8/11/18

Warning: Be Prepared for Long Author's Note

Howdy there! Long time no see...well, read, I guess. Lol. (Ok, I'm not funny. Moving on.) So, I've decided to redo this story and hopefully make it better. Walk the Path Stained With Light was a story I had been writing since, like, 6th grade (2006...wow). It was my baby, my first completed story with my first OC. It's not that good, even though I've gotten a lot of support for it, and I thank all of you that read, favorited, and reviewed it. However, I wanted to improve the story as best I could without taking away from the overall feel of it. So I rewrote it. As such, I'm leaving WTPSWL on the site rather than deleting it, because I worked hard on it, and I wanted people to have something to compare it to, for anyone who will read this story after reading the first one.

I know I said I would do a little more with the sequel, but I decided against it, since I had mad writer's block and just thought it should end, so I could write this one. I've been working on this for about a year, I believe, and I've also been working on some other projects that I will hopefully finish in my lifetime. Time is short with work and all that goes with it, but I'm finally completely done with this story and will be working on its sequel in the near future. This has the same essence as the first story, but as you see if you keep reading, many things have changed, but there are several scenes that I converted to fit here. This one is also a good bit longer, so I'll be updating frequently, at least twice a week. Everything is complete and edited, ready for uploading (but please let me know of any mistakes and/or inconsistencies).

PLEASE tell me if my writing has improved, and HOW, if you read WTPSWL and Clarity. I really appreciate constructive criticism, and of course it's always nice to hear if anyone has enjoyed my writing. For anyone who has not read this story before, welcome! I tried...so please don't hurt my feelings. Also, it's been years since I've watched Naruto Shippuden, and even longer since I've watched the first half of the series. And don't hold this against me, but I first watched Naruto dubbed, so that's where my mind frame is at here. (Anyone like the Boruto series? I haven't started it yet, but I did like the movie well enough).

Also, this particular story will follow the storyline closer, but the sequel will be a lot looser in that regard. I tried to give it its own identity while still holding the original's feel. Now, if anyone is still reading after this long ass note, please let me know what you think!

"As you know, graduation is coming up soon," Iruka announced to the class excitedly. "So, I hope you prepare yourselves early. The test could be anything we've learned so far from the beginning, so don't think you can slack off when you study." Study, are you kidding me? He may have been elated—probably because he was ready to get rid of all of them, especially Naruto—but Kaiya was anything but.

She hated the Academy. It was full of stupid, weak, pathetic, self-entitled brats who wouldn't last a day out in the real world. For hours they would sit in the classroom and listen to the teacher drone on and on about things that didn't seem to matter. They'd perform lame jutsus that anyone should be able to do with their eyes closed by now, and yet half of the class couldn't do it right the first time.

As for the graduation test, well…she knew she would pass. Knowing Iruka, it wouldn't be difficult at all, unless you were Naruto Uzumaki. The fool couldn't even perform a simple clone jutsu. Kaiya giggled to herself. It would be just his luck if that's what the test is, she thought, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Kaiya, is something funny?" Iruka called, placing his hands on his hips as he glared up at her in irritation. "Would you like to share it with the class?" Kaiya's mouth clamped shut as she straightened her posture, her eyes drifting to her blonde classmate, sitting on the row directly beneath her, on her right.

She had half a mind to declare her thoughts, but then she thought of the repercussions, and the chores she'd be made to do when she made it home. She wasn't quite that brave. Iruka lifted an eyebrow, waiting for an answer. Clearing her throat, she shook her head, a nervous smile appearing across her face.

"N-no, Iruka-sensei. C-carry on." Her eyes averted to her section of the desks. Sasuke, who was sitting on the same row as Naruto, two seats away from him, snickered, his mouth covered by his hands and his eyes closed. Kaiya blushed in embarrassment, glaring at him with a frown, irritated that he wouldn't look up at her, even though she knew he felt her eyes on his back.

Iruka groaned, shaking his head as he continued his speech. At that point, Kaiya tuned him out completely, taking to studying the classroom instead. She remembered her first day at the Academy, seven years ago, the first time she'd stepped into this room. Her parents escorted her to the front of the giant red building, which honestly was just one big eyesore, smiling proudly as their third child attended the entrance ceremony to become a shinobi.

No one seemed concerned that both her mother and her father stood two feet apart from her, neglecting to stand anywhere near her. Their smiles were feigned, stretched taut across their lips. You'd think a bunch of shinobi would notice the slight twitch of their eyebrows, how difficult it was to keep their faces so cheery. They mingled with a few other parents, some of the teachers their older children had years earlier, and then they waved to her and returned to their busy lives of blueprinting the village.

The new students were escorted inside by the general Chunin who worked in the Academy; children were split off into separate rooms, the adults weeding them through the crowds by name and age. Kaiya was the last child to be assigned a room—room 13, and by the time she entered the room, it was already full, with the other children having been seated, so that they all turned to her when she slid the door open.

A five-year-old Kaiya stared up at the rows of potential ninjas in front of her as she stepped into the classroom. There weren't very many students compared to the hoard she'd had to go through to get inside the building, but to her it felt like an entire army staring down at her. They were all silent, judging her with their five-year-old eyes, which were surprisingly stern. She couldn't tell exactly what they were thinking, but it wasn't difficult to guess that they weren't too impressed. And why would they be? She was average at best. When her brother and sister were her age, they were already impressing their classmates with their looks and talents. Kaiya had none of that to offer now.

With everyone's attention on her, her heart fluttered, her head growing heavier; for a few seconds, she feared she would pass out. She hated being the center of attention, wishing she could fade into the shadows and disappear. She wished her parents had stayed to escort her into the building, but they were long gone by now, busy brainstorming ideas to make the village more cutting-edge.

The classroom was bland, with pale green walls and a few posters of the class rules hanging up in random places on either side of a large chalkboard. A podium raised slightly by a stage, with the height of about six inches, sat in the front of the room, positioned in front of the chalkboard. There were four sections of desks, four rows to a section. The desks were big enough for three people each. Kaiya didn't know where to sit, as all but two sections already had three students lounging in them. She glanced from one to the other nervously, her bottom lip trembling; she hastily wiped her sweaty hands on her shorts.

Class hadn't started yet, so the instructor wasn't in the room at the time. He or she was probably going over the new students' information one more time before they came in. A nervous wreck, relief washed over Kaiya when the teacher finally walked in, a few minutes before class was scheduled to begin. She smiled welcomingly at her, and she coyly smiled back, but it didn't ease her anxiety in the slightest. She was still trying her best to breathe normally, without alerting everyone else that she was on the verge of a panic attack. She had no idea if the other five-year-olds in the room were fooled or not.

Time slowed down as sweat dripped down her brow. She didn't want to stand there in the front of the room any longer, and she had no idea why she was still doing so. The teacher placed her hand on her shoulder before she could move, bending down to whisper in her ear. "You can take a seat, you know," she informed her quietly, a large grin on her pale face. She brushed her dark bangs out of her glasses. "Don't be nervous. Remember: it's everyone's first day." Kaiya nodded, swallowing a lump in her throat as she took a deep breath and took a step forward, until she was at the steps that led to the only available seats in the room.

Class was only a few moments from beginning. The small white clock in the front of the room ticked by slowly, the second hand mocking her as it seemed to speed up with each thump her heart made against her ribcage. Rather than sit at the single available seat on the bottom row, she chose to make the long walk all the way up to the third section, second row from the top; that way, she could see the entirety of the room and not have to worry about the others glowering at her back. She began to tremble, hoping the other students wouldn't notice the shimmers traveling through her shoulders as she passed by.

She couldn't help but spend that entire first day thinking about her family, wondering if her siblings had gone through the same mental torture she had. (Ha! Of course they didn't. They were perfect). She figured her parents were lucky for never having to experience the Academy at all.

Ayumu and Satomi weren't shinobi: they were both talented and successful architects in the village. Despite the fact that they did not have shinobi heritage, her older brother Shohei was a fifteen-year-old Jonin, and her older sister Ren was a ten-year-old Chunin. Kaiya's family was well-known and well-liked, and she was happy to be walking in their shadows.

That was, until the truth was discovered.

Just thinking about it made Kaiya sick, and her musings were cut short. "Kaiya, did you hear a word I just said?" Iruka was glaring at her again, arms crossed. She blinked several times.

"Oh, uh…of course, Sensei!" she lied with fake enthusiasm, rubbing the back of her head. She chuckled nervously. "Every word." Iruka's eyebrow twitched in exasperation.

"Oh, really? So, you won't mind repeating it all to the class, then?" he said. Kaiya paled, and this time the entire class burst out in laughter.

"…"

"Right." Sighing, Iruka shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. This girl is hopeless. "See me after class, Ms. Kimura." Kaiya groaned, slumping in her seat. She stared at the ceiling blankly as she rested her neck against the back of the chair, her expression stoic. It's not like this was anything new.

"Yeah, fine," she muttered, scoffing. "Not like I haven't heard that before." The instructor gave her one more pointed look before he finished up his lesson for the day. It wasn't even worth it to address her disrespect in the middle of class for a third time.

When class was dismissed, Kaiya didn't bother moving from her seat. Instead, she propped her feet up on the desk and leaned back, resting her hands behind her head casually. Iruka told her to wait for him there while he files a report on her 'disruptive behavior,' which he'd been doing constantly since he took over Keiko's classroom six years ago.

Kaiya glanced down at Sasuke, who was trying to push his way past Sakura and Ino, who were arguing about who would walk home with him—just a typical day, Kaiya thought, rolling her eyes. Sasuke frowned, his annoyance oblivious to the two lovesick maniacs, but palpable to Kaiya. She laughed, catching their attention. All three of them looked up with an irritable expression.

"And what are you laughing at, Beef Brains?" Ino barked, waving a fist in the air. She currently had her other arm wrapped around Sasuke's shoulders. Even with Kaiya occupying her attention, she was tugging him towards her, fighting against Sakura, who was doing the same. Kaiya sighed, rolling her eyes again, this time so that the others could see. She frowned at the nickname. Classy, as always.

All of Sasuke's fangirls called Kaiya 'Beef Brains' because she had more muscle than all of the other females in their class, since she worked out more. Ami started the nickname when they were seven, and Ino and Sakura kept it alive all these years. She had even been asked a few times if she was really a boy pretending to be a girl. She proceeded to punch whoever asked in the face, asking if a boy would do that. Of course, it got her into trouble, but it was well worth it.

Kaiya stared at the heated blonde for a few more seconds before replying. "Hmm? Oh, I was just laughing at poor Sasuke here, who has to put up with you guys every day," she answered, shrugging. "I don't know where he finds the patience. I mean, I would've killed you guys by now, if I were him." Sakura growled, pointing up at the brunette.

"OH YEAH, BEEF BRAINS?" she screeched, her teeth suddenly becoming pointed, like fangs. "Just go ahead and try it!"

Kaiya's eyes narrowed, but she didn't move a muscle, tempted as she was to take her up on the offer. The pink-haired preteen heaved, her [flat] chest moving up and down dramatically as she took in deep breaths and let them out slowly. Her arm still had an iron grip on Sasuke's shirt collar. Kaiya felt sorry for the guy, who was caught up in a heated battle between two psychos and had no means of escape. Kaiya hoped to distract them long enough for him to get away, before she had her mandatory meeting with Iruka.

"Maybe some other time," she decided, closing her eyes and leaning back further in her chair. She let out a long breath through her nostrils. "I'd rather not waste precious seconds of my life disposing of the two of you. Even taking on Naruto would be more of a challenge." The two girls, clearly insulted, lunged at Kaiya at the same time, forgetting all about Sasuke in the moment. They tackled the chair she was sitting in, throwing punches and hurling insults at their classmate, only to find a few seconds later that she wasn't in her seat. Sasuke was also gone. They paused in confusion.

"W-what the…?" A shadow appeared behind them, and they stiffened.

"Told you: a waste of time." They turned around to see her standing over them on the desk, arms crossed. Her expression was frigid, frozen like a dark, icy statue. Chills ran down their spines, as if they could actually feel the cold air radiating around her figure. The girls shivered.

"You're a monster," Ino muttered, hugging her chest. She looked away. Sakura nodded, trying to keep her teeth from chattering.

"How the hell are you so fast?" she wondered. Kaiya scoffed, her dark eyes lowering slightly.

"Unlike the rest of you girls in the class, I actually care about being strong," she answered simply. "I don't have time to waste on boys or trying to look pretty. There are things that I've got to do." Ino huffed, standing to her feet slowly; Sakura followed.

"Tch. You mean like betray the village, just like your—" Before the blonde could finish her sentence, Kaiya's eyebrows furrowed and her face hardened. She grabbed Ino's collar and pulled her up to her face so quickly she got whiplash as she gasped. Both girls were stunned and the speed and fierceness their classmate had just exhibited. Kaiya's fists clenched the purple fabric on Ino's shirt tightly, shaking with anger. Her murky eyes were so cruel that Ino could almost see her death in the reflection of Kaiya's green irises. She gulped, her eyes wide as sweat dripped down her brow. Her heartbeat suddenly picked up speed.

"Just like my what, Ino?" Kaiya's jaw was clenched just as tightly as her fists. She was trembling, the rational part of her brain trying to keep her from smashing her classmate through a wall. As if reading her mind, Sakura covered her head and cowered on the floor. She prayed Kaiya forgot about her.

"I-I-I'm sorry, Kaiya! I wasn't thinking, but I-I didn't m-mean it, I s-swear!" Ino cried, squeezing her eyes shut and turning her head, as if that would help her cause. Kaiya growled, rearing her free arm back as she prepared to punch her in the face.

"I thought I made it clear that I don't want anyone mentioning them," she snapped, her voice tight and short like a cord stretched taut. "I told you the next time someone did, I was going to make them pay, didn't I?"

Ino could feel the tension building up like a rubber band being pulled back as far as it could go, to smack someone between the eyes painfully. She held her breath as she waited to feel the agonizing pain that would no doubt leave a lasting mark for at least a month. Kaiya could hit harder than almost all the males in their class, except for Sasuke. She imagined even many Chunin would have a hard time if they were somehow unlucky enough to receive a punch from her. She was also the fastest in their class, which means that Ino had no chance of escape.

She waited. After a few seconds of nothing happening, she found a brief sliver of courage and opened her eyes, shocked to see Sasuke standing next to her assailant, gripping her wrist almost as tightly as Kaiya was holding Ino's shirt. Kaiya was clenching her fist so tightly her knuckles paled; the struggle between Kaiya's will and Sasuke's could be seen by the redness on Kaiya's face as she fought against his grasp, to no avail.

Finally, as stubborn as she was, she gave up, begrudgingly loosening her fist and letting her arm go slack in Sasuke's hold. When he was certain she wasn't going to continue her assault when he let his guard down, he slowly released her, letting her arm fall to her side. Then he took hold of her other hand that still had Ino's shirt, but his clutch was much gentler this time; he simply took hold of her, and she immediately let go.

Sakura had also been brave enough to lift her head, just as astonished as Ino was. Sasuke…

"You…saved me, Sasuke?" Ino said, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink. "But why?" Sasuke had his arm out, keeping Kaiya from advancing on the blonde. His back was turned to her, facing the door to the classroom, which had been slid open recently; it had been closed before, when the last student left the room. Sasuke must have left and then come back in, Sakura figured, shakily standing to her feet. Did Kaiya start an argument with us just to give him a chance to leave? But why would she do that for him? And why would he come back?

"Don't get the wrong idea, Ino," Sasuke stated, a frown on his face. With one arm outstretched between Ino and Kaiya, his free hand made its way to his pocket. He glanced at Kaiya out the corner of his eye, directly to his right, as his eyebrows furrowed. "Kaiya's already in enough trouble as it is. I'd hate for her to beat you senseless and not be able to graduate next week." He paused, letting the three girls digest his words.

"But you should know better than to mention those people to her, especially when an adult isn't around to protect you. Kaiya doesn't hold back." His gaze lowered to the front of the classroom. The clock ticked incessantly, echoing in the current silence of the room. Nobody moved for several seconds. Tick, tock. Tick, tock. Tick, tock.

Finally, Kaiya shifted, turning her body to face Sasuke. She studied him meticulously with her piercing gaze, a frown set on her face. He stared at her in the same manner. To Ino and Sakura, it appeared that they were communicating through their eyes, but it was almost impossible to tell for sure. Not to mention it didn't make sense why they would do such a thing, since they were both loners, and they definitely didn't have any kind of friendship between them. At last, Kaiya yielded to the Uchiha's hard glare, relaxing her shoulders as she turned around.

"Hn." She shot a warning glance at Ino and Sakura one more time, before jumping down from the desks and onto the ground floor in one leap. She leaned against the bottom desk in the third section. Crossing her arms, she stared at the floor defiantly, until the others got the message: Leave. Sakura and Ino said nothing more as they shuffled out of the room, giving Sasuke a longing look before sliding the door shut behind them. He made no attempt to return the glance.

There was a pregnant silence between the two as Sasuke put his other hand in his pocket casually. He stared down at Kaiya quietly; there was no sound other than the clock and Kaiya's frustrated breathing. When she seemed to calm down some, he made his way down the stairs to stand beside her, sitting about six inches to her right on the same desk. In the awkward silence, he averted his gaze to the wall.

"Why can't you just mind your own business?" Sasuke's eyebrows creased as he turned to her in question. His lips pursed, but he didn't respond right away. She continued.

"You know you would've done the same thing if someone had mentioned Itachi," she pointed out, looking out her peripherals to catch Sasuke's dark expression at his brother's name. His fists clenched inside of his pockets; Kaiya could tell because of the shifting of his shorts fabric.

She closed her eyes, waiting for him to blow up at her. She almost wanted him to, so she can have an excuse to punch him in lieu of not getting to do so to Ino. However, unlike her blonde classmate, Sasuke would be able to stop it, and he wouldn't think twice about countering. Then again, that made her want to do it even more.

But he didn't move. Instead, he smirked. "And you would've stopped me…right?" he retorted, turning his head toward her expectantly. An annoyed tick appeared in the corner of Kaiya's forehead as she opened her eyes and faced him. She bit the inside of her cheek.

"Tch. You're so annoying, Uchiha."

"Hn. I could say the same about you, Kimura." A small hint of a smile appeared on Kaiya's lips. She let out a deep sigh, uncrossing her arms and using them to support her weight on the desk as she leaned back.

"You'd better go," she said, after staying silent for a second or two. "Iruka-sensei will be back soon, and you'll probably get scolded for staying behind to visit with a troubled student." Sasuke rolled his eyes, straightening up without a word, walking to the exit. He stopped, removing a hand from his pocket to open the door. Kaiya blinked.

"You should learn how to control your emotions better, Kaiya," he scolded, neglecting to look back at her. Even so, she knew he had a grin on his face as he spoke. Her eyebrows furrowed. "It's easy to tell what bothers you, and everyone uses that to provoke you into a fight. If you stop reacting so quickly to your feelings, people wouldn't use them against you so often."

Kaiya bit her lip so hard she could taste the bitter, metallic tang of blood as she swallowed, sneered.

"So, you're saying I should just let people say what they want about my family?" she clarified darkly. "They don't even know what happened, so why should I let them? It's none of their business. Just like it's none of yours." Sasuke's shoulders tensed. He rested his fingers on the handle of the door, but made no attempt to pull it to the side.

"That's not what I'm saying," he corrected firmly, ignoring her jab at him. "I'm just saying don't be so open about it." Kaiya's hard expression softened slightly. "You're an open book, Kaiya. It's not difficult to tell when you're angry, or sad, or scared. It's because you give everything away. It's all in your eyes."

Kaiya blinked in question. "My eyes?" she repeated, confused. Sasuke stared at the wooden structure in front of him, lost in thought for several moments.

"Your eyes are clear and sharp, like a kunai." He traced the doorframe absentmindedly as he talked. He was glad he wasn't facing her now; he didn't want to know what she was thinking right now—and he didn't want to give away what he was thinking in return. "You don't show facial expressions much—except when you're angry—but by making eye contact with you, people will know what you're feeling or thinking, when you're about to blow up at them. Especially if they've been around you long enough to know what makes you tick."

Kaiya turned to the front of the room and took to staring at the chalkboard rather than Sasuke's back. She chuckled humorlessly. "Is that right? And what if I think you're wrong?" Sasuke shook his head, scoffing.

"Of course you'd say that; you're one of the most stubborn people I've ever met, aside from Naruto." Kaiya frowned at the insult, crossing her arms again. Sasuke looked back at her to catch her expression, smirking in triumph as he caught the annoyed glint in her dark pupils. "Hn. See? Easy."

He paused, but before Kaiya could give him a mouthful of her own insults, he said, "I'll see you later, Kaiya. Try not to do anything stupid until then. I'd hate to see you not be able to graduate because of your behavior." She stuck out her tongue to his back as he turned forward and slid open the door, walking out without another word.

"Tch. Stupid Sasuke, always thinking he's smarter than everyone else."

Kaiya knew Sasuke was right, although she would never tell him that to his face. Keeping her emotions to herself was one thing she'd always struggled with, even as a child. She would cry too much, laugh too loudly, or fight anyone who made her angry without a second thought. She blurted out what was on her mind most of the time, and she didn't have a filter, no matter who she was talking to. It took her a while to break some of those habits, but traces of them still remained, even after so many years of trying to get rid of them.

But really, what did he want her to do about it? She didn't really care if people knew what she thought. She was going to give people a piece of her mind, because that's just how she did things.

After what felt like an eternity later, Iruka finally returned. Kaiya frowned, scoffing at his leisure, like he hadn't kept her waiting forever. "Hmm. I'm surprised you're still here, Kaiya," he said, sliding the door shut behind him.

"I'm surprised myself," she retorted, studying her cuticles in boredom; they were pretty dirty from after-lunch shuriken practice, but she hardly cared. She didn't micromanage her hygiene habits, especially if training was involved. "If I'd known you were going to take this long, I'd already be home."

If Kaiya didn't fear being held back from taking the graduation exam, she would've given him an earful. Instead, she scratched her chin with her dirty fingernails, trying her best not to show how dismayed and annoyed she was.

Her face contorted into an odd expression, a mixture of both emotions, along with a few others: confusion, anger, anxiety, and hunger. (Was hunger an actual emotion? It sure felt like it to her). Her eyebrow twitched as she tried to hold her face together. Iruka watched her in awkward silence, wondering what exactly was going on. He neglected to ask.

"In any case, let's have a little chat, shall we? With graduation coming up, I need to make some things clear." Kaiya blinked, her face going slack. Here we go, she thought, sighing as she sat down on top of the desk, waiting to hear what Iruka had to say this time.

Also, before I forget, let me know if you want to see anything in the sequel throughout the story. I have a few plans for it, but nothing that goes from start to finish. If any old fans of the story are reading this one, tell me what you'd like to see that I didn't put in WTPSWL and Clarity. I feel like I left a lot of things out before and didn't answer a lot of questions I set up in the story, at least clearly. So I went back and tried to do that here. If you have a question, let me know, and if it isn't answered later on in the story, I'll make sure that it is in the sequel. And I promise, the rest of the Author's Notes won't be this long D:

How'd I do?