Hi everyone. Thanks so much for the reviews. I wrote these chapters awhile ago so please tell me if I messed something up or something doesn't make sense so I can fix it. I quickly reread them so there shouldn't be a problem, but just in case I missed something. I'll probably be rewriting the rest so the updates will definitely be coming slower than they have. I would love to update every day, but I don't think I have the attention span.

Naruto doesn't belong to be (yet)

Chapter 3

Rivalry

With a smirk placed firmly on her face, the redhead shoved her hands into the pockets of her ochre colored jacket. It had been a week since the refugees had arrived in Konoha. Most of them, including the redhead though she would never admit it, had been amazed at the mere size of the village. Kushina had spent the last week mapping out the village and settling into a small apartment building with the other refugees.

She had been disappointed to find that ninety percent of them were citizens. The total number of Whirlpool shinobi was a depressing twenty. Most of the ninja were jounin with a few chuunin like herself scattered throughout. Sadly, there were no genin to be found.

Her knee had healed faster than expected under Lady Tsunade's care. She had been up and walking around without trouble for four days now. The first thing she had done was buy her own clothes, happy to get rid of the dark, dull spare hospital clothing. Her wardrobe was now full of the bright, vibrant colors she loved so much. Weapons had been easy to acquire as well. Training had taken up most her time after that.

"So all I need to do is beat this poor sucker and then I'm officially healed?" The old man behind the desk smiled softly and nodded.

"Tsunade had informed me that you have healed miraculously. She also told me you're willing to go on missions for the village." The man paused as the redhead in front of him nodded furiously. "However, she wishes to see if you are ready for anything as strenuous as a mission. If you can hold your own against an opponent, she has agreed to officially mark you as fully healed."

"Don't worry about me Gramps. It's the loser I'm fighting you'll have to worry about. Bring it on!" She grinned and slammed a fist into her palm. "I'm gonna make him wish he'd never met me!" The old man chuckled and stood up, his white robes falling gracefully around his form.

"We'll see Miss Uzumaki. We've already received a request for your opponent." The sixteen year-old lifted an eyebrow curiously. The old man walked past her and opened the door. "You can send him in now. We've made him wait long enough." A voice responded and the clack of shoes against the tiled floor could be heard. They returned soon after followed by two more footsteps.

A young woman with black hair opened the door and bowed respectively to the old man. "Here they are Lord Hokage. Sorry to keep you waiting." With a 'thank you' from the Third Hokage, the woman left and two men appeared through the door. Kushina felt her heart skip a beat and her blood freeze as they walked into the room, each bowing to the Third.

"Kushina Uzumaki please let me introduce you too Minato Namikaze and Ryou Daiki. Minato here is the one who volunteered to fight you for the examination. Rather adamantly might I add." The Hokage raised an eyebrow and smiled knowingly at the blond teen, who flushed a light pink.

"I did promise her an even fight once she was healed. I intend to see if she can live up to her threats." He smiled at her, his eyes sparkling with suppressed laughter.

"And I'm here in case they decide to kill each other. The free entertainment is just a bonus!" The Hokage sent the teen a half-hearted glare, the brunette grinning sheepishly. "Lady Tsunade said she'd meet you two up at the training grounds if you decide to go through with this. Field number 4. Play nice kiddies!" Ryou wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at the redhead and escaped through the open doors.

Shooting the door a scathing glare, she turned to the blond. "I'm not going to back down you know." The boy hummed his acknowledgment.

"Good. It's no fun when the competition runs away. I won't go easy on you like I did at the camp though." A feral grin spread across the girl's lips as she walked past the two men and into the hall, turning to shoot them a cocky grin.

"Good. 'Cause neither am I!"

She twirled the ring of the kunai around her finger, grinning as adrenaline pumped through her body. This was it! She was going to show these Konoha shinobi just what Whirlpool had had to offer, and by beating the infamous Yellow Flash no less. Her body itched at the prospect of fighting again after being incapacitated for the last few weeks.

The redhead gathered her hair into her hands and tied it into a ponytail, letting it fall half-way down her back, and blew at the stray bangs that fell over part of her eye. It felt so good to be in ninja garb again. The fitted rust-colored tank-top covered the long-sleeved fishnet one underneath. Black knee-high shorts allowed her easy movement and access to the kunai pouch around her thigh.

The sun was slowly settling behind the mountains in the distance, bathing the forest in red and orange light. Blinking against the harsh light, she looked at the spectators their fight had procured. The Third Hokage stood tall in his white robes under one of the many trees surrounding the training field, puffing lightly at the pipe hanging in between his lips. Lady Tsunade was naturally there, leaning against the same tree, looking ready to kill. The probable reason for her look stood next to the Hokage hands innocently behind his back. Ryou noticed her look and sent her a cocky grin which she ignored. That had been one of the lessons she had learned soon after arriving in the village: ignore the annoying brunette while throwing in a few punches here and there for when he truly deserved it. Her eyes roamed upward to the tree branches were another shinobi was lounging. Though he had white hair, he looked to be in his mid-thirties. An easy smirk had settled on his features as he looked at her opponent.

Her green eyes followed his gaze and landed on the blond standing twenty feet from her. A lazy smile pulled at the corners of his mouth as he met her gaze. He didn't look any different than that day by the waterfall. His golden spikes shone in the sun's glow and fell handsomely into his eyes. He had the standard shinobi dress on: arsenic-blue shirt and pants with the green vest and Konoha headband.

"Remember you two. This is just a test to see if Miss Uzumaki is fit for missions yet. We don't need any unnecessary or severe injuries." The old man stepped forward and smiled encouragingly at them. "I must warn you though Miss Uzumaki, your opponent isn't to be taken lightly. Being a jounin, he is sure to have more experience than yourself, and he is famous for a reason. Are you sure you wish to continue?"

"I'm not going to lose to a pretty-boy like him!" Sputtering could be heard from the blond as he gaped at her and hysterical laughter came from the tree. The old man just smiled and nodded.

"Very well. Just show us you are able to hold your own and hopefully you will be one of many to be instated into the Konoha ranks. You have until sunrise tomorrow"

"I'm not going to lose!" The old man nodded and walked to the middle, his hand held ready in the air. Time seemed to crawl by as adrenaline pumped through her veins. The hand slashed through the air and the Hokage reappeared by the occupied tree.

Letting loose a battle cry, Kushina launched herself across the expanse of grass toward her victim. The blond seemed mildly surprised at her tactics, but fluidly dodged beneath her punch. Narrowing her eyes in concentration, the redhead dropped to the ground and rotated on her toes, dragging her heel toward the boy's ankles. He flipped away from her and landed in a stance.

Dipping his hand into the pouch around his waist, his arm flashed across his chest as five shuriken left his hand. Jumping into the air and twisting to avoid the weapons, the girl pulled a kunai from its holster and threw it mid-twist. Expecting the retaliation, Minato hopped to the side and pumped chakra into his legs, giving them an extra boost as he threw himself at her.

Finishing her twist, she was forced to drop to the ground to avoid the fist. Moving her weight to her hands, she kicked up, her foot connecting with the man's chin. He grunted but caught her ankle in his hand and rolled, throwing her across the field. She flipped and landed in a crouch, hand sliding across the ground from the impact.

Her eyes widened at the familiar sound of kunai cutting through air. Glancing up, she was just in time to roll out of the way before the knives hit the ground and the explosive tags attached detonated. Hot air and chucks of earth hit her as she stood and chucked a shuriken at her opponent. Slamming her hands together she smirked as the boy recognized the hand signs. "Shadow Shuriken Clone Jutsu!" The single weapon multiplied and soon at least a hundred were raining down on the blond.

Minato hurriedly plunged his hand into one of the pockets in his vest. Unable to see what he pulled out, the redhead tensed. He swiped his arm and a single kunai flew toward her. Smirking, she let it rush past her. "You're going to have to better than that! Is this the best Konoha's Yellow Flash has to off-" her opponent disappeared as the storm of shuriken approached. Before her brain could process the sudden relocation of his chakra, a kunai was pressed to her neck.

Kushina tensed as the knife punctured the thin layer of skin on her neck, blood dripping slowly from the wound. Her breathing hitched as she felt the muscular chest pressed against her back. "Don't count me out yet. I'm not totally useless." The voice was light, teasing, and made her blood boil. Turning her neck as much as the kunai would allow, she smirked at him.

"No, but pretty close." The weight against the blond's chest disappeared in a puff of smoke, replaced by a rock with a picture of the redhead sticking out her tongue. The blond gaped at the picture for a second before laughing.

"I must admit. I didn't see that coming. You've got talent, but you're going to need more than silly pranks to win." He dodged to the side, narrowly missing her fist. Grabbing the extended arm in his palm, he turned to face her and yanked at her arm. In order to not dislocate the limb, she stepped forward and he slammed his hand into her stomach. The redhead buckled over as the wind was forced out of her.

Bringing his leg up in a roundhouse kick, Kushina flew backward, dazed from the blow. There was a flash of yellow like a glare from the sun and the blond was standing in her path. Executing a backflip, his feet slammed into her back and redirected her upward. There was another flash and a fist connected with her shoulder. Another and he landed a punch to her stomach. A final one and he brought his leg down on her back, forcing her back toward the ground. His movements were so smooth it was hard to distinguish were one ended and another began.

The impact with the hard floor made her bones creak in protest. Unable to take the weight, the earth gave way. Groaning, she pulled herself out of the crater and glared at the boy. He had the nerve to smile sheepishly at her! "I told you I wasn't going to go easy on you. Lord Hokage needs to see what you're capable of and that's not going to happen unless you come at me like you mean it."

"Shut up bastard! I don't care who you are or how great you think you are! I'm still going to kick your ass! Just watch!" Her hands flew together as a snarl escaped her lips. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Nothing was better than the look of pure surprise of the blond's face.

"What!" Twenty clones popped up behind her, all armed and grinning manically. With a large battle cry equivalent to that of a small army, the redhead charged. The blond, now surrounded by pissed off girls, twisted and turned in an attempt to escape the onslaught. Several puffs of smoke appeared as he killed the clones, but more took their place. "Wind Blade Jutsu!"

The air around the group suddenly picked up and the clones were thrown back, sliced in half by the sharp current of air. The original Kushina slid along the ground, arms held protectively in front of her. A long slash cut horizontally across her forearms, blood leaking out of the wounds.

The blond stood looking at the girl, breathing heavily she was glad to add. Her clones had peppered him with bruises, shallow cuts, and a split lip. He gathered his chakra around him and prepared for another blow. "Slashing Wind Jutsu!" The wind picked up again, this time strong enough to lift Kushina and throw her into a tree. Her back cracked as it connected with the tree, the fierce gust keeping her pinned to the trunk. Gritting her teeth, the redhead reached into her pouch and brought out another dozen of shuriken. Using the wind's push to her advantage, she slid behind the tree. Dodging behind another tree, she let half of the weapons fly. Enough of a distraction to make Minato drop the jutsu, she let the rest go as he dodged.

He saw them coming and fluidly dodged them, moving faster than most could claim. Using the trees as cover, Kushina moved closer to the stream that ran through all the training grounds. If she could get there, she could use her more powerful jutsus. She cursed as she felt rather than saw the Yellow Flash following her. She increased her speed, pumping as much chakra that she could spare into her feet.

The trees disappeared as the riverbed came into view. Sliding out over the water, she smirked. Her fingers quickly went through the long list of hand signs needed for her favorite jutsu. Kunai flew past her, but she dodged them with confidence. Closing her eyes, she felt around for his chakra and smirked. "Water Dragon Jutsu!"

Having stopped just inside the fringe of trees, she couldn't see the Yellow Flash's face but she enjoyed the look of surprise and fear that her mind conjured up for her amusement. The dragon roared as it leapt out of the stream and at the spot where the blond was hiding. The trees groaned as the large amount of water hit them with crushing blows. The attack died down, leaving an inch of water over the training ground. Moving back to the stream, the water pulled a fair amount of debris with it.

"Ha! Take that Blondie!" She looked up at the sky and saw the waning moon shining a pale silver light over the water. The white sliver was slowly descending into the west horizon. Yellow light had begun to peak over the treetops to the east as dawn chased away the night.

"You shouldn't get so distracted by the scenery Uzumaki. It gives your opponent the chance to sneak up behind you." The redhead gaped as she spun on her heel. The blond idiot stood on the opposite shore, grinning cheekily at her. He was dripping wet, water making his clothing stick to his body and his usually gravity-defying hair fall limply on his forehead. A few light scratches covered his skin but he seemed no worse for wear. A scowl formed on her face as her temper flared. How the hell had he escaped her attack with nothing more than a few scratches?

He lowered himself into a fighting stance and shot her a grin. Kushina's scowl deepened. With a shout, she charged at him. No matter what she threw at him, he seemed to dodge it. Unorganized punches and kicks were easily dodged by rapid and graceful movements as if the blond could see them coming before the girl even thought about them. Kushina growled as the blond jumped over her leg and flipped out of her reach.

Glaring at him, she reached for her pouch, but he was faster and had a kunai out before she could even get one in her grasp. Another flash of light and Minato was in front of her, kunai held at her chest. "You really think that's going to work?" The man just grinned.

"Oh. You'll find I can be very persuasive when I want to be." She shivered as his voice dropped to a drawl. Something sharp pressed into her spine. Her body stiffened at the threat. She gasped and glared at the grinning man in front of her. "You're not the only one you can produce shadow clones. I might not be able to create as many as you, but I can make enough." The sky began to lighten as the sun rose above the fringe of trees. "It's looks like we're out of time anyway." The clone behind the redhead disappeared with a soft poof and the blond man stepped back and placed the kunai back in its holster.

There was a change in the air as the Hokage and blonde Sennin appeared next to the Konoha shinobi. The white-haired man and Ryou landed on the grass. The white-haired man walked up to Minato and proceeded to hit him on the back with good-natured glee.

"Congratulations Miss Uzumaki. That was an excellent fight." The Third smiled and Tsunade smirked. "I would be grateful if you would join the Konoha ranks, with Lady Tsunade's permission of course." All eyes turned to the blonde woman.

"There was nothing wrong that I could see. She's a little loud for a shinobi, but I can't fix that. Otherwise she seems to be capable of handling herself." She sent a smile at the other girl and nodded. "Does anything hurt?" The redhead shook her head. Satisfied with her answer, Tsunade nodded again and turned to leave. "She's fine. Now if you'll excuse me, the idiots at the hospital are probably running around like headless chickens trying to find me by now." She disappeared as she jumped to into the trees.

"Congratulations Red. Maybe you actually do have some skill." Ryou ducked beneath the punch and backed up, grinning mischievously. "I don't think it's a good idea to hit the person who's supposed to heal you Red. Not the sharpest kunai are ya?" He dodged beneath her next attack and scampered behind Minato, who quirked a blonde eyebrow in his direction.

"Stop hiding you bastard! Fight me like a man!"

"Why? You've got enough manliness for the both of us." With a shriek, Kushina flung herself at the boys.

"Whoa! Hold on there girl! There's no need to get violent!" The white-haired man turned to the brunette and glared. "I'd get out of here if I were boy. I don't feel like cleaning up your remains after she's finished with you." The medic-nin grinned and translocated.

"You should have let me hit him," the redhead growled, cracking her knuckles in the process. "I've been waiting too ever since I met him." The white-haired man just sighed and glared up at the sky.

"Why do all the beautiful ones have to be so violent," he asked no one in particular. Minato sighed despairingly and shook his head. Kushina just eyed the man.

"Who the hell are you?" Minato just groaned and stepped forward as the man's eyes lit up and he opened his mouth for what she expected to be a long and wordy introduction.

"He's my sensei. Jiraiya. Don't mind him." Jiraiya's shoulders slumped as he glared half-heartedly at the blonde.

"Oh! Pay no heed to that idiot apprentice of mine miss!" Kushina smirked at Minato who just pouted. "I am the Great Toad Sennin, Jiraiya! And who, may I ask, are you my beauty?" He took her hand in his and bent down to press his lips to the soft skin on top of her palm.

"Uzumaki. Kushina Uzumaki. The best kunoichi from the former Whirlpool Village." A smirk crossed her face as she glanced at the other teenager. He was glaring at his sensei and missed the look, but turned to face her as he felt her eyes on him.

" Let's go get you cleaned up since you scared away our medic. Then we can go out for ramen. My treat." The redhead's green eyes widened and sparkled at the mention of food. She grinned and grabbed hold of the boy's hand, pulling the surprised blond behind her. He shouted in alarm as she took off at full speed toward the city, the sage chuckling behind them. Waving a good-bye to the toad sennin, she grinned back at the unfortunate blond you was trying his best to keep up. She had to roll her eyes at the sight.

"I'm going to make you regret those words!"