Hello everyone! Haiitachan here with my first fanfiction...please don't be too harsh!

I hope this story turns out okay, it may be a little slow and weird at first but it's all building up to the climax, i promise!

Please don't hesitate to message or review (hint hint) and tell me what you think! It would be greatly appreciated C:

xoxo Haiitachan

The Fire Country. Konoha. The villagers. It was just as you remembered it.

You cocked your ear towards the looming gates and paused, taking in the numerous sounds around you. Chirping birds, the roar of the village life, clings and clashes from training, and children laughing. Yes, it was exactly how you remembered it.

You stood at the gate and gazed at the carved figures of the five Hokages in the distance, counting each bust on your fingers. Ichidaime, Nidaime, Sandaime, Yondaime…

…Godaime?

Five Hokages? Either Sarutobi retired and found a replacement, or departed this life…hmm.

Well, it had been about a decade since you left the place. No, not quite. It was 10 years exactly. The old geezer hadn't had that much left in him anyway, from what you knew back then. But who is this new Hokage? The last bust clearly resembled that of a woman. Finally, a female…but who? Even with squinted eyes, you couldn't make out the details of the face.

You looked ahead. The hustle and bustle of the large city before you escaped the un-seeing eyes of the idols in the cliff. Shopkeepers, children, and solicitors all shouted, their babblings merging into one incoherent whine that could have been heard in all the neighboring countries had not the dense forests absorbed the sound waves.

You chuckled, shook your head, and started forward.

As you walked, a slight breeze whirled leaves around your shoes, lifting your cloak slightly. You stuck your hands in your pockets and hung your head, buried in contemplative reminiscence.

10 years ago you had been 8.

So young.

You were energetic, passionate, goal-driven: the makings of a fine shinobi. That could have been your future, had you not possessed such an apparent Achilles' heel. You were impossibly thick. That certain quality of yours, it had caused quite a lot of disturbance in your life. You were never able to pick up on hints, strategically digest a situation, or even determine rights from wrongs when it wasn't blatantly obvious. That's how you got stuck in your situation, stupid.

Tap, tap… went your shoes as you continued on your linear path to the Hokage's office.

You hadn't become a ninja when you were young, and it had been heartbreaking. Although it was your utmost desire to enter the academy, you were never able to see it through-failing the entrance exam two years in a row was enough to discourage anyone from trying for a third. The other kids called you a worthless pile of junk, unworthy of life. Maybe then, they were right.

But it was painful, all the same, and too much for your sensitive persona to handle. You remember wallowing in the hidden meanings of these fierce insults when the man came. This man that had appeared at your doorstep one day, haggard and sick, begging for water. Strange, but pitiful all the same. You invited him in, being the naïve and compassionate person that you were, and nursed him back to health. Behind your parent's back, of course. If they found him, they'd probably throw him out on the street like the numerous stray animals before him.

He had preached about bringing peace to the world, of filling it with knowledge and peace, bringing equality to every citizen.

Sugoi…how wonderful… you remember thinking. You had eaten it up like cake, too. You threw your entire, comfortable life away for the sake of your own selfish ambitions, and placing all your trust in this strange "missionary" from God.

He had been good to you, for maybe the first year. It was only after he branded you with his mark (tattoo) that you even begun to suspect otherwise. And that was on suspicion then.

It was only after the countless brutal training sessions (beatings might have been a more accurate term) and months of maltreatment before you wizened up to Jinpachi's newfound cruel ways. He was one of the legendary Seven Swordsman of the Mist, you later learned. He lived up very well to the tales of their spitefulness derived from drink told throughout the countries. You were forced to sneak around, espionage, and fight invariably for your right for simple food and water. You had to always be on alert, in case he suddenly had a bout of rage, or got too inebriated, and wanted to take it out on your feeble figure.

After going through all that, you were so much different. No longer sluggish and ignorant, or reckless. Your mind was forcefully straightened out and tamed.

And in the end, you put him out of his misery. He had it coming, anyway. You came out with three lessons: you can't trust anyone, compassion is a myth, and success is sweet…sweet…so sweet like that pastry stand over there!

You smiled. Heck, you were only 18 and you already sounded like a senile old fool.

Shikamaru's POV

Finally. I thought to myself. Time to relax…

I had just come back from a trouble-some mission of escorting Temari of the Sands back to Suna. She had been here (again) to prepare the administration of the semi-annual Chuunin exams. Trouble-some woman…what a drag…

It was always a drag when she came. It's a six day trip to and from Suna, which made escorting her one of my top least favorite missions. Unfortunately, it was the one I had to do the most. Sucks…

I was pretty relieved when Tsunade-sama decided to give me the rest of the day off. I had been running around like a dog the past three weeks. This break was long overdue.

As I walked, I looked up to the sky. Lucky for me, the clouds were thick and numerous today. Absolute perfection. There were so many interesting shapes- a frog…some dango…Choji's fat ass…a shogi piece…

"That'll be 50 yen, Ma'am."

"Oh…I'm sorry, I don't have enough."

That was enough chatter to grab my attention from the puffy masses of condensation I was enjoying. 50 yen? Not enough? I was perplexed. It wasn't much at all, only a of couple light bills. How could someone not have enough?

Oh…maybe some strange chick dressed all in black wouldn't have enough. I had looked over, curious, and that's who I found. She was standing at my mother's favorite pastry shop, looking rather depressed as she dumped out the contents of her coin pouch and found only a few clinking coins. The cashier caught me watching. Shoot.

My mom was pretty good friends with the owners of this place, and since she frequented it a lot, no doubt this story would come up in their next conversation. If I don't do something and my mom finds out…

I shivered. She'd whip me like she whips my dad. That would be very troublesome indeed.

I quickly trotted over and passed the cashier a couple bills from my wallet. It barely made a dent in my cash.

"Here, I'll cover it."

"Arigato, Nara-san!" thanked the cashier in a quite cheery voice. "The Nara's are one of our best customers!"

I assumed that last comment was intended for the girl.

I turned around to face the said individual, and our eyes met momentarily. Her light, chestnut hair complemented her warm skin well, but there was something off about her darkly rimmed eyes. There was a strange, shocking intensity when I searched them, but I barely had time to figure out what it was. The next second she looked away.

"You didn't have to." Her voice was quiet and withdrawn.

"It wasn't an issue," I returned lazily, "It looks like you're new here. Think of it as a welcome present."

Her eyes narrowed.

"No, I meant you really didn't have to. Now I owe you a favor in return. What a pain in the ass."

With that, she turned on her heel and walked on silently, munching on the melon bun I'd just shelled out for. I sighed, again. Women are so hard to understand, so troublesome. You think she'd be grateful…

Nonetheless, I didn't drop my gaze from her retreating back. "Hmm…now I kind of want a melon bun too…" I muttered as I turned too, and went my own way, ignoring my sudden craving.

Your POV

Meddlesome jerk. You thought as you ate. How am I supposed to pay him back? I'm stark broke. Ha-ha.

You huffed.

You may have spent a good majority of your life under one of the Seven Swordsman of the Mist, but you still had the moralities drilled in to you by your parents. And those moralities said that now, you inevitably had to meet with the Nara figure at least one more time to return the favor.

…Let's make that an "at most." After all you really hated people. They were such pains.

You roughly threw the now empty melon bun wrapper into the trash. Hunger? Problem solved. Next issue: what to do when you get to the Hokage's office. Hmm.

Abduction and placement of an ultimatum?

No, too unrealistic.

Begging on your knees for Konoha shinobi-dom?

Pshh…as if.

You sighed. All this decision making is such a pain in the ass, you thought wearily as you finally entered the red official building.

Tsunade's POV

There was a sharp rapping at the door. I looked up from my paperwork in hopeful anticipation. "Yes, Shizune?"

A tall, fair skinned woman with short black hair entered the room. She wasn't a day over 22.

She bowed. "Hokage-sama, there's a woman here requesting to be in your presence. She claims the matter is rather urgent and it cannot wait."

I exhaled contentedly, pushing my mountains of work aside for the moment. Yes! Perfect timing, I need a break anyway. "Alright, show her in," I conceded, resting my elbows on the desk and interlacing my fingers. I closed my eyes as I listened to Shizune's footsteps slowly fade away, before returning with more prominence upon her return.

Let's see who our guest is…

I opened my eyes and found a young woman standing in front of me. She had long brown hair that only made her black cloak seem even more saturated. She's too young to be wearing so much black…and it isn't even practical in this warm weather!

She spoke first. "Legendary Sennin Tsunade…it's an honor…a very fitting choice…"

I assumed the girl was referring to my current position as Hokage, preceded by that of Sarutobi and Minato.

"Yes, I am Tsunade, Konoha's current Hokage. Now, let's focus. Who are you, where are you from, and what is your purpose here in Konoha?"

The girl laughed an eerie laugh that worried me. "A citizen of this city! I lived here for 8 years before I left…Well, even if you were the Third, I doubt you would remember me anyway. I was a somewhat insignificant little shrimp. But now…"

She drifted off, swinging a kunai knife around her index finger for emphasis.

I was intrigued by this strange avoidance of my question, but persisted in the purpose of this conversation.

"Interesting…now, answers, if you don't mind."

"Pushy..." snorted the girl, with a slight air of exasperation. I was suddenly incensed at that moment, and wanted to bite her pretty little head off. But she continued.

"My name is Sugiura Ayumi. I am the daughter of a shop owner and a housewife." I swear she's scoffing right now…"I'm not very sure where they are right now. I left in the company of Jinpachi Munashi, an ally to Momomichi Zabuza, whom I heard Konoha had defeated. Jinpachi is now dead as well, and I have returned to resume a life here."

I listened intently to her brief dialogue. Jinpachi…Zabuza…Swordsmen of the Mist…now dead. I wondered...

"Are you a shinobi?"

"Yes."

"Did you attend the academy?"

"No."

"From whom did you acquire your skills?"

"Jinpachi."

"What level would you consider yourself to be at?

"Jounin"

"Is there any hidden motive behind your return to Konoha?"

"No."

I looked at the girl hardly for a long period of silence. Her fiery gaze was locked on mine. We continued our unspoken quest for dominance, both parties unwilling to show any weakness.

Finally, I gave in.

"Very well, Ayumi, welcome back." I motioned towards my assistant standing thoughtfully near the door. "Shizune with arrange temporary living quarters for you- I am assuming that you have yet to find housing. However, in an hour's time, I will be sending several shinobi to test your ability. And you will visit the interrogation squad tomorrow morning at 9AM."

Without another word, the girl nodded and walked away, Shizune trailing behind her.

A vein popped out on my head. This lack of respected slightly irked me, but I let it go. My anger gave way to some deep thoughts I was having. A dark, solitary figure who doesn't speak much. Sounds very similar to a highly wanted Uchiha Sasuke. Just how similar are they really?

I turned towards my window, still in thought. Making a few quick decisions, I attacked 4 notes to 4 messenger birds, and gave them their targets. They flew away in a flurry of feathers, anxious to swiftly complete their job.

When I turned around again, I sulked, noticing the mound of papers I had pushed to the edges of my desk to try to ignore. Well, I guess I'll just have to do some more work until they jounins arrive…

Ugh. Since when did being Hokage involve this much paper?

Approximately forty-five minutes later, I found four men standing before me. I quickly explained the details of the situation.

"Find out her fighting style, confirm her ability level, and try and discover anything else you can about her. I'm afraid she's quite the mystery. DISMISSED!"

I heard a chorus of "Hai, Hokage-sama!" before having, seconds later, nothing before me but a growing mountain of work.