Shinami Uchiha was the top student in her class. At only six years old she had entered the Ninja Academy, and at the age of eight she had graduated with flying colors. She was placed on a team under Kakashi Hatake, the Sixth Hokage. She quickly rose to the top, leading her team through the Chuniin exams, and earning the deserved promotion. But none of it really mattered, as it was expected of the girl. It was hard to claim an actual achievement to be proud of when your parents were international heroes.
Shinami sighed as she skipped a small stone across the lake, the pebble reaching the other side and hitting against a small tree on the bank. She didn't notice that another person was approaching until she felt the hand on her shoulder.
"Hey, we've been given a mission. Kakashi-sensei wants us to get ready and get to the front gate as soon as possible." The silver-haired girl said, giving Shinami a small smile through the blue mask that covered her face from the nose down.
"Yeah, I'm coming..." Shinami said, standing tall and returning the smile. "Just let me go grab my gear, and I'll be right there."
The other girl nodded and vanished, Shinami following suit as she rushed back to her home, the one building in the Uchiha District that was still in a hospitable condition. She arrived at the front door, slipping her sandals off as she entered, and running up the stairs, quickly grabbing her pack off the bed. As she slid down the railing to get downstairs quicker, she heard a voice behind her.
"Going on a mission?" Sakura said, smiling brightly as she gave Shinami a small hug.
"Mhm, I'll be back in a few days."
A boy with jet-black hair ruched into the room, smiling brightly as he threw his arms around Shinami. "Good luck on your mission sis!"
"You know I don't need any luck, I'm just that good." Shinami replied, gently ruffling the small boy's hair as she gave her mother a one-armed hug. "Take care of mom while I'm gone, okay?" She said, giving her baby brother a small wink as she rushed back out the door.
When Shinami finally reached the gate, her team had already assembled... Well, most of it at least. The other two girl, both of whom were about two years older than the young Uchiha, were standing next to the gate, talking. Shinami noticed the absence and probable lateness of her silver-haired sensei.
"I assume Kakashi-sensei is late... Again?" She said, putting a hand on her hip as she approached the other two.
"You guessed it. Would it kill him to be on time once in his life? I mean seriously, he's always late for everything!" Her brown haired teammate said, her green eyes wandering over to their newest arrival.
"Yeah, I mean, he was almost late to my birth! He came crashing in at the last second with this horrified look on his face, I have a picture Uncle Naruto took. Mom was so pissed, she said if he'd missed it she would have poisoned his next meal." Haruko said, her silver-white hair slowing as the breeze started blowing through.
Shinami rolled her eyes and giggled. She and Haruko had been friends since Shinami's birth, both of the girl's playing and laughing together for as long as they could remember. Haruko was the spitting image of her father, all the way from her silver-white hair, to the way she stood. She even wore his most signature feature, the Sharingan, in her left eye, currently hidden by the headband covering it.
Shinami didn't really understand how the girl's eye had come to be, after all, the Sharingan wasn't Kakashi's originally, and wouldn't be in his genetic code. Her mother had said that as Kakashi's Sharingan had been implanted at a young age, it had time to slowly and surely leave it's mark, and that it must have been enough to make it into his genes.
Shinami didn't understand it, but nor did she really care. Haruko's Sharingan had been nothing but an asset, and when combined with Shinami's, they had become a nearly unstoppable pair.
Then there was the brown haired girl, Temri, who had instantly attached to Shinami the moment they had been assigned together. She constantly fawned over the younger girl, calling her the little sibling she never had, and occasionally being a bit over protective. She was an amazing friend however, and Shinami had begun to see her as an older sister, as she did with Haruko.
"So, you guys ready to head out?" A voice said from behind Shinami, making the girl jump.
She whipped around to see her sensei, and honestly second father, Kakashi Hatake. His mask covered his mouth, but she could tell he was smiling. His two black eyes gazed upon his team, an eyebrow raised questioningly.
The girls all nodded, and Kakashi began leading them at a quick pace down the path leading away from the village. "So, Sensei... What is our mission exactly?" Temri asked curiously from her position behind Shinami.
"We're to make our way to the Hidden Mist Village to deliver a high priority scroll. We don't want to risk a messenger hawk, as they've been being intercepted lately, so naturally the Seventh Hokage wanted a team to take it to the Mizukage personally." Kakashi explained as they lept up into the trees, beginning to leap from branch to branch.
The journey to the Hidden Mist Village was relatively quick and uneventful. They had stopped to make camp and sleep twice, and on the third day, arrived at the gate of the Hidden Mist. They began down the street, headed towards the Mizukage's office, where they were to deliver the scroll. Shinami walked beside Kakashi, looking right and left, admiring the village, with its many stands and shops, vendors yelling out prices and advertising their businesses.
"Man, this place has really changed." Kakashi said with a small sigh, his hands deep in his pockets as he walked. "Hard to believe this is really the Blood Mist Village..."
"Blood Mist Village?" Temri said, tilring her head curiously. "Why the heck do they call it that?"
"They don't anymore, it's an old nickname." Shinami explained to the girl, giving a small sigh. "At the academy graduation, they would pit the students against each other to fight to the death. The winner survived, and was given the rank of Gennin."
"Oh my goodness, why would anyone do something like that, that's horrible!" Temri said, covering her mouth, her eyes widening in horror.
"People can do some very atrocious things when they're given power." Kakashi said simply, glancing over at the two. "But luckily the Village has changed for the better over the years."
The team continued down the street,eventually finding themselves outside the enormous building that housed the Mizukage and supporting staff. They made their way inside and up to the Mizukage's office, where they were told to wait outside, as he was currently seeing someone.
The four of them stood out in the hallway, Kakashi explaining a bit about the Village and its part in the Fourth Great Ninja War. Suddenly the heard shouting coming from inside the office, drawing all of their attention to the door. The two Anbu that were stationed outside the door had their blades ready, both of their attention turned to the door as well. Suddenly, a loud yell was heard, followed shortly by a crash as glass broke.
The two Anbu burst into the room, followed closely by Kakashi and the others, their weapons at the ready. The scene that feel before them caught them all off guard. The far window was shattered, obvious that someone had jumped through it. The desk and the wall next to it was covered in thick, red blood, and the Mizukage lay facedown on the ground, a massive slash across his chest.
Shinami ran to the window, quickly spotting a cloaked figure leaping from roof to roof, attempting to escape. "I'm going after him!" She said, leaping down and beginning the chase.
The man was elusive, that she was sure of. He continuously lost her in crowds of people, or attempted to flee through buildings. But every time he managed to slip out of her sight, she would find him again moments later, and resume the chase, hot on his heels.
They finally came to the gate, rushing through it and out into the mountain pass that lead to the village. The man lept up a rocky cliff, followed closely by the young Uchiha, a kunai at the ready. When they reached the top, he stopped, still facing away from her.
"You're quite persistent, I'll give you that." The figure said in a deep, gravelly voice. "But this little chase ends here."
"Yes, it does, because I'm taking you in to answer for your crimes." Shinami said, raising the kunai, her brow furrowing as she glared at the man's back.
"Well, we seem to be of two very different opinions then, don't we?" The figure said, one of his hands tearing away the black cloak that kept him hidden.
The man turned around, chuckling lightly, his deep grey eyes piercing Shinami's onyx colored ones. Shinami swallowed hard as she looked him over, anylising hm for weaknesses. He was heavily built, with a broad chest and muscled arms, he was quite tall, about 6'3" if she had to guess. She took a look at the weapon he was carrying on his back, a large sword, completely wrapped in what looked like bandages, save for the hilt, which was bright yellow with a skull on the pommel.
"Who the hell are you anyways?" She said, bringing her left foot back slightly, readying herself for a fight.
"My name is Koten Shirashi, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist." The man said with a grin that sent shivers up the girl's spine. "This is my sword, Samehada, passed down from Kisame Hoshikagi himself."
"Kisame... Wasn't he a member of the Akatsuki... Then that means your cloak..." She said, glancing to the dis-guarded clothing item, which currently lay on the ground. It was black, with several large cloud-like symbols on it, each colored red.
"Mhm, it was his. I returned to the site where he was killed, searching for his sword, when I found that as well. I am carrying on his great legacy!" Koten said, grabbing the large sword with one hand and giving it a large swing. "Would you like to experience it first hand?"
Shinami gave a small gulp, her grip on the kunai in her hand tightening as he drew the exceptionally large blade. She readied herself, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. When her eyes opened again, they had changed from the pitch black orbs, to her blazing red Sharingan, her two Tome spinning and coming to a stop as she glared at him.
"Oooh, you're an Uchiha then? You must be the child of Sasuke Uchiha, no? I've heard plenty about you, let's see how much is true..." Koten said, flashing his devilish smile again as he lept at her, bringing his blade down.
Shinami dodged to the left as the blade his the ground with a crash, sending rocks and dirt everywhere. She threw the kunai, which he blocked with Samehada as he brought it up for another swing. Shinami, still on the defensive, lept into the air, flipping backwards and landing on a tree branch. She formed a handsign with her empty hand three shuriken appearing with a small puff of smoke. She threw the blades, the spinning metal arcing towards the larger man, who dodged all but one, which opened a small cut across his left cheek.
"My, my, it seems I've been cut..." He said, smiling widely, his tongue gently moving over the cut. "Mmm, I can't remember the last time someone was actually able to do that."
"Well, I hope you like the feeling, because you're about to get a lot more than that little scratch." Shinami said, leaping into the air again, her hands forming several seals. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" She placed two fingers up to her mouth and exhaled, a large ball of bright orange flames firing out towards Koten.
Koten was too quick for her however; by the time the fireball hit the ground, her was already several meters back, weaving hand signs of his own, his hands a blur of movement. "Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"
The large beast flew from a nearby stream, headed directly towards Shinami, who prepared herself to dodge. The action, however, was not necessary, as the moment the dragon should have collided, it was stopped dead in it's tracks, quickly dissipating into vapor.
Shinami's head spun around quickly, her eyes wide as she saw the silver-haired man standing behind her, smiling down at the girl through his mask. "I figured you might appreciate some backup, so I came to see what I could do."
"For once Sensei, you have perfect timing." Shinami said with a small smile, turning back to Koten, who was now frowning.
"Kakashi Hatake... The copy ninja, Kakashi of the Sharingan, the list of nicknames goes on for more time than I have currently. What an unexpected and rather unpleasant surprise..." He said with a small sneer as he readied himself again. "But I guess killing you would be quite the achievement... I've already killed one Kage today, what's another one on top of that?"
Kakashi's next movement was so quick that even Shinami's Sharingan could barely register it. Kakashi had practically teleported behind the man, his kunai pressed against his throat, and his other hand holding Koten's wrist above his head.
"It's one thing to have faith in your own abilities, but the key to living a long life is not to underestimate your opponents." Kakashi said, his eyebrows raising as he gave an amused chuckle.
"Hmm, you're probably right, two would just be pushing it, wouldn't it?" Koten said, laughing sadistically as he began melting, dripping into a large puddle at Kakashi's feet.
"Genjutsu!" Shinami said, placing both hands together and focusing her chakra. "Release!"
Both she and Kakashi opened their eyes again, but it was too late. Koten was nowhere in sight, and neither could sense his presence. Kakashi gave a small sigh as he walked back over to the girl, who had slumped against a tree, hanging her head.
"I'm sorry I let him get away... I shouldn't have gone after him by myself..." She said as he sat down next to her, both of their Sharingan deactivating, their eyes returning to their normal black.
"Well, to be honest, if you hadn't gone after him, I might not have caught up to him in time. I didn't want to get too far away from the village, so I wouldn't have been able to track him very far. You stopped him and held him here. And because you did, we were able to get a good look at our enemy, as well as his name and some of his skills." Kakashi said, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder and smiling.
"So... What about the scroll? Who do we give it to now that Lord Mizukage is..." Shinami said, tilting her head curiously as she looked up at him.
"We'll give it to the elders of the Mist Village. They're in charge now until a new Mizukage is selected, so we'll have to get the reply from them." Kakashi said with a small sigh, shaking his head sadly. "Hard to believe he's really dead... Poor Chōjūrō..."
Shinami looked up, sighing as a cloud passed overhead, covering the pair in a large shadow. "Well... We should get back to the village, right Sensei?"
"Yeah, let's get back to the others, and inform the Elders of what we found out..." Kakashi said, helping Shinami to her feet and turning back towards the village. "I have a really bad feeling about this."