Author's Note:

The next in my OCnin's adventures, this time with a guest appearance by Team Gai (you'll be seeing more of them later since they're my favorite team.)

And it's time I made an official plug for myself (flamestarphoenix), Rising Black Rose (sorceressnymph), and 1387tortures over at DeviantArt. We all have pictures and/or stories of the ninjas featured here, up in our galleries over there. Enjoy!

Again, for safety purposes:

Hotaru and any characters not expressly mentioned below are all © Me

Sutiibu-sensei design © me, the concept of the character came from both me and 1387tortures of DeviantArt (based on our TKD instructor :D)

Garuki © 1387tortures used with permission.

Nariko design © me; Nariko, Jomei, and Shiro characters by Rising Black Rose (of this site) and myself (most of the credit belongs to her – please read her accompanying stories!), used with permission.

Naruto, all of the ninja concepts from it, Hyuuga Neji and Team Gai © Masashi Kishimoto

Spark of Courage

Hotaru: Genin Years, Story Two

THUMP.

Both my forearms pressed against the metal arm bracer of the enemy ninja. He sneered at me beneath the glinting Sound forehead protector. He was stronger than me, and he knew it.

That, and he still had one free arm.

I glanced nervously to either side. There had been too many of them; I had no backup. It had been foolish, taking him on unarmed and low on chakra, but I hadn't had much of a choice. We were surrounded by snow and trees – enclosed. There was nowhere to run, even assuming I could run faster than sound.

That is, after all, what escaping would have required.

The Sound nin laughed, leveled his free arm at me, and blasted high-pressure air straight into my center. I was blown backwards, slammed against a tree. The ninja cackled; I could see waves in the air as he forced it into a sharp weapon-like mass, and prepared to send it piercing straight through me.

Slumped in place, I struggled to regain my breath. Heaving, I reached for my last shuriken and readied it to throw.

"Hotaru, don't do it! He'll just blast it away with more air!"

Still dizzy from the blow, it took a moment to register who spoke.

"Garuki?" Suddenly, there was hope.

"Of course," I heard from behind me. He spoke no more; still concealed in the upper levels of the trees, any more sound would have given away his position.

I didn't move. The ninja stood before me, scanning the trees squint-eyed in search of my companion.

I knew where Garuki was; not far behind me, high in the trees. I heard him drop to the ground. The Sound nin heard it too, but too late. Garuki had performed the summon while falling, and by the time he landed, the butterflies had formed a tight swarm around the Sound ninja's head. Certainly, a well-placed blast of air pressure would have sent them away; however, the pack of wolves reached the ninja in mere seconds, grasping both arms firmly with their jaws, clamping down brutally.

The Sound ninja writhed and screamed out. It wouldn't last long, I knew. I scrambled to my feet, hoping I'd be well hidden in the trees before the Sound nin would figure out how to best disband swarm and pack.

I didn't make it far before the screaming stopped – I knew I was running out of time. "Garuki!" I called. "I'm out of chakra! I'm sorry, it's up to you."

He was nearby; I heard his quiet reply well enough. "No problem. Stay back."

A second later, confident that the Butterfly Wolf Blitz would distract the Sound ninja, Garuki stepped from the trees, planted his feet firmly and performed a series of hand seals. I could see the chakra flowing from his feet into the ground in large quantities.

"Watch out, Summons!" he warned. "Snow Storm no Jutsu!"

The summons backed up the tiniest bit just in time, as snow flew up from the ground and in towards the Sound nin in large enough amounts to warrant a true blizzard. In seconds, all of the snow had been packed tightly around the ninja, squeezing inward and cutting off airflow. Garuki's butterflies fluttered cautiously around the deformed mass. All but one of the wolves disappeared.

Garuki grinned. I sent him a smile of thanks; in a few moments we would be safe.

Then the packed snow exploded in all directions. I barely had time to duck behind a tree for cover before the shrapnel-like clumps of snow flew past.

Garuki was slower than me. My eyes grew wide when I saw the slashes bloodying his arms and face.

The Sound ninja laughed, and spoke for the first time since I had engaged him in combat.

"You think a little barrier of snow and ice can withstand my sound explosions?" He laughed, a slow, strained laugh that reeked of evil intention. "Seems like you've both reached the end of your rope, so to speak. Very well, then." He pointed one arm at each of us, preparing to blast us to pieces. "I hope you've enjoyed viewing my particular skill. It's not often that I put my Sound Weapon-forming skills to such good use."

It happened in a matter of seconds, at most. The remaining summoned wolf, behind the enemy, burst from the bushes where it hid and transformed into Katana. Two butterflies became kama and fell right into her hands as she charged three feet forward. Her arms crossed, the kama slashed, and the Sound ninja lay in two halves on the ground.

She remained where she crouched, arms outstretched and head down, as the body parts fell to the ground before her.

"Your weapons have nothing on mine."

I could do nothing but stare for a moment. Garuki transformed into copies of his summons often enough, but it hadn't even occurred to me that Katana would do the same. And to transform her weapons into copies must have taken immense practice.

Katana knelt and let her arms drop, glaring at me. "You're lucky."

"You…you two have been practicing without me again, haven't you?"

"Tch. You weren't necessary for that particular maneuver, that's all." She flicked her hair away from her eyes and pulled a towel from her pack, standing and wiping off of herself the blood that had spattered from the enemy. She nodded in Garuki's direction. "The kid saved your life. Are you just going to let him sit there and bleed to death, for heaven's sake?"

"I…oh. Of course." I made my way over to Garuki and began dressing his wounds. Basic after-battle medical care seemed to be the only thing I was good for, those days. I was no medic ninja, but I knew basic first aid well enough.

A ninja in a silver flak-jacket appeared in the clearing with us, jumping down from the trees. "The area's all secure…my goodness, what happened here?"

"Sutiibu-sensei, Hotaru was cornered…" Garuki began, but it was Katana who gave her version of the report.

"She took on a Chuunin or Jounin-ranked Sound ninja on her own, unarmed, and was about to be killed before the kid and I came to the rescue. She would have been skewered alive by weapon-shaped air pressure blasts." She rolled her eyes, then returned to fastidiously cleaning her two kama.

Sutiibu-sensei frowned slightly, then nodded. "Well, this is why you all need to be working together, instead of breaking into three parts like that. We put you on a team for a reason. That means you should stick with me, as well." He looked at Garuki, and then me. "Are the two of you all right?"

"I've just got the wind knocked out of me, that's all."

Garuki held up the arm I wasn't working on to examine. "The cuts aren't very deep. I should be fine."

Sutiibu sighed. "Very well. Since the enemy ninjas have been eliminated, we should head back to the village as soon as possible."

News of the war in Konoha came as a great shock to the ninjas of Snow. Sand and Konoha were both our allies; for days after receiving the news, the council of elders and Yukikage-sama had debated what position to take. However, it soon became clear that it was Sound, not Sand, who was the true aggressor; Sand had been tricked into their traitorous attack on Konoha, and their Kazekage had been brutally assassinated. It was not long after my fourteenth birthday, when I had been a Genin for a bit over a year, when Yukikage gave the announcement to the city; we would be entering the war on the side of Konoha.

However, the war itself was over before any of our ninjas could reach Konoha. Konoha's ninjas had successfully defended the city and driven back the Sound and Sand enemies, but their Hokage had been slain. In chaos, lacking leader and much of their usual power, Konoha forgave Sand and re-established their alliance. Sound, whose leader, Orochimaru, was brutally injured, retreated. Yukikage recalled the ninja teams sent as support temporarily. She intended to send different teams, chosen specifically to act as guards and to help rebuild, in a short time.

That had been six months earlier. However, Sound had regrouped; they often sent raiding parties against the Allied Nations' Hidden Villages, trying to prevent support from being sent to Konoha. None of the Genin teams sent for rebuilding purposes had managed to make it as far as Konoha. Several Jounin teams had arrived safely, only to be recalled when the raiding parties began attacking Snow Village itself.

It was one of those raiding parties that had resulted in the team being split up, and me being in such dire need of a rescue.

Sutiibu, Katana, and I stood around the hospital bed on which Garuki sat, legs dangling over the side, arms outstretched as a nurse ninja healed the gashes from the blasted snow shards. Watching his laid-back smile, I found it incredible how he could be so relaxed and happy even then.

"These raids have been coming more and more frequently, Sutiibu-sensei," Katana said as she leaned against the edge of the bed, arms crossed. "That doesn't make sense. The longer we wait, the stronger Konoha becomes and the less they need our help. Sound must certainly understand that. You'd think the raids would be happening less."

"Ah, well, I suppose it's because of the Chuunin Exam," Sutiibu mused.

"Chuunin Exam!" Katana and I demanded simultaneously. Even Garuki's interest was peaked.

"You mean, they're actually having the Chuunin Exam even in war time?" he asked.

"They couldn't possibly be holding it in Konoha like normal," I said. "Besides…so many ninjas have been killed…I can't imagine there are many eligible Genin out there, from any of the allied villages…"

Sutiibu nodded. "Correct, on both accounts. However, you are forgetting something important. Many of the ninjas who fought in the combat zones were Chuunin and Jounin. And the less-experienced Chuunin were more likely to be killed. Many of the villages involved in the war are experiencing a shortage of Chuunin and Jounin. Therefore it is imperative that we hold the Exam, even if there are much smaller numbers than normal."

I nodded. "That makes sense."

"Because Konoha is still rebuilding, and because we are expecting so many fewer participants, the Exam is to be held in Hidden Waterfall this year. The announcement was made two days ago. I suspect the increase in raiding parties from Sound is meant to prevent the participants from traveling to Waterfall to compete."

Katana looked up. "Sensei, Snow has lost Chuunin and Jounin to the war as well, although indirectly."

Sutiibu's crystal blue eyes shone with regret. "We have."

"So," she continued, "there is a shortage for us as well."

"Yes."

"Then this team should take the exam."

"Yes – I mean, wait, no!" Sutiibu shook his head. "Of course not. You know the drill, Katana-san. I do not allow my team members to test until they have been Genin for two years. No exceptions!"

"But I've been a Genin for three years!"

"It's probably best," Garuki said. "I'm sorry, Katana-nee-san, but we aren't ready yet, Hotaru and I."

Katana glared. "You're wrong. You are ready. Look at what we pulled off today! You can perform a double summon, for crying out loud!" She looked at me. "She's the only reason sensei won't let us go. She wouldn't make it past the second round, and we'd all be flunked for it."

I admit – right then, I wanted to take the exam, just to prove her wrong.

"That is not true," Sutiibu said, eyes hard, voice like steel. "There are rules, on my Team, and you are to follow them. Another one of those rules is to encourage your teammates, Katana-san. Since you have broken that, you have shown yourself yet again unprepared for the Exam. Congratulations, you've proven for me that my rule was a good one." He smiled.

Katana's jaw dropped. "But…"

Sutiibu-sensei stared her down. "And, since you have broken that, you also owe me twenty laps around the village walls as punishment. It is to be served out the moment we get out of the meeting with Yukikage."

"All done!" The nurse smiled kindly at Garuki. "You are free to go."

"Good," Sutiibu-sensei said, stretching his arms and walking towards the door. "We're due to meet Yukikage-sama for the mission report in two hours. Why don't you all go find yourself some lunch?"

I stood alone before the doors to Yukikage-sama's office, too nervous at first to knock.

'She had a messenger bring a note here,' Nariko-san had said when I returned to the apartment for lunch. 'She wants to see you personally before she meets with Team Nine.'

While it wasn't unusual for me to spend time in Yukiko-sama's office occasionally, she did not normally summon me there via messenger. Whatever she had to say was important.

I sucked in a deep breath and rapped on the door with one hand. Yukikage's assistant, Kumiko-san, opened the door.

"Hotaru-san," she whispered. "Yukikage-sama is still in a meeting, but she'd like you to come on in to wait." She smiled welcomingly and let me in. I took a seat in one of the chairs lined up on the nearby wall.

Kumiko-san left the room, leaving only me, Yukikage-sama, who was seated behind her desk, and the tall, masked ANBU to whom she was speaking.

"…which of course is creating many problems. Even without the shortage of higher-ranked ninjas to act as escorts, I expect Konoha's students to be most at risk. Therefore, you are to choose the best three ANBU from your regiment, travel with them to Konoha, and escort their Genin examinees to Waterfall and back for the Exam. If you perform well, it will secure you a spot as ANBU Captain. Understood?"

"Hai, Yukikage-sama."

The cloaked ANBU turned, face turned toward me curiously from behind his striped bear mask as he strode out the doors.

Yukiko-san noticed the manner in which I watched the ninja leave.

"What is it, Hotaru-chan? Is something bothering you?"

"His voice…it sounded much too young for someone his age," I said.

She laughed. "How old do you think he is, Hotaru-chan?"

My brow furrowed. "Well, he's an ANBU, so probably eighteen or twenty at least."

"He just recently turned sixteen."

My eyes grew wide. "What?"

She smiled. "That boy, Kane-san, has been an ANBU since he was fourteen years old, Hotaru-chan. He has also been a Jounin for that long. You would be wise not to make assumptions about a ninja's ability based on age, child. It will not serve you well in combat."

Fourteen…I thought. That boy's been a Jounin-ranked ANBU since he was my age. All my feelings of inadequacy returned at once, blowing all sense of reason out of my mind. I am certain my expression was comical, though my thoughts were not.

"Hotaru…you must understand, ninjas like Kane-san are incredibly rare. It is not normal to reach such a rank at such a young age. With him, it was expected; after all, he is my younger brother."

I stared at her.

"It is not expected of you. However," she continued, "certain things are." She grew serious, placed her chin in her hands, and looked me over carefully. "Please come sit closer to me, Hotaru-san."

I obliged, taking a seat across the desk from her.

She spoke quietly. "I've been speaking with Sutiibu-san. You have shown very little sign of improvement."

"I've been practicing really hard, Yukikage-sama!"

"In that case, you still have not been practicing enough. While your techniques have stabilized, they have not grown stronger. You get into situations you cannot handle and fail to use your great intelligence in real combat scenarios. That can place your life in danger, on more difficult missions; even more, it can drag your comrades into peril!" She sighed. "I know you are a bright girl, Hotaru-chan. You are immensely dedicated, and in class you are very good at what you do. But you need to apply that to missions. You are holding back your team."

I blinked. "Holding them back?"

"Takeyoshi Katana and Mikata Garuki are both very talented. You are, too, in different ways, but your talent does not show on missions. I have sent your team on several C-ranked missions, and the team as a whole has done well. I wish to send you on a B-ranked mission."

"B-ranked?" I said. "That's supposed to be reserved for Chuunin!"

"Well, I feel your team's specific strengths would be perfect for the situation. However, Hotaru, I hesitate to place you in such a dangerous position."

I was silent, ashamed of my lack of progress.

"I am going to assign your team this mission, Hotaru-san. I think, if you can learn to think actively on the field, it is not out of your league. However, if you do not perform well, I will be forced to reassign you to a new team, with rookie Genin from the Academy who are closer to your level. You have been given your warning. Do you understand?"

"Hai, Yukikage-sama." My voice shook. No matter what happened, I couldn't be

removed from my team. I just couldn't.

"Good." Her smile returned. "Now, please have a cup of miso soup with me while we await your teammates."

I nodded, eyes downcast. "That sounds great."

After the meeting, I returned to the apartment to find Nariko-san surrounded by small pots of dirt, using each in turn to form objects out of the soil. Her hands were at her sides, spotlessly clean. Nariko didn't need to use her hands; she formed the objects with chakra and a mere twist of her mind.

This was Nariko's Bloodline Limit.

She looked up upon my entry, losing concentration so that her current dirt figurine returned to dust and fell back into its pot. "Is everything all right, Hotaru-chan? You look pale."

"Oh…well, we just got back, and we've been given our next mission already."

"Really?" She moved onto the couch to rest more comfortably, and I sat on the other end.

"Yes. Apparently there's a Chuunin Exam in Hidden Waterfall in about a week. Yukikage-sama said that she's sending five teams of Genin from Snow to take the exam. However, four of the teams already left, and she's worried about the safety as the remaining team. My team is supposed to escort them to Waterfall and back, and act as extra security for Waterfall during the exams."

"Oh."

"Nariko…what's going on? Why won't you look at me?'

She continued to avoid my glance. "I just know how badly you want to take the exam."

I shook my head. "I'm not ready. Besides, you know Sutiibu-sensei's rule."

"Don't lie to me, Hotaru. I don't care what the reasons are; I know you wanted to take it."

I paused. When I thought about it, she was right. "It's scary that you know me better than I know myself, Nari-chan. But you shouldn't let it get to you. It has nothing to do with you."

She fidgeted in her seat. "That Genin team you're escorting to the Exam? It's Team Six."

I stared. "Your team? You're taking the Exam?" I may have sounded surprised, but I shouldn't have been. Nariko had been training her Bloodline vigorously since we became Genin, working with Rai in the practice fields, or alone on the flat apartment roof. She could mold, or 'bend', both earth and water now. She had even begun training in air bending. With that advantage and Rai by her side, her strength and talent had grown immensely. We no longer sparred each other for practice, because I couldn't even touch her.

Meanwhile, my growth as a ninja had stagnated so completely that the Yukikage wished to remove me from my team.

Right then, I would have given anything for an advantage like Nariko's Bloodline Limit. I was confident that, with an ability like hers, I could become strong. I would no longer be a burden to my Village.

But I was growing tired of wishful thinking.