Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto etc.

Credit: Thanks for trigunbabe06 for beta reading my story.

"Looking back now, I think I tried my best," says Motoyuki Yuki. Nobody but the roaring waterfall heard her, as she continues swinging her chain cutting the waterfall vertically. Yuki just stood there in front of the waterfall, letting loose her sorrow and thoughts, while cutting the waterfall vertically with her chain apart. Usually she is a very cheerful girl, but today, she is doubting herself, since Go-Daime assigned her to lead a 4 man team to search for 2 S-class criminals. She is used to hunting down missing-ninjas. It is what she did the past year, but something is just not feeling right.

Two years ago she and her now passed teammates graduated from the academy and became Team 16. At that time Yuki was not a very special or even talented kunoichi. She was rather average, usually too lazy to put up an effort. Average was what the instructors called it. They did their typical genin missions, F and D rank. Their Jounin, Suzunaka, was actually quite the serious person. He seem to have a complex, always so stressed, fearing for his life or something. He only felt save inside Konoha. But other than that he was a good instructor. He taught the two boys, Kinzaki and Uehon, well and Yuki looked up to the two like brothers. They were always fighting, trying to beat each other in what ever category they could think of, typical rivals.

Than one day, Kinzaki came by and told them they had a C rank mission. Escort a diplomat to the tiny bird country. The boys were full of joy and danced wildly around Yuki. Yuki just shrugged her shoulders and went along silently. The diplomat, Takefuku, was a young man, probably in his late 20's maybe early 30's and dressed very formally. They set off and the first day went along uneventful. It would take them another two days before arriving so they set camp next to the road. The first watch Yuki took over while the others slept. Some trees where bending with the wind or small rodent ran by, nothing big and so she woke up Uehon for the next shift.

Time passed and suddenly something warm and wet woke her out of her sleep. As her eye finally focused on the substance she found it to be red and it smelled metallic. On her leg, she then finally saw an cut off arm, still bleeding and looking up she found Uehon left side without an arm and gushing out with blood. He stood there with his back to her, kunai stretched out in a defending position. In front of him someone tried stabbing him with a long katana, he didn't dodge it, instead he was barely able to block it with his kunai.

"Uehon, what are you doing?" Yuki was shouting at him, "why aren't you dodging it?"

"Oh, our little sleeping beauty is awake?! Good, cause defending you is really hard with only one arm." He turned his head for a second and Yuki saw a smile.

Letting his guard down was a bad decision, cause there came the blade again, and this time it took his other arm. Screaming out in pain, Uehon recovered still standing there protecting Yuki.

"Now get moving Yuki, I don't have infinite arms to defend you, you know."

But where was our sensei, Yuki thought, shouldn't he be saving us?

Yuki quickly stood up and let Uehon have his space. As soon as she moved, Uehon started dodging the attacks as he usually would. He was the best at dodging attacks. Never was he hit during practice. But this wasn't practice, this was life and this was real. Blood still was coming out from both sides where Uehon lost his arm, and his movement slowed down. Yuki was fixated at Uehon's struggle.

She heard a loud 'ching' sound behind her. Turning to see what it was, Kinzaki drove another katana away from Yuki. Kinzaki finds an opening and attacks, wounding his opponent badly.

"Yuki stay with Uehon. I can handle this. Sensei is looking for Takefuku," Kinzaki shouts.

Yuki turned her view back at Uehon only to see a blade going through his torso. She screamed "No!" and ran towards the falling Uehon. While running, something inside her felt different. It felt boiling hot, like a sharp hot blade cutting through butter, and ice cold, like the early spring ice water running down the river, at the same time. She was holding Uehon's warm body as that tall person approached them. He was holding his katana high and mighty, and Yuki's eyes were filled with tears, blurring her vision. Something just urged her to lift her hands towards that killer. As she did, some great force surged through her arms out towards the murderer, a loud surprising scream and then silence.

Yuki didn't care about that, she was just fixated on Uehon.

'What to do', she was desperately thinking, 'ah first aid. What was it? Pressurize the wounds.'

She looked for bandages around, but finding none, she instead tore off part of her clothing and started closing of his arms first. Then she looked for a way to close off his puncture wound. Her hands just pressed on the wound, again the same cutting and cold feeling come forth. Now she saw it. Ice was forming where the wound was. Clothing both ends of it.

"Ah, it feels so cold Yuki-chan," Uehon whispered. He moved what was left of his arm, trying to touch her, and she grabbed hold of it. "You know very well, I won't make it," Uehon continues, "You know that attack you just did, it was awesome and fear inspiring at the same time. You really should put more effort into it, you'd be the best kunoichi ever. Promise?" But without hearing her answer Uehon died.

Behind Yuki, the battle still went on, Kinzaki was still battling two foes. Filled with rage and sorrow, the strange feeling she had filled her body once again. Turning towards the battle she says, "It's a promise Uehon," and charged into battle. It felt different then fighting in practice. There she always knew she would never die. In this fight, the fear of death was always there, never being far away. "Kinzaki dodge!" she shouts and extends both her arms again. A beam of ice shoots out, but both foe dodge that attack easily as well. 'Bah, I shouldn't have shouted it out,' she drew her kunai and engages into melee. Bunshin, kawamiri and shushin she used them perfectly got behind the first foe and sliced his throat.

The second one was tougher. He wouldn't let them get behind him. It was as if he knew the way of the shinobi, and as she finally cut his throat, it was a kawamiri.

"Damn!" she cursed. "Where did he go Kinzaki?" and she turned to look at him. He was just smiling and approached her. "Kinzaki?" he grabbed her arms and was pressing her against tree trunk. Holding her tight he starts foddeling with her legs. "Kinzaki, what the hell you doing? There is still an enemy out there... aghh..." he was touching her between her legs. 'Could it be a genjutsu? Then how am I going to get out of it? The ice... You are going to pay dearly for this...' She concentrates, trying to grasp that hot sharp and ice cold feeling again while being molested. Fixated she engulfed herself and Kinzaki in ice, but it felt more like water, as if she could move within it. And she could, sliding out of the ice prison Yuki finds the foe imprisoned in her ice block.

She found Kinzaki unconscious on the ground. Performing an anti-genjutsu she woke him out of him sleep. The two of them were then guarding each other for any other attacks while watching over Uehon's body. Only after the sun rose, did their sensei come back.

"They captured Takefuku, what is your situation?" he says out of breath.

"Uehon is dead." Yuki said cold, "and the attackers, we killed three and there weren't any others."

"Damn, and he had so much potential. Good work Kinzaki, Yuki. But remember our mission is not over yet..." Suzunaka is interrupted "Are we just going to leave Uehon here, for the raven to pick him up?" Kinzaki was furious.

"We will have to leave him here, Kinzaki," Yuki said.

"Are you mad? How can you say that so cold? He died because he was defending you, princess," Kinzaki could not believe what he just heard.

"That is exactly why we have to continue." Her tone did not change, but tears are flowing down her cheeks. "I will avenge his death, Kinzaki, and we will finish this cursed escort mission."

"Sensei, can you teach me any Ice Jutsu?" "Ice Jutsu? How do you come up with that idea?"

"Cause that is what I used last night. And it felt natural to me."

"Ice jutsu is a bloodline limit, dear. I can't teach you Ice jutsu. But I can help you with your other basic training, like water and a little wind. But first you should learn how to walk trees."

"And how do we do that?"

"You focus your chakra to your feet and use the chakra to hold yourself to the trunk. Like this." And Suzunaka demonstrates it. "How far away are they those bandits?" Kinzaki asked.

"Their camp is about a days run away, but I overheard them, they were moving out. I'll have you two train while I gather some more info on them."

Both buried Uehon and gave him a rightful funeral before starting their training. Kinzaki started running up the tree, but soon fell back down. "Damn its harder then it seems."

Yuki just stood in front of the tree for a minute, and then she walked up the tree all the way in a single try. "Hmm, so that's how it is. I'll explain it to you, Kinzaki," Yuki said from atop.

"Whoa when did you get so good?" Kinzaki is has an astonish and jealous tone.

"Don't know, I guess I never cared, until now." Yuki explained and aided Kinzaki in his training.

It was late night when Suzunaka came back.

"They moved and with them Takefuku. But the rest of their team, will be a lot tougher. Probably three Chunin and one Jounin. How's the training coming along?"

"We are done."

"Already? Well then we can progress to the next phase, water walking. Same as tree walking except you continuously expend chakra into the water. You will need it. Our enemy is going along the river and will probably not expend an attack from the water."

"When will we be attacking?"

"After you complete the training. Also I expect you to be able to walk on the water for at least one hour."

Yuki had no problem with the water walking again, and aided Kinzaki in his training. But staying on the water for an hour, that Yuki couldn't do. Thirty minutes was her limit.

"Damn! Is it just not possible for me to have that much chakra."

Kinzaki didn't have that problem. "Maybe you should have worked out on your body more Yuki-chan."

"Maybe," she answers.

Frustrated she turned her ice cold feelings towards the water and piece of ice formed which were floating on top of the water. It gave Yuki an idea, but out of chakra, she had to rest first. After a half day of rest, she tried it again standing in the water, but this time with a little aid from her bloodline limit. She, instead of just standing there was walking even running on the water after half an hour, challenged Kinzaki to a duel. Both were brawling and skirmishing when their sensei came back.

"Alright, seems like you two are ready. I'll tell you one more thing. Don't get yourself caught in a water prison jutsu. We'll attack from the river. Today is new moon. Its the best chance we'll get. You two worry about the Chunin I'll take care of the Jounin. Teamwork is the key here."

That night a cold breeze swept through the forest and across the river. They quickly approached the camp and engaged in battle, throwing shuriken ahead. Yuki rushed behind her shuriken almost in its shadow, skating over the water as if it was ice. The first chunin dodged the first volley of shuriken and blocked the second wave, before counter attacking the charging Yuki. A full hit, no it was merely a bunshin, Yuki was grabbling hold of his shoulders, she turned hundred and eighty degrees slicing him all the way through on the way before turning towards the next foe. Kinzaki was intercepting the third chunin.

"I can't believe a genin took out Toyuki," one of them shouts, "don't underestimate them. Those little jerks got some bravado and a death wish."

They continued fighting. Both chunin pulled out water bunshin, turning the odds in their favor. Kinzaki gets flanked and imprisoned in a water prison, and Yuki hearing her friends imprisonment, looses concentration for a short moment and got caught as well. Breathtaking the water prison slowly was suffocating them. The chunin laugh heartily as they saw the two genin struggle for their life. Yuki decided to turn her prison into ice and freed herself from it. She immediately slew the water bunshin holding Kinzaki.

"What the heck? An Ice Element user?"

Still surprised, a chunin fell victim to Yuki's ice spear attack. Instead of a beam she decided to sharpen the point of the beam into a spear now. Not satisfied with just puncturing the chunin, Yuki expands her spear into many, many more tiny spears, piercing the chunin all over the place. The white spears turned red in seconds afterwards.

Now alone the last chunin got desperate. He spit a great fireball at them. Unable to avoid that attack, Kinzaki jumped in front of it saving Yuki from most of the blast.

"Kinzaki, not you too."

"Heh, our little princess has grown up. Time to bloom, beauty. Show them what you are made of."

There was no time to sorrow as the chunin prepared another blast. Yuki defeated it with a wall of ice. Enraged she felt like cutting the chunin into tiny pieces before jumping into close combat with the Chunin. For Yuki, the kunai felt like cutting the air constantly. Every time the kunai clashed with the chunin, it cut into his kunai. Every time it missed him by a hair, he would still bleed a minor wound. 'This feeling, it is as if when I wish to cut, it cuts.' On that thought she throws a shuriken at the chunin. He evaded the shuriken, but still was cut on the side. A second shuriken came his way, and this time Yuki put all her thoughts and force into cutting him apart. He again avoided the shuriken, but just as Yuki had hoped for, was sliced in two. The shuriken continued its path pass a tree. Yuki approached the dying chunin and gave him a finishing blow.

She turned her attention towards Kinzaki. "You alright?" But he wasn't answering. She checked his pulse, but none was to be found. "Sensei, Sensei, Kinzaki, he doesn't have a pulse."

"Your sensei ain't coming to save you, little one." Yuki heard a female voice. She went into a battle position, but her enemy was nowhere to be found. "Poor little girl, loosing all her comrades and is still fighting. Let me give you a hug."

Trees spawned at her feet as they were engulfing Yuki.

"Isn't this so much more comforting, having someone hug you? It's a shame, but you'll be joining your friends now too." An arm with a kunai extends from a tree preparing to stab Yuki.

'Again a genjutsu.' "Ice Element- Eternal Ice Prison no Jutsu."

And the whole tree froze to the liking of Yuki. Escaping the genjutsu, she imprisoned and froze her last foe to death.

Later she found her sensei dead and buried him and Kinzaki near the river. The diplomat she found unharmed cowering behind a tree. She finished her escort mission, and reported back to Konoha afterwards. Go-Daime was going to send her back into the academy, but an ANBU interrupted her with crucial information. Looking at the member and remembering her promise to Uehon, she asked permission to strive for a spot in ANBU. Surprised at her determination, Go-Daime gave her a chance. Three months if she had the potential plus if she could pass the test in three months she would be accepted. Nobody would normally make it into ANBU in three months, even if they trained constantly. Yuki went into the library and checked out all the books on water and wind jutsus as well as any genjutsu that might help. Furiously she trained day in and day out, using all kind of medicine to replenish her chakra supply.

At the end of the third month, she finally took a break. Her body was in pain and pushed far beyond the limit. The medicine made her health really weak. On the day of the exam, she was coughing badly. Go-Daime looking at her, said "You are not fit for the test. There is no way I will let you take this test in the condition you are in right now. Dismissed."

"Please, Hokage-sama, give me this one chance. I worked really hard for this."

"Hard enough to get yourself killed, dear. I am not going to let you kill yourself for this test. There are other ways to become a kunoichi."

"Not for me. This is the only way for me now. Please let me take the test."

"… Fine, but at the first sign of weakness, the test will be canceled."

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

Her test was to retrieve a document from some ninjas who hid themselves in the Country of the Bird. Again to that cursed land. Yuki would have to go. However, there was a time limit: one week. ANBU were to watch and evaluate her. She quickly packed scrolls and weapons into her pouch some clothing and headed out. She arrived at the Bird Country without any interference. In a village she switched to clothing more common, disguising herself as a local girl. She found the diplomat whom she escorted still to be in the country, and asked for a favor he owed her. Having gained a foot hold she then poked around even using what feminine appeal she had to gain insight where those two missing ninjas were.

Five days passed, before she found them. Summoning a raccoon, she had it search out and explore the hideout. At night fall of the sixth day she attacked. Mist surrounded the hideout and she moved in. Her raccoon companion went straight for the document, a scroll, none the less as the fugitives were still looking for an attacker. By the time they notice the scroll went missing, the raccoon, Taka, was already back in Yuki's arms. She made her escape with the scroll in her pouch.

Soon she could hear pursuers following her. She guided them towards the river before they caught up. On the river then, they fought, two versus one. They tried flanking her a couple of times, but each time Yuki slipped out of their trap. Having enough of this cat and mouse game, they used fire jutsu to burn her away. The first time she dodged but the second came mid air and hit her full on. Yet, all they found was hot steam as the flame disappeared.

"A Kawamiri? Where did she hid herself?"

"Left, right, back, up. Nowhere to be found."

"Beneath us?" Looking down they found the water no longer to rippling, instead it was a solid piece of ice and their feat were frozen in it. "Damn when did that happen?"

"Ice Element- Eternal Ice Prison no Jutsu."

From the frozen feet the ice grew, surrounding both ninjas and engulfing them in it.

"Ice Element- Bloodletter." Both prisoners bled out leaving a red prison behind.

Yuki continues to travel all night, before she arrives at Konoha's gates. There she hands over the documents to Go-Daime. "Good work, and congratulation. You are now a member of ANBU. You are aware that you loose your name and identity within ANBU and as long as you are part of ANBU you have no name."

"Yes, I know."

"Then take a break and report to the hospital. You have pushed yourself too far."

…..

"Captain…Captain Kawahana-san. It is time to go." A subordinate arrives at the waterfall.

"Oh, yes, lets go," Kawahana (Yuki) answers.