May disregard some canon content.

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Naruto.

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ONE
Remembering

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Yura stared across the oak desk, past the mess of stacks of paperwork and into the glittering eyes of the Sandaime Hokage. She narrowed her eyes, suspicious of the conniving old man.

"I refuse."

Sarutobi smirked behind the safety of his laced fingers. He sensed hesitation behind her answer, but her decision wouldn't have mattered either way. Yet, he allowed himself to amuse her.

"Your reason being?" Oh how he liked leading people on.

"I dislike responsibility," Yura remarked drily, "which, naturally, means I dislike work. Something that – as you placed it, even the 'menial' task of an observer in the Chunin Exam entails."

"As does your role of a jonin leading your students," Sarutobi pointed out.

Her brows furrowed. "They're an exception," Sarutobi's eyes crinkled as he caught the softening of her tone, "they're mere children, Hokage-sama, who will become great if given the right guidance. The only reason I became jonin was because I wanted to be that right guidance," Yura scowled, "not to involve myself directly in the Chunin Exam."

"Actually, you don't really have a choice, I've already signed your name up," Sarutobi deadpanned.

Yura slumped in her seat and shot the Hokage a look of betrayal. "Hokage-sama, has your old age finally marred your heart?"

He rolled his eyes, choosing to ignore her. "Usually chunin would be considered to fill the job of an observer, but they're either already involved, on missions, or in the hospital. Other jonin have not been through the additional training of the senses as you have, therefore –"

"Alright, alright, I'll do it. No need for jabbering." Yura sighed, inwardly cursing herself for waking up this morning. She glowered at the smirk and the triumphant expression the Hokage wore. "But I would like payment for my service."

Sarutobi's smirk widened with his amusement. "My, you make it sound like we're making a deal of the promiscuous sort."

Yura spluttered, her face growing hotter as he chuckled. "I see Jiraiya has gotten to you, what with your dirty mind and copies of Icha Icha everywhere." She coughed, sobering up. "As I was saying, I would like a B-rank mission in return." She met the narrowed gaze of Sarutobi unflinchingly. "They have successfully completed more than fifteen C-rank missions, their teamwork is good, if not a bit rough, and their skills have improved even after…"

"Shimura Aoi." It wasn't a question.

She swallowed the lump in her throat and continued in a lower voice: "I have full confidence in them, Hokage-sama."

Sarutobi eyed the young woman for a moment longer before smiling. "Permission for B-rank mission granted."

Yura jumped to her feet with a grin, startling Sarutobi with her sudden change of mood. "Hokage-sama, the day seems a bit brighter, doesn't it?"

He shook his head as he reached for a labelled B-rank mission in his drawer and quickly scanned the contents. "I suppose this will be to your liking?"

"I'm sure it'll be just fine. Perhaps your heart is still as kind as ever, Saru." Yura snatched the file from his hands and disappeared in a puff of smoke before he could reply.

... ... ...

It was a humid day despite the intense heat. The kind of weather Yura detested the most.

Her idle thoughts died down as she dodged the kick meant for her head. She sidestepped, snapping out a hand to grab the wrist of her opponent and deftly swept their legs from under them. She grunted with irritation when it turned out to be another clone.

Yura tensed when she heard the faint whizzing sound of a shuriken and jumped on a tree branch. She glanced down and met the smirking face of her student a split second before she reappeared on ground a few feet away. She surveyed the mass of kunai at her previous position with appreciation.

"You're becoming craftier, Toya, not to mention faster."

"I'm glad you think so, sensei."

She spun around to find herself driven backwards by a series of punches and kicks. Dodging another blow, she jumped back and fell into a defensive crouch.

Toya panted and wiped the sweat off his forehead, mirroring Yura's stance. He watched her movements through careful eyes, catching the slight shift before her form blurred. He halted her kick, a chakra-laden hand around her ankle.

A standstill. They gauged each other.

Toya mentally sifted through the meagre information he had on his sensei. She had led the team through nine C-rank missions and five B-rank missions, she was the team's second sensei, her battles were often dynamic, she disliked battles that were drawn out, had a strange liking for explosive tags, and mainly executed wind and earth-based jutsu.

He had good accuracy, better than most other Genin. This observation on Toya was made early during their first sparring session. He also liked creating traps, much to the amusement of the team, as an unsuspecting teammate sometimes fell prey to one that was not intended for them. Although his genjutsu was below average, his taijutsu was strong, his chakra control was decent, and his pools were deep, boosting his use of ninjutsu and his endurance in battle.

"I'm impressed."

Toya grunted and released his grip on her ankle. "I've been working on my speed. A guy called Rock Lee told me to train with weights on."

Yura frowned. The name sounded familiar.

"I'll have to track down said Rock Lee and thank him."

A sudden tremor in the earth caught their attention, drawing their eyes to two other figures further along the training ground. The sight of fallen trees, scorch marks and upended earth made them blink.

"It seems Daiki and Junko have beaten us to ninjutsu." Toya faced Yura. "Shall we begin?"

Yura nodded and signalled him forward.

Toya flew towards her, flinging several kunai with precise aim, which she deflected with her own kunai in hand. They met in the middle, metal clashing, before retreating. Toya concentrated as he infused his chakra into a shuriken, discreetly sliding another underneath.

Yura eyed the shuriken with interest, eyes widening as visible energy began to crackle around the shuriken. She watched him dash forward and throw the shuriken. She grabbed a kunai from her holster on her thigh and wrapped an explosive tag around it, throwing it to meet the shuriken. The collision triggered the explosion of smoke. A gleam of metal in the corner of her eye allowed her to jump back and evade the hidden shuriken.

It was silent while she waited for the air to clear.

Her head snapped up as Toya neared, his hands charged with electricity. She jumped back for some space, her hands flashing through hand seals.

Toya frowned when he noticed the wind becoming increasingly sharper until he was sporting several thin cuts on his arms and cheeks. He let the energy that covered his hands die down and flew through the necessary seals for the grand fireball jutsu. He inhaled sharply and watched with satisfaction as the fire roared in the direction of Yura.

She was filled with pride as she noted the size of the fireball. Forming a hand seal, she was replaced with a log and now resided behind the coverage a nearby tree offered. It was time to end the spar. She made another hand seal and found herself beneath the earth. She released a small amount of chakra to probe at the surface. A few seconds later, her arms broke through the surface to grab hold of Toya's ankles and she pulled him down.

Toya yelped at the contact and was bewildered when he found himself neck deep in the earth a second later. His head shot up to glare at Yura as she chuckled at his situation and ruffled his red hair, his cheeks aflame when he realised how ridiculous he must look.

"I've been waiting for a while to pull that on one of you."

Toya twitched. "That was dirty. Can I get out now?"

Yura smiled and formed a hand seal, watching Toya dust himself off when he was released.

"I need talk to the three of you about something important."

Toya looked at her in surprise, then at his other two teammates who were still battling. "Are you going to stop them?"

Yura hm'ed and flung three kunai in the direction of Junko and Daiki.

Toya glanced at her and did a double-take, paling at the familiar gleam in her eye. "Sensei, I didn't exactly have that in mind…"

The amused look she gave him contrasted with the explosions that drew reactions of alarm and indignant yelling.

... ... ...

Daiki, Junko and Toya stood in front of her, watching her intently. In turn, she surveyed each of them, from Daiki's green tinted hair to Junko's warm brown eyes to Toya's expectant look. This was her team.

She was hit with another surge of pride.

"I have signed the three of you up for the next Chunin Exam," Yura hesitated and glanced at their expressions of shock and excitement, "take these forms and read them carefully. You do not need to participate if you don't wish to, just tell me and I'll sort it out. You've got almost a week to make your decision."

Junko's face was alight with anticipation. "Yura-sensei, is this the reason why I've seen Sunagakure ninja in Konoha?"

Yura raised a brow in surprise. "Really?"

Cue collective sweatdrop.

"You're quite the observant one, Junko. I suppose it could be that. However, I would expect Kirigakure, Amegakure and possibly other villages to send their genin as well."

"But what if…what if we're not ready?"

Yura noted their strained features, the question obviously breached on sensitive memories.

Before taking the team under her wing, she had read up on their history. Apparently they had been unable to participate in last year's Chunin Exam due to the passing of someone they held dear. Despite knowing she would never be able to completely fill the void their previous sensei left, she had vowed to see them through their obstacles.

"I have watched the three of you progress in skill and mind, and from that I can say you are ready to advance. However, the decision is ultimately yours alone, but I will support whatever you choose and am proud to be your teacher." As Aoi would have been.

Daiki broke the uncomfortable silence by exclaiming: "Aw, group hug!" He was met with groans, but the three Genin exchanged playful punches, smiles and smirks.

Yura blinked. "Alright, that's enough. Too much is creepy. Now, there's a restaurant that I've been meaning to try for the last few days, so if–"

"Sensei?" Rumble "Won't you take us with you?"

Daiki looked at her pleadingly while Junko blushed and Toya shifted uncomfortably.

"Someday you guys are going to dig a huge hole in my wallet."

... ... ...

The sun dissolved in a mass of orange and yellow as early evening approached, the crowds thinning with it. Without the need for dodging civilians left and right, Yura was able to observe the tranquil beauty Konoha held at this time of day while trailing behind her students. She felt comfortable like this, being able to simultaneously protect her team's back and watch their interaction.

"I'm telling you, it's straight ahead," Junko scowled up at Toya who grit his teeth.

"No, we turn here." He stopped in front of a path that ran to the left.

Junko backtracked until she once more stood next to Toya and leaned in, hissing. "No, we don't."

They glowered at each other, fists clenched, eyes burning, and ignored by Daiki who whistled as he rounded a corner, not caring to wait for his two teammates.

Yura glanced back and forth between her students before deciding to follow the sane one. Incredulity crept up on her when Junko and Toya didn't seem to notice her as she passed them nearby. They just earned themselves ten laps, she thought drily.

Daiki sat on one of six stools inside Ichiraku and turned to grin at her when the she plopped down on the stool to the left of him. Soon after, Junko and Toya appeared, both looking flustered as they sat on the other side of Daiki.

Daiki opened his mouth to deliver what would surely be an insult, but was interrupted by the arrival of a man – Teuchi, Yura presumed, having heard his running of Ichiraku with his daughter in passing.

Teuchi smiled at them. "What'll it be?"

"One miso ra–"

"One beef ramen and–"

"Two large–"

"Two beef ramen and two miso ramen please," Yura cut in, shooting a warning look at her students.

Daiki grumbled and Yura grinned, innocently setting a hand on his head as if patting him before ruffling his already tousled hair.

Sometime later, when she was halfway through her meal and her students were chatting about nonsensical things, she noticed a small slip of a blonde slide into the seat furthest away from them and cheerfully call for his order. Curious, she leant forward on her elbows with feigned casualness to study him better.

The blonde radiated exuberance, evident by his orange jumpsuit, hair, lively cerulean eyes, loud voice and sporadic body language. Her eyes drifted slightly and narrowed at the whiskers on his cheeks, vaguely recalling a particular conversation between Sarutobi and herself.

Yura tore her eyes away to look down at her bowl just as he attempted a subtle glance at her team. She stirred her ramen around and, deciding she was full, made to leave.

"Sensei?"

It was Junko who spoke, catching the attention of Daiki and Toya.

"I'll be leaving now," Yura answered, "be careful on your way home, alright?" She received a chorus of the affirmative. "Good. And remember to meet at the training grounds at nine in the morning tomorrow. We'll be starting your preparation for the Chunin Exam."

She left the due amount of money on the counter, catching the gaze of the blonde. Smiling at him in a manner that hinted at recognition, she turned away and leapt on the roof of a building, hoping a hot shower would ease the flow of questions brought on by her encounter with the young jinchuriki.

... ... ...

Groaning, Yura peered at the time and then promptly buried her face into her pillow, wanting to squeeze another hour of sleep in.

Minutes later, she was cursing her conscience while brushing her teeth.

Attaching a kunai holster to her thigh, she reached for the bandages and proceeded to wrap the length of her arms until her wrists. She scrutinised her reflection, ignoring her messy short red hair and fixed the high collar of her long white shirt. A blue sash was tied around her waist, the ends trailing down to her thigh and her black shorts could be seen from the side, where a slit ran in her shirt.

Nodding in satisfaction, Yura slipped on her sandals, wore her forehead protector and started her way towards the training grounds.

Upon arrival, she spied Toya, Daiki and Junko already engaged in a three-way spar and leant against a tree to observe. It seemed Toya and Junko were teaming up against Daiki, utilising the strategy of bait-and-strike.

Toya swiftly formed a set of hand seals and blue electricity flared from his feet, resembling the roots of a tree as it travelled through the surface of the earth towards Daiki. Junko seized the opportunity for a sneak attack when Daiki was occupied with countering Toya's attack. She gripped three kunai in each hand and flung them at him.

Daiki avoided the weapons with ease but his back met the trunk of a tree painfully when Junko suddenly appeared before him and delivered a strong kick to his stomach. He groaned but quickly rolled to the side to avoid Toya's charged palm. Wide-eyed at the sight of singed bark, he whipped his head around to glare at his teammate.

"That would've hurt like hell you bastard!" he snapped.

Toya rolled his eyes but couldn't contain his smirk. "It's a good thing you dodged then."

Junko winced at the bark and turned to Toya, scowling. "Have some restraint will you?"

Yura sighed exasperatedly as Junko and Toya started another round of arguing while Daiki tried to glare a hole in the sky.

"Now that you've warmed up, I hope you're ready for today's training."

Her students blinked at her and then shot to attention. "Yes, sensei!"

"We'll start off with our usual – if you manage to knock the kunai out of my hand within the set time limit, I'll buy the three of you lunch and vice versa." She shifted into a stance and eyed them approvingly when they quickly readied themselves. "Begin."

Many hours later when the sky gradually darkened and her stomach was still enjoying that large plate of sushi, Yura stood in front of the memorial stone clasping a flower. Her eyes scanned the names until they stopped at a familiar one. Smiling wistfully, she laid the delicate violet iris in front of it and greeted Aoi.

"It's been a while," she paused but was met only by silence. "My – our team is improving. They're good kids; they've got lots of potential." She gazed at the iris, imagining Aoi's dark eyes and continued in a whisper. "You and I never really got to actually speak to each other. You always seemed detached and – and lonely, I think." Her mind flashed back to her students. "We're no more than strangers, but now we share a link," Daiki, Junko and Toya, "and somehow I feel like I'm a bit closer to understanding you."

Rest in peace.

Yura turned to leave, ignorant of the presence of the man who had witnessed her visit.