Kushina slowly traced her fingers over the emblem as her long-forgotten memories came flooding forth. Growing up, she had see this same design on the hitai'ite of the self-proclaimed shinobi in her village. They were no hidden village, and most of the shinobi had hailed from Water--where treaty dictated their presence in the small country. Her mother had been one of those shinobi who had emigrated to the Land of Whirlpools.

Her father had been born in the village—one of the largest in Whirlpool—and her mother had been a jonin in the Land of Water--an allied nation to the thriving country. In her mid-teens, Kushina's mother had been assigned to the tiny village, in hopes of continuing the long established training of Whirlpool shinobi for Kirigakure's quickly expanding military. She had easily captured the Uzumaki heir's eye upon his joining the ranks stationed in the village. He had been a late starter, but had quickly flown through the standard ranks. He had been one of the few who eagerly desired to provide aid and protection for the village. In time, the redheaded Water shinobi had fallen for Kushina's father, deciding to remain posted in the village. Soon after, Kushina was born. Her mother had ultimately asked for temporary leave from her duties--something frowned upon in the ninja world. Due to close connections--mostly by blood--to some powerful lords, she had been granted a reprieve, given that war was not on the horizon. Kushina could vaguely remember moving to a much more rural area as a child, perhaps in her mother's attempt to avoid being found and pressured into returning to Kirigakure—where their forces were rumored to be growing more blood thirsty and power-hungry.

Eventually, Kushina and her parents settled into the quiet, daily life in some off-set abstinent village in Whirlpool. Her father had helped establish shinobi training for the young men and women who wanted to help provide an income for the village by undertaking various, lower-ranked missions in surrounding countries. The elder Uzumaki had even begun teaching his daughter how to control her own chakra, which was wind-based much like his own. It was during that time that some of the shinobi began donning unofficial hitai'ite--much like the one Kushina was holding in her trembling hands.

It was a sign of their accomplishment as a small, oft-overlooked nation.

It was a sign of their pride as a minute, powerless nation.

A nation that no longer existed due to the ravages of a senseless and unfounded war. A nation that was not protected by Kirigakure as the treaties had promised. No, the Land of Water had abandoned their allied country, much to the horror of those who had sacrificed much to their powerful nation. Even their own were killed on Whirlpool soil.

That emblem was a sign of their pride.

Pride.

Futile pride. Her village never gave up. Even in the end. She, like her extinct heritage, would never give up until the end.

It would be her ninja way.

Kushina watched the etched lines blur as tears filled her eyes. How had they ever managed to give her such a gift?

"Do you...do you like it, Kushina?" Asuma asked, standing on his toes and peering into the gift box.

His eyes darted from her to his father, unsure as to whether Kushina was shedding tears of happiness or of sadness. Kushina sniffled softly, willing her tears to disappear. She reached into the box, carefully pulling the forehead protector from its package. She smiled as the light glinted off of the new metal.

"You did good, Squirt," she whispered softly. She reached out and tousled his hair.

"Hey!" Asuma pouted, despite smiling proudly at his meaningful gift.

"How did you ever think of this?" she asked, glancing from Asuma to the Hokage and his wife.

Kushina assumed that his parents had given him the idea, of course. Asuma was far too young to remember the existence of her village or its symbol. He most likely didn't even remember how she had come to live in the Mansion with his family.

"Actually," Lady Sarutobi smiled, her hand settling on her abdomen as she glanced at Hiruzen, "it was Minato's idea."

"Eh?" Kushina asked, pulling a face.

Her nose wrinkled and one side of her mouth twitched upward as she instinctively held the forehead protector at arm's length after hearing his name. It dangled between her thumb and forefinger as she glared at it. She was suddenly was not as touched by Asuma's gift. It reeked of Namikaze Minato—something she disliked very, very much.

"Why the hell would he help find a gift for me?" She shot the offending hitai'ite another hate-filled look as Asuma balked at her reaction. He had thought it was a good idea...

"Don't know," Hiruzen shrugged, smiling as he sucked on his pipe. Puffs of smoke lazily billowed toward the ceiling.

"Asuma had apparently been wandering through the village, and he had run into Minato," Lady Sarutobi began to explain, smiling knowingly as she gestured toward the gift. "And this is what he had come up with, even paying for half of it."

Her smile was so sweet that Kushina shuddered. "Great, way to ruin a good present, that good-for-nothing pieces of sh--"

"Kushina!" Lady Sarutobi tsked warningly, glancing toward Asuma.

Her caution-filled look was full of purpose, reminding Kushina that the gift's impact on her also meant something to another person. Kushina followed her foster mother's glance, her own heart sinking as she realized that Asuma had been proud of his gift—even if it hadn't been entirely his idea. She wanted to burn the hitai'ite just knowing Minato had anything to do with choosing it. Though, even with feelings of spite, part of her wondered how such a brash young man could come up with such an innocently sweet and thoughtful gift. Maybe he did have a heart, after all....

"Well? Ya like it?" Asuma looked at her, his eyes wide with hope after Kushina flashed her trademark grin.

"Of course," she promised, taking the black fabric between her fingers. She tied it around her forehead, smiling and giving a thumbs up. "How's it look?"

"You look like a chunin," Hiruzen gruffly replied between puffs.

"Thanks, Old Man!" Kushina chirped, as Asuma giggled.

Hiruzen's face turned pink, contrasting his chestnut colored hair. His wife took the initiative, interrupting the dispute that was about to take place. "We also have something for you."

"Huh? There's more?" Kushina's mouth fell open in shock. "But this is more than enough! Plus, you feed me!" she pointed out incredulously.

"Well, consider it an early birthday gift, then," the older woman smiled softly. She immediately revealed two neatly-wrapped packages, handing the smaller to Kushina.

The redhead took it between unsure fingers, swiftly untying the knot and lifting the lid from the box. She gasped as she saw what was inside. It was an orange jacket, folded so the back was the first thing she set her eyes on. Emblazoned on it was her family crest.

Uzumaki.

It was a symbol of a dying breed—one of which she was the sole survivor. For the second time that night, her eyes began to water.

"H-how?" her voice was hoarse as she croaked the question. She had nothing in her possession that held her family crest.

"Eh, some of the former refugees had helped," Hiruzen waved his hand dismissively.

He disliked seeing Kushina upset, even if he never admitted it. The kage had taken it upon himself to send his secretary to seek out the emigrants, asking them about the crest of the family. He had been surprised to hear of their prodigy: both parents promising shinobi who died protecting their village. He squinted as he examined the young girl, wondering what prodigy she would reveal to Konoha. Some days, he considered her prodigy to be sheer stupidity and immaturity.

Village idiot, he thought smugly to himself. He would save that insult for a later debate. He felt a tiny twinge of pride at the cleverness of his anticipated retort.

Kushina pulled the lightweight jacked from the box, quickly putting it on. She craned her neck to try to see the symbol on her back.

"How does it look?" she asked, her grin wide.

"You look like an Uzumaki from the Whirlpool," Hiruzen chuckled.

"Good," Kushina nodded, feeling slightly proud of her heritage. Somewhere, she knew her parents were smiling upon her. She carefully removed the jacket, lovingly folding it and laying her forehead protector over it, all the while smiling to herself.

"Well, aren't you gonna wear it for tomorrow?" Asuma asked, peering over her shoulder.

"Tomorrow?" Kushina echoed, her heart pounding as she remembered that the exams started in the morning. "Why would I wear this for an exam?"

"Well, for good luck. That'd be a start," Hiruzen smirked. Kushina shot him an icy blue stare.

"And because that's who you are!" Asuma pointed out smartly.

Kushina stared at him, incredulous at his heartfelt response. He had grown so much in the past few years. She had no doubt that he would bring much pride to the Sarutobi clan one day. And she would be one of the proud observers of his achievement.

She nodded her affirmation. "Right. If you say so, Asuma--"

"I do!" he furrowed his brow authoritatively, slamming his fists onto his hips.

"Then it's done," she reached out a hand for him to shake. He returned the gesture, shaking firmly.

"Deal," she smiled.

"Deal."

"Oh, you have one more, dear," Lady Sarutobi handed her the larger package.

Kushina eyed it with interest, having an idea that Asuma's mother had personally chosen this gift. The bright pink bow was her first hint, the second was the floral wrapping paper. She quickly opened the package, her face blanching a the deep mauve kimono inside. Cobalt and sage-colored flower petals dotted the fabric.

Oh no, she inwardly groaned. Not this!

"I hope you like it, Kushina," Lady Sarutobi's face lit up with pride. "I think it's a beautiful color on you, even if you disagree."

Kushina forced a smile upon her face as she daintily pulled the fabric from its encasement. She had to admit, it was much darker pink than Lady Sarutobi usually chose for her. Despite the intent, Kushina couldn't help the sneaking, gagging feeling that was mounting in the back of her throat. She had to keep telling herself to refrain from offending her foster parents, as they could easily take back the two gifts she had already received. Those two, she definitely wanted to keep.

"I-It's p-p-pretty," she practically spat the words, her mouth watering with nausea.

"I was hoping you would like it. You can wear it to the next ceremony," Lady Sarutobi pointed out excitedly.

Kushina immediately felt guilty for her agonizing thoughts. It was only a color! Why did she have to give the older woman such a difficult time about wearing a color. If it made Lady Sarutobi happy, why shouldn't Kushina go the extra mile to appease the woman?

She looked up, meeting the older woman's approval-seeking glance. Kushina momentarily swallowed her pride, masking her hopeless disdain with a mischievous grin. Just this once.....

"I hope you don't expect me to wear this to the exams!"

***

***

When her alarm went off, Kushina had already been awake for hours. She had barely slept that night, her anxiety getting the best of her. Team Five had prepared the best they could, but she still felt nervous about the upcoming test. She didn't know what to expect from this exam, and part of her was slowly deciding that being a genin forever really wasn't that bad of an idea. Now, she only had to get Ken and Arashi to agree....

She rubbed her puffy eyes, forcing herself from the warm bed. She could smell breakfast cooking, and she knew that Lady Sarutobi was already preparing something for Kushina's 'Big Day'--as she affectionately called it. The phrase made Kushina grimace. It sounded more like impending doom than a well-deserved feat—as if she were getting married or something equally disturbing to her teenage mind.

Breakfast had passed by quietly, ending with a few encouraging words from both Hiruzen and his wife. Hiruzen had patted her on the shoulder, reminding her that everyone had managed to make it through these exams, giving Kushina a sliver of hope. Asuma had shook her hand, quickly deciding a hug was in order.

"Don't die!" he yelled as she slowly trudged from the mansion, her face pale with fear.

Arashi and Ken were waiting for her near the Academy, both looking equally worse for wear. They wordlessly acknowledged her before setting off for their examination site. She cast nervous glances at her teammates, wondering if now would be the time to ask about backing out...

"You look like a sad bunch!" a male voice chuckled from behind them. The three genin turned to find their sensei lounging on a low-hanging tree branch

"Look who it is," Ken muttered sarcastically.

"Coming to wish us well on our deaths?" Kushina sighed, feeling more hopeless than usual. Even Ken's sad attempt at humor didn't help her feel better.

"Whoah? Is this negativity coming from Uzumaki?" he asked, disappearing from the tree and reappearing a few meters from his team.

Kushina scowled darkly, her mouth shut tight. Ken and Arashi avoided Hitoshi's gaze, both feeling the pressure of what today would bring.

"Who's going to fail?" their team leader asked, angling his head and studying the three genin from the corner of his eye. "The first part is the easiest."

"Says you," Ken rolled his eyes. Kushina subtly nodded her agreement. Even Arashi was uncharacteristically silent in response to their sensei's encouragement.

"Look, you three," Hitoshi laid a hand on both Ken and Kushina's shoulder. "Have faith in yourselves. You are stronger than you think. Use your heads,and you'll be fine. And most of all, trust one another."

He offered them an uncharacteristic grin. "Besides, if I didn't think you were prepared, I wouldn't have submitted your names."

"Wait, just wanting to participate wasn't enough?" Kushina eyed him suspiciously, "You had to OK us to participate? What about our months of training? Would that have been for nothing if you decided that we weren't ready?"

"Yup, sounds right," Hitoshi straightened himself, a small frown on his lips as he tapped his chin thoughtfully. Kushina could see his poor attempt at hiding the grin that was threatening to reveal itself. Before it could break free, the jonin forcefully spun both Kushina and Ken around, pushing them in front of him.

"Now get going, and quite bitching!" he barked, hoping to snap them into form.

"Hey--" Ken started, his own tone suspicious as he began to ask questions of his own.

"Enough! I command you three to get in there and make me proud. If you don't, then I can very well make your life a living hell!" their sensei warned.

The three genin wordlessly turned to stare at him, unsure of whether his threat would ring true. They knew that he could make their lives hell, but the question was: would he? Arashi shook his head, the first to decide that whatever they were to face, it couldn't be worse than Hitoshi's wrath. He began to walk toward their destination, Kushina and Ken begrudgingly following suit.

"Hey, Uzumaki!" Hitoshi yelled. Kushina turned to look over her shoulder, praying that maybe—maybe--he had decided to pull them out of the exam....

"Nice jacket!"

He gave her a thumbs up before disappearing, leaving both Ken and Arashi to wonder what the big deal was as they examined her new attire. Neither had even noticed it before their sensei had mentioned anything.

Kushina, on the other hand, felt the tiniest glimmer of pride.

And hope.

***

***

Ken and Arashi were practically carrying Kushina out of the exam, the former mumbling obscenities all the way.

"Written exam?" Kushina whispered, her heart still beating in her chest. "What the hell..."

"Yup, a fucking written exam," Ken agreed. He, too, was perplexed by the importance of a damned written exam.

"Half of those questions..." she whispered, her mind reeling from the anxiety she had felt up on seeing them for the first time.

Arashi, who had been the only one to study, nodded solemnly, "Even I couldn't answer a few of them."

"A few?" Ken growled. "I couldn't answer any!"

Kushina said nothing, remembering the panic that taken over her. She was never good at written exams, though she was not at the bottom of her class in exam scores. But, these questions! These questions were absolutely ridiculous! At first, she had been tempted to just give up and walk out, but when she shoved her hands in her pocket, she felt the Whirlpool emblazoned hitai'ite and its cool surface. The memory of what that small gift represented to both her and her adopted family was enough to push her to at least sit the exam through. The questions had been garbage that she never used: projectile arcs, integrations, even family trees of distant shinobi who were long dead and had no ties to Konoha.

No, Kushina was not going to pass that exam. She knew it.

The exam knew it.

What made it worse were the proctors who sat around the edge of the room, watching for overt signs of cheating. Students were being expelled left and right, most of the ones in her row long gone by the end. There were only a few dozen—at most—who had actually left the exam room after the test was dismissed. They were the lucky few who would pass onto the second phase.

Apparently, according to Arashi, cheating was encouraged by covert means. It was intended for the students to use discreet methods of intel gathering—something that is necessary to any shinobi. He had simply used his Byakugan, though he didn't feel that anyone else's answers were satisfactory. Instead, he relied on his own smarts to complete the exam. Ken, on the other hand, had used his chakra strings to slowly pull his neighbor's test out into his view, quickly managing to score a few answers before the kid replaced his elbow over the paper.

Kushina had wanted to give up five minutes into the exam. She had been furiously pulling her hair out while she fretted about concepts she didn't understand. She had managed to answer two questions, but her strategy for the rest of the irrelevant questions was to merely scrawl as sloppily as possible, so that no one could read her answers. Then, at least, she had some hope that she may squeak by. It wasn't until she had frustratedly thrown her forehead protector on the table that she realized she could use it as a reflecting surface. With a few minute manipulations, she had successfully been able to glance at the exam behind her—the one belonging to the boy who looked eerily similar to Arashi.

At the end of the exam, the proctor reappeared, informing the nervous genin of another question. This one was different in that if you answered it incorrectly, you were permanently disqualified from Chunin Exams. Forever a genin. It was all-or-nothing.

On top of that, you could forfeit the current exam without penalty if you chose to not answer the question. At those stipulations, another dozen was easily wiped out. Kushina could tell from the proctor's face that he had expected more to give up this early in the exam. She also deduced that if this question were that difficult, almost no one would become a chunin—greatly depleting the shinobi population. She glanced at her team, nodding her acceptance of the task. Ken and Arashi gave their silent approvals, enabling Team Five to stay for the question. None could imagine that permanent disqualification were really an actual outcome. It had to be a bluff.

Had to be.

And, with enough patience, their determination proved fruitful. The last question was merely a test of will to see who would actually stick it out. She glanced around, noticing Tsume's team was still in the running, as was Yoshino's team. There were two Hyuugas, aside from Arashi, as well as Shikaku's team. All-in-all, there were at least six Konoha teams that were moving onto the next round.

Following their good fortune came the instructions for the second part of the exam. Kushina nearly peed herself when Namikaze Minato teleported into the room, angrily warning the genin of the dangers to come. She stared at him in mild amusement, rolling her eyes at his painstaking performance. While others may have bought it, she sure didn't.

Fast forward to Kushina being dragged from the room by her two male teammates....

"That was it? Seriously?" Kushina sighed.

"Yup, seems to be," Ken agreed. "Fucking ridiculous if you ask me."

"Agreed," Arashi nodded. "Though Namikaze-san was a nice touch."

"You loved that, I bet," Ken sarcastically toyed with his teammate. "Bet we'll see more of him in--"

A tall, messy haired boy who stormed past the trio, bumping into Ken, almost knocking both him and Kushina over. "Watch it, dickhead!" the boy hissed.

Ken narrowed his eyes in anger, "Kiss my ass, man!"

The boy turned around, quickly stalking toward them. He pointed a threatening finger at Ken as he took a menacing step forward. Kushina noted that he was nearly six inches taller than Ken, making him one of the tallest genin in the race.

"Watch your mouth, kid, or you'll end up--" his green eyes flashed their anger.

"Yeah, yeah," Ken rolled his eyes, as if on cue. "Where are you from? Oh, Iwa. Rock eater, if you ask me!"

The boy growled as he pushed Ken, who refused to be baited. Kushina reacted as they had practiced, pushing the boy back with little force. "Leave him alone!"

The Iwa teen registered her poor attempt at interference. "Is that all?" he laughed "Is that all you got? Stupid girl... there's no place in the shinobi world for the likes of you."

"Oh yeah?" Kushina asked, her cheeks turning red. She knew that she shouldn't allow his words to affect her, but she hated that sort of attitude. Hated it with a passion.

The boy took a step toward Kushina and Ken, raising his arm to strike a blow. Arashi quickly reached out and prevented the tactic. "This is not the time nor place."

"Agreed," came the smooth voice from behind them. Minato had been watching the entire scene from the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest. "There will be plenty of time for that in the upcoming test."

The Iwa genin said nothing, casting a dark smirk and angry glare at Team Five before turning on heel and storming off. Hitoshi's team was left standing there as Minato kept his gaze on the floor.

"So you're strategy is to let them underestimate you?" the blond smirked.

Kushina opened her mouth, but her words failed her. Were they that obvious?

"No," Minato raised a hand, quickly glancing at the trio, "your timing was well-executed. I just know your capabilities, that is all. I can see the bait."

Arashi nodded, glancing at his teammates. "You think it is a poor strategy?"

"Come on, man," Ken whined. "That Iwa jerk has been riding my tail since we got here!"

It was true, Kushina remembered. He had been trying to pick fights with the weakest looking genin he could find, obviously hoping to find targets for the later part of the exam. Team Five had already agreed to feign weakness and vulnerability, as they knew that the observations and analysis began as soon as the teams interacted with one another. The less attention brought to them, the better. If they were regarded as weak, then they could be underestimated.

Minato's smile was faint as he answered Arashi's question. "Not a bad strategy, no."

"Then what's with the shitty grin?" Kushina sighed, deciding that he was being more annoying than anything.

Why did he always pop up at inappropriate times? she wondered as her forefinger traced the pattern on the hitai'ite in her pocket as she spoke. She knew that she should thank him for the kindness he showed Asuma in helping him choose a gift, but her pride was preventing that humility.

"Shitty grin?" Minato echoed absentmindedly as his blue eyes wandered over the Leaf forehead protector that was currently around her waist.

She had worn the orange jacket, her sleeves pushed up onto her forearms. Her hitai'ite secured her jacket snugly to her waistless torso, as well as safe-guarding a few scrolls she had neatly tucked away. Kushina could feel her cheeks growing hot, knowing full well that Minato was wondering where the Whirlpool forehead protector was. She averted her eyes as his own gaze quickly returned to the floor—the interaction missed by Kushina's seemingly oblivious teammates.

"I think that little display of yours may actually get you through the second round," Minato nodded briefly, glancing at his watch as he straightened his posture. "But you've definitely made a new enemy in the process."

Before they could respond, Minato had disappeared. Team Five exchanged slightly worried glances as they decidedly made their way to the Forest of Death, none of them considering that it may very well be their burial ground.

*****

*****

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the characters.

Warning: Upcoming action in upcoming chapters. Can you handle it?

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