“My silly comrades- Kukuku-“ Sasuke laughed. “Look at how much more powerful I am now! I wonder how much more powerful I will be when I release the seal.”
“Sasuke! Orochimaru only wants your body! Listen to me!”
“Kukuku- he calls. Goodbye my silly comarade,” he cackled and leaped away. “Before I forget, here’s a farewell gift for you!” Turning round he threw his stash of Kunai and shurikens.
‘There’s too many!’ Naruto thought “Urgh!”
>>>>>>
He shot up in bed dripping with cold sweat. The recollection of what happened four years ago still haunted him like a nightmare refusing to disappear. Slowly, he donned his Jounin uniform, his mind still musing on the past. As he reached the memorial, he saw a pink haired lady standing in front of the large stone. “Sakura-chan?”
“I don’t want to see your name here-” she said as she traced Chouji’s engraved name. “Bring him back safe, Naruto,” she said in a voice choked with tears. “Come-” she struggled to keep her voice under control. “Come back safe too, I don’t want to lose another teammate either.”
“I will. Don’t worry with him,” Naruto reassured placing his hand carefully on her shoulder and wiped her tears away with his index finger. Four years ago, she was taller than him. Now he towered over her. She gave him an awkward hug. “You better start training, Medic Ninja.” She gave a slight smile and walked away.
“This is a S-class mission. Infilterate Sound village and bring back Sasuke. Orochimaru holds his will. Whatever you do, you must not let Sasuke continue to be with Orochimaru,” Tsunade said. “Kill him if you have to and bring his body back.”
“Tsunade-“ Naruto started.
“These are your orders,” Tsunade interrupted frowning.
“But-”
“You may go.”
Naruto bowed and left.
Her face lit up as she saw the tall blond guy come round the bend. A light pink tinge crept onto her face as he drew closer. “Naruto-kun!” she shouted and bounced happily towards him. “I was waiting for you. I heard that you were leaving,” she said.
“I was- just about to visit you,” he said shyly. ‘I wanted to see your smile before I left. Not even sure I’ll be back,’ Naruto thought gloomily.
“This is for you, Naruto-kun,” she said passing a bottle of ointment.
“Thank you,” he smiled slightly. He continued holding on her petite hands before puller her closer and giving a chaste kiss on her forehead. He smelled her strawberry scented hair as he released her. “I got to go now, Hyuuga-sama,” he laughed and walked away.
“Naruto-kun,” she said grasping his arm and on her tip-toes quickly gave a peck on his cheek. “I want to see you back safe,” she told him before running away, her face a deep shade of hue.
>>>>>>
“Akamaru! Let’s go! Bye mum!” Kiba yelled, slamming the door as he left. ‘I can’t believe I’m embarking on this mission again! I’m not sure I can do it- heh, just do my best. After all the Senin will be there,’ he laughed. For no apparent reason, he remembered a party where Hinata had turned drunk. She started scolding Naruto and shouting to everyone that Naruto passed his determination and spirit to everyone while he became cold and pessimistic.
“I wonder how strong he has become since then,” he muttered.
>>>>>>
Kurenai tapped her feet impatiently. All of them were waiting for one last person and it was way past their agreed meeting time. She mentally screamed in her head in frustration as another hour crawled past. Kiba seemed to be engrossed in a book and upon narrowing her eyes in an attempt to read it. She realized the words on the book said ‘Come come paradise’. She grabbed the book out of his hands and flung it far away. “I think you have been hanging out way too much with Kakashi,” she declared.
“Hey! My book! I was bored!” Kiba indignantly yelled. “Here!” she said and thrust him a book.
He took it and groaned. “A thousand and one herbs?! I’m better off sleeping like Naruto over there is doing.”
“Huh?” Naruto mumbled and sat up. “Oh, he’s finally here.”
“Suman!” Jiraiya said unapologetically.
—–
Ameki unrelentingly kicked the wooden pillar. ‘I’m too weak!’ she scolded herself mentally. Exhausted, she slumped by the almost broken pillar.
“Hoi! Ameki!” Kotetsu yelled.
“Kotetsu-onisan,” she said struggling to stand up.
“Here’s dinner for you.”
“Thank you-”
“I heard Kakashi is your teacher-” She nodded wondering what he was about to say. “It doesn’t matter what your result is, but it’s how you fight it- ” Kotetsu said. “Haha, I’m not making much sense am I?” he chuckled. “Anyway, don’t tell anyone I said it- Come let carry you home. Don’t think you have much energy left,” he said smilingly and piggybacked her home.
>>>>>>
Kakashi looked at Konohamaru’s eager face, Udoso’s tense face and finally resting on Ameki’s strangely placid face. ‘I wonder what she is after-’ he thought. “Today’s test is to get these two bells from me,” he explained.
‘That’s not too difficult-’ Konohamaru thought. Konohamaru drew his kunai and rushed at Kakashi, without even blinding Kakashi appearing behind him. “Sen Nen Dorushi!” and he stabbed Konohamaru’s butt causing Konohamaru to fly into the air. Upon seeing this, Ameki grabbed Udoso and fled into the bushes.
“Be quiet, we find Konohamaru first,” she said. They found some way off, headfirst into the sand.
“Konohamaru-kun-” Udoso said as he pulled Konohamaru out.
“Ohh- I’m going to beat the crap out of that-”
“That jounin? That jounin which is the best in the village? We can’t beat him yourself can’t you see?” Ameki said as Konohamaru stomped off in Kakashi’s direction.
“Humph, I don’t need a girl to tell me what I should do and what I shouldn’t do,” Konohamaru defiantly said.
“Think about it, we’re all fresh genin. Chances are that even if we three fight together, we might not even defeat him.”
Konohamaru scowled angrily at her. As much as he hated to admit she was right, he had to. “Fine, what’s your brilliant plan?” he sneered at her.
“He’s very fast. So we have to take advantage of that, we’ll have to-”
Kakashi watched them from the treetop. Though he couldn’t hear a single word they said, he found them highly amusing. Very seldom did two enemies would agree to work together. He leaned back to watch his clone.
>>>>>>
“Kakashi-sensei- I think that you’re too good for us. I give up-” Udoso said. “Please don’t tell them that I told you I gave up-” Kakashi raised an eyebrow.
“Now!” Ameki yelled. Three Konohamaru rushed at Kakashi and grabbed him while Udoso attempted to grab the bells. Quickly he used the replacement technique appearing on the branch of the tree behind him to watch the scene. “Sorry Kakashi-sensei-” Ameki mumbled. Her hand stretched out from the shadow on the branch to grab the bells.
‘Shit!’
Kakashi immediately jumped off the branch only to be confronted by Konohamaru’s clones. “Impressive display of teamwork, you passed,” Kakashi calmly said.
“We passed!” Konohamaru yelled bouncing around. A ghost of a smile lingered on Ameki’s face.
“Interesting jutsu you used there,” Kakashi commented appearing beside her. “Few genin can use ninjutsu let alone a relativity difficult one.”
“Thank you,” she said.
“I didn’t know your clan specialized in earth,” Kakashi said.
She stiffened. “They don’t,” she replied tersely. “When do we start training?”
“Tomorrow, I’ll have to write my report first.”
>>>>>>
Kakashi paused outside Tsunade’s office. “She’s inside,” Kotetsu said. “Wait for a while though.”
“Ameki is your sister, isn’t she?” Kakashi asked.
Kotetsu nodded with a big grin on his face. “So how did she fare?”
“She’s quite smart, very quiet. She used the Earth shadow Jutsu on me. It was pretty surprising.”
“Earth Shadow Jutsu? I didn’t know she knew that-” Kotetsu muttered frowning. The door swung open and Tsunade walked out.
“Oh, Kakashi. How was it?” she cheerfully asked.
“They passed. My report,” Kakashi said passing her a file. Grimacing, she walked back to her desk and placed it on a stack.
“Ameki, she’s-” Kakashi started.
“Adopted,” Kotetsu answered. “Mother found her eight years ago with not a single memory and starving.”
“It seems that she was found on the site of a village south from here. It was flattened and completely razed to the ground. She suffered from mainly first degree burns except for a third degree burn on her back,” Tsunade said looking up from the file she had just pulled out.
“Mother-” she cried, clutching the lifeless body of a lady. Tears streamed down her face.
“Hey little one, you must remember the jutsu mother taught you,” a boy slightly than her told her. He sat down near her coughing. Blood dribbled out of his mouth. Suddenly a black thing flew at them. “NO!” he yelled trying to get up and run towards her.
“Onisan! Help!”
Ameki blinked. The weak sunlight was filtering in through the closed blinds. Her fingers wandered to the scar on her back and traced it gently. She had traced it so often that she knew the shape by heart. It was the shape of a flower. She couldn’t understand her dreams and often she had woken up breathless. She ran a comb through her light brown hair that fell a few inches short of her waist. A sudden stench of burnt sausages drifted into her room.
“Em- Ameki!” Kotetsu yelled from the kitchen.
“Yes! Coming!” Ameki shouted and ran towards the kitchen, hastily tying her hair into two neat ponytails.
-10 mins later-
Kotetsu embarrassingly chewed on some egg roll that Ameki had cooked. He noticed Ameki lethargically push her food around her plate. “What’s wrong?” he asked . She sighed and shook her head. In her mind, she was wondering what had happened when she was young but knew it was pointless on asking Kotetsu.
“I’m going,” she said, pushing her plate away and putting her sandals on.
“Hoi, Ameki,” Kotetsu said. “Be back early, Izumo is coming over today.”
“Ok, bye.”
“Have a safe trip,” he yelled as she slammed the down behind her.
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