Hi everyone, this is an idea my friend and I came up with. We both wrote the same story from our character's points of view. This is the one she wrote from Akina's view. Hope you all enjoy it, review please.
The two girls stood on a hill overlooking the Hidden Leaf Village. Konoha was the older girl's hometown, and it had been two years since they'd seen the village. Although it was obvious she missed it, the girls had decided not to enter until the next morning.
"Aishi-neechan, are you sure it's okay to wait until tomorrow?" The younger girl stepped away from the tree line and stood on her tiptoes, trying to get a better look at the village she'd heard so much about.
"I'm sure, Akina. It'll be better that way," Aishi answered calmly, though her orange-and-white fox ears drooped anxiously.
"If you say so. I just want to meet everyone I've heard about - I feel like I know them already! What I don't understand is you can wait to see them all, especially Neji." Akina grinned impishly and elbowed Aishi.
Aishi's ears and matching fox tail shot up, and she punched her friend softly before turning away to hide her reddening face.
"Don't worry, I'm sure he'll be glad to see you, too," Akina giggled, noticing her friend's none-too-subtle blush. "Maybe he'll even give you a hug."
"I doubt it. He's not the kind to show his feelings like that," Aishi answered dryly.
"You know best. But after the bajillion stories I've heard, a hug wouldn't be that surprising..."
"You think?"
"Of course!" Akina nodded emphatically, silver eyes gleaming mischievously.
"Then it'll definitely happen," Aishi grinned back.
"Good. Now that that's settled, I'm going to grab a little sleep. Wake me up when it's time to go, 'kay?" She wandered a little way back into the forest and settled against a tree for a quick catnap. As she drifted slowly to sleep, she heard Aishi begin to play the flute she always carried with her. The next thing she was aware of was Aishi shouting excitedly.
"Akina, wake up! It's time to go meet everyone!"
"Geez, Aishi," Akina mumbled, sitting up and stretching. "I think you woke the whole village up with that one..."
"Well, then that saves us the trouble of having to wake them up when we get there, doesn't it?" Aishi laughed. "Come on, Hokage-sama will be expecting us."
A few minutes later the girls were seated in the Third Hokage's office while he greeted them. "Welcome back, Aishi; I have missed you. I can tell you've grown in the two years you've been gone. And it's good to meet you as well, Akina." The blue-haired girl smiled and nodded in response, and the old man continued. "Am I correct in assuming you two would like to become genin this year rather than be sent to the Academy?"
"Hai!" the girls exclaimed in unison. While Akina loved children, she couldn't think of anything much worse than being stuck in a class of them being taught something that was already second-nature to her.
"Alright, you'll both need to pass a set of three tests in front of the other graduating students this afternoon, but that shouldn't be a problem after everything you've been through already. Until then, I'm sure you'd like to greet your brother and friends, correct, Aishi?"
"Of course! Thank you, Hokage-sama; I'm so glad to be home," Aishi said, hugging her mentor tightly.
"We have missed you, too, Aishi. Now off you go; everyone else would like to see you, as well. I look forward to seeing what you girls have learned."
Aishi led Akina through the town to the Academy, then through the Academy's halls as they tried to find the right classroom. Akina was glad she didn't have to find it alone; Konoha was much bigger than her hometown, and she could tell it would take a little while before she learned how to navigate the village.
"This should be the one..." Aishi murmured before throwing open one of the Academy's many identical doors. Over Aishi's shoulder, Akina could see a room full of curious students about her age and a rather startled teacher. Aishi beamed and walked into the room. "Everybody, I'm back!"
"Aishi!" A goofy-looking blonde boy leaped over the desk and seized her in a death grip. Brother? Akina wondered. "I've missed you, Sis! Believe it!" Yep. So that one's Naruto... Akina walked past the siblings and perched on the windowsill, ignoring the eyes that left Aishi to follow her and trying to find faces to match the other names she'd heard over the years.
"I missed you, too, Naruto, but I need air!" Aishi gasped.
"Sorry," Naruto laughed nervously. He let go, but she was instantly surrounded by other classmates – mostly boys, Akina noted – accompanied by a chorus of "welcome back"s and "good to see you"s.
"I've missed all of you. You all look so much stronger now; we'll have to have rematches so I can see how strong you've really gotten," Aishi said through the large group hug.
"Welcome back," the only other girl in the bundle said as the hug broke apart. Akina assumed this was Hyuuga Hinata, Aishi's best girl friend; however, she didn't stutter like Aishi had said Hinata did.
"Ne, Aishi?" Akina pushed herself off the window and took a few steps back toward the center of the room. "Can I guess who people are now?"
"Of course," Aishi grinned. "Everyone, this is Akina. She's been my traveling companion these last two years."
Akina smiled. "Nice to meet you all. Now then. You –" She walked over to Naruto and shoved her index finger rather forcefully into his forehead, jeweled bracelets chinking softly as she did. "– must be Uzumaki Naruto. I've heard plenty of stories about you; no need to worry, though, they were mostly good." Naruto grinned, completely missing the implications of her comment. "The one who looks like he's about to die of boredom is Nara Shikamaru; the chip-fanatic next to him is Akimichi Chouji. Those two are Inuzuka Kiba and Akamaru, and this is Hyuuga Hinata..." She walked back toward the window and stood in front of the desk of the only student who hadn't moved since they walked in. "And this anti-social child must be the famous Uchiha Sasuke." She flicked him between his eyes, earning an especially cold glare, before turning and walking back to where Aishi stood, amidst an outbreak of indignant chatter from several female members of the class. "So how did I do?"
"You got everybody – not surprising, after all the stories you've heard," Aishi beamed back.
The teacher cleared his throat, and both the class and the two girls fell silent. "We're glad you're back, Aishi, but before you got here, I was about to announce the team assignments. If you don't mind, I'd like to finish that." He spoke sternly, but his smile showed he was as happy as most of his students to see the fox-eared girl again.
"Of course, Iruka-sensei," Aishi replied, following Akina back to the windowsill.
"All right. As of today, you are all ninja. However, you are still rookie ninja, genin; the hard part is just starting. Now, you will all be assigned duties by the village, which will be completed by the three-man teams we're assigning now. Each team will have a jounin leader, and you will follow your jounin's instructions when completing your missions and duties. Each team was chosen to balance out the strengths and weaknesses of the other members. Aishi and Akina, we'll work out a graduation test for you after I assign everyone else to their teams, all right?"
"You mean if they pass, they'll be ninja, too?" one of the girls asked in disgust.
"That's exactly what I mean," Iruka answered disapprovingly.
"But that's not fair! They haven't even trained!" the girl whined.
Akina snorted but bit back the snide comment that flew to her mouth; Aishi was more irritated by the girl's undue criticism. "If you doubt our abilities, you're more than welcome to be one of our challengers in this test," she snapped, glaring. "I don't care what you say about me, but I'd hate for you to give Akina a bad impression of our village just because you need a life."
"Ouch," Akina whispered as Aishi sat back down.
"What can I say? Fan-girls bother me."
"Sensei?" the girl asked sweetly. "If that's the case, can my sister Kipacha be Aishi's opponent? I'm sure they'd love the chance to catch up."
Kipacha? Akina thought. Wasn't that the girl who used to harass Aishi for being friends with Neji...?
"I'll ask Hokage-sama," Iruka answered, sounding irritated. "Now, back to team assignments. Team 7! Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto –"
"Yes!" He was interrupted by a cheer as Naruto jumped up excitedly; Sakura hung her head in despair.
"– and Uchiha Sasuke."
"Hell yes!" Sakura exclaimed.
"Team 8! Aburame Shino, Inuzuka Kiba, and Hyuuga Hinata. Team 10! Nara Shikamaru, Yamanaka Ino, and Akimichi Chouji."
"Iruka-sensei! Why does an outstanding ninja like me have to be on the same team as that guy?!" Naruto shouted, pointing angrily at Sasuke.
Akina rolled her eyes. Babies, both of them. How is that boy related to Aishi-neechan..?
"Sasuke had the highest grades in the class; Naruto, yours were dead last. We have to make sure the teams are balanced," Iruka stated bluntly.
"Just don't get in my way, dead last," Sasuke said flatly.
"What did you call me?!" Naruto yelled.
"Naruto, calm down. It's okay, just prove them wrong with hard work and skills," Aishi said firmly.
"Hai, nee-chan! I'll make everyone acknowledge me through my skills as a great ninja! Believe it!" Naruto pumped the air with his fist as he spoke. Akina raised an eyebrow. Great ninja? From what I've heard, he's really not that great…
"All right, everyone. After lunch we will hold Aishi and Akina's test, then you will all meet your jounin sensei. Until then, the rest of you are free to go. Aishi, Akina, come with me to Hokage-sama's office so we can explain your test," Iruka dismissed his class.
"Hai, Iruka-sensei," Aishi said as Akina nodded. Both girls got up off the window sill and followed him toward the door.
"Aishi," Sasuke said suddenly.
"Hm? Did you need something?" Aishi turned around, concerned.
"Welcome back."
Huh, he speaks, Akina thought.
Aishi stared for a few seconds before breaking into a giant grin and hugging him. "Thank you!" she said as she let go a moment later. "I'm really glad you didn't forget me or something." Sasuke looked slightly annoyed but didn't respond. "Akina and I have to go to Hokage-sama's office now; later we can eat the lunch you owe me," Aishi grinned.
"You remember that?" Sasuke asked skeptically.
"Of course I remember! We tied in that bet, so that means you still owe me lunch. Besides, I'd like to find out what I've missed while I've been gone. See you later!" Aishi waved, and Sasuke half-smiled as she left the room.
"So what was that all about?" Akina asked curiously as they walked back through the Academy hallways.
"We made a bet a few days before I got sealed in the cave about who was better at target practice and genjutsu. Whoever lost had to buy the other one lunch. We ended up tying; I won genjutsu and he won target practice. So we both had to buy each other a lunch," Aishi explained.
Akina laughed. "Wish I could've seen that."
The girls were again seated in the Hokage's office as he explained the various aspects of their test. "This test will determine whether you girls become genin or students at the Academy. As I told you earlier, there will be three parts. First you will take a written test, second a practical test designed to test your knowledge of basic jutsu, and third a combat test with one of the current genin. I've heard your opponents have already been decided," he chuckled. "Do either of you have any questions before we begin?" Yeah, can we start yet? Both girls shook their heads, and he continued. "Enough talk, then. You will now take the written test; when you are finished we will gather everyone for the other sections."
"Good luck," Iruka said, handing them their tests.
"Arigatou, Iruka-sensei," Aishi said warmly. "Don't worry about us; we can handle it."
"Definitely," Akina agreed, smiling.
In about five minutes both girls had finished the test with little effort and no trouble.
"That was really easy," Akina said as they followed a path through the village. "I expected it to be harder."
"Hai, it wasn't bad at all. Especially since I did all the Academy work while I was stuck in that cave," Aishi mumbled. "Hey, why don't we go see Neji and his team? We have extra time before the second test!"
"Why not?" Akina grinned. She noticed a pair of ninja talking farther down the path. Pointing in their direction, she asked, "Hey, isn't that Sasuke and that Sakura girl?"
"Yeah," Aishi replied, pausing.
"Oh, Sasuke-kun!" she cooed shrilly. "Are you ready now? I sure am!!" Akina cringed. I get the feeling I'm not going to like that girl.
"Where's Naruto? It's time to go to Aishi and that new girl's test," Sasuke asked flatly over her.
"Oh, don't change the subject. Who cares about Naruto? I mean, all he does is get in fights with you! At least his sister Aishi isn't so bad; she at least knows her place." Sakura nodded, agreeing with herself; Akina scowled and glared at her. Who does that girl think she is? It sounds to me like she's the one who needs to learn her place. "They haven't had normal childhoods," Sakura continued, oblivious to all three sets of eyes glaring daggers at her. "They don't have any parents, so they can do whatever they want. If I acted like Naruto, my parents would get so mad at me! They're lucky, without parents ever getting on to them…"
"That's why Naruto can't ever behave and Aishi spends all her time training," Sasuke said coldly. "The sadness of having a parent yell at you is nothing compared to being all alone. You should be quiet; you're annoying." With that he walked off, leaving Sakura too stunned to move. That's right, he knows what it's like, too. I wonder how he handles it…
"Come on, Akina, let's go. Ne-kun should be at the training field about now," Aishi said, walking off again. Akina nodded and followed her.
As Akina followed Aishi onto the training fields, she saw two boys sparring in the distance, while a girl leaned on a nearby tree watching. One of the boys had his back to them, but from his fighting style and his long hair gathered loosely into a ponytail of sorts, she could tell instantly that this was Hyuuga Neji. The other boy, who, judging from the distinctive eyebrows, had to be Rock Lee, was the first to notice them. Once he did, his eyes widened and he froze, barely missing a punch from Neji, who turned to follow Lee's gaze. When he saw Aishi, his jaw dropped almost imperceptibly, and he stared in apparent disbelief. Aishi grinned and ran forward, met halfway by Lee and the girl, whom Akina assumed to be Aishi's friend Ten-ten.
"Welcome back!" they both exclaimed.
"I've missed you guys," Aishi said, hugging them back.
"No fair, Aishi," Ten-ten teased. "You look like you've learned lots of new techniques. You'll have to teach me."
"Only if you teach me yours," Aishi laughed. "Guys, this is my friend Akina. She's been traveling with me since I left."
"Nice to meet you." Akina smiled, and Lee and Ten-ten nodded warmly at her.
"Aishi, we must have a rematch! No matter how strong you've gotten, it cannot quench my fighting spirit!" Lee declared, eyes blazing.
Aishi and Akina both laughed, then Aishi turned and walked to where Neji was still standing. She paused, smiled again, and hugged him. Akina thought he was about to return the embrace, but instead he pushed her away, glaring. Aishi stared up at him, obviously shocked and deeply wounded.
"I don't know why you bothered coming back here," he said coldly. "But you shouldn't have. Everything that happened in the past should stay there. Fate has carved a different path for each of us; you are nothing but a rival to me now, and I don't want to see you unless I have to." Aishi sunk to her knees, too stunned to react.
Akina had hung back with Lee and Ten-ten to give the two some space; however, Neji's words and the expression of near-hatred on his face had her shaking with wrath. "Who do you think you are?!" she demanded, marching indignantly over to him. "Do you have any idea how long Aishi's waited to see you again? I've been with her for a little over two years now, and let me tell you, almost the whole time, it's been 'Neji this' and 'Neji that' - she couldn't wait to get back and see you again! She wanted to show you everything she'd learned, to see how much you'd grown - and then she finally gets back, only to find out you hate her now?! You intolerable, short-sighted, self-righteous prick!" She paused momentarily to allow Neji to respond; he remained silent, and she was dimly aware of a crunch as her fist collided with his nose. She hadn't intended to hit him, but she derived a perverse sense of satisfaction from the blood now streaming down his face. "How dare you hurt her like that… She never wanted anything but the best for you."
"Akina-san, you must stop!" Lee and Ten-ten had run over, probably when she'd punched Neji; Lee was now holding Akina by the arms while Ten-ten tried to comfort Aishi.
"Lee… Akina… please stop… Please don't hurt Ne - Neji - any more…" Without moving her glare from Neji's face, Akina could tell her friend was crying, and she had to fight hard against the urge to tear apart the idiot who had hurt her. Neji looked down at Aishi, and Akina thought she saw a twinge of guilt before he firmly re-cemented his mask of detachment. Aishi wobbled to her feet and began to walk slowly away. "Neji… I'm sorry for any pain I've caused you…" Akina turned her head and watched; in a few moments Aishi was out of sight.
"So you have an attitude problem the size of the country, and she thinks it's her fault somehow," Akina said coolly. "You're so pathetic I almost pity you." She wrenched herself out of Lee's grip and walked off in the direction Aishi had gone.
It took around fifteen minutes for Ten-ten, Lee, and Akina to find Aishi crossing the street from a park to a small takoyaki shop. She bought one, then wiped her face and took a bite. "It tastes bitter," she whispered.
"Of course it does. Food never tastes good when you're crying," Ten-ten said, walking up next to her.
Aishi jumped slightly. "What are you guys doing here?"
"We're here to cheer you up, silly," Akina answered.
"It's not good for you to be so upset!" Lee declared. "If you take your test like this, it will be almost impossible to pass. You must use the power of your youth!"
Aishi half-smiled and stood up, closing her hand around the ruby necklace she always wore. "Thank you, everyone. I'm not going to make you worry any more. Now come on, it's time for the test!" She grabbed the other three and began to drag them back toward the Academy. Lee and Ten-ten swapped a smile, but Akina frowned worriedly. No matter what Aishi said, she suspected she'd always worry about the other girl, if only because she never took the time to worry about herself.
Minutes later, Aishi and Akina were standing opposite Iruka-sensei and Sandaime as the village leader refreshed them on the last two pieces of their test. "Now we will conduct the test to determine if Uzumaki Aishi and Katayanagi Akina are fit to become genin or if they must enroll at the Academy." Iruka-sensei's eyebrow raised, and Akina thought, rather despondently, she knew why. "At the beginning of the lunch break they were both given a written test, which they passed. But there is more to being a ninja than head-knowledge, much more. Now we will test their knowledge of a few very basic jutsu; their third test will be a more extensive test of their abilities, as determined through one-on-one combat. We have had a pair of volunteer opponents; many thanks to them." He nodded at the obnoxious girl from earlier and another girl who looked much like her. So that's the infamous Kipacha. She doesn't look all that strong. "Iruka, if you would?" Sandaime stepped back into the crowd, and Iruka took a step toward the girls.
"This part of the test is simple. I will call out a jutsu and you will both perform it; we will repeat the procedure twice. Ready? Bunshin no jutsu!" The girls repeated the phrase; there was a puff of smoke, and three clones of each girl appeared next to her. Iruka nodded, and the clones disappeared. "Henge no Jutsu!" This time when the smoke cleared, Akina had turned herself into a mirror image of Aishi, who in turn had turned into Hyuuga Hinata. "Good. You both pass the second test." In an instant both girls were back to normal, with huge grins spread across their faces. "However, the third test is the most critical of the three, the combat test. Aishi will begin, with Kipacha as her opponent. Begin," Iruka said, ushering Akina toward the crowd of students.
"Well, well," Kipacha sneered. "If it isn't the little fox girl, crawled back into town. This time I'll teach you your place."
"Bring it," Aishi dared, slipping into a defensive stance. Kipacha charged forward, slamming her fist into the ground. Aishi flipped over her and backwards, away from the barrage of punches. She caught one of Kipacha's kicks and flipped her into the air, following her up and slamming a knee into her back. Suddenly Aishi jumped away; a second later Kipacha's body exploded into a dense cloud of purple smoke. Aishi formed a few hand seals, and a face mask appeared; she put it carefully over her nose and mouth.
"I see you remembered my strength lies in genjutsu and powders; there's no way a weak girl like you can beat me." Aishi glanced around for a moment, then sprang out of the smoke and hurled a kunai in the direction of the other girl's voice. Kipacha landed nearby, a thin red line running across her cheek. "My face, my beautiful face! How dare you mar me!?" Akina rolled her eyes as Kipacha began forming seals and glanced down at the ring on her left hand; everything around them began to grow dark as the girl's genjutsu took effect. "Face it, fox girl, there's no way you can win! You're helpless in the dark."
"Kai," Akina muttered, closing her eyes. When she reopened them, she could see perfectly well.
Aishi grabbed Kipacha's arm and twisted it, slamming her hand into the girl's face and holding a kunai to her throat. "Winner, Uzumaki Aishi!" Aishi pulled off her mask and waved victoriously to the crowd.
"How did you know where I was? There was no way you could have - "
"You talk too much. When I couldn't see you, I used my fox ears to follow your voice. It was easy to find you. You hurt your wrist when you fell; if you want I can help you bandage it."
"I don't want help from you," Kipacha spat.
"Geez, she was just trying to help. No need to throw a fit over it. If you don't need help, then move; you're in the way," Akina said imperiously.
"Don't talk to my sister like that!" mini-Kipacha ordered, pushing her way to the front and helping her sister up. "You're just the new girl; you can't boss anyone around, especially not my sister!"
Akina shrugged. "My bad. So are you the one who's going to play with me?"
"There's no 'play' about it. Being a ninja is serious! If you think it's a game, there's no way you'll beat me!" Aishi grinned knowingly and walked over to the rest of the crowd; Kipacha huffed and followed her.
"You must not be very good at games, then. Before we start, I'm Akina. What's your name?"
"Azumi; you better not forget it!"
"I wouldn't dream of it." Akina curtseyed. "Well, that's that. Shall we begin?"
In response, Azumi drew a kunai from the holster on her right thigh and leapt backwards. Akina darted toward her, reaching to her left hip to draw a kunai of her own. Her ring clinked against the kunai handle, and she made a note to remember that the rest of her supplies were on her right side. Akina slashed upward; there was a clang as the two kunai collided. Azumi jumped back again and threw a small capsule onto the ground, where it burst on impact and sent up a smokescreen. Long range? Darn, and here I was hoping for a punching bag. Azumi-san, it's time for you to learn just what it means to play a game with me. She paused to listen for Azumi but heard nothing; the girl was probably outside the smokescreen waiting for Akina to move. Run, run, as fast as you can… Akina pulled out several shuriken, tapping each of them ritually against her ring. She backed toward the other students and threw the shuriken, fanning them out to cover as much area as possible. She heard several dull thuds as they landed, followed by a heavier thud that had to be Azumi moving. She planted her first kunai in the ground and darted toward the last noise; when she exited the smokescreen, Azumi was right there, poised defensively. Her eyes widened as Akina appeared next to her. "Check," Akina whispered.
Azumi stumbled sideways a few steps before regaining both her balance and composure; this was more than enough time for Akina to act. She drew another kunai and released a small whirlwind of attacks, forcing Azumi to haphazardly block the blows. No more than four paces along the path of the girl's slow retreat, Akina noticed a faint glimmer around chest height. Closer, closer… Azumi's retreat sped up as she balanced herself, trying to remove herself from close combat. Before she could get away, she ran into the first of the six thin wires strung across the arena. Her eyes widened and Akina smirked as they both recognized the dangerous situation she had just entered. Akina yanked on the left side of the string, pulling the shuriken on its end out of the tree nearby, and ducked underneath the right side to stand behind Azumi. She wrapped the shuriken-headed wire around Azumi's middle, holding the shuriken itself against the girl's left side and placing the kunai against her throat. "Checkmate."
"Winner, Katayanagi Akina!"
Akina grinned broadly and pocketed her kunai, then turned toward the crowd and curtseyed again. Azumi unwound herself huffily, cutting her arm in the process, and threw the shuriken on the ground. "You little brat! You think you can just show up all of a sudden and start beating up people who've been here all their lives?"
Akina smiled at her. "Nice to meet you, Azumi-san. Maybe I'll see you around." She walked over to the kunai in the ground and pulled, dragging all six shuriken across the arena toward her. She touched the kunai to her ring again, and the wire connecting them disappeared. Sticking the weapons back in their holster, she walked back over to where Aishi stood grinning.
"Good job," Aishi said, holding out her hand for a high-five.
"You, too," Akina grinned, scanning the crowd for familiar faces. Ten-ten and Lee waved at her; she waved back, smirking at the sight of Neji's swollen nose. Naruto was cheering; next to him Sakura was staring in awe at the back of Sasuke's head. When Sasuke saw Akina looking in his direction, he nodded almost imperceptibly. He didn't seem to be glaring at her, but with that boy, she couldn't quite be sure.
"Aishi, Akina, you have proven yourselves worthy of being called Konoha shinobi. You are hereby given the rank of genin, and you will be assigned a place on one of the genin teams," Sandaime said, handing both girls a Konoha forehead protector.
"We did it!" Aishi cheered as the girls hugged each other. Aishi tied it around the sleeve of her camouflage jacket; Akina removed the metal plate from the cloth and fastened it on the waist strap of her shuriken holster.
After a short conference with Iruka, Sandaime announced, "Uzumaki Aishi and Katayanagi Akina will both be placed on Team 7." Aishi and Akina blinked at each other. A five-man team? How does that work? "That is all; you may go meet your jounin sensei now."
That's all for now, hope you liked it, please review and don't forget to click the blue button at the bottom of the screen.