A Call To Arms

Haru sat up suddenly, his sleeping bag falling away from him. Yukio whistled again from his treetop lookout, obviously his first whistle had woken the Inuzuka. Kibou growled quietly next to Haru, warning of someone approaching. Dai sat up next to Haru, rubbing sleep from his eyes.
Yukio hopped down from the tree.
"Didn't you understand my signal? We have to move, someone's coming!"
Haru leapt into action, quickly grabbing his things. His teammates followed suit, and in less than 5 minutes, they were on their way. It must have been about 6am, and the sun was feebly trying to cast its light on the world. Suddenly, Kibou stopped running through the trees with his team, yapping loudly. Haru looked back at his companion, listening.
"Kibou says we know the pursuer. We should stop."
Yukio and Dai paused, and then dropped from the high branches to the forest floor, waiting anxiously.
The undergrowth shook wildly, and a large snout appeared, followed by a white muzzle. It was Akamaru, swiftly followed by Inuzuka Kiba.
"Dad!? What are you doing here?" Haru exclaimed.
His father hushed him, holding a finger to his lips.
"We have to get back to Konoha, now!" he whispered, frantically hurrying the boys with his hands.
Akamaru nudged Kibou with his nose, urging him to run.

*

Aiko hugged her mother, and then her sister. Hinata wept quietly, and stroked her daughters' defiant face.
"Be very careful!" she said, wiping her eyes.
Aiko nodded, and immediately left the Hyuuga compound with Honou, her nin-dog. Hinata turned to leave, almost collapsing. Her cousin's strong arms caught her, and he led her towards the living room, promising green tea and a nice meal.
Akane stood for a long time outside, looking at the spot where Aiko had disappeared from view. She knew that with Konoha in a state of emergency, they would all be expected to serve their village. Her father had explained briefly, about the village of sound, and this Kabuto. It was his fault that Hoshi was ill, lying in hospital. It was now his fault that Aiko had been sent out on a patrol mission, at the Fire Country's boarder. Akane clenched her fist tightly and returned to her house, swearing to herself that she would avenge her cousin.

*

Naruto sat uncomfortably in front of his former teammate. He had barely spoken to Sasuke since his return, and now he had to ask a favour of him.
Sasuke sipped his tea in silence, as Naruto fidgeted with a scrap of paper in front of him.
"Sasuke-kun. I need you… I need you to serve Konoha again. I need all the strength I can get."
Sasuke calmly placed his teacup on the desk in front of him, and rose from his seat. He turned from Naruto, pausing as he opened the door.
"I will." He said, simply, closing the door behind him.

*

Shikamaru-sensei stood in front of his pupils.
"You have been training for two months now. The time has flown by. I need to now grade you, on the Hokage's orders, and decide if you are ready to become genin. Because of your advanced age and capabilities, and of course your success in training, Naruto feels you are ready to be graded. So, here goes…"
He pulled out a scroll from his pocket, and cleared his throat before reading:

"Uchiha Kin.
Taijutsu: 6/10. Needs more work.
Genjutsu: 4/10. Failing miserably.
Ninjutsu: 5/10. Just grasps the basics.

I'm afraid, Kin-san, that without more than half of 30, you cannot progress to genin level. I am sorry, and will continue to train you."

Kin looked down at the floor, trying to hide his disappointment.

"Uchiha Ichiru.
Taijutsu: 8/10. Extraordinary progress.
Genjutsu: 7/10. Lacks the motivation.
Ninjutsu: 9/10. Has exceeded far beyond the level he was predicted with.

With an overall mark of 24, you, Ichiru-san, are of genin level. This is not how people are usually selected. Ninja go through years of training. But its Hokage-sama's orders that you progress. This also means you receive you hitai ate. And it means you will have to fight, Ichiru. Fight for this village."

Ichiru took the headband from Shikamaru's outstretched hand. He clenched it tightly, scared, excited and overwhelmed.

*
Far away, in Suna, the Kazekage held his head in his hands. The opened scroll on the table was marked with Konoha's familiar leaf emblem.
Gaara rose from his seat, and rang a small bell beside his desk. A small, wizened man came scurrying in, holding a bunch of scrolls.
"Hideyoshi-san. I need you to call a meeting. It's extremely important."
"Hai, Kazekage-sama." The little man said, scurrying away as fast as he had come.
Gaara looked out in the direction of the hidden village of the leaf. His sister was there, and his niece and nephew. Even that lazy brother-in-law. And the loud-mouthed Hokage. He wouldn't let them down.

*

Akane watched as her mother left the same way as her sister. She jumped high, and disappeared over the rooftops. Akane had known that it would only be a matter of time before her mother was summoned. She was, after all, part of the famous 'Konoha Rookie Nine', the same nine that the Hokage himself belonged to. The girl hugged herself, and thought of her family, all out there somewhere. Akako nuzzled her hand, and she suddenly felt cold.
"Lets go inside." She said, turning slowly.
Ichiru blocked her way. He stood, drenched by the still pouring rain. He had obviously only just gotten home.
"Are you okay?" he asked her, reaching out to her.
As he did so, she was the glint of metal on his arm. A hitai ate, tied around his bicep.
He followed her gaze, and smiled a little.
"I became a genin today. Although I don't know if I'll be much use. But now I have people to protect. My father, my brother… and your family too."
Akane looked away.
"I want to avenge my mother, and I want to avenge Hoshi. I hoped that one day I could marry someone like Hoshi. The first day I saw her, I thought that maybe I had met a princess."
"P-please stop, Ichiru-kun…"
"But why, Akane-chan? I thought we were friends? I want to tell you everything. Everything is so clear now. My purpose, my goal, everything. I'm going to fight for this village, and I'm going to bring back a cure. I swear to you, I'll save Hoshi."
Ichiru mistook Akane's tears for something other than hurt, pain and jealousy. He touched her cheek fleetingly, and then turned to go into the house.
Stupid, stupid, stupid! How could you let yourself think he would like you more than a friend? Akane cursed herself, at the same time as feeling her heart breaking.

*

Ichiru stopped in front of his bedroom door. Akane had seemed really upset. Maybe there was something she wasn't telling him? He shook his head, remembering her help when he was hurt. Surely she had just been crying because she was happy for him?
He closed his door behind him, and looked at himself in the mirror. He looked older somehow, more grown up.

*

Akane sobbed into her pillow. Why hadn't she been called upon yet? The rain hit her window hard, and she sniffled slightly as it did so.
She was aware, quite suddenly, of someone else being in her room.
"Byakugan!" she said to herself.

Ichiru stood by her door.

She leapt from her bed in shock, snapping on her bedside light.

"What are you doing here? It's 1am!"

Ichiru took a few steps towards her.

"I'm really sorry, Akane-chan, if I upset you earlier. I've been sitting in my room thinking about it all night. I wanted to talk to you."

Akane sat on the bed, Ichiru sat beside her. She looked at him, and then quickly looked away, feeling shy and only just realising she had on only her nightdress. Ichiru coughed, and then spoke again.

"I don't actually want to marry Hoshi, you know." He said, edging a little closer.

Akane smiled a bit, and then said, "Really?"

Ichiru bit his lip, and edged the last few centimetres, until his thigh touched Akane's.

"Really." He said.