Summary: Usagi a girl who was taken in by Orochimaru at only age 6 had been stripped of all her memories and has to recover them. Can Naruto, Shikamaru persuade her to change her course of action? With Orochimaru's evil schemes and plans to interfere with the Chuunin exams. She sets off on a mission to Konoha to fulfill her duty, uncovering pieces of her past along the journey.
"Usagi dear could you do me a favor and fetch me a bucket of water?" her Grandmother asked.
"Sure!" Usagi skipped from the porch step of her house towards the old shed were she clasped a hold of one of the smaller pails and clumsily stumbled down a slight mound in the dirt and came to a freshly built well. Noticing a butterfly she neglected her duty and threw her bucket a side to chase after it, wanting to catch it of course. Her hand reached out for it but she took a sudden misstep to result in a face-first tumble. The butterfly flew off and Usagi caught through the breeze gentle whispers of ear-splitting cries. She barely could make it out but it seemed to have been echoing off from the direction which she came…
Being quick to straighten up she hastily scooped the pail full. She heard no voices so her hike back up and over the mound was slower than before. Approaching the clearing she noticed strangers, they didn't appear familiar by there clothes and oddly shaped weapons.
Usagi felt her grasp of the bucket slip; the metal pail tingled when it hit the ground. She immediately reared back, the men had spotted her.
One of them stepped out from the darkness of her house, holding a gigantic sword which bears smears of blood. Laughter erupted from one of them while the other two exchanged whispers.
Gulping Usagi stood ready to dash for the shelter of the trees being to afraid to do anything but very soon she felt someone's hand gripped tightly to her shoulder. How'd… he get there so fast… The other two had reappeared at her sides facing spears. The grip loosened, darting glances at the two who held spears she saw they lowered them.
Usagi glimpsed at the bandit man who strode towards her to see he was the one who signaled them. The boss huh she thought but became interrupted by a thump in the ribs with his sword's harmless side. He lifted Usagi from her feet and flung her over his shoulders.
She shut her eyes while pangs of pain shot up from her stomach slowly beginning to recall the scream. Is Grandma and Grandpa okay?? She thought now biting down on the person's wrist only making his grip around her waist even tighter. Yelling, she let streams of tears slip down her cheeks.
Three of them began to laugh again but the other set her down and headed inside. Frightened of his emotions she took a step back though he noticed and snatched her arm before continuing down the house hallway. The hallway processed no sound, nothing in the corners of the houses shifted. When they reached an open door he jabbed her forwards into the darkened room. She glanced nervously around to see it's just the kitchen but saw two people laid out in one corners of the room. Splatters of blood could be seen extended from them to end at where she stood. She gulped as she walked towards the in animated shapes. Her eyes stretched open when she halted.
"Grandma…!! Grandpa!!!" she screamed, flopping overtop the bodies bursting out into tears. She heard foot steps rear up from behind and cold breath now lingered over her shoulders. She barely managed to motion her head around as her eyes filled with liquid.
"You... get up." Usagi heard the man speak passionlessly. She rose to her feet now trying to rub the tears from her swelling eyes.
"Who... who did this." she murmurs only succeeding at making more tears flow from her eyes. The person raised his sword to let it point to her neck.
"Move on." he demanded.
Usagi obeyed his orders as she slowly rounded out into the hallway. Wary of the gigantic sword pointed to her back.
"Any funny business and you'll find this in your chest." she caught him say. She only swallowed when they both were suddenly overwhelmed with light. They were outside again and she noticed the three were still there.
"Shall we kill her?"
She shuffled back but felt an unpleasant stab through her back; she forgot the person who stood behind her held a sword. Her widened gaze lifted towards the sky. Little blood tingled down her throat when she collapsed to her knees.
"I-I want to go back to my Grandpa and my Grandma." she whimpered holding her hands to her face.
"Suit's us fine." one of the spear man sniggered. The boss man gave him a warning glance.
"Now why would we let you do that?" he spoke from behind.
Usagi bolted upright; her first attention was to run to the clustered forest of trees though stiffened to a stop when an erupting pain shot through her. Below her she noticed a sword was thrust through her chest. She sank down to her knees beginning to attempt at pulling it free. Her stomach gushed out crimson which drizzled off to her knees. Peering back at the bandits behind she saw there eyes were held wide.
"Whaa?"
Usagi lifted herself up with ease. She tilted her head at them while she stared at the man who spoke. Huh. She thought puzzled by the in coming looks. One of them threw knife-like things which struck her in the legs. She blinked and easily plucked them out, wondering why there attacks are failing to harm her terribly whilst one took a few paces back.
"She's a monster!!"
"Calm down." the man next to him spoke.
Ignoring there conversation she latched a hold of the sword to attempt at trying to pull it out again. Soon it loosened at her tugs and suddenly the sword broke loose blanketed with blood, revealing a huge gap through her chest. The blood now flooded out more continuously and flew off onto the ground.
Usagi bent over to receive the knives and leaped towards the bandits, throwing the knives at them in mid-jump but they easily dodged it. Dashing backwards, she still held a few knives so she hurtled off in the direction of one of the men. A trail of blood followed as it layered the ground. She succeeded at aiming one of the knives through one's chest. Her eyes dripped droplets of liquid, glancing out to her arm she noticed a knife had been snagged to it.
Usagi tore it loose. She next stabbed the other guy who crouched down examining the first bandit she hit. Blood oozed down the knife to touch her hand. Taking a step back to view her results she saw two lay sprawled dead on the ground but remembered two more.
Her eyes quickly scanned her surroundings, not seeing anything she started back towards the trees.
Did they run... away from me, are they scared...? She thought while she had moved a fern from her path. A chuckle sounded above her. Usagi flicked her eyes up to see an oddly dressed man with very pale skin...
Like mine. She thought placing one of her hands to her blood covered arm. He jumped off a branch to land in front of her.
"You have skill..." Usagi lowered her head while her eyes increased in size.
"S-Skill….?"
"Come with me." she heard him speak now noticing his hand was outstretched. Shivering a bit she reached for it. He leaped back onto a branch, continuing to leap as he grasped Usagi's hand.
"Will you work for me...?"
She found her eyes drifted somewhere else but nodded slowly to herself "I will!"
"Good..." he said quietly.
"My name is Usagi..." she replied in a meek tone. The corners of his lip rotated up.
"Orochimaru. I will take care of you." he answered. Usagi beamed gratefully towards him, thankful she's not going to be alone.
"I can teach you." she heard him say...
-END OF FLASH BACK-
Usagi blinked open her eyes, remembering she was out training. An order from Orochimaru-sama...
She clamored to her feet beginning to stare at a nearby bush, thinking she heard something though soon ignored it as she shifted into a throwing stance. She threw some kunai knives at a tree, starting to continue her training.
Sheesh... Orochimaru-sama told me along time ago he would teach me and he hasn't even taught me a single thing! She thought becoming desperate. Usagi heard a laugh; quickly she spun around to glower at the bushes.
"OKAY COME OUT!" there was no answer.
She sighed and hanged her head. Am I just imagining things...?? She thought but threw a kunai at the bushes just in case. Not hearing a slight sound she turned around and began strolling towards the tree she had threw her kunais at, wanting to retrieve them. She ripped them from it and walked away once again to just throw them back at the tree again.
She let out a sigh before thinking. I'm not learning anything but throwing... and I'm already good at that! She then sped back over to the tree to grab the kunais. Quickly she stuffed them into her side pouch.
I'm fed up with this so-called training! I am going to do it else where!! Far away from here... She hastened up her pace towards the mountain's direction.
"Urrah! Where am I?!? Am I lost?!" she moaned as she studied the area thoroughly though soon relaxed. Am I being followed...? She paused while she stared at a tree.
"Who's there!?" she readied her hand near her pouch. Suddenly a man poked his head out.
"Usagi-sama?"
Usagi's jaw dropped.
"KABUTO!?? You're the one who was following me?!?!" she yelled in astonishment. He scratched his head.
"Orochimaru-sama's orders."
She folded her arms "He doesn't trust me...?" Kabuto glanced over at the mountains.
"You were planning to leave weren't you?"
She gulped then too rotated her head towards the mountains "Uh-Umm... no... I wanted somewhere else to train!"
Kabuto wandered out from behind the tree and seized her arm "Orochimaru-sama told you to train here, not somewhere else." he lectured as he headed back the direction Usagi came.
Usagi lurched back "So what!?! I am tired of just throwing darn kunais!!" she bit her finger.
"If you don't let me go..."
Kabuto took a hold of her other arm "There's no good of summoning that here."
She tore her arms away "Fine." she scowled at him after almost knocking him over when she forged by him. Kabuto leaped to a near by branch.
"I'll be watching you, so don't try anything!"
Usagi mumbled the words "Darn." and "Kabuto." before continuing her pace. When she soon arrived at her spot were she was training. She sighed as she took out a kunai and strode over to a tree. Beginning to carve her name and then adding Kabuto's name with a huge X across it her lips quirked at one corner before she let out a snigger.
Usagi paused to look at her kunai as she held her hand in place, seeing tree sap dripping from it. I'm ruining the tree...
She stuck her kunai away beginning to stare at the words while watching sap ooze from the carvings. All I do each day is wreck trees...
She then glanced at another tree which stood a few steps from her and another that was dead and had fallen down…
She once again heaved out a heavy sigh; I need a new training spot!
Kabuto suddenly called out her name. Irritably she waltzed around.
"EHHH?? WHAT!??!"
Kabuto leapt off a tree and right in front of her "Orochimaru-sama wants you."
She sprang back "What does he want?" Kabuto soon explained everything to her.
Usagi dipped her head before dashing off. Chuunin exams? I'm not even sorted in a team...
She slunk forwards and into a building. Peering around curiously for the where bouts of Orochimaru-sama. She overheard talking in the next room so she quickly lumbered down the deserted hallway towards the source of the noise. Through the door was a pitch-black room she couldn't tell if she entered the right room or not.
"Orochimaru-sama??" she shouted out.
"Ahh... Usagi." He did a gesture with his arms in greeting.
"Your team mates are Kyoko and Shin..." She squinted through the darkness.
"Where are they Orochimaru-sama."
"Outside." Orochimaru simply stated. She nodded and rounded back out the door. Outside Usagi spotted two people.
"Are you Shin and Kyoko?" she asked, halting in front of them noticing there respond was a nod. She smirked.
"Konoha... interesting..." she chuckled evilly. Shin began to circle her.
"You look weak."
Usagi folded her arms while she half-closed her eyes "It doesn't matter on there appearance, Orochimaru-sama chose me for a reason." she spoke boastfully.
Shin lifted her by the shirt "Oh yeah?!" Kyoko suddenly burst into the conversation.
"Stop it you two! Usagi, Shin, we're a team, we're not enemies!!" Usagi gave him a gloating look when she felt Shin's grip on her loosen.
"Thanks Kyoko..."
Shin squinted at Usagi, seeming to have a few more words to say but probably thought better of it as he began to yell at Kyoko instead. Usagi however ignored it, she continued to walk towards the mountains, the direction of Konoha.
"You two... arguing won't solve anything besides Orochimaru-sama gave us an order."
Kyoko shoved past Shin to course along side Usagi.
"No problem, it's just Shin can be a jerk sometimes..." she murmured. Usagi viewed Shin with distaste as she appeared over her shoulder. Something's odd here...
Shin soon caught up to Kyoko and her. Usagi whirled around at Shin and halted when she faced him.
"What's your reason of being here." she stared directly up at his forehead instead of looking him in the eyes. Shin didn't reply in words only having shot her a glare while he bit his lip irritably.
Kyoko took a hold of one of her arms and Shin's "Come on, quit it!!" Usagi pulled her arm away.
"Fine, I just wanted to know..." she said, leering out at him.
"I heard in on a conversation with Orochimaru-sama and Kabuto... about raiding Konoha." Kyoko soon began explaining more about what she heard.
Usagi closed her eyes after she finished "You were spying...? Why?" Kyoko looked down her nose as she fiddled with her fingers "I know I shouldn't have but..."
Shin mumbled something to himself, Usagi wasn't listening to him. "Konoha..." she opened her eyes.
"Let's move on, we are getting close."
Suddenly Shin threw her and Kyoko something. Usagi glimpsed quickly at it "Konoha forehead protector... oooh... I see." she removed her sound forehead protector to replace it with the Konoha one.
"Orochimaru-sama gave you that Shin?"
Shin inclined his head "Y-Yeah..."
Usagi, Kyoko and Shin stopped at a tree. Usagi immediately took of her backpack, "Let's rest here for the night." she flopped to the ground opposite from it. Kyoko nodded in agreement while settling her self down beside her. Shin mumbled again as he leaned his body against the tree.
"Do we have too?!"
Kyoko laughed at him "You're just uncomfortable because we're girls." Usagi smirked before opening her bag. "Here, Kyoko." she then threw Kyoko a cup-like thing "You like ramen?" she said and stood up now beginning to stroll away.
"I'm going to go look around."
Kyoko stared down at the cup after Usagi left. Doubtful it was any good though curiously she popped off the lid to see some awaiting chopsticks with warm delicious ramen inside!
Usagi sat above on a branch, staring off into the distance to see Konoha's borders up ahead. We're definitely almost there. She thought half awake from the long walk. She gave into a yawn as she stretched out her legs while her head drifted back. She by accident fell asleep.
KYOKO AND SHIN'S P.O.V
Kyoko glanced around with a stuffed mouth. "Usagi's not back yet?" Shin slumped down beside her. "Who cares."
Kyoko lifted the cup of Ramen to her mouth and slurped the rest down. "Do you not like Usagi?" Shin didn't reply only placing his chin to his knees. She set down the now empty cup.
"Should we go look for Usagi?" Shin shook his head at her comment. "No." he said in a harsh tone. Kyoko sighed at him and heaved herself to her feet "I'll look." Shin stretched out his hand and motioned to the ground "Sit." he stated. She lowered herself down "Huh?"
"There's something strange about Usagi..." he spoke first whipping his head around. "She's suspicious."
Kyoko swallowed, trying to hold in laughter "Suspicious...? She probably thinks your suspicious!" she giggled slightly after finishing.