Be kind! This is my first attempt - I obviously in no way own Naruto or its characters - you know the drill.
Also, I apologize for any major discrepancies in plot - I'm trying to stick to the facts and characters as much as the anime/manga intended them to be. If you notice any huge flaws (within reason, obviously) please, I'd love for you to let me know. I'd appreciate honest reviews!
Stick with the slow start, please - plenty of chapters on the way, I'm just trying to get used to all this stuff before posting anything big!
The sun pierced through the thin covering of leaves, dusting the forest floor in small droplets of warmth. Far beneath her, a young woman with bright pink hair stood within a small group of girls. She couldn't have been older than eighteen, mayhap nineteen. Yet, Konoha's Hokage had given her the responsibility of training the young ones, setting their future into movement. The girl in the trees recognized her – part of Team 7, Sakura; the girl whose name quickly had become synonymous with power and kindness. The tiny shinobi-to-bes had spread out beneath the large canopy of forest and in the dappled light were collecting flowers and herbs. Such a simple, innocent task…
"Do you believe them? Just because he's a Jinchuuriki doesn't mean they should be able to treat him that way!"
" Shush up! You know we aren't supposed to talk about that - Sakura-sensei will be so mad if she hears you talking about him!"
"Maybe that's best! Maybe she'll teach those monsters to treat him with some respect!"
She'd heard the conversation clearly, even from her place far up in the treetops. She felt that one word sink its way down in the depths of her bones with something closely resembling adrenaline. She'd found him. Finally – after all these weeks! After all the searching… she'd found him. She knew that choosing the young as a source of information had been a good idea. After all, in their innocence – how could they ever suspect that the words they uttered would be the truths that she needed? Out of the mouth of babes… A voice deep inside her head woke her from the buzz itching in her blood.
What are you going to do, girl?
She didn't answer the voice at first. It felt too reminiscent of her adopted-mother… a fine line of pain raced into her heart at the thought, and she quickly shut it off like a leaky spigot.
" Well, Nan-chan, since you know the answer to that, I find no need to waste words on explaining it again."
A small, verbal smirk echoed inside the girl's head, a sign of her demon's approval. Both of them pretended they didn't sense the lack of sincerity, the hesitation…
With a sigh of acceptance, the girl disappeared, leaving the trees and the small class of students below her to continue their training, unwatched by her silent set of eyes.
Sakura glanced up at the empty branches of the trees, a slight tingle of dread pitting in her stomach. She couldn't sense any chakra trails in the air, nor could she see anyone hiding amongst the leaves… but some odd sense of knowing made her look twice, her eyes constantly glancing like a mistrustful dog's. No doubt it was just paranoia… after all, this was her first time teaching the class outside and she felt worried that something bad would happen. That was normal for any new young teacher – especially with the current state of fragility between the villages. Everything was in chaos… this was just another consequence of the pending war. She tried using that to excuse the feeling and turned her mind back to the field of flowers and growing minds before her.
"Sakura-sensei! Look at my bouquet!"
Immediately her worry dissipated into the innocent handlings of the children, the moment of wariness forgotten.
Deep in the woods, perhaps a mere two miles away, the same young woman stood before a man. He was tall and rather androgynous looking with long, light blue hair and intriguing yellow eyes. The way he carried himself would suggest he had a stash of wealth and enjoyed using it – perhaps, that too looked obvious from his choice of clothing. He wore a set of dark shinobi robes that appeared to be made of fine silk, and his headband, sporting the symbol of an unfamiliar clan, seemed to be made of pure gold. The young woman bowed before him, making her subservience to him obvious. This man – whomever he was, demanded the respect – or perhaps fear, of anyone he involved himself with. The young jinchuuriki acted no different.
"So… Naruto is here. That makes things easy, doesn't it? I suppose the other information then was just to throw us off his trail… they've cut out most of the leaks about him but- " The man she spoke to cut her report short with a quick chopping motion of his hand. She took a step away from him, her face blank of emotion.
" You aren't here for reports. You have a mission, so finish it. I don't want to see you again until it's complete." Instead of waiting for a reply, he narrowed his eyes and disappeared in a puff of lavender-tinged smoke.
She glanced into the mix of the Konoha trees, wondering if she could really complete the mission. She kept reminding herself of two facts – the only two that should have been in her mind. One, she was nothing but a weapon created to obey orders. Two, they were at war with her home. Her home… the village hidden in the ash. Rather… they were at war with the Sound village, and Kabuto created her village to supply the sound village with a good selection of its human weapons, therefore…
Therefore what? She should continue killing blindly because she'd been made for it? Inside, the demon reminded her she was nothing but an experimental child. Orochimaru's finest accomplishment – a conglomeration of familial blood traits, a demon, and no real family – all made to be bent to his will, all kept in a neat little bundle of joy. Traits from the Hyuga family, the Uchiha clan, and a Kekkei genkai from her own supposed family line gave her an upper hand in most battles… unfortunately, the nature of her being meant that she could never truly develop them. No one but the Hyuga family and Uchiha clan could really master their techniques… well, there was the ninja she'd been warned about, Kakashi… but she wasn't the same. Her own Byakugan could only be used within a ten-foot range, and the Sharingan… she couldn't get developed past its first stage. Not to mention the drain on her chakra both of them caused… that was the purpose of her being a jinchuuriki. In partnering with the demon inside her, she could use all three of her talents at once, and not pass out from the strain. The demon however, did not let her use the chakra for free.
A shudder went down her spine, causing her to pause.
" Nan-chan…? Perhaps… this is opportunity best left wasted…"
You will do what you will do little one, this is not my decision.