A Heart Made Of Stone

Chapter two

Two weeks have passed since that first meeting. Sakura's team investigated Bird country for chakra signatures and found very little traces of any. The tracks were well concealed, apparently.

Tsunade also sent a hawk messenger to Stone's Kage. They've been sending letters back and forth, and he has "no idea" about the attack, apparently. Honestly though, I think that's a load of crap, and so does Tsunade. Something seems wrong there…

I haven't gone on any missions. Tsunade has been sending reinforcements to Suna, but not me. I've just been hanging around, training and working in the hospital. Because of the reinforcements in Suna, there's been a lot of ninja coming back with injuries, some minor and some fatal.

The hospital has been chaotic most nights, what with the incoming teams from Suna, and the regular teams from Kohona coming in. I can only imagine what it's like at Suna, where even more are being killed and injured.

It's been a hell of a two weeks.

The sun is setting as I make my way to training ground seven. A throng of people crowd the streets, bargaining and selling products before citizens turn in for the evening. I just picked up my paycheck from the hospital, but don't have time to drop it off at home. Instead, I stuff it in my knee high boot.

I spot Lee at the training ground entrance. "Hey Lee! Ready for some training?"

"Been ready all day, young Haiden!" He shouts with his usual cheer. Does he ever get tired? I wonder.

We walk together into the training area. I re-tie my waist-long hair into a ponytail. It's jet-black and blends perfectly into the night. But it stands out like a black sheep in the daylight.

"Here", Lee says. "Take these and tie them onto your arms." He thrusts a pair of golden weights and cloth into my hands. They're heavy, but nothing I haven't carried before. I wrap the cloth around the weights, firmly tucking them into my arms.

"So we're starting to use weights now?" I ask tentatively.

"Yep! And next week we'll drop the arm weights and get you started on leg weights. This will build up your stamina and rapidly increase your speed!"

"Nice," I murmur, looking down at my arms. I lift them, testing the weight of them. My arms feel heavy and sluggish with the new added burden.

"Okay, we should get started Haiden. And don't use any chakra to help you out. You have to rely fully on your body."

With that, we lengthen the distance between us. Lee takes a defensive stance, and after a second or two of tension filled silence, I lunge at him.

My foot connects with his side. He groans, grins, and just as quick moves to my side. he throws a punch with his left arm before I can even blink. I raise my arm to counteract the punch, but I'm ten times slower than him.

Now I understand what he meant by being faster, I think as I fly through the air. I twist and land softly on my feet, shifting to a defensive stance. These weights are so heavy that I'll be forced to get quicker. I can only imagine how fast I'll become without them again.

He's gone. My eyes scan the empty training area before me, wondering where exactly Lee disappeared to. A soft rustle of dirt to my left notifies me of his presence. I turn, just barely blocking his punch.

I stagger back, trying to block his oncoming assault. But I'm too slow, and his punches connect with every part of my body. And he's not holding anything back.

He stops. "Come on Haiden. You can do it, just block my punch," he mutters, panting.

My breathing is equally exasperated. "I know, it's just challenging adapting to the weights. I feel like I'm underwater", I gasp.

"Normal", he says. "That's enough for sparring. Let's have you throw punches at that wooden block. That will definitely help you gain speed."

So this is how I spend my night. I throw punch after punch at the wooden block with Lee. I do it so much that my hands bleed through the cloth wrapped around them. But hey, that's one way to gain strength.

Every now and then I send a little bit of chakra shooting into my fingers, soothing the ache there. But not enough to fully heal them. Healing too much with chakra is bad for the body. Besides, this aids in building up my tolerance for pain.

A bell chimes in Kohona, signaling midnight. Sweat pours down my face in rivulets.

"Lee, I'm gonna call it a night, kay?" I rub my wrists, stepping back from the wooden block. I lean against a tree. The smell of tree sap fills my nose, a welcoming scent.

"Good job tonight Haiden. I could tell it was hard for you. You started getting faster at the end of the session, though!"

I smirk, "thanks!"

"Bye Haiden," he murmurs. "Have an awesome night!"

I nod, moving my fingers rapidly in a teleportation jutsu.

The jutsu takes me to my apartment. I walk to my bed, and as soon as my head hits the pillow I'm out.

When I wake up, the sun is rising. There's a note on my pillow, from Tsunade.

xXx

When you awake, come to my office.

-Tsunade

xXx

I shower, pull on a fresh pair of shorts and shirt. I brush my hair, my teeth, pull on my boots. I pluck an apple from the kitchen counter, taking a bite of it as I water my plant. Her leaves are a dark green. There's new sprouts forming and the leaves are all turned into the sun, soaking up the rays.

When my apple is nothing more than a core, I take my leave of the apartment.

I begin walking to the Hokage tower. My mind wanders to my plant, who seems to be doing exceptionally well. Maybe it's because I've been here, in Kohona, instead of going on missions or fighting Suna's war. Why won't Tsunade send me out on missions anymore? I don't understand it…I should talk to her about it.

I knock on the dark oak wood of the door. "Come in!" Tsunade shouts.

I enter, bowing. "Tsunade Shishou, you wanted to see me?"

"Haiden, yes! I need to talk to you about a couple of things." She gestures for me to sit, and then ruffles some scrolls around on her desk until she finds one she's looking for.

It's huge, is all I can think when I glance down at it. Tsunade unfurls the scroll. "Do you know what this is?" She asks, glancing up at me through hooded eyes.

Looking more closely at it, I see the familiar black edges that bind the scroll, and the old brown stains that create the contents. There's also black writing, in the form of a contract. "It's an animal summoning contract, correct?" I ask, although I know that I'm right.

"Yes," she says. "I'm aware that your aunt - Heo - already has you contracted to another animal, is that right?"

"Yes," I murmur, thinking about my aunt and my summoning creature. My aunt was strongly affiliated with felines. In fact, I'm sure my ancestors have always been affiliated with this summonings group. I don't ask questions though, so I'm not too sure. When I was thirteen I signed the contract.

I can summon anyone from the feline community - Housecat, bobcat, lion, even giant felines. But I'm bonded with Hatsumomo. She's a beautiful white tiger, about the size of the average horse. Heo was surprised we bonded because she is so evil to most anyone who attempts to summon her. But I ca -

"Haiden!" Tsunade's face contorts into a scowl. "Are you listening?"

My cheeks flame and I stammer out my apologies. Tsunade is appeased again and continues. "Anyways, I was telling you that I would like to have you contracted to a slug. Now, before you object," she says, upon seeing my face turn down, "let me explain to you why I want you to make the contract."

I nod, telling her to continue. She lifts one manicured finger up. "For one, they will heal you when you are wounded. As a medic it is crucial to have access to this because your survival is vital to your team's survival. Two, they are a source of chakra when you are running low." A third finger rises, the light catching the red polish and glistening. "They are messengers for whenever you need them to be. Does this make sense?"

I grin, completely excited. "Of course, Shishou! Thank you so much for the opportunity!"

She grins back at me. "Okay, you can do it in here, but only use a small amount of chakra because I don't want you ruining my office summoning a giant slug."

She shows me the signs.

Monkay. Dragon. Dog. Pig. Monkey.

I nick my finger, smearing the blood onto the scroll in my name. Then I perform the jutsu and let the chakra flow through my body and into my hands, which rest on the office floor. A tingling runs through my body, traveling from my heart, through my shoulders and arms, into my hands and then out of my body. The air ripples and after a minute it shudders and a slug pops below me.

She's white, with pink spots on her body and bright green eyes. The color of seaweed. She's about the size of my hand, which isn't big.

She blinks up at me. "H-hi," she stammers.

"Tch,tch," Tsunade says, shaking her head. "She's only a baby. I'm surprised she's allowed to be summoned right now!"

I glance at Tsunade, suddenly nervous. What did I do wrong?

"You did nothing wrong," Tsunade says, as if reading my thoughts. "It's fine!"

I glance back down at the slug, and smile sweetly at her. "Hi there," I coo. "What's your name?"

"I - I'm Koma…what's your name?" She stutters and looks shyly up at me. Her voice is high pitched and nasally. She seems scared but relaxes when she sees my smile. It makes me feel reassured that this might have been a good decision.

"I'm Haiden, it's great to meet you Koma! Have you ever been summoned before?"

She shakes her head nervously. "Don't worry," I soothe her. "Nothing bad is going to happen. We can be friends."

She smiles gratefully up at me. "Ok-okay."

"I'm going to send you back now, okay?" I say to her. She nods and says bye to me, and then I perform the hand signs, and with a poof she's gone.

Tsunade looks at me with approval shining in her eyes. "You handled that well," she says. "Good job."

"Thank you, Shishou," I murmur.

"Now," Tsunade says, "I need you to go on a mission regarding Suna. Apparently the Kage of Stone has nothing to do with this and is working with us to stop this clan, or whatever they are, from attacking Suna. Suna and Kohona mercenaries are planning to meet with Stone in about two weeks to discuss things further and to tackle how to put a stop to these attacks. Until then, you and a team of two other ninjas will be sent to Suna."

"Hai," I nod.

"Here's the scroll with the details of your mission. Memorize it, then burn it. You will be leaving tomorrow at dawn."

"Hai," I murmur, taking the scroll and taking my leave.

"Oh, and Haiden," she says. "If you're wondering why I'm sending you out now to Suna, it's because we needed you to stay here in the hospital. You are one of Kohona's most highly skilled medics and we needed you stationed here. But now the number of wounded in Suna far outnumbers the wounded here. Our allies need you to be there. Understood?"

I swell with pride at her praise of my skills. "Yes Shishou!"

"Good," she smirks. "Dismissed."

I pocket the scroll and head out of the Hokage tower, only to run into Cathy, of all people.

"What have you been up to, little Haiden?" She smirks, gloating at the fact that she's Jonin and I'm not. Yet.

Just because I'm not Jonin, doesn't mean I can't best her in a spar, However. I turn my nose up at her, smirking. "Hello, Catherine."

Her eyes harden. "What are you doing? Going to train? Aw, little Haiden. You have such high hopes to become a real ninja."

My voice is liquid fire, and as sweet as syrup. "Why, then would a high standing Jonin like yourself be so kind as to treat me to lunch? Again."

She deadpans, and makes this strange guttural noise. She sort of sounds like a dying animal. I snicker.

"Why you little bit - "

"Excuse me, Catherine. But unlike you I have important business to attend to, and you are taking up my valuable time." I project my voice so I sound very authoritative and businesslike. Then, turning my body away from hers, I brush aside from her and leave her gawking at me.

I'm sitting atop of the mountain that holds the past Hokages' faces carved into it. It's afternoon. The sun is beating down on Kohona and the city is alive with activity.

I have the mission scroll memorized. I let my chakra flow into my hands, causing them to glow a faint blue color. The chakra sizzles the scroll into ashes. I open my hand palm up, and the wind carries the ashes away. They dance on the wind. I watch them go, pondering how this mission will go with my teammates. Genma will be leading the mission. Another Chunin will be coming with us, someone named Sahra. I don't know her.

Tsunade didn't exactly mention what I'll be doing in Suna, although she hinted at it. However, the scroll cleared everything up. I'll be going out with a team to help fight the ensuing battle. The peculiar thing is that in addition to being a part of the front lines, I'll also take up a position as a medic in Suna when needed. How…odd. And not very efficient. But I guess the numbers are low, which means all available ninja will be stretched to their limit. This explains why it was so crucial to have that extra slug summons!

I sigh…this will be an interesting couple of weeks to follow.

I decide to summon Hatsumomo. She needs to be briefed on the current mission, in case I need her. The good thing about her is that she's big enough I can ride her in battle. With her claws and fangs, and my weapons, we have double the power. Sometimes she gets grumpy about it, but then again I'm the only person she's ever let ride her, let alone touch or summon her.

I press my thumb into the ground after performing the jutsu, then quickly jump back. The air ripples and shudders, distorting everything. And then she appears, yawning and stretching.

"Long time no see," she purrs, walking slowly up to me and rubbing herself along my body. "I'm surprised to say that I've missssssssed you, Haiden," she purrs.

I scratch her ears. "Oh, you grumpy girl, I missed you two!" She licks my fingers, making me giggle and jump away from her. She purrs, following me.

"I summoned you to brief you on our next mission," I tell her. We sit down and begin to talk. I inform her about the mission details. After an hour she has to leave and pops back into her realm.

I make my way back home. Walking through Kohona's streets, I spot Shikamaru. We chat for a little bit. He just got back from a mission in Wave country and is now working with the Hokage and KazeKage as a war analyst.

"Good luck on your mission, Haiden! And stay safe. It's dangerous in Suna, okay?" Shikamaru looks concerned, and I thank him. He's a good friend and mentor. We part ways, and I continue down the street.

At my apartment, I begin to pack. I lay everything I need out on my kitchen counter so I can double check everything in the morning.

I take minimal personal belongings. Two pairs of extra clothing, my usual black tank top and black mesh shirt, with grey shorts. I lay out my aunt Heo's necklace. It's a dark brown cord with a Tiger's eye gem at the center.

"It's blessed by the moon and sun," she used to tell me. "Tarimaku, the wildest and greatest tiger in the feline realm, put his spirit and power into it. It brings great luck to those who wear it, Haiden," she would tell me. Since she passed away, the necklace became mine. I only wear it on missions. I wouldn't want to lose it and I need the extra luck for missions.

I lay out a bag of trail mix and a water bottle. Soldier pills are next. I bring burn cream, gauze for wounds, and a thread and needle I might need for stitches. Also, a variety of poison antidotes for common toxins. This all goes on the table, in a neat line.

Next comes the weapons. I go to the living room and begin to polish my fans. They are a foot long each, made of iron metal.

They were arduously and beautifully crafted. Heo gave them to me as a birthday gift when I turned twelve. That's another thing she passed down to me: Tessenjutsu. It's a beautiful Jutsu, almost an art. I trained in this since I was six years old.

You can use the fans to fight, and I do, but you can also use them to perform. Aunt Heo performed with them every year at the Moon and the Spring festivals, and when I got old enough I did too. It can be quite dangerous because the blades are so sharp, and you throw the fans as high as the buildings sometimes when you dance! But it's exhilarating to perform!

When I open the fan I can see my reflection in it. Sharp nose, curved brows, smokey grey eyes, and a face framed by black locks. I grab my whetstone and begin sharpening the blades on the fans until they prick blonde on my finger at the slightest of a touch. Perfect.

Then I work on sharpening my Kunai and Shuriken. I touch up the sharpness of the Senbon in addition to that. After sharpening my weapons I polish them until they're so shiny they would blind someone in the glare of the sun. I lay all my weapons out on the table.

Feeling satisfied, I go out to find Lee to let him know I'll be leaving. I try the training grounds first and get lucky because I spot him there.

"Lee!" I shout, waving at him.

"Hello, Haiden! Are you ready to train?" He runs up to me.

"Yeah, about that. I'm leaving on a mission to Suna. Tomorrow morning. Can we continue my training when I get back?"

"of course," he says. "Don't use your weights when you're on the mission. You're too early in the training to take them on missions. They would tire you out and cause you to be vulnerable, okay?"

He looks so concerned. Just like Shikamaru. It makes my heart swell. "You're a good friend and a great mentor. Thank you, Lee. See you when I get back!"

The sun is setting when I finally get back to my apartment. I go to sleep early, deciding the good night's rest will help me tomorrow with my stamina. Feeling anxious, I lay in bed until my dreariness shifts me into sleep and dreams, and I am dead to the world.

I rise before the sun does. Kohona lays in a fog of sleep outside my window, but I know of two other ninja who are probably, or hopefully, up as I am.

We leave for the mission at dawn. I can't help the anxious feeling that keeps creeping into my heart. I shake it off, ignore it, but it won't leave me.

Will I die there? In Suna? A place that isn't home to me. A strange place full of sand and treachery and death.

I shake my head. I have to stop thinking this way!

I lift my hair up, tying it securely at the top of my head into a ponytail. My aunt's necklace finds a place at my neck, instantly calming my anxiety.

I wrap my arms in white binding cloth. It is cream based, soft, and will cushion any blow I receive and give out. The wraps extend from the point of my elbow to the tips of my fingers. It's more comfortable than wearing leather gloves.

I shrug into my mesh shirt, my black tank-top, and my knee high boots. I pack everything I need into my backpack. I strap a pouch full of Kunai and Shuriken to my back waist, and then strap a row of Senbon to my inner thigh. Using a thin, barely noticeable harness, I strap my two fans onto my back. They stick up around my shoulders just enough where I can easily reach them. Perfect.

The sun is about to rise. I shoulder my pack, take one last look at my apartment, then swiftly dart out of the window and run across the roof tops. I reach Kohona's main entrance gates just as Genma and that Chunin get there.

"Heellllo, Haiden," he smirks, wiggling his eyebrows at me. "You guys ready for this?"

"Ye-yes," the Chunin,Sahra, whispers.

I look at her. She seems timid. "Hey, you're Sahra?" I ask, nodding at her. She acknowledges my comment. "I'm Haiden, nice to meet you. You guys ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," Genma drawls out. Sahra smiles timidly at me, and I wonder how such a scared girl could be placed into a team who's moving into battle. This worries me.

"Let's do this," I sigh.

We all begin to move out, leaving Kohona behind us.

We'll be moving into unknown territory soon... And into a war.

Popprincess.57

Let me know what you think of the story, please. I know it's different because of the original character, but give it a chance? :)