Disclaimer: I, of course, do not own Naruto.
Konoha's gates… I felt a powerful wave of nostalgia wash over me as I stepped inside the village. This new world really was mine, and I had been here before. Spent years here. Spent my childhood here.
I ambled into the streets, my feet falling into a rhythmic pattern on the stone pathway. It was still early so there wasn't a lot of activity in the streets. Some markets were opening. A strong smell of fish and ramen filled the air from one restaurant as I passed by, one I used to go to with my parents. I began to recognize more landmarks, becoming more and more excited.
I kept my head down, however, not wanting to be noticed just yet. Most people knew who I was…the couple who had taken me in had been excellent ninjas, Tasura Hiro and Toru, masters in the art of taijutsu. I quickened my pace to our home, which was now my home. They had left me everything when they died.
I managed to slip inside the house unnoticed by anyone. I put down the small pack I had traveled with. It had been a full year since I had been back…and this was harder than I thought it'd be.
I ran my fingers over the countertops, collecting dust, and then sat in the old, comfy brown couch in the sitting room. I heaved a huge sigh. Being back…well, it was starting to hit me how much I missed them. I had managed to keep my mind otherwise occupied during my travels…but now it was real. The house was abandoned, left behind.
Just like me.
I suddenly jumped back up. I had to get out of this house and go see the Hokage to confirm becoming a Genin – there was no time to waste. What if I hadn't timed getting back quite right? This was my year. I was finally going to become a real ninja and fulfill my destiny, whatever that was.
I ran all the way there, the famous stone carvings in the mountains of the faces of past Hokages straight ahead of my line of sight. Man, I had really missed Konoha after all. This place was home, no matter if my parents were here or not.
Once inside the Academy where the village headquarters were, I hurried along down the hall, my footsteps echoing in my wake. I entered through the big green doors of his office without using the brass knockers to warn my arrival.
"Good afternoon," Hokage said deeply as soon as the doors opened, as if he had been expecting me. He was sitting at his long table, piles of paperwork in front of him. He was sipping tea from a steaming mug. His eyes were shining behind the mug he held carefully. "Tasura Ai."
"I'm baaaack," I said, bowing respectfully. "It's nice to see you again. Still kickin', huh?" I cracked a grin.
"When did you return from your travels?" he asked me pleasantly, folding his hands. He was used to my obnoxious personality.
"Just now. Came straight here." I wiped my sweaty forehead. "It's warm out there, phew." I put my hands on my knees, panting dramatically.
"How was your journey?" he asked calmly, seeming amused. "Konoha certainly missed your spirit."
"Amazing…I learned so much. I'll tell you all about it sometime. But I'm here because I am ready to become a Genin. Y'know. Like we talked about…before I left last year…" I cleared my throat pointedly.
"I see. Well…I'm afraid you're coming rather late. This year's teams have been set into three's."
"What? But! A promise is a promise!" I exclaimed. "Can't I just join a team? I'm sure they'd be thrilled. I was top o' my class after all." I smiled proudly, giving him a thumbs-up.
"At this point, it's up to the Jounin leaders if they want to let you join," Hokage told me. "It would be fine by me."
"Okay, so, who—"
Suddenly the door opened once again without a knock. A man popped his head in, a face mostly covered by a dark mask, leaving one eye exposed. He had a headful of spiky white hair.
"Uh…where am I going again, Hokage? Where the rookies at?" he asked.
"Ah, Kakashi," Hokage said, looking even more amused, looking from him to me back and forth.
Hatake Kakashi? I had heard of him. He was good. Really good. He was a renowned Jounin in Konoha. THIS WAS PERFECT! He would totally do as a sensei. And here was my chance!
"HI THERE!" I practically yelled, bouncing over to him by the door. "I AM TASURA AI, THE LAST OF THE TASURA CLAN!"
I literally heard Hokage snort behind me. Kakashi looked at me, unimpressed. "Yes, hello. So, Hokage, where am I supposed to be right now?" He scratched his head.
"Late as usual. You are in classroom 110 with Team 7. Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, and Haruno Sakura."
"AAAAND TASURA AI!" I said, my arms wide open with a big grin on my face. "Ha, ha, what do you think?"
Kakashi blinked. "Um, what is with this girl?"
"Kakashi, this is Tasura Ai. The daughter left behind by Hiro and Toru." Hokage was totally on my side, I could tell.
"That's me, all right," I gushed. "I'm great. I was totally the top of my class last year before I left the village for a year. No big deal, just saying."
Kakashi looked me up and down, utterly unimpressed. "Okay. And what is it that she wants from me?" he asked wearily.
"You know, I'm right here," I said, gesturing to myself with my thumbs. "You could just ask me. But hey, since you asked, I am looking to become a Genin! And who better to train with than a real great ninja like yourself?"
I beamed encouragingly. Kakashi blinked several times. "Flattery doesn't work with me, child."
Hokage sighed, "Ai, you could ask someone else."
"No. I want Kakashi," I insisted. Especially since he was so dead set against me. I loved a challenge. I was used to people underestimating me. Everyone in my year at the Academy did because I was so small (and pretty).
Kakashi continued to stare at me like I was an alien from outer space. "I'm late, so I'm just gonna go."
He left, the door closing behind him. I looked at the Hokage. "Consider me a part of Team 7."
I gave him a thumbs-up paired with a cheesy grin, and then ran out the door, following Kakashi into the hallway. He was headed towards the stairwell to walk down to the classroom.
"We can walk and talk, sure," I said, catching up to him. "Or…in your case, walk and tuck," I added, pointing at his half-untucked shirt. "First impressions are everything, you know. You want those kids to take you seriously. Show them who's boss."
Kakashi turned to look at me again, like he couldn't believe I was an actual person. "And my first impression of you is an ill-mannered, obnoxious little girl who doesn't even look like a real ninja in the slightest."
He kept walking, leaving me rooted in the same spot, and exited into the stairwell. Surprise settled into anger. I got mad. And let me tell you, it wasn't good when I got mad. I felt my skin start to get hot. Hot enough to boil. Hot enough to produce steam.
I rushed behind him into the stairwell, and jumped down an entire flight of stairs, cutting him off.
"Seriously—" Then he noticed the steam that was rising steadily from the pores in my skin. "Whoa."
"HOW DARE YOU INSULT ME CONTINUOUSLY!"
I swung a kick, but he dodged easily.
"I'm not trying to pick a fight with you, kiddo," he said. "Like I said, I'm late." He stared at the steam rising up from my skin curiously. "But what is this?"
"A mix of water and fire chakra," I explained proudly. "I've always been able to produce steam. And there's a lot more where that came from."
Kakashi observed me. I could tell he was thinking about it. This was my chance.
"I want to be on your team and I am just going to annoy you until you tell me yes," I said, crossing my arms. The steam was thickening, filling up the stairwell around us like a sauna. "TAKE ME OR LEAVE ME, DUDE!"
I tapped my foot impatiently, with a stern look on my face, waiting for him to make his decision. Finally, he sighed loudly. "Oh, come on then."
"WOOHOO! SENSEI, YOU WILL NOT REGRET THIS!"
I danced alongside him as we walked towards the classroom to meet the rest of the team. I had already forgotten the names of the other team members, but I was excited to meet them. My Academy class had been super intense, all business and very serious, so a set of new faces couldn't be more welcome.
"Hey…didn't you take a team last year?" I asked Kakashi, remembering that someone in my Academy class had mentioned being grouped with him.
"Originally, but they didn't end up becoming Genin," Kakashi replied mysteriously.
"What? Why?" I asked. We paused outside of 110.
"You ask a lot of questions, buddy," he said shiftily. "Go on into the classroom. I'll be there in a minute."
"You're already really late!" I protested.
"Yeah…gotta pee, though." He ran off in the other direction.
I opened the classroom door, stepping inside. I stared at the three kids in the room, and they stared at me back. I recognized them all even though they had been a year below me. Each had his or her own reputation.
Uchiha Sasuke was seated, hands folded, deep in thought, but looked up, surprised, as I came in. He was a part of the Uchiha clan, a powerful bloodline of the Leaf village. Haruno Sakura was standing, facing Naruto, and immediately crossed her arms and gave me a suspicious look. She had also been at the top of her class.
And Uzumaki Naruto was holding an eraser from the chalkboard and looking devious, but his expression changed to curiosity when he saw me. He was known for being obnoxious. Huh. Maybe we'd get along. I also knew that Naruto had the Nine-Tailed fox sealed inside of him, the fox that had attacked Konoha years and years ago.
"Who are you?" Naruto broke the silence first, pointing at me. "Are you another teammate?"
"I thought there were only teams of three," Sakura stated, narrowing her eyes at me.
I suddenly remembered the cafeteria yesterday (was it yesterday?) in the "other" world when I stopped to watch that show on the kid's computer. Naruto. It looked just like him. Was I…in the Naruto world? My new self and my old self suddenly were conflicted. Could it be, oh, could it be, could it be I got my wish?
"Um, hello, we are talking to you," Sakura said impatiently.
I snapped back to reality. "IT'S YOU!" I cried, rushing towards Naruto and wrapping him in a tight hug. "I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!"
Naruto turned red. "Do we know each other?" he asked as I pulled away.
"I know that you're Naruto," I said, shrugging.
Sakura tossed her hair. "I remember you. It's Tasura Ai. Top of your class, like me. But of course, I remember everything. So, why are you here? Finally decided to come back to the village? Got bored of your little adventure?" she scoffed.
Jeez. We had never even spoken before. Why was she being mad rude? And how did she know so much about me?
"Um…" I wasn't sure how to respond.
"Oh, yeah," Naruto said, scratching his head. "You left for a while! Everyone talked about it. I totally forgot about you."
I hissed like a cat at Naruto, and he backed up a few feet. "Nice kitty…" Naruto said, softly, wiggling his fingers at me in an attempt at a friendly wave. "Hee, hee."
"So, you're going to be on our team?" Sakura demanded. "Is that why you're here?"
"Yep! Team 7! Whoo!" I tried to high-five Naruto who looked at me strangely. "Don't leave me hangin'."
"This girl is weird…maybe as weird as me. I LIKE YOU!" Naruto suddenly shouted, and met my high-five.
"THANKS!"
"How was your time away from Konoha?" Sasuke asked, speaking for the first time.
"Ah-mazing, fabulous," I said, happy he asked. "I traveled to different villages and trained. I especially loved the Land of the Wind."
Then the memories hit me…it broke upon me…like a wave upon the sand…
The first night I arrived in the Sand Village, I was immediately met by guards who questioned why I was there. I was about to say that if I was not welcome there, then I would just leave, but a boy had appeared…and with a piercing look, yet only a look, they left us alone and in quite a hurry. He must've been dangerous.
But he turned to look at me with such a beautifully strange expression: bewilderment but realization, like he knew who I was and he couldn't believe I was here. I had felt something familiar deep within me stir. Did I know him? Or did he know me?
I remember walking towards him, unable to stop myself, pulled by unseen forces. I couldn't even speak. He had a large canister on his back, strapped across his front torso. I remember wondering what it was. Or what was in it. And why he wore it.
He tilted his head, and I followed him blindly around the outskirts of the village (I would've followed him anywhere, to be totally honest). He brought me to a quiet, barren place in a small canyon surrounded by large rocks.
When we stopped walking, he turned to stare at me. I stared back, waiting. Who was this boy? He was a couple years older than me, I supposed, and must live here. Why had he come out? Did he know I was coming?
Then, my chakra stared acting on its own accord, producing copious amounts of steam. I had never created this much steam before. I remember feeling amazed at my own power.
The canister on his back sprung open and sand poured out of it, creating circles and whirlpools around the two of us, while the steam created a thick mist around us. I felt myself grow stronger, producing more and more chakra, accessing points on my body that had otherwise lain dormant.
"Take me…"
"Or leave me…"
Who had said that? It wasn't him or me. But then it was all gone, and he was gone, and I was left alone wondering if that had all been a dream. He didn't even tell me his name. He didn't say a word to me.
But I'd never forget him, should I see him again.
"This girl is such an airhead," Sakura said, once again bringing me back to the present. "How were you top of your class?"
Naruto said, "I'm gonna set up my trap!"
"You're such an idiot," Sakura barked, rolling her eyes. "He's not gonna fall for it."
I watched in amusement as Naruto put the eraser in between the wall and the door anyway, propping it open a few inches, snickering to himself.
"Kakashi is one of the best ninjas in Konoha," I reminded Naruto. "Only a total noob would fall for this."
"Sorry I'm late—" came a deep voice from the hall, and the door slid open. The eraser fell and banged down on Kakashi's head, covering his already white head with chalk dust.
"Oh, my God," I said, burying my face in my hands. Sasuke looked blankly at Kakashi, like he couldn't believe this guy was now his leader, and Naruto was hysterically laughing. Sakura smiled in spite of herself, then quickly bit her lip to refrain from laughing.
Kakashi looked at the four of us. "Well, this is gonna suck," he said honestly. "Y'all seem annoying as hell."
He sighed and left the classroom, motioning us to follow him. We walked in silence outside to a large veranda overlooking Konoha nearby the Academy. Naruto tried to trip Sasuke on the way and failed miserably, falling himself with a thud. Sasuke rolled his eyes. Sakura groaned loudly, and I stuck out my hand to help Naruto up. Kakashi didn't even notice this whole exchange.
"Thanks," Naruto said miserably, taking my hand to hoist himself back up. "Sasuke's such a jerk, huh?"
I nodded although I didn't really know Sasuke. But I decided it would be safe to just agree with Naruto to not rock the boat any further.
Kakashi turned around to face us. "Okay. Time to introduce ourselves. Tell me what you like, what you hate, your future dreams, and what you do around Konoha in your spare time."
We sat down in a line in front of Kakashi, our legs criss-cross-applesauce.
"YOU FIRST!" Naruto shouted, jumping back up. "The polite thing to do would be to answer your own question FIRST!"
"Since when do you care about being polite?" Sakura asked him.
"Well, I'm Hatake Kakashi," he replied, shrugging. "I don't really, actually, wanna tell you anything I like or dislike. No dreams. Just living life. And I do a lot of stuff in my free time. Alright – Kakashi out."
"That literally told us nothing," I remarked. "I actually feel like I know you less."
"ME NEXT! I'm NARUTO!" Naruto yelled. "I like RAMEN! I dislike, um, how long it takes to COOK ramen! My hobbies are EATING ramen and trying NEW ramen! My dream…to become Hokage and have the village recognize my existence and stop treating me like I'm an invisible ghost, it's been pretty lonely, I can't lie, and I just want some goddamn RESPECT around here FOR ONCE IN MY MISERABLE LIFE—"
"Dude," I said, kicking his ankle gently. Naruto shook his head wildly to shake himself out of the rant. I patted his head like a puppy as he sat back down, panting heavily.
Kakashi blinked several times. "Oh…my. Well. Sakura?" he asked wearily.
"Hi…so I like…" She looked at Sasuke with lovey eyes. "Um. What I'm interested in right now is…you know….boys." She giggled. Oh, brother. "I dislike NARUTO and well, annoying girls that look like competition." She looked at me sidelong. "Anyway, my future dream is…" She started giggling again and couldn't continue.
I stared at her with my mouth open. This was my teammate? Oh, God.
Kakashi looked at Sasuke.
Sasuke cleared his throat. "I'm Uchiha Sasuke. I like fighting. I dislike a lot of things, almost everything—"
"Emo," I whispered.
"Dreams are for kids."
"Okay, Trix rabbit," I muttered.
"But I do have an ambition. Restore my clan. And destroy the one who destroyed it." He cracked his knuckles.
Sakura looked hopelessly in love at Sasuke, like she'd do anything to try to help him accomplish his "ambition." Naruto scratched his head, not really ready for something so deep.
"Damn, why you gotta be so serious?" I said. "Killin' the vibe over here."
"And then we have Ai," Kakashi sighed.
"Yay me! Okay, so, I like almost everything to be honest. Especially cute animals and climbing trees. It's kind of my thing. OOPS! I HOPE I DIDN'T GIVE AWAY ANY OF MY BATTLE SECRETS! HA! Alright, I dislike…being underestimated. 'Cause, you know, well, look at me," I gestured to my small frame, "I'm just a little girl, and short, tiny little wrists and feet—well, you get the point. Anyway, my hobbies are long walks on the beach, bubble baths, and getting lost in the rain…" I waited but nobody laughed. "Tough crowd. So, anyway, my dream…world peace. I became a ninja because I believe the world should be in harmony, and I'm going to do my duty as a ninja until we can change it! And I…I guess I was just want to find out more about my real parents… You know, like, where did I come from? Why am I here? What's my life supposed to be? What is my place in the universe?"
I zoned out, caught up in my own existential crisis. The four of them looked at me like I was my own personal brand of insane.
Kakashi said, "Sweet Jesus, I got my hands full here. You're all batsh*t crazy. Anyway, our first mission is tomorrow, so be ready."
"YAY! COME AT ME!" Naruto shouted, jumping to his feet again. He was certainly a loose cannon. "What kind of mission, sensei?"
"A mission to see if you can…survive. To see if you should really become Genin."
"What?" Sasuke said immediately. "What do you mean really become Genin?"
"'Squeeze me?" I piped up. "Is this why your team last year didn't become Genin?
"Only nine of the twenty-seven of the graduates can actually become Genin. You didn't know that? Well, now ya do. Tomorrow is the test. Pass and you're good. Fail and…well, back to the Academy you go. All over again. High stakes, good stuff."
"But…Hokage promised me I'd be a Genin when I came back!" I said angrily, kicking a stone on the ground.
It rolled off the veranda and I heard someone below yell, "OUCH!"
"SORRY!" I called loudly.
Kakashi looked at me. "I don't care what you've been promised. If you're gonna be on my team, you have to earn it. I don't care about the legacy of the Tasura clan. Or the Uchiha clan. But if you're scared of the challenge, pageant girl, you can stay home."
"PAGEANT GIRL?" I screamed. "OH, I'M GONNA—"
"It's 'cause you're pretty," Naruto told me matter-of-factly. Sakura glared daggers at me.
"See you all at 5:00AM. Oh…and don't eat breakfast," Kakashi said, and then hopped off the balcony, disappearing. Like freaking Batman. He left behind a small piece of paper with the coordinates of the meeting place.
"What do we look like, a freaking compass?" Naruto barked.
Sakura snatched the paper from Naruto. "I'll figure it out." She announced the meeting place moments later. Guess she really was bright.
"Why I oughta," I said, shaking my first after him.
Sasuke said to me, "He was right. You shouldn't get any special favors. You have to prove yourself."
I took a deep breath to calm myself down. The last thing I needed was to start steaming up in this joint and come across hotheaded, revealing my chakra.
"And so you do, Mr. Uchiha," I said sassily. "Reputation ain't everything, honey. You gotta walk the walk, not talk the talk."
Sasuke eyed me incredulously. "How the hell did you become a ninja?"
"Didn't you hear Sakura earlier? Top of my class, biatch," I said, slapping my hip and snapping the air. "Believe it."
"That's my line!" Naruto protested.
Sakura threw her hands in the air. "I'm going home to rest…I can't deal with you people. Except you, Sasuke, if you want to walk me home…" She batted her eyelashes.
"Oh, Sasuke, walk me home," I said, mocking Sakura's schoolgirl-crush voice. Naruto laughed.
"Or me, Sasuke," Naruto said, clasping his hands together. "I need your strongman protection."
"Help me, Sasuke!"
"I'm a damsel in distress!"
"Only your pretty boy company can soothe me."
Naruto and I laughed like crazy while Sakura turned beet red, and Sasuke just walked away towards his own home, shaking his head and muttering to himself. Sakura ran after him, yelling back to us, "GROW UP!"
Naruto and I finally stopped laughing, clutching our sides, and then Naruto asked me, "Hey, you wanna hang out? I know the best ramen place in town."
I wiped tears from my eyes, still chuckling. "Sure thing, bud."
It was really was the best ramen. We ended up laughing and joking for three hours about Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke. He told me about his hilarious stunt at Academy graduation exam and how mad Iruka-sensei was. I told him about how much I hated squirrels because I encountered them a lot outside of Konoha.
"I just don't get why they stand their ground! FEAR ME, YOU RODENTS!" I complained so loudly that other people in the ramen place stared. Naruto didn't seem to mind though.
It was getting pretty late, so we decided to head home to get some rest for tomorrow. Naruto lived a couple of streets away from me so we walked most of the way home together, speculating about the whole survival challenge tomorrow.
"So…I think we should be best friends," Naruto told me before we split ways. "You're the coolest."
"Dude," I agreed. Naruto and I just had this, like, instant connection. "Best friends forever? BFFs?"
"Nah," Naruto said, grinning. "We should be BFFLADs. Best friends for life and death. More specific."
"Ooh…I like that," I said, nodding. "Tomorrow, after we both become Genin, let's make a secret handshake."
"BELIEVE IT!" Naruto shouted and then ran off towards his house. "SEE YOU TOMORROW!"
"Man, what a guy," I said, shaking my head a little. "Guess now I have a friend 'round here."
For as friendly as I thought I was, I didn't really have a lot of friends from the Academy. Like I said, people were intense. Plus, maybe I came on a little strong sometimes…
That night, I dreamt of Becca and Marissa. They were crying. I tried to console them, but as soon as I got close, their faces contorted in that dream-like way, and became more like Sasuke and Naruto. Behind them was a cliff, and I ran past them with no fear whatsoever, and jumped into the black abyss…down, down, down I fell…all the while a voice hissing in my ear…
"Take me or leave me."
