Chapter 1: The Shinobi of Leàfdren
Saskuya crouched in the middle branches of a tall tree, listening intently for any rustling of leaves or any sign of unusual movement that would alert her of another ninja approaching.
The leaves rustled with a slight wind and the sun streamed in through the canopy of a seemingly endless forest, while birds chirped merrily in the trees and an occasional deer or rabbit loped along the ground, looking for a clump of juicy green grass to snack on.
Saskuya Oromaru was sixteen and already looked like she had been through some hardships. Her blue-green eyes, already hardened to the horrific dangers life could hand out, were narrowed in concentration as she slowly scanned the trees. Her green kimono, lined with a strip of gold, covered most of her sandals, which wrapped around her calves and were tied off at the knees. The black shorts she wore underneath peeked out, and one hand rested on the trunk of the tree she crouched on. Her thin dark eyebrows were a bit furrowed in concentration, while her bangs were neatly divided on one side and framed her face. She wore a navy blue headband around her head, separating her bangs form the rest of her hair, which was kept up in a loose braid that stopped a few inches before her hair did, which was around her lower back. Strapped to her right thigh, on top of the shorts underneath her kimono, was a small pouch containing kunai, or ninja throwing knives, and was strapped on top of bandages wrapped around her shorts.
"I wish he would hurry up," Saskuya muttered to herself almost inaudibly. "I'm getting tired of waiting."
This wasn't true and she knew it. The truth was, her legs were beginning to ache form crouching for so long and she was also getting hungry.
She caught a rustle of leaves out of the corner of her left eye that didn't match the wind and looked towards it, and out of it came her best friend, Naruto Zumaki.
"There you are!" Naruto exclaimed when he saw her. "I've been looking everywhere for you."
She stood up and faced him, looking him over carefully.
Naruto was three months her elder, but he was a lot ditzier than she was. He wore the same headband she did, but his covered his forehead and tied at the back while his shock of thick blonde hair stuck out in all directions above it. His turquoise blue eyes were closed against the sun while he grinned widely at her, the thin, whisker-like lines on his cheeks making him look considerably like an Indian chief. The orange outfit he wore had navy blue on the shoulders and ended halfway down his back and a strip of the same color the width of a belt was around his waist. A white bandage was wrapped around his right thigh as well and a similar pouch to hers was strapped on top of it. He also had navy blue sneaker-like sandals that exposed his toes on his feet.
Looking at him, it's hard to believe he's a ditz, she thought to herself, smiling slightly before saying, "You were supposed to meet me two hours ago, or did you forget again?"
His eyes opened and went wide with realization, then closed again and he scratched his head, embarrassed.
"Sorry," he said apologetically. "Heh heh…"
Saskuya glared at him. "Sorry doesn't cut it! That's the third time this week you've forgotten! How'm I supposed to teach you how to move as fast as I can if you don't show up?"
Naruto lowered his arm to his side and gave her a serious look. "I'm sorry I keep forgetting, Saskuya, and I mean it, so don't get mad at me, alright? I'm doing the best I can! Believe it!"
She sighed. "Alright, I forgive you, but try harder tomorrow, will ya?"
He grinned again and gave her the thumbs-up. "I will, Saskuya! Thanks a million!"
She smiled. "Let's head back to the village. I got here so quick I didn't have time to eat, and right now I'm starved."
Naruto nodded. "Same here, I could eat a cow!"
"Then what're we waiting for? Let's go!" She leapt to a nearby branch, and from that branch to another, Naruto following her lead.
This continued until they landed on a horizontal pole overlooking a bridge, where Saskuya saw Sakura and Sasuke waiting.
"Hey guys!" Naruto called down to them. "Look who I found!"
Sasuke looked up first, a bored expression on his face.
"Oh," he said in a voice equally as bored. "It's you." He looked back out at the water.
"What's the matter?" Saskuya asked him, leaping off the pole and landing nearby. "Miss me already?"
"No," he replied, not looking at her. "I was hoping it was Hakashi Sensei. He's late again."
"Oh. Wonder why he's late so much, other that the stupid reason he's 'getting lost on the road of life'. Hah! What ninja would believe that mess?"
"I sure wouldn't," Naruto agreed, leaping off the pole and landing next to Saskuya.
"Even Naruto's not that stupid," Sakura agreed, looking at Saskuya. "Where've you been, anyway?"
Saskuya shot a look at Naruto before she looked back at Sakura and said, "Nowhere, really."
Sasuke looked at Saskuya. "Don't tell me you were trying to teach that idiot something. I'm surprised he graduated from the Academy."
"Ichicha Sensei was a good teacher and you know it!" Naruto retorted defensively.
"He had to be, in order to get anything through that thick skull of yours," Sasuke said, this time to Naruto.
Naruto growled. "My head is not that thick!"
Saskuya watched them as they argued, bored.
Sasuke Salchiha was about six months older than she was, but acted like he was bored when he wasn't fighting. He had black hair that hung down around his face but the back stuck up to the right at an angle. His headband was the same as Saskuya's and Naruto's and was tied across his forehead like Naruto's was. His dark eyes could bore into your own as if he was reading your mind and he wore a navy blue shirt, grey shorts, grey forearm sleeves that buckled onto his arms by navy blue buckles on the top and bottom, bandages that wrapped around his calves with navy blue bands on the tops and bottoms of them, the same sneaker-like sandals Naruto wore, and a similar strapped around his right thigh on top of bandages.
Sakura Hinaga, however, was a little less than a year younger than Saskuya, and could be a very good fighter when she wanted to. She had pink hair with bangs that framed her face, and the back of her hair, which was loose and long, was separated by her headband like Saskuya's was. She had aqua-colored eyes that often looked innocent but were far from it. She, too, wore a kimono, only hers was maroon, and she also had black shorts underneath it, as well as a bandage wrapped around the shorts leg on her right thigh and a similar pouch strapped on top. She also wore similar sneaker-like sandals to what Sasuke and Naruto wore.
Naruto and Sasuke were still arguing when Sakura growled, "All right, you two, enough!"
Naruto stared at her while Sasuke, still looking bored, stared out at the water again.
"Sakura's right," Saskuya agreed, "enough, you two! You argue too much and it makes us both sick."
"Who says we argue too much?" Naruto demanded.
Saskuya rolled her eyes. "Just shut up, will you? My God, even Sasuke knows when to shut up, and he's one of the biggest morons there is!"
"I heard that," came Sasuke's voice from his direction, even though he was still staring at the water.
"Sasuke's not a moron," Sakura retorted, ignoring him completely.
"He's an arrogant show-off who loves to make everyone else look inferior. Yeah, I'd say he's a moron."
"Hear, hear!" Naruto agreed enthusiastically.
"Sure, he can be a moron sometimes, but not all the time," Sakura pointed out.
Saskuya frowned slightly. "That is true," she admitted.
Sasuke suddenly looked up to the pole Saskuya arrived on a minute ago. Saskuya, seeing this, followed his lead, as did Sakura and Naruto.
"Hakashi Sensei!" Sakura exclaimed.
"How come you're so late?" Saskuya asked him. "No, wait, don't tell me. You got lost on the road of life."
"Yes, actually, I was," Hakashi Sensei replied, nodding.
Saskuya rolled her eyes while Sakura and Naruto yelled, "You liar!"
"So what do we do for today?" Sasuke asked, his voice sounding as bored as ever.
"I've nominated the four of you for the Chunin Exams," Hakashi Sensei told them, leaping off the pole and landing in front of them, then pulling out four cards and handing one to each of the novice ninja. "Fill out these applications and be at room 301 by three o'clock."
"Cool!" Naruto exclaimed, taking his from their sensei and looking at it carefully, then looked back at Hakashi Sensei. "Chunin Exams! You're the best, Hakashi Sensei!"
"No need to thank me, guys, you're all too ready for them."
Saskuya looked him over curiously but carefully.
Their sensei was tall and, judging from what she could see of his face and being a good judge of age, she estimated him to be about twenty-five or so. He had grey hair that stuck up at the back like Sasuke's did, only off to the left rather than the right, and the one eye that she could see was a dark color and often had a kind look in it. His headband was slanted over his face so that it covered his left eye and always wore a mask that covered his face from the nose down. He had on a navy blue jacket with an olive green vest over it and dark pants that had the bandage wrapped around her right thigh and a pouch similar to his students' strapped over the bandage, and he, too, wore the same navy blue sneaker-like sandals all of his students but Saskuya wore.
"Have fun at the Exam!" Hakashi Sensei said, waving, then disappearing in a puff of smoke.
Saskuya looked down at her application. Chunin Exams, huh? I hope I pass them.
Hakashi Sensei suddenly reappeared. "Oh, and Saskuya? When you're done with the Exam, come see me. I have a letter for you."
Saskuya nodded and Hakashi Sensei disappeared again in another puff of smoke.
I wonder what that was about, Saskuya thought to herself as the others started to walk off, then caught up with them.