Disclaimer: Naruto, you were almost mine...if your true owner hadn't caught me cheating in the card game!


In the last chapter: Tsunade made her decision by telling Sasha that if no shinobi records about her were found, then she would die for her crimes. Sasha now carries this dread around only to add to it when she realizes that Kakashi will wake up the next day and that the ANBU will also come after her when she is unprepared. Deciding to live alone until they find her records, Sasha soon had a mental battle with an unknown voice. The voice said that it had a plan for today, but not to forget that Kakashi is also due to wake as well...

Mysterious Voice - refers to when a mysterious voice speaks to Sasha

Inner Sakura - refers to when Inner Sakura is speaking

Thoughts/Flashbacks - refers to when the character is thinking or having flashbacks


A finger twitched, eyelids fluttered open, and he sat up in his bed. He looked around the hospital room, curious about what had happened during his battle with the village's newest enemy. From what he could remember, he had successfully injured her with his kunai before falling unconscious. He could feel his anger and hatred seething deep inside of him, wanting her dead.

Her. The sand ninja that went by the name of Sasha Tsumane, the one who probably posed the greatest threat in all of the five nations, the one who desired to destroy the recuperation of the Hidden Leaf Village. He could already feel his hands itching for the handle of a kunai, for the blood of the one who had nearly killed him. But that would have to wait.

He pulled on his freshly laundered clothes, which were now free of blood, and strapped his kunai holster to his leg. He would have to alert the Hokage of her danger, and then he could track her down and deal with her. Once his shinobi headband was put in its proper place, he leapt out of the open hospital window with determination.

After three days, Kakashi Hatake was finally awake, and with him had awoken something else…something that he had not been acquainted with since the days of being an ANBU black op. The lust to kill

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Sasha panted just as she felt sweat trickle down the side of her face. Her right arm was hurting even more than the day before, and that was because she was doing over four hundred eighty one-armed pushups!

"This is your way of having fun?" She said to herself as she tried to make it to the five hundred mark. She could hear the voice chuckling inside her head as she struggled.

Why not? Training is always fun, because you get to push yourself past your limits. Personally, I think that you really need to do more laps than pushups since your speed is starting to drop a little.

"Oh just shut up, will you?" Sasha groaned as she did the next few pushups. "Four hundred eighty-eight…four hundred eighty-nine…four hundred ninety…"

Earlier that morning, she had taken precautions to insure that no one, not even the ANBU or Kakashi (she knew that he would come after her when he woke up that morning), would be able to compare her to her other self. She had dyed her hair a dark brown and had set it into a braid that fell all the way to her waist, this time. She used the transforming jutsu to make herself appear shorter, along with brown eyes instead of her turquoise ones. After figuring that her usual outfit with the trench coat-like jacket would only draw attention, she changed into her training attire. Her training uniform consisted of ankle-length pants, her mesh top underneath a baggy robe that fell to her hips, and her black ninja sandals. Bandages were wrapped around both of her arms for some unknown reason, probably because they cushioned her hands a bit. Sasha's headband had also been changed; a genjutsu now covered only the Sand crest and replaced it with the Leaf crest instead. So if anyone saw her training and asked for her identification, they would only think that she was a lowly Genin training for something. Sasha felt her anger spark.

Genin. She despised that word, let alone the real thing. Genin were pathetic excuses for shinobi since they were only beginners, and Chunin were the same. They knew no special techniques that could kill in one silent movement, they could not move so quick that it looked like they were not moving at all, and they most certainly could not tell the difference between right and wrong missions. Would the assassination of a single village be wrong if it would save the lives of the other hidden villages? Would the death of your closest friends be wrong if it could save the village from disaster? Would the murder of your family, with you being the executioner, matter more than the destruction they could bring upon the entire world? The answer was no. Your duties to your village came first if you were a ninja…your life came last.

"Four hundred ninety-six…four hundred ninety-seven…four hundred ninety-eight…" Her arm felt like it was on fire and was about to burst any minute, but she was not going to give up any time soon. She never backed away from a challenge, no matter how dangerous it was. To be a Tsumane meant that you had to complete any assignment that was thrown at you, or risk the dishonor of the family name. "Four hundred ninety-nine…just one more…one more…five hundred!"

Sweat ran down the side of her face. "…But why stop there? I'll do another five hundred. Five hundred one…five hundred two…" she was stopped by a loud cheer that was coming from nearby.

"Amazing! So we are not the only ones who enjoy the Springtime of Youth after all! We may have found another passionate fighter, Lee!"

"Yes, Gai-sensei! Your youthful eyes have helped us to spot a fellow fighter!" another voice chimed in.

Sasha looked up to find the boy from the yesterday looking right at her, the one named Rock Lee. Beside him was another man dressed in the exact same attire; green suit, legwarmers, and all; and that made her wonder if he was this kid's father. The man also wore an unzipped Jounin vest, the same one that Kakashi Hatake wore.

"Well, hello there. Do I know you, by chance?" the man asked with a smile that made his teeth shine the same way as his student's.

Sasha did her best not to laugh at his outfit and replied, "No, I don't think so. You see, I'm a new Genin and was just waiting for my team to…" But the man cut her off.

"Ahh, new youth springs up so fast. I can still remember the days of my youth…" he said dramatically, which made Sasha feel stupid to even stand next to him. "Oh, forgive my rudeness. I am Gai Maito, teacher to Team Gai, rival to Kakashi Hatake, the Green Beast of the Leaf Village!"

Sasha mentally laughed as she pictured Kakashi and this guy sparring. If she were the one who was fighting against him, she thought she would die of laughter of his appearance! Not that Rock Lee looked bad in the outfit; he actually looked good, except for his thick eyebrows that took up almost a sixth of his face.

"If I may ask, what is your name my fellow passionate youthful fighter?"

And if I may ask, do you really need to add the words 'youth' and 'passion' to everything you say? Sasha thought as she quickly tried to make up a name.

You got me. Personally, this guy sounds stupider than he looks, and that's a fact. By the way, do you REALLY think that kid looks better in the suit than this idiot? They look exactly the same to me, maybe even in smarts.

Shut up, already. Help me pick a name. I can't wander around the village with the same name, and you know Kakashi will wake up today. It'll be easier to find me if we use my original name, so start choosing.

"Uh…my name? My name is, ummmm…" Sasha stalled as she quickly thought of a name.

Damn it, kid, use your head! Use that 199+ I.Q. brain of yours! Hell, you can think up strategies for attacks but you can't even think of an alias? What the hell kind of ninja are you?!

"My name is Sa…" Aiiii!!! You must have an I.Q. of minus 10 if you are thinking of even using your real name! Did you forget what you told me seconds ago, about Kakashi finding us?! You're even stupider than I am at times! Goddamn you, Sasha!!

"My name is Saisha," Sasha said quickly while cursing the voice that was giving her a really bad headache.

I'M giving you a bad headache?? I think you got your priorities mixed up here. We're supposed to be thinking of a good name, not your original name that has an extra letter in it!!

"Saisha, huh?" Gai said thoughtfully, his hand on his chin, "Your name is perfect for you. It brings out your youth and passion for the lifestyle of a shinobi! Right, Lee?"

Lee stood at attention and bowed to her. "Yes, Gai-sensei. Her name is what ignites her flames of passion, but she does not seem to have the strength for fighting."

The last comment he made struck a nerve. So, he thought that she didn't have what it took to fight? Did he think of her as a weakling, maybe a genin? She may have been posing as a genin, but in truth, she was far more advanced than anyone thought.

"Hey, if you think I'm weak," she said, her bangs shadowing her eyes, "Then I challenge you in a taijutsu match right now!"

Lee looked clueless while Gai just laughed heartily. Sasha did not know what the big deal was.

Maybe they're trying to fool with us. Let me take them down for you. I need a workout anyway.

Gai finally answered, "Saisha, do you not know? Lee is a Taijutsu Master like I am, and has never been defeated by anyone in taijutsu matches. You do not stand a chance against Lee!"

Sasha was about to protest when two voices interrupted her. They revealed themselves to belong to another boy from the day before and a girl she was sure was Chinese.

"Hey, Gai-sensei!" The boy called to his sensei, "We were supposed to train together today. What happened?" He seemed to be around Lee's age, with long brown hair that ran down his back and was tied in a rubber band. Bandages were wrapped around his right arm and leg. His clothing consisted of a short-sleeved jacket with a high collar, and black shorts. His eyes were the most intriguing: milky-white and pupil less. A black headband was tied around his head.

The girl, on the other hand, wore black ankle-length pants and a sleeveless pink shirt with red on the edges. Her hair was tied up in two buns on either side of her head and a headband with the Leaf Village symbol on it was tied around her head as well.

"Oh, Neji, Tenten!" Gai said while waving merrily. "Come meet someone who has just become a Genin!"

Sasha felt a nerve pop when she heard him call her a Genin. The boy, Neji, turned to her and gave a formal bow while glaring at her with his eyes. The girl called 'Tenten' smiled and shook her hand. "Nice to meet you!"

Gai then said, "Now, Saisha, what was it that you wanted to tell me?"

Kid, I have something to tell you! The voice said quickly. You see those eyes on that kid? Those are the eyes of the great Hyuga Clan, known as the Byakugan! I have a plan, and it concerns him. Tell clown-face something to make the challenge more INTERESTING.

No problem. I was already thinking of this when I first saw him.

"Well, I challenge Lee to a taijutsu match today!" She said while hoping that Neji would take those eyes away from her. They were really starting to creep her out. In fact, her request only made him angry.

"What are you thinking?" He said angrily, "Do you think you can actually defeat Lee in TAIJUTSU?? He is undefeatable! If you are saying that you can beat him, then try your luck against me!"

Tenten joined in the argument. "That's right! If you're going to fight against Lee and Neji, then count me in as well!"

Gai looked positively cheerful. "Well then! How about this, Saisha? You must fight everyone on my Genin team in order to prove your youthful desire! I think this is the way it should be! Now, what time?"

"Tomorrow." Everybody turned to look at Neji. "We cannot start today because we need rest and practice, plus we need to stock up on supplies. This challenge will last three days. Tomorrow she will challenge Tenten; if she wins, then she may move up to the day after tomorrow to challenge me. If she beats me, then she may finally get the chance to fight Lee on Friday."

Sasha had to admit, the kid was a genius. So she would fight the Chinese girl tomorrow, and she still had to find out what her strengths were.

"Oh! Oh! How about we hold a quick preliminary match right now?" Tenten suggested, but Neji shook his head.

"No. We cannot give her time to form a strategy against our strengths. You will get your chance tomorrow, Tenten. Now if anyone cares, I'm leaving." And with that, he took off towards the village.

Everybody else followed suit except for Gai. He simply stayed behind to wish her luck before he took off as well. With them gone, Sasha resumed her morning training.

I have to get fit. I can't be at my weakest while fighting that girl tomorrow.

No problem, kid. I'll cover for you if you get tired. Besides, when was the last time you let me out to have fun? When was the last time I actually held a kunai in my own hands?

No. You're too dangerous to release. Besides, Maru, it won't take long to defeat her. Soon, the power of the Byakugan shall join the others.


After meeting Team Gai and establishing a challenge against them, Sasha trains harder than ever. She is determined to show Lee that she excels in taijutsu...but is that true? Even better, will she manage to survive in the battle with Tenten first? Also, will Sasha also be able to avoid Kakashi's rage? Read it when it comes...'Senbon Cyclone Embedment v.s. Rising Twin Dragons'. I am dying for some reviews, people!

Teaser: 'Damn it,' Sasha thought as she flung another senbon at the girl, who immediately threw another kunai to counter it, 'This girl just won't give up! Every needle I throw ends up being countered; she's got some excellent aim, I'll give her that. But how to hit her directly while pushing away her other attacks...Ah-ha! Got it.'

She threw another needle as another kunai hit it. Sasha then got into her weapon throw stance. It was time to use her ultimate weapon technique...Senbon Cyclone Embedment...