…” She sighed.

“Didn’t think I could pack a punch, huh?” Naturami spoke sassily. “Yes, I underestimated you, but you also underestimated me.” She wiped away the small amount of blood under her nose.

Slowly, Yumika began to sit up right, pretending she was still in pain. Her left eye was closed to give it more of an effect.

The two stared at each other for a good amount of time. It was just enough time for Yumika to casually reach into her back pouch and take out her favored weapons: her two fans.

She got back into the fight quickly when she snapped open one of them and swiped it across her chest. Once again, Naturami’s eyes widened in surprise.

Yumika created a large gust of wind that immediately pushed the girl away. Then she passed her other fan into her other hand, opened it, and swiped that one upward. It picked up her opponent and threw her high into the air. She jumped into the air, using her fans to give her more height and when she was just a little higher she brought down both her hands. An extremely forceful gust slammed Naturami down with immense speed.

The girl landed flat on her chest. She groaned as she lied there.

Yumika landed softly on her feet. She looked fine aside from the blood on the corner of her mouth that she didn’t bother to wipe away. “Yeah, you really can pack a punch…” She said sarcastically. “But I’ve taken worse pains.”

Naturami growled as she started to get back on her feet. “I’m tired of your games!” She squealed, huffing. As soon as she stood up fully, she began making hand signs. “You say you’ve taken worse pains? Well I can give you one!” Yumika raised an eyebrow. “What worse pain to experience than one that attacks directly to the heart!”

“You don’t scare me…” She informed.

“But I can show you something that does.” She finished off with a couple more hand signs. “Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique!” She called. A large amount of leaves flew in from the outside and circled around Yumika in order to disorient her.

Yumika rolled her eyes and brought her hands together to form the tiger hand sign while still holding onto her fans. “Release!” She counteracted the genjutsu with ease. The leaves stopped in their place and fell down around her feet. “Next time choose a genjutsu that doesn’t have a late reaction.” She extended her arms out to her sides with her two fans faced forward. Gracefully, she began spinning around on one foot. She gradually spun faster, creating a tornado around her. It picked up the leaves causing them to swirl in the twisting air.

“Wind Element: Tornado!” She yelled as jumped out of the twister and controlled it to go after Naturami.

The other people on the balconies held on tightly to the railing to avoid being sucked into the tornado.

Easily it sucked Naturami up and swirled her around fast.

After her opponent was circled up to the top, with one swipe of her fan, Yumika ended the twister and Naturami fell to the ground again.
She was expecting her to be dizzy and unable to continue. But she was proved wrong when her opponent began to laugh. The girl stood up with ease, keeping her silver eyes locked on Yumika’s bright yellow ones. “You fell for it…” She sang.

Yumika’s eyes widened in shock from the mistake she had just made and what she was witnessing right before her:

Her people had appeared and were all spaced out in front of her.

“Help, Yumika!” Someone yelled. Tigers ran from one side to the other, clawing at the people of her clan. Bodies fell before her feet, dead.

She was unable to move. Her feet felt like they were glued to the ground. All she could do was watch as her people were attacked by the animals they worshipped.

Her breathing became choppy. Fear crept in and flowed through her veins. Sweat dripped down her forehead. Her mouth remained open as she continued to be trapped in Naturami’s genjutsu. She gasped.

“Why can’t you just take the leadership?!” Her mother lied before her, dying from a deep scratch to her chest. Her hair was white and was tied into a bun on top of her head that was now askew. She wore a quarter sleeve yellow dress with a turtle neck that reached to her knees that was now covered in blood.

“This wouldn’t have happened if you just took it!” She saw her father next to her mother. He had short white hair combed over to the side and bright yellow eyes like hers. He wore a simple dark green kimono style long sleeve shirt with the three rips, just like Yumika’s, on the right sleeve that exposed light blue underneath and black shorts. Blood covered stained his clothing as well.

“Take the leadership, Yumika. Take it, so that this will never happen!” Her parents pleaded.

“No…” She said aloud.

“Take it willingly…” The scene dramatically changed. Her mother and father were completely fine, but their expression was filled with intent. Their yellow eyes glowed demonically as they came closer to her. “Or we’ll force you into it!” They grabbed at her.

A blood curdling scream erupted from her wide open mouth. Yumika crumpled to the ground, clutching onto her head. Her hands tangled with her hair, tugging roughly at it. She shook horribly. Her heart beat rapidly. Sweat dripped from her forehead and landed on the floor.
“How’d you like that for scary?” Naturami snickered from afar. She stood a few feet away with her hand on her hip.

Unexpectedly to Yumika, the fear that was just overwhelming her, disappeared and a new emotion quickly ran through her veins. Absolute anger filled her causing her to let out short growls and heavy breaths.

Naturami’s cockiness soon vanished from her face.

A ferocious growl erupted from Yumika, echoing the room. Her body shook even more violently as the growl continued to escape her mouth. She began to slowly stand up with her back arched and her head remained hanging downward. “You want to see something even scarier?!” She asked menacingly.

“No genjutsu, it’s one hundred percent real.” She continued standing up all the way. “If you want to see it, don’t take your eyes off of me for one second!”

Suddenly Yumika whipped her head back and bright blue chakra exploded from her body. She let out a loud growl as her eyes changed to a glowing green. Her pupils extended upward to form slits. Her ears pointed at the top. The warm pale skin she normally, turned completely white and her nails grew even sharper. Yumika was revealing parts of her clan’s ultimate jutsu: Complete Tora Form!

“Oh no!” Ayako gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. “She’s losing it!”

“What’s happening to her?!” Sakura yelped just as a huge gust of wind blew from Yumika and extended out towards everyone above the battle scene. Almost all the bystanders blocked the air with their arms.

As soon as it was gone, Etsuyo concluded, “Something she witnessed while under Naturami’s genjutsu probably triggered a hidden emotion inside her and is causing her to go out of control.”

“What are you doing Yumika?!” Naruto yelled bluntly. “Take her down already, I know you can!”

Ayako quickly latched onto Naruto’s orange jacket and pulled him closer. She looked very intense as he looked slightly scared.

“Naruto, I would not want to start yelling at her right now.” She warned through gritted teeth. “This situation just became a whole lot more dangerous. If I were you, I would shut up now unless you want to be torn to shreds like a real tiger would do to any human that angered them.” Ayako let go and turned her attention back to her friend. He remained in the state of shock as he too looked back at the transforming girl.

Yumika brought her head back down revealing the newly grown fangs in her mouth. “This not scary enough yet?” She asked in a gravelly voice, crouching down like an actual animal.

Naturami’s attitude had absolutely changed. No longer was she cocky, and grinning, she was absolutely terrified. Her silvery eyes were even wider and she breathed deeper. She had dropped her weapons at her side and remained frozen staring at Yumika, unable to form a word to answer her.

“Yumika has no sense of control or stability anymore.” Nishiya spoke, walking closer to the railing on the balcony. “This state…” She looked carefully at her student. “It’s not something the Hakinowa’s are proud of creating or enjoy using. It’s only supposed to be a last resort, when lives are at the line. But sometimes they forget…” She paused. “In fact they forget a lot of things. Who they are, what they’re doing. What’s the mission, what are the rules and the plan. And maybe who’s the enemy and who are their comrades. Because all of their senses are turned up to the max, and their emotions are overwhelming them, they barely have a conscience to keep them in line anymore.”

Sakura gulped. “Is Yumika possibly going to attack other people?” I thought she would do it even before this crazy transformation. She thought.

Nishiya squinted her eyes to get an even closer look. She sighed. “I don’t think we have to worry about that. She’s not in the complete form at this time. There are a few other changes she hasn’t gone through. But if Yumika does, then we would have something worse in our hands. Right now, only her stability and control are gone. Her memory should still be there. Though, I won’t be surprised if she forgets how she beats Naturami…”

Ayako remained fixed on her close friend down below. She ground her teeth together and clenched onto the metal in front of her so tightly, her knuckles were pale white. Shaking in fear herself, she tried to find an explanation to the madness occurring. What did she see, exactly that could cause her to resort to this! The last time I saw her like this was when I… It clicked her in head. Could that be the reason why? Was that her worst fear?! The answer lingered in her head as she continued to watch.

Yumika kept her stance as she continued to stare with her sharp, scary, green eyes at Naturami. "What's the matter? Is this scarier than you're used to?" She walked on all fours a little bit forward. "I thought you were the master of fear?" She mocked. "Guess not..."

In a snap, Yumika disappeared from sight and then reappeared in front of Naturami. The girl screamed as she came face to face with such a terrifying face. She was thrown against the wall and then picked up and thrown into the air. She was thrown like a rag doll all over the place with great speed.

Then after a while, Yumika threw her against the ground and crouched over her, growling in her face.

“I SURRENDER!!! I GIVE UP, OKAY?!?! YOU WIN!!! YOU WIN!!! PLEASE JUST STOP!!” Naturami burst into tears under Yumika’s grip.

“Please get off of me!” The girl sobbed terribly, but Yumika didn’t obey. She continued to stare daggers with her eyes.

No…keep on fighting. You know you want to. A sinister side of her conscience ran through her head. You know you want everyone to see what the Hakinowa’s are capable of… It continued. Admit it... you like showing off. You like walking around all tough with people being intimidated by you with just one glance. If you finish it, the people from Kusa, Suna, and Oto will head back to their villages at the end of the exams spreading your name around and what you did. You’ll intimidate a whole mass of people from different places. Doesn’t that sound nice?

Yumika unknowingly raised her right fist and was about to pounce with all her might straight down on Naturami’s face.

“No, Yumika, don’t!” Ayako screamed, leaning far over the railing.

“Yumika, don’t do it!” Etsuyo copied.

She didn’t hear them at all. The only thing she heard was the loud, fast, thumping of her heart and the dark voice telling her to keep going. Without thought, she punched down at Naturami, but suddenly, she was knocked away by something hard.

Yumika roughly growled as she slid on the ground and swiftly rolled back onto her feet. She furiously searched for the person responsible.

To everyone’s surprise, a panel from the ground fell back down into its place. At that sight, she knew who it was.

That person quickly appeared behind and lifted her up off of her feet. Their arms were wrapped over her own, keeping them stuck at her sides. A death grip so tight it hurt her but was effective at keeping her restrained. She struggled to break free.

“Don’t take this any further Yumika.” The voice of her sensei rang in her ears. She flinched and discontinued to squirm. “Calm down, and go back to your normal state. It’s over. You won.” Nishiya remained collected. She tried her best to make a break through to her student.

What are you doing? Yumika’s kinder conscience finally spoke up.You won… now stop. Words ran through her head, but they were foreign to her. Her body wasn’t listening. Don’t take this any further, you can’t afford to. Using the power will just take you one step closer to being leader and you don’t want that remember! Stop this now! Before the marks will appear even darker… Before you won’t be able to take back what you’ve done! Is it worth winning more when you’ll lose something more important…your freedom?

Oh, come on… The sinister voice returned. You know there’s a part of you that truly wants the leadership…the control. You have experience I mean; you’ve been leading your team for a while haven’t you?

Leading your friends in battle is different than leading your clan. You understand why. So turn it off! Turn Tora off, now!

“…Okay…” She muttered through her fangs. Her head dropped as she began to breathe slowly but deeply.

Yumika began to return back to normal. Her fangs, nails, and ears lost their point. Her skin warmed up to her natural pale color. And her eyes changed back to their usual bright yellow, with her pupil shaped to a tiny black dot.

Nishiya let go of her student, but Yumika stayed standing with her head down.

“The winner is Yumika Hakinowa,” Hayate declared.

“Are you alright?” Nishiya walked to the front of Yumika.

She lifted her head up revealing her usual stone cold face. Without making eye contact she muttered dryly, “Yeah…I’m fine.” Walking around her sensei, without another word, Yumika walked away. She walked past the medics who were walking Naturami out of the room, and exited through the large entrance.

“Where’s she going?” Naruto asked.

Ayako gulped. “Don’t worry about it,” she replied softly.

“Yeah, she’ll be back later,” Etsuyo added.

Yumika sat in an empty staircase with her thumb against her lips. Then, she lifted up her sleeve on her left arm, all the way up to her shoulder. She clenched her teeth at the sight she saw.

Three light gray tiger stripes had formed during the battle with Naturami. She quickly whipped her sleeve back down and pressed her forehead against the wall.

She thought about the question Nishiya asked her once more and said aloud, “No. I’m not…” She closed her eyes and clenched her teeth. What did I just do?

The Genin stirred about the fight that they all had just witnessed. Apparently it was so amazing and nerve-racking, even the Chunin and Jonin in the rooms conversed about it. The voices ricocheted off the walls, mixing together, creating one loud ramble of words.

Unlike everyone else, Team Shizen managed to remain completely quiet and off the subject. It wasn’t anything interesting, or cool to see. It wasn’t something they enjoyed discussing. Seeing Yumika that way wasn’t the most favorite thing for their eyes to behold. In fact, they loathed observing that. They all understood it must have hurt her the most. Having to endure that change was worse than watching it. The three sympathized and pitied the girl.

Even though she wasn’t supposed to speak about it, Ayako couldn’t help but think about it. Her mind raced in sadness visualizing Yumika’s transformation over and over, watching the chakra explode out of her, hearing her growl so fiercely. As if she didn’t have enough to worry about. As if they both didn’t have enough to worry about.

Yumika… Ayako thought. It had to deal with your clan, didn’t it? With her fists clenched tightly, she darted towards the stairs on the balcony. Estuyo followed closely behind, knowing where she was going.

Sakura and Naruto stared at their backs curiously.

“Where are you going?” Naruto asked from behind them but received no answer.

A puff of smoke behind Team Seven appeared with Kakashi in the midst of it. “Hey, everyone.” He greeted kindly. “What’d I miss?”

It was like one of those awkward moments when someone cheery decides to jump into a tense conversation unaware of what occurred. Luckily it felt that way for only a second.

Kakashi caught sight of Ayako and Etsuyo running out of the room and immediately dropped his smile. “What happened?” He asked his students who were simply watching the entrance of the room as if waiting for the other two girls to appear again.

Nishiya, who had finally reached them, answered Kakashi dryly. “I’ll fill you in.”

“Yumika!” Ayako called down the dimly lit hallways, searching for the girl. She remembered her taking a right out of the central room, but they didn’t know exactly where she went.

“Yumika, where are you?” Etsuyo’s voice echoed down the empty hall. “Do you think she left the area?” She asked Ayako who was staring straight ahead.

“I don’t think she’d do that.” She sounded uncertain herself. “I mean, it’s Yumika we’re talking about. She’d never just run away, it doesn’t solve anything…” Ayako stopped herself from carrying on, remembering her past situation. “…In some cases…” Saving herself sheepishly she continued calling out to her teammate. “Yumika! Come out come out, wherever you are!” She sang with her hands next to her mouth, as if playing hide-n-seek with a young child.

While on the stairs, Yumika tried her best to ignore her friends. “Yumika!” Ayako’s muffled voice crept into the stairway through the door. She groaned with her head in her hands. I ran out to be alone! To clear my head of all the commotion that flowed out of me altogether. “Yumika!” Etsuyo’s voice now came in. Face it, they’re not going to stop until they find me.

The twos’ calls grew closer and closer to the stairs and when Yumika thought they were close enough, she stood up and trudged out the door.

“You rang?” She spoke monotone, stepping in front of both girls.

“There you are.” Etsuyo wiped her forehead in relief.

Yumika crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe. “Here I am.” She confirmed unenthusiastically.

Ayako put her hands on her hips. “Etsuyo thought you left the entire area,” The red-head next to her frowned being verbally pointed out, “but I said you weren’t the type of person to do that.”

“Then why’d you follow me?” One white eyebrow lifted in suspicion.

Etsuyo answered kindly. “We wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Yumika huffed. “I just needed time to cool down. Now I’m fine so let’s go back.” She walked passed them towards the central room.

“Actually,” Ayako spoke behind her back, stopping her in her tracks. “To be honest, I came to talk about what happened in there.”

Yumika turned around with a blank face. “There’s nothing to talk about. I only witnessed something that scared me.”

“See that’s what I wanted to talk about,” she stated, walking closer to her with Etsuyo following. “It takes a whole lot to scare you that badly. I mean it had to have been utterly terrifying and…connected to you.”

“Where are you getting at?” She sounded irritated, knowing where the conversation was headed.

“That jutsu was specified in targeting a person’s innermost fears… and you only have one. I want to know, did you see what I think you saw?” Ayako’s eyes were filled with seriousness and her voice was strict.

Yumika hesitated to answer. Her back still faced her friends, she visualized her nightmare once again. Her face scrunched together as a shiver went down her spine. Help, Yumika! The screams ran through her mind. “Take it willingly! ...Or we’ll force you into it!”

“If you say I only have one fear, then of course it was what you’re thinking.” She turned around slowly, facing them with eyes filled with grief rather than the usual sharpness.

“Elaborate, please.” Etsuyo asked with sympathy.


Yumika went to lean against the cold wall and when she did so, instead of remaining to stand she slid down into a sitting position. Her white hair stuck against the wall above her head. “It was far worse than I imagined myself, and I will admit that I picture something similar to what I saw as a worst case scenario, but never was it that gruesome.” She paused. Her eyes suddenly filled with horror. “My clan was perishing with one kill after the other. They were being mangled and dismembered with each slash from a claw from our own tigers. Blood stained the grass, the leaves, the trees…the bodies… my parents… and they all cried for my help but I was frozen in place at the sight, only able to watch.” Her fists clenched at her sides, scratching the cement ground. “Then the scene changed.”

Her eyes grew wider as the horror intensified in her mind remembering what happened next. “They all just stood up with healed wounds and reached out for me. Telling me to take the leadership to prevent this from happening…” She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. “And that was all I saw.”

Ayako and Etsuyo stared in disbelief with wide eyes the entire time.

“You believe it’ll happen, don’t you?” Ayako questioned sincerely.

Yumika took a deep breath. “It’s not impossible…”

“But it’s also unlikely. You said yourself that everything in your clan’s territory is safe. You guys have been living for years without a leader. I’m sure you can last longer. Besides, remember the promise you and your parents made? No leadership of the clan until you’re a Jonin.”

“Yes, I just hope they keep it.” She bit the tip of her thumb before speaking again. “The problem is now when I think about what could possibly go wrong, I will always remember what I saw under that jutsu. It’s persuading me.”

“Then you’re just going to have to work harder and think smarter in order to reach your goal to find another way to control your territory.”

“Trust me I have been ever since we returned.”

“You haven’t figured out anything?” Etsuyo asked.

“Not a thing…” She sighed. “Can we drop this subject now? I’m tired of talking about it.” Yumika’s emotion changed back to her usual one.

They obliged easily. “Uh…yeah, let’s just go back. I’m sure they’ve continued on with the matches.” Ayako stated.

Yumika pushed off the wall to stand up and headed in the direction of the central room with Ayako and Etsuyo at her side.

“Luckily this is only the Chunin exams!” Etsuyo tried to stay on the bright side.

“Yeah…” Yumika mumbled the last word on her situation. Still, I’m not ranking anything higher than a Genin for a little longer…

As they reentered the room, they found a match had concluded between Misumi Tsurugi and Kankurou. The three casually walked up the stairs onto the balcony and met with Team Seven. Nishiya was down below checking out the wounded opponent.

“Hey girls! Look who is back, Kakashi sensei!” Naruto pointed out once he caught sight of them. “Well he actually showed up after you three left…”

“We can see he’s back, Naruto,” Ayako said tiredly.

Kakashi immediately analyzed Yumika. “I heard you had quite a battle, Yumika. I see you recovered quickly.”

She looked at him with her yellow eyes that glowed with annoyance.

“Everything alright, now?” Nishiya flew over the railing, directing her question towards Yumika, and landed in-between the two teams.

She mumbled a yes and went to stand over the railing with her arms crossed over her chest.

“So… how’d this match go about?” Etsuyo asked watching the medics take out the guy in purple.

“Well that guy in the purple whose name is Misumi lost to that guy, Kankurou. We met him before the exams started when he decided to try and start a fight with us.” Sakura answered quickly, getting off topic a bit at the end. “Misumi was crushed by Kankurou’s puppet.” She finished.

“Indeed he was.” Nishiya confirmed. “His ribs were fractured and his upper arms are both broken. It seems he’ll be out of commission for a couple of months but he’ll heal and will be able to try again in the exams next time.”

“Yikes…strong puppet.” Etsuyo joked.

Ayako seemed confused. “What match are we even on? I’ve lost count since I’ve been in and out.”

“Um…we’re only on six.” Sakura told her.

An onyx eyebrow raised up her forehead. “Seriously?” She gave her a nod.

“I would’ve thought a lot more Genin would’ve faced off during the time I was gone.” Kakashi added.

“It seems the other villages have upgraded in ninja tactics.” Nishiya added intrigued.

“Obviously…” Ayako said dryly. “Things were taken care of much quicker when you two participated in the Chunin Exams, weren’t they?”

“Oh yeah…” They both agreed.

“But I bet I did better than you did…” Nishiya’s competitiveness began to ooze out of her skin.

“I was half the age these kids were when I entered and passed the exams.” He retorted.

She flicked a glare at him which he responded by simply staring back. “So? The younger you were, the easier the exams used to be. Besides, you probably had to continue carrying out lame missions with your team. When I graduated, I ended up being a bodyguard for the Mizukage.”

Sakura grunted. “Alright, Kakashi sensei and Nishiya sensei, leave the fighting to the Genin only. You’re not the ones who are trying to show your power.” She disciplined the adults as if she had the authority to. She faced away from all of them with her arms crossed over her chest.

Nishiya let out a short sigh before tearing her eyes away from Kakashi’s.

“What power could you possibly have to show?” Yumika retorted sourly. Sakura faced her and growled at her. She locked her stoic sunshine yellow eyes with frustrated mint green ones.

“Okay!” Ayako stepped in. “Enough with the stare-offs. Sheesh… the next match is about to begin.”

All seven turned to the center of the room and watched attentively as the next rounds seemed to fly by.

The two lucky people who were to face off were chosen by the panel above. It shuffled like always until it stopped with its bright yellow letters shining with Sakura Haruno vs. Ino Yamanaka.

“I’ll show you power I have.” She snorted at Yumika.

“Can’t wait…” She faked the enthusiasm which irked the girl even more.

It was a long match between two ex-best friends who had become rivals. Filled with punching, kicking, and the use of jutsus, the fight was quite intense being as you couldn’t tell which one of them would win. The two seemed quite equal in strength.

Harsh words were shared, the love for Sasuke was brought up, a slap to the face occurred, and hair was cut off with a kunai. At those moments, the match seemed more like a cat-fight with two girls fighting over a boy to show which one was more deserving and stronger, rather than what it was supposed to be: two kunoichi battling it out to move on and get closer to the chance of becoming Chunin.

Both girls fought to prove a point. That they were stronger than the other and that they have grown over the years. That when faced against one another, neither would back down. But at some point either Sakura or Ino had to lose. Everyone knew that and everyone waited to see which one would fall. But no one expected both of them to…
It happened when Ino cut off her hair long blonde hair and threw it all over the ground. She trapped Sakura, making her unable to move with rope made from her hair that was infused with her chakra. At that moment, she used her clan’s specialty: Mind Transfer Jutsu.

With her spirit incased in Sakura’s body, it seemed as though she had control and was going to end the match. But with Naruto blabbering loudly down to them, his voice seemed to reach Sakura’s inner spirit. And after a bit of a struggle within herself, she was motivated just enough to kick Ino out.

Finally the battle came to an end when both girls charged at each other, ready to punch and with their fists extended out, they both collided into each other, sliding apart. When they came to a stop, they tried to get back up, but unfortunately, they reached their limits and fell back down.

Asuma and Kakashi jumped down below to gather their student. Unconscious, Sakura and Ino were taken back onto the balcony where they were sat against the wall next to each other in an open area and quickly surrounded by Team Ten, Seven, and Shizen. Nishiya stepped up to examine them but was stopped by Asuma claiming they would wake up in a little while.

“Huh, I never would’ve expected either of them to do well.” Yumika stated quietly with Ayako and Etsuyo nodding in agreement.

With the last words said, the preliminaries continued.

Like usual, the panel shuffled until it landed on the next two people for match seven: Tenten vs. Temari

A match between two girls like the fight before. Only this battle was more one-sided than any of the others.

Tenten used her expertise in weapons to fight against the sand shinobi. But it wasn’t enough. With every weapon she threw, which was a tremendous amount, Temari easily dodged it by her special large fan.

In the end, Temari was victorious by taking down Tenten with a slicing tornado. It wasn’t a gleeful win. Lee, angry from the fight he saw, jumped down and scolded Temari for her ruthlessness. But he was simply shut down and the twos’ conflict was interrupted by the boy Ayako ran into before the written portion.

With that match settled, the rest of the battles continued.

Match eight was Shikamaru Nara vs. Kin Tsuchi

He was paired up to fight against Kin, the girl from the Sound shinobi team that Ayako and Lee faced off in the forest. And immediately when she saw that rotten girl’s name flash on the screen, she rooted for Shikamaru all the way.

It was a quick and easy fight between the two. Though, like most, it was a back and forth kind where one would have the upper hand and then it’d switch to the other person’s favor. In the beginning, Shikamaru seemed to have it in the bag, pushing Kin farther back with each move he made, until she made a move that would immobilize him.

Of course she’d be able to manipulate sound waves being from the Sound Village. And that’s exactly what she did when she threw two senbon, her choice of weapon, towards Shikamaru. He dodged the weapon, but he didn’t dodge the attack.

With two bells attached to the needles, and wire attached to the bells, Kin pulled the strings and shook the bells causing sound waves to infiltrate Shikimaru’s ears which threw him off balance.

Even so, his plan was still intact. With his Shadow Possession jutsu, he was able to use the tiny shadow created by the string to connect his with hers. And when she was in his grasp he took advantage of her surroundings. He threw shuriken forwards, which she’d have to copy, but at the last second he bent backwards and landed on his hands. Kin unwillingly copied and at the moment thought his move was a stupid one. That is until she hit her head hard against the wall instead of landing on her hands like Shikimaru. And that’s how he won.

The fight really let Shikamaru’s intelligence shine. No one really expected a lazy kid like him to be so strategic.

For the ninth time, the black panel shuffled through the remaining names. And finally, the name Team Shizen had been waiting for popped up. The match that involved their last teammate:

Etsuyo Terumi vs. Ikki Hironori!