Close to a nearby village, within the solitude of a lush green forest, the distant sounds of birds chirping and a river flowing resounds throughout the area. On a lone path, travelling together are three preteen aged kids; two boys, and one girl, accompanied by an adult. They appeared to be passing by at a leisurely pace.
"I just don't see why we have to do such a lame mission!! Why can't it be something cool like fighting off a couple of rogue shinobi or something?!" complained one of the boys, as they walked along. Feeling her anger building up at the boy's outburst, the girl took a deep breath, and attempted to respond calmly.
"Naruto, I already explained it to you. Minor missions like helping the villagers is essential to us learning to cooperate properly with each other, but I can see it went in one ear, and out the other as usual. You never listen!" the girl retorted.
Naruto's face soured with disappointment. He knew she was right, but it didn't change the fact that helping some old lady find her cat was extremely boring to him. "yeah, I know, I know. But at least something a little more interesting than this." he responded, squinting his eyes at the bright, golden sun shining down through the vast canopy.
"Oooo! I know a way to make this fun! Hey Sakura!" Naruto called out eagerly. Visibly annoyed now, the pink haired girl half heartedly turned her attention to Naruto.
"What now?" she asked, clearly uninterested in anything he had to say, yet suspicious of his sudden enthusiasm.
"If I find that old lady's pet fast enough, wanna eat lunch with me after?" he giddily asked, somewhat proud of his plan to get the girl he had a crush on, to spend time with him.
"What?! Why would I agree to that? I planned on eating lunch with Sasuke!" she shot back without thinking, then suddenly realizing how brash she had been, blushed, and smiled to herself.
"I mean, if he doesn't mind that is..." she trailed off, as she stole a glance at the stoic, silent boy walking beside Naruto. However, he seemed too focused on another predicament to even notice the exchange between the two.
"huh? Sasuke? What's so good about him? He probably doesn't wanna be here either! So much for that cool attitude of his!" he jeered as he stared Sasuke down, but to no avail.
"NA-RU-TO!!!! Sasuke isn't a lazy goof like you!! He takes our missions seriously!" she snapped, her butch, inner fangirl beginning to flare up. She absolutely couldn't stand when Naruto compared himself to Sasuke, cause they were nothing alike in her deluded mind.
"Sensei Kakashi, can you please tell Naruto to stop acting like such a little kid? Just because he doesn't care, doesn't mean Sasuke and I don't!!" she pleaded with the man walking just a little further in front of her; but her pleas seemed to fall on deaf ears, as he too seemed preoccupied by something else.
"Sensei--" Sakura started again, but was interrupted by her instructor finally acknowledging that someone was talking to him.
"Sorry, what'd you say?"he finally answered in a calm tone, turning his head to his right slightly behind him to hear what she said. Upon realizing he didn't hear her, she started to repeat her request again, but was halted by their teacher holding up his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet.
She stopped and looked at her carefree teacher in confusion, as he seemed very alert now, and looked off to his left into the distance.
The silent, dark haired boy sensing the same disturbance, too looked in the same direction.
A very large, bright, bluish-white light could be seen beaming down from the sky. It was quite unsettling, because there was no noise coming from it, yet it clearly riled up all the wildlife, as birds could be seen frantically trying to escape the odd occurrence.
Whatever it was, it's overwhelming presence seemed to drown out all sound from their surroundings. They all stared in awe at the site, knowing, that they would eventually be tasked with going to check it out. Unable to comprehend what they were bearing witness to, Naruto became somewhat mesmorized.
"What is that?" he wondered, entranced by the odd phenomenon. He had no idea what was happening, but it definitely added that extra element of danger he so desperately wished for.
But for Sakura, this wasn't anything she wanted a part of. Though as much as she wanted to leave, she had a mission to complete. She was extremely hesitant, but her teammates and teacher had already started moving toward the strange light.
Seeing as the guys weren't backing down, she reluctantly followed after them.
Across the horizon, the brilliant light that had once filled the sky, finally started to dissipate. Not knowing exactly how far they should go, they continued on an estimated guess until they saw a parting in the trees open into a small riverside embankment.
Upon first glance, nothing seemed out of place, until Naruto tripped over something in his path.
"Aaah, what the--" he broke off as he looked down to see what made him fall.
There, sticking out of some brush to his left, he saw what looked like a leg lying on the ground, quickly catching his attention.
"Aw hell, did someone die out here?!" he shouted, visibly shaken; causing his companions to focus on him.
"What are you screaming about now?" Sakura demanded, as their teacher came to see what was going on.
"Guys, there's a leg stickin outta that bush. I think it's a dead body!!" Naruto muttered.
Kakashi, eerily unphased by the whole situation trodded over to the brush to inspect the mysterious limb.
Kneeling down on one knee, he carefully parted the shrubbery with his hands, only to reveal a body. To his surprise though, it was the body of a young woman slumped against the base of a tree.
He immediately took to looking her body over for any sign of trauma. Finding no visible injuries, he remained silent for a minute, while checking for a pulse.
"Well...she's not dead." he assured his bewildered students, who were understandably relieved.
Growing curious, Naruto walked back over to the brush which once housed the menacing leg that startled him so much. Sasuke and Sakura following Naruto's lead.
"What?" Sakura blurted out, shocked at what she was seeing.
"A woman? Who is she?" Sasuke thought to himself.
"Who's the chick? And why the heck is she having nap time out here?" he demanded, though nobody responded.
The young woman had long burgundy locks, pale skin, a white, elaborately decorated kimono top lined in soft pink, with a red nagajubon underneath which cut off just below her chest and framed her porcelain shoulders.
Around her neck; a gold-chained heart necklace, crimson red shorts lined with gold, and a high slit on the right side, revealing a generous amount of skin.
Feeling a bit foolish still, Naruto realized that the white leg he had seen, was merely her stockings, which came up to just above the knee, with long, leaf shaped designs at the top; lined with gold.
On her feet she wore elegantly designed okobo. Lacquered in black, lined with gold at the tops and bottoms of the soles, and rose colored straps. Her pale, soft complexion grazed with blood red eyeshadow, and rosy pink blush under her eyes, reaching down to just below her cheekbones.
Her attire closely resembled that of a maiko, but with stark differences.
Taking in all of these details, Sakura looked her over for any injuries herself, rather concerned as to why she was in the middle of the woods alone.
"Maybe we should wake her up just in case" Sakura thought to herself as she reached out to gently shake the strange young female's shoulder. Getting no response, she tried again, but still nothing.
"I...don't think she's conscious. She didn't even stir when I tapped her. I think she needs help, we should take her with us." Sakura replied confidently.
"But how are we gonna take her anywhere? She obviously can't walk on her own. And I ain't carrying her!!" Naruto interrupted, disheartened that something else was being tacked onto a boring mission he already didn't feel like doing.
"Sensei Kakashi, what should we do?" Sakura asked, glaring at Naruto for cutting her off. He remained silent as he studied the unconscious young woman.
"Well, I suppose we could bring her along. We can always get her medical assistance once we get back to the village." he said matter of factly.
"Thank you." Sakura said sternly, as Kakashi proceeded to pick the young woman up, and put her over his right shoulder.
"This should do." he said, with an accomplished look on the only part of his face not covered by his mask.
He was about to start walking again, when he noticed all three of his students suddenly grow quiet, and stare at him with an awkward expression.
"Something wrong?" Kakashi prodded; Naruto beginning to tear up, and snicker devilishly.
"Um...sensei Kakashi." Sakura eventually spoke up, clearly embarrassed.
Kakashi cocked his head slightly in acknowledgement, waiting for her to continue.
"Y-you're hand...it's on her..." she stuttered, getting more flustered by the second.
"My hand? What's wrong with it?" he answered, in a confused manner.
"It's on her, um...ahem...her backside..." she muttered, trying not to make a big deal out of it.
"hehe, Kakashi sensei, you perv!!" Naruto said sarcastically, in a teasing manner as he laughed.
Sasuke, looking indifferent as usual, turned his back with his hands in his pocket, and sighed. "You're such an idiot." he grumbled in annoyance at Naruto's teasing.
Unsure if he was being pranked, Kakashi flexed his hand that was holding the young woman on his shoulder, and felt the firm softness, confirming Sakura's statement.
"Ahaha...my bad" he said as Sakura looked back up at him in shock, a little convinced he copped a feel on purpose. She folded her arms in disappointment, and yelled at Naruto to be quiet, as he laughed jokingly.
"Well hopefully she doesn't hold it against me." he said, turning red ever so slightly, as he scratched his head nervously with his other hand.
"So, how'd it feel?" Naruto joked, grinning mischievously.
"Shutup Naruto!!!" Sakura snapped again, this time hitting him in the head. "Ahahaha--ouch!!! What'd ya do that for?! Jeez! I was just joking!!" he screamed in pain, rubbing his sore head.
"Can we go already?" Sasuke chimed in, becoming increasingly impatient, and fed up with Naruto's antics.
"Right, you all need to stay focused. Don't forget you're being graded on this too." Kakashi warned in a sweet, but intimidating tone, making all three of them cringe in fear.
"Scary..." they all thought in unison, while backing away from their teacher as if he had a bomb strapped to him.
"Glad we understand each other. Shall we go then?" Kakashi said cheerfully as he turned and headed back towards the path. Snapping out of their trance like state, they followed quickly after him.
After team 7 finished with their mission, which ended with there never actually even being a missing pet. They all returned to the village.
Kakashi made sure to report their strange encounter to the 4th Hokage before he and his students brought the young woman to the local medical facility. Once their new aquaintance had been admitted as a patient, Kakashi dismissed them for the day.
As morning arrived in Konoha village, the local clinic came to life with doctors and nurses making their daily rounds, and tending to patients. Given charge of a mysterious patient, one nurse found herself at the door of the room occupied by the newest addition to the hospital.
She knocked three times before announcing her intent to come inside. But upon hearing no response, she grew concerned and entered anyway.
Immediately after opening the door, she jumped back slightly in surprise upon seeing the patient sitting up in bed.
"Oh my goodness! You scared me!" she squealed, nearly dropping the clipboard she was carrying. The patient she spoke to slowly turned her head towards the nurse to meet her gaze, and stared at her as if lost in thought.
"The doctor said you were comatose. Well, I guess he was wrong. No surprise there. Ah, but how are you feeling? You look like you're doing much better than yesterday. Well, you weren't able to move yesterday so--oh gosh I'm sorry, look at me rambling on. Why don't we start over?"
"Good morning, I'll be assisting you today. What's your name?" the nurse finished, finally giving her patient a chance to answer.
The patient, the young woman from the previous day, merely looked at her in confusion.
"Oh, are you not able to speak? My apologies, I'll get you something to write with instead." the nurse continued, about to get up; pausing only once she heard her patient reply.
"Where am I?..." the baffled young woman questioned, looking all around the hospital room.
"Ah, so you can talk. Well, that's good." the nurse replied with a gentle smile.
"Well, if you don't mind me asking, what's your name? I was told you were unconscious when Squad seven and their sensei brought you in, so no one was able to get any information from you." she pressed, seeing the confusion return to her patient's face.
"Squad seven? What's that?" the young woman questioned, even more confused than before.
"They're the ones that brought you in. Kakashi Hatake and his students. He carried you here because you were unconscious. But I guess you wouldn't remember that." the nurse replied.
"Who?" the young woman questioned again, starting to grow mildly annoyed.
"Kakashi Hatake, squad seven's teacher." the nurse answered, as she walked over to the young woman's bed and pulled up a chair to sit down.
"I don't know who that is...or where I am for that matter..." she trailed off, inspecting her surroundings once more.
"Oh, sorry about that. I guess I should've explained that vital part to you. This is a hospital in Konoha village. But I suppose you're not from around here, so I can understand your angst." the nurse said, starting to get a better idea of the young woman's situation.
"No, I'm not. Where is Ko-no-ha?" the patient replied beginning to feeling anxious now as well.
"It's a village hidden away in secrecy, and home to the bravest shinobi you'll ever meet" she answered without hesitation.
"Shinobi? Wait, what do you mean by shinobi?" the exasperated young woman interrogated.
"Exactly what I said. In other words, it's a ninja village. Does that make more sense?" the nurse asked, trying to explain to the best of her ability.
"Not really, but it's fine. How did I end up here?" the young woman inquired, unsure of how to react to what she just heard.
"I told you already, Squad seven and their teacher brought you in. You were--" the nurse started, but was interrupted by her patient.
"No, that's not what I meant. I mean...ah, nevermind." the young woman replied, a hint of defeat in her voice.
"So, about that name of yours--" she was cut off once again; this time by the sound of a knock on the door.
"Goodness, I wonder if that's the doctor. Hold on, I'll be right back." she said, getting up from the chair and opening the door just enough for herself to slip out, then closed it behind her quietly.
After a short while, the nurse popped her head back into the room. "Well well, aren't you a lucky girl? Somebody's here to visit you." the nurse said with a suggestive smile.
Confused, she sat up a little more in her bed, curious to see who it was. Though she was certain it was nobody she knew, she agreed anyway.
"Oh, okay." she replied as the nurse closed the door.
She could hear muffled talking just outside of her room, but she paid it no mind and just went back to inspecting her surroundings.
She was about to swing her legs over the side of the bed, when she realized that her okobo were sitting neatly by the bed, so she slipped them on, and got up.
The room was fairly standard, nothing fancy. Big enough for two, even though she was the only occupant. She walked over to one of the windows that faced toward the village, opened it, and stuck her head out.
The air was warm, and fresh, and the sun danced on the windowsill. Still feeling apprehensive about what was going on, she pulled her head back inside and thought about what she should do next.
Should she leave, or stay? Maybe she would at least stay long enough to thank those who aided her. But her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by another knock on the door.
"Yes, it's this room right here." came the nurse's voice from outside as the door opened all the way, revealing a tall man with spiky silver hair, and a mask covering a fourth of his face, and a metal plated headband.
He wore a dull green vest with black pants tucked into white leg wraps, and a long sleeved shirt with the cuffs rolled up, revealing some skin. On his hands; fingerless gloves with a metal guard fashioned across the top of either hand.
"Hey! You shouldn't be up moving around!" the nurse scolded, just now realizing the young woman was standing up.
"I feel fine." the strange looking girl assured, causing the nurse to sigh heavily.
"Well I suppose it's okay so long as you're feeling up to it. Ah, I guess I should give you two some privacy then. Oh and Kakashi, if you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask, okay?" the nurse finished as she closed the door gently, allowing the man she addressed as Kakashi to step inside first.
"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind." he replied, smiling innocently at her as she left.
Realizing she was going to be in a room with a man she didn't know, she grew uncomfortable quickly. She began giving him sideways looks as if sizing up an opponent.
He seemed pretty normal, but after what the nurse told her, she couldn't help but feel on edge. As if sensing her uneasiness, he simply leaned against the wall closest to the door, pulled out a pocket sized book, and began reading it.
"Huh? What is this guy doing?" she thought to herself as she studied him carefully. He then suddenly looked up lazily from his book as his eyes met her gaze.
"Hello there." he said with a cheery disposition. Catching her off guard, she quickly averted her eyes. She didn't realize she was staring until he looked up at her.
Unnerved, she turned her attention back to the window, though her hypervigilant mind wouldn't allow her thoughts to stray from figuring out the purpose of her visitor's presence.
"Who is this guy?! Why is he even in here?! What does he want?! What the hell is going on?!!" she screamed in her head, contemplating an escape from her hospital room, due to her paranoia growing increasingly stronger.
"What should I do? Climb out the window? I don't know what floor I'm on though...maybe I could--" Her thoughts were extinguished entirely, once she caught sight of movement from the corner of her eye.
"I'm glad you're feeling better." he tried again. She looked over her shoulder to find him now leaning against the wall right beside the window she was at.
Startled by how fast he moved, and with her nerves shot, she jumped away from the window so quick that she lost her balance and fell backward. Seeing her reaction to him, he felt at fault for making her fall.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you." he said apologetically as he offered her his hand. She stared at him, then at his hand for a minute before accepting his offer, as he helped her to her feet.
"t-thanks." she mumbled, hoping he didn't hear her.
"My apologies, I didn't catch that." he said politely.
Feeling a little flustered, she took a deep breath. "I said thanks..." she mumbled a little louder. Realizing what she said, he smiled gently with an almost angelic expression.
"You're welcome. I'm not too good with introductions, but, I'm Kakashi Hatake. What's your name?" he tried as she grew silent once more.
"He seems alright. But what was with that inhuman speed just now?!" she argued with herself silently, until she eventually relented.
"Harata..." she said meekly, still hesitant to trust her peculiar visitor.
"I'm afraid I didn't hear that, could you please repeat it?" he asked in a pleasant tone.
She stayed quiet for a moment, but decided to say it again; only louder.
"My name, it's Harata." she replied, still a bit too flustered to hold eye contact.
"Oh, well it's nice to meet you, Harata." he said politely, hoping she wasn't still too nervous to hold a conversation.
"Yeah...same here..."