Hair as white as SNOW!

A Naruto fanfiction.

Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine, but Malli Elliku and her thoughts are mine


Chapter four: Fear your leader and your appearance.

I jerked from my sleep just in time to see the city limits in ruin. The horror that settled in my stomach almost made me want to puke. I held in the vomit, somehow, and pushed off the caravan as it slowed to the front. My feet hit the gravel like road and instantly I wanted to run away. What had I thought? I could just waltz in and have people like me right away. Their city had been hit by what looked like a bomb, I couldn't do this.

I couldn't do this!

But the picture in my pouch burned at my thigh as tears began to weld up in my eyes.

"Horrible isn't it…" A guard spoke to the caravan driver, his chin nudged in the direction of the city.

The elderly man nodded, a finger pointed to me, "My assistant has wanted to see this city for years, she tells me, and to see it in this shape… what a shame."

A tear began to fall down my face as I covered my mouth. This place, light smoke rose from buildings that I could see, citizens worked on it aimlessly. I could barely hold myself up, I fell to my knees and felt the tears begin their assault on my cheeks. The whole site broke my heart. I couldn't believe it.

"What happened?" I gasped to the guard.

"The Akatsuki… they came with a man named Pein, he took out the whole village…Thank the heavens Naruto saved us."

My heart skipped a beat. Naruto? There is a person named Naruto? I jumped to my feet and jumped to the guard, my hands attempted to dry my eyes.

"Naruto? Really?"

"Yea! Who would have known that nusance of a Jinchuriki would save our skins twice!" The man chuckled, despite my tears. I furrowed my brow at the man who shrugged towards me, "I guess that's what you get when your teacher is Jiraiya"

My heart officially stopped, for atleast 5 seconds. I gasped and turned from the guard. I must look like a mad-woman but I couldn't hold myself. This boy, his name, the frog… my father! I clung to the caravan full of grain and bread for balance. I was about to fall over, I felt woozy and like I could cry. The elderly man smiled at me grimly, he took pity on me. The whole trip he listened to me, chatted with me, and even agreed to give me work while he was in Konoha. He promised he could get me into the labor work-force for a while if I was up for it. Hard work? I was brought up on Hard work.

"Hey, Malli, why don't you head on to the village and tell the Hokage we're in… here, take the scroll." He stated and slid the scroll in my direction. I gulped the lump in my throat and snatched up the scroll. He didn't know the names of my family or the man who attacked me, but the man was a gentle man. He heard the whole story with make-up names, except for Gaara and his siblings. He could probably guess I was ready to fall over just by the site of the city.

"Thanks… I will see you in the town center." I mumbled as my hand slipped a map off the front. I passed the guard who started up more chatter with the man. I held the scroll to my chest and the map out in front of me as I rushed. I wasn't particularly paying attention, my body just kind of moved.

My feet led me down the street then down another. I couldn't feel my heart or my lungs as my feet pounded against the concrete, cracked, street. I dodged workers, wood lifters and heavers. I leapt over a few people, skidded around a corner and darted down another. I rolled under a fallen pillar and felt a smile form on my lips.

I felt like a child, playing ninja in the city. I grinned as I burst from my spot and leapt over another pillar. I landed and kept my pace. I saw a tilted tree against a building, I rubbed my hands and headed for it. Forgotten about my intentions originally, I tucked the scroll and map into my pouch and jumped. Hands down on the tree I lifted into the air and flipped. I would have made a safe landing, except, I didn't account for another person to dart into my way and dead stop.

"WATCH OU-" My words cut in the middle of the statement as my body came in full contact with the other person.

I crumpled to the ground, my body curled into a ball as I flinched, my sides and stomach burned with the sore and pain of Taki's attack. I took a deep breath on the dusty street before I opened my eyes. The girl I had knocked over laid there, she blinked before her head turned to me. I saw the red in her face, the embarrassment and fury that was surely to be taken out on me. However, just as she looked to me, mouth opened to yell, she stopped. Her face dropped as she scrambled to her knees and knelt before me, eyes searched mine.

"Sorry…" I whispered, unsure what to do. The girl just continued to stare at me with a look of disbelief. It was as if she didn't think I was real, that I was really there on the ground. "Um… I'm Malli Elliku. I'm new and I…" I trailed off as the pink haired girl stood up.

"I'm sorry too… I'm Sakura." Her voice was fragile as she continued to stare at me, "You… look like someone I once knew." She stated with uncertainty.

"Well, that has to be wrong. I'm the only person I know with unruly, snow white hair and this weird eye liner thing that is more of a birth mark than actual make-up," I snorted. I pushed myself to my feet before I dusted myself off. I finally let myself look to the girl who looked me over one more time before she laughed lightly.

"Yea… must have been my imagination…" She mumbled.

"I…uh…have to get to the Hokage now, um…have a scroll to give her… Bye…" I turned on my heels and marched away. Nothing like an awkward, almost embarrassing conversation with a stranger to start your first day in a new village. I sucked in my lips and held my breath as I gained a few feet from the girl. I didn't even look back; I didn't want to see her stare. There was a rock in my stomach that told me she knew my father.

Was I really the spitting image? Or was it just the hair?

I fixed my head band, pushing the wild white hair out of my face. I pulled the scroll out and shook the moment off my shoulders. No more messing around, I needed to get to work. I ripped out the map as I passed a street sign and headed for the mountain head. I let my feet lead me down the road as I dodged and evaded the works. As I stepped further into the village, the less damage there was. Not every building was broken, but towards the entrance of the village, almost everything was.

Oh, Father if you saw this, it would break your heart too. Your precious home, your village you worked so hard to protect, destroyed. I felt the heart-break again as the thoughts ran through my mind. My father, Jiraiya was gone and I couldn't save him. I couldn't save anyone! I COULDN'T EVEN SAVE MYSELF!

Taki would have killed me if the Kazekage didn't see me. I would have to send my thanks again. But, I seriously was pathetic. I ran and cried for him to let me live. I was the most pathetic ninja…

I wasn't even a ninja!

I wasn't even qualified to call myself Jiraiya's daughter. I was no ninja, I was no daughter. No wonder mother didn't tell him about me…I was nothing to tell, I was a sad excuse for a child.

For the second time that day, I ran into something. A building just walked right into it and fell promptly on my behind.

"Ooof," I sounded. My eyes wide, I searched around me to see if anyone else had seen me. One boy saw me and smiled at me sympathetically before he jogged down the steps I had just climbed. I shook my head to get my mind back into gear but my eyes only took in the building before me. I let my jaw drop as a woman with two blond pigtail and large breasts stood on a broken roof, a board supported her as she looked right at me.

"YOU!" She snapped, "Are you Malli?" She shouted from the broken like roof.

"Yes!" I called up. I didn't have time to move as the woman jumped from the roof and landed in a thunder before me. The ground actually shook as I laid there with wide eyes and my lungs unable to get air. This was the Hokage, the scary lady who looked barely over 30, if that. She was beautiful and intimidating from just her stance. I gulped down my doubts and my fear as I stood. She looked down at me with a gaze that tore through me.

I wanted to ask her so many questions, I wanted to beg her to give me a sensei, but the words just stayed in my throat. I was a coward.

"You're late… come on, give me the scroll, I have a village to repair."

"Yes ma'am…" I stated and fumbled the scroll out of my chest.

"Return to Mr. Gilbaru, and don't be late, he's a valued trader… also, try not to take out any more of my medical ninja… I need all of them right now, Malli," Her voice boomed just as much as her landing. I stood there in shock before I forced my head to nod and I turned on my heel. Did I really want to be here? The Hokage scared me, I toppled over a ninja, and I wasn't that much of a civilian either.

"Yes Ma'am," I sputtered over my shoulder. I ran my hand over my hair as I looked over my shoulder at the woman. She continued to keep the stare that bore into my soul.

"And Malli," I stopped and fully turned to the woman. "It's Lady Hokage, call me Ma'am again and I will show you what I think of that word."

I felt a bead of sweat began to roll down from my hair-line as I smiled sheepishly. I feared for my life once more as I nodded vigorously.

"Yes Ma…Lady Hokage…" I turned on my heel and marched myself towards the traders post. I wasn't about to mess around with the scariest woman I had ever met who watched me like a hawk!


Author's Note: I'm so sorry for the long update, took me a long time to get muse. But I do intend to finish this story along with all my others, please be patient.

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