Hi Darlings!

One of my lovely reviewers, Antex-The Legendary Zoroark informed me that I hadn't uploaded chapter 11 properly, and instead I copy and pasted an earlier chapter by mistake! So sorry, and I hope you enjoy this new chapter!

I've taken the April Fools prank chapter down for now, and have uploaded it as a one-shot on my Quotev (same penname).

One Wednesday night in March the following year, just after Ezume's twelfth birthday (he was the eldest genin of the group, with Masuo's birthday being in May, and Sayuri having only turned eleven the past November), Team Tomoya were sitting down to discuss the upcoming chuunin exams in Sunagakure. They were eating at Kisetsu Shoku, which had become a favourite haunt of theirs for post-mission pep talks, where they would discuss what happened, what they were looking forward to, and how their work could be improved.

"Remember, I'm not going to be there for most of it," said Tomoya, sitting on one side of the booth across from his students, his scarf occupying most of the seats.

"You're not?" Sayuri blurted, out, a drop of ice cream falling from her spoon and back into the parfait, "But I thought we were all going to Suna together."

"He means for the actual exam," said Masuo, sitting on Sayuri's right, closest to the wall.

"Oh yeah, I knew that," she replied quickly, digging her spoon back into her dessert. Her teammates didn't share her sweet tooth, but they were nice enough to wait for her as she enjoyed the delights Kisetsu Shoku had on offer. She thought of dessert as a treat, a well-done for completing a mission. If she thought she didn't do that good, she didn't have one.

Tomoya smiled. "What I mean is you'll need to be able to work together, without my help. Think about what I've told you in training, and use it to your strengths."

There was a moment of silence, where Sayuri thought about how they would go about that over the last spoons of ice cream. She thought that she would just go along with what someone told her to. She had been getting better at dealing with enemies, reminding herself that in the long run she was helping people when they got into fights. She also didn't want to be a burden to her team, or be a disappointment to anyone.

"What is the actual exam sensei?" asked Ezume, "Written, physical, and then tournament right?"

Tomoya looked up from where he had been looking at the bill, wallet out on the table, "Yes, something like that. Suna are being very tight-lipped about the actual format, even though I did send the Kazekage a batch of my best homemade matcha macarons."

–––

Although they wouldn't be leaving until the Saturday, Sayuri decided to pack early, and spent the next morning organising what she needed into a standard-issue backpack. Her sealing jutsu wasn't the most convenient to carry everything on a long trip, as although she could summon small objects such as kunai and shuriken rapidly in battles, it still took her some time to extract larger items.

After lunch, Tobi called her to taijutsu training. It was easily her weakest area, as she wasn't physically strong, and preferred to use her speed to dart around enemies, attacking with her water jutsu from a long distance. Their sparring sessions had become more ferocious lately, with Sayuri having to work harder to even get a hit against him. She didn't complain though, eager for him to tell her if she did well, and how she could be better. These days, however, Tobi would rarely stay for long after they were finished.

This time, Sayuri collapsed to the floor, exhausted. She knew she come up with bruises, even now feeling one form where his foot had connected with her side.

Tobi's sharingan activated and she expected him to swirl away, but all he did was look at her for a few seconds, then it shut off.

He let out a sigh.

"Is there something wrong?" She moved to stand up. Did he want to spar again? Had she not been trying hard enough?

"It's nothing. You're still too young."

She bit her lip. "What do you mean?

"Sayuri-chan is so little that she needs to get stronger first okay! Come on let's go some food! Tobi is so hungry!" He grabbed her hand, urging her with him. Sayuri didn't move. She had hardly seen him eat.

"Let's go get some strawberries!" He tugged on her hand again, "Tobi found some and picked them for Sayuri-chan."

She stumbled forward a couple of steps but then stood her ground. "Why am I not old enough?"

"Because Sayuri-chan isn't! Come on, you need to eat up, Sayuri is having her chuunin exams the day after tomorrow!" His voice was still light, but she felt the surge of chakra through his hand, telling her, 'don't'.

"But why? Why can't I know now! It's not fair. I want to help and you won't let me."

The facade was dropped.

"You didn't seem that interested last time I let you in."

"That's because it was all about boring missions! I want to know about the real work you're doing."

"That is the real work. Now come on, Sayuri," he said, pulling her forward.

She dug her heels into the ground. "No."

The mask looked back at her, "What did you say?"

"I said no," she pouted. Why wasn't she allowed to help? It wasn't fair.

There was a pause. Then he dropped her hand.

"Fine then. See if I care." He disappeared into his other dimension.

She stomped to the kitchen. She didn't need him anyway. She was too tired to cook, so just prepared some pot ramen, tapping her foot against the floor as she waited for the water to boil.

It was then that Pain entered the kitchen, and she saw him opening up a cupboard and retrieve a mug, then prepare some coffee using the pot of granules left out on the counter.

"Can you stop tapping your foot like that."

Sayuri pouted but stopped.

He raised an eyebrow at her, and she smiled to herself at the change in facial expression. So he did do something over than look stern all the time. There was a silence while they both waited, staring at the kettle.

Then a rustle in the air and she saw Tobi came in, prepare his own coffee cup, and lean against the counter top.

There was the telltale 'click'.

Pain took it first, and left, then Tobi, before Sayuri could have a chance to snatch it up. Sayuri watched as he poured the water ever so slowly into his mug.

When he finally relinquished the kettle to her, it let out a measly trickle into the plastic ramen carton. She looked at the kettle, then back at him, idly stirring his coffee with a spoon. She lifted the kettle above her head, ready to throw it at him.

"Don't."

It was taken away with ease, and set back into the holder. She went to refill it, but he put his arm across to stop her.

"Please I'm hungry, I want to eat."

"We are eating. Just not here."

––

She stared into the inky blackness. The air cool and crisp. There was a light breeze, coming in off the sea, and the gentle lull of the waves.

In her hands, a takeaway container of shrimp fried rice, and the promised strawberries lay in a punnet by her feet.

He tended to to her wounds as she ate, sitting behind her and putting a balm on the bruises.

"I'm sorry Sayuri, I just want to protect you. These are grown-up things, you know that right?"

"Yeah…," she chewed on a bit of shrimp, "But I don't understand why you can't tell me just a little bit."

"It's all very complicated little one. But I'll tell you one thing."

"What, what?" She turned around to face him.

"We're going to need good, strong shinobi, so you do well on your chuunin exams okay?"

Sayuri looked back down at her meal, "Tobi-san, what happens if I don't pass?"

There was a pause, and she pushed her food around with her chopsticks waiting for his response.

"Then you don't pass. But I know you won't fail."

Sayuri felt herself break into a smile. "Do you remember your chuunin exams?" She tilted her head to the side, "Did you have chuunin exams back then?"

"I passed first time. And so will you. Now eat." He tapped the side of the takeaway container.

She did so for a few bites then,

"Tobi, aren't you hungry?" She offered him a piece of shrimp with her chopsticks. It fell on to the sand and she looked at it for a second, open-mouthed.

"I'm fine."

"If I pass the chuunin exams can I see under your mask?"

"No."

Please please please please please," she begged, twisting her body so she was lying on her back. She then lifted her arm up to peel at the edge of the mask.

He took her hand and gently pushed her arm away. "Sayuri, stop it." A strawberry was placed at her lips. "Eat."

She bit down into the fruit, and he took his hand away, then she held it by the stalk as she sat up to finish it, the sweetness pooling in her mouth and running down her throat.

"Tobi doesn't want Sayuri looking, because Sayuri-chan might not look what she is very nervous."

"I'm not," she replied, and started on her second strawberry.

Then, a rumbling of the earth caught her attention and she looked over to her left to see Zetsu appear out of the ground, about ten metres away.

"Wait here, okay," said Tobi, and stood up and went over to talk to the black and white person.

Sayuri quietly ate three more strawberries, looking over at the two who seemed to be deep in conversation.

Bored she stood up, punnet of strawberries in her hand, and ventured closer to the sea. What had been the gentle sigh of the waves was louder now, a steady rhythm as they lapped against the shore. The wind was fresher here too, whipping at her ponytail and tugging on her clothes. She could see something of the line between the beach and the water as it stroked the bottom of her sandals. But into the distance, nothing. Just the dark.

Sayuri took one step forward, then shrieked, bringing her foot back out again and shaking it off. It had been a lot colder than she anticipated. Then she remembered her chakra control, (The sea was just a big lake right?) and focused it to her feet.

It wasn't like a lake at all. It was hard to account for the movement of the water, and the third time she fell, the water coming up to her shins, she took her sandals off and threw them back onto the beach.

Then, barefoot, she navigated her way along, keeping close to the beach, in fear of falling in too far, and not being able to get out again. Tobi wouldn't be happy if he had to come and rescue her. No, she wouldn't need rescuing by him. So she stepped along, one foot in front of the the other, trying to judge the roll of the waves and adjusting her chakra so.

"Sayuri."

She looked up. He was done talking already? "What are you doing?"

"Walking." Then a wave broke her chakra control and she grew shorter by a few inches.

"Hn. Come out of there, we need to go home."

She did as she was told, walking the few metres towards him.

He looked down at her bare feet.

"Sayuri, where are your shoes?"

"They're…" She turned round to gesture.

It was dark.

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