Kunai knives flew at me one by one. One hit me in the chest. then two. I continued walking towards him. He was tied to an invisible thing. Wrapped around him were thorny vines. They broke into his skin. He bleed thick purple blood.
I was on the brink of death. Suddenly, I was in the middle of a lake. He was still there. Still bound to the invisible thing. Needles flew at me from the water's edge. I continued walking towards him. I was fnally there. I touched his cold, soft face."Keiko." he whispered
I woke up in a cold sweat, panting. I've been having the same dream for a week now since I found out that I would be staying at Konoha.
Even though I'm only twenty-two, I'm a jounin from both the village hidden in the mist and leaves. There was a lot of arguing, but both Kage's allowed me to become a ninja in both villages.
I specialize in all types of jutsu's. Usually, I only use weapons, mostly made of my own chakra or lined with it so I can control it, but if an opponent is stronger than my expectations, I may nail him with a specialty jutsu. ( A specialty jutsu is a jutsu I inventedthat is only meant for me. Even a sharingan can't copy it. They couldn't even see though it or deflect it.)
I also use the gentle fist style. Did I forget to mention? My father was a part of the Hyuuga clan. But he left because of the whole branch and main house nonsense. He taught me everything I know and more. My mother was a witch. She had the powers of telekinesis , mind-reading and preminitions. Those traits were passed down to me along with her eyes. Not a lot of people would expect me to be a Hyuuga because of them.
I mainly live in the hidden mist village, so I haven't been to Konoha lately. Also, I almost got killed there. I was ten at the time and I was still developing my mind-reading powers. I was trying to read a squirrel's mind, when all of a sudden, some drunk bastard attacks me. Apparently, he had had too much sake and was trying to show off his skills to his friends.
I was in the park staring at the squirrel, when someone hit me with a kunai knife. My arm started to bleed. I pulled out the kunai knife and turned to see a tall tan guy smirking. He had brown eyes and hair. He also had five other drunk dipsticks behind him. He seemed about sixteen, obviously underaged. "What's your problem?" I asked him "What's yours?" he replied "YOU!" I shot back
Then he hit me. I flew into a tree. I really didn't want to kill him so I tried to leave. But as I got up, he held my arms to the tree."Why don't you and I go out sometime?" he asked. His breath wreaked. That's when Kakashi came in."Leave her alone." he said
While he was distracted, I kneed the jerk in, well... let's just say, it hurt. A lot. He doubled over in pain. The other five came at me. The guy I had just kicked held my ankles so I was basically stuck.Then Kakashi threw a few shuriken and pinned them to a nearby tree. I managed to stab the ass in the arm and knock him out with a stone.
"Wow, thanks!" I said "You're welcome. Are you okay?" he asked sincerely"Yeah, but I need to get this checked." I said holding the wound"I'll walk you there." he said"Thanks." I replied
The truth was, I was going to get it checked for an infection and only that. I had just learned about healing and wanted to see of I could heal myself, but you know how boys are.
Anyway, after that, Kakashi came over to my house to check up on me. We became really close.
Then, three years later, we had to move. My father, a distant cousin of Hiashi, was part of the main house and couldn't take it anymore. He just hated that we would hurt people in our own clan. That we would give them curse seals and seclude them. He didn't hate the main house in particular, but he hated their methods.. It wasn't their fault ,though. It was a tradition, a way of keeping order and peace. If you would call it that anyway.
Unfortunately, Kakashi didn't take it that well. He didn't even say goodbye. Nine years after the move, my parents died in a mission. Their will deciphered that I was to stay at the Hyuuga household for a few months to help comfort the loss and gain comfort myself. So I sent a letter to notify them. They agreed. After all, my father was one of the greatest ninja in their whole family history.
Hinata awoke to the birds chirping. The sun was so bright. After she got dressed and brushed her teeth, she went to the square where Neji and her father were usually training. Her father was already up, but Neji was nowhere to be seen. Hiashi spoke without turning to her. "Hinata." "Yes father?" "I want you to know, we're havinga guest over to stay with s for a few months. Her name is Keiko. She is a Hyuuga. I want you and Neji to help her as much as you can." "Yes father." she replied, "If I may ask, when is she coming?""Today."
Hinata followed he father to the door. There was a knock. He opened the door."Hi! I'm Keiko." the girl said cheerfully.She was wearing a turtleneck sleeveless. The collar was white. Her skirt was white. She wore a hidden mist headband on her left arm. On her waist was a hidden leaf headband slightly skewed to the left. She was wearing black heels about one inch tall. She seemed to be around twenty-one or twenty-two. Her hair was in a half ponytail, bangs hanging from the left side of her face. She had brown eyes and didn't seem to be a Hyuuga.
"Good morning. I am Hiashi Hyuuga and this is my daughter, Hinata." he said"Hinata will show you to your room and then escort you to the Hokage's office." "Thank you for letting me stay here. All of you." Keiko said "Please follow me Keiko." Hinata said softly
Keiko smiled warmly, causing Hinata to smile as well. Hinata lead Keiko to her room. It had a white door. She opened the door. The room was moderate in size. There was a bed right next to the window, a dresser next to that, and a closet. Keiko unzipped her bag. She took out all of the clothes she had packed and put them in her closet. Hinata helped put them on hangers.
She unloaded the second bag onto her bed. Hinata spread out the sheets while Keiko put a few pictures up on the wall. All except one. A picture of Kakashi and her when they were younger. She placed it on the dresser. Inside the second left compartment, she put a shoe box full of old letters in there, along with her journal.
CHAPTER 2 An Awkward Greeting
(After they finished unpacking, they headed to the Hokage's office) I knocked on the door. Someone was inside, happy to finally meet me."Come in." The voice said She was a blonde woman who looked around her mid-twenties. But I saw through the disguise. She was actually more like fifty or something."Hello Hinata. And you must be Keiko." she said warmly."You're a jounin in this village too, right?" "Yes." I replied "Too...?" Hinata asked"Yes. Our welcome guest is a jounin from our village and the hidden mist as well."Tsunade answered "Not to pry or anything, but I don't quite get it. Is she our enemy or our ally?" Hinata asked "She's an ally to both countries." Tsunade said, "Sort of like a median." "Oh, stop! You'll make me blush." I laughed "Sorry. Anyway, your mission is to brush up a bit. I'm going to let you help train team seven." Tsunade said
She handed me a scroll, but I couldn't read the name of the jounin leader because of an ink blot.
I headed toward the training ground for team seven. Hinata offered to come with me, but I told her that she should train with her own team and that I would be fine.
The kids were there, but the jounin was late. An hour passed and that lazy cow still wasn't there! I was sitting in a tree and the group was bickering. All except one. It seemed as though he was used to it.
I'd finally had enough. The jerk was three hours late. I decided to start the training without him. I jumped down from my tree. But when I landed, he appeared. I was so surprised that I screamed and punched him. He flew about ten feet. I ran over to help him up and apologize, but I tripped and fell onto his chest. I got off, red from mortification. I sat on my ankles, thinking of an excuse. He sat up and rubbed his head. It was Kakashi!! Overjoyed, I knocked him over with hug. When he realized who I was, he hugged back and then gave me a noogy :P. Laughing, we both got up. "I can't believe it's you!" he said, still laughing. "Me either." I giggled "I thought you moved." he said "I did. But I'm staying here for a while since my parents are dead." I said "I'm sorry." he said "It's okay. I'm done crying." I replied"You haven't changed a bit." he laughed"You either. I thought you'd drop that whole late routine by now." I said "HELLO! Would someone please tell me what's going on?" a blonde boy in orange said"Oh, well, I'm Keiko. I was told to help train you guys." I explained, holding out the scroll.
"Oh, well, why didn't you say so?" he askedI smiled. "Well, you know my name. Tell me yours." "Hi! I'm Sakura Haruno." a girl with pink hair volunteered"It's nice to meet you." I replied "And you?""My name is Sasuke Uchiha." the black haired kid said in a monotone voice. Sweat drop in the back of the head "It's nice to meet you." I said"Hi! I'm Naruto Uzumaki. How do you know our sensai by the way." He said bluntly"Well, it's nice to meet you, but I really can't tell you." I responded"What? Oh come on! I wanna know!" he practically screamed"look, I would tell you, but I literally can't. I kind of... forgot." I said They all pull an anime fall"Wait. Oh yeah. Now I remember."I said Sakura and Naruto looked up at me with twinkly eyes"So..." Sakura and Naruto said"So what?" I asked"HOW DID YOU MEET?" they yelled in unison"Actually, I don't really feel like telling you." I said.I looked at my watch."I think we should start training now.
"Kakashi, did you happen to have any plans for their training today?" Keiko asked.Not really." he replied lazily ."Okay then. The game is simple. You all have to knock Kakashi and me out of the box." Keiko said cutting a square in the ground. It was about three feet by three feet. " And here's the kicker, you can't step within foot within of the square. The time limit is two hours and if you manage to kill one of us, you win. If you kill both of us... Well, you're going to get assigned new jounins. Got it?"she stated happily.Keiko and Kakashi entered the box. He got out his little book."Begin!" she yelled as she and Kakashi stood back to backSasuke, Sakura, and Naruto jumped into the bushes to plot.
Kunai knives flew in from every direction. Keiko grabbed a kunai off of her shukai bracelet and enlarged it, countering every one that came towards her. Two more kunai came from above. Kakashi lazily knocked them out with his kunai. two hours had passed and Keiko and Kakashi left the box. Kakashi put his book back."Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto! Come out, you lost." Kakashi yelled.They all appeared. "What? But that's not fair!" protested Naruto"He's right! How could we have knocked you both out of the box without coming at you?" asked Sakura."Well, I don't know about Kakashi, but if you asked, I would've left. Then, while he was all alone, you all could have kicked him out of the box." Keiko explained."But then we would have come within the area you said was off-limits?" Sasuke said "I said you couldn't step within a foot of the square. You could have kicked from above or below." Keiko explained. Naruto yelled in frustration. "Why didn't you tell us?" "You didn't ask." Keiko replied "That doesn't make any sense!" screamed Naruto"It's called thinking outside the box." Kakashi said.Keiko smiled innocently."So, shall we train some more?" asked Keiko.
CHAPTER 3 I'm not a kid!
After Training, Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto headed home, Keiko was about to leave."Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Kakashi." Keiko said."I guess." he replied, "Um, actually, since you haven't visited in a while, why don't we grab a bite to eat and then I'll show you around a bit?" he ejaculated ."Sure, I'd love to." she she exclaimed.They walked together to a dumpling restaurant. ."So that was your team huh?" she asked, taking a small bite out of one of her dumplings.."Yup. That's team seven." he said."They seem like a good bunch." she replied, "But they need to take the time to go out together sometime. You know, without the hassle of a mission." "They may seem a bit uncooperative towards each other, but deep down, they're really close." he said "So, how have you been?" "I'm good. I get to stay with the Hyuuga's." Keiko said
Kakashi paid the bill and lead Keiko to the park where they first met. The hill seemed to have shrunk. As they ran up the hill, Keiko tripped and brought Kakashi with her. They tumbled down the hill together. Kakashi held her closely so she wouldn't get hurt. They landed on the soft grass. Kakashi on top. He rolled to her side. The stars were beautiful that night. They both turned onto their sides, facing each other. He stroked her cheek with his finger. She smiled. They both sat up blushing. For a few minutes, they stared at each other. Then, deciding to go for it, Kakashi leaned in. He held her chin. Pulled it to his. He was about to take his mask off when...
"Keiko!" Naruto interrupted, " Hey Hinata! I found her." "We've been looking for you guys... what are you doing?"asked Naruto. Realizing that they were still up close, Kakashi let go quickly and they both looked away. Their faces had turned a deep scarlet. "Anyway, Hinata's family's been really worried about you, Keiko." Naruto said. "Sorry. We lost track of time." Keiko apologized. "W-we're just glad you're okay." said Hinata. Keiko then thought of Hiashi. 'Man, this had to be the worst first impression I've ever made.' she thought to herself. Keiko and Hinata walked back with heavy tension. They took the long way.
She walked through the door. ahead of Hinata. There he sat. His expression blank. Keiko sat down with her head facing the floor as a sign of respect. Hinata went into the other room. "Keiko, you are a member of this household now. I expect you to respect the rules. That means, if you are going to be late, tell us." Hiashi stated simply. "I'm sorry...I" (Keiko). "There's no excuse." (Hiashi) "Yes, sir." (Keiko)
Keiko walked to her room. She felt as if she would never be anyting but a troubl-making kid to her uncle. She opened the door and started unpacking the rest of her stuff. What was she thinking? This wasn't her. She was a good kid who always obeyed the rules, but could think for herself as well. But it didn't matter now. Someone was going to knock on the door. Keiko opened the door to see Hinata about to knock on the door. "Come in." Keiko said.
Hinata walked in. Keiko had unpacked. The room was so bright and cheerful. Like Keiko. Most of the time anyway. "I know father can be hard to cope with sometimes, but he only wants what's best." Hinata said "I know. It's just, I'm twenty-twi and he treats me like the teenager he knew nine years ago." Keiko responded. "Well, father, just doesn't want you to get hurt or anything, especially after..." Hinata said timidly "Thanks Hinata." Keiko ejaculated "F-for what?" she asked"Cheering me up." Keiko smiled
Hinata smiled.
CHAPTER 4 I want to prove myself
The next week, Hiashi and I still weren't speaking.
I woke up and got dressed. I hope I get to practice a bit. I also want to earn his trust and respect back. I hope I can kill two birds with one stone. I know his type. Prideful. He would surely say that I would have to fight him and win. My father told me that uncle Hiashi was weaker than him, but things must have changed. I was only able to defeat my father when I reached eighteen. This could be a challenge.
I went down to the square. He was sparring with Neji, who I'd only met yesterday. I watched. He was okay for a genin. Although, that sixty-four strike thing was quite impressive, it was a close range attack. He was fighting someone with the same fighting style. That meant, if he made the wrong move, he would end up hit. I watched until they noticed I was there.
"Can we help you?"asked Neji curtly "No. I was just watching. Continue. You won't even know I'm here." I said "Neji, take a break." Hiashi said I bowed to him. "I'd like to earn your trust and respect back, please." "First beat me in battle." he said calmly. What'd I tell you? "Thank you." I said , standing upright.
I decided to watch them. After all, I already knew Hiashi's moves, but I had only met Keiko yesterday. She seemed like a dolt for being so cheerful all of the time. Her concentration couldn't be that great.
The match started with Hiashi using his byakugan. He tried to strike her in the heart, but she caught his arm. She wasn't even using her byakugan. It was hard to believe she was a Hyuuga because of her brown eyes.
Strike after strike, she caught each blow and tossed it aside. I guess she decided to get serious wen he tried to hit a tenketsu since she grabbed both of his arms and kicked him in the stomach. He flew about four feet, giving her time to activate her byakugan. Her eyes were finally Hyuuga-like. She performed some kind of difficult jutsu. I didn't see the first few seals. I had to use my byakugan just to catch a glimpse of the seals. I didn't recognize any of them. In about two seconds, she was done, her final seal was finally one that I recognized. I t was the snake seal. Her fingertips glowed with white chakra. It was incredible. She ripped her hands out of the seal. She was obviously not a normal ninja.
Anyway, after she ripped her hands apart, she sliced the sticks of chakra in the air in half. There were now thirty-two. She cut the groups in half again. Now there were sixty-four. Her hands were like magnets, the chakra stuck to her fingers. They didn't seem to be too sharp, but they would surely pierce the skin if she threw them with the right strength. She threw them at Hiashi, who had just gotten up.He managed to dodge them. They were pinned to the tree. Meanwhile, Keiko seemed to be focusing for another attack. That's when, it happened. The sticks of chakra shot out from the tree and hit Hiashi's tenketsu perfectly. He collapsed to the ground. She released the tenketsu. Se walked over to Hiashi, checking for a pulse and breathing. Her hand glowed white again. She hit hit slightly below a pressure point. Hiashi woke up. "Are you okay? Sorry i couldn't get my chakra needles any duller." she smiled Hiashi smiled back. He got up and stretched his arms out. Keiko deactivated her byakugan, her eyes turned back to brown. "Good job." he said, "You're even better than your father was." "Thank you." she said back She looked at her watch. "Well, I have to go. Later," And with that, she was gone.
I walked over to Hiashi. "What did you mean when you said that she was better than her father?" "Just that. Her father, Himashu was an amazing ninja. I never could beat him. He was a bit strange though. He didn't like the idea of close range attacking. He left with his family about nine years ago to go live in the village of the hidden mist." "So he was a traitor?" "No, he wasn't. He never took jobs to spy on our village and he never revealed our secrets to the other side for money. He was proud and gifted. I presume he was the one who taught Keiko what she knows now. That attack with the flying needles, that was one of his signature attacks. It's fool proof. No one can copy it because you can only master it through years of practicing chakra control. Himashu tried to teach me once. I couldn't learn it. Not even a sharingan can copy that move. it takes years of training in solitude to learn the first part." "What part?" "The seals. You have to make up the seals yourself. They suit your personality. That's why you probably didn't know any of the seals she was performing. She made them up in training. Every person has a set of different unknown seals. In order to find them, though, you must seclude yourself from the rest of the world. After that step, you must learn how to control your chakra and burst up the levels in only one spot. In this case she used her fingertips." "So could I learn how to do that?" "Yes." "Could you teach me?" "No. There were only two people who ever mastered the specialty jutsus. Himashu and Keiko." "Could she teach me then?" "You will only master it if you do it yourself. But it takes years. If you get hung up on that, you won't learn any other techniques and you won't grow. Keiko was probably able to learn it quickly because of her father. She must have inherited his skills and improved them beyond their limits." "So would she be able to become hokage?" "Most likely. But if she's anything like her father when it comes to power, she would probably turn down the offer." "Why? She could be great." "That's it. Himashu never liked what power did to people. That's partly why he left." "Huh?" "Himashu didn't like that we put curse seals on the branch family. He didn't like that we would harm or even kill members of our own clan. That was what made Himashu weak. He was too forgiving. But what separates Keiko from Himashu is that Keiko will kill anyone if they try to harm her loved ones. It's truly scary. One minute they're alive and the next, they're dead. She calls it the instant death jutsu. At least that's what I heard from her father. You don't want to get caught in that jutsu. It'll be the last thing you do." "But there has to be a flaw or something, right? I mean, isn't it like a forbidden jutsu?" "I suppose. okay, enough. Let's train."
CHAPTER 5 "Training"
(Surprise! You get to be Keiko in this chapter! Yes you. Who do you think I'm talking to, Santa?)
You walk over to the training grounds where everyone is. As usual, you're on time by the second, but Kakashi is late. You walk up to the group, smiling. "Hi guys! What's up?" you say "Kakashi-sensai is late again." Naruto complains You're about to reassure him when someone comes up behind you and covers your eyes. "Guess who?" he says.
You flip him onto the ground so hard that he breaks through the earth. It was Kakashi. (Big surprise) You find him in the ground, twitching. "Whoops." you say innocently while Naruto laughs his head off. "Sorry. You surprised me." you apologize and help him up. "It's ok." he says holding his arm. You heal it for him. Naruto is still laughing so Kakashi hits him in the back of the head and Naruto falls to the ground. You giggle with your hand in front of your mouth.
The training begins. Kakashi spars with you while Naruto and Sakura spar, leaving Sasuke to the winner. You pay too much attention on trying not to hurt Kakashi that he actually hits you. you flip backwards onto a tree trunk. You wipe away the blood on your lips. You get your game face on. Deciding to only use taijutsu since you don't want to hurt him too badly. But, then, he calls off sparring with you.
KAKASHI"S POV
I think I hit her a little to hard. I guess she let her guard down for a bit. We should probably stop. I don't want to hurt her. BACK TO YOUR POV
"I think we should stop. I'm a little tired" he yells to youYou agree. You're a bit tired too. He goes off to read his book under a tree. You go watch the match between Sakura and Naruto. Naruto wins.
You decide to go see what Kakashi is doing. He's reading his book. You walk over and sit to the right of him. His left leg is crossed over his right. You on the other hand, have your right leg bent upwards at an obtuse angle. Your left knee is touching your right knee, but your left leg is slanted. Suddenly, he puts his right arm over your shoulder. You blush a bit, but rest your head on his shoulder. He lets you read the book with him. You've read a chapter together when all of the sudden...
"Get a room!" yells Naruto.You both separate, trying to pretend that didn't happen. Even though you love him and he loves you, your relationship has always been shy and young since you both missed out on being teenage lovers.
Trying to change the subject, you say, "So, who won?" "Sasuke did." Sakura says, Secretly hoping that she could snuggle up with Sasuke the way you and Kakashi were. "I'm definitely going to beat you next time, Sasuke! Believe it!" Naruto says, forgetting about Kakashi and Keiko.
You decide to take everyone out for ramen and hope that they forget about the incident under the tree. "Um, maybe we should take a break fro now. Why don't we head to that Ichiraku ramen place?" you smile sweetly, "My treat." On your way out, you run into a group of waterfall ninja. "Who the hell are you?" asked Naruto The leader was a girl around her early twenties. "We're here for the girl." she said "What did I do?" you ask
They smirked. You read their minds. You realize that they want to kidnap you and hold you for ransome against the hidden leaf and mist villages. You can tell that they're new jounin. No match for you,but you can't kill them. That would be murder and the waterfall village could demand to know the secret of the Hyuuga clan and also the secret of the specialty jutsus. You have to fight them without really harming them.
"Please come with us." the girl said "No!" you disagree. Without a warning, one of the thugs knocks you out from behind. You fall to the ground, unconscious. Kakashi picks you up. "What do you want with Keiko?" he asks "The secret of the byakugan." the leader says, grabbing you from his arms without him even knowing and then jumping off in the distance. She returns in a minute. "If you want her back alive, give us the secret of the byakugan by next week We'll be waiting at the top of that hokage mountain thing." she said. Then, they disappeared for real.
CHAPTER 6 Life in hell
Kakashi walked toward the Hyuuga household. "Kakashi-sensai, where are you going? Aren't we going to save Keiko.?" asked Naruto
He didn't respond. He just kept walking, trying to conceal the feelings he was having at the moment. He took a deep breath, cleansing his body. They finally arrived at his destination. He knocked on the door. Hiashi opened the door. "Yes, Kakashi?" he asked "Keiko was kidnapped."Kakashi said sadly, looking at the floor. "What?" interrupted Hinata and Neji "Hinata, Neji, go train. We need to have a word alone." he said They nodded and went out the door. Kakashi didn't look at anyone, just at his shoes. He entered the Hyuuga household, closing the door on Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, and Hinata, and Neji.
"What's going on?" Naruto said. Hinata answered, "Keiko was kidnapped, right?" she asked Naruto "Yeah. That's why we need to rescue her." he replied "It's not that easy." Hinata said "Huh? What do you mean?" Naruto cried "She means, we have to be really careful about this." Neji explained"If we make the wrong move, she'll die and the secret of the byakugan can be figured out. Keiko is a Hyuuga and a really powerful one." "She's, but her eyes? I thought." Naruto said in confusion " Do they know that she's apart of the Hyuuga clan?"asked Sasuke "I don't think so. It isn't exactly obvious." Neji replied "But, she doesn't have snow white eyes! I thought that you all have them." he said "We do, but her mother was a witch and she inherited a lot of her traits." he said "Then what about you?" Naruto said "Normally, the Hyuuga eyes are a dominate trait and always occur in the baby, but in this case, I guess the witch's side was more dominant." Neji said "So, they're trying to figure out what to do in there?" asked Sasuke "I think so." Hinata answered "What do we do?" asked Naruto "Stay out of the way." Neji answered coldly "How are we supposed to do that?" yelled Naruto "Keep you trap shut and sit there." answered Neji "Hey you want me to wipe the floor with you?" asked Naruto "Naruto! Get down." said Sakura
"Guys, calm down. I'm alright." a voice said Naruto sturned around. "D-did you all hear that?" he asked "Yeah.", said Hinata "What was that?"asked Sakura "You said that Keiko's mom was a witch, right?" asked Sasuke "Yeah." Neji replied "Guys. It's me, Keiko. What ever you do, don't tell them the secret of byakugan." the voice said again "But what about you?"Naruto asked "I'll be fine, I have my shukai bracelet, so I'll get out of here as soon as I can. Okay? Don't worry. Just tell them to stall for time."
"Wake up you maggot." the girl said. Keiko woke up tied to a chair. It looked like she was being held captive in some kind of shed."Look, Keiko. That was your name right." she said, trying to fake a smile. "Do you know anything about byakugan? If so, tell us or we will kill your Hyuuga friends and dissect their bodies." Keiko could tell, they don't know that she was a Hyuuga.'Thank you mom.' she thought to herself "I don't know anything about byakugan except that it can see through stuff and see the chakra system." She replied She had figure a way out. The rope was reinforced with metal so her shukai bracelet wouldn't work. There was only one thing to do. She had to make sure none of them were watching or only one of them, though.
"But. You can't do that! What would Keiko think." Kakashi protested"She is the most powerful in our clan. We must let her live. Even if they know how to use byakugan, at least Keiko can try to teach the young ones the specialty jutsus. If Keiko dies, it will be even worse than letting them get their hands on the byakugan. They'll have the specialty jutsus and even we will not be able to stop them. It is best that I take her place in the dissection." Hiashi proclaimed. Kakashi ground his teeth for he knew that Keiko would disagree to the farthest extent. But, what Hiashi had said was true. Keiko was the only one who could rebuild the clan if it fell.
CHAPTER 7 The trade
It had already been a week. Kakashi and Hiashi had informed Tsunade of their decision. They climbed up the rock formation with heavy hearts. On top were four of the five thugs who had kidnapped Keiko. "So, you decided to show up. Stupid decision." the leader said "Do you want the secret of byakugan or not?" Hiashi said coldly Meanwhile, Keiko was using her telekinesis to escape from the metal ropes while her fat lard of a guard chowed down on some snacks not even paying attention to her when she took over his body. "So, where's the secret?" she asked "Inside me." he replied "Let's go gramps." she said "First Keiko." Kakashi protested
Suddenly, the three men beside her fell to the ground revealing shuriken in their backs. A tall plump man stood behind her. He suddenly fell to the ground, dead. Behind him, was Keiko releasing the jutsu. "Did you guys think that I would let you give her the byakugan without my permission first?" Keiko grinned "Keiko..." Kakashi replied astonished "And you!" she said to the leader. "That metal wired rope you tied me up in gave me rope-burn. Do you know how much lotion I'll have to apply until my skin is regular colored again?" "How did you get out?" she said puzzled "I don't feel like telling you because , well...I wanna kill you." Keiko said
Her eyes were fearful at first, but she had something up her sleeve in case this kind of thing happened. She whistled softly. Out of the trees below the rock formation, four highly skilled jounins jumped up. She was hoping she wouldn't have to resort to this, after all, she wanted to be the one with the fame of having gotten the secret of the byakugan.
Kakashi revealed his sharingan. Hiashi activated the byakugan. They fought with full force. kakashi managed to kill the first one using his sharingan to make him commit suicide. But the other one was not as easy. Hiashi on the other hand was struggling with a problem of his own. His hits weren't getting through the armor of the man he was fighting.
Hiashi had to think quickly. How could he get through the armor? Then he saw it. He had managed to make a crack in his armor. If he hit it again at the right angle, then he could break through it. He hit it. The armor slid off. Timing it just right, Hiashi hit the man in the heart. he collapsed at his feet. The other one was easy. He didn't have armor.
Kakashi finally had enough. He used his chidori on the second pinhead. Blood squirted everywhere. keiko swooshed through the air with the leader, fighting vigorously in taijutsu style. She didn't really see the point in using up any chakra on the bitch. She was definitely stronger than her and even though it would take a bit longer than with a jutsu, she wouldn't have to use any chakra.
Then, the leader realized that her team was being defeated. She had to resort to plan C. She whistled a second time, this time louder and higher in pitch. About fifty men came out. She withdrew from fighting Keiko and held Kakashi captive with hidden blade in her sleeve at his neck. "KAKASHI!" Keiko screamed. But it was no use, they had gotten Hiashi too. "Move any closer and they die." she claimed
Keiko thought about the situation. She had no choice. She focused her chakra with a seal that none of her enemies had ever seen and lived to tell. "INSTANT DEATH JUTSU!" The woman holding Kakashi dropped like a fly. They all did. Kakashi went up to see if Keiko was okay. She collapsed, but he caught her. He set her on the ground gently. Then, he checked for a pulse. The cause of her unconsciousness was most likely using too much chakra at once. He picked her up. Hiashi nodded. They needed to get to the hospital quick.
Tsunade checked her over. "it seems that she used a bit too much chakra and collapsed from exhaustion. She should be fine in the morning."
The next morning, Keiko woke up in a hospital bed. Hiashi and Kakashi were asleep by her bed side. She blushed a bit when she saw Kakashi's hand on top of hers. She gently moved it and crept out of the room quietly and told the nurse that she would be checking out and to let Kakashi and Hiashi sleep in there for she would be back in about an hour.
Keiko went to her room, took a shower, and changed her clothes. Her normal ritual, brushing her teeth and getting some strawberry yogurt for breakfast. After that, she headed for the market and got some fresh fruit. then, she headed back to the hospital. She searched for the hospital room she was in. Kakashi and Hiashi were still asleep. Kakashi looked so innocent while he was asleep. She turned on the faucet and washed a knife to cut the fruit. Kakashi began to stir. Keiko put the peeled fruit in a white plate. She placed the plate next to Hiashi. She placed a brand new plate of fresh fruit next to Kakashi. Hiashi began to wake up. "Good morning, uncle." she smiled "Morning." he replied stiffly He looked down at the plate of fruit. He picked it up and got up. "I'll see you back at the house." he said "Yes, uncle." Keiko responded
In about an hour Kakashi began to wake up. He rubbed his throbbing head. "Morning, sleepy-head." Keiko smiled warmly "Hey." he said, looking at the plate of fruit by his side. "Do you want some aspirin or something?" she asked, concerned "No, it's just a headache. I'll live." he said smiling back And, guess who barged in at that very moment? "Hey Kakashi-sensai! Are you ok?" Naruto asked, leading Sasuke and Sakura in. "We heard you were in the hospital. But you don't look hurt." he said looking at Kakashi "Naruto! You idiot! You can't just barge in like that! It's rude." Sakura scolded him. Keiko smiled as Sakura punched Naruto and Sasuke stood there, not caring.
CHAPTER 8 Uncoordinated
As they all headed to the training area, Kakashi asked if Keiko was alright to fight. "Don't worry so much! I'm fine."she said before she tripped and fell into his arms. "See? I'm fine. A klutz, but I'm fine." Keiko said as he put her on her feet again. "Still, maybe you should sit this one out. I bet you could help Tsunade file some papers or something." Kakashi said concerned "I thought I was ninja. Not a secretary." she joked "Keiko..." Kakashi sighed "Fine. But only because you asked nicely." she said, pulling down a part of his mask and kissing his cheek. He held his cheek and watched her leave. "Kakashi-sensai!" Sakura yelled He shook it off and went to train his group.
Three Hours Later
Keiko was walking down the halls with a huge stack of papers for Tsunade. Meanwhile, Iruka and Gai were walking to Tsunade's office aswell. Kakashi was just around the corner with a bouquet of daisies. Keiko's stack of papers was taller than her, so to be on the safe side, she used her byakugan. Unfortunately, she was only watching what was in front of her. She didn't know that there was a sheet of paper on the floor. Well, not until she slipped on it. Coming to the rescue, Iruka caught her as she was coming down while Gai caught the papers. "Hi! Thanks for catching me." Keiko said "Oh, you're welcome." Iruka said "By the way, my name is Iruka" "Hi! I'm Keiko. Um, you can put me down now." she said Iruka blushed. "Oh, right." he set her on the ground "Are you okay there?" asked Gai, handing her part of the huge stack. And handing Iruka a part as well. "Yeah, I'm fine." she said "Alright, but allow us to help." Iruka said, still blushing "Hey, would you like to go out sometime?"asked Gai randomly "Um... Actually I have a boyfriend." Keiko lied "Oh. Sorry." Gai apologized "I won't pry into it anymore, as long as it isn't Kakashi that you like." Keiko blushed. Kakashi smiled to himself and blushed. He decided to came out of hiding. He came out to Keiko.
"Hey, Keiko!" he waved with his hand behind his back, holding the daisies. "These are for you." he said smiling as he gave her the flowers. "Thank you. They're beautiful." she exclaimed "But I kind of have my hands full." "Ok. I'll put these in a vase and put them in your room. I'm sure Hiashi wouldn't mind" he said to her. Before he left, he kissed her on the forehead. Keiko turned a deep scarlet as she watched him leave. As expected, Keiko's room was cheery and inviting. Her curtains were open, making the room seem like a bright palace. Her bed wasn't made, though. She had always had that habit of forgetting to make her bed. He put the vase on top of her dresser, noticing a picture of them together when they were teens. It had been her birthday, everyone had forgotten, including Kakashi, but he pretended to remember and took the picture with her. He couldn't believe that she had kept the picture for so long.
He left the room. He waved at Neji as he passed by. Neji choked on his tea. "What cough are you cough doing cough here?" he said astonished "It's nice to see you too, Neji." he said smiling Neji coughs some more and demands to know why Kakashi is there. "You might want to get that checked. " Kakashi said referring to the cough. "Well, see you later."
CHAPTER 9 The mission
(You get to be Keiko again! Yay!)
Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke are waiting for their sensai to return from his 'errand'
"Where's Kakashi-sensai already?" whines Sakura "Yeah. We've been waiting forever!" Naruto agrees "You're so annoying." Sasuke says
Just then, you walk their way. "Keiko? I thought you were helping Tsunade with her papers and stuff." Sakura says "I was, but she let me go. So, where's Kakashi?" you ask "We don't know, he said that he had to take care of an errand." Sakura replies 'How long does it take to deliver a bouquet of flowers to a room?' you think to yourself. Then, Kakashi appeared right in front of you. "Boo." You slap him in the face, and hard. "Whoops. Sorry" you say 'I should stop doing that. Otherwise I'll be covered in bruises by the time I reach twenty-seven.'Kakashi thinks to himself. 'But that face is priceless.' "No it's my fault. I should be sorry." he says smiling and rubbing his cheek. "It's okay.." you say. Your hand glows white. You hold it over his cheek
"What about training?" screams Naruto You hit him over the head "We're getting to it." you say annoyed "Kakashi, could you help me put these metal wires up?" you ask "Yeah." he replied In the blink of an eye, the training ground is covered in wire.
"Ok, as you can see, this area is covered in wire. You're objective is to fight each other while standing on the strands. If you fall off, you lose to your partner. If you both fall off, then, you have to do a rematch. Winner fights Sasuke. Whoever wins that match fights me and then Kakashi. Any questions?" you say "Yeah, I have one. How do you come up with these things?" asks Naruto "It's the same training I went through when I was training to be a ninja." you reply, "Anymore questions? Ok. Sakura against Naruto. Begin" you say
Kakashi is reading his book again. You walk over and peek at his book. He pulls you down next to him. His arm is around your waist. Once again, you rest your head on his shoulder and read the book together. This time you should be safe from any interruptions since the kids are about twenty yards away from you and Kakashi, right?
Wrong.
Iruka appears in a puff of smoke. "Tsunade sent me to... What are you doing?" "Huh. Oh" you both say as you separate once again. "Well... What did she tell you to tell us?" you ask "You have a mission. You and team seven." he says "I'll go get the troops.' you say as you run off to tell the others. Kakashi follows, Iruka trailing behind. When you get there, Naruto is caught in the wire and hanging by his foot. His arms are crossed. "Iruka-sensai! What are you doing here?" he yells at Iruka "Naruto! What happened?" asks Iruka "Um, I kind of slipped and got caught in the rope." he responds "Don't worry. I'll get you down in a minute." you say as you throw a senbon made from your own chakra. It slices through the wire. Naruto lands face first in the dirt. "Sorry." you say as you help him up."So I guess Sakura won?" "She was too busy laughing." Sasuke replies "Well, whatever happened doesn't matter. We have a mission." says Kakashi
You notice Iruka staring at you. "Is there something wrong?" you ask "No it's nothing." he responds, blushing and looking away.Kakashi looks at both of you and shrugs it off. So far, Sakura is the only one smart enough to notice that Iruka likes you and giggles. You also have a hunch, but know better than to assume without proof, even if it's obvious. You all walk to the hokage's office together. Iruka knocks on the door.
"Come in." Tsunade says. All of you walk in. Iruka leaves."You wanted to see us?" Kakashi asks "Yes. You have a mission. Pack your bags, you're all going to the village hidden in the mist." Tsunade answers
You wince at the thought of returning to the mist village on a mission. Kakashi notices something is wrong from your expression. Although you are over your parents death, you can't help but wonder what they did so wrong that they got killed. They were two of the best ninja's in the whole village. They were almost as strong as the mizukage. Realizing that Kakashi is reading your expression, you try to look happier. "So what's the mission?"you ask "Assassination. You must kill Yoshi Shin." she says
You recognize that name. It's someone who was one of your mom and dad's student. The best and favorite. A stranger, but a stranger who was the only piece of your parents that you had left. "W-we have to kill him?" you ask nervously "Yes, why? Do you want another mission? This is the highest rank mission that I could get for you and it's best if there were two jounin. So if you say no, I'll have to give you a D-rank mission." Tsunade says
You look around. Everyone seems excited for their first B-rank mission. You know it would crush them if you say no. But it's your parents'' student?! What should you do?
CHAPTER 10 A new enemy
(You are still Keiko by the way.)
Everyone looks at you, awaiting your decision. You hold your left arm tightly, a sign that Kakashi has seen before. The same action you used when you told him that you were leaving. The answer you were about to give was against your will. You smiled warmly at the group. "This is a great opportunity. After all, I haven't been on a good mission for a while now." You fake the joy in your voice. "Alright! Our first B-rank mission!" Naruto yells for joy. You can't help but catch his enthusiasm as you smile and giggle a bit at how pumped he can be sometimes.
You all walk out of the hokage's office. You feel like you can finally breathe. You shake off the sadness, finally able to think straight. 'I made the right choice. There has to be a reason why someone would want Yoshi dead. He had to have killed someone or stolen something. He must deserve it if someone would want ninja's to do the job. But still, he was your parents' student. Almost a part of them.
Suddenly, something cold washes over you, the feeling of fear and death. Something dark and evil. An evil presence. "Kakashi, do you feel that?" you ask He nods, "Something is following us. It wants to kill. The murderous intent is off the charts." Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke look around. They feel it too. The air was cold and dry. Something was going to attack.
It was going for the group. You quickly formed the hand seals for a protection jutsu. Out of the air comes a shower of senbon. Luckily you made it in time to save the others, but you get hit a couple of times since this particular jutsu starts from behind. The shower continues for minutes, your chakra is draining. You decide to try to produce a barrier of stone around your team, but you have to do it with one hand and still be able to maintain the protection jutsu. You also have to do it quickly or else all of you will die. You form the seals quickly. "STONE BARRIER JUTSU" You release the protection jutsu and collapse to the ground.
The preminition becomes reality as a shower of senbon come at you all. You perform the jutsu. Like the preminition, the shower goes on for a few minutes. You quickly perform the stone barrier jutsu. Then, you release the protection jutsu. You prevented yourself from losing too much chakra, but the needles are not normal. They are draining away your chakra. You collapse. Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura, ad Sasuke run to your aid. Kakashi catches you and takes out the senbon. Luckily, you have just enough energy left to heal yourself and boost up your chakra levels a bit. You form the specialty seals. Your wounds vanish and you are able try to get on your feet. But Kakashi stops you. "Don't get up. Reserve your strength." he tells you
"What do we do?" you ask "Wait it out." he said "They have to run out of chakra sometime and retreat, right?" asked Sakura "Yeah." replied Kakashi "Wow, Keiko! It was a good thing you put up that barrier in time." Naruto said "No problem." you say, still in Kakashi's arms. The sound of the attacking needles refrain. You use your byakugan and try to sense if the presence is still there. "It doesn't seem like whoever attacked us is there anymore." you say to the others. "Should I let the barrier down?" "Sensai?" asks Sakura "No. I can still feel the murderous intent somewhere. It's faint, but it's there." Kakashi replies "So we're trapped here, huh?" asked Sasuke darkly "Think of it as spending time together." Kakashi says "We're trapped." says Sasuke "I bet I could get us out of here safely. Believe it!" said Naruto with high hopes "Now I feel safe." Sasuke retorted sarcastically "In case you didn't notice, this isn't exactly the time to jokes. we're about to be attacked with kunai this time." You say
And just as you said, kunai started to hit the stone barrier, slowly destroying it. A crack appeared on the part of the barrier you were facing. Kakashi gets you out of there quickly. "Everyone! Get ready! We're leaving now!" Kakashi orders
You release the useless barrier. Still unable to get on your feet, Kakashi carries you to a safe location. You are all forced to retreat. You've lost the tracker, but have to spend a few hours in a cave to recoup. You quiver at the thought of your byakugan failing you and how strong the showers of weaponry were. Something was wrong. This person was way too powerful to be a normal ninja. That person had to have been one of your father's students gone bad. 'Great more of my parents' past coming to bite me in the ass." you think to yourself bitterly.
The clouds are grey. It's been two and a half hours since the attack. Kakashi is reading his book. You're beside him, but you're not reading with him. Instead, you're hugging your knees, trying to figure out what happened.
"You know, it'll be easier to figure out if you just relax." Kakashi said, offering his arm. You accept. You hug it and read with him, resting your head on his shoulder as usual. Luckily, Naruto and Sakura are bickering and Sasuke just flat out doesn't care. The skies started to clear and the coast seemed clear. You didn't want to part from his side, but you knew you had to report the attack to the hokage. "Kakashi?" you say "Hm?" he says, turning to you and closing his book. "I think we should head to the hokage's office now." you say, trying to sound brave, but failing. "Yeah... Don't worry. I'm here. everything will be fine." he says, smiling. You smile back, reassured by his words.
CHAPTER 11 Back to the hokage's office
(KAKASHI'S POV)
I could tell that Keiko was really shaken up. I've never seen her this scared before. But knowing Keiko, she'll probably deny it. She always was a hard-head. To be truthful, I'm a little concerned as well. Who would attack us from somewhere so far away that we can't sense them? And Keiko couldn't see them with her byakugan. That's extremely strange. Especially since Keiko was able to master the byakugan at the age of thirteen. She could easily see everyone and everything in Japan, even the ants on the ground.
Keiko seemed a little happier when we left the cave. I wonder why people keep interrupting our readings? Do they monitor us or something? Anyway, we decided to head back to the hokage's office. When we went back to the place where we'd been attacked, the earth was torn up, obviously work from the stone barrier. But as we entered the area, something happened to Keiko. I'm not sure what.
KEIKO'S POV
As I entered the area, I had a strong preminition. I could feel it happening. I was standing on a battleground covered in dark chakra. Like in my dreams, Kakashi was tied to an invisible thing, covered in thorny vines that cut through him. They were tightening and I was losing the battle, not to mention the love of my life. I for some reason started using gentle fist style, he followed. I managed to hit him a couple of times, but it didn't even phase him. Then, the vines tightened for the last time. Kakashi was dead. They released him onto the ground. Out of rage, I used my five-hundred needle strike. He dropped to the ground bleeding. I'd won the fight, but lost the war. I walked over to Kakashi and cried onto his chest. I'd failed him and myself. Since I had let down my guard, someone came from behind and hit me with a powerful surge of chakra. I coughed up blood. I knew I was going to die, but I didn't care. If I had to live without Kakashi, I would be mourning for the rest of my life, knowing that it was all my fault. That wasn't a life I was willing to live. A life without Kakashi would be almost unbearable.
I awoke from the preminition. It had been so strong that I fell to my knees and coughed up blood. I'd seen my own death and was experiencing a small taste of it. I know one thing, though, if I am going to change the future, I would need to train a lot more. I can't afford to lose Kakashi or myself. I still need to pass down my knowledge to a worthy adversary. Neji was definitely out of the picture. Hinata seemed a bit too weak to control it, but we could always work on that. I wiped the blood away and assured everyone that I was okay.
KAKASHI'S POV
Keiko fell to her knees as soon as we entered the area where we had been attacked. She coughed up blood. I tried to help her up, but she insisted that she was okay. I offered to carry her, but she said she could walk on her own. Then she tripped. anime sweat drop on his forehead "I'm fine." she said, getting up. I knocked on the door. "Come in." Tsunade said "I thought you were getting packed." she said as we all walked in. "Well, we got a little side-tracked." I explained "We were attacked as soon as we left your office earlier." said Sasuke moodily "By who?" asked Tsunade "We don't know." Sakura said "Yeah, they were attacking us with needles first and then kunai. If it weren't for Keiko's shield, we'd be done for." Naruto exclaimed "Did you happen to see who did it?" asked Tsunade "No, we didn't. I tried to use my byakugan, but I couldn't see him." Keiko said "Well, they sure wanted us dead if they were willing to murder us in broad daylight." I said "We should look into this a it more. I'll talk to the client and ask for more time." Tsunade said
CHAPTER 12 One day
The next day, they all decided to meet at the training grounds at ten in the morning. As usual, Kakashi was late. "You're late again!"Sakura and Naruto yelled "Sorry, I was helping an old lady get her cat down from a tree." he said "Well, it doesn't matter now, we should get to Tsunade as soon as we can so we can know how long we have to train and pack." Keiko said They all jumped on the rooftops and headed to the hokage's office. Keiko knocked on the door. "Come in." said Tsunade When they got there, she was talking to a client. "Eveyone, this is Ryuu Hitomi. He's the client to your mission." Tsunade said Keiko looked at him. He was wearing sunglasses and a black trench coat. His hands were covered in black gloves. But she felt as if she knew him somehow. Something was familiar about him. "You guys got here just in time. Mr. Hitomi just told me that you have one day to relax." Tsunade said They all pull anime falls "One Day?!" they all yell in unison "Sorry. I just have to get that man killed. He's a wanted murderer." he said
Keiko thought about it. This Yoshi Shin guy could be the one who was trying to kill her and the group. The question is why? Maybe because he knew that she and the group would be trying to assassinate him and he was hoping to get to them before they got to him. "Right. We understand." says Keiko, partially distracted by her thoughts "So what do you need the extra time for anyway?" he asks "Well, we just need to get ready for a mission to the mist village. After all, it's dangerous." Keiko lied Kakashi looked at Keiko. She wasn't telling them something. It was either about the client or the mission, or both. As they walked out of the office, they were careful to check for any mass murderers bent on their destruction.
"Keiko, I need to talk to you alone." Kakashi said "Sure." she replied They went to a spot in their training ground. Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura followed and eves-dropped on the conversation. "What is it?" Keiko asked "You're not telling us something." he said "So what if I'm not?" asked Keiko "You have to tell us, or we won't fully understand the situation." he said "So what was up with you lying to the client? You never lie. Why didn't you tell him about the attack yesterday?" asked Kakashi "Because. There was something about him. A feeling that he was lying to us. That the man he wanted dead was innocent. Did you see the way he was dressed? It was like he was hiding from someone." Keiko responded "Everyone has the right to hide themselves if they want. I hide myself." Kakashi said "That's different. You hide you face because well, ever since... But you look a lot better without the mask." she said blushing Kakashi blushed under his mask "Well, still. If you knew there was something fishy with him, you should have told us. We would have understood." Kakashi said trying to change the subject. "I'm sorry. I should have had more faith in you all." Keiko said. "Hell yeah!"yelled Naruto. "Naruto! You just blew our cover!" Sakura said, hitting him in the head. "Nice move, moron." Said Sasuke. Keiko sighs. "I think we should start training now." "What? It's almost noon! Could we at least have lunch first?" asked Naruto
"This is a different training. For it, I'll need everyone at their weakest. We'll get some lunch afterwards." Keiko said. "Okay, I'm going to make a few shadow clones over there in the bushes. Your job is to find the real me. Here's a tip, they don't back down until you actually defeat them, so come at them with killer intent."
Keiko went into the bushes and made the shadow clones. Sakura got Keiko number one, Naruto number two, Sasuke number three and Kakashi number four.
Sakura fought her with a kunai. Keiko grabbed a kunai off of her bracelet. They got up close, trying to thrash each other. Keiko knocked the kunai out of her hand. As Keiko lunged forward with her kunai in hand, Sakura used the replacement jutsu. Keiko copied. Before Sakura even knew it, she was tied to a tree with metal wire. She couldn't move her fingers or hands because they were tied up too.
Naruto tried to outnumber Keiko with his own shadow clone jutsu, but because of his hunger, they had only a little time for life. Keiko got out some wire and tied him up using her chakra to control the wires and hypnotize him first.
Sasuke was doing well, he had managed to singe a part of Keiko's hair. Unfortunately, that made her a really mmad and so she decided to make it quick and tie him up with her chakra wire. Her hand shot webs of wire made from her own chakra. It paralyzed him.
Kakashi was doing the best. He had hit her a couple of times. She wiped the blood from her mouth and charged at him. He hit her another time. The shadow clone vanished.
The other Keiko's walked up with the rest of his team. For some reason, Sakura was tied to log. The shadow clones all vanished, leaving just Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke. "They were all shadow clones?" asked Sakura "Yep." said Keiko coming out of the bushes. "I was hoping you'd all realize that and think outside the box." Then how would we have known which one was really you?" asked Naruto "You could have asked instead of fighting the clones." she replied, "They would have told you." "WHAT!" Naruto yelled "Being a ninja isn't just about pounding the answers out of someone. Sometimes you have to be nice and ask. That was the lesson today." Keiko said "What if they lie?" asked Sakura "What if they don't?" asked Keiko
They all headed to the Ichiraku ramen restaurant. Kakashi sat to the left of Keiko, leaving her right completely vacant. Iruka walked down the road, thinking about what to order. He unknowingly sat next to Keiko. He looked to his right. Kakashi was there. Keiko had just dropped a pair of chopsticks and was trying to pick them up. Just as Keiko got up he turned to order. He ordered beef ramen. "That sounds good. I'll have that too, please." says Keiko ordering "Me too." says Kakashi Iruka looks to his right and sees Keiko. "Hi Iruka. That's your name right, Iruka?" asks Keiko He doesn't say anything, instead he turns a deep scarlet and faints. He falls off his chair. Iruka awakens to Keiko's voice. "Are you alright?" she asked him "Um, yeah. What happened?" he asks rubbing the back of his head "You fainted. Are you sure you're okay? You fell pretty hard." Keiko asks concerned Iruka realizes how close she is to him and blushes. He then remembers that Kakashi is looking right at him and tries to stop blushing. "Are you okay, Iruka-sensai? You look kind of red." says Naruto "Um, yeah I'm fine." he says, blushing even harder. "Well, we have to go, so maybe you should go home and get some rest." Keiko said Keiko gets up and leaves with the group. Sakura giggles a bit after she leaves. Kakashi walks next to Keiko. Naruto and the rest of the group is in front of them. "Okay, so do you guys want to train some more?" asked Keiko "Well, there's nothing else to do." says Sasuke "So what do we have to do this time?" asks Naruto eagerly. "I think I'll let Kakashi pick this one." said Keiko "Hm... how about we just relax for a while." Kakashi relies "Relax?" Keiko asks "Sure. We've been training for so long, I think we need a break." he says
Keiko looked at Kakashi reading his book. Then, she playfully took it away. "Hey, that wasn't very nice." he says smiling "Well, neither is you ignoring me." Keiko smiles back He pulls her to his lap and tries to tickle her into giving his book back. She finally gives in laughing. "Fine. You can have it back." she giggles. Then she sits next to him. He holds her with his left arm and continues to read with her. She rests her head on his neck. Kakashi notices that she smells like strawberries. She always liked fruity scents. Sakura has successfully tied Naruto to a tree and tied a piece of cloth to his mouth to keep him from talking. She heads toward Sasuke who is thinking about his brother. "Um hi Sasuke." says Sakura bashfully "M." he grumbles "I tied Naruto to a tree." she says He ignores her