Chapter four

Hikage ran and ran, she didn't know where she was going and she didn't really care.

'what the hell what the hell what the hell?! Did that just happen? What was that? KATORI YOU IDIOT! KUTABARE!'

Hikage found herself standing in the middle of the training grounds in the rain, at night, alone. She turned her face toward the sky and closed her eyes. So much had happened. She had landed herself in the stupid hospital for a week for nothing. And the thing with katori… hey wait a minute! The thing was nothing! Nothing happened he was being his stupid self and she stormed off he followed like he always did, he touched her shoulder, they stared at each other, she left. Hikage frowned. He called her a wimp again. She hated that. It kind of hurt. She always hated it no matter who said it but it didn't really hurt to hear it. Like with the stupid snake sanin- her eye twithched

"graaaaaaaaaaawr!" she screamed/growled to the sky. She failed. She lost to a traitor. She got stuck in the hospital.

Hikage never really wanted to train with the uchiha, but he was her best possible option. She didn't want to learn to be a medic, super strength or not, besides, she didn't have the chakra control for it. In a perfect scenario, she would train with the hokage, naruto uzumaki, but like, get real. The hokage was well, the hokage y'know. Strongest ninja, busy with his official duties and his wife and kids. That bolt needed all the attention he could get from his father. she didn't want to embarrass herself by getting rejected by him right off the bat. So that left the traitor. Hikage may not like him, but he was strong, and knew how to handle a katana, so that was an added bonus. So she went for the only reasonable option and failed. Hikage felt tears burn at the back of her eyes and forced them back. She took a deep breath and, as if on instinct, drew her katana.

Hikage was a superb fighter. She wasn't the best of the best but she was maybe the average of the best. She started with basic warm up katas. Then she moved into more advanced katas until she was working on the most intricate ones she knew. The storm provided good atmosphere to the scene. She changed it up, combining katas and adding summersaults and personal moves. She channeled chakra into her feet and moved up the side of a tree and summersaulted down and continued her practice. She did the hand signs and created a shadow clone. They did duel katas. Hikage sheathed her sword. Then she worked on her jutsu. Water style, to fit the storm. She circulated her chakra before attempting to activate her blood limit.

"mugen no masuta!" she held in a gasp as her chakra inclined higher and higher. Then she reached her current limit, level two. Chakra a thousand times stronger. Senses better. Hikage went on with her training with her kekai genkai activated. She held out for a couple minutes before she had to stop. she wasn't hurt. she just had to rest.

'weak... useless... a hindrance to my team...'

Hikage ducked her head and forced herself to keep training.

rapid hand signing. astonishingly easy to do. astonishing that she hadn't fainted. flying kicks, round house kicks, spinning kicks, punching and sparring shadow clones. pushing farther in the storm.

kneeling on the cold muddy ground.

'ninja art, water dragons!'

'fire style phoenix flower jutsu!'

'mugen no masuta!'

she tried every jutsu she knew and every jutsu she had ever seen done. some she mastered. some she didn't. Hikage was shocked and confused by one thing though. she was awake, she had pushed way too hard.

and yet she had never felt better in her life.

Hikage grinned into the storm. fist pumping commenced.

"take that Katori-baka! KUTABAAAAAREEEEEE!" Hikage shrieked into the night with everything she had.

Hikage felt amazing. she wanted more. she wanted power. she wanted to be a true asset to the village hidden in the leaves. that was the moment she decided. she was going to face the hokage. it was kind of her duty.

in the morning, Hikage got up showered and got dressed. she yanked a brush through her coarse, espresso colored mane of hair and strapped her holsters into place. katana at her back, she roof hopped her way to hokage tower. as a shinobi it was her duty to be her best for her village. training under the hokage would make her better. she had to do this. a shinobi had to be their absolute best for the village, and she would withoit a doubt be way better with training from the hokage. she had to try. it was her duty. she made her way past secretaries and anbu, and knocked on the door. then when she got no response she let herself in.

"Hikage murakami, chunin, primarily water style..." the blond man looked exhausted, that much was obvious. then Hikage realized he was waiting for her to say something.

Hikage kneeled on one knee.

"lord hokage, please let me be your apprentice. I might not be a particularly good ninja but- its just that- (she took a breathe and looked naruto in the eyes still kneeling) I believe I am capable of being worthy given the chance. I'm by no means weak or lazy. I can live up to any standard you give me. but for me to do that you'd have to give me this chance."

Hikage had tears in her eyes when she finished. she refused to let them fall. the hokage looked surprised. not really shocked but surprised. Hikage stared at him as he rose out of his chair. the almost jumped/flinched when he loudly slammed his hand down on the desk. now he had the famous Naruto grin shining on his face.

"alright! your in kid, I'm with you a hundred percent! your gonna do great with me as your sensei. BELIEVE IT!" Naruto bellowed like he did as a twelve year old.

for a second Hikage froze. her eyes bugged and her mouth gaped. then she smiled wider than she had in ten years. she fist pumped and shouted and in a rare loss of composure hopped across the desk and hugged the hokage still shouting like crazy. Hikage was laughing and jumping and people had come in the room at the sound of shouting to make sure that nobody was trying to kill the hokage and now they were staring at her. naruto laughed.

"good timing! everybody I'd like you to meet my new official apprentice! say hi Hikage-chan!"

Hikage turned to the small crowd still beaming brightly. she bowed respectfully in a bouncy way. "hello I am murakami Hikage, and I- I'm the hokage's apprentice! me! I am now training under the hokage!"

everyone was viably confused and clapped really slow.

"alright training will start tomorrow at dawn be there!"

"yea!"

Hikage, after jumping out the window of the hokage tower ran off to buy celebratory chocolate taiyaki and mugicha, then headed for the training grounds. her calm stoic face was back.

she walked to the training grounds, face tranquil, eyes shimmering with happiness. Hikage perched herself on a big branch of one of the many pink petal covered sakura trees and enjoyed her treat. then she sensed the familiar chakra of seichi and chachamori approaching. Hikage teleported to their side in a whirlwind of leaves.

"hikage, what are you doing here? I thought you were still all pissy abou getting your ass kicked by the traitor", seichi leaned on chacha-kun(Hikage's nickname for chachamori)

"shut up mutt face for your information I'm now the hokage's apprentice. jerk."

"woah really? that's awesome."

Hikage proceeded to pet the brown horse sized dog beside seichi. chacha-kun had grown from the cute little puppy she had met as a genin. Hikage playfully pushed at his muzzle and skipped around him, the three of them ended up playing chase for a good hour. the three of them seichi hikage and chachamori collapsed in a shaded patch of grass.

"ah, I still remember the day I met you and chacha-kun, seichi you haven't changed a bit you brat."

"oh yeah, the genin days that takes me back. I had the biggest crush on you back then."

at that Hikage whipped around and slapped his arm.

"tch, oh shut up, you did not. sreichi baka."

"nah, its true I did you just never noticed. you can be pretty thick headed about some stuff Hikage-chan ."

she just grumbled quietly. seichi laughed. chacha-kun was fast asleep. they relived team nine moments like when they all tried out the curry of life together. that was hilarious. seichi started licking every surface he could get his tongue on, katori went bright red and passed out sputtering (apparently hyuugas don't like spicy food) hikage glared at her bowl with a sweaty red face and forced herself to eat the whole bowl. sai sensei actually kind of liked it. further proof of how weird he was. then they talked about the mission where katori ended up being forced to disguise himself as a girl. that was a long and funny story.

"so how's the thing going?" Hikage had been telling herself she'd say something for a while now.

"the thing?"

"y'know, the whole, ah, no *mumble*"

"what? oh! no babies. they aren't happy, but I mean who gives a damn, haha."

Hikage noticed that he was looking away, and wondered if he was being truthful to himself. inuzukas cared about the ability to reproduce, possibly because of the whole dog obsession.

" I gotta go. later Hikage-chan" seichi gave an exaggerated wink and jogged away. to be honest Hikage felt lonely at his departure.

she really wanted to see Katori. there. she said it. she missed him and his pale eyes and dark violet miraculously silky always perfectly mussed hair. Katori and his overblown ego and rare smile.

'what the hell?!'

Hikage was no expert on feelings. that didn't matter. 'cause she had training tomorrow and needed to get some rest so for now...

"KATORI!KUTABAREEEEE!"