"This is boring." A spiky blond boy complained. "It's been like a month since Neji and Oryha left. Are they ever coming back?" The blond boy moped around in a circle. He was wearing a dark green tank top and dark green pants. He looked around 18 years old
"Naruto," said a girl with long pink hair. "Stop your complaining; it's annoying." The girl was wearing a pink short sleeve shirt and a black pair of capris. She looked around 18 as well. Next to her were another boy with black cockatoo-like hair and a blue shit with white capris on.
All of a sudden a man with white hair appeared before the three. "Hello, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke." He greeted them politely scaring Naruto a bit (he hasn't mature much). "What are you three up to today?"
"Nothing." Naruto groaned he sat down by a near by tree. "Ever since Neji and Oryha left it's been boring. Kakashi Sensei, why is it taking them so long to get back?" Naruto complained to the white haired man.
Kakashi looked then same just a bit older looking. "Oryha had a very important mission to do. Neji wanted to go to make sure nothing bad happened to her." Kakashi said. "Today we'll be train with Gai's squad. Come on they are waiting for us." Kakashi started to leave and Sakura and Sasuke followed.
Naruto crossed his arms across his chest and just pouted. "Why do we have to train with them again?" he complained. "It's just the same thing over and over again. Gai Sensei makes us run, you make up face against each other and in the end everyone's tired."
Kakashi stopped and turned toward Naruto with a happy look on his face. "That means you were doing our job on training you." Kakashi said. Naruto looked at him a bit surprise and then decided Kakashi was right and followed him to Gai's squad.
"Hello Kakashi," A man with a black coconut cut like hair and a green jump suit greeted. "Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, are you three ready to run with Lee and Tenten?" He asked with a smile. The three nodded slowly. "Good now all five of you today you will be 300 laps and after that sprint 100 laps." Everyone but a boy who looked like a younger Gai was upset and groaning. "Come on, be excited like Lee is." Gai said trying to influence everyone else. Everyone started running laps, all upset and unenthusiastic. "You keep running like that I'll make you run more laps." Gai threatened. Then everyone run like crazy. Gai smile and Kakashi got a little uneasy at Gai's threat.
"Gai," Kakashi said softly. Gai looked at Kakashi with an unsure look. "Are you ready?" Gai nodded and looked back at the students running their buts off. "What are you going to ask?"
Gai sighed and looked down. "Just how he is doing, then I want this to get delivered to him." Gai pulled out a scroll and showed it to Kakashi.
"I see," Kakashi replied glancing at the scroll. "So you wish to tell him some personal things?" Gai nodded and both looked as the students continued running and panting. "I want to ask her something." Kakashi simply said. Gai looking questionably at Kakashi wondering what he wanted to ask. "I want to ask her if she has chosen her path." Kakashi said with a solemn voice. Gai agreed and started to wonder the same thing.
"Naruto's right." Gai broke the silence between them. "This village is boring without Neji and Oryha. It seems like each day is the same, nothing really changes." Gai looked up at the sky and continued. "It's like time just stood still."
Kakashi crossed his arms across his chest and nodded. Gai sat down and continuing watching as the students finished their 100th lap. Then suddenly a gust of wind came from behind them. The two Senseis stood straight up and turned around to see some one who looked familiar. They noticed it was Oryha as she walked toward them. "Hello Oryha Uchiha." The two Senseis said together.
"Hello Kakashi Sensei, Gai Sensei." Oryha greeted with a bow. "I assume you know why I'm here." Both Kakashi and Gai nodded. "Good then I want you both to understand what has happened on our mission so far." Oryha explained everything to Gai and Kakashi. From Neji becoming a shinigami to entering the soul society to him training with his zanpakutou's soul, Tasulala. "Do you understand what I just explained to you?" Oryha asked sternly.
"Shinigami, Soul Society, zanpakutou soul?" Gai repeated. He rubbed his head and sat down from all the information that was running into his head. Kakashi just closed his eyes and crossed his arms. "What is a shinigami? Where is this Soul Society? What exactly is a zanpakutou soul?" Gai asked looking up at Oryha. Kakashi opened his eyes and gave Oryha a glance saying he wanted to know the same thing.
Oryha sighed heavily. "A shinigami is what I am now. That is why I look different. This is was my soul looks like. Shinigami are souls that save people from hollows and send other souls to Soul Society. The Soul Society is a place for shinigami and souls to live. The shinigamis live in the center of Soul Society and the souls live in the out skirts. Right now as we speak Neji is training will hard inside the center of where the shinigamis live." Gai and Kakashi nodded signaling that they understood and were on the same tracks as she was. "Zanpakutous are swords that soul reapers have that destroy hallows and send souls to Soul Society. Zanpakutous have souls inside of them. Each soul allows that individual zanpakutou has a certain ability only it can do. A zanpakutou's soul is determine by it wielder's soul. Neji's zanpakutou's soul is Tasulala and that is all I know about her, besides that she is a little girl with faire wings."
"I see." Kakashi muttered. "So Neji has been through two life treating challenges and is now going through his third." He looked at Gai. "You student has guts, Gai." He complimented. "Either that or his soul reaper form must not have his brains." He said imminently right after.
Gai got angry at the comment and started yelling at Kakashi. The students stared at the two while still running. Gai cleared his throat. "You best concentrate on your running. You won't go home until you have not only completed my train but Kakashi's also." Gai warned and the students ran faster. They were probably of their 160th lap by now.
"Some times I wonder." Oryha muttered she walked passed Gai and Kakashi to oversee the students run. "Why this village is never attacked by hollows? Everyone in this village can see ghosts and shinigamis but never realize it because they look the same as a real life person only dead. Hollows would love a village like this yet, none are here." Oryha glance back at Gai and Kakashi. "I guess that is one question I can never find out." She sighed and walked out of view of the Naruto and the others. Gai and Kakashi looked at one another and nodded.
"Oryha," Gai said to get her to look at him. "Both me and Kakashi have one thing to ask you about." Oryha nodded and waited for Gai to ask it.
"Have you decided?" Kakashi asked. Oryha looked at him with confusion. "We know you use to live in the Soul Society and that you use to be a shinigami and love it. But we also know you love your parents, the life you have here in Konohagakure, and that you love everyone here." Oryha looked at Gai who had a kind look on his face. "So Oryha, have you decided if you're going to stay in Soul Society or here in Konohagakure?"
Oryha fell to her knees and stared at the ground. She forgot about everything that was here. Then she recalled what Urahara had asked her just before she left for training of her own to go to the Soul Society while he got Neji to become a shinigami. "So Miss Oryha, why are you going back to the Soul Society? Is it to get your old life back?" It rang in her head. 'Why did I go back?' she questioned in her head. 'Was it to get my old life back? I told him I would think about it when the time comes, I guess now is that time.' Oryha stood back up a little unstable at first. "Thank you Gai sensei, Kakashi sensei." She said with a sweet smile. Gai and Kakashi just looked at her completely lost. "I forgot to think of what path I would choose once this is over. But thanks to you two I can now start thinking of why I wanted to go back and why I allowed everything that happen to Neji happen. Thank you very much." Oryha bowed down to them and turned away.
"Wait." Gai called out. Kakashi stared at the Naruto and everyone else to make sure they were still running. "Please, Oryha, give this to Neji." Gai grabbed Oryha's hand and placed a scroll, the one he showed Kakashi earlier, in the palm of her hand and closed her fingers tightly around the scroll. "Tell it's from me and that I hope he returns safely."
Oryha glanced at the scroll then at Gai and nodded. "I'll make sure he receives this personally." Oryha assured. Gai walked towards Kakashi to watch over Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, Lee and Tenten running their 303rd lap. "Oh I almost forgot." Oryha remembered and walked over the Kakashi and Gai. They both turned to and faced her. "The Third Hokage asked me to relay a message to you before I left." Gai and Kakashi glared at one another then at Oryha. "He said that you two along with everyone else in the village that he hopes you are doing a good job keeping Konohagakure alive and in good hands." Gai and Kakashi smiled at the message. "He also said," Oryha continued she walked to watch Naruto, Sasuke and everyone else running. "He wanted to one day be allowed to see the day everyone's dreams come true, especially Naruto's."
There was moment of silence between the three. Then Naruto looked up and saw Oryha and screamed, "Hey look Oryha's back." Everyone looked and saw her as well. Then all of a sudden all five run so fast that they finished the rest of their 500 lap run along with 100 lap sprint quickly. Gai, Kakashi and Oryha were all surprised on how fast they finished theirs laps and still had the breath to say hi to Oryha. "Hey Oryha," Naruto panted. "Where's Neji?"
Oryha smiled as everyone was around her, greeting her but they all asked where Neji was. "Neji and I still haven't finished our mission." Oryha explained. "Right now Neji is going through his second dangerous training. I am only here to give Kakashi and Gai an update on our position." Oryha glanced and the two senseis. "And it's a good thing I did." Oryha tucked Gai's scroll for Neji inside a pocket inside her jacket. "I'm sorry I have to go at such a time but I have other matters that I must attend to." Oryha politely said and walked away pass everyone.
"Wait," Naruto called out and ran toward her. He placed a hand on Oryha's shoulder. "When can we expect you two to come home permanently?" he asked.
Oryha glanced over her shoulder. "You can expect Neji to return in at least two weeks from now." She answered.
"What about you?" Sakura asked as she walked toward Oryha and Naruto.
"I'm not sure." Oryha replied. She turned her glance away from Naruto. "I'm not sure if I am going to return with Neji or not. But you will know when Neji returns." She said. "So in case I don't return good bye." Oryha looked at everyone and started to look like she was going to cry. She hugged Naruto and he hugged her back. "I'm going to miss you the most Naruto. Out of everyone here, you were always to one with the positive attitude and the one who always chased after his dream no matter what. That is what I like most about you." She hugged Naruto tighter and he gazed at her with sadness and sympathy. Everyone gazed at the two as they looked like they were going to cry. Oryha pulled away from Naruto. "If I decide to come back you will be one of the reasons why. Never change who you are." She kissed Naruto on the check. "Good bye." She whispered in his ear and he turned a light shade of pink.
Oryha walked away once again. She stopped after walked twenty feet away and looked over her shoulder to see seven sad or disappointed faces looking back at her. She sighed heavily and disappeared. A gust of wind passed by everyone after she left. Naruto looked at the ground and looked like he was going to cry. Sakura went up to comfort him. She gave a comforting hug but Naruto broke out of it and walked up a little and screamed up to the sky. "I will one day become the greatest ninja ever then I will become the next Hokage, I promise you that, Oryha." Everyone looked at Naruto with a smile. Naruto turned toward everyone are grinned. "What are we waiting for? We won't achieve anything by just standing here." Lee and Sasuke nodded and Tenten and Sakura smiled at Naruto's comment.
"Are you sure you want to continue?" Kakashi asked to Naruto. Naruto nodded with a serious look on his face. "Alright, but I just want to tell you one thing." Everyone looked toward Kakashi. "If you ever plan on catching up with the training Neji has been doing, you all must put forth you hardest and most serious effort. Do you all understand? If one of you slacks off everyone will suffer." Kakashi said in a serious tone.
"The same goes for me." Gai added. "Our training methods will get more serious and tougher. Are you all sure you can endure it all?" Gai asked also in a serious tone.
Naruto glared at Sakura and everyone else. They all nodded. Naruto walked up to Gai and Kakashi. "We all agree. We want to train just as hard as Neji is. We will endure anything you two send our way." Naruto said confidently.
Kakashi and Gai exchange glances. "All right Naruto; let's begin your new training." Kakashi said. Naruto and Sasuke both got a slight grin on there face. Lee looked serious and both Sakura and Tenten were a smidge unsure of what might their new training program has in store for them.
As everyone followed Kakashi and Gai, Oryha watched them from a form off tree. "I know you will become a great ninja one day." She said to herself. "And I'm sure that one day you will also become the next Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki." She vanished from the tree after smiling as the now confident group vanished from her sight.