Sumiko put her all into the jutsu, concentrating. "Wind style, Gale Palm jutsu." The blast of air cut into a nearby tree, felling it. "Oh no," Sumiko whispered, racing over to the tree.
She apologised to the tree. Her teammates watched, thinking she was stupid for doing this, that there was no point. But Sumiko believed all living creatures have a soul, and liked plants and animals more than people anyway. After all, plants and animals had never treated her as poorly as the people around her. Even now, instead of seeing the improvement in her jutsu, they only saw the behaviour they considered strange.
Repeating the jutsu on a dead tree nearby, she felt a small glimmer of satisfaction, quickly extinguished by the silence around her. Instead of praising her and giving her advice on how to improve; instead of teaching her, her Sensei and fellow students had disappeared. Again. This was not the first time it had happened, and was unlikely to be the last.
Miserable, Sumiko made her way home and lay on her bed, fighting tears. They were always doing things like this to her, disappearing when she wasn't looking and pretending she didn't exist. No one outside the team seemed to notice how ostracised she really was, and no help came from that quarter. If Sumiko disappeared, just left one day, would anyone even notice? Sometimes it felt as if she wasn't meant to exist in this world, as if she didn't truly belong.
A shadow fell across her prone form, and she flinched away from it. Narrowly avoiding a grasping hand, she rolled over and stood, glaring sullenly at her Sensei. His ridiculous silver hair flashed in the sun, still seeming to defy gravity. Her own hair hung dead straight and dull, the black locks looking dull no matter what she did with it. This was another minor source of her aggravation towards her teammates; her pale skin and dull hair made her look sickly, the shadows under her eyes only adding to that belief.
"Sumiko, what are you doing here? You should be training. Have you mastered the Gale Palm jutsu yet?" Yataro sounded annoyed at having to chase her down, though why he had even bothered was beyond Sumiko.
She nearly screamed her frustration at him, but resisted the urge, instead gathering chakra. "Wind Style: Gale Palm jutsu," she whispered.
Yataro leapt out of the way, the jutsu narrowly missing him in the confines of her bedroom. Unwilling to damage anything, Sumiko had put the bare minimum into the jutsu, so that it merely knocked things off her desk instead of breaking them.
"There's no need to act like that," Yataro sighed, shaking his head at Sumiko. "Come on, you have training to do."
Shoulders hunched, Sumiko quietly followed him back to the training fields and her teammates, seething. He had been the one to abandon her, why was she in trouble? He was supposed to be training them all, but barely spent a minute with her in each training session, instead focusing on her teammates. They were deemed worth his time and effort, where she was not; so why should she have to stick around?
"What the hell do you think you're doing, skipping training like that?" Natsu yelled, scowling. "Stop wasting our time!"
Saji laughed. "Don't be so hard on the girl. It's not her fault she can't keep up."
Sumiko kept her face blank, trying to ignoring their taunts and jibes. The way Saji had emphasised girl spoke volumes about his views and attitude towards the opposite gender. He firmly believed they were inferior to men, and refused to see talented kunoichi as more than the products of exceptional male training. Even Tsunade, the Hokage and one of the legendary Sannin, was not exempt from his judgements, though he was quieter about expressing that particular opinion.
Yataro also ignored the comments, though it was his place to address conflict within his team. To Sumiko, this was further proof that she didn't belong, and that no one truly cared about her. She had no parents to go home to and make her feel better, no friends to complain to and rely on for support. She was a mistake in this world, and everyone treated her as such. Fighting back tears of frustration, Sumiko almost missed Yataro's announcement.
"Settle down guys, I have a mission for you."
This comment was met with excitement from Saji and Natsu, and not a small amount of apprehension and disappointment on Sumiko's part. Though she would be going on this mission, Yataro had a habit of giving her guard duty, never allowing her to actually participate. He was obligated to take her along, but not once had she been truly involved in a mission. This one was likely to be the same.
"We leave tomorrow at dawn. Make sure you have everything ready, I don't want any delays leaving the village," he said flatly, glancing at Sumiko. "Go home and pack."
Shrugging off Yataro's implication that it would be her to cause them delays, and the glares of her teammates, Sumiko headed home once more. She had a lot to pack, and was determined to give them no reason to blame her for anything.
They left the village early the next morning, only minimal grumbling coming from Saji. Sumiko had been first to meet Yataro at the gate, avoiding any negative comments and blame. Her bag was only slightly heavier than the boys' bags, though she carried more basic necessities, including the first aid kit. With no formal training in medical ninjutsu, her first aid skills were all they had to rely on,
Travelling only a short distance, they made camp in a cave not far from the nest of bandits they were supposed to be clearing out. On her own, Sumiko was not deemed skilled enough for these missions, as she was still a Genin, and not a particularly strong one at that. Her two teammates however, were Chunin, and their presence and Yataro's qualified the team for these missions.
Watching from the cave up on the hill, Sumiko could just make out the shape of the bandits' camp. She could see the approach her teammates made, taking out the few sentries posted before raiding the camp proper. It was a short battle; Yataro was an S level Jonin, and both Saji and Natsu had benefited greatly from his teaching. None of them received any injuries, essentially rendering Sumiko's presence pointless, though officially she had been ordered to guard their own camp. It was a rather poor disguise for what was an attempt at keeping her out of the way, but there was nothing she could do about it.
Those bandits that had surrendered were escorted back to the nearest village, where they awaited judgement from the head of the village. The mission complete in record time, Sumiko and her team headed back to Konoha, leaving behind a grateful populace and some very sorry-looking bandits. Knowing they had helped the village, Sumiko felt a small surge of pride, but it did not last long. The knowledge that she had done nothing, that she had been forbidden from participating, squashed the feeling, drowning it out. This heavy feeling persisted the entire return trip, easing only slightly upon arriving back in her own home.
The next few months passed peacefully enough. Sumiko was still ignored by her teammates, but she trained harder than ever. She had found another shinobi willing to help her with a few things, appalled at her lack of skill and poor training. He did not report Yataro however, and merely assisted her with the basics in his spare time. Sumiko lived for these moments, relishing the opportunity to train properly with a teacher willing to give her the attention she so desperately needed.
This continued for quite a while, and before long a year had passed without her even realising. In this time, she had improved greatly, though she was still far behind Saji and Natsu. Still her improvements went unnoticed by her team, and at the dinner celebrating the two-year anniversary of the formation of her team, she sat in the corner, silently brooding.
The restaurant was packed, and several people came over to congratulate the team, their gaze seeming to slide straight past Sumiko on the way to her teammates. Before long she'd had enough, and left, her exit noticed only by the girl working behind the counter. The quiet night outside was far more appealing; a fresh breeze blew, and the smell of the forest washed over her. Making her choice, she slowly wandered to her rooms. Packing her bags with the few belongings she had, Sumiko walked out the village gates that night, never looking back.
Sumiko spent months travelling on her own, passing through village after village on her search, not knowing what it was she was even looking for. Rumours began to follow her, of a young girl travelling a path few returned from unchanged, but none reached her ears. Even when the rumours overtook her on the road, no one recognised her as the girl everyone was talking about quietly, paying her no attention.
A large and very old forest became her home for quite some time. She continued her training, the only spectators the creatures of the forest who had grown accustomed to her presence. They became the closest thing she had to friends, providing her with some small comfort in her solitude. But it wasn't enough, and before long her loneliness and desire to learn of her old village drove her to return to Konoha.
Disguised as a simple traveller, she entered the village easily, no one questioning her presence. No one recognised her, though she had changed some in the time she had spent in the forest. She had found a sort of peace there, as frail a cover as it was against the emptiness inside. The failing of this peace had been what had driven her to return.
Little had changed in the village; the same buildings lined the streets; the same markets attracted the same crowds of people. Many familiar faces passed by her, going about their day's activities calmly, unhurried. The atmosphere was still peaceful and laid back, just as she had remembered from watching the movements of the village years ago.
Curious, Sumiko began the walk to her old training field. Yataro, Saji and Natsu were all there, training together. Both Natsu and Saji wore Jonin jackets, and sparred against Yataro and another shinobi Sumiko did not recognise. She watched a while, assessing their strength. The stranger was good, demonstrating a skill level almost on par with Yataro's. Clearly, they formed a sort of unofficial team, their synchronised movements demonstrating a deep bond and understanding of each other.
Resentment washed through Sumiko, and she turned away, disgusted. She was disgusted at herself for allowing herself to feel this way, and disgusted at the others for never giving her the chance to form that bond. As she stalked away, she found her path blocked by Saji.
"Move!" she snarled.
He smirked, and replied, "I don't think so. Why were you watching us?"
Refusing to answer, Sumiko tried to move around him. He hadn't recognised her, and she wasn't about to announce her identity. Saji moved to block her path again, still smirking. He clearly enjoyed lording himself over her, and for a moment Sumiko felt pity for any woman in his life. This pity was quickly followed by rage, as he continued to prevent her from leaving.
Losing her patience and temper, Sumiko lashed out, kicking Saji in the stomach. He flew back, surprise etched on his face at her strike. Before he could recover, she began to walk away, resisting the urge to run from the scene.
"Wait!" Yataro yelled from his place nearby. "Who are you?"
Sumiko kept walking, until she found herself face to face with Yataro. He glared at her, eyes narrowed in fury. A thrill of fear ran the length of Sumiko's spine, but she stood her ground. There was no point in running after all; he would merely chase her down and punish her.
"You're not getting away with hurting one of my students."
Sumiko laughed mockingly, and hissed, "Tell me, how have you treated your students?"
She kicked, but he blocked. Sumiko lashed out with the kunai in her hand, leaving a slash across Yataro's cheek. She left at a run, both furious and elated at what she had done. That night, she made a choice that would change her life irrevocably.
Her return to Konoha a year later went unmarked by anyone. No one showed any sign of recognition, and she approached the village easily enough.
"Name, please," one of the gatekeepers said.
"Sumiko Hirasaka."
The gatekeepers checked the list in front of them, and waved her through. Sumiko had learned long ago that the list the gatekeepers held only listed those who were important enough to warrant the attention of the Hokage, or who were forbidden from entering. She had worried that her name might have come under the latter category as she had disappeared, but either no one had noticed, no one had cared.
With one goal in mind, Sumiko headed towards her old training field in search of her former teammates. She had spent a year nurturing the darkness in her heart, training for this single moment. Saji confronted her she approached, not recognising her but bristling at the approach of a stranger on his territory, and a woman at that.
"What do you want? You're in our way," he snapped.
Sumiko grinned viciously, kicking him in the stomach and sending him flying across the grass. Bewildered, he lurched to his feet as Natsu leapt forward at the attack. With a quick twist and violent lunge, Sumiko lodged a kunai in his back, heart soaring at his cry. Her thrown kunai pierced Saji's chest as he stumbled towards her, killing him instantly.
"If you want to live, go now," Sumiko growled at the stranger with her teammates. He stood his ground, and she shrugged, murmuring, "Wind Style: Gale Palm jutsu."
The unknown shinobi was shredded where he stood, dead before he hit the ground. Still no one had raised the alarm, giving her more time than she had thought she would have. Yataro approached as she leaned down over Natsu, slashing his throat with her kunai. Blood stained the grass bright scarlet, and marked her hands and clothes.
"Who are you?" Yataro growled, struggling to hide his disbelief at her disposal of the others.
Sumiko laughed, the laughter slowly becoming hysterical. "Don't you recognise me? I suppose it has been a while, and you never did pay me any attention when I was your student."
Yataro's jaw dropped. "Sumiko? Why are you doing this?"
Sumiko grinned viciously. "I'm going to show you just how strong I really am."
She leapt at Yataro, and slashed his chest with her kunai. This was followed up with a flurry of strikes and thrown kunai, forcing him on the defensive. Sumiko's training in the forest had been surprisingly successful. Before Yataro could recover from the attack, Sumiko leapt at him again, and pressed her kunai to his throat.
"Goodbye, Sensei." Sumiko slit his throat, and left the village, never to be seen or heard of again.
AN- Just a random one-shot out of the way XD Or is it? :P It's funny how such a small idea can lead to bigger things. Hope you enjoyed reading this, short as it is. Please review! XD