Hello once again! I have so missed your eager faces my minions! College applications are ongoing at the moment so I've been a bit slow, apoligies. Excited for Thanksgiving coming up soon so I can stuff my faceas well! Hopefully it'll turn out better than the one year a bear raided the trash... If anyone wants to swap stories leave a comment, I'd love to hear :) Hope you guys are doing well and I hope you enjoy this next chapter. The song for this chapter is "Big Girls Don't Cry" by Fergie. Let us commence!

Try It Out

Suna academy, the last place Anri Mayagi ever expected to find herself. The blonde had showered for the first time in months that morning, washing the grime and grease from her body as well as her hair. Still, what should've been brilliant gold was still a dull amber. The new sandals fit her perfectly, the pants were loose so as to give her black and blue legs time to heal, and her black jacket with pale red patches on the sides covered her mesh tank clad form. Her closet was stocked with enough outfits to last her a year, formal and non. It was new to her, being alone...having no one to shout and scream, no one to throw things and hit her until she passed out. She wasn't sure she could live a life of freedom even if it did mean the liberation she craved. She had been ruled her whole life and didn't know how to live in independence, her father was the only stability she had ever known. Could she handle this leap into society?

She stood outside the academy with nothing but anxiety in her system, dull eyes looking up at the building with hesitance. Classes started some minutes earlier but she had been told to take as long as she needed to explore the grounds beforehand, it wouldn't do if she couldn't find her way around. She stood there, not really seeing the building before her, but lost in thought. She didn't hear the panting or the rough thud of shoes hitting the concrete heading her way. The one approaching her didn't even have his eyes ahead of him though, his attention focused on his bag he was frantically shuffling through. Anri took one fateful step to the side, sealing her destiny with the young boy she had yet to meet but would depend on in her future.

"AH!"

"OUCH!"

The children clashed onto the sidewalk in a heap, groans and whimpers sounding from them as they rubbed their aching heads from the impact. Anri looked up at the boy with an annoyed grimace, definitely angry. He was taller than her by a fraction, the same age roughly, and had short brunette hair with matching gray-brown eyes. He too held a scowl on his young features. A small wooden puppet, previously sheathed within his bag, had clattered onto the ground at his side.

"Watch where you're going hollow-brain!" Anri snaps. The boy huffs, giving her a nudge away from him with his foot.

"Hmph, me? You're the one just standing in the middle of the street!"

"Oh yeah? Well at least I wasn't too busy to watch where I was running because I was playing with dolls!" she says pointing to the little marionette. The boy blushes slightly as he snatches up the trinket, safely tucking it away in his backpack.

"It's not a doll, it's a puppet and he's my weapon!"

"How can a stupid puppet be a weapon?" she teases, standing and glaring down at him. He shrugs her off, rolling his eyes as he stands.

"A stupid girl like you wouldn't understand, it's not like you could ever control one with my kind of skill anyway." He sticks his tongue out at her like any immature boy would, thinking that would end the argument there. Stupid girls.

She scoffs though, putting her hands on her hips in defiance. "Oh please, when I need to defeat an enemy I'll use something useful to take them down like a kunai or a katana, only a coward fights long distance with a puppet." She mimics him with a proud smirk, her stuck out tongue mocking him and his idiocy. Stupid boys.

"Oh whatever! I don't have time for you anyway, I'm late already and I've got an exam!" Without spending any time to admit defeat he sprints into the building, marionette tucked tightly against his chest in protection. The blonde stood there in an angry daze, not even knowing the name of the boy that had gotten under her skin by just existing. But then...

Her father didn't exist anymore.

She'd allowed him to be eliminated. Ordered it. Had given his life away.

It was never hers to give, who was she to say who lived and who died? It wasn't as if he had killed her. Sure she had been in pain but it was nothing she couldn't handle. She was so selfish, a fiend, a monster-

"No!" She was nothing short of a hero for getting rid of him! God knows what he would've done to others if he hadn't had her to take his frustrations out on. He never provided for her like a father! Never loved or nurtured her. A man who dares to lay a hand upon the innocence he helped usher into the world is no man at all. A father is a provider, not a withholder. It was the right thing to do. "It was the right thing..."

"KANKURO!" Anri jumps at the sudden yell coming from one of the second floor classrooms.

"Yikes, that exam must really be kicking somebody's butt." She wondered quietly who the poor kid was that was receiving such a scolding and what he had done to deserve so. She had never really tried her hand at jutsu before and she had never really picked up a weapon before, she could very well be the next one to be yelled at. She didn't even know if she could use chakra. What if she couldn't and she would only ever be just a normal person? What could she live for? "Damn." As quickly as she'd said it she clamped a hand over her mouth as her face flushed red. She'd never cursed before, she was just a kid and a little girl at that. "I need to watch my mouth." After she finished scolding herself she took nervous steps into the academy and followed the map that showed her to her class. It was on the first floor thankfully and didn't take long to find. When she did though she was regretful.

The last young kunoichi had finished her transformation jutsu with ease, managing a perfect copy of her sensei. The brunette man was covered almost from head to toe in his attire, customary for adult shinobi in the village, well almost everyone really. She didn't really understand it though, sure it helped with sun damage but it only made you hot as hell in the end. Who wanted to die of heat stroke? He ushered her in though with a gentle smile as her new classmates began to analyze her. She was short and scrawny so she wasn't surprised when they scoffed and rolled their eyes at her.

"U-um, I'm supposed to be in room 2B...?" she tried quietly, her eyes scanning the floor anxiously.

The man was kind at first, giving her a look of consolation on her first day. "Yes, you must be Anri am I right?" She nods, not sure if she could speak out of place to this man who would be her teacher. "Come now, don't be shy. Step in please." He ushered her in and put a hand to her shoulder as she did so, making her relax if only a bit. "Class this is Anri Miyagi, she'll be with us for the remainder of the year."

A hushed voice from the back snickered at this. "Please, she'll be here until she's thirty. Look at her, she probably can't even form a handsign without draining all of her chakra, IF she even has any." Laughs erupted throughout the whole room, causing the young blonde to recede behind her sensei in shame. She knew they were probably right, she was just some parasite struggling to survive off of people who were kind enough to even glance her way. She was nothing to them, just another freak show to entertain...

"The fuck if she doesn't!" Her head shot up in shock at the sudden statement, which had also in turn silenced the class from their mockery. The teacher wasn't amused, a glare forming in his features at the brunette who had dared to use such language in class. He was seated backwards oddly enough, a chakra seal taped to his forehead as if he was being punished or something, and by the sour look on his face he probably was.

"Quiet Kankuro! You're already in hot enough water as it is! You've been kicked out of your normal class and so your punishment is to spend the day in mine which means to pipe down and stare at the wall." So this was the kid who had been scolded. Upon further inspection Anri did think he looked mischievous but...

"YOU'RE THAT GUY I PUT ON HIS BUTT EARLIER!" she bellows, automatically swallowing any pity she may have had for him. At this the teacher looks down at her, confused for a moment.

"Is this true Kankuro? Did she get the drop on you?" The boy's cheeks immediately ignite crimson, his face becoming flustered.

"Of course not! I just ran into her and fell, that's all!"

"So this little girl, smaller than even you, knocked you down by standing there?"

"NO!" He was completely flabbergasted, knowing that everything he said was making things worse for him. Everything he meant to say was coming out wrong. "All I was trying to say was I felt her chakra earlier!" he tries to explain frantically.

Anri froze. Did she have chakra? There was nothing special about when the boy plowed into her. Sure she flinched and tensed but that was simple reflexes. Then again, with how fast and hard he ran into her she should've at least had some bruising going on, she had none to speak of that she knew about...

"Turn Kankuro!" The brunette had his glare zeroed in on a boy who had done nothing but cackled the entire time he had been making a fool of himself, his face distorted in a scowl and his fist reared back. However upon hearing such a command from the jonin he reluctantly rotated in his seat to grumble obscurities at the wall. "As for you Anri," the teacher then continues, "I would like to see just where you are as far as strengths in jutsu go."

"Um, strengths?" she questions.

"Yes. There are three basic forms of jutsu, ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu. Ninjutsu include most of your attack and defense jutsu. Taijutsu consists of only martial arts, concentrating chakra into various parts of your body. And genjutsu are techniques that create illusions or false sensations that dull a ninja's senses." Anri tilts her head slightly, eager to get in her first real lesson. "Usually a ninja can specialize in one of these areas and use the others if necessary, but a well rounded ninja is capable in all three categories. I want to run a few simple tests, much easier than the one my class just took, to see which ones you have a knack for. Alright?" She nods, straightening at attention.

"Y-yes sir!"

"Alright then, let's get started."

Anri looked around at the training field they had walked to for her test. It was sandy (obviously ), fairly barren aside from some rocks, the occasional cacti, and some targets. 'Not much to look at,' she thinks. 'Then again it is all just one big desert.' The entire class was there to watch her, save for Kankuro who had been passed on to some other unfortunate teacher that would have to deal with his temper. She was definitely nervous, shaking in the hands even. She felt so out of place with the kunai pouch she had been given. The shuriken, the kunai, it was all different to have on hand. She had to concentrate though, this is what she wanted and she would do whatever it took to succeed. She wouldn't give up.

"Alright, first off I'll test your ninjutsu. I showed you the different handsigns and gave you some examples of what jutsu they were used for, do you have that?" She nods. "Good, now the jutsu I want you to do is called a transformation jutsu. The transformation you will be executing is me." He then begins forming handsigns, Anri's dull eyes taking in each one and committing it to memory. "Transform!" She watched in amazement as her sensei disappeared in a puff of smoke and reemerged as not himself, but an exact copy of her.

"Whoa." He nods with a smile, releasing the jutsu and taking a step back.

"Alright, now you try."

She wasn't sure she could do it right off the bat, it looked easy when he did it, but she wasn't even sure she could use her chakra to perform jutsu yet. What if she messed up the signs? What if her chakra backfired in her face or something? What if she lost a finger?! She formed the first handsign but found herself trembling terribly, she was in a cold sweat just thinking about all that could go wrong.

"Calm down Anri," her sensei coos. "You'll be fine just concentrate your chakra into performing the jutsu." She understood that, and his soothing efforts did bring her some comfort. It didn't stop her anxiety, but it did calm her to the point of doing the signs correctly. "T-transform!" She felt her chakra welling up within her, her body changing to fit the image she had of her sensei. She was joyous at first that she was successfully performing a jutsu, until the smoke cleared...

She was too short for starters, her hair was unruly and her head covering was dismantled. Her nose was pompous and her face lopsided. Her gut stuck out from beneath her vest and her feet were crooked in angle. Warts and craters covered every visible part of the body. All in all she took the teacher's image and replicated in in the form of some disfigured creature. Children burst into laughter, ridiculing her unfortunate mistake. They called her names and made rude comments on her transformation. Things like, 'You look like an ogre, Novice!' and 'Even uglier than before!' She felt the instant despair that came with failure. She released the jutsu and felt her eyes welling up with tears, her teeth digging into her lower lip to avoid letting a sob escape them. The teacher was sympathetic but even he held an expression with hints of slight disappointment, his mouth was formed into a grimace of disgust even though he tried to mask it.

"Now now, don't look so disgruntled. You did...fair, for a first time at least. You know how to at least draw forth your chakra, and that's a good thing." He wasn't helping much this time around, she knew she had definitely messed up this time. She was stupid to think she could pull off a jutsu like that. She wasn't sad though, more riled up. Upset. Angry! Disgruntled. Furious! They laugh at her like they're so special! Who are they to judge her?! She had more fight than any of them!

Her teeth grit furiously against each other, her fists clenching in raw anger. She could see herself in her mind, an adult with exceptional skills, a beautiful exterior, and a commanding stature.

One day they would see her become someone they should respect without question!

Her sensei had to blink twice...he hadn't even looked away for two seconds so he could scold his students when they suddenly fell silent. Their expression held awe and slight fear, gaping at something he had to turn to see. He could see why they were so quiet... Anri, at least that's who he thought he was looking at, seemed to glow before them. She was beautiful and was almost at his height. Her hair was brilliant gold and it mimicked the intensity of her cold orbs that were transfixed on the children that had dared to laugh at her. Her posture was commanding, her stance aggressive, nothing like the young girl that had walked silently into his classroom. Tears streamed her upset face, her entire form trembling with sadness and rage. He couldn't take his eyes off of her, she intimidated even him. He took a step back, shielding the children from her with his eyes studying her with caution. He was turning to herd them into the school when one thing caught his eye...a small ripple in the air around her, temporarily haloed in blue. The scenery was different behind that single ripple and he wondered, taking a step forward and looking at not her, but the air around her. He understood it then when he saw it a second time, and moved his hands to make the appropriate seal. "Release!"

And just like that, it was gone. In the place of the once intimidating form of Anri Mayagi was the small child he had seen just moments before. She was still just as angry looking and was crying just as hard, but she seemed unaware that anyone had saw what they did. But she noticed the dissipation of chakra around her, and that rose questions in her mind. "So the whole time, it was a genjutsu? I didn't even see her form a handsign. If her chakra hadn't been uneven I might never have guessed it was an illusion." How could a child so young and without any ninja training perform such a nearly flawless jutsu and only cast it over herself? It had never been done in Suna before. "Anri, how did you do that?" She seemed confused by his question.

"Do what?" she sniffles. Did she not know what she had done? Had it been some sort of instinct then?

"Anri," he asks, "I think you can do without the transformation jutsu. We'll focus on your offensive ninjutsu just in case but I want your main focus on genjutsu."

She wiped her eyes, looking at him with an unsure gaze. "But what about taijutsu?" He nods.

"Let's see." He turns pointing to the center target in the line of them on the opposite end of the field. "Take out your kunai. Get as many of them as you can in the center ring." She was hesitant but she did as told, holding each knife carefully and focusing her attention on only the center ring. One by one she threw them over the seemingly impossible distance. In the end, two of the fifteen kunai sunk into the sand, three were in the second ring, one in the third, and nine in the center. Seeing her result she was more than proud of herself, as was her sensei. Almost two thirds of the kunai hit their intended target, excellent for any genin at such a distance. "Wonderful. It's settled then, your main areas of focus will be genjutsu and taijutsu. Should you wish to try your hand at a few defensive and offensive ninjutsu feel free, but I want you to take offense in taijutsu and defense in genjutsu."

Maybe, just maybe, she had the potential to be equal to that of even the Kazekage...

So I hope you enjoyed a little bit of illumination on this unique outcast. How is it that she cast such a precise gentjutsu without forming any handsigns? I dunno :P Was this an omen of what is to happen in the future? Maybe :P Do I like making cliffhangers? Hell yeah! Anyway please review, also, anyone interested in offering their O/C's to be featured in my book please let me know! It's centered around a high school for the supernatural and I need some pairings for my main characters! Questions welcome!