A/N: Third chapter! This chapter has been edited! Fixed a lot of mistakes. A LOT OF MISTAKES!

I don't own Naruto.

I have no beta.

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-NEW CHAPTER IS 1,350 WORDS LONG.

-THIS CHAPTER WAS NOT A PART OF THE ORIGINAL FIC.

Children show scars like medals. Lovers use them as secrets to reveal. A scar is what happens when the word is made flesh.- Leonard Cohen.

Kit! There is a female of your kind coming up from behind you. Try to locate where!

Naruko groaned hating it when Kyuubi demanded they play games like this.

Kit, this is not a game. Someone is coming up from behind you and I want you to sense where they are.

Fine, I'm doing it.

Naruko closed her eyes and concentrated. Faintly, she could hear footsteps coming... from her left? Small steps too, meaning someone who was rather young was approaching. Her age or a little older? Her nose twitched, picking up the scent of weapon polish? The whistle of air against a projectile alerted her of the oncoming weapon and she dove forward, rolling under the threat and spinning on her elbow in order to twist herself to face her opponent,

I guess I don't have to tell you where they are, thought Naruko.

Che.

Naruko's assailant was a young girl who was just a bit taller than Naruko herself, strengthening the belief that she was older. Her hair was a dark shade of brown and was pulled up into two buns on either side of her head. She had a small fringe that fell forward into her face but not enough to impair vision.

Adorning her body was a small, high collared, pink qipao dress that was trimmed in red. Her fasteners were also red but with gold tips. Covering her legs were a pair of leggings in a dark shade of red. She was flipping a kunai up and down and looking at Naruko with curious brown eyes.

"Sorry about that. I wanted to see if you'd react," she said. "I have a wire around it and would have pulled it back if you hadn't moved in time."

To demonstrate this, she yanked her free hand toward herself and Naruko watched at the kunai that had almost taken her head off, sailed right back into the girl's outstretched hand.

Impressive. She's knows her way around metallic weaponry.

"So what are you doing out here? This is supposed to only be for the shinobi to train in."

Naruko was making use of a shinobi training ground, number Twenty-Seven. No one ever came to it because it was boring. No river flowing through it and barely any trees for cover. Mostly rocky expanse for about half a mile.

"I'm trying to channel my chakra so when I enter the Academy next month, I'll be ahead of most of my class."

"A newbie, huh?" the girl smiled, flipping the kunai again.

"Well, I'm Hakoda TenTen and I'm going into my second year at the Academy next month!"

Befriend her! She'll be good to get along with.

Fine.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruko."

"If you ever want weapon help, just let me know. My family are the main weapon providers in Konoha. We get the best shipments in and then we make custom weapons for people. We also polish and service weaponry. And on the side, we give lessons on how to properly use them too."

It turned out that TenTen did not have any friends. Her family had strictly been weapon crafters for the past few decades. Her great grandfather was a Samurai from Tetsu no Kuni who frequently taught his family members the way of the sword. So many felt that they didn't need to become ninja. But TenTen had a dream.

She spoke of it while almost breathless. Her brown eyes would sparkle with life as she told Naruko her goals for her future.

"I want to be like Tsunade-sama."

Naruko had to think about it for a moment. The name was familiar, but she just couldn't think of why.

She's the medical ninja, progeny of Hashirama, said Kyuubi.

That was it! She was a world-renowned Iryo-Nin! The best medic ever, according to some. She wasn't too tall, but held a presence about her that most felt had to be respected, therefore making her seem bigger than normal. She was blonde, with amber colored eyes. She was also well endowed. A running piece of information was that she was bad at gambling and that her nickname was The Legendary Sucker.

"Tsunade-sama is the best in her field and is the only medic allowed on the front lines of battle. She augments her natural, impressive strength with chakra to empower her Taijutsu. The application has never been fully explained so it's difficult to replicate, but I'd just love to discover it and utilize it as well!"

"So… you want to be an Iryo-Nin?" asked Naruko.

TenTen frowned. "I don't know. I want to be as good as Tsunade-sama and receive world-renowned prowess for my skills. I'd like to have super strength that can flatten buildings in a single punch. I'd like it for Kunoichi to receive a better reputation among the nations. I don't think I necessarily want to stay behind in a platoon in order to tend to people's injuries though."

Naruko nodded, understanding how the life of an Iryo-Nin was kind of boring unless given someone to heal. She didn't want to be the kind of person who had to sit back and wait until someone was hurt before being useful.

"What do you want to be?" TenTen asked, wiggling in her place.

"I… want to be the most powerful shinobi to ever grace the Elemental Nations."

TenTen whistled, eyebrows lifting into her fringe. "That's quite a goal for yourself. Do you think you'll do it?"

Naruko nodded slowly, "Of course I will. I have nothing else to do with myself."

"Well, maybe we can help each other out," suggested the bun haired girl.

And not once did she ask about the mask.

TenTen did not like the looks people sent Naruko's way. Naruko always avoided going somewhere where there was a lot of people. TenTen didn't know why, but she did not appreciate people glaring at her only friend. So if she just to happened to miss a toss on her kunai and it got lodge in someone's carton of milk or cut a sign in half, she had nothing to do with it.

Also, she noticed the hooded figures that followed them.

Anbu.

She wondered why Anbu followed Naruko everywhere. Naruko said she didn't know but that the Hokage himself had stationed them her whole life for some reason.

The Naruko knew the Hokage personally.

What had TenTen gotten herself into?

Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed, happy that Naruko seemed to have found a friend in a good child. Both young ladies were goal oriented and he was certain that they'd have a good rapport. They'd push each other to be their very best.

If only an eight your old didn't feel like she had to become the most powerful person int he world because she had no uses anywhere else.

He glanced at the photo of the Yondaime and sighed once more, feeling his age.

Where did he go wrong?

A/N: So, this is the first chapter. If anyone was wondering, the scars are reminiscent of the markings on Inuyasha's face when he's transformed. Just imagine three on each side and two coming from the mouth.

How was it?

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