This couldn't be happening. This was just a nightmare, a really strange, random nightmare. There were no ANBU at my house. I was in bed, sleeping. Any minute I would wake up to the smell of my mom's cooking. One of the four shinobi took a step forward while I took a step back. A thousand thoughts were buzzing around in my head, questions really. The number one that seemed to be the loudest because it was the first thing I said. My parents were sitting on the couch. They wouldn't look at me. They didn't say everything would be all right. They wouldn't raise their heads to me. Of all the times I complained about how I wasn't a child anymore, now was the perfect time for them to be my parents and protect and comfort their child. I wanted to be a child again.
"Why are you here?"
All four of them had masks to cover their faces. I just sat there not daring to make a move. My mother looked up at the one closest to her as he turned toward me. Well, I assumed it was a man, what with his low pitch voice.
"Tsukiko, we're part of Konoha's ANBU force," he said. "Do you know what that is?"
"Yes, and elite group of ninja who's identities are always kept secret." I didn't look at him. I remained focused on my parents until he said something that pulled my attention away from them.
"Why are we here? We're here for you," he said. I looked up at him.
"Why me?"
"Ask your parents that, they know."
"Know what?" I looked at them again. Only my dad came to meet my gaze.
"Tsukiko, I'm sorry, this wasn't supposed to happen."
"What wasn't supposed to happen? Dad?"
"Don't call me that!" I was a little startled. "Don't... call me that... I-I don't deserve that title... I... I'm not your father, Tsukiko..." I took a step back. What did any of this have to do with why these shinobi being here?
"What does that have to do with anything? What's going on?"
"Tsukiko-chan," said the leader of the team. "You're blind in one eye right?" I looked up at him. If I could see his face, I'm sure I'd see a smirk.
"Yes," I said, curious as to where he was going with this.
"Really, then Yoshikawa-san," he turned to my dad. "How many ANBU do you see in this room?"
"One, you," he said. My eyes widened.
"Is there something wrong Tsukiko?"
"There's four," I said. "There's one over there," I pointed at the wall to my left, "and two over there," I pointed over at the vase.
"They're in hiding," he said. "Only two kinds of people could see that, the Hyuuga with their Byakugan, and the Uchiha with their Sharingan."
"Tsukiko," said my father. "You're part Uchiha, part Hyuuga."
"But, I'm really blind in my right eye!" I cried out. I covered my left eye and at first everything was black, but the I started seeing blue lights in my right eye. I immediately uncovered my left eye to see again.
"Supposedly, you're father was one of the Uchiha."
"No, I'm not an Uchiha and I'm not a Hyuuga!" I shouted. "My name is Yoshikawa Tsukiko."
"Do not make this any harder then this has to be."
"You're the ones making this hard!" I cried. "It's my fourteenth birthday! This isn't what I wanted for my birthday!"
"We're taking you to Konoha to train you."
"Why?" I felt tears running down my face. This was all happening too fast. "It's not like I'm a danger to you."
"I'm sorry," said another ANBU, "but you're a rare case. Never before has Hyuuga and Uchiha blood been mixed so having you to fight for us would be a huge benefit to all of Konoha."
"Not to mention how much danger you would be in if any other countries found out about this."
"What if I'm weaker then you expected?" I asked.
"Then we'll just make you stronger, not just for Konoha's sake, but your's as well."
I wanted them all to go away, disappear. I wanted to wake up to find that this was a dream. This was all just a dream. I wasn't a Hyuuga or an Uchiha. I was just plain Yoshikawa Tsukiko.
"This isn't happening," I sobbed as I fell to my knees. The shinobi who had spoken kindly to me crouched beside me. Her mask hiding her face, but her voice was filled with compassion.
"Come, your training starts tomorrow." I nodded meekly, there was no fighting this. "We'll give you some time to say good-bye to them."
On my fourteenth birthday, I went from being an ordinary girl with no ties to the ninja world, to a full blown ANBU trainee.
Five years later...
"Phoenix, do you see him?"
"I do. His ten meters to your ten o'clock," I replied into the radio. My face was sweaty from the heat of my mask. "You'll be approaching him from behind. I'll let you know if he moves."
"Roger!"
"Tiger, don't get carried away, okay? Remember what happen last time," I heard another voice speak up. Suddenly I heard something behind me. To a normal ear, nothing would have been heard, but I had mine specially trained and in just five years. I had already seen him sneak up on me. I was just giving him the benefit of the doubt.
However, when I saw him pull out a shuriken, I quickly and carefully pulled out a kunai and a shuriken of my own. I saw it come whistling through the air in my direction. I blocked it with my kunai and sent my shuriken in his direction. I made a hand sign and the one shuriken became many.
They didn't hit their mark, and a voice spoke through the radio.
"All right, good job, we'll end training early today." When I had first started out, this would have been my cue to jump for joy, but I had learned to have more restrain then that.
"Phoenix," my ANBU code name. My mask was that of a bird, "you've gotten better, but you're still not at the level we need you to be." He was referring to my Sharingan. However, I still questioned as to what level I needed to be at, though I had a pretty good idea.
After training, I found myself wandering the streets of Konoha. Since I had started training at such a late age, they allowed me to wander around as a civilian. Any sign of betraying Konoha information would mean my untimely death, but I knew better. They wouldn't kill me. I was too valuable. Otherwise, they wouldn't have bothered to hunt me down.
After walking around the village for some time, I felt a little hungry and found a nice little ramen restaurant. I stepped inside and sat down. The man approached me with a smile on his face.
"Hello, how may I help you?" he asked. I looked at the menu.
"I'll just have oriental please," I said. As he started cooking it, another customer came in. He was wearing a bright orange jump suit and had bright yellow hair. He had strikingly blue eyes, and the headband wrapped around his forehead told me he was a Konoha shinobi, probably a genin.
"Hey, mister, can I have the usual?" he shouted, my sensitive ears ringing.
"Sure thing Naruto," replied the man. Apparently the boy was a frequent customer. I felt a pair of eyes on me. I looked over at him, and he looked away since he had been caught staring.
"What is it?" I asked.
"Your eyes," he said. "Why are they like that?" He was referring to my having one eye black and the other bright blue. I smiled.
"I'm blind in my right eye," I sort of lied. I was no longer blind in that eye.
"Oh," he said. I could tell he wanted to say something more, by the way he kept glancing at me.
"Anything else?" I asked.
"You're pretty," he said, a soft blush creeping across his face. I smiled. He was so adorable.
"Why thank you!" I exclaimed as our food was handed to us. "You're pretty handsome yourself. I'm sure the girls fawn over you."
"No," he said as he loudly slurped his noodles. I carefully started to eat mine. Neither of us said much else for the rest of the night. When it came time to leave, I handed him my money, being sure to leave a tip. I watched as Naruto began digging in his pockets.
"Now where is that coupon," he muttered. I noticed a tiny slip of paper sticking out from underneath his head band. I cleared my throat, and he looked at me. I gently tapped my forehead, trying to clue him in as to where it was.
"What?" his hand went to his protector and his eyes lit up with realization. "Oh, I had forgotten I had put it there. Thanks miss."
"Tsukiko," I said.
"Tsukiko!" he repeated. "I'm Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto! Future Hokage!"
"Pleased to meet you, Naruto-kun," I replied with a smile. He handed his coupon and the money to the man. Then he looked at me and blushed as he started fidgeting.
"Something wrong Naruto-kun?" I asked. His blush went brighter as he opened his mouth.
"C-can I w-walk you home?" he asked. Aw, how sweet! I couldn't possibly turn him down.
"Of course you may," I replied. His smile was so bright; I'm sure if I really were blind I'd have been able to see it. We stepped out of the restaurant.
"I live this way."
"Really?!" he cried, "Me too!"
"Do you live at the apartment complex?" I asked.
"Yeah."
"So do I!"
"Cool! What room number?"
"502."
"Seriously? I live just a few rooms down, room 506!"
The whole way, we chatted about different things. Naruto did most of the talking. Telling me about how the third part of his chuunin exam was coming up and who he was against.
"Hyuuga Neji?" I asked.
"Yeah, he's my opponent," he said. "Everyone says he's strong, but after what he did to Hinata, I can't afford to lose!" He was so passionate about it. He had become a ninja because he wanted to be recognized by the village, while I had been forced into it because of my strange abilities.
"Well, I'll be rooting for you," I said. Naruto looked up at me; his big blue eyes shining at me. It made me giggle inwardly. He was just so adorable.
"Thanks Tsukiko! That means a lot!" he said. Then he got all nervous again as we stood in front of my door.
"What is it?"
"Um... can I call you Tsuki-chan?" I nearly busted out laughing. No one had ever called me that, not even my parents. It was so adorable, and hearing him say it just made me want laugh.
"Sure, Naruto-kun," I said. "Good night."
"Good night Tsuki-chan!" he called as he ran off towards his apartment. I smiled as I watched him run off. I took out my key to my apartment and stepped inside with a sigh. I had been living in this apartment for five years and had not once bothered to see who my neighbors were. Not that I ever had the time. If I wasn't training, I was eating and sleeping. Never had much time for any social events. I was okay with that though, I didn't want to be reminded of the past that I used to have, a normal life with normal parents and no ties to the ninja world.
I landed on my bed with a thud and gripped my pillow tightly. Tomorrow would probably be the same.
I awoke an hour before dawn to get an early start on my training. Before I could make it to the training grounds, however, another ANBU member stopped me.
"Hokage has called for a meeting of all the ANBU."
"Hai," I replied, quickly changing course.
We quickly came to the rooftop of the Hokage building. Where the Sandaime stood waiting for all of us. As soon as all of us were present, he spoke.
"We have received word of a possible invasion during the chuunin exams," he said. "This means that I need all of you to be on your guard, especially when the Uchiha starts to fight."
Uchiha...
"Phoenix," he was addressing me.
"Hai!"
"You will need to be on your guard as well. There's a possibility that they know of your heritage, so they might come after you as well."
"Hai," I answered.
"Plans will be discussed within individual teams. Your captains have been given instructions. Dismissed."
With that, all of us took off. We all knew the basic strategy for an invasion, but to be safe, they had us review it.
"All right so everyone knows where their to be stationed?"
"Hai!"
"All right, Phoenix, no matter what, do not take off your mask with either of your eyes activated." I nodded. My heritage had to remain a secret. The Sharingan I had to learn how to use on my own, but the Byakugan, there were a couple of Hyuuga's within the ANBU ranks. They were sworn to secrecy when they taught me.
With all that said and done, we began our rigorous training. We trained far harder now then we did before since we only had a month before the final part of the Chuunin exams.
I was on my home late at night when I passed by the ramen shop where I had met Naruto. I landed on the rooftop of the building across the street when I saw him come out. He seemed a little depressed about something, and I assumed it was the upcoming exam that had him worried. I felt a little tug on my heart that wanted me to talk to him, but I needed to get home. I was tired from training and had a few scrapes to clean up. So I jumped on, ignoring the nagging sensation to return and talk to him.
I got home and immediately took off my ANBU garb and put it away. I had just finished cleaning myself up when I heard a feint knock on the door. Curious, I opened up to find an orange jumpsuit waiting for me. He seemed a little surprised that I had answered.
"Hey, Naruto-kun," I said cheerfully. His face seemed frozen in a surprised expression.
"Uh... I didn't think you were actually home," he said.
"Well, it is pretty late out, what do you need?"
"I was just wondering why you weren't at the ramen shop."
"Oh, I had to work late today," I replied. "Thanks for your concern."
"Can we hang out tomorrow?" he asked. I smiled at him. He obviously had a little crush on me, and I, quite honestly, enjoyed the attention. After five years of being invisible, I felt I deserved this attention, at least until the Chuunin exams.
Well, I can't say I know where to go with this, but if you all want, which some of you might not even care (which makes me sad), I will continue. For now, please review. First reviewer gets ten cookies, second gets five, third get three, fourth gets one! Okay?!
Helpful criticism will be welcomed with open arms! Flames will be shot down, and questions will be answered (depending on the questions).