Hello again! It's been so long because people haven't been reviewing! I received some PMs about people wanting the story continued, but it was after so long and I had to get back in the groove, especially with school and work and moving out going on at the moment. I think this is a pretty long chapter, at least longer than I was planning originally. I loved the PMs begging for more, but I want you to post those as reviews instead, if you could. Pretty please? I hope you like the chapter! It's kind of a filler, but I think it's necessary for some character development that will be important later on. Enjoy!

Ready to give this a go? Reiko projected her thought to Kei, who circled around the training field below.

Of course. Kei replied arrogantly, his prideful bird ego emerging as he let loose a high-pitched, whistle-like sound, a common call from his species, from above.

Reiko nodded to herself as her eyes narrowed in concentration. She raised her arms in front of her, hands forming the tiger seal as her eyes slid shut. She focused on her chakra, at first just feeling it flow through the pathways in her body, pulsing with her heart like the blood in her veins. This is was she did every time she tried a new jutsu for the first time, just like now.

Her brows furrowed as she changed her focus from her evenly flowing chakra to her eyes. Her lips were set in a hard line as she flared her chakra, slowly working against her chakra's normal paths to build up behind her eyes. Mentally, she picture what she planned the jutsu to do, feeling it with her body and soul as her hands flew through signs before freezing on the tiger seal once more.

Reiko took a deep, calming breath as she slowly opened her eyes. Her blue-green eyes were replaced with a deep bronze, the iris and pupil taking up the entire eyeball. The eyes darted back and forth, but weren't seeing Team Seven in the training grounds in front of her. No, she was suddenly seeing vast, green forests below and an endless blue sky above.

Pushing down her excitement and elation at successfully pulling off the jutsu, she forced herself to keep her concentration and poured more chakra into her now dark orbs.

So, this is what you see? Reiko thought absently to her partner.

She couldn't feel the wind rustling through his feathers, or the weightless buoyancy as he glided over air currents, or the tilting shift as he turned to circle around the group below once more. None of that bothered her, but she was most disappointed to not feel the freedom of flying. Sure, she could see what he could, but that was it. She couldn't feel anything. All she felt was the ground beneath her earth bound feet as her eyes soared through the sky with Kei.

Actually, now that she thought about it, it was sort of disorienting. Her feet and body were still, but her eyes were moving and sending her brain messages as if she was moving her own body. It kind of made her nauseous, but she pushed down the feeling as the golden eagle looked below.

She watched as Naruto practiced his Shadow Clone Jutsu on one end of the field, focusing on taijutsu applications and combination attacks that could be of use. Earlier, she left him after a time of target practice with kunai and shuriken. Since Reiko and Naruto lived together, were like siblings, and were both Genin on the same team to boot, it was no surprise that they were training together. They even trained together when they were still in the Academy, and they still would have even if they ended up on different teams.

On the opposite end of the field, Reiko saw Sasuke beating up a tree. He had already beaten the bark off, but kept pounding away at the wood beneath. Part of the area was singed and a few small craters littered the ground from when the boy practiced some jutsus.

Kei changed his course and dove down towards the ground, forcing Reiko to ignore another wave of nausea. He opened his wings as he neared the solid earth, opening his wings to level out only a couple meters above the ground.

He flew by Sasuke, and Reiko caught a glimpse of pink and red underneath one of the nearby trees. It was Sakura. She wasn't training like the rest of them, which wasn't unusual when Kakashi Sensei wasn't present. If she could get away with it, like now, she would just sit under the shade of a tree with her back resting against the trunk as she watched Sasuke train.

Actually, Reiko was surprised Sasuke even let the fan girl do that. Then again, the single-minded boy tended to really focus on his training and probably barely noticed her presence. Sakura rested her chin on her palms as she watched the boy move with a dreamy smile plastered on her face and a light blush dusting her cheeks.

Kei shifted and moved towards the middle of the training field where Reiko was standing, giving the girl a view of herself. Her eyes were different, looking like Kei's own eyes. Her body was still standing, hands forming the tiger seal. As the bird flew closer, she noticed that her whole body was trembling with the exertion of keeping up the jutsu. Suddenly, her eyes started aching terribly and she could feel her body shaking as it fought to stay standing under the exhaustion that made her want to fall to the ground.

Crap, reached my limit all ready.

Reiko grumbled as she cancelled the jutsu. She gasped as she stumbled forward, legs shaking, but locked her knees in place to keep standing. She pressed the heels of her hands on her eyes as the throbbed in pain. Since it was the first time trying this jutsu, she knew something like this would happen. Just like training the physical body, a muscle will hurt if it is pushed harder than usual. Adding chakra into the mix, her body felt weak from using up too much chakra.

Every time a new jutsu is performed, especially if it was created by the user, there is always significant chakra drain, especially for a Genin that doesn't have good chakra control. Granted, Reiko had very good control for her age due to the training her family put her through at a young age, but she is still a young ninja. She had expected to last longer than she had, but at least the jutsu was successful. She just had to keep practicing and train harder.

She was hunched over slightly, breathing deeply as the pain slowly subsided, when something went wrong.

"Watch out!" the girl heard Naruto shout, but when she opened her eyes, her vision was too blurry to even distinguish the ground from the trees.

She held her head as the blurs spun violently. Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her arm as something cut through the flesh. Whatever sliced through her arm jerked her to the side as something flew past her head. She tripped over her own feet in the confusion and landed hard on her back. Reiko groaned as she lay spread eagle on the ground, staring up at the sky as the dizziness subsided and her vision returned, as crystal clear as ever. She sighed, feeling exhausted as blood ran down her arm and pooled slightly on the ground.

She pushed herself to rest back on her elbows to find Kei whistling angrily at the blonde, flying close to his head with bloody claws extended. Sakura was even running over to punch the boy in the back of the head, sending him toppling to the ground with a yelp. Reiko looked over her shoulder to find a large log usually used in a substitution jutsu lodged in the ground behind her. Her eyes widened, realizing that she was almost hit in the face and wondered what bizarre event took place that something like this could even happen.

She turned to glare slightly at Naruto, but she quickly sighed and relaxed as she saw that he was being properly thrown through the loop by a tag team consisting of Sakura and Kei. Besides, she knew Naruto would never want to hurt a friend, especially Reiko who was like his sister. He was already being punished enough and strange things always happened around the crazy blonde.

She was about to reluctantly push her tired body to its feet when a hand appeared in her line of vision. She followed the arm to find Sasuke was the one that offered his hand. She smiled slightly, grateful for the help, but knowing the Uchiha wasn't doing it to be kind. He wasn't the type to do that. He was probably annoyed at the situation Naruto caused, or Reiko for being so mediocre and needing a helping hand.

"Thanks," she said, giving the boy a grateful smile as his face remained impassive. She went to pull her hand away, but he didn't let go. She looked down at their joined hands, and then back at the blank expression on Sasuke's face.

Sasuke tilted his head to the side slightly as he stared right into the girl's blue-green eyes. He never really paid attention before, but her eyes were an interesting color. He would never say they were pretty or anything, but they weren't unpleasant to look at. He looked down at their hands, feeling how soft her hand was compared to his own. They were both Genin, both shinobi on the same squad, yet her hand felt somehow delicate. She wasn't like the other girls, and she trained hard, evident by the few callouses she had from wielding weapons. But, her hands were still small and slim, almost being engulfed by his hand, so very different, but also similar.

Reiko didn't know how to react as Sasuke stared her in the eyes, feeling as if she was being swallowed in the black abyss of his own. She felt somehow relieved when he broke eye contact to look at their hands, but she felt something else too. Was it… disappointment? Regret? Why?

She cleared her throat as she heard the commotion behind her come to an end and after she grew more uncomfortable than she would like to admit. Sasuke jumped slightly at the sudden noise, as if being thrown from his own world and back into reality. He dropped her hand like it was on fire, but it was more like he threw her hand away from himself.

She felt a light blush creep up her neck to rest on her cheeks, being instantly grateful for her mask to hide such an embarrassing reaction. Why would she be embarrassed at such a situation? She couldn't really feel that way. She must have a fever or something, the girl reasoned.

"Reiko!" Naruto cried dramatically as he tackled me to the side, arms wrapping around me in a hug as they fell in a heap. "I'm so sorry I almost killed you! I was practicing my Shadow Clone Jutsu and I messed up! I promise to be more careful, just don't stop cooking me food!"

"It's all right," Reiko said with a resigned sigh. Sometimes she wondered how he survived so long without her. She pulled her arms free and started to try to escape the blonde's hold. "I won't die so easily, you should know that by now." Reiko grunted as she finally pushed the boy off of her.

"Honestly, Naruto," Sakura scolded from above, fists on her hips with her narrowed eyes fixed on the blonde. "I don't know how you even passed. We all saw you fail, but you came in with that headband the next day anyway, and then there's that new jutsu you learned!"

"Hehe," Naruto chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head. "Well, Iruka Sensei never said I couldn't tell anyone, so I guess it's okay to tell you guys. We're on the same team anyway."

"I was curious on how you learned a forbidden technique," Reiko commented.

"Forbidden technique?" Sakura asked, tilting her head to the side a little. "What are you talking about?"

"The Shadow Clone Jutsu is a technique from the Leaf Village's Sacred Scroll," Reiko explained. "That's all I really know about the jutsu, but if that scroll got into the wrong hands, the village would be in danger."

"Yeah, I didn't know something like that when Mizuki Sensei told me about it," Naruto said, looking almost sheepish.

"What does he have to do with anything?"

"Well, after the exam, Mizuki Sensei wanted to talk to me. He told me that there was a secret way to pass the exam to become a Genin. All I had to do was steal the Sacred Scroll from the Hokage Tower and learn a jutsu from it. If I could do that, then I'd pass."

"How could you believe something that was so obviously a lie?" Sakura asked incredulously, believing the blonde's lack of mental capabilities had no bounds.

Reiko shot the girl a look and she immediately shut her mouth. Naruto kept talking as if Sakura never interrupted him, staring at the ground with a far off look in his eyes that was very uncharacteristic for the usually bubbly and hyperactive boy.

"I wanted so badly to pass and become a Genin this time, to pass along with Reiko and everyone, that I didn't even think Mizuki Sensei could be lying to me."

"No one would expect their sensei to lie to them," Reiko said softly, putting a comforting hand on her brother's shoulder.

"So, I stole the scroll and went to where Mizuki Sensei told me to go. I got bored waiting, so I started reading the scroll without him. I only had time to learn one jutsu before Iruka Sensei found me, angrier than I've ever seen him before now that I think about it."

Naruto's voice trailed off as his thoughts were surely brought back to that night, the corner of his lip pulling down slightly in a frown. Sakura and Reiko were looking at Naruto with wide eyes, never seeing him act this way before. Even Sasuke was watching with a strange intensity.

"What happened next?" Sakura asked quickly, her voice trembling slightly as if she didn't want to know what happened next, but desperately needed to at the same time.

"Mizuki Sensei came and attacked Iruka Sensei. He told me the secrets everyone had been keeping from me, and I didn't know what was going on anymore. Mizuki Sensei tried to kill me, but Iruka Sensei saved me. I didn't know what to think anymore, so I ran away. I hid behind a tree close to where Mizuki Sensei and Iruka Sensei ended up and I heard everything they said. Iruka Sensei defended me despite everything that happened. Mizuki Sensei tried to kill him, but I used my new jutsu and kind of saved Iruka Sensei, I guess. That's how I passed."

Everyone was silent as they stared at Naruto, not expecting something so outrageous to have happened. Naruto's shoulders were tense as his eyes bore holes in the ground under the tense atmosphere. Sakura had never seen this side of Naruto before, and never thought anything of the boy until she heard the story. Maybe she had misjudged him.

"Mizuki was nothing but a traitor," Reiko said, her voice sounding oddly void of emotion, surprising the other Genin. Her head was bowed, bangs shadowing her eyes as she slowly rose to her feet and walked a few meters towards the village. "Even those closest to you, the ones you trust the most, can betray you in the blink of an eye."

She released a shuddering breath, eyes clamped shut as memories rose to the surface and haunted her despite such a long passage of time. Her own family and village betraying her, how the same thing happened the first and most important friend, and how she betrayed him as well when she ran away. She would never forgive herself for such a thing as long as she lived.

Naruto watched the girl he had come to know as his sister tremble slightly before clenching her fists in determination. He had never seen her look as vulnerable as he saw in that very moment. She was always the strong one, taking care of him, and he thought of her as invincible. However, in that moment, he saw her as just another twelve-year-old girl that just became a Genin like the rest of them.

Sasuke's brow was furrowed as he curiously observed the girl in front of them. Her voice sounded as hollow as he felt after Itachi's betrayal when he slaughtered the entire clan, but left Sasuke alive. Her voice sounded so lonely, and she looked more fragile than a porcelain doll. She always kept up this strong and occasionally sarcastic front, but he realized there was something else she hid deep beneath that façade. Something happened in her past, something that made Sasuke feel a strange kinship between them. He always figured girls were weak creatures that would only get in the way, but Reiko started to pique his interest. He would keep an eye on her.

Sakura felt a chill run down her spine at the emptiness radiating from her fellow kunoichi's voice. She had never been a friend of Reiko's, but that strange girl that hung around Naruto never had many friends to begin with. She never really opened up to the other girls, but she never really made any enemies either. She dressed differently than the other kunoichi, and never really liked the gender specific classes the girls had to sit through. She would joke around with the other boys, and never thought twice about getting dirty and pushing herself more than all the other girls. Sakura regretted not getting to know the girl, but she would try to do better.

Kei hovered over his partner's shoulder, watching the blood from his talons flow down her arm and soak the bandages. He whistled softly to get her attention, and she jumped, startled from the confines of her mind and thrown back into the present. She ran the hand of her uninjured arm over her face as she breathed deeply, trying to calm down her racing heart.

She felt the pain start to throb from her arm, and she looked over to find deep gashes cutting through white wraps and flesh. She sighed, wondering how she only noticed such a thing in that moment.

"I've got to go to the hospital," Reiko said, starting to walk to her destination. "I'll see you guys later."

"Reiko!" Naruto called, scrambling to his feet. "It's my fault so let me take you there!"

"I'm fine, Naruto," Reiko said, pausing momentarily. She glanced back at him with a closed-eyed smile, but there was an underlying anger beneath it. "I want you to stay and practice some more. We don't need another incident like today, do we?"

"Y-Yeah," Naruto gulped nervously.

Reiko turned and continued on her way to the hospital with Kei flying with her. She stared at the ground as she walked, not paying attention as her feet led her to her true destination, home, with a dark and faraway look in her clouded eyes.

She unlocked the door to the apartment and closed the door behind her. She made her way to her room, finding Kei perched on the sill of the open window, preening his feathers. She sat on her bed, and winced as she slowly unwrapped the bandages on her arms, discarding the stained cloth in the garbage bin by her nightstand. She turned to inspect the wound, noticing it already healing, the skin stitching itself back together.

She nodded, mentally thanking Hakuoh as she went into the bathroom to wash the blood off. She grabbed a washcloth, soaking it with warm water before lathering it with disinfectant soap and scrubbing at her arm. The blood turned the running water a deep pink before disappearing down the drain. She rinsed and rung out the cloth before hanging it to dry and using a hand towel to dry off.

Her skin was pale from always being protected from the sun, but Reiko could still make out the unmistakable white scars littering her appendage. Her other arm and legs weren't much different, and even her abdomen had marks that ran long and thick across otherwise perfect skin. Her most recent injury, given by Kei as he pulled her out of the way, healed perfectly and didn't leave a single mark.

That's how it has always been since Hakuoh was sealed inside her. The Phoenix wasn't only a powerful creature of immense chakra that blessed the clan with the ability to communicate with their avian partners, but it was also a spirit of healing. The Phoenix was a sign of rebirth, new beginnings, and most importantly for Reiko, healing. Whatever wound she sustained after the sealing healed quickly and flawlessly due to the Phoenix's healing attributes within the chakra.

It was something like a built in medic-nin that never ran out of chakra – very useful for any shinobi. However, the scars she obtained from injures before Hakuoh was sealed would never go away. Besides, she didn't want them to disappear. Those scars were a reminder of why she was grateful to be in the Village Hidden in the Leaves, her new home after her family betrayed her. She never liked to think of how she obtained the marks, but she would never forget such treatment from someone she loved and trusted her entire life, that is, until that life-changing night.

She was brought from her thought when she heard a loud groaning sound. She jumped, startled once more, as she looked down to find her hands gripping the sink so hard with enough strength to make the hard material protest. She released the porcelain as if it burned her, never realizing that her emotions had brought out her unpredictable strength that no one knew about.

Actually, now that she thought about it, Naruto didn't even know much about her. Despite living together for such a long time and becoming close as siblings, she never told him of her past. Today was the first time she talked about it to anyone, but she vowed it would be the last. Her past was exactly that, the past. Right here, right now, was her new life, and she wouldn't let her past interfere with taking advantage of this second chance, the new slate.

When she was young, she was gullible, weak, and desperate for approval. Now, she was stronger, smarter, and would keep herself protected from any harm that may come her way. She refused to let herself be hurt like she did before. She would tremble before someone and let them beat her down into submission. She would grow strong enough to protect those she cherished, and never back down until she died. That was her own ninja way.

She shook her head and returned to her room, grabbing more bandages and wrapping her arm up once more. She may not want her scars to disappear, but she didn't want others to see them. They would ask questions or pity her, and she wanted neither to happen. She would not be pitied, and she would leave her other life in the past where it belonged.

Naruto had seen the scars once when he walked in on her taking a shower. She gave him a look like prey caught in the hunters trap, and despite the burning curiosity and concern in his eyes, he never asked a single question about it. Even though he can be a thoughtless idiot, he knew that he shouldn't pry into unpleasant memories, knowing the toll it could take on someone. He told her he would wait until she wanted to tell him, and that was that.

Once Reiko finished wrapping her arm, she got up and looked around her room. It was neat and clean, unlike Naruto's room. She felt an impulse that she hadn't felt in a while and hesitated. Kei noticed the change in the air and watched his partner cautiously as she listened for Naruto possibly coming home and glanced around in paranoia.

Reiko knelt down next to her bed, eyes wide and uncertain as fidgety fingers pulled the blanket up the side and reached underneath, feeling around until she made contact with the sharp edge of a box. She gently held it and brought it out.

Kei noticed the box was rather small, probably made to hold little trinkets for souvenirs. Reiko carefully held it in her hands as she lifted it onto the soft mattress like it was made of glass instead of sturdy, polished wood. For a long time, she only stared at it, emotions flashing across her face too quick for Kei to comprehend until she settled on a desperate, but scared grimace.

She reached out a gloved hand, fingertips caressing the simple, smooth, surface in an almost loving way. The thick layer of dust slowly disappeared, particles floating in the air around the room as Reiko stared with a deep sadness and guilt and regret held deep within her eyes. She raised trembling hands to the box, flipping the rusted clasp up and lifting the lid open in an agonizingly slow motion.

Tears flooded her eyes, but she fought to keep them from falling as she looked at the contents. Her eyes glanced over odds and ends, ignoring them and locking onto the pictures beneath. Her heart raced in her chest as a trembling hand reached inside and shakily withdrew the glossy, square sheets. A small layer of dust had also accumulated on the top photo despite being locked away, and she felt her whole body shake with swirling, complicate emotions as she wiped it away with her thumb.

She froze solid as her eyes finally saw the first picture, old and slightly faded, but still bringing vivid memories to the surface. It was sunset in the picture. The bland, tan buildings surrounding a small, bare park. Underneath a single tree providing the only kind of shade, though sparse it may be, were two children.

One was a short boy with vibrant red hair that sat leaning up against the tree. Pale blue-green eyes surrounded with dark shadows from lack of sleep stood out from even paler skin. A collared tan poncho hung off his thin shoulders, arms sticking out from its depths. One hand lay on the ground, and the other rested on the arm of the small girl lying her head on his outstretched legs, and a gently smile tugging at his lips.

The girl wore old sandals, torn and worn from use on her even dirtier feet from playing all day in the sandy park. A tan, simple dress hung on the girl's shoulders from thick straps, also dirty from playing. The girl's eyes were closed in peaceful slumber, completely exhausted, but her lips were stretched in a small smile. She was using the boy's dark clothed legs as a pillow with a teddy bear held close to her chest.

She took a shuddering breath as she slipped that card behind the second. She couldn't keep the tears from running down her face as she took in the sight of the next photo. The same two children were the main focus once more. The same park decorated the background, but the lighting revealed it was midday. The children each had an arm around the other's neck, displaying toothy smiles for the camera.

She choked back a sob as she held the photos to her chest. She felt a hole in her chest as she felt the desperate need to have him near once more. They were both alone in that village, only having each other to connect and relate to. She always regretted running away, but after that night, it was her only choice. After seeing the slaughter in the burning room, she feared for his own safety.

She left her most precious person behind, and though she gained new people that care for her and she cared for them in return, they will never be the same as him.

They with never replace Gaara.

How was it? Again, sorry it was kind of a filler, but I had to get back into my rhythm before sending the gang to the Land of Waves. The next chapter is going to be the entire MISSION TO THE LAND OF WAVES Arc. So, being such a huge undertaking, I would love some REVIEWS, and though PMs are much appreciated, I would love it even more if they were posted as reviews!

REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER THAT IS THE WHOLE MISSION TO THE LAND OF WAVES ARC!