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Chapter 1: a school for the gifted

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Paragraphs are flashbacks

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"Hello, my name is Tsunade." she said, her arms held out wide to either side of her. "How can I help you?" Her long yellow hair was tied into two pony tails that rested on her shoulders, her green coat floated around her hips to reveal her gray kimono top and black shinobi pants. "Are you searching for something?"

"Yes," the tall man said softly, half his face covered with a white cloth. "We are searching for the… umm…" the man glanced down at the red haired boy standing next to him, he reached up scratched the back of his neck unsurely. "A uh… special home, unique home? I don't know the name of the place I'm searching for, I was just told to take these three there…"

Tsunade smiled at him patently and turned to study the three children with him.

"This is Temari Sabaku," the man said as he waved a hand towards a fifteen year old girl with four perfectly blond pony tails and sharp, intelligent turquoise green eyes. A small white fan with three perfectly purple dots in her hand that she was currently using on her face, making her short bangs flutter back and forth.

"This is Kankuro Sabaku." The boy wore a black suit and a hat with cat ears, Tsunade raised a pale blond eyebrow at the boy in question. For the exception of his purple face paint, he was pretty unremarkable.

"And this is Gaara Sabaku." The boy was at least twelve, with short crimson hair, pale skin, a crimson tattoo on his forehead. Sea foam green eyes wrapped in black were the biggest clue to insomnia and he wore a gourd nearly his size rested on his back.

"You are searching for the school that houses the rare, special, and the unique children of the nation, aren't you?" Tsunade asked as she turned eyes onto the one eyed man not far from her.

"Yes," he agreed. "My name is Baki, I am the guardian for these three and—"

"That's all good and fun, sir." Tsunade quickly cut him off waving a hand at him dismissively. "But I'm afraid you'll have to explain to me why you believe these children are capable of entering this school." The man stared at Tsunade dumbly for a moment before he frowned at the tall blonde standing before him.

"Tsunade-san, please tell me the requirements for entering this school," Baki asked.

"I already told you," Tsunade said when she received the blank stares she answered Baki's question. "The children within the school are the rarest, most unique children from across the nation. Do your three children fit this bill?" As if in answer, Gaara's gourd moved and sand started to filter out from the cork at its top. Tsunade stared at the sand gourd for a moment before she nodded her head.

"You fit, kid," Tsunade said as she waved an arm behind her. "You may pass. What about you three?" Tsunade turned her honey eyes on the two older children; Gaara nodded and stepped forward.

Temari gritted her teeth and flung her hand out. A gust of wind formed at the end of her fan before flying forward and crashing into three trees. Tsunade stared at three fallen trees and nodded at the blond.

"You may pass as well, girl," Tsunade said as she stepped aside for Gaara. "Join your brother. My apprentice will join with you soon and show you the way."

Temari nodded and quickly caught up to Gaara, who had stopped and turned towards them a few steps away, as if he was waiting for them to catch up.

"And you, boy?" Tsunade asked. "What can you do?" He smirked and moved his fingers in the air, as if taunting her, Tsunade's eye brow rose into her hair line as she stared unimpressed at him. "I'm waiting." Kankuro frowned at Tsunade and pointed behind her, Tsunade turned her head to look towards her right; a floating branch was staring at her. Turning to look back behind her, Tsunade saw quite a few rocks and branches floating around her.

"That's completely… unimpressive," Tsunade said as she turned to look back Kankuro. "You may join your siblings as well. You'll need training to increases your skill."

Kankuro half pouted half glared at Tsunade as he passed her and went to join Temari and Gaara.

"What about Baki-sensei?" Kankuro asked as he stopped and turned. "He's not so different from Temari…" Tsunade turned and stared expectantly at the older man. After having a starring contest for a minute, Baki sighed and raised his hand, a small tornado formed in the space between his fingers.

"Have you received any training?" Tsunade asked with narrowed eyes, Baki sighed a second time and shook his head.

"I learned to control my temper." Baki answered. "This is pretty much all I can do."

Tsunade nodded and turned to continue up the path that she had stopped the four travelers on.

"You may join us as well," Tsunade answered. "We are always looking for teachers that are as rare and unique as our students."

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Gaara fallowed after Tsunade calmly, she had led them through the forest that they otherwise would have gotten lost on. She had even stopped them before a great cliff face, and with a smirk she tossed over her shoulder at them, she pulled back the Ivy wall to reveal a tunnel on the other side. They stayed silent as they walked through the tunnel with Tsunade leading the way.

"Welcome," Tsunade said as she swept and arm out and brushed another ivy curtain to the side, "to our home." Temari gasped at the sight presented to her, her guardian and brothers were silent beside her. Flowers of all shapes and sizes were like walls on the path, the sunlight over head filtering through their petals making them appear to be glowing, some were as small as her pinky while others were as big as her head. It seemed that the bigger the flower was, the higher it reached into the sky. There were all kinds of birds that none of them had ever seen before, one flittered and fluttered in front of Temari looked like something between a blue jay and some kind of rare humming bird.

"It's like stepping into a magical world," Temari whispered as she stepped forward, her hand out stretched towards the strange blue bird. It chirped happily at her. It flew off into the tree tops, then flittered out with a few more following it chirped at them, and then flew off as if it expected them to follow.

"Seems like Hanabi heard us," Tsunade said as she eyed the flying birds, she turned towards the four newcomers and smiled. "You'll like her. She's seven, but she's a sweetheart." Tsunade turned and continued walking down the path. "Please follow me; at the end of the path you'll meet others like you're self's." Four looked at each other before fallowing after the tall blond; Temari seemed completely over joy-ed at the beautiful sight presented to her.

"What are the others like?" Temari asked, as she thumbed a flower before she rushed forward to catch up with the older blond. Tsunade smirked down at her, brown orbs glowing with amusement.

"There is Shizune, my apprentice," Tsunade called, just as a woman jumped down from the trees to Tsunade's left. Tsunade smiled at the black haired woman who kneeled on the ground. She was dressed in a black kimono with a deep gray obi and darkest shade of red for a rope tied the obi in place. She stood and smiled at Temari before she nodded at the three boys fallowing close behind.

"Hello, my name is Shizune Katō." The black haired woman smiled at them, her hands folded before her calmly. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"I'm Temari Sabaku," Temari answered. "These are my brothers and my guardian, Kankuro, Gaara, and Baki." She gestured to each boy in turn, who nodded at their names.

"Why are you here?" Kankuro asked rudely. "You seem normal enough…" Shizune smiled at him.

"Yes, but I found something out while working with Lady Tsunade," Shizune said as she turned and continued walking down the path. "The more normal someone seems, the less likely they truly are."

Kankuro stared at Shizune's back for a moment before he turned to look over at Temari, who was frowning at him as if he just pulled a prank.

"Who else is here?" Kankuro asked, curious about the people he would soon be interacting with. "What makes them stand out compared to everyone else in the world?" Shizune and Tsunade almost seemed amused at his questions; they both chuckled and giggled at him softly.

"You'll see when we reach the corner," Shizune answered. "They are each unique in their own right."

As if on cue, the same blue bird that Temari had seen earlier came back and chirped at them cheerfully. Tsunade lifted a finger and it landed on the out stretched limb gratefully. Tsunade turned and placed her finger next to Temari's shoulder, making the younger girl freeze in place. Tsunade smiled as the bird tilted its head at the shorter blond curiously before it hopped a little closer then fluttered its wings as it gently landed on Temari's shoulder.

"Seems like you got Hanabi's attention," Tsunade said as she stepped forward. "Don't move your head around so much and she'll stay there." Temari nodded softly and fallowed the two older women further down the dirt path; it wasn't long before they came across a bend.

Just behind the bend sat a field of soft green grass, soft tingly stream a few feet away from the path and flowers surrounded the entire field like a beautiful painting of the beautiful and magical world of the imagination. Standing before them in a loose half circle were nearly ten other kids, all about Gaara's age.

"I want you all to step forward when I call you understand?" Tsunade ordered as she and Shizune stepped off the path to form what could be the ends of a crescent moon. "All of you, keep your manners in check."

As if to anger her, the children shuffled closer together into their own small groups, as if they were shy, yet ready for an attack. It was more than clear to the four newcomers that this small group hadn't been treated the best in their short lives and had easily found comfort in each other... a comfort that, as outsiders, they were not welcome to become a part of their world.

"Neji Hyūga." A boy stepped forward two steps; he had long brown hair creepy moon white eyes that held no pupil. On his forehead was a green 'X' with two hooks on either side of it. He was at least thirteen, and wore a large tan coat with a high color and three Velcro straps across his chest, he even wore black shorts and dark blue sandals.

"Hinata Hyūga." A shy blue haired girl with ire pale violet eyes with no pupil stepped forward. She was at least twelve and wore a bright yellow kimono with brighter crimson flames on her sleeves and skirt. She immediately ducked behind Neji and peeked around his shoulder at the four new arrivals nervously, clearly not trusting them.

"Hanabi Hyūga." The much smaller, and very female, version of Neji stepped forward. The girl had the same strange moon-white eyes as her older male counterpart, but her eyes held a faint violet hue to them. Her chocolate locks were needle straight and ran into her eyes defiantly. She were a simple black pants and black T-shirt that held a deep cut that revealed her mesh shirt beneath it. She was anything but shy, and she held a quiet confidence as she studied the newcomers that her sister seemed so afraid of. That didn't mean she was going any closer to them. The bird on Temari's shoulder chirped at her before fluttering off into the air and landing with its twin on Hanabi's left shoulder.

"These three are cousins," Tsunade said as she placed a hand on her hip. "The girls are sisters, though."

They're awfully different for siblings, Temari couldn't help but think, until she glanced at her own siblings and sighed. Oh, right…

"You'll properly come across other Hyūgas here as well," Tsunade commented as she studied her four new combers. "The family is talented, and it's not uncommon for one or more of them to come here with each generation." The guests nodded their heads in understanding. Only Gaara remained unmoved.

"Kiba Inuzuka." A boy with wild brown locks stepped forward; he wore a heavy gray coat with black fur around its edges and black slacks. Inside his jacket, a small white head poked out curiously.

"The Inuzuka family seems to be more productive of its unique children as compared to others," Shizune piped up. "So they're not shy about sending some of their children here to learn." Temari had a very hard time not cooing at the very adorable white puppy in the boy's jacket. He barked once at them then ducked back in and settled himself in for another nap.

"And that would be Akamaru," Kiba said softly as he stuffed his hand in his pockets. "He doesn't typically go for strangers."

"None of you seem to," Kankuro said under his breath softly. Kiba's response was to narrow his eyes at the older boy.

"Enough you two," Tsunade chided softly. "Shino Aburame." A somewhat tall boy stepped forward next to Kiba, he wore a heavy light gray jacket that had a high collar covering the bottom half of his face, black sunglasses, and black slacks.

"Don't be surprised to see a few of his relatives," Tsunade said as she eyed the cold boy. "They often collect bugs and sometimes send some of the rarer ones here for future generations." As if to make a point, a rather large beetle flew out of a tree and landed next to the boy who bent slightly to pet it as if it were a dog. It took everything Temari had not to throw up, and Kankuro clasped his pant leg as if he was trying his damn-est to not throw something at the too big creature.

As if to distract the four newcomers from the large bug that had their undivided attention, except for Gaara, a loud snore was heard. Turning the other children looked down just behind one of the other boys.

"Shikamaru Nara," Shizune called out, her hands on her hips. "Stop being lazy and sit up already. You heard what Lady Tsunade said earlier." Another snore was heard in answer, and Temari saw Shizune's brow tick before she held her hand out and twitched a figure; immediately something jumped out from behind the boy with a loud yelp.

"What the hell, man?!" A boy landed next to Shino rubbing his butt as he looked at Shizune with a scandalized expression. "I was sleeping," the boy had long brown hair pulled back into a high pony tail and beady brown eyes. He wore a small gray jacket out lined in deep green, a fishnet shirt and dark gray pants. He stuffed his hands into his pockets as he glared half heartedly at Shizune.

"I know you were sleeping," Shizune replied as she lowered her hand back to her side. "And you know full damn well that you were supposed to be standing at attention like everyone else here."

"Troublesome," Shikamaru mumbled softly, looking away from the scolding brunet.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Shizune asked as she leaned forward a little bit with a hand to her left ear.

"Nothing," Shikamaru replied quickly.

"That's what I thought," Shizune said as she straightened up and smiled. "Choji Akimichi, please step forward." The boy that Shikamaru had slept behind nodded his head at Shizune before he stepped forward and nodded in greeting to their guests.

"Hello, my name is Choji Akimichi. It's a pleasure to meet you." The boy smiled at them calmly, one hand holding a bag of chips while another was in the bag retrieving said chips. He was a little shorter then Shikamaru and easily the largest out of the group, even with those in the big jackets. He wore a long white scarf, a deep green open coat with a yellow shirt beneath and deep gray pants.

"Tenten, get out of the bushes," Shizune called with a mock glare. "I know you were trying to sneak up on Neji again but if you don't quite it he'll send you to the hospital again, and I didn't heal you last time just so you can pull this stunt again." A little nervously another child walked out. A girl in a bright pink and red Chinese shirt and crimson pants stepped forward, her hand scratching the back of her head shyly.

"Sorry, Shizune-san," the girl said with a soft bow. "I was trying to find Lee, but then you came around with them and I got distracted…" Shizune sighed in understanding.

"Lee," Shizune suddenly added warningly. "Sasuke get down here and quit hiding!" Two boys emerged next, both on opposite ends of the attraction spectrum.

One with a bowl hair cut, big bug like black eyes, big, bushy eyebrows, copper brown skin and wearing a green spandex suit and bright orange legwarmers. The other boy wore white shorts, a dark blue shirt with a high collar, and had midnight blue hair that was spiked in the back and hung lazily in the boy's pale face and black eyes.

"Are they the Onisei?" The boy in white shorts asked softly as he eyed the newcomer's with suspicion. Shizune and Tsunade shared a glance while the other children visibly stiffened and turned sharply towards Sasuke.

"Onisei?" Temari asked softly. "What's that?"

"Nothing you have to worry about," Shizune said quickly. "Children, return to your rooms. Sasuke, bring the girls to the garden." The boy in white shorts nodded, turned, and rushed away into the brightly lit forest. The other kids quickly scattered into their own groups and rushed away from the field.

"Shizune take our guests to the conference hall," Tsunade ordered as she walked towards the path, away from the four new arrivals. "Sorry you guys, but I have a meeting to attend to, I'll speak with you four later."

"All right," Baki agreed easily as Tsunade suddenly disappeared from sight. "Shizune-san," Baki turned his black eyes towards the younger woman curiously "will you lead the way?" the woman smiled and nodded and stepped back on to the path.

"Please fallow me," Shizune said as she waved a hand down the path. Without waiting to see if they would or not, Shizune turned and started walking down the path.

"Kakashi-san, Itachi-san please bring up the rear." Shizune said after a moment, Temari barley caught sight of the said two men landing behind them, before Baki placed a hand on her shoulder and forced her to continue walking.

"Don't do anything rash…" Baki ordered softly praying that only his students could hear him.

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