Kinda shortish, but I didn't want to include the next scene with Kurenai in this one. I'll leave that for later.


Breathe in, breathe out. Look left, look right. Up, down, behind, in front.

Ground myself. Recognize my surroundings. Get a hold of my bearings.

Her red eyes peered down at me as I lowered my center of gravity, one hand reaching out in front of me as for blocking purposes as my right hand clenched into a fist near my side. Sliding my left foot back, I brought in my left hand, clenching it into a fist as I threw my balance to my right, shifting across the grass as smoothly as an amateur was capable. My ninja sandals barely faced resistance as I swept my entire left side forward into a sharp straight, my breath escaping as soon as I launched it.

Then, without further ado, I fell back into my initial pose with my arms crossing diagonally across my chest. I swung my right foot back around and turned swiftly to look behind me, throwing a quick jab before drawing back, my right knee rising to meet the elbow of my right forearm to block a potential blow as my left fist tucked in next to my body. My right leg then extended as fast as it was able, a side kick immediately striking at my invisible enemy.

My heart pumped hard in my chest as I stared out across the field. I pulled my leg back, setting it firmly on the ground before drawing my left foot towards my right, my right hand instantly settling into my cupped left as I bowed deeply to my nonexistent opponent. I stood up fully, ready to begin the process all over again, when she raised a hand, stopping me.

"That's enough for today," Yuuhi-san – no, Kurenai, as she wanted to be called – informed me.

My chest rose and fell with each shallow breath I took and I'm sure an expression of incredulousness showed on my face.

"What?" I gasped out, bending over and setting my hands on my knees as I fought to catch my breath. "Already? I swear that I almost had it. We can't stop yet!"

Kurenai smiled. "While I appreciate your enthusiasm..."

Suddenly, the world crashed around me as my eyes flew open to see Kurenai sitting down seiza-style in front of me. Sweat poured down my face and I felt as if I'd run a marathon, instead of working out from within a genjutsu.

"...It's fairly late. It's time to wrap it up for today," she finished, looking somewhat tired herself for having operated such a genjutsu for the past three hours.

My eyes zipped left and right as I looked around me. Dusk had long since fallen and the two of us were indeed sitting in the early evening darkness with only an overcast moon for light and some darker hues of blue and purple out in the distance. I wiped my brow with the back of a hand, sighing softly as all of my adrenaline flew out of my body. Falling back against the grass, my right forearm draped over my face, I attempted to forget that Kurenai, contrary to her sweet, loving personality, was a fucking totalitarian dictator of an instructor.

"Are you all right?" I heard her ask.

"Oh, you know, just fine. I only feel like I've been kicked in the balls a few times."

"And how would you know how that felt?" she continued asking with a small snort of amusement.

"I can only imagine."

So, because I technically am not authorized to physically push myself, Kurenai came up with a solution that would allow me to train and learn basic forms and katas outside of the physical realm. So, from the moment she told me to sit on the ground and relax my body, the woman immediately thrust me into a genjutsu that was a complete copy to the world around me. While physically, I'd been sitting down Indian-style, staring blankly at her real self, my mental self was inside the genjutsu, learning how to punch, kick, block, and the first form of kata that all academy students learn.

While I wouldn't have muscle memory left over from the training, because my mind could recall every movement I made constantly without interruption, I could then apply that to real life as soon as I was cleared to train by her. I also hadn't been constrained by limits of endurance and stamina in the genjutsu, so I really was able to keep going and going as if I were a living Energizer Bunny. Kurenai had also implanted a part of herself in the genjutsu that would correct my every mistake calmly and collectively. She was, honestly, a very good teacher.

She was also a total bitch.

"I'm tired," I might say, to which she responded that I wasn't physically doing anything and that this was all within my mind. When I tried to argue that the mental scope of a person is also somewhat dependent on their physical capability, she replied that that theory was utter nonsense, and that if I actually had any intention of getting stronger, then I needed to separate my understanding of what I thought to be true with what was actually true. In other words, I needed to allow myself to forget the limits I'd personally set for myself as a normal human being and push past them, or I wouldn't get anywhere.

Kurenai said this all with a smile, and then made me do the same, boring punch on and on until she got bored. That's why I say that she's a dictator. She's nice about it, sure, but only the vindictive could take any joy in forcing a young girl to repetitively do the most boring movements over and over with a smile on their face. She was scary. There was nothing entertaining about a punch after the first two hundred times.

Maybe I was just being immature about it all. I did need to grow stronger, and this was a great way to do so. I don't know why I was whining.

Oh, wait, I know. Maybe because she spammed me with a fucking genjutsu? Yeah, that might be why.

I'd called it. I'd fucking called it.

Jesus Christ, this woman, man.

I shifted my gaze around to pass her a small glare, but she was frowning as she looked off in the distance. She then looked back at me kindly and finally stood up from where she'd been sitting for the past few hours. When she held out a hand, I took it without a word, and she hauled me up from where I laid.

"Let's get you home," Kurenai told me, and I only nodded in agreement.

As we left the training ground, the two of us initially walking quietly until we crossed the threshold back into town.

"Does it cost money to rent a training ground?" I asked, genuinely curious. I wasn't sure if it was a tally system, a pay forward system, a ledger system, or what.

"Not at all," she smoothly answered, eyes glancing back and forth as she took scope of all around us. "One merely needs to sign up for a specific placement, though each training ground is only given in order of importance or rank of the one seeking assignment. In other words, the Hokage would, of course, be granted favor first, and then the special corps, then jounin, chuunin, genin, and then academy students. It's simple enough, and I was lucky that I could secure somewhere, though this type of training can be done literally anywhere, so it wouldn't have been too much of a setback had I been denied the grounds."

"So," I persisted, "what if there's a team of genin that need space, but a group of ANBU are also vying for somewhere. Given that the ANBU are technically higher in capability, couldn't they essentially pursue their training anywhere?"

"No," Kurenai immediately said. "All things considered, you're right – ANBU should be able to train anywhere, but we cannot send them out of the village far enough from everyplace else for training in case of an emergency. It is unfortunate, but the genin team would need to wait for another available space to open up later."

I mulled that over a bit. In a way, I'd think ensuring that the kids might hold more importance because if they were unable to gain any real skill, then they were basically sitting ducks just in case of an attack on the village. ANBU had more resources to work with whereas the genin were at the bottom of the totem pole with nowhere else to go.

"What if it were a genin team full of clan kids versus a genin team of nameless people? Who would gain full rights first?"

Her red eyes turned to me, displaying a bit of amusement. "You're an inquisitive little thing, aren't you?"

"I'm just wondering if hierarchy has any real significance, or if it's dependent on the level of experience either team has, or how well fought the jounin is."

"It does," Kurenai answered slowly. "Unfortunately, should both jounin be equally qualified, then yes, hierarchy comes into play and the clan kids would receive first preference."

"Figures," I muttered. My questions really didn't have any kind of meaning now, but if I ever planned to train by myself in the future, I needed to be aware of the chances of receiving a space to do so within the village. I'd, of course, never be allowed to go outside without supervision, so that was a moot point. I didn't even bother questioning the fact.

Kurenai rubbed her fingers through my hair softly. "Now, if you don't mind, I've a few questions myself. May I?"

My body immediately stiffened as I grew wary of what she might ask. I knew she was concerned about Anko's and my relationship, but I wasn't sure I was really prepared to talk to her, or anyone else for that matter, about it.

"Depends," I finally responded.

Her eyes narrowed slightly but she didn't comment on my sudden defensive nature.

"Now, Anko has asked that I continue mentoring you to acquire the basics, and while I don't have any issues with doing so, I do wonder," she began, voice lowering as we continued walking, "what is to be gained from this?"

"Pardon?" This wasn't a particular line of questioning I'd prepared myself for.

She turned her gaze away, thankfully. "Were you an ordinary child, I wouldn't bother asking, but I've had to reconcile myself with the fact that you do not act five. In some ways, you most certainly do, but you ask questions no five-year-old has business caring about. It almost makes me wonder..."

She looked down at me again, suspicion obvious in her expression, and I stilled entirely. I forgot to continue walking and she also paused a few steps away from me, giving us both ample personal space.

"I wonder," she started again. "In the future, what do you hope to become? Why am I taking time out of my day to train you? What will this all lead to?"

"That's a fairly loaded question," I commented, evading what she'd asked. "It makes me wonder why you seem so suspicious of me."

Was this something we really needed to be discussing out in the street? Although, after having taken a real good look around me, there weren't many people walking about, so I supposed it was as safe as any.

"Are you afraid of me?" Kurenai asked in a low, somewhat deadly voice. "I pose no danger to you, Hotaru-chan."

Bullshit. I wouldn't even be able to run away if you thought I was a danger to anyone in this village.

A hand rising to settle at her hip, Kurenai stared down at me, her red eyes almost glowing. "Now, why don't you try answering the questions I've asked?"

"I-, I don't know what I want to be," I stuttered, much to my shame. I normally didn't frighten easily. "I would just like to get out of academy without getting myself killed by underage bullies."

"What appeals most to you? Power? Destruction? Knowledge? An ability to heal?"

"Survival," I muttered. "Plain and simple. If power grants me that, fine. If destroying something does, great. If knowledge supplies a means to staying alive, awesome. If I have to heal others to be healed, all right then. I don't have any particular preference."

Her eyes gleamed even more, and I felt something press down on me. Fear raced through my body like ice through my veins, and for a moment, I remember that the person in front of me was a seventeen-year-old chuunin, a woman who had dealt with much death and destruction herself, and was an up-and-coming kunoichi with a bright future ahead of her. It grew harder to swallow and I felt my chin lower slightly as I continued to make eye contact with her.

"Last question," Kurenai said, her voice no longer kind and caring. "Are you, or will you ever be, a danger to Mitarashi Anko? You are her sister, and thus I hesitate to ask, but unlike normal children, you rebuffed her kindness. Unlike any other lost sibling who would be overjoyed to be reunited with family, you looked at her as if she were a suspicious stranger, meant to be watched warily without any give whatsoever. What are your intentions towards her? Answer carefully."

I gritted my teeth. "I remember who she was before, and I can't help but continue to compare how different her present and past selves are. I don't have any ill intentions towards her, but I can't just accept her as if nothing happened. She was gone for two years. That's a significant amount of time when you're young, and more than long enough to become estranged from one another. I don't want to hurt her, but we can't act as if that rift isn't there."

She just stared at me before raising a hand in the form of a Ram seal. "You are not the five-year-old you claim to be, but your intentions seem pure."

With a flash, I found myself suddenly staring at the door to my apartment, beads of sweat running down my face as my heart beat rapidly. I slowly inched my gaze up to look at her standing right next to me as she knocked on the door. Kurenai spared me a small smile of reassurance.

"And I can work with that."

Another stab of fear sunk into my heart as the door opened to my tired-looking sister. Anko held the door open wide enough for me to shakily walk inside. I heard her and Kurenai exchange a few words as I walked into the living room, barefoot, my eyes staring at nothing as I recalled the conversation the red-eyed woman and I had just had. I slowly turned to look back towards the door, only to see Kurenai give me a gentle wave coupled with a smile.

"See you tomorrow, bright and early, Hotaru-chan."

My hands trembled as I considered what might be in store for the next day, but I saw Anko's eyes peering at me curiously. I forced my mouth into a shaky grin and waved back.

"Looking forward to it."

God, someone save me.

After shutting the door, my sister turned back to look at me, an eyebrow raised. "What's your deal?"

Kurenai's last words rang through my head and I shuddered again. "I'm experiencing a living nightmare."

That made her stop completely and just stare. Then, a corner of her mouth quirked up.

"Let me guess," Anko joked, her arms crossing across her chest. "She put you under a genjutsu for 'training'."

"It isn't funny," I muttered. Kurenai was unbelievably scary. And those questions... Was she on to me?

"No," Anko agreed, her smile fading. "It isn't. Kurenai would use a genjutsu for anything and everything if she could manage it and had the chakra to back her up. It's pretty frightening how she'll strike first and question the matter later."

Then she turned away, muttering, "And she wonders why she's still a chuunin..."

After a few moments, Anko sighed and cracked her neck a couple of times as she walked into the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator and looked inside, with me coming up behind her to stick my head in, too. She gave me a quick glance before breathing out slowly.

"Our stock's in a pretty sorry shape," Anko murmured.

It was, I agreed as I continued staring. Inside of our icebox, there were a couple of onions on the shelf, and half a container of orange juice, but I wasn't interested in having caramelized onions and orange juice for dinner. Anko opened the freezer and pulled out some chicken breasts, but frowned down at it.

"This may take some time to thaw."

"Just toast it with a fire jutsu."

"And potentially burn down the entire place?" she asked, bewildered. "I'm good, kid, but I ain't that good. I'll buy some green stuff to make a sandwich or salad or something tomorrow."

I took the chicken out of her hands and slid it onto a shelf before shutting the door. "So, what? We eat an imaginary dinner tonight?"

Anko frowned and rubbed her face with a hand. "Mmm... How's ramen sound?"

"Ramen?"

There was nothing wrong with ramen. I happened to like that kind of meal every so often, but Anko had never been too fond of it. I can literally count the number of times we've ever eaten the stuff on one hand, and that was including before the Kyuubi event. I didn't count the mess that Aniki always cooked up – I missed him dearly, but the kid had been capable of burning water.

She grimaced slightly. "Money's running a little tight this month. I'm not actively taking any missions, so I can only depend on what I get from my job at T&I. Sorry."

I shrugged a shoulder, smiling for her benefit. "Then, hey. I know just the place."

"It'd better not be expensive."

"...Oh, I sincerely doubt that will be a problem."

She narrowed her eyes and shrugged her shoulders. "Fine, whatever. I don't care. Let's just get there, finish, and come back home so we can get a good night's sleep. God knows I need one."

I walked back to the foyer to slip on my shoes again, Anko following right behind me, keys in hand. As soon as we were out and she'd locked the door, we both walked down the hall and out of the apartment building itself, heading down the steps and into the street.

"So, where is this place, then?" Anko asked, walking next to me, her eyes keeping watch ahead of us.

"I just know the name: Ichiraku."

She paused for a moment. "I've never –"

"Well, well, if it isn't my wonderful subordinate!"

Both Anko and I stopped and turned around to three men walking up behind us. One was tall and blond, another large and stocky, and the last was rather tall, sinewy, and raven-haired. Well, fuck me if I didn't know this famous trio.

The second Inoichi turned his gaze on me with a smile, I involuntarily took a step back, hiding slightly behind my sister.

"Crap, it's him again..."

Anko didn't say anything, though any hint of humor she'd had earlier had vanished clear off of her face, leaving her expression completely neutral. She regarded her superior before breaking eye contact by making a deep bow. To the other two, she nodded respectfully.

"Akimichi-sama. Nara-sama."

Akimichi Chouza guffawed as he slapped his large stomach, his face lighting up easily. "Now, now, there's no need for so much formality! We're all equals here!"

No, we're not. Besides, don't you guys have toddlers at home? Why are you out so late?

Nara Shikaku nodded back at my sister, acknowledging her greeting but saying nothing in return. Inoichi, much to my displeasure, never once shifted his gaze away from me, and instead took a couple of steps forward.

"So, where are the two of you off to?"

Anko lowered her gaze so as to not seem challenging. "Hotaru and I were about to go to a place called Ichiraku for dinner."

Inoichi frowned. "Ramen? That's not very heal–"

Chouza slapped a hand against the blond's back, pitching him forward a few steps, a bellow of laughter erupting from his mouth. "Sounds appetizing! Say, you wouldn't mind if we happened to join you? I wouldn't mind eating some ramen right now, and Ichiraku's one of the best places around!"

"We just ate," muttered Shikaku, not seeming pleased.

My sister hesitated only slightly. "We wouldn't want to impose on your time..."

"Nonsense!" Chouza loudly declared. "After all, we're the ones inviting ourselves! Come, come! Allow me to lead the way!"

The Yamanaka clan leader gave me another smile before falling in step with my sister as she grudgingly walked next to him. Whether because she didn't want to disrespect her superior, or because she didn't want to seem too unwilling, she never glanced back at me even once. I watched the three walk forward with mild disdain and annoyance. Tonight was supposed to be another night of bonding. Where the hell had these three even come from?

"Damn it, Yoshino's going to kill me," Shikaku muttered irritably, rubbing the back of his neck.

I glanced up at him once before walking ahead and leaving him behind. The clan leaders, even more so than the main characters, were definitely part of the few that I had no desire to be near. I was further annoyed when I realized that Shikaku had fallen in step next to me, his eyes focused on the road ahead. I stared up at him critically. Where did he hide all of that intelligence anyway?

"Keep staring all you like. It won't make me disappear anytime soon."

"Whether you disappear or not is none of my concern," I answered honestly, my face scrunching up as I continued staring up at him.

Ah, that's what was strange. He didn't have those two scars yet.

Shikaku passed me a glance. "Unless you have a reason to continue staring at me, knock it off, kid."

I chuckled. "If it bothers you so much, sir, you are free to move faster or slower at your own volition."

He frowned curiously at me, but then let the matter drop.

We arrived at the Ichiraku ramen stand about ten to fifteen minutes later, and I must say, I was starving by this point. I wondered if Anko would allow me two bowls if I could manage it.

Luckily there was enough space for all five of us to sit on stools, much to the owner's obvious pleasure. Unfortunately, and I don't know how this worked out, the Akimichi planted himself right in the middle between Anko and me, with Inoichi sitting next to her and Shikaku sitting next to me. I narrowed my eyes as I looked around Chouza down towards where Inoichi was sitting.

He'd wanted Anko separated from me for some reason, and she had apparently noticed. I could see the muscle in her jaw ticking as she grit her teeth together, but she made no sounds of opposition and just let things go as they were. My eyes narrowed further.

Inoichi was becoming a bit of a hindrance.

"Keep scowling like that and your face'll stay that way," Shikaku said as he looked at the walls to read the menu posted all around.

I ignored him, but he persisted:

"She isn't going anywhere. Just relax and think about what you want to eat."

My glare shifted over to him. "You're quite talkative for a genius tactician. I would've thought that you had too many thoughts roaming about your head for you to consider attempting normal conversation."

Shikaku cracked a smile. "Ah, so there's fire within her yet."

"Was your intention to rile me up?" I asked. The only irritation I felt right then had nothing to do with the Nara though, but was solely focused on the blond three seats away from me.

"If only a few words can rile you up, then I worry for your future."

"Then I suppose it's a good thing that my future has little to do with any of you."

I made as if to move off of my stool, but found myself completely immobile. I tensed my muscles, for the second time that day, another stab of fear hit me. What was with people using their techniques on me?

"Inoichi is just checking in for your benefit," Shikaku murmured softly enough that only I could hear him. "He wants to make sure Anko is treating you right."

I grit my teeth further. "He could just ask."

"Do you have something to hide?"

A frown stole across my face, and I stopped fighting. "Everyone has something to hide."

"Too true," he agreed. "Look, I'm going to release the jutsu. But you need to promise to stay right there. Don't interfere."

I wanted to glare at him, but couldn't do a single thing. "'Don't interfere'? Isn't that what you guys are doing?"

"More or less," Shikaku stated, pausing only to tell the owner his order. "We have our reasons though."

"Most do. That makes you no nearer to being right."

"Being 'right' is a matter of opinion," he countered, releasing his hold on the jutsu binding me.

I turned to him. "You can waste your opinions on someone else. You treat her like she's going to kill me."

Shikaku never bothered to look at me. "She very well might."

"So much for that camaraderie thing. If you can't trust someone who put her life on the line to come back, then it's a wonder that you manage to keep living at all. I thought everyone in Konoha was one big family."

"Even families have their black sheep," was all Shikaku said before I hopped off my stool.

I marched around Chouza and grabbed a hold of the back of Anko's flak vest, causing her to spin around with some alarm. Inoichi also looked back at me, surprised that I wasn't still at my booth. I saw him send a discreet, meaningful glance over at Shikaku, though I couldn't see how the latter might have replied.

"Hotaru," Anko said. "What are you doing?"

"I want to go home."

Both of her eyebrows raised. "I thought you were –"

"I, want, to go home," I persisted, tossing a glare at Inoichi, whose expression closed off some.

With that, I pulled even harder at her vest. She slid off of the stool and grasped my shoulders.

"Listen, Hotaru..."

"I want to go home."

"We just got here..."

I glared at Inoichi again. Unless he relinquished his control over her, she wouldn't feel comfortable leaving before him. Inoichi met my gaze once, looking at me with his complete attention before standing up and sitting on the stool where Anko had just been.

"I'll see you tomorrow at the office," Inoichi said, dismissing her with a short wave.

Anko stood up fully and bowed her head. "Of course, Yamanaka-san."

She turned away from the three men and led me away. We ended up getting takeout from a nearby restaurant before finally heading home together.

Inoichi was a thorn who was sticking his nose into family business, and Shikaku was a menace who was ready to put down a dog before understanding its true nature, only knowing it was a possible gateway to danger. My eyes hardened as I walked home next to Anko.

Yes, this was the world I currently lived in.


Now, let me be honest: I really do like the clan leaders. They were all kinds of awesome. But I feel like they'd pry into places best left untouched.