A/N: Okay, so I've just started getting into the habit of watching Naruto, and I REALLY like it so far. Plus, I've been intending to write a Final Fantasy Crossover sooner or later with something, so what better to do it with Yuffie in the Narutoverse?

So, anyways, I don't own either of these, blah blah blah.

Enjoy!


Origins

Chapter 1

It was official- Wutai now officially sucked eggs.

I sighed as I walked through Wutai, going back to the mansion where me and my father lived. People bustled about and the buildings, with its layers of ornate, dark red roofs, and the sparkling rivers flowed as naturally as usual. To the average eye, nothing would have changed.

But it did to me- people going around here were awestruck at what they saw, taking pictures with cameras. They didn't have the proper respect for Wutai as they would have long back than- back before it was taken over by Shinra.

Unconsciously I clenched my hand into a fist as I saw a tourist snap a photo.

By the time I got home I was shaking in rage. I had to do something! If no one else would restore Wutai's honor… I would!

But how?

I paced around my elaborate room as I thought. In order to take Wutai back I needed to gain Materia. And to gain Materia I had to steal. To steal I had to gain fighting skills- but what kind of fighting skills? Should I go hardcore or should I train lithely? What weapon? And after I finished training, how would I even get a rebellion to take Wutai back?

And of course, since Wutai wasn't a global power anymore and closely monitored by Shinra, where would I learn this?

Guess I'd just have to find out, huh? And since there wasn't much place to learn to fight in Wutai anymore…

So perhaps I'd simply have to find my own way.

Quickly I had been able to pack all the essentials and some money before leaving the mansion- after all, my dad was the leader of Wutai and very rich.

I had a high ambition if I was willing to leave my life of comfort.

Eventually I was able to get my mind off of comfort- after all, I had to get used to this, didn't I? That is, until I learned a place to fight and trained hard enough until I was able to steal Materia.

A few hours later after I had snuck out of the mansion you might as well have called me dead. My legs were so sore they felt as if they were about to explode, and I felt as if the breath had been knocked out of me a thousand times over. Eventually I had to sit down on a log and rest.

I drank out of a small water battle. It turned out that I had been so thirsty that I consumed almost all the water bottle in less than a minute. Talk about a waste.

After capping the lid, I observed my surroundings properly. I was in a small park with trees surrounding me. Up above, dawn was beginning to break over the horizon. It was quite a beauty, all the natural colors mixing and mingling in together to create an astonishing palette of color in the sky.

I stood up and heaved a bag over my shoulder. Too bad that I would have to go right now. If my map was correct, the harbor shouldn't have been too far away from here.

It took another hour to hike to the ship docks, but now that I was adjusted to walking long distances it was rather easy for me.

Finally I arrived at the harbor. Only a few people were there- one who was untying a ship from the docks and a boy manning a counter. The smell of saltwater wafted crisply through the air, and from the corner of my eye I could see the waves lashing out.

I put my head against the thick tree trunk again, being careful not to be spotted. After all, there were limits to money, no matter how much you had. Plus, I don't know if they'd let someone at the age of twelve board a ship alone. For these reasons, I had to sneak on board a ship.

Quickly I settled on the large boat a gruff man was untying. I had to get on it quickly, and I couldn't be spotted. This would be a challenge.

So I had to start right then.

Once I felt that it was safe, I ran at breakneck speed to one of the lone counters and dove under one of them. I clapped a hand over my mouth for my heavy, relieved breathing not to be heard.

My head peered out cautiously from behind the wooden counter. Boy, I was in luck- the man had dropped something and was now bending over to pick it up.

Now or never.

I shot out of the counter, grateful that it was one where the other man couldn't see me. Sweat beaded on my eyebrows as I maniacally shot one leg out after another. I was running so fast that I when I reached an edge to the dock, I skidded my feet just in time, pausing for a brief moment to jump straight onto the ship.

I found myself looking down at the overly inviting dark blue waves. Uh oh- I don't think I had considered whether or not I could actually complete this jump.

For another nasty few seconds, I was suspended high up in the air, the world seeming to be against me. I had made an impossible jump, I would be spotted, I couldn't restore glory to Wutai…

Slam!

I breathed out a heavy sigh of relief that fortunately the man below didn't hear- and he was almost done untying the ship in which only another man was on, fortunately- as far as I knew. Was this a cargo ship? It likely was.

But what kind of ship it was didn't matter- now I could see the ship rolling pleasantly on the waves.

I smiled broadly, carefully looking back.

Good-bye Wutai. Next time you saw me, I'd be ready to restore your honor.


It was an awful next week. I was careful to hibernate deep in the bowels of the ship for the ride. If I was caught as a stowaway, who knew what kind of punishment awaited me?

I almost died of stifling heat and lack of food and water. Okay, well, I didn't almost die, but hey, you knew what I mean. But soon the trip proved to be useful- one day one of the crew members accidentally dropped a book. Desperate for entertainment, of course I had retrieved the book to look at.

After settling in a cozy spot (as cozy as you could get with you back up against a bunch of cargo boxes), I finally observed the small black hardcover book. The title read in silver lettering, The Way of the Ninja.

I read the introduction:

What is Ninja? Ninja, or Shinobi and Kunoichi, is the title of the main military powers in the Five Great Shinobi Lands- the Land of Waves, the Land of Fire, the Land of Lightning, the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth.

These Ninja quite often come from hidden villages in these five countries. They fight in a unique way- they gather Chakra inside them, which allows them to perform several different types of Jutsus. This great array of Jutsus need to be practiced extensively before one can truly master one. When a Ninja does master a Jutsu, he/she will be able to hone great power.

There are also four ranks of Ninja- Kage, which is the leader of the hidden villages, Jonin, Chunin and Genin, each one a lower rank than its predecessor...

From then on I read everything about the way of Ninja, avidly drinking in every detail about the Shinobi Lands, Chakras and Jutsus, observing maps-

And speaking of maps, from the looks of it, this ship was headed towards the Land of Fire.

So that was it! I would become a Ninja, and a great one at that. After I got my Ninja training I would steal Materia and restore glory to Wutai. It was all so simple, and everything fell into place.

True, from the looks of it, I would be training a lot. And before I could even have a chance of becoming a Ninja I had to find a hidden village, then train diligently to become even a Genin Ninja. I would have to work hard to get myself through the ranks-

But it would be worth it, wouldn't it?