My name is Maseru Haruno. When I was only an infant my parents abandoned me. The Haruno family found me on the streets and raised me as their own. When I was two, my mother gave birth to a young baby girl. They named her Sakura. Even though I was adopted she felt like a true sister to me. I entered the ninja academy when I was nine. Two days after I entered the academy my father died. When Sakura turned nine she entered the academy. That year I graduated and became a Gennin.

After that I was spending more time away from home. I began to take on tougher missions in order to support my family. At one point during a bodyguard mission a Chuunin from the Rain Village ambushed my squad. He was merciless and killed all of my squad members. I barely escaped the ninja with my life. He had placed a large gash on my right upper arm and lower left torso with a katana. Upon returning to the village I was hospitalized. Every day I was there Sakura came to visit me with a fresh bouquet of flowers. We had always been close and at the time she didn’t know that I was adopted. Every time she left she left she would give me a friendly kiss on the forehead. The doctors said my injuries would not normally be life threatening however I had traveled such a long distance to get there that I had suffered serious blood loss. I made a full recovery but I retain the scars from my wounds. I prefer to cover the scar on my right arm with bandages.

From that day on I started to take missions alone rather than join another squad. Occasionally I would accompany other squads if told to do so. At age thirteen I passed the Chuunin exams. When I was leaving the examinations he appeared before me in an instant. He was impressed by my skills in water style ninjutsu. He offered to teach me more advanced techniques. I gratefully accepted. From then on my amount knowledge of ninjutsu began to increase. After four months of training Kakashi-sensei told me that he had taught me every water technique that I was capable of. This shocked me as I had only learned about seven techniques from him. He encouraged me to create my own technique. I have not yet completed my technique but I am extremely close.

Today I am still a Chuunin. Sakura is now part of a three-man squad led by Kakashi. I still go to him for advice when I need it. (Mainly about girls…well a girl) You see I have a crush on one of the girls in the village. She’s not a ninja but she works in the Yamanaka flower shop. Her name is Akari Jushiro. She has long brown hair and wears a small pair of glasses. She usually wears a tank top with a semi short skirt. She almost constantly wears a smile on her face. She had been in the ninja academy at the same time as me. However she was unable to graduate because she had almost no ninjutsu skills. She dropped out of the academy and has worked at the Yamanaka Flower Shop since. She was a few months older than me however she was about four inches shorter than me. I have yet to ask her out even once. I hope that some time soon I get the courage to ask her out.

“…….Nii-san…….please wake up Nii-san………HEY MASERU!!!!”
“Wha-oof!” I grunted as I fell off the side of my bed.
“Ugh my head.” I said as I stifled a yawn. “Oh! Good morning Sakura.”

Apparently my younger sister Sakura had succeeded in waking me up. She was trying to hold back a laugh at the sight before her. Her older brother was sprawled on the floor before her.

“Good morning Nii-san” Said Sakura with a smile.
“Oh come on. Please call me by my name. You know I don’t like being called that.”
“Sorry Maseru but it’s a habit”
“Well you seem in a good mood this morning”
“You could say that.”

*Man. What could be so happy about?* I thought to myself. Its not my birthday or her’s for that matter. What could it be? I took a quick look at the clock at the side of my bed.

“HOLY CRAP IT’S ONE IN THE AFTERNOON!!!”, I yelled surprised that I had slept in.
“Yeah. When you got home from that mission last night you slept like a log.”, said Sakura still holding back a laugh.
“And you couldn’t wake me earlier?” I said slightly annoyed.
“Mom and I figured that you could use some rest”
“Oh well thanks”

There was a long pause after that. I still couldn’t figure out what was on her mind Untill…
“…Hey bro?” Sakura asked nervously.
“Yeah what’s up?”
“I kind of have a problem.”
“Well what is it?”
“Well you know I like Sasuke right?”
“Ugh! The emo kid? You know I still don’t get what you see in him.”

I had always disliked Sasuke. (Mainly because Sakura liked him.) But I couldn’t help but feel that we were similar. My parents abandoned me as a baby and his parents were killed when he was eight.

“Yea I know but you know Naruto right?”, Sakura said with a nervous tone in her voice.
“Ha! How could I not? All Iruka ever talks about is Naruto!” I said with a grin on my face.

Iruka was two years older than me but he had been my best friend since I became a Chuunin. Now Naruto is my kind of guy. I’ve begged him to teach me the Shadow Clone Jutsu but whenever I did he’d say, “Sorry but I’m not much of a teacher”.

“Well….I think I might be getting a crush on him….”
“Wait! Are you going to ME for dating advice?”
“…Well…kind of…so what do you think I should do?”
“Well do you still have feelings for Sasuke?”, I asked despite my dislike for Sasuke.
“Well maybe but-“
“KIDS LUNCH IS READY!!!”, Yelled our mom.
“We’ll be down in a sec mom” Yelled Sakura.
“Ok but hurry! Your lunch will get cold!”
“Listen I’ll talk to you about this later” I said tiredly.
“Ok well I’ll be seeing you then”
“Wait! Aren’t you going to have lunch?” I said confused.
“Nope. I have a mission body guarding some drunk named Tazuna. We’re bringing him to the Land of Waves so I’ll be gone for about a week.”
“Really? Well I guess ill be seeing you then.” I said with a worried tone in my voice.

Sakura had only JUST become a Gennin. I didn’t think that she was ready for a mission like this. The fact that Kakashi was with them helped a little bit. As Sakura headed downstairs I couldn’t help but feel that something was going to happen to her.

After lunch was finished I went out for a visit to see a friend of mine. It was time for our usual GO match.

As I was running I saw him sitting on the front steps of his house.
As I got closer I yelled, “Oi! Shikamaru! What’s up?”
Shikamaru looked away from the clouds long enough to spot me running towards him.
“Oh hey Maseru.”, he said calmly as he went back to staring at the clouds.
When I was close enough to speak in a normal tone I cut straight to the chase.
“Ok Shikamaru today’s the day! I’m finally going to beat you in a game of GO”
Shikamaru frowned at this “Oh come on. You’re never going to beat me. It would be such a drag anyways.”
“Man you really know how to kill the mood.”, I said disappointed

*He’s probably right though* I thought to myself. He is said to be the smartest Genin in his class despite his horrible grades in the academy.

“Ehhh whatever”, I said with a sigh. “So what’s up with you?”
“Nothing much, just relaxing”, He said still watching the clouds as usual.
“Hey. How’re Ino and Choji”, I asked not really caring.
“They’re doing ok actually”, He said in a relaxed tone.“By the way, I heard that Sakura’s going on a mission for the week.”
“Well you heard right. She left right before lunch.” I said with a nervous tone in my voice.
“What’s the matter Maseru? You should be happy. You got one less girl to deal with this week.”
“I know Shikamaru, but… I just have this feeling that something’s going to happen to her…”
“Relax man. Kakashi’s with her. She’ll be fine.”
“I know, but …I just can’t shake off this feeling…”

Chapter 2 Parting Gift
It had been about three days since Sakura had left for her mission. I was over my feelings of unease but still waited for her to write me. I felt like I had nothing better to do so I headed for the Hokage building where missions were assigned. I was bored and I felt in the mood for a workout so I took on a B-Ranked escort mission. The Man who gave me the mission told me that I needed at least one more Chuunin with me to take this mission. I figured that I’d ask Iruka if he wanted take a break from teaching at the academy to come with me. I practically sprinted to the academy. When I got there I spoke to the secretary.

“Excuse me Is Iruka around?”, I asked her politely.
“Oh hey Maseru. Well he’s teaching a class right now but he’ll be out in about five minutes.”
I had been here before so the secretary knew me. ,“Ok well I’ll wait here in that case.”
After five minutes passed I went looking for the room he was in. Eventually I found him in a room correcting tests. He hadn’t noticed me so I figured I’d give him a scare.

“…….HEY IRUKA!!!!”, I yelled into his ear.
Iruka yelled out in shock when I did this and he nearly fell out of his chair.
“MASERU!!!! WHAT THE HELL MAN!!??”
“Sorry! I just couldn’t help my self.” I said while desperately trying to hold back a laugh.
“Ehhh whatever…so did you want to ask me something?”, Asked Iruka curiously.
I immediately stopped laughing. “Yea I almost forgot! Do you feel up for a mission?”
“That depends. What rank?”
“B-Rank”, I said calmly.
“Ok I’m up for it”, said Iruka with a huge grin on his face. “so what’s the mission?”
“Were supposed to be escorting some woman to the Hidden Mist Village.” I said in a serious tone.
“Ok well I’ll meet you at the Village Gates at five ok?”, It was obvious that he had a lot of tests to correct.
“Ok well see yah”, I said as I was leaving the room.

On my way back home I noticed who was working at he Yamanaka Flower Shop today. It was Akari Jushin. In my opinion she was the most beautiful girl in the village. I had never actually asked her out because I was extremely shy. I felt like saying goodbye before I left for my mission so I stopped in for a while.

“Hey Akari.”, I said nervously.
“Oh! Hey Maseru. You need something?”
“Not really. I’m leaving for a mission later so I figured I might as well say goodbye.”
“Oh really? Well I think you could use a little parting gift.”
She reached behind the counter she was at and pulled out a beautiful blue rose in a small vase.
“WOW! That’s so cool! Where did you get it? Forget that. HOW did you get it?”, I was amazed that such a flower as this existed.
“Actually it just kind grew in with the other roses. No one else had noticed so I picked it and put it in this vase.”, She smiled when she said that.
I was amazed that she was just going to give me this beautiful flower.
“You really want me o have this?”, I asked, unsure of whether I should take it or not.
“Of course silly! I certainly can’t take care of it.”
“Right well anyways I guess ill be seeing you then.” I waved as I said goodbye.
When I arrived home I placed the blue rose on my windowsill. I started packing my various supplies for my mission. I was rather low on shuriken, but I was no good with the things anyways. I much preferred kunai. I packed myself some food and extra clothes. When I finished packing I set off for the gate. There Iruka and a woman dressed in a long green kimono were waiting for me.
“Hey Iruka. Are you ready for this!”, I asked. I was totally pumped for some action.
“Of course. By the way, this Rozu Kitsuji. She’s the woman we’re escorting to the Mist Village.”

I was surprised. She was a lot younger than I had expected. She must’ve been at most been in her twenties. She had long black hair with green eyes. She was about the same height as me, which shocked me because I’m only 14.

“Hello M’am. I will be your second escort for the trip.” I tried to act as polite as possible.
“Please call me Rozu.” She replied politely.
“Sure thing Rozu. Well I guess we should be heading out now.” The second I finished my sentence I had the guards open the gates to the village.
“Hang on a sec Iruka.” * various hand seals * “Water Style, Water Clone Jutsu!” At that moment two clones began to form from the moisture in the ground.
“You can never be too careful. Ok Iruka, Rozu, let’s go!”
And with that we set off for the Hidden Mist Village.

Little did we know that we were being watched…

Chapter 3 Asassin

“So two leaf ninja eh? Heh. This’ll be a challenge but I should be able to handle them.”, said a deep voice, “This’ll be over in a minute.”


I could hear very light rustling in the bushes beside us. I stopped dead in my tracks.
“Hey Iruka, take Rozu and the clones. Go on ahead of me.” I said calmly.
“Why? Is something wrong?” asked Iruka slightly worried now.
“No. I just have to use the bathroom. I’ll catch up in a minute.”
Iruka was a bit suspicious, but he did as I said and went on ahead of me at a rather fast pace.
“That was brave of you letting your comrades get a head start, but once I’m done with you they’ll be next.”
I turned to face the assassin that I had been aware of for some time now. He was from the land of lightning by the looks of it and he didn’t seem to be much older than I was.
“Who said that I’d let you by?” I said as I pulled out two kunai holding one in each hand.
“ Ha! You don’t know who you’re up against runt!” He said as he vanished.
I prepared myself for the worst only to be disappointed by his weakness. I felt him appear behind me. He barely managed to cut me on my left arm before I jumped up to a tree branch.
* Hand Seals * “Water Style, Jet Stream Jutsu!” I aimed my palms downward towards him. It was over in an instant. A large pulse of water erupted from between my palms. It hit him with such force that it had left a gaping bloody hole where his torso used to be.
He collapsed to the ground unable to breath, or speak for that matter.
“What was that about not knowing who I was up against?” I said to his near dead body.
I walked away feeling emotionless like I did whenever I killed someone.


“Iruka why are we running?” Rozu asked tripping over her kimono while trying to run alongside Iruka.
“I don’t think Maseru stopped just for a bathroom break. I think he found someone following us and he’s probably after you.” Iruka said in a serious tone.
“ What? Why didn’t you tell me before?”
“I didn’t have the time.” As I finished my sentence Maseru came up behind us panting.


As I finally caught up to Iruka, Rozu, and my clones I could see that they were worried. I dispelled the clones, as they used up too much chakra.
“Judging from the cut on your arm I’m guessing that I was right. We were followed right?” Said Iruka with a worried tone in his voice.
“Yeah. It was an assassin from the Land of Lightning. I’m guessing he was a Chuunin. He was alone so were safe for the moment.” I as tired from using so much chakra on my clones and the sun was setting. “I suggest we set up camp here.” I said, panting.
Iruka realized that we were all tired and agreed. As Iruka set up camp I found a river and began throwing kunai at jumping fish for dinner. When I returned our sleeping bags and Rozu’s tent were set up and Iruka had a fire going with Rozu beside him. When we were done with dinner Iruka and I began to discuss the possibility of another route due to the incident earlier. We ended up agreeing that we should simply stick to our current course.
The next day went with out problems. We arrived at the Hidden Mist Village where, apparently Rozu was a famous singer. We figured that we’d stay the night in a hotel.
The next morning we left for the leaf village. On our way back we ran into my sister’s squad. I figured that we’d drop in and say hi.
“Hey sis! What’s up!” I yelled to Sakura.
She whirled around surprised and happily ran towards me giving me a big hug. Naruto was shocked to see Iruka and I here. Naruto asked what we were doing here. We gladly told every one about the mission we had just finished, minus the battle with the assassin. Apparently they were headed back to the village as well. Once we were finished talking, Iruka and I set off at towards the Leaf Village.

Chapter 4 A New Day
I had finally arrived home after my mission escorting Rozu and frankly I was wiped out. I headed up to y room to get some rest. I removed my leather chest straps along with my shirt and lay down on my bed. I almost immediately notice the Blue Rose that Akari had given me before I left. It had not begun to wilt yet which was a good sign. I made a mental to transfer it to a pot tomorrow. After that I passed out from exhaustion.
The next morning I woke up to the annoying sound of my alarm clock. I nearly broke it as I smashed my fist down on the off button. About ten minutes of being unable to fall back asleep I finally got out of my bed. I dressed in my casual clothes, as I doubted that I was going to have any ninja duties today. I was wearing a T-shirt that read “NICE VIBE” across the front, as well as a pair of ripped jeans. Just in case, I figured that I’d at least take my kunai holster and forehead protector. When I came downstairs I didn’t really feel like having breakfast so instead I went to the backyard to plant my rose. Once that was finished I decided to go out to town. Almost immediately after I walked out the door someone ran into me knocking us both down.
“Hey why don’t you watch where you’re going!” It took me a minute to notice that it was Naruto who had knocked me down.
“Oops! Sorry about that Maseru! Actually I was just on my way to see you!”
“It’s ok. Wait, you wanted to see me? What for?”
“Well I kind of need some advice …” he said quietly.

I was really curious now because Naruto rarely came to me for advice unless it was really personal. He was practically like a little brother to me. Hell! Since he didn’t have any parents I was the one who had to teach him about the birds and the bees!

“Go ahead man. You can ask me anything.” I said with a smile.
“Well…I’m kind of thinking about asking Sakura out and I was wondering if you could give me some tips…”
Ok now I was just plain shocked.
“Well I think I think I can figure something out…Ok how’s this. Don’t do anything too hasty. Try asking her to spar with you sometime. If that doesn’t work just come see me again. Oh and a warning; she can be kind of rough.” I took a moment to catch my breath.
“Really? I didn’t think she’d go for something like that.” Naruto said, looking surprised.
“Trust me. I think I know my own sister.” I said confidently.
“Ok then I’ll give it a shot. I’ll tell you how things turn out later.” At that last comment he took off at full speed towards the training grounds. I turned and headed towards town wearing a smile. I was so caught up in my thoughts that I didn’t realize that I was being watched.

Chapter 5 Together
As I watched Naruto leave for the training grounds I started walking towards town. After a few minutes of walking I thought I heard footsteps behind me. I turned around only to be tackled to the ground.
“What the- ” I looked up at Akari standing over me with a satisfied look on her face.
“It’s about time you got back!” she said in a playfully annoyed voice.
“Akari? What are you doing here? Don’t you have work today?” I was rather nervous because as she was standing over me I could see up her skirt. Thankfully she didn’t notice.
“I have the day off today and I was wondering if you were busy?...” her voice trailed off slowly.
“Are you asking me out?” I asked confused. (GOD PLEASE SAY YES!!!!)
“Well…kind of….” She was blushing furiously now. “So will you?”
“Now what kind of guy would say no to a girl like you?” I had the largest grin on my face.
“So where do you want to go?” She asked still blushing.
“Hmmmm… How about the Ichiraku Ramen Bar?
“Are you kidding? I love that place. Let’s go!” She grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me off the ground.
I was surprised that she was so strong, seeing as she had dropped out of the academy at a young age. We arrived at the ramen bar ten minutes later. We both ordered the red-bean pork ramen, as this place was famous for it.
We both happily said “Itadakimasu!” I went through nearly four bowls while Akari was satisfied with just one. When we were done eating I told her about the mission I had just recently been on. She was impressed that I had taken down an Assassin so easily. When we were done talking we went outside for a walk. I had my arm around her and as we were walking I noticed a messenger hawk overhead. It had a scroll tied to it’s leg that read “Chuunin Exams”.
“Oh god why now of all times?” I said in an angry tone.
Akari looked up confused. “What’s up? Is something wrong?”
“Yeah. Apparently the Chuunin Exams are going to start soon. All chuunin and jounin are to report to the Hokage immediately.”
“AWWW you’ve got to be kidding me.” She had her pouting face on.
“I wish I was. I better get going. I have to get my ninja gear. I’ll see you tomorrow.” As I said this I planted a small kiss on her cheek and ran off towards my house. Once I was suited up I started sprinting to the Hokage building. When I had arrived, about half of the shinobi had already arrived. It figures seeing as I was considered to be faster than an average chuunin. Once everyone was here The Hokage took his seat at the front of the room.
“As I’m sure you have all noticed it is time for the chuunin exams again. I ask of all the jounin here to submit their squads for testing if you think they are prepared.”
A moment passed and about twenty jounin stepped forward. I noticed that one of them was Kakashi. I was about to intervene but Iruka beat me too it.
“Kakashi are you sure about this? Personally I don’t think that your squad is ready for this.” Said Iruka contently.
“I agree with Iruka. I know what my sister is capable of and frankly I don’t think that she’s ready for this.”
“…look guys I know you’re worried for them but trust me, they’ll be ok. To reassure you I want you, Iruka, to test them as you please. Just try to make it discreet.”
Iruka gladly took up his offer. When the meeting was over, I started to walk home. When I got home It was eight o’ clock I figured that I might as well get some rest. I didn’t even bother taking off my clothes. I just took off my kunai holster, headband, along with my chest straps and collapsed on my bed. Before I had fallen asleep Iruka landed on my windowsill with a tired look on his face. I immediately sat straight up. I was guessing that he had finished testing Naruto’s squad.
After a few moments he finally spoke “They passed. They’ll be taking he chuunin exams.”
I was a bit taken aback by this, but I was tired and decided I was too tired to argue.
“Is that so? It looks like Kakashi has been training them harder than we thought.”
With that said Iruka left, and I fell asleep.

Chapter 6 Partners?
The day after Iruka told me Sakura was taking the Chuunin exams, Sakura took the written first exam. To my surprise, she passed. I obviously knew the point of the first test and the tenth question already, but I never expected her to pass. Now I was worried. The second exam is the worst of them all and I almost didn’t make it through. I had found a squad dead with their scroll nearby. It was sheer luck that I had passed the second exam.
The day after the second exam began I received a scroll ordering me to report to the Hokage immediately. I didn’t waste any time because it sounded pretty urgent. Once I had arrived I stepped into the Hokage’s office.
“You called for me Lord Hokage?” I asked calmly.
“Ah Maseru. Good timing as usual. As you know you have been without a squad for a good two years now. I have come to a decision that this is to be no more. You will not be assigned another squad, but a partner. He is the same age as you and is also a Chuunin.”
I was utterly shocked by what he had said.
“Hekkuta!” Yelled the Hokage.
Almost immediately, a teenage boy about my height walked into the room. He wore the traditional green chuunin vest and purple undershirt. He had short black hair covered by a black leaf village bandana. He had a large hiltless katana with a rose colored sheath strapped to his back. It was nearly as long as his body!
“Maseru, this is Hekkuto Shunpo. He is currently the second fastest Chuunin in the village. He-“
Hekkuto cut off the Hokage.“-So you’re the Maseru Lord Hokage told me about. I’ve got to say, you’re not exactly what I expected.”
“I get that a lot.” I said slightly annoyed. I had a feeling that he was talking about my orange hair.
“Ok I’m not entirely sure about this. Is he really as good as you say he is?” Said Hekkuta slightly annoyed. Was he insulting me or was he really that strong?
“Hey Lord Hokage, could we borrow the arena?” He asked contently.
“That depends. What are you planning to use it for?” The Hokage asked curiously.
“ I want to battle Maseru to see how strong he is. That’s ok with you isn’t it Maseru?”
“ Yeah but I wont hold back.” I was grinning from excitement.
“Well Lord Hokage? Could we borrow the arena for an hour or two?” asked Hekkuto.
“…Very well. We will have the arena ready in an hour. To avoid unnecessary injuries I will have a squad of medical ninja on standby outside the arena. I suggest that you two go home to prepare for your battle.” Once he was finished speaking we each thanked him and set off to our respective homes. On my way home I spotted Akari leaving the Yamanaka Flower Shop.
“ HEY! AKARI!” I yelled as I ran towards her. When I reached he she embraced me in a large hug.
“Hey what’s up? You look pretty excited.” She was really curious.
“I’m headed home to get supplies. I’m going to have a battle with some guy that the Hokage wants to be my partner. We’ll be at the arena for a while… Do you want to come watch?”
“Of course! I haven’t seen you in action since the academy days!” She said excited.
Ok I’ll meet you outside the stadium in thirty minutes. See you then.”
Once I got home I grabbed a fresh supply of kunai along with a small scroll, which I pocketed for later use. Once I had everything that I needed I headed out for the arena. I was beginning to think of some battle strategies varying on what kind of fighter he was.
When I arrived at the arena I found hat Akari was in the stands along with the Hokage, Kakashi, and Iruka. Standing at the center of the arena field was a man known as Hayate Gekko. He was the proctor for the third exam in the chuunin exams. Standing a few feet away from him was Hekkuta. I stepped forward o face him.
“Are both combatants ready?” We both nodded our heads.
“Ok then…and…BEGIN!”

Chapter 7 Partners Pt 2

“Ok…and…BEGIN!” Hayate took ten large steps so that he would not get in our way.
Ok. Time to see if he really is the second fastest Chuunin. * I thought to myself.
I nearly ripped a pair of kunai out of my holster and threw them at him. An instant later he had his Katana in his hand, which he had used to block the two kunai.
* Well he’s got to have some serious strength to hold that massive sword with one hand. Ok let’s turn it up a notch. *
(Hand seals) “Water style, Rain of Needles Jutsu!” A black cloud started to form in the sky. Seconds later a shower of needles began to fall towards Hekkuta He simply stood his ground and with one swing of his sword, split the shower of needles along with the cloud. * Wow he’s a bit better than I thought. * I pulled out another set of kunai taking one in each hand waiting for him to make his move. He vanished instantly appearing behind me with his sword around my neck.
“You know there are two reasons that I carry this sword. The first is because it is such a great weapon. The second is to slow me down so my opponent can actually see my movements.” He said with a smirk on his face. Before I could react he had vanished again and had appeared at his original spot on the other side of the arena. I was getting annoyed.
“Do you want to see something interesting?” I asked with a grin on my face.
He had a confused look on his face. I slowly pulled out a scroll from my pocket. I slit one of my thumbs with a kunai. I opened the scroll and made a long streak of blood across the length of it. I was immediately shrouded in a large cloud of smoke.


* What the heck is he planning? * Hekkuta thought, as Maseru pulled out a scroll from his pocket. He watch in awe as Maseru slid his thumb down the length of the scroll , leaving a trail of crimson ink. A large cloud of smoke instantly erupted around him.
* Damn it. I guess I’ll have to wait. * He thought, disappointed. As he the smoke cleared he stared, wide eyed, at what he saw.


“Ninja Art, Great Ice Fang!” I was holding a large white scythe made of Ice in my hand. A large spiked gauntlet of ice had covered half of my right arm.
“I should warn you Hekkuta, I can’t control this technique very well yet.” I said grinning. I slammed the butt of the scythe into the ground. “Grand Frozen Lake!” The dirt beneath our feet began to turn to ice so smooth that I could see my reflection in it. I could see that Hekkuta was having trouble standing. I done this before so I knew how to keep my balance. I vanished, appearing behind him. I made a gash in his right arm. Before Hekkuta could even groan in pain, the wound filled with ice. He screamed in agony from the pain of the ice in his arm.
“I created this technique originally for interrogation purposes. However I have found much more practical uses or it. Like getting my opponents to surrender so I don’t have to kill them. I dislike to kill others, but if it is necessary I will.”
Hekkuta was still in great deals of pain from what I could see and I doubted that He would be able to wield his sword properly with the injury I had given him. I simply stared at him or what seemed like hours.
“Fine… I surrender.” Hekkuta said, hanging his head in defeat.
“Good” I said smiling. A medical ninja squad dashed in from the outside of the arena.
“ Hey bandage his right arm where all that ice is for me.” I said calmly.
The medical Ninja complied. Once his arm was bandaged I snapped my fingers and the ice on the field, the scythe in my hand, and the ice in Hekkuta’s wound vanished in cloud of steam. When the ice in Hekkuta’s arm was gone the bandages covering his arm started to turn a light shade of red. No blood leaked through, but I could tell that his arm would be ok. He would be probably be scarred just like me just like I was, years ago

Chapter 8 Blood Enemies, Good Friends
After the fight between Hekkuta and I, Hekkuta was sent to the hospital. It was two days after our fight and I figured I'd go see him. I haven't spoken to him since the fight ended. I put on my ninja gear and headed out. Once I arrived at the hospital I spoke to the woman at the front desk.
"Hi I'm here to see Shunpo, Hekkuta." I said sincerely.
"The Shunpo Boy? He checked out this morning. If you like I could give you his address."
"That'd be great, thank you." Once I had his address I left and headed out for his house, which was apparently near the gates of the village. When I arrived, I was shocked by the fact that he lived in an apartment building.
"Ok so apartment number...101." I found his apartment and knocked at the door. Hekkuta opened the door.
"Hey partner!" He said with a grin on his face. I would've thought that he'd be angry at me for the fight.
" Hey! Wait, aren't you mad at me for what I did to you?" I asked slightly confused.
"Nah! Hell, I asked for it! I should've listened to Lord Hokage when he told me how powerful you were."
"I can't argue with that" I said, "mind if I come in?"
"Sure go ahead, but I hope you don't mind that the place is a mess." He said.
"Please! I can't even see the floor of my room." I said, laughing.
"Ah! TouchÇ!" He said grinning.
I took a seat on a couch inside, while Hekkuta took a seat in an armchair across the room.
"Ok this has been bothering me since the match. You didn't use a single ninjutsu during the fight. Don't tell me you can't use ninjutsu." I said, curious of his real fighting styles."
"Oh believe me I can, but the thing is if even one of my techniques had hit you you'd be dead right now."
I had a black stare on my face at this point. Was he serious?
"You see I use lightning techniques. If I had hit you, the best case scenario would've been you getting paralyzed."
I couldn't believe that he hadn't even been fighting me at full power. He still had an arsenal of ninjutsu up his sleeve.
"Wow. I guess you are more powerful than I thought..." I noticed I picture of what looked like a father and his son enjoying a game of catch. I looked away then quickly looked back realizing who the father was.
"HEKKUTA! Who is the man in this picture?" I asked, half yelling.
"What? My father? He abandoned this village five years ago. Why?"
I couldn't believe what I was finding out. My partner's father was...
"Hekkuta..." I ripped off the bandages off of my right arm. "Your father killed my closest friends. He gave me this as a parting gift!!!" The large scar running across my right arm was now exposed, the scar that had been given to me by the man who had killed my squad. Hekkuta just sat there with a look of horror on his face realizing that his father was a true enemy of Konoha.

Chapter 9 The Festival

It had been about a month since Hekkuta and I had found out about the incident with his father. Since then Hekkuta had devoted himself to finding his father to bring him back to Konoha. He had asked the Hokage for information but to no avail. Whenever he and I went off on a distant mission he would take time after to search for information on his father in nearby villages. So far we have not found any information.

***
“Hey sis, were you in my room earlier?” I asked curious as to how my room got so messy while I was out.
“Oh yeah sorry about that. I was hoping to find a costume for the festival tomorrow.” Said Sakura slightly embarrassed.
“Oh crap! I forgot about the costume festival!”

I couldn’t believe I forgot. Every year right before the final round of the Chuunin exams there is a costume festival. I needed to find a costume and fast…Or I could just.
“Hey Sakura I’m going out for a while. Can you tell mom when she gets home?” I half asked.
Before she could even answer I had jumped from my window to a nearby rooftop. I knew someone I could get a costume from. After sprinting across town I finally came to the place I was looking for. I figured there was no point in knocking since I much preferred the window. I landed on the windowsill of what looked like a typical teenage girl’s room.
“HEY AHARI! ARE YOU HERE?” I yelled, seeing as the room was empty.
I heard footsteps coming towards the room. I was shocked to see Akari wrapped in a bathroom towel.
“WHA-!! MASERU!!! WHAT THE HELL!!! GET OUT!!!” she shoved me off the windowsill and I fell backwards onto a bare bush next to the house. Some of my clothing was torn but I was ok. I was blushing furiously at what I had just seen. I’d never really seen Akari naked. Half of me was slightly ashamed for being such a pervert, but the other half found it extremely attractive.
After five minutes of just sitting there in the bush Akari poked her head out of the window. She was wearing clothes again. “Hey, sorry about that. Are you okay?” She asked, as if nothing had happened.
“Yeah I’m fine but my shirt is trashed. Hey I’ve got to ask you a favor if you don’t mind.”
“Ummm sure. Come on in.”
I didn’t need to be told twice. I took a large jump up to the windowsill of Akari’s room.
“Ok so what did you want to ask me about?” I could tell that she was curious.
“Listen I know this is kind of last minute, but do you think that you could make me a costume for the festival?”
“ Depends. What kind of costume?” She sounded pretty interested.
“ Anything goes. I just need a costume.” I tried not to sound desperate.
“Well I do have something already made that I was going to sell to a costume store, but I suppose that I could give it to you.” She went over to her closet and pulled out a blacked out plastic clothes-hanging bag. “Ok it’s about your size so while I go dry my hair try it on.” She headed downstairs leaving me alone in her room. I put on the costume and I was shocked to see that Akari was right. The costume was just my size. It was basically a brown shirt with a blue vest and a waist length cape. There was also a rather strange blue hat that looked like it had been torn in half, but when I tried it on I thought that the costume looked rather nice. When Akari came back up she looked at me like she had just won a million dollars. “OH! It’s a perfect fit!” She immediately ran over to me and gave me a rather large hug. I was a bit surprised at first, but I returned her embrace. I never wanted that moment to end. She looked up from our embrace and she gave me a sweet kiss on the lips.
“Well? Do you like it?” she asked in a soft tone.
“ How could I not? But I do have one question. Who…is this supposed to be?”
“Oh! I forgot to tell you. This is a costume of Sir Aaron, a character from one of my favorite movies.”
“I see…Well thanks for the costume. I guess I’d better get going. I promised Hekkuta that I’d meet him…five minutes ago?” I was staring at the clock on the wall. I practically ripped off my costume and changed into my ninja gear. I noticed that Akari was staring at me while I changed with an almost hypnotized look on her face.
“See you later Akari!” I yelled as I jumped from her window.

“Let the Festival Begin!” The Hokage shouted. It was finally time for the festival. I was wearing the Costume that Akari had made for me. Akari was late for like the billionth time this month! She’s been really busy lately since she’s been making all sorts of jewelry to sell. I was torn from my thoughts with a strong tackle to my back.
“You let your guard down for once!” Akari was standing over me wearing what looked like a large pink cat costume.
“Lucky shot” I muttered. A lot of people were staring at us now. I noticed one ninja in particular who seemed to be on guard duty. He looked strangely familiar but I couldn’t recall who he was. As I got up I noticed what he was wearing. He was wearing a black mask that covered all of his face below his nose. He also wore a black leaf village bandana and he had long red hair, but what caught my attention was the symbol on his shirt. It was an orange spiral with a red streak in it. Seeing that, I knew who he was. I slowly approached him.
“Zeiuku Bakuhatsu? I haven’t seen you since the Chuunin Exams.” I said with a grin on my face.
“Same to you Maseru.” He said in a cheerful tone. He was a few inches taller than me but we were about the same age.
“Maseru? You know this guy?” Akari asked, clearly confused.
“What? Don’t tell me that you don’t remember Zeiuku! He took the Chuunin Exams the same year I did.” I tried to refresh Akari’s memory.
“Wait a sec…Bomb Boy Zeiuku? You were always making smoke bombs when we were academy students. You’re a Chuunin now?”
“Actually I’m an ANBU. I guess you could say that I’ve still got that knack for explosives.”
“WHAT THE- you’re an ANBU? Since when?” I asked, utterly shocked.
“It’s been about a month now. If you’re wondering why I don’t have a katana, it’s because I seal mine in a scroll when I’m not using it.” He was nervous. I could tell.
“Really? Well then I guess you’ll have to spar with me sometime. I’ll talk to you later. I’ve got some things to do.”
From then on it was carnival games galore as Akari and I trekked through the village. Occasionally we stopped for a bite to eat. That is, until it happened.
“Oh! Oh! Maseru I just love that cat plushy cat! Do you think you could win it for me?” She asked excitedly, clearly having a sugar rush.
“Sure thing. Hang on a sec.” I paid the man at the stand and he gave me three small shuriken. To win the Cat I had to get perfect bull’s-eyes on all three targets. I was horrible with shuriken so this would be a challenge for me. I somehow nailed all three targets and the man reluctantly handed over the large cat.
“ Here you go Aka-huh?” Akari was gone. “ Akari…Akari?” I leapt to a nearby rooftop trying to get a better view of the streets. Down the streets I saw something that had confirmed my fears. A dark clothed man was dragging Akari into an alley. I ran as fast as I could to catch up. I came across Zeiuku and yelled for him to follow me. He ran beside me as I told him what had happened. When I told him where she was he nearly vanished as he sprinted ahead of me. When I arrived at the alley I was relieved to see Zeiuku sitting on top of the man who I saw was from the Sand Village. I looked beside him to see Akari with a large bruise on her left cheek.
“Akari! Are you all right?” I was practically yelling as I ran to her.
She looked at me and gave me a small grin. ”Oh I’m fine”
“This guy was knocked out when I got here.” Said Zeiuku.
“What? So then…Akari? You-“
“Hey you’re not the only one that’s strong around here” She had a big smirk on her face.
“Ok come with me. I’m taking you home. You should get that bruise on your face checked out. Zeiuku I want you to take this guy to the interrogation squad. I want to know what this guy was doing here and why he was attacking an allied village citizen.”
“I’m on it.” With that said he and the man disappeared. Akari and I started walking towards her house.
“Hey Maseru. I have a favor to ask you.”
“Yeah? What is it?” I was curious as to what she wanted as it probably had to do with what just happened.
“ What just happened back there; I don’t want it to happen again. I’ve got a little bit of strength but that’s about it. What I’m trying to ask is if you would mind teaching me some ninjutsu.” I was shocked at what she had just asked me. She had dropped out of Ninja Academy for lack of genjutsu and ninjutsu. Now that I thought about it, there weren’t any laws against teaching someone ninja arts.
“Ok I’ll teach you what ninjutsu that I can but genjutsu isn’t really my thing.”
“Fine. Just as long as I get SOME kind of self defense.” I laughed when she said that. It wasn’t necessarily what she said. I had just realized that her pants were torn in the back. A result of the fight? I think not!

Chapter 11 Invasion

Today was the day. The final round of the Chuunin exams were today. I had been planning for this day ever since I had heard that Orochimaru had been spotted in the village. He wouldn’t pass up an opportunity like this. Nearly the entire village was in the stadium today. I was sitting in the front rows alongside Hekkuta. We were both prepared for combat if necessary. Unfortunately, we were right to be prepared. During the final match a genjutsu overcame the crowd. I had fallen into it, however Hekkuta released me. Sound and Sand Ninja were filling the arena.

We immediately began to fight them off. I could see that Kakashi and Guy were also in the fight. Since Zeiuku was an ANBU, I guessed that he was trying to protect the Hokage however he could. I wasn’t going to hold back. I took a pure white scroll from my pocket. I took some blood and smeared it along its length.
“Great Ice Fang!” I shouted. Seconds later the great scythe had formed in my hand.
I could see that Hekkuta had drawn his sword. However he was channeling lightning chakra through it.
“ Thunder Guillotine.” Was all I heard him say before ten sound ninja dropped dead in front of us. Each of them had a large gash across their chest. Now I knew that if he even landed one blow on an enemy they could kiss their life g-o-o-d bye. We swept through the audience eliminating any sound ninja that we saw. We would occasionally obtain a few scratches but nothing too serious. We eventually met up with Kakashi.
“Kakashi! I’m guessing this is the doing of Orochimaru!”
“You think?” he said in a rather sarcastic voice. “Just look up! He’s fighting the Hokage!”
“Figures. I always knew that he’d end up fighting him one day.” Just then I remembered something that caught me off guard.
“Kakashi! WHERE’S SAKURA???” I had seen Sasuke chase after that Gaara kid. Now I was wondering if she had gone with him.
“ I sent her, Naruto, Shikamaru, and Pakun after Sasuke!” he told me rather discretely.
“What? Are you MAD?!” Just then a sound ninja had tried to attack us from behind, only to be cut by my scythe. “I could understand if you had sent Naruto and Shikamaru, but Sakura?” I said somewhat angry. I knew what Sakura was capable of and this was not in her skill range.
“Don’t worry. You saw what Naruto and Shikamaru are capable of. She’ll be fine.”

Another hour of fighting passed by. I had a few large cuts across my legs. Hekkuta had similar wounds and was becoming exhausted. I wondered if the fighting would ever end. Suddenly I saw the barrier surrounding Orochimaru and the Hokage fade. I saw Orochimaru being carried out by his henchmen. What I saw next horrified me. The Third Hokage…was dead. The Sound and Sand Ninja immediately began to retreat. We had survived the battle, but Orochimaru had won the war.

Chapter 12 Messenger

It’s been a month since the Hokage died in Orochimaru’s invasion. The Leaf village managed to drive all the sound ninja out of the village. We have formed an alliance with the sand village who’s Kazekage was also assassinated by Orochimaru. The new Hokage has been introduced as Tsunade. I’m heading back to the village after completing a mission with Hekkuta and Akari who was now a genin. I cant help but get the feeling that we’re about to be changed forever.


“Jeez I’m tired. Hey guys do you think we could stop for a rest?” I asked quite tired from walking such a distance.
“Sure thing. I could use a rest.” Said Akari, quite tired as well.
“Well I don’t know about you two but I’m heading back to the village. Ill get the payment and give you your shares later.” Hekkuta said before sprinting back to the village.
“Man, it’s no wonder he’s the second fastest chuunin in the village.” I said utterly shocked that he could still run.
“Well….”started Akari, “at least were alone now” she said with a small grin.
“True”, I said. I sat down next to her and kissed her deeply. Once I broke the kiss I stood up. “But we really should head back to the village soon.”
“Oh fine.” She said somewhat whining.

At the moment before we left I turned around to see a somewhat tall figure that I recognized instantly. “We need to talk.” He spoke. Instinctively I pulled out a set of Kunai. “I am not here to fight.” He spoke in a soft tone. The man was about my height yet I could tell that he was older than me. I dropped my kunai and let them fall to the ground. The man was dressed in a red and black flame shirt with grey pants and a grey scarf plated with a scratched out Leaf Village forehead protector. He also had very dark skin.

“What could you want to talk to me about, Tajju Kuroshiro?”
Needless to say Akari was completely clueless as to whom this was.
“ Maseru who is he?” she asked, clearly nervous. Although I had taught her to fight, she had never fought another shinobi.
“This is Tajju Kuroshiro, A-Rank Criminal, found guilty of aiding Uchiha Itachi in the slaughter of the Uchiha clan.” I said in a somewhat serious tone.
“I see you still remember me then. Well, I am not here to fight. I ask that you do me a favor Maseru. Please ask your friend to leave.” He spoke clearly.
“Are you stupid? I would never leave Maseru alone with an A-Rank Criminal!” Akari shouted angrily.
“Akari!” I shouted angrily. “Please leave us be. Head back to the village and tell Hekkuta what happened.” I said calmly. She was taken aback at first, but understood.
“Ok…. Just make sure that you come back alive,” she said, and with that she had gone.
“You should be happy to have such good friends.” Tajju spoke softly.
“Enough yapping! What do you want?!” I yelled angrily.
“Before that, I wish to tell you something. Itachi was a mere friend of mine. I never had anything else to do with the Uchihas. In fact I hate him for what he has done. He left and I was taking almost all of the blame for it. Do not associate me with such scum.”
“ Why should I believe you?” I asked sternly.
“Fine then,” He reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a large envelope.
“This contains information that I wish to be delivered to the Hokage. It is a list of members of the organization, Akatsuki. There is also a proposal I wish for the Hokage to read.” He dropped the letter and took a few steps back. I went and picked it up. I noticed that the letter had an explosive note with a strange crystal marking on it.
“You are not to open this letter until the Hokage is in your presence. You see, she possesses the key to that envelope. If anyone other than her opens that envelope, the seal will burn it to ashes.” He explained calmly. “…It also contains information regarding your heritage.” He spoke softly.
I froze where I was. If what he had just said were true then I would finally know the identity of my true parents. I would have a family.
“ I suggest that you get going.” he said. “It will be dark soon.”
“…I will see to it immediately.” I spoke shaking with excitement. With that Tajju disappeared before my eyes. I turned and began to run back to the village. I only hoped that he was telling the truth.

Chapter 13 The Message

I couldn’t believe what was happening. I was running up the stairs of the Hokage’s building carrying an envelope, which I was told, to deliver to the Hokage herself by a criminal exiled from this village. That, however, didn’t concern me because in this envelope was information on my birth parents. I only there wasn’t this damn seal on it. If I opened it now it’d apparently burst into flames. As I reached the top of the stairs I found the door I was looking for.

Maseru: Lord Hokage I need to speak with you!
Tsunade: Come in.

I ran into the room completely out of breath.

Maseru: Lord Hokage I have just returned from completing my mission in the Land of Lightning. As I was returning, however, Akari and I were confronted by Rank-A Criminal Tajju Kuroshiro. * I handed the envelope * He told me to deliver this to you.

Tsunade: Did he specify what was in the envelope?

Maseru: He did. He told me that it contained various information which could be useful to the village. He claims to have a list of members of the organization Akatsuki. Also, he says that there is information on my birth parents.

Tsunade: and you didn’t open it?

Maseru: I couldn’t. Look. * I flipped over the envelope * It has a seal on it. If I opened this it would burst into flame. Apparently you are the only one who can undo it.

Tsunade: How the hell did he find this seal? Damn. Well I don’t have the key anymore. I gave it to someone else.

Maseru: What?!

Tsunade: Don’t worry I’ll find him. All I ask is that you return here in one hour.

Maseru: Ok. Umm Lord Hokage. Would you mind if I brought some people with me when I come back?

Tsunade: Very Well but don’t bring the entire village with you. I don’t want anyone to know about this yet.

Maseru: Got it. I’ll meet you here in an hour. *and with that I left the room to return home.

I returned at the office within five minutes of the hour. Behind me were Zeiuku, Hekkuta, Sakura, my mom, and Akari. The Office was filled with ANBU agents, but what caught my attention was the Hokage. More importantly, Naruto was standing next to her handing her what looked like a crystal necklace.

Tsunade: Attention everyone! I have called you here today to inform you that wehave received communication from criminal Tajju Kuroshiro. He has given us an envelope which he claims contains information on the Akatsuki and various other information which is usable to the Leaf Village. I will open the envelope now.

* Tsunade placed the necklace that Naruto had given her on the seal on the envelope. The seal flashed once and split it two. Tsunade slid the contents of the envelope onto her desk. There were varios papers inside which seemed to be profiled on other ninja. The first paper she picked up was a list of Missing Ninja and their location. There was also a list of names which upon seeing, she quickly placed in a drawer in her desk. After sifting through various papers she stopped as she had found another envelope in the mess.it was small yet, it seemed to be slightly thick. On it’s front it read “PRIVATE, To be read by Maseru Haruno”. Tsunade tossed the envelope to me before sifting through more papers.*

Maseru: This must be it... I’m so nervous... * I slowly opened the envelopeand pulled out three papers. The first seemed to be hand written. It was from Tajju. *

Dear Maseru,
If you’re reading this then congratulation, you’re about to learn whom your birth parents are. However, I should probably warn you. Your father is dead. Enclosed in the envelope was his forehead protector. – I reached into the envelope and pulled out what seemed to be a Hidden Waterfall Village Headband. – I am very sorry for this occurrence. However, if you wish to seek out your mother, you may. Her location is listed in her profile.
, Sincerely
Tajju Kuroshiro

I looked at the other two papers to find that they were vague profiles on two Waterfall shinobi. Their names were Maki Hitoame (deceased) and Shoufuu Hitoame. Neither profiles contained pictures. Clutching my father’s headband to my chest I made a decision. I was going to find my mother.